Proverbs and sayings of ancient Greece. Greek sayings

Popular expressions from ancient Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, the Augean Stables are the vast stables of Augius, king of Elis, which have not been cleaned for many years. They were cleansed in one day by the hero Heracles (Hercules): he sent a river through the stables, the waters of which carried away all the manure. This myth was first reported by the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (1st century BC). The resulting expression " Augean stables» is used to denote a very dirty room, as well as severe neglect, clogging, disorder in matters requiring great effort to eliminate them; it became winged in antiquity (Seneca, Satire on the death of Emperor Claudius; Lucian, Alexander).

5. Ariadne's thread.

An expression meaning: a guiding thread, a guiding thought, a way to help get out of predicament to solve a difficult question. It originated from Greek myths about the Athenian hero Theseus, who killed the Minotaur, a monstrous half-bull, half-man. At the request of the Cretan king Minos, the Athenians were obliged to send seven boys and seven girls to Crete every year to be devoured by the Minotaur, who lived in a labyrinth built for him, from which no one could get out. To accomplish a dangerous feat, Theseus was helped by the daughter of the Cretan king Ariadne, who fell in love with him. Secretly from her father, she gave him a sharp sword and a ball of thread. When Theseus and the young men and women doomed to be torn to pieces were taken to the labyrinth. Theseus tied the end of the thread at the entrance and went along the intricate passages, gradually unwinding the ball. Having killed the Minotaur, Theseus found the way back from the labyrinth by a thread and brought out all the doomed from there (Ovid, Metamorphoses, 8, 172; Heroides, 10, 103).

6. Achilles' heel.

In Greek mythology, Achilles (Achilles) is one of the most powerful and brave heroes; He is sung in Homer's Iliad. The post-Homeric myth, transmitted by the Roman writer Hyginus, reports that the mother of Achilles, the sea goddess Thetis, in order to make her son's body invulnerable, dipped him into the sacred river Styx; dipping, she held him by the heel, which the water did not touch, so the heel remained the only vulnerable spot of Achilles, where he was mortally wounded by the arrow of Paris. The expression “Achilles (or Achilles) heel”, which arose from here, is used in the meaning: weak side, the weak point of something.

7. Danaid barrel.

The Danaids in Greek mythology are the fifty daughters of the king of Libya, Danae, with whom his brother Egypt, the king of Egypt, was at enmity. Fifty sons of Egypt, pursuing Danae, who fled from Libya to Argolis, forced the fugitive to give them his fifty daughters as wives. On their wedding night, the Danaids, at the request of their father, killed their husbands. Only one of them decided to disobey her father. Behind committed crime Forty-nine Danaids were, after their deaths, condemned by the gods to forever fill a bottomless barrel with water in the underworld of Hades. Hence the expression "barrel of Danaid", used in the meaning: constant fruitless labor, and also - a receptacle that can never be filled. The myth of the Danaids was first described by the Roman writer Hyginus (Fables, 168), but the image of a bottomless vessel was found among the ancient Greeks earlier. Lucian was the first to use the expression "danaid barrel".

8. Age of Astrea.

In Greek mythology, Astrea is the goddess of justice. The time when she was on earth was a happy, "golden age." She left the earth in the Iron Age and since then, under the name of Virgo, has been shining in the constellation of the Zodiac. The expression "age of Astrea" is used in the meaning: a happy time.

9. Libation [worship] of Bacchus [Bacchus].

Bacchus (Bacchus) - in Roman mythology - the god of wine and fun. Among the ancient Romans, when sacrificing to the gods, there was a rite of libation, which consisted in pouring wine from a bowl in honor of the god. From this arose the playful expression "libation to Bacchus", used in the meaning: a drinking bout. The name of this ancient Roman god is also used in other playful expressions about drunkenness: “worship Bacchus”, “serve Bacchus”.

