Word from Mythology: Odyssey

The English word "odyssey" comes from the name of the Greek hero Odysseus. After the end of the Trojan War, Odysseus and his men set sail for their island home of Ithaca, but Odysseus is the only one to make it home, after a journey lasting ten years, and many adventures along the way. That is how we got the word "odyssey" in English. At first, "Odyssey" referred to the name of the ancient Greek epic poem narrating Odysseus's adventures, but starting in the late nineteenth century, the word came to be used with a lower-case "o" — odyssey — to refer to any long, adventurous journey.

Odysseus's journey is related to another English word that comes from Greek: nostalgia. The English word "nostalgia" comes from two Greek words: nostos, which means "homecoming," and algia, which means "pain, grief, longing" (as in the English word "analgesic"). Put them together and you get nostalgia: homesickness, a painful longing to return home.

The image below is a Greek vase painting of Odysseus and the Sirens, and "siren" is another English word from mythology; more about sirens here.

Word from Mythology: Echo

The English word "echo" comes from the Greek word which is also the name of a nymph: Echo (Ἠχώ). The god Zeus was notorious for his love affairs with the nymphs, and Echo distracted the goddess Hera with lengthy conversations in order to give Zeus the chance to make his escape. When Hera found out how Echo had tricked here, she put a curse on the nymph: Echo would no longer be able to speak on her own. Instead, she could only repeat the last few words of what another person said — that is, she could only echo the words she heard.

Things got worse for Echo when she fell in love with Narcissus. She was not able to communicate with him, and so she watched as Narcissus wasted away gazing at his own reflection in the water. Echo eventually lost her physical body and all that remained was... her echo!

You can read more about Echo at Wikipedia. The painting below is Waterhouse's Echo and Narcissus:

Word from Mythology: January

JANUARY. The name of the month "January" comes from the name of a Roman god, Janus. The Romans named the first month of the year Ianuarius mensis, "January (month)," in honor of this god. They chose Janus because he famously has two faces, one looking forward and one looking backward, which makes him a perfect symbol for the end of the old year and the beginning of a new one. You can read more about the god Janus and his symbolic meanings at Wikipedia.

We also get the word "janitor" from this god of two faces. Why? Because in Latin, the janitor was the doorkeeper, and doors have two faces!

The image below shows Janus as depicted in a 16th-century emblem book:

Phrase from Mythology: Achilles' Heel

Today's phrase from mythology is: Achilles' Heel. You can also see it spelled without the apostrophe, with the name "Achilles" being used like an adjective. The phrase refers to someone's weak spot, just as Achilles, the epic Greek warrior, had a weak spot in his heel. The phrase is so famous that it even has a Wikipedia article of its own: Achilles' Heel.

The story goes that Achilles was the son of Peleus and the goddess Thetis. Hoping to make her son immortal, Thetis dipped Achilles in the water of the River Styx, but because she held him by the heel as he did so, his heel did not receive the protection that the water gave to the rest of his body. Achilles became a great warrior, and he survived until almost the end of the Trojan War but the Trojan prince Paris finally managed to shoot Achilles in the heel, and he died. Achilles' death is not found in Homer's Iliad which ends with the death and funeral rites for Hector, another of the Trojan princes and the leader of the Trojan army. You can find out more at Wikipedia.

(statue of the dying Achilles)

Word from Mythology: Herculean

Today's word from mythology is "Herculean," which means something that requires a mighty effort or great strength. A Herculean task is a task that would require the strength of the great hero Hercules, or Heracles, as the Greeks called him; Hercules is his Roman name. You can read about the famous Labors of Hercules at Wikipedia.

The image below shows Hercules capturing the Cerberus, the three-headed hound of hell, which was the last of the twelve labors:

Word from Mythology: Aurora

Today's word from mythology is AURORA, a word which come from the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora. You can see this word in the phrase Aurora Borealis, literally "Northern Dawn," referring to the Northern Lights. The Greek name for the goddess of dawn is Eos.

Aurora/Eos is famous for taking mortal men as her lovers. In one legend, Aurora fell in love with Tithonus, a prince of Troy, the son of King Laomedon, and brother to King Priam. Aurora asked Zeus that Tithonus be granted eternal life, but she did not ask for eternal youth, so poor Tithonus grew older and older and older until he eventually turned into a cicada.

