Achil′leswas the most valiant of the Greek heroes in the Trojan War. He was the son of Peleus,King of Thessaly. His mother, Thetis, plunged him, when an infant, into the Stygian pool, which made him invulnerable wherever the waters had washed him; but the heel by which he was held was not wetted, and that part remained vulnerable. He was shot with an arrow in the heel by Paris, at the siege of Troy, and died of his wound.Acida′lia, a name given to Venus from a fountain in Bœotia.A′cis.A Sicilian shepherd, loved by the nymph Galatea. One of the Cyclops who was jealous of him crushed him by hurling a rock on him. Galatea turned his blood into a river—the Acis at the foot of Mount Etna.Actæ′onwas the son of Aristæus, a famous huntsman. He intruded himself on Diana while she was bathing, and was changed by her into a deer, in which form he was hunted by his own dogs and torn in pieces.A′des, see Hades.Ado′nis, the beautiful attendant of Venus, who held her train. He was killed by a boar, and turned by Venus into an anemone.“Even as the sun with purple-coloured faceHad ta’en his last leave of the weeping morn,Rose-cheeked Adonis hied him to the chase;Hunting he loved, but love he laughed to scorn.”Shakespeare.Adrastæ′a, another name of Nemesis, one of the goddesses of justice.Adscripti′tii Diiwere the gods of the second grade.Adversity, see Echidna.Æ′acus, one of the judges of hell, with Minos and Rhadamanthus. See Eacus.Æcas′tor, an oath used only by women, referring to the Temple of Castor.Æd′epol, an oath used by both men and women, referring to the Temple of Pollux.Æge′on, a giant with fifty heads and one hundred hands, who was imprisoned by Jupiter under Mount Etna. See Briareus.Æ′gis, the shield of Jupiter, so called because it was made of goat skin.“Where was thine Ægis Pallas that appall’d?”Byron.“Tremendous, Gorgon frowned upon its field,And circling terrors filled the expressive shield.”“Full on the crest the Gorgon’s head they place,With eyes that roll in death, and with distorted face.”Pope.Æ′gle.The fairest of the Naiads.Ael′lo, the name of one of the Harpies.Æne′aswas the son of Anchises and Venus. He was one of the few great captains who escaped the destruction of Troy. He behaved with great valour during the siege, encountering Diomed, and even Achilles himself. When the Grecians had set the city on fire Æneas took his aged father, Anchises, on his shoulders, whilst his son, Ascanius, and his wife, Creusa, clung to his garments. He saved them all from the flames. After wandering about during several years, encountering numerous difficulties, he at length arrived in Italy, where he was hospitably received by Latinus, king of theLatins. After the death of Latinus Æneas became king.“His back, or rather burthen, showedAs if it stoopëd with its load;For as Æneas bore his sireUpon his shoulders through the fire,Our knight did bear no less a packOf his own buttocks on his back.”Butler.Æo′luswas the god of the winds. Jupiter was his reputed father, and his mother is said to have been a daughter of Hippotus. Æolus is represented as having the power of holding the winds confined in a cavern, and occasionally giving them liberty to blow over the world. So much command was he supposed to have over them that when Ulysses visited him on his return from Troy he gave him, tied up in a bag, all the winds that could prevent his voyage from being prosperous. The companions of Ulysses, fancying that the bag contained treasure, cut it open just as they came in sight of Ithaca, the port they were making for, and the contrary winds rushing out drove back the ship many leagues. The residence of Æolus was at Strongyle, now called Strombolo.“Æolus from his airy throneWith power imperial curbs the struggling winds,And sounding tempests in dark prisons binds.”Dryden.Æscula′pius, the god of physic, was a son of Apollo. He was physician to the Argonauts in their famous expedition to Colchis. He became so noted for his cures that Pluto became jealous of him, and he requested Jupiter to kill him with a thunderbolt. To revenge his son’s death Apollo slew theCyclops who had forged the thunderbolt. By his marriage with Epione he had two sons, Machaon and Podalirus, both famous physicians, and four daughters, of whom Hygeia, the goddess of health, is the most renowned. Many temples were erected in honour of Æsculapius, and votive tablets were hung therein by people who had been healed by him; but his most famous shrine was at Epidaurus, where, every five years, games were held in his honour. This god is variously represented, but the most famous statue shows him seated on a throne of gold and ivory. His head is crowned with rays, and he wears a long beard. A knotty stick is in one hand, and a staff entwined with a serpent is in the other, while a dog lies at his feet.“Thou that dost Æsculapius deride,And o’er his gallipots in triumph ride.”Fenton.Æ′sonwas father of Jason, and was restored to youth by Medea.Æ′ta, a king of Colchis, was father of Medea.Agamem′nonwas the son of Plisthenes and brother of Menelaus. He was king of the Argives. His brother’s wife was the famous Helen, daughter of Tyndarus, king of Sparta; and when she eloped with Paris, Agamemnon was appointed leader of the Greeks in their expedition against Troy.Aganip′pides, a name of the Muses, derived from the fountain of Aganippe.Agine′us, see Apollo.Agla′iawas one of the Three Graces.Ag′ni.The Hindoo god of lightning.A′jaxwas one of the bravest of the Greek warriors in the Trojan war. His father was Telamon, and his mother Eribœa. Some writers say that he was killed by Ulysses; others aver that he was slain by Paris; while others again assert that he went mad after being defeated by Ulysses, and killed himself. Another Ajax, son of Oileus, also took a prominent part in the Trojan War.Alces′tis, wife of Admetus, who, to save her husband’s life, died in his stead, and was restored to life by Hercules.Alci′des, one of the names of Hercules.Alcme′na, the mother of Hercules, was daughter of Electrion, a king of Argos.Alec′towas one of the Furies. She is depicted as having serpents instead of hair on her head, and was supposed to breed pestilence wherever she went.Alec′tryon, a servant of Mars, who was changed by him into a cock because he did not warn his master of the rising of the sun.Al′fadur, in Scandinavian Mythology the Supreme Being—Father of all.Al′ma Mammo′sa, a name of Ceres.Alphe′us, a river god. See Arethusa.Altar.A structure on which a sacrifice was offered. The earliest altars were merely heaps of earth or turf or rough unhewn stone; but as the mode of sacrificing became more ceremonious grander altars were built. Some were of marble and brass, ornamented with carvings and bas-reliefs, and the corners with models of the heads of animals. They varied in height from two feet to four, and some were built solid; others were madehollow to retain the blood of the victims. Some were provided with a kind of dish, into which frankincense was thrown to overpower the smell of burning fat. This probably was the origin of the custom of burning incense at the altar.Amal’thæ’athe goat which nourished Jupiter.Am’azonswere a nation of women-soldiers who lived in Scythia. Hercules totally defeated them, and gave Hippolyte, their queen, to Theseus for a wife. The race seems to have been exterminated after this battle.Ambarva’liawere festivals in honour of Ceres, instituted by Roman husbandmen to purge their fields. At the spring festival the head of each family led an animal, usually a pig or ram, decked with oak boughs, round his grounds, and offered milk and new wine. After harvest there was another festival, at which Ceres was presented with the first-fruits of the season. See Ceres.Amber, see Heliades.Ambro’siawere Bacchanalian festivals.Ami’ca, a name of Venus.Amphi’onwas the son of Jupiter and Antiope. He was greatly skilled in music; and it is said that, at the sound of his lute, the stones arranged themselves so regularly as to make the walls of the city of Thebes.“Amphion, too, as story goes, could callObedient stones to make the Theban wall.”Horace.“New walls to Thebes, Amphion thus began.”William King.