ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTU–Z

Sack of Ilion to Seven Sages Seven Wonders of the World to Spartan Cipher Rod Sparti to Syrinx 2

Sword of DamoklesSword of Damocles

An expression derived from an event which took place at the court of the tyrant of Syracuse, Dionysus I.

When Damokles was prattling about the tyrant’s good fortune, Dionysus placed Damokles under a sword that was suspended by a single hair to dramatically demonstrate the precarious nature of happiness; thus the phrase, The Sword of Damokles, implies that happiness is very tenuous and should be savored whenever it is experienced.

How to Cite this Page

Cut and paste the following text for use in a paper or electronic document report.

Stewart, Michael. "People, Places & Things: Sword of Damokles", Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant. http://messagenetcommresearch.com/myths/ppt/Sword_of_Damokles_1.html

Cut and paste the following html for use in a web report.

Stewart, Michael. &quot;People, Places &amp; Things: Sword of Damokles&quot;, <i>Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant</i>. http://messagenetcommresearch.com/myths/ppt/Sword_of_Damokles_1.html

Cut and paste the following html for use in a web report. This format will link back to this page, which may be useful but may not be required.

Stewart, Michael. &quot;People, Places &amp; Things: Sword of Damokles&quot;, <i>Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant</i>. <a href="http://messagenetcommresearch.com/myths/ppt/Sword_of_Damokles_1.html">http://messagenetcommresearch.com/myths/ppt/Sword_of_Damokles_1.html</a>

Sack of Ilion to Seven Sages Seven Wonders of the World to Spartan Cipher Rod Sparti to Syrinx 2

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTU–Z


Home • Essays • People, Places & Things • The Immortals
Greek Myths Bookshop • Fun Fact Quiz • Search/Browse • Links • About