Greek gods, English words
Updated On: 29 October, 2023 07:46 AM IST | Mumbai | Devdutt Pattanaik
The youngest of these is called Clotho, from where the word clothing comes from
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Illustration/Devdutt Pattanaik
In the Devanagari script, there is no upper and lowercase. So, the name of God can become a proper noun and a common noun. Shakti can mean both power and a goddess. Dharma can refer to an idea as well as a god called Dharma. Ganga is both the river, and the river goddess, Ganga. The earth, Prithvi, is both the Earth itself and the goddess Prithvi, mother of Sita.
In the English language, there is uppercase and lowercase, and so it is easy to distinguish a proper noun from a common noun. We find that there are many Greek gods whose names lend themselves to common nouns in English. For example, Atlas, the titan, who holds up the sky, becomes an atlas, a book of maps. In Greek mythology, the word fate comes from the three Fates who spin the thread of life.
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