“Such strains I sing as once Amphion played,When list’ning flocks the powerful call obeyed.”Elphinston.Amphitri′te(or Salatia), the wife of Neptune, was a daughter of Oceanus and Terra. She was the mother of Triton, a sea god.“His weary chariot sought the bowersOf Amphitrite and her tending nymphs.”Thomson.Amy′cuswas king of Babrycia. He was a son of Neptune, and was killed by Pollux.Ancæ′us.A son of Neptune, who left a cup of wine to hunt a wild boar which killed him, and the wine was untasted. This was the origin of the proverb—“There’s many a slip ’twixt cup and lip.”Ancil′ia, the twelve sacred shields. The first Ancile was supposed to have fallen from heaven in answer to the prayer of Numa Pompilius. It was kept with the greatest care, as it was prophesied that the fate of the Roman people would depend upon its preservation. An order of priesthood was established to take care of the Ancilia, and on 1st March each year the shields were carried in procession, and in the evening there was a great feast called Cœna Saliaris.Androm′eda, the daughter of Cepheus, king of the Ethiopians, was wife of Perseus, by whom she was rescued when she was chained to a rock and was about to be devoured by a sea-monster.Anem′one.Venus changed Adonis into this flower.Angero′nia, otherwise Volupia, was the goddess who had the power of dispelling anguish of mind.Anna Peren′na, one of the rural divinities.Antæ′us, a giant who was vanquished by Hercules. Each time that Hercules threw him the giantgained fresh strength from touching the earth, so Hercules lifted him off the ground and squeezed him to death.An′teros, one of the two Cupids, sons of Venus.Antic′lea, the mother of Ulysses.Anti′opewas wife of Lycus, King of Thebes. Jupiter, disguised as a satyr, led her astray and corrupted her.Anu′bis(or Herman′ubis). “A god half a dog, a dog half a man.” CalledBarkerby Virgil and other poets.Aon′ides, a name of the Muses, from the country Aonia.Aph′rodi′te, a Greek name of Venus.Apis, a name given to Jupiter by the inhabitants of the Lower Nile. Also the miraculous ox, worshipped in Egypt.A′pis, King of Argivia. Afterwards called Serapis, the greatest god of the Egyptians.Apol′lo.This famous god, sometime King of Arcadia, was the son of Jupiter and Latona. He was known by several names, but principally by the following:—Sol (the sun); Cynthius, from the mountain called Cynthus in the Isle of Delos, and this same island being his native place obtained for him the name of Delius; Delphinius, from his occasionally assuming the shape of a dolphin. His name of Delphicus was derived from his connection with the splendid Temple at Delphi, where he uttered the famous oracles. Some writers record that this oracle became dumb when Jesus Christ was born. Other common names of Apollo were Didymæus, Nomius, Pæan, and Phœbus. TheGreeks called him Agineus because the streets were under his guardianship, and he was called Pythius from having killed the serpent Python. Apollo is usually represented as a handsome young man without beard, crowned with laurel, and having in one hand a bow, and in the other a lyre. The favourite residence of Apollo was on Mount Parnassus, a mountain of Phocis, in Greece, where he presided over the Muses. Apollo was the accredited father of several children, but the two most renowned were Æsculapius and Phæton.“Apollo there with aim so clever,Stretches his leaden bow for ever.”Lloyd, 1750.“Wilt thou have music? Hark! Apollo plays,And twenty cagëd nightingales do sing.”Shakespeare.Apothe′osis.The consecration of a god. The ceremony of deification.Apple, see Atalanta.Arach′ne, a Lybian Princess, who challenged Minerva to a spinning contest, but Minerva struck her on the head with a spindle, and turned her into a spider.“... So her disembowelled web,Arachne, in a hall or kitchen spreads,Obvious to vagrant flies.”John Phillips.Arca′dia, a delightful country in the centre of Peloponnessus, a favourite place of the gods. Apollo was reputed to have been King of Arcadia.Ar′cas, a son of Calistro, was turned into a he-bear; and afterwards into the constellation called Ursa Minor.Archer, see Chiron.Areop′agi′tæ, the judges who sat at the Areopagus.Areop′agus, the hill at Athens where Mars was tried for murder before twelve of the gods.A′res.The same as Mars, the god of war.Arethu′sawas one of the nymphs of Diana. She fled from Alpheus, a river god, and was enabled to escape by being turned by Diana into a rivulet which ran underground. She was as virtuous as she was beautiful.Ar′gonauts.This name was given to the fifty heroes who sailed to Colchis in the ship Argo under the command of Jason, to fetch the Golden Fleece.Ar′guswas a god who had a hundred eyes which slept and watched by turns. He was charged by Juno to watch Io, but, being slain by Mercury, was changed by Juno into a peacock.Ariad′ne, daughter of Minos, King of Crete. After enabling Theseus to get out of the Labyrinth by means of a clew of thread, she fled with him to Naxos, where he ungratefully deserted her; but Bacchus wooed her and married her, and the crown of seven stars which he gave her was turned into a constellation.Ari′onwas a famous lyric poet of Methymna, in the Island of Lesbos, where he gained great riches by his art. There is a pretty fable which has made the name of Arion famous. Once when travelling from Lesbos his companions robbed him, and proposed to throw him into the sea. He entreated the seamen to let him play upon his harp before they threw him overboard, and he played so sweetly that the dolphins flocked round the vessel. Hethen threw himself into the sea, and one of the dolphins took him up and carried him to Taenarus, near Corinth. For this act the dolphin was raised to heaven as a constellation.Aristæ′us, son of Apollo and Cyrene, was the god of trees; he also taught mankind the use of honey, and how to get oil from olives. He was a celebrated hunter. His most famous son was Actæon.Arma′ta, one of the names of Venus, given to her by Spartan women.Ar′temis.This was the Grecian name of Diana, and the festivals at Delphi were called Artemesia.ArtsandSciences, see Muses.Arus′pices, sacrificial priests.Ascal′aphuswas changed into an owl, the harbinger of misfortune, by Ceres, because he informed Pluto that Proserpine had partaken of food in the infernal regions, and thus prevented her return to earth.Asca′nius, the son of Æneas.Ascol′ia, Bacchanalian feasts, from a Greek word meaning a leather bottle. The bottles were used in the games to jump on.Aso′pus.A son of Jupiter, who was killed by one of his father’s thunderbolts.Assabi′nus, the Ethiopian name of Jupiter.Asses-ears, see Midas.Astar′te, one of the Eastern names of Venus.Aste′ria, daughter of Cæus, was carried away by Jupiter, who assumed the shape of an eagle.Astre′a, mother of Nemesis, was the goddess of justice; she returned to heaven when the earth became corrupt.“... Chaste Astrea fled,And sought protection in her native sky.”John Hughes.Atalan′tawas daughter of Cæneus. The oracle told her that marriage would be fatal to her, but, being very beautiful, she had many suitors. She was a very swift runner, and, to get rid of her admirers, she promised to marry any one of them who should outstrip her in a race, but that all who were defeated should be slain. Hippomenes, however, with the aid of Venus, was successful. That goddess gave him three golden apples, one of which he dropped whenever Atalanta caught up to him in the race. She stopped to pick them up, and he was victorious and married her. They were both afterwards turned into lions by Cybele, for profaning her temple.A′te.The goddess of revenge, also called the goddess of discord and all evil. She was banished from heaven by her father Jupiter.