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AP Literature Mythological Allusions Flashcards

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5301490898Achilles' Heeltoday, one spot that is most vulnerable; one weakness a person may have. Achilles was invulnerable except for his heel (Achilles tendon)0
5301494407Adonishandsome young man; Aphrodite loved him.1
5301495567Aeoliananything pertaining to wind; god who was keeper of the wind.2
5301496218Apolloa physically perfect man; the god of music and light; known for his physical beauty.3
5301496954Argus-eyedomniscient, all-seeing; from Argus, the 100 eyed monster that Hera had guarding Io4
5301503483Athena/Minervagoddess of wisdom, the city, and arts; patron goddess of the city of Athens.5
5471819839Atlanteanstrong like atlas-who carries the globe (world) on his shoulders.6
5471828188Auroraearly morning or sunrise; from the Roman personification of Dawn or Eos.7
5471851137Bacchanalwild, drunken party or rowdy celebration; from god of wine Bacchus.8
5471883107Bacchanalianpertaining to a wild, drunken party or celebration from god of wine, Bacchus (Roman), Dionysus (Greek).9
5471898203Calliopeseries of whistles--circus organ; from the Muse of eloquence or beautiful voice.10
5471914748Cassandraa person who continually predicts misfortune but often it 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.11
5471952219Centaura monster that had the head, arms, and chest of a man, and the body and legs of a horse.12
5471964264Chimeraa 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 out fire.13
5471981624Cupidityeager "desire" to possess something; greed or avarice; Roman god of love (Greek name is Eros).14
5472003740Eroticof or having to do with sexual passion or love; Greek god of love, Eros.15
5472011671Furor(Latin-furere to rage) wild enthusiasm or excitement, rage; fury, "run like fury"; any one of the three Furies.16
5472027431Gorgona very ugly or terrible person, especially a repulsive woman; Medusa, any one or three sisters have snakes for hair and faces so horrible that anyone who looked at them turned to stone.17
5472045355Halcyoncalm, peaceful, tranquil--Archaic bird supposed to breed in a nest on the sea and calm the water, identified with the kingfisher (Latin18
5472067773Harpya predatory person or nagging woman; from harpy, a foul creature that was part woman, part bird.19
5472075441Hectorto bully; from Hector, the son of Priam (king of Troy), and the bravest Trojan warrior. Killed Achilles' friend Patroclus.20
5472093852Helen (of Troy)Hellenistic; of or relating to Greece, or a Specialist of language or culture in Greece; symbol of a beautiful woman; from Helen of Troy; the daughter of Leda and Zeus-the cause of the Trojan War.21
5472143887Herculeanvery strong or of extraordinary power; from Hercules, Hera's glory, the son of Zeus. He performed the 12 labors imposed by Hera.22
5472180086Hydra-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.23
5472200525Iridescenta play of colors producing rainbow effects; from Iris, goddess of the rainbow.24
5472461959Jovialgood humored; from the word Jove, used to express surprise or agreement (Jupiter).25
5472470012Junoesquemarked by stately beauty; comes from the word Juno, the wife of Jupiter, the goddess of light, birth, women, and marriage.26
5472480562Lethargyabnormal drowsiness or inertia; from the word Lethe, a river in Hades that causes drinkers to forget their past.27
5472493570Martialsuited for war or a warrior; from Mars, the Roman God of War.28
5472500458Medeasorceress or enchantress; from Medea who helped Jason and the Argonauts capture the Golden Fleece; known for her revenge against Jason when he spurned her for the princess of Corinth.29
5472512529Mentora trusted counselor or guide; from Mentor, a friend of Odysseus' son, who was entrusted with this education.30
5472521818Mercurialsuddenly cranky or unchangeable; Roman Mythology, of or relating to the god Mercury.31
5472531132Mercury/Hermesa carrier of tidings, a newsboy, a messenger; messenger of the gods, conductor of souls to the lower world, and god of eloquence; the fabled inventor, wore winged hat and sandals.32
5472544481Mnemonicsa device used to aid memory; the personification of memory; Mnemosyne, who gave birth to the nine Muses, who supposedly gave good memory in story telling.33
5472560685Morphinea bitter white, crystalline alkaloid used to relieve pain and induce sleep; Morpheus was the god that could easily change form or shape.34
5472568806Musesome creature of inspiration; the daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus, divine singers that presided over thought in all its forms.35
5472575871Narcissismbeing in love with our own 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 into a pond, and drowned himself trying to capture it.36
5472596692Nemesisjust punishment, one who inflicts due punishment; goddess who punishes crime; but more often she is the power charged with curbing all excess, such as excessive good fortune or arrogant pride.37
5472606155Neptunethe sea personified; the Roman god associated with Poseidon, god of the water and oceans.38
5472611380Niobemournful woman; from Niobe, whose children where 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.39
