Tuesday, July 16, 2013

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Top 10 Interesting Facts Revolving Around Greek Mythology

Posted: 16 Jul 2013 12:12 AM PDT

The Greek civilization was the most influential civilization in the history of the world. All of today’s thoughts and ideas can be traced back to the Greeks. They gave us democracy, mathematics, drama, philosophy, Olympics and a whole bunch of Gods and tomes of mythology that has been adapted by many subsequent cultures. Recent movies such as Clash of the Titans, Wrath of the Titans, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, etc. have brought Greek mythology back into the limelight once again. Here are top 10 interesting facts revolving around Greek mythology.

10. Hercules gave us the saying “Taking the bull by its horns”:

The saying, “Taking the bull by its horns”, comes from Greek mythology. It was one of the 12 labors of Hercules that he had to perform to repent for killing his own wife and children in a fit of madness caused by Hera. He saved the city of Crete from a raging bull by seizing its horns.

Img source: www.perseus.tufts.edu

Img source: www.perseus.tufts.edu

9. Athena defeated Poseidon to become the guardian of Athens:

Athena and Poseidon both wanted to become the guardian of a certain city so they decided to give a gift each to please the residents of the city. Poseidon gave them water in the form of a spring but the water was salty and of no use. Athena gave them an olive tree which was much more useful as it gave food, oil and wood and so she won and since then that city has been known as Athens.

Img source: www.idomemories.com

Img source: www.idomemories.com

8. Hera restored her virginity each year:

Hera was the sister of Zeus who later became his wife as she was very much in love with him. She got a love charm from Aphrodite to make Zeus fall in love with him. But the most interesting thing about her is that she restored her virginity each year by bathing in a sacred spring called Kanathos.

Img source: www.talesbeyondbelief.com

Img source: www.talesbeyondbelief.com

7. Apollo commandeered a ship in his dolphin form:

Delphinius was the dolphin form of Apollo which was worshiped at Delphi. This is strange because Delphi is in the mountains away from the sea but apparently, Apollo in his dolphin form jumped up on the deck of a ship and commandeered it to the coast at Delphi. According to the Greek mythology, the sailors became the first priests there.

Img source: pythiaofdelphi.weebly.com

Img source: pythiaofdelphi.weebly.com

6. Athena’s thousands of grey eyes:

Athena is supposed to have a thousand eyes in the form of the leaves of the olive tree. She gifted the olive tree to the city of Athens and became its guardian goddess. The leaves of the olive tree are grey at the back and when the wind blows and lifts the leaves up, it looks like a thousand eyes are watching over the city.

Img source: www.wga.hu

Img source: www.wga.hu

5. Pandora was the first mortal women:

Pandora was made by Zeus and was the first mortal woman according to Greek mythology. She received a gift from each of the Gods to make her perfect. Zeus gave her to Epimetheus who had been warned by his brother Prometheus to not take any gifts from Zeus but he got enchanted by Pandora’s beauty and accepted. He gave her a box and told her never to open it. But she couldn’t resist and opened it, letting out all evil and mistrust in the world.

Img source: concernedamericancitizens.wordpress.com

Img source: concernedamericancitizens.wordpress.com

4. Atlas was punished to hold the heavens not the Earth:

Atlas was a Titan who fought and led a battle of Titans against Zeus but got defeated and was punished by Zeus to hold up heavens on his shoulders for all eternity. For a while he got Hercules to hold it up for him but then later resumed his duties when Hercules cheated him into holding the weight of the heavens again. He is wrongly portrayed to be holding up the earth.

Img source: studentsforliberty.org

Img source: studentsforliberty.org

3. Prometheus kept stealing from the Gods:

Prometheus was another interesting Titan in the Greek mythology. He was the wisest among the Titans and could apparently see the future. He knew Zeus would win and fought from his side when he fought Cronus. He is notorious for thinking himself to be smarter than the Gods and kept stealing from them. When he stole fire from the Gods and gave it to the mortals he was caught and was punished by Zeus.

Img source: winedharma.com

Img source: winedharma.com

2. Hades was technically an Olympian but not counted as one:

Hades was as powerful as any of the other twelve Olympians which technically made him the thirteenth Olympian but since he resided in the underworld and not on Mount Olympus he was not known as an Olympian. Hades was also the one who helped Zeus defeat their father Cronus and helped them to become Gods.

Img source: www.myastrologybook.com

Img source: www.myastrologybook.com

1. Zeus was an opportunist:

Zeus was the all powerful God, the king of Gods, the controller of rain and thunder, the father of many children and the vanquisher of the Titans. But he couldn’t have done it alone. Greek mythology tells us that Hades was the one to surprise Cronus by wearing his invisibility helmet and Poseidon was the one who immobilized his body. Zeus seized this opportunity and killed his father by striking him with a thunderbolt and became the king of Gods.

Img source: www.behindthename.com

Img source: www.behindthename.com

The post Top 10 Interesting Facts Revolving Around Greek Mythology appeared first on TopYaps.

