S T U DE N T S MY T H O L O G Y

A CO M PE N JJM M

G reek , Roman E gyptian, Assyrian, Pem nn, mndoc , Chine

,

T hib e tia n , S candinavian, Ce l ti c, A ztec , and Pe ruvi an

M ythol ogi es ,

IN ACCO RD AN CE WIT H S T AN D ARD a m n o nrm

ARR A NG E D FO R TH E U SE OF S CH O O L S AN )

A CA D E M IE S

0 . A H IT E .

m E DIT IO N , I D
RE V S E AN D CO RR E CT E D .

NE W Y O RK

7 1 4 BROA D W A Y .

1890 .
 E nte r e dA c co r din g t o Ac t of C ng
o r e ss in th e y ear 1 8 7 0, b y

W . J . WID D L E T ON ,

In th e Cl ’
e rk s O ffi c e of th e D i t i t C o u rt
s r c of th e U n ite d St
a te s fo r
t he S uth o e r n D is t
wY k t of N ri c e or .

C py gh t 1882 b y W C B S H
o ri U

?
, , . . .

}
4 5 a
 PRE FA T O RY Ene w .

’
T H E S t ude n t s M ytholo gy has b e e n in use
in m an us crip t fo r n e a rly th r e e ye a rs in o n e
o f o ur l a r gest a c a de m ies w he r e it has be e n
,

r e c ei v e d w i th m uch fa v o r b bo t h te a c he rs
y
an d u ils
p p .E v e n in th a t fo r m ,
w hi c h s ub

d h h n c o nv e nie n c e o f lo ng
j e c te t e m t o t e i
di ctatio n s it w as p r e fe rr e d to any o f t he
,

o r din a ry te xt b o o k s o n the s ubj e ct

-
. Co p ie s
w e r e so ught fo r t he us e o f o t he r i n stit u tio n s ,

an d the r in ci als o f the a c a de m r e fe rr e d to

p p y ,

c onsent e d t hat t he w o rk s ho uld b e p r e p ar e d

fo r the p r ess .

In c a rryi ng o u t the p la n th e s ubj e c t m at

,

te r w as c a r e ful ly classi fi e d an d s uch a dditio ns

,

m a de as w e r e de e m e d n e c essa r y fo r c o m

p le te n e ss. A s a fa r the r
p r e c a u tio n
,
the
whol e w as s u bm itte d to the r e visi o n o f an
e m inen t cl assi c al sc hol ar .
2 MYT H O LO G Y .

M y tholo gy is a s ubj e c t wh ich e e ds to b e

n

t r e ate d wit h p e cul ia r c a r e ; an d te x t b o o ks -

a m o ften o bj e c te d to by a r e n ts an d te a che r s
p
as still r e tai ni n g the tai n t O f p a ga n c o r r u p
t io n an d pr e
, . ti ng dan ge r o us 1 m ages to the

ful mi n I t was t in s di ffi c ulty w hi ch

e d to t he a r ation o f t he r ese n t
p pr e p
’
w o rk .T he S t ude n t s M ytholo gy l ays n o
c lai m t o a n y s u p e r io r ity in p oi n t O f e r u di
tion the te xt b o o k s al r e a dy b e fo r e the p u b
-

lic le av e n o t hin g t o be desi r e d in this p ar t icu

lar . It is a p r a cti c a l w o r k p r e p a r e d by an
,

e xp e r ie n c e d te a che r an d al r e a dy s ub m itte d
,

to the de cisi v e test o f t he s cho o lr o o m .It is

n ot desi gn e d fo r y o un g p e r so n s w ho a r e
al r e ady a dv a n c e d in classi c al st u dies b ut ,

r at he r fo r u ils w ho h a v e n o t e t en te re d
p p y ,

o r w ho li k e the r e a te r n u m be r O f t hose
, g
atten din g o ur fe m ale a c a de m ies ar e n o t ,

lik ely e v e r to e n te r up o n a ny r e gula r class

lc a l co ur se Fo r t he fo r m e r it m ay p r o v e a
.
,

u se ful int r o duc tio n t o t hese st u dies w hile the ,

l atte r w ill fi n d in the w o r k the m ost i m p o r t

a n t an d le asin fe at u r es o f m y tholo gy
p g .

W ith s u ch v ie ws it has b e e n c onsi de r e d

,

m ost j udic io us to p r ese n t the classi c fables in

thei r si m plest whi ch is also t hei r m o s t p oetic
,
 P RE FAT O RY N O T E .

fo r m , gi vin g th e al le g o ri c al m e ani ng a tt a c he d
to the a n cient m y ths , o nly w he r e thei r a p p li

c ation is cle a r an d sim p le Fo r the sa m e

.

r e aso n the write r has a v oi de d u estions o f

,
q
co m p a r at iv e m yt holo gy e xc e p t in c ase s
,

Whe r e the a n alo gies ar e to o o b v io us t o b e

p asse d u nnoti c e d T.h e w o r k h as be e n co m

ile d w it h c a r e fr o m r eliable so u r c es an d
p ,

will p e r h a p s b e fo un d t o c ontai n m u c h th a t
, ,

is n e w an d inte r e stm g m any ar ti cles s uch as ,

th ose o n the p ublic gam e s the the a t r i c al ,

e n te r tai nm e n ts O f the G r e e k s the A ssy ria n , ,

Chin ese and A m e r i c a n m ytholo gies w ill b e ,

fo u nd a p le asin g a dditi o n as these s u bj e cts

,

h ave n o t be e n t r e ate d in the o r di n a ry te x t

bo o ks T he cha p te r o n the Po e ts o f Clas
.
“

” ”
sic Fable an d the
, S u p ple m en t c o n tain
ing a n oti c e o f the a ncien t w r ite r s whos e
na m es o ccur in the b o dy O f the w o rk w ill it , ,

is ho p e d b e fo u n d ge n e r ally u se ful
, .

A m on g the m o de r n a u tho rs to who m the

Wr ite r h as be e n p a r ti cula r ly in deb te d w e m ay ,

m entio n Calm e t A nt ho n T o o k e B ulfi n c h

, , , ,

H ue an d S chle ge l In p r e p ar in g the ar ti c le
.

’ ”
o n D r ui dis m M a r tin s
,
H istoi r e de Fr an c e ,

an d th e
“
M o num e n ts Ce lti u es ”
O f R ey q
n au d hav e bee n c o ns ulte d t o gethe r with the
, ,
4 MYT H O LO G Y
.

Ir is h Ch r o ni cle r s the r sta nda r d autho ri

an d o

ties T he m atte r o f the M e xi c a n and Pe r u

.

v i an m y t ho l o gies has b e e n chie fly t ak e n fr o m

,

Clav ige r o an d Pr es co tt R e fe r e n ce has b e e n

.

m a de thr o ugho ut to the N e w A m e r i c an Cy

clo p ee dia .

T he wo rk n o w co m l
et e d is O ffe r e d to the
p
p u bl ic in the h o p e that it m a
y r e n de r the

s ubj e c t o f m y th o lo gy m o r e g e n e r ally p o p ul a r

in o ur s cho o ls an d o b viate the dange rs

,

atte nding this o ther wis e attr a c tiv e st udy

.
 CH A PTE R I .

O rigi n of M ytho logy -

D ivini ties call d Ce lestial
e

CH APTE R II .

G re e k and Ro man D ivinities J u p ite r —J un O — H o w r ep re se n te d— Par

g
ou ta e and A c tio ns — P babl
ro e O r i ing of th es e F bl
a es — A dv e ntures of

CH APT E R IIL

Apo llo— H is Pare ntsgo - an d Ex pl o its -

H ow re p r es e nte d— Sto ry o f E e

c ulap iu s— B ani s hm e n t o f A o l o r o m p l f H ea ve n— T f
r an s o rm ati o n O f H ya
ci n thu s an d Cyp aris s u s— St o ry o f d
A m e tus an d Alccsfi
ég M id
— A ttmb ute s of

A p ll
o o — Punis hm e n t d
inflicte on M ar s yas an d o n Kin as— St
ory

of Mi d as —D eath o f Ph to n— T
ae f
rans or m atio n o f D phne— Thin gs S e
a

cr e d to A po llo
CH APTE R IV .

M ars (A e ) H i s P
r s nt
-
ag — H w pare n t d— An im l
e S ed o re r e se e a s ac r to
M ars —Nam gi n to M ars H i T m p l —P ie ts ll d Salii
es ve -
s e e r s ca e

of S em ele —Infancy of Bacc hus — Transfo r m ati o n of N y m ph s in to

 6 MYT H O LO G Y .

St Sil u — H W p nt d E xpl its 01 B hu — H w we

ar s— en s O re re se e -
o ac c s o b

shipp d— Pl t S
e d t th G o d Ba h h O gi — St y f
an s a cr e o e -
cc an a a or r a or o

P nth u —Puni w e nt infli t d n Al ith nd h Si t — T n

e e s su c e o c oe a er s ers ra s

for m ah o n of M ar ine r s in to D lphin s

o .

CH APTE R VII .

l
Cel es tia G o d dcm se s Ju n o —H —P er at g ar e n a e o f J un O — h uw r e p r e s e n te d
-
Ii r s, M e ss e n g e r of J u n O — Cluldr e n of J un O — J emo u s y of th e G od

dess — T ran s orm atio n f of C ll i

a s ta an d A re as i nto Be ars— S acr ifi ces
'

o fler e d to th e G o dd e s s— Pl an ts he ld S acr e dt o her . v “

CH APTE R VH I .

M ine rva— P anes Athe na—H ow r e p re s e nte d— O igin r of the Oli ve — T he

Palladium — M ine rva , as the P atr o n es s o f Fe m a l e Indust r y— Story
o f Ar achn e — T he Bir d of M inerva —Sto ry of M d
e usa s
’
H ea d .

p
Ve nus —A hro i te— B ir th d Ve nn s — M g
'

an d E ducati o n of arria e with V ul

can— H ow re pre se nte d— Te m ples of V e n u s — T he G rac es— u i C pd
F e sti vals of the Go dd
d nd Plant S d t h
e ss— B ir s a s acr e o er

S ac r ifi ce s -
T m pl
e e nuo f V
Cal — T he A pp l f Di d— D o
e s va e o s co r

cl s io n of Pa i —S t y f H ipp m n n d At l n t — D eath !
r s or o o e es a aa a 0

A d o ni s —O r igin o f the B e d B o —Nam es f th e G se o races 40

CH APTE R X .

an d Dian a— Tran sf orm ati on of Lyci an P easants into Fro g s— Pun

ishm e nt of Tityu s— L ato na a Pe rso nifi cati on of Night - “
H o w re pro
Bi

Auror a—E os —Attr ibute s of the G o dde s —H ow s rep re se nte d—Sto y of r

Ce ph alu s and P ocris—M arriag

r e of Auro ra wi th Titho nu —Tr nss a

S tatue

t er re s t i l G o d — Sat urn— H i s Par

r a s g
e nta e — H o w rep re se nte d— H is H i s
to y— T h G l d n Ag e~8 ac ifi
r e o e r ce s o ffere dt S o at ur n— T he S aturnal it
 CO N T E N T S .
7

CH APTE R XIII .

rn lc an -
H e p h ee s tu s — P g
are n ta e o f thi s G o d— Why bani she df ro m H ea

ve n — O p
ccu atio n o f Vul can — H is M o stC l b t d W k —M i g
e e ra e or s arr a e

wi th V h e Cyc lO p s— u
e n us — T V lc nia a — T m pl n M u t E tna
e e o o n .

C ac us— C oe c ul us— O the r or s W k of Vul c an .

C H APTE R XIV .

Bo lus —Supp o se d ori gin of th e Pab l e~l i t m us —H is P ar e nta e g —Criti

cis m s p as s e d o n o th e r Divin iti e s— H is B an is hm e nt fr om Olym p us 61

C H APTE R XV .

T erre s t i l G dd
r a — V t — H ti —H
o P nt g n d Att i butes
e ss e s es a es a er ar e a e a r

H w o p t d— W
re hi p f V t
r e se n e t R o m —V t l V g ino rs o es a a e es a ir s

Th ir Oblig ti n nd P ivil g An d te
e a o s a r e es- ec o .

Cyb e l e — H o w ca ll e d b y the G ks— P entage and Attr ibutes —H ow

ree ar

re pr e s e n te d— T m pl e e o f Cyb l n M unt Din dym u s— Sac re d Im

e e o o

ag e — Fe s tival of M e ga e l cia— G all e an d C y bantes— B o na D ea or

St o ry o f th e Ve s tal Claudia .

C H APT E R XVII .

Ce re s— D em e te r — P ar e n ta e an dg b
A ttr i ute s— H ow re pre s e n te d— St o ry o f

P r o se r p in — E le e u sin ian M y ste ri e s — B ite s ractic e — to ry o f ri p d S T p

to le m u s -
S ac rifi ce s O d C F
ffer e to e r e s— eas ts c a e Am b arvali a— D e ll d
sc ri b ed by Vi gilr

CH APTE R XVIII .

Th m i — O igi n
e s r an d b
A ttri u te s —A str eea c han e g d into the Co nste llation
Vi g r o — E ri g o ne— Ne m e sis— H er O fii ce — T e m p e o f N em esis at
'

R ham nus

CH A PTE R XIX .

T he M u ses— Th i Num b e r e r, N m nd Att ibut

a es a r es —Why th ere are Nine
M u s es — Puni hm nt s e of the D ughter s
a of Pi e rna 83

CH A PTE R XX .

Go ds of th e W d oo s, and Rural D e iti e s— Pan — N am es given to thi s

De i ty— H is O igi
r n— H ow re pre se nte d — Fam ous A ctio n re late d of
 8 CON T E N T S .

CH APT E R XXL
Go dd f th
e s se s W d — D n —P nt g nd A tt but o f this
o e oo s ia a are a e a ri es

G dd —H w
o p nt d— H bit f D n — H Atten d nt
e ss o re re se e a s o ia a er a s

Pu h m nt f Chi
ni s — S t y f Ni b — T m p l f D n t B p h
e o o ne or o o e e e o ia a a s

su — Bu n d by E
s t tu — D p il d b y N
r e P lu d d b y t h
r o s ra s es o e ero -
n er e e

G tho Nym p h — N d — O d — Oc ni d — D y d nd H
s -
s ai a es rea es ea es r a es a a

m d y d — A thu a —Sto y f E ch o— Tran f m ti n f N

a r a es re si us r O s or a o o ar c ss . 81

CH APTE R XXII .

G o ds o f th S ea— N ptun — P e i d n— P nt g f th e G d— H o w e o se o are a e o e o

p nt d— O ffi
re rese f N ptun — F
e t h ld t R m
ce s in his o e e eas s e a o e

H n — C h ld n of N p tune — T it n— Ph
o or i n
re P t u — Si n e r o or o e or ro e s re s

U 1y
- —O ph u Scyll nd Cha yb di ~M li t — Th ti
s se s r e s -
a a r s e cer e s e s

DI

CH APT E R XXIII .

Infe rnal Pluto —H d —Pa nt g f th G od— H i King d m

D e iti es— a es re a e o e s o
—B p nt ti n
e n d E m b l m s—D
re se — Plu tus— H ll —C b u
a o s a e is e er er s

F t — Fm ie —J udg f th D d Puni hm nt infl t d n the

a es s es o e ea -
s e ic e o

C nd m d— G i nt — Ixi on— Si yphu — Tant lu — T he B lid

o e ne a s s s a s e es

S al m o n e us— E lys i um 99

CH APTE R XXIV .

Fabul u M n t o — C nt u — G y n H pi — B i
s o s e rs u —Th
e a rs er o -
ar es r are s e Chi
m m w —E xp l n ti n f thi F b l — T h Sp hin x— F b ul u H i
r a a o o s a e e a o s s to ry

S t tu f th e Sphinx in E gyp t
a e o .

C H A PTE R XXV .

O flices— S ac rifi ce s O fi e re d to th e G o es s M ania — H

’

dd o n ors pai d to
the L
am e — irtue s wo r shi V
e as ivin iti es pp d D

C H APTE R XXVI .

D em igo ds an d H e roe s— Th e ir O igir n — H erc ul es — H is P ar e nta e g

Tw l e ve Lb a o rs of the H e ro F d
— ie l of N b ar o nn e — D e ath of H er

Jas ou — E x pe diti on in s ear ch of the G o ld e n Flee c e — M e d ea— H e r Re

v ge — Th e
en s e u s— T ibut
r e im p o se d
the A th e nian s— e artur e o f
on Dp
Th u — D e se s e s tr u cti o n o f th e M in o tau r — Ari a n e — e ath o f E e us 1 1! d D g
 CO N T E N T S . 9

0i m P llux— Th i P nt g — D th f C t — C n t ll tion
and o e r are a e ea o as o r o s e a

G e mini— P m th u — H i P ent g — H i Im p i ty— P n d s

ro e e s s ar a e s e a ora
'

B e —Puni h m nt f P m th u
r s e o ro e e s

C H APTE R XXIX .

O rp heu s — to ry S of E ury m —D th o f O p h u —T
ce ea r e s ran sform atio n of
Th rac ian W om e n in to Tre es — A i n — Am phi n r o o . 123

CH APTE R XXX .

Atla — H i Pare nt g —T ran f m e d b y P

s s u into
a e M unt i n— E x s or e rse s a o a

pl nati n f th F b l — Pl i d —H y d — H p id — O i n
a o O e a e e a es a es es er es r o

H is P nt g E xp l its and De ath— T n f m ti n int

ar e a e, C n
o ra s o r a o o a o

t ll ti n— P
s e a e us— H is P
o nt g B scu e f An d m da— D eath
er s are a e -
e o ro e

of A cris i us

CH APTE R XXXI .

Be lle ph n— Vi t y o er the Ch im
ro o —H i
c or P e um ption an d itsv aer a s r s

Puni hm e t— D u ali n— L g d f th re p plin g o f th E th

s n e c o e en o e !
eo e ar

aft the D lug

er P b ble E xp l n ti n— D d lu — L by inth
e e -
ro a a a o ae a s a r

D th o f Ica us—C e yx— Alc y n — H l y n B i ds

ea r o e a c o r

CH APTE R XXXII .

CH APTE R XXXIII .

Poe ts of Classi c Fable —H om — H i d— Vir gil—Ovid er es o

CH APTE R XXXIV .

H eroes C e l b ated b y the P t — Ag m e m n n— S ac ifl

e r o f Iphi g ni a oe s a o r ce e
— Qua l with A hill e — M u d
rre f Ag m m n b y E gi thu
c nds r er o a e no s s a

O lyte m n t — A chi ll — H is P
e s ra t g — D cov e d b y U l y t
es ar e n a e ls er s s es a

the Co u t o f Ly m d r —H i Q l with Ag m m n n— D th f
co e es s u arr e a e o ea o

Patxo lu —E xp l it du in g th Si g — D th f A hill — S ac ifi ce
'
c s o s r e e e ea o c es r

o f Po lyx n — Tran f m tion o f H ec u b

e a s or a a l b!

