Proverbs
Proverbs, succinct and pithy saying in general use, expressing commonly held ideas and beliefs. Proverbs, are part of every spoken language and are related to such other forms of folk literature as riddles and fables that have originated in oral tradition. Comparisons of proverbs found in various parts of the world show that the same kernel of wisdom may be gleaned under different cultural conditions and languages. The biblical proverb "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," for example, has an equivalent among the Nandi of East Africa: "A goat's hide buys a goat's hide, and a gourd, a gourd." Both form part of codes of behavior and exemplify the proverb's use for the transmission of tribal wisdom and rules of conduct. Often, the same proverb may be found in many variants. In Europe this may result from the international currency of Latin proverbs in the Middle Ages. The proverb known in English as "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" originated in medieval Latin, and variants of it are found in Romanian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German, and Icelandic. Many biblical proverbs have parallels in ancient Greece. "A soft answer turneth away wrath" was known to Aeschylus as well as to Solomon, and "Physician, heal thyself" (Luke 4:23) was also known to the Greeks. Certain stylistic similarities have been found in proverbs from the same part of the world. Middle Eastern proverbs, for instance, make frequent use of hyperbole and colorful pictorial forms of expression.
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