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.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Cornucopia

This word combines two Latin words, cornus, meaning "horn," and copia, meaning "plenty." In other words, it means "horn of plenty," the image so often presented of a huge sheep's horn overflowing with fruits and vegetables.

It receives its name from Amalthea, the goat who fed and cared for Zeus, when his mother put him in hiding from his father, Saturn, who feared that his son would kill him and take over his role as king of the gods.

After Amalthea raised him, Zeus broke off one of her horns, which forever after was filled with an unlimited supply of fruits, nuts, and herbs.

English word: Today, cornucopia still means "the horn of plenty," an emblem of abundance.

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