10. Hercules. Herculean labor [feat]. Pillars of Hercules [pillars].

Hercules (Hercules) - the hero of Greek myths ("Iliad", 14, 323; "Odyssey",II, 266), gifted with extraordinary physical strength; he performed twelve labors - he killed the monstrous Lernaean hydra, cleared the stables of Augius and so on. On the opposite coasts of Europe and Africa near the Strait of Gibraltar, he placed the "Pillars of Hercules (pillars)". So in ancient world called the rocks of Gibraltar and Jebel Musa. These pillars were considered "the edge of the world", beyond which there is no known path. Therefore, the expression "to reach the Pillars of Hercules" began to be used in the meaning: to reach the limit of something, to the extreme point. The name of the legendary Greek hero became a household name for a person with great physical strength. The expression "Hercules labor, feat" is used when talking about any business that requires extraordinary efforts.

11. Hercules at the crossroads.

The expression originated from the speech of the Greek sophist Prodicus (VV. BC BC), known only in the presentation of Xenophon's Memoirs of Socrates, 2, 1, 21-33). In this speech, Prodicus told the allegory he had composed about the youth Hercules (Hercules), who was sitting at a crossroads and thinking about life path which he was to choose. Two women approached him: Pampering, who painted for him a life full of pleasures and luxury, and Virtue, who showed him the difficult path to glory. The expression "Hercules at the Crossroads" is applied to a person who finds it difficult to choose between two solutions.

12. Hydra.

In Greek mythology, the hydra is a many-headed snake, in which, when one head was cut off, two new ones grew again; for the first time the myth about her was transmitted by the ancient Greek poet Hesiod (VIII— VIIV. BC) in Theogony. Figuratively: a hostile force, the fight against which is unusually difficult. The image of the hydra was widely used in parliamentary speeches, pamphlets and newspapers during the era of the bourgeois French revolution.XVIIIV.; the expressions “hydra of the aristocracy”, “hydra of anarchy”, etc. appeared (Paul Lafargue, Works, vol.III, M. - L. 1931, p. 252). In Russian literature, the image of the hydra also appears inXVIIIV. So, for example, the poet V.P. Petrov (1736-1799), in a message to G.G. Orlov in 1772, called him, referring to the participants in the “plague riot” in Moscow: Pierce these hydras, Orlov, then your title .. Perekaray, encircle their feet and hands And nail them to the mountains for greater daring torment.

13. Hymen. The bonds [chains] of Hymen.

In ancient Greece, the word "hymen" meant both a wedding song and the deity of marriage, consecrated by religion and law, in contrast to Eros, the god of free love. Allegorically "Hymen", "The Bonds of Hymen" - marriage, matrimony.

14. Sword of Damocles.

The expression arose from the ancient Greek tradition, told by Cicero in the essay “Tusculan Conversations”. Damocles, one of the associates of the Syracusan tyrant Dionysius the Elder (432-367 BC), began to enviously speak of him as the happiest of people. Dionysius, in order to teach the envious man a lesson, put him in his place. During the feast, Damocles saw that a sharp sword was hanging on a horsehair over his head. Dionysius explained that this was the emblem of the dangers to which he, as a ruler, is constantly exposed, despite the seeming happy life. Hence the expression "sword of Damocles" got the meaning of impending, threatening danger.

15. Gifts of the Danes. Trojan horse.

The expression is used in the meaning: insidious gifts that bring death to those who receive them. Originated from Greek legends about Trojan War. The Danaans, after a long and unsuccessful siege of Troy, resorted to a trick: they built a huge wooden horse, left it at the walls of Troy, and pretended to swim away from the coast of the Troad. The priest Laocoon, seeing this horse and knowing the tricks of the Danaans, exclaimed: “Whatever it is, I am afraid of the Danaans, even those who bring gifts!” But the Trojans, not listening to the warnings of Laocoon and the prophetess Cassandra, dragged the horse into the city. At night, the Danaans, who hid inside the horse, went out, killed the guards, opened the city gates, let in their comrades who returned on ships, and thus captured Troy (Homer's Odyssey, 8, 493; Virgil's Aeneid, 2, 15.). Virgil's half-line "I'm afraid of the Danaans, even those who bring gifts", often quoted in Latin ("TimeoDanaosetdonaferentes”) has become proverbial. From here arose the expression "Trojan horse", used in the meaning: a secret, insidious plan.

