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教学参考：读希腊罗马神话典故解英语习语

http://www.sina.com.cn 2004/04/16 20:29 英语辅导报

　　英语词汇学认为，有一些英语习语的理据与文化历史有密切的联系，它们包含了丰富的文化内容。这种习语叫作culturally-loaded idioms。希腊人创造了美丽的神话，后经罗马人进一步发展，并随着其扩张而影响深远。英语中很多习语有希腊罗马神话的渊源。了解这些神话背景，有助于了解这些习语的理据，也有助于一些文学作品的欣赏。下面是笔者收集的一些源于希腊、罗马神话的习语及简要神话背景，希望有助于相关习语的记忆与理解。

　　1.a Thyestean feast：a feast involving the eating of human flesh.一次人肉宴

　　In Greek legend,a curse,pronounced by a rival who died by Pelops' hand,plagued the descendants of Pelops.Pelops'sons Atreus,and Thyestes set upon a bloody course with the murder of their step-brother Chrysippus.After the crimethey fled their native city and stopped at Mycenae,where Atreus became king.But Thyestes either contestedAtreus'right to rule or seduced Atreus' wife,and thus was driven away.Toavenge himself,Thyestes sent Atreus'son,whom he had brought up as hisown to kill Atreus,but the boy was himself slain,unrecognized by his father .When Atreus learned the

　　identity of the boy,he recalled Thyestes to Mycenae in apparent reconciliation.At a banquet Atreus served Thyestes the flesh of Thyestes' own son whom Atreus had slain invengeance for the death of his own son.希腊神话,Thyestes为Atreus之弟,曾诱奸其嫂并逐兄篡位，后来Atreus复位，将Thyestes诸子杀死，设宴令Thyestes吃他儿子的肉。

　　2.as false as Cressida：used to describe those who forsake their lovers.负心如克瑞西达

　　Cressida,a Trojan woman whose father has defected to the Greeks,pledges her love to Troilus,one of King Priam's sons.However,when her father demands her presence in the Greek camp,she quickly switches her affections to Diomedes,the Greek soldier who is sent to escort her.克瑞西达，一个特洛伊妇女，她开始时回报特洛伊罗斯对她的爱，但后来又因为狄俄墨得斯而背弃了他。

　　3.a Sisyphean task：a fruitless or endless labor永远做不完的或无用的工作

　　Sisyphus was,in Greek mythology,the father of Odysseus.Legend related that when Death came to fetch him,Sisyphus chained him up so that no one died until Ares came to aid Death,and Sisyphus had to yield.In the meantime,Sisyphus had told his wife not to perform the usual sacrifices and to leave his body unburied.Thus,when he reached the under-world he was permitted to return to punish her for the omission.Once back at home,he continued to live to a ripe old age before dying a second time.He was punished in Hades by having repeatedly to roll a huge stone up a hill only to have it roll down again as soon as he had brought it to the summit.It is obvious that he is everlastingly punished in Hades as the penalty for cheating Death,but why he is set to roll a great stone incessantly is a puzzle to which no convincing answer has yet been given.It appears to belong with other Greek imaginings of the world of the dead as the scene of fruitless labors.西西弗斯是科林斯残暴的国王，被判以永远将一块巨石推上海蒂斯的一座小山，而每当接近山顶时，石头又会滚下来。

　　4.Apple of discord：the seed of quarrelling or hatred不和的种子Eris(the goddess of discord),alone of the gods was not invited to the marriage of Peleusand Thetis,she threw among the guests a golden apple inscribed"For the most beautiful.Hera,Athena,and Aphrodite each claimed it,and Zeus assigned the decision to Paris.Paris awarded the apple to Aphrodite,who then helped him win Helen of Troy.In the war that resulted,Hera and Athena remained implacable enemies of Troy.据希腊神话，天后Hera，爱神Aphrodite，智慧女神Athena因争不和女神Eris的金苹果而导致特洛伊战争。

　　5.Achilles'heels：the only vulnerable point唯一的致命弱点

　　In Greek mythology,Achilles was the bravest,handsomest,and greatest warrior of the army of Agamemnon in the Trojan War.Thetis the sea nymph ,his mother dipped him in the waters of the River Styx,by which he became invulnerable,except for the part of his heel by which she held him-thus the proverbial"Achilles' heel.阿基里斯，是珀琉斯和西蒂斯之子，杀害赫克托耳的人，因其母握其脚跟泡于冥河之中，除脚踵外全身刀枪不入。

　　6.Cadmean victory：victory brought at the expense of great loss以巨大牺牲换得的胜利

　　Cadmus,a Phoenician prince who killed a dragon and sowed its teeth,from which sprang up an army of men who fought one another until only five survived.Withthese five men Cadmus founded the city of Thebes.卡德斯种下龙牙，生成许多武士，几乎相互残杀殆尽，最后五个幸存者成为他的得力助手，帮他建立了底比斯城。

　　7.cutting the Gordian knot：a bold solution to a complicated problem以斩钉截铁的方式解决问题

　　In 333BC,Alexander the Great,reached the place Gordium.There he was shown the chariot of the ancient founder of the city,Gordius,with its yoke tied fastly to the pole by means of an intricate knot with its end hidden.According to oracle,this knot was to be untied only by the future conqueror of Asia.Alexander said that he could untie this knot,and sliced through the knot with his sword.The phrase"cutting the Gordian knothas thus come to indicate a bold solution to a complicated problem.Gordian knot(戈尔地雅斯难结),按神谕的说法，能解开此结者即可为亚细亚国王，后此结被亚历山大大帝挥刀切开。

　　8.Fall from Scylla into Charybdis：In a position where avoidance of one danger exposes one to another danger才出狼口又入虎穴

　　Scylla,a female sea monster with six heads,she enjoyed devouring sailors希拉，吞吃水手的女海妖。

　　Charybd is,a whirlpool off the Sicilian coast,personified as a ship-devouring sea monster and located opposite the cave of Scylla.卡律布迪斯,一个吞噬船只的海怪，位于希拉洞穴的对面。

　　(文/第二炮兵工程学院王朝晖；英语辅导报大学教师版03～04学年第13、14期；版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)

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