To this day, phraseological units borrowed from ancient times have been preserved in Russian and other languages of the world. “Gordian Knot”, “Tantalum Torment”, “Procrustean Bed”, “Sword of Damocles” and others.
Do we know what these expressions meant in the past? The original meaning of some of them has been forgotten by modern man, so I would like to refresh my memory of those distant years.
Probably everyone has heard the expression “I carry everything with me,” which reminds us of the most important values a person has - intelligence and resourcefulness. Historians who study Ancient Rome claim that when the Persians conquered the Greek city of Priene, most of the inhabitants, taking their property, began to run away. But the weight of the load significantly reduced their speed.
The sage followed the fleeing lightly. People asked why he didn't take anything with him. To which the sage replied: “I carry everything I own with me.” Along the way, the refugees abandoned some of their property, since they did not have the strength to carry everything with them. The sage had to feed people with what he could get along the way or what people in other cities gave him.
If a person has received intelligence from nature, he will not be lost in life, even if he is left without a roof over his head and a penny of money.
Perhaps the most commonly used phraseological unit these days, which came from antiquity, is “white crow.” It never occurred to me that this expression was uttered in his satire by the Roman poet Juvenal, who lived two thousand years ago.
It sounds like this: Rock gives kingdoms to slaves, brings triumphs to captives. However, such a lucky person is rarer than a black sheep.
Albinism, that is, the absence of the pigment responsible for the color of the animal, is rarely found in nature.
It is especially rare to see a white crow. Since then, white crows have been called people who clearly stand out in society for their appearance, life position or behavior.
In the East there is a similar expression - “white elephant”. Albino elephants are a very rare phenomenon, which is why the white elephant is considered a sacred animal in Southeast Asian countries.
“Achilles' heel” - this is what we say when we want to talk about the weakest and most vulnerable physical and moral sides of a person. This expression comes from a myth that tells how the mother of Achilles (Achilles) decided to make her son’s body invulnerable. Holding the baby by the heel, she dipped him into the sacred river Styx.
Many years later, during a battle with the Greeks, on whose side Achilles fought, the god Apollo, knowing about the vulnerability of Achilles’ heel, aimed an arrow at exactly that place. The wound was small, but it turned out to be fatal.
The phraseology "Ariadne's thread", which comes from the myth of the Athenian hero Theseus, sounds beautiful and fairy-tale-like. Theseus had to fight the monster Minotaur, who lived in a tangled labyrinth from which no one could get out. The daughter of the Cretan king Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of thread, which led him out of the labyrinth after defeating the Minotaur.
We use this expression to indicate a means by which one can get out of a difficult situation.
The often used expression “rise from the ashes” appeared thanks to the fabulous Phoenix bird.
It is interesting that they knew about the Phoenix in many countries: Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and others.
This amazing bird is described in the ancient Russian book “Golden Matitsa”. When the Phoenix became old, it rose high into the sky, took fire there and burned itself and its nest. From those ashes he was soon reborn again. And so it happened.
If they wanted to say that something that had perished and fallen into disrepair was reborn and flourished again, then they said: “Rise from the ashes.”
The expression “Gordian knot” comes from ancient Greek mythology. Here is how it was. Phragia was left without a ruler. The oracle predicted that the one whom the Thracians would meet first on the road leading to the temple of Zeus would become king. This man turned out to be a simple farmer, Thrace, who was riding a cart to the temple.
Having ascended the throne, Thrace placed a cart in the citadel of the city he founded, thanks to which he became a ruler. He tied the yoke of the cart with a most complex knot of dogwood bast.
The legend said: whoever unravels that Gordian knot will become the ruler of all Asia. In 334 BC, Alexander the Great conquered the capital of Thrace. Ancient historians write that Macedonian cut the Gordian knot with one blow of his sword. The priests interpreted this event as follows: he would conquer the whole world not with diplomacy, but with the sword. According to other sources, Alexander removed the hook from the front end of the drawbar and thus easily released the yoke.
Be that as it may, no one was able to unravel the Gordian knot, so in a figurative sense this phrase means a complex, confusing matter. And the expression “cutting the Gordian knot” means finding a solution in a quick, straightforward way.
The phraseology “sword of Damocles” appeared from the ancient Greek legend about the Syracuse tyrant Dionysius. Dionysius' favorite Damocles considered his master the happiest man in the world. Once Dionysius invited the favorite to take his place on the throne for a day.
Damocles was seated in the sovereign's place. The servants fulfilled his every wish. At the height of the feast, Damocles saw a sword hanging on a horsehair above his head. So Dionysius made it clear that the ruler always lives on the verge of death.
