The word "museum" comes from mythology?

Museum comes from the Greek word "mouseion", which is a shrine devoted to the works of the Muses such as art and writing. The muses were Greek goddesses/spirits who inspired the arts such as writing music and painting. Many believed them to be the daughters of Zeus and they are often closely tied to poetry. Originally they numbered 3, but as time progressed the number of muses changed and so did their origin.

Classic epic poems such as Homer's Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid and Dante's Inferno from The Divine Comedy all make references to the Muses. Perhaps such inspiration was needed to recite these several hundred page works which were all written in rhyme so that they could be remembered easily. This is so people could sing them and recite them orally, which was the only way to pass down stories long before the invention of the printing press and literacy became common.

Garlic is not the only food rumored to kill vampires?

Vampires were known to be driven by compulsion. Sprinkling areas with large quantities of mustard seed would force vampires to count the seeds until the sun would come up and burn them. Vampires have long believed to be driven by the uncontrollable urge to drink blood and the life energies of their victims. Perhaps it was only natural to attribute other characteristics of compulsive behavior such as uncontrollable counting to them as well.

Sand, millet and other seeds were also commonly spread around grave sites and on rooftops to stop vampire attacks from reoccurring for the same reason. The obsessed vampire driven to count things may seem like a distant relic of past cultures, however, either by chance or design it lives on in the form of The Count on the popular children's show Sesame Street?

The city of London may have gotten it's name from a Celtic deity?

The Romans named the city Londinium after the invasion of 43 CE, but where did the name "Londinium" come from? One theory is that it was derived from Lugh/Lugus, a Celtic deity, known for wielding a magic spear. London's name may have ties to mythology, but it definitely does not hold this distinction all by itself.

Athens, the capital of Greece, gets its name from the greek goddess of wisdom Athena. Phoenix, Arizona gets its name from the legendary bird reborn of fire every 500 years. There are too many examples to list and the trend doesn't stop with naming cities. Planets, days of the week, and months in most languages have also derived names form mythology. For example, the red planet Mars was named after the Greek god of war. Thursday comes the Nordic god of thunder Thor (Thor's day). February comes from the Etruscan (ancient Italian) god Februus the god of the death and purification.

Gargoyles are said be inspired by the story a Dragon?

The story of the Gargouille was that of a horrible serpent dragon that terrorized and flooded Rouen, capital of the Normandy region of France in 520 CE. Unlike the flame breathing dragons we commonly think of, this menacing serpent dragon could jet colossal spouts of water from its mouth. The Gargouille flooded the countryside, destroying farmlands and drowning countless peasants living near the Seine River.

This was until St. Romain, archbishop of Rouen, with the assistance of a prisoner condemned to death and with nothing to lose, pacified the beast. St. Romain made a cross with his fingers and lead the dragon back into town. Upon its arrival, the townsfolk burned the creature and its neck and head were mounted on the town's cathedral. Stone replicas were then said to have been placed onto other buildings, transforming over the years creating the modern gargoyle.

Gargoyles are far more than a decorative piece of architecture. Gargoyles protect buildings by shooting rain-water out of their mouth and away from the building's foundation. Similar decorations of creatures that do not shoot water are technically called a grotesque. The word Gargouille means "throat" and is also the root for the modern word "gargle" which is exactly what gargoyles are said to be doing when water bubbles up inside them making a funny noise when it rains.

The wolf from Little Red Riding Hood was a werewolf?

Many of the earliest werewolf myths concerned men who transformed into very large wolves; gaining power, speed and strength. Sometimes the transformation to wolf form was exact, other times there would be a few small differences, such as lacking a tail or having human eyes. Often these transformations were brought about by magical items or spells, not the full moon. Another common trait of these early werewolf stories was that while in the guise of a wolf, the transformed person would retain the ability to speak.

In early societies, where hunting was more important, these transformations were often perceived as a good thing, but as attitudes and religion shifted, werewolves started to be seen as agents of evil. In France, it became commonplace to attribute actual cases of child abuse and murder to werewolves. Like the Salem which trials of America, accusations got out of control and after a hundred years over 30,000 individuals were labeled as werewolves, most of them tortured and put to death.

The Big Bad Wolf, a large, talking wolf that tries to eat a small girl, is a descendant of these early werewolf stories. In fact in early versions of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy-tale The Big Bad Wolf was a werewolf, sometimes called "The Bzou". Many older versions of the story do not contain a happy ending as well. Little Red Riding Hood is consumed by the wolf after jumping into bed with the wolf thinking that it is her grandmother. This is partly because, like many fairy-tales, ancient versions of the story tend to be much more symbolic than the modern versions.

Cinnamon was thought to come from the nest of a cinnamologus bird?

Cinnamologus birds were rumored to build their nests out of Cinnamon sticks on dangerous cliffs. These weren’t the only mythological birds with a spice connection. Cinnamon, spikenard, and myrrh were believed to be necessary components of the Phoenix's magical fire from which they are reborn. Spice traders often made up stories to protect the cost and secret methods of growing their products. If cinnamon could only be harvested from the nest of a Cinnamologus bird or that of a phoenix, then this made the spice rare and dangerous to obtain and increased its value. This practice has not gone out of style. To this day many food items claim to have secret recipes and formulas that are known only to a few people.

The sports apparel company Nike got its name from a Greek goddess?

Nike actually pronounced "knee kay" is the winged Greek goddess of victory and she was often used as a symbol of triumph. Often depicted as a divine charioteer, she flew around battlefields rewarding the victors with fame and glory. Not a bad choice for a sports apparel company, which at the time was launching a line of soccer footwear. The famous Nike "Swoosh" logo is also rumored to be a representative of Nike's wings.

Nike was also called "Victoria" by the Romans, which in Latin means "winner/conqueror." The names Victor and Victoria are derived from it. Perhaps the most famous person with this name was Queen Victoria, the longest reigning female monarch in history. Her 63 year reign (20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901) is even called the Victorian era.

A remnant of Nike's popularity is seen in one of the most renowned and beloved sculptures in the world. Winged Victory of Samothrace opens the Denon wing at the Louvre in Paris. This statue of her dating back to 190 BCE was made to celebrate a naval victory by Rhodes, the most powerful force in the Aegean Sea at the time.