Some facts about the Sun

The Sun is the most prominent feature in our solar system. It is the largest object and contains approximately 98% of the total solar system mass. One hundred and nine Earths would be required to fit across the Sun's disk, and its interior could hold over 1.3 million Earths. The Sun's outer visible layer is called the photosphere and has a temperature of 6,000°C (11,000°F). This layer has a mottled appearance due to the turbulent eruptions of energy at the surface.
Solar energy is created deep within the core of the Sun. It is here that the temperature (15,000,000° C; 27,000,000° F) and pressure (340 billion times Earth's air pressure at sea level) is so intense that nuclear reactions take place. This reaction causes four protons or hydrogen nuclei to fuse together to form one alpha particle or helium nucleus. The alpha particle is about .7 percent less massive than the four protons. The difference in mass is expelled as energy and is carried to the surface of the Sun, through a process known as convection, where it is released as light and heat. Energy generated in the Sun's core takes a million years to reach its surface. Every second 700 million tons of hydrogen are converted into helium ashes. In the process 5 million tons of pure energy is released; therefore, as time goes on the Sun is becoming lighter.

The chromosphere is above the photosphere. Solar energy passes through this region on its way out from the center of the Sun. Faculae and flares arise in the chromosphere. Faculae are bright luminous hydrogen clouds which form above regions where sunspots are about to form. Flares are bright filaments of hot gas emerging from sunspot regions. Sunspots are dark depressions on the photosphere with a typical temperature of 4,000°C (7,000°F).
The corona is the outer part of the Sun's atmosphere. It is in this region that prominences appears. Prominences are immense clouds of glowing gas that erupt from the upper chromosphere. The outer region of the corona stretches far into space and consists of particles traveling slowly away from the Sun. The corona can only be seen during total solar eclipses.
The Sun appears to have been active for 4.6 billion years and has enough fuel to go on for another five billion years or so. At the end of its life, the Sun will start to fuse helium into heavier elements and begin to swell up, ultimately growing so large that it will swallow the Earth. After a billion years as a red giant, it will suddenly collapse into a white dwarf -- the final end product of a star like ours. It may take a trillion years to cool off completely.

Some facts about the moon

The Moon

The following questions were answered by astronomer Dr. Cathy Imhoff of the Space Telescope Science Institute.

How big is the moon?
The moon is about 2,000 miles across.

