'1,:.
I'
'II
:..ESSON
26
.
Mythology (II)
I
Why would you hear hisses from a gorgon?
What were the Argonauts seeking?
Why would a Cyclops tend to tum his head more than a normal being?
Were the Harpies vicious creatures or lovers of refined music?
Is a paean a peasant. a song. or a serious injury?
antaean
argonaut
calliope
cyclopean
gorgon
harpy
homeric
myrmidon
oracular
paean
plutonlan
Promethean
stygian
terpsichorean
thespian
1. anteean (an-te'-en}-possessed
of superhuman strength with suggestionso!
earthiness. Antaeus was an African giant. the son of Poseidon and Gaea. who
was invincible while touching the ground. but was lifted into the air by Hercules
and crushed.
a. The hapless flood victims harbored the antaean hope that they were safe as
long as they remained in their homes. but the rushing waters washed them
away.
b. The artist portrayed the peasant leader like an antaean figure gaining
strength from his contact with the land.
2.
argonaut (Ar'-ge-nOt}-adventurer; one who sailed with Jason on the Argo In
search of the Golden Fleece. Specifically. the word refers to a partiCipant in the
California Gold Rush of 1849.
a. The Argonauts included many famous Greek heroes like Hercules,
Theseus. and Orpheus.
b. Most of the argonauts in the California Gold Rush had little to show for their
adventure.
3.
calliope (ke-rT'-e-p6. kal'-6-()p}-a
musical instrument fitted with stea/TI
whistles. played from a keyboard, and usually heard at carnivals and circuses. n
is named after Calliope, the Greek Muse of epiC poetry.
a. The music of the calliope has become an Integral part of the merry-go-round
ride.
b. The sneezing of the diners, caused by the overdose of pepper in the toad,
sounded like an off-key calliope.
4.
cyclopean (sT-k1e-p6'-en)--yast, massive and rough; suggestive of th'
Cyclops, the race of one-eyed giants, descended from the Titans. One of th'
most exciting tales in the Odyssey recounts the blinding of the one-eyed
Polyphemus. who had confined Odysseus' crew in his cave and promised to
"reward" Odysseus by eating him last.
a. The mountain climbers found shelter from the avalanche in a cyelope'"
cave,surprisingly vast In Its Interior.
b. The eye of the cyclone. like that of some suddenly aroused cyclopean bird,
moved ominously closer to the terrified city.
5.
gorgon (gOr'-gen}-a repulsively ugly or terrifying woman. In Greek mythol~
the Gorgon sisters included the mortal Medusa, who had snakes for hair, ar'"
eyes which, if looked into, turned the beholder Into stone.
e. Ted returned home early, claiming his blind date could have doubled tor'
gorgon.
b.
116
Perseus managed to slay the Gorgon Medusa by viewing only her reflectJOll
In his bright shield.
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6.
harpy (hAr' p6)-a shrewish woman; a predatory person. The name is derived
from the Harpies, one of several loathsome, voracious monsters, having a
woman's head and trunk, and a bird's tail, wings and talons.
a. The mistrustful bachelor looked upon every new female acquaintance as a
potential harpy who wanted to get her claws into him.
b. The bars were crowded by day as weli as by night with screaming harpies.
7.
homeric (ho-mer'-ik)-suggestive
of Homer or his poetry; of heroicdimensions; grand; imposing.
a. Pulitzer prizes are awarded annualiy for homeric feats of reporting.
b. Landing on the moon was an achievement of homeric proportions.
8.
myrmidon (mur' -me-dAn, -den}-a faithful follower who carries out orders
without question. The Myrmidons were the legendary Greek warriors of ancient
Thessaly who followed their king Achilles on the expedition against Troy.
a. The Mafia chieftain assigned one of his myrmidons the task of remOving the
threat to his leadership.
b. A new spirit has swept across the youth of today and they no longer follow
like myrmidons the wills of their parents or mentors.
9.
oracular (o-rak' -ye-Ier)--uttered or delivered as if divinely inspired or infallible;
ambiguous or obscure; portentous; ominous. Priests or priestesses in the
shrines of ancient Greece would give ambiguous answers as the response of a
god to an inqUiry. One famous shrine was the oracle of Apollo at Delphi.
a. Some modem poetry is a jumble of oracular statements.
b. Exposing witches by oracular means smacks of witchcraft Itself.
