Greek Mythology Vocab (From Slides)

Question 1

Chronology

Answer 1

the science that deals with measuring time by regular divisions and that assigns to events their proper dates (Merriam Webster)

Question 2

Promethean

Answer 2

of, relating to, or resembling Prometheus, his experiences, or his art especially : daringly original or creative (Merriam-Webster)

Question 3

Pandora’s Box

Answer 3

A prolific source of troubles (Merriam-Webster)

Question 4

Elysian

Answer 4

the relation or association to “heaven” or “paradise” and being in a blissful state (Merriam Webster).

Question 5

Labyrinth

Answer 5

A labyrinth is a complex, often confusing, set of paths and or passages that are difficult to navigate.

Question 6

narcissistic

Answer 6

Extremely self-centered with an exaggerated sense of self-importance: marked by or characteristic of excessive admiration of or infatuation with oneself (Merriam-Webster)

Question 7

Midas touch

Answer 7

The ability to make money out of anything one undertakes (Oxford Dictionary)

Question 8

gorgon

Answer 8

a woman whose appearance and behavior causes fear (Cambridge Dictionary)

Question 9

arachnid

Answer 9

an arthropod of the class Arachnida, such as a spider or scorpion.

Question 10

chimera

Answer 10

an illusion or fabrication of the mind (Merriam Webster)

Question 11

golden apples of the Hesperides

Answer 11

The golden apple is an element that appears in various legends that depict a hero (for example Hercules) retrieving the golden apples hidden or stolen by a antagonist. (Wikipedia)

Question 12

Achilles’ heel

Answer 12

A special or personal weakness (Merriam Webster)

Question 13

Amazon

Answer 13

A member of a legendary race of female warriors believed by the ancient Greeks to exist in Scythia (near the Black Sea in modern Russia) or elsewhere on the edge of the known world.
a tall and strong or athletic woman. (Oxford Dictionary)

Question 14

herculean

Answer 14

requiring great strength or effort (Oxford Dictionary)

Question 15

harp

Answer 15

to speak or write about insistently and usually tiresomely (Merriam Webster)

Question 16

“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts”

Answer 16

“if a rival or enemy shows one generosity or kindness, one should be suspicious of their motives.” (Oxford Languages)

Question 17

hyperborean

Answer 17

Noun: A person who lives extremely far north
Adj: Something connected to far north

Question 18

Adonis

Answer 18

handsome young man; one of Aphrodite’s mortal lovers; a small genus of herbs of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) having alternate finely dissected leaves and solitary red or yellow flowers

Question 19

Eros

Answer 19

Erotic love or desire

Question 20

Sisyphean

Answer 20

of, relating to, or suggestive of the labors of Sisyphus
specifically: requiring continual and often ineffective effort
(Sisyphus cheated death twice and pusnishment was to push a rock up a hill forever)

a Sisyphean task (Merriam-Webster)

Question 21

Titanic

Answer 21

having great magnitude, force, or power (merriam webster)

Question 22

The face that launched a thousand ships”

Answer 22

“The face that launched a thousand ships refers to Helen of Troy, describing the fact that a massive war was mounted on her behalf. Helen of Troy might also be called Helen of Sparta, as she was the wife of King Menelaus of Mycenaean Sparta.”

Question 23

Bacchic

Answer 23

of, relating to, or suggestive of Bacchus or the Bacchanalia (Merriam Webster)
Bacchanalia are the women who worshipped Dionysus (reallu drunk)

Question 24

hubris

Answer 24

exaggerated pride or self-confidence ; a particular brand of cockiness from the ancient Greeks (Merriam Webster).

Question 25

Fury

Answer 25

intense, disordered, and often destructive rage. (Merriam Webster).