How far is it from Earth to the moon?
It is about 250,000 miles from Earth to the moon.
How old is the moon?
The moon is the same age as the Earth and the rest of the solar system — about 4.5 billion years. Our solar system was all formed at that time.
How did the moon form?
We think that the moon and Earth formed at about the same time, back when our whole solar system was formed. Earth was forming from many chunks of rock and icy material. Possibly a big chunk hit the new Earth and knocked loose a big piece, which became the moon.
How hot and cold does it get on the moon?
As you may have learned, the moon doesn't have any air around it. The air that surrounds our earth acts as a nice blanket to keep us warm and comfy! But the moon, since it doesn't have this blanket, gets much colder than the earth — and much hotter than the earth. On the side of the moon that the sun is shining on, the temperature reaches 260°Fahrenheit! That is hotter than boiling. On the dark side of the moon, it gets very cold, -280° Fahrenheit.
What is the surface of the moon like?
The surface of the moon has about two inches of dust. Much of this dust has fallen to the moon from the spaces between the planets over the last several billions years. It probably feels pretty soft. You can see this in some pictures taken by the astronauts of their footprints on the moon.
How many holes are in the moon?
We call those holes "craters." They are the places where many years ago meteors hit the surface of the moon and put dents into it. There are thousands of big craters, but even more little ones. There are probably millions of little craters on the moon! Some are only an inch or so across.
Why does the moon have big rocks?
The moon is made up of various kinds of rocks. These rocks are fairly similar to the rocks on earth. But on earth, we have wind and rain that help wear the rocks down into sand and dirt. There is no air or wind on the moon, so the rocks don't get worn down as they do on the earth.
How many moons are there all together?
Earth has only one moon. If you count all the moons around all the planets in our solar system, there are 61 (Earth has one, Mars has two, Jupiter has 16, Saturn has 18, Uranus has 15, Neptune has 8, and Pluto has one). There may be more that we haven't discovered yet!
Why does the moon change its shape (as in full, half, and quarter moon)?
The bright part of the moon is the part that the sun is shining on. This is like daytime on earth. The dark part is in shadow, like night on earth. Now the moon goes around the earth once every 29 days (approximately).
At new moon, the moon and the sun are on the same side of Earth. We see the part of the moon that is in shadow, so the moon is dark. Then the moon moves around in its orbit. At first quarter, it has gone one-fourth of the way around Earth. Now we can see part of the moon that is sunlit, but part still in shadow. Note that if the sun is setting in the west, the bright part of the moon is on the side toward the sun and the dark part is away.
About a week later, the moon has moved halfway around its orbit. Now it is on the opposite side of Earth, away from the sun. Now we see only the sunlit side — that is the full moon. Note that if the sun is setting in the west, the moon is just rising in the east.
About a week later, the moon has moved now three-fourths of the way around in its circle around Earth. Once again only part of the moon is sunlit and part is dark. Now you can see the moon in the morning, and note that once again the sunlit side is on the side towards the sun, and the shadow side away. Another week and we are back to the new moon.
It's easier to demonstrate if you have a ball to represent the moon and a flashlight for the sun. Have someone stand several feet away, holding the flashlight so it shines on the ball. Hold the "moon" ball and slowly turn around, watching the moon go around you (you are Earth). Do you see the moon's phases?
What is a lunar eclipse? What is a solar eclipse?
Anytime there are three bodies (the sun, the moon, or planet) lined up so that one blocks the light from another, we call that an eclipse. During a solar eclipse, our moon moves between us (on Earth) and the sun and blocks the sunlight. During a lunar eclipse, Earth blocks the sun's light that normally lights up the moon. Since we are standing on Earth, what we see is that the moon gets dark. Other kinds of eclipses happen too. For instance if you were standing on the surface of Jupiter (kind of hard, but we can imagine) you might see one of its moons eclipse the sun!
How come we can sometimes see the moon during the day?
The reason that you don't see the stars during the day is that the sky is too bright. Sunlight scatters around in the air and makes the sky look bright blue. But if you had a telescope and pointed it at a bright star you could still see it during the day! The stars are still there, just hard to see. The moon is bright enough that we can see it during the day or night. It orbits Earth once every 29 days. So during some of that time, it is easiest to see during the day and sometimes during the night.
