| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Achilles heel | made invulnerable as a baby by being dipped into the River Styx. Only his heel—the place he was held by when being dipped—was left unprotected, which led to his downfall when it was struck by an arrow. This refers to a person's vulnerability or fatal flaw. |
| Argus-eyed | According to the Greek legend, _____ had 100 eyes. The Greek queen Juno had him spy on her wayward husband, Zeus. This refers to jealous watchfulness. |
| Bacchanalian | a Roman festival in honor of Bacchus, the god of wine (called Dionsyius in Greek mythology). The holiday was eventually banned due to drunken and libertine excess. Something described as this is similarly decadent and uninhibited. |
| Cupid | was the Roman god of love, who was also called Eros by the Greeks. He was usually depicted as a young winged boy with a bow and arrow. |
| Gordian knot | According to Greek legend, King Gordius tied a wagon to a column with an extremely complex and intricate knot, which many tried and failed to undo. An oracle declared that whoever could untie the knot would rule the world. With a single stroke of his sword, Alexander the Great cut the knot in two, and went on to rule Asia. thisis an intractable problem, and to cut this is to resolve a difficult problem with swift and bold action. |
| Herculean | was a hero in Greek mythology who was renowned for his strength and courage. He is best known for completing his 12 labors, which included killing or capturing legendary creatures, gaining various items, and diverting a river to clean out the stables of Augeas. This feat is one very hard to perform, especially one requiring great strength. |
| Nemesis | a Greek goddess of retribution, the incarnation of the gods' revenge for violating their laws. As the gods' retribution could not be avoided, this is not only an agent of punishment, but any challenge or opponent that a person is unable to defeat. |
| Pandora's box | Created by Zeus in revenge for Prometheus's stealing of fire, she was given a box that she was told not to open. Either she or her husband Epimetheus—tellings diverge on that point—opened the box, allowing all manner of evils to escape and plague the world. This is anything that, upon investigation, leads to extensive and unexpected troubles. |
| Promethean | defied Zeus, stealing fire from the heavens and giving it to the human race. His name has become associated with bold originality and creativity. . |
| Protean | a Greek god who had the ability to change his shape. Someone or something that easily adapts to changing situations or roles by changing itself is described as this |
| Aegis | Zeus and Athena's protective shield; |
| Ajax | Greek warrior in the Trojan War, who "cleaned up" in battle; also popular household cleanser. |
| Amazon | Race of warrior women; and a huge on-line bookstore. |
| Apollo | God of music; ______ Theater is a famous music hall in New York city. |
| Ares | Greek god of war; and a popular car model. |
| Atlas | Was doomed to support the heavens on his shoulders; ans a modern moving company |
| Aurora | Roman name for Eos, goddess of the Dawn; also a luxury car model. |
| Charon | Boatman who ferries the souls of the dead to the Underworld; |
| Delphi | Sanctuary to Apollo and home to his famous Oracles; |
| Hermes | Olympian Herald and Messenger god; popular brand of soap. Also, the FTD flower delivery company incorporates his winged heels in their logo. |
| Hyperion | Titan whose name means "he who goes before the sun"; a company that specializes in "business analysis software." Also the name of a book publishing company. |
| Hydra | Sea serpent with nine heads, killed by Hercules; It's the chosen name of the Internet Chess Club. |
| Juno | Roman name for Hera, wife of Zeus; a popular web-hosting company ,specializing in free web pages and custom e-mail. |
| Mars | Roman name for Ares, god of War; name of popular candy bar. |
| Medusa | Terrible monster whose glance would petrify you, killed by the hero Perseus; |
| Mercury | Roman name for Hermes, the Messenger god; name of car model produced by the Ford Motor Company; also an entertainment records label, . |
| Midas | King with the golden touch, who transformed all he touched to gold; a famous muffler and brake chain of service stations. |
| Minerva | Roman name for Athena, who gifted the olive tree to humans; |
