Lesson 26 : Mythology

Lesson 26

Mythology

1. antaean: possessed of superhuman strength with suggestions of earthiness. Antaeus was an African giant, the son of Poseidon and Gaea, who was invincible while touching the ground, but was lifted into the air by Hercules and crushed.

2.argonaut: adventurer; one who sailed with Jason on the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece. Specifically, the word refers to a participant in the California Gold Rush of 1849

3. calliope: a musical instrument fitted with steam whistles, played from a keyboard, and usually heard at carnivals and circuses. It is named after Calliope, the Greek Muse of epic poetry.

4. cyclopean: vast, massive and rough; suggestive of the Cyclops, the race of one-eyed giants, descended form the Titans. One of the most exciting tales in the Odyssey recounts the blinding of the one-eyed Polyphemus, who had confined Odysseus’ crew in his cave and promised to “reward” Odysseus by eating him first.

5. gorgon: a repulsively ugly or terrifying woman. In Greek mythology, the Gorgon sisters included the mortal Medusa, who had snakes for hair, and eyes that, if looked into, turned the beholder into stone.

6. harpy: a shrewish woman; a predatory person. The name is derived form the Harpies, one of several loathsome, voracious monsters, having a woman’s head and trunk, and a bird’s tail, wings, and talons.

7. Homeric: suggestive of Homer or his poetry; of heroic dimensions; grand; imposing.

8. myrmidon: a faithful follower who carries out orders without question. The Myrmidons were the legendary Greek warriors of ancient Thessaly who followed their king Achilles on the expedition against Troy.

9. oracular: uttered or delivered as if divinely inspired or infallible; ambiguous of obscure; portentous; ominous. Priests or priestesses in the shrines of ancient Greece would give ambiguous answers in response of a god to an inquiry. One famous shrine was the oracle of Apollo and Delphi.

10. paean: any song of praise, joy or triumph. In classical mythology a Paean was a god serving as a physician to the Olympian gods, later identified with Apollo.

11. plutonian: pertaining to the planet Pluto or the underworld; grim and gloomy; harsh and unpleasing. The Greek god of the subterranean world of the dead was Pluto, after whom our solar system’s farthest planet was named.

12. Promethean: creative and boldly original. Prometheus was a Titan who taught mankind various arts and confined all its troubles in the box that Zeus treacherously gave to Epimetheus as the dowry of Pandora. For having stolen fire from Olympus and given to mankind in defiance of Zeus, Prometheus was chained to a rock where an eagle daily tore at his liver, until he was finally released by Hercules.

13. stygian: gloomy and dark; hellish; infernal; inviolable (safe from profanation). The river Styx was one of the rivers of Hades across which Charon ferried the souls of the dead.

14. terpsichorean: pertaining to dancing. Terpsichore was the Muse of dancing and choral and singing.

15. thespian: dramatic (adj.); an actor or actress (n.). Thespis was the Greek poet of the sixth century B.C. who was the reputed originator of tragic drama.

Exercises

I. Which Word Comes to Mind?

In each of the following, read the statement, then circle the word that comes to mind.

1. Music like a hundred steam whistles

                                                (harpy, calliope, plutonian)

2. I would do anything you ask

                                                (myrmidon, Homeric, paean)

3. Not recommended to give exact directions

                                                (gorgon, Argonaut, oracular)

4. He is an outstanding dramatic actor

                                                (terpsichorean, thespian, antaean)

5. Beneficial to mankind

                                                (cyclopean, stygian, Promethean)

6. A fighter is knocked down but raises himself with renewed strength

                                                (stygian, thespian, antaean)

7. A sweeping, best-selling novel

                                                (cyclopean, Homeric, paean)

8. A song of victory

                                                (paean, Argonaut, gorgon)

9. A trip to the underworld

                                                (harpy, stygian, thespian)

10. Dancing feet

                                                (cyclopean, antaean, terpsichorean)

II. True or False?

In the space provided, indicate whether each statement is true or false

____ 1. Both stygian and plutonian have some association with gloom.

____ 2. A terpsichorean would be ideal for a comic role.

____ 3. An antaean creature would relish being thrown to the earth

____ 4. Homeric laughter refers to the humorous passages in the lliad and the Odyssey

____ 5. A calliope is a means of conveyance

____ 6. The first astronauts to the moon may be called Argonauts

____ 7. Harpy and gorgon refer specifically to women

____ 8. Myrmidons were faithful to their leader

____ 9. Both stygian and promethean are related to the Titans

____ 10. Antaean, cyclopean, and promethean are connected to the giants in Greek mythology.

III. Synonyms and Antonyms

Find and circle the two words in each line that are either synonyms or antonyms.

1. harpy                       musical                        calliope                        termagant

2. gorgon                     antaean                        obdurate                      frail

3. myrmidon                paean                           anguish                        servant

4. loquacious               awkward                     oracular                       terpsichorean

5. puny                        Homeric                      infallible                      graceful