Does the moon really have volcanoes?
Yes, the moon has some volcanoes. But as far as I know they are all "dead" volcanoes that have not erupted for millions of years. Most of the craters on the moon are from the surface being hit by asteroids and comets billions of years ago. The moon is a very "quiet" place. There is no air or water to erode the surface, and there are no earthquakes or volcanoes to change the surface. Only the smallest rocks may still hit the surface. So it has not changed much in billions of years! Probably the biggest changes recently are the footprints from the astronauts that visited the moon about 30 years ago!
Does it ever rain or snow on the moon or the other planets of our solar system?
To have rain or snow, we need to have water and an atmosphere of some kind. The moon has no atmosphere, so it has no weather at all! Mars has only a very thin atmosphere but it does have weather. Strong winds can blow up big dust storms. Pictures from the Mariner spacecraft show that sometimes thin frost forms on the surface of the planet. Sometimes just after Martian dawn, we see an icy fog rising from the craters! I believe that it is too cold for rain, but frost and icy fogs have definitely been seen. And of course, Mars has polar caps of frozen water and carbon dioxide ("dry ice"). Perhaps it snows at the polar caps. The atmosphere of Venus is very thick and very hot. There is a little water in its clouds, but I don't believe it ever rains. Mercury has no atmosphere. The outer planets — Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto — are extremely cold. Their atmospheres are mostly made up of methane, ammonia, nitrogen, and stuff like that. There are probably some ice crystals in their atmospheres too, but they probably just blow around in the strong winds. So there might be a sort of "snow" but not very much like what we are used to on Earth.
Is there really water on the moon?
Water that would be found on the moon may have existed from the days when our solar system was formed. Comets that may have hit the moon could also be a source of water. Generally we think water, that was part of the moon as it formed, would have probably evaporated away. Water from comets would have evaporated too. However, the area where Clementine found the possible signature of water is at the very cold south pole of the moon, in a dark, cratered area where the sun never shines. So it seems possible that the water (or ice) has survived there. We are hoping that other observations can be made with other satellites that can confirm whether this is really water on the moon. If so, it would be a great help for manned space travel in the solar system!
Can you plant something on the moon?
You could plant something, but it would die. There is no atmosphere (it needs carbon dioxide) and no water. The sunlight would burn it during the lunar day, and in the nighttime it would freeze. I don't know if the soil would provide the nutrients that it would need, because it is just rock dust; there are no organic components that earth plants need to fix nitrogen, and so on. Life on earth is very special and very precious!
If there is no weather or atmosphere on the moon, then where does the ice come from?
We think that the ice on the moon came from comets! Comets are made up of mostly ice with some rocks and dirt mixed in. We think that most of the water on the earth probably came from comets that crashed into the earth when the earth was very, very young. The ice on the moon may have come the same way. Most of the water on the moon evaporated away a long time ago. But the ice at the South Pole stayed there because it is very, very cold and is in a dark area where the sun never shines.
Is the moon moving away from Earth?
Yes, it is! But it is moving only about an inch farther away each year.
Do you think it is possible that the moon was once a star and is now a black dwarf?
No, I don't think so. The moon is way too small in mass (too little material) to have ever been a star.
Why are parts of the moon called seas?
Galileo was responsible for naming the major features on the moon. You may know that he was the first person to study the night sky using a telescope. He thought the dark, smooth areas were seas, and called them "maria" (Latin for seas; "mare" is the singular). For instance, the first Apollo landing occurred in Mare Tranquilitatis (the Sea of Tranquility). Of course we know now that there are no seas. The "seas" look flat from ancient lava flows. But the names stayed.
If a man was walking on the moon and he picked up a rock and threw it really hard, would it go past the moon's atmosphere?
