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AP Literature Allusions - Mythological Flashcards

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6032665394Achilles' Heeltoday, one spot that is most vulnerable; one weakness a person may have. He was invulnerable except for his heel.0
6032670865Adonishandsome young man; Aphrodite loved him.1
6032680493Aeoliananything pertaining to wind; god who was Keeper of Wind.2
6032683437Apolloa physically perfect male; the God of music and light; known for his physical beauty.3
6032687032Argus-eyedomniscient, all-seeing; from Argus, the 100-eyed monster that Hera had guarding Io4
6032694952Athena/Minervagoddess of wisdom, the city, and arts; patron goddess of the city of Athens.5
6032699633Atlanteanstrong like Atlas--who carried the globe (world) on his shoulders.6
6032720811Auroraearly morning or sunrise; from the Roman personification of Dawn or Eos7
6032723227Bacchanalianadj.; pertaining to a wild, drunken party or celebration from god of wine, Bacchus (Roman), Dionysus (Greek)8
6032769547Calliopeseries of whistles--circus organ; from the Muse of eloquence or beautiful voice9
6032774895Cassandraa person who continually 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 first of prophecy but made it so no one would believe her10
6032784420Centaura monster that had the head, arms, and chest of man and the body and legs of a house.11
6070990861Chimeraa horrible creature of the imagination, an absurd or impossible idea; a wild fancy; a monster with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail, supposed to breathe out fire.12
6071002481Cupidityeager "desire" to possess something; greed or avarice; Roman god of love (Greek name is Eros)13
6071011913Eroticof or having to do with sexual passion or love; Greed god of love, Eros14
6071019573Furor(Latin- furere to rage) wild enthusiasm or excitement, rage; fury, "run like fury"; any one of the three Furies15
6071032393Gorgona 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.16
6071046310Halcyoncalm, peaceful, tranquil--Archaic bird supposed to breed in a nest on the sea and calm the water, identified with the kingfisher (Latin< Greek halkyon)17
6071062054Harpya predatory person or nagging woman; from harpy, a foul creature that was part woman, part bird18
6071069954Hectorto bully; from Hector, the son of Priam (king of Troy), and the bravest Trojan warrior. Killed Achilles' friend Patroclus.19
6071096057Helen (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.20
6071128790Herculeanvery strong or of extraordinary power; from Hercules, Hera's glory, the son of Zeus. He performed the 12 labors imposed by Hera.21
6071140484Hydra-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.22
6071151470Iridescenta play of colors producing rainbow effects; from Iris, goddess of the rainbow23
6071156546Jovialgood humored; from the word Jove, used to express surprise or agreement (Jupiter)24
6151784412Junoesquemarked by stately beauty; the wife of Jupiter, the Goddess of light, birth, women, and marriage25
6151801056Lethargyn. abnormal drowsiness or inertia; from the word ______, a river in Hades that caused drinkers to forget their past26
6151828616Martialsuited for war or a warrior; from _____ , the Roman God of War27
6151836861Medeasorceress or enchantress; from ______ who helped Jason and the Argonauts capture the Golden Fleece; known for her revenge against Jason when her spurned her for the princess of Corinth28
6151852135Mentora trusted counselor or guide; a friend of Odysseus' song, who was entrusted with his education29
6151866280Mercurialadj., suddenly cranky or changeable; Roman Mythology, of or relating to the god _____30
6151882215Mercury/Hermesa carrier or tidings, a newsboy, a messenger; messenger of the gods of eloquence; the fabled inventor, wore winged hat and sandals31
6151895308Mnemonicsa device used to aid memory; the personification of memory, who gave birth to nine Muses, who supposedly gave good memory in story telling32
6151906340Morphinea bitter white, crystalline alkaloid used to relieve pain and induce sleep; ______ was a god that could easily change form or shape33
6151922370Musesome creature of inspiration; the daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus, divine singers that presided over thought in all its forms34
6151934406Narcissismbeing in love with out own self-image35
6151953691Nemesisjust 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 pride36
6151969160Neptunethe sea personified; the Roman god associated with Poseidon, god of water and oceans37
6258976116Niobemournful woman; from _______, 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 weeping38
6258994760Odysseya long journey. _________ makes his long journey back from the Trojan War, encountering several obstacles along the way.39
6259005774Olympianmajestic in manner, superior to mundane affairs; any participant in the ancient or modern _______ games; name after 12 gods that were supposed to reside on Mt. ____________40
6259022687Paeana song of joy; a ritual epithet of Apollo the healer. In Homeric poems; an independent god of healing named __________, who took care of Hades when the latter was wounded.41
6259039433Pandora's BoxSomething that opens the door for bad occurrences, opened by someone known for curiosity, named for __________ 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.42
6259065982ParnassusMountain was sacred to arts and literature; any center of poetic or artistic activity; poetry or poets 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.43
6259096804PegasusPoetic inspiration; named after a winged horse which sprang from the blood of Medusa at her death; a stamp of his hoof caused Hippocrane, the fountain of the Muses, to issue poetic inspiration form Mount Helicon.44
6259120893Phoenixa symbol of immortality or 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.45
6259136716Plutocracya government by the wealthy; named after _________, 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.46
6259160587Prometheanlife-bringing, creative, or courageously original; name after a Titan who brought man the use of fire which he had stolen fro heaven for their benefit.47
6259173394Proteantaking many forms, versatile; named after ___________, 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 this power particularly when he wanted to elude those asking him questions.48
6259191823Psychethe human soul, self, the mind; named after ________, 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.49
6259207338Pygmalionsomeone (usually a male) who tires to fashion 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.50
6259235245Pyrrhic victoryadj.; a too costly victory; from _________, a Greek king who defeated the Romans in 279 BC, but suffered extremely heavy losses in the fight.51
6259254624Saturnaliaa period of unrestrained revelry; named after the ancient Roman festival of _________, with general feasting in revelry in honor of the winter solstice.52
6259265591Saturninesluggish, gloomy, morose, inactive in winter months; named after the god _________, with general feasting in revelry in honor of the winter solstice.53
6259276975Sibyla witch or sorceress; a priestess who made known the oracles of Apollo and possessed the gift of prophecy.54
6259289122Sisypheangreedy and avaricious; from the shrewd and greedy king of Corinth, _________, who was doomed forever in Hades to roll uphill a heavy stone, which always rolled down again.55
6259299962Stentorianhaving a loud voice; after _________, 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.56
6259311914Tantalizefrom King ________, who reigned on Mt. Sipylus and was condemned to reside in a beautiful river with sumptuous fruits just out of reach and the water undrinkable, always tempting him as punishment for excessive pride (he boiled his son and fed the broth to trick the gods).57
6259339428Terpsichoreanpertaining to dance; for ______________, one of the nine muses, sometimes said to be the mother of the sirens and protector of dance.58
6259349088Titaniclarge, grand, enormous; after ________, a giant, the son of Zeus and Elara. His body covers over two acres. Or after the _________, the offspring of Chronis and Rhea, who went to war against Zeus and the other Olympian gods.59
6259373805Volcanoesoriginated from _________, the Roman god of fire, whose forge is said to be under mountains60
6259383559Volcanizeto treat rubber with sulfur to increase strength and elasticity; from the Roman god of Fore and Metallurgy, ________/Hephaestus.61
6259409669Zeusa powerful man; king of the gods, ruler of Mt. Olympus, vengeful hurler of thunderbolts62
6270508474Stygiandark and gloomy; named after the river _______, a river in the underworld. The water is poisonous for human and cattle and said to break iron, metal, and pottery, though it is said a horse's hoof is unharmed by it.63

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