Mythical Allusions

Explanations and Examples

Narcissus
•The allusion to Narcissus of
mythology refers to the beautiful
youth who was in love with himself
and therefore refers to a shallow,
self-centered person consumed with
image.
•The story is that Narcissus saw his
reflection in the water and fell in
love with it. He was unable to touch
it because it would disappear, and
he eventually wasted away staring
at himself. That is why the Narcissus
flower bends over the water,
‘watching’ itself.
•IE: She nicknamed her former best
friend “Narcissus” in her diary
because of her self centered
attitude.
 Nimrod
•A Power-hungry king of
Hebrew myth
•Achieved World dominion by
wearing garment of Adam and
Eve, but wasn't
satisfied with his power.
•Tried to achieve dominion
over Heaven by building a
tower to it.
•Yahweh, the god, who
disorganized Nimrods plan by
confusing the languages of
the workers of the tower.
•This caused strife so the
tower was never built.
•Used Today: To explain a
mighty hunter, or a vast ruler
of lands
•He was acting like nimrod to
the children, making them do
as he said and
dominating their world.
 Cassandra
•Cassandra, the daughter
of King Priam and Queen
Hecuba of Troy, had such
great beauty that Apollo
granted her the gift of
prophecy; when she did
not return his love, he
placed a curse on her that
would make others
disbelieve her predictions.
After she foresees the
destruction of Troy and is
unable to do anything to
forestall the events, her
family (according to some)
locks her up because they
believe her to be mad.
Other stories tell that she
was not locked up and was
left alone and
misunderstood.
• Ex.] Tara told her
 Even Homer Nods
•.also – “Homer sometimes
nods” – referring to Homer
– epic poet, creator of Iliad
and the Odyssey
•.means that even
someone who is the best
at what they do can turn in
a subpar performance
•.the implied sense that
even the wisest make
mistakes
•.written by Horace, a
Latin lyric poet – suggested
that as accomplished as
Homer was, he sometimes
erred with reference to the
facts of the incidents he
mentioned
•.used in essay by
reverend Goodpasture to
show that human authors,
regardless of genius skill,
 Pericles
•Pericles was the leader of
Athens from 461 BC to 429
BC, leading the Athenians
through the Peloponnesian
War, and having a great
impact on the Athenian
culture, causing the time of
his reign to sometimes be
referred to as the “Age of
Pericles”. He was also known
for his promotion of the arts
and literature, and is perhaps
most famous for his project
that built most of the
buildings on the Acropolis,
namely the Parthenon. He
will forever be remembered
for his literary and artist
contributions throughout his
life. Nowadays an allusion to
Pericles would likely refer to
someone who is particularly
skilled in an area. For
example, to say that someone
is the Pericles of the stage
 Xanthus
•Xanthus and Balius are the
two immortal horses that
Poseidon gave to Peleus as a
wedding present. The horses
were the offspring of Zeus.
•They served as chariot
horses for Achilles (Peleus’s
son) during the Trojan War.
When he rebuked them for
permitting Patroclus to be
killed, Xanthos was given the
gift of speech and reproved
Achilles by saying that a god
had slain Patroclus and that a
god would soon kill him too.
After thus prophesying, the
horse was struck dumb by the
Erinyes.
•Xanthus is used in literature
to allude to the breaking of
divine law in order to voice a
truth or prophesize.  Also,
Pyrrhic Victory
•A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with
devastating cost to the victor. The
phrase is an allusion to King
Pyrrhus of Epirus, whose army
suffered irreplaceable casualties
when he defeated the Romans
during the Pyrrhic War at
Heraclea in 280 BC and Asculum
in 279 BC. After the latter battle,
Plutarch relates in a report by
Dionysius:
•"The armies separated; and,
it is said, Pyrrhus replied to
one that gave him joy of his
victory that one more such
victory would utterly undo
him. For he had lost a great
part of the forces he brought
with him, and almost all his
particular friends and
principal commanders; there
were no others there to make
recruits, and he found the
confederates in Italy
backward. On the other hand,
as from a fountain continually
flowing out of the city, the
Roman camp was quickly and
Sword of Damocles
•In Greek mythology, Damocles was a
courtier in the court of Dionysius the Elder.
He mentioned that, as a person of power and
authority, Dionysius must be very content
and happy. Dionysius invited Damocles to a
banquet, which he enjoyed very much sitting
at Dionysius' throne. Damocles looked up and
saw a sword hanging by a single piece of
horsehair directly above his head and he
thereafter realized the precarious position
rulers are in.
•The Sword of Damocles is a frequently used
allusion to this tale, epitomizing the imminent
and ever-present peril faced by those in
positions of power. More generally, it is used
to denote a precarious situation and sense of
foreboding thereof, especially one in which
the onset of tragedy is restrained only by a
delicate trigger or chance. It is a popular
metaphor for any great and threatening evil
that may befall one at any time. The Sword of
Damocles also represents the insecurity felt
 Adonis
•Historical Background: Adonis was the
creation of incest. His mother, Myrrha, was
in love with her father, King Theies, and
with the help of her nurse and the
persuasion of Aphrodite, Myrrah soon
became pregnant with her father’s son.
