The Facts on File Dictionary of Allusions - Green Valley High School

Caleb
74
Iphigenia to appease Artemis before the Greek
fl eet set sail, persuaded Agamemnon to surrender
his prize Chryseis to her father in order to halt a
plague sent by Apollo, and advised the Greeks to
build the trojan horse. He died of a broken heart
after Mopsus proved himself superior in his skills
as a prophet of future events. <strong>The</strong> president will miss
his closest aide, who has acted as Calchas to the party for
over a de cade.
Caleb (kayleb) A faithful servant. According to
Numbers 13:6 and 32:12, Caleb was one of those
chosen by Moses to spy out the land of Canaan. Of
the 12 men sent, only Caleb and Joshua returned
with a favorable report. For his loyal ser vice Caleb
was eventually granted Hebron as his inheritance.
“It is for you to say, with the faith of a Caleb, ‘Give
me this mountain’ ” (F. B. Meyer, Joshua, 1893).
calends (kalendz) <strong>The</strong> fi rst day of the month.
<strong>The</strong> calends, or kalends, (meaning “proclamation
day”) had par tic u lar signifi cance for the ancient
Romans and was so called because it was originally
marked by high priests calling the people
together to hail the new month and announcing
the festivals and sacred days to be observed in the
coming weeks. She celebrates the calends each month
by clearing everything off her desk and concentrating on
new projects. See also at the greek calends.
calf, fatted See kill the fatted calf.
calf, golden See golden calf.
Caliban (kaliban) A brutish, uncivilized man.
Caliban is the stupid, resentful, unkempt, and
monstrous son of the witch Sycorax in William
Shakespeare’s play <strong>The</strong> Tempest (1611). He rails
against his master prospero and lusts after
Prospero’s daughter miranda, but is helpless
against Prospero’s magical powers. His name may
have been suggested by the Romany kaliban, meaning
“blackener,” or may have come about through
juggling the letters of “cannibal.” <strong>The</strong> streets were
full of drunken Calibans.
Caligari, Doctor See doctor caligari.
Caligula (kbligyoolb) Archetype of a cruel and
eccentric ruler. Gaius Caesar (a.d. 12–41), nicknamed
Caligula, ruled as emperor of Rome for a
relatively short time (37–41) and quickly became
notorious for his unpredictable and vicious nature.
Among his excesses, he declared himself a god,
made his horse Incitatus a consul, and ordered his
army to collect seashells. His reign ended prematurely
when he was murdered. This fl edgling Caligula
of the new Asia is full of surprises, even renaming
the days of the week according to personal whim.
Calliope See muses.
Calpurnia (kalperneeb) Archetype of a devoted
wife, who is concerned for her husband’s welfare.
<strong>The</strong> wife of the Roman emperor Julius Caesar,
Calpurnia was greatly troubled by various portents
of death that appeared to threaten her husband.
Caesar, however, ignored her warnings and
was duly murdered by members of the senate in
44 b.c. Like Caesar’s Calpurnia, she seemed to realize
the danger her husband was in but could fi nd no way to
make him change his plans.
calvary (kalvbree) A place or experience that
causes intense suffering, especially mental anguish.
In the Bible, Calvary is identifi ed as the hill in
Jerusalem upon which Christ was crucifi ed (Luke
23:32). <strong>The</strong> name comes from the Latin calvaria,