I believe that Greek mythology is one of the most fascinating things in literature. I remember being in the 5th grade and being assigned a report on Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about that project aside from some story about an apple and drawing a picture of her coming out of the ocean.
Are you still reading between the lines? Lessons should be retained!
Anyway, all those classics are great because they provide some insight into references and even words that are still used in the English language today. A couple of things I learned today:
Morpheus was the god of sleep, so that's where we get the word "morphine," and to say that someone is "In the arms of Morpheus" is to mean that someone is in a deep sleep.
How come Morpheus never visits me?
The Greek figure Tantalus would steal nectar and ambrosia from Zeus to bring it back to his people. He also offered his son as a sacrifice to the gods by cutting him up and serving him to the gods to eat. Although Tanalus's son was brought back to life by Demeter, the gods were so angered by Tantalus that he was severely punished by being made to stand in a pool of water under a fruit tree just out of his reach. When he tried to reach for the fruit, the branches raised and when he tried to have a sip of water from the pool, the waters receded.
The name "Tantalus" is the origin of the English verb "to tantalize," inferring that people who were tantalized were reaching for something just out of reach that they could never have.
And sometimes I feel like I'm being tantalized by a Greek figure of my own who is just out of my reach.
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