Pepper: Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, also George Harrison's Thanks for the Pepperoni.
"The word "pepper" is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word for long pepper, pippali. Ancient Greek and Latin turned pippali into the Latin piper which was used by the Romans to refer both to black pepper and long pepper, as the Romans erroneously believed that both of these spices were derived from the same plant. The English word for pepper is derived from the Old English pipor. The Latin word is also the source of Romanian piper, Italian pepe, Dutch peper, German Pfeffer, French poivre, and other similar forms. In the 16th century, pepper started referring to the unrelated New World chili pepper as well. "Pepper" was used in a figurative sense to mean "spirit" or "energy" at least as far back as the 1840s; in the early 20th century, this was shortened to pep.[...]
Peppercorns were a much-prized trade good, often referred to as "black gold" and used as a form of commodity money. On the other hand, because of a peppercorn's individual size, the term "peppercorn rent" refers to a token payment made for something that is in fact being given.[...]
Black peppercorns were found stuffed in the nostrils of Ramesses II, placed there as part of the mummification rituals shortly after his death in 1213 BCE.[...]
As pepper supplies into Europe increased, the price of pepper declined (though the total value of the import trade generally did not). Pepper, which in the early Middle Ages had been an item exclusively for the rich, started to become more of an everyday seasoning among those of more average means."<Source>
Just in case they were referring to the chili pepper, though I imagine they meant just pepper, since pepper has a longer European history, and was said by John Lennon to be the source of the song (pepper shakers in a mess tent): "Chili pepper: Fidelity, Hex Breaking, Love [...] Pepper: Protection, Exorcism." <Source>
From a paper on Irish Serpent Symbolism, Appendix, symbolism in other cultures (Egyptian, here), "APEP / APOPHIS (The Egyptian serpent of darkness. This is the origin of terms such as Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Sergeant Pepper, and Pepsid, etc.)." <Source> I haven't been able to find more on this statement, yet, but will continue to look and update as I triangulate this bit of information. Though, I thought this was interesting, "In the tomb of Ramesses VI in the Valley of the Kings on the West Bank at Thebes (modern Luxor), Apophis is shown with twelve heads above its back representing those he has swallowed who are freed, if only briefly, when he is vanquished." <Source>
More on Apep: "Apep (Aapep, Apepi or Apophis) was the ancient Egyptian spirit of evil, darkness and destruction who threatened to destroy the sun god Ra as he travelled though the underworld (or sky) at night. Originally Set and Mehen (the serpent headed man) were given the job of defending Ra and his solar barge. They would cut a hole in the belly of the snake to allow Ra to escape his clutches. If they failed, the world would be plunged into darkness. However, in later periods Apep was sometimes equated with Set who was after all a god of chaos. In this case a variety of major and minor gods and goddesses (including Isis, Neith, Serqet (Selket), Geb, Aker and the followers of Horus) protected Ra from this all consuming evil. The dead themselves (in the form of the god Shu) could also fight Apep to help maintain Ma´at (order).
Like Set, Apep was also associated with various frightening natural events such as unexplained darkness such as solar eclipse, storms and earthquakes. They were both linked to the northern sky (a place that the Egyptians considered to be cold, dark and dangerous) and they were both at times associated with Taweret, the demon-goddess. However, unlike Set he was always a force for evil and could not be reasoned with." <Source>
Onion: The song "Glass Onion" is the main link between Onions and the Beatles, but the song alone is a metaphor for layers. Throughout the song, the lyrics lead us through a layer-by-layer exploration of previous Beatles songs, linking them together into a sense of wholeness, or "Oneness", bringing the journey full-circle. I highly recommend listening to both versions of the "Glass Onion" song from takes on the Anthology album, posted here. They are both slightly different from the final album version, but both hold very interesting experiences. "It's a Code!" "Help!".
" Onion: "the onion was considered to be so powerful, both as a symbol
and as a useful plant, that there existed a cult in Egypt dedicated to
its worship and cultivation. The onion represented eternity, because of
its circle within-a-circle structure.