5472620548Odysseya long journey; named for Odysseus, the character in the Odyssey, by Homer. Odysseus makes his long journey back from the Trojan War, encountering several obstacles along the way,40
5472634256Olympianmajestic in manner, superior to mundane affairs; any participant in the ancient or modern Olympic games; named after 12 gods that were suppose to reside on Mt. Olympus41
5472655379Paeana song of joy; a ritual epithet of Apollo the healer. In Homeric poems, an independent god of healing called Paean or Paecon, who took care of Hades when the latter was wounded.42
5472668873Pandora's Boxsomething that opens the door for bad occurrences, opened by someone known for curiosity; 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 the human ills in the world, leaving only hope at the bottom.43
5472686349ParnassusMountain was sacred to arts and literature; any center of poetic or artistic activity; poetry or poems collectively, a common title for selection of poetry; named after the hero of Mt. Parnassus, the son of Poseidon and a Nymph. He founded the oracle of Python, which was later occupied by Apollo.44
5472703347Pegasuspoetic inspiration; named after a winged horse which sprang from the blood of Medusa at her death; a stamp of his hoof called Hippocrene, the fountain of the Muses, to issue poetic inspiration from Mount Helicon.45
5472721852Phoenixa symbol of immortality of rebirth; named after the Egyptian Mythology phoenix, a long bird which lived in the Arabian desert and then consumed itself in fire, rising renewed from the flame to start another long life.46
5472732602Plutocracya government by the wealthy; named after Pluton, the "Rich Man," a ritual title of Hades. He was originally the god of the fields because the ground was the source of all wealth, ores, and jewels.47
5472743579Prometheanlife-bringing, creative, or courageously original; named after a Titan who brought man the use of fire which he had stolen from heaven for its benefit.48
5472753220Proteantaking many forms, versatile; named after Proteus, a god of the sea, charged with tending the flocks of the sea creatures belonging to Poseidon. He had the ability to change himself into whatever form he desired, using his power particularly when he wanted to elude those asking him questions.49
5472773313Psychethe human soul, self, the mind; named after Psyche, a maiden who, after undergoing many hardships due to Aphrodite's jealousy, reunited with Cupid and was made immortal by Jupiter; she personifies the soul joined to the heart of love.50
5472786304Pygmalionsomeone (usually a male) who tries to fashion someone into the person he desires; from a myth adapted into a play by George Bernard Shaw; a woman-hating sculptor who makes a female figure of ivory who Aphrodite brings to life for him.51
5472797276Pyrrhic victorya too costly victory; from Pyrrhus, a Greek king who defeated the Romans in 279 BC, but suffered heavy losses in the fight.52
5472805660Saturnaliaa period of unrestrained revelry; named after the ancient Roman festival of Saturn, with general feasting its revelry in honor of the winter solstice.53
5472815693Saturninesluggish, gloomy, morose, inactive winter months; named after the god Saturn, often associated with the god of the Underworld.54
5472822123Sibyla witch or sorceress; a priestess who made known the oracles of Apollo and possess the gift of prophecy.55
5472827049Sisypheangreedy and avaricious; from the shrewd and greedy king of Corinth, Sisyphus, who was doomed forever in Hades to roll uphill in heavy stone, which always rolled down again.56
5472837189Stentorianhaving a loud voice; after Stentor, a character in the Iliad who could shout as loudly as 50 men. He engaged in a shouting match against Hermes and was put to death after losing.57
5472844883Stygiandark and gloomy; named after the river Styx, a river in the Underworld. The water is poisonous for human and cattle and said to break iron, metal and potter, though it is said that a horse's hoof is unharmed by it.58
5472855092Tantalizefrom King Tantalus, who reigned on Mt. Sipylus and was condemned to reside in a beautiful river with sumptuous fruits just out of reach and water undrinkable, always tempting him as punishment for excessive pride (he boiled his son and fed the broth to trick the gods).59
5472869442Terpsichoreanpertaining to dance; for Terpsichore, one of the nine Muses, sometimes said to be the mother of the sirens and the protector of dance.60
5472873383Titaniclarge, grand, enormous; after Tityus, a giant, the son of Zeus and Elara. His body covers over two acres. Or after the Titans, the offspring of Chronus and Rhea, who went to war against Zeus and the other Olympian gods61
5472885759Volcanoesoriginated from Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, whose forge is said to be under mountains.62
5472888422Vulcanizeto treat rubber with sulfur to increase strength and elasticity; from the Roman God of Fore and Metallurgy, Vulcan/Hephaestus.63
5472895650Zeusa powerful man; king of the gods, ruler of Mt. Olympus, vengeful hurler of thunderbolts.64

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