# Poetic names for stuff

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poetic-names-for-stuff/662927>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 8, 2013, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poetic-names-for-stuff/662927 "2013-07-08T09:02:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Molotok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Molotok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molotok)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poetic-names-for-stuff/662927/1 "2013-07-08T09:02:53Z")

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I recently saw the Simpson’s episode that mentioned ‘‘Apollo’s lantern’’ as a poetic name for the sun. Any for the moon? Stars? I looked for sites with a list, but didn’t know what to enter in the searchbox 😕

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**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poetic-names-for-stuff/662927/2 "2013-07-08T09:47:28Z")

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I’d never heard that one, but the Sun was supposedly Apollo’s chariot and I’ve seen that used. The names of Greek or Roman gods are sometimes used to refer to their domain, hence Selene or Luna for the moon.

One of the names for the planet Venus is the Star of the Morning.

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**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poetic-names-for-stuff/662927/3 "2013-07-08T12:35:03Z")

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The term you’re looking for is “allusion”, especially “classical allusion” if you want the Greco-Roman myths. Poetry’s full of 'em from ancient times through Byron and beyond. The moon can be “Artemis’s throne”, “Hecate’s hall” or “Bast’s companion”.

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**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poetic-names-for-stuff/662927/4 "2013-07-08T12:50:52Z")

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The moon is just some other day’s reflection tinted a pretty blue.  
Its there so you can see the world’s mysterious and shadowy side unfettered by the harsh glare of reality.

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**Author:** ![lawbuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@lawbuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawbuff)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poetic-names-for-stuff/662927/5 "2013-07-08T14:30:02Z")

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I have studied poetry for years and Emily Dickinson called the frost that killed her plants the “Blonde Assassin”.