The gravity on the surface of the moon is one-sixth of Earth's, so the astronaut could certainly throw that rock a lot farther. Did you know that one of the Apollo astronauts took a golf club to the moon and hit a golf ball a really long way? Even so, the gravity is strong enough that the ball or rock would not go into orbit or leave the moon. But it would go six times as far.
How long would it take to fly in a 747 to the moon?
Of course we know that this can't happen, because there is no air and a plane couldn't fly fast enough to escape the earth's gravity. But we can pretend. A 747 airplane normally flies at about 400 miles per hour. The moon is about 250,000 miles away. So if we divide 250,000 by 400, we find that the plane would take 625 hours — or 26 days — to fly to the moon! Boy that would be a looong trip! Twenty-six days of eating airline food — yuck!
In a spaceship, how long does it take to get to the moon?
It depends on how fast the spaceship can travel. When the Apollo astronauts went to the moon, it took about two days.
What is "the man in the moon"?
Have you looked at the moon and noticed the dark patches? Some people think that they make the moon look like it has two eyes and a big smile. The next time the moon is nearly full, it would be a good time to look in the early evening at the moon and see if you can see the "face." In other cultures people see different things on the moon. The Japanese people talk about the rabbit on the moon. I have looked at the moon and seen the "rabbit" too — it looks like a rabbit is walking up the left side of the moon. You might want to look for the rabbit too.
How did the moon get its name?
The moon is something that even the cavemen must have seen and given a name to. Maybe something like "big light in the sky at night when the sun isn't around." According to my dictionary, the Old English word for the moon was mona. In Latin it was mensis. In Greek it was mene (mee-nee). The words moon and month come from the same roots. That is probably because a month was originally measured by the phases of the moon. It takes 29.5 days for the moon to go from full moon to full moon. But there have been many changes to the calendar since that was true, so now months are a little longer and people don't pay too much attention to the phases of the moon anymore.
In what year will man be able to live on the moon?
Right now there are no definite plans by NASA to go back to the moon, even just for a visit. NASA scientists and engineers have been studying how to live on the moon, so it is probably possible. But so far, no plans.
If we are going to have space probes on the moon, should they be on the light or dark side of the moon?
Some people talk about the Dark Side of the moon as if it is a specific place, but this isn't correct. As the moon orbits Earth, different parts are in sunlight or the dark at different times. It takes roughly 29 days for the moon to circle Earth. Since it keeps the same side toward Earth, this means that the moon turns once every 29 days. This is hard to visualize, but you can try it with a ball (for the moon) and a flashlight (for the sun, and you as Earth), perhaps with some help from your teacher. This is also why the moon has phases.
When the astronauts went to the moon, they wanted to be on the side facing Earth so they could communicate with us, and also they wanted to be in the sunlight so they could see and also get power to their solar arrays. So they went around the full moon. They stayed only a few days. If they had stayed for two weeks, they would have ended up in the dark during the new moon!
If we sent a space probe, we would have to decide where to put it based on what kind of studies it would be doing. For instance, if you wanted to study radio waves from the stars, you might want to be on the far side of the moon so you wouldn't get any interference from Earth's TV and radio waves. But you would also have to set up a communications relay station so you could communicate with the probe.
Why does the moon affect the tides?
The moon actually CAUSES the tides. If there were no moon, we would have no tides. The tides arise due to the pull of the moon's gravity. On the side of Earth nearest the moon, the moon's gravity is the strongest and it pulls up the water slightly (high tide). On the side of Earth furthest from the moon, the moon's gravity is the weakest and the water can move a little away from the moon (which is also high tide). This also affects Earth itself. During high tide Earth rises by an inch or two, not enough for us to notice.
How come the moon reflects the sun's light and things on earth (like rocks) don't reflect the sun's light?
Actually everything DOES reflect sunlight. If something doesn't reflect light, it looks completely black. There aren't many things like that around. If you stand outside in the sunlight, you are seeing because the sun's light is bouncing off of everything and your eyes see that light. When you are inside, you see things because the light from the lamps or the fluorescent lights bounces off things in the room.

