Download Mythological Allusions

Mythological
Allusions
Myths and Legends
They’re everywhere!
• Allusions to mythology are in our everyday language.
• Increase vocabulary by studying myths.
• Understand where words and phrases come from.
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Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts
Caught Between Scylla & Charybdis
Dog as Man's Best Friend
Food of the Gods
Herculean Effort
Hot as Hades
Hounds of Hell
Midas Touch
Pandora's Box
Trojan Horse
To Harp on Someone
Song of the Siren
Phrases
Look at the following
words:
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Insomnia/Somnambulism
Cyclical/ Bicycle/ Optical
Mentor
Tantalize
Titanic
Volcano
Muse
Chaos
Olympian
Lethargy
Hydra-Headed
These are all allusions
to mythology!
• Insomnia: the inability to sleep and Somnambulatory: the
act of sleepwalking– from Somnus, the Greek god of
sleep
• Cyclical/ Bicycle/ Optical: from cyclopes in Greek
Mythology
• Mentor: a wise and loyal adviser; in The Iliad and The
Odyssey—a wise old man who gives advice to Greeks
• Tantalize: to tease or entice; from King Tantalus who had
excessive pride and was condemned to live just out of
reach of delicious fruits and plentiful river.
• Titanic: colossal, monumental; from the Titans, the
offspring of Cronus and Rhea
• Volcano: an opening/ rupture in the earth’s surface; from
Vulcan, the Roman god of fire
• Muse: inspiration; from the nine muses who were goddess
of art, literature and science.
• Chaos: disorder; from the nothingness at the beginning of
Greek mythology
• Olympian: superior; named after the 12 gods who resided
on Mount Olympus
• Lethargy: abnormal drowsiness; after Lethe, a river in the
Underworld that caused drinkers to forget their past
• Hydra-Headed: hard to bring under control; from the nineheaded serpent Hercules defeated.
There are even more…
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MORPHEUS (Greek God of Dreams)
HYPNOS (Greek God of Sleep)
LUNA (Roman Goddess of Moon)
SOL (Roman God of Sun)
TERRA (Roman Mother Earth)
POLYHYMNIA (Muse of Music)
HYGEIA (Greek Goddess of Health)
FORTUNA (Roman Goddess of Luck)
And more…
Use the handout titled “Words from the
Gods” to discover more allusions to
mythology in our everyday language.
You may need to use a dictionary.
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Atlas
Chronological (Cronus)
Geography (Gaea)
Martial (Mars)
Atrophy (Atropos)
Cereal (Ceres)
Arachnid (Arachne)
Phobia (Phobos)
Panic (Pan)
Pandemonium (Pan)
Pantheist (Pan)
Syringe (Syrinx)
Plutonium (Pluto)
Lethal (River Lethe)
Cloth (Clotho)
Erotic (Eros)
Odyssey (Odysseus)
Junoesque (Juno)
Herculean (Hercules)
Mercurial (Mercury)
Jovian (Jove)
Orpheum (Orpheus)