17. Golden fleece. Argonauts.

In ancient Greek myths, it is said that the hero Jason went to Colchis (the eastern coast of the Black Sea) to extract the golden fleece (golden wool of a ram), which was guarded by a dragon and bulls, spewing flames from their mouths. Jason built the Argo (fast) ship, after which the participants of this, according to the legend of the first, long-distance navigation antiquities were called Argonauts. With the help of the sorceress Medea, Jason, having overcome all obstacles, successfully took possession of the golden fleece. The first to expound this myth was the poet Pindar (518-442 BC). The Golden Fleece is called gold, wealth, which they seek to master; Argonauts - brave sailors, adventurers.

18. Cassandra.

According to Homer (Iliad, 13, 365), Cassandra is the daughter of the Trojan king Priam. Apollo endowed her with the gift of divination. But when she rejected his love, he inspired everyone to distrust her prophecies, although they always came true; so, she warned the Trojans in vain that the wooden horse, which they brought into the city, would bring them death (Virgil, Aeneid, 2, 246). The name of Cassandra has become a household name for a person who warns of danger, but who is not believed.

19. Castor and Pollux.

In Greek mythology, Castor and Polydeuces (Roman Pollux) are the sons of Zeus and Leda, twins. In "The Odyssey"II, 298) they are spoken of as the children of Leda and Tyndareus, son of the Spartan king. According to another version of the myth, Castor's father is Tyndareus, and Pollux's father is Zeus, so the first, born of a mortal, is mortal, and the second is immortal. When Castor was killed, Pollux began to beg Zeus to give him the opportunity to die. But Zeus offered him a choice: either to stay forever on Olympus without a brother, or to spend one day with his brother on Olympus, the other in Hades. Polluxchose the latter. Their names have become synonymous with two inseparable friends.

20. Summer. Sink into oblivion.

In Greek mythology, Lethe is the river of oblivion in Hades, the underworld; souls of the dead upon arrival in underworld drank water from it and forgot all their past life(Hesiod, Theogony; Virgil, Aeneid, 6). The name of the river has become a symbol of oblivion; the expression “to sink into oblivion”, which arose from here, is used in the meaning: to disappear forever, to be forgotten.

22. Between Scylla and Charybdis.

According to the legends of the ancient Greeks, two monsters lived on the coastal rocks on both sides of the Strait of Messina: Scylla and Charybdis, which swallowed sailors. Scylla, ... incessantly barking, With a piercing squeal, like a young puppy's squeal, The whole neighborhood is announced by a monster. It is terrible to approach her not only to people, but also to the most immortal... Past her, not a single seafarer could pass unscathed With an easy ship: all her toothy mouths gaping, At once she steals six people from the ship... Closely you will see another rock .. Scary the whole sea under that rock disturbs Charybdis, Three times a day absorbing and three times a day spewing Black moisture. Do not dare to approach when it absorbs: Poseidon himself will not deliver from certain death then ... (“Odyssey” by Homer, 12, 85-124. Translation by V. A. Zhukovsky.) The expression “between Scylla and Charybdis” that arose from here is used in the meaning : to be between two hostile forces, in a position where danger threatens from both sides.

23. Minerva [Pallas] emerging from the head of Jupiter [Zeus].

Minerva - in Roman mythology, the goddess of wisdom, the patroness of sciences and arts, identified with Greek goddess Pallas Athena, who, according to myths, was born from the head of Jupiter (the Greek parallel to it is Zeus), coming out fully armed - in armor, a helmet, with a sword in her hand. Therefore, when one speaks of someone or something that allegedly appeared immediately completely finished, this appearance is compared with Minerva, which came out of the head of Jupiter, or with Pallas, which came out of the head of Zeus (Hesiod, Theogony; Pindar, Olympian Odes, 7, 35).

24. Morpheus. Embrace of Morpheus.

In Greek mythology, Morpheus is the son of the god Helios, the winged god of dreams. His name is synonymous with sleep.

25. Torments of Tantalum.

In Greek mythology, Tantalus, the king of Phrygia (also called the king of Lydia), was a favorite of the gods, who often invited him to their feasts. But, proud of his position, he offended the gods, for which he was severely punished. According to Homer (Odyssey,II, 582-592), his punishment was that, thrown into Tartarus (hell), he always experiences unbearable pangs of thirst and hunger; he stands up to his neck in water, but the water recedes from him as soon as he bows his head to drink; branches with luxurious fruits hang over him, but as soon as he stretches out his hands to them, the branches deviate. Hence the expression "Tantal's torment" arose, which means: unbearable torment due to the inability to achieve the desired goal, despite its proximity.

26. Narcissus.

In Greek mythology, a handsome young man, the son of the river god Cephis and the nymph Leiriopa. One day, Narcissus, who had never loved anyone, leaned over the stream and, seeing his face in it, fell in love with himself and died of anguish; his body turned into a flower (Ovid, Metamorphoses, 3, 339-510). His name has become a household name for a person who admires himself, narcissistic. M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin called Narcissists contemporary liberal talkers, in love with their own eloquence, those “sowers of progress” who, on insignificant occasions, quarreled with the government bureaucracy, covering up with chatter about a “holy cause”, a “bright future”, etc. .his personal interests ("The New Narcissus, or In Love With Himself." "Signs of the Times"). In our time, Narcissism is widespread among pop stars (Baskov, Kirkorov) ...

27. Start with Leda's eggs.

In Greek mythology, Leda, the daughter of Thestius, king of Aetolia, struck Zeus with her beauty, who appeared to her in the form of a swan. The fruit of their union was Helena ("Iliad", 3, 426; "Odyssey",II, 298). According to the latest version of this myth, Helen was born from one Leda's egg, and her brothers, the twins Castor and Pollux, from another (Ovid, Heroides, 17, 55; Horace, Satyrs, 2, 1, 26). Having subsequently married Menelaus, Helen was kidnapped by Paris and thus turned out to be the culprit of the Greek campaign against Troy. The expression "to begin with the eggs of Leda" goes back to Horace (65-8 BC), who ("On the Art of Poetry") praises Homer for not beginning his narrative of the Trojan Warabovo- not from an egg (of course, the myth of Leda), not from the very beginning, but immediately introduces the listenerinm th diasres- into the middle of things, into the very essence of the matter. It should be added that the expressionabovo» among the Romans was proverbial; in full: "abovousqueadmala" - from the beginning to the end; literally: from egg to fruit (the Roman dinner began with eggs and ended with fruit).

28. Nectar and ambrosia.

In Greek mythology, nectar is a drink, ambrosia (ambrosia) is the food of the gods, giving them immortality (“Odyssey”, 5, 91-94). Portable: Extraordinary delicious drink, gourmet dish; supreme pleasure.

29. Olympus. Olympians. Olympic bliss, grandeur, tranquility.

Olympus is a mountain in Greece, where, as it is told in Greek myths, the gods lived (Homer, Iliad, 8, 456). In later writers (Sophocles, Aristotle, Virgil), Olympus is the vault of heaven inhabited by the gods. The Olympians are immortal gods; figuratively - people who always retain the majestic solemnity of their appearance and imperturbable peace of mind; also called people arrogant, inaccessible. From this arose a number of expressions: “literary Olympus”, “ musical Olympus"- a group of recognized poets, writers, musicians. Sometimes these expressions are used ironically, jokingly. "Olympic bliss" - the highest degree of bliss; "Olympic greatness" - solemnity in manners, in all appearance; "Olympic calmness" - calmness unperturbed by anything.

30. Panic fear.

The expression is used in the meaning: unaccountable, sudden, strong fear, covering many people, causing confusion. Originated from Greek myths about Pan, the god of forests and fields. According to the myths, Pan brings sudden and unaccountable terror to people, especially travelers in remote and lonely places, as well as to the troops who rush to flee from this. This is where the word "panic" comes from.