Here is a painting of Aurora and Tithonus by Francesco de Mura:

Word from Mythology: Saturnine

The word from mythology for today is saturnine, which comes from the name of the Roman god Saturn. The word comes from the belief that someone born under the influence of the planet Saturn was gloomy and morose. In medieval astrology, of the known planets Saturn was most distant from the sun, and therefore the most cold and slow. To learn more about the Roman god Saturn, see Wikipedia.

Relate words: jovial and mercurial.

This is a depiction of Saturn by Poildoro da Caravaggio.

Word from Mythology: Mercurial

Today's word from mythology is mercurial, which comes from the name of the god Mercury, the Roman name for the god called Hermes by the Greeks. You can read more about Hermes at Wikipedia.

In particular, this word comes from the planet which is named for the god Mercury. Supposedly people born under the influence of the planet Mercury would have the qualities of the god Mercury, being quick-witted, lively, and unpredictable.

Related words: jovial and saturnine.

The painting below is Mercury by Hendrik Goltzius.

Word from Mythology: Hermetic

Today's word from mythology is "hermetic," which has two meaning. In reference to a physical seal or closure, it means something that is airtight, tightly closed. In a metaphorical sense, it refers to mystical traditions that are occult, obscure, hidden.

The word comes from the name of the Greek god Hermes (Roman Mercury), whom the Greeks associated with the Egyptian god Thoth, the god of magic and science, and he was also the inventor of writing.

In particular, the "hermetic" tradition is linked to the Thoth known as "Hermes Tresmegistos" (Mercurius Ter Maximus in Latin), the "Thrice-Great Hermes." This Hermes Tresmegistos was the supposed author of something called the Hermetic Corpus, a collection of alchemical writings. You can read more about Hermes Tresmegistos and the hermetic tradition at Wikipedia. In particular, this Hermes supposedly invented a secret seal that could make a glass tube airtight.

The images below show the Egyptian god Thoth and also a depiction of Hermes Tresmegistos from the cathedral in Siena, Italy.

Word from Mythology: Saturday

SATURDAY. The name of this day of the week comes from the name of the Roman god Saturn who ruled over the Golden Age; Saturni dies, "Saturn's day," was the Latin phrase for the name of the day. This same god also gives his name to the planet Saturn, and you may have heard of the Roman winter festival called Saturnalia, in honor of Saturn. You can find out more about Saturn at Wikipedia.

(Saturn relief in Erfurt, Germany)

Word from Mythology: Nemesis

NEMESIS. In English, the word "nemesis" means a long-standing enemy or rival, a relentless force of destruction that leads to someone's downfall. The word comes from Greek Nemesis, the goddess of vengeance and retribution. You can learn more about the goddess Nemesis and her role in Greek mythology in this Wikipedia article.

(statue of Nemesis, 2nd century AD)

Word from Mythology: Tuesday

TUESDAY. The name of this day of the week comes from the Tiw, the Germanic god of war, so Tuesday is "Tiw's Day," the day belonging to the god of war. He is best known by the old Norse spelling of his name, Tyr. Tyr was a central character in the story of the binding of Fenrir the wolf; Tyr had volunteered to put his hand in the mouth of the wolf, and the wolf bit it off. You can see Tyr and Fenrir in the image below.

The day Tuesday was named in honor of Tyr followed the Roman name for the day, Martis dies, "the day of Mars," who was the Roman god of war. You can see that Roman name in the modern Italian martedi, French mardi, and Spanish martes. If you are interested in the days of the week, you can see the different names of the days of the week in many different languages at Omniglot.

(Tyr and Fenrir by John Bauer)

Word from Mythology: Venereal

You already learned about the word "aphrodisiac" from the Greek name for the goddess of love, Aphrodite. The Roman name for the goddess of love, Venus, gives us a different word: "venereal," meaning sexual, having to do with sex. The word is most commonly used in the phrase "venereal disease" or VD, although that phrase has now been replaced by "sexually transmitted disease," STD.

(Venus, Adonis, and Cupid by Paolo Veronese)

Words from Mythology: Thursday

The word THURSDAY gets its name from Thor, the Germanic god. In Latin, the word for Thursday was Iovis dies, the day of Jupiter/Jove (compare Italian giovedi). Thor was equated with Jupiter, hence our word "Thursday," the day of Thor = the day of Jove.

Here you can see Thor with his hammer as he catches the Midgard Serpent on a hook:

(18th-century Icelandic manuscript)