On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: eleven pipers piping!
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!
The eleven pipers stand for the eleven faithful disciples. That is, all of Christ's disciples except Judas.
Judas is quite a complicated character, and a lot of people have mixed feelings about him. On one hand, he helped make the Savior's universal sacrifice possible, but on the other hand, an innocent man suffered unspeakable torture and the worst death imaginable because of him. After everything Jesus went through, from the Garden all the way to the Cross, death could only be a blessed release.
There was no way Jesus's enemies could have gotten their hands on Him to begin with without a little help, and there is something to be said about someone who does something wrong when they know it's wrong. Whether Judas truly meant to betray his Master and simply got cold feet at the last minute, or the situation turned out a whole lot worse than he initially expected, is irrelevant.
When all is said and done, the man really was a traitor. He threw all of the Savior's teachings away and regretted his actions a little too late, which I feel makes his story that much more heart-wrenching.
As for the remaining eleven Apostles, they not only remained faithful but went on to become far greater men than they were before or could have ever imagined. They're all living proof that ordinary men (and women) can become truly extraordinary in God's hands if they let Him.
My fantasy version:
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: eleven centaurs prancing!
Ten flimsy fairies,
Nine mystic mermaids,
Eight hearty hobbits,
Seven dwarves a-mining,
Six flying horses,
Five magic rings,
Four mountain trolls,
Three phoenixes,
Two forest fauns,
And a unicorn as white as the snow!
Ten flimsy fairies,
Nine mystic mermaids,
Eight hearty hobbits,
Seven dwarves a-mining,
Six flying horses,
Five magic rings,
Four mountain trolls,
Three phoenixes,
Two forest fauns,
And a unicorn as white as the snow!
Like fauns, centaurs are known for their barbarism and unbridled chaos, and wine has always had a tendency to bring out the worst in them. Then again, centaurs are every bit as capable of kindness, goodness, and wisdom. They're especially passionate about books and astrology, and they make lifelong friends, too.
The most famous centaur of all is the Chiron, a wise and kind centaur who taught many great heroes in their youth, such as Achilles, Actaeon, and Jason.
I've personally developed a soft spot for the centaur Oreius from The Chronicles of Narnia.
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