Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ptsfc.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!lll-crg!dual!ptsfa!ptsfc!rjw
From: rjw@ptsfc.UUCP (Rod Williams)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Latin Occult Palindrome
Message-ID: <442@ptsfc.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Aug-85 20:02:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: ptsfc.442
Posted: Wed Aug 14 20:02:00 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 19-Aug-85 07:23:36 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: Pacific Bell
Lines: 22

There has been a spate of palindromes in net.bizarre recently
which got me thinking about one I remember reading about years
ago. It's a Latin phrase, dating from mediaeval times and
apparently loaded with occult significance. If I remember
correctly, it goes like this:

                       SATOR
                       AREPO
                       TENET
                       OPERA
                       ROTAS

In this format you can see that the palindrome works both
horizontally and vertically. I'm sure that the five words each
with five letters add to the occult value. Does anyone know
what, if anything, it means in English or the significance or
origin of the phrase?
-- 

 rod williams | {ihnp4,dual}!ptsfa!ptsfc!rjw
 -------------------------------------------
 pacific bell |  san ramon  |  california