Mythological Allusions

Mythological Allusions How Can Something So Old Still Be Used Today????

What Is an Allusion? An allusion is any indirect reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art. This reference is one others recognize, such as a reference to the Bible, mythological character, historical event, hero or famous individual. Example: He’s a real Michael Jordan; I know he’ll get a scholarship.

Adonis • An extremely beautiful boy who was loved by Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. •Allusion: an “Adonis” is any handsome young man.

Amazons • A nation of warrior women descended from Ares, the God of War. The Amazons burned or cut off their right breasts so that they could use a bow and arrow more efficiently. Figuratively: An “Amazon” is any large, strong, aggressive woman.

Cupid  The Roman name of Eros, the god of love. In the story of Cupid and Psyche, he is described as a magnificently handsome young man. Today Cupid is often symbolic of Valentine’s Day and is depicted as a chubby, winged infant who shoots arrows at people to make them fall in love.

Midas  A king who was granted one wish by the god Dionysus. Greedy for riches, Midas wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. He soon regretted his request. When he tried to eat, his food became inedible metal. When he embraced his daughter, she turned into a golden statue. On the instruction of Dionysus, he washed in a river and lost his touch of gold.

“A Midas Touch” Midas Then

 Today, a person who easily acquires riches is someone said to have the “Midas” touch.

Midas Now

Nemesis  The Greek goddess of Vengeance Today, a “nemesis” is an avenger. One’s nemesis is that which brings on one’s destruction or downfall

The Labyrinth  A vast maze on the island of Crete where the King of Crete kept the Minotaur, half bullhalf man. Very few people escaped from it. Only Theseus used a ball of string to find his way out of the maze once he’d killed the deadly Minotaur.

“Boy, this is complicated!” A labyrinth can be literally a maze. Or… it can be figuratively any highly intricate construction or problem.

Pandora  The first woman, created by Hephaestus, given treacherously to Epimetheus along with a box in which Prometheus had confined all the evils of the world; as expected, Pandora curiously opened the forbidden box and thus released into the world all troubles of mankind. By the time Pandora manages to close the lid, luckily only HOPE remains.

“What Have You Done???”  Today, a Pandora’s box is a prolific source of troubles or problems.  If one’s opens a Pandora’s box, he has created all kinds of problems for himself.

 A mythical bird of great beauty, the only one of its kind, fabled to live 500 or 600 years, to burn itself on a funeral pile, and to rise from its ashes in the freshness of youth and live through another cycle of years

Phoenix

“Rising Out of the Ashes” Today, a person or thing that has become renewed or restored after suffering calamity can be called a phoenix. Will New Orleans Rise from the Ashes?

America is a phoenix rising from the ashes of the 9/11 terrorists’ attack!

Hercules  A mythical Greek hero renowned for his great strength and for performing the 12 labors. Hercules performed these labors as retribution or payment for the slaying of his family while under Hera’s spell of madness. Today, any act of extraordinary power, extent, intensity, or difficulty is said to be Herculean.

Achilles  In mythology, Achilles was the greatest Greek warrior at Troy; he was also slayer of Hector, the Trojans best warrior.  Today, one’s Achilles’ heel is his weak point or character weakness.

SIRENS The sirens live on an island surrounded by sharp rock. They lure sailors to the destruction with their irresistible song. They have heads of women but bodies of birds. Sirens are evil, bent on destroying all sailors and eating their corpses.

“Listening to the Song of the Siren” In modern day, if you listen to the “song of the Siren,” you are listening to someone you should not trust. They seem “nice,” but history shows they cannot be trusted. Example: Some voters fear Barak O’bama’s promises are the “song of the Siren” and do not trust him, but many more Americans disagree.

Scylla and Charybdis Two monsters Odysseus faces in his voyage home, Scylla is a six-headed monster lurking in rocks along the shore that snatches men from a passing boat, one for each head. Charybdis is a monster who waits at the bottom of the whirlpool that destroys ships passing by sucking them in and eating them.

“Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place” • Today, in an allusion to the monsters Scylla and Charybdis, a person says he is “caught between a rock and a hard place.” This means he has two equal but difficult options from which he must choose. • Example: Wow, I have been accepted to both U.F. and F.S.U.; in choosing, I am really between a rock and a hard place!

The Trojan War and “Greeks Bearing Gifts” The Greeks sneak into Troy in a “gift” meant to end the 10 year Trojan War, a wooden horse hiding sneaky Greeks. Today, a “Greek bearing gifts” is one who is acting like they can be trusted when they cannot.

What is the Allusion? 1. John Travolta suffered a serious downturn in his acting career in the 1980s, but like a _____________, he has risen back to the top of fame. 2. I feel like I’ve been shot by _____________; I am crazy about him! 3. Lifting a car off a crushed victim is a _____________act, but I’ve read in the paper of such things happening.

4. Her laziness is her ________________; if she really wants to be successful, she’ll have to get busy! 5. The women of the WWF are ______________; they are big, beautiful, and strong!

6. The ________________ of the human mind is still not completely understood by scientists. 7. Stealing and getting caught is a ____________ because the police come, one’s parents are called, and jail time is possible.

8. I do not know why that girl is always talking behind my back; she is my __________. 9. Bill Gates has the ______________ because no matter what he does, he makes millions.

10. Being the gorgeous ______________ that I am, I am sure she’ll definitely jump up and down to go to prom with me!”

11. Elie wanted a _____________ or guide in his study of the cabbala, and his search took him to Moshe the Beadle. 12. Few realize that the _____________, the most famous ocean liner of all times that struck an iceberg, was named after the Titans, mythology’s first gods and goddesses. 13. Psychology and Psychiatry both get their roots from the Greek word ___________, alluding to her and the workings of the human mind.

14. I find pizza to be ________________ or very tempting; I want to eat it every day but know that isn’t possible. 15. My family took a summer ___________, traveling through the South, the Southwest, and up the coast of California. 16. Nature is my ___________ as an artist, and all my photos capture its beauty. 17. In order to discover where the Middle East is, we consulted the ___________. 18. Many Greeks believed that when a __________ erupted, Vulcan’s fire was under it.

19. Angelina Jolie is a beautiful _________, and many men have been ____________ by her charms. 20. Her passion or ____________ for drama was evident when she went to New York to pursue a stage career. 21. The tennis shoe ____________ is named after the Goddess of Victory.