5 Common Expressions From The Ancient World

    • Dheeraj.Jangra@timesgroup.com
    • Publish Date: May 27 2016 3:55PM
    • |
    • Updated Date: Aug 5 2016 4:50PM
5 Common Expressions From The Ancient World
Achilles was a great warrior in Greek mythology. When something is your “Achilles’ heel,” it’s a fault or weakness you have, despite overall strength, that can potentially cause failure.

 Achilles’ Heel

Achilles was a great warrior in Greek mythology. When Achilles was born, his mother wanted to make him immortal and thus, dipped him in the mystical river, Styx. However, she committed a grave error. She held Achilles by his heel and immersed him in the river but in the process she forgot to submerge his hell as well. As a result, Achilles went on to become a glorious warrior who had no match. But he had one vulnerable spot —his heel—which ultimately proved fatal. In the final battle of the Trojan War, Achilles was struck on his heel by a poisoned arrow, which killed him. When something is your “Achilles’ heel,” it’s a fault or weakness you have, despite overall strength, that can potentially cause failure. 

Pandora’s Box 

This expression has its origins in Greek mythology. Pandora’s box signify the source of endless complications or troubles. When someone talks about opening Pandora’s box, it means that the action will trigger unexpected problems.  According to mythology, Pandora was the first ever woman created by Zeus, the king of gods, as a punishment for humankind after Prometheus stole fire for human use. Zeus, then asked all the other gods and goddesses to shower gifts on her. Thus, her name in Greek means “the one who bears all gifts.” Pandora was also presented with a jar (not a box) that Zeus told her not to open. In the jar contained various evils and illnesses. However, she could not resist the temptation and opened the container, thereby unleashing all evil (hunger, greed, famine, anger, lies etc) into the world. The myth of the Pandora's Box is also criticized by some as an example of misogyny.

 Caught between Scylla and Charybdis 


According to Greek mythology, Scylla (pronounced SIL-ah) and Charybdis (pronounced kah-RIB-dis) were a pair of sea monsters who lived on opposite ends of the Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily.  Scylla was a six-headed beast with three rows of sharp teeth in each head, who devoured any ship that passes from her zone. Charybdis was a dangerous whirlpool on the opposite side. Ships sailing the strait were almost certain to be destroyed by one of the monsters. In Greek mythology, the hero Odysseus, sailing home from the Trojan War through the Strait of Messina narrowly survived the attack from Charybdis. The legend of the two monsters gave birth to the phrase “between Scylla and Charybdis,” meaning a situation in which one has to choose between two equally unattractive options.  

All roads lead to Rome 

 

This was infact true in Ancient Rome. At its height, the empire controlled nearly 5 million sq. km of territory, and held sway over 21% of the world’s population. Tying it all together was an extensive network of Roman roads. The network comprised 400,000 km of roads, 80,000 km of which were paved. This expansive road network was constructed in such a durable way that some sections still remain today. In Antiquity, those roads were said to converge on the Milliarium Aureum (Golden Milestone) in Rome’s central forum. The distances to all the provinces were measured from this point. During the empire’s heyday, no less than 29 main military roads led from the center in Rome to all the empire’s provinces. Nowadays, we use the expression to mean that there’s more than one way to achieve an outcome.

Crying wolf

 

 

If you cry wolf too often, people will stop believing you. It means that you are making repeated false claims, with the result that subsequent true claims are disbelieved. This expression is derived from Aesop’s fable, The Boy Who Cried Wolf. It tells the story of a young shepherd who would trick his fellow villagers by shouting for help, pretending that wolves were attacking his sheep. Several times the villagers rushed to his aid, only to find the shepherd laughing at them. Then came a time when he (in some version his flock) was actually attacked by wolves and no one from village paid heed to his pleas.  Aesop was a former Greek slave in the late to mid-sixth century B.C.E. when he allegedly penned (or related) hundreds of morality tales, collectively known as known as “Aesop’s Fables.”

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