Mythful Meanings

In the English language, many meanings come from myths. This blog considers many of those words.

Myths are stories people tell to explain the great mysteries of life, such as birth and death, why the sun rises and sets, and why the moon changes in a predictable pattern.

I decided to start over from the end of the alphabet and work toward the beginning. I have a stack of index cards with information typed on them, all in alphabetical order. When I started this blog, I started at A, because I didn't realize that all the entries would be pushed down.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Apollo

To the ancient Greeks, Apollo was the god of manly youth and beauty, music, and oracles. He was also the god of the sun, and was the twin of Artemis, goddess of the hunt.

English word: From Apollo, we get the word apollonian, meaning "well-ordered and rational," used to describe a culture.

Monday, July 30, 2007

Amazon

In ancient Greece, the Amazons were said to be a tribe of women warriors, who lived to the east of Greece, in part of what is now Turkey. According to legend, the Amazons did not allow men to live in their country. Once a year, the women visited a neighboring tribe, where they mated with men, to continue their line. If an Amazon gave birth to a boy, he was either returned to his father or was killed. The Amazons were also said to have their right breast removed, because it interfered with archery. Several Greek myths refer to the Amazons.

English word: Amazon refers to a tall, strong, masculine woman. Also, the Amazon River gets its name from the belief that the Amazon women lived in that area. And I don't know why amazon.com has that name.