“With Ate by his side come hot from hell.”Shakespeare.Athe′na, a name obtained by Minerva as the tutelary goddess of Athens.Atlas, was King of Mauritania, now Morocco, in Africa. He was also a great astronomer. He is depicted with the globe on his back, his name signifying great toil or labour. For his inhospitality to Perseus that king changed him into the mountain which bears his name of Atlas. A chain of mountains in Africa is called after him, and so is the Atlantic Ocean. He had seven daughtersby his wife Pleione, they were called by one common name, Pleiades; and by his wife Æthra he had seven more, who were, in the same manner, called Hyades. Both the Pleiades and the Hyades are celestial constellations.At′reus, the type of fraternal hatred. His dislike of his brother Thyestes went to the extent of killing and roasting his nephews, and inviting their father to a feast, which Thyestes thought was a sign of reconciliation, but he was the victim of his brother’s detestable cruelty.“Medea must not draw her murdering knife,Nor Atreus there his horrid feast prepare.”Lord Roscommon.At′ropos, one of the three sisters calledThe Fates, who held the shears ready to cut the thread of life.A′tys, son of Crœsus, was born dumb, but when in a fight he saw a soldier about to kill the king, he gained speech, and cried out, “Save the king!” and the string that held his tongue was broken.A′tyswas a youth beloved by Aurora, and was slain by her father, but, according to Ovid, was afterwards turned into a pine-tree.Aug′æas, a king of Elis, the owner of the stable which Hercules cleansed after three thousand oxen had been kept in it for thirty years. It was cleansed by turning the river Alpheus through it. Augæas promised to give Hercules a tenth part of his cattle for his trouble, but, for neglecting to keep his promise, Hercules shot him.Au′gury.This was a means adopted by the Romans of forming a judgment of futurity by the flight of birds, and the officiating priest was called an augur.Auro′ra, the goddess of the morning,“Whose rosy fingers ope the gates of day.”She was daughter of Sol, the sun, and was the mother of the stars and winds. She is represented as riding in a splendid golden chariot drawn by white horses. The goddess loved Tithonus, and begged the gods to grant him immortality, but forgot to ask at the same time that he should not get old and decrepit. See Tithonus.“... So soon as the all-cheering sunShould, in the farthest east, begin to drawThe shady curtains of Aurora’s bed.”Shakespeare.Aus′ter, the south wind, a son of Jupiter.Aver′nus, a poisonous lake, referred to by poets as being at the entrance of the infernal regions, but it was really a lake in Campania in Italy.Averrun′cus Deus, a Roman god, who could divert people from evil doing.Axe, see Dædalus.Ba′al, a god of the Phœnicians.Ba′al-Pe′or, a Moabitish god, associated with licentiousness and obscenity. The modern name is Belphegor.Babes, see Rumina Dea.Bac′chantes.The priestesses of Bacchus.Bac′chus, the god of wine, was the son of Jupiter and Semele. He is said to have married Ariadne, daughter of Minos, King of Crete, after she was deserted by Theseus. The most distinguished of his children is Hymen, the god of marriage.Bacchus is sometimes referred to under the names of Dionysius, Biformis, Brisœus, Iacchus, Lenæus, Lyceus, Liber, and Liber Pater, the symbol of liberty. The god of wine is usually represented as crowned with vine and ivy leaves. In his left hand is a thyrsus, a kind of javelin, having a fir cone for the head, and being encircled with ivy or vine. His chariot is drawn by lions, tigers, or panthers.“Jolly Bacchus, god of pleasure,Charmed the world with drink and dances.”T. Parnell, 1700.Ba′lios.A famous horse given by Neptune to Peleus as a wedding present, and was afterwards given to Achilles.Barker, see Anubis.Bassar′ides.The priestesses of Bacchus were sometimes so called.Battle, see Valhalla.Bear, see Calistro.Beauty, see Venus.Bees, see Mellona.Belisa′ma, a goddess of the Gauls. The name means the Queen of Heaven.Beller′ophon, a hero who destroyed a monster called the Chimæra.Bello′na, the goddess of war, and wife of Mars. The 24th March was called Bellona’s Day, when her votaries cut themselves with knives and drank the blood of the sacrifice.“In Diræ’s and in Discord’s steps Bellona treads,And shakes her iron rod above their heads.”Belphe′gor, see Baal-Peor.Be′lus.The Chaldean name of the sun.Berecyn′thia, a name of Cybele, from a mountain where she was worshipped.Bi′formis, a name of Bacchus, because he was accounted both bearded and beardless.Birds, see Augury.Births, see Lucina and Levana.Blacksmith, see Brontes and Vulcan.Blind, see Thanyris.Blue eyes, see Glaukopis.Bo′na De′a.“The bountiful goddess,” whose festival was celebrated by the Romans with much magnificence. See Ceres.Bo′nus Even′tus.The god of good success, a rural divinity.Bo′reas, the north wind, son of Astræus and Aurora.“... I snatched her from the rigid north,Her native bed, on which bleak Boreas blew,And bore her nearer to the sun....”Young, 1710.Boundaries, see Terminus.Boxing, see Pollux.Brah′ma.The great Indian deity, represented with four heads looking to the four quarters of the globe.Bri′areus, see Ægeon.Bris′æus.A name of Bacchus, referring to the use of grapes and honey.Bront′es, one of the Cyclops. He is the personification of a blacksmith.Bubo′na, goddess of herdsmen, one of the rural divinities.Bud′dah.A pagan deity, the Vishnu of the Hindoos.Byb′lis.A niece of Sol, mentioned by Ovid. She shed so many tears for unrequited love that she was turned into a fountain.“Thus the Phœbeian Byblis, spent in tears,Becomes a living fountain, which yet bearsHer name.”Ovid.Cab′iri.The mysterious rites connected with the worship of these deities were so obscene that most writers refer to them as secrets which it was unlawful to reveal.Cac′odæ′mon.Greek name of an evil spirit.Ca′cus, a three-headed monster and robber.Cad′mus, one of the earliest of the Greek demigods. He was the reputed inventor of letters, and his alphabet consisted of sixteen letters. It was Cadmus who slew the Bœotian dragon, and sowed its teeth in the ground, from each of which sprang up an armed man.Cadu′ceus.The rod carried by Mercury. It has two winged serpents entwined round the top end. It was supposed to possess the power of producing sleep, and Milton refers to it inParadise Lostas the “opiate rod.”Calis′tro, an Arcadian nymph, who was turned into a she-bear by Jupiter. In that form she was hunted by her son Arcas, who would have killed her had not Jupiter turned him into a he-bear. The nymph and her son form the constellations known as the Great Bear and Little Bear.Calli′ope.The Muse who presided over epic poetry and rhetoric. She is generally depicted using a stylus and wax tablets, the ancient writing materials.Cal′pe.One of the pillars of Hercules.Calyp′sowas queen of the island of Ogygia, on which Ulysses was wrecked, and where he was persuaded to remain seven years.Ca′ma.The Indian god of love and marriage.Camil′lus, a name of Mercury, from his office of minister to the gods.Can′ache.The name of one of Actæon’s hounds.Cano′ba.The Indian Apollo.Cano′pus.The Egyptian god of water, the conqueror of fire.Cap′isorCap′ula. A peculiar cup with ears, used in drinking the health of the deities.Capitoli′nus.A name of Jupiter, from the Capitoline hill, on the top of which a temple was built and dedicated to him.Cap′ri′pedes.Pan, the Egipans, the Satyrs, and Fauns, were so called from having goats’ feet.Caproti′na.A name of Juno.Cassan′dra, a daughter of Priam and Hecuba, who was granted by Apollo the power of seeing into futurity, but having offended that god he prevented people from believing her predictions.Cassiope′ia.The Ethiopian queen who set her beauty in comparison with that of the Nereides, who thereupon chained her to a rock and left herto be devoured by a sea-monster, but she was delivered by Perseus.Casta′lia.One of the fountains in Mount Parnassus, sacred to the Muses.Casta′li′des, a name of the Muses, from the fountain Castalia or Castalius.Cas′tor, son of Jupiter and Leda, twin brother of Pollux, noted for his skill in horsemanship. He went with Jason in quest of the Golden Fleece.Cau′ther, in Mohammedan mythology, is the lake of paradise, whose waters are as sweet as honey, as cold as snow, and as clear as crystal; and any believer who tastes thereof is said to thirst no more.Cel′enowas one of the Harpies, progenitor of Zephyrus, the west wind.Cen′taur.A huntsman who had the fore-part like a man, and the remainder of the body like a horse. The Centauri lived in Thessaly.Cep′haluswas married to Procris, whom he accidentally slew by shooting her, while she was secretly watching him, he thinking she was a wild beast. Cephalus was the type of constancy.Cerau′nius.A Greek name of Jupiter, meaning The Fulminator, from his thunderbolts.Cer′berus.Pluto’s famous three-headed dog, which guarded the gate of the infernal regions, preventing the living from entering, and the inhabitants from going out.