Literary notes about Eight (AI summary)
Across literature, the numeral “eight” emerges as a versatile tool, employed to denote precise quantities, measurements, or time while also carrying evocative, sometimes symbolic, undertones. In ancient myths and historical texts it can serve as an exact count—as in the eight birds sacrificed in a somber ritual [1] or eight rowers manning a boat [2]—while in practical contexts it quantifies ingredients [3] or indicates specific moments like eight o’clock when an action unfolds [4, 5]. Its resonance extends further, appearing in puzzles and mathematical musings to denote symmetry or a recurring motif [6, 7], underscoring both the literal and figurative weight that this single digit may carry throughout diverse genres and periods.
- [ While the Greeks were sacrificing at Aulis, a serpent appeared and devoured eight young birds from their nest and lastly the mother of the brood.
— from Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica by Hesiod - This boat contained an officer, a mate, and eight rowers.
— from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - Take of white sugar a pound and a half, juice of Pomegranates eight ounces, white Wine Vinegar four ounces, boil it gently into a Syrup.
— from The Complete Herbal by Nicholas Culpeper - At a few minutes past eight the front door bell rang, and Tuppence went to answer it with some inward trepidation.
— from The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie - Eight o'clock at night.
— from Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded by Samuel Richardson - "And you swear that he takes eight steps to your five?"
— from Amusements in Mathematics by Henry Ernest Dudeney - Now, all the other eleven solutions are non-symmetrical, and therefore each of them may be presented in eight ways by these reversals and reflections.
— from Amusements in Mathematics by Henry Ernest Dudeney
