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Lazarus Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, was a friend of Jesus who was raised from the dead by Jesus in a miracle described in the New Testament. Lazarus had already been dead for four days when Jesus arrived at the tomb: 'He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin' (John n : 43-44). Lazarus is alluded to in the context of a literal or metaphorical resurrection. • See special entry n JESUS on p. 223.

If her absence was a cause of well exercised tongues, then her Lazarus-like resurrection must have created much oral fatigue.

MIKE NICOL The Powers That Be, 1989

Phoenix The Phoenix was a mythical bird of gorgeous plumage, the only one of its kind. After living for five or six centuries in the Arabian desert, it burnt itself on a funeral pyre ignited by the sun and fanned by its own wings, and rose from the ashes with renewed youth to live through another life-span. Anything that has been restored to a new existence after apparent destruction can be said to be like the Phoenix. It has come to symbolize resurrection.

The house's character had changed much with the fire that had wrecked it and the several stages of reconstruction that renewed it; phoenix-like, the place seemed reborn of itself.

RUSSELL HOBAN The Mouse and His Child, 1967

Here in person was a sign, Alexander thought, if a hard sign to interpret, female by sex, male by gender, undergoing a positively Attic self-mutilation to become an analogue of the first Elizabeth's emblem, the renewed Phoenix.

A. s. BYATT The Virgin in the Garden, 1978

Rescue

The hero rescuing someone, usually a beautiful woman, from imprisonment or danger has proved a staple of storytelling from PERSEUS to JAMES BOND. The image of the heroic knight coming to the rescue, as exemplified by GALAHAD, ST GEORGE, and others, is also reflected less specifically in the modern expressions 'knight in shining armour' and 'white knight'. • See also Danger, Escape and Survival, Safety.

Andromeda In Greek mythology, Andromeda was chained to a rock and left to be devoured by a sea monster. She was saved by Perseus, who flew to her rescue on the winged horse, Pegasus, and slew the monster. • See PERSEUS.

James Bond James Bond is the secret agent hero of the novels by Ian Fleming. In both the novels and the films based on them, the resourceful Bond repeatedly effects daring and audacious rescues.

This is particularly true following the manager's decision to make a playing comeback at the age of 40. There are already signs it could produce a Coventry rescue act

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of which any James Bond would be proud.

The Observer, 1997

Grace Darling Grace Darling (1815-42), the daughter of a lighthouse keeper on the Fame Islands off the coast of Northumberland, became a national heroine when in September 1838 she and her father rowed through a storm to rescue the survivors of the wrecked Forfarshire.

Sir Galahad In Arthurian legend, Sir Galahad was a knight of immaculate purity who was destined to find the Holy Grail. His name is a byword for chivalrous heroism, and the image of him riding up on his charger to rescue a maiden in distress is a common one.

knights of the Round Table, traditionally portrayed as the lover of Arthur's queen, Guinevere. As with other knights, he can be alluded to as a heroic and chivalrous rescuer of fair maidens in distress.

'You must have fainted. You slid forward off the lounger and nearly fell in the pool.

He', Kat made up by emphasis for not knowing his name, 'came along just at the right moment and got you out. Sir Lancelot!

STAYNES AND STOREY Dead Serious, 1995

Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danae, a hero celebrated for many accomplishments. Riding on the winged horse, Pegasus, he killed the gorgon Medusa by cutting off her head. He also rescued Andromeda, who had been chained to a rock and left to be devoured by a monster. Perseus slew the sea monster, rescued Andromeda, and married her.

He seemed to see her like a lovely rock-bound Andromeda, with the devouring monster Society careering up to make a mouthful of her; and himself whirling down on his winged horse—just Pegasus turned Rosinante for the nonce—to cut her bonds, snatch her up, and whirl her back into the blue.

EDITH WHARTON The Custom of the Country, 1913

Red Cross Knight In Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queen, the Red Cross Knight, almost certainly meant to be St George, is sent by the queen to slay a dragon that is ravaging the country of the princess Una. The Red Cross Knight does indeed destroy the dragon and marries Una.

He himself isn't quite what Simon has been expecting; no heroic delivering Perseus, no Red Cross Knight.

MARCARET ATWOOD Alias Grace, 1996

SAS The Special Air Service, or SAS, is a specialist British army regiment

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trained in commando techniques of warfare. It was formed during the Second World War and is used in clandestine operations, especially against terrorists and most dramatically in several high-profile rescues of hostages.