“Three-headed Cerberus, by fatePosted at Plato’s iron gate;Low crouching rolls his haggard eyes,Ecstatic, and foregoes his prize.”Ceremonies, see Themis.Ce′res, daughter of Saturn, the goddess of agriculture, and of the fruits of earth. She taught Triptolemus how to grow corn, and sent him to teach the inhabitants of the earth. She was known by the names of Magna Dea, Bona Dea, Alma Mammosa, and Thesmorphonis. Ceres was the mother of Prosperine. See Ambarvalia.“To Ceres bland, her annual rites be paidOn the green turf beneath the fragrant shade.—... Let all the hinds bend low at Ceres’ shrine,Mix honey sweet for her with milk and mellow wine,Thrice lead the victim the new fruits around,On Ceres call, and choral hymns resound.”“Ceres was she who first our furrows ploughed,Who gave sweet fruits and every good allowed.”Pope.Ces′tus, the girdle of Venus, which excited irresistible affection.Cha′osallegorically represented the confused mass of matter supposed to have existed before the creation of the world, and out of which the world was formed.“... Behold the throneOf Chaos, and his dark pavilion spreadWide on the wasteful deep; with him enthronedSat sable-vested Night, eldest of all things,The consort of his reign.”Milton.Char′onwas the son of Nox and Erebus. He was the ferryman who conveyed the spirits of the dead, in a boat, over the rivers Acheron and Styx to the Elysian Fields. “Charon’s toll” was a coinput into the hands of the dead with which to pay the grim ferryman.“From the dark mansions of the dead,Where Charon with his lazy boatFerries o’er Lethe’s sedgy moat.”Charyb′dis.A dangerous whirlpool on the coast of Sicily. Personified, it was supposed to have been a woman who plundered travellers, but was at last killed by Hercules. Scylla and Charybdis are generally spoken of together to represent alternative dangers.“Charybdis barks, and Polyphemus roars.”Francis.Che′mos.The Moabitish god of war.Children, see Nundina.Chimæ′ra.A wild illusion, personified in the monster slain by Bellerophon. It had the head and breast of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. It used to vomit fire.
Achil′leswas the most valiant of the Greek heroes in the Trojan War. He was the son of Peleus,King of Thessaly. His mother, Thetis, plunged him, when an infant, into the Stygian pool, which made him invulnerable wherever the waters had washed him; but the heel by which he was held was not wetted, and that part remained vulnerable. He was shot with an arrow in the heel by Paris, at the siege of Troy, and died of his wound.
Acida′lia, a name given to Venus from a fountain in Bœotia.
A′cis.A Sicilian shepherd, loved by the nymph Galatea. One of the Cyclops who was jealous of him crushed him by hurling a rock on him. Galatea turned his blood into a river—the Acis at the foot of Mount Etna.
Actæ′onwas the son of Aristæus, a famous huntsman. He intruded himself on Diana while she was bathing, and was changed by her into a deer, in which form he was hunted by his own dogs and torn in pieces.
A′des, see Hades.
Ado′nis, the beautiful attendant of Venus, who held her train. He was killed by a boar, and turned by Venus into an anemone.
“Even as the sun with purple-coloured faceHad ta’en his last leave of the weeping morn,Rose-cheeked Adonis hied him to the chase;Hunting he loved, but love he laughed to scorn.”Shakespeare.
“Even as the sun with purple-coloured faceHad ta’en his last leave of the weeping morn,Rose-cheeked Adonis hied him to the chase;Hunting he loved, but love he laughed to scorn.”Shakespeare.
“Even as the sun with purple-coloured faceHad ta’en his last leave of the weeping morn,Rose-cheeked Adonis hied him to the chase;Hunting he loved, but love he laughed to scorn.”Shakespeare.
“Even as the sun with purple-coloured face
Had ta’en his last leave of the weeping morn,
Rose-cheeked Adonis hied him to the chase;
Hunting he loved, but love he laughed to scorn.”
Shakespeare.
Adrastæ′a, another name of Nemesis, one of the goddesses of justice.
Adscripti′tii Diiwere the gods of the second grade.
Adversity, see Echidna.
Æ′acus, one of the judges of hell, with Minos and Rhadamanthus. See Eacus.
Æcas′tor, an oath used only by women, referring to the Temple of Castor.
Æd′epol, an oath used by both men and women, referring to the Temple of Pollux.
Æge′on, a giant with fifty heads and one hundred hands, who was imprisoned by Jupiter under Mount Etna. See Briareus.
Æ′gis, the shield of Jupiter, so called because it was made of goat skin.
“Where was thine Ægis Pallas that appall’d?”Byron.
“Where was thine Ægis Pallas that appall’d?”Byron.
“Where was thine Ægis Pallas that appall’d?”Byron.
“Where was thine Ægis Pallas that appall’d?”
Byron.
“Tremendous, Gorgon frowned upon its field,And circling terrors filled the expressive shield.”“Full on the crest the Gorgon’s head they place,With eyes that roll in death, and with distorted face.”Pope.
“Tremendous, Gorgon frowned upon its field,And circling terrors filled the expressive shield.”“Full on the crest the Gorgon’s head they place,With eyes that roll in death, and with distorted face.”Pope.
“Tremendous, Gorgon frowned upon its field,And circling terrors filled the expressive shield.”“Full on the crest the Gorgon’s head they place,With eyes that roll in death, and with distorted face.”Pope.
“Tremendous, Gorgon frowned upon its field,
And circling terrors filled the expressive shield.”
“Full on the crest the Gorgon’s head they place,
With eyes that roll in death, and with distorted face.”
Pope.
Æ′gle.The fairest of the Naiads.
Ael′lo, the name of one of the Harpies.
Æne′aswas the son of Anchises and Venus. He was one of the few great captains who escaped the destruction of Troy. He behaved with great valour during the siege, encountering Diomed, and even Achilles himself. When the Grecians had set the city on fire Æneas took his aged father, Anchises, on his shoulders, whilst his son, Ascanius, and his wife, Creusa, clung to his garments. He saved them all from the flames. After wandering about during several years, encountering numerous difficulties, he at length arrived in Italy, where he was hospitably received by Latinus, king of theLatins. After the death of Latinus Æneas became king.
“His back, or rather burthen, showedAs if it stoopëd with its load;For as Æneas bore his sireUpon his shoulders through the fire,Our knight did bear no less a packOf his own buttocks on his back.”Butler.
“His back, or rather burthen, showedAs if it stoopëd with its load;For as Æneas bore his sireUpon his shoulders through the fire,Our knight did bear no less a packOf his own buttocks on his back.”Butler.
“His back, or rather burthen, showedAs if it stoopëd with its load;For as Æneas bore his sireUpon his shoulders through the fire,Our knight did bear no less a packOf his own buttocks on his back.”Butler.
“His back, or rather burthen, showed
As if it stoopëd with its load;
For as Æneas bore his sire
Upon his shoulders through the fire,
Our knight did bear no less a pack
Of his own buttocks on his back.”
Butler.
Æo′luswas the god of the winds. Jupiter was his reputed father, and his mother is said to have been a daughter of Hippotus. Æolus is represented as having the power of holding the winds confined in a cavern, and occasionally giving them liberty to blow over the world. So much command was he supposed to have over them that when Ulysses visited him on his return from Troy he gave him, tied up in a bag, all the winds that could prevent his voyage from being prosperous. The companions of Ulysses, fancying that the bag contained treasure, cut it open just as they came in sight of Ithaca, the port they were making for, and the contrary winds rushing out drove back the ship many leagues. The residence of Æolus was at Strongyle, now called Strombolo.
