James Baquet Let’s continue with modern allusions based on the works of the ancient Greek author Homer. In one episode of “The Odyssey,” Odysseus and his men had to navigate between two hazards. On one side was Scylla, a six-headed monster; on the other, Charybdis, a whirlpool. Steering away from one meant being caught by the other. Today, when we face a risk at either of two extremes, we can talk of being “between Scylla and Charybdis.” Another problem Odysseus and his men faced was a group of creatures called sirens. Homer did not invent sirens; they were standard figures in Greek stories. A blend of women and birds, they would use their haunting voices to lure ships toward their island, where the ship would founder on the rocks. In modern usage, “siren” is the loud, wailing horn on police cars and ambulances. But we can also use “siren song” to talk about something attractive: “Following the siren song of success, he left his village and moved to the capital.” Yet another episode in “The Odyssey” sees the hero living on an island with a sea nymph named Calypso. This name has since been used to describe a style of music and accompanying dance from the islands of the Caribbean. Etymologists have sought to trace it to a native word from island peoples, but it may more simply be because it is something attractive from an island. An unusual kind of pants that stopped at mid-calf was popular in the 1950s; the style was called “calypso pants” or “calypsos” in association with the dance. Also, famed French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau named his research ship “Calypso.” Finally, let’s look at the word “palladium.” This was originally a statue of the goddess of wisdom, Pallas Athena, which protected Troy. It was stolen by Odysseus and a companion, and Virgil tells us it was taken to Troy. The word “palladium” can be used for any protective figure or amulet. But in 1910 a London circus manager named his new theater “The Palladium” in the mistaken belief that the ancient statue was a kind of building. It has become a common name for large theaters today. Vocabulary Which word above means: 1. steer a ship or airplane 2. dangers, risks 3. water moving in a circular, downward motion 4. the furthest ends of something 5. evocative, difficult to ignore 6. attract, call toward 7. be wrecked, sink 8. nature spirit 9. people who study word origins 10. lower part of the leg | 