Mythology

INFLUENCES ON ASTRONOMY Planets of the Milky Way and Their Features Aphrodite Terra n [Gk Aphrodite Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, counterpart to the Romans' Venus] : a highland area along Venus' equator, about the size of South America Cerberus n [L Cerberus, fr. Gk Kerberos, the three-headed dog guarding the gate of Hades] : a large dark spot on the surface of the planet Mars Jupiter n [L Juppiter Jupiter, the chief and most powerful Roman god, husband of Juno] : the largest of the planets and the fifth from the sun Mars n [ME, fr. OF, fr. L martius, Fr. martius of Mars, fr. Mart-, Mars Roman god of war] : the planet forth in order from the sun and conspicuous for its red color Mercury n [L Mercurius Mercury, Roman god of merchandise, trade, and theft] : the planet nearest the sun Neptune n [L Neptunus Neptune, the Roman god of the sea] : the planet 8th from the sun Olympus Mons n [L Olympus, fr. Gk Olympos, the mythical home to the gods and godesses] : the largest volcano on Mars Pluto n [Pluton-, Pluto, fr. Gk Plouton Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld] : the planet farthest from the sun Rhea Mons n [L, fr. Gk Rhea Rhea, the daughter of Uranus and Gaea, wife of Cronus, and mother of Zeus, Poseidon, and others] : a large volcanic mountain on Venus Saturn n [L Saturnus Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture and father of Jupiter] : the 6th planet from the sun Theia Mons n [Gk Theia Theia, mother of Helios and Eos] : a volcano on the planet Venus Uranus n [LL, fr. Gk Ouranos Uranus, the Greek personification of the sky and father of the Titans] : the 7th planet from the sun Venus n [L Venus Venus, the Roman goddess of love] : the planet second from the sun

Constellations Andromeda n [L, fr. Gk Andromede, the wife of Perseus] : a northern constellation between Perseus and Pegasus Argo n [Gk, the ship in which Jason and the Argonauts sailed in quest of the Golden Fleece] : a large southern constellation, now divided into four separate constellations Cassiopeia n [L, fr. Gk Kassiopeia, the wife of Cepheus and mother of Andromeda] : a northern constellation between Cepheus and Perseus Cygnus n a N constellation in the Milky Way near Lyra; also called the Northern Cross, the Swan Hercules n a large N constellation between Ophiuchus and Draco Hydra n [L, fr. Gk hydra water serpent, a water serpent in classical mythology with nine heads, each of which, if cut off, would grow back as two] : the Sea Serpent, a large southern constellation Lupus n [L lupus, fr. Gk lykos wolf; assoc. with Lycaeon, who was turned into a wolf] : a S constellation near the Milky Way, located between Centaurus and Scorpius Orion n [L, fr. Gk Orion, a giant hunter slain by Artemis in Greek mythology] : a constellation on the equator represented on charts by the figure of a hunter with a belt and sword Pegasus n [L, fr. Gk Pegasos a winged horse that causes the stream Hippocrene to spring from Mount Hellison with a blow of his hoof] : a northern constellation near the vernal equinoctial point Perseus n [L, fr. Gk Perseus, son of Zeus and Danae and slayer of Medusa] : a northern constellation between Taurus and Cassiopeia Unicorn n [ME unicorne, fr. LL unicorn(is) one-horned, fr. L uni- one + cornu horn, a mythical creature resembling a horse, bearing a single horn on its forehead: often symbolic of chastity and purity] : the constellation Monoceros, south of Gemini and west of Orion

Stars and Satellites Adrastea n [L, a daughter of Melisseus entrusted by Rhea with the rearing of the infant Zeus] : a satellite of Jupiter Alcyone n [L, fr. Gk Alkyone] : the brightest star in the Pleiades Amalthea n [L, a nymph who brought up the infant Zeus on the milk of a goat; in some versions she is a goat rather than a nymph] : a satellite of Jupiter Arcturus n [L, fr. Gk Arktouros, lit., bear watcher, fr. Arcas, son of Callisto who is turned into a bear like his mother to prevent him from killing her] : a giant fixed star of the first magnitude in Bootes Atlas n [L Atlant-, Atlas, fr. Gk, after the strongest god, Atlas, who was punished for his part in the revolt against the Olympians by being forced to hold the world on his shoulders for eternity] : the innermost moon of Saturn Callisto n [a nymph attendant of Artemis, punished for a love affair with Zeus by being changed into a bear and slain by Artemis] : one of the moons of Jupiter Calypso n [L, a nymph who detained Odysseus on Ogygia for seven years] : a satellite of Saturn Carme n [fr. Gk, the mother, by Zeus, of Britomartis] : a satellite of Jupiter Cassiopeia's Chair n [L, fr. Gk Kassiopeia, the wife of Cepheus and mother of Andromeda] : the most conspicuous group of stars in the constellation of Cassiopeia, resembling the outline of a chair Cepheid n [ISV, fr. L Cepheus, Princess Andromeda's father] : any of a class of pulsating stars whose very regular light variations are related directly to their intrinsic luminosities and whose apparent luminosities are used to estimate distances in astronomy Charon n [Gk, the ferryman who conveyed the souls of the dead across the river Styx in classical mythology] : satellite of the planet Pluto Deimos n [fr. Gk Deimos, son of Ares and brother of Phobus] : one of two satellites of Mars

