Mythology in modern society
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Months of the YearApril n [ME April, Averil, Aperil, fr. L Aprilis, perh. fr. Gk Aphro, short for Aphrodite] : the fourth month of the Gregorian calendar January n [ME Januarie, fr. L Januarius, 1st month of Roman year, fr. Janus the two-faced god of beginnings] : the first month of our calendar year March n [ME, fr. OF, fr. L martius of Mars, fr. Mars the Roman war god] : the third month of our calendar year May n [ME, fr. OE & L; OF mai, fr. L Maius, fr. Maia Maia, mother of Hermes] : the fifth month of our calendar year Days of the Week Friday n [ME, fr. OE frigedaeg, fr. (assumed) Frig Frigga + daeg day, prehistoric trans. of L dies Veneris Venus' day] : the sixth day of the week, following Thursday Saturday n [fr. L Saturnus Saturn, ancient Roman god of agriculture and father of Jupiter] : the seventh day of the week, following Friday Thursday n [ME; OE Thursdaeg, fr. ODan Thursdagr, lit. Thor's day, fr. D donderdag, fr. G Donnerstag; trans. of LL dies Jovis Jove's day] : the fifth day of the week, following Wednesday Tuesday n [ME tewesday, OE tiwesdaeg, orig., phrase Tiwes daeg Tiw's day, translating L dies Martis day of Mars] : the third day of the week, following Monday Wednesday n [ME Wednesdai, OE Wednesdaeg, mutated var. of Wodnesdaeg Woden's day; cognate of D Woensdag, Dan onsdag; trans. of L Mercurii dies day of Mercury] : the fourth day of the week, following Tuesday Times of the Day Halcyon Days n [fr. Gk Alkyone, corres. to the fourteen windless days in the legend] : the seven days before and after the winter solstice night n [ME, fr. OE niht, L noct-, nox, Gk nykt-, nyx night; assoc. with the Greek god of night, Nyx] : the time from dusk til dawn when no sun is visible MYTHOLOGY IN MODERN SOCIETY
SCHOOL MYTHOLOGICAL NICKNAMES
 Mythology in Personal Names
April : the fourth month, named from an abbreviation for Aphrodite Cassandra : a daughter of Priam endowed with the gift of prophecy but fated never to be believed Clio : the Greek Muse of history Cynthia : an epithet of Artemis, so called for her birth on Mount Cynthus Daphne : a nymph in Greek mythology who was transformed into a laurel tree to escape the pursuing Apollo Diana : the Roman goddess of the moon and hunting, the protectress of women Elissa : the Phoenician name of Dido, a mythological queen of Carthage who killed herself when abandoned by Aeneas Hector : a bullish Trojan champion slain by Achilles Helen : the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda and wife of Menelaus whose kidnapping by Paris was the cause of the Trojan War Irene : the personification of peace in classical mythology Iris : a messenger of the gods, regarded as the goddess of the rainbow Leda : the mother of Castor and Clytemnestra by her husband Tyndareus, and of Pollux and Helen by Zeus, who was wearing the form of a swan May : the Roman goddess of growth and increase and the mother of Hermes Melissa : the sister of Amalthea who nourished the infant Zeus with honey in Greek mythology Niobe : she provoked Apollo and Artemis to vengeance for taunting their mother, Leto, with the number and beauty of her own children; her children were slain and she was turned into stone by Zeus, in which form she continued to weep over her loss Penelope : in classical mythology, the wife of Odysseus who remained faithful to him throughout his absence at Troy, despite having many suitors Phoebe : a Titanesse, daughter of Uranus and Gaea and mother of Leto, later identified with the goddess Artemis Rhea : the mother of Zeus Selena : the goddess of the moon who loved Endymion Sibyl : the prophetess at Apollo's oracle on Delphi MYTHOLOGY IN MODERN SOCIETY  
WORDS AND PHRASES
Phrases & Conversation Achilles' heel : a vulnerable point [fr. L, fr. Gk Achilleus Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior at Troy, slayer of Hector] Argus-eyed : vigilantly observant [L, fr. Gk Argos, a hundred-eyed monster of Greek mythology] Augean stable : a condition or place marked by great accumulation of filth or corruption [L Augeas, king of Elis, fr. Gk Augeias; fr. the legend that his stable, left neglected for 30 years, was finally cleaned by Hercules] By Jove! : an interjection often used to express surprise or agreement [fr. L Jov-, Juppiter Jupiter, the Roman equivalent to Zeus, ruler of the Olympian gods] Caught between the Scylla and Charybdis : trapped between two equally unpleasant choices, i.e. caught between a rock and a hard place [fr. the names of the monsters Scylla and Charybdis, who were situated in the Strait of Messina to trap sailors between them] Delphic utterance : a comment or response to a question that is ambiguous and therefore difficult to understand [fr. Delphi, the site of the oracle of Apollo] Herculean effort : an task of great intensity or difficulty [fr. Gk Herakles Hercules, a hero renowned for his strength and for performing the 12 tasks set before him by Hera] Janus-faced : duplicitous, two-faced [fr. Janus Roman god of beginnings who is represented artistically with two opposite faces] Midas touch : an uncanny ability for making money in every venture [L, fr. Gk legend of the Phrygian king Midas who is given the power to turn everything he touched into gold] Olympian feat : a lofty task, as one befitting the immortals [fr. Gk Olympos, the mountain in Greek mythology that is the home of the gods] Pandora's box : a prolific source of troubles [fr. the myth surrounding the box sent by the gods to Pandora] procrustean bed : a scheme or pattern into which someone or something is arbitrarily forced [L, fr. Gk Prokroustes Procrustes, a villainous son of Poseidon in Greek mythology who forces travelers to fit into his bed by stretching their bodies or cutting off their legs] siren song : an alluring utterance or appeal, especially one that is seductive or deceptive [ME sereyn, fr. OF sereine, fr. L Siren, fr. Gk Serein Siren, one of several mythological Greek sea nymphs, part woman and part bird, supposed to lure sailors to their destruction by their seductive singing] Struck by Cupid's arrow : smitten, in love [L Cupido, the Roman god of erotic love] Thyestean banquet : a dinner at which human flesh is eaten [fr. Thyestes Thyestes, who was, in classical mythology, the brother and rival of Atreus; he unknowingly ate the flesh of his own sons which Atreus fed to him as punishment for committing adultery with the wife of Atreus] To climb Parnassus : to create fine art, especially to compose poetry [fr. Gk Parnasos Parnassus, a mountain in Greece sacred to Apollo and the Muses] THE GREEK ALPHABET 
PLACES IN THE UNITED STATES NAMED FROM MYTHOLOGY Mythology is everywhere! There are hundreds of places in the United States (and Canada, not to mention the entire world!) named from Greek Mythology. Odds are you'll find a few good examples right in your own state, wherever you live. Consider that there are at least 16 cities named Athens in the United States! Or, even more amazing, there exist no less than 26 American cities that contain Troy in their names! I've researched each of the 50 States and have put together a huge list of American cities whose names relate to mythology. Let me know if I've missed any and I'll be happy to add them. 
Athens, the capital city of Greece, is named after the goddess Athena: Athens, Georgia Athens, Ohio Athens, Alabama Athens, Indiana Athens, Maine Athens, New York Athens, Pennsylvania Athens, Tennessee Athens, Texas Athens, West Virginia Athens, Wisconsin Athens, Louisiana Athens, Michigan Athens, Illinois Athens, Pennsylvania New Athens, Illinois Athens County, Ohio Yüklə 168,62 Kb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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Excellent Alphabetic Listing
Proverbial Expressions
Classical Clichés
Phrases & Conversation
