Damocles

From Wikinfo

In Greek mythology, Damocles was a courtier in the court of Dionysius the Elder. He mentioned that, as a person of power and authority, Dionysius must be very content and happy. Dionysius invited Damocles to a banquet, which he enjoyed very much sitting at Dionysius' throne. Damocles looked up and saw a sword hanging by a single piece of horsehair directly above his head and he thereafter realized the precarious position rulers are in.

The Sword of Damocles is a frequently used symbolic allusion to this myth, referring to the insecurity felt by those with great power due to the possibility of the power being taken away suddenly.

References

• Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Damocles" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damocles, used under the GNU Free Documentation License