Twenty English Words from Greek Mythology: Part 1
- Atlas
Definition:
Noun
1: a collection of maps in book form
Atlas and his brother fought with the Titans in a war against the Olympians. When they were defeated, Zeus, the King of the Gods, condemned Atlas to hold up the heavens on his shoulders as punishment.
- Chaos
Definition:
Noun
1: a state of extreme confusion and disorder
2: the formless and disordered state of matter before the creation of the cosmos
The god Chaos personified the empty void that preceded the creation of the universe.
- Chronological
Definition:
Adjective
1: relating to or arranged according to temporal order
The god Chronoswas the personification of time. He is imagined as a serpentine god with three heads – one of a man, one of a bull, and one of a lion. Along with Ananke (the personification of destiny), Chronos is known for splitting the world into the earth, sea, and sky. The words ‘chronic’ and ‘chronicle’ are also linked to Chronos. .
- Echo
Definition:
Noun
1: the repetition of a sound resulting from reflection of the sound waves
Echo was a nymph known for her loquaciousness, a trait she put to use by distracting Hera, the Queen of Gods, while Zeus was conducting affairs with the other nymphs. When Hera discovered the truth, she cursed Echo so that she could only repeat the words of others back to them. After being rejected by a young man called Narcissus, Echo supposedly wasted away until all that was left of her was her voice.
Tune in next week to read more about Narcissus!
- Halcyon
Definition:
Adjective
1: idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy tranquillity
2: marked by peace and prosperity
Alcyone and her husband Ceyx sacrilegiously referred to themselves as ‘Hera’ and ‘Zeus’. To punish them, Zeus threw a thunderbolt at Ceyx’s ship while he was at sea. Morpheus, the god of dreams, appeared to Alcyone as an apparition of Ceyx to tell her what had happened, and Alcyone, distraught, threw herself into the sea. The gods felt sorry for her and transformed them both into halcyon birds (kingfishers). The word ‘halcyon’, to mean peaceful, comes from ‘halcyon days’ (‘alkyonideshemerai’ in Greek) which refers to a period of calm weather at the winter solstice where a mythical kingfisher-like bird was said to breed in a nest that floated on the sea.
We’ll share more about Morpheus next week!
- Hypnosis
Definition:
Noun
1: a state that resembles sleep but that is induced by suggestion
The god Hypnos was the personification of sleep.His cave had poppies and other sleep-inducing plants at its entrance, no door (so that there were no creaking hinges), and the River Lethe flowing through it. The sound of the river’s running water was said to induce drowsiness.
The word ‘insomnia’ is linked to Somnus who was Hypnos’s Roman counterpart.
- Iridescent
Definition:
Adjective
1: varying in colour when seen in different lights or from different angles
2: having a play of lustrous rainbow colours
The goddess Iris was the personification of the rainbow, and also a messenger to the other gods. Both the flower and the part of the eye are also named after the rainbow goddess.
- Laconic
Definition:
Adjective
1: brief and to the point; effectively cut short
Lakonia (now Laconia) is a district near Sparta in Southern Greece. In Greek mythology, the Lakon people were known for their concise manner of speaking.
- Lethargy
Definition:
Noun
1: a state of comatose torpor (as found in sleeping sickness)
2: weakness characterized by a lack of vitality or energy
3: inactivity; showing an unusual lack of energy
Remember the River Lethe that flowed through Hypnos’s cave? It was also known as the river of forgetfulness and word ‘lethargy’ derives from it. Lethe was one of the five rivers of the underworld and the dead were made to drink from it in order to forget their lives on earth. The goddess Lethe was also the personification of forgetfulness.
- Lycanthrope
Definition:
Noun
1: a monster able to change appearance from human to wolf and back again
Lycaon, the King of Arcadia, wanted to test whether Zeus was omniscient or not, so served him the roasted flesh of a human child (in some versions his son). To punish him, Zeus turned him into a wolf.
See you next week for ten more English words from Greek mythology!
06 Apr 2015
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