Guardian of the guardian(s) of the gold

Posted by Fred on January 05, 2004

In Reply to: Guardian of the guardian(s) of the gold posted by Ebony on January 05, 2004

: : : : Where does that expression come from? As in "Who is the guardian of the guardian(s) of the gold" or "Where is the guardian etc..."
: : : : The griffin [gryphon" is the mythological creature who guards the gold , but , usually its own gold.] My "guardian" is the one who keeps the guardians of other peoples' gold honest. But I still don't know where the expression originated or was coined. Help, please.

: : : I suspect this is a direct relative of the Lat*n expression (which I can't precisely remember!!) but which translates as 'Who is the custodian of the custodians?'. It is centuries old and, I believe, dates back to ancient Rome.

: : Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

: Who shaves the barber?

Reminds me of Russell's paradox. Suppose there is a barber B who shaves
those and only those who don't shave themselves. Does B shave himself?
If he does he doesn't. If he doesn't he does.

• Guardian of the guardian(s) of the gold Ebony 11/January/04
  • Paradox Lewis 12/January/04