Friday word: Myrmidon

[med_cat]

myrmidon, n. myr·mi·don \ˈmər-mə-ˌdän, -dən\

1: capitalized : a member of a legendary Thessalian people who accompanied their king Achilles in the Trojan War

2: a loyal follower; especially : a subordinate who executes orders unquestioningly or unscrupulously

Did You Know?

The Myrmidons, legendary inhabitants of Thessaly in Greece, were known for their fierce devotion to their king, Achilles, who led them in the Trojan War. Myrmex means "ant" in Greek, an image that evokes small and insignificant workers mindlessly fulfilling their duty.

Whether the original Myrmidons were given their name for that reason is open to question. The "ant" association is strong, however. Some say the name is from a legendary ancestor who once had the form of an ant; others say the Myrmidons were actually transformed from ants. In any case, since the 1400s, we've employed "myrmidon" in its not-always-complimentary, ant-evoking, figurative sense.

Etymology:

Middle English Mirmydon, Latin Myrmidon-, Myrmido, from Greek Myrmidōn

First Known Use: 15th century

(Source: Merriam-Webster Online)

Comments

[sileni.livejournal.com]

I don't recall the name of the king (which is rather crappy of me, I'll have to go look that up and repost once I'm able to!) but the myth was that a recently dispossessed king ended up in desolate land and noted a swarm of ants climbing a tree. He then supposedly remarked that if only he had subjects as tireless and industrious as those ants, he could build a great kingdom, so Zeus granted his wish and turned the ant colony in to humans.

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

Not dispossessed, but his kingdom (the island of Aegina, across the gulf between Athens and Corinth) was desolated, by a plague. Æacus was the guy's name, grandfather of both Achilles and Ajax.

[sileni.livejournal.com]

haha! thanks!

[med_cat]

Very interesting; thank you both for the info :)

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

Hee~~! I've written about (http://larryhammer.com/myrmidons.html) these guys.

---L.

[med_cat]

Impressive :)

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

Thanks. There are sequels, but none are online at the moment (site rot, bah).

[med_cat]

Even more impressive, then :) Too bad re: site rot, though.

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

I should get them up on my website. One day.

[med_cat]

Yes :)