Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Song Lyrics
"You consider me the young apprentice
Caught between the Scylla and Charybdis..."
--The Police, "Wrapped Around Your Finger"
(Refers to the monsters in Greek mythology by which sailors had to pass; the
phrase has come to mean being between two equally perilous alternatives,
neither of which can be passed without encountering the other, i.e. between a
rock and a hard place)
"And I know now how it feels
To be weakened like Achilles
With you always at my heels."
(Mentions the hero Achilles, who was killed by being cut on the only
vulnerable spot on his body: his heel)
"Now I see your face before me.
I would launch a thousand ships
To bring your heart back to my island."
--Indigo Girls, "Ghost"
(Alluding to Helen of Troy, who is said to have been so beautiful that her
abduction was the cause of the Trojan War, i.e. the launch of a thousand
ships)
"You can roll that stone
To the top of the hill
Drag your ball and chain
Behind you."
--Rush, "Carve Away the Stone"
(Referring to the fate of Sisyphus, a legendary king of Corinth condemned
eternally to repeat the cycle of rolling a heavy rock up a hill in Hades each
day only to have it roll down again as it nears the top)
"If we burn our wings
Flying too close to the sun..."
--Rush, "Bravado"
(Alluding to the fate of Daedalus, the legendary builder of Cretan labyrinth
who makes wings to enable himself and his son Icarus to escape from
imprisonment, only to have the wax of the wings melt as the child flies too
close to the sun)
"Oh, I will dine on honey dew
And drink the milk of Paradise."
--Rush, "Xanadu"
(Refers to nectar and ambrosia, the food and drink of the immortal souls in
Elysia)
"...I watched him struggle with the sea
I knew that he was drowning
And I brought him into me..."
--Suzanne Vega, "Calypso"
(This song tells the tale of the sea nymph Calypso in The Odyssey who keeps
Odysseus on the island of Ogygia)
"You can hear the siren screaming
Take me to the promised land."
--Yes, "State of Play"
"The x-ray is her siren song
My ship cannot resist her long."
--Rush, "Cygnus X-1"
"Like a siren she calls (to me)."
--U2, "In God's Country"
(Each of these songs describe the song of the sirens, mythological Greek sea
nymphs, part woman and part bird, supposed to lure sailors to their
destruction by their seductive singing)
"He's the king of the ninth world
In each and every lobster cage
A tortured human soul..."
--Sting, "The Soul Cages"
(Alludes to the Ninth Ring of the Underworld, which is eternally reserved for
the most evil and hopeless souls)
"Rise from the ashes--
A blaze of everyday glory..."
--Rush, "Everyday Glory"
(Refers to the rebirth of the phoenix, who burns himself on a pyre to rise
once more, in the freshness of youth)
Mythology is everywhere! There are THOUSANDS of schools that have taken their nicknames
from mythology, not to mention all the professional teams. I've provided a list of major American
universities and colleges whose names include a mythological reference. Let me know if you'd like
me to include your school!
Athenas
Joint team of Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, California), Claremont McKenna College (Claremont,
California) and Scripps College (Claremont, California)
Athenians
Mount St. Mary's College (Los Angeles, California)
Argonauts
College of Notre Dame (Belmont, California)
University of Great Falls (Great Falls, Montana)
University of West Florida (Pensacola, Florida)
Centaurs
Allentown College (Center Valley, Pennsylvania)
Purdue University-North Central (Westville, Indiana)
Golden Griffins
Canisius College (Buffalo, New York)
Golden Rams
Albany State University (Albany, Georgia)
West Chester University of Pennsylvania (West Chester, Pennsylvania)
Griffins
Fontbonne College (St. Louis, Missouri)
Golden Gate University (San Francisco, California)
Reed College (Portland, Oregon)
Johnson & Wales University (Providence, Rhode Island)
Gwynedd-Mercy College (Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania)
Fighting Griffins
United States Marine Helicopter Squadron HMM-266 (Okay, they're not a school, but they certainly
deserve to be here...:)
Griffons
Missouri Western State College (Saint Joseph, Missouri)
Phoenix
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (Green Bay, Wisconsin)
Wilson College (Chambersburg, Pennsylvania)
Spartans
Aurora University (Aurora, Illinois)
Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, Ohio)
Castleton State College (Castleton, Vermont)
