It was my great-grandfather’s name and a certain great king’s name.
When I was a kid it was a pain in the ass – I got many unwelcome nicknames from classmates (Salmon, Salamander, Solly) and often had to repeat my name to people, who might mishear it as “Sullivan” or would often, forgetfully, call me “Simon”. But I don’t ever remember wishing I had another name.
I felt a kinship to King Solomon – his wisdom and justness. That was recently emphatically reinforced when I came across this beautiful late-16th century Persian painting, Solomon Takes Advice from the Animals, at the Chester Beatty Museum in Dublin. Solomon had the ability to speak to all animals, and, even with his great wisdom, would seek advice from them. The story goes:
“One day, he had the opportunity to drink the water of life, and to live forever. Hesitating, he decided first to take advice from the animals and birds. They all gathered at his court, and discussed the great decision. The heron advised the king not to choose immortality. There was only enough water for one person, the bird said, so if Solomon were to drink it, then he would outlive everyone he loved.”
I commune with pretty much every animal I see, so I heavily vibed with this! 🦘🫏🐑🦌🐕🐈🦢🐇🦝🦡🐀🐿️🐦⬛🦉🦇🐛🐌🐞🪲🕷️🦂🐢🐍🦎🦐🐋🦭🦧🐘🐪