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

1. (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