Mythology from Ancient Greece is still greatly entwined in culture today. Many modern day phrases originate from characters in Greek mythology, as do many themes and topics in modern literature. Some brand names and logos of present day companies are also derived from Ancient Greek myths. Everyday, Greek mythology remains very much a part of our lives through its influences on the language, literature, and marketing of today.
Many words and phrases we know today stem from characters in Greek mythology. For example, the word “tantalize” means “to tease or torment by or as if by presenting something desirable to the view but continually keeping it out of reach” (Tantalize). In Greek mythology, “Tantalus was a son of Zeus… [who] asked the gods to come to dine in his palace… [he] decided to sacrifice [his son, Pelops and] he made a stew of him and set the dish before the gods. But the Olympian gods detested human sacrifice” (D’aulaires 112). As punishment, Tantalus was “condemned to suffer forever in the underworld. He stood in water up to his neck, but could never quench his thirst, for whenever he bent to drink, the water receded. Above his head hung branches loaded with fruits, whenever he tried to pick one, the branch bent out of his reach” (D’aulaires 112). Tantalus’s eternal punishment for feeding his son to the gods was to forever be tantalized with the prospect of food or drink, but never to have either. In modern english, the word “tantalize” comes from the Greek myth