“Æolus from his airy throneWith power imperial curbs the struggling winds,And sounding tempests in dark prisons binds.”Dryden.
“Æolus from his airy throneWith power imperial curbs the struggling winds,And sounding tempests in dark prisons binds.”Dryden.
“Æolus from his airy throneWith power imperial curbs the struggling winds,And sounding tempests in dark prisons binds.”Dryden.
“Æolus from his airy throne
With power imperial curbs the struggling winds,
And sounding tempests in dark prisons binds.”
Dryden.
Æscula′pius, the god of physic, was a son of Apollo. He was physician to the Argonauts in their famous expedition to Colchis. He became so noted for his cures that Pluto became jealous of him, and he requested Jupiter to kill him with a thunderbolt. To revenge his son’s death Apollo slew theCyclops who had forged the thunderbolt. By his marriage with Epione he had two sons, Machaon and Podalirus, both famous physicians, and four daughters, of whom Hygeia, the goddess of health, is the most renowned. Many temples were erected in honour of Æsculapius, and votive tablets were hung therein by people who had been healed by him; but his most famous shrine was at Epidaurus, where, every five years, games were held in his honour. This god is variously represented, but the most famous statue shows him seated on a throne of gold and ivory. His head is crowned with rays, and he wears a long beard. A knotty stick is in one hand, and a staff entwined with a serpent is in the other, while a dog lies at his feet.
“Thou that dost Æsculapius deride,And o’er his gallipots in triumph ride.”Fenton.
“Thou that dost Æsculapius deride,And o’er his gallipots in triumph ride.”Fenton.
“Thou that dost Æsculapius deride,And o’er his gallipots in triumph ride.”Fenton.
“Thou that dost Æsculapius deride,
And o’er his gallipots in triumph ride.”
Fenton.
Æ′sonwas father of Jason, and was restored to youth by Medea.
Æ′ta, a king of Colchis, was father of Medea.
Agamem′nonwas the son of Plisthenes and brother of Menelaus. He was king of the Argives. His brother’s wife was the famous Helen, daughter of Tyndarus, king of Sparta; and when she eloped with Paris, Agamemnon was appointed leader of the Greeks in their expedition against Troy.
Aganip′pides, a name of the Muses, derived from the fountain of Aganippe.
Agine′us, see Apollo.
Agla′iawas one of the Three Graces.
Ag′ni.The Hindoo god of lightning.
A′jaxwas one of the bravest of the Greek warriors in the Trojan war. His father was Telamon, and his mother Eribœa. Some writers say that he was killed by Ulysses; others aver that he was slain by Paris; while others again assert that he went mad after being defeated by Ulysses, and killed himself. Another Ajax, son of Oileus, also took a prominent part in the Trojan War.
Alces′tis, wife of Admetus, who, to save her husband’s life, died in his stead, and was restored to life by Hercules.
Alci′des, one of the names of Hercules.
Alcme′na, the mother of Hercules, was daughter of Electrion, a king of Argos.
Alec′towas one of the Furies. She is depicted as having serpents instead of hair on her head, and was supposed to breed pestilence wherever she went.
Alec′tryon, a servant of Mars, who was changed by him into a cock because he did not warn his master of the rising of the sun.
Al′fadur, in Scandinavian Mythology the Supreme Being—Father of all.
Al′ma Mammo′sa, a name of Ceres.
Alphe′us, a river god. See Arethusa.
Altar.A structure on which a sacrifice was offered. The earliest altars were merely heaps of earth or turf or rough unhewn stone; but as the mode of sacrificing became more ceremonious grander altars were built. Some were of marble and brass, ornamented with carvings and bas-reliefs, and the corners with models of the heads of animals. They varied in height from two feet to four, and some were built solid; others were madehollow to retain the blood of the victims. Some were provided with a kind of dish, into which frankincense was thrown to overpower the smell of burning fat. This probably was the origin of the custom of burning incense at the altar.
Amal’thæ’athe goat which nourished Jupiter.
Am’azonswere a nation of women-soldiers who lived in Scythia. Hercules totally defeated them, and gave Hippolyte, their queen, to Theseus for a wife. The race seems to have been exterminated after this battle.
Ambarva’liawere festivals in honour of Ceres, instituted by Roman husbandmen to purge their fields. At the spring festival the head of each family led an animal, usually a pig or ram, decked with oak boughs, round his grounds, and offered milk and new wine. After harvest there was another festival, at which Ceres was presented with the first-fruits of the season. See Ceres.
Amber, see Heliades.
Ambro’siawere Bacchanalian festivals.
Ami’ca, a name of Venus.
Amphi’onwas the son of Jupiter and Antiope. He was greatly skilled in music; and it is said that, at the sound of his lute, the stones arranged themselves so regularly as to make the walls of the city of Thebes.
“Amphion, too, as story goes, could callObedient stones to make the Theban wall.”Horace.
“Amphion, too, as story goes, could callObedient stones to make the Theban wall.”Horace.
“Amphion, too, as story goes, could callObedient stones to make the Theban wall.”Horace.
“Amphion, too, as story goes, could call
Obedient stones to make the Theban wall.”
Horace.
“New walls to Thebes, Amphion thus began.”William King.
“New walls to Thebes, Amphion thus began.”William King.
“New walls to Thebes, Amphion thus began.”William King.
“New walls to Thebes, Amphion thus began.”
William King.
“Such strains I sing as once Amphion played,When list’ning flocks the powerful call obeyed.”Elphinston.
“Such strains I sing as once Amphion played,When list’ning flocks the powerful call obeyed.”Elphinston.
“Such strains I sing as once Amphion played,When list’ning flocks the powerful call obeyed.”Elphinston.
“Such strains I sing as once Amphion played,
When list’ning flocks the powerful call obeyed.”
Elphinston.
Amphitri′te(or Salatia), the wife of Neptune, was a daughter of Oceanus and Terra. She was the mother of Triton, a sea god.
“His weary chariot sought the bowersOf Amphitrite and her tending nymphs.”Thomson.
“His weary chariot sought the bowersOf Amphitrite and her tending nymphs.”Thomson.
“His weary chariot sought the bowersOf Amphitrite and her tending nymphs.”Thomson.
“His weary chariot sought the bowers
Of Amphitrite and her tending nymphs.”
Thomson.
Amy′cuswas king of Babrycia. He was a son of Neptune, and was killed by Pollux.
Ancæ′us.A son of Neptune, who left a cup of wine to hunt a wild boar which killed him, and the wine was untasted. This was the origin of the proverb—“There’s many a slip ’twixt cup and lip.”
Ancil′ia, the twelve sacred shields. The first Ancile was supposed to have fallen from heaven in answer to the prayer of Numa Pompilius. It was kept with the greatest care, as it was prophesied that the fate of the Roman people would depend upon its preservation. An order of priesthood was established to take care of the Ancilia, and on 1st March each year the shields were carried in procession, and in the evening there was a great feast called Cœna Saliaris.
Androm′eda, the daughter of Cepheus, king of the Ethiopians, was wife of Perseus, by whom she was rescued when she was chained to a rock and was about to be devoured by a sea-monster.
Anem′one.Venus changed Adonis into this flower.
Angero′nia, otherwise Volupia, was the goddess who had the power of dispelling anguish of mind.
Anna Peren′na, one of the rural divinities.
Antæ′us, a giant who was vanquished by Hercules. Each time that Hercules threw him the giantgained fresh strength from touching the earth, so Hercules lifted him off the ground and squeezed him to death.
An′teros, one of the two Cupids, sons of Venus.
Antic′lea, the mother of Ulysses.
Anti′opewas wife of Lycus, King of Thebes. Jupiter, disguised as a satyr, led her astray and corrupted her.
