explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3098: Trojan Horse

2025-06-06T05:11:49Z

2600:1700:31C0:9F50:F105:3C1E:1445:A9F0: /* Explanation */ Noted that Cueball calls the foal an "inner horse"

{{comic
| number = 3098
| date = June 4, 2025
| title = Trojan Horse
| image = trojan_horse_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x196px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Ultimately, history would imperfectly record the story of the Foal of Troy.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a BABY BOT INSIDE A BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic presents a brief retelling of the {{w|Trojan Horse}} story, the climactic event of the legendary {{w|Trojan War}}, one of the best-known epics of ancient Greece and Rome.

The joke, spelled out in the title text, is that the Trojan Horse story's origin is mundane. The gift to the Trojans by the (supposedly) departing Greek army, we are told, was a normal-sized, living mare, which promptly and unexpectedly dropped a foal. "History" expanded the tale until the normal-sized live horse became a colossal wooden statue that "dropped" a commando unit of some 40 Greek soldiers, who opened the gates of Troy to the main Greek force (who had sailed back under the cover of darkness), with disastrous consequences for Troy. The name of the event became transmuted (for the purposes of a pun) from the "Foal of Troy" to the "Fall of Troy". Fall (∏τώση) and Foal (∏ουλάρι) begin with the same letter in Greek and are spelled even more similarly, as well as being near {{w|homophone}}s, in English. This would correspond with history exaggerating a supposed attack upon the food supply into the fall of the entire city. Of course, in reality, people are willing to feed horses because horses can accomplish useful tasks but only if they haven't died of starvation, and the people in the comic do not seem disturbed by the mare's appetite, only the foal's.

Based on how Cueball calls the offspring an "inner horse" instead of a foal (the term for a child horse), the fact that he interprets the foal's interest in oats as an attack upon Troy's food supply even though all horses need to eat but are nonetheless considered useful by humans, and his overall surprise that the mare gave birth, it seems that he does not know very much about horses. Calling a foal an "inner horse" would be analogous to calling a baby an "inner human", thus reflecting a lack of knowledge of placental mammalian reproduction similar to [[441: Babies]].

The debate in the comic, about the mission of the "Foal of Troy" and its impact on the city, reflects the debate in the Trojan Horse legend about the purpose of the horse statue and whether it was safe to accept it. The consequence of accepting the "Foal of Troy", a minor assault on the city's oat store, is accepted with indignation in the comic. In the legend, the potential consequences of accepting the horse statue were rejected or ignored until after it was too late. This is the etymology that caused the story to lend its name to the act of trying to smuggle something unwanted past people's notice by hiding it within something larger and more innocuous, particularly {{w|Trojan horse (computing)|computer malware}}.

It is not made clear whether the gifter of the horse knew of/suspected the pregnancy or whether they'd have even chosen to hand it over under different circumstances. However, it is consistent with the story, and with the {{w|Beware_of_Greeks_bearing_gifts|"Greeks bearing gifts" trope}} that originated with it, that the Greeks intentionally gifted a gravid mare to annoy the (in the "mundane" version otherwise victorious) Trojans. Surprise foals, where a mare is purchased with a hitherto unknown pregnancy, actually occur. The pregnancy is typically excused as mundane weight gain, up until the point where a foal is discovered with its mother in the morning. Horses with rounder builds, like some pony breeds, are known for maintaining undetected pregnancies. The reason a surprise foal might be salient for the comic, beyond the "Foal of Troy" pun, is the non-trivial costs of horse ownership, which can amount to hundreds or thousands of dollars per month. Food costs are part of (but not all of) this, as the comic touches on.

Archaeological evidence of a military conquest of {{w|Troy}} during the Bronze Age, or even of a major war centered on the city, is lacking. Far better evidence exists for the destruction of several iterations of the city by earthquakes. Possibly, the Trojan War legend arose as visitors attempted to explain the ruins of an earthquake-ravaged, deserted city. The "Foal of Troy" story, therefore, need not include a Greek conquest of Troy, or even a major military conflict with the Greeks.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[A horse is facing Cueball and Ponytail, who are standing in front of an entrance below a tower.]
:[In an inset panel, Cueball is talking to Megan and Hairy.]
:Cueball: When the Greeks departed, they left behind a horse as a gift.

