Greek gods bemoan WHO's use of Greek letters to designate virus variants

"Just WHO do you think you are?" says an indignant Zeus and "What about Xi?" thunders another

O, no! It does look like the esteemed World Health Organization has just assigned another Greek letter, omicron, to the newly identified Covid variant from South Africa. It’s not the first time that the WHO has raided the Greek alphabet, as Delta Airlines is well aware. This time, they even skipped over Xi—a Greek letter that comes before omicron but that might have ruffled the red feathers of the tainted organization’s presumed (in some quarters) overlord.

And at least some Greek gods are less than pleased. From the summit of Mount Olympus, sources say Zeus, the most powerful of gods and seasoned hurler of thunderbolts, went on a tirade about the brazen lack of respect for the Greek language and god of war Ares, for his part, went on a tear about WHO and China in general and well, you can connect those dots yourselves. The Nine Muses just shrugged while Aphrodite, ever the beauty queen, was asked to weigh in and promised to do so just as soon as she gets back from her hairdresser in Kolonaki.

Doubtless the WHO has plenty of good reasons for harpooning the ancient and stolid members of the Greek alphabet—again—but we’re sure not loving them.