the god of flies
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: the lord of flies
In the temple of Actium the Greeks used annually to sacrifice an ox to Zeus, who, in this capacity, was sur- named Apomyios, the averter of flies. Pliny tells us that at Rome sacrifice was offered to flies in the temple of Hercules Victor, and the Syrians offered sacrifice to the same insects. See ACHOR; BEELZEBUB.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “the god of flies” mean?
In the temple of Actium the Greeks used annually to sacrifice an ox to Zeus, who, in this capacity, was sur- named Apomyios, the averter of flies. Pliny tells us that at Rome sacrifice was offered to flies in the temple of Hercules Victor, and the Syrians offered sacrifice to the same insects. See ACHOR; BEELZEBUB.
Is “the god of flies” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.