31. Parnassus.

In Greek mythology, Parnassus is a mountain in Thessaly, the seat of Apollo and the Muses. In a figurative sense: a collection of poets, the poetry of any people. "Parnassian sisters" - muses.

32. Pegasus.

In Greek mythology, the winged horse of Zeus; under the blow of his hoof on Mount Helikon, the source of Hypocrene was formed, inspiring poets (Hesiod, Theogony; Ovid, Metamorphoses, 5). Symbol of poetic inspiration.

33. Pygmalion and Galatea.

IN ancient Greek myth the famous sculptor Pygmalion is told that he openly expressed his contempt for women. Enraged by this, the goddess Aphrodite made him fall in love with a statue of a young girl Galatea, created by him, and doomed him to torment unrequited love. Pygmalion's passion was, however, so strong that it breathed life into the statue. The revived Galatea became his wife. On the basis of this myth, Pygmalion was figuratively called a person who, by the strength of his feelings, by the direction of his will, contributes to the rebirth of another (see, for example, Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion" and a number of magnificent adaptations of it), as well as a lover who meets the cold indifference of his beloved woman.

34. Prometheus. Promethean fire.

Prometheus in Greek mythology is one of the Titans; he stole fire from heaven and taught people how to use it, which undermined faith in the power of the gods. For this, the angry Zeus ordered Hephaestus (the god of fire and blacksmithing) to chain Prometheus to a rock; the daily flying eagle tormented the liver of the chained titan (Hesiod, Theogony; Aeschylus, Bound Prometheus). The expression “Prometheus fire”, which arose on the basis of this myth, is used in the meaning: the sacred fire burning in the soul of a person, an unquenchable desire to achieve high goals in science, art, social work. The image of Prometheus is a symbol human dignity, greatness.

35. The work of Penelope.

The expression originated from Homer's Odyssey (2, 94-109). Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, remained faithful to him during many years of separation from him, despite the harassment of the suitors; she said that she was postponing a new marriage until the day when she had finished weaving the coffin for her father-in-law, Elder Laertes; she spent the whole day weaving, and at night she unraveled everything that she had woven during the day and went back to work. The expression is used in the meaning: fidelity of the wife; endless work.

36. Sphinx. Mystery.

In Greek mythology, the Sphinx is a monster with the face and chest of a woman, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird, who lived on a rock near Thebes; The Sphinx lay in wait for travelers and asked them riddles; he killed those who failed to unravel them. When the Theban king Oedipus solved the riddles given to him, the monster took his own life (Hesiod, Theogony). From here the word "sphinx" got the meaning: something incomprehensible, mysterious; "sphinx riddle" - something unsolvable.

37. Sisyphean labor. Sisyphean work.

The expression is used in the meaning: hard, endless and fruitless work. Originated from Greek mythology. The Corinthian king Sisyphus was sentenced by Zeus to eternal torment in Hades for insulting the gods: he had to roll a huge stone up the mountain, which, having reached the top, again rolled down. For the first time, the expression "Sisyphean labor" is found in the elegy (2, 17) of the Roman poet Proportion or Propertius (1st century BC)

38. Titans.

In Greek mythology, the children of Uranus (heaven) and Gaia (earth), who rebelled against the Olympian gods, for which they were thrown into Tartarus (Hesiod, Theogony). Figuratively, titans are people distinguished by strength, gigantic power of mind, geniuses; titanic - huge, grandiose.

39. Philemon and Baucis.

In the ancient Greek legend, processed by Ovid (Metamorphoses, 8, 610), there is a couple of modest elderly spouses who cordially received Jupiter and Mercury, who came to them in the form of weary travelers. When the gods, angry that the rest of the inhabitants of this area did not show them hospitality, flooded it, the hut of Philemon and Baucis, which remained unharmed, was turned into a temple, and the spouses became priests. According to their desire, they died at the same time - the gods about

A grain of modern Greek folk wisdom rose on the soil of several ancient civilizations - antiquity, Byzantium and modern Greek. The modern cultural fund of Hellas carefully preserves proverbs and sayings collected and written down by Aristotle and other ancient philosophers.

