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AP Literature Mythological Allusions Flashcards

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3676983726AgamemnonKing who led Greeks against Troy in the Trojan War; to obtain fair winds, he sacrificed his daughter, Iphigenia. Murdered by his wife Clytemnestra after returning home.0
3676984404Ambrosiathe food of the gods; those who ate it became immortal1
3676984405Auroraearly morning or sunrise: from the Roman personification of Dawn or Eos.2
3676985286Bacchanalianpertaining to a wild, drunken party or celebration from the Greek/Roman god of wine, Dionysus/ Bacchus.3
3676985287Brigadoona place that is idyllic, unaffected by time, or remote from reality; a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every hundred years in the musical Brigadoon (1947).4
3676985590Cassandraa person who continuously predicts misfortune but often is not believed; from Greek legends, a daughter of Priam cursed by Apollo for not returning his love; he left her with the gift of prophecy but made it so no one would believe her.5
3676985591Centaura monster that had the head, arms, and chest of a man, and the body and legs of a horse.6
3676985868Charonboatman who carried souls across the river Styx and into the underworld, Hades.7
3676985869Chimeraa horrible creature of the imagination, an absurd or impossible idea; wild fancy; a monster with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail, supposed to breathe fire.8
3676986206Circepowerful sorceress who turned people into swine.9
3676986207Daedalusa symbol of inventiveness; in mythology, the designer of the Labyrinth and one of the few to escape from it; father of Icarus.10
3676986805Damocles, sword offiguratively, an impending danger that causes anxiety. According to legend, Damocles frequently expressed his awe at the power and happiness of the king. The king, tired of flattery, invited him to a banquet, and seated him beneath a sword that was suspended from the ceiling by a single hair - demonstrating that kingship brought fears and worries as well as pleasure.11
3676989164Elysian Fieldsthe place where souls of the good went after death: a peaceful, beautiful location, full of meadows, groves, sunlight, and fresh air. Figuratively, any place of supreme happiness and bliss.12
3676989172Godiva, LadyAn English noblewoman of the 11th century. According to legend, she once rode naked on horseback through the streets of Coventry, England, covered only by her long hair. Her husband had imposed taxes on the people, and agreed to lift them if Godiva took the ride.13
3676989743Gordian Knota complex knot tied by a Greek king; according to legend, whoever loosed it would rule all of Asia. Some accounts say that Alexander the Great undid the knot by cutting through it with the sword. Today, to "cut the Gordian knot" is to quickly solve a very complex problem.14
3676989744Halcyoncalm, peaceful, tranquil; Archaic bird supposed to breed in a nest on the sea and calm the water, identified with the kingfisher.15
3676990668Harpya predatory person or nagging woman; from harpy, a foul creature that was part woman, part bird.16
3676990669Hydra-Headedhaving many centers or branches, hard to bring under control; something bad you cannot eradicate; from Hydra, the 9-headed serpent that was sacred to Hera. Hercules killed him in one of the 12 labors.17
3676991620Icarusson of Daedalus; died while using the artificial wings, invented by his father, to escape the Labryinth. When he flew too close to the sun, it melted the wax that held the wings together and he fell to the earth.18
3676991623Iridescenta play of colors producing rainbow effects; from Iris, goddess of the rainbow.19
3676992675JanusRoman god of doors and gateways (beginnings); pictured with two faces looking in different directions, one old and one young.20
3676992676Jovialgood humored; from the word Jove, used to express surprise or agreement (Jupiter).21
3676995719La Lloronalegend of Mexico in which a woman drowns her children in order to be with the man she loves. When he rejects her, she kills herself. She is said to claim any children wandering near the river at night.22
3676995720Leda and the Swanstory about the rape of Leda, a queen of Sparta, by Zeus, who had taken the form of a swan.23
3676995721Lethargyabnormal drowsiness or inertia; from the word Lethe, a river in Hades that caused drinkers to forget their past.24
3676995722Mercurialsuddenly cranky or possessing changeable moods; of or relating to the Roman god Mercury.25
3676996237Minotaurhalf-man, half-bull born to the queen of Crete after she mated with a sacred bull. King Minos had Daedalus construct the Labryinth to hide the Minotaur. Theseus defeated the Minotaur by unspooling a ball of thread as he moved through the Labryinth; he killed the creature, using the thread to find his way out.26
3676996238Mnemonicsa device used to aid memory; the personification of memory, Mnemosyne, gave birth to the nine Muses, who supposedly gave good memory in story telling.27