In a figurative sense, the “sword of Damocles” means: a constantly looming threat despite apparent prosperity.
The phraseological phrase “Procrustean bed” is used when they want to say that a person is placed in a strict framework that does not allow him to take initiative. Having learned about the origin of this expression, it is unlikely that anyone will want to use it.
In ancient times, when the gods lived on Olympus, the cruel robber Procrustes operated in Attica. These days he would be called a maniac. Procrustes cunningly lured travelers to his house, where two beds were prepared for them - a large and a small one. He laid tall travelers on the small one and, so that they corresponded to the size of the bed, chopped off the parts of the body that did not fit with an ax. He laid the short ones on the large bed and stretched them out so that they occupied the entire bed.
Procrustes had to answer for his crimes. The Greek hero Theseus caught him and executed him in the same way as he did to travelers.
They often say “burn the ships,” which means taking a decisive step after which you can’t go back to the way things were.
Ancient Troy was besieged by the Achaeans for ten years. Finally they broke into the city and opened the gates. The Trojan warriors fled. Then their wives, in order to stop the shameful flight, burned all the Trojan ships in the harbor.
“Draconian measures” - this is what they say about the harsh measures used in punishment. This has nothing to do with the dragon (animal).
In the first millennium BC, the famous legislator Drakon, or Drakon (emphasis on the first syllable) lived in Athens. He became famous for compiling a set of very harsh laws for the Athenian state. The death penalty occupied a dominant place in the punishments determined by the laws of the Dragon.
The list of phraseological units that came into our language from antiquity can be continued, but within the framework of one article this is an impossible task.
Sword of Damocles
Sword of Damocles
From the essay “Tusculan Conversations.” Roman statesman, orator and writer Cicero (Marcus Tullius Cicero, 106 - 43 BC). In this work, he reports the ancient Greek oral tradition about the Syra-Cuzan tyrant (that is, ruler) Dionysius the Elder (432-367 BC) and his courtier named Damocles. Everyone knew that Damocles was passionately jealous of the tyrant and spoke of him as the happiest man who had achieved everything he could wish for. Dionysius himself knew about this. And, wanting to teach the envious man a lesson, he arranged a magnificent feast, invited Damocles to it and even seated him in his place. In the midst
During the feast, Damocles saw that a heavy sword was hanging right above his head, held in the air by only a horse hair...
Then Dionysius the Elder told all those gathered that now his envious Damocles felt what he, Dionysius, as the ruler of the city, constantly experiences - a feeling of constant fear for his life. So Damocles should not envy him.
Hence the expression “sword of Damocles,” which presumably gave birth to other similar images - “hanging by a thread,” “being on the brink of death,” etc.
Allegorically: a constant threat that at any moment can become a real disaster.
Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M.: “Locked-Press”. Vadim Serov. 2003.
Sword of Damocles
The expression originated from an ancient Greek legend told by Cicero in his essay “Tusculan Conversations”. Damocles, one of the close associates of the Syracuse tyrant Dionysius the Elder (432 - 367 BC), began to enviously speak of him as the happiest of people. Dionysius, in order to teach the envious man a lesson, put him in his place. During the feast, Damocles saw a sharp sword hanging above his head from a horsehair. Dionysius explained that this is an emblem of the dangers to which he, as a ruler, is constantly exposed, despite his seemingly happy life. Hence the expression “sword of Damocles” received the meaning of impending, threatening danger.
Dictionary of catch words. Plutex. 2004.
Synonyms:
See what the “Sword of Damocles” is in other dictionaries:
A sword hung by a thread, by order of the Syracusan tyrant Dionysius, over the head of his courtier Damocles or Damocles, when the latter was jealous of the position of Dionysius and wanted to be in his place. “Such is the happiness of kings,” said Dionysius, “they... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
Sword of Damocles, threat, danger Dictionary of Russian synonyms. sword of Damocles noun, number of synonyms: 3 sword of Damocles (3) ... Synonym dictionary
Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
SWORD OF DAMOCLES. see sword. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 … Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
Modern encyclopedia
Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
According to Greek legend, the Syracuse tyrant Dionysius I (late 5th century BC) offered the throne for one day to his favorite Damocles, who considered Dionysius the happiest of mortals. In the midst of the fun at the feast, Damocles suddenly saw a naked man above his head... Historical Dictionary
A constantly threatening danger hanging over someone despite apparent prosperity. According to ancient Greek legend, the Syracusan tyrant Dionysius I the Elder (late 5th-4th centuries BC) offered the throne for one day to his favorite Damocles, who considered... ... Political science. Dictionary.
