I present to you an overview phraseological units of Ancient Greece .
It includes more than 40 phraseological units.
All phraseological units are separated into three groups: Greek gods and titans, mythological heroes, historical characters.
Phraseologisms about the Greek gods and titans
Sisyphean labor- useless, repetitive efforts phraseologism "Sisyphean labor")
God Zeus punished Sisyphus: in underworld dead, he had to non-stop rolling a heavy stone up the mountain, which, almost reaching the top, immediately rolled back. Sisyphus, king of Corinth, paid the price for his fraud. He managed to deceive the god of death Thanatos and the god Hades, the lord of the underworld of the dead.
By the way, phraseological units about labor and work
Pandora's Box- a source of misfortunes, disasters (see the meaning and origin of the phraseological unit "Pandora's box")
After Prometheus stole fire for people, the angry god Zeus sent to earth beautiful woman with a chest. This woman, Pandora, turned out to be curious and opened a chest from which all kinds of human misfortunes fell on people.
Sink into oblivion- disappear without a trace, be forgotten forever
V Greek mythology Leta is the river of oblivion in the underworld. The souls of the dead drank water from it and forgot their entire earthly life.
Panic fear
- unaccountable, sudden fear that grips a person
Pan is the god of forests, the patron saint of hunters and shepherds. According to myths, Pan is able to instill a strong, unaccountable fear on people, causing them to flee.
To be born a second time
- about those who miraculously escaped death
According to legend, the mother of the god Dionysus Semele asked her lover, the god Zeus, to appear in his true form. Semele caught fire and died from the lightning of Zeus, and Zeus tore the unborn baby out of Semele's body and sewed it into his thigh, from which Dionysus was later born a second time.
Promethean fire
- unquenchable striving to achieve lofty goals (see the meaning and origin of the phraseological unit "promethean fire")
The titan Prometheus stole fire from heaven and taught people to use it. For this, an angry Zeus ordered the god of blacksmithing Hephaestus to chain Prometheus to a rock. Every day an eagle flew in and tormented the liver of Prometheus.
By the way, phraseological units with the word fire
Sing praises- over-praise, exalt
The expression arose from the name of the songs of praise in honor of the god of wine Dionysus, sung during the Dionysian processions.
Morpheus's embrace- dreaming sleep
Morpheus is the god of dreams, the son of the god Hypnos.
Titanic labor
- great work
Titans are deities, children of Uranus (sky) and Gaia (earth), six brothers and six titanid sisters who have married each other. Later they were considered giants.
Tenth muse- a new field of art
In Greek mythology, there are nine muses, goddesses - patrons of the arts and sciences. Accordingly, the tenth muse later began to be called the previously non-existent fields of art (for example, variety theater, radio, cinema, etc.).
By the way, phraseological units with 10
Golden Rain – great wealth, big money
This expression refers us to the myth of Zeus, who was captivated by the beauty of Danae, the daughter of the Argos king Acrisius and who appeared to her in the form of a golden rain, after which her son Perseus was born.
By the way, phraseological units with the word rain
Cyclopean building
- huge structure
It is believed that the one-eyed giant blacksmiths of the Cyclops built gigantic structures.
The center of the world- a person who considers himself the center of the universe
According to legend, a marble stone with the name "navel of the earth" (Omphalus), denoting the center of the world, was swallowed by Kronos instead of his son - baby Zeus.
Olympian calm
- undisturbed calmness
Expression originated from representations of majesty Greek gods going to Mount Olympus.
Be under the umbrella
- be protected
Aegis is the shield of Zeus, forged by Hephaestus, a symbol of the protection of the gods. In the middle of the shield was the head of the Gorgon Medusa.
Fall into hell
- fall into the depths of the underworld
For the Greeks, Tartarus is a dark abyss in the depths of the Earth, which arose out of chaos.
Age of Astrea- golden age, happy time
It is believed that the time the goddess of justice Astrea was on earth was happy for people.
By the way, phraseological units with the word century
Temple of Melpomene- theatre
Priests of Melpomene
- actors and directors of the theater
Melpomene is the muse of tragedy in Greek mythology.
Cornucopia- an inexhaustible source of various benefits
According to one version, this is the horn that the divine goat Amalthea broke. And the nymphs, who fed Zeus with Amalthea's milk, filled the horn with fruits and brought it to him. According to another version, Hercules broke the horn of the bull during the fight, in the guise of which the river god Aheloy appeared. And the naiads, who watched the duel and filled it with fruits and flowers, turned it into a cornucopia.
Bond of Hymen- matrimony
By the name ancient greek god marriage of Hymen. By the way, phraseological units about love and marriage
Burst with anger
- to experience the suffering of anger overwhelming you
According to legend, the god of slander and stupidity Mom burst with anger when he could not find a single flaw in one of the Greek goddesses.
Palm tree
- superiority in anything
The palm branch is an attribute of the goddess of victory Nike, therefore the Greeks had a custom to reward the winner in competitions with a palm branch.
Nectar and ambrosia
– delicious food and drinking
According to legend, nectar and ambrosia were the drink and food of the gods, giving them immortality.
Phraseologisms about mythological heroes
Ariadne's thread- a way to solve a complex problem, a guiding thread
By the name of Ariadne, daughter of Pasiphae and the Cretan king Minos, who gave the hero Theseus a ball of thread so that he could find a way out of the complex labyrinth in which the Minotaur was. Theseus killed the Minotaur, a monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man, and was able to get out of the labyrinth along the Ariadne thread.
The Golden Fleece- elusive wealth, gold
The Golden Fleece is the golden wool of a ram, which the Greeks, led by the hero Jason (Argonauts), managed to get in Colchis on the Black Sea coast.
Apple of discord- the reason for the dispute, enmity (see the meaning and origin of the phraseological unit "apple of discord")
The goddess of discord Eris threw an apple with the inscription "Most Beautiful" among the guests of the wedding feast of the gods. The dispute over the title of "Miss Olympus" unfolded between the goddesses Hero, Aphrodite and Athena. Appointed by the judge, Paris, the son of King Priam of Troy, handed the apple to Aphrodite, who promised to help him kidnap the beautiful Helen. What then served as a pretext for the Trojan War.
Achilles' heel - vulnerability(see the meaning and origin of the phraseological unit "Achilles' heel")
According to legend, the mother of the hero Achilles washed him after birth in the miraculous waters of the Styx River, holding him by the heel. During the Trojan War, an arrow hit the remaining vulnerable heel of Achilles, which killed the hero.
Gifts of the Danaans, Trojan Horse
- a gift with secret malicious intent (see the meaning and origin of the phraseological unit "Trojan horse")
The wooden horse was built by the Greeks during the Trojan War as a military ruse to capture besieged Troy. The horse with a group of soldiers hidden inside it, led by Odysseus, was left at the walls of the city, and the Greek army lifted the siege and sailed away. The Trojans dragged the trophy into the city, and at night a detachment of Greeks got out of the horse and opened the city gates to the Greek army returning by ships.
Augean stables- contaminated room; disorder in business (see the meaning and origin of the phraseological unit "Augean stables")
Clearing the huge stables of King Elis Augeus in one day was one of the exploits of Hercules. To do this, he directed the streams of the Alpheus and Piney rivers through the stables.
Pillars of Hercules
- extreme point, limit
According to legend, these pillars (rocks) were erected by Hercules (Hercules) at the edge of the world as a memory of his wanderings in Europe and Africa. This is the name of two rocks on opposite sides of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Hydrohead task
- a task, the solution of which causes new problems
Phraseologism is associated with the myth of the victory of Hercules over the many-headed Lernaean hydra, in which two new ones grew in place of one severed head. Hercules prevented the appearance of new heads by burning the places where the heads were chopped off.