The Delphic Maxims

The Delphic Maxims are inscribed at Delphi and are said to have been delivered by Apollo Himself. The Maxims are suggestions for pious living, not quite commandments, really strong recommendations. According to legend, they were written down by The Seven Sages who are usually identified as: Solon of Athens, Chilon of Sparta, Thales of Miletus, Bias of Priene, Cleobulus of Lindos, Pittacus of Mitylene and Periander of Corinth.

The Temple of Apóllōn at Delphi

The Delphic Maxims are a series of moral guidelines that were inscribed on the Temple of Apollōn in Delphi. In this sense they are similar to the Ten Mosaic Commandments. However, they are still fundamentally different. Unlike the Commandments, the Maxims do not limit individual human behaviour, but provide a guideline. If one does ones best to live up to them then one is virtuous, but if one does not then they ar enot, it all depends on personal choice to abide by these guidelines, or not to. The Commandments demand that if they are broken by someone, that person is to be punished for it. In Hellenic thought this is not so, people punish themselves for being unethical by breaking the relationships they have with the Gods, and they will succumb to their own vice, either during life, or in death, when they are judged by Haidēs and sent to Tartaros for punishment. Here are the 147 known Maxims of Delphi (the copy of Sosiades preserved by Stobaios):

1. Follow God (Επου θεω)*
2. Obey the law (Νομω πειθου)
3. Worship the Gods (Θεους σεβου)
4. Respect your parents (Γονεις αιδου)
5. Be overcome by justice (Ηττω υπο δικαιου)
6. Know what you have learned (Γνωθι μαθων)
7. Perceive what you have heard (Ακουσας νοει)
8. Be Yourself (Σαυτον ισθι)
9. Intend to get married (Γαμειν μελλε)
10. Know your opportunity (Καιρον γνωθι)
11. Think as a mortal (Φρονει θνητα)
12. If you are a stranger act like one (Ξενος ων ισθι)
13. Honor the hearth [or Hestia] (Εστιαν τιμα)
14. Control yourself (Αρχε σεαυτου)
15. Help your friends (Φιλοις βοηθει)
16. Control anger (Θυμου κρατει)
17. Exercise prudence (Φρονησιν ασκει)
18. Honor providence (Προνοιαν τιμα)
19. Do not use an oath (Ορκω μη χρω)
20. Love friendship (Φιλιαν αγαπα)
21. Cling to discipline (Παιδειας αντεχου)
22. Pursue honor (Δοξαν διωκε)
23. Long for wisdom (Σοφιαν ζηλου)
24. Praise the good (Καλον ευ λεγε)
25. Find fault with no one (Ψεγε μηδενα)
26. Praise virtue (Επαινει αρετην)
27. Practice what is just (Πραττε δικαια)
28. Be kind to friends (Θιλοις ευνοει)
29. Watch out for your enemies (Εχθρους αμυνου)
30. Exercise nobility of character (Ευγενειαν ασκει)
31. Shun evil (Κακιας απεχου)
32. Be impartial (Κοινος γινου)
33. Guard what is yours (Ιδια φυλαττε)
34. Shun what belongs to others (Αλλοτριων απεχου)
35. Listen to everyone (Ακουε παντα)
36. Be (religiously) silent (Ευφημος ιοθι)
37. Do a favor for a friend (Φιλω χαριζου)
38. Nothing to excess (Μηδεν αγαν)
39. Use time sparingly (Χρονου φειδου)
40. Foresee the future (Ορα το μελλον)
41. Despise insolence (Υβριν μισει)
42. Have respect for suppliants (Ικετας αιδου)
43. Be accommodating in everything (Παςιν αρμοζου)
44. Educate your sons (Υιους παιδευε)*
45. Give what you have (Εχων χαριζου)
46. Fear deceit (Δολον φοβου)
47. Speak well of everyone (Ευλογει παντας)
48. Be a seeker of wisdom (Φιλοσοφος γινου)
49. Choose what is divine (Οσια κρινε)
50. Act when you know (Γνους πραττε)
51. Shun murder (Φονου απεχου)
52. Pray for things possible (Ευχου δυνατα)
53. Consult the wise (Σοφοις χρω)
54. Test the character (Ηθος δοκιμαζε)
55. Give back what you have received (Λαβων αποδος)
56. Down-look no one (Υφορω μηδενα)
57. Use your skill (Τεχνη χρω)
58. Do what you mean to do (Ο μελλεις, δος)
59. Honor a benefaction (Ευεργεςιας τιμα)
60. Be jealous of no one (Φθονει μηδενι)