:[Hairbun is standing behind a horse, with Cueball standing in front.]
:We took it as a gesture of peace, but it carried a secret payload.

:[A smaller horse is standing behind the horse from previous panel, which is looking behind at it.]
:One night, from within the horse, '''''another, smaller horse emerged!'''''

:[Close-up on Cueball.]
:Cueball: Our guards have been unable to determine the inner horse's objective, but it has begun to show an interest in our oats.
:Off-panel voice 1: An attack on Troy's food supply!
:Off-panel voice 2: How ''dare'' they!?

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Food]]

674: Natural Parenting

2025-06-06T05:06:19Z

2600:1700:31C0:9F50:F105:3C1E:1445:A9F0: /* Explanation */ Elaborated on title text

{{comic
| number = 674
| date = December 11, 2009
| title = Natural Parenting
| image = natural_parenting.png
| titletext = On one hand, every single one of my ancestors going back billions of years has managed to figure it out. On the other hand, that's the mother of all sampling biases.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic relates to the anxiety of having a first child, particularly an unplanned child, and is a play on the double meaning of the expression "do what comes naturally".

Doing what comes naturally is a euphemism for couples pairing off and forming intimate relationships, including sex. It is also advice given to new parents, advising them not to second guess themselves so much, to alleviate the stress that comes with parenting.

The couple [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] find themselves as unexpected parents. Both parents experience anxiety over how to manage their life with the child. The new father defuses the situation and states that parenting can not be that hard and they should just do what comes naturally. Naturally the couple find themselves with a second child. This adds insult to injury as now they have two children and still no idea about how to parent. As the first child was an "accident" the birth of the child was because of instinctual urges. Therefore, assuming nothing has changed in their relationship it would be natural if they produced another child.

The baby says, "Baby!", either copying Cueball, or saying its name Pokémon-style.

The title text claims that parenting can't be too hard because, up to the present, all of your ancestors have produced an unbroken line of children who figured out how to raise at least one child that is able to continue this unbroken chain. [[Randall]] jokes that this is the "mother" of all {{w|sampling bias}}es: Had anyone of one's ancestors completely failed at being parents, that person would never exist. Therefore, this sampling is heavily skewed by sampling only those that were all successful in at least one instance. It does not take into account the number of people in the past who do not have any lineage today to speak of, or the number times our ancestors failed at being parents to children we are not directly descended from. Because a mother is a type of parent, the expression "''mother'' of all sampling biases" is also somewhat literal in this case because successful motherhood is part of what is being sampled.

[[441: Babies]] and [[1384: Krypton]] also depict Cueball and Megan as people who should not be trusted with babies.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are looking down at a baby, throwing its arms in the air, standing between them.]
:Cueball: Oh man, we made a baby.
:Megan: ''Don't panic. Don't panic.''
:Baby: Baby!

:[Cueball looks at Megan, who still look down at the baby, which now looks down at her feet.]
:Cueball: Parenting can't be that hard. Let's just do what comes naturally.

:[In a frame-less panel they all three just stand there, they look down and the baby has spread it's arms out. Beat frame.]

:[A caption is in a frame at the top of the panel. Cueball and Megan are looking down between them. There are now two babies, one larger looking at Cueball's feet the smaller looking at Megan's feet.]
:Soon:
:Megan: Aw, crap.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with babies]]
[[Category:Romance]]

3098: Trojan Horse

2025-06-06T05:00:43Z

2600:1700:31C0:9F50:F105:3C1E:1445:A9F0: /* Explanation */ Mentioned the foal's interest in oats

{{comic
| number = 3098
| date = June 4, 2025
| title = Trojan Horse
| image = trojan_horse_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x196px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Ultimately, history would imperfectly record the story of the Foal of Troy.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a BABY BOT INSIDE A BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic presents a brief retelling of the {{w|Trojan Horse}} story, the climactic event of the legendary {{w|Trojan War}}, one of the best-known epics of ancient Greece and Rome.

