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.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Silvanus

Silvanus was the ancient Roman god of the forest. He was akin to Pan, and was often depicted with the lower half of a goat, and the upper half of a man.

Modern Word: From this ancient god we get the words sylvan, "related to a forest," and the names Pennsylvania and Transylvania.

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