NOTES.NOTE 1.--ODYSSEUS AND HIS NURSE.Page12.In the Odyssey, Book I., lines 425-444, a similar incident is related concerning Telemachus and Eurycleia. Many of the illustrations of life and manners given in this volume have been taken, with slight changes, from Homer. It has not been thought necessary to make distinct mention of such passages. The student of Homer will readily recognize them.NOTE 2.--APOLLO AND THE PYTHON.Page43.Readers of the "Story of Siegfried" cannot fail to notice the resemblance of the legends relating to that hero, to some of the myths of Apollo. Siegfried, like Apollo, was the bright being whose presence dispelled the mists and the gloom of darkness. He dwelt for a time in a mysterious but blessed region far to the north. He was beneficent and kind to his friends, terrible to his foes. Apollo's favorite weapons were his silver bow and silent arrows; Siegfried's main dependence was in his sun-bright armor and his wonderful sword Balmung. Apollo slew the Python, and left it lying to enrich the earth; Siegfried slew Fafnir the dragon, and seized its treasures for his own.--SeeThe Story of Siegfried.NOTE 3.--SISYPHUS.Page50."Yea, and I beheld Sisyphus in strong torment, grasping a monstrous stone with both his hands. He was pressing thereat with hands and feet, and trying to roll the stone upward toward the brow of the hill. But oft as he was about to hurl it over the top, the weight would drive him back: so once again to the plain rolled the stone, the shameless thing. And he once more kept heaving and straining; and the sweat the while was pouring down his limbs, and the dust rose upwards from his head."--Homer's Odyssey, XI. 595.NOTE 4.--A SON OF HERMES.Page50.Autolycus was said to have been a son of Hermes, doubtless on account of his shrewdness and his reputation for thievery. Hermes is sometimes spoken of as the god of thieves.NOTE 5.--THE CHOICE OF HERACLES.Page61.This moral lesson is, of course, of much later date than that of our story. It is the invention of the Greek sophist Prodicus, who was a contemporary of Socrates.NOTE 6.--MELEAGER.Page68.Readers of the "Story of Roland" will readily recognize several points of resemblance between the legend of Meleager's childhood and the story of Ogier the Dane. It is, indeed, probable that very much of the latter is simply a medieval adaptation of the former.--See also the account of the three Norns inThe Story of Siegfried.NOTE 7.--THE DEATH OF ASCLEPIUS.Page91.The story of Balder, as related in the Norse mythology, has many points of resemblance to that of Asclepius. Balder, although a being of a higher grade than Asclepius, was the friend and benefactor of mankind. He was slain through the jealousy of the evil one: his death was bewailed by all living beings, birds, beasts, trees, and plants.--SeeThe Story of Siegfried.NOTE 8.--PARIS AND ŒNONE.Page109.A very beautiful version of this story is to be found in Tennyson's poem entitled "Œnone." It will well repay reading.NOTE 9.--THE SWINEHERD'S STORY.Page119.This story was afterwards related to Odysseus under very different circumstances. The curious reader is referred to the Odyssey, Book XV., 390-485.NOTE 10.--PRAYERS.Page129."The gods themselves are placable, though farAbove us all in honor and in powerAnd virtue. We propitiate them with vows,Incense, libations, and burnt-offerings,And prayers for those who have offended. PrayersAre daughters of almighty Jupiter,--Lame, wrinkled, and squint-eyed,--that painfullyFollow Misfortune's steps; but strong of limbAnd swift of foot Misfortune is, and, farOutstripping all, comes first to every land,And there wreaks evil on mankind, which PrayersDo afterwards redress. Whoe'er receivesJove's daughters reverently when they approach,Him willingly they aid, and to his suitThey listen. Whosoever puts them byWith obstinate denial, they appealTo Jove, the son of Saturn, and entreatThat he will cause Misfortune to attendThe offender's way in life, that he in turnMay suffer evil, and be punished thus."The Iliad(BRYANT'S Translation), IX. 618-636.A sacrifice to Poseidon similar to that described here is spoken of in the Odyssey, III. 30-60.NOTE 11.--THE LABORS OF HERACLES.Page140.It seems to have been one of the unexplainable decrees of fate that Heracles should serve Eurystheus twelve years, and that at his bidding he should perform the most difficult undertakings. The account of the twelve labors of Heracles, undertaken by command of his master, belongs to a later age than that of Homer, The twelve labors were as follows:--1. The fight with the Nemean lion.2. The fight with the Lernæan hydra.3. Capture of the Arcadian stag.4. Destruction of the Erymanthian boar.5. Cleansing the stables of Augeas.6. Putting to flight the Harpies, or Stymphalian birds.7. Capture of the Cretan bull.8. Capture of the mares of Thracian Diomede.9. Seizure of the girdle of the queen of the Amazons.10. Capture of the oxen of Geryones.11. Fetching the golden apples of the Hesperides.12. Bringing Cerberus from the lower world.NOTE 12.Page151.The description of the palace of Tyndareus given here has many points of resemblance to the description of the palace of Alcinous.