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| Daughter of Oedipus who performed funeral rights over her brother, Polynices, in defiance of Creon's order. Her story can be seen as symbolic of the choice between God's authority and civil authority, or the choice between justice and law. |
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In Greek mythology, she was a huntress who promised to marry any man who could outrun her in a footrace. She was defeated by Hippomenes, who threw three golden apples to distract her as she ran. She is the archetype of speed, strength, and daring, foiled by a trick of the intellect.
Ex. The Hunger Games |
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| In Greek mythology, Atlas was one the Titans who rebelled against Zeus. As punishment for his actions, he was condemned to forever hold up the heavens on his shoulders (literally "has the weight of the world on his shoulders") |
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| In Matthew, Christ said "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word...of God." In other words, not all human needs are met by food; human kindness is important as well. Also refers to the idea that faith can provide spiritual sustenance. |
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In Genesis, Cain murdered his brother Abel out of jealousy. This became a theological reference to innocent blood, and the archetypal brother-vs.-brother conflict.
Ex. Dante's Inferno |
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| Camel through a Needle's Eye |
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| Jesus criticized the Pharisees for striving to strain out a gnat, yet being willing to swallow a camel. In Matthew and Luke, he stated that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. |
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In Greek mythology, Cassandra was a daughter of Priam, king of Troy during the Trojan War, who possessed the gift of prophecy but was fated by Apollo never to be believed. As an allusion, she represents an accurate but unheeded prophet of doom.
She recognized the Trojan horse, but no one believed her. |
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| In John, a woman caught in adultery was to be publicly stoned. But Jesus said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her..." This is a warning against hypocrisy. |
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| Cast thy Bread Upon the Waters |
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From Ecclesiastes, this injunction advises us to share our wealth with those who need it and says that it shall be returned to us.
Tide goes out and always comes back in.
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| In Acts, Saul, a Roman citizen, actively persecuted the new Christian believers. While on the road to Damascus, Saul was blinded by a "light from heaven" and heard the words of god. Three days later, he accepted baptism and the "scales" fell from his eyes. Saul is known as St. Paul, one of the major figures in the early Christian church. |
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| The death of Christ on the cross, believed by Christians to be the sacrifice that redeemed fallen humankind. |
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| In Greek mythology, Daedalus, the greatest architect, designed the labyrinth that held captive the Minotaur of Crete. Imprisoned along with his son Icarus, he designed wings of wax and feathers that would allow them to escape. Despite warnings not to fly too high, Icarus soared too close to the son god Apollo. The wax on his wings melted and he plunged to his death. It is symbolic of the danger involved in daring to enter "the realm of the gods" |
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| A symbol of impending peril in Greek mythology. Damocles was seated at a sumptuous banquet only to look up to see a sword suspended by a thread over his head. This spoiled his pleasure. In modern literary usage, the term indicates impending disaster. |
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| In Greek mythology, these were two inseperable friends who would lay down their lives for one another. They symbolize lasting friendship. |
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| This biblical hero was cast into the lions' den to punish him for his fidelity to his Christian God; he was divinely delivered. The tale of Daniel in the lions' den is representative of extreme bravery and unwaverig faith in the face of adversity. Daniel also interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream; thus an allusion to Daniel in literature may also be interpreted as referring to an uncanny ability to "read the handwriting on the wall." |
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| In Samuel, David had an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba.When she became pregnant, David sent her husband, Uriah, into battle where he was killed. David and Bathsheba married. The child conceived during their affair died, but Bathsheba later gave birth to Solomon. |
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| As a young man, David slew the "giant" Philistine champion, Goliath. The battle and victory became very symbolic of the just defeating the unjust, despite the latter's superior strength. |
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Greek and Roman name, respectively, of the god of wine, revelry, the power of nature, fertility, and emotional ecstasy. He is usually thought of in terms of overuse or excess. Ancient drama festivals were dedicated to him.
