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Hm, that is interesting. You sort things differently than I do. I don't see Treasure and Sunshine as being like Saffron. Treasure as a name is a metaphor - it doesn't strictly mean material wealth. So is Sunshine a metaphor as a name. Saffron is not traditionally a metaphor for anything, it's a commodity, and its symbolism is worldly, it's about rare sensuous pleasures. It's more like Versace than Treasure, to me. If I found out that Saffron was a traditional spiritual symbol of some kind, it'd change the way it seemed to me. But I doubt it is, to any modern person using it, anyway. I guess the reason Rosemary isn't like Ruby to me is because it's Rose (abstract traditional symbolism) plus Mary ... Violet is also abstract traditional symbolism, Sage isn't.

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Tacky and kitschy are both still the wrong word somehow ... I'm not evaluating them, like good or bad, it doesn't even determine whether I like them. I'm just sensitive to the different kinds of value I think they represent. It's not about traditional-ness either. Maybe it's more banal vs sublime? Like, Myron is pretty literal and banal - I could totally put it with Saffron even though it is 'traditional,' and does not seem silly, it's roughly the same level of allusion that you're saying Saffron is. Trinity seems kind of silly to me, though, despite being a pretty esoteric idea.

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Anyway I'm more likely to say that Saffron is tacky, than Myron, and cite its banality, because I don't like Saffron and I do like Myron. No reason for that, that I can find, it's just personal preference.

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- mirfak

This message was edited 9/19/2022, 11:01 AM