My 10 Most Popular Posts About Greece and all Things Greeker (2025)
A “Greeker” sunset falls over Monemvasia – Laconia – Greece.
It’s all here, all you need to know about Greece and the Greeks, what makes them tick, how they think, where they came from and how they got here.
Weird and wonderful facts, Ancient Greek Myths, Greek art, the Greek language, Greek traditions, ancient and modern and Greek inventions, yes, the Greeks did it first!
Here are my ten most-liked posts so far in 2025, some have been on the list since day one, others shot in from nowhere, some went up, some went down, what remains stable, is your love of lists!
Click on the blue-highlighted links to read the whole of each of my most popular blog posts.
1
20 of the Funniest Greek Expressions
Funniest and dirtiest nonsensical Greek one-liners. Image Nais Athanasakou
Greek isn’t one of the easiest foreign languages to master especially when it comes to everyday quips and wisecrack expressions and sayings and idioms.
Unless you are Greek or have lived in their country for about half a century you will find some of them positively nonsensical.
As a non-Greek, when you do manage to finally grasp the meaning of these insanely absurd one-liners which are thrown into conversation by Greeks without batting an eyelid, you may very well find yourself rolling around on the floor with laughter!
I’ve done my best to decipher these twenty off the wall Greek expressions for you.
There’s no perfect translation and let me just add here sorry in advance for some of the more er, how shall I put it, indelicate, smutty sayings.
I did consider leaving out the rather ruder ones however, in my opinion they are some of the best.
Greeks take no offence with these idioms whatsoever they’re all used in good fun.
After all the Greek preoccupation with all things erotic goes back thousands of years to ancient Greece, their penchant for bodily functions though, that I can’t explain but no doubt the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud would have had a field day!
20 of the Funniest and Dirtiest Nonsensical Greek Wisecrack Expressions and Phrases
2
25 of the Most Famous Ancient Greek Statues and Sculptures:
Where Are They Now?
Sculpture Collection – National Archaeological Museum.
The ancient Greeks are legendary for many reasons; their story-telling through mythology, for their twelve glorious gods, their esteemed philosophers, and their proud, brave warriors, but maybe we remember them most for their love of beauty.
Beauty, which the ancient Greeks honoured, by constructing some of the most amazing architectural wonders of the world, and beauty represented in spectacular, life-like statues and sculptures.
It’s heartbreaking to to see how many of these wonderful Greek works of art, now reside in foreign countries, they just want to come home, and home, and their rightful place is Greece.
This is a long post, I began with the idea of the top ten most famous Greek statues but there are so many, one more beautiful than the next, how can you choose?
I went to fifteen, then twenty and at twenty five I thought I had better stop but oh, I could have added so many more.
25 of the Most Famous Ancient Greek Statues and Sculptures:
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Twin Flames – The Ancient Greek Story of One Soul Split into Two
Twin Flame – “Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.”
Aristotle – Ancient Greek philosopher
“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” – Aristotle – Ancient Greek philosopher
Thanks to the internet and social media, more and more people are becoming aware of the twin flame theory but where did it originate?
In these days of New Age spiritualism, a set of religious practices and beliefs, a form of Western esotericism which emerged in the early 1970s, we may be forgiven for thinking the twin flame theory is something new.
Nothing could be further from the truth, the twin flame (maybe under another name), is mentioned in The Bible, in Greek and Hindu mythology but most of all, in ancient Greek philosophy, specifically, in one of Plato’s more well-known works; “ Symposium” and was most likely the problem in the saddest love stories of Greek mythology.
“According to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves.”
Plato – Symposium
Twin Flames – The Ancient Greek Story of One Soul Split into Two
4
Greek Key – Meander – Origins and Meanings
Greek Key or Meander motif
More than likely we’ve all come across the “Greek key” also known as the “meander” (a repeating geometric motif) at some time or another.
During 18th century Europe along with the rejuvenated enthusiasm for all things Greek came the Greek Key symbol, a sign of Greek style and taste, a sophisticated, decorative pattern which adorned just about anything.
Today along with another popular ancient Greek pattern, the acanthus motif, it’s still very much the vogue.
The Greek Key motif, usually a decorative border, embellishes jewelry, fabric, carpets, wall-coverings, carpets and magnificent buildings.
Even though we may come into contact with this distinctive pattern on a regular basis unless we happen to be a classist or archaeologist have we ever stopped to ponder on where this ever-fashionable pattern originated,or even what it is actually called?
Greek Key – Meander – Origins and Meanings
5
Archangels and Fallen Angels
Archangels vs Fallen Angels
In Heaven as on Earth things didn’t inevitably run smoothly.
There’s invariably that one entity who considers himself superior to others, so it was with Lucifer.
Lucifer was originally created by God as the perfect being; wise and righteous, so “why”, thought Lucifer, puffed up with pride, “should I not be God?”
(Lucifer, Satan and the Devil, are sometimes depicted as one and the same.)
Gathering the other angels around him, Lucifer managed to persuade a third of them, to join him in battle against God, for the great throne of Heaven.
Lucifer lost the war; God remained in power and banished Lucifer and his followers from Heaven, causing them to fall to Earth, where they became the fallen angels, the seven princes of Hell.
Each fallen angel, now a prince of Hell, is said to have been allotted one of the seven deadly sins and they now roam Earth doing their best to lead people astray.
To counter attack the seven princes of Hell the seven archangels are said to have each been allotted one of the seven heavenly virtues.
