WE all love a bit of mythology, don’t we? Especially Greek Mythology. Nobody can forget Medusa, the monster with snakes instead of hair, and Hercules, our very favourite hero! And of course, Percy Jackson is everyone’s favourite character! But we’ve never given much thought to how Greek mythology affects English language, have we?

Almost every dictionary provides the origin of the word, but some of those words have much more interesting backgrounds than we could ever imagine! Greek mythology is probably the most remarkable type of mythology, and has much more to do with English than just stories.

Let’s look at some of the numerous influences that mythology, particularly Greek mythology, has had on the English Language.

Arachnid and Arachne

ARACHNID refers to a class of insects with eight legs, and the word comes from Arachne, which was not a god but a mortal who was very talented at weaving. Eventually she was turned into a spider by the jealous Athena, goddess of weaving among many other things.

Atlas

It is a book of maps. It comes from the name Atlas, the Titan who was tasked to carry the world on his shoulders as a punishment.

Chronology and Cronos

CHRONOLOGY is the order of previous events in sequence. Cronos (also Kronos) was a head Titan and the Lord of Time, and is the source of this word.

Morphine and Morpheus

MORPHINE is a drug that induces sleep, and takes its name from the god of sleep, Morpheus. Mortals sometimes call Morpheus “the Sandman”.

Phobia and Phobos

PHOBIA means irrational fear of something, and comes from the name Phobos who was the son of Ares, the god of war. Phobos was a minor god of fear.

Typhoon and Typhon

TYPHOON is a type of violent weather condition. This word originated from the monster Typhon, who was called the father of all monsters, and used to destroy everything in his path.

Ocean and Oceanus

OCEAN is a large body of water, and is named after the Titan of the sea, Oceanus, who was Poseidon’s (Olympian of the sea) opponent. Nemesis

THE word means “the inescapable or implacable agent of someone’s or something’s downfall”, and was the name of the minor goddess of revenge.

Panic and Pan

PANIC means “Sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety”, and was taken from the name of the lord of the wild, Pan.

During the war between Olympians and Titans, Lord Pan let forth a horrible cry that caused panic among the Titans, and the Olympians won the war. Thus his name, Pan led to the formation of the word “panic”.

Nike

NIKE, is, of course, the famous sports shoes brand, which promises you victory in every race. This brand was named after Nike, the goddess of Victory.

Fortune and Fortuna

IN ancient Greece, Fortuna, the goddess of luck, the word fortune was coined after her name.

Narcissism and Narcissus

NARCISSISM or extreme self-love comes from the name of the vain god Narcissus. He was the god who, when he saw his reflection in water, fell in love with himself.

Nectar and nectarine

THE words nectar and nectarine mean fruit juice or sweet plant secretion, and originated from Nectar, which was the drink of the gods, and medicine for demi-gods.

Achilles and Achilles’ heel

“ACHILLES’ heel” is an idiom which means a weakness or a very vulnerable point. It originated from the legend of Achilles. According to a legend, when Achilles was born, his mother, in an effort to make him invulnerable, took Achilles to the Styx River and dipped him. She held him by one heel. The area where her fingers held him remained dry.

As the heel was not touched by the waters of the Styx, it was the one vulnerable place on Achilles’ body.

Achilles became the hero of many battles during the Trojan War. Paris, prince of the Trojans, shot an arrow in the heel of Achilles. Because the heel was the one spot untouched by immortality, Achilles died. Thus, a weak point is referred to as an Achilles’ heel.

Pandora’s jar and Pandora box

HAVE you ever heard of the idiom “Opening a Pandora’s box”? In classical Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman on Earth. Zeus ordered Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship, to create her, so he did — using water and earth. The gods endowed her with many gifts: Athena clothed her, Aphrodite gave her beauty, and Hermes gave her speech. She was also given curiosity.

Prometheus was a trickster Titan, and her brother. When he stole Greek fire from Olympus, Zeus gave Pandora a huge jar as a punishment, and told her not to open it no matter what. But because of her curiosity, she opened it, and let out all kinds of evil in the world such as fear, hunger etc.

Hence the idiom, to open Pandora’s Box, means to uncover a lot of unexpected problems.