--SeeOdyssey, VII. 85.NOTE 13. THE VENGEANCE OF ODYSSEUS.Page224.Palamedes, according to the ancient story, went to Troy with the heroes, where he distinguished himself by his wisdom and courage. But Odysseus, who could never forgive him, caused a captive Phrygian to write to Palamedes a letter in the name of Priam, and bribed a servant of Palamedes to conceal the letter under his master's bed. He then accused Palamedes of treachery. Upon searching the tent, the letter was found, and Palamedes was stoned to death. When Palamedes was led to death, he exclaimed, "Truth, I lament thee, for thou hast died even before me!" There are other stories as to the manner of the death of Palamedes. Some say that Odysseus and Diomede induced him to descend into a well, where they pretended they had discovered a treasure; and when he was below, they cast stones upon him, and killed him. Others state that he was drowned by them while fishing; and others that he was killed by Paris with an arrow.--SeeSmith's Classical Dictionary.NOTE 14.--THE GARDEN OF LYCOMEDES.Page230.The curious reader may find in the description of the garden of Alcinous (Odyssey, VII. 85,et seq.) some resemblance to the description here given of the garden of Lycomedes.NOTE 15.--THE CASKETS OF ZEUS.Page233."Beside Jove's threshold standTwo casks of gifts for man. One cask containsThe evil, one the good; and he to whomThe Thunderer gives them mingled sometimes fallsInto misfortune, and is sometimes crownedWith blessings. But the man to whom he givesThe evil only stands a mark exposedTo wring, and, chased by grim calamity,Wanders the teeming earth, alike unlovedBy gods and men."--The Iliad, XXIV. 663-672,NOTE 16.--DEATH OF AJAX.Page258."The soul of Ajax, son of Telawon, alone stood apart, being still angry for the victory wherein I prevailed against him, in the suit by the ships concerning the arms of Achilles that his lady mother had set for a prize; and the sons of the Trojans made award and Pallas Athené. Would that I had never prevailed and won such a prize!"--Odyssey, XI. 544-548.[image]Map--HELLAS, THE SHORES OF THE ÆGEAN AND ILIOS.INDEX TO PROPER NAMES.[The figures in parentheses indicate the page or pages on which the name receives fullest mention.]Acarnānĭa (3, 72), the most western province of Hellas.Acastus (92), son of Pelias, king of Iolcos; he was slain by Peleus.Achaia (5), the northern coast of Peloponnesus.Achilles (91, 109, 225-236, 246, 255), son of Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis. The chief hero among the Hellenes.Actæon (87), a celebrated huntsman. He was changed by Artemis into a stag, and torn to pieces by his own dogs.Admetus (90, 166), king of Pherze in Thessaly.Æson (80), son of Cretheus, and father of Jason. He was excluded from the kingship of Iolcos by his half-brother Pelias.Ætolia (5), a country north of the Corinthian Gulf (Bay of Crissa), and east of Acarnania.Agamemnon (150, 233, 238, 251), king of Mycenæ, and commander-in-chief of the Hellenic forces in the war against Troy.Ajax Telamon, sometimes called the greater Ajax (150, 234, 257), son of Telamon, king of Salamis. He was a nephew of Peleus, and hence a cousin of Achilles.Ajax Oileus, sometimes called the lesser Ajax (151, 234), son of Oileus, king of the Locrians.Alcestis (166), daughter of Pelias, and wife of Admetus.Alpheus (132), a river which flows through Arcadia and Elis.Althea (65), the mother of Meleager.Amphithea (53), grandmother of Odysseus.Amphitryon (55), the stepfather of Heracles.Anticleia (2, 219), daughter of Autolycus, and mother of Odysseus.Antilochus (131, 151), son of Nestor.Aphareus (125, 187), founder of the town of Arene in Messene, and father of Idas and Lynceus.Aphrodīte (99-110, 160), goddess of love and beauty.Apollo (37-46, 189, 208), son of Zeus and Leto. He was the god of prophecy and of music and song, the punisher of evil, and the helper of men.Arcadia (5, 132), a country in the middle of the Peloponnesus.Ares (223), the god of war.Mars.Arethusa (133), a sea-nymph.Argo (2, 89), the ship upon which Jason and his companions sailed to Colchis.Argolis, see Argos.Argonauts (2, 67), "the sailors of the Argo."Argos (2, 5), a name frequently applied by Homer to the whole of the Peloponnesus. A district north of Laconia, often called Argolis.Argus (196), a monster having a hundred eyes, appointed by Here to be the guardian of Io.Artĕmis (134, 239), daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin-sister of Apollo. She was the goddess of the chase, and the protectress of the young and helpless.Diana.Asclepius (87-90), son of Apollo, and god of the healing art.