Figuratively, nepenthe means "that which chases away sorrow". Literally it means 'not-sorrow' or 'anti-sorrow': , , i.e. "not" (
privative prefix), and , from , , i.e. "grief, sorrow, or mourning". In the
Odyssey, νηπενθές φάρμακον : (i.e. an
anti-sorrow drug) is a magical
potion given to
Helen by
Polydamna, the wife of the noble Egyptian Thon; it quells all sorrows with forgetfulness. ==References==