3676996646Morphinea bitter white, crystalline alkaloid used to relieve pain and induce sleep; Morpheus was the Roman god of sleep and dreams that could easily change form or shape.28
3676996647Musesome creature of inspiration; the nine daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus, divine singers that presided over thought in all its forms.29
3676999287Narcissismbeing in love with one's self image; named for Narcissus, a handsome young man who despised love. Echo, a nymph who was in love with him, was rejected and decreed, "Let he who loves not others, love himself." Hearing this, he fell in love with his image, while gazing in a pond, and drowned himself trying to capture it.30
3676999288Nemesisone who inflicts due punishment or brings destruction or downfall; Greek goddess of vengeance who punishes crime and curbs excess (arrogant pride, etc).31
3676999972Niobemournful woman; from Niobe, whose children were slain by Apollo and Artemis because of her bragging; the gods pitied her and turned her into a rock that was always wet from weeping.32
3676999973Nympha beautiful or seductive woman; in mythology, a female spirit who lived in forests or bodies of water.33
3677000944Orpheus and EurydiceOrpheus was a great musician; when his wife, Eurydice, died, he traveled to Hades and asked that his wife be allowed to return to earth. Hades was moved and granted his request on the condition that Orpheus not look back at Eurydice until they left the underworld. Orpheus led Eurydice up from Hades, but at the last moment, he turned to look at her and she vanished forever.34
3677000945Paeana song of joy; a ritual epithet of Apollo the healer. In Homeric poems, an independent god of healing named Paean (or Paeon), who took care of Hades when he was wounded.35
3677000946PanGreek god of flocks, forest, meadows, and shepherds; he had the horns and feet of a goat. His musical instrument was a set of reed pipes, the "Pipes of Pan." Fright at nighttime noises called "panic."36
3677002070Pandora's Boxsomething that opens the door for bad occurrences; named for Pandora who was the first mortal, sent by Zeus, to punish man for Prometheus' theft of fire. For her curiosity in opening the box, Zeus gave her all human ills in the world, leaving only hope at the bottom.37
3677002071Phoenixa symbol of immortality and rebirth; named after the mythological Egyptian phoenix, a bird which lived in the Arabian desert and then consumed itself in fire, rising renewed form the flame to start another long life.38
3677003050Prometheanlife-bringing, creative, or courageously original; named after a titan who brought man the use of fire which he had stolen from heaven for their benefit.39
3677003051Proteantaking many forms, versatile; named after Proteus, a god of the sea, charged with trending the flocks of the sea creatures belonging to Poseidon. He had the ability to change himself into whatever form he desired, using this power particularly when he wanted to elude those asking him questions.40
3677003338Pyrrhic victorya too costly victory; from Pyrrhus, a Greek king who defeated the Romans in 279 BC, but suffered extremely heavy losses in the fight.41
3677004029Saturnaliaa period of unrestrained revelry; named after the ancient Roman festival of Saturn, with general feasting and revelry in honor of the winter solstice.42
3677004030Saturninesluggish, gloomy, morose; inactive in winter months; named after the god Saturn and often associated with the god of the underworld.43
3677004504Satyr/FaunGreek/Roman creatures who were part man, part goat; companions of Dionysus, they were famous for being constantly drunk and chasing nymphs.44
3677004505Sibyla witch or sorceress; a priestess who made known the oracles of Apollo and possessed the girt of prophecy.45
3677004506Sirensevil creatures who lived on a rocky island, singing in beautiful voices to lure sailors into shipwreck and death. Figuratively, a "siren" is a beautiful, tempting woman; a "siren song" is an irresistible distraction.46
3677005395Sisypheangreedy and avaricious; a difficult, but ultimately useless, task; from the shrewd and greedy king of Corinth, Sisyphus, who was doomed in Hades to forever roll uphill a heavy stone, which always rolled down again.47
3677005396Stentorianhaving a loud voice; after Stentor, a character in the Iliad who could shout as loudly as 50 men.48
3677005760Stygiandark and gloomy; named after the river Styx, a river in the Underworld.49
3677005761Tantalizeto tempt with something desirable but unattainable. From King Tantalus, who was condemned to reside in a beautiful river with sumptuous fruits just out of reach and undrinkable water always tempting him. This was punishment for excessive pride.50
3677007331Tiresiasthe blind prophet who revealed the truth to Oedipus. According to Ovid, Tiresias spent part of his life as a man and part as a woman so he understood love from both sides.51
3676994853La Llorona52
3676994854Leda and the Swan53

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