Anu′bis(or Herman′ubis). “A god half a dog, a dog half a man.” CalledBarkerby Virgil and other poets.
Aon′ides, a name of the Muses, from the country Aonia.
Aph′rodi′te, a Greek name of Venus.
Apis, a name given to Jupiter by the inhabitants of the Lower Nile. Also the miraculous ox, worshipped in Egypt.
A′pis, King of Argivia. Afterwards called Serapis, the greatest god of the Egyptians.
Apol′lo.This famous god, sometime King of Arcadia, was the son of Jupiter and Latona. He was known by several names, but principally by the following:—Sol (the sun); Cynthius, from the mountain called Cynthus in the Isle of Delos, and this same island being his native place obtained for him the name of Delius; Delphinius, from his occasionally assuming the shape of a dolphin. His name of Delphicus was derived from his connection with the splendid Temple at Delphi, where he uttered the famous oracles. Some writers record that this oracle became dumb when Jesus Christ was born. Other common names of Apollo were Didymæus, Nomius, Pæan, and Phœbus. TheGreeks called him Agineus because the streets were under his guardianship, and he was called Pythius from having killed the serpent Python. Apollo is usually represented as a handsome young man without beard, crowned with laurel, and having in one hand a bow, and in the other a lyre. The favourite residence of Apollo was on Mount Parnassus, a mountain of Phocis, in Greece, where he presided over the Muses. Apollo was the accredited father of several children, but the two most renowned were Æsculapius and Phæton.
“Apollo there with aim so clever,Stretches his leaden bow for ever.”Lloyd, 1750.
“Apollo there with aim so clever,Stretches his leaden bow for ever.”Lloyd, 1750.
“Apollo there with aim so clever,Stretches his leaden bow for ever.”Lloyd, 1750.
“Apollo there with aim so clever,
Stretches his leaden bow for ever.”
Lloyd, 1750.
“Wilt thou have music? Hark! Apollo plays,And twenty cagëd nightingales do sing.”Shakespeare.
“Wilt thou have music? Hark! Apollo plays,And twenty cagëd nightingales do sing.”Shakespeare.
“Wilt thou have music? Hark! Apollo plays,And twenty cagëd nightingales do sing.”Shakespeare.
“Wilt thou have music? Hark! Apollo plays,
And twenty cagëd nightingales do sing.”
Shakespeare.
Apothe′osis.The consecration of a god. The ceremony of deification.
Apple, see Atalanta.
Arach′ne, a Lybian Princess, who challenged Minerva to a spinning contest, but Minerva struck her on the head with a spindle, and turned her into a spider.
“... So her disembowelled web,Arachne, in a hall or kitchen spreads,Obvious to vagrant flies.”John Phillips.
“... So her disembowelled web,Arachne, in a hall or kitchen spreads,Obvious to vagrant flies.”John Phillips.
“... So her disembowelled web,Arachne, in a hall or kitchen spreads,Obvious to vagrant flies.”John Phillips.
“... So her disembowelled web,
Arachne, in a hall or kitchen spreads,
Obvious to vagrant flies.”
John Phillips.
Arca′dia, a delightful country in the centre of Peloponnessus, a favourite place of the gods. Apollo was reputed to have been King of Arcadia.
Ar′cas, a son of Calistro, was turned into a he-bear; and afterwards into the constellation called Ursa Minor.
Archer, see Chiron.
Areop′agi′tæ, the judges who sat at the Areopagus.
Areop′agus, the hill at Athens where Mars was tried for murder before twelve of the gods.
A′res.The same as Mars, the god of war.
Arethu′sawas one of the nymphs of Diana. She fled from Alpheus, a river god, and was enabled to escape by being turned by Diana into a rivulet which ran underground. She was as virtuous as she was beautiful.
Ar′gonauts.This name was given to the fifty heroes who sailed to Colchis in the ship Argo under the command of Jason, to fetch the Golden Fleece.
Ar′guswas a god who had a hundred eyes which slept and watched by turns. He was charged by Juno to watch Io, but, being slain by Mercury, was changed by Juno into a peacock.
Ariad′ne, daughter of Minos, King of Crete. After enabling Theseus to get out of the Labyrinth by means of a clew of thread, she fled with him to Naxos, where he ungratefully deserted her; but Bacchus wooed her and married her, and the crown of seven stars which he gave her was turned into a constellation.
Ari′onwas a famous lyric poet of Methymna, in the Island of Lesbos, where he gained great riches by his art. There is a pretty fable which has made the name of Arion famous. Once when travelling from Lesbos his companions robbed him, and proposed to throw him into the sea. He entreated the seamen to let him play upon his harp before they threw him overboard, and he played so sweetly that the dolphins flocked round the vessel. Hethen threw himself into the sea, and one of the dolphins took him up and carried him to Taenarus, near Corinth. For this act the dolphin was raised to heaven as a constellation.
Aristæ′us, son of Apollo and Cyrene, was the god of trees; he also taught mankind the use of honey, and how to get oil from olives. He was a celebrated hunter. His most famous son was Actæon.
Arma′ta, one of the names of Venus, given to her by Spartan women.
Ar′temis.This was the Grecian name of Diana, and the festivals at Delphi were called Artemesia.
ArtsandSciences, see Muses.
Arus′pices, sacrificial priests.
Ascal′aphuswas changed into an owl, the harbinger of misfortune, by Ceres, because he informed Pluto that Proserpine had partaken of food in the infernal regions, and thus prevented her return to earth.
Asca′nius, the son of Æneas.
Ascol′ia, Bacchanalian feasts, from a Greek word meaning a leather bottle. The bottles were used in the games to jump on.
Aso′pus.A son of Jupiter, who was killed by one of his father’s thunderbolts.
Assabi′nus, the Ethiopian name of Jupiter.
Asses-ears, see Midas.
Astar′te, one of the Eastern names of Venus.
Aste′ria, daughter of Cæus, was carried away by Jupiter, who assumed the shape of an eagle.
Astre′a, mother of Nemesis, was the goddess of justice; she returned to heaven when the earth became corrupt.
“... Chaste Astrea fled,And sought protection in her native sky.”John Hughes.
“... Chaste Astrea fled,And sought protection in her native sky.”John Hughes.
“... Chaste Astrea fled,And sought protection in her native sky.”John Hughes.
“... Chaste Astrea fled,
And sought protection in her native sky.”
John Hughes.
Atalan′tawas daughter of Cæneus. The oracle told her that marriage would be fatal to her, but, being very beautiful, she had many suitors. She was a very swift runner, and, to get rid of her admirers, she promised to marry any one of them who should outstrip her in a race, but that all who were defeated should be slain. Hippomenes, however, with the aid of Venus, was successful. That goddess gave him three golden apples, one of which he dropped whenever Atalanta caught up to him in the race. She stopped to pick them up, and he was victorious and married her. They were both afterwards turned into lions by Cybele, for profaning her temple.
A′te.The goddess of revenge, also called the goddess of discord and all evil. She was banished from heaven by her father Jupiter.
“With Ate by his side come hot from hell.”Shakespeare.
“With Ate by his side come hot from hell.”Shakespeare.
“With Ate by his side come hot from hell.”Shakespeare.
“With Ate by his side come hot from hell.”
Shakespeare.
Athe′na, a name obtained by Minerva as the tutelary goddess of Athens.
Atlas, was King of Mauritania, now Morocco, in Africa. He was also a great astronomer. He is depicted with the globe on his back, his name signifying great toil or labour. For his inhospitality to Perseus that king changed him into the mountain which bears his name of Atlas. A chain of mountains in Africa is called after him, and so is the Atlantic Ocean. He had seven daughtersby his wife Pleione, they were called by one common name, Pleiades; and by his wife Æthra he had seven more, who were, in the same manner, called Hyades. Both the Pleiades and the Hyades are celestial constellations.
