Olympian

The word Olympian comes from Greek mythology referring to the greater gods or goddesses of the Greek Pantheon. The Twelve Olympians, Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Dionysus, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus and Hermes, were the primary deities ruling from mythical Mount Olympus. The word refers to one who is majestic or superior to others, but also refers to someone who is a native or an inhabitant of Olympia, Greece.

An Olympian for most of us today references someone who participates in the Olympic games. The first Olympic games were held in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece.  During the games an Olympic truce was called so that the players could travel safely to and from the games. The original games involved running and lasted only one day, but soon grew to one week. The prize was a wreath of laurel leaves.

The four year period between the Olympic events is called the Olympiad.

This week we celebrate the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London. The Summer Olympics last 17 days with 29 events and includes 10,500 participants from 204 National Olympic Committees worldwide.  The United States has 530 participants going for the Gold. This is clearly a time when all countries can come together in the spirit of athletic competition in a peaceful setting.  

For me it is a time of little sleep, as I find myself staying up late to watch the events. Go USA!!!  

“My goal is one Olympic gold medal. Not many people in this world can say, “I’m an Olympic gold medalist”  Michael Phelps   


“Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”  George Bernard Shaw, Irish-Born Writer

Onomatopeia

Go ahead.  Say this word three times quickly!  Yes, this is a real word.  It is a noun (1577-Greek) and it is a word whose pronunciation imitates it’s meaning.  Common illustrations of this word are animal sounds such as meow, chirp, oink, roar, quack, moo, woof, cuckoo and ribbit.  Other English language examples include: buzz, clink, thump, slurp, beep-beep, splash, sizzle, honk, boom and hiss. 

It is used often in jokes, children’s songs (Old MacDonald), poetry and literature.  Here is an example in a beautiful poem and an example from “The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe.  


Cynthia in the Snow  - by Gwendolyn Brooks

It SUSHES.
It hushes
The loudness in the road.
It flitter-twitters,
And laughs away from me.
It laughs a lovely whiteness,
And whitely whirs away,
To be
Some otherwhere,
Still white as milk or shirts.
So beautiful it hurts. 

The Bells - Edgar Allan Poe
And who tolling, tolling, tolling,
In that muffled monotone,
Feel a glory in so rolling
On the human heart a stone...


What examples do you have?  

Dog Days of Summer

Here we are, deeply immersed in the Dog Days of Summer. The phrase refers to the hottest, most humid days of summer.  In the Northern hemisphere, it takes place in July and August and in the Southern hemisphere it takes place in January and February.


In summer, the brightest star in the sky Sirius, also known as the Dog Star,  rises and sets with the sun. The ancient Romans believed that the heat from Sirius added to the heat of the sun creating the hot and sultry weather.  In reality, the hot weather is related to the earths tilt.  In the dictionary, this phrase also means a time of inactivity.  Ah, I wish I had more inactivity!   Stay cool!


Nat King Cole anyone? 
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Those days of soda and pretzels and beer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer

Here is a cute video for you dog lovers!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6BfvuAZhDQ

Rapscallion

Not a word you hear everyday, is it?  But kind of fun!

Rapscallion - rap-SKAL-yen (1690-1700) refers to a person who is thought to be a scamp or a rascal.  It is an alternate use of the word rascallion (French origin).  Today, it is more common to hear the work rascal in place of rapscallion. The definition changes in context in tone slightly depending on the age of the person for which you refer. It is refers to a naughty child who is mischievous and playful. When an adult is called a rapscallion it refers to someone who is a scoundrel, a rogue and a deceitful, disreputable person.  Here are a few examples for how it is used: 

“That little rapscallion loves to hide my eye glasses and then watch with delight as I search blindly for them” 

“You must be careful walking downtown at night, for the pick pocket rapscallions are there looking for an easy target” 

Have a lovely week and be alert to the rapscallions who may be lurking around the corner.

“Take it all around, I was feeling ruther comfortable, on accounts of taking all this trouble for that gang, for not many would a done it.  I wished the widow knowed about it.  I judged she would be proud of me for helping these rapscallions, because rapscallions and dead beats is the kind the widow and good people takes the most interest in.”  Mark Twain

Apollonian

Apollonian (ap-uh-LOH-nee-uhn), is an adjective from Greek mythology which means serene; harmonious; disciplined; well-balanced in character.   The word refers to Apollo the god of the music, poetry, plague, oracles, sun, medicine, light and knowledge. When someone is described as Apollonian, it often refers to a quality or ability that they possess in art or science.  People who are Apollonian are stoic, use restraint and reasoning.  

Here is an example of how the word is used in a sentence: 

“For their happy customers, these two radically different personalities offer radically different dining experiences -- a mood of unbuttoned indulgence at Babbo as compared with an apollonian serenity at the French Laundry.”

The Wall Street Journal: Fat Chef, Thin Chef

Apollonian is the opposite of Dionysian.  Dionysus is the greek god of wine, nature, fertility and agriculture.  Someone who is described as Dionysian is thought to be more emotional, romantic and spontaneous. They are reckless, uninhibited and undisciplined. 

I am not sure how I came across this word this week or why I was compelled to use it, but it was fun to review a little Greek mythology.  If you want more information check out this website: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollonian_and_Dionysian