Dione n [Gk, a Titanesse and consort of Zeus, sometimes believed to be mother of Aphrodite; later replaced as consort by Hera] : one of the satellites of Saturn Elara n [L, the mother of Tityus in classical mythology] : a satellite of Jupiter Enceladus n [L Enceladus, a giant thought to lie buried under Mount Etna after warring with the gods and being struck down with a great stone flung at him by Athena] : a satellite of Saturn Epimetheus n [L, a son of Iapetus and brother of Prometheus and Atlas; the husband of Pandora and father of Pyrrha] : a satellite of Saturn Europa n [L, a sister of Cadmus who was abducted by Zeus in the form of a bull and taken to Crete, where she bore him Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Sarpedon] : one of the moons of Jupiter Galatea n [fr. Gk, a sea nymph courted in vain by Polyphemus, who killed her sweetheart Acis in jealousy] : a moon of the planet Neptune Ganymede n [L Ganymedes, fr. Gk Ganymedes Ganymede, a beautiful youth carried off to Olympus to be the cupbearer of the gods in classical mythology] : the largest of Jupiter's moons Hesperus n [ME, fr. L, fr. Gk Hesperos, god of evening] : the evening star Hyperion n [fr. L, fr. Gk Hyperion, a Titan, the father of Helios, Selene, and Eos] : one of the moons of Saturn Iapetus n [fr. L, fr. Gk, a Titan, son of Uranus and Gaea and father of Atlas, Epimetheus, and Prometheus] : one of the many satellites of Saturn Io n [L Io, a maiden loved by Zeus and changed into a heifer so that she might escape Hera's wrath] : one of the moons of the planet Jupiter Janus n [L Janus, Roman god of beginnings who is represented artistically with two opposite faces] : a moon of Saturn

Juno n [L Juno, the sister and wife of Jupiter] : the fourth largest and one of the four brightest asteroids in the solar system Leda n [fr. L, the mother of Castor and Clytemnestra by her husband Tyndareus, and of Pollux and Helen by Zeus, who was wearing the form of a swan] : a satellite of the planet Jupiter Metis n [L, a Titanesse, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys and the mother of Athena by Zeus] : one of the moons of Jupiter Mimas n [Gk, one of the Gigantes, killed by Hercules] : one of the satellites of Saturn Naiad n [ME, fr. L naiad-, naias, fr. Gk, nymphs of classical mythology living in and giving life to bodies of water] : a moon of Neptune Pandora n [fr. L, fr. Gk: lit. all-gifted, 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] : a satellite of the planet Saturn Pasiphae n [fr. Gk, the wife of Minos, mother of Ariadne, and mother of the Minotaur by the Cretan bull] : one of the many moons of Jupiter Perseid n [L Perseus; fr. their appearing to radiate from a point in Perseus] : any of a group of meteors that appear annually about August 11 Phobos n [fr. L Phobus, a son and attendant of Ares in Roman mythology] : one of two satellites of Mars Phoebe n [L, fr. Gk Phoibe, Artemis] 1 : one of the nine satellites of Saturn 2 : the moon personified, in literature Phoebus n [L, fr. Gk Phoibus, Apollo] Literary : the sun Pleiades n [fr. F Pleiade, fr. L, fr. Gk Pleiad-, Pleias, fr. sing. of Pleiades, the seven daughters of Atlas turned into a group of stars in Greek mythology] : a conspicuous cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus that includes six stars in the form of a very small dipper