Ulys s e s—H is M arri age with P n l p — F ign d In ni ty E xpl it dur e e o e e e sa -

o s

ing the Si g of Troy— Lo tus E at

e e Sl ying f th S d C ttle e rs -
a o e acr e a

b y th e S il — Th i d truction— U ly in th I l nd f Cal ypso

a or s e r es s s es e s a o

—Cs st o n the Sh f Phinea s — H i A i l in Ithaca— Suito

ores o oi s rr va rs

Pe ne IO p e — H er De live rance by U lysse s w

lO CO N T E N T S .

C H APTE R XXXVI .

Om t s esE d u ti n t th
- C u t f St p hi — Py l d — M urder of
ca o a e o r o ro us a es

Clyt m n t a— O t pu u d b y th Fu — Di
e es r y f Ip hi
re s e s rs e e ri e s s co v e r o

g m t T u i — Ci m t
e
’

a a add d b y th T gi P t — H t r
r s rcu s an c e s a e e ra c oe s ec o

—C h t n d E xp l it Of th
arac e r a H hi D ath— F t f As ty n o s e e ro s e a e o a

ex— LE di p —E t l nd P lyn i — Th b n W —H i m f
ua eoc es a o ce s e a ar ero s o

Anti g o ne .

CH APTE R XXXVII .

E n eas— H is P are n ta g — H i Flight f m T y— Int

e s ro ro e rvi e w with Ah
dr o m ac h e at E pi ur PrO p h ec y o f H ele nu s— ZE n eas
s— d r iv e n by a

St o rm o n th e C Dd C th age —D f
o as t o f A ri ca —R e ce i v e by i o at d ar e

p tu
ar o f JE n — D th f D i d — Fun al G am — D
re eas n t intoea o o er es e sce

th Inf n l R e gi n — Landi ng o f E n eas 1D Italy— W — D eath o f

e er a o s . ar

Tu nus and M a iage f E n eas with L avinia— H is Death

r rr o

CH APT E R XXXVIIL
S ibyl — S t o y r th Cu m
s r n Si b y l— L g
o d f th Sibyllin B k
e ae a e en o e e oo s

T h i d t u t
e r n — O p im n
es r nt t n d
c io g ding th V o s e e r ai e re ar ese e r ses

D i in ti n b y Om n —T h Aug u — D fi nt C l
v a o ef Om n s e rs i
’

e re as s e s o e s

CH APTE R XXXIX .

O racl e s— O l rac e o f J u ite r a p

o o a a er o f t D d n — M nn
ivin R e s o n ses g g p
O l rac e of D p
e l hi— A cco u n t i v e n b y D io do r u s— T h e y thiag— Re P
m ar ka bl p
e Re s o n se s— U n s u cce s s u att e m ts m a e to u n e r this fl p d pl d
T m p l — D p il d b y N
e e d th
es — O
o l f I p h ni u
e ero an o e i s rac e o rO o s

St y f th H
or n d hi
o B th — Ag m d
e e roDi y f th
a s ro er a e es -
s co ve r o e

O l — P uli R it Ob
rac e ecd b y th V t i — O l Of J upit
ar es se rv e e o ar es r ac e er

Am m n— It Situ i n— T m pl f
o s d d b y B h u — E xp di ti n
at o e e o un e acc s e o

sent b y C m by — R in t ll xi ting— F n S n
a se s A un t giv u s s i e s o s o s -
cc o

en by B l m —O l f E ul p iu t E pid u — R m k b le
e zo rac e o sc a s a a r us e ar a

E mb y nt t E p i d u u b y th R m n S
as s se t —T
o tm nt f a r s e o a e na e r ea e o

V t i in th di ff nt O l f E ul p iu — O l f th G
o ar es e er e rac es o s
c
a s rac e o e as

t li n F ount— An d te f th E m p
a a H d n— O p ini n
ec nt o o e e ro r a ri a o s e er

tained with re gard to th es e O racl e s— Q u o ta ti o n fr o m M il to n .

CH APT E R XL .

Clas sic G am e s— Why co nn ec md wi th M yth o l gy —O lym pi

o c G am es —By
 CON T E N T S . 1]

M a e d N -
Co nt t —Qu lifi ti n q
at ur e o f ui e d f the C m
th e es s a ca o s re r o o

p ti
et — P iz w d d t t h V t — H n b t w e d — H
o rs r e a ar e o e i c or s o or s es o orse

an d Ch t R — Philip f M
ari o d n— Al b d — Cyni —In
ac e s o a ce o ci ia es se a

t ll t l C
e e c ua t t — H d tu — D y m — Pythi n G m — B y
on e s s ero o s i on s s a a es

wh m in t t t d— T m
o f th i C l b t n— P z —N m n
s i u e i e o e r e e ra i o ri e e ea

G m —C w
a esb t w d— I thm n G m — Why
ro ns ll d— In id
es o e s ia a es s o ca e s e

tut d in H n
e f M ii t —G o l n d b t w d o n th Vi t
or o e ce r e s ar a es o e e c or

C H APTE R XLI .

the G r e e kD r am a —Pe c uli ar i tie s o f th e G r e e k Th eatr e —D e scr ip tio n o f

th e Th e a tr e o f B ac c hu s at A th e n s — St g
a e M ac h in e ry — D re ss o f th e
A cto rs — M as k s— T he Ch o r u s— M e asu re s o f th e Ch ora lD n a ce — Ch o
ru s of th e F ur ie s— St ory o f Ib y cus— A tte m pt m d a e tt r e viv e th e
An c ie n t Ch o r us u -
Tm i e occ up i d e by Th ea trica l E nte rtai n m e n ts
Th e ir c o st — C mpo ar i s o n with the R o m an A m hithe atre p
C H APT E R XLII .

Ce l e brate d Statu — T h es e Olym pi n J upit — M in a er e rva o f t he P arth e n o n

— Sub s e q
ue nt F ate o f thi T m p l — A p ll B
s e e o o e l vi de r e ~D iana a la
Bich e

PA R T II .

CH APTE R I .

E gyptian D i ini ti — O i i — Api v nd S pis— P nt ge f Osiris

es s r s s a e ra ar e a o

H i D th s d S p l tu — I i — Att ibu t — E m b l m ti
ea an e p nt
u re s s r es e a c re re s e

ti n— R t
a o f I f bidd n t R m — C nd m n d b y J u l
i es o si s or e a o e o e e v e na

A pi — M s f t n m ig t n— F ti l in H
an n er o f Api ra s ra i o es va s o no r o s

Di y f S u
scov e r — O l Ob t i n d f m th Di i ity
o a cc e s s o r rac e s a e ro is v n

Ge m m u — H r p t — Qu t ti n
a c s ar o cr a e s o a o

CH APTE R II .

Ea s te rn M yt h o l o gy— Di vinitie s of th e A s syr ian s— B aa l or Be l - T ow er

ofb l— P p
Ba e re er N am e s of th e Phasn ician s an d C ar th a gini n s a

W hip f B l
ors o aa in tr o u c e d d am o n g th e I s r ae lite s b y A cha — R e b
p ro ach e s o f J e r e m ias — M l
o o c h— N ati o n s d e vo te dt o h is W o r s hip

H um an S ac ri fi c e s — R e p r e s e ntati o n of thi s G o d— H is W o rs hi p for

b idd en by M o s e s— V lla ey of H i n n o m —Q u o tati o n f mro l
M i to n
As htar o th or A s tu t e — S ac r ifi c e s in H o n or o f this G o dd e s s— b
A use s
atte n din g h er I e s t1 v al s T
~ h am m u i z d nti l wi th A d ni
e ca o s M o ur n ed

b y the As s yri an W o m e n— Li ne s f m M ilt n— Vi i n

ro o s o of E z ki
e el

(M a n e s ~ -
Dg a on
12 CO N T E N T s .

CH A PT E R H I .

Pe rsia—T h e Z en d -
ave s ta— l ) oc tr in e s of Z o ro as te r —Or m uzd or D u nn
des — Ah ri m an— W p
E i re — T h e (num e r s — e r
o rs h i Oi b P p e tua l Fir es
Bak O O — M a gi c a n d As h O IO gy— arse e s o f H in o s tan
'
P d
C H APTE R IV .

fi m doo M yth o o y— B rahm a e lg

e as —T h V d — D oc trin e o f th e Ve das -
B rah
V
m a ishn u and iva— O di os e o f the s e
, S D e i tie s — A vatar s o f Vis hn u
Kri s hn a — iva— S D t in oc r es re g din g
ar S ul— M t he o e te m pyh i
s c os s

C as te s — B u ddh — H D a is oc tr in e s — B uddh m upp is s r es s e d in India 222

C H A PTE R V .

Chi n — A
a b n f n y S t t
se R lig i n
ce oin C hin — D t
a f th L tte d a e e o a o c ri ne o e e re
— C nfu iu — H i W it g — H
o c s p i d h m i Chm — D ifii u lti s
s r in s o n or s a i n a
‘
c e

i d m ng Ch t n M i n i — L t f u d f t h
occas o n e a o ri s i a is s o ar e s ao -
ze , o n er o e

R lig n fT
e io R —Hi
o W t g — Ch
ao B ddhi t
or easo n s ri i n s i ne se u s s

T m p l f B uddha t P u to — G n l F l g f th Chin with

e e o a o -
u re e ra e e in o e e se

g d to Re hgi n
re ar o

CH APTE R VI .

T hib e t— T he G r an dL ama — P ili g R l gi f Thib t n d T

re v a n e i on o e a artary

— L am as e r 7 es —T he G ran dLm P p tu l I n ti n f
a a, a er e a n car a o o B ud
dha— H is tr an s mi gr a ti o n s —M d f di ng h
o Su e o s co v e r i is cce ss o r 236

C H APTE R VII .

M yt ho lo gy of S can din av ia— C m p d with tho ar e at o f G re e c e an d Rom e

T he E dd as — A cc o un t of th e Cre ati o n fi
F o rm of th e E ar th— A s g d ar ,

O d i n — N am e s Vl l T
of thi s O f Th s D e ity— a h al a— h o r — R ec o ve r y or
’

— F
H am m e r y n d F y — B gi— H
re a m d ll— V d — H d —T h
re a ra ei a i ar o ar e

Valk yr l o r — Lo k nd h P g n y— D th f B ld u — H F un al
i a is ro e ea o a r is er

-
L o k1 s
’
Puni hm n t— T he E l
s m m Le t t — R g
e k th e ve s -
i e ers a n ar o ,

T wi i h t lg of th e Go d s .

CH APT
Ce l tic M yth o o y— l g D r ui di sm — D e r iv ati o n of th e W d D id— O ig n or ru r i

o f D rui dmal W o r s hi p — A cc o un t g i ve n by C — Ch t i t
aes ar ar ac e r s i c s

D ivinit ies w o r shi pp d b y th D id

e e ru s— E s ii s — H is A tt ri b u te s -
B el
T e u tate s — C a m u l -
T arann — Pr 1 e s t s — Th e ir Du n e s— B a r s— d Th e ir

Influe n ce s—
D ruids p p ly all e d — Sac re d Pl nts— M ys tic
, ro er so c a

Writing f th D ui d — Th P l ti al A uth ty— Druid s—O i

o e r s e ir o i c o ri e sse

th e Lo i — O f th I l n d f S n — H um n S c fi O ff d b y
re e s a o e a “
a a ri ce s e re

D ui dr — V gi n s f T
e s se s M M fl w ir fl e d b y th D rui ds o ar rl c O
'

er e

V ctim h s n —B e li e f o f the D u ds m a Fu tu e State —F t a1s

i s c o e r i r e s 1v
 CO N T E N r e . 18

a! d —F ti l— So l ti — B lt n
the D rui s R l tim e —C gd
es m va s ce s e a e or ea e o

ni Ob v d in I l n d—S t P t k t T —Fi t f No vem b

es se r e re a . a ri c a ara rs o er

B t n L g n d— Su p P ti b l gi g to th D y ‘
re o t ti n e e e rs i o s rac ce s e on n r e a

S upp i n O f D ui d m in
re s s o G ul— In E ngl n d— M n — I nr is a a o a o a

-
D uid l M nu m nt — M nhi — D lm ens—C mleohs— S to n
r i ca e e s e rs o ro e

h ng e— C n —P pul
e Sup titi ns
ar ac o ar e rs o

C H APTE R IX .

H e n ce —M yth l gy f th Az t — It P
o o li Ch te i ti —B li f
o e e cs s ec u ar arac r s cs e e

o f th Az te W th
e g d t th Sup m B i g— Sub d n t D i
cs i r e ar o e re e e n or i a e e

ties—H uit iI p t hli — L g d z f Q u tz l

O o ctl— H u h l d Di ini e en o e a co a o se o v

i —B li f f th Az t
t es e W th
e g d t Fu tu St te — Sin gul
o e e cs i re ar o a re a ar

C m ny— R it f B i l— Azt Pn t — P i t
ere o es o— M xi n ur a ec es s r e s e s se s e ca

T m pl — Py m id f Ch lula—S ifi — Th i N m b — Vi tim
e es ra o o ac r ce s e r u er c s

o ff e d nnu ll y to T e t
er a tlip — C nni b l R p t — M nt z um
a z ca o ca a a e ea s o e a

C H APTE R X .

M yth l gy O f th A n i nt P u i n — B li f in O n G d W
o o e c e hip f er v a s e e e O -
or s o

th S un— M
e n d St —L g d f M n
o on, C p —P t nd d
a ars e en o a cO -
a ao re e e

O igi n f th
r In R — L g d f th D lug —T diti n Of
o e ca a ce e en o e e e ra o

Whi t M n f m th E t— T m p l f th S un in th I l n d f Ti ti
e e ro e as e e o e e s a o

caca— T m pl f C uz — P u i n P i th
e e o d— S ifi ff d to
co er v a r es oo ac r ce s o er e

th S un — F t
e l f th S un F t f H y m i— Re m b l n
e s i va s o f e -
e as o a se a ce o

t in P u i n R it
c er a t th
er Ob
v a d b y th An i nt R es o o se s e rve e c e o

m n — Vi gi n
a s f the S un— B u i l R t
r sf th P u i n s C u p y 284
o r a i es o e er v a -
a

N otice of Auth ors, e tc .

, d
m e ntio n e in thi s o um e —E sc hylus— Cte sar Vl
—Ci ce ro D -
e m o s th e n e s — D 1 O do ru s— E ur i i e s H e ro do tus us tin pd -
q
—J uve nal M aace nas e as i Pl g
ini us — Proco p i us S im o na!“ Pl
 M Y T H O L O G Y .

CHA PTER I .

Q ues What is Mythology ?

.

A ns This wor d is d e r ived fr om the Gr eek

.
,

M ythos a myth o r fable and lo gos a disco ur se A

, , ,
.

myth is pr operly speaking an allego ry o r fable

, ,

invented to convey some important mor al o r r eli

gio ns tr uth o r illu str ate some Oper ation o f natur e
,
.

Mythology includes also the histo r ical myths o r ,

the na r r atives Of gods de m igods and he r oes

, ,

which wer e cur rent among the heathen in ancient

times .

Q ues Why is it necessa ry to become acqu ainte d

.

with tho se fables ?

A ns Becau se ancient lite r atur e and art can
.

not b e fully u nde r stood o r appr eciated witho ut

s om e knowledge o f Mythology It was mingle d
.

with e ve ry theme o f the classic poe t and ih ,

16 MY T H OLO G Y .

S pi r ed the highest skill of the painte r and sc ulp

to r .

These s ubjects ke e p their place to some extent

in mode rn ar t and m ythological allusions a r e s o
,

fr eq uent in o ur lite r atu r e that an acquaintanc e

with clas sic fable is consid e r ed a ne c essa ry par t
o f a libe r al edu cation .

Q u es Did a ll.the heathen nations wo r ship the

same deities ?
A ns The mytholo gy o f differ ent nations va r i e d
.

as to the names and att ributes Of their diviniti e s

‘

Ther e ar e neve r theless s o many points o f r es e m

, ,

blance that it is beli e ved by many that the pr inci

,

pal mythical syste m s had o n e common o r igin .

To t r ace these analogi e s and the d e velopm e nts ,

which gave r ise to so gr eat a diver sity is the p ro ,

Vince o f compa r ative mythology .

Q ues In what impor tant point do all these

.

s yst e ms ag r ee ?

A ns In the r ite o f sacrifice

. We meet eve ry .

whe r e the same Offer ings flower s fir st fr uits , ,

libations o f milk honey and wine ; also sacr ific e s

, ,

o f animals which we r e eithe r pa r taken of by the

,

votaries o r consumed as holoca u sts u pon the

a ltar .

This mode of wor ship var i e d b u t little in ce r e

monial and the sacr ifices of the differ ent heathen
,

nations r esembl e d in th e ir exterior fo r m thos e

, ,

o ffe r ed to the tr ue God by the anci e nt pat riar chs .

T he idea o f pr opitiatin g the deity in su ch a man~

 MYT H O LO G Y . 17

nor seems to h ave be e n univer sal both in the O ld

a n d the new wo r ld and we a r e fo r ced to believ e
,

that it was d r awn fr om a common fo unt o f prim

e val t r adition .

Q ues H o w did the belief in the heathen deitie s

.

o ri g inate ?

A ns When the ea rly tr aditions o f the hu man

.

r ace became co r r upt the s ublime ide a o f o n e God

, ,

s e lf existe nt and et e r nal was lost o r obscu r ed

-

, .

We find it thou gh vagu ely perha p s in the

, ,

char acter and attributes O f c e r tain diviniti e s as ,

the Ze us (Jupite r) o f the Gre ek and the A lfddur ,

o f Scandi n avian mythology Th e r e ar e passage s .

in the e arly G r e e k po e ts which show c learly a

beli e f in the unity o f God In the ve r s e s a ttr i .

b ute d to the mythic poet O rphe u s and g e ne r ally ,

kn own as O r phic R e mains we find the follo wing ! ,

O ne s e lf e xiste n t live s
-

cr e a te d thin gs
A rise fr o m him ; a n d H e is all in all .

N O m o r ta l S ig ht m ay se e H im , ye t H im s e lf
i

S e e s all that liv e

For H e a o ne l
Al l he ave n ly is , a n d all te rr e s tria l thin g s
A r e wr o u g ht b y H im Firs t, m i dst . an d las t he he lds
\Vi th H is o m n isc ie n t gr as p
”
.

The same idea is e xpr essed in the ver ses O f the

poe t A r a tu s qu ot e d by St Paul in his addr ess to
, .

the A thenians o n the Hill o f Mar s .

Ins te ad Of ministe ring S pirits obeying the will

18 MYT H O LO G Y .

of the S upr eme Being an d communicating tha t ,

will to man the r e ar ose a nu mb e r o f infe r io r

,

deities e ach e xe r cising some p e c uliar and par tial

,

s ove r e ignty The go d whom the war r io r invok e d

.

in battle was p owerless to bl e ss the field he c ul

fi v a te d in time o f peace
; the po w e r of J up it e r
was wo r shipped in the r olling th u nde r b ut when
the e a r th tr e mbl e d o r fi e r y to r r e nts b ur st fr om
the mo untain top the wr ath o f Pluto m u st b e
,

a ppeas e d and sac rific e s we r e o ffe r e d to the in

,

fe r n al p owe r s The str ife and tur bul e nce o f n a

.

tur e wer e attrib u ted to the gods w ho beca m e in ,

some man n e r identifi e d with the e l e ments the y

we r e s upposed to gov e r n .

