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.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Phantasus

In ancient Greek myth, Phantasus was one of the gods of dreams, the sons of Morpheus, the god of sleep. Phantasus, in particular, brought dreams of inanimate objects.

English word: Several of our words stem from Phantasus, including phantasm -- a product of fantasy, an illusion; and phantasmagoria -- a complex, constantly shifting scene of things seen or imagined. Some common words that stem from the same source are fantasy, fancy, and fantastic.
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