Manchester College (North Manchester, Indiana)
Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan)
San Jose State University (San Jose, California)
St. Thomas Aquinas College (Sparkill, New York)
University of North Carolina-Greensboro (Greensboro, North Carolina)
University of Tampa (Tampa, Florida)
York College of Pennsylvania (York, Pennsylvania)
Central Bible College (Springfield, Missouri)
D'Youville College (Buffalo, New York)
Missouri Baptist College (St. Louis, Missouri)
Norfolk State University (Norfolk, Virginia)
University of Dubuque (Dubuque, Iowa)
Titans
Tritons
Eckerd College (St. Petersburg, Florida)
University of California-San Diego (San Diego, California)
Trojans
Vulcans
California University of Pennsylvania (California, Pennsylvania)
University of Hawaii-Hilo (Hilo, Hawaii)
Diana : the Roman goddess of the moon and hunting, the protectress
of women
Helen : the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda and wife of Menelaus
whose kidnapping by Paris was the cause of the Trojan War
May : the Roman goddess of growth and increase and the mother of
Hermes
Melissa : the sister of Amalthea who nourished the infant Zeus with
honey in Greek mythology
Bookmark this page, I'll be adding lots of material first chance I get!
From the Greek alphabet are derived the alphabets of most European countries. The ancients
used only the large letters, called majuscules (capitals as E, uncials as e); the small letters
(minuscules), which were used as a literary hand in the ninth century, are cursive forms of the
uncials.
Keep in mind that our word 'alphabet' comes to us from the first two letters in the Greek, Alpha
and Beta.
The last letter in the Greek alphabet is Omega, and that's where we get the expression "The
Alpha and the Omega", which means "The Beginning and the End", or All That Is.
Al-pha a father
bE-ta b beg
gA-mma g go
dE-lta d dig
E-psilon e met
zE-ta z daze
Ee-ta e immediate
thE-ta th thin
iO-ta i police
kA-pa c,k kin
mu m met
nu n net
xi x taxi
O-mikron o obey
pi p pet
rho r run
SEE-gma s sun
tau t tar
EEp-seelon (u) y : Fr. tu; : Fr. sr
phi ph graphic
chi ch Christian
psi ps gypsum
om-E-ga
Athens, the capital city of Greece, is named after the goddess Athena:
Athens, Georgia
Athens, Ohio
Athens, Alabama
Athens, Indiana
Athens, Maine
Athens, New York
Athens, Pennsylvania
Athens, Tennessee
Athens, Texas
Athens, West Virginia
Athens, Wisconsin
Athens, Louisiana
Athens, Michigan
Athens, Illinois
Athens, Pennsylvania
New Athens, Illinois
Athens County, Ohio
Athens, Wisconsin
Achilles was the greatest warrior of the Trojan War, killed only when an
arrow struck his heel, the only vulnerable spot on his body:
Achilles, Virginia
Ajax was the name of two famous warriors of the Trojan War:
Ajax, South Dakota
Apollo was another Olympian, the god of music and light. After him is
named:
Apollo, Pennsylvania
North Apollo, Pennsylvania
Apollo Beach, Florida
Apollo Annex, Florida
Apollo Theater, Chicago
Apollo Theater, New York
Argo was the name of the famous ship that Jason and the Argonauts used
to sail on their voyage to get the Golden Fleece.
Argo, Texas
Argos was the hundred-eyed watchman of Hera, slain by the Greek
messenger god Hermes:
Argos, Indiana
Arion was the poet tossed overboard by Pirates who was saved by a
dolphin:
Arion, Iowa
Arion, Ohio
Atlas was the hapless Titan who was doomed to support the heavens on
his shoulder forever. Many variations of his name have given us a number
of American place names:
Atlantic Beach, Florida
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Idaho
Atlanta, Illinois
Atlanta, Indiana
Atlantic, Iowa
Atlanta, Kansas
Atlas, Kansas
Atlanta, Louisiana
Atlanta, Michigan
Atlas, Michigan
Atlanta, Missouri
Atlanta, Nebraska
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlanta, New York
Atlantic Beach, New York
Atlantic, North Carolina
Atlantic Beach, North Carolina
Atlantic, Pennsylvania
Atlasburg, Pennsylvania
Atlanta, Texas
Atlantic, Virginia
Aurora was the Roman goddess of the dawn, similar to the Greek Eos:
Aurora, Colorado
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora, Indiana
Aurora, Iowa
Aurora, Kansas
Aurora, Kentucky
Aurora, Maine
Aurora, Minnesota
Aurora, Missouri
Aurora, Nebraska
Aurora, New York
East Aurora, New York
Aurora, North Carolina
Aurora, Ohio
Aurora, Oregon
Aurora, South Dakota
Aurora, Utah
Aurora, West Virginia
Daphne was a beautiful woman who was pursued by the god Apollo. She
turned into a laurel tree in order to escape from his amorous advances.