Between Scylla and Charybdis
- between two serious dangers
According to ancient Greek myths, the monsters Scylla and Charybdis lived on the coastal cliffs on each side of the Strait of Messina, devouring seafarers.
Procrustean bed
- the yardstick under which they are trying to fit any thing (see the meaning and origin of the phraseological unit "Procrustean bed")
The legendary robber Procrustes "adjusted" his victims under his bed, stretching their legs or chopping off their excess part.
Tantalum flour- incessant suffering due to the inability to achieve the desired, despite its proximity
God Zeus punished Tantalus by the fact that in hell he stood up to his throat in water, but it retreated when he tried to drink; branches with fruits hung over him, but they rose when he tried to pick the fruit; and a cliff loomed over him, about to collapse on him.
Tantalus was the son of Zeus, the king, the favorite of the gods, but he became proud and inflicted several offenses on the gods, for example, he gave people the secrets of the gods. He finished badly.
Barrel Danaid- useless and endless work
The Danaids were sentenced to forever and ever fill the bottomless barrel in the underworld of Hades. For the fact that 49 out of 50 of them, the daughters of the Libyan king Danae, by order of their father, killed their husbands on their wedding night.
Phraseologisms about historical characters
Sword of Damocles- impending, threatening danger (see the meaning and origin of the phraseological unit "sword of Damocles")
Tyrant Syracuse Dionysius the Elder (432-367 BC) decided to teach a lesson to his close associate Damocles, who enviously called him the happiest of people. He put him in his place and during the feast Damocles suddenly saw a sharp sword hanging from a horse's hair above him. This sword symbolized the dangers that hang over the ruler. A day of horror, but his name was immortalized in this expression.
Dragon laws
- harsh laws
The Athenian Dragon legislator composed in 621 BC a code of laws that prescribed severe penalties.
Rich as Croesus- fabulously rich
Croesus was the last king Lydia (560-547 BC), famous for its wealth.
Glory of Herostratus
- glory obtained by criminal means (see the meaning and origin of the phraseological unit "Herostratus glory")
In 356 BC. a resident of Ephesus Herostratus set fire to the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus, which was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Gordian knot, cut the Gordian knot
- find a way out of a difficult situation (see the meaning and origin of the phraseological unit "Gordian knot")
Tsar Alexander the Great, instead of unraveling the famous Gordian knot, cut it with a sword. The peasant Gordius, previously elected king of the Phrygians, brought his cart as a gift to Zeus, setting it up in the temple and tying the yoke to the drawbar with a very complex knot.
Pyrrhic victory- a victory achieved at too high a cost
The controversial victory of the king of Epirus Pyrrhus in 279 BC is implied. over the Romans at Ausculus.
So, we are once again convinced of how great influence ancient Greek mythology and culture into Russian language and culture. Probably, the high vitality of these truly ancient expressions is largely due to the fact that they express the essential moments of human existence, relevant up to our time.
Moreover, some of these phraseological units we we use without remembering exactly in connection with what events they appeared.
To myself like the most "Apple of discord" and "Trojan horse".
The great civilization of the ancient Greeks left to mankind a rich historical and cultural heritage... She gave the world unsurpassed masterpieces of art, including in literature (myths and poems). Have you ever wondered how much modern words and expressions have Greek roots, and what do they mean?
Phraseologisms from the myths of Ancient Greece
Phraseologism is an established phrase that can only be understood in its entirety. A special type of phraseological units are verbal turns of speech from the ancient era. These expressions take their origins from mythology and. The essence of ancient Greek phraseological units can be understood if you understand their origin from a certain myth. Such " idioms»Can be safely inserted into the topic of conversation, wishing to emphasize feelings and attitude towards an object or phenomenon.
Phraseologisms of Ancient Greece: examples
"Achilles' heel
". Indicates a vulnerable, weak point. Thetis dipped her son Achilles into the wonderful waves of Styx to make the boy invulnerable. However, while bathing, she held her son's body by the heel, from this the heel became the most vulnerable point of Achilles. In the future, it was in the heel that Paris mortally wounded him.
« Ariadne's thread
"- what helps to get out of a difficult situation. This expression comes from the myth of Theseus. The hero had to fight the Cretan monster - the Minotaur and leave the labyrinth. The daughter of the king of Crete, Ariadne, gives him a guiding ball, which helped the guy get out of the terrible house of the Minotaur.
« Gordian knot
"- this phrase is used when they want to point out a solution to a confusing problem in a simple way... The Phrygians, choosing a ruler, turned to the oracle. He told them to wait for the first person who would pass in the direction of the temple of Zeus with a cart. Gordius became king, and he put his cart within the walls of the temple, tying it with a reliable intricate knot. The oracle prophesied that the one who untied the plexus of Gordius would be the ruler of Asia. without hesitation, he cut the knot with his sword.
« Medusa's Gaze
"- so they say when a person creates an unpleasant, bad atmosphere when communicating with him. According to legend, there were three sisters - Gorgons. They looked disgusting: snakes moved on the head instead of hair, copper hooves rested against the ground instead of legs. The worst of them was Medusa the Gorgon. From her gaze, people turned stone. The hero Perseus managed to outwit the monster in battle. He took a mirrored shield, so he could not look at the monster, watching him in the reflection. Perseus managed to chop off the Gorgon's head, after which he hung it on a shield.
Nature. Borrowing in the XVI century. from lat. yaz., where natura "nature" - suf. derived from natum "born" (from nascor "I am born"). Wed nature.
"Boat, shuttle", Ukrainian kayuk. Borrowing from Tat., Tur., Crimean-Tat., Kazakh.
Scylla and Charybdis - in ancient Greek mythology, two monsters that lived on both sides of the narrow sea strait between Italy and Sicily and destroyed sailing sailors. Scylla, who possessed six heads, grabbed rowers from sailing ships, and Charybdis, sucking water into herself at a great distance, absorbed the ship with her.
Skilla (ancient Greek Σκύλλα, in Latin transliteration Scylla, Latin Scylla) and Charybdis (ancient Greek Χάρυβδις, the transcription of Charybdis is acceptable) - sea monsters from ancient Greek mythology.
Charybdis in the ancient Greek epic is the personified representation of the all-consuming deep sea (etymologically Charybdis means "whirlpool", although there are other interpretations of this word). In the Odyssey, Charybdis is portrayed as a sea deity (ancient Greek δία Χάρυβδις) living in a strait under a rock at an arrow's distance from another rock, which served as the seat of Scylla.
Comparison of Skilla with Charybdis led to the formation of a proverb, which is equivalent to the Russian one "from the fire to the fire":
Phraseologisms from ancient Greek myths
Phraseologism "Sisyphean labor" meaning
Ancient Greek myth tells about the cunning and insidious Corinthian king Sisyphus, who several times deceived the gods in order to prolong his luxurious life on earth.
The enraged Zeus awarded him eternal torment in hell for this: Sisyphus had to roll a huge stone onto a high mountain, which at the top suddenly broke out of his hands and rolled down. And it all started all over again ...
The expression of Sisyphean labor began to mean hard, exhausting, useless work.
Phraseologism "Apple of discord" meaning
According to ancient Greek myth, once the goddess of discord Eridu was not invited to a feast. Holding a grudge, Eris decided to take revenge on the gods. She took a golden apple, on which was written "the most beautiful", and imperceptibly threw it between the goddesses Hero, Aphrodite and Athena. The goddesses argued over which of them it should belong. Each considered herself the most beautiful. The son of the Trojan king Paris, who was invited to be a judge, gave the apple to Aphrodite, and in gratitude she helped him kidnap the wife of the Spartan king Helen. Because of this, the Trojan War broke out.