Sword of Damocles- SWORD OF DAMOCLES. According to Greek legend, the Syracusan tyrant Dionysius I (late 5th century BC) offered the throne for one day to his favorite Damocles, who considered Dionysius the happiest of mortals. In the midst of the fun at the feast, Damocles suddenly saw overhead... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (foreign language) constantly threatening danger Wed. Life is a cruel necessity... the sword of Damocles always hangs over (creatures). Saltykov. Variegated letters. 1. Wed. In a government institution... the sword of Damocles of severity and exactingness hung over everyone’s head... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary
Books
- Sword of Damocles over the throne of stars, Tatyana Stepanova. This serial killer's calling card is a metal badge with numbers stamped on it. He attaches it to the bodies of his victims: a six-fingered pimp, a zoo circus owner, in cold blood...
Philologist, candidate of philological sciences, poet, member of the Union of Writers of Russia.
Publication date: 10/01/2018
An acute sense of impending threat can sometimes haunt every person; this can be associated with family, work, study, health, or any kind of activity.
Why is the threat that causes such an experience called the “sword of Damocles”, where did the stable expression come from in our speech, what kind of sword is it and why is it “Damocles”? Detailed information and answers to questions are posted below.
The meaning of phraseology
“is a threat hanging over someone, which at first glance is not visible from the outside.
The story mentioned by Cicero and Horace describes imaginary prosperity, behind the screen of which there is the threat of death. In other words, it is a feeling of constant threat that can develop into real danger.
Of course, when it comes to material wealth, no one wants to lose comfort with privileges and great opportunities, so a person’s internal state can be under great stress. Such circumstances and the inability to control oneself in them can lead to undesirable consequences, for example, quarrels at home or disagreements at work.
To better understand the meaning of the expression “Sword of Damocles”, it is worth paying attention to examples of its citation. Herzen A.I. in the work “The Past and Thoughts” he wrote:
I can’t say that he (the police supervision) was very bothersome, but the unpleasant feeling of the Damocles cane raised by the policeman’s hand is very disgusting.
Or, another example from Gustave Flaubert, who in Madame Bovary refers to the figurative meaning of the phrase:
“The government is persecuting us, and the ridiculous legislation we have in place hangs over our heads like the sword of Damocles.”
As you can see, phraseological units in fiction are used in different situations, under contradictory circumstances, but with the same meaning of “impending threat.”
The origin of the phraseological unit ""
To learn about the history of the expression, let's turn to ancient Greek myths and legends. There is a legend about the Syracusan tyrant Dionysius the Elder and his favorite Damocles. From the outside it seemed to everyone that the king’s life was easy and carefree; many wanted to live such a life. The ruler, who had long observed the envy of his entourage, decided for a day to allow one of them (Damocles) to become ruler.
The servants fulfilled all the wishes of Damocles, dressed him in luxurious clothes and seated him on the throne, and held a feast in his honor. Pleased with what was happening, during the celebration, Damocles raised his head up and saw a sword hanging on a horsehair, the tip of which was pointed directly at his head.
At that moment, he froze and realized that it is precisely the feeling of constant danger that every ruler experiences, whose life is always on the verge of death.
"Sword of Damocles" | Illustration: img.buzzfeed.com
The history of the origin of the phraseological unit hides another subtext of its meaning: “do not envy prosperity,” because it was envy that served as the reason for preparing such an instructive lesson for the king’s subordinates.
As a result, Dionysius clearly showed everyone close to him, including Damocles, the true life of the ruler and dispelled the illusion of a visible carefree reality.
“The Sword of Damocles” is an impending danger that can become a reality at any inopportune moment, for which you must be prepared, not succumb to emotions, but, like the ancient Greek king, have extraordinary restraint.
Legends of deep antiquity
The expression “sword of Damocles” appeared in our everyday life from the myths of Ancient Greece. What does it mean? According to Greek legend, a certain kingdom was ruled by the cruel tyrant of Syracuse, Dionysius the Elder.
A little history
Ruler Dionysius the Elder came from a lower class. After the victory of the Carthaginians, the Agrigentans decided that the reason for the defeat was the inability of the commanders sent to them from Syracuse. Dionysius, in order to protect himself, accused the latter of treason and achieved the election of new commanders. Soon he managed to overthrow his comrades and became the sole commander in chief. At the age of 25, the ruler, with the help of the army he bribed, received as his wife the daughter of Hermocrates, who was very respected at that time. He managed to pacify two uprisings and make peace with the Carthaginians. But wars continued throughout his reign. He dreamed of expelling the Carthaginians from Sicily forever. In 367, Dionysius died without fulfilling his intention. His memory in history is tarnished by his inhuman cruelty and suspicion.