The joke, spelled out in the title text, is that the Trojan Horse story's origin is mundane. The gift to the Trojans by the (supposedly) departing Greek army, we are told, was a normal-sized, living mare, which promptly and unexpectedly dropped a foal. "History" expanded the tale until the normal-sized live horse became a colossal wooden statue that "dropped" a commando unit of some 40 Greek soldiers, who opened the gates of Troy to the main Greek force (who had sailed back under the cover of darkness), with disastrous consequences for Troy. The name of the event became transmuted (for the purposes of a pun) from the "Foal of Troy" to the "Fall of Troy". Fall (∏τώση) and Foal (∏ουλάρι) begin with the same letter in Greek and are spelled even more similarly, as well as being near {{w|homophone}}s, in English. This would correspond with history exaggerating a supposed attack upon the food supply into the fall of the entire city. Of course, in reality, people are willing to feed horses because horses can accomplish useful tasks but only if they haven't died of starvation, and the people in the comic do not seem disturbed by the mare's appetite, only the foal's.

The debate in the comic, about the mission of the "Foal of Troy" and its impact on the city, reflects the debate in the Trojan Horse legend about the purpose of the horse statue and whether it was safe to accept it. The consequence of accepting the "Foal of Troy", a minor assault on the city's oat store, is accepted with indignation in the comic. In the legend, the potential consequences of accepting the horse statue were rejected or ignored until after it was too late. This is the etymology that caused the story to lend its name to the act of trying to smuggle something unwanted past people's notice by hiding it within something larger and more innocuous, particularly {{w|Trojan horse (computing)|computer malware}}.

It is not made clear whether the gifter of the horse knew of/suspected the pregnancy or whether they'd have even chosen to hand it over under different circumstances. However, it is consistent with the story, and with the {{w|Beware_of_Greeks_bearing_gifts|"Greeks bearing gifts" trope}} that originated with it, that the Greeks intentionally gifted a gravid mare to annoy the (in the "mundane" version otherwise victorious) Trojans. Surprise foals, where a mare is purchased with a hitherto unknown pregnancy, actually occur. The pregnancy is typically excused as mundane weight gain, up until the point where a foal is discovered with its mother in the morning. Horses with rounder builds, like some pony breeds, are known for maintaining undetected pregnancies. The reason a surprise foal might be salient for the comic, beyond the "Foal of Troy" pun, is the non-trivial costs of horse ownership, which can amount to hundreds or thousands of dollars per month. Food costs are part of (but not all of) this, as the comic touches on.

Archaeological evidence of a military conquest of {{w|Troy}} during the Bronze Age, or even of a major war centered on the city, is lacking. Far better evidence exists for the destruction of several iterations of the city by earthquakes. Possibly, the Trojan War legend arose as visitors attempted to explain the ruins of an earthquake-ravaged, deserted city. The "Foal of Troy" story, therefore, need not include a Greek conquest of Troy, or even a major military conflict with the Greeks.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[A horse is facing Cueball and Ponytail, who are standing in front of an entrance below a tower.]
:[In an inset panel, Cueball is talking to Megan and Hairy.]
:Cueball: When the Greeks departed, they left behind a horse as a gift.

:[Hairbun is standing behind a horse, with Cueball standing in front.]
:We took it as a gesture of peace, but it carried a secret payload.

:[A smaller horse is standing behind the horse from previous panel, which is looking behind at it.]
:One night, from within the horse, '''''another, smaller horse emerged!'''''

:[Close-up on Cueball.]
:Cueball: Our guards have been unable to determine the inner horse's objective, but it has begun to show an interest in our oats.
:Off-panel voice 1: An attack on Troy's food supply!
:Off-panel voice 2: How ''dare'' they!?

