Thus Spoke Zarathustra Glossary

Glossary of Terms

Adder

a poisonous snake

Apollonian

the elements of the world that deal with order, reason, harmony, culture, and restraint. It is the opposite of Dionysian

Apostate

a person who forsakes his religion or teaching

Chastity

refraining from sex in order to achieve spiritual enlightenment

Dionysian

the elements of the world that deal with confusion, chaos, and sensuous behavior. This is the opposite of Apollonian.

Disciple

a student

Eternal return

the understanding that everything that has happened will happen again

God-is-dead

the philosophical idea that the institutions of Christianity no longer hold power over humanity

Mount of Olives

the biblical location of Jesus' arrest by the Roman authorities the night before his execution

Nihilism

the philosophy that nothing has meaning; the belief in nothing

Overman

Zarathustra's vision of the ideal human being. "Overman" can also be translated as "Superhuman" or "Superman"

Pity

the state of humanity that always seeks to lower itself instead of raising itself to self-awareness

Platonism

a philosophical school of thought based on the philosophy of Plato

Prudence

discretion in regards to practical matters

Rabble

the lower classes of society

Socratic Method

a method of learning in which the teacher questions a student in order to get him or her to work out the correct answer

Soothsayer

a prophet or fortune teller

Sublime

a state of happiness or unawareness

Tarantula

a poisonous spider

Will to Power

Nietzsche's philosophical term describing mankind's will to self-awareness