Damocles

For the computer game Damocles, see Mercenary (computer game)''.

Damocles is a figure featured in a single moral anecdote which was a late addition to classical Greek culture.

The figure belongs properly to legend rather than Greek mythology. The anecdote apparently figured in the lost history of Sicily by Timaeus of Tauromenium (c. 356 - 260 BC). Cicero may have read it in Diodorus Siculus. He made use of it in his Tusculan Disputations V.61 - 62.

Damocles, it seems, was an excessively flattering courtier in the court of Dionysius I of Syracuse, a 4th Century BC tyrant of Syracuse, Italy. He exclaimed that, as a great man of power and authority, Dionysius was truly fortunate. Dionysius offered to switch places with him for a day, so he could taste first hand that fortune. In the evening a banquet was held, where Damocles very much enjoyed being waited upon like a king. Only at the end of the meal did he look up and notice a sharpened sword hanging by a single piece of horsehair directly above his head. Immediately, he lost all taste for the fine foods and beautiful boys and asked leave of the tyrant, saying he no longer wanted to be so fortunate.

The Sword of Damocles is a frequently used allusion to this tale, epitomizing the insecurity of those with great power due to the possibility of that power being taken away suddenly, or, more generally, any feeling of impending doom. Woodcut images of the Sword of Damocles as a symbol appear in 16th and 17th century European books of devices.

Compare the imagery connected with Tyche and Fortuna.

Trivia

The asteroid 5335 Damocles bears Damocles' name.

The winged blade on the badges of the SAS SBS SRR and SFSG is officially said to be the sword of Damocles but is usually just referred to as a winged or flaming dagger.

In a different domain, the first Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) Head Mounted Display system developed by Ivan Sutherland was named "The Sword of Damocles" due to its appearance, further demonstrating the popular appeal of its symbolism.

In Robertson v Swincer (1989) 52 SASR 356, a South Australian Supreme Court case, Justice Legoe used the metaphor 'sword of Damocles' to describe the effect of the imposition of the tort of negligence in relation to the duty of care of a parent to their child.

Music

The Sword of Damocles is the title of a song in the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and even gets a mention in a Three Stooges short.

Sword of Damocles is also a song on Lou Reed's 1992 album tribute to two friends who had died of cancer, Magic and Loss, describing the tenuous balance between life and death for those dying of a terminal illness.

There is a reference to the Sword of Damocles in the lyrics of the song "Oh My Lord" by Nick Cave on the album No More Shall We Part. In the song, the narrator is trying to sneak out of his house to "take a walk". He kisses his wife on the brow and she grasps his hand. When he looks back at her he "could clearly see The Sword of Damocles hanging directly above her".

Television

In the Canadian television sitcom Made in Canada, which was set in a television production company, one of the company's projects was The Sword of Damacles (Damocles' name was intentionally misspelled for comic effect), a parody of mythological adventure series such as Warrior Princess.

King Mondo of the Machine Empire wields the "Sword of Damocles" in Zeo. No direct allusions to the legend are made during the time he wields it.

At the end of The Simpsons episode Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk, Mr. Burns plots his revenge of Homer at some unspecified point in the future using a Sword of Damocles analogy.

Literature

In the Dresden Files series of books by Jim Butcher, main character Harry Dresden is placed under a watch called the Doom of Damocles for suspicion of black magic. The only punishment for violation of his probation is execution by the sword.

The book De donkere kamer van Damocles (Damocles' Dark Chamber) by Dutch author W.F. Hermans referenced to impending doom by a - failed - picture that was supposed to prove his innocence. He was accused of aiding the Germans, when he believed he was working for the rebellion.

In the third novel of A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Wide Window the children like by a harbor town with the name Damocles Dock that has a sword dangling from the top.

In the third volume of the comic book series The Avengers, time-travelling villain Kang the Conqueror assaults the Earth from orbit in a gigantic, sword-shaped ship/space station called Damocles Base. Several establishing shots of Damocles Base showed it "hanging" in orbit with the "tip" of the sword shape pointed towards Earth.

Computer and video games

The computer game Damocles centres on the player saving a planet from a comet, Damocles, that threatens to impact it. This reference is made explicit by the inclusion of a sword in the game's title artwork.

During the computer game Deus Ex, the word "Damocles" as a password on an in-game console computer.

During the computer game, Max Payne 2, near the end of the game, Max remarks that the spire hung over Vlad's head like the Sword of Damocles.

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