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Food]]

3098: Trojan Horse

2025-06-06T04:47:25Z

2600:1700:31C0:9F50:F105:3C1E:1445:A9F0: /* Explanation */ Made capitalization consistent

{{comic
| number = 3098
| date = June 4, 2025
| title = Trojan Horse
| image = trojan_horse_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x196px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Ultimately, history would imperfectly record the story of the Foal of Troy.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a BABY BOT INSIDE A BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic presents a brief retelling of the {{w|Trojan Horse}} story, the climactic event of the legendary {{w|Trojan War}}, one of the best-known epics of ancient Greece and Rome.

The joke, spelled out in the title text, is that the Trojan Horse story's origin is mundane. The gift to the Trojans by the (supposedly) departing Greek army, we are told, was a normal-sized, living mare, which promptly and unexpectedly dropped a foal. "History" expanded the tale until the normal-sized live horse became a colossal wooden statue that "dropped" a commando unit of some 40 Greek soldiers, who opened the gates of Troy to the main Greek force (who had sailed back under the cover of darkness), with disastrous consequences for Troy. The name of the event became transmuted (for the purposes of a pun) from the "Foal of Troy" to the "Fall of Troy". Fall (∏τώση) and Foal (∏ουλάρι) begin with the same letter in Greek and are spelled even more similarly, as well as being near {{w|homophone}}s, in English.

The debate in the comic, about the mission of the "Foal of Troy" and its impact on the city, reflects the debate in the Trojan Horse legend about the purpose of the horse statue and whether it was safe to accept it. The consequence of accepting the "Foal of Troy", a minor assault on the city's oat store, is accepted with indignation in the comic. In the legend, the potential consequences of accepting the horse statue were rejected or ignored until after it was too late. This is the etymology that caused the story to lend its name to the act of trying to smuggle something unwanted past people's notice by hiding it within something larger and more innocuous, particularly {{w|Trojan horse (computing)|computer malware}}.

It is not made clear whether the gifter of the horse knew of/suspected the pregnancy or whether they'd have even chosen to hand it over under different circumstances. However, it is consistent with the story, and with the {{w|Beware_of_Greeks_bearing_gifts|"Greeks bearing gifts" trope}} that originated with it, that the Greeks intentionally gifted a gravid mare to annoy the (in the "mundane" version otherwise victorious) Trojans. Surprise foals, where a mare is purchased with a hitherto unknown pregnancy, actually occur. The pregnancy is typically excused as mundane weight gain, up until the point where a foal is discovered with its mother in the morning. Horses with rounder builds, like some pony breeds, are known for maintaining undetected pregnancies. The reason a surprise foal might be salient for the comic, beyond the "Foal of Troy" pun, is the non-trivial costs of horse ownership, which can amount to hundreds or thousands of dollars per month.

Archaeological evidence of a military conquest of {{w|Troy}} during the Bronze Age, or even of a major war centered on the city, is lacking. Far better evidence exists for the destruction of several iterations of the city by earthquakes. Possibly, the Trojan War legend arose as visitors attempted to explain the ruins of an earthquake-ravaged, deserted city. The "Foal of Troy" story, therefore, need not include a Greek conquest of Troy, or even a major military conflict with the Greeks.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[A horse is facing Cueball and Ponytail, who are standing in front of an entrance below a tower.]
:[In an inset panel, Cueball is talking to Megan and Hairy.]
:Cueball: When the Greeks departed, they left behind a horse as a gift.

:[Hairbun is standing behind a horse, with Cueball standing in front.]
:We took it as a gesture of peace, but it carried a secret payload.

:[A smaller horse is standing behind the horse from previous panel, which is looking behind at it.]
:One night, from within the horse, '''''another, smaller horse emerged!'''''

:[Close-up on Cueball.]
:Cueball: Our guards have been unable to determine the inner horse's objective, but it has begun to show an interest in our oats.
:Off-panel voice 1: An attack on Troy's food supply!
:Off-panel voice 2: How ''dare'' they!?

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Food]]