The expression apple of discord has turned into a phraseological unit denoting the cause of a quarrel, enmity
THE VIEW OF MEDUSA
If a person is unpleasant in communication and does not like others, then it is often said that he has the look of Medusa.
Medusa the Gorgon is a monster with snakes wriggling on its head, and instead of feet there were copper hooves. If a person looked at her, he immediately turned to stone.
Perseus managed to defeat the monster. To kill Medusa, the hero had to show remarkable ingenuity: during the battle he used a shining shield in which the Gorgon was reflected - so Perseus never looked at the monster. Then he cut off the head of the defeated Medusa and attached it to the shield. As it turned out, her gaze could still turn all living things into stone.
BARREL DANAID
A danaid barrel is a pointless, useless work.
According to an ancient Greek legend, King Danai, who had fifty beautiful daughters, sat on the Libyan throne a long time ago. And the Egyptian king Egypt, the gods gave fifty sons, whom he planned to marry with the daughters of Danaus. But the Libyan king opposed the will of Egypt and fled with his daughters. In the Greek city of Argos, the sons overtook Danae and forced his daughters to marry them. But Danai did not want to put up with such an outcome and persuaded his daughters to kill the spouses after the wedding feast. All but one of the sisters obeyed their father's command. The beautiful Hypernestra sincerely fell in love with the handsome Linkey and could not take his life.
The crime committed by the Danaids angered the Gods, and they severely punished the guilty. In the terrible Tartarus, a terrible curse awaited them - the sisters were forever doomed to pour water into a bottomless barrel, trying to fill it.
ATTIC SALT
Attic salt - (book) - an elegant joke, refined wit.
Turnover - tracing paper from lat. sal Atticus. The expression is attributed to the ancient Roman writer and orator Cicero (106 - 43 BC). In an effort to popularize Greek culture in Rome, Cicero in his writings devoted a significant place to the theory of oratory developed by the Greeks. He especially singled out the inhabitants of Attica, famous for their eloquence. "They were all ... sprinkled with the salt of wit ..." - wrote Cicero.
PROMETEEV FIRE
Promethean fire - (book) the spirit of nobility, courage, an inextinguishable desire to achieve lofty goals.
The expression comes from ancient Greek mythology. One of the titans, Prometheus, stole fire from the gods and taught people to use it. The enraged Zeus told Hephaestus to chain the titan to a rock, where an eagle flew every day to peck at Prometheus's liver. The hero Hercules freed Prometheus.
Ariadne's thread
Ariadne's thread - means a way out of any difficult, confusing situation. The expression originated from ancient greek myth about the Golden Fleece, when Ariadne gave her lover a ball of thread so that he could find a way out of the maze. Here you can download or listen to the MYTH "Theseus's Journey to Crete" - the source of the phraseological unit thread of Ariadne.
OLYMPIAN CALM
Olympic serenity - serene serenity.
Olympus is a mountain in Greece where, as the Greek myths tell, the gods lived. For Sophocles, Aristotle, Virgil and other authors, Olympus is the firmament inhabited by the gods. The Olympians are immortal gods who always preserve the majestic solemnity of their appearance and imperturbable peace of mind.
TSAR! REMEMBER THE GREEKS
Tsar! Remember the Greeks. 1. Reminder of urgent business. 2. Reminder of the need for revenge.
The king of Persia (522-4X6 BC) Darius I ordered his slave to repeat these words to him loudly three times a day, every time Darius sat down at the table. According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, this ruler thereby showed that he did not forget how the Greeks (Athenians and Ionians) captured and burned the Persian city of Sardis, and that he would certainly take revenge when possible.
PANDORA'S BOX
Pandora's Box. Allegorically - "the source of misfortunes, troubles." Phraseologism is associated with the myth of Pandora, who received from the god Zeus closed box filled with all earthly calamities and misfortunes. Curious Pandora opened a box, and human misfortune flew out of there
PROCRUSTEAN BED
Procrustean bed. Allegorical expression - "a sample given in advance, for which you need to prepare something." One of the Greek myths tells about the robber Procrustes (the torturer). He caught passers-by and adjusted them to fit his bed: if a person was longer, his legs were cut off, if shorter, he was pulled out.
THE GOLDEN FLEECE
The Golden Fleece is gold, wealth, which they strive to master.
In ancient Greek myths, it is said that the hero Jason went to Colchis (the eastern coast of the Black Sea) to mine The Golden Fleece(golden wool of a ram), which was guarded by a dragon and bulls that spewed fire from their mouths. Jason built the ship "Argo" (fast), after which the participants in this, according to the legend of the first long voyage of antiquity, were named Argonauts. With the help of the sorceress Medea, Jason, having overcome all obstacles, safely took possession of the golden fleece. The first to expound this myth was the poet Pindar (518-442 BC).
RETURN TO YOUR PENATES
To return to your penates - to return under your own roof.
What does penates mean and why are they returning to them? The ancient Romans believed in kind, cozy gods living in every house and guarding it, peculiar brownies. They were called Penates, honored, treated with food from their table, and when leaving for a foreign land, they tried to take their small images with them.
Remember "Eugene Onegin" by A.S. Pushkin:
Returned to their penates,
Vladimir Lensky visited
A neighbor's monument is mortal.
TWO-FACED JANUS
In Roman mythology, Janus - the god of time, entrances and exits - was depicted with two faces. One face, young, looked forward to the future. Another, senile, - back to the past. In modern language, it is used as a synonym for an insincere, two-faced person, a double-dealing.
GREEK GIFT
The gifts of the Danaans are treacherous gifts brought with a treacherous purpose.
Expression from the Iliad: in the legend, the Greeks took Troy, building a huge wooden horse and giving it to the Trojans. A detachment of soldiers was hidden inside the horse.
PENELOPE FABRIC
Penelope's fabric is about sophisticated cunning.
Penelope, wife of Odysseus (the hero of Homer's poem "The Odyssey"), promised to make a choice from among the suitors who annoyed her after she finished weaving a blanket for her old father-in-law Laertes. But every night she dismissed everything that she managed to do in a day. When her cunning was revealed, Odysseus returned and interrupted in a fierce battle all the applicants for the hand of his wife.
GOLDEN AGE
In ancient times, people believed that a long time ago, at the dawn of time, a wonderful golden age reigned on earth, when humanity enjoyed peace and serenity - people did not know what fear, wars, laws, crimes, hunger were.
And although these naive beliefs have long sunk into oblivion, the phraseological unit of the golden age is still alive - this is how we call the most the best time, days of the heyday of anything.
Here you can listen to or download the MYTH "FIVE CENTURIES"
CORNUCOPIA
A cornucopia is an endless source of prosperity, wealth.
The ancient Greek myth tells that the cruel god Kronos did not want to have children, because he was afraid that they would take away his power. Therefore, his wife gave birth to Zeus in secret, instructing the nymphs to look after him, Zeus was fed with the milk of the divine goat Amalfea. One day she caught hold of a tree and broke off her horn. The nymph filled it with fruits and gave it to Zeus. Zeus presented the horn to the nymphs who raised him, promising that whatever they wished would emerge from it.
So the expression cornucopia became a symbol of prosperity, wealth.
Here you can listen or download MYTH "THE BIRTH OF ZEUS"
BONDS OF HYMENE
The bonds of Hymen are mutual obligations that joint life imposes on spouses, or, simply, the marriage itself, marriage.
Ties are bonds, something that binds a person or binds one living creature to another. There are many words of this root: "prisoner", "knot", "bridle", "burden", etc. Thus, it comes about something like "bundles" or "chains", the god of marriage, the patron saint of weddings, was called Hymeneus in Ancient Greece.
Eugene Onegin in the novel by A.S. Pushkin says to Tatyana Larina:
You judge what kind of roses
Hymen will prepare for us ... -
when it comes to their possible marriage.