Prometheus n [NL, fem. of L Prometheus Prometheus, a Titan who is chained and tortured by Zeus for stealing fire from Heaven and giving it to mankind] : a satellite of the planet Saturn Proteus n [NL, fr. L Proteus, fr. Gk Proteus Proteus, a sea god in Greek mythology noted for his ability to assume different forms and to prophesy] : a satellite of Neptune Rhea n [L Rhea, mother of Zeus, fr. Gk] : one of the nine satellites of Saturn Tethys n [L, a Titanesse, daughter of Uranus and Gaea, the wife of Oceanus and mother of the Oceanids and river gods] : a moon of Saturn Thalassa n [fr. Gk thalass(a) sea, the personification of the sea in classical mythology] : a satellite of Neptune Thebe n [L, a daughter of Asopus and Metope who was abducted by Zeus] : a satellite of the planet Jupiter Titan n [fr. L, fr. Gk Titan, any of a family of giants born of Uranus and Gaea and ruling the earth until overthrown by the Olympian gods] : a moon of Saturn once thought to be the largest in the solar system Triton n [L, fr. Gk Triton, a son of the sea god Neptune and Amphitrite, represented as having the head and trunk of a man and the tail of a fish, and as using a conch shell as a trumpet] : the largest satellite of Neptune Vesta n [Vesta Vesta, Roman goddess of the hearth, worshipped in a temple containing an altar on which a sacred fire was kept burning by vestal virgins, akin to the Greek Hestia] : the third largest and one of the four brightest asteroids in the solar system

INFLUENCES ON THE CALENDARS

Months of the Year April n [ME April, Averil, Aperil, fr. L Aprilis, perh. fr. Gk Aphro, short for Aphrodite] : the fourth month of the Gregorian calendar January n [ME Januarie, fr. L Januarius, 1st month of Roman year, fr. Janus the two-faced god of beginnings] : the first month of our calendar year March n [ME, fr. OF, fr. L martius of Mars, fr. Mars the Roman war god] : the third month of our calendar year May n [ME, fr. OE & L; OF mai, fr. L Maius, fr. Maia Maia, mother of Hermes] : the fifth month of our calendar year Days of the Week Friday n [ME, fr. OE frigedaeg, fr. (assumed) Frig Frigga + daeg day, prehistoric trans. of L dies Veneris Venus' day] : the sixth day of the week, following Thursday Saturday n [fr. L Saturnus Saturn, ancient Roman god of agriculture and father of Jupiter] : the seventh day of the week, following Friday Thursday n [ME; OE Thursdaeg, fr. ODan Thursdagr, lit. Thor's day, fr. D donderdag, fr. G Donnerstag; trans. of LL dies Jovis Jove's day] : the fifth day of the week, following Wednesday Tuesday n [ME tewesday, OE tiwesdaeg, orig., phrase Tiwes daeg Tiw's day, translating L dies Martis day of Mars] : the third day of the week, following Monday Wednesday n [ME Wednesdai, OE Wednesdaeg, mutated var. of Wodnesdaeg Woden's day; cognate of D Woensdag, Dan onsdag; trans. of L Mercurii dies day of Mercury] : the fourth day of the week, following Tuesday Times of the Day Halcyon Days n [fr. Gk Alkyone, corres. to the fourteen windless days in the legend] : the seven days before and after the winter solstice night n [ME, fr. OE niht, L noct-, nox, Gk nykt-, nyx night; assoc. with the Greek god of night, Nyx] : the time from dusk til dawn when no sun is visible

vesper n [late ME, fr. L evening (star), esp. Hesper, fr. Hesperos, Greek god of evening] : eveningtide

INFLUENCES ON THE PROPER NAMES

April : the fourth month, named from an abbreviation for Aphrodite Cassandra : a daughter of Priam endowed with the gift of prophecy but fated never to be believed Clio : the Greek Muse of history Cynthia : an epithet of Artemis, so called for her birth on Mount Cynthus Daphne : a nymph in Greek mythology who was transformed into a laurel tree to escape the pursuing Apollo Diana : the Roman goddess of the moon and hunting, the protectress of women Elissa : the Phoenician name of Dido, a mythological queen of Carthage who killed herself when abandoned by Aeneas Hector : a bullish Trojan champion slain by Achilles Helen : the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda and wife of Menelaus whose kidnapping by Paris was the cause of the Trojan War Irene : the personification of peace in classical mythology Iris : a messenger of the gods, regarded as the goddess of the rainbow Leda : the mother of Castor and Clytemnestra by her husband Tyndareus, and of Pollux and Helen by Zeus, who was wearing the form of a swan May : the Roman goddess of growth and increase and the mother of Hermes Melissa : the sister of Amalthea who nourished the infant Zeus with honey in Greek mythology Niobe : she provoked Apollo and Artemis to vengeance for taunting their mother, Leto, with the number and beauty of her own children; her children were slain and