The hono r s p a id to the memo r y o f depar ted

her oes assu m e d in the co u r se o f time the char
, ,

act e r o f r e ligio u s w or ship Hence a r ose a cl a ss .

of demigods whose r eal achievements tr ans

, ,

m itte d by pop ula r tr adition and e m bellished

by the poets b e cam e altogethe r legendary and
,

mythical .

Q ues We r e the Gr e e k and Roman mythologi e s

.

the same ?
A ns They we r e to a g r eat extent
.
, The ah .

cie n t Latins had undo u bt e dly thei r o wn god s

, ,

and their p ec uliar supe r stitions b ut they do no t ,

a ppear to have had any r eg ular mythology When .

the Romans r ec e iv e d the a r ts a n d scien ces fr o m

the G r e eks th e y adopted also their diviniti e s
, , ,

and their e nti r e system o f r e ligi on .

 MYT H OLO G Y .
19

A ns They s ha red a t r adition which see m s to

.
,

hav e been unive rs al of a time of pr imeval inn o ,

cence when m a n d w elt in a peace ful wor ld ign o ~

, ,

r ant alike o f so r r ow and o f sin This was the .

G olden A ge A va r ice and disco r d we r e nu

.

known m e n had not lear ned to slay animals fo r

fo o d n o r had the e ar th been dist ur bed by the
,

plough Neither the labor s of the husbandman

.
,
’
no r the me r chant s t r a ffic dist ur b e d the joyo u s

leis ur e o f that happy tim e ; no ships plo u ghed the

seas and the glitter ing ste el r ested har mle ss in the
,

min e O vid thu s describe s the days o f innocence

.

T he G o l d e n A ge w as fi rs t, whe n m an , ye t n e w,

N 0 rul e d
b u t u n c o rru p te r e a s o n n e w, k
A n d , w ith a n a tiv e b e n t di d go o d p ur s ue .

U f
n or c e d b y p u nishm e n t unawe d b y fe ar , ,

H is w o r d s w e r e s im p l e an d hi s s o u l s in c e r e
,

N e e dl e s s was w ri tte n law whe r e n o n e o p p re s s e d

T he law of m an was wr i tte n in hi s b r e a s t
N o sup p lian t cr o w d s b e fo re the j u d ge ap p e a r e d,

N O c o ur t e r e c t e d ye t , n o r c au s e w as he ar d,
B ut a ll wa s sa e f fo r c o ns cie n ce wa s the ir gu ard .

t a! it 3
1

N O f
wall s w e r e ye t, n o r e n c e , n o r m o at, n o r m o un d,
N o r dr um w as he ar d, n o r trum p e t s angry s o un d ,
’

N o r swo r ds w e re fo r ge d b u t, vo i d o f c ar e an d crim e ,

T he so ft c re atio n sl e p t aw ay the ir tim &

”

T he Silver A ge was far infer ior to that o l

gold ; b u t vir tu e stil l dw e lt o n ear th and the Im ,

mo rt als had n o t altogether depar ted fr om the

abodes o f men Ju piter then d i vi ded the ye a r
.

into seasons shor tened the win te r days and le t ,

l oo se the nor thern blasts so that men were ,

20 MYT H OLO G Y .

obliged to build dwellings and c ul tivate the nu ,

gr atefu l soil .

Their fir st habitations wer e caves and gr otto e s,

leafy cove r ts of the for est o r hu ts r udely con ,

structed Of the tr unks o f tr ees an d interwoven

bo ughs .

The B r azen A ge came next men gr ew fie r ce and

war like b ut wer e not as yet altogethe r impiou s
, .

The Ir on A ge gave bir th to all the calamities

that a ffli ct mankind A var ice and violence r eigned
.

sup r eme men wer e not satisfie d to till the ear th ,

but du g into its hidden mines and dr ew thenc e ,

gold and ir on potent instruments of ill to man

, .

The same poet says !

T he n lan d m ar k s lim ite d t o
-
e ach his ri ght
Fo r all b e fo r e was c o mm o n as lg
the i ht .

N o r was the gr o un d al o ne re qi
u re d to b e ar
H e r ann u a l in co m e to the cr o o k e d shar e ,

B ut gr e e dy m o rtal s r umm agin g he r s to re

, ,

D igg e d fr o m he r e n trails fi rs t the p r e c io u s o re

W hi h e xt t o he ll the p ru d e n t go ds h a d la id )
( c n ,

An d that all uri n g ill to s ight di s p laye d .

T hus cur s e d s te e l an d m o r e ac c urs e d g o l d

, ,

G av e m is chie f b irth an d m a d e tha t m ischi e f b o l d

, .

And d o ub l e de ath di d w r e tc he d m an in v ade ,

B y ste e l as saul te d an d b y g o l d be tr aye d

, .

M O UN T O L Y M P U S .

1 Q ues . Wher e wer e the gods s upposed to dwell ?

A ns . O n the su mmit of Mo un t O lymp u s in ,

T h e ss aly . This mountain hides its head ,

c over e d
 MYT H O LO G Y . 2]

G r e eks ima gined above these a s ublime abode ,

reposing in ete r nal sunshine and fr ee fr om the ,

stor ms which vexed the lower world A gate of .

clo uds gu arded by the goddesses of the seasons

, ,

Opened to per mit the passage o f the Celestials

when they descended to ear th Each god ha d .

his own dwelling b ut all wer e obliged to r epair

, ,

when summoned to the palace o f J up it

,
Even .

those deities whose usu al abode was on the earth ,

in the water s o r in the lower shades wer e c o m

, ,

ll e d to assemble in O lymp u s at his comma n d

p e .

Her e they fea s ted on ambr osia and nectar di s ,

cour sed u pon the affair s of heaven and ear th and ,

wer e deli ghted at inter vals by the mu sic o f A pol

’
lo s lyr e and the songs of the Mu ses
,
.

Vulcan was s mi th ar chitect and chariot b uilder

,

to the gods He b uilt their dwellings o n Olym

.

p u s ,
and const ru cted the fur nit u r e in so wonde r

ful a manner that the tr ipods and tables we r e

,

e ndowed with motion and r anged the m s e lves in

,

or der witho u t the aid of hands The r obes o f the .

differ ent di vini ties wer e wr o ught by Miner va a nd

the Gr aces Ever ything of a solid natur e was c o n
.

str ucted o f metal .

T H E G O D S —D IF F E R E N T C LA S S E S
O P D E IT IE S .

l Q ues Did the G r eeks believe that the gods re

.
!

sembled men ?
A ns Yes ; in many partic ula r s
. They s up .
22 MYT H O LO G Y .

an d e v1l They we r e immor tal yet coul d s uffe r

.
,

pain and r eceive wo unds Instead of blood a .

flui d call ed ichor filled their veins The deities .

r esembled men also in fo r m b u t they we r e with , ,

some exceptions o f majestic statu r e and shon e

,

with celestial beauty They co uld r ender them

.

selves invisible at will and we r e other wise e n

,

dowed with s upernatur al power s Ther e was this .

r estr aint upon their wonde r wor king gifts ! no -

di vinity was per mi tted to r ever se the act of an

other Fo r example when an o ffend e d god sub
.
,

e c te d a mor tal to some c r u el tr ansfo r m ation no

j ,

othe r deity not even Jupite r himself coul d un do

, ,

the spell .

Q ues Into what classes wer e the gods divided ?

.

A ns An cient wr ite r s di ffer in the classifi cation

.

o f the Gr eek and Roman divinities A ccor ding .

to o n e division which we will follow the Celes

, ,

tial gods wer e ! Jupiter A poll o Mar s Me r c u ry

, , ,

and Bacchu s The goddesses w e r e ! Ju no M i

.
,

ne rva o r Pallas Venus A ur o r a and Latona

, ,
.

To these higher di vini ties Satur n Janu s Vesta , , ,

and other s wer e sometimes added The r e wer e .

al so T e r r est rial di vini ties G o ds o f the S e a Infe rn al

, ,

de iti es e tc e tc
, . .
 CH APT E R II .

G RE E K AN D RO M AN D IVIN IT m

C e l e sti a G o ds .

JU P IT E R , (G RE E K, Z eus ).

Q ues . Who was Ju pite r ?

A ns He was the king and father o f go ds and
.

men . He is gener ally r ep r esente d as a majestic

m a n with a bear d sitting o n a th r one o f gold
,

and ivory He br andishes the thun de r in his

.

r i ght hand ; giants li e p r ostr ate u nde r his feet ,

and an eagle stands at his side Jupiter is some .

times called Jove and as the eagle was sacr ed to

,

him it is often call ed the bi r d o f Jove

,
.

Q ues Relate the story o f Diony sius and Jup i

.
’

’
te r s cloak .

A ns The statu es o f this god we r e sometimes

.

decor ated with m u ch magnificence It is r elat e d .

’
that Diony si u s the ty r ant o f Syr ac u se vi sited a
, ,

te mple in Sicily wher e he saw a statu e o f Jup i

,

te r a r r ayed in a mantle o f wr ou ght gold This .

he took possession o f and o r de r ed in it place a,

s

woolen cloak Diony siu s j u stified the a c t on the

’
.
24 MYT H O LO G Y .

plea that the latte r gar men t wo uld b e mor e co m

fo r ta b le fo r the god at all se asons as it was nei ,
'

ther so heavy in su mmer n o r so cold in win t e r , .

Q ues O f whom was Jupiter the son ?

.

A ns He was the son of Sat ur n and O ps

. Ac .
e

cor ding to the fable Satur n p r omised his b r othe r,

Titan that after his death the latter sho ul d su c

, ,

c e e d him in hi s kin gdom To ensur e thi s Titan .

,

made Satur n p r omise far the r to destr oy all his

male chil dr en In fulfi llment o f this engagement
.
,

Satu r n devou r ed them as soon as they wer e bor n .

O ps o r Rhea his wife s u cceeded in concealin g

, , ,

Jupiter fr om hi m She sent him secr etly to C r e te

.

wher e he was edu cated o n Mo un t Ida by the ,

nymphs o r acco r di ng to some by the p r iestesses

, , ,

o f Cyb ele The goat which su ckl e d him was

’
.

placed afte r war ds amongst the constellations .

O ps saved Nept une and Plu to in the same m an

ne r .

Q ues What wer e Jupiter s fir st exploits ?

.
’

A ns Titan was so mu ch enr a ged against Satur n

.

fo r failing to destr oy all his male chil dr en that ,

he a ssembled the giants gener ally call ed Titans , ,

to avenge the inj ury They over cam e Sat ur n .

,

and bo und him with O ps o r Rhea in hell Jup i , ,

.

te r conqu er ed the Titans and deliver ed his father ,

a n d mothe r He after wa r ds took up ar ms against

.

S a tur n himself whom he over came and b ani shed

,
.

He then shar ed his power with his two b r other s ,

N ept un e and Pl u to ; to Nept u ne he gave the c o m

mand o f the se a s and r iver s while Pluto r ec e ived ,
fo r his por tion the s ubte rr anean wo rld o r infe r ,

nal r egi o ns .

Q ue s What nat ur al phenomena wer e attr ib ute d

.

to J upite r ?
A ns Th und e r li ghtnin g r ain clo u ds snow and
.
, , , , ,

r ainbo ws T h e s e we r e s e nt by J up ite r either a s

.

signs o r wa r nings o r els e to p unish the tr an s gre s

,

sions o f men par tic ular ly the per ve r sion of la w

,

and j u stice It see m s ce r tain that the ancients

.

r ega r d e d J upite r as a r ighteo u s powe r the enemy ,

o f ty r ants and the p r otecto r o f the poo r and

,

innoc e nt It is har d to re concile this char acte r

.

w ith the fabl e s which asc r ibe to this god action s

in the last d e gr ee base and c riminal .

Q ues How would yo u explain this seeming c o n

.

tr a dic tio n
A ns Ma n y o f these sto ries wer e simply allego
.

ri e s ill u str ating the do m inion o f Ju pite r ove r the

,

natur al world O th e r s w e r e invent e d at later

.

tim e s ; and a ll we r e embellish e d by the po e ts with

b u t little r egar d fo r mo r al o r r eligio us sentimen t .

What e ver their O l In ther e can be no doubt that '

they had an u nfavo r a ble influence o n the pagan

w or ld and that they c ontr ib u ted to w e aken what
,

e ve r r espect r emained fo r u blic o r p ivate v i t ue

p r r .

Q ues R e late some o f th e se fables ?

.

A ns Jupiter was mar r i e d to Juno to whom he

.
,

fir st appeare d in the for m of a cr ow He co n .

sta n tly excited he r jealo usy by his admi r ation of

mor tal wo m en and this gave rise to many adve n

,

ture s cel e b r at e d by the po e ts

, .

Q ues What wa s the story o f E ur o p a

.
'
26 M YT H OLO G Y .

A ns Jupiter was stru ck by the be auty o f E u~

.

’
ro pa , dau ghter o f A ge no r king o f Ph oenicia ’
, .

He took the for m o f a snow white b ull and min -

gled with the her d that gr azed in the meadow

wher e the youn g pr incess was gatherin g flower s .

Eur o pa at tr acted by the beau ty and gentleness

'

o f the animal car essed him cr owned him with

, ,

flower s and at length fear lessly mo u nted o n his

,

o a ck. He imme di ately plunged into the sea and ,

ca rr ied he r to the unknown sho r es of E ur ope ,

which wa s nam ed fr om he r .

’
0 1463 O n what
. w as the sto r y of E ur o pa p r ob
ably fo u nded ?

A ns It is p r obable that some sea captain o r

.
,

pir ate was attr acted by the beauty o f the youn g

,

rincess and ca rr ied he r O ff When h e r fathe r

p ,
.

gr ieved at he r loss the courtier s and pe rhaps the

, ,

or acles p r etended that it was a god who had

,

taken he r away A s thi s r epor t was flatte r ing to

.

hi s pr ide he wou ld of cour se be pleased to hea r

,

it everywher e r epeated This howeve r did not .

, ,

r event A ge nor fr om makin g eve ry e ffo r t to r e

’
p
cover his lost ch il d .

Q ues Relate the sto r y of Cadm u s

. .

’
A ns Cadmu s the son o f A g e no r was o r de r ed
.
, ,
’
by his father to go in sear ch of his siste r E ur o pa ,

with the fur the r inj unction that he sho ul d neve r ,

ret ur n to his native land witho u t he r The sear ch .

r oved fr uitless and Cadm u s not da r in

g t o ap
p , ,

pe ar befo r e his father went to consult the o r acl e

,

of A pollo as to w hat he should do He was di .

 JUPIT E R . 27

re c te d by the god to follo w a yo ung heifer which ,

he would meet in the fields and to mar k the p l ac e ,

wher e she sho u ld lie down to r est He was to .

build a city on that spot and call the s ur r o unding ,

c o untr y B oe otia Cadm u s obeyed these ins tr uc

.

tions ; while p r epar ing to o ffer sac r ifice to Ju pite r

o n the site o f his intended town the solemnity

was interr upte d by a terrible ev e n t The attend .

ants o f Cadmus in sear ching fo r wate r had e n

, ,

te r e d a gr ove sac r ed to Mar s which was g ua r d e d ,

by a mi ghty dr agon O n per cei ving him they

.
,

tur ned to fly b u t wer e either c r ushed in the s e r

,
’
pent s folds o r suffocated by blas ts o f the mon
,
’
s te r s fie r y br eath Cadmus awaiting thei r r e
.
,

turn and becoming impatient at the delay p r o

, ,

c e e de d to the spot and fo und his ser vants life l e ss

, ,

while the dr agon was basking at his ease upon

the gr ass The her o ar oused to vengeance at
.
, ,
.

tacked the monster A terrible combat ensu ed .

,

in which Cadmus thr ou gh the assistance of Mi

,

ner va was victorio us A s he gazed upon his ex

,
.

pi rin g foe he hear d a fr ightful voice which th r eat

,
.

e ned hi m wi th the vengeance of the go d wh o s e

gr ove he had desecr ated Cadmu s was at fir st .

dismayed b ut Miner va told him to sow the dra g

,
’
o n s te eth in the g r o u nd and await the r es ul t ,

Wher e the teeth we r e plante d ar med men im ,

mediately sp r ung up Cadmu s th r ew a ston e .

among them upon whi ch they tur ned their wea

,

n s a gain s t o n e an o th e r an d con tin ue d to figh t

p e ,
28 M YT H O L O G Y .

u ntil all wer e killed except five These as sis te d .

the her o in b uilding his city .

Cadmu s mar r i ed He r mi one the daughte r o f '

,

Venu s ; they had fo u r dau ghter s all o f whom s uf ,

'

f r ed pe r sec u tion eithe r in their o wn pe r sons o r

a , ,

in those o f their childr en Cadmu s and Her mi .

'

o n e we r e so m u ch a fili c te d by the mi sfor t unes o f

the ir descendants that they petitioned the gods

,

to d e p r ive them o f life They wer e soon aft er

.

c h a ng e d into ser pents .

’
Q ucs .Relate the p u nishment of Lyca on .

A ns D ur ing the Ir on Age the wickedness o f

.

me n had gr own to s u ch a height that Ju piter r e

solved to satisfy himself o f the tru th O f the r e
por ts that r eached hi m F o r this p ur pose he .

descended to ear th and ass um ing the disguise o f

,

a poo r tr aveller ,
so u ght hospitality o f Lyca on ’
,

king of Ar ca di a The impiou s pr ince had j u st

.

r eceived an ambass a dor fr o m the Molossians .

H e o r de r ed him to be slain and his flesh to b e ,

’
ser ved fo r the enter tainment o f his guest J upi .

te r was seized with indignation ; he ove r tur ne d

the tables destr oy ed the palac e with lightning
, ,

an d when the tyr an t s t r o ve to fly he was tr ans ,

!

t er m e d into a savage wolf .

 O H APT E R III .

P H CE B U S — A PO L L O

Gut s W h
.o w a s A pol o ? l

A ns He was the son o f Ju pite r and L ato na

. .

T his god was with his twin sister Dian a b orn at

,
-

’
D elos an island in whi ch Lato na had taken r e
,

fuge fr om the ange r of J un o This goddess j e a l .

,
’
o u s of Lato na sent the ser pent Python to de
,

str oy he r O ne o f the fir st exploits o f A pollo was

.

to kill the Python with hi s ar r ows .

Q ues How is thi s god gener ally r ep r esented ?

.

A ns A s a yo ung man comely and g r acefu l

.
, .

H e wear s a laur el c r own over his flowing hair ;

his gar ments ar e embr oide r ed with gold in his
right hand he carr ies his bow and bear s on hi s ,

sho ulder a quive r filled with arr ows A pollo and .

hi s sister Diana p r esided r espectively over the

sun and moon The s un is often call e d Ph oe bus
.
,

o r A pollo and in ancient pictur es t he head of the

,

g o d is r epr esented as da r ting r ays A pollo lik e .