The territory of distribution of Greek literature in ancient times was much wider than it is now. A couple of centuries ago, the Greek language was part of the compulsory curriculum European educational institutions. Together with the basics of ancient linguistics, students were taught a course in Greek culture, because the analysis and study of sayings is the key to understanding the soul of the people.

Where did Greek proverbs come from?

In ancient times, information was transmitted from one person to another, mainly in oral form. The thoughts and main philosophical theses of the ancient sages, passing from mouth to mouth, were often modified, acquiring a concentrated and simplified form. A short, well-aimed thought was much easier to remember than a few pages of a philosophical treatise. A thinking person (and the Greeks loved to think and knew a lot about this) if desired, could independently develop a concise idea, devoting several hours, days, or even years to this activity. Another source of wise expressions was Aesop's fables, which were then very popular. Such have come down to our time catchphrases, like “Chasing two hares - you won’t catch a single one”, “They instructed the wolf to guard the sheep”, and others.

Folklore of Ancient Greece had a huge impact on the development of the culture of countries medieval Europe. Proverbs and sayings were translated directly from Greek or Latin. There are cases when a phrase originally coined by the Greeks was lost in time, and later attributed to the Romans. This happened with the saying “The hand washes the hand” - its author is the Greek comedian Epicharmus, but in Europe the proverb was known in Latin - “Manus manu lavat”. The inhabitants of modern Hellas often use the wisdom of their ancestors in the ancient Greek form. Sometimes their sound had to be changed to suit the times, but the meaning has always remained the same.

After the death of Aristotle, his disciples, Clearchus and Chrysippus, continued his work of collecting folklore. Later, the collection of proverbs became so popular that their study and analysis turned into an entertaining hobby. Knowing and using proverbs correctly high art, whose owners used folk love and popularity.

Modern Greek sayings

With the advent of the new time, the Greek national consciousness received active development. An important factor the fight against the Turkish yoke was the revival of Greek folklore, which would unite the country, make it more united and stronger.

In the 18th-19th centuries, new editions of Greek proverbs began to appear under the editorship of D. Darvaris, A. Korais, A. Arvanitis and I. Venizelos. The founder of modern Greek folklore and ethnography, N. Politis, played an exceptional role in the formation national culture. All his life he was engaged in the collection and analysis of proverbs and sayings, common both on the mainland and on the island part of Greece. Although only two books came out from his pen, each proverb in them is a pearl. folk art and is subject to careful scrutiny. Politis compared each saying with ancient Greek and Byzantine counterparts, determined the level of similarity, differences, and made a conclusion about the origin of the text.

Now Greek proverbs and sayings are gaining popularity again - they are periodically published in such magazines as Laographia, Archio Ponto, as well as in the collections of the ethnographic center at the Athens Academy of Sciences.

What do Greek proverbs say?

Most sayings have survived to our time for only one reason - they carried an idea close to ordinary people. Elements of folklore that lost their relevance quickly faded into oblivion and remained forever on the pages of yellowed parchments.

Proverbs, which reflect the attitude of people to each other, to love of freedom and their own state, had a completely different fate. They were often used by political and military leaders to unite the people, to show the Greeks that their nation must go against the enemy no matter what. Proverbs are especially strong: Better death, but in the wild than life in slavery”, “If I am a Greek, then I strive for freedom”, “Faith knows no doubts or hesitation”, “The steppes raise horses, and the mountains raise daredevils”.

Another category of proverbs refers to physical labor, because it was on its results that the well-being of an ordinary Greek depended. They express support for industriousness and purposefulness, while laziness and freeloading are sharply condemned: “He who works does not live in poverty”, “It is not a shame to sweat at work if you take it willingly”, “Labor and well-being go together”.

Despite all the difficulties and twists of fate, the Greeks have always been and remain a positive people. Without losing faith in the future, they firmly believed that sooner or later justice would be on their side.