Here you can download or listen to the MYTH "GIMENEUS"
Tantalum flour
Tantalum torments, Tantalus torments - suffering from the consciousness of the proximity of the desired goal and the inability to achieve it. Here you can listen to or download the MYTH "TANTAL"
AUGEAN STABLES
AVGIEVY STABLES - a dirty place, neglected business, a mess.
GORDIAN KNOT
To cut the Gordian knot is to boldly, energetically solve a complex matter.
I carry everything with me
Everything that a person carries with him is his inner wealth, knowledge and mind.
PANIC FEAR (HORROR)
Panic fear is intense fear. Here you can listen to or download the myth "PAN"
PALM OF EXCELLENCE
The palm tree is a symbol of victory, almost the same as a laurel wreath.
RIDING THE PEGASUS
Ride Pegasus - become a poet, speak in poetry
UNDER THE AUSPICES OF
To be under the auspices - to use someone else's patronage, to be protected.
SWORD OF DAMOCLES
The sword of Damocles is a constant threat.
HOMERIC LAUGHTER (LAUGHTER)
Homeric laughter is unrestrained laughter.
HERCULES PILLARS (PILLARS)
To say "reached the Pillars of Hercules" means reached the extreme limit.
MENTOR TONE
"Mentor tone" is a mentoring, arrogant tone.
In Greek mythology, the Augean stables are the vast stables of Augeus, king of Elis, which have not been cleaned for many years. They were cleaned in one day by Hercules: he sent a river through the stables, the waters of which carried away all the manure.
2. Ariadne's thread - what helps to find a way out of a predicament.
The expression originated from Greek myths about the hero Theseus who killed the Minotaur. The Athenians were obliged, at the request of the Cretan king Minos, to send seven young men 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. Theseus were helped to accomplish a dangerous feat 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 who were doomed to be torn apart were taken to the labyrinth, Theseus tied the end of the thread at the entrance and walked along the tangled passages, gradually unwinding the ball. After killing the Minotaur, Theseus found the way back from the labyrinth along a thread and led all the doomed out of there.
3. Achilles' heel is a weak spot.
In Greek mythology, Achilles (Achilles) is one of the most powerful and brave heroes. He is sung in Homer's Iliad. The mother of Achilles, the sea goddess Thetis, in order to make the body of her son invulnerable, dipped him into the sacred river Styx. Dipping, she held him by the heel, which was not touched by the water, so the heel remained the only vulnerable spot of Achilles, where he was mortally wounded by Paris's arrow.
4. Barrel Danaid - endless labor, fruitless work.
Danaids - fifty daughters of the king of Libya Danaus, with whom his brother Egypt, the king of Egypt, was at enmity. Fifty sons of Egypt, pursuing Danae, who had fled from Libya to Argolis, forced the fugitive to give them his fifty daughters to wife. On their wedding night, Danaids, at the request of their father, killed their husbands. Only one of them decided to disobey her father. For the crime committed, forty-nine Danaids were, after their death, sentenced by the gods to forever fill a bottomless barrel with water in the underworld of Hades.
5. Age of Astrea - a happy time, time.
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, shines in the constellation of the Zodiac.
6. Hercules. Hercules labor (feat). Pillars of Hercules (pillars).
Hercules (Hercules) - the hero of Greek myths, gifted with an extraordinary physical strength... He performed the famous twelve labors. On the opposite shores of Europe and Africa, near the Strait of Gibraltar, he set up the “Pillars of Hercules (Pillars)”. This is how the rocks were called in the ancient world - Gibraltar and Jebel Musa. These pillars were considered "the edge of the world", beyond which there is no way. Therefore, the expression “to reach the Pillars of Hercules” began to be used in the meaning: to reach the limit of something, to extreme point... The expression “Herculean labor, feat” is used when talking about any business that requires extraordinary efforts.
7. Hercules at a crossroads. Applies to a person who finds it difficult to choose between two solutions.
The expression arose from the speech of the Greek sophist Prodicus. In this speech, Prodicus told an allegory he had composed about the young man Hercules (Hercules), who was sitting at a crossroads and reflecting on the path of life that he was to choose. Two women approached him: Affection, which painted him a life full of pleasure and luxury, and Virtue, which showed him the difficult path to fame.
8. Bonds (chains) of Hymen - marriage, matrimony.
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.
9. Sword of Damocles - impending, threatening danger.
The expression arose from an ancient Greek tradition told by Cicero in his "Tuskulan Conversations". Damocles, one of the confidants of the Syracuse tyrant Dionysius the Elder, began to enviously speak of him as the happiest of people. Dionysius, in order to teach the envious a lesson, put him in his place. During the feast, Damocles saw a sharp sword hanging from a horsehair above his head. Dionysius explained that this is the emblem of the dangers to which he, as a ruler, is constantly exposed, despite his seemingly happy life.
10. Gifts of the Danians. - "insidious" gifts that bring death with them for those who receive them.
The Trojan Horse is a secret cunning design (hence the Trojan Virus (Trojan)).
The expressions originated from the Greek legends of the Trojan War. The Danai (Greeks), after a long and unsuccessful siege of Troy, resorted to cunning: they built a huge wooden horse, left it at the walls of Troy, and themselves pretended to float away from the Troad coast. 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 of Cassandra, dragged the horse into the city. At night, the Danaans, hiding inside the horse, went out, killed the guards, opened the city gates, let in the comrades who returned on the ships, and thus took possession of Troy.
11. Two-faced Janus is a two-faced man.
Janus is the god of all beginning and end, entrances and exits (janua - door). He was depicted with two faces facing in opposite directions: young - forward, into the future, old - back, into the past.
12. Golden Fleece - gold, wealth, which they seek to master.
The Argonauts are brave seafarers and adventure seekers.
Jason went to Colchis (the eastern coast of the Black Sea) to get the golden fleece (golden wool of a ram), which was guarded by a dragon and bulls that spewed fire from their mouths. Jason built the ship "Argo", after which the participants of this, according to legend, the first long voyage of antiquity were called the Argonauts. With the help of the sorceress Medea, Jason, having overcome all obstacles, safely took possession of the golden fleece.
13. To sink into oblivion - to disappear forever, to be forgotten.
Lethe is the river of oblivion in Hades, the underworld. The souls of the dead, upon arrival in the underworld, drank water from it and forgot all their past life... The name of the river has become a symbol of oblivion.
14. Between Scylla and Charybdis - in a difficult position, when danger threatens from both sides.
According to the legends of the ancient Greeks, two monsters lived on the coastal rocks on both sides of the strait: Scylla and Charybdis, who devoured seafarers.
15. Tantala torment - suffering due to unsatisfied desires.
Tantalus, king of Phrygia (also called king of Lydia), was a favorite of the gods, who often invited him to their feasts. But, being proud of his position, he insulted the gods, for which he was severely punished. According to Homer (“Odyssey”, II, 582-592), his punishment consisted in the fact that, being thrown into Tartarus (hell), he always experiences intolerable torments of thirst and hunger. He stands up to his throat in water, but the water recedes from him as soon as he tilts his head to drink. Branches with luxurious fruits hung over him, but as soon as he stretches out his hands to them, the branches deflect.
16. Narcissus is a person who loves only himself.
Narcissus is a handsome young man, the son of the river god Kephis and the nymph Leiriope. One day Narcissus, who had never loved anyone, bent over the stream and, seeing his face in it, fell in love with himself and died of melancholy. His body turned into a flower.
17. Nectar and Ambrosia - extraordinary delicious drink, an exquisite dish.
In Greek mythology, nectar is a drink, ambrosia (ambrosia) is the food of the gods, which gives them immortality.
18. Olympians are arrogant, inaccessible people.
Olympic bliss is the highest degree of bliss.
Olympic serenity is serenity, undisturbed by anything.