Legend "Tusculan Conversations"
He was the only ruler; the king had everything in abundance. The kingdom flourished, its subjects were loyal and devoted to it. Dionysius ate and drank from gold, fought and spent time in feasts and amusements. In general, he lived as befits the first person of the state in those days. From the outside it seemed that Dionysius’ life was simple, easy and carefree. And the sovereign had a close nobleman (favorite) Damocles, who considered Dionysius the happiest of mortals and dreamed of taking his throne at least for one day. Damocles was jealous of his king, but at the same time flattered him in every possible way.
Sword of Damocles - legend
And then one day Dionysius decided to teach a lesson to the flatterer, who believed that becoming a king would make him the happiest man on earth. During the feast, the ruler ordered the envious nobleman to be dressed luxuriously, anointed with fragrant oil, and seated in the place of the ruler. The subjects began to fuss, carrying out the order of Dionysius. Damocles was incredibly happy, but in the midst of the fun he saw a sword without a sheath above his head, which the ruler ordered to hang on a horsehair. Every minute the sword could fall on the nobleman’s head. And then he realized how illusory his apparent well-being was now. This sword has become a symbol of the dangers that constantly threaten the ruler. Thus, Dionysius, who at the end of his life became overly suspicious, wanted to show his envier that the tyrant is always on the verge of death, and his whole carefree life is not as easy and beautiful as it seems from the outside.
The essence of the legend
The sword of Damocles is a myth that despite apparent prosperity (throne and royal honors, luxurious clothes, etc.) a constant threat hangs over someone (a sword over the head). The tyrant asked the frightened nobleman: “Well, what do you say now, Damocles? Am I calm and happy on my throne?”
Use
Since that time, the expression “sword of Damocles” has been used when talking about an impending threat that could collapse at any moment. This sword symbolizes the inevitability, fate, illusory nature of well-being. It shows how fragile earthly happiness is.
Why is it interesting? phraseological unit “sword of Damocles”?
He takes us to ancient, but quite historical events.
let's consider the meaning, origin and sources of phraseological units, as well as examples from the works of writers.
The meaning of phraseology
Sword of Damocles - impending, threatening danger
Synonyms: threat, danger
In foreign languages there are direct analogues of the phraseological unit “sword of Damocles”:
- sword of Damocles (English)
- schwert des Damokles (German)
- épée de Damoclès (French)
Sword of Damocles: the origin of phraseological units
The history of the origin of this phraseological unit is simple and can be considered a good edifying lesson: the Syracuse tyrant Dionysius the Elder (432 - 367 BC) learned that his courtier Damocles enviously spoke of him as the happiest of people. Then Dionysius invited Damocles to the feast and seated him at his place.
Everything was fine, Damocles was surrounded by attention and care, but at some point he looked up and saw a heavy sword hanging above his head by one horse hair. The holiday was ruined... “Such is the happiness of kings,” said Dionysius, “they are in constant danger in the midst of their well-being.”
Dionysius knew well what he was talking about. Coming from a humble family, thanks to his intrigues and military victories, at the age of 25 he became the ruler of Syracuse in Sicily. He suppressed uprisings in Syracuse, waged a long war with Carthage, and expanded his small “empire.” He was distinguished by cruelty and manic suspicion.
Like some of the more famous tyrants in history (Nero, Stalin, Hitler), Dionysius had a penchant for art. For the Olympic Games of 388 BC. e. he sent rhapsodists to sing his poems, but was cruelly ridiculed.
Source
The oral tradition of this story was set out in the work “Tusculan Conversations” by the Roman statesman, orator and writer Cicero (106 - 43 BC).
The Roman poet Horace also mentions it in his “Odes.”
Examples from the works of writers
What is there to fight against the elements, if your credit is torn, if the sword of Damocles hangs over your own neck? (N. A. Nekrasov, “Song of Argus”)
The government is persecuting us, and the ridiculous legislation we have in force hangs over our heads like the sword of Damocles! (G. Flaubert, “Madame Bovary”)
What do I need such consolations over which the sword of Damocles of disappointment constantly hangs? Only one truth is safe. (L.N. Tolstoy, “The Teaching of Life”)
This example clearly shows unpredictability what specific phrase (whose name) will suddenly become a well-known phraseological unit. Although, perhaps, it is more predictable that one or another significant life phenomenon or human manifestation should sooner or later find a successful expression in our language.
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