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1、ImpactofGreekMythologyonWesternCultureGreekmythology'simpactonmodernsocietiescannotbeunderstated.Modernlanguage,industry,artsandculturealldemonstratetheimpactofGreekmythologyintoday'sworld.Forexample,mostpeoplewhohavenoformalknowledgeofGreekmythologystillknowthatHercules
2、wasastrongmanandthatVenus(theRomanversionoftheGreekAphrodite)isthegoddessoflove.TheImpactofGreekMythologyonLanguageVeryfewpeoplespeakancientGreekonaregularbasis,butGreekmythologyhasshapedEnglishandotherlanguagesonmanylevels.A"Herculeantask,"forexample,isonethatrequiresgr
3、eateffort.ThisphrasecomesfromamythabouttheTwelveLaborsofHercules. ThedrugmorphinetakesitsnamefromtheGreekGodofSleep,Morpheus."Venerealdisease"isaratherunflatteringreferencetoVenus.Thegoddessoflovefaresbetterintheterm"aphrodisiac",referringtoanysubstanceorcircumstancethat
4、arousessexualdesire. Tothisday,anunpleasantwomanmaybecalleda"harpy"(awingedmonsterwithawoman'storsoandabird'sfeet).Alternately,ahandsomemanisan"Adonis,"themortalmansobeautifulthatAphroditeherselffellinlovewithhim. Wecallcomputerviruses"Trojans,"aratherunfaircomparisonwit
5、htheTrojans,aswe'reactuallyreferringtotheGreek-builtTrojanhorse,usedbytheGreekstoinfiltrateTroyandendtheTrojanWar.TheimpactofGreekmythologyonwesterncultureandlanguageisn'tconfinedtoindividualwords.Manyexpressions,proverbsandclichésaredirectreferencestoancientGreekmyths.F
6、orexample,theexpressions"caughtbetweenarockandahardplace"and"betweentheDevilandthedeepbluesea"bothcomefromtalesaboutsailorsbeingcaughtbetweenthemonstersScyllaandCharybdisofGreekmythology.OthercommonexpressionsthatdemonstrateGreekmythology'simpactonmodernsocietiesinclude:
7、·anAchillesheel(asinglefatalvulnerability)·havingtheMidastouch(everythingturnstogold)·lyinginthearmsofMorpheus(sleeping)·openingPandora'sBox(unlockingaworldoftrouble)·richasCroesus(Croesuswasknownforhiswealth)·thefacethatlaunchedathousandships(awomanworthgoingtowarfor).C
8、ulturalImpactofGreekMythologyintheWestGreekmythology'simpactonmodernsocietiesisoftenseenintheartsandpop