Olympic grandeur - solemnity with manners.
Olympus is a mountain in Greece where, according to Greek myths, immortal gods lived.
19. Panic fear - sudden, intense fear that causes confusion.
Arose from the myths about Pan, the god of forests and fields. According to myths, Pan brings sudden and unaccountable terror to people, especially to travelers in remote and secluded places, as well as to the troops rushing from this to flight. This is where the word "panic" originated.
20. Pygmalion and Galatea - about passionate love without reciprocity.
In the myth of the famous sculptor Pygmalion, it is said that he openly expressed his contempt for women. The goddess Aphrodite, enraged by this, made him fall in love with the statue of the young girl Galatea, created by him himself, and doomed him to the torments of unrequited love. The passion of Pygmalion was, however, so strong that it breathed life into the statue. Lively Galatea became his wife.
21. Promethean fire - a sacred fire burning in the human soul; an unquenchable desire to achieve lofty goals.
Prometheus is one of the titans. He stole fire from heaven and taught people to use it, thereby undermining faith in the power of the gods. For this, an angry Zeus ordered Hephaestus (the god of fire and blacksmithing) to chain Prometheus to a rock. The eagle flew in every day tore at the liver of the chained titan.
22. Penelope's work is never-ending work (wife's loyalty).
The expression originated from Homer's Odyssey. Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, during many years of separation from him remained faithful to him, despite the harassment of the suitors. She said that she was postponing a new marriage until the day when she finished weaving the coffin for her father-in-law, Elder Laertes. She spent the whole day at the weaving, and at night everything that she had knitted in the day was dismissed and again set to work.
23. The Sphinx riddle is something insoluble.
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. Those who could not figure them out, he killed. When the Theban king Oedipus solved the riddles given to him, the monster took his own life.
24. Sisyphean labor is endless, disembodied (useless) work.
The Corinthian king Sisyphus was sentenced by Zeus to eternal torment in Hades for insulting the gods: he had to roll a huge stone onto the mountain, which, having reached the top, rolled down again.
25. Circe is a dangerous beauty, an insidious seducer.
Circe (Latin form; Greek Kirke) - according to Homer, an insidious sorceress. With the help of a magic drink, she turned Odysseus's companions into pigs. Odysseus to whom Hermes gave magic plant, defeated her spell, and she invited him to share her love. Having made Circe swear that she was not plotting anything wrong against him and would return the human form to his companions, Odysseus bowed to her proposal.
26. The apple of discord is the cause of dispute, enmity.
The goddess of discord Eris rolled between the guests at the wedding feast a golden apple with the inscription: "The most beautiful." Among the guests were the goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, who argued about which of them should get the apple. Their dispute was resolved by Paris, the son of the Trojan king Priam, by awarding the apple to Aphrodite. In gratitude, Aphrodite helped Paris to kidnap Helena, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, which caused the Trojan War.
27. Pandora's box is a source of misfortune, great calamities.
Once people lived without knowing any misfortunes, illnesses and old age, until Prometheus stole fire from the gods. For this, an angry Zeus sent a beautiful woman to earth - Pandora. She received from Zeus a casket in which all human misfortunes were locked. Spurred on by curiosity, Pandora opened the chest and scattered all the misfortunes.
28. Golden rain - big money or easily obtained wealth.
This image arose from the Greek myth of Zeus, who, captivated by the beauty of Danaë, the daughter of the Argos king Acrisius, appeared to her in the form of a golden rain, after which her son Perseus was born.
29. Cyclops - one-eyed
Cyclops are one-eyed giant blacksmiths, strong men, cannibals, cruel and rude, living in caves on the tops of the mountains, engaged in cattle breeding. The Cyclops were credited with building gigantic structures.
WORKS
A.S. Pushkin
PROPHET
We languish with spiritual thirst,
In the gloomy desert I dragged myself, -
And the six-winged seraph
He appeared to me at the crossroads.
With fingers as light as a dream
He touched my apple.
Prophetic apples were opened,
Like a frightened eagle.
He touched my ears, -
And they were filled with noise and ringing:
And I heeded the shudder of the sky,
And the heavenly angels fly,
And a reptile underwater passage,
And the vegetation of the valley vine.
And he clung to my lips,
And tore out my sinful tongue,
And idle and crafty,
And the sting of a wise snake
My frozen lips
Inserted with a bloody right hand.
And he cut my chest with a sword,
And he took out his quivering heart,
And coal burning with fire
I put it in my chest.
I lay like a corpse in the desert
And God's voice called to me:
"Rise, prophet, and see, and listen,
Fulfill my will
And, bypassing the seas and lands,
Burn people's hearts with the verb. "
Notes (edit)
* Prophet (p. 149). In the image of a prophet, as in "Imitations of the Koran" (see above), Pushkin understood the poet. The picture depicted by Pushkin, in several small details, goes back to the VI chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Bible (six-winged Seraphim with a burning coal in his hand).
The poem was originally part of a cycle of four poems, entitled "The Prophet", of anti-government content, dedicated to the events of December 14. MP Pogodin explained to PA Vyazemsky in a letter dated March 29, 1837: "He wrote" The Prophet "on his way to Moscow in 1826. There should be four poems, the first is just published (" We are tormented by spiritual thirst, etc. ") "(" Links ", VI, 1936, p. 153). The other three poems were destroyed and did not reach us.
The version of the first verse of the "Prophet" - "We torment the great sorrow", which is available in Pushkin's note, apparently refers to the original edition of the well-known text.
Six-Winged Seraph- In Christian mythology, angels were called seraphim, especially close to God and glorifying him.
Finger- finger
Zenitsy- Pupil, eye.
Opened- opened
Prophetic- Foreseeing the future, prophetic
Gorny(flight) - Above.
Vegetation- growth
Right hand- right hand, sometimes even a hand
See- Look
Heed- Listen to someone, direct attention to something.
Poem theme:
The time of writing the poem dates back to 1826. This multidimensional poetic work belongs to a series of poems, the key themes of which are the problem of the poet's spiritual realization and the problem of the essence of poetry.
Composition and plot:
In the compositional aspect, it seems possible to divide the text into three equivalent parts. The first characterizes the place and time of the action (it consists of four verses). To some extent, the initial formula of the poem echoes the introductory part of Dante's Divine Comedy. The "six-winged seraphim", an angel especially close to the throne of God and glorifying it, indicates immersion in the Old Testament space; he is a hero "at a crossroads", which also emphasizes the sacredness and universality of the problem under consideration. According to the Old Testament concepts described in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, one of the seraphim cleanses the prophet's mouth by touching them with hot coal, which he takes with tongs from the sacred altar, thereby preparing it for the fulfillment of the mission of service. The theme of fire is extensively developed in the poem at the compositional and lexical-semantic levels; the inner form of the word "seraphim" (translated from the Hebrew "fiery", "flaming") also actualizes the concept: in the word one can distinguish the producing root srp "to burn", "to burn", "to burn". The second part of the poem takes twenty lines and is devoted to the transformation of a person into a Prophet. Its fusion and internal correlation is actualized by a special mechanism of poetic expressiveness: a complex sound anaphora on "and". The concluding section is six lines long and expresses the idea of a prophetic ministry; in it, the voice of God, calling out to the lyrical hero, sums up a kind of result of the accomplished reincarnation. The poem is written in iambic tetrameter with periodic significant interruptions in the form of spondees and pyrrhiales, with paired, cross and sweeping rhymes with male and female rhymes; at the rhythmic-metric level, the key idea of the poem is also reflected.
Lermontov "Duma"
Sadly I look at our generation!
His future is either empty, or dark,
Meanwhile, under the burden of knowledge and doubt,
In inaction it will grow old.
