Amalthea

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A figure from Greek mythology often depicted as a goat that nurtured the infant Zeus, symbolizing nourishment and abundance
2. An object associated with the myth of Zeus, representing strength and care through the feeding of a god intended to orchestrate the heavens
3. A mythological being signifying both sustenance and protection, typically linked to the nurturing aspect of divine providence in ancient tales

Etymology: Amalthea is the name of the goat that, in Greek myth, nursed the infant Zeus in a cave on Crete, hidden from his father Cronus, who had been swallowing his children. The Greek name Ἀμάλθεια is the source of the English word, and the term has come to name the object associated with that story: the horn of plenty, or cornucopia, that flowed with food for the god. In the myth, the goat's horn was broken off and transformed into this endlessly replenishing vessel, which is why the figure stands for abundance and nourishment. The name itself is older than the English borrowing, and the Greek form appears in classical sources where it describes the nurturing goat. The word passed into English directly from Ancient Greek, so its spelling and stress still follow the classical original closely.

Synonyms: moon of Jupiter, Jupiter VI, satellite Amalthea