Semenko I.V.

Higher State Medical Establishment of Ukraine

«Bucovinian State Medical University»

THE PLACE AND ROLE OF GREEK IDIOMS IN ENGLISH

(Part 1)

Each person uses idioms or phraseological units in his or her speech intentionally or unconsciously to give an emotional coloring of the spoken words or phrases. Not all the people know the sources of origin of idioms or phraseological units and how they differ from other expressions. To understand the functions of idioms and not to confuse them with other units of speech, it is necessary to know their characteristics, origin and functions:

· Idioms or phraseological units consist of two and more words.

· They can’t be divided, but they can be expressed in other words-synonyms.

· They are characterized by constancy of the composition – their components do not vary in numbers and gender.

· In idioms the order of words is fixed.

· Idioms of one language, as a rule, are not translated literally to another language.

The Greek legendary singer, Homer called these terms winged words and in his poems (“Iliad” and “Odyssey”) they occur many times. He wrote: “… this man said a winged word or…. they spoke a lot of winged words in their conversation”. Homer called the words “winged” because they flew from the mouth of the speaker to the ear of the listener. This expression became a term and it is used in linguistics by a lot of people in many countries of the world. This term may be interpreted in a broader sense: winged words represent people’s sayings, quotations, different kinds of all kinds of figurative expressions which arose not only from the literature but also in everyday life, folk customs and people’s beliefs, terminology, various crafts etc.

The author of the article wanted to describe several examples of the usage of phraseological units that derive from Greek mythology.

· Augean stables.

In Greek mythology, the Augean stables were the vast stables of Augeas, the king of Elis. They have not been cleaned up and removed for many years but were cleaned in one day by the legendary hero of Greek mythology, Heracles (in Lat. Hercules, is m) who sent a river through the stables, the waters of which carried away all uncleanness and waste. For the first time this myth was reported by Greek historian Diodorus Siculian in the 1st century B.C. The expression "Augean stables" is used to refer to a very dirty room, house or space as well as a lot of waste and litter requiring great efforts to eliminate them. Roman Stoic philosopher, poet and statesman Seneca used this expression in his “Satire for the death of Emperor Claudius”.

· Ariadne's thread.

This popular expression appeared to denote the guiding thread, leading to show a way out of a difficult situation or it means to solve a difficult question. It originated from Greek myths about the Athenian hero Theseus, who killed the Minotaur, a monstrous half - bull and half-man. The Athenians were obliged at the request of the Cretan king Minos to send every year seven young men and seven girls to Crete to be eaten by the Minotaur, who lived in the labyrinth that was built especially for him and from which nobody could escape. The daughter of the Cretan king Ariadne, who loved the hero Theseus, helped him to perform this dangerous feat. Secretly from her father, she gave him a sharp sword and a tangle of thread. When Theseus and the doomed young men and girls were taken to the labyrinth, he tied the end of the thread at the entrance and followed the tangled passages, gradually unwinding the tangle. Having killed the Minotaur, Theseus found a way back from the labyrinth and led out all the people to freedom.

· heel of Achilles, Achilles' heel

In Greek mythology, Achilles was one of the most powerful and brave heroes. He was mentioned in the Homer's “Iliad”. The mother of Achilles dipped him in the sacred Styx River to make her son's body invulnerable. Dipping him into the water, she was holding her son by the heel, which did not touch the water, so the heel remained the only vulnerable place of Achilles, where he was mortally wounded by the arrow of Paris. The popular expression "Achilles heel" is used in the meaning: the weak side, the vulnerable place of something or somebody.

· sword of Damocles.

The expression originated from ancient Greek legend that was told by Cicero (in Lat. Cicero, onis m) in the work "Tusculan conversations". Damocles, who was one of the Syracusan tyrant Dionysius’s friends (432-367 B.C.), began speaking enviously of him as one of the happiest men on the Earth. Dionysius, in order to teach Damocles not to be envious, asked him to change places. During the feast Damocles saw a sharp sword that was hanging over his head. Dionysius explained that sword was the emblem of those dangers that he, as a ruler, was constantly exposed, despite the seemingly happy life. Hence the expression "sword of Damocles" received the meaning of threatening danger.