We are rich, barely from the cradle,
By the mistakes of the fathers and their late minds,
And life wears us, like a smooth path without a goal,
Like a feast at a stranger's holiday.
Shamefully indifferent to good and evil,
At the beginning of the race, we wither without a fight;
Shamefully faint-hearted in the face of danger
And before the authorities - despicable slaves.
So skinny fruit, ripe for a time,
Neither our taste pleases nor the eyes,
Hanging between flowers, an orphaned newcomer,
And the hour of their beauty - the hour of his fall!
We have dried up the mind with sterile science,
Taya envious of neighbors and friends
Disbelief of ridiculed passions.
We barely touched the cup of pleasure,
But we didn’t save our youthful strength;
From every joy, fearing satiety,
We have extracted the best juice forever.
Dreams of poetry, creation of art
They do not stir our mind with sweet delight;
We greedily cherish the rest of the feeling in our chest -
Buried with avarice and useless treasure.
And we hate, and we love by chance,
Sacrificing nothing for malice or love,
And a secret cold reigns in the soul,
When the fire boils in blood
And the luxurious fun of our ancestors is boring,
Their conscientious, childish depravity;
And we hurry to the grave without happiness and without glory,
Looking back mockingly.
We will pass over the world without noise or trace,
Not the genius of the work begun.
And our ashes, with the severity of a judge and a citizen,
The descendant will offend with a contemptuous verse,
By the bitter mockery of a deceived son
Over the squandered father.
The poem "Duma" in its genre is the same elegy-satire, like "Death of a Poet". Only the satire here is directed not at the court society, but at the bulk of the noble intelligentsia of the 30s.
The main theme of the poem is human social behavior. The topic is revealed in the Characteristics of the Generation of the 30s given here by Lermontov. This generation, which grew up in conditions of a gloomy reaction, is not at all what it was in the 10-20s, not the generation of “fathers”, that is, the Decembrists. The socio-political struggle of the Decembrists is considered by them as a "mistake" ("We are rich, barely out of the cradle, by the mistakes of our fathers ..."). The new generation has moved away from participation in public life and has gone deep into the pursuit of "fruitless science", it is not worried about the issues of good and evil; it shows "shameful cowardice in the face of danger", is "despicable slaves before the authorities." Neither poetry nor art says anything to these people. Their fate is bleak:
In a crowd gloomy and soon forgotten
We will pass over the world without noise or trace,
Without abandoning for centuries a fertile thought,
Not the genius of the work begun.
Such a harsh assessment of his contemporaries by Lermontov was dictated by his public views as an advanced poet. For him, who as a young man declared: “Life is so boring when there is no struggle,” an indifference to the evil reigning in life is especially unacceptable. Indifference to public life is the spiritual death of a person.
Severely condemning his generation for this indifference, for abandoning the social and political struggle, Lermontov, as it were, calls him to moral renewal, to awakening from spiritual slumber. Lermontov, acting as a prosecutor, echoes this with Ryleev, who with the same denunciation addressed his contemporaries who evade political struggle in the poem "Citizen".
How fair and accurate was the characterization of the generation of the 1930s, given by Lermontov in the Duma, is best illustrated by the testimonies of his contemporaries, Belinsky and Herzen, who deeply felt the horror of their era. Belinsky wrote about the Duma: “These verses were written in blood; they came out of the depths of the offended spirit. This is the scream, this is the groan of a man for whom the absence inner life there is evil, a thousand times the most terrible physical death! .. And who among the people of the new generation will not find in him the clue to his own despondency, spiritual
apathy, internal emptiness and will not respond to him with a cry, with his groan? " And Herzen talked about this era: "Will the people of the future understand, will they appreciate all the horror, the entire tragic side of our existence? .. Will they understand ... why do not they raise their hands to great work, why do we not forget melancholy in a moment of delight?"
Griboyedov "Woe from Wit"
"Woe from Wit" - a comedy in verse by A. S. Griboyedov - a work that made its creator a classic of Russian literature. It combines elements of classicism and new for early XIX centuries of romanticism and realism.
The comedy "Woe from Wit" is a satire on the aristocratic Moscow society of the first half of the 19th century - one of the pinnacles of Russian drama and poetry; actually completed "comedy in verse" as a genre. The aphoristic style contributed to the fact that she "went into quotations."
History of the text:
Around 1816, Griboyedov, returning from abroad, found himself in St. Petersburg at one of the secular evenings and was amazed at how the entire public splendidly before everything foreign. That evening she surrounded with attention and care some talkative Frenchman; Griboyedov could not stand it and made a fiery, incriminating speech. While he was speaking, someone from the public declared that Griboyedov was crazy, and thus spread a rumor all over Petersburg. Griboyedov, in order to take revenge on secular society, conceived of writing a comedy on this matter.
Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm"
"The Thunderstorm" - a play in five acts by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky
History of creation
The play was started by Alexander Ostrovsky in July and finished on October 9, 1859. The manuscript is kept at the Russian State Library.
The writer's personal drama is also connected with the writing of the play "The Thunderstorm". In the manuscript of the play, next to the famous monologue of Katerina: “And what dreams I dreamed, Varenka, what dreams! Or golden temples, or some extraordinary gardens, and everyone is singing invisible voices ... ", there is Ostrovsky's record:" I heard from LP about the same dream ... ". LP is the actress Lyubov Pavlovna Kositskaya, with whom the young playwright had a very difficult personal relationship: both had families. The husband of the actress was the artist of the Maly Theater I.M. Nikulin. And Alexander Nikolaevich also had a family: he lived in civil marriage with the commoner Agafya Ivanovna, with whom he had children in common (they all died as children). Ostrovsky lived with Agafya Ivanovna for nearly twenty years.
It was Lyubov Pavlovna Kositskaya who served as the prototype for the image of the heroine of the play Katerina, she also became the first performer of the role.
Alexander Golovin. Bank of the Volga. 1916 Sketches of scenery for the drama A. N. Ostrovsky "The Thunderstorm"
In 1848, Alexander Ostrovsky went with his family to Kostroma, to the Shchelykovo estate. The natural beauty of the Volga region amazed the playwright, and then he thought about the play. Long time it was believed that the plot of the drama "The Thunderstorm" was taken by Ostrovsky from the life of the Kostroma merchants. Kostroma residents at the beginning of the 20th century could accurately indicate the place of Katerina's suicide.
In his play, Ostrovsky raises the problem of the turning point in public life that took place in the 1850s, the problem of changing social foundations.
The names of the characters in the play are endowed with symbolism: Kabanova is an overweight, heavy woman; Kuligin is a "kuliga", a swamp, some of its features and name are similar to the name of the inventor Kulibin; the name Katerina means "pure"; opposed to her Barbarian - "barbarian".
In the play “The Thunderstorm,” the writer described the state of provincial society in Russia on the eve of reforms. The playwright examines such issues as the position of women in the family, the modernity of Domostroi, the awakening of a person's sense of personality and self-esteem, the relationship between the “old”, oppressive, and “young”, voiceless.
The main idea of "Thunderstorm" is that a strong, gifted and courageous person with natural tendencies and desires cannot live happily in a society where "cruel morals" prevail, where "Domostroy" reigns, where everything is based on fear, deception and submission ...
The name “Thunderstorm” can be viewed from several positions. A thunderstorm is a natural phenomenon, and nature plays an important role in the composition of the play. So, it complements the action, emphasizes the main idea, the essence of what is happening. For example, the beautiful night landscape matches the date between Katerina and Boris. The expanses of the Volga emphasize Katerina's dreams of freedom, the picture of the cruel nature is revealed when describing the suicide of the main character. Then nature promotes the development of action, as if pushes events, stimulates the development and resolution of the conflict. So, in the scene of a thunderstorm, the elements prompts Katerina to public repentance.