61. Be on your guard (Φυλακη προσεχε)
62. Praise hope (Ελπιδα αινει)
63. Despise a slanderer (Διαβολην μισει)
64. Gain possessions justly (Δικαιως κτω)
65. Honor good men (Αγαθους τιμα)
66. Know the judge (Κριτην γνωθι)
67. Master wedding-feasts (Γαμους κρατει)
68. Recognize fortune (Τυχην νομιζε)
69. Flee a pledge (Εγγυην φευγε)
70. Speak plainly (Αμλως διαλεγου)
71. Associate with your peers (Ομοιοις χρω)
72. Govern your expenses (Δαπανων αρχου)
73. Be happy with what you have (Κτωμενος ηδου)
74. Rever a sense of shame (Αισχυνην σεβου)
75. Fulfill a favor (Χαριν εκτελει)
76. Pray for happiness (Ευτυχιαν ευχου)
77. Be fond of fortune (Τυχην στεργε)
78. Observe what you have heard (Ακουων ορα)
79. Work for what you can own (Εργαζου κτητα)
80. Despise strife (Εριν μισει)
81. Detest disgrace (Ονειδς εχθαιρε)
82. Restrain the tongue (Γλωτταν ισχε)
83. Keep yourself from insolence (Υβριν αμυνου)
84. Make just judgements (Κρινε δικαια)
85. Use what you have (Χρω χρημασιν)
86. Judge incorruptibly (Αδωροδοκητος δικαζε)
87. Accuse one who is present (Αιτιω παροντα)
88. Tell when you know (Λεγε ειδως)
89. Do not depend on strength (Βιας μη εχου)
90. Live without sorrow (Αλυπως βιου)
91. Live together meekly (Ομιλει πραως)
92. Finish the race without shrinking back (Περας επιτελει μη αποδειλιων)
93. Deal kindly with everyone (Φιλοφρονει πασιν)
94. Do not curse your sons (Υιοις μη καταρω)**
95. Rule your wife (Γυναικος αρχε)**
96. Benefit yourself (Σεαυτον ευ ποιει)
97. Be courteous (Ευπροσηγορος γινου)
98. Give a timely response (Αποκρινου εν καιρω)
99. Struggle with glory (Πονει μετ ευκλειας)
100. Act without repenting (Πραττε αμετανοητως)
101. Repent of sins (Αμαρτανων μετανοει)***
102. Control the eye (Οφθαλμοθ κρατει)
103. Give a timely counsel (Βουλευου χρονω)
104. Act quickly (Πραττε συντομως)
105. Guard friendship (Φιλιαν φυλαττε)
106. Be grateful (Ευγνωμων γινου)
107. Pursue harmony (Ομονοιαν διωκε)
108. Keep deeply the top secret (Αρρητον κρυπτε)
109. Fear ruling (Το κρατουν φοβου)
110. Pursue what is profitable (Το συμφερον θηρω)
111. Accept due measure (Καιρον προσδεχου)
112. Do away with enmities (Εχθρας διαλυε)
113. Accept old age (Γηρας προσδεχου)
114. Do not boast in might (Επι ρωμη μη καυχω)
115. Exercise (religious) silence (Ευφημιαν ασκει)
116. Flee enmity (Απεχθειαν φευγε)
117. Acquire wealth justly (Πλουτει δικιως)
118. Do not abandon honor (Δοξαν μη λειπε)
119. Despise evil (Κακιαν μισει)
120. Venture into danger prudently (Κινδυνευε φρονιμως)
121. Do not tire of learning (Μανθανων μη καμνε)
122. Do not stop to be thrifty (Φειδομενος μη λειπε)
123. Admire oracles (Χρησμους θαυμαζε)
124. Love whom you rear (Ους τρεφεις αγαπα)
125. Do not oppose someone absent (Αποντι μη μαχου)
126. Respect the elder (Πρεσβυτερον αιδου)
127. Teach a youngster (Νεωτερον διδασκε)
128. Do not trust wealth (Πλουτω απιστει)
129. Respect yourself (Σεαυτον αιδου)
130. Do not begin to be insolent (Μη αρχε υβριζειν)
131. Crown your ancestors (Προγονους στεφανου)
132. Die for your country (Θνησκε υπερ πατριδος)
133. Do not be discontented by life (Τω βιω μη αχθου)
134. Do not make fun of the dead (Επι νεκρω μη γελα)
135. Share the load of the unfortunate (Ατυχουντι συναχθου)
136. Gratify without harming (Χαριζου αβλαβως)
137. Greave for no one (Μη επι παντι λυπου)
138. Beget rom noble routes (Εξ ευγενων γεννα)
139. Make promises to no one (Επαγγελου μηδενι)
140. Do not wrong the dead (Φθιμενους μη αδικει)
141. Be well off as a mortal (Ευ πασχε ως θνητος)
142. Do not trust fortune (Τυχη μη πιστευε)
143. As a child be well-behaved (Παις ων κοσμιος ισθι)
144. as a youth – self-disciplined (ηβων εγκρατης)
145. as of middle-age – just (μεσος δικαιος)
146. as an old man – sensible (πρεσβυτης ευλογος)
147. on reaching the end – without sorrow (τελευτων αλυπος)