Scarlet Pimpernel 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' is the name assumed by the English nobleman, Sir Percy Blakeney, hero of Baroness Orczy's novel The Scarlet Pimpernel (published in 1905). Blakeney uses ingenious disguises to outwit his opponents and rescue French aristocrats from the guillotine during the French Revolution. He reveals his true identity to no one, not even to those he rescues, but leaves the sign of a small red flower, the scarlet pimpernel, as his callingcard whenever he has effected a rescue.

One fifteen-year-old was kept isolated for three years in her bedroom. Sometimes all they want is higher education. Legends keep them going. Like the true story of a runaway who is now a graduate and successful businesswoman. Philip Balmforth, Bradford Police's community officer, is the indefatigable local scarlet pimpernel who rescues these girls and who arranges new lives, new identities.

The Independent, 1998

US cavalry In many old American Western films, the US cavalry arrives just

Returning

Most of the allusions below relate to the idea of returning after a long

absence, sometimes associated with the notion of recognition. Returning

to base and returning from the dead are represented by ANTAEUS and

LAZARUS respectively.

Antaeus In Greek mythology, Antaeus was a giant, son of the sea-god Poseidon and the earth-goddess Gaia. He was invincible as long as he touched the earth (enabling him to draw new strength from his mother). When he wrestled Hercules, the latter lifted Antaeus into the air and crushed him to death in his arms.

Still I knew I hadn't come out to Westport just to escape the phone and the doorbell. It was more that I needed to touch base, so to speak. Antaeus coming to earth so he might renew his strength. And I needed to visit the brightest man I know, my brother, Tim.

ROBERT A. CARTER Written in Blood, 1992

Enoch Arden In Tennyson's poem of the same name, published in 1864, Enoch Arden is shipwrecked and presumed dead. After ten years he returns

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home, only to find that his wife, Annie, has remarried. Observing from afar the couple's happiness, Enoch decides not to ruin it by making himself known.

Bonnie Prince Charlie Charles Edward Stuart (1720-88), known as 'the Young Pretender' or 'Bonnie Prince Charlie', was the son of James Stuart and pretender to the British throne. After spending some time in exile in France, he returned to Scotland and led the Jacobite uprising of 1745-6, invading England and advancing as far as Derby. However, he was driven back to Scotland and defeated at the battle of Culloden. He again escaped to France and died later in exile in Rome. Bonnie Prince Charlie became the subject of much romantic literature, and his supporters always hoped that he would one day return again and defeat the English.

But they would never find a leader. If there was some exiled prince of Chaka's blood, who came back like Prince Charlie to free his people, there might be danger; but their royalties are fat men with top hats and old frock coats, who live in dirty locations.

JOHN BUCHAN Prester John, 1910

Doctor Foster According to the nursery rhyme,

'Doctor Foster went to Gloucester In a shower of rain.

He stepped in a puddle right up to his middle, And never went there again'.

Doctor Foster can be alluded in the context of refusing or being reluctant to return to a place.

E.T. In the 1982 Steven SpielbergfilmE.T.—The Extraterrestrial, an alien being accidentally left behind by a mission to Earth befriends a lonely suburban boy. The boy helps him to build a makeshift radio transmitter after E.T. has expressed his desire to make contact with his home planet with the phrase: 'E.T. phone home'. At the end of the film a spaceship comes to take E.T. back home.

fatted calf • See PRODIGAL SON.

Martin Guerre Martin Guerre was a 16th-century Gascon peasant who disappeared from his village for nine years. Subsequently a certain Arnaud du Thil, bearing a close resemblance to Guerre, presented himself as the missing man and was accepted by Guerre's wife as her husband. He was later revealed as an impostor by the true Martin Guerre. The story is the subject of the film Le Retour de Martin Guerre (1982).

Jonah Jonah was a Hebrew minor prophet who was called by God to preach in Nineveh, but disobeyed and tried to escape by sea. After being swallowed by 'a great fish' (traditionally a whale) and spending three days in its belly, Jonah finally emerged when he was vomited out onto dry land; he then went to preach to the Ninevites.

I am back: again and again I am back, from the belly of the whale disgorged,

j . M. COETZEE Age of Iron, 1990

Lazarus Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, was a friend of Jesus who was raised from the dead by Jesus in a miracle described in the New Testament