GLOSSARY OF MYTHOLOGICAL WORDS AND PHRASES IN ENGLISH 771
a drug that produces sleep or describes the state im-
mediately preceding sleep, while hypno-pompic
refers to the state imme-diately preceding awakening;
both states may be marked by visual or auditory hal-
lucination as well as sleep-induced paralysis. Hypno-
phobia is a pathological fear of sleep.
Icarian/Icarian Sea Daedalus had crafted out of
wax and feathers two pairs of wings to escape from
the imprisonment imposed by King Minos of Crete,
one pair for himself and one for his young son,
Icarus. Heedless of his father's advice, the young
Icarus flew too close to the sun. The wax of the wings
melted and the boy fell into the sea. That part of the
Mediterranean along the coast of Asia Minor into
which he fell ever after carried his name and would
be known as the Icarian Sea. Icarian denotes acts that
are reckless and impetuous and lead to one's ruin.
ichor Gods, although immortal, can suffer
wounds. Human blood does not flow from those
wounds but instead a clear, rarefied liquid—divine
ichor. In English ichor can refer to a fluid, like blood,
or, in pathological terms, a watery substance dis-
charged from wounds or ulcers.
iris/iridescent Iris was the goddess of the rain-
bow (the meaning of her name). The adjective iri-
descent describes anything that gleams with the col-
ors of the rainbow. The iris is the colored portion of
the eye that contracts when exposed to light. It is also
a genus of plant that has narrow leaves and multi-
colored blossoms.
junoesque Juno was the mighty and majestic
queen of the Roman Pantheon, wife and sister of
Jupiter, identified with the Greek Hera. To describe
someone as junoesque is to liken her to the goddess
in stature and stately bearing.
labyrinth/labyrinthine In Crete, King Minos had
Daedalus construct a maze in which to imprison the
monstrous Minotaur. Theseus' greatest achievement
was to kill the Minotaur and, with the help of Ari-
adne's thread, find his way out of the maze, which
was known as the Labyrinth. Excavations of the com-
plex and vast palace of Cnossus in Crete with its net-
work of rooms seem to substantiate elements of this
legend. A labyrinth is a maze, and the adjective
labyrinthine describes something winding, compli-
cated, and intricate. Labyrinth can also denote
anatomical features marked by connecting passages,
in particular the structures of the internal ear.
Lethe/lethargy/lethargic/Lethean Lethe was the
river of "forgetfulness" in the Underworld. From it
souls would drink and forget their experiences upon
being reincarnated. Lethe refers today to a state of
oblivion or forgetfulness; lethargy and lethargic de-
note a state of persistent drowsiness or sluggishness;
Lethean characterizes anything that causes forget-
fulness of the past.
lotus/lotus-eater Odysseus was driven to North
Africa and the land of the Lotus Eaters, who con-
sumed the fruit of the lotus and lived in a continual
state of dreamy forgetfulness and happy irresponsi-
bility. Today a lotus eater is anyone who succumbs
to indolent pleasure. The lotus, a small tree of the
Mediterranean, produces the fruit supposedly con-
sumed by the Lotus Eaters; it is also an aquatic plant
indigenous to southern Asia.
maenad A maenad is a female worshiper of
Dionysus. See bacchanal.
March/martial/martial law Mars was the Roman
god of war, equated with the Greek Ares. He per-
sonified the conflict of battle in all its brutality and
bloodshed. The adjective martial means of or per-
taining to battle; when the military authority usurps
the power of civil authority, the population is said to
be under martial law. Also the name of the month
March is derived from Mars.
matinee/matins Matuta was a minor Roman de-
ity, the goddess of the dawn (in Latin dawn is tem-
pus matutinum). Through French, we have matinee,
a theatrical or cinematic performance given in the
daytime, and matins (also called Morning Prayer),
the first division of the day in the system of canoni-
cal hours of the monastic tradition.
mentor In Book One of Homer's Odyssey,
Odysseus' palace is ravaged by suitors for the hand
of his wife, Penelope. His son Telemachus, day-
dreaming of his father's return, is incapable of ac-
tion. Athena, in the guise of Odysseus' trusted coun-
selor, Mentor, comes to Ithaca to rouse Telemachus
and give him advice and hope. Thus mentor means
a trusted guardian and teacher.
mercury/mercurial Mercury was the Roman
equivalent of the Greek Hermes. This fleet-footed
messenger of the gods has given us the word mer-
cury, a silver metallic element that at room temper-
ature is in liquid form, also called "quicksilver" be-
cause of the nature of its movement. In astrology,
Mercury is the name given to the planet closest to
the Sun, around which it completes one revolution
in eighty-eight days. In botany, it refers to a genus
of weedy plants. To describe someone as mercurial
is to impart to the individual craftiness, eloquence,
cunning, and swiftness, all attributes of the god. It
can also simply mean quick or changeable in tem-
perament, either from the nature of the god or the
influence of the planet.