In the Dharmic
religions such as Hindu and Buddhism, the fact that the layers of the
onion can be peeled away, and that it has no central core, makes it
analogous with the ego; eventually, there is barrier to the spirit world
and all is One. The first line of the Onion Song by Marvin Gaye
reflects this sentiment; 'The world is just a great big onion...'." (ISS)
"Onions, members of the lily, or allium, family, are one of the oldest known cultivated vegetables and are among the world’s most popular vegetables[...]
Our word "onion” comes from the Middle English “unyun”, which in turn comes from the French “oignon”, ultimately deriving from the Latin "unio", meaning one or unity, because an onion grows as a single bulb.[...]
In ancient Egypt, the onion symbolized eternity because of its circle-within-a-circle structure. Paintings of onions appear on the inner walls of the pyramids and in the tombs of both the Old Kingdom and the New Kingdom.
The onion is mentioned as an Egyptian funeral offering and is depicted on the banquet tables of the great feasts. Frequently, a priest is pictured holding onions in his hand or covering an altar with a bundle of their leaves or roots.[...]
'It was for bringing the cook tulip-roots instead of onions.'
—The reason the Queen of Hearts wants to behead the Seven-of-Spades in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
“Life is like an onion.
You peel it off one layer at a time;
And sometimes you weep.”
—Carl Sandburg, American poet" <Source>
Moondog: Moondog has an old association with the Beatles, being one of their earliest names (Johnny and the Moondogs). Also, the lyric in, I Dig a Pony, "I pick a moon dog/Well you can radiate everything you are/Yes you can radiate everything you are/ Oh now".
At 2:45 in this video, during The Kennedy Awards televised program, Alec Baldwin is giving a speech about Paul and says, "Paul, we honor you tonight for your career as a Beatle, the leader of Wings, and incredible solo performer, creator of our favorite songs, and, yes...as a Moon dog, too." Paul is wearing a Rainbow-coloured ribbon lanyard around his black suit lapel, looking like a moondog'd moon.
"A moon dog, moondog, or mock moon,is a relatively rare bright circular spot on a lunar halo caused by the refraction of moonlight by hexagonal-plate-shaped ice crystals in cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. Moondogs appear 22° to the left and right of the moon. They are exactly analogous to sun dogs, but are rarer because to be produced the moon must be bright and therefore full or nearly full. Moondogs show little color to the unaided eye because their light is not bright enough to activate the cone cells of humans' eyes." <Source>
"Moon Ring Weather Folklore: Folklore has it that a ring around the moon signifies bad weather is coming, and in many cases this may be true. So how can rings around the moon be a predictor of weather to come? The ice crystals that cover the halo signify high altitude, thin cirrus clouds that normally precede a warm front by one or two days. Typically, a warm front will be associated with a low pressure system which is commonly referred to as a storm." <Source>
"In folklore, moon rings are said to warn of approaching storms. Like other ice halos, 22° halos appear when the sky is covered by thin cirrus clouds that often come a few days before a large storm front.
The similar phenomenon called coronas are produced by water droplets and they are much smaller and more colorful than 22° halos." <Source>
From, Heth and Moab; Explorations in Syria in 1881 and 1882 By Claude Reignier Conder, "Near Banias lies buried a saint who is said to himself have been a dog, but I have not been able to gather any details. Perhaps he may be considered to be a relation of the famous moon dog, Anubis, or of the Vedic prototypes of Hermes." <Source>
<Interesting history of the etymology of the term Rock and Roll here> but the excerpt pertaining to the musician and conflict regarding the name Moondog, "In 1951, Cleveland, Ohio disc jockey Alan Freed would begin playing this type of music for his white audience, and it is Freed who is credited with coining the phrase "rock and roll" to describe the rollicking R&B music that he brought to the airwaves. The term, with its simultaneous allusions to dancing, sex, and the sound of the music itself, stuck even with those who didn't absorb all the meanings.
Originally Freed used the name Moondog for himself and any concerts or promotions he put on. This arose from the fact he used a piece of music called "Moondog Symphony" by the street musician Moondog as his repeated opening music for his radio show. Moondog subsequently sued Freed on grounds that he was stealing his name. Since Freed was no longer allowed to use the term Moondog he needed a new catch phrase." [see source above] Please do go check out this link to read about one of the Albums by Moondog, called Moondog. I'd be interested in hearing track 7.