she was turned into stone by Zeus, in which form she continued to weep over her loss Penelope : in classical mythology, the wife of Odysseus who remained faithful to him throughout his absence at Troy, despite having many suitors Phoebe : a Titanesse, daughter of Uranus and Gaea and mother of Leto, later identified with the goddess Artemis Rhea : the mother of Zeus Selena : the goddess of the moon who loved Endymion Sibyl : the prophetess at Apollo's oracle on Delphi

INFLUENCES ON THE POPULAR CULTURE

Achilles' heel : a vulnerable point [fr. L, fr. Gk Achilleus Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior at Troy, slayer of Hector] Argus-eyed : vigilantly observant [L, fr. Gk Argos, a hundred-eyed monster of Greek mythology] Augean stable : a condition or place marked by great accumulation of filth or corruption [L Augeas, king of Elis, fr. Gk Augeias; fr. the legend that his stable, left neglected for 30 years, was finally cleaned by Hercules] By Jove! : an interjection often used to express surprise or agreement [fr. L Jov-, Juppiter Jupiter, the Roman equivalent to Zeus, ruler of the Olympian gods] Caught between the Scylla and Charybdis : trapped between two equally unpleasant choices, i.e. caught between a rock and a hard place [fr. the names of the monsters Scylla and Charybdis, who were situated in the Strait of Messina to trap sailors between them] Delphic utterance : a comment or response to a question that is ambiguous and therefore difficult to understand [fr. Delphi, the site of the oracle of Apollo]

Herculean effort : an task of great intensity or difficulty [fr. Gk Herakles Hercules, a hero renowned for his strength and for performing the 12 tasks set before him by Hera] Janus-faced : duplicitous, two-faced [fr. Janus Roman god of beginnings who is represented artistically with two opposite faces] Midas touch : an uncanny ability for making money in every venture [L, fr. Gk legend of the Phrygian king Midas who is given the power to turn everything he touched into gold] Olympian feat : a lofty task, as one befitting the immortals [fr. Gk Olympos, the mountain in Greek mythology that is the home of the gods] Pandora's box : a prolific source of troubles [fr. the myth surrounding the box sent by the gods to Pandora] procrustean bed : a scheme or pattern into which someone or something is arbitrarily forced [L, fr. Gk Prokroustes Procrustes, a villainous son of Poseidon in Greek mythology who forces travelers to fit into his bed by stretching their bodies or cutting off their legs] siren song : an alluring utterance or appeal, especially one that is seductive or deceptive [ME sereyn, fr. OF sereine, fr. L Siren, fr. Gk Serein Siren, one of several mythological Greek sea nymphs, part woman and part bird, supposed to lure sailors to their destruction by their seductive singing] Struck by Cupid's arrow : smitten, in love [L Cupido, the Roman god of erotic love] Thyestean banquet : a dinner at which human flesh is eaten [fr. Thyestes Thyestes, who was, in classical mythology, the brother and rival of Atreus; he unknowingly ate the flesh of his own sons which Atreus fed to him as punishment for committing adultery with the wife of Atreus] To climb Parnassus : to create fine art, especially to compose poetry [fr. Gk Parnasos Parnassus, a mountain in Greece sacred to Apollo and the Muses]

Television and Movies Clash of the Titans: A movie describing the adventures of Perseus as he crosses paths with Medusa, Pegasus, the Kracken, and an array of Greek gods and goddesses

Xanadu: The Nine Muses of Greek mythology are alluded to in this movie about a struggling young artist. Hercules and Xena: These two popular television shows bring a different myth to life every week, sometimes relying on classics, and other times creating new tales. Wonder Woman: A favorite in the 70s, this television show spotlighted the heroism of the Amazon goddess Diana in the mortal world while illustrating her amazing superpowers. Star Trek: This incredibly successful science fiction TV drama took a ship full of adventurers through harrowing adventures weekly, all the while cleverly inserting into the story lines ancient mythological allusions. Literature The Incarnations of Immortality Series, Piers Anthony. A brilliant anthology of Fantasy books personifying the Immortal Powers of Death, Time, War, Fate, Mother Nature, God, and Satan. The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle. Tells a tale of the last living unicorn and her quest to keep hope alive in the world. Mother Love, Rita Dove. A collection of poems telling in various ways the myth of Persephone and Demeter. The Heralds of Valdemar Series, Mercedes Lackey. A wide array of books portraying various mythological creatures, such as gryphons and salamanders. A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams. This play contains several allusions to mythology, such as the poor neighborhood in which the story unfolds ironically being called Elysian Fields. Pygmalion, G.B. Shaw. This play tells the story of a misogynistic sculptor who creates his perfect woman and prays to Aphrodite for the statue to be brought to life. The musical My Fair Lady is loosely based on this play. Brand Names Ajax trademark [Gk, a hero in the Trojan War who rescued the body of Achilles] : a brand of cleaner Argonaut trademark [L Argonautes, fr. Gk Argonautes, fr. Argo, ship in which the Argonauts sailed + nautes sailor] : a computer software company

