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Mythology and Legend
Icarus/Fly too Close to the Sun
In Greek mythology, Icarus and his father, Daedalus, escaped
from the island of Crete, by wings constructed by Daedalus.
The wings were held on by means of wax, and although
Daedalus had warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun,
Icarus did not heed the warning; the wax melted, and he fell to
his death in the Aegean Sea.
To be “an Icarus” or to “fly too close to the sun” is to fail or be
destroyed because of lack of caution or excessive ambition.
Examples:
In Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, the protagonist,
Montag, is finally turned in to the authorities for daring to keep
books in his house. Beatty, the antagonist, comments: “Well,
now you did it. Old Montag wanted to fly near the sun and
now that he’s burnt his da[rned] wings, he wonders why.”
When I told my roommate I thought I could attend the all night
party and still do well on my final exams the next day, he said, “
I have one word for you—Icarus.”
Mythology and Legend
Tantalus
In Greek mythology, Tantalus was a king who offended the gods
and was condemned to suffer eternal hunger and thirst in
Hades. He stood in water up to his chin, but when he bent to
drink, the waters receded. Beautiful, ripe fruit hung overhead
but each time he reached for a piece, the wind blew the boughs
out of his reach.
To be “tantalized” or to be like Tantalus, is to be offered some
thing desirable which is then withheld.
Examples:
After being nominated for an Emmy Award numerous times
and always seeing the award presented to someone else, the
actress began to feel like Tantalus.
The poor peasants were tantalized by the aromas drifting down
the street from the palace banquet.
Mythology and Legend
Narcissus/Narcissism
In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a young man of
extraordinary beauty. He cruelly rejected many admirers,
including the nymph Echo. One day, as he bent to drink from a
pool, Narcissus saw his own reflection and immediately fell in
love with it. In some versions of the story, Narcissus tried to
embrace his reflection, fell into the pool, and drowned. In
others, unable to tear himself away from his reflection, he
wasted away and died. In either case, his obsession with his
own beauty led to his death.
The term “narcissism” is derived from the story of Narcissus. It
refers to obsessive focus on oneself, particularly one’s physical
appearance.
Examples:
I got the feeling Janet was a bit narcissistic when I noticed that
she had at least three mirrors hanging in every room of her
house.
When Michael asked me why I accused him of narcissism, I told
him it was because he has a way of turning the focus of every
conversation toward himself.
Mythology and Legend
Prometheus/Promethean
In Greek mythology, Prometheus was a demigod known for his
cunning. Having been tricked by Prometheus, Zeus withheld
fire from mankind. In response, Prometheus went to Mount
Olympus and stole some fire, which he gave to man. Zeus
punished him by chaining him to a rock; each day an eagle
came and ate out his liver, which grew back each night. He was
eventually rescued by Hercules.
Prometheus represents valiant resistance to authority or
rebellion against the established order of the universe. The
adjective “Promethean” refers to an act of such resistance.
Examples:
In one of his novels, Thomas Hardy calls lighting a fire in winter
a Promethean act, in which man tries to rebel against the
approaching cold.
The subtitle of Frankenstein is “The Modern Prometheus”
because Victor Frankenstein dares to overstep the bounds of
nature and create life.
Literature
Deus ex Machina
This phrase literally means “god from the mechane”. In classical
theater, the mechane was a crane with a harness for an actor. The actor
could thus be lowered from the ceiling and appear to be flying. In many
classical plays, a god would unexpectedly appear, flying to earth to solve
a seemingly hopeless problem or save the hero or heroine.
The terms refer to any surprising turn of events that suddenly makes
things turn out all right, especially in a literary work. This device is
often considered to be an unsatisfying and overly convenient way to
end a story.
Example:
In the melodrama, the hero and his family were about to be evicted when a stranger
knocked on the door and informed them that a long-lost relative had left them a
fortune. The appearance of this stranger was a modern-day dues ex machina.
Many readers feel cheated when writers save their hero or heroine as the last
moment with the common dues ex machine in which the character awakens and
realizes it was all “only a dream.”
Mythological
Achilles’ heel
This term is from Greek Mythology. According to myth, when Achilles
was a baby, his mother dipped him in the River Styx because the waters
from this river gave immortality to humans. His mother held him by his
heel, so that was the only place on his body not touched by the water.
From then on, Achilles’ heel was his one area of vulnerability.
Eventually, Achilles was killed during the Trojan War when a poisoned
arrow struck his heel.
Today the term has come to refer to a person’s area of particular
vulnerability.
Examples:
Her inability to resist rich desserts was her Achilles’ heel, keeping her
from losing the ten pounds she wanted to lose.
The politician’s desire to be liked by everyone was his Achilles’ heel,
preventing him from taking a strong stand on any issue and leading to
his defeat in the election.
Mythological
The Muses
In Greek mythology, the Muses were nine goddesses who
presided over the arts. They gave inspiration to mortals.
Typically, an epic begins with an invocation to the Muse, in
which the poet asks the Muses to inspire him as he writes or
sings his story.
Today, a “Muse” is someone’s source of inspiration, especially
in artistic, creative endeavors.
Examples:
It is common for fashion designers to select a particular woman
as a Muse, keeping her in mind as he or she designs a new line
of clothing.
I really felt I needed to work on the song I am writing this
weekend, but it seemed the Muse had abandoned me. I couldn’t
seem to make any progress at all.