Æsculapius.Atalanta (68, 162), daughter of Iasus and Clymene; the fleet-footed wife of Milanion.Athēné (10, 14,99-105) goddess of wisdom, and "queen of the air;" often called Pallas Athené.Minerva.Atropos (66, 98), one of the Fates.Aulis (233, 239-251), a harbor in Bœotia, on the Euripus.Autolycus (48), the grandfather of Odysseus.Balios and Xanthos (97), the horses of Peleus.Bœotia, a district north of the Corinthian Gulf, bounded on the east by the Euripus, and on the west by Phocis.Bosphōrus (197), the "ox ford," the strait connecting the Sea of Marmora with the Black (Euxine) Sea.Cadmus (217), a Phœnician who settled in Hellas, and founded the city of Thebes. He is said to have brought the alphabet from Phœnicia.Calchas (225, 241-252), the wisest soothsayer among the Hellenes. He died of grief because the soothsayer Mopsus predicted things which he had not foreseen.Calўdōn (66-76), an ancient town and district of Ætolia, on the Evenus River.Castor (56, 68, 146, 185), twin-brother of Polydeuces.Centaurs (84-86), an ancient race inhabiting Mount Pelion and the neighboring districts of Thessaly.Cephallenia (183), a large island near Ithaca.Charybdis (155), a dreadful whirlpool on the side of a narrow strait opposite Scylla.Cheiron (58, 78, 170), a Centaur, "the wisest of men," and the teacher of the heroes.Chryse (252), an island in the Ægæan Sea; also a city on the coast of Asia Minor, south of Troy.Circe (270), daughter of Helios, a sorceress who lived in the island of Ææa.Cleopatra (67-76), wife of Meleager.Clotho (66, 98), one of the Fates.Clytemnestra (152, 242-252), daughter of Tyndareus and Leda, and sister of Castor and Polydeuces and Helen. She was married to Agamemnon, and became the mother of Iphigenia and Orestes.Colchis (2, 87-89), a country of Asia, at the eastern extremity of the Black Sea.Copāis (40), a lake in Bœotia.Corinth (5, 49, no), a city on the isthmus between the Corinthian Gulf and the Ægæan Sea.Corycia (51), a nymph who lived on Mount Parnassus.Crissa (5, 29), the ancient name of the Gulf of Corinth; also, the name of a town in Phocis.Cronus (11,182), the youngest of the Titans, and the father of Zeus.Saturn.Cythēra (165), an island off the south-western point of Laconia.Deianeira (142, 171-181), wife of Heracles.Delos (38), the smallest of the Cyclades islands in the Ægæan Sea.Delphi (5, 30-45), a town on the southern slope of Mount Parnassus.Deucălion (200), son of Prometheus, and father of Hellen.Diomēde (151, 235), son of Tydeus, and king of Argos.Dodona (171, 225), an ancient oracle of Hellas, situated in Epirus in a grove of oaks and beeches.Echion (61, 76), son of Autolycus.Elis (125), a country on the western coast of the Peloponnesus, south of Achala.Epaphos (16, 198), son of Zeus and Io.Eris (98), the goddess of discord.Erymanthus (139), a mountain in Arcadia.Eubœa, the largest island of the Ægæan Sea, separated from Bœotia by the Euripus.Eumæus (114-119), the swineherd of Ithaca.Euripus (233), the narrow strait between Eubœa and Bœotia.Eurycleia (12), the nurse of Odysseus and of Telemachus.Eurystheus (138), the master of Heracles, king of Argolis.Eurytion (71, 92), king of Phthia.Eurytion (85), a Centaur.Eurytus (55, 136-144), king of Œchalia.Evēnus (176), a river in Ætolia.Ganўmēdes (208), the most beautiful of mortals, son of Tros.Glaucus (25), a fisherman who became immortal by eating of the divine herb which Cronus had sown.Gorgons (27), three daughters of Phorcys and Ceto.Gray Sisters (26), daughters of Phorcys.Hades (89, 170), the god of the lower regions.Pluto.Hēbē (98), the goddess of youth.Hector (101, 255), son of Priam; the chief hero of the Trojans.Helen (145-162, 216, 267), daughter of Tyndareus and Leda of Lacedæmon, represented in mythology as the daughter of Zeus and Leda. "The most beautiful woman in the world."Hĕlĕnus (258), son of Priam, soothsayer of the Trojans.Hēlios (5, 15-19), the god of the sun.Sol.Hellas, the name which the Greeks applied to their country.Greece.Hellen (203), son of Deucalion and Pyrrha, and ancestor of all the Hellenes.Hephæstus (90, 160, 193), the god of fire.Vulcan.Hērē (99-105), the wife of Zeus.Juno.Heracles (55, 87-90, 138-144, 169-181, 211-214), the most celebrated of all the old heroes.Hercules.Hermes (100-104, 196), the herald of the gods, son of Zeus and Maia.Mercury.Hēsĭŏne (210-213), the sister of PriamHesperia (19), "the western land."Hesperides (5, 27, 139), guardians of the golden apples which Earth gave to Here on her marriage day--said by some to be the daugters of Phorcys and Ceto.Hippódàmeia (84, 167) wife of Peirithous.Hyllus (176), son of Heracles.Hyperboreans (6, 39), a people living in the far North.Iasus (163), an Arcadian, father of Atalanta.Icarius (155, 162), brother of Tyndareus, and father of Penelope.Ida (102-109, 208), a mountain-range of Mysia in Asia