Once King Theies found out, he became
outraged and chased Myrrha around with a
knife. Aphrodite then changed her into a
tree and nine months later the tree broke in
half and Adonis was born. He was such a
handsome baby that the Goddess of love,
Aphrodite, and the Goddess of death,
Persephone, fought over him. The Gods
settled the argument by splitting up the
time the goddesses would have with Adonis.
The story then goes that Adonis died from
the attack of a wild boar, and hearing the
pleas of Aphrodite, Zeus brought him back
to life under one condition; Adonis must
spend the winter in the underworld and the
summer with Aphrodite.
 The Furies
•Three goddesses of vengeance: Tisiphone
(avenger of murder), Megaera (the jealous)
and Alecto (constant anger). They were also
called the Daughters of the Night. Without
mercy, the Furies would punish all crime (the
worst crimes were patricide and matricide)
including the breaking of rules considering all
aspects of society. They would strike the
offenders with madness and never stopped
following criminals. They would also be the
guardians of the law when the state had not
yet intervened or did not exist, or when the
crime was a crime of ethics and not actual
law.
•Horrible to look at, the Furies had snakes for
hair and blook dripping from their eyes. They
changed into the Eumenides, protectors of
the suppliant, after Athena had made them
merciful by sparing Orestes, whom they had
stalked for a long time after the murder of his
mother and her lover.
•We use the words “furious” and “infuriated.”
 The Three Fates
•Origin:  The three fates (also
called Moirae) arise from Greek
mythology.  They personied
destiny, and even the greatest
Greek deities were governed by
their powers.  The three female
figures were Clotho, Lachesis,
and Atropos.
•Meaning:  A reference to the
fates in general is a reference to
the concept of fate, or the pre-
destined course of any person's
life.  References may be made
to individual fates as well: 
Clotho, the weaver of the
symbolic thread of an
individual's life and destiny,
Lachesis, the measurer of this
thread, and Atropos, who cut
the tread of fate, ending life.
•Example:  Young Harry would
have had much to offer to the
Diogenes
•History: Diogenes was a Greek
philosopher who believed that
civilization and customs are the evils
of mankind and he taught that people
should live more simply and less
hypocritically, like dogs. He
wandered the streets carrying a
lantern and searching for “an honest
man,” but he never found one.
•How it is used: A modern day
Diogenes is one who searches for
truth and honesty.
•Example: “I hereby summon a
joint session of the Democratic and
Republican National Committees, and
I give them this mandate. Deputize
someone, an anti-Diogenes, to go out
in search of the man so dishonest as
to pronounce current capital-gains
tax policy as defensible.” From
The Judgment of Paris
•The Reference:  This allusion refers to
the Greek myth in which a golden apple
(labeled “to the fairest”) is cast into the
midst of various goddesses.  Athena,
Hera, and Aphrodite claimed the apple
for themselves, so Paris, the prince of
Troy was asked to mediate.  Each
goddess offered gifts to Paris, should he
give the apple to them: Athena offered
skill in war, Hera offered political power,
and Aphrodite offered the most beautiful
woman in the world.  Paris gave the
apple to Aphrodite, inciting the wrath of
the other goddesses and marking the
beginnings of the bloody Trojan War.      
•Usage:  When this myth is alluded to,
it can imply the concept of:
·         Poor judgment in the face of love
or lust and resulting consequences
·         A contest or proclamation of
hypnotic beauty
·         Views of love as a higher priority
than power or politics
·         Idealistic and naïve
 Agamemnon
•The Reference:  Agamemnon
was the commander of Greek
forces during the Trojan War.  In
order to sail to Troy in opposing
winds, he sacrificed one of his
daughters to the goddess
Artemis.  Upon returning from
war, he was murdered by his wife
and her lover.  His death was
avenged by their two remaining
children.
•Usage: A reference to
Agamemnon may imply the
concept of:
·         A skilled military person
·         A person who is willing to
sacrifice a great deal for success
and prestige
·         A tragically  ironic situation
riddled with betrayal
·         The smaller human
devastation behind  catastrophic
events
•Example:  “Leda and the Swan”,
by William Butler Yeats
“…A shudder in the loins
engenders there/the broken wall,
 Delphic
•in mythology, Delphi
gave out prophecies
shortly after Trojan
War
•were usually brief,
vague, ambiguous
•is now used to allude
to nebulous
events/situations
•The CEO is being
very delphic about the
new merger. It’s
almost as though he
has something to hide.
Promethius
•Promethius was a titan of
Greek mythology who took pity
on the humans that lived on
the earth. Against the wishes of
the other titans, he stole a
burning brand from the sacred
fire of heaven, and brought it to
mankind. Promethius was
chained to a rock for his
disobedience, and every day an
eagle flies down, eats his liver,
and flies off.
•Used commonly to denote a
leader that stands above the
crowd, either because of
originality or because of
disobedience to authority.
•Example: Rosa Parks’
Byzantine
•Byzantium was an
ancient empire near
the Mediterranean Sea
that was renowned for
(among other things)
it’s corruption and
beurocratic
entanglements.
•Used today to
describe a system that
is hopelessly full of
corruption or red tape.
•Example: The library
filing system is a
complicated mess of