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Comment on The Tyrrany of Literacy. On oral tradition and what is lost

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This is such bullshit. Consider the Serbian mythical figure Dukljan. Do you really think this output of several centuries of Chinese Whispers game is a good way to preserve knowledge about the Roman emperor Diocletian?

A Serbian folk song about Dukljan says that he once removed the Sun from the sky and brought it to the Earth.[1] Saint John managed to trick him and restore the Sun, but afterwards, while chasing him, Dukljan grabbed at him and tore a piece of flesh from John's foot, which explains why humans have arches of the foot.[1]

I don't know, I'm pretty sure this is in the Historia Augusta.

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