Minor, east of Troy.Idas (67, 185), "the boaster," son of Aphareus, and father of Cleopatra.Idŏmĕneus (151, 215, 235), king of Crete.Ilios (206-214, 253), a name applied to the district in which Troy was situated.Ilium.Ilus (208), son of Dardanus.Inachus (196), the first king of Argos.Io (196-199), daughter of Inachus, and mother of Epaphos from whom was descended Heracles.Iolcos (77-110), an ancient town of Thessaly at the head of the Pegasæan Gulf.Iŏle (138-144, 173-181), daughter of Eurytus of Œchalia, beloved by Heracles.Iphigenīa (242-252), daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra.Iphitus (136-153, 172), son of Eurytus, one of the Argonauts.Ithaca (1, 113), a small island in the Ionian Sea, the birthplace of Odysseus.Jason (2, 68, 87), leader of the Argonauts.Lacedæmon (5, 145-169, 189-204), a district of Laconia in which was situated Sparta. The name is also applied to the town of Sparta.Lachĕsis (66), one of the Fates.Laconia (5, 145), a country in the south-east of Peloponnesus.Laertes (2, 182), king of Ithaca, father of Odysseus.Laodamĭa (254), daughter of Acastus, and wife of Protesilaus.Laŏmĕdon (208-314), king of Troy, father of Priam.Lăpiths (84), a people inhabiting the country adjoining Mount Pelion in Thessaly.Leda (146), wife of Tyndareus of Lacedæmon.Lemnos (253, 260), an island in the Ægæan Sea.Lichas (174-179), the herald of Heracles.Linus (56), a musician, brother of Orpheus.Lycomēdes (228), king of Scyros.Lydia (173), a district of Asia Minor.Lynceus (185), son of Aphareus, brother of Idas.Machāon (151, 262), son of Asclepius, the surgeon of the Greeks in the Trojan war.Medēa (89), daughter of Æetes, king of Colchis, celebrated for her skill in magic.Medusa (27), one of the Gorgons.Meleāger (66-76), son of Oineus and Althea, husband of Cleopatra.Menelāus (150, 234), brother of Agamemnon, and husband of Helen.Messēne (120), a country in the south-western part of the Peloponnesus.Milanion (163), the husband of Atalanta.Mycēnæ (150), an ancient town in Argolis.Mysia (239), a country in Asia Minor.Nedon (131), a river of Messene.Nēleus (125, 173), son of Poseidon and Tyro, brother of Pelias, and father of Nestor.Nessus (176), a Centaur, ferryman at the River Evenus.Nestor (125, 235), king of Pylos, son of Neleus.Nireus (151, 160, 235), one of the heroes of the Trojan war.Ocĕănus (194), god of the Ocean.Odysseus, the hero of this story, son of Laertes, husband of Penelope.Ulysses.Œchalia (138, 174), a town supposed to be somewhere in Eubœa.Œnone (103, 263), daughter of the river-god Cebren, and wife of Paris.Œta (171, 180), a rugged pile of mountains in the south of Thessaly.Oineus (65), king of Pleuron and Calydon.Olympus (5, 79), a mountain in Thessaly, on the summit of which Zeus held his court.
NOTES.
NOTE 1.--ODYSSEUS AND HIS NURSE.Page12.
In the Odyssey, Book I., lines 425-444, a similar incident is related concerning Telemachus and Eurycleia. Many of the illustrations of life and manners given in this volume have been taken, with slight changes, from Homer. It has not been thought necessary to make distinct mention of such passages. The student of Homer will readily recognize them.
NOTE 2.--APOLLO AND THE PYTHON.Page43.
Readers of the "Story of Siegfried" cannot fail to notice the resemblance of the legends relating to that hero, to some of the myths of Apollo. Siegfried, like Apollo, was the bright being whose presence dispelled the mists and the gloom of darkness. He dwelt for a time in a mysterious but blessed region far to the north. He was beneficent and kind to his friends, terrible to his foes. Apollo's favorite weapons were his silver bow and silent arrows; Siegfried's main dependence was in his sun-bright armor and his wonderful sword Balmung. Apollo slew the Python, and left it lying to enrich the earth; Siegfried slew Fafnir the dragon, and seized its treasures for his own.--SeeThe Story of Siegfried.
NOTE 3.--SISYPHUS.Page50.
"Yea, and I beheld Sisyphus in strong torment, grasping a monstrous stone with both his hands. He was pressing thereat with hands and feet, and trying to roll the stone upward toward the brow of the hill. But oft as he was about to hurl it over the top, the weight would drive him back: so once again to the plain rolled the stone, the shameless thing. And he once more kept heaving and straining; and the sweat the while was pouring down his limbs, and the dust rose upwards from his head."--Homer's Odyssey, XI. 595.
NOTE 4.--A SON OF HERMES.Page50.
Autolycus was said to have been a son of Hermes, doubtless on account of his shrewdness and his reputation for thievery. Hermes is sometimes spoken of as the god of thieves.
NOTE 5.--THE CHOICE OF HERACLES.Page61.
This moral lesson is, of course, of much later date than that of our story. It is the invention of the Greek sophist Prodicus, who was a contemporary of Socrates.
NOTE 6.--MELEAGER.Page68.
