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34 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Achilles Heel
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A single vulnerable spot
Comes from the legend that Achilles was destined to die in battle so his mother bathed him in the River Styx everywhere except his heel which was hit with an arrow during battle and it killed him. |
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Adonis
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An extremely handsome young man
Adonis was a young man with whom Aphrodite fell in love with but was killed fighting a wild boar, and because Aphrodite grieved so much she was permitted by Zeus to spend part of each year in the Underworld with him. |
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aegis
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Sponsorship or protection
in Greek Mythology and aegis was a piece of armor worn by Zeus and later Athena. |
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amazon
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A powerful masculine woman
the Amazon were a legendary race of female warriors who often fought the Greeks. |
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Atlas
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A collection of Maps
Atlas was a Titan who was forced to support the earth on his shoulders. |
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Cassandra
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A person who warns of coming evil but whose prophecies are disregarded.
Cassandra was a Trojan princess with whom Apollo fell in love and to win her over he gave her the gift of prophecy, but when she didn't return his love rather than take away her gift he made it to where nobody would listen to her. |
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chimera
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A foolish or idle fancy.
A monster who had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tale of a dragon. |
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Elysium
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A place or state of blissful happiness.
In Greek mythology the Elysian Fields were known as something like as heaven. |
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Gorgon
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Something so ugly as to petrify anyone who looks at it.
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halcyon
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Calm and peaceful.
Comes from the belief that the kingfisher also called halcyon by the Greeks had it young and when it did it calmed the seas. |
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herculean
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Very strong and powerful
Son of Zeus Hercules was the strongest of the gods. |
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hydra
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A persistent evil
Poisonous creature with 9 heads and whenever one was cut off 2 grew back. |
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labyrnith
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A complicated arrangement of mazes, passageways, or roads
The original Labyrinth was a huge maze designed to house the minotaur |
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mentor
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A wise counselor
Comes from the name of the faithful adviser to whom Odysseus entrusted the education of his son. |
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Midas
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A very rich man
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narcissism
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An abnormal attachment to one's own appearance and personality
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Nemesis
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Retribution, or one who inflicts retribution
Nemesis was a goddess who liked chaos and punished everyone for their sins |
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Oedipus
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An abnormal attachment to one's parent of the opposite sex with corresponding hostility to the other.
Oedipus was the subject of a tragedy who was destined to marry his mother and kill his father. |
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Olympian
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Exalted and majestic
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Paean
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A song of thanksgiving or praise
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procrustrean
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Forcing rigid conformity
Legendary highway man |
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protean
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Extremely changeable
Proteus was the herdsman of the sea who could change shape at will. |
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siren
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Seductive
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stentorian
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Very loud
Stentor who was the herald of the Greek army was said to have a voice as loud as 50 men |
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Stygian
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Dark and gloomy
Having to do with the River Styx which was the river of the underworld so it was very dark and gloomy |
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Croesus
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A very rich man
A historical figure his kingdom was among the first to use coins |
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Draconian
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Extremely severe
Draco created very strict laws |
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Epicure
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A person of refined taste in matters of food and drink
Epicurus was the founder of a school that taught that the supreme goal of life should be pleasure |
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laconic
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Brief, pithy, and concise
Describes the Spartans who were very short in their answers and once when threatened with battle they said only if... |
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Ostracism
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Exclusion from society
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Phillipic
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A bitter denunciation
When king Philip turned the Greek city states against one another by spreading rumors |
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Solecism
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A substandard usage of language, or a social blunder
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Sophistry
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Clever but deceptive argumentation meant to mislead
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Sybarite
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one devoted to luxury and pleasure
Sybaris was a Greek colony in southern Italy known for its wealth. |
