Mythological Allusions

1. Mythological Allusions

2. Abraxus/Abraxas • A demon of the Greek Period • Had the body of a man, the head of a rooster, and serpents for feet

3. Alecto • One of the Furies • The Furies were lesser deities (gods) who punished victims • Her name is derived from the Greek “alektos,” meaning “unceasing in anger” • Sisters are Megaera and Tisiphone

4. Argus • A monster that had a hundred eyes • A guard

5. Centaur • A race of monsters • Has the head, trunk, and arms of a man, and the body and legs of a horse

6. Cerberus • The three-headed dog • The guardian of the underworld in Greek mythology

7. Draco • In Latin, Draco means “dragon” (Draco is a constellation that looks like a dragon but is a snake) • Also, a Greek ruler named Draco who developed a system of laws that favored wealthy families • Created severe punishments for the smallest of crimes • “Draconian” means “harsh or cruel.” • In Romanian, “drac” means “devil”

8. Errol • An owl and messenger for Athena, Goddess of the night who represented wisdom • Revealed unseen truths to her, had the ability to light up Athena’s “blind side,” enabling her to speak the entire truth • Means “wanderer” in Old English

9. Fenrir • Norse mythology • A gigantic and terrible monster in the shape of a wolf • Prophecy which stated that the wolf and his family would one day be responsible for the destruction of the world • Caught Fenrisand locked him in a cage, bound in chains • Fenrirthen requested that one of the gods put their hand in his mouth before he was chained as a sign of good faith. Tyr, the god of war and justice, did and his hand was bitten off

10. Griffin • A creature in mythology with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle • The protector of a god’s gold from mortal men • In Greek, “gryphon” means “protector of wealth”

11. Hermione • The goddess of high magic; twin sister of Hermes • In other Greek Myths, she was the daughter of Helen of Troy and King Menelaus of Sparta

12. Hippogryph • Derived from the Greek word “hippos” meaning “horse” and the magical creature known as the griffin • In this case, it has the body of a horse as opposed to a lion, but keeps the head of an eagle

13. Lucius • A Roman General usurped by the people of Rome • Defeated them; became a dictator • In Romanian, “lucios” is used to describe a person who desires extravagance and valuable things • A surname for Lucifer (connection to devilry)

14. Luna • Roman goddess of the moon • “Luna” means “moon” in Latin • The word “lunatic” is also derived from the word “lunar” • it was believed that strange or odd behavior was caused by the moon • “Luna” is a term for “silver” in alchemy.

15. Minerva • The Roman counterpart to the Greek goddess named Athena • Represent war, handicraft and practical reason or wisdom

16. Nymph • Refers to a member of a group of female spirits found in different types of nature • They are further classified by where they were found • They also had the ability to change shapes

17. Orpheus • Greek musician who rescued his wife from the underworld • Got past Cerberus by lulling it to sleep with music

18. Phineus • In Hebrew, means “serpent's mouth” • In Greek mythology, Andromeda should be married to her uncle Phineus but marries Perseus, the famous hero, instead • In the Old Testament, Phineas kills an Israelite man for being in love with a woman who belongs to another ethnical group

19. Phoenix • A mythical bird with a colorful plumage • At the end of its lifecycle, it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites • Both nest and bird burn and are reduced to ashes • New, young phoenix or phoenix egg • Immortality

20. Remus • Twin brother of Romulus • The King sent the two twin babies out to a river and tried to drown them • Female wolf, instead of killing them, nursed them after finding the two boys • He was killed by Romulus • Founders of Rome • So named after Romulus

21. Sibyls • Famous prophets in ancient mythology • Their prophecies were often not decipherable until an event had come to pass