Most days this is my most popular post.
6
20 Ancient Greek Flower Myths
Greek goddess surrounded by flowers
From birth to death, from innocence to passion, flowers have numerous interpretations and implications in myths and legends of ancient Greece.
Flowers often symbolize youth, beauty and pleasure but they may also personify fragility and the sudden transition from life to death.
Metamorphosis is a typical theme in Greek mythology, gods as well as mortals had the power to transform themselves into animals, birds, flowers or humans and repeatedly used this power to trick and manipulate.
Several flowers, such as the anemone, crocus and hyacinth, take their names from Greek myths.
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10 of the Saddest Love Stories in Greek Mythology
Hyacinth and Apollo Greek words for love. The Death of Hyacinthos. Jean Broc 1801
All’s fair in love and war, or so they say.
Back in ancient Greece though, love had much more to contend with, such as vengeful and envious gods, or Apate; the personification of deceit and her male partner in crime, Dolos; demon of trickery, as well as various scheming sorceresses and seductresses.
Fate and destiny also have a lot to answer for when it came to affairs of the heart in Greek mythology, the thread connecting love and hate is a fine one and let’s not forget the trials and tribulations of searching for your twin flame, which also has its origins in ancient Greece!
And then there are the Erotes, companions of Aphrodite, a flock of winged gods who identified with love and erotic goings on, who, depending on which side of bed they had tumbled out of that morning, could either help or hinder the true course of love.
Surely, it can be no coincidence, that these meddling little creatures, the Erotes, were the offspring of Ares; Greek god of war and Aphrodite; Greek goddess of love! (Venus and Mars)
Below are ten of the saddest, most intense love stories of ancient Greece and Greek mythology; tales of star crossed lovers, tales of betrayal and tragedy; stories of forbidden and unrequited love.
Some triumphed and won the war whilst others fought a good fight before surrendering and admitting defeat.
10 of the Saddest Love Stories in Greek Mythology
8
10 of the Most Deadly Women in Greek Mythology
Circe – Ancient Greek sorceress offering a cup of poison to Odysseus
In ancient Greece, so said the philosopher, Aristotle, ‘women would bring disorder and evil and were utterly useless and caused more confusion than the enemy’.
The characterization of women in Greek mythology was no better; they were depicted as deceitful, manipulative beings, the downfall of men, which all began with Pandora,the first mortal woman, created to wreak Chaos and pandemonium on earth, the catastrophe of mankind.
Today, when we think of ruthless, cunning, scandalous man-eating women, we are most likely to conjure up images of the classic femme fatale of the silver screen, such as the sultry Greta Garbo, and the alluring Marlene Dietrich.
These bygone beauties though were pussy cats, compared to the temptresses of ancient Greece, with their ancient secrets of seduction, who ensnared unsuspecting men with their sexual charms.
With the aid of herbs, spells and potions, known as pharmakon, these predatory females had no mercy; they lured men into dangerous situations and induced them to surrender not only their sexual favours but also their power and knowledge.
Listed below are ten of the most badass femme fatales of Ancient Greek mythology.
10 of the Most Deadly Women in Greek Mythology
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20 Everyday English Sayings and Idioms with Greek Origins
It’s all Greek to me
We all use lots of phrases and sayings in our everyday conversations, right?
Probably, we have a vague understanding of their meaning but, have we ever stopped to think from where they originate?
As around 150.000 words of the English language are derived from ancient Greek, it should come as no surprise then, that many sayings and idioms also have their roots in ancient Greek.
In fact, the word idiom itself, meaning a figure of speech, a phrase with figurative meaning, different from the literal meaning, comes from the Greek idiōma, meaning private property – peculiar phraseology, which comes from idiousthai, to make one’s own’, which in turn comes from idios, meaning own – private.
The majority of English sayings with Greek origins, have emerged from ancient Greek myths and stories, here are twenty of the most used English sayings and phrases with a decidedly Greek touch.
20 Everyday English Sayings and Idioms with Greek Origins
10
Ancient Greek Myths about Birds
Ravens, vultures and crows, were symbols of war, death and destruction in Greek mythology
In ancient Greece birds represented power, freedom and wisdom and show up in numerous Greek myths and legends where they most often appear as messengers of the gods, oracles and even gods themselves.
Metamorphosis is a typical theme in Greek mythology where gods, as well as mortals, had the power to transform into different creatures allowing them to trick and manipulate.
So it was with birds which were endowed with the same magical power.
Many birds in ancient Greece took their meaning from the qualities associated with gods and goddesses who usually had certain birds as their symbols, the most well known being Athena, goddess of wisdom, who had the owl as her sacred bird, therefore the owl came to symbolize knowledge and wisdom.
In the same way, the eagle, personal messenger and companion and symbol of Zeus, who also had the ability to transform himself into an eagle, came to represent strength, determination, control and authority.
The dove, associated with Aphrodite, goddess of love, symbolizes (as well a peace), love and fertility.
The peacock, the symbol of the Hera, goddess of marriage, childbirth and family, the wife of Zeus represents royalty and power.
Below are the most popular ancient Greek myths about ten different birds.
I hope these may help you to understand how various birds came to represent different things.
Ancient Greek Myths about Birds
I hope you enjoyed reading these posts, I certainly had fun writing them.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all you lovely people out there who faithfully follow my blog, without you all there would be no “Greeker”!
Love and kisses to you all, stay safe xxx