Aurora trademark [L, dawn or the Roman goddess of dawn] : a make of automobile Hyperion trademark [fr. L, fr. Gk Hyperion, a Titan, the father of Helios, Selene, and Eos] : a book publishing company Janus trademark [fr. Janus Roman god of beginnings who is represented artistically with two opposite faces] : a brand name of watch Mars trademark [fr. Mart-, Mars Roman god of war] : a brand of candy bar Mercury trademark [L Mercurius Mercury, Roman god of merchandise, trade, and theft] 1 : a record production label 2 : a make of automobile Nike trademark [Gk Nike Goddess of victory] : a brand of athletic shoe Olympus trademark [L, fr. Gk Olympos, a mountain in Thessaly that in Greek mythology is the abode of the gods] : a photographic technology company Orion trademark [L, fr. Gk Orion, a giant hunter slain by Artemis in Greek mythology] : a motion picture production company Phoenix trademark [L, fr. Gk phoinix a mythical bird of great beauty fabled to rise from its own ashes in the freshness of youth] : a photographic technology company Saturn trademark [L Saturnus Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture and father of Jupiter] : a make of automobile Song Lyrics "You consider me the young apprentice Caught between the Scylla and Charybdis..." --The Police, "Wrapped Around Your Finger" (Refers to the monsters in Greek mythology by which sailors had to pass; the phrase has come to mean being between two equally perilous alternatives, neither of which can be passed without encountering the other, i.e. between a rock and a hard place) "And I know now how it feels To be weakened like Achilles With you always at my heels." (Mentions the hero Achilles, who was killed by being cut on the only vulnerable spot on his body: his heel)

"Now I see your face before me. I would launch a thousand ships To bring your heart back to my island." --Indigo Girls, "Ghost" (Alluding to Helen of Troy, who is said to have been so beautiful that her abduction was the cause of the Trojan War, i.e. the launch of a thousand ships) "You can roll that stone To the top of the hill Drag your ball and chain Behind you." --Rush, "Carve Away the Stone" (Referring to the fate of Sisyphus, a legendary king of Corinth condemned eternally to repeat the cycle of rolling a heavy rock up a hill in Hades each day only to have it roll down again as it nears the top) "If we burn our wings Flying too close to the sun..." --Rush, "Bravado" (Alluding to the fate of Daedalus, the legendary builder of Cretan labyrinth who makes wings to enable himself and his son Icarus to escape from imprisonment, only to have the wax of the wings melt as the child flies too close to the sun) "Oh, I will dine on honey dew And drink the milk of Paradise." --Rush, "Xanadu" (Refers to nectar and ambrosia, the food and drink of the immortal souls in Elysia) "...I watched him struggle with the sea I knew that he was drowning And I brought him into me..." --Suzanne Vega, "Calypso" (This song tells the tale of the sea nymph Calypso in The Odyssey who keeps Odysseus on the island of Ogygia) "You can hear the siren screaming Take me to the promised land." --Yes, "State of Play" "The x-ray is her siren song My ship cannot resist her long." --Rush, "Cygnus X-1" "Like a siren she calls (to me)." --U2, "In God's Country" (Each of these songs describe the song of the sirens, mythological Greek sea nymphs, part woman and part bird, supposed to lure sailors to their destruction by their seductive singing) "He's the king of the ninth world In each and every lobster cage A tortured human soul..." --Sting, "The Soul Cages" (Alludes to the Ninth Ring of the Underworld, which is eternally reserved for the most evil and hopeless souls) "Rise from the ashes-- A blaze of everyday glory..." --Rush, "Everyday Glory"

(Refers to the rebirth of the phoenix, who burns himself on a pyre to rise once more, in the freshness of youth)