Would you consider By Jove to be blasphemy?

[Dinopawus]

First world non-problem & I have no intention of doing anything about at all, apart from having a gentle chuckle.

DD has just announced that her English Teacher said today that she wants to reintroduce "By Jove" as an expression. I'm not offended by this, although I had always assumed it was blasphemous, so I'm mildly amused and have suggested that DD might want to pick her audience before embracing the phrase.

For additional context, her school is very strict re swearing and pupils who are caught usually get a short fixed term exclusion.

So wise Mumsnetters would you consider this to be Ok in a school that takes a hard line on swearing, and is it actually blasphemy as I thought?

By Jove, I am not covetous for gold, Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost; It yearns me not if me my garments wear;

Exactly.

🤣

Not The Holy Whiskers! Don't invoke the Spiritual Wifi of the Blessed Furry Wee Shites Overlords!

If you don't put an end to this abomination right now, it could go all the way to The Sacred Toebeans!

I wouldn’t consider it blasphemous unless you have a sneaking suspicion the Roman Gods are still about.

Maybe, on second thoughts, best not risk summoning him up!

By the Knights of St Columba!!

Not a scooby what most of you are on about, but glad it's brought a smile to a few people's faces.

I like Bastet's whiskers. I'm going to use that one.

By Mars' spear! You can't have teachers saying things like that, there'll be thunder and floods for weeks!

My dad used to say 'Jumping Jesus!' when he was surprised at something.

I quite like "Man Alive!" Which I suspect might also be a reference to jesus?

Only if you worship Roman gods Jove is another word for Jupiter, the joy bringer. It's where the word jovial comes from.

English studying Shakespeare at school we as a class had a lot of fun with this one in the playground. An in joke for ages

I bite my thumb sir 🤣

From Hell's heart I stab at thee

KHAAAAAAN!

@justasking111

Do you bite your thumb at ME sir?!!

"By Grabthar's Hammer, by the Sons of Warvan, you shall be avenged."

No.

Jove is a Roman God.(in charge of the sky and thunder). I don't think there's anything terrible in that.

Equally maybe resurrect Crikey! or Gadzooks!

You jest, but we actually do use "great Odin's ravens!" in similar context in our house 😄

‘By Grabthar's Hammer, what a saving!’

I don't think it's blasphemous, it's a very old fashioned term used to express surprise or to add emphasis.
Something you'd hear on an old English black and white movie 😊

Equally maybe resurrect Crikey! or Gadzooks!

Those are both blasphemous if you’re really strict about it. They are minced oaths, Crikey for Christ and Gadzooks for God's hooks.

It wouldn’t even be blasphemous to the Romans - they were fine with “by Jove” as an expression and didn’t consider it disrespectful to Jupiter. The idea using God’s name “in vain” was blasphemous comes from the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Only if I were an ancient Roman.

As a Scot, can we revive Crivvens! And Help ma boab?

It's the Latin vocative case for Iupiter (Jupiter)