,

other di vinities had many names ,

.

’
Q ues What was the cause o f A pollo s being
.

driven fro m heaven ?

$0 MYT H O LO G Y .

A ns He had a son named E s cul ap ius whc

.
,

was so skill ed in medicine that he was even abl e

’
to r estor e the dead to life Hippol yt us son o f The
.
,

seus king of Athens was killed by sea m onster s

, ,
-
.

(E s c ula ius
p by b r inging
,
him to life so o ffend e d ,

Jupit e r that the latter killed him with a thu nde r

bolt A pollo was m u ch gr ieved and as he could
.
, ,

not take r evenge o n Jupite r he killed the Cyclops ,

who for ged the thunderbolts Fo r thi s r eason .

Jup ite r banished A pollo fr om heaven .

Q ues How did he occ upy hi mself in his banish

.

ment
A ns He g u ar ded the flocks o f A dmetu s kin g
.
,

o f Thessaly He r e he had the mi sfor tun e acci

.

dentally to kill Hyacinth us a boy to wh o m he ,

wa s m u ch attached A pollo mour ned de e ply fo r

.

the yo uth and cau sed a flower to sp r in g fr om his

,

blood which is c a lled the hyacinth p aris su s

,
.
’

was also beloved by the go d The boy g rieved

s o deeply at having u nint e ntionall y kill ed a favo r

ite deer that he begged A pollo to make his

,
'

mo urnin g per petu al The go d hear d his p r ayer

.

an d changed him to a cypr ess the br anches of ,

which tr ee we r e always u sed at funer als A fte r .

many adventur es and wander in gs A pollo was r e ,

s tor ed to the favor o f Jupite r and to heaven , .

Q ues What favor did A poll o confer o n King

.

Adm etus ?
A ns He obtained fr om the Fates that wh e n
.
,

Admet u s sho ul d b e abou t to end his existence ,

his life m ight b e pr olonge d pr ovided ano th e r ,

 A PO LLO . 31

died willingly in his stead When the fat al day .

came Al cestis the wife o f A dmet u devoted he r

, ,
s
,

se lf to death fo r he r h u sband A dmet us grieve d .

s o deeply at he r loss that Pr oser pine actu a ll y r e

’

le n te d b u t Pl uto r emained inexo r able

,
Her c ules .
,

however descended to the s hades and r es c u ed

, ,

Alcestis who was r esto r ed to he r husband

,
E ur i .

pides has fo un ded o ne of hi s most beautiful tr age

dies u pon this story .

Q ues O ver what sciences did A poll o pr eside ?

.

A ns He p r esided ove r physic m u sic poetr y

.
, , ,

an d r heto r ic and the nine Mu ses wer e subject to

him . He r egulated the day by g uiding the char
io t o f the su n .

Q ues What else is said o f A pollo ?

.

Ans Many absur d and impossible adventur es

.

a r e told He seems to have been yery vain o f hi s

.

f
mu sical skill as we see fr om the p unis hm e nt he
,

inflicted o h Mar syas and Kin g Midas fo r c o m

’
,

i ng in conflict with him on that poin t .

Q ues Relate these stor ies

. .

’
A ns A poll o was challenged by Mar syas to a
.

conte st in m usic The god was not conte nt with.

defeating the pr es umptio us mu sician b u t flayed ,

him alive and after war ds changed him into a

,

li ver which is still kno wn by his name

, .

The pun ishment inflicted on King Midas was

no t so cr uel T hi s p ri nce had the bad t aste to
.

declar e his pr efer ence fo r the v ulgar mu sic o f

Pan in a contest which that go d had with A pollo
, .

T he insulted dei ty caused his ear s to gr ow in

82 MYT H O LO G Y .

length and shape like those of an a ss Midas

endeavor ed to cover the defo r mity by his hair ,

and since it was impossible to conceal it fr om his

b arber he bound him to silence by g r eat p r omises
, .

This man however found it so painful to keep

, ,

the secr e t to himself that to obtain r eli e f he du g , ,

a little hole in the gr ou nd and whisper ed it to ,

the ear th What was his dismay at hearing the

.

hollow r eeds which gr ew upon the spot whisper ,

ing whenever the wind blew ! King Midas has

,
’ ”
asses ear s I
Q ues Is anythi n g else r elated o f King Midas ?
.

A ns Y es he had kin dl y and hospitably ente r

.

ta in e d Silenu s the p r eceptor o f B a c ch u s and in

, ,

r et ur n the o d bade him choose any r ecompens e

, g ’

he pleased Midas d emanded that whatever he

.

should to u ch mi ght be tur he d into gold This .

pr ayer was gr anted and he was at fi r st overjoyed ,

to see plants stones and all ar ound him tr ans

,

for med into glitter ing metal He so on per ceived .

hi s folly however fo r when p r essed by hu nger

, , , ,

he tr ied to par take o f the food plac e d befor e hi m ,

it was su ddenl y c o nver ted into gold and wh e n he ,

wo uld have quenched his thir st the water was ,

changed into a golden str eam Famished in the .

midst of plenty Midas p r ayed the god to wi th ,

dr aw the fatal gift Bacchu s kindly consente d .

,
’
an d o r der e d him to bathe in the r ive r Pac tolu s .

M idas obeyed b u t the virt ue which left his body

,

was c ommunicated to the waters o f the str eam,

whi ch was famous ever after fo r its golden sands
 APO L L O . 33

Q ues Who was Ph ae ton ?

.

A ns He was the son o f Ph oe b us and Clym ene

’
. .

At the earn est solicitation o f his mothe r b e r e ,

p ai red to the palace o f the S un fo r the p u rpo se

of having his par entage p ublicly acknowledged .

T he youth was kindly r eceived an d Apoll o ,

s wo r e by the Styx to gr ant him any favo r he

shoul d ask Ph aeton immedi ately pr ayed that

.
‘

he might b e allowed to dr ive for o n e day onl y

, ,

the cha r iot of the S un . A poll o t r ied to dis

s uade him fr om his foolish wish b u t in vain , .

The r ash yo u th was not able t o cont r ol the fiery

hor ses o f the S un ; they depar ted fr om their u su al
t r ack and heaven and earth wer e thr eat e ned with
,

o ne univer sal c o nfla gr a tio n J upiter per ceived

.

the dange r and str u ck Ph ae ton with a thu nder

,

bolt His body was h urled into the river PO

.
,

wher e it was fo und and bur ied by the nymphs o f

the place A s hi s sister s wer e weeping ar ound his
.

tomb they wer e changed by Jupite r into pop~

,

lar s
.

Q ues Who was Daphne ?

.

A ns A nymph belov e d by A pollo ! s he w as

.

changed into a laur el while she was flyin g fro m

the pur s uit of the go d .

Q ues What things wer e especially sacr ed to

.

Apollo
A ns A mong plants the laur el ; am ong anim als,
.
,

the wolf ; and among bir ds the hawk the c re w

, , ,

an d the swa n wer e sac r ed to thi s god .

 CH APTER IV .

M A R S —A R E s .

One s Who was Ma r s ?

.

A ns .He was the son o f J upiter and Juno and ,

wa s wo r shipped as the go d of w ar .

Q ues How was he repr esented ?

.

A ns A s a war rio r in splendid ar mo r s t anding

.
,

in a char iot dr iven by Bello n a a di st r acted

’
,

woman who holds a to r ch in he r hand

, Mar s is .

fie r ce in aspect and b r andishes a S pe ar Som e .

times Disco r d is r epr esented going befor e hi m in

tatter ed gar ments while A nger and O la m o r fol
,

lo w in his tr ain .Fear and Terr or ar e the hor se s

whi ch dr aw the char iot .

Q ues What animals wer e sacr ed to Mar s ?

.

A ns The dog o n account o f its sagacity in the

.
,

pur s uit o f pr ey ; the hor se fo r its uses in w ar ;

,

the wolf fo r its r apacity and cru elty ; the r aven

, ,

b ec au se it follows ar mies watching fo r the c ar

,

casses o f the slain ; and the cock as an emblem ,

o f the vigilance whi ch gu ar ds against s ur p ris e .

Ones What other names had Mar s ?

.

A ns He was call ed Quir i n u s when he wa s

.
’

q u ie
,
t G ’
r a di vus when he was r aging ; ther efo r e
 M ix
es . 35

the Romans built him two temple s o n e to M a rs ,

Q u ir i n
’
u s within the walls that he might keep ,

the city in peace ; and o ne without to Mars ,

G r a di vu s that he might defend th em again st

’
,

their enemies A mong the Romans p riests calle d

.
,

Salii attended to the sacrifices o f Ma r s and o n ,

festival days went about the city dancing with

their shields Their name comes from the L atin
.

“
wo r d to d ance and was conside r ed appr opriate
, ,

becau se Mar s is inconstant in his temper a n d ,

inclin es now to this si de now to that in time o f , ,

w ar . Except the story o f his attachment to Ve

nus the poets r elate b ut li t tle o f Mar s
, .

Bell ona the goddess o f w ar was accor ding to

, , ,

so me the siste r of Mar s

,
She i s g e ner ally r e p r e
.

sent ed as above b u t some poets have desc ribed ,

he r as ru shing thr o u gh the r anks o f w ar waving ,

a flaming to r ch and exciting the combatants by

,

he r c r ie s The temple o f Bell ona at Rome w as

.
,

without the city near the Car me n tal gate Her e

,
.

the Senate gave audi ence to s u ch ambassadors as

they wer e not willing to admit within the wall s .

A pill ar stood befor e the temple ove r whi ch the ,

he r ald cast a spear when he p r oclaimed war ,

T he p riests o f Bellona when officiating held , ,

na k e d swor ds with which they gashed their ar ms

,

and shoul der s making libations o f the ir o wn

,

blo o d to the ter rible goddess

, ,
 CH A PT E R V .

M E R C UR Y — H E R M E S .

One s Who was Mer c ury ?

.

Ans He was the son o f Jupiter and Ma ia the

.
’
,

dau ghte r o f A tlas

’
O n his mother s acco unt s ac
.
,

rifi c e s we r e gene r ally offe r ed to him dur in th

g e

m onth o f May .

Q ues How is Mer c ur y r epr ese nted ?

.

A ns A s a yo un g man of cheer ful countenanc e

.
,

having wings fixed to hi s helmet and his sandals ,

and carrying a r o d in hi s hand whi ch is also ,

winged and entwined with serpents

, .

Q ues How ar e these differ ent equipments

.

named ?
’
A ns The ro d was called Cadu ceu s and pos
.
,

s essed a wonder fu l fac ulty fo r quietin g all di s

’
pu tes His helmet was called Pet asu s and his
.
,

winged sandals Talar ia .

Q ues What wer e the offices o f Mer cury ?

.

A ns They we r e va r io u s ; his most impor tant

.

function was to car ry the commands o f Jupiter .

M e r c u r y is commonly called the messenger o f the

gods He also swept the r oom wher e the go ds
.

s upped an d made their beds

,
.
 ME RCU RY .
37

Q ne s . What else is said o f Me r cury ?

A ns . He w a s the inventor o f letter s and ex ,

c elled in eloqu ence T he Gr eeks wor shipp ed him

.

as the patr on o f o r ato r s u nder the name o f ,

Her mes Mer cury was als o the inventor of weights

.

a n d meas ur es and the patr on o f commer ce

, .

Q ues Wer e all hi s talents equ ally honor able

. .

A ns No ; he was most skill ful in the art o f

.

thieving O n the very day of his bi r th he stole

.
,

some cattle from King A dm etu s althou gh A po ll o ,

was keeping them and while that go d was bend

ing his bow against him he contrived to steal his ,

quiver While yet an infant he stole the tools o f

.
,

Vulcan the gir dl e o f Venus and the sceptr e of

, ,
’
Jupiter He in tended also to steal Jove s thun
.

de r b o lts b ut was fear fu l they wo ul d b ur n him

, .

Me r cur y was therefore the patr on of thi eve s

, , .

Q ues Relate the histo r y o f T o and Ar gu s ?

.

A ns IO the dau ghter o f In ach u s was belove d

’
.
, ,

by Ju piter He str ove to hide he r fr om the anger

.

o f J111 10 by t r ansfo r ming he r in to a cow T he .

goddess su spected the deceit and begged the ,

beautiful heifer as a gift Ju piter was afraid to .

r efuse and Jun o con signed the un happy Io to the

,

g u a r di anship o f Ar gu s Escape seemed hopeles

. s ,

as A r gus had a hu ndr ed eyes o f which he closed ,

onl y two in sl e ep while the other s watched J u

,
.

pite r commanded Mer cury to slay Ar gu s and de

live r Io To e ffe ct this it was necessar y to s e t
. ,

a ll hi s eyes to sleep Me r c ur y dis g uised

. him self
as a shephe r d ente r ed in to conve r sat io n wi th Ar
,
38 MYT H O L O G Y .

g us and at length played so sweetly o n his

’
pipe that o ne by one the keeper s h un dr ed eyes
, , ,

we r e clo sest The god then dr ew his falchi on,

and c ut o ff th e u d o f Ar gus with a single blow
b a .

Jun e was gr ieved fo r he r ser vant and placed his ,

’
e yes in he r peacock s tail IO still per secu ted by .
,

J 1111 0 wander ed over the ear th and at length

, ,

a rri ved faint and wear y o n the banks o f the N il e

, , .

Ther e she pr ayed Ju piter either to r estor e he r to

he r or iginal for m o r to te r minate he r misfo r tunes
,

by death J un e was to u ched with compassion

.
,

and allowed Jupiter to gr ant he r r equ est Io was .

resto r e d to hu man fo r m and marr ied to O sir is , ,

kin g o f Egypt ; she was after war ds wo r shipped in

that co untr y under the n am e o f Is is .

The statues o f Me r c ur y wer e simply woo den

posts s ur mo unted by a r u de head with a pointed
,

bear d Th e y wer e set u p in the fields and at a ll

.
,

cr oss r oads The Gr e e ks had pill ar s o f stone

.
,

which they called H e r m es b ut the head which ,

sur mou nted them was n o t always that o f M e r

e ur y . These pillar s we r e sometimes placed by ,

the A theni ans at the entr ances o f their ho u ses a s

,

a pr otection against thieves O n o ne occasion .

,

a ll the He r m es in A thens we r e m u tilated in the

a
s m e night Al cibiades was
. acc u sed of this sac ~
t il e ge and was ob liged to take r efuge in Cer ge s
,

fro m the indignatio n of the people .

 CH APT ER VI .

B A C C H U S — D IO N Y S U S
'
.

Q ucs . Who was Bacch u s ?

’
A ns . He was the son o f Jupiter and Sem e la
an d was wo r shipped as the go d o f wine .

Q ues How is he r ep resented

.

A ns A s a yo ung man c r o wned with ivy an d

.
,

g r ape leaves ; he sits in a cha r iot d r awn some ,

t imes by panthe r s and lynxes and sometimes by ,

tiger s and lions He carries in his hand a thyr

.

su s— that is a staff encir cled by ivy and gr ape

,

leaves ; a tr oop o f demons and drunken satyr s

foll ow hi m .

Ques Wh at was the stor y o f Sem ele ?

.
’

A ns She was destr oyed by the jealo usy o f

.

’
J1111 0 This goddess visited Sem ele in the shape
.

o f an old woman and pe r s u aded he r to a sk Jup i

,

te r to visit he r with all the glo r y which e n c o m o

p a s s ed him in heaven A ll happened

. as Jun e

desired and Sem ele was cons umed by the light~

,
'

h in g s which s urr o unded Jupite r Bacch us did .

’
r t sha r e his mothe r s fate b u t was conveyed to,

N axos wher e he was edu cated by some nym ph s

,
40 MYT H O LO G Y .

Q ues How did Bacchu s r ewar d their c are ?

.

A ns He tr ansfor med them into the star s known

.

as the Hyades .

Q ues Who aided the nymphs in their car e o f

.

Bacchu s ?
A ns An Old man named Silenu s
. He was con
.

side r e d a demi go d
-
.

Q ues H o
. w is Silen u s r ep r esented ?
A ns He seems to be the p e r s o nfi c atio n of
.

dr unkenness ; he is sometim es r epr esente d as

seated intoxicated on a cask o f wine his head ,

cr owned with gr ape leaves and his face stained

,

with the lees o f wine ; sometimes as mou nted o n

an ass and following the c ar o f Bacchu s
,
.

Q ues What wer e the fir st exploits o f Bacch u s ?

.

A n s He di stin guished himself in the combats

.

between the gods and giants taking the fo r m

,

o f a lion to st r ike te rr o r into the latter .

Q ues What other actions ar e attributed to

.

him
A ns He tau ght men how to plant the vi ne and
.

till the gr o und He is said to have subdue d

.

India and many other co untr ies o f the East

,

Q ues How
. was he wo r s hi pped ?
A ns The goat and the ho g we r e O ffe r e d to him
’

in sa c r ifice ; and the ivy the fi r the bin dweed

, , ,

the fig an d the vine w er e consec r ated to him .

Q ues What feasts wher e held in hi s hono r ?

.

A ns The feasts o f Bacchu s wer e var io u s

. T he .

B acchanalia o r O r gia wer e the most celebr ated .

T h e y w er e at first par ticipated in by wome n o nly

 B ACCH US . 41

c ut after wards men wer e admitted to join in thes e

rites . The women wer e called Bacchantes and ,

r an abo u t with thei r hair di shevelled shou tin g ,

and singing in a distr acte d manner The Roman .

Se nate at length abo lished this festival .

Q ues Relate the stor y o f Pentheu s ?

.

A ns Pentheu s was king o f Thebes

. He no t .

only r efu sed to ackn owledge the di vinity o f Bac

e hu s b ut endeavo r ed to p r event the celeb r ation
,

o f his or gies Havin g pr esumed to int ru de o n

.

the r evels of the Bacchantes they wer e seized by ,

a sort o f madness and r ushing upon the unhappy

,

man tor e him to pieces The mother o f Pentheus

, .
,

and he r sis ters wer e the leaders in this a c t which

, ,

was consider ed to have been perfor med un der a

divine imp ulse .

Q ues Wh at was the punishment in flicted o n

.

Al citho e and he r sister s

’

A ns These wer e Theban maidens who r idi

.

ouled the o r gies O f Bac c h u s D urin g the c el eb r a .

tio n of these r ites they r emained at home plying

, ,

the dista ff and the spindle and singin g over their ,

tasks F o r this Al citho e and he r sister s wer e

.
’
,

tr ansfor med by the power o f Bacchu s into bats ;

a n d the spin dle and yar n with whi ch they wo r ked

we r e chan ged to ivy .