After her is named:
Daphne, Alabama
The Nymph Calypso was a witch who tried to convince the hero Odysseus
to stay with her on her island, rather than sailing home:
Calypso, North Carolina
Cassandra was the seer who was cursed by Apollo, so that her prophecies
were never believed:
Cassandra, Pennsylvania
Ceres was the Roman goddess of the harvest, similar to the Greek goddess
Demeter:
Ceres, California
Ceres, Virginia
Crete was the island where Zeus was raised as a baby while hiding from
the wrath of his father, Cronus:
Crete, Illinois
Diana was the Roman name for the Greek Artemis, goddess of the forest
and the hunt:
Diana, Texas
Diana, West Virginia
Fortuna was the Roman goddess of luck, similar to the Greek Tyche:
Fortuna Ledge, Alaska
Fortuna, California
Fortuna, Missouri
The Oracles in mythology were respected seers who foretold the future:
Oracle, Arizona
Hector was a brave warrior who fought on the Trojan side against the
Greeks during the Trojan War. He was killed by Achilles:
Hector, Arkansas
Hector, California
Hector, New York
Homer was the ancient poet and writer who gave us the famous books the
Iliad and the Odyssey:
Homer, Alaska
Homer, Georgia
Homerville, Georgia
Homer, Illinois
Homer, Indiana
Homer, Louisiana
Homer, Nebraska
Homer, New York
East Homer, New York
Ithaca was the island home of the Trojan War hero, Odysseus; the Odyssey
by Homer detailed his voyage back home to Ithaca:
Ithaca, Nebraska
Ithaca, New York
Ithaca College, New York
Ithaca, Ohio
The Parthenon in Athens was the splendid temple at the Acropolis, built in
honor of the great goddess Athena:
Parthenon, Arkansas
Echo was the beautiful maiden who fell in love with the vain Narcissus and
was reduced to just an echo:
Echo Lake, California
Echo, Louisiana
Echo, Minnesota
Echo, Oregon
Echo, Texas
Echo, Utah
The Elysian Fields was the final resting place of famous heroes:
Elysian, Minnesota
Elysian Fields, Texas
Eros was the Greek god of love, similar to the mischievous Roman Cupid:
Eros, Louisiana
Eros, Arizona
Flora was the Roman name for the Greek Chloris, goddess of plants and
vegetation:
Flora, Illinois
Flora, Indiana
Flora, Louisiana
Flora, Mississippi
Glen Flora, Texas
Glen Flora, Wisconsin
The Griffin was a mythical creature with the face, beak, talons and wings of
an eagle and the body of a lion:
Griffin, Georgia
Griffin, Indiana
Luna was the Roman goddess of the moon, equivalent to the Greek
goddess Selene:
Luna, New Mexico
The city of Marathon was the setting for a magnificent battle, and where we
get the modern day race called the marathon:
Marathon, New York
Mars was the Roman god of war, the equivalent of the Greek god Ares:
Mars Hill, Maine
Mars, Pennsylvania
Medusa was the monster who would turn to stone whomever happened to
look upon her:
Medusa, New York
Mercury was the Roman name for the Greek god Hermes, winged
messenger to the gods:
Mercury, Nevada
Mount Olympus was the lofty home of the ancient gods. From Olympus we
get place names such as:
Olympic Valley, California
Olympia Heights, Florida
Olympia Fields, Illinois
Olympia, Kentucky
East Olympia, Virginia
Olympia, Washington
The nine Muses in Greek mythology were the ones who inspired the arts,
sciences, music and all things cultural:
Muse, Pennsylvania
Neptune was the Roman name for Poseidon, Greek god of the sea:
Neptune Beach, Florida
Neptune, New Jersey
Neptune City, New Jersey
