33 | Handcuffs and Proteus

Have you ever noticed that an open pair of handcuffs has a much in common with the number "33"?  (Look above)

That might not be an accident, as the first recorded mention of handcuffs appears in Virgil’s telling of the myth of Proteus, an ancient Greek shape-shifting god. According to the myth, Proteus possessed the gift of prophecy, and men desired to learn from him. But any time a human would approach and request that Proteus share his knowledge, he would shift his shape and escape. Finally Aristaeus, son of Apollo, particularly motivated by the desire to learn why his bees were dying of disease, learned (and utilized) the secret to preventing Proteus from shape shifting and escaping: handcuffs.

• Proteus = 7+9+6+2+5+3+1 = 33