So, the title “Thunderstorm” underlines the main idea of the play: the self-esteem awakening in people; the desire for freedom and independence begins to threaten the existence of the old order.
The world of Kabanikha and the Wild is coming to an end, because a “ray of light” has appeared in the “dark kingdom” - Katerina - a woman who cannot put up with the oppressive atmosphere that reigns in the family, in the city. Her protest was expressed in love for Boris, in unauthorized departure from life. Katerina preferred death to existence in a world where she was “ashamed” of everything. She is the first lightning of the thunderstorm that will soon break out in society. The clouds over the “old” world have been gathering for a long time. Domostroy has lost its original meaning. Kabanikha and Dikoy use his ideas only to justify their tyranny and tyranny. They were unable to convey to children the true faith in the inviolability of their rules of life. Young people live by the laws of their fathers as long as they can reach a compromise through deception. When the oppression becomes unbearable, when deception saves only partially, then a protest begins to wake up in a person, he develops and is able to break out at any moment.
Katerina's suicide awakened a man in Tikhon. He saw that there was always a way out of this situation, and he, the most weak-willed of all the characters described by Ostrovsky, who had been unquestioningly obeying his mother all his life, blames her for the death of his wife in public. If Tikhon is already able to declare his protest, then the "dark kingdom" really does not have long to exist.
The thunderstorm is also a symbol of renewal. In nature, after a thunderstorm, the air is fresh and clean. In society, after the thunderstorm that began with Katherine's protest, there will also be a renewal: the oppressive and subordinate order will probably be replaced by a society of freedom and independence.
But a thunderstorm occurs not only in nature, but also in the soul of Katerina. She has committed a sin and repents of it. Two feelings are fighting in her: fear of Kabanikha and fear that “death will suddenly catch you as you are, with all your sins ...” In the end, religiosity, fear of retribution for sin prevail, and Katerina publicly confesses what she had done. sin. None of the residents of Kalinov can understand her: these people, like Katerina, do not have a rich spiritual world and high moral values; they do not feel remorse, because their morality is as long as everything is “sewn and covered”. However, the recognition does not bring relief to Katherine. As long as she believes in Boris's love, she is able to live. But, realizing that Boris is no better than Tikhon, that she is still alone in this world, where everything “hates” for her, she finds no other way out but to rush into the Volga. Katerina transgressed religious law for the sake of freedom. Thunderstorm and in her soul ends with renewal. The young woman completely freed herself from the shackles of the Kalinov world and religion.
Thus, the thunderstorm that occurs in the soul of the main character turns into a thunderstorm in the society itself, and all the action takes place against the backdrop of the elements.
Using the image of a thunderstorm, Ostrovsky showed that a society that has outlived itself, based on deception, and the old order, depriving a person of the opportunity to manifest the highest feelings, are doomed to destruction. This is as natural as cleansing nature through a thunderstorm. Thus, Ostrovsky expressed the hope that the renewal in society will come as soon as possible.
Slide 1
Phraseologisms that came into our speech from mythology
Authors: 7th grade students Ilya Anokhin, Kristina Yurina
Slide 2
Targets and goals
Purpose: to study the nature of phraseological units and learn from the myths of the Ancient World to use phraseological units in their speech. Tasks: Analyze the necessary language information about phraseological units; get acquainted with phraseological dictionaries; compile your own dictionary of phraseological units; create multimedia resources about phraseological units.
Slide 3
Borrowed phraseological units are divided into borrowed from Old Church Slavonic and borrowed from Western European languages. A significant number of phraseological units are borrowed from ancient Greek mythology.
Slide 4
Augean stables
According to legend, King Augeas lived in Ancient Greece. He was a passionate horse lover. There were three thousand horses in his famous stables. However, the stalls in which these animals were kept were not cleaned for 30 years, and they, naturally, were filled with manure to the very roofs. Once the strong man Hercules entered the service of the king Augeas, whom Augeas instructed to cleanse his stables - it was no longer possible for someone else to do this. Hercules was distinguished not only by powerful strength, but also by his mind. He solved this problem simply: he took the river to the gates of the stables, and stormy stream quickly washed all the dirt out of there. This ancient legend was first told to the world by the ancient Greek historian Diodorus of Siculus. We use the expression "Augean stables" today when we want to talk about extreme neglect.
Slide 5
Achilles' heel
Every weak, vulnerable spot of a person in his affections, character is called the Achilles heel. Where did this expression come from? Achilles is a hero of ancient Greek myths, brave and invincible, who was not taken by any enemy arrows. The myth tells that the mother of Achilles Thetis, wanting to make her son invulnerable, dipped her son, even in infancy, into the waters of the sacred river Styx. When the mother dipped Achilles, she held his heel, and the heel was unprotected. Achilles was killed in one of the competitions with an arrow of his opponent, which hit the heel.
Slide 6
Libra of Themis
In Ancient Greek mythology, Themis is the goddess of justice. She was always depicted holding a sword in one hand, and scales in the other, and always with a bandage over her eyes, symbolizing the impartiality with which she judges people accused of something. Themis, as it were, weighs on her scales all the arguments of the accusation and defense and punishes the guilty with the sword. The expression "scales of Themis" have become synonymous with justice, justice.
Slide 7
Homeric laughter
Homer is a famous ancient Greek poet. He is considered the author of the poems The Iliad and The Odyssey. The heroes of these poems - the gods - are endowed with extraordinary qualities. They are strong, courageous, resourceful, have powerful voices, their laughter is like rolling thunder. Homeric laughter is a very loud, irrepressible laughter.
Slide 8
Gordian knot
In one ancient Greek legend, it is said that the Phrygian king Gordius brought a chariot as a gift to Zeus, and tied the oxen to its drawbar with such a complex knot that no artisan could unravel it. The ancient oracle (fortuneteller) announced to everyone that whoever was able to untie this cunning knot would own the whole world. The greatest commander of antiquity, Alexander the Great, who conquered Phrygia, also heard about it. He entered the temple where the chariot was placed, looked closely at the glorified knot, and suddenly, drawing his golden sword, cut the knot with one blow. Since then, it has become a tradition: "to cut the Gordian knot" means to quickly, very decisively, by force resolve some complicated matter.
Slide 9
Sword of Damocles
This came to us from ancient Greek myth. The Syracuse tyrant Dionosius the Elder had a close associate of Damocles. Damocles was very jealous of his master. Dionysius knew about this. One day he decided to teach Damocles a lesson. During the feast, he ordered his servants to elevate his favorite to the throne and to show him royal honors. Damocles was ready to jump for joy - his cherished wish came true. But then he looked up and froze: a heavy sword hung from a thin horsehair hung from top to bottom right above his head. At any moment, the sword could fall right on the head of Damocles. - Here, Damocles, - said the tyrant, - you consider my high position enviable, but look now: am I calm on my throne? Since then, the expression "sword of Damocles" means the highest danger that can fall at any moment.
Slide 10
Olympian calm
Olympus is a mountain in Ancient Greece, where, as it was told in ancient Greek myths, immortal gods lived. With the Olympic gods, we now compare people who, under any circumstances, maintain an imperturbable peace of mind, ”we also call people arrogant and inaccessible. In our speech, expressions such as "literary Olympus" or "musical Olympus" - a group of recognized poets, writers and musicians, arose. And the Olympic calmness is calmness by nothing.