Historical
Witch Hunt
In 1692 in Salem Massachusetts, hysteria about supposed
witches led to the arrest of many people, and the execution of
twenty. Often, the accused were simply social outcasts and were
convicted on flimsy evidence that could neither be proved nor
disproved.
A “witch hunt” refers to a campaign against a particular group
of people, often those holding unorthodox opinions or behaving
in an unconventional manner.
Examples:
The McCarthy hearing during the 1950s are often described as a
witch hunt because a national hysteria arose about people’s
supposed connections to the Communist Party, and much of the
evidence accepted as truth was mere hearsay.
Despite denials by athletes and repeated testing for banned
substances, some sports writers continue the witch hunt. The
writers assume than any athlete who excels dramatically must be
cheating in some manner, even when all evidence indicates that
there has been no wrong doing.
Mythological
Sirens
In Greek mythology, Sirens were sea creatures who lured sailors
to their deaths on the rocky shores by singing a beautiful,
irresistible song. They are usually depicted as women, or as
half-woman, half bird.
In modern usage, “sirens” can refer to anything that tempts a
person away from safety and toward a destructive path. A
“siren song” is the temptation used to lure a person.
Examples:
In his Speech in the Virginia Convention, Patrick Henry urged
his listeners not to be fooled by an “illusion of hope,” saying,
“We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to
the song of that siren, till she transforms us into beasts." He is
comparing false hope both to the sirens and to Circe, who turned
Odysseus’ men into swine.
I had intended to stay home and study for finals, but the siren
song of my friends describing all the fun we could have at the
lake was too much for me to resist.
Mythological
Medusa
The most famous of the gorgons, three sisters in Greek
mythology who had snakes for hair and who turned anyone who
looked a them to stone.
“Medusa” refers to a repulsive or terrifying woman. The term
is also applied to extraordinarily wild, unruly hair.
Examples:
I kept my nose in my book throughout the three-hour detention,
knowing the Medusa a t the desk in the front of the room would
turn me to stone if I so much as looked up.
After being caught in the rainstorm, I looked in the mirror and
was horrified to see Medusa staring back at me.
Mythological
Nemesis
Nemesis was the Greek goddess of vengeance and retribution.
She punished people for wrongdoing, especially for excessive
pride.
A person’s “nemesis” is that which causes his or her downfall,
or the term can refer to the downfall itself.
Examples:
The cyclist considered that particular stretch of mountain to be
his nemesis, costing him a racing victory year after year.
When the new student stood up to the school bully who had
everyone else terrified, the word spread quickly that the bully
had finally met his nemesis.
Mythological
Delphic Oracle
In ancient Greece, Delphi was the location of the Temple of
Apollo. People came to this temple, the site of Greece’s most
famous oracle, with all kinds of questions, and Apollo’s
priestess would go into a trance and deliver the answers. These
answers were difficult to interpret and riddle-like.
A “Delphic” predication or message is one that is ambiguous
and difficult to interpret.
Examples:
The economist’s warnings were so Delphic that his listeners let
the meeting knowing that hard times were ahead but not really
understanding the nature of the economy’s problems or what
steps should be taken to address those problems.
Loraine had a flair for the dramatic; she liked to announce
puzzling but shocking predictions as if she were the Oracle at
Delphi.
Mythological
Sisyphus/Sisyphean
In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a king who offended Zeus.
His punishment was to spend eternity in Hades, rolling a giant
boulder up a hill. Each time the boulder neared the top, it would
roll back down to the bottom, and Sisyphus had to start his task
over.
A seemingly endless, perhaps futile task can be referred to as a
“labor of Sisyphus” or as “Sisyphean.”
Examples:
Painting the Golden Gate Bridge is a Sisyphean task. Once the
bridge is completely painted, it is time to begin painting it again
at the beginning, so the painting never ends.
My mother did not buy my argument that making my bed each
morning was basically a labor of Sisyphus since the bed was
only going to be unmade again each evening—and that therefore
I should not be expected to do it.
Historical
Murphy’s Law
This saying, originating in the 1940s, is as
follows: “If anything can go wrong, it will.”
People often cite “Murphy’s Law” when
something goes wrong and there is a sense of
inevitability about it.
Examples:
After five beautiful, sunny days in a row, of course Murphy’s
Law kicked in the day of the picnic, and we were forced to
cancel it because of thunderstorms.
When I said I wanted everything to be perfect for our surprise
anniversary party for our parents, my sister, the pessimist,
replied, “Remember Murphy’s Law.”
Language/Idiom
Stealing Someone’s Thunder
In the seventeenth century, playwright John Dennis
invented the sound effect of rattling a sheet of tin to
mimic thunder. He used this effect in one of his own
plays, and the play was denounced by other playwrights
and critics. However, his sound effect was widely copied.
Frustrated, Dennis proclaimed that his rivals would not
accept his play but were happy to “steal my thunder.”
To “steal someone’s thunder” is either to take credit for
the idea of another or to lessen the effect of another’s
idea by suggesting the same idea first.
Examples:
After Jeffrey proposed his money-saving idea to his boss, he
was astonished that the boss stole his thunder and presented the
idea to the board as if the boss had thought of it himself.
The principal was anxious to see the gleeful reaction when she
announced the pay raise to the teachers the next day, but her
thunder was stolen when news of the raise appeared in the
morning paper.