#legend

• Arda — A proper name designating a major river in the Balkan Peninsula, a tributary of the Maritsa, rising in the Rhodope Mountains (Bulgaria) and flowing through northeastern Greece and a section of Turkey. In the context of J.R.R. Tolkien's high-fantasy legendarium, the term represents the mystical name of the entire created Earth, including continents and seas, configured as the structural realm for the history of Elves and Men.
• Arethusa — The Latinized name of Arethusa, a water nymph in Greek mythology transformed by Artemis into a sacred fountain in Ortygia, Syracuse, to escape the river-god Alpheus. In botany, it denotes a monotypic genus of terrestrial orchids (Arethusa bulbosa), native to North American bogs, structurally characterized by a single, prominent magenta-pink terminal flower and a spectacularly fringed lip.
• Argus — In Greek mythology, a giant with a hundred eyes (Argus Panoptes), considered the ideal guardian because he slept closing only a part of his eyes. By extension, the term became a common noun and denotes a vigilant, strict, and perceptive watchman who observes everything flawlessly. In zoology, it names a species of exotic pheasant-like bird whose male features long feathers ornamented with spectacular circular eyespot patterns.
• Ariadne — A famous character in Greek mythology, daughter of King Minos of Crete and Pasiphae, who helped Theseus kill the Minotaur and escape the Labyrinth by providing him with a ball of thread (Ariadne's thread). In astronomy, the term designates asteroid number 43 in the main belt; metaphorically, the name represents the symbol of a secure guide or an ingenious solution that allows an escape from an extremely complex situation.
• Arion — A legendary poet and musician of Ancient Greece (7th century BC), native to the island of Lesbos, considered the inventor of the dithyramb; according to myth, he was saved from drowning by a dolphin charmed by the music of his lyre. In Romanian onomastics, the name frequently appears as a surname or historical male given name; in biology, it designates a genus of terrestrial slugs without shells.
• Aristaeus — A minor deity in Greek mythology, son of the god Apollo and the nymph Cyrene, revered as the patron god of agriculture, hunting, and rural crafts. Ancient tradition credits him with civilizing mankind by teaching essential techniques such as beekeeping, olive cultivation, oil extraction, and milk curdling for cheese making.
• Harpy — In Greek mythology, a winged monster with the body of a bird of prey and the head of a woman, considered the personification of violent storms and destructive greed. Figuratively, the term describes a cruel, malicious, greedy, or nagging person; in zoology, it designates a species of large, extremely powerful eagle (Harpia harpyja) native to South American rainforests.
• Artemis — A major goddess in Greek mythology (equated with Diana by the Romans), daughter of Zeus and Leto, and twin sister of Apollo. Venerated as the deity of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness, childbirth, and the moon, she is structurally represented as an independent and untamed maiden, armed with a golden bow and arrows.
• Arthur — A proper name of Celtic origin, widely distributed internationally, possessing a deep historical and mythological connotation linked to the legendary King Arthur of Great Britain, the leader of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian cycle. Its etymology is structurally associated with the Celtic term for 'bear' (artos), symbolizing strength, courage, and sovereignty. In modern history and culture, the name is borne by numerous prominent figures, such as writer Arthur Conan Doyle or philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer.
• Assuerus — A Latin onomastic form historically used in biblical translations (such as the Vulgate) for the Persian king Ahasuerus (often identified with Xerxes I), mentioned in the Book of Esther; it also represents the legendary name attributed in medieval Christian folklore to the mythical character the Wandering Jew, condemned to wander the earth until the Second Coming because of his refusal to allow Jesus to rest on the path to the crucifixion.
• Astydamia — A name borne by several female characters in Greek mythology, the most prominent being the wife of King Acastus of Iolcus. In the legend of Peleus, Astydamia fell in love with him, and following his rejection, falsely accused him before her husband of attempting to dishonor her, triggering a series of bloody revenges that ended with her execution and the conquest of the city by Peleus.
• Augeas — The name of a legendary king of Elis in Greek mythology, famous for his massive stables housing thousands of cattle that had not been cleaned for over thirty years. Cleaning these stables in a single day by diverting two rivers constituted one of the twelve labors of Hercules.
• Augias — A secondary orthographic variant for the mythological king 'Augeas' (master of the legendary stables cleaned by Hercules in a single day). Although older text and 19th-century translations preferred this structural variant, modern encyclopedic standards recommend using Augeas.
• Baba-Dochia — A central figure of Romanian mythology, symbolically personifying the dying old year, harsh winter, and the rebirth of spring. The legend depicts her as an authoritarian stepmother who subjects her daughter-in-law to impossible tasks (such as washing black wool until it turns white); deceived by an early spell of warm weather, she climbs the mountain with her sheep, shedding her 9 or 12 sheepskin coats one by one, ultimately freezing to death and turning into stone alongside her flock, inspiring the myth of the 'Old Women Days' in early March.
• Mocked — Archaic and regional form for mocked; having been subjected to derision, humiliated, ridiculed, or publicly disregarded. In ancient writings, the term refers to a person, value, or holy object that went through a process of profanation or moral mistreatment.