Now Sammy ... There's A Great Seal!

I’ve been a bit negligent in my blogorial duties as of late (I believe the street term for a person in such a state is “blog slacker;” however, since urbandictionary.com is blocked at my place of employment, I can’t say with certainty). My lack of productivity has not been due to any sort of reticence, but rather to an issue that has consumed me over the past week.

I am not a big fan of braggadocio … I see no need to make loud boasts and trumpet one's qualities (be they real or imagined) when those qualities are evidenced by their very existence. (In addition to seeing no need for it, I, personally, lack cause for any boasting, so I luckily am without temptation to do so.)

As to the object of my obsession:


Above: The seal creator was a little full of herself, no?

This is the official Seal of the State of Idaho (actually, with respect to Magritte, I should say it’s an image of the official Seal of the State of Idaho). Note that it’s not the “Seal Of The Great State Of Idaho,” which would be a proper and honest allusion to the reverence in which we hold our home. Apparently, Miss Emma Sarah Etine Edwards, the designer of the Fair-To-Middling-At-Best Great Seal thought so highly of her work that felt the need to label it as such. Gee, Miss Edwards, it’s a miracle that DaVinci has remained famous after failing to title his masterpiece “The Great Mona Lisa.”

As you can see, it shows a woman and a man looking away from each other, obviously not speaking (she seems to be thinking “Fine. Go ahead and wear your god-awful neckerchief … it doesn’t mean I have to look at it.) Also present is our State Motto, “Esta Perpetua,” which is Latin for “Wasted Forever,” and which remains strikingly appropriate even 120 years later, especially for the North End hipsters in Boise. I have no idea why there’s a deer wearing a ridiculously huge badge in the middle – no doubt Miss Edwards was living up to the motto when she drew this.

I’m more partial to the Seal Of The Territory Of Idaho, which was used from 1866-1890:


Above: Awesome without needing to point it out explicitly.

This shows a couple of women just hangin’ out, chillin’, as if they had just sidled up to the bar for a drink. The absence of a male, along with the Star Of David at the bottom, has led some scholars to theorize that Idaho was once a sanctuary for Jewish lesbians. The presence of the wacky badge-wearing deer and the word “Salve,” which is Latin for “Ointment,” which is fun to say when baked (so I hear), suggests that Idahoans were Wasted Forever even before the official adoption of the motto.

It occurred to me that perhaps I should start an effort to change our Official Seal, but we’d likely end up with a couple of rednecks and the words “Votus Republicanus Perpetua” on it. Sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.