Orestes was the tragic figure who killed his mother, Clytaemnestra, and
was pursued by the Furies, in the tragedy Oresteia by Aeschylus:
Orestes, Indiana
Pandora (all-gifted) was the first mortal woman. Her curiosity made her
open up a jar (box), which unleashed all the world's evils upon the earth:
Pandora, Ohio
Pandora, Texas
Paris was the Trojan prince who ran away with beautiful Helen, an act
which caused the famous Trojan War:
Paris, Tennessee
Penelope was the faithful wife to Odysseus, of Trojan War and Odyssey
fame:
Penelope, Texas
Sparta was a famous city state in ancient Greece, renowned for its highly
disciplined and ferocious warriors:
Sparta, Georgia
Sparta, Illinois
Sparta, Kentucky
Sparta, Michigan
Sparta, Mississippi
Sparta, New Jersey
Sparta, New York
East Sparta, Ohio
Sparta, Tennessee
Sparta, Virginia
Sparta, Wisconsin
Thebes was another famous city state, with a storied mythical history:
Thebes, Illinois
Troy was the ancient mythological city where the famous Trojan War took
place. Many US places are named Troy:
Troy, Alabama
Troy, Idaho
Troy, Illinois
Troy Grove, Illinois
Troy, Indiana
Troy Mills, Iowa
Troy, Kansas
Troy, Maine
Troy, Michigan
New Troy, Michigan
Troy, Missouri
Troy, Montana
Troy, New Hampshire
Troy, New York
Troy, North Carolina
Troy, Ohio
Troy, Pennsylvania
Troy, South Carolina
Troy, Tennessee
Troy, Texas
Troy, Vermont
North Troy, Vermont
Troy, Virginia
Troy, West Virginia
East Troy, Wisconsin
Venus was the Roman name for gorgeous Aphrodite, Greek goddess of
Love:
Venus, Florida
Venus, Pennsylvania
Venus, Texas
Vesta was the Roman name for the Greek goddess Hestia, ancient goddess
of the home and hearth. Her attendants were called the Vestal virgins:
Vesta, Minnesota
Vesta, Virginia
Vestal, New York
Victoria was Roman for the Greek Nike, winged goddess of Victory:
Victoria, Minnesota
Victoria, Mississippi
Victoria, Texas
Victoria, Virginia
Vulcan was the Roman name for Hephaestus, Greek god of the forge:
Vulcan, Michigan
Vulcan, Missouri
Vulcan, West Virginia
Notus was another wind god, this one the South Wind:
Notus, Idaho
Orion was a giant in Greek mythology who was placed in the stars as the
Constellation Orion:
Orion, Illinois
Orion, Michigan
Juno was the Roman name for Hera, wife to Zeus, the supreme Greek
Olympian:
Juno Beach, Florida
Jupiter was the Roman name for the King of the Olympians, Zeus:
Jupiter, Florida
Helen of Troy was the most beautiful woman on earth, and the cause of the
Trojan War:
Lake Helen, Florida
Helen, Georgia
Helena, Georgia
Helen, Maryland
Helena, Missouri
Helena, Montana
Helena, New York
Helena, Oklahoma
Helen, West Virginia
Helenville, Wisconsin
Marathon was another famous Greek place and the scene of a decisive
ancient battle. We get the modern 26 kilometer Marathon Race from this
city:
Marathon, Florida
Marathon Shores, Florida
Marathon, Iowa
Marathon, Texas
Marathon, Wisconsin
The Phoenix was the legendary bird that would perish every few hundred
years, only to be reborn from the ashes:
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Maryland
Phoenix, New York
Phoenix, Oregon
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Phenix, Virginia
Ulysses was the Roman name for Odysseus, hero of Homer's epic saga
The Odyssey:
Ulysses, Kansas
Ulysses, Kentucky
Ulysses, Nebraska
Ulysses, Pennsylvania
Urania was the one of the nine Muses, the Greek Muse of astronomy,
astrology and Universal love.
Urania, Louisiana