laocoon
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Definition
Noun 1. A figure from Greek mythology: Laocoön was a Trojan priest. His most famous action was warning his fellow Trojans not to accept the wooden horse left by the Greeks, suspecting it was a trick. As a punishment for this warning (or for an offense against the gods), he and his two sons were killed by giant sea serpents.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The story of Laocoön is a tragic lesson about the dangers of speaking the truth.
- In Virgil's Aeneid, Laocoön famously says, "I fear the Greeks, even those bearing gifts."
- The sculpture depicting Laocoön and his sons is a famous Hellenistic artwork.
Advanced Usage
- "A Laocoön-like struggle": This phrase is used to describe a desperate and ultimately futile struggle against overwhelming forces or entanglements.
- The company was caught in a Laocoön-like struggle with bureaucracy and red tape.
Variants and Related Words
- Laocoön Group (noun phrase): The famous ancient marble sculpture depicting Laocoön and his sons being attacked by serpents. It is a key artifact of Hellenistic art.
- Laocoönian (adjective, rare): Relating to or characteristic of Laocoön, especially his doomed struggle.
Synonyms
- Cassandra (noun): Another mythological figure whose accurate prophecies were fated not to be believed, similar to Laocoön's unheeded warning.
- Doomed prophet (noun phrase): A general term for someone who predicts disaster but is ignored.
Related Concepts
- Trojan Horse (noun phrase): The deceptive gift that Laocoön warned against, which led to the fall of Troy.
- Beware of Greeks bearing gifts (idiom): A common proverb derived directly from the story of Laocoön, meaning to be suspicious of offers that seem too good to be true or that come from an enemy.
Noun
- (Greek mythology) the priest of Apollo who warned the Trojans to beware of Greeks bearing gifts when they wanted to accept the Trojan Horse; a god who favored the Greeks (Poseidon or Athena) sent snakes who coiled around Laocoon and his two twin sons killing them