Readers of the "Story of Roland" will readily recognize several points of resemblance between the legend of Meleager's childhood and the story of Ogier the Dane. It is, indeed, probable that very much of the latter is simply a medieval adaptation of the former.--See also the account of the three Norns inThe Story of Siegfried.
NOTE 7.--THE DEATH OF ASCLEPIUS.Page91.
The story of Balder, as related in the Norse mythology, has many points of resemblance to that of Asclepius. Balder, although a being of a higher grade than Asclepius, was the friend and benefactor of mankind. He was slain through the jealousy of the evil one: his death was bewailed by all living beings, birds, beasts, trees, and plants.--SeeThe Story of Siegfried.
NOTE 8.--PARIS AND ŒNONE.Page109.
A very beautiful version of this story is to be found in Tennyson's poem entitled "Œnone." It will well repay reading.
NOTE 9.--THE SWINEHERD'S STORY.Page119.
This story was afterwards related to Odysseus under very different circumstances. The curious reader is referred to the Odyssey, Book XV., 390-485.
NOTE 10.--PRAYERS.Page129.
"The gods themselves are placable, though farAbove us all in honor and in powerAnd virtue. We propitiate them with vows,Incense, libations, and burnt-offerings,And prayers for those who have offended. PrayersAre daughters of almighty Jupiter,--Lame, wrinkled, and squint-eyed,--that painfullyFollow Misfortune's steps; but strong of limbAnd swift of foot Misfortune is, and, farOutstripping all, comes first to every land,And there wreaks evil on mankind, which PrayersDo afterwards redress. Whoe'er receivesJove's daughters reverently when they approach,Him willingly they aid, and to his suitThey listen. Whosoever puts them byWith obstinate denial, they appealTo Jove, the son of Saturn, and entreatThat he will cause Misfortune to attendThe offender's way in life, that he in turnMay suffer evil, and be punished thus."The Iliad(BRYANT'S Translation), IX. 618-636.
"The gods themselves are placable, though farAbove us all in honor and in powerAnd virtue. We propitiate them with vows,Incense, libations, and burnt-offerings,And prayers for those who have offended. PrayersAre daughters of almighty Jupiter,--Lame, wrinkled, and squint-eyed,--that painfullyFollow Misfortune's steps; but strong of limbAnd swift of foot Misfortune is, and, farOutstripping all, comes first to every land,And there wreaks evil on mankind, which PrayersDo afterwards redress. Whoe'er receivesJove's daughters reverently when they approach,Him willingly they aid, and to his suitThey listen. Whosoever puts them byWith obstinate denial, they appealTo Jove, the son of Saturn, and entreatThat he will cause Misfortune to attendThe offender's way in life, that he in turnMay suffer evil, and be punished thus."The Iliad(BRYANT'S Translation), IX. 618-636.
"The gods themselves are placable, though far
Above us all in honor and in power
And virtue. We propitiate them with vows,
Incense, libations, and burnt-offerings,
And prayers for those who have offended. Prayers
Are daughters of almighty Jupiter,--
Lame, wrinkled, and squint-eyed,--that painfully
Follow Misfortune's steps; but strong of limb
And swift of foot Misfortune is, and, far
Outstripping all, comes first to every land,
And there wreaks evil on mankind, which Prayers
Do afterwards redress. Whoe'er receives
Jove's daughters reverently when they approach,
Him willingly they aid, and to his suit
They listen. Whosoever puts them by
With obstinate denial, they appeal
To Jove, the son of Saturn, and entreat
That he will cause Misfortune to attend
The offender's way in life, that he in turn
May suffer evil, and be punished thus."
The Iliad(BRYANT'S Translation), IX. 618-636.
The Iliad(BRYANT'S Translation), IX. 618-636.
A sacrifice to Poseidon similar to that described here is spoken of in the Odyssey, III. 30-60.
NOTE 11.--THE LABORS OF HERACLES.Page140.
It seems to have been one of the unexplainable decrees of fate that Heracles should serve Eurystheus twelve years, and that at his bidding he should perform the most difficult undertakings. The account of the twelve labors of Heracles, undertaken by command of his master, belongs to a later age than that of Homer, The twelve labors were as follows:--
1. The fight with the Nemean lion.2. The fight with the Lernæan hydra.3. Capture of the Arcadian stag.4. Destruction of the Erymanthian boar.5. Cleansing the stables of Augeas.6. Putting to flight the Harpies, or Stymphalian birds.7. Capture of the Cretan bull.8. Capture of the mares of Thracian Diomede.9. Seizure of the girdle of the queen of the Amazons.10. Capture of the oxen of Geryones.11. Fetching the golden apples of the Hesperides.12. Bringing Cerberus from the lower world.
1. The fight with the Nemean lion.2. The fight with the Lernæan hydra.3. Capture of the Arcadian stag.4. Destruction of the Erymanthian boar.5. Cleansing the stables of Augeas.6. Putting to flight the Harpies, or Stymphalian birds.7. Capture of the Cretan bull.8. Capture of the mares of Thracian Diomede.9. Seizure of the girdle of the queen of the Amazons.10. Capture of the oxen of Geryones.11. Fetching the golden apples of the Hesperides.12. Bringing Cerberus from the lower world.
