FILL: Rabbits and Dragons and seahorses?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 31 Dec 2011

The other day, one of the news shows had a fluffy white rabbit and a glass globe full of seahorses as props to talk about the new year. As they reminded us, 2011 is the year of the rabbit. And they showed us the fluffy white rabbit -- a long-haired variety who was quite happy to be on TV.

Then they held up the globe full of seahorses as they told us that 2012 is going to be the year of the dragon. As they gave us close-ups of the seahorses, I turned to Mitsuko and asked what seahorses are called in Japanese. Are they dragons?

She thought for a minute, then said, "Oh! Tatsu no otoshi go." I knew that tatsu meant dragons, so we were getting closer. But what was that other part?  Otoshi -- forgotten -- go? Oh, that's ko, or children, with the sound changed to make it easier to say!

So seahorses are forgotten children of the dragon? I'm almost willing to bet that there is a folktale somewhere behind that name, but in the meantime, I am enjoying that poetic description of seahorses. Forgotten children of the dragon, indeed. So that's why they are being used as representatives for 2012. Along with quite a few painted and drawn dragons, of course.

Do you suppose there are other forgotten children of the dragon around? Something to think about as we go from the year of the rabbit, 2011, to the year of the dragon, 2012.

Happy New Year!