Mythology vocab set. 1

Chorus

A Classical Greek play typically serving to formulate, express, & comment on the moral issue that is raised by dramatic action or to express an emotion appropriate to each stage of the dramatic conflict.

Argonaut

A band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in years before the Trojan war around 1300 BC, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, Argo, named after its builder, Argus.

Adonis

A beautiful youth loved by both Aphrodite and Persephone. He was killed by a boar, but Zeus decreed that he should spend the winter of each year in the under world with Persephone and the summer months with Aphrodite. As noun, an Adonis is an extremely handsome young man.

Amazon

A member of a mythical race of female warriors inhabiting the Black Sea area. A female warrior, a tall, athletic, and strong woman.

Lotus eater

A member of people whom Odysseus found existing in a state of languorous forgetfulness induced by their eating of fruit of the legendary lotus; one of the lotophog

Atlas

A titan famous for his strength. After the defeat of the Titans by Zeus, Atlas was condemned to support the earth and sky on his shoulders for eternity.

labyrinth

An elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus fro king Minos Crete at Knossos. It's function was to hold the Minotaur.

Hippocratic Oath

An oath taken by physicians concerning the ethics and practice of medicine. I'm otw original form it requires a new physician to swear by a number of healing gods, to uphold ethical standards. Usually includes the Hippocratic corpus.

Hades

Both the land of the death and the god who rules there. Hades the god is the brother of Zeus and Poseidon, who rules the sky's and seas.

Furies

Greek Erinyes, also called Eumenides, in Greco-Roman mythology, the Chthonic goddess of Vengeance. They were probably personified curses, but possibly they were originally conceived of as ghosts of the murdered.

Echo

One of the famous legends that feature in the mythology of ancient civilization discover the myths about the ancient gods, goddesses, demigods, and heroes and the terrifying monsters and creatures they encountered on their previous journeys and quests.

Herculean

Requiring the great strength of a Hercules; very hard to perform: digging the tunnel was a Herculean task; having enormous strength, courage, or size.

Colossal

Something massive in size.

Ambrosia

Sometimes the food or drink of the Greek gods, often depicted as conferring longevity or immortality upon whoever consumed it.

Achilles heel

Son of the mortal Peleus, king of the Myrmidons, and the Neried, or sea nymph, Thetis. Greek legend about the Heroic warrior achilles whose mother tried to make him immortal by holding the infant by the heel and dipping him into the river Styx. He has a fatal weakness because of it, "Achilles Heel".

Aurora

The Latin word for dawn, and the goddess of dawn in Roman mythology and Latin poetry.

Hellenic

The branch of the indo-European language family compromising classical and modern Greek. Of or relating to Greece, it's people, or it's language; specifically: of or relating to Ancient Greek history, culture or art before the Hellenistic period.

Delphic

The oracle at Delphi where a priestess supposedly delivered messages from Apollo to those who who sought device, the messages were usually obscure or ambiguous. (Used as a noun, very rare).

Academy

Was founded by plato in Athens. A place of study & training field.

Elysian Fields

the paradise part of the afterlife, for heroes.