* “God” as it is used here does not refer the the Christian God, nor to any specific deity, nor to a monotheist/pantheist Hellenic God; it is simply a collective singular. A collective singular is the usage of a word, in this case “God”, to denote all the things that the word means. So the word “God” is used to denote “all the Gods”.
** “Rule your Wife” may be the only maxim to be outdated, a sit supposes female inferiority in marital relationships. It could be replaced by “Rule your Spouse”, where both parters are on equal grounds to keep each other in check. “Do not curse your sons” and “Educate your sons” may also see the replacement of “sons” with “children” for a similar reason.
*** “Repent of Sins” is not about “sin” in the Christian definition of it. Sin in Hellenic thought is simply doing something that is wrong or unethical. Unlike Christian ideas about this, there is no God to forgive us by just saying we’re sorry. In Hellenic thought one must not only show remorse for the sin committed, but also try to make things right again, based on reciprocity. One shall give as one receives; and one shall receive as one gives. The Gods have nothing to do with human sins, unless a transgression has been made against (one of) them.

Goa Gil-The secret

Nepenthe

Then Helen, Zeus' daughter, thought of something else. She quickly dropped into the wine they were enjoying a drug which eased men's pains and irritations, making them forget their troubles. A drink of this, once mixed in with wine, would guarantee no man would let a tear fall on his cheek for one whole day, not even if his mother and his father died, or if, in his own presence, men armed with swords hacked down his brother or his son, as he looked on.
Odyssey Book 4

Nepenthe is a medicine for sorrow, literally an anti-depressant – a "drug of forgetfulness" mentioned in ancient Greek literature and Greek mythology, depicted as originating in Egypt.
The carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes is named after the drug nepenthe.

Description in the Odyssey

The word nepenthe first appears in the fourth book of Homer's Odyssey (verses 220–221):

... εἰς οἶνον βάλε φάρμακον, ἔνθεν ἔπινον,

νηπενθές τ᾽ ἄχολόν τε, κακῶν ἐπίληθον ἁπάντων.

(4.220–221)

Figuratively, it means "that which chases away sorrow"; νη = ne = not, and πενθές = penthos = grief, sorrow, or mourning; so, literally, it means 'not-sorrow' or 'anti-sorrow'. In the Odyssey, Nepenthes pharmakon (i.e. an anti-sorrow drug) is a magical potion given to Helen by the Egyptian queen Polidamma. It quells all sorrows with forgetfulness.

Presumed ingredients

Many scholars think that nepenthe might have been an opium preparation, perhaps similar to laudanum. Alternatively, some believe it could have been an Egyptian wormwood elixir (see absinthe, history).
It is thought by some that nepenthe might have referred to a real-life opium preparation, perhaps similar to laudanum . However, this is speculation only, and others believe it referred to coffee.

In the Raven, a poem by Edgar Allan Poe there is a reference to "quaffing nepenthe" in order to forget a lost love. ("Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!")

Nepenthe is the name of a collection of poetry published in 1921 by Greek poet Kostas Karyotakis. It was his second collection.

Check out Nepenthes and Cannabis in Ancient Greece by Luigi Arata

Homeric Hymn to Demetra - Mixing the Kykeon

Mixing the Kykeon and Breaking the Fast

"In Homer the kykeôn, a "mixed drink" that contains the grain sacred to Demeter, is used to refresh Nestor and the wounded Machaon after battle (Iliad ii). [...] In the Hymn (in contrast to Homer) the drink is neither wine (wineless offerings were standard in the cult of the goddesses and in chthonic cults, and this passage offers an aition for the practice), the most civilized mortal drink, nor nectar, the immortal drink. [...] The theory that the barley grains were fermented, and thus the drink had an hallucinatory effect, is unlikely to be correct. Indeed, the mild and medicinal quality of the drink may explain its suitability for breaking a fast. In drinking the kykeôn, the initiates partake of food sacred to the goddess and thus perhaps begin to share in the prosperity promised by the Mysteries."

from "The Homeric Hymn to Demeter: Translation, Commentary, and Interpretive Essays," p. 47, by Helene P. Foley (1994)

