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

Hyde, Mr.
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on the head, killing him instantly. <strong>The</strong> fl ower that
the grieving Apollo caused to spring up from the
young man’s spilled blood has borne his name ever
since. <strong>The</strong> pool was fringed with hyacinths and rhododendron
bushes.
Hyde, Mr. See jekyll and hyde.
hydra- headed Many headed. In Greek mythology
the Hydra was a fearsome monster faced by hercules
in the course of the labors of hercules.
<strong>The</strong> Hydra had nine heads, each of which when
severed was replaced by two more. Hercules overcame
the Hydra by cutting off the heads and having
his companion Iolaus scorch the wounds before
they could grow back. In modern usage the term
hydra- headed is usually applied to a troublesome,
multifaceted problem or one that keeps recurring
despite everything being done to solve it. <strong>The</strong> club
faces a hydra- headed conundrum: how to attract new supporters
without offending long- standing members who are
more than happy to keep things as they are.
hygiene <strong>The</strong> science concerned with the safeguarding
of health, especially through observing
clean or healthy practices. <strong>The</strong> word comes from
the name of the Greek goddess of health Hygeia,
who was sometimes identifi ed as the wife or
daughter of Aesculapius, the god of medicine. <strong>The</strong>
link between hygiene and the outbreak of disease has
been known for centuries.
hymen A fold of membrane that partially covers
the entrance to the vagina and is usually broken
when sexual intercourse takes place for the fi rst
time. <strong>The</strong> word comes from Hymenaeus, the name
of the Greek god of marriage. He was the son of
Dionysus and Aphrodite and was traditionally
depicted leading the revels at wedding feasts, often
carry ing a burning torch and crowned with a garland
of fl owers. On inspection the girl’s hymen was found
to be unruptured and she was declared “virgo intacta.”
hyperborean Frigid; arctic; from the Far North.
According to Greek mythology, the Hyperboreans
were a race of people who lived in a remote sunny
land in the extreme north (hyper meaning “beyond”
and Boreas meaning “North Wind”). This faraway
country was said to be protected by Apollo, and its
inhabitants lived in a state of perpetual happiness.
“It’s the unnatural combat of the four primal
elements.—It’s a blasted health.—It’s a Hyperborean
winter scene” (Herman Melville, Moby-
Dick, 1851).
Hyperion to a satyr (hipeereebn, sayter) A contrast
between two opposites. In Greek mythology,
Hyperion was one of the Titans and the
father of Helios (the Sun), Selene (the Moon),
and Eos (the dawn). His name is sometimes
employed as a synonym for the Sun itself. In contrast
to the Titan satyrs were much more humble,
sylvan gods, who were half human and half goat.
This expression was pop u lar ized by William
Shakespeare, who used it in Hamlet (c. 1600), in
the course of Hamlet’s fi rst soliloquy: “So excellent
a king; that was, to this, Hyperion to a satyr.”
<strong>The</strong> author is a good storyteller, but to call him a
modern- day Dickens is like comparing Hyperion to a
satyr. See also satyr.
hypnosis An artifi cially induced state of relaxation
revealing the subconscious self. <strong>The</strong> word
was derived from the name of Hypnos, the Greek
god of sleep and the equivalent of the Roman
Somnus. A course of hypnosis was suggested, but the
doctors were inclined to dismiss such an approach as
mere quackery.