How did the phrase “the brains of the air” come out?

In our everyday life, we use various proverbs, popular sayings and phrases, which, however, we do not know their origin and origin. Several phrases and proverbs condens the wisdom of centuries and are carried from generation to generation, proving the richness of our cultural tradition and history, however, may have their original meaning significantly differed. CORVERSE Just as with the famous phrase “they took the brains of the air”. Today, we usually use this phrase for a person who shows arrogant and arrogant behavior, overestimating his potential, that is, that he has rode the reed, as commonly called. However, few are those who know the true origin of the well – known phrase. In fact, its history dates back to Byzantium’s years and relates to “wet fire”. CORVERSE According to his book Takis Natsoulis “Words and phrases proverbial” (Smyrniotakis editions) “the monk Kallinikos from Syria brought the famous liquid fire to Byzantium in the 7th century and the Byzantines duly exploited it. On the bow of each eland, or warship with four rows of oars, was placed the head of a lion or other beast, and even a man, made of bronze, with a mouth wide open”, notes the journalist and writer. And he adds: “The mouth communicated with a series of pipes from which the liquid was poured – which was black as unclean oil – while at the same time from another tube it passed with special air bubbles, so that the liquid could be poured away. These tubes the Byzantines called “myel”. From the last one passed to us the phrase “they got the brains of the air”.