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The story of Achilles and his struggle with losing a loved one (Patroclus) in The Iliad is used by the artist here to express the artist’s own struggle with loss, as well as representation of mental illness. It is feared that Achilles may take his own life briefly after being told of Patroclus’s death, so I guess this song is not entirely off-base with the reference to suicidality and self-worth, but Achilles seemed far more interested with revenge than hurting himself. However, considering the danger that came from Achilles’s love for Patroclus, this song is spot on in that regard.

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This might be a stretch, but it seems to me that the Disney princess Aurora was named after the Roman goddess of dawn. I mean, the whole premise of her story is to be woken from slumber, just like dawn is the break between sleep and wakefulness. This is a very clever use of Roman mythology if it is true, and I would not be surprised if it is. It just makes too much sense.

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“In Greek mythology, Helios was the Titan god of the sun and closely associated with the sense of sight. The association with insight and light is why we chose to name our company after this great mythological figure. Helios has a goal as a company to help business owners by shining a light on your data and giving you the insight you need to make better business decisions. So it’s no wonder we identify with this ancient Greek titan here in our modern California offices.” 

I feel like this company took a name from a hat of Greek names and, once picked, had a brain storm session to come up with ways to fit it into what the company does. It just seems like they could have used any god, king, etc. to work with and their description of why they chose “Helios” is a bit vague in my opinion, like it was a last minute decision. Maybe I’m being too harsh, but I think it’s weird and makes very little sense.

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This is a magic item in the game Dungeons and Dragons. It increases the speed at which the wearer moves. It is obvious that these are reminiscent of the shoes the god Hermes is often depicted as wearing, suggesting that this is the source of inspiration. Although they are not sandals, which is the most common depiction of Hermes’s shoes, they still look like a shoe that may have come from that era/location or sometime/someplace similar (maybe?).

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This is actually a very good use of the Greek goddess. Hestia is entirely dedicated to a peaceful home, which is exactly what this house advocates for. Also, by calling it “A light in the darkness”, it sounds like an allusion to Hestia’s sacred flame. A job well done here.

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Cerberus, the guard to the gates of Hell, otherwise known as bankruptcy. I love how this company associates a lack of money with actual death. Capitalism at its finest. 

As a side note, I really hope they have an office dog at every location. 

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I can see (pun intended) how this works for a glasses brand name. Glasses work by focusing light correctly into the eye, kind of like how water droplets distort sunlight to create the effect of a rainbow. It is a bit of a reach, but I can see the link. Iris is also a messenger of the gods and gives people messages in the form of visions sometimes, so that makes sense, too. 

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This is an organization that honors women leadership. I will say Athena is a good choice for this since she is a very strong figure in Greek mythology, especially for women. Although, I’m sure the criteria on what the organization is honoring is not based on war efforts. Slight difference.

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I am sure we all know the classic arrow-through-the-heart symbol that is common for Valentine’s Day decorations. The arrow is of course referencing Cupid, the son of Venus, who is modernly depicted as having a bow and arrow that, once a person is shot by it, that person falls in love. In The Aeneid, Cupid’s intervention did not go so well for Dido, and the love Cupid forced her into ended up killing her. So, Cupid’s arrows are not always a good thing to be struck by. Sorry, Valentine’s Day lovers.

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Gilgamesh is alluded to in Star Trek when Jean-Luc Picard is trying to communicate with an alien race that only speaks in metaphors concerning mythology and folklore. He uses the epic to try to explain that he wishes to be friends with the alien. I like this use of the story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu, as it emphasizes the bond formed in the epic between two highly different individuals.

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I see what this company was trying to do, but it falls flat a little. A trident is used as a weapon, namely by Poseidon. The similarity here is that the gum fights cavities like a trident fights things. The fatal flaw is that tridents make cavities in bodies, whereas the gum is supposed to protect teeth from them. It’s a bit backward. Maybe some famous shield would have made more sense for what the appeal is for this gum.

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Apologies if you cannot read French, but translated the website advertises that it is “The benchmark for online auctions of city hall property, public bodies and large companies”. We have used the term “agora” for our discussion posts, so this is kind of the same concept. It is a place for the public to meet and interact. I approve of this usage; it does make sense for what it is.

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Okay, not bad. Zeus is the god of lightning and he sure is known for it. Although, he typically uses his electric power to instill fear into others, not to power a home... But, if you are going to name an electrical system based on any Greek god, it would be Zeus, so it’s hard to fault it for that. Not to mention that is some powerful electricity coming from Zeus. Except “reliability” is a questionable characteristic for the son of Cronus.

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I don’t know if using Troy is the best way to advertise the unbreakable power of something, let alone a contraceptive, when Troy was defeated through accidentally letting in the enemy. This is actually the worst use of the story of the Trojans. Not to mention it was the descendants of Troy who built Rome. You know, descendants that probably would not have existed with effective birth control methods. Yikes.

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Wait, why? The only connection I can make between Icarus and alcohol is the term “flight”. Otherwise, I have no idea why this company decided to use the name Icarus. Don’t drink and fly high with wax wings, kids.

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Well, upon further research on this, hairlessness was apparently a symbol of high status in Rome, so I suppose this is correct usage of the Roman goddess Venus for a beauty product. I’m sure the Romans would have appreciated a razor this nice.

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Just putting it out there: I think Ajax is stronger than a lot of other things besides dirt. Ajax also killed a lot of people in a war and I do not think he was very much concerned for the blood stains or cleaning at all, really. It made the point that it’s strong, sure, but not much else is accurate here.