Blame it on the Skies!🌀🌪️⛈️
Word of the Week: ἄστρον (ástron)
Dear Classical Wisdom Kids,
It’s been a busy week for our little gang. First we travelled a long long time across the Pacific to the United States only to run into…. a hurricane!
Fortunately we were able to find a very safe place to stay, though we did spend a lot of time on the wall of the eye of the hurricane. Do you want to see what it looked like? This was actually a calmer moment… the lights swung from the pressure of the wind!
All throughout the city there are still a lot of people without electricity and the internet… but we were just able to find a connection, so we can send something to you today. As it’s been quite hectic, we thought we’d re-run an old (but appropriate) ancient Greek word of the week. So please enjoy learning a bit more about the skies above!
All the best,
Anya Leonard
Founder and Director
Classical Wisdom and Classical Wisdom Kids
P.S. Want more planets, gods and games? Enjoy our Members’ Ancient Space Challenge here:
Ancient Space Challenge!
Blame it on the Stars!
by Eugenia Manolidou, director of Elliniki Agogi
In the vast expanse of the cosmos (in Greek «κόσµος», meaning “order” or “jewel”), the Greeks found inspiration in the celestial bodies and created the word «ἄστρον» (ástron - meaning “star”).
You may not be surprised to learn that many, many words relating to space come from ancient Greece. Let’s see how this celestial connection unites language, culture and science! Today we’ll look at a few of them:
Astronomy
The term “astronomy” is the study of stars and celestial phenomena (the Greek «φαινόµενα» is pronounced exactly the same.) Derived from «ἄστρον» and «νόµος» (nómos - meaning “law” or “arrangement,”) astronomy explores the laws about the cosmos and evolved from ancient observations to a sophisticated field.
Telescope
The word «τηλεσκόπιον» (tilescópion, from «τῆλε», “far” and «σκοπῶ» “to look closely,”) helped astronomy tremendously with the invention of the telescope. This instrument allowed people to discover the details of stars and galaxies previously invisible to the naked eye.
Astrology
Beyond scientific exploration, the Greeks ventured into the mystical realm of “astrology” («ἀστρολογία»), where celestial bodies' positions at birth are thought to influence events here on earth. The word “horoscope,” from «ὡροσκόπος» (hοroskόpos), combines “time” (ὥρα) with the same verb found in “telescope,” σκοπῶ, offering personalized insights into personality and future, based in celestial positions.
Even the word “disaster” finds its roots in the Greek “δύσαστρον” (dísastron), from “δύς” meaning “bad” and “ἄστρον” (we know what this term means! ), showing us that people believed that unfavorable events were influenced by the planets and the stars.
Greek-derived terms form a linguistic bridge to the world’s ever-lasting fascination with stars. From the precision of astronomy and the allure of astrology, to the capabilities of the telescope and the predictions of horoscopes, these terms shape our exploration and understanding of the cosmos.
So, the next time life takes an unexpected turn, one might playfully exclaim, “Blame it on the stars,” as appreciation to the enduring influence of celestial words on our human experience.
Activities
Cosmic Word Hunt:
Create a list of celestial terms mentioned in the article, such as “star”, “astronomy,” “telescope,” “astrology,” “horoscope,” and “cosmos”... if you can’t find them all, use the PDF we provide below:
Practice Writing!
Can you write them in Greek? If you are new to Greek, practice with our Star word in this PDF:
Word Search:
Do you know any other English words relating to these? Find all the ancient Greek inspired star terms in this week’s Blame it on the Stars Word Search here:
Let us know what you think! We are ALWAYS happy for feedback - good, bad, and stinky!
Really enjoy your insight and knowledge sharing on topics that aren't usually discussed!