At′reus, the type of fraternal hatred. His dislike of his brother Thyestes went to the extent of killing and roasting his nephews, and inviting their father to a feast, which Thyestes thought was a sign of reconciliation, but he was the victim of his brother’s detestable cruelty.
“Medea must not draw her murdering knife,Nor Atreus there his horrid feast prepare.”Lord Roscommon.
“Medea must not draw her murdering knife,Nor Atreus there his horrid feast prepare.”Lord Roscommon.
“Medea must not draw her murdering knife,Nor Atreus there his horrid feast prepare.”Lord Roscommon.
“Medea must not draw her murdering knife,
Nor Atreus there his horrid feast prepare.”
Lord Roscommon.
At′ropos, one of the three sisters calledThe Fates, who held the shears ready to cut the thread of life.
A′tys, son of Crœsus, was born dumb, but when in a fight he saw a soldier about to kill the king, he gained speech, and cried out, “Save the king!” and the string that held his tongue was broken.
A′tyswas a youth beloved by Aurora, and was slain by her father, but, according to Ovid, was afterwards turned into a pine-tree.
Aug′æas, a king of Elis, the owner of the stable which Hercules cleansed after three thousand oxen had been kept in it for thirty years. It was cleansed by turning the river Alpheus through it. Augæas promised to give Hercules a tenth part of his cattle for his trouble, but, for neglecting to keep his promise, Hercules shot him.
Au′gury.This was a means adopted by the Romans of forming a judgment of futurity by the flight of birds, and the officiating priest was called an augur.
Auro′ra, the goddess of the morning,
“Whose rosy fingers ope the gates of day.”
“Whose rosy fingers ope the gates of day.”
“Whose rosy fingers ope the gates of day.”
“Whose rosy fingers ope the gates of day.”
She was daughter of Sol, the sun, and was the mother of the stars and winds. She is represented as riding in a splendid golden chariot drawn by white horses. The goddess loved Tithonus, and begged the gods to grant him immortality, but forgot to ask at the same time that he should not get old and decrepit. See Tithonus.
“... So soon as the all-cheering sunShould, in the farthest east, begin to drawThe shady curtains of Aurora’s bed.”Shakespeare.
“... So soon as the all-cheering sunShould, in the farthest east, begin to drawThe shady curtains of Aurora’s bed.”Shakespeare.
“... So soon as the all-cheering sunShould, in the farthest east, begin to drawThe shady curtains of Aurora’s bed.”Shakespeare.
“... So soon as the all-cheering sun
Should, in the farthest east, begin to draw
The shady curtains of Aurora’s bed.”
Shakespeare.
Aus′ter, the south wind, a son of Jupiter.
Aver′nus, a poisonous lake, referred to by poets as being at the entrance of the infernal regions, but it was really a lake in Campania in Italy.
Averrun′cus Deus, a Roman god, who could divert people from evil doing.
Axe, see Dædalus.
Ba′al, a god of the Phœnicians.
Ba′al-Pe′or, a Moabitish god, associated with licentiousness and obscenity. The modern name is Belphegor.
Babes, see Rumina Dea.
Bac′chantes.The priestesses of Bacchus.
Bac′chus, the god of wine, was the son of Jupiter and Semele. He is said to have married Ariadne, daughter of Minos, King of Crete, after she was deserted by Theseus. The most distinguished of his children is Hymen, the god of marriage.Bacchus is sometimes referred to under the names of Dionysius, Biformis, Brisœus, Iacchus, Lenæus, Lyceus, Liber, and Liber Pater, the symbol of liberty. The god of wine is usually represented as crowned with vine and ivy leaves. In his left hand is a thyrsus, a kind of javelin, having a fir cone for the head, and being encircled with ivy or vine. His chariot is drawn by lions, tigers, or panthers.
“Jolly Bacchus, god of pleasure,Charmed the world with drink and dances.”T. Parnell, 1700.
“Jolly Bacchus, god of pleasure,Charmed the world with drink and dances.”T. Parnell, 1700.
“Jolly Bacchus, god of pleasure,Charmed the world with drink and dances.”T. Parnell, 1700.
“Jolly Bacchus, god of pleasure,
Charmed the world with drink and dances.”
T. Parnell, 1700.
Ba′lios.A famous horse given by Neptune to Peleus as a wedding present, and was afterwards given to Achilles.
Barker, see Anubis.
Bassar′ides.The priestesses of Bacchus were sometimes so called.
Battle, see Valhalla.
Bear, see Calistro.
Beauty, see Venus.
Bees, see Mellona.
Belisa′ma, a goddess of the Gauls. The name means the Queen of Heaven.
Beller′ophon, a hero who destroyed a monster called the Chimæra.
Bello′na, the goddess of war, and wife of Mars. The 24th March was called Bellona’s Day, when her votaries cut themselves with knives and drank the blood of the sacrifice.
“In Diræ’s and in Discord’s steps Bellona treads,And shakes her iron rod above their heads.”
“In Diræ’s and in Discord’s steps Bellona treads,And shakes her iron rod above their heads.”
“In Diræ’s and in Discord’s steps Bellona treads,And shakes her iron rod above their heads.”
“In Diræ’s and in Discord’s steps Bellona treads,
And shakes her iron rod above their heads.”
Belphe′gor, see Baal-Peor.
Be′lus.The Chaldean name of the sun.
Berecyn′thia, a name of Cybele, from a mountain where she was worshipped.
Bi′formis, a name of Bacchus, because he was accounted both bearded and beardless.
Birds, see Augury.
Births, see Lucina and Levana.
Blacksmith, see Brontes and Vulcan.
Blind, see Thanyris.
Blue eyes, see Glaukopis.
Bo′na De′a.“The bountiful goddess,” whose festival was celebrated by the Romans with much magnificence. See Ceres.
Bo′nus Even′tus.The god of good success, a rural divinity.
Bo′reas, the north wind, son of Astræus and Aurora.
“... I snatched her from the rigid north,Her native bed, on which bleak Boreas blew,And bore her nearer to the sun....”Young, 1710.
“... I snatched her from the rigid north,Her native bed, on which bleak Boreas blew,And bore her nearer to the sun....”Young, 1710.
“... I snatched her from the rigid north,Her native bed, on which bleak Boreas blew,And bore her nearer to the sun....”Young, 1710.
“... I snatched her from the rigid north,
Her native bed, on which bleak Boreas blew,
And bore her nearer to the sun....”
Young, 1710.
Boundaries, see Terminus.
Boxing, see Pollux.
Brah′ma.The great Indian deity, represented with four heads looking to the four quarters of the globe.
Bri′areus, see Ægeon.
Bris′æus.A name of Bacchus, referring to the use of grapes and honey.
Bront′es, one of the Cyclops. He is the personification of a blacksmith.
Bubo′na, goddess of herdsmen, one of the rural divinities.
Bud′dah.A pagan deity, the Vishnu of the Hindoos.
Byb′lis.A niece of Sol, mentioned by Ovid. She shed so many tears for unrequited love that she was turned into a fountain.
“Thus the Phœbeian Byblis, spent in tears,Becomes a living fountain, which yet bearsHer name.”Ovid.
“Thus the Phœbeian Byblis, spent in tears,Becomes a living fountain, which yet bearsHer name.”Ovid.
“Thus the Phœbeian Byblis, spent in tears,Becomes a living fountain, which yet bearsHer name.”Ovid.
“Thus the Phœbeian Byblis, spent in tears,
Becomes a living fountain, which yet bears
Her name.”Ovid.
Cab′iri.The mysterious rites connected with the worship of these deities were so obscene that most writers refer to them as secrets which it was unlawful to reveal.
Cac′odæ′mon.Greek name of an evil spirit.
Ca′cus, a three-headed monster and robber.
