?It wasn?t a face that launched a thousand ships; it was a feather.?
In this week?s issue, Neil Travis did a fine job of describing the traditionally accepted first record of fly fishing. But consider this. A scroll, recently discovery in the basement of the Cairo library, gives reason to alter that view. It seems that fly tying was done much earlier and was widely practiced in the ancient world. Here is an initial rough translation of the text:
?In the fall of 1283 BC I, Mikos Gamma (AKA UrsusDCCXVII), was working a job as a busboy on a cruise trireme out of Crete. Late one night, after most of the free born citizens and their slaves had gone to bed, there were still a few Kings and Heroes hanging out in the lounge playing Bux Euxre and discussing fly tying. I had just cleared an empty wine skin, when Hector ordered up the X of Hearts and said, ?Our Trojan neck hackles are the best in the ancient world.?
?Not being one to let such comments pass, Achilles plucked a feather from the crest of his helmet, held it up, and said, ?Boy, just one of our Greek saddle hackles is worth more than a whole flock of the buzzards you Trojans call game cocks!?
?Menelaus said, ?Helen?s won fair and square in last night?s Poxer game. Paris can keep her. But, by Zeus, Achilles is right about our Greek hackles!?
?Priam shouted,?Boolian Manure!? They all drew their swords.
?That was it. It was not a face that launched a thousand ships; it was a feather. The story about fighting over Helen was made up by Homer 200-300 years later. Though it may be hard to believe that all that trouble started over fly hackles, it wouldn?t be if you knew how serious the Greeks were about their tying materials, especially Achilles. He had it in for Hector from then on.
?Later, when Hector and Achilles were both dead, Ulysses and the remaining Greeks made fish bait out of the remaining Trojans. After that was used up, they went back to using flies.
?If you don?t believe me about this, ask Jacobos Eucastor He was captain of the trireme.?
?Now your Romans used hair from Roebuck hides they imported from the Britannias? ?(The rest of the scroll is missing.) :D
Mikos