1. The fight with the Nemean lion.
2. The fight with the Lernæan hydra.
3. Capture of the Arcadian stag.
4. Destruction of the Erymanthian boar.
5. Cleansing the stables of Augeas.
6. Putting to flight the Harpies, or Stymphalian birds.
7. Capture of the Cretan bull.
8. Capture of the mares of Thracian Diomede.
9. Seizure of the girdle of the queen of the Amazons.
10. Capture of the oxen of Geryones.
11. Fetching the golden apples of the Hesperides.
12. Bringing Cerberus from the lower world.
NOTE 12.Page151.
The description of the palace of Tyndareus given here has many points of resemblance to the description of the palace of Alcinous.--SeeOdyssey, VII. 85.
NOTE 13. THE VENGEANCE OF ODYSSEUS.Page224.
Palamedes, according to the ancient story, went to Troy with the heroes, where he distinguished himself by his wisdom and courage. But Odysseus, who could never forgive him, caused a captive Phrygian to write to Palamedes a letter in the name of Priam, and bribed a servant of Palamedes to conceal the letter under his master's bed. He then accused Palamedes of treachery. Upon searching the tent, the letter was found, and Palamedes was stoned to death. When Palamedes was led to death, he exclaimed, "Truth, I lament thee, for thou hast died even before me!" There are other stories as to the manner of the death of Palamedes. Some say that Odysseus and Diomede induced him to descend into a well, where they pretended they had discovered a treasure; and when he was below, they cast stones upon him, and killed him. Others state that he was drowned by them while fishing; and others that he was killed by Paris with an arrow.--SeeSmith's Classical Dictionary.
NOTE 14.--THE GARDEN OF LYCOMEDES.Page230.
The curious reader may find in the description of the garden of Alcinous (Odyssey, VII. 85,et seq.) some resemblance to the description here given of the garden of Lycomedes.
NOTE 15.--THE CASKETS OF ZEUS.Page233.
"Beside Jove's threshold standTwo casks of gifts for man. One cask containsThe evil, one the good; and he to whomThe Thunderer gives them mingled sometimes fallsInto misfortune, and is sometimes crownedWith blessings. But the man to whom he givesThe evil only stands a mark exposedTo wring, and, chased by grim calamity,Wanders the teeming earth, alike unlovedBy gods and men."--The Iliad, XXIV. 663-672,
"Beside Jove's threshold standTwo casks of gifts for man. One cask containsThe evil, one the good; and he to whomThe Thunderer gives them mingled sometimes fallsInto misfortune, and is sometimes crownedWith blessings. But the man to whom he givesThe evil only stands a mark exposedTo wring, and, chased by grim calamity,Wanders the teeming earth, alike unlovedBy gods and men."--The Iliad, XXIV. 663-672,
"Beside Jove's threshold stand
"Beside Jove's threshold stand
Two casks of gifts for man. One cask contains
The evil, one the good; and he to whom
The Thunderer gives them mingled sometimes falls
Into misfortune, and is sometimes crowned
With blessings. But the man to whom he gives
The evil only stands a mark exposed
To wring, and, chased by grim calamity,
Wanders the teeming earth, alike unloved
By gods and men."--The Iliad, XXIV. 663-672,
NOTE 16.--DEATH OF AJAX.Page258.
"The soul of Ajax, son of Telawon, alone stood apart, being still angry for the victory wherein I prevailed against him, in the suit by the ships concerning the arms of Achilles that his lady mother had set for a prize; and the sons of the Trojans made award and Pallas Athené. Would that I had never prevailed and won such a prize!"--Odyssey, XI. 544-548.
[image]Map--HELLAS, THE SHORES OF THE ÆGEAN AND ILIOS.
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[image]
Map--HELLAS, THE SHORES OF THE ÆGEAN AND ILIOS.
INDEX TO PROPER NAMES.
[The figures in parentheses indicate the page or pages on which the name receives fullest mention.]
Acarnānĭa (3, 72), the most western province of Hellas.
Acastus (92), son of Pelias, king of Iolcos; he was slain by Peleus.
Achaia (5), the northern coast of Peloponnesus.
Achilles (91, 109, 225-236, 246, 255), son of Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis. The chief hero among the Hellenes.
Actæon (87), a celebrated huntsman. He was changed by Artemis into a stag, and torn to pieces by his own dogs.
Admetus (90, 166), king of Pherze in Thessaly.
Æson (80), son of Cretheus, and father of Jason. He was excluded from the kingship of Iolcos by his half-brother Pelias.
Ætolia (5), a country north of the Corinthian Gulf (Bay of Crissa), and east of Acarnania.
Agamemnon (150, 233, 238, 251), king of Mycenæ, and commander-in-chief of the Hellenic forces in the war against Troy.
Ajax Telamon, sometimes called the greater Ajax (150, 234, 257), son of Telamon, king of Salamis. He was a nephew of Peleus, and hence a cousin of Achilles.
Ajax Oileus, sometimes called the lesser Ajax (151, 234), son of Oileus, king of the Locrians.
Alcestis (166), daughter of Pelias, and wife of Admetus.
Alpheus (132), a river which flows through Arcadia and Elis.
