Ancient Greeks had some of the most peculiar and original notions.
Heaven knows wherein anything in the nocturnal skies to warrant the names they gave to many of the constellations, and here again they seem to have let imagination run riot.
This small lizard-like reptile, for reasons one can’t even guess, rejoices in the Greek name chamai, “dwarfed,” leon, “lion”, “the dwarfed lion.”
And the ancients also thought these creatures could go for interminable periods living only on air.
Related Posts
-
Why Does a Chameleon Change Its Colors?
There are two groups of lizards commonly called chameleons, and they change colors in different ways. True chameleons belong to an Old World family called Chamaeleontidae, with two genuses and about eight-five species.…
-
How Does a Chameleon Change Colors?
Chameleons are lizards known for their ability to change colors. But contrary to popular belief, the chameleon does not change its color to match its background. It changes as a result of its…
-
How Do Emotions Affect the Color of a Chameleon?
Their lips can turn yellow. Their strange little bodies fade from shoe-leather brown to grass green. The acclaimed herpetologist Angus Bellairs even reported in his 1970 two-volume work, The Life of Reptiles, that…
-
What Was the Riddle of the Sphinx In Greek Mythology and What Does the Word Sphinx Mean In Greek?
On a road outside the city of Thebes, the Sphinx sat on a rock and watched for travelers, who she challenged with this riddle. "What has four legs in the morning, two legs…
-
Who Were Orpheus and Eurydice In Greek Mythology and What Does Orpheus Mean In Greek?
Except for the gods, no one played music as skillfully or beautifully as Orpheus. His singing made the trees bend closer and the stones gather around to listen. Orpheus fell in love with…
-
Who Was Oedipus In Greek Mythology and What Does Oedipus Mean In Greek?
Oedipus is one of the most tragic figures in Greek mythology. Oedipus's parents, King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes, learned from the Delphic oracle that their next son would grow up to…
