Studied by 175 Peoplegorgon
Tags & Description
gorgon
ugly or terrifying woman; shrew//comes from the 3 Gorgons
apotropaic
having the power to prevent evil or bad luck//comes from Athena's aegis with the head of Medusa
atlas
a book of maps//comes from Atlas, a titan punished by Zeus to hold up the sky
Atlantic Ocean
one of the world's major 5 oceans//comes from Atlas, a titan punished by Zeus to hold up the sky
chimaera
ridiculous imaginary monster; nightmare phantom; delusion//comes from the monster Chimera
herculean
possessing or requiring superhuman physical strength//comes from Hercules
hydra-headed
something persistent or multi-faceted//comes from the Hydra of Lerna
"clean Augean stables"
accomplish a difficult task, especially cleaning up political corruption//comes from when Hercules had to clean Augeas' stables for his 5th labor
an amazon
a tall, aggressive, or strong-willed woman//comes from the Amazons, a race of female warriors
shirt of Nessus
a gift containing a fatal booby-trap//comes from when Deianira tells Hercules to wear the poisoned shirt (from Nessus) to restore his love for her but it kills him instead
stygian
relating to the Styx River, dark, gloomy//comes from the River Styx in the Underworld
lethean
described as causing oblivion or forgetfulness of the past//comes form the River Lethe
lethargic
to be sluggish and apathetic//comes from the River Lethe
lethal
to be deadly//comes from the River Lethe
rhadamanthine
described as showing stern and inflexible judgment//comes from Rhadamanthus, a famous lawgiver and tutor of Hercules
"throw a sop to Cerberus"
to appease an uncooperative person by offering a bribe//comes from when the Sibyl throws a drugged honey-cake to Cerberus
hypnosis
a trance-like state in which one has heightened focus and concentration//comes from Hypnos, the god of Sleep
somnambulist
someone who walks or does other acts while asleep//comes from Somnus, the god of Sleep
insomnia
problems of falling and staying asleep//comes from Somnus, the god of Sleep
euthanasia
the practice of ending one's life to relieve their pain and suffering//comes from Thanatos, the god of Death
morphine
a drug to relieve pain//comes from Morpheus, the god of Dreams (son of Hypnos)
Elysian Field
a place of blissful happiness; paradise, utopia//comes from Elysium, a place for the good in the Underworld
tantalize
to tease, hold something desirable out of reach//comes from Tantalus, who suffers from hunger and thirst in Tartarus
Sisyphean labor
a task that is laborious, repetitive, and futile//comes from Sisyphus, who rolls a stone up a steep hill as punishment in Tartarus
Orphean
to be enchantingly melodious//comes from Orpheus, the musician
Orphic
mystic, occult//comes from Orphism, the cult based on Orpheus, the musician
purgatory
a place of purification or temporary punishment to make souls ready for heaven//comes from Purgatory
purgation
the purification or cleansing of someone//comes from Purgatory and Orphic teaching
sibylline
prophetic, oracular//comes from the Sibyl, a priestess of Apollo
Procrustean
exhibiting merciless disregard for individual differences//comes from Procrustes, the Stretcher
Bed of Procrustes
an arbitrary standard to which exact conformity is demanded//comes from Procrustes, the Stretcher
labyrinthine
something described as intricate and confusing//comes from when Theseus kills the Minotaur in the labyrinth
clue (clew)
a piece of information used to solve something//comes from clew, a ball of string or yarn
Adonis
an especially handsome young man//comes from Adonis, the chosen lover of Venus