AP Lit Allusions: Mythology

Achilles’ heel

Story: Achilles was invulnerable except for his heel, where his mother held him when dipping him in the River Styx.
Meaning: A single fatal weakness in an otherwise strong person.

Adonis

Story: A beautiful mortal loved by Aphrodite; killed young.
Meaning: Youthful male beauty; someone admired primarily for looks.

Aeolian

Story: Aeolus, god of the winds.
Meaning: Relating to wind or airy movement.

Apollo

Story: God of the sun, music, poetry, prophecy, and reason.
Meaning: Order, logic, art, enlightenment.

Argus

Story: Giant with 100 eyes; perfect watchman.
Meaning: Vigilance; constant surveillance.

Athena / Minerva

Story: Goddess of wisdom, strategy, and crafts; born from Zeus’s head.
Meaning: Intelligence, rational thought, justice.

Atlas

Story: Titan condemned to hold up the sky.
Meaning: Bearing a great burden or responsibility.

Aurora

Story: Goddess of dawn.
Meaning: New beginnings; hope.

Bacchus / Dionysus

Story: God of wine, ecstasy, chaos, theater.
Meaning: Excess, intoxication, loss of control.

Centaur

Story: Half man, half horse creatures.
Meaning: Dual nature; conflict between reason and instinct.