[Ads-l] Ur ("prototypical")

[Barretts Mail]

Merriam-Webster (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ur <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ur>) defines “Ur” as a city of ancient Sumer. Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ur <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ur>) says Ur was founded c. 3800 BCE. 

One of the “Making of” DVDs of the “Lord of the Rings” has a usage in which Ur is used as a metaphor, but I’m too lazy to try to find it again. I believe it was about the concept of the Ur-legend; that is, a prototypical or ancient source from which later legends and stories derive.

It seems to be generally agreed that Uruk was founded before Ur:

https://www.ancient.eu/uruk/ <https://www.ancient.eu/uruk/>
World History Encyclopedia

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The city of Uruk is most famous for its great king Gilgamesh and the epic tale of his quest for immortality but also for a number of `firsts' in the development of civilization which occurred there.

It is considered the first true city in the world, ….
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If Uruk is older than Ur and is home to the Gilgamesh myth, why is it used to mean “ancient source” instead of Uruk? I can only speculate that perhaps it’s because Abraham’s birthplace is given in Genesis as Ur Kasdim. 

Here are additional examples using “Ur" as a prefix to mean “prototypical” or “primeval”:

1. https://tinyurl.com/33hbwm86 <https://tinyurl.com/33hbwm86>
Lord of the Geeks
Andrew Leonard
31 Dec 2002

I take this meaning to be “primitive/fundamental” but it’s not clear. 

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Progress in computing can be judged by how well the state of the art enables the evocation of that Ur-territory of dwarves and goblins.
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2. https://tinyurl.com/cms4sdaf <https://tinyurl.com/cms4sdaf>
Here Be Blank Spaces: Vaguely Medieval Fantasy Maps
Jonathan Crowe
Aug 2013 (original publication date)

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The Lord of the Rings doesn’t just give us the ur-text of modern fantasy; it also gives us, in its map of the western part of Middle-earth, the ur-map: the progenitor map from which the modern fantasy map design is descended.
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3. https://tinyurl.com/8ujfuxd4 <https://tinyurl.com/8ujfuxd4>
"Recreating the World with Words: J. R. R. Tolkien’s Beowulf and The Lord of the Rings”
Yun Ni
c. 2017

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Apart from a systematic examination on the history of Middle-earth, a comparative study of Old English and Tolkien’s fantasy Elvish languages, especially Quenya and Sindarin, will explore the connection between a hypothesized ur-language and its concomitant worldview.
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4. https://tinyurl.com/ydy2r4hz <https://tinyurl.com/ydy2r4hz>
Millions Are Hounded for Debt They Don’t Owe. One Victim Fought Back, With a Vengeance
Zeke Faux
6 Dec 2017 (original posting date)

“ultimate (source)"

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His search for the ur-source rarely traveled in a straight line.
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5. https://tinyurl.com/dk5ssjkc <https://tinyurl.com/dk5ssjkc>
Post-Classical Fantasy Cinema: The Lord of the Rings
I. Q. Hunter
6 Sep 2018

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...successful screenplays were variations on a twelve-stage Hero’s Journey model. A good film reworked this Jungian ur-narrative within the standard Three Act structure…
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6. https://tinyurl.com/2xvjxxrz <https://tinyurl.com/2xvjxxrz>
Matt Gaetz has zero interest in being in Congress
Chris Cillizza
30 Mar 2021

“prototypical” though meaning “perfect example”

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Now, many newly elected Republican House members see a seat in Congress as a means to a more lucrative end -- a chance to build their, uh, brand, widen their fundraising base and raise their profile in order to get the real prize: A well-paying gig on a conservative media network.

The Ur example of this trend comes in the form of a brassy and bouffanted Florida congressman named Matt Gaetz.

Since his arrival in Congress in 2017, Gaetz has shown far more interest and passion in appearing on Fox News to dunk on Democrats than in actually trying to, you know, legislate.
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Benjamin Barrett (he/his/him)
Formerly of Seattle, WA


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