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  1. en.wikipedia.org › wiki › DamoclesDamocles - Wikipedia

    Damocles [a] is a character who appears in a (likely apocryphal) anecdote commonly referred to as "the sword of Damocles", [1] [2] an allusion to the imminent and ever-present peril faced by those in positions of power.

  2. Feb 17, 2016 · Learn the origin and meaning of the sword of Damocles, a metaphor for a looming danger or threat. The phrase comes from a Roman story about a king who hung a sword over a flatterer's head to show him the risks of power.

  3. Damocles, a courtier of Dionysius I of Syracuse, in Sicily, tyrant from 405 to 367 BCE. The courtier is known to history through the legend of the ‘Sword of Damocles,’ which was related in Cicero’s Tusculanae disputationes (‘Conversations at Tusculum’), Book V.

    • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
  4. Apr 12, 2018 · Cicero used the story of Damocles, a sycophant who feared a sword hanging over his head, to illustrate the importance of virtue and indifference to death. He contrasted the miserable tyrant Dionysius with the happy philosophers Plato and Archimedes, and advised his readers to seek wisdom and avoid tyranny.

  5. May 23, 2024 · Learn the origin and meaning of the Sword of Damocles, a symbol for the hidden dangers of power. Find out how the legend was used by Cicero and other authors and artists in popular culture.

  6. May 9, 2018 · Learn about the legend of Damocles, a Greek courtier who envied the king Dionysius and was hung a sword over his head as a warning. Find out the origin, meaning, and usage of the phrase "sword of Damocles" in different contexts.

  7. www.encyclopedia.com › folklore-and-mythology › damoclesDamocles - Encyclopedia.com

    May 29, 2018 · Damocles was a legendary courtier who praised the happiness of Dionysius I, the ruler of Syracuse. Dionysius hung a sword by a thread over his head to show him how precarious his situation was.