Q ues Relate the t r ansfo r mation o f mariner s

.

into dolphins ?
A ns A ship tou ched at O hios fo r a supply of
.

fresh wat e r The sailor s who went o n shor e

.
,

fo und near the sp ring a boy of unco m m o n gr a ce

£2 MYT H O L O G Y .

and b e a uty
They bore him to the ship still
.
,

heavy with sleep and wine and de clar e d their in ,

tention of selli n g hi m at the next por t A c ce t e s

’
.
,

their captain tried to di ssu ade them fi o m the

,

crime the mo re so as he per ce ived that ther e

, ,

was something mor e than mor tal abou t the cap

tive yo uth In the meantime Bacchu s fo r it was
.
,

he awaking from his slumber begged the sailor s

, ,

to land him at N axos T hi s the captain p r o m

.

ised b ut when they had set sail the mar iners

, ,

took possession o f the shi p and steer ed in an ,

other dir ection The go d now r evealed himself

. .

The sails and cor dage suddenly appear ed h ung

with gr apes and ivy ; spotted panther s lay at his
feet and when the ter rified sailors tried to leap
,

over boar d they wer e s u ddenl y changed into

,

dolphins The captain was spar ed and landed

.
,

with Bacch u s on the sho r es o f O hios .

Q ues W hat is the. o r i gin o f the histo r y o f Bac

ch u s ?
A ns He was pr obably some prince who tau gh t
.

the people to till the g r ound and c ultivate the ,

vi ne They dis gr aced his memory in afte r tim es

.

by the drunk e n r eve ls they held in his ho nor .

 CH A PT ER VI] .

C e l e st i al G o dde ss e s .

JUN O — H E R A .

Q ues Who Jwas

u n o

Ans She was the daughter o f Satur n and O p s

.
,

and was both siste r and wife o f Jupiter .

Q ues How is she gener ally r epr esented ?

.

A ns A s seated in a gold e n chari ot dr awn b y

.

peacocks She holds a sceptr e in he r hand and

.
,

is c r owne d with r oses and lilies Iris was the .

messenger o f Juno as Mer cury was o fJ up ite r

,
.

Q ues H o w is Ir is r epr esented ?

.

A ns With wings because o f he r swiftnes s an d

.
, ,

sometimes also as r iding o n a r ainbow .

Q ues H o wdi d Iris di ffer fr om Mer c ury ?

.

A ns Me r c ury was often employed in messages

.

o f pea ce ; b u t Ir is was fr equently sent to p r omote

strife and di ssension .

Q ues What chil dr en had Juno ?

.

A n s Vul can Mar s and Hebe

.
,
Hebe was .

called the goddess O f yo u th o n acco unt of he r ,

e xtr ao r din ar y beau ty and J upite r made he r his

,

c up bear er
-
She o ffended him by an unl u cky fall
. .

and G an vm e de was appointed in he r place .

44 MYT H O LO G Y .

Q ues What wer e Juno s faults ?

.
’

A ns She was ve ry jealou s and took the mos t

.
,

cr uel r evenge o n the mor tal woman whom Jupiter

lo v e d .She tr ansfo r med Callista and he r so n
Ar e as into bear s and was extr emely displease d
,

when Jupite r pl ac e d th e m amon g the conste lla

’
T he goddess carr ied he r complaint to O cean us ,

bidding him to obser ve when the shades o f nigh t

,

sho ul d dar ken the wo r ld how he r r ival was ex

,

alted The god o f O cean was moved and p ro

.
,

m is e d J un e that he wo uld never r eceive eith e r

Calli sta o r he r offspr ing in his water y domain .

Hence it is that the Gr eater and the Lesser Bea r

,

continually cir cle a r ound the pole and never sink , ,

like the other star s beneath the waves o f ocean

,
.

In the fables o f Bacch u s and Her cules Jun o dis ,

plays the same char acter extending to thes e ,

he r oes the enmity she bor e their mor tal mother s .

J un e was chiefly honor ed at A r gos Samos an d ,

Plat ae a The victims offer ed to he r were kine

.
,

ewe lambs and sows The cow was consecr ated

,
.

to he r and at Ar gos the p r iestess of Jun o always

,

r ode in a char iot dr awn by o xen The sacr ed .

plants o f the goddess we r e the willow pome

”

, ,
I

g r anate the dittany

,
and the l il y The p e a c o c k .

was chosen as the bir d o f J une b e cau se it wa s ,

supposed by its cry to indi cate a change o f wea

the r.
 CH AP TE R VIII .

M IN E R V A — PA LL A S A T H E N A .

Ones Wh o was Miner va ?

.

Ans . She was the goddess o f wisdom and o f

war She had no mother b ut S pr ang full arm e d
.
,

fr om the head o f Jupite r .

Q ues How is Mi ner va r epr esented ?

.

A ns A s clothed in complete ar mo r
. She has .

a golden helmet on he r head holds a lance in he r

,

right hand and he r left r ests u pon a shiel d to

,

which is affixed the h ead Of Medu sa T he .

c o c k and the o wl are. als o r ep r esented o n the

i
shi eld .

Q ues Why was Min er va said to have sprung

.

full ar med fr om the head o f Jupiter ?

A ns The poets s ignify by this that wisdom
.
,

come s dir ect fr om the deity .

Q ues Why is M iner va s ometimes c r owned

.

with olive ?
A ns Becau se the Olive is the emblem Of peac e ,
.

an d war sho uld only be made that a secur e peac e

may foll ow ; also becaus e s he bestowed the O lc

on men .
46 MYT H O LO G Y .

Q ues O n what occa sion di d Minerva give the

.

olive to men ?
A ns When Ce c m p s b uil t a new city N eptun e
.
,

an d Min e r va contended abo u t its name ; and it

was r esolved that whichever of the two deities

sho uld confer the most useful gift on man migh t ,

g ive a name to the city N ept u ne s tr u ck .the

r o und with his tr ident and a hor se appear ed ;
g ,

b u t Min er va caused an olive to spring o u t o f the

earth The latter was j u dged the mo r e u seful
.

g ift ; and M in e r v a named the city callin g it ,

’
Athe na o r A thens after he r o wn name in Gr ee k
, .

Q ues What was the Pall adiu m ?

.

A ns When the T r oj ans wer e b uil ding the te m

.

pl e and castle o f M in e r va in T r oy a stat u e o f ,

the goddess fell fr om heaven into the castle ,

which was still u nr oofed The o r acle o f A poll o .

declared that Tr oy would be safe so long as this

stat ue called Palla di um fr om Pallas a name o f
, , ,

Minerva r emained within the walls When the

,
.

G r eeks besie ged Tr oy they found that all their ,

effor ts to take the city we r e o f no avail ; they de

te r med ther efo r e to steal the Palladiu m U lys
, ,
.

’
se s and Diom edes c r ept into the city th r o u gh the

common sewer s and br ou ght away the image

, .

T r oy was soon after war ds taken and destr oye d .

Min erva was a vir gin and was the patr oness o f,

modest and vir tuou s women .

Q ue s D id
. Mine r va excel only in the a r t o f
war ?
A ns N . o ; she invente d the di staff and spindle,
 ‘

M IN E RVA . 47

and e xce lled in every br anch o f female industry .

’
T he fate o f Ar ach ne shows how mu ch she p r iz ed
he r r ep u t ation fo r skill in embr oider y .

Ques Who was Ar ach ne ?

’
.

A ns She was a maiden of Ly dia who had the

.
,

p s umption to challenge Miner va to a trial o f

re

skill in weaving The goddess wro u ght into he r

.

wor k the most beau tiful designs b ut it wo ul d ,

’ ’
seem that Ar ach ne s perfo r mance sur pass e d her s
fo r Miner va seeing it was fir ed with envy and
‘

, , ,

stru ck the un happy maiden o n the face with he r

shu ttle Ar ach ne could n o t endur e this insu lt
’
.
,

and hun g her self fr om a beam Miner va im m e di .

at e ly changed he r into a spide r and per mitte d ,

he r to live onl y that she might weave u nc e as

in gly .

Q ues Why was the o wl chosen as the bir d o f

.

M iner va ?
A ns b e cause this bi r d sees in the dar k ; and
.

wisdom di stinguishes what is hidden fr om c o m

mon ey e s
q
.

ue s What is the stor y of Medu sa s head ?

’ ’
.

A ns Medu s
. was o n e o f thr ee siste r s the
a ,

dau ghter s of Pho r cu s T hese maidens we r e

.

call e d G o r gons and wer e all immort al exc e pt

,
’

’
M e du sa The latte r wa s at o n e per iod distin
.

u is he d fo r he r pe r so n al b e au ty and pa r tic ula r ly

g ,

fo r he r flowing hai r ; b u t having o ffended Miner

va that goddess changed he r locks into se r pents
, ,

an d r ender ed he r appea r ance so fright ful that all

who beheld he r w e r e changed to stone T he .

48 MYT H OLO G Y .

her o Per seu s undert ook an e xpedition against the

Gor gons and as he saw the whole country a r oun d
,

cover ed with figur es o f men and anim al s changed

into stone by the sight o f the monster he w as ,

oblig e d to us e gr eat p r ecau tion to avoid the sam e

misfor tune He looked ther efor e not at Med u
.
, ,
'

s e b u t at he r r eflection in his poli shed s hi eld and

, ,

when he per ceived that she was asleep Miner va ,

g uidin g his swor d he s tr uck o ff he r head M e r

.

,
.

cury had lent Per s eus his win gs and as he fle w ,

’ ’
over the L yb ian de s e rt bearing Medu sa s head ,

the blood fell u pon t he bur ning sands and p r o ,

‘

duc e d the ser pents which have ever since infested

’
that r egi on Fr om the blood o f Medu sa also
.
, ,

when he r head w as c ut o ff spr ang the famo u s ,

’
win ged hor se call ed Peg asu s This wonder ful .

steed flew to Mount Helicon the r esidence of the ,

Mu ses wher e by strikin g the ear th with his foot

, , ,

he p r odu ced the fo untain Hi ppocr e ne All who

’
.

dr ank o f its water s we r e in sp ir ed by the M u ses

with a poetic sp ir l t Per seus went thr ou gh many
.

’ ’
othe r advent ur es in which Medu sa s head did
him good ser vice by changing hi s enemies into
,

stone He afterwards gave the head to Mi ner va

.
,

who fixe d it on he r shie ld .

 CHA PTE R m

V B N U S — A P H R O D I T H
’
.

Who was Venus ?

A ns. She was the goddess o f love and bea uty
She spr ang fr om the fr oth o f the sea ; fo r this
reason the Gr eeks called he r A ph r o di te fr om
’
,

Ap hr o s meaning foam
,
A s soon as she was bor n
.
,

she was placed like a pear l in a shell instead o f a

c r a dl e and the god Zephyr u s (the west win d)

,

wafted he r to the shor es o f Cypru s .

Q ues By whom was she ed ucated ?

.

A ns She was edu cated and ador ned by the

.

H o r se o r Hour s who carr ied he r to heaven as soon

,

she became o f age A ll the gods we r e astoni shed

.

at the beauty o f Venu s and many demanded he r ,

in marriage ; b u t Jup ite r betr othed he r to Vulcan

‘

an u gly and defo r med di vini ty .

Q ues H o w is Venu s r epr esented ?

.

A ns Sometimes as a yo ung vir gin rising from

.

the sea o r r iding o n the waves in a shell while

, ,

C upids Ne r e ids and Dolphins ar e spo rting

,

aro un d he r again she is pict ur ed as tr ave r sing

-

the he avens in an ivo ry char iot dr awn by dove s .

50 MYT H O LO G Y .

She wear s a wonder ful gi r dle called the C estus

he r doves ar e harness e d with golden chains and ,

C upids fl u tter a r ou nd he r o n silken win gs .

Venu s is always cr owned with r oses .

c es What. was the r e r ema r kable in the C e s

tus o f Ven u s
A ns It had the p r ope r ty o f con ferr in g gr ace
.
,

beau ty and irr esistible attr actions o n the wea r er

, .

a s Whe r e had Ve nu s temples ?

.

A ns In many places
. The most celeb r ated
.

We r e at Paphos Cyther ea Idalia an d Cnido s

, , .

Q ues Who wer e the companions o f Ven us ?

.

A ns The Gr aces wer e he r atte ndants and she

.
,

was gener ally accompanied by he r son C upid ,

who was the go d o f love .

Q ues H o w is Cupid r epr esented ?

.

A ns A s a beau tif ul b o y wit h win gs carr ying a

.
,

bo w and a rr ows ; he has sometimes a band over

his eyes to show that love is blind .

Q ues What do yo u say of the festivals of Ve

.

nus ?
A ns .They wer e vario us and ac compani ed by
,

mu ch that was disgr acefu l and immo r al T he .

swan the dove and the sp arr o w wer e sac r ed to

'

, ,

this goddess ; and among plants the r ose the , ,

myr tle and the apple Incense fruits and flo w

.
,

e r s we r e the o r din a r y sac r ifices laid on he r altars

but bir ds we r e sometimes o ffer ed .

Q ues Wh a t r emarkable temple was r aise d to

.

Ve nu s in Rome ?
A ns Ther e w as a te mpl e d e dic ate d to Ve nus
.
 VE N U S . 5]

C alm o r the Bald ; becau se when the Gauls be ~

,

sieged Rome the inh abitants made r opes for

,

thei r militar y engines with the long h air o f the

Rom an women .

Q ues O n what occasion was the prize 0 ]

.

beau ty adj u dged to Venu s ?

A ns All the gods and goddesses had been in~
.

vi te d to the marr iage o f Pele u s and Thetis Dis ,

cor di a o r Dis co r d being the onl y one exclu ded

,
.

This goddess was dete r mined to r evenge the

slight ; she enter ed sec r etly when all we r e as ,

sembled and thr ew among them a golden apple

,
”
o n w hi ch was wr itten ! Fo r the fair est
“
A .

violent qu arr el immediately ar ose between the

goddesses fo r each believed her self to be the
,

most beautiful Juno Miner va and Venu s dis ~

.
, ,

p u t e d so eage r ly that J u pite r hi mself

,
was n o t
able to b r ing them to an agr eement He r e ~ .

solved ther efor e to r efer the matter to the deci

, ,

sion o f Par is w ho was then feeding hi s she e p o n

,

Mo unt Ida This pr ince was the son o f Pr iam

.
,

king o f Tr oy An o r acle had fo r etold b efo r e his

.

bir th that he was destined to ca use the de s tr uc

tion o f his native city He was th e r efor e ex .
, ,

posed o u Moun t Ida wher e he was fo und and ,

car ed fo r by some shepher ds A fter he ha d .

gr own u p he acquir ed a gr eat r ep utation fo r the

,

pr u dence wi th whi ch he settled the most difficult

disp utes ; hence the differ ence between the go d
dess es w a s r efer r ed to his decision Wh en the J .

appear ed befo r e him they began to court his

,
 52 M YT H O L O G Y .

favo r with p r omises Juno offer ed him gre a t .

power ; Minerva wisdom ; b ut Venu s pr omise d

,

to give him fo r a wife the most b e au tif ul woman

in the wo r ld Par is then pr onou nced Venu s the
.

fair est He was soon after acknowledged by hi s

.

father Kin g Pr iam ; and Ven u s fulfilled he r e u

,

a e m e n t by aidi ng him to car r y o ff Helen the

g g ,

beau tiful Wife o f Menela u s king o f Spar ta This '

, .

gav e r ise to the total destr uction of Tr oy ; and

the p r e di ction o f the or acle with r egar d to Pari s
was accomplished .

’
Q ues What was the story o f Hippo menes and
.

Atalanta ?
A ns A talanta was the dau ghter o f King Coe
.

neu s and was equ ally r enowned fo r he r beauty

,

and he r swiftness in r unning A s an o r acle had .

declar ed that mar r iag e wo ul d be fa tal to he r s he ,

fr eed her self fr om the impor t uni ty of he r sui tor s

by a sin gul ar expedi ent She cau sed it to be p r o .

claimed that any one who sought he r hand should

contend with he r in runn ing with the under stand ,

ing that she wo uld mar r y him who shou ld excel

he r in the r ace b u t that those who wer e beaten
,

should suffer death Har d as wer e these condi .

tions many sui tor s pr esented themselves b ut

, ,

they wer e all u nsuccessful and we r e p ut to death ,

’
wi tho u t mer cy Hippo menes deter mined to un
.
‘

de r take the r ace b u t fir st he had r ecou r se to

, ,

Venus This goddess gave him thr ee golden ap

.

’
ples gather ed in the gar den o f the Hesper id e s ,
'
an d di r ecte d him as to their use When Hippo .
 VE N US .
53

me ne s saw that A talanta was going to ou tstrip

him in the r ace , he threw down a golden apple ;
the prin cess paused to admir e and take up the
glitteri ng fr ui t while Hippo menes passed o n A
,
’
.

s econd and a thir d time di d he try the same expe di

n t and with s u ch s u ccess that he r eached the

,

go al and won his bride H i ppo menes was un

’
.

gr ateful to Venus who r evenged her self by chang

,

in g him into a lion and the beautiful A ta lanta into

,

a lioness .

Q ues Who was A donis ?

.

A ns He was a beautiful yo uth the son of

.
,
’
Cin yr as king o f Cyp r us and was beloved by
, ,

Ven us .He was kill ed by a wild boar while ,

hunting with that goddess Ve nu s gr ieved m u ch .

fo r he r favo r ite To commemor ate his cruel fate

.

she cau sed the flower anemone to spring fr om

his blood .

A cco r ding to the poets the r ose was fo r mer ly ,

white When Venu s was hastenin g to the assist

.

ance of A doni s he r foot was wo unded by a th o r n

, ,

and some dr ops of blood fell upon that flowe r ,

which then assu med its p r esent c rimson hu e .

Q ucs Who . we r e the G r aces ?

A ns They wer e inferio r goddesses who p r e
.
,

sided over the banqu et the dance and all soci al ,

e nj oyments and elegant ar ts .

Q ues How many wer e ther e ?

.

A ns They wer e thr e e in num b e r

. Their nam e s .

’
wer e E u phr o syne A gla ia and Thalia
’
,
They .

are r ep r esented as beau tiful yo un g women stand ,

bi g in gr aceful attitu des with their hands joined .

 CH APT E R 3 .

L A T O N A — LE T O .

Q ues . Who was Latona ?

A ns She was the dau ghter of Ph oebe and (Jesus
.

the Titan When she was driven fr om heaven by

.

the j ealo usy o f J uno she fo und an asyl u m in the

,

island of Delos whe r e she gave bir th to A poll o

,

and Diana Terr a (the earth ) had pr omised Juno

.

to give no shelter to he r rival b u t the island of ,

Delos for merly floated in the s e a and was at ,

that time hidden u nder the water s Ne p t une .

,

pitying the forlorn state of Latona cau sed it to ,

emer ge fr om the sea when it b e came fixed and ,

immovable fo r he r u s e .

Q ues Relate the tr ansfor mation o f Lycia n

.

peasants into fr ogs .