Top 10 American Entertainers Who Are Blindly Trusted by Their Fans

Posted: 15 Jul 2013 11:06 PM PDT

Trust is an entity hard to earn. While it takes years to earn, only a small act of haste is enough to ruin it in a manner that can probably never be set right. In the world of glam we live today, actors and film celebrities are the faces we see the most on any medium of communication and are generally the ones we blindly trust, whether knowingly or sub-consciously. We are inspired by these celebrities in ways more than one. We trust the brands they endorse, we trust their actions and we trust their sense of responsibility. And why do we do so? It is because they have earned this trust with their talent, their commitment, integrity and strong conduct. Here is a list of the top 10 American entertainers blindly trusted by fans.

10. Meryl Streep:

Meryl Streep is among the few actresses that make it to this list of trusted celebrities. This is because of her clean public image and her not being involved in any damaging scenes or news bits over the years. Her career graph has seen steady performances and her friendly charm and sweet image is all the positive projection she needs. Her fans have proven that with her talent and simplicity, she has won their trust and earned their respect.

Img source: www.treehugger.com

Img source: www.treehugger.com

9. Steven Spielberg:

The acclaimed director commands a respect for the sheer brilliance of his work as well as the depth of his knowledge and expertise. Spielberg's movies have an epic status among the audience and he is very well respected for his commitment and his dedication towards the projects undertaken. This is one of the primary reasons his fans have such faith in him and rank him high on the list of trustworthy silver-screen celebrities.

Img source: www.dreamworksstudios.com

Img source: www.dreamworksstudios.com

8. Denzel Washington:

It is probably his innocent and committed face that draws fans towards or it may be his strong performances in movies like Training Day or The Bone Collector; one can't say. But what can be ascertained with ease is that he commands viewers respect and trust. Whatever it is, the Academy-award winner is sure popular with his fans. In a career spanning over 50 appearances, he has captivated the audiences' imagination with apparent ease.

Img source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Img source: www.telegraph.co.uk

7. Michael J. Fox:

Michael J. Fox started carving a place for himself in the eyes of audiences with the 80's sitcom, Family Ties and became a household name thereafter. But what brought about the respect he holds now in the earnest is his funding for the fight against Parkinson's disease a decade after he was diagnosed with it. His talent is amply evident from his works and has earned him a lot of respect over the years.

Img source: www.time.com

Img source: www.time.com

6. Sandra Bullock:

A poll has placed Sandra Bullock among the most trusted celebrities in America. This comes as no surprise as the actress has a lot of fans who blindly trust her. Owing to her strong character representation throughout her career, she has earned the place quite convincingly. Adding to her charm are the numerous cheerful and bubbly roles she takes up and her strong connect with her audiences and the mighty media. She definitely is one of the most deserving actresses for the list.

Img source: www.idesigntimes.com

Img source: www.idesigntimes.com

5. Will Smith:

This Hollywood star has ruled the blockbuster charts with major hits like Independence Day, I am Legend and Men In Black Trilogy to his credit. A deep person by nature, he is respected by the audiences for his strong persona and even stronger characters he plays. Adding to his charm are his intensive talent and a spotless family record proving him to be an ideal role model by any definable standards and this earns Smith a place in this compilation of American entertainers blindly trusted by fans.

Img source: hiphopwired.com

Img source: hiphopwired.com

4. Tom Hanks:

Tom Hanks has the ability to convince audiences effortlessly. They laugh with him when he's happy and they cry when he hits a dead end. He has numerous memorable performances to his credit and has always breathed life into his characters. Whether it is the awkward and dim-wit Southerner in Forrest Gump or the homosexual AIDS patient in Philadelphia, the audience loves him, respects him and holds him in high regards. His name and face command a certain degree of faith and has earned him a lot of esteem.

Img source: www.buzztrashers.com

Img source: www.buzztrashers.com

3. Morgan Freeman:

This Academy Award winning actor and director is known for his talent that he amply displays in all projects he undertakes. His most admired and appreciated works are The Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby and Invictus, to name a few. His authoritative voice and reserved personality are other aspects of his nature that have earned him audiences' love, support and trust in his career. All in all, Morgan Freeman is one of the few American entertainers who invoke faith in their fan base.

Img source: www.salon.com

Img source: www.salon.com

2. Oprah Winfrey:

Oprah has been a legend in the American entertainment industry for over two decades now. With The Oprah Winfrey Show becoming the epitome of success on American television, she has earned a global recognition in the entertainment industry and elsewhere. There would be hardly any person on the planet who has a TV set and is not, at some point or the other, been moved by Oprah's stories and way of presentation. She also happens to be very credible among audience across the world.

Img source: www.bet.com

Img source: www.bet.com

1. James Earl Jones:

His is one of the most conveniently recognizable voices of all time in Hollywood and in the entertainment industry. What's more is that he has a personality to match. Besides his acting skills in flicks like Conan The Barbarian, he has lent his voice to many a character in The Lion King (as Mufasa), Star Wars (as Darth Vader) as well as NBC's Olympic Coverage and CNN's famous tagline. His commanding voice is probably what makes this legendary American entertainer a fan favorite.

Img source: www.examiner.com

Img source: www.examiner.com

The post Top 10 American Entertainers Who Are Blindly Trusted by Their Fans appeared first on TopYaps.

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