10.
paean (p6'-en}-any song of praise, joy or triumph. In classical mythology, a
Paean was a god serving as a physician to the Olympian gods, later identified
with Apollo.
a. The bicentennial celebration was a great paean to liberty.
b. With the appearance of the celebrity, a great cheer rose in a wild paean of
frenzy.
11.
plutonlan (pISO-tO'-n6-en)-pertaining
to the planet Pluto or the underworld;
grim and gloomy; harsh and unpleasing. The Greek god of the subterranean
world of the dead was Pluto, after whom our solar system's farthest planet was
named.
a. With the disappearance of the last rays of the sun, a plutonian darkness
descended upon the moonless night.
b. The artist's strong penchant for plutonian landscapes suggests a
peSSimistic view of the world.
12.
Promethean (pro-mG' -thkn)-creative
and boldly original. Prometheus was
a Titan who taught mankind various arts and confined all Its troubles in the box
that Zeus treacherously gave to Epimetheus as the dowry of Pandora. For
having stolen fire from Olympus and given It to mankind in defiance of Zeus,
Prometheus was chained to a rock where an eagle dally tore athis liver, until he
was finally released by Hercules.
a. There will always be nonconformists, rebels, Promethean pioneers.
b. 00 not confuse an ornery or contrary attitude with the true Promethean
spirit.
13.
aty~lan (stij'+8n,
stij'-en}-gloomy
and dark; hellish; infernal; inviolable
(safe from profanation). The river Styx was one of the rivers of Hades, across
which Charon ferried the souls of the dead.
a. Wordsworth describes the kiss of death as follows: "Upon those roseate
lips a stygian hue."
b. Mr. Stone took a stygian oath never to reveal his secret pact with the devil.
118
601 WORDS YOU NEED TO KNOW TO PASS YOUR EXAM
14.
terpsichorean
(turp-si-ke-rt'-en}--pertaining
to dancing. Terpsichore was
the Muse of dancing and choral singing.
a. Anna's terpsichorean talents eamed her the leading role In the musical.
b. Two stars of the terpsichorean art, Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, teamed
up to produce a nostalgic movie.
15.
thespian (thes'-p6-en)--dramatic
(adj.); an actor or actress (noun). Thespis
was the Greek poet of the sixth century B.C. who was the reputed originator of
tragiC drama.
a. The director got excellent thespian cooperation.
b. John Barrymore was a thespian of great renown.
I IV.
v.
EXERCISES
I. Which Word Comes to Mind?
In each of the following, read the statement, then circle the word that comes to mind.
1. Music like a hundred steam whistles
(harpy, calliope, plutonian)
2. I would do anything you ask.
(myrmidon, homeriC, paean)
3. Not recommended
to give exact directions
l:
(gorgon,
.,.
argonaut, oracular)
;'1
4. He is an outstanding
dramatic actor
(terpsichorean, thespian, antaean)
,:
5. Beneficial to mankind
,
(cyclopean,
stygian,
Promethean)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~
II. True or False?
In the space provided, indicate whether each statement is true or false.
-_
----
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Both stygian and plutonian have some association with gloom.
A terpsichorean would be ideal for a comic role.
An antaean creature would relish being thrown to the earth.
Homeric laughter refers to the humorous passages in the Iliad and the Odyssey.
A calliope is a means of conveyance.
III. Synonyms and Antonyms
Find and circle the two words in each line that are either synonyms or antonyms.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
harpy
gorgon
myrmidon
loquacious
puny
musical
antaean
paean
awkward
homeric
calliope
obdurate
anguish
oracular
infallible
termagant
frail
servant
terpsichorean
graceful
LESSON 26/MYTHOLOG Y
119
IV. Missing Letters
Each word below has a missing letter. Fill in these missing letters and then rearrange them to form a word meaning
J.
d
is
)f
"hymn of praise."
I
v.
1. Ataean
tersichorean
stygin
cyclopan
orcular
2.
3.
4.
5.
Matching
Match the word in column A with its correct definition in column B by writing the letter of that definition in the space
provided.
8
A
__
__
__
_
_
__
-
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
antaean
argonaut
calliope
cyclopean
gorgon
harpy
homeric
myrmidon
oracular
paean
plutonian
Promethean
stygian
terpsichorean
thespian
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
I.
j.
k.
I.
m.
n.
o.
a scolding, bad-tempered woman
ugly woman
grand
extraordinarily strong
slavish follower
grim and unpleasing
huge and rough
original
gloomy and dark
having to do with dancing
adventurer
an actor
ambiguous
musical instrument
exultant outburst