A ns L atona while wander ing with he r babe s

.
,

in the co untry of Lycia in A sia ar r ived e x , , ,

hau s te d by heat and fatigue on the bo r d e r s of ,

a clea r poo l She was abou t to qu ench he r thi rs t

in the cool water s when som e clowns r u d e ly hin~
.

de r ed he r She begge d them to have compa s

.

sio n a nd not deny he r s o small a r efreshment

,
 LAT O N A . 55

but th e y mo ked he r pr ayer s and when she tried

c
,

to app r oach they waded into the pool and stir , ,

ing up the m u d de fil e d the water s so that it ,

became un fit to dr ink The goddess was so m u ch .

incensed that she changed the c r uel r ustics into

,

frogs and condemn ed them to dwell for ever in the

,

The p uni shment o f Niobe will be r elated in

another place The suffer in gs of the giant Tity
.

u s in hell wer e also the penalty o f an ins ult o f

,

fe re d to this goddess .

The Gr eeks per sonified Night under the name ,

o f Latona hence she was said to have been the

fir st wife o f Jupiter the mothe r o f A pollo and ,

Diana (the s un and moon) and the nur se o f the

,

ear th and star s The Egyptians had the sa m e.

allego r y with a li ttle va r iatio n as accor di ng to

, , ,

them she was gr andmother and nur se of Ho ru s

,

and B u b a s tis their A pollo and Diana

’
,
.

This goddess is gener ally r epr esented o n an

c ient monu ments as a lar ge and beau ti ful woman
, ,

wear ing a veil In paintings the veil is always

.
,

black ; in c utting gems ar tists sometimes availed ,

the m selves o f a dar k color ed vein in the stone to ,

pr odu ce the same effect and r epr esent the shade s ,

o f nigh t The veil is so metimes studded with

.

st ars.
 A U R O R A — B O B

Q Wh o was Aur or a ?
ucs .

A ns She was the goddess o f the morning and

.

sis te r o f the s un and moon She is r epr esented

.

a s seate d in a golden char iot dr awn by milk whit e -

hor ses ; he r co u ntenance is b rilli ant and he r fin ,

ger s ar e r e d like r oses .

Q ue s What di d this r epresent ?

.

A ns The beau ty o f the mo r ning heavens

. .

a s Relate . the sto r y of Ceph alu s and Pr o

‘
O Il S .

’
A nsCeph alus a beautiful youth was belove d
.
, ,

by A ur or a who carr ied him with he r to heaven

,

but he r egar ded the goddess with in differ ence and ,

insisted o n r etu rni n g to his young wife Pr ocris .

Au r or a al lowed him to depar t b ut p r evailed o n

,

him to vi sit hi s hou se in disgu ise that he might ,

’
j udge of the constancy o f his b ri de Ceph alus .

fou nd his wife lamenting hi s absence and r efus

ing all consolation b ut when she discover ed her
,

hu sband in the supposed str anger she was so ,

in dignant at his s u spicion that she fled fr om him

and j oined the attendants o f Diana She was .
 A URO RA . 57

’
afte r wards r econciled to Ceph alus and gave him ,

two presents which she had r eceived from Diana .

T hese wer e a dog that was always sur e o f its

,

pre y and an arr ow which neve r mi s sed its aim

, ,

a n d r et ur ned immediately to the hand of the

owner Ceph alu s was extr emely fond of hunting

.
’
,

and when fatigued he often r ested in the shade

,
”
an d invited the p r e s ence of
“
A ur a o r the r e ,

fr eshing b r eeze This wo r d was mis taken fo r

.

the name o f a nymph by some per sons who c ar

ried the tale to P r oc r is B e ing jealou s in he r
.

tur n she dete r m ined to watch and di scove r he r

, ,
’
rival. When Ceph alu s r etur ned fr o m hunting ,

Pr ocr is conceale d her self in the gr ove she started

upon hea r ing the name A ur a and cau sed a r ust ,

li n g among the leaves Ceph al us immedi ately '

th r ew his unerr ing dar t which r etur ned to his,

hand stained wi th the blood o f his beloved wife .

He hastened to the spot but it was too late and , ,

P r ocris expired in his a r ms acknowledgin g she ,

had fall en a vi ctim to he r o wn gr o un dless jealousy .

Q ues To whom was A ur or a mar ried ?

.

A ns She chose fo r he r h u sband Titho nu s the

’
.
,

’
s o n o f Laom edon king of T r oy ,
This p r ince .

wa s endowed with wonderful beau ty ; b u t when

A ur or a b e ged o f Jove that he might be exempted
g

fr om de ath she fo r got to ask at the same time

,

fo r the bloom of i m mort al yo uth When T itho ’

.

nu s became o ld and dec r epit A ur or a still watch ed ,

“
o ve r him with the tende r est ca r e giving him ,

a mb r osial food and fair g ar ments When T i .

58 M YT H O LO G Y .

’
tho nus co uld no longe r move his a ge d li mbs ,

and hi s feeble voice was scar cely hear d the ,

goddess was moved with compassion and changed ,

him into a gr asshopper .

Qus s Who was Memnon ?

.

A ns He w a s king of the Ethiopians and s o r

.
, .

’
o f T itho n u s and A ur or a When Tr oy was b e .

sieged Memnon came with an ar my to aid the

,

kindr ed of his father In the fir st engagements

.

’
he slew A ntil ochu s the son o f Nesto r and th ew
, ,
r

the whole ar my O f the Gr eeks into disor der A ch .

'

ill es however appear ed on the field and changed

, , ,

the fo r tun e o f the day The T r oj ans wer e r o u te d

.

in their t ur n and Memnon fell by the hand o f the

,

G r ecian he r o A ur or a watched the combat fr om

.

the heavens and when she saw Memnon fall s he

,

dir ecte d the winds to convey his body to the

’
banks of the rive r Z E s e p us in Paphl agonia Her e .

they r aised hi s tomb in a sac r ed gr ove an d his ,

obsequies wer e celebr ated with solemn pomp .

The sparks as they r o se fr om the f uner al pyr e

, ,

wer e changed in to bir ds which divided in to two ,

flocks and fought toge ther u n til they fell into the
,

flames and w e r e consu m e d A ccor ding to the .

poets Au r or a was never con soled fo r the loss

,

of he r son ; she mo ur ns un ceasingly and the ,

dr ops whi ch sparkle in the mor ning o n the gr ass

an d flower s ar e the tear s whi ch the goddess con

tin u e s to shed dur ing the long ho ur s o f night .

Ancient history mentions many per so ns o f the

nam e o f Memnon par tic ul ar ly a gener al who dis
,
 AURO RA . 59

tin gui s he d hi mself in Per sia against Al exander the

G r eat The Memnon o f fable was in all p r o b abil
.

ity an Egyptian and not an Ethiopian king His

,
.

s tat u e is still an object o f c uriosity to t r aveller s .

Q ues Wh e re is this statu e and fo r what is it

.
,

re mar kable

A ns It is one of two colossal figur es which a r e

.

dir ectly opposite the gr eat temple o f L uxo r .

They ar e called by the Ar abs Shama and Dama , .

The statue of Memnon is the mor e nor therly o f

the two and was for m erly celebr ated fo r its vocal
,

power s .

It is commonly asser te d by ancient wr ite r s

that when the fir st r ays of the r ising sun fell upon
this statu e it acknowledged the p r esence o f A u
,

r o r a and u tter ed a so u nd like the s u dden b r eak

,

ing o f a harp str ing By some it was compar e d

-
.
,

to a blow s tru ck on hollow b r ass .

Q ues Was ther e any foundation fo r such a

.

belief
A ns It appear ed quite cer tain th at the so unds
.
,

o f which we have spoken we r e r eally hear d fr om

,

this statu e at s unrise ; the only qu es tion is as to

th e means b y w hi ch th e y we r e p r odu ced The .

C oloss us altho u gh i n a s1 ttm g postur e measur es

, ,

fi fty t wo fe et in height and the thr one o n which

-

it r ests is thir ty feet lo ng and eighteen br oad .

T hese di mensions wer e s ufficient to admit o f

any inte rnal machinery that might be r e quir ed to
p r od uce the myste riou s so u nds Su ch was the .

sup position Of the Pe r sian king Cambyses who ,

60 M YT H O L O G Y .

had the statue cleft asun der fr om the hea d to

the middl e of the body b ut witho u t di scove r ing,

anything Hu mboldt conj ectur ed that the so u nd

.

m ight be attr ib uted to the nat ur e o f the s tone o r ,

to the action of the s u n s r ays u pon the air con

’

fined in the cavities of the stat ue A mu ch mor e .

r e asonable sol ution of the myste r y has been fur

ni shed by M r Wilkinson an intelligent English

.
,

tr aveller He discover ed in the lap o f the stat u e

.

a stone which o n being st r u ck e mi ts a metallic

, , ,

s o rm d . Ther e is a hollow space hewn l n the

block behind thi s stone s ufi c ie n tly lar ge to a d
,

m it of a per son lying within it entir ely con ,

c e ale d fr om obse rvation M r Wilkinson tr ied the

. .

exper iment and was convin ced that he had dis

,

cover ed the secr et O i thi s famo us statue .

The face o f the Memnon like that o f the Sphinx ,

has b e en m u tilated by the A r abs ; the positions

o f the figu r es whi ch a re yet uninj u r ed show that

the whole m u st have pr esented a beautiful and

imposing appear ance The base o f the th r one is
.

cover ed with ancient inscr iptions in G r eek a n d

Latin c ommemor ating the visits o f differ ent illu s
,

tri o us pe r sons and testifyin g that they had he ar d

,

the m yste rious voice o f M emn on .

 CHA PTE R m
T e r r e s t r i al G od s .

S A T UR N .

Owes Who was Satur n

. ?
A ns .He was the son o f C oelu m and T e rra .

H e was marr ied to O p s o r Rhea and was the

, ,

father o f Ju piter N e ptune and Plu to A s we

, .

have alr eady lear ned Saturn devour ed the r e st o f

,

hi s male childr en .

Ques How is he r ep r esented ?

.

A ns Sat ur n is r ep r esented as an o ld man

.

ar med with a scyt he which signifies that time

,

mows down everything in its co ur se ; and he

holds in his hands an infant whi ch he is abou t to
devour becau se time destr oys all that it b r ings
,

for th
.

Qn es How. did Sat ur n lose hi s kin gdom ?

A ns He was depos e d by Jupiter and w as
.
,

o bliged to take r efuge in Italy whe r e he tau ght ,

the pe ople the art s o f civiliz ed life Jan u s kin g .

,

o f Italy made Sat ur n par tne r o f his kingdom and

, ,

that par t of the co untr y was called Lati u m fr om ,

a Latin wo r d which meant to hide it was some

’
tim es also called Satur nia Saturn s gover nm ent
.
62 MYT H O LO G Y .

wa s so wise and beneficial that his r eign wa s

called the G olden A ge The poets tell u s th at.

all men then lived on a pe r fect equ ality p r ope r ty

,

was h e ld in co m mon and the ear th br o ught fo rth

,

its fr ui ts witho u t labo r .

a s What sacrifices wer e offe r ed to Satur n ?

.

A ns He was wor shipped with h u man s a c rifi

.

ces which seems str ange when we consider that

,

he was so mild a king The planet Satur n was .

su pposed by the ancients to exer cise a malignan t

influence .

Q ues What we r e the Satur nalia ?

\

A ns They wer e solemnities institu ted by T ul

.

lus H o s tili u s king o f Rome

, In ear ly times the .

fe stival lasted one day b u t after Ju liu s C ae sar

, ,

it was p r olonged to thr ee fo ur o r five days , , .

Q ues How wer e these days obser ved ?

.

A ns They wer e a season o f gener al r ejoic ing ;

.

the Senate di d not sit schools gave holidays , ,

and fri ends sen t pr esents to one another It was .

unlawful to p oclaim war o r exec u te c r iminals

r
duri ng this festival Se r vants might at this time
.
, ,

say what they pleased to their maste r s who co uld ,

no t take o ffence also in memor y o f the fr eedom

,
’
and equ ality enjoyed in Satur n s r eign they s at ,

a t table while their maste r s se r ved and r ep r oved ,

the latte r fr eely if they we r e gu ilty of any awk

w a r dn e s s Lastly ser vants and common peopl e
.
,

wer e al l owe d to wear p ur ple cloaks a distinction ,

rese v ed a t other tim e s to the patr icians

r T he .
 SAT URN .
63

Satur nalia 1s p r obably r epr esented in some de

g r ee by the modern Car nival Satur n is tho ught
.

by some per sons to have been the same as

N oah .

JA N U S .

Q ucsW h o
. was Jan u s ?
A ns He was an ancient Italian deity o f whos e
.
,

or igin very contr a di ctor y accounts ar e given .

H e wa s su pposed to have r ei gned in Italy in the

'

time o f S aturn and to have associated that god

,

with him in the kin gdom He was gener ally .

r epr e s ented with two faces and was call ed hence

, ,

Ja nus Bifr ons He had many temples in Rome

. .

The gates o f the chief temple that of Janu s Qui ,

’
ri n u s ,
we r e always Open in time o f w ar and ,

closed when the Romans wer e at peace It is .

a r emar kable cir cu mstance that the gates o f

Janu s wer e closed b u t thr ee times in seven hun
dre d y e ar s They wer e shut fo r the fir st time in
.

the r eign o f N uma ; again after the fir st Punic

,

war ; and A u gu stu s closed the temple the thir d

time when he had given peace to the wo r ld .

This occurr ed j ust befor e the comin g of o ur L ord .

T he fir st month o f the year is named fr om Janus .

 CH APT E R XII I .

V UL C A N — H A PH E S T U S .

Q ues . Who was Vul can ?

A ns He was the son of Jupiter and Juno but
.
,

was cast down from heaven on account o f his

defo r med appear ance He landed in L emnos
.
,

but b r oke his leg in the fall and r emained lam e

,

e ve r afte rwar ds .

Ques How was Vulcan r epr esented ?

.

A ns A s a smith stan ding by an anvil with

.

tools in his hand .

Q ues What was his occupation

.

A ns He had a blacksmi th shO p in Lemnos

.
,
’
wer e he manufactur ed Jupiter s thunderbolts ,

and the ar ms of the other gods Vul can was the .

god o f fi r e and the patr on of blacksmiths an d

,

ar mor er s .

Q ues What were the mo st celebr ated wor ks o f

.

Vul can ?
A ns The ar mor o f A ch illes and o f JE n e as the
’ '
.
,
’
b eautiful necklace o f He r mi one the c r own o f ,

Ar iadne and the br azen palace o f the sun

,
T he .

shi eld O f A ch ille s wa s enamelled with metals

’
 VU L O AN . 65

at vario us color s an d embossed with beautiful ,

historical desi gns .

Q ues T o whom was Vulcan marr ied ?

.

A ns Vul can was marri ed to Venus b ut tha t

.
,

towa r ds him an d

Q ues . of Vulcan ?
A ns The a tte n dants of Vulc an wer e called Cy
.

clo ps becau se they had each o n e eye in the mid

,

dle o f the for ehead ; they we r e the Offsp r in g of

’
N eptune and A mphitr i te .

Q ues How was Vulcan wor shi pped ?

.

A ns The Romans celeb r ated feasts in his

.

honor called Vulcania A t these they sacr ificed .

anim als by thr owing them into the fir e to b e

burned to death The A thenians also kept feasts
.

o f Vul can and ther e was in Sicily upon Mount

, ,

E tna a famous temple de di cated to him

, .

Q ues What was peculiar abo ut this temple ?

.

A ns The app r oach to it was gu ar ded by dogs

.
,

whose scent was s o keen that they co uld discover

whether the per sons coming to the temple wer e
vi r t uo u s o r wicked To the ser vants o f V ul can .

might be added Cacus who stole the oxen o f H e r ,

cul es ; and the r obber Cae c ulus from who m the

’
,

noble Roman fam ily o f the Cae c ilii derive d their

nam e He was the foun de r of the city o f Prae neste
.

O ne fable is that ce r tain shepher ds fo und Cse c u

'

lu s when an infant lying u nh urt in a glowing

, ,

fir e fr om which cir cu mstance he was s upposed

,

to be the son of Vulcan T he shephe r d Po lyp he . ,

66 MYT H O LO G Y .

m us, esembled the Cyclops and was like them

r , , ,

a son o f Nept u ne The monste r devour ed seve r al

.

o f the compa n ions o f Ulysses b ut the her o hav , ,

ing made him drunk with wine p ut o ut his sin ,

gle eye wi th a fir eb r and and e scape d He em .

bar ked in haste p ur sue d by the monster ; his ,

companions sho u ted defiance as they weighed an

cho r and the blind Cyclops dir ected by the sound
, ,

of their voices hu r led a r ock into the sea by

, ,

which their vessel was almost swamped War ned .

by this dange r they r owed silently until they ,

r eached the open sea Some wr iter s have ima .

g in e d that the Cyclops we r e a r ace of mine r s ,

who descending into the deep r ecesses o f the

,

ear th and comin g fo r th again had a lamp at

, ,

ta c he d to their fo r eheads to give them light , .

This at a di stance woul d appear like a large

, , ,

flaming eye and might give r ise to the fable o f

,

one eyed monster s This expl anation is however

-
.
, ,

far fe tched and impr obable .

Q ues Can yo u name any wo r ks o f Vulcan b e

.
,

side those a lr eady mentioned ?

A ns Y e s he made fo r Al cin o fi s king o f the

.
, ,

Ph ae acians gol d and silver dogs whi ch guar ded

,

his hou se To M in e s king o f Cr ete he gave th

.
, ,

brazen man Talu s who passed ar oun d the island ,

thr ee time s every day to gu ar d it h o m invasion ,

.

Fo r himself Vul can for med golden han dm aidens,

,

whom he endowed with r eason and speech .

 CH APT E R XIV .

E O LU S .

Qw o Wire was E
'
O lu s ?
A ns H . was the god o f the win ds ; he co uld
e

impr is o n th em in a dar k cave o r by settin g them , ,

fr ee cre at e tempests
,
.

Q ues What was the origin o f this fable ?

.

’
A ns It is believed that Z E o lus was a skil lf ul
.

astr on omer who dwelt in a volcani c island By .

noticing the clouds o f smoke and how they r ose , ,

he was enabled to for etell sto r ms a lon g time b e

they happened ; hence the ignor ant believed that
he coul d br ing hi gh winds and tempests when
ever he please d .

M O M U S

Q uss . Who was Mom us ?

A ns He was the so n o f Night and Sleep ; the
.

name Mom us signifies a jeste r His occu pation .

was to cr iticise the other gods and cens ur e the ir ,

actions .

Q ues Give an example ?

.
68 MYT H O L O G Y .

A ns N eptune , Vul can , and Minerva contende d

.

fo r the priz e of skil l ; Neptune made a bull , Mi

e va a hou se and Vulcan a man Momu s was
n r ,
.

called upon to decide their mer its b ut he ,

blamed them all He said that Neptune was im

.

’
pru dent in not placing the bull s horn s in his
for ehead befo r e his eyes that he mi ght give a
, ,

str onger and sur er blow He found fault with.