Greek sayings in modern life

Thanks to the centuries-old influence of Greek culture on many areas of life, there was a penetration of elements of culture even into everyday speech. There are many sayings and set expressions used in the press, on television or in colloquial speech, the meaning of which we do not think about. Some of them are very ancient origin, and are rooted in antiquity.

Achilles' heel- used when the conversation turns to a hidden vulnerability that can easily destroy its owner. The legend of Achilles says that his mother, the goddess Thetis, in order to make her son powerful, dipped him into the turbulent waters of the river Styx. Only the heel, for which he had to hold the child, remained dry and turned into a weak point of the hero.

Sword of Damocles- symbolizes the tension of the situation when the danger is in close proximity. Damocles himself was close to the ruler of Syracuse, Dionysius. Once he told the king that he could easily cope with his work, since he constantly spends time in fun feasts and entertainment. In response, Dionysius seated Damocles on his throne, and hung a heavy sword over his head on a long horsehair. The sword constantly swung, threatening at any moment to fall on the head of a frivolous orator. So Dionysius made it clear to Damocles that happy life is just the tip of the iceberg, and the true art of government is fraught with constant dangers.

panic fear. The very word "panic" is inextricably linked with the name of the Greek patron of shepherds and wildlife Pan. In outbursts of righteous anger, he could send such fear to a person or animal that they ran away without hesitation, wherever their eyes looked. The inhabitants of Hellas believed that Pan could frighten not only one or several people, but also an entire army - according to legend, this happened to the Persian army under Marathon.

Gordian knot. Gordius was the first ruler of Phrygia, located in Asia Minor. According to folk beliefs, during his reign, he made a prediction: whoever can unravel the knot with which he entangled the yoke of his cart will become the full ruler of all Asia. A few centuries later, Alexander the Great, during his victorious march through Europe, visited Phrygia, where he heard ancient legend. He did not bother with the hardened strips of skin that made up the knot, and with a confident movement he cut it.

Sisyphean labor- hard, useless work. The proverb originated from the legend of the king Sisyphus, who was cursed by the gods for his transgressions. Once in the underworld, Sisyphus was forced to endlessly roll out a heavy stone onto the steep mountainside, and when there was nothing left to the top, the stone fell off and rolled down.

Until today, Greek folklore continues to be replenished with new proverbs and sayings. They not only keep the wisdom of past generations, but also make the spoken language more vivid, emotional and memorable. Modern Greek youth need to carefully protect the national heritage, because it is unique and extremely rich.

Corfu.Greece

Temple of Zeus

Zeus is the Olympic god, the thunder of all, the thunderer, to whom statues, bas-reliefs, temples are dedicated, this is one of the most angry Greek deities. It was in his honor that the largest temple throughout the country was erected. In ancient times, the temple of Olympian Zeus was more majestic than the Parthenon itself. It was in it that gilded ivory sculptures were once located, which emphasized the status of Zeus and his divine principle.

Islands in the Ionic Sea

Off the western coast of Hellas, Greece owns a group of islands. They are often called the archipelago of the Seven Islands, although even relatively large islands - eleven. But it just so happened: people appreciated only the most important objects. The total area of ​​the Ionian Islands, which are part of the Greek "periphery" (administrative district) of the same name, is 2.3 thousand km2, and the permanent population exceeds 220 thousand people.

Greek beaches

The coastline of Greece covers almost 16 thousand kilometers. The mainland and the island are surrounded by countless beautiful beaches, coves and bays. Greek beaches world famous and extremely popular. Tourists have the opportunity to enjoy pebble beaches, golden stretches of sand with dunes, coastal caves, steep cliffs and dark sand.

Esfigmen Monastery

Esfigmen Monastery is the northernmost monastery of the Athos peninsula. The monastery occupies the 18th step in the hierarchical ladder of Svyatogorsk monasteries. It is located in a hilly valley on the northeast side of the Holy Mountain. This monastery is unusually green: tall cypresses and sprawling olives fill courtyard rich emerald colors. The monastery, located on the edge of the sea coast, is sandwiched between two rocky hills, on which the waves crashing onto the shore break. Esfigmen is located 15 km from the capital Karyes and an hour's walk from the Hilandar monastery.