Today he is representative of the Nietzschean philosophy, the creative-intuitive principle. |
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| Divide the Sheep from the Goats |
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| This phrase refers to the biblical parable explaining the time of judgement, when the faithful (good and saved) would be separated from the unfaithful (condemned). It alludes to the division of the true from the false, the worthy from the unworthy. |
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| Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse |
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| In Revelation, John prophesies the end of the world, the final struggle between good and evil. He uses the metaphor of four enormously powerful horsemen as the ultimate destructive forces of divine retribution: war, death, plague, and famine. In literature, the four horsemen remain symbolic of powerful destructive forces. |
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| This is the garden outside Jerusalem where the agony and betrayal of Jesus took place. Symbolically, a place of great physical or psychological suffering. |
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| In spite of long-standing mutual hatred between Jews and Samaritans, a good Samartian stopped to help a Jew who had been waylaid by thieves, thereby becoming the prototype of a good neighbor. The term has come to mean anyone who stops to help a stranger in need. |
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| Subject of multiple legends, most prominently as the chalice or cup that caught the blood from Christ's side and which he used at the Last Supper; probably of even more ancient origin as a fertility symbol. In Arthurian legend, it is the object of a quest on the parts of the Knights of the Round Table. The holy grail brings health and sustenance to those who hold it and may be found only by the pure of heart. |
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In Proverbs, it is said that if you treat your enemy with kindness, it will sting him as though you had "heap[ed] coals of fire" upon him.
Teaches a lesson in mercy and cautions "be kind to your enemy" |
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King of the Jews who ruled Judaea at the time of Jesus' birth. In order to assure his reign, he is reputed to have ordered the massacre of Bethlehem's male children born within a year of Chirst's birth.
"To author Herod" is to surpass the evil of the worst tyrant. |
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| In John, Christ assured Peter that his father's house (heaven) has many mansions. In other words, there is room in heaven for all that believe. |
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| In Greek mythology, she was the eldest child of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. She was sacrificed by her father in exchange for a guarante of fair winds for the Greek fleet on its way to Troy. |
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| In Genesis, Isaac's son Jacob was a recipient of the promise or covenant with God. |
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| The biblical patriarch whose twelve sons were the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel; his name was later changed to Israel. |
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| In Genesis, Jacob and Esau were the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. Esau, who was born first, was stronger than his birthright in a moment of weakness; later, through artful manipulation, Jacob received his father's blessing, originally meant for Esau. A liteary referance to the pair may allude to discord between siblings, to the politics of birthright, or to the idea of the fortunate or favored son. |
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| In Genesis, Jacob dreamed of a ladder from Earth to heaven and heard the voice of God promise land and favor his descendants. He awoke to place the stone on which he had been sleeping as the first stone of the future temple of god. The ladder is symbolic of the path to God and to Heaven. The dream also contains referances to the Promised Land to the covenant with the "Chosen people" |
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| Originally, in Isaiah's prophecy, this was the servant of the lord who took the sins of his people on himself, and sacrificed himself for their expiation...The Christian beliefe is that he atones for the sins of all men bu taking them upon himself and sacrificing his life in fullfillment of Isaiah's very specific prophecy. |
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| The forerunner of Christ's ministry |
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| In Genesis, Joseph was the eleventh of Jacob's sons. His brothers became jealous of him and sold him into slavery. He accuratley interperated the Pharoh's dream of seven lean cattle swallowing up seven fat cattle to mean that famine would follow years of plenty. The pharoh needed heeded warning, grain was stored, and Egypt was saved. Joseph ultimatley forgave his brothers and shared grain with their tribes. |
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| The model for later Christian saints who died to protect their virginity |
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| King who sacrificed his daughter, Iphigenia, to win god's favor for his war against Troy. |
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| In Samuel II, Absalom was David's favorite son who was killed in battle while attempting to uphold his father's throne |
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| In Leviticus, the passage, "Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth" recommends the practice of exacting specific equal punishment for a transgression or injury |
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| Joseph was made governor of all the lands of Egypt, shared grain with his brother's tribes, and brought about the migrations of Jacob and all his family to Egypt. |
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| In Greek mythology, Laius was the father of Oedipus and the original husband of Jocasta. Killed by Oedipus in fullfillment of the oracle, Laius is a major figure in the Laius-Jocasta-Oedipus myth in which the son kills his father and takes his place as both king and husband. The tale is symbolic of the inevitable usurpation of father by son, a familiar theme in folklore |
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| Joseph and Potiphar's wife |
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| In Genesis, Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Joseph. When he refused, she accused him of attempted rape, and he wass imprisoned. He was released by the Pharoh in order to interpret his dream. |
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| In greek mythology, Hercules had to perform twelve fabulous tasks of enormous difficulty before becoming immortal; Killing the Nemean lion; killing the Hydral capturing the oxen of Geryon; cleaning the Augean stabes; capturing the Cretan bull; capturing the horses of diomedes; capturing the girdle of hippolyta; killing the monster gorgon. |
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| Know them by their fruits |
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| In Matthew, Christ warns against wolves in sheep's clothing. He instructs his followers to know them by their fruits: "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can corrupt trees bring forth good fruit". This injunction entreats us to judge others by their actions rather thatn their appearances. |
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