’
Min erva s house becau se it was immovable and
,

co ul d not be carr ied away if it wer e placed

amon g bad n eighbors He said that Vul can was
.

the wor st o f all becau se he did not p ut a window

,
’
in the man s br east so that hi s thou ghts might be
seen No god could escape the censur e o f Mo
.

m u s When he co uld find nothing to criticise in the

.

per son o f Venu s he complained o f the noise made

,

by he r golden sandals M o mus was at le ngth

.
 T e rr e s t r i a l G o dde s se s .

V E S T A — H E S T IA .

O nes . Who was Vesta ?

A ns . She was the daughter o f Saturn and O p s
o r Rhea and was ther efor e the siste r o f Ju pit e r
, , , .

She was consider ed the gu ardi an o f h o mes and

fi r e side s and was a ho u sehold divini ty
,
Statues .

o f Vesta we r e placed by the Romans at the e n

tr ance O f their hou ses ; hence the wor d vestibule ,

whi ch we still us e .

Q ues How is Vesta u su ally r epr esented ?

.

A ns A s seated o n the gr ou nd and leaning u po n

.
,

a dr u m while var ious domestic a ni mals ar e

,

gr ouped about he r .

Q ues What was the char acter o f this goddess ?

.

A ns She was esteemed very holy and was the

.
,

p at r oness o f ho u sehold vir t u es W h en J upite r .

asked he r to choose whatever gift she wo uld ,

Ve sta desir ed that she might r emain always a vir

gin and r eceive the fi rst oblations in all sacrifices
,

Fir e was the emblem o f thi s goddess and in he! ,

templ e at Rom e a sacr ed fi r e was s uspended in

, ,
70 VE S T A .

the air and watched by the Vestal Vir gins If

, .

thi s fir e chanced to be extinguished all public ,

and private bu sines s was s u spended u ntil the ao

e ident had been expiated .

Q ues What laws existed with r egar d to the

.

Ve stal Vi r gins ?
A ns The penalties fo r neglect of their duties
.

wer e sever e .If the sacr ed fir e was extinguishe d

thr ou gh their negligence they w e r e sometimes
,

cru ell y p uni shed and if any Vir gin infr inged the
,

rule whi ch fo r bade he r to mar r y she was b ur ied ,

ali ve ; being shut up in a vau lt under gr ound with ,

a lamp and a little br ead wine wate r and o il

, , , .

The sacr ed fi r e o f Vesta was watched by thes e

riestesses fo r near ly e leven cent ur ies We
p a r e .

told that dur ing this per iod twenty Vestals wer e
,

condemned to death O f these seven wer e p e r

.
,

m itte d to take their own lives thir te en suffere d,

the terr ible puni shment we h ave descr ibed The .

last e xec ution o f this kin d took place in the r eign

o f the empe r o r Domitian .

Q ues What wer e the p rivileges of the Vestal

.

Vir gins ?
A ns In r ecompense fo r these seve r e laws the
.
,

Vestals wer e tr eated with extr aor dinar y r espect .

They had the most honor able seats at games and

festiv al s and even the consul s and m agistr ates
,

g ave them p r ecedence their testimony wa s taken

in tr ials withou t any fo r m O f oath and if they ,

happened to meet a c r iminal going to exec u tio n .

he was imme di ately par doned Pu blic docu m e nt s

.
 M YT H O L O G Y . 71

of gre at importance were gener ally entrusted to

their ca re .

A str iking instance o f the r espect felt fo r thes e

Vir gins is r elated by a Roman histor i an
,
Ap .

p i u s Cla u di u s A u d ax a consul who had r ender ed

,

himself obnoxio us to the p eopl e was attacked in ,

the midst o f a tr umphal pr ocession by the ple

i

beian tr ibunes who ende avor ed to pull hi m fr om

,

his chariot His dau ghter who was a Ve stal

.
,

Vir gin ascended the tri u mphal c ar and took he r ,

’
place by he r father s side The t u mult im m e di .

ately s ubsided and the pr ocession pr oceeded

,

quietly to the capital .

Q ues How many Vestal Vir gins wer e ther e ?

.

A ns The n um ber has been va r io u sly stated

. .

Some au thor s mention six othe r s seven as the , ,

number act u ally in o ffice They we r e cho se n b e

.

tween the ages O i six and ten fo r ten years they

wer e employed in learni ng their du ty ; they r e
mained in o fli c e fo r te n and ten other year s wer e
,

employed in instr uctin g the novices If ther e wer e .

seven Vestals always in o ffi ce the entir e n u mber ,

mu st have been twenty o n e The thir ty year s-

.

being ended the Vest als r et ur ned to their fa mili es

, .

T he law then per mi tted them to marr y b ut it was ,

co ns i de re d dis c r e ditable to do so .
 CH APT E R X VI .

C Y B E L E

Q ues . Who was Cyb ele ? ’

A ns T
his goddess sometimes call ed by the
.
,

G r eeks Rhea and by the L atins O ps is c o nsid

, , , ,
‘

e r ed to be a per sonification Of the ear th She is .

goddess not of cities o nl y b ut o f all things whi ch

, ,

the earth contains She was the daughte r o f

.

Coelum and the wife o f S a tu r n

, .

Q ues How was Cyb ele r ep r esented ?

.
’

A ns Gener all y as r i di ng in a char iot dr awn by

.
,

lions She wear s a t urr eted cr own and is clothed

.
,

in a m any color ed mantle o n which ar e r e p r e

-

sented the figur es o f var iou s ani mals In he r .

right hand she holds a scept r e and in he r left a , ,

key This last emblem seems to signify that the

.

earth locks up he r t r easur es in the winte r season .

’
Cyb ele is always r epr esented with the di gnified
an d matr o nl y air which di stinguishes Juno an d

Cer es .

Q ues How was she wor shipped ?

.

A ns Sac r ifices we r e fi r st offe r ed to this goddes s

.

in Ph rygia and Lydia H e r te m ples wer e ge ne r

.
«
 Cr am .
73

all y buil t o n the summits o f mountains ; that on

M ount Dindym us near Pe ssi nu s in Galatia was
’

, ,

par ticular ly celeb r ated H e r statu e in this tem .

ple was sim ply a lar ge aer olite which had fallen in
the vicinity and wa s r egar ded by the people as
,

the heaven sent image o f their gr eat goddess A t

-
.

the c lose o f the second Puni c war the Romans , ,

di r ec ted it is s aid by the Sibylline books sent an

, , ,

embassy to A ttalus king o f Pergam us r equestin g , ,

that he wo ul d per mit the s o —called ima ge to be r e

moved to Rome The monar ch consented a n d .
,

the sacr ed stone was carr ied in tr iumph to the

Italian capital Ther e it was placed in a stately
.

temple b uilt fo r the pur pose and a solemn festi ,

val call ed Megalesia was celeb r at ed ann u ally in

, , ,
’
honor of Cyb ele D ur in g the se solemnities pr iests
.
,

called Galli and Corybantes r an abou t li ke mad

m e n with cr ies and howlings making at the same
, , ,

time a terr ific noise with the clashin g o f cymbals

, ,

the so und o f pipes and other instru ments In .

their frenzy they c ut their flesh with knives and

, ,

perfo r med many other extr ava gances b ut the ,

p eople r e ar ded them with r eve r ence as they we r e

g ,

b elieved while in this state to possess the gift o f

, ,

r ophe cy
p .

The di vini ty wor shipped by the Roman women

A l de r the name o f Bona Dea o r Good Goddess is , ,

’
b elieved to b e the same as Cyb ele .

A ncient wr iter s r elate an extr aor din ary incident

c onnected with the a r r ival o f the image of Cyb el e
’

in Rome The ship which bo r e the sac r ed s to n e

.
74 M YT H O L O G Y
.

was str anded o n a shoal in the Tiber Claudi a a

.
,

Vestal Vir gin who was su spected o f havin g violat

ed he r vow attached he r gir dl e to the pr ow and
, ,

dr ew the ship s afely into por t H e r innocenc e

.

was es tablis he d by this pu shy .

 CH APT E R XVII .

CBR E S — D E M E T E R .

Q ues . Who was Cer es ?

A ns She was the dau ghter o f Saturn an d O p s,
.

and was wo r shipped as the goddess of fru its and

corn It is supposed that she fir st invented and

.

tau ght the art o f tillin g the ear th and se win g ,

wheat and other gr ains so that men ate whole ,

some br ead wher e befo r e they had lived o n r oots

,

and acor ns .

Q n es How. is Ce r es r ep r esente d ?
A ns A s a beau tiful and maj estic woman with
.
,

olden hair and c r o wned wi th ear s o f wh eat ; in

g ,

he r right hand she holds poppies and ear s o f co r n ,

and in he r left a flamin g to r ch,

'
.

Qu cs Explain
. these emblems .

A ns The hair o f Cer es is golden to r ep r esent

.
,

the color o f r ipe cor n she holds a lighte d t o r ch ,

because when he r dau ghter Pr oser p ine was sto

len by Plu to Cer es kin dl ed a tor ch fr om the
,

flames o f Mo unt Etna to light he r o n he r sear ch

,

thr oughou t the wo r ld She holds a poppy

.
,

becaus e when she was so grieve d that she co ul d

76 M YT H O L O G Y .

neither r e st n o r sleep Jupiter gave he r a poppy

,

to eat.

Ques Relate the stor y Of Pr ose r pine (P

'
.

phone) .

A ns None of the goddesse s wer e willing to

.

m arr y Pluto o r shar e his gloomy kingdom

,
He .

dete r mined neve rthele s s to O btain a wife even if

, , ,
’
he had to do so by violence Pr oser pine the .
,

dau ghte r of Jupite r and Cer es was gathering daf ,

fo dils with he r companions in the pl ains of E rm a ,

when Plu to su dde nl y appear ed among them in a

char iot dr awn by black hor ses A s the maidens .

’
fle d in terr or he seized Pr oser pine and str ikin g
, ,

the water s of the fo untain Cy a ne with hi s t r ident

’
,

he opened a passage thr o ugh which he descended

,

with his prize Cer es i gnor ant o f what had o c

.
,

curr ed wander ed thr o ugh the world in sear ch o f

,

he r dau ghte r A t length arr iving at the fo untain

.
,
’ ’
o f Cy ane she per ceived the gi r dle of P r oser pine
,

still floatin g o n its water s ; and the nymph Ar e

thu s a info r med he r of what had taken place Ce .

r e s r epair ed immediately to O lymp u s whe r e she ,

made he r complaint to Jupiter and demanded ,

that Pluto should r estor e he r dau ghter Jupiter .

’
r omised to gr ant he r r equ est in case P r ose r pin e
p ,

sho ul d not have tasted food in the inf er nal re

’
gions Cer es descended thithe r and Pr oser pine
.
,

r epar ed joy fully to accompany he r m othe r when

p ,
’
A sc al aph u s r epor ted that he had seen he r e at
some seeds of pomegr anate The hopes o f Cer e s .

’
we r e th us destr oyed b ut Pr os e r pine was so in
,
 CE RE S . 27

’
dign ant at the tr eachery Of A sc al aphu s that s he ,

c hanged hi m immediately in to an o wl Jupit e r .

endeavor ed to appease the r esentment o f Cer es by

’
per mi tting Pr oser pine to di vid e the year spend ,
a

ing six months with he r mothe r o n ear th the ,

other six with Pluto in the infernal r egions .

Q ues What wer e the most famo us solemnities

.

in stituted in honor o f Ce r es ?
A ns The E le u s ian o r Ele u sini an Myste r ies
. .

They wer e named fr om Eleu sis a town in Gr eece

,

Whe r e they we r e celebr ated .

Q ues What ri tes wer e p r acticed durin g these

.

mysteries
A ns We cannot tell with any ce r tainty
. The .

penalty o f death was decr eed against any o n e who

sho ul d betr ay the sec r et o r even witness the ce r e
,

moni es withou t having been r egular ly initiated .

Disclosur es we r e made however which seem to

, ,

pr ove that the pe r son to be initiate d was fir st in

tr o du c e d into a da rk s ubte rr anean cave wher e he
,

was terr ified with the most fearful sights and

sounds A fter t hi s if his cour age did not fail he
.
, ,

was su ddenly intr odu ced into a lovely gar den and ,

the cer emonies concluded with feasting and danc

mg .

Q ues Who wer e admitted to these r ites ?

.

A ns A thenians only ; b ut He r cul es to whom

.
,

no o n e da r ed r efu se anything was ini tiated an d

, ,

afte r him othe r distinguished fo r eigner s we r e ad

,

mitte d to what wer e called the Lesse r Myster ies .

T he A the nians wer e e age r to be a dmi tte d to thes e

78 MYT H O L O G Y .

rites because they believed that the souls O f those

,

who had not been initiated wer e left to wallow in

m u d and fil th in the lower r e gion s .

Q ucs W hat do
. the ea r ly Ch r istian wr ite r s say
o f these myst r ies ?
e
A ns They speak o f them as bein g almost as
.

immor al as the festivals held in honor o f B ac

Q ues Who is said to have instituted them ?

.

A ns T riptol emu s the foster child o f Ce r e s

.
’
,
-

’
Q u es Relate
. the sto ry o f T r iptol em us .

’
A ns When Cer es was seeking Pr oser pine by
.

se a and land she was kindly ente r tained by O e

,

leu s king of Eleu sis in A ttica She r ewar ded hi s

, ,
.

hospitality by taking car e o f his youn g son whom ,

she nour ished during the day with celesti al food ;

b ut in the night she cover ed hi m with fir e
, Un .

de r this extr aor dinary tr eatment the in fant in a , ,

few days became a beau tiful yo u ng man H is

, .

mother M e gan ir a wonder ed at this and r esolved

, , ,

to di scover the cause She watched Cer es at .

’
ni ght and when she saw he r cove rin g T r ip to l e
,

m u s with living coals she c ried o ut in te rr or and

, ,

ru shed in to the r oom to save him Cer es p un .

ie hed he r c ur iosity with death b ut she adopted ,

’
T ripto l em us and sent him thr o u gh the wo r ld to
,

te ach mankind the u s e of corn He execu ted the .

c ommands o f Ce r es and wher ever he went in

, ,

str u cted men in sowing r eaping and other ar t s , ,

’
of h us ban dry T rip tol em us is us ually r epr e se nt
.
 C E RE S .
79

ed as a young man seate d in a splen di d chariot

,

dr a wn by flying ser pents .

Q ues What sacrifices wer e O ffer ed to Ce r e s ?

.

A ns Y o ung heifer s swine and ear s o f co r n

.
,

wine milk and hon e y we r e nee d in the lib ations

, .

Q ues What
. we r e the A m b a rv alia ?

A ns They wer e feasts kept in the beginnin g o f

.

harvest pr epar ato r y to r eaping The animal to

,
.

be O ffe r ed in sacr ifice was led ar oun d the fields

, ,

the hu sbandmen and country ru stics following

with shou ts and songs Vir gil says o f these festi
.

vitie s

L et
’
e v r y s wain a do r e
he r p o we r divin e ,
A n d m ilk an d h o n e y m ix with s p ar klin g win e
L e t all th e cho ir o f c l o wn s atte n d thi s S ho w,
l o n g p r o c e s sio n sho u ting as the y go
In ,

Invo kin g he r to b l e ss the ir ye arly s to r e s ,

Inviting p le n ty to the ir c r o w d e d flo o r s .

T hus in the S p ring an d thu s in s um m e r s hea t

’
, ,

B e fo r e the s ickl e s to u c h the rip ning whea t

’
,

O n Ce re s call an d l e t th e lab rin g hind

’

With o ak e n wr e aths his ho ll o w te m p le s bind

O n Ce re s l e t him c all an d Ce r e s p ra ise
, ,

With unco uth dances and with co untry lays ,

-
.

G wen I
.
 T H E M IS — A S T R E A —~N E M E S IS

Q ues . Who was Themi s ?

A ns She instr u cted both gods and m e n and
.
,

was gener ally consider ed the goddess o f law and

j ustice H e r origin is u ncer tain ; b ut she is said
.

to have been a Titaness .

Ques Who w as As tr ae a ?
'
.

A ns She was also goddess o f ju stice ; ac cor d

.

in g to some she was the daughter of Ju pite r and

,

The mi s When the Titans took up ar m s a gainst

.

’
Jupiter A str ae a descended to ear th and mingled
, ,

with the hu man r ace Thi s inter cour se was nu .

in terr upted dur ing the Golden A ge ; in the Silver

’
A ge , A str ae a dwelt in the moun tains and descend ,

ed only amid the shades o i evenin g when s he was ,

unseen by men When the B r az en Age com

.

m e n ce d she fled altogethe r fr om the human r ace

, ,

being the last among the Immo r tals to abandon

the ear th Jupiter then changed he r in to the
.

conste llation Vir go o n e of the signs o f the zodiac

,
.

This constellation is r epr esented by the figur e of

a wom an holdin g scales in o n e hand and a swo r d ,
 N E M E s IS . 81

m the other The scales have b een variou s ly e x

.

plained b ut they ar e gener ally supposed to be an

,

e m blem o f j ustice A ccor ding to some E rigo n e

’
.
, ,

a maiden who h u ng her self in despair at the death ,

o f he r father was changed into the constellatio n

,

Q ues Who was N em esis ?

.
’

Ans She was th e d augh ter o f Night and the

.
,

goddess of j u st vengeance It was he r o ffice to .

foll ow a n d p m is h guilty men She had wings

r
.
,

b u t gener ally went on foot which signifies that ,

the pu nishment of crime althou gh sur e is gene r , ,

ally slow An ancient poet says

.

Ve n g e an ce divin e to p unis h sin m o v e s s owl

T he l
s o we r is its p ace , the s ur er is its b low .
”

of of
’
Q ues IVhat do yo u say
. the temple Nem
e sis at Rhamn u s ?

A ns This temple was b u t a shor t distance fr om

.

the plain o f Mar athon The Per sians had br o ught

.

with them a gr eat block o f Par ian mar ble fo r the

tr ophy which they intended to er ect in hono r o f
th e ir exp ected vi ctor y This mar ble fell into the
.

hands o f the A thenians and a sculpto r said by , ,

some to have been Phi dias after war ds car ved ,

fr om it a beau tiful statu e o f Nem esis which was '

,

p l a ced in the temple o f Rhamn u s A fr agmen t . .

was found in the ruin s o f this e di fice which is s up ,

posed to be the head of this statu e ; and has bee n

p r e sente d as s u ch to the B ri tis h M use um .
 C HAPTER XIX .

TH E M US E S .

Q ues . Who wer e the M uses

A ns They wer e the da u ghter s o f Jupite r and
.
.

M nemo syne and we r e s u pposed to pr eside over

’
,

the libe r al arts and sciences .

O ne s How many Mu ses we r e ther e ?

.

A ns They we r e nine in nu mber and each p r e ~

.
,
-

sided over some par ticular depar tment o f lite r a

tur e ar t o r science Their names wer e
,
.

Calli ope who was the M u se of epic poet ry

’
, ,

she holds in he r hand a r oll of par c hment o r a ,

tru m p et .

Clio p r esided over hi sto r y She holds a half .

Op e ned scr oll .

Melpo mene was the Mu se o f t r agedy S he

’
.

leans on a club and holds a tr agic m ask

,
.

