Deucalion

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A figure in Greek mythology known for surviving a great flood by building an ark like Noah; the son of Prometheus who repopulated the earth with his wife, Pyrrha; a cultural symbol of humanity's resilience in the face of divine retribution
2. In ancient Greek lore, the survivor of a purging flood, often associated with themes of rebirth and renewal through his children; often depicted as a hero alongside his wife after the great deluge; a representation of the human spirit overcoming adversity through faith or action
3. A mythological hero credited with surviving a catastrophic flood, renowned for his wisdom and resolve as he restored humanity; traditionally regarded as a symbol of persistence and hope; linked to the motif of divine punishment and the ensuing rebirth of civilization

Etymology: Deucalion is the Greek hero who, in the myth recorded by Hesiod and later Ovid, rode out a flood sent by Zeus to wipe out a wicked humankind. Warned in advance by his father Prometheus, he built a chest or ark, and when the waters subsided he and his wife Pyrrha repopulated the earth by tossing stones over their shoulders, which became people. The story sits alongside other flood myths across the ancient world, and the name itself is Greek, carried into English without change. The name belongs to the Greek tradition of the Deucalion of the flood, and in English it has stayed a proper noun, used for the hero himself rather than for a general word. Its meaning in Greek is not clearly settled, so any gloss on the name would be guesswork and is best left aside.