I suspect the two have independent origins. The “Moses has horns” thing is very specific to Moses - it was, among other things, a symbolic way of identifying who Moses was in artistic representations; it derived as noted from a mistaken Bible translation. The “Jews have horns” thing was I think originally derived from “the Jews are devils” idea - Jews are also thought on occasion to have tails and cloven hooves, attributes not associated with Moses.
In short, there are horns and then there are horns. Moses was a religious figure to Christians and Jews alike, and his horns were benign–like associating the Evangelist Luke with an Ox, whereas calling someone an “Ox” is usually not a complement.
I’m not using all three. I’m saying that only two are reflected in the sculpture (symbol of power/Bible error) and one can certainly contribute to the other. Evil Jews were depicted with horns centuries before Michelangelo.
“Huguenots” certainly isn’t a correct translation of “Amish”. Regardless of whether or not there might have been historically a connection between both movements, “Huguenot” in French refers to a French protestant living during, say, the 16th-18th centuries.
Translating “Amish” by “Huguenot” would completely puzzle the reader. Reading that, I would assume you’re referring to mainstream protestants descending from Huguenots who had emigrated from France to North-America during Louis XIV’s reign.
Yes, quite. But that’s not the point I am trying to make. An important distinction could be made within the French language and culture and those influenced by it with a translation including and dating the Amish within the approximacy and historically loaded definition of the Huguenot movement. This French girl is thinking that Mormons are Amish and vice versa… it’s a frisable and comparable cultural psychic wedge to show her the difference without going into preaching and apoplkectics. Mormons have very little in common with the amish, but the amish perhaps more in common with a native and familiar movement, historically.
Apparently many French folks mix up Mormons and Amish. I was just looking this up the other day–the story is that the movie Witness, when translated into the French, described the Amish people as Mormons, and they’ve been conflated in the French popular imagination ever since. I couldn’t pin it down with exactitude (since I don’t have a French copy of the movie) but traced it far enough that it looks like a credible story.
I too have heard the story about Mormons having horns. People used to–jokingly–ask me about it.
A fictional depiction, and not in America, but exactly what you are talking about:
In Bruce Lee’s “Fist of Fury” there is a park with a sign by the entrance that says “No dogs and Chinese allowed”, which causes good ol’ Bruce to commence with a major asskicking.
Moses was a religious figure to Christians and Jews alike, and his horns were benign–like associating the Evangelist Luke with an Ox, whereas calling someone an “Ox” is usually not a complement.