| Nike | Winged goddess of Victory, who can run and fly at great speeds; a famous company that sells shoes |
| Odysseus | sought to return home to Ithica and endured a 10-year sea voyage after fighting in the Trojan War |
| Olympus | Home of the _________ gods; name of popular camera and photographic technology company. |
| Orion | A giant hunter slain by Artemis in Greek mythology; a motion picture production company, |
| Pandora | The first woman in Greek mythology, whose name means "all-gifted"; |
| Parthenon | The temple of Athena, built on the Acropolis of Athens; |
| Pegasus | Winged horse that was born from Medusa's head when she was killed; |
| Phoenix | A mythical and one-of-a-kind bird that burns on a funeral pyre after a life of hundreds of years, only to be re-born from the ashes; |
| Poseidon | God of the Sea and brother of Zeus; ______ Travel is a common travel agency name; Poseidon Seafood is a national brand of seafood products. Neptune, the Roman version, is often also used by companies, as in Neptune Fresh Lobster Co. |
| Saturn | Roman name for Cronus, father of Zeus; also the name of the __________ Automobile Corporation. |
| Titans | Race of gods preceding the Olympians; |
| Trident | The three-pronged spear of Poseidon, god of the seas; translates literally as 'three-teeth', or 'triple-toothed'. also a product that helps to clean your teeth, |
| Spartan | Greek warrior state, devoted to discipline and the martial arts; |
| Trojan | Inhabitants of the mighty city that was destroyed by the Greeks during the ______ War, after a siege of ten years; international manufacturer of condoms and birth control products. |
| Venus | Roman for Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and love; the name of a famous beauty product company; |
| Vulcan | Roman name for Hephaestus, god of the smiths and the forge;. |
| Narcissus | a flower; also a man who was in love with his own reflection and inspires the term for someone overcome with an overindulgent love of self |
| Eureka | Greek word for "I've found it" |
| Damocles | the Greek courtier to Dionysius the Elder who (according to legend) was condemned to sit under a naked sword that was suspended by a hair in order to demonstrate to him that being a king was not the happy state Damocles had said it was (4th century BC) |
| Dionysus | god of wine and fertility and drama |
| Phaethon | son of helios who died while riding his father's golden chariot. After losing control he was struck by Zeus' lightning. |
| Zeus | the king of the gods and the ruler of heaven, the most powerful god of all. |
| Jason and the Argonauts | sailed on the Argos, Jason went with 50 other heroes on a ship to get the golden fleece, Medea, who he fell in love with, gave the dragon guarding the fleece a sleeping potion, and they took the golden fleece. |
| Lotus Eaters | monsters that trap people for eternity so they can eat them, inhabitants of the land odysseus visits |
| marathon | Site of the famous battle fought between the armies of Persia and the outnumbered Athenians. Athens was victorious and a messenger was sent to run the 26 miles back to the city with the news. |
| Mentor | Athena impersonated, friend of Ody |
| Penelope | wife of Odysseus who waits patiently at home (Ithaca) for his return |
| Pyrrhus | Son of Achilles, and the killer of Priam |
| Siren Songs | An enticing plea or appeal, especially one that is deceptively alluring; gets its name from the temptation Odysseus faced on its journey |
| Trojan Horse | a gigantic hollow wooden horse, left by the Greeks upon their pretended abandonment of the siege of Troy, a person or thing attended to destroy from within |
| Actaeon | He was punished by being torn apart by dogs for seeing Artemis bathing naked. |
| Orpheus | a great lyre player who tried to bring his lover back from the underworld. Hades told him she would follow him out of the underworld but if he looked back she would be taken back. He could not take it and he looked back and lost her. |
| Scylla & Charybdis | sea monster with six heads that eat sailors |
| Tantalus | Odysseus encounters him in Hades, was tortured eternally by not being able to eat and drink the fruit and wine in front of him |
| Hera | the queen of heaven and the wife and sister of Zeus; often portrayed as the jealous wife |
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