Slide 11
Panic, panic horror
Panic is a word of Greek origin. It came to us from the ancient Greek myth about the god of the fields, forests and herds, Pan, who was born overgrown with wool, with goat's horns, hooves and a goatee. His appearance the newborn so frightened his mother that she left him in horror, but the father of his son Hermes took his son to Olympus and showed him to the gods. The child made the gods laugh and liked them very much, they accepted him in their number and gave the name Pan. Pan was very fond of music and often played the shepherd's pipe. However, everyone who approached his forest shelter was put to flight by Pan, terrifying by his mere appearance. According to legend, the fear that Pan instilled was so strong that it even took possession of the troops, who, hearing Pan's wild howls, fled. From the mythological name Pan later came the word "panic", meaning an unaccountable, uncontrollable fear, predominantly of a mass character, as well as the word "alarmist" - "a person who easily succumbs to confusion, spreading disturbing rumors."
Slide 12
Procrustean bed
To find out the history of this expression, we turn again to Greek mythology. The terrible robber Polypemon, nicknamed Procrustes, lived in Attica. He did not just kill the travelers who entered his domain, but first laid his guest on a bed and watched whether it matched the height of the unfortunate person or not. If the guest was longer, he chopped off his legs, and if it was shorter, he stretched the joints to the required length. It also happens that someone is trying, contrary to any sense, to fit some work of art or a discovery in science to certain requirements, that is, to drive it into an artificial framework. It is in such cases that this expression is used.
Slide 13
Cornucopia
The ancient Greek myth tells us that the cruel god Kronos did not want to have children, because he was afraid that they would take away his power. The wife of Kronos therefore gave birth to a son of Zeus in secret, instructing the nymphs to care for the baby. Zeus was fed with the milk of the divine goat Amalfea. Once a goat caught on a tree and broke off its horn. The nymph filled it with fruits and gave it to Zeus. Zeus presented the horn to the nymphs who raised him, promising that whatever they wished would emerge from it. So the expression "cornucopia" became a symbol of prosperity and wealth.
Slide 14
Lantern of Diogenes
The ancient Greek writer Diogenes Laertes in his book "Life, Teachings and Opinions of Famous Philosophers" says that the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes of Sinop once lit a lantern during the day, and walking with him, said: "I'm looking for a man." The expression "to seek with the lantern of Diogenes" that has arisen from this is used in the meaning of "persistently, but in vain, in vain to strive to find someone or something. Recently, a synonym for this expression has been used more in speech - "search in the afternoon with fire."
Slide 15
Pandora's Box
In the ancient Greek myth about Pandora, it is said that once people lived without knowing any misfortunes, diseases and old age, until Prometheus stole fire from the gods for them. For this, an angry Zeus sent a beautiful woman to earth - Pandora. She received from Zeus a casket in which all human misfortunes were locked. Pandora, spurred on by curiosity, opened the chest and scattered all the misfortunes. The expression "Pandora's box" means the source of misfortune, great calamities.
Slide 16
Sisyphean labor
Sisyphean labor is "hard, endless work." The king of Corinth, Sisyphus, committed a lot of deceit and deception in his life. He dared to deceive even the gods. The gods were angry with Sisyphus and awarded him a heavy punishment in afterlife... In the kingdom of Hades, he had to roll a stone onto a high mountain. Each time a stone is pulled out of the hands of Sisyphus, and he again takes up this hard work. This is how the expression "Sisyphean labor" arose.
Slide 17
Apple of discord
The expression comes from ancient Greek myth. The wedding of Peleus and Thetis was attended by three beautiful Greek goddesses: Aphrodite, Athena and Hera. Wanting to embroil them among themselves, the fourth goddess - the goddess of discord Eris - threw a golden apple into the crowd with the inscription "Most Beautiful." An argument ensued between the goddesses. Each believed that the apple was intended for her, and would never concede it to another. The son of the Trojan king Priam Paris intervened in the dispute. He awarded the apple to Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Athena and Hera became angry and began to turn all the Greek peoples against the Trojans. So a bloody war broke out, as a result of which Troy died. Since then, we have called every reason for disagreement a bone of contention.
Slide 18
And further…
Barrel Danaides Pillars of Hercules Sink into oblivion Tantalum flour Promethean fire Sodom and Gomorrah, etc.
In works of art, we can often come across very specific phraseological units - expressions, the meaning of which is hidden in legends and ancient myths... Without an excellent orientation in this area of knowledge, it is almost impossible to answer the question of what became famous bed of Procrustes, why Ariadne threads and what passion did they have Danaids To… barrel?
A distinctive feature of phraseological units that came from myths is their extraordinary solidarity with the history of the myth itself.
Expression " barrel danaid"Came to us with the meaning" from utterly useless and endless work". The phraseological unit is the myth of the fifty daughters of the Libyan king Danae... Danae's daughters were named after their father - Danaids... They became famous for the fact that ... at the request of their father killed their husbands on their wedding night, for which they were doomed to forever fill a bottomless barrel in the underworld of Hades... True, here it was not without a riddle: after all, the killers became 49 daughters of the king, why then the phraseological unit "denigrates" all 50 girls?
Pillars of Hercules Surprisingly, they have nothing to do with "morning" healthy porridge. Pillar of Hercules called in the highest, extreme degree of manifestation of something... Initially, this name had two rocks on opposite shores of the Strait of Gibraltar... According to ancient legend, the pillars were erected by Hercules at the edge of the world as memory of the hero's wanderings across Europe and Africa.
When they talk about the constantly threatening danger literally hanging over someone, the expression “ Sword of Damocles". The ancient Greek legend about Syracuse tyrant Dionysius the Elder, who, in order to teach a lesson to one of his confidants, an envious Damocles, came up with a very "entertaining" way. During the feast, Dionysius put Damocles in his place, hanging over his head a sharp sword as a symbol of the dangers that lie in wait for the tyrant... A great way for those who try to feel any situation on their own skin.
Tantalum flour experienced by one who endures suffering from the realization of the proximity of the desired goal and the inability to achieve it. In ancient times 
river myth Tantalum- Phrygian king - for insulting the gods was them cruelto nakadhan: Tantalum was doomed to experience the pangs of thirst and hunger, although water and luxurious fruits were next to him.
Ariadne's thread- this is way out of a difficult situation; Ariadne's thread is often called guiding thread... The history of expression leads us to the myth of the Minotaur, which the every ten years he demanded a kind of tribute from the inhabitants of the island of Crete - 14 beautiful girls and boys who served the monster as dinner. There were daredevils who tried to free the people from the terrible tribute to the Minotaur, but they all died in maze- the abode of the monster. Only Theseus I was able to get out of the labyrinth by killing the Minotaur. His guiding thread was the gift Ariadne- the daughter of King Minos - a thread that helped the hero return home safe and sound.
Procrustean bed- this is the measure under which I artificially, forcibly adjust something t. This expression is based on the cruel ancient Greek the myth of the robber Procruste, which the tortured victims by cutting off their legs or, conversely, stretching them out so that the sufferers could precisely "fit" on the robber's bed.
Promethean fire, i.e. unquenchable striving to achieve lofty, noble goals, forever captured the feat of the mythological ancient Greek hero, 
which the stole fire from the divine Olympus and brought it to people.
Apple of discord points to the reason for the quarrel... An expression from ancient Greek the myth of the quarrel of Hera, Athena and Aphrodite about which of them is the most beautiful: the insidious apple was planted on the women and contained the inscription "Most Beautiful", which was indecently offensive for two ladies.
Augean stables are called dirty, neglected place, extreme disorder in business. Associated with these fetid stables is one of exploits of the legendary Hercules. The myth says that the hero volunteered to cleanse the stables of Augeus, king of Elis, in one day. Everything would be fine, but the stables have not been cleaned for 30 years! Hercules nevertheless found a way out of this situation by sending to the stables waters of the stormy river Alfey.
Achilles' heel are called the weakest, most vulnerable point. The reason for this is the myth of ablution of Achilles in the miraculous waters of the river Styx: mother, wanting to make her son invulnerable, washed him in the river, while holding the heel... It was this fatal accident that caused the death of the hero: he was struck at this very unfortunate heel.
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