Cad′mus, one of the earliest of the Greek demigods. He was the reputed inventor of letters, and his alphabet consisted of sixteen letters. It was Cadmus who slew the Bœotian dragon, and sowed its teeth in the ground, from each of which sprang up an armed man.
Cadu′ceus.The rod carried by Mercury. It has two winged serpents entwined round the top end. It was supposed to possess the power of producing sleep, and Milton refers to it inParadise Lostas the “opiate rod.”
Calis′tro, an Arcadian nymph, who was turned into a she-bear by Jupiter. In that form she was hunted by her son Arcas, who would have killed her had not Jupiter turned him into a he-bear. The nymph and her son form the constellations known as the Great Bear and Little Bear.
Calli′ope.The Muse who presided over epic poetry and rhetoric. She is generally depicted using a stylus and wax tablets, the ancient writing materials.
Cal′pe.One of the pillars of Hercules.
Calyp′sowas queen of the island of Ogygia, on which Ulysses was wrecked, and where he was persuaded to remain seven years.
Ca′ma.The Indian god of love and marriage.
Camil′lus, a name of Mercury, from his office of minister to the gods.
Can′ache.The name of one of Actæon’s hounds.
Cano′ba.The Indian Apollo.
Cano′pus.The Egyptian god of water, the conqueror of fire.
Cap′isorCap′ula. A peculiar cup with ears, used in drinking the health of the deities.
Capitoli′nus.A name of Jupiter, from the Capitoline hill, on the top of which a temple was built and dedicated to him.
Cap′ri′pedes.Pan, the Egipans, the Satyrs, and Fauns, were so called from having goats’ feet.
Caproti′na.A name of Juno.
Cassan′dra, a daughter of Priam and Hecuba, who was granted by Apollo the power of seeing into futurity, but having offended that god he prevented people from believing her predictions.
Cassiope′ia.The Ethiopian queen who set her beauty in comparison with that of the Nereides, who thereupon chained her to a rock and left herto be devoured by a sea-monster, but she was delivered by Perseus.
Casta′lia.One of the fountains in Mount Parnassus, sacred to the Muses.
Casta′li′des, a name of the Muses, from the fountain Castalia or Castalius.
Cas′tor, son of Jupiter and Leda, twin brother of Pollux, noted for his skill in horsemanship. He went with Jason in quest of the Golden Fleece.
Cau′ther, in Mohammedan mythology, is the lake of paradise, whose waters are as sweet as honey, as cold as snow, and as clear as crystal; and any believer who tastes thereof is said to thirst no more.
Cel′enowas one of the Harpies, progenitor of Zephyrus, the west wind.
Cen′taur.A huntsman who had the fore-part like a man, and the remainder of the body like a horse. The Centauri lived in Thessaly.
Cep′haluswas married to Procris, whom he accidentally slew by shooting her, while she was secretly watching him, he thinking she was a wild beast. Cephalus was the type of constancy.
Cerau′nius.A Greek name of Jupiter, meaning The Fulminator, from his thunderbolts.
Cer′berus.Pluto’s famous three-headed dog, which guarded the gate of the infernal regions, preventing the living from entering, and the inhabitants from going out.
“Three-headed Cerberus, by fatePosted at Plato’s iron gate;Low crouching rolls his haggard eyes,Ecstatic, and foregoes his prize.”
“Three-headed Cerberus, by fatePosted at Plato’s iron gate;Low crouching rolls his haggard eyes,Ecstatic, and foregoes his prize.”
“Three-headed Cerberus, by fatePosted at Plato’s iron gate;Low crouching rolls his haggard eyes,Ecstatic, and foregoes his prize.”
“Three-headed Cerberus, by fate
Posted at Plato’s iron gate;
Low crouching rolls his haggard eyes,
Ecstatic, and foregoes his prize.”
Ceremonies, see Themis.
Ce′res, daughter of Saturn, the goddess of agriculture, and of the fruits of earth. She taught Triptolemus how to grow corn, and sent him to teach the inhabitants of the earth. She was known by the names of Magna Dea, Bona Dea, Alma Mammosa, and Thesmorphonis. Ceres was the mother of Prosperine. See Ambarvalia.
“To Ceres bland, her annual rites be paidOn the green turf beneath the fragrant shade.—... Let all the hinds bend low at Ceres’ shrine,Mix honey sweet for her with milk and mellow wine,Thrice lead the victim the new fruits around,On Ceres call, and choral hymns resound.”“Ceres was she who first our furrows ploughed,Who gave sweet fruits and every good allowed.”Pope.
“To Ceres bland, her annual rites be paidOn the green turf beneath the fragrant shade.—... Let all the hinds bend low at Ceres’ shrine,Mix honey sweet for her with milk and mellow wine,Thrice lead the victim the new fruits around,On Ceres call, and choral hymns resound.”“Ceres was she who first our furrows ploughed,Who gave sweet fruits and every good allowed.”Pope.
“To Ceres bland, her annual rites be paidOn the green turf beneath the fragrant shade.—... Let all the hinds bend low at Ceres’ shrine,Mix honey sweet for her with milk and mellow wine,Thrice lead the victim the new fruits around,On Ceres call, and choral hymns resound.”“Ceres was she who first our furrows ploughed,Who gave sweet fruits and every good allowed.”Pope.
“To Ceres bland, her annual rites be paid
On the green turf beneath the fragrant shade.—
... Let all the hinds bend low at Ceres’ shrine,
Mix honey sweet for her with milk and mellow wine,
Thrice lead the victim the new fruits around,
On Ceres call, and choral hymns resound.”
“Ceres was she who first our furrows ploughed,
Who gave sweet fruits and every good allowed.”
Pope.
Ces′tus, the girdle of Venus, which excited irresistible affection.
Cha′osallegorically represented the confused mass of matter supposed to have existed before the creation of the world, and out of which the world was formed.
“... Behold the throneOf Chaos, and his dark pavilion spreadWide on the wasteful deep; with him enthronedSat sable-vested Night, eldest of all things,The consort of his reign.”Milton.
“... Behold the throneOf Chaos, and his dark pavilion spreadWide on the wasteful deep; with him enthronedSat sable-vested Night, eldest of all things,The consort of his reign.”Milton.
“... Behold the throneOf Chaos, and his dark pavilion spreadWide on the wasteful deep; with him enthronedSat sable-vested Night, eldest of all things,The consort of his reign.”Milton.
“... Behold the throne
Of Chaos, and his dark pavilion spread
Wide on the wasteful deep; with him enthroned
Sat sable-vested Night, eldest of all things,
The consort of his reign.”Milton.
Char′onwas the son of Nox and Erebus. He was the ferryman who conveyed the spirits of the dead, in a boat, over the rivers Acheron and Styx to the Elysian Fields. “Charon’s toll” was a coinput into the hands of the dead with which to pay the grim ferryman.
“From the dark mansions of the dead,Where Charon with his lazy boatFerries o’er Lethe’s sedgy moat.”
“From the dark mansions of the dead,Where Charon with his lazy boatFerries o’er Lethe’s sedgy moat.”
“From the dark mansions of the dead,Where Charon with his lazy boatFerries o’er Lethe’s sedgy moat.”
“From the dark mansions of the dead,
Where Charon with his lazy boat
Ferries o’er Lethe’s sedgy moat.”
Charyb′dis.A dangerous whirlpool on the coast of Sicily. Personified, it was supposed to have been a woman who plundered travellers, but was at last killed by Hercules. Scylla and Charybdis are generally spoken of together to represent alternative dangers.
“Charybdis barks, and Polyphemus roars.”Francis.
“Charybdis barks, and Polyphemus roars.”Francis.
“Charybdis barks, and Polyphemus roars.”Francis.
“Charybdis barks, and Polyphemus roars.”
Francis.
Che′mos.The Moabitish god of war.
Children, see Nundina.
Chimæ′ra.A wild illusion, personified in the monster slain by Bellerophon. It had the head and breast of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. It used to vomit fire.