Tantalus And The Minotaur

Greek myths were created a few thousand years ago, but they still apply to many aspects of life today. Greek myths are still relevant today through words, themes in superhero stories, and brand names.

Many words used today are based on Greek mythology. One of these cases is the adjective ‘tantalize’. This word comes from the story of Tantalus. In this myth, Tantalus tries to feed his son to the gods, offending the gods. Because of his actions, he is sent to be tortured in the Underworld. His punishment was “[standing] up to his neck in water, which flowed from him when he tried to drink it.” Also, over his head there were “fruits that the wind wafted away whenever he tried to grasp them” (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica). The word based …show more content…
Often in Greek mythology, the hero faces a seemingly insurmountable challenge they overcome. This cliche is seen in the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. The Minotaur is portrayed as an unbeatable beast. Every nine years 14 people from Athens are sent to King Minos to be eaten by the Minotaur in the labyrinth. No one ever returned, they all died. Theseus, the son of the king of Athens, volunteers to go as a sacrifice to defeat the beast. His father, the king, attempts to dissuade him, concerned for Theseus’ life. His father is hesitant to allow Theseus to leave because Theseus he is not confident that Theseus will return victorious. However, somehow he does, but not alone. He defeats the Minotaur and exits the maze with the help of the daughter of King Minos. She secretly gives him a ball of string before he enters the labyrinth to allow him to find his way out. The yarn behind him and follows it back to the exit. Theseus defeated the infamous Minotaur, a supposedly impossible task, and is declared an epic hero (Karas). This common plot in Greek myths is also evident in superhero movies and comics. The hero faces a villain that they have no hope of defeating, but overcome the challenge somehow. Another common theme in Greek mythology is intelligence can triumph over strength. Odysseus’s story with the cyclops is an example of this. He tells the cyclops holding him captive that his name is …show more content…
Pandora music is one of these brands. Pandora is a character most well known for opening Pandora’s box out of curiosity. While in that myth curiosity is portrayed as negative, Pandora music believes it is a positive characteristic. They “celebrate that virtue [curiosity] and have made it [their] mission to reward the musically curious… with a never-ending experience of music discovery” (Schoups). This corresponds with what their company does. It recommends the consumer new music similar to what they already listen to, allowing them to discover new music. One of the top sport apparel brands has a name tied to Greek myths. Nike is the goddess of speed, strength, and victory. In the early stages of the company, one of the few employees, suggested Nike for their name and his coworkers felt it “would fit the shoes [they were selling]” (Levinson). The company chose the name “because of [the goddess Nike’s] attributes of speed and victory” (Nike). They wanted to associate their company with victory and other positive things the goddess represents. Brands use Greek characters for names so consumers connect the brands to the character and what they