Modern world cultural development it would not have been possible without that great heritage that Ancient Greece left us. The most mysterious state is rightly considered to be the progenitor of democracy, science and art. The myths of the ancient Greeks, telling about the life and wisdom of the gods and the exploits of ancient heroes, live in the minds of the society of our time.

For modern man ancient fairy tales become commonplace stories, many people in search of any truth refer to their content and morality. The average layman freely uses in colloquial use " winged "expressions of the myths of ancient Greece, sometimes without even delving into their meaning.
"Olympian calm" . There is hardly a person in our world who has not uttered or heard this phrase at least once in his life. As a rule, it is used to characterize a self-confident, cold-blooded person, or it can express irony in relation to a subject who is absolutely indifferent to everything that happens around. And in times these words symbolized the power of the Olympic idols, because of this they never experience manifestations of excitement or anger.
"Sink into oblivion" . So they say about people or any events that have been irretrievably forgotten, forever disappeared from the memory of people. A beautiful and figurative expression, they are very fond of using writers, publicists, orators. In Russian there is a similar expression, which sounds somewhat different, “like sunk into the water”, which means disappeared without a trace. According to ancient mythology the river Lethe flowed in the underground, the waters of which carried eternal oblivion. After drinking water from this river, the dead forever forgot about their earthly life.
"Sisyphean Labor" . One more example expressions from the myths of ancient Greece. This is usually called meaningless, useless, stupid and at the same time exhausting work. The phrase is constantly heard, especially in the collectives of those enterprises and organizations where there is no proper organization of production. This phrase is based on the plot ancient myth about King Sisyphus, who led a luxurious life and constantly deceived the gods in order to prolong his earthly existence as long as possible. When the deception was revealed, the punishment of the gods was very severe. They doomed Sisyphus to eternal suffering, he had to constantly roll up a huge stone boulder to the top of the mountain, which at the last moment was sure to fall down.

"Narcissus". IN modern society so, not without a hint of irony, they call men obsessed with the passion of narcissism. Narcissus was the son of one of the ancient gods, the young man was very handsome and one day, when he saw his image in the water, he fell in love with himself. Self-love was so strong that he became terminally ill. The gods took pity on him and turned the young man into a beautiful and graceful flower.
"Pandora's Box" . When the performance of any action entails a whole avalanche of undesirable consequences. Mythological first earth woman Pandora could not resist the temptation and, despite a strict ban, opened the casket. When the vessel was opened, thousands of troubles and misfortunes escaped from it, which forever became the sad heritage of mankind.
"Sword of Damocles". A synonym for perceived danger that could happen at any moment. Damocles was jealous of his king Dionysius all the time. The king decided to teach his servant a lesson, for which he seated him on his throne, and hung a sharp sword over his head on a horsehair, which could break at any moment. Only in this way did Damocles understand how dangerous and disturbing the fate of the ruler was.

"Fear the Danes who bring gifts." There is a simplified version of the expression, the winged expression of ancient Greece, which is used in our time, it sounds like the gifts of the Danaans. It personifies deceitful flattery, a manifestation of deceit and hypocrisy. This expression is based on how the Danaans, using a cunning trick with a huge wooden horse with warriors hidden in it, took Troy.
"Trojan horse". The origin has the same meaning and roots as the gifts of the Danaans.
Achilles' heel. For several millennia, it represents the most vulnerable place. Nereid, deciding to protect her son Achilles from the deadly wounds that soldiers receive in battle, immersed the child in sacred water. A miracle happened, his body was able to withstand the blows of a sword, spear and arrow, only the heel, for which the mother held little Achilles during the ceremony, was not protected by magical powers.
"Augean stables" . A popular expression from the myths of ancient Greece, which has come down to our time and symbolizes a dirty and fetid place. It is based on the legend of the exploits of Hercules, when the mythical hero blocked the bed of the Alpheus River and cleared the stables of King Avgii with its waters.