E u te r pe was the patr oness o f mu sic S he

’
.

h o lds two flu tes .

E r ato inspir ed those who wr ote o f love S he

’
.

plays o n a nine str ing e d lyr e -

.

Ter psich or e pr esided over cho r al dance and

’

song She appear s dancing and holds a seven

.
, .

trin ge d ly r e .
 T HE M usns
. 83

’
Ur a nia the Muse o f astr onomy holds a globe
, , ,

an d t r ac es mathematical fig ur es with a wand .

Thalia the Mu se o f comedy holds in o n e han d

, ,

a comic mask in the other a c r ooked staff

,
.

Polyhym nia pr esided over eloquence She

'
.

holds he r for e fin ge r to he r lips o r carr ies a sc r oll

-

, .

The Mu se s ar e sometim es r ep r esented as c r o wne d

with palms and seated in the shade of an ar bor
, ,

playing upon differ ent instruments ; o r again a s ,

dancing in a cir cle with joined hands while ,

A pollo is seated in their midst .

Q ues H o w have some wr iter s acco unted fo r the

.

nu mbe r o f Mu ses ?

A ns They say that in ancient times the r e wer e

.

bu t thr ee Mu ses The citiz ens o f Sicyon em

.

ployed thr ee sculptor s to execut e statues of thes e

godde sses p r omising to choose fr om among the
,

nine images those which they sho uld consider the

,

most beau tiful When the statues wer e finished

.
,

they were fo und to be so skillfully wr ou ght that ,

it was impossible to make a choice They wer e .

all placed in the temple and the poet Hesiod af ,

te rw ar ds assigned them names and attr ib u tes .

Q ues What p u nishment di d the Muses in flict

.

on the nine dau ghter s o f Pie rus king o f E m a ~ ,

thia
A ns I b ese maidens challenged the Muses to a
‘
.

contest in mu sic ; they W e r e defeated and tr ans

for med into magpies by the in di gnant goddesse s .

’
T ham yi i s a m u sician o f Thr ace was s tr u ck blind
, ,

fo r the same offe n c e

 CHA PTER XX .

G o ds o f th e W oo ds , an d R ur al D e it i e s .

PA N .

Q
ue s W.h o was Pan ?
A ns He was a woodland deity and was ho n
.
,

or ed by the Romans as the god o f shephe r ds an d

the patr on o f fishing and fowling The Latin s .

”
sometimes call ed him Incub u s o r the Nightmar e
“
,

and at Rome he was wor shipped as Luper c u s o r ,

Lynceu s His or iginis u ncer tain b ut he is said by

.
,

some autho r s to have been a son o f Mer cu r y and

a nymph o f Ar cadia .

Q ues H o w is Pan r epr esented ?

.

A ns A s half man and half goat havi n g a hu

.
, ,

man head or namented with hor ns and a garland ,

of pine ! he holds in one hand a c r ooked s ta ff and ,

in the other a pip e o f uneven r eeds The mu sic .

which he made o n this r u de in trument was s o s

s weet as t o chee r the god s .

Q ues What famo u s action is r el ated o f Pan ?

.

A ns When the Gauls u nder thei r Kin g B r e nn us

.
, ,

m ade an i rr uption into Gr eec e an d we r e abou t to

,

p l unde r the temple o f A pollo at Delphi P an ,

suddenl y showed himself a n d so te rr ifi e d th e m

,
 RU M L D E IT IE S . 85

that they fle d in di so r der Hence it comes tha t .

any su dden and u nr easonable te rr or which

S pr eads th r o ugh an assemblage o f per sons
p ar tic~ ,

ularly an ar my is called a pani c , .

Q ues What
. was the o r ig in o f Pan s r eeds ? ’

A ns A beau tiful nymph named Syr inx was s o

.
, ,

p e r sec u ted by t hi s god that she p r ayed the wate r

,

nymphs to help he r and change he r into r eeds

, ,

whi ch they did Pan saw the tr ansfo r mation and

.
,

was mu ch grieved He took some o f the r eeds

.

away fo r a r emembr ance O n applyin g them to .

his lips he found they pr odu ced the most melo

,

di o u s so unds so that he fo r med them into a ru s

,

tic pipe Milk and honey were offer ed to Pan

. .

S A T Y R S A N D F A UN S .

Q ues . Who wer e th e se

A ns They wer e hideou s monste r s who dwelt in
.

fo r est s and wer e like Pan half man and half

, , ,

g oat .

T E R M IN US .

Q ue s . Who was Ter mi nus ?

A ns He was the god o f bo undar ie s H is
.
~
.

statu e was only a squ ar e sto ne o r a painted lo g o f ,

woo d It is pr oba ble that the R o mans di d no t

s uppose Te r min u s to be a per son b u t o nl y u se d ,

the name as another term fo r j u stice whi ch fo r ,

’
bids any o n e to t r espass on another s bou nda rie s
86 MYT H O L O G Y .

L andmarks and bou ndar y stones wer e c o ns id

er ed sacr ed by the Romans ; they wer e cr owne d

with garlands o n festivals offer ing s wer e laid up c n
,

them and it was death fo r any o n e to r emove o n 0

, .

When Constantine emb r aced Chr istiani ty and ,

placed the cr oss o n hi s stan da r d he r eplaced thes e

,

Ter minal stones by the Chr istian emblem and the ,

custom o f er ecting wayside c r osses which b e ,

came afte r war ds al most uni ver sal is said to date ,

fr om this epoch .

Terminu s had a temple o n the T arpeian r ock .

It is said that when Tar quin the Pr ou d wished

to b uil d a temple to Ju piter o n the spot the go d ,

of boun dar ies r efused to give way .

V E R T U M N US .

Ones Who was thi s deity ?

.

A nsHe is gene r ally r eckoned as c m o f the

.

rur al di vinities and was wo r shi ppe d as s uch b y

,

the ancien t Sabines The name comes fr om the

.

Latin wor d verto (to tur n o r change ) and was

, ,

bestowed u pon him in all u sion to his power o f

taking any for m he pleased Ver tu mnus p r eside d
.

over the seasons ; he was the hu sband o f Pomona .

Stat ues o f this god wer e er ected in ever y town o f

Ita ly His festival called Ve rtum nalia was ke p t
.
, ,
 CH APTE R XXI .

G o dde s s e s o f th e W o ods .

D IA N A .

Qm s Who w.a s D iana ?

A ns . She was the dau ghter o f Jupite r and L a
tona and the twin siste r o f Apollo This god
,
-
.

dess had thr ee names O n ear th she was called .

D i ana and was honor ed as the goddess o f woods

,

an d hu ntin g ; in heaven she was called Luna and ,

was identified with the moon as he r b r othe r ,

Apollo was wi th the sun In hell she was called

.
,

Hec ate and as spir its wer e s upposed to be sub

'
,

j e c t to h e r she was invoked un der the latte r name

,

in all magical incan tations .

Q ues What wer e the habits of D iana ?

.

A ns She shu nned the soci ety o f men and fr e

.
,

q u e n te d the woods attended by,

a t r ain o f vi r gins
who had r esolved like he r never to marr y
, , .

aQ s s Who we re the attendants o f Diana ?

.

A ns Sometimes the O cean ides o r dau ghte r s o f

.
’

’
O cean u s ; sometimes the woodland nymph s
D iana o ften led a cho r u s o f the M uses and
G r aces and joined them in sing ing the pr ais es o f
,

he r mother L atona .
88 RU RAL D rum s
.

Q ues . is Dian a r epr esented ?

H ow

A ns As a ver y stately and beautiful woman

.
1

d r essed in the gar b o f a hu ntr ess ; she holds a

bow in he r hand and a quiver o f arr ows is hung
,

ac r oss he r sh oul der s H e r feet ar e cover ed with

.

bus kins and a b r ight silver c r escent gli tter s o n

,

he r fo r ehead Sometimes S he is r ep resented as

.

seated m a silve r chariot dr awn by hounds .

Q ues Who w a s C hi one ?

.
'

A ns She was a nymph beloved by A pollo

. .

She spoke sc o rnfully o f the beauty o f Diana and ,

the goddess in r evenge pier ced he r tongu e with an

, ,

a rr ow .

’
Q ues Relate the sto ry o f Ni obe
. .

A ns She was the dau ghter o f Tan talus and the

'
.
,
’
wife o f A mphi on king o f Thebes She was e n
, .

riched with all the gift s of nat ur e and for tune and ,

being made in solent by p r osper ity she insul te d ,

L at/ ma and r efu sed to o ffer in cense at he r

,

shr i ne Ni obe had seven beau tiful sons and as

.
'
,

many lovely daughter s and had boasted of th e ir ,

n u mber as r endering he r super io r to L atona .

The in di gn ant goddess called u pon A poll o an d

Diana to r evenge the insult offer ed to their
mothe r and hu mble the hau ghty Ni obe This
,
'
.

they e ffected by slaying in o n e day all the chil , ,

dr en of the unh appy qu een H e r sons expir ed by .

the ar r ows o f A pollo and he r dau ghter s by thos e

,

o f Diana A mp hi on killed himself in despair

!
. ,

an d the wr etched Ni obe widowed and chil dl ess

’
, ,

wept without ceasing until the pitying gods

 T H E N YM PE S . 89

c ha nged he r into stone This sto ry has fur nished

.

the s u bject of a ve r y bea u tiful g r o up o f stat u ar y ,

’
in which Ni obe is r ep r esented as vainl y e n de av
o r ing to shelte r beneath he r mantle the youngest
, ,

an d last o f he r chil dr en .

Q ues Wher e was the most celebr ated temple o f

.

D iana ?
A ns A t Ephesus in A sia Minor ; it was so
.

beau tiful that it was cou nted among the seven

wonder s o f the wor ld Two hundr ed and twenty
.

year s wer e spent in the b uilding althou gh an ,

incr e dible nu mber o f wor km e n wer e employ e d .

The entir e length o f the temple was 42 5 fe et ,

and the b r eadth 220 ; the wh ole was suppor ted by

1 2 7 s uper b colu mns e ach the gift o f a king T he
,
.

s tat u e o f the goddess was o f ebony and the most ,

skillful painter s and sc ulptor s wer e employed in

the decor ations o f the edifice .

A man named E r o s tr atus who was anxio u s to

,

make himself famo u s by whatever means set fir e

, ,

to this magnificent b uil di ng This event to o k.

place o n the ve r y day o n which Al exander the

Gr eat was bor n .

The temple was b ut par tially destr oyed and ,

was soon afte r war ds r estor ed to its for mer splendor .

T he inhabitants o f Ephesu s seem to have bee n

par tic ul ar ly attached to the wor ship o f Diana .

We r ead in the A cts o f the A postles that when

they began to make conver ts in that city the peo ,

ple wer e very indignant ; in their zeal fo r their

g oddess they r an abo u t the st r eets fo r the spac e
90 M YT H O LO G Y .

of
“
about two hours c rying Gr eat is D iana 0 1
, ,
”
the Ephesians 1
This temple was despoiled by Ner o wh o r e ,

moved many costly offer ings and images tog e the r ,

with a lar ge qu antity o f silver and gold It w as .

after war ds plunder ed by the Goths in the r eign

o f Galli enu s ; and the materials o f the b uilding

have bee n since us ed in the constr uction o f other

e di fices T he gr eat dome o f Santa Sophia in
.
,

Constantin ople r ests upon pillar s of gr een j asper

,

which wer e r emoved fr om the temple of Diana by

or der o f Justini an .

Two pillar s of the gr eat chur ch o f Pisa wer e

also taken fr om this temple which has been so ,

completely destr oyed that the e xact site is n o t

known .

N Y M PH S .

Ques W ho we
. r e the Nymphs ?
A ns They wer e gr aceful yo ung women who
.

attended o n Diana an d the gr eater goddesses .

Some also had char ge o f cert ain fo u ntains and

, ,

r ive r s and we r e call ed N a ia de s ; the nymphs o f

’
,
’ ’
O cean wer e Ne r eides and O cean ides The .

O r e ades wer e mo untain n ymphs and other s p r e

'
,

sided over gr oves and even single t r ees .

Q ues What wer e the woo dl and nymphs called ?

.

A ns Those who watched over the for ests and

.
,

’
al ways lived among the tr ees wer e called D ry ade s
, ,

fr om a Gr eek wo r d which means an oak ; the

H am adry ades wer e so called becau se they were
’
 T HE NYM PH S 91

a ttached each to some par tic ular o ak T he

, .

Ham adryad was bo r n wi th the tr ee flouri shed ,

and died with it This belief li nger ed fo r a lon g .

time amid the Ger man forests as also the sup e r ,

s ritio n abou t wate r S pi r its .

Q ues What was the story o f Ar ethusa ?

.

A ns This nymph w a s the da u ghter o f O cean us

.
’
,

and an attendant of Diana She was admir ed by .

’
the god o f the river A lphe u s b ut r efuse to listen ,

to hi s addr esses A s she fled fr om his p r esence .

,

he p ur su ed The terr ified nymph had sped

.

th r ough all A r cadia ; the shades of evening wer e

’
gather ing and Alphe us pr essed close upon he r
,

fainting steps In this ext r emity A r ethu sa

.
,

p r ayed to Diana fo r r e lief and was immediately ,

’
d is solved into a a fount ai n Al phe us r esu med his .

watery fo r m and sou ght to m ingle his c urr ent

,

with her s b ut Diana Opened fo r he r a passage

,

un de r the sea and she r ose in the island o f C it y

,

gia in Sicily still foll owed by the str eam of the

, ,
’
Alphe us In pr oof o f this fable and o f the G re
.
,

c ia n o rigin o f this famo u s fo unt it was asse rted ,

that a cup whi ch fell into the r iver Al phe u s in '

Gr eece rose in the fountain o f Ar ethusa and that

, ,

its clear water s wer e r eddened with the blood o f

the victims slain at the O lympic games .

Q ues Wh o was Echo ?

.

A ns Echo was a nymph the dau ghte r o f Air

.
,
’
a nd Tell u s
. she w as o n e o f Juno s attendants ,

but offe nded that goddess by he r talkativeness .

S h e was so far depr ived o f spe ec h that she c ould ,

92 MYT H O LO G Y .

only r epeat the last wor ds o f ever y sentence whic h

S he hear d Echo love d the youth Nar cissu s an d
.
,

seeing that he despised he r affection she pined ,

away t ill nothing r emained of he r b u t he r voice

an d bones The latter wer e changed into stones
.
,

b ut the voice is still hear d among r ocks and i n

solitar y places r epeating always the last wor ds
,

that ar e S p oken .

Q ues What was the fate of Nar cissus ?

.

A ns O ne legend is that he saw his image r e

.

fle cte d in a fou ntain and not per ceiving that it , ,

was b ut his own shadow gazed at it lost in a d , ,

m ir atio n until he was changed into the flowe r

,

tha t be ar s his name A ccor ding to anothe r ve r

.

sion Nar ciss u s had a t win sister who r esembled

,
-

him closely in for m and featur e and was his ,

constant companion This sister died yo u ng .

and Nar cissus deeply lamenting he r death u s e d

, ,

to go to a neighbor ing fou ntain and tr y to r ecall ,

the image o f his sister by gazing at hi s o wn r e

fle c tio n in the water s .

Q ues W e r e ther e many rur al divin ities ?

.

A ns Yes a gr eat num ber ; b ut o nl y a few we r e

.
,

we ll known A mong those we may mention

.

Pomona the goddess o f or char ds and Flor a the

, , ,

goddess o f flower s Pales was t he goddess o f.

s hephe r ds and past ur es The Romans celebr ate d .

feasts called Pall ia in he r honor They Offer e d

, , .

milk and cakes o f mi llet that she mi ght drive

, ,

a way the wolve s and p r event dise as e s amon th

, g e

c attle .
 CH A PT ER XXII .

G o ds o f th e S e a .

N E PT U N E — PO S E ID O N

Q ues . Who was Neptune ?

A ns He was the son o f Saturn and O ps and
.
,

was wor shipped as the go d o f the sea and the ,

father o f r iver s and fo untains .

Q ues How is he r epr esented ?

.

A ns A s s tandin g upr ight in a chariot made o f

.

a sea shell ; fo r a sceptr e he holds a tr ident that

-

, ,

is a fork with thr ee bar bed tin es ; he is arr ayed

,

in a blue mantle and is gener ally accompanied by

,

’ ’
his qu een A mphitri te Neptu ne s char iot is .

dr awn by sea hor ses and his attendants who

-

, ,

s wim o n eithe r side ar e hu man onl y to the waist

, ,

the body ter minatin g like that of a fish When .

’
e ve r Neptun e s char iot moved u pon the w ater s ,

the sea gr ew c al m and tempests wer e appeas e d

, .

O nes What we r e the o ffices o f N eptun e ?

.

A ns He condu cted ships safely to po r t and

.
,

r e sided over ho r se r aces

p
-
.

Q nes Why .was he s uppo s ed to

p r esid e o ve r

ho rses ?
94 MYT H O LO G Y .

A ns In memory o f hi s contest with Minerv a ,

when he pr od uced a hor se by str iking o n the

g r o un d w ith his t r ident Nept u ne was obli
. ged
by Jupiter to aid Apollo in b u ilding the walls o f
T r oy .

Q ass How was Ne ptune wor shipped ?

.

A ns Neptune nad an altar in the Cir cu s at

.

Rome wher e sacr ifices wer e offer ed and plays ,

we r e acted r epr esenting the carrying o ff o f the

,

Sabine women The solemn gam e s in honor o f

.

thi s god wer e call ed Co n s u alia and wer e cele ,

br a te d in the month o f Ma r ch While these last .

ed hor ses wer e r eleased fr om wor k and m ul es

, ,

we r e ado rned with ga r lands .

Q ues Who we r e the most r emar kable o f N e p

.

t une s chil dr en ?
’

A ns T r iton and Pho rc u s o r Pr oteu s

.
, .

Q ues What is told o f Pho r cu s ?

.

A ns He was vanquis hed by A tlas and dr owne d

.
,

i n the S e a ; afte r which the people wo r shi pped

him as a god Ther e was ano ther Pho rcus who

.

had th r ee dau ghter s concerning whom a r emar k

,

able cir c u mstance is r elated The sister s had b ut .

o n e eye fo r their com m on u s e ; each o n e w e r e it

in tur n in the middle o f he r for ehead They

,
.

wer e the g uar dians of the Gor gons of whom Me ,

d usa was o n e The her o Per seu s when abou t to

.
,

a ttack Medu sa visited them and watching his O p

, , ,

p o rtuni t
y w hi le
,
o n e of the siste r s was handing

the eye to the other he sn atched it from her and

, ,

le ft al l thr e e in darkn ess .

 GO D S OF THE S EA . 95

Q ues . what was Pr oteu s remar kable ?

Fo r
A ns Fo r hi s power o f tr ansfor ming himself in
.
‘

stan t a ne o u sly into any shape he wished .

Q ues Who was T riton ?

.

A ns He was the son o f N eptun e and A mphi

.

’
tri te and was his fathe r s compani on and t rum
’
,

peter The upper half o f his body was lik e that

.

o f a man