· wooden horse, Grecian horse

It is one of the expressions that was appeared from legends about the Trojan War and it is used in the sense of dangerous gifts that carry death for those who receive them. The Danais after a long and unsuccessful siege of walls of Troya resorted to cunning trick: they built a huge wooden horse, left it at the walls of the town, and pretended to swim off the coast of Troya. Prophetess Cassandra asked the people of Troya not to take this present, but Trojans dragged the horse into the city. Priest Lacoon, seeing this horse, exclaimed: "Whatever it is, I'm afraid of Danai people, even when they bring gifts!" At night, the Danais, who were hiding inside the horse, came out from the horse, killed the guards, opened the city gates and captured Troya.

In Latin the expression «Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes» (in English: I'm afraid of Danai people, even when they bring gifts), became a proverb. Hence the expression "Trojan Horse" means: a secret, insidious, dangerous design.

· the Golden fleece. The Argonauts.

In ancient Greek myths it is said that the hero Jason went to Colchis (the eastern coast of the Black Sea) to obtain the Golden Fleece (gold sheep wool), which was guarded by a horrible dragon and bulls. Jason built the ship "Argo" (fast) and later, the sailors who were on the board of this ship were called Argonauts. With the help of the magician Medea, who was the princess of Colchis, Jason, having overcome all obstacles, successfully captured the Golden Fleece. The Golden Fleece means gold, wealth, which the people would like to have; Argonauts - brave seafarers, adventurers.

· Golden Rain

The expression originated from the Greek myth of Greek god Zeus, who was captivated by the beauty of Danae, the daughter of the Argos king Akrisia, who appeared to her in the form of a golden rain, after which the boy Perseus was born. Expression “golden rain” means: big money, easily received wealth.

· Pandora's box

The world's first mythological woman Pandora received a present from Zeus. It was a beautifully decorated box. She was told not to open this box. Pandora could not resist the temptation and despite the strict ban, opened Zeus’s present and immediately, a lot of horrible creatures, such as: earthquakes, famine, flood, hunger, trouble, misfortune escaped from the box and flew to the Earth. When Pandora rushed to the box and looked inside, she saw a very little creature with broken wings. It was Hope. Now, expression «Pandora's box» means that some actions can lead to irreversible consequences.

· Panic fear

The expression is used in the meaning an unconscious, sudden, strong fear, encompassing many people that cause confusion. It was originated from the Greek myths about Pan the god of forests and fields. According to the myths, Pan brings a sudden and unconscious horror to people, especially on travelers in secluded places, as well as to troops fleeing from it to flight.

· apple of discord

This expression means to be the subject, the cause of the quarrel or enmity. It was used for the first time by the Roman historian Justinian in the II^nd century A.D. It is based on the Greek myth. The goddess of discord Eris drove a golden apple between the quests at the wedding feast with the inscription: "For the most Beautiful." The goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, who were among the guests, began to argue who would get the apple. The quarrel was resolved by Paris, the son of the Trojan king Priam, who gave the apple to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. In gratitude, Aphrodite helped Paris to steal Elena; the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus and after that the Trojan War began.

· the torments of Tantalus

In Greek mythology, Tantalus was the king of Phrygia and was a favorite of the gods, who was often invited to their feasts. But, being proud of his position, he insulted the gods, for which he was severely punished. According to Homer (Odysseus, II, 582-592), his punishment was to stay in Tartarus (hell) forever and experience the intolerable torments of thirst and hunger. When he wanted to drink water and lifted the head to the river, the water disappeared; the trees were hanging up their branches when he wanted to eat fruit. Hence the expression "the torments of Tantalus " means: intolerable torments because of the impossibility of achieving the desired goal, despite its proximity.

· labor of Sisyphus; Sisyphean labor.

Expression is used in the meaning: heavy, endless and fruitless work. This expression originated from Greek mythology. Corinthian king Sisyphus for insulting the gods was punished by Zeus to eternal torment in Hades: he had to roll a huge stone on the mountain, which, reaching 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 (the 1^st century B.C.)

Phraseological units enrich our speech, make it more imaginative and they have become an integral part of our life.

References:

1. Латинсько - український, українсько – латинський словник / Л.П. Скорина, О.А. Скорина. – К.: Обереги, 2004. – 448с.

2. Українсько – латинсько- англійський медичний енциклопедичний словник / Петрух Л.І., Головко І.М. Том 4. – К.: ВСВ «Медицина», 2009. – 593с.