Laocoön

American  

[ley-ok-oh-on] / leɪˈɒk oʊˌɒn /

Or Laocoon,

noun

1. Classical Mythology. a priest of Apollo at Troy who warned the Trojans of the Trojan Horse, and who, with his two sons, was killed by two huge serpents sent by Athena or Apollo.

2. (italics) a late 2nd-century b.c. representation in marble of Laocoön and his sons struggling with the serpents: attributed to Agesander, Athenodorus, and Polydorus of Rhodes.

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Laocoon British  

/ leɪˈɒkəʊˌɒn /

noun

1. Greek myth a priest of Apollo at Troy who warned the Trojans against the wooden horse left by the Greeks; killed with his twin sons by two sea serpents

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Laocoon Cultural  

1. In classical mythology, Laocoon was a priest in Troy during the Trojan War (see also Trojan War). When the Trojans discovered the Trojan horse outside their gates, Laocoon warned against bringing it into the city, remarking, “I am wary of Greeks even when they are bringing gifts.” (See “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.”) The god Poseidon, who favored the Greeks, then sent two enormous snakes after Laocoon. The creatures coiled themselves around the priest and his two sons, crushing them to death. Some sources say Athena sent the snakes.

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Example Sentences

We paid our respects to the The Laocoön and His Sons sculpture.

From The Guardian • Feb. 14, 2013

He remained for more than a year, drawing the antique sculptures and monuments being excavated with stunning regularity — the Laocoön had surfaced two years before.

From New York Times • Oct. 7, 2010

To the horrified spectators Laocoön had been punished for opposing the entry of the horse which most certainly no one else would now do.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

The priest Laocoön, when the horse was first discovered, had been urgent with the Trojans to destroy it.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Laocoön and his two sons heard his story with suspicion, the only doubters there.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton