Thursday, December 4, 2008

Song lyrics referring to various Greek Gods and Myths

From "Naer Mataron" song "The Triumph"

"ZEUS upsets the cosmic disorder
HERCULES drowns the snakes
THESEIS lifts the rocks and rigs
FAETHON sets the sky on fire
FIVOS kills the python
The head of Medusa is in the edge of our swords
The sacred one"



Mythological mentions would include:

-Zeus
-Hercules
-Thesis
-Faethon
-Fivos
-Medusa

Song lyrics reffering to Aphrodite

From "Deep Purple" song "Talk about love"



"Aphrodite now there's a girl,
Good good loving,
She spreads around the world"





Meaning something like, Aphrodite is a good figure who spreads love around the world. Overall describing Aphrodite.

Adonis (male ideal)


Adonis was a very handsome young man that the Greek Gods fought over since he was so attractive. Hence the term “Adonis” can be used as an Adjective describing a handsome person. He was the Greek ideal man.

Artemis (female ideal)



Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and was the Goddess of virginity. She is considered the female ideal in Greek mythology.

Modern vs. Ancient Olympics





Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Midas (moral and idioms)

(This is two artifacts in one post)


King Midas had one wish, and he wished that everything he touches turns to gold. At first he was happy, but after a bit, he regretted the wish. As he could not eat because every time he touched any food, it turned to hard gold. In the end he was very rich, but was not happy at all.
The moral of this story is obvious. Wealth is not everything, and a lot of people with wealth are not happy. Also, you should think before you act and consider consequences in the future before you act.
Many of the idioms that we use today are based on the story of King Midas. Among them include "The Midas touch" which would mean "having the ability to make alot of money."

Monday, December 1, 2008

Milo of Kroton



He was an ancient Greek Olympic victor in wrestling. He wore the Olympic victor cap no less than six times. He was very famous, and loved to show off his immense strength. He died in one of his "strength showing" incidents.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Melankomas of Caria



He was a young boxer in the early olympic games. He was not only known for his incredible boxing skills, but he was also known for his amazing good looks. His name means "the black haired one". He was very competitive, and on his death bed he asked his friend about how many days were left in the atheltic games that he had been currently participating in.

Pygmalion and Galatea

I had to include these two Greek mythology characters, I loved the story.





As the myth goes, Pygmalion was a skilled Greek sculptor who loved what he did. One day he carved a beautiful woman out of ivory, and loved it so much he clothed it and gave it jewels and named her Galatea. He went to the temple of the Goddess Aphrodite to ask for a wife just like this statue. She in turn went to his house, and upon seeing the beautiful statue, was very pleased and gave it life. Pygmalion and Galatea were married, and they frequently went to the temple of Aphrodite with gifts and food in thanks for her wonderful blessing. She in turn blessed them with happiness and love.

The Nine Muses

They were daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (memory). They each presided over a particular department of literature, science, and art.



They are:

Calliope - Muse of Epic Poetry

Clio - Muse of History

Euterpe - Muse of Lyric Poetry

Terpsichore - Muse of Tragedy

Erato - Muse of Love Poetry

Polyhymnia - Muse of Sacred Poetry

Urania - Muse of Astronomy

Thalia - Muse of Comedy

Cassiopeia



The constellation of Cassiopeia is one of the most famous because of it's easy to spot "W" shape. It is said that Cassiopeia was the wife of the Cepheus, the king of Ethiopia. She was very proud, and bragged about her beauty. As a punishment, she was placed in the sky to revolve around the celestial pole forever, sometimes hanging upside down in uncomfortable and undignified positions.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Draco the Dragon



Draco the Dragon is a famous character of Ancient Myths, particularly Greek myths. There are various stories of how Draco became a constellation, one involves Hercules, Zeus and Athena, while the other involves Athena alone.

Pegasus



Pegasus was a winged horse that was born of a former Lybian princess named Medusa who was transformed into a monster by Athena. Pegasus was placed as a constellation in the sky after Zeus began using him to transport lightning bolts.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Jupiter - Jupiter



Jupiter was the God of the Roman Gods. He held the position that Zeus had in Greek mythology. The planet "Jupiter" was named after him because Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system. Various Jupiter moons were also named after Roman Gods.

Apollo - Sun




Apollo is known in both Greek and Roman ancient mythology. In Greek he is known as the God of Sun, logic, and reason. In Rome he is known the God of light, music, and hearing. When we hear the name Apollo, we tend to think of space, due to the spacecraft that was named Apollo, but in reality, he does have to do with space, as he is associated with the Sun.

Hypnos - Hypnosis



Hypnos was the ancient Greek God of sleep and rest. The word "hypnosis" is derived from this name, as hypnosis is a method used to make people subconscious.

Chronos - Chronological



Chrono is the Greek God of time. Which is where we get the word "chronological" from, as "chronological" means in order, or in time. He was later adopted by the Romans as the God Saturn, and the planet in our solar system "Saturn" is named after him.

Ceres - Cereal



Ceres was the Greek goddess of wheat and agriculture. This is where the word "cereal" is derived from, as cereal is a type of plant.

Atlas - Atlas



Atlas was a Titan who fought against the Greek Gods. So Zeus punished him by making him carry the whole sky. Today, we use the term “Atlas” to mean a map or a series of maps all in book form.

Auster- Austral



Auster was the Greek personification of the Southern Wind. Which is where we get the word Austral from, which means something southern.