206
Then Metaneira offered her a cup* with honeyed wine
___ τῇ δὲ δέπας Μετάνειρα δίδου μελιηδέος οἴνου
___ têi de depas Metaneira didou meliêdeos oinou

207
filled: but she refused it, for she said, it was not lawful for her
___ πλήσασ': ἣ δ' ἀνένευσ': οὐ γὰρ θεμιτόν οἱ ἔφασκε
___ plêsas': hê d' aneneus': ou gar themiton hoi ephaske

208
to drink red wine, but bade* them to mix some barley and water
___ πίνειν οἶνον ἐρυθρόν: ἄνωγε δ' ἄρ' ἄλφι καὶ ὕδωρ
___ pinein oinon eruthron: anôge d' ar' alphi kai hudôr

209
and give her the mixture* to drink with delicate* pennyroyal.*
___ δοῦναι μίξασαν πιέμεν γλήχωνι τερείνῃ.
___ dounai mixasan piemen glêkhôni tereinêi.

210
So she prepared* and gave the goddess the draught (kykeôn)*
as she bade.
___ ἣ δὲ κυκεῶ τεύξασα θεᾷ πόρεν, ὡς ἐκέλευε:
___ hê de kukeô teuxasa theai poren, hôs ekeleue:

211
And the great queen Deo received it for the sake* of the rites.*
___ δεξαμένη δ' ὁσίης ἕνεκεν πολυπότνια Δηώ
___ dexamenê d' hosiês heneken polupotnia Dêô

206 δέπας / depas
cup - beaker - goblet - of the golden bowl in which the sun floated back from West to East during the night

208 ἄνωγε / anôge
command - order - advise - urge - bid

209 μίξασαν / mixasan
mixture - to be mixed up with - mingled among - join - bring together

209 γλήχωνι / glêkhôni (Illustrated above, Wikipedia)
pennyroyal - mint - Mentha pulegium
"Pennyroyal is a plant in the mint genus, within the family Lamiaceae. Crushed pennyroyal leaves exhibit a very strong fragrance similar to spearmint. Pennyroyal is a traditional culinary herb, folk remedy, and abortifacient." (Wikipedia)

209 τερείνῃ / tereinêi
soft - delicate - tender - that causes tender feelings

210 τεύξασα / teuxasa
prepare - produce by work or art - form - create - well-wrought

210 κυκεῶ / kukeô (κῠκ-εών)
mixed drink - the "kykeon," a type of Eucharist in the Demeter mysteries - literally, draught - potion - metaphorically = mixture, medley, union

211 ἕνεκεν / heneken
to observe - on account of - according to - for the sake of

211 ὅσιος / hosiês
rites - sanctioned by divine law - [what is] hallowed - holy - a sacrament

Both Jests & Kykeon
Break the Fast
"The Homeric hymn to Demeter offers us an almost complete picture of mysteries of the Great Goddesses under their primitive form, which they still retained at the date when the hymn was composed...[Joseph Daniel] Guigniaut thus describes the chief of them: 'Demeter seeks her daughter during nine days throughout all the earth, carrying torches in both hands; and on the tenth day she arrives at Eleusis, where she rests and breaks her long fast by drinking the restorative kykeon, of which she has herself prescribed the form of preparation. Here are so many points of afhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giffinity, but not of strict correspondence, between the legend so poetically developed by the author of the hymn and the rites observed during the first nine days of the great Eleusinian festival. [...] Ihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifambe, who by her jests diverts the goddess from the gloomy grief into which the loss of her daughter had plunged her, personifies, with the iambic verses, the comic scenes which interrupted the mourning, [in the same way] as the kykeon broke the fast of the initiated.'"

from "The Eleusinian Mysteries," The Contemporary Review, Vol 27, p.953 (Oxford. 1880) by François Lenormant

http://earlywomenmasters.net/demeter/myth_206.html
http://www.uh.edu/~cldue/texts/demeter.html
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/lsa/lsa_article1.pdf
THE ROAD TO ELEUSIS