Nepenthe

(3 syl.) or Nepenthes, a drug to drive away care and superinduce love. Polydamna, wife of Thonis (or Thone, 1 syl.), King of Egypt, gave nepenthe to Helen (daughter of Jove and Leda). Homer speaks of a magic potion called nepenthe, which made persons forget their woes. (Odyssey, iv. 228.)

That nepenthes which the wife of Thone
In Egypt gave the Jove-born Helena.

Milton: Comus, 695, 696.

The water of Ardenne had the opposite effect.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language