Ambrosia in Homer's poems nectar is usually the drink and ambrosia the food of the gods; it was with ambrosia Hera "cleansed all defilement from her lovely flesh", and with ambrosia Athena prepared Penelope in her sleep, so that when she appeared for the final time before her suitors, the effects of years had been stripped away, and they were inflamed with passion at the sight of her. On the other hand, in Alcman, nectar is the food, and in Sappho and Anaxandrides, ambrosia is the drink. A character in Aristophanes' "Knights" says, "I dreamed the goddess poured ambrosia over your
The Food of the Gods (short story) The Food of the Gods (short story) "The Food of the Gods" is a science fiction short story by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, first published in 1964. It was subsequently published as part of a short story collection "The Wind from the Sun" in 1972. The title is in reference to "ambrosia", the mythical food of the ancient Greek gods and the name of the controversial food product discussed in this story. The title could also be seen as a tribute to the novel "The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth" by H. G. Wells.