DoE Curriculum Unit: The Gods and the Heroes of the Odyssey
Mythological Words
Words Derived From Names
Greek Mythology gives us a number of words derived from the names of heroes and demigods.
- Hercules - The hero on whom King Eurystheus imposed 12 labors, seemingly impossible tasks, called the 12 labors of Hercules. Hercules performed them all by means of his shrewdness as well as his strength.
- Sisyphus - A very clever character who was able to outwit men and gods. He even outwitted death for awhile. Death finally got him and when he was taken to the lower regions. Pluto made him roll a huge stone up a huge stone up a hill. As soon as he would get to the top it would roll back to the bottom and he would have to do it all over again.
- Stentor - A Grecian warrior whose voice equaled in power fifty men at the siege of Troy.
- Procrustes - A highway of Attica who tied his captives to an iron bed and stretched their legs or cut part of them off to make them fit exactly.
- Proteus - A sea god who could change himself at will to various forms and substances.
- Tantalus - A king who displeased the gods and was punished in the lower regions by being placed in a lake whose water reached his chin. When he bent to take a drink the water receded and he was able to quench his thirst. Boughs of fruit were placed above him, but as he put his hand up to pick them, they eluded his grasp.
Match the Names to the Poems
Give the following mythological characters derived from the poems:
1. My bed's unique - I do admit it. I cut or stretch your legs to fit it! ___________________
2. As a sea god I do e'er amaze. I change my shape in countless ways! ______________
3. My rock's my thing, my sole endeavor. I push it up the hill forever. _________________
4. Only I was truly able to clean the filthy Augean stable. ___________________________
Matching
Match the words in Column A with their definitions in Column B:
|
A
|
B
|
|
1. Herculean
|
a) to tease or torment
|
| 2. Stentorian |
b) changeable |
| 3. Protean |
c) extremely difficult |
| 4. Sisyphean |
d) failure to recognize differences |
| 5. Procrustean |
e) extremely loud |
| 6. Tantalize |
f) vainly toilsome |
| 7. Procrusteanism |
g) determined to secure conformity |
Fill-in-the-Blanks
All the following words are derived from these mythological characters. Use them to fill in the blanks in the following sentences.
Procrustean
Procrusteanism
Tantalize
Protean
Stentorian
Herculean
Sisyphean
- Sentenced to life imprisonment, thoughts of freedom continued to _______________ the convict.
- A 'loud speaker' is someone who speaks in _______________ tones.
- A _______________ task is full of difficulty and danger.
- An actor who plays many parts is spoken of as a _______________ actor.
- A _______________ method seeks to enforce uniformity at any cost.
- A _______________ task is impossible.
- _______________ is a failure to recognize the natural differences among men.