Althea (65), the mother of Meleager.
Amphithea (53), grandmother of Odysseus.
Amphitryon (55), the stepfather of Heracles.
Anticleia (2, 219), daughter of Autolycus, and mother of Odysseus.
Antilochus (131, 151), son of Nestor.
Aphareus (125, 187), founder of the town of Arene in Messene, and father of Idas and Lynceus.
Aphrodīte (99-110, 160), goddess of love and beauty.
Apollo (37-46, 189, 208), son of Zeus and Leto. He was the god of prophecy and of music and song, the punisher of evil, and the helper of men.
Arcadia (5, 132), a country in the middle of the Peloponnesus.
Ares (223), the god of war.Mars.
Arethusa (133), a sea-nymph.
Argo (2, 89), the ship upon which Jason and his companions sailed to Colchis.
Argolis, see Argos.
Argonauts (2, 67), "the sailors of the Argo."
Argos (2, 5), a name frequently applied by Homer to the whole of the Peloponnesus. A district north of Laconia, often called Argolis.
Argus (196), a monster having a hundred eyes, appointed by Here to be the guardian of Io.
Artĕmis (134, 239), daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin-sister of Apollo. She was the goddess of the chase, and the protectress of the young and helpless.Diana.
Asclepius (87-90), son of Apollo, and god of the healing art.Æsculapius.
Atalanta (68, 162), daughter of Iasus and Clymene; the fleet-footed wife of Milanion.
Athēné (10, 14,99-105) goddess of wisdom, and "queen of the air;" often called Pallas Athené.Minerva.
Atropos (66, 98), one of the Fates.
Aulis (233, 239-251), a harbor in Bœotia, on the Euripus.
Autolycus (48), the grandfather of Odysseus.
Balios and Xanthos (97), the horses of Peleus.
Bœotia, a district north of the Corinthian Gulf, bounded on the east by the Euripus, and on the west by Phocis.
Bosphōrus (197), the "ox ford," the strait connecting the Sea of Marmora with the Black (Euxine) Sea.
Cadmus (217), a Phœnician who settled in Hellas, and founded the city of Thebes. He is said to have brought the alphabet from Phœnicia.
Calchas (225, 241-252), the wisest soothsayer among the Hellenes. He died of grief because the soothsayer Mopsus predicted things which he had not foreseen.
Calўdōn (66-76), an ancient town and district of Ætolia, on the Evenus River.
Castor (56, 68, 146, 185), twin-brother of Polydeuces.
Centaurs (84-86), an ancient race inhabiting Mount Pelion and the neighboring districts of Thessaly.
Cephallenia (183), a large island near Ithaca.
Charybdis (155), a dreadful whirlpool on the side of a narrow strait opposite Scylla.
Cheiron (58, 78, 170), a Centaur, "the wisest of men," and the teacher of the heroes.
Chryse (252), an island in the Ægæan Sea; also a city on the coast of Asia Minor, south of Troy.
Circe (270), daughter of Helios, a sorceress who lived in the island of Ææa.
Cleopatra (67-76), wife of Meleager.
Clotho (66, 98), one of the Fates.
Clytemnestra (152, 242-252), daughter of Tyndareus and Leda, and sister of Castor and Polydeuces and Helen. She was married to Agamemnon, and became the mother of Iphigenia and Orestes.
Colchis (2, 87-89), a country of Asia, at the eastern extremity of the Black Sea.
Copāis (40), a lake in Bœotia.
Corinth (5, 49, no), a city on the isthmus between the Corinthian Gulf and the Ægæan Sea.
Corycia (51), a nymph who lived on Mount Parnassus.
Crissa (5, 29), the ancient name of the Gulf of Corinth; also, the name of a town in Phocis.
Cronus (11,182), the youngest of the Titans, and the father of Zeus.Saturn.
Cythēra (165), an island off the south-western point of Laconia.
Deianeira (142, 171-181), wife of Heracles.
Delos (38), the smallest of the Cyclades islands in the Ægæan Sea.
Delphi (5, 30-45), a town on the southern slope of Mount Parnassus.
Deucălion (200), son of Prometheus, and father of Hellen.
Diomēde (151, 235), son of Tydeus, and king of Argos.
Dodona (171, 225), an ancient oracle of Hellas, situated in Epirus in a grove of oaks and beeches.
Echion (61, 76), son of Autolycus.
Elis (125), a country on the western coast of the Peloponnesus, south of Achala.
Epaphos (16, 198), son of Zeus and Io.
Eris (98), the goddess of discord.
Erymanthus (139), a mountain in Arcadia.
Eubœa, the largest island of the Ægæan Sea, separated from Bœotia by the Euripus.
Eumæus (114-119), the swineherd of Ithaca.
Euripus (233), the narrow strait between Eubœa and Bœotia.
Eurycleia (12), the nurse of Odysseus and of Telemachus.
Eurystheus (138), the master of Heracles, king of Argolis.
Eurytion (71, 92), king of Phthia.
Eurytion (85), a Centaur.
Eurytus (55, 136-144), king of Œchalia.
Evēnus (176), a river in Ætolia.
Ganўmēdes (208), the most beautiful of mortals, son of Tros.
Glaucus (25), a fisherman who became immortal by eating of the divine herb which Cronus had sown.
Gorgons (27), three daughters of Phorcys and Ceto.
Gray Sisters (26), daughters of Phorcys.
Hades (89, 170), the god of the lower regions.Pluto.
Hēbē (98), the goddess of youth.
Hector (101, 255), son of Priam; the chief hero of the Trojans.
Helen (145-162, 216, 267), daughter of Tyndareus and Leda of Lacedæmon, represented in mythology as the daughter of Zeus and Leda. "The most beautiful woman in the world."
Hĕlĕnus (258), son of Priam, soothsayer of the Trojans.
Hēlios (5, 15-19), the god of the sun.Sol.
Hellas, the name which the Greeks applied to their country.Greece.
Hellen (203), son of Deucalion and Pyrrha, and ancestor of all the Hellenes.
Hephæstus (90, 160, 193), the god of fire.Vulcan.
Hērē (99-105), the wife of Zeus.Juno.
Heracles (55, 87-90, 138-144, 169-181, 211-214), the most celebrated of all the old heroes.Hercules.
Hermes (100-104, 196), the herald of the gods, son of Zeus and Maia.Mercury.
Hēsĭŏne (210-213), the sister of Priam
Hesperia (19), "the western land."
Hesperides (5, 27, 139), guardians of the golden apples which Earth gave to Here on her marriage day--said by some to be the daugters of Phorcys and Ceto.
Hippódàmeia (84, 167) wife of Peirithous.
Hyllus (176), son of Heracles.
Hyperboreans (6, 39), a people living in the far North.
Iasus (163), an Arcadian, father of Atalanta.
Icarius (155, 162), brother of Tyndareus, and father of Penelope.
Ida (102-109, 208), a mountain-range of Mysia in Asia Minor, east of Troy.
Idas (67, 185), "the boaster," son of Aphareus, and father of Cleopatra.
Idŏmĕneus (151, 215, 235), king of Crete.
Ilios (206-214, 253), a name applied to the district in which Troy was situated.Ilium.
Ilus (208), son of Dardanus.
Inachus (196), the first king of Argos.
Io (196-199), daughter of Inachus, and mother of Epaphos from whom was descended Heracles.
Iolcos (77-110), an ancient town of Thessaly at the head of the Pegasæan Gulf.
Iŏle (138-144, 173-181), daughter of Eurytus of Œchalia, beloved by Heracles.
Iphigenīa (242-252), daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra.
Iphitus (136-153, 172), son of Eurytus, one of the Argonauts.
Ithaca (1, 113), a small island in the Ionian Sea, the birthplace of Odysseus.
Jason (2, 68, 87), leader of the Argonauts.
Lacedæmon (5, 145-169, 189-204), a district of Laconia in which was situated Sparta. The name is also applied to the town of Sparta.
Lachĕsis (66), one of the Fates.
Laconia (5, 145), a country in the south-east of Peloponnesus.
Laertes (2, 182), king of Ithaca, father of Odysseus.
Laodamĭa (254), daughter of Acastus, and wife of Protesilaus.
Laŏmĕdon (208-314), king of Troy, father of Priam.
Lăpiths (84), a people inhabiting the country adjoining Mount Pelion in Thessaly.
Leda (146), wife of Tyndareus of Lacedæmon.
Lemnos (253, 260), an island in the Ægæan Sea.
Lichas (174-179), the herald of Heracles.
Linus (56), a musician, brother of Orpheus.
Lycomēdes (228), king of Scyros.
Lydia (173), a district of Asia Minor.
Lynceus (185), son of Aphareus, brother of Idas.
Machāon (151, 262), son of Asclepius, the surgeon of the Greeks in the Trojan war.
Medēa (89), daughter of Æetes, king of Colchis, celebrated for her skill in magic.
Medusa (27), one of the Gorgons.
Meleāger (66-76), son of Oineus and Althea, husband of Cleopatra.
Menelāus (150, 234), brother of Agamemnon, and husband of Helen.
Messēne (120), a country in the south-western part of the Peloponnesus.
Milanion (163), the husband of Atalanta.
Mycēnæ (150), an ancient town in Argolis.
Mysia (239), a country in Asia Minor.
Nedon (131), a river of Messene.
Nēleus (125, 173), son of Poseidon and Tyro, brother of Pelias, and father of Nestor.
Nessus (176), a Centaur, ferryman at the River Evenus.
Nestor (125, 235), king of Pylos, son of Neleus.
Nireus (151, 160, 235), one of the heroes of the Trojan war.
Ocĕănus (194), god of the Ocean.
Odysseus, the hero of this story, son of Laertes, husband of Penelope.Ulysses.
Œchalia (138, 174), a town supposed to be somewhere in Eubœa.
Œnone (103, 263), daughter of the river-god Cebren, and wife of Paris.
Œta (171, 180), a rugged pile of mountains in the south of Thessaly.
Oineus (65), king of Pleuron and Calydon.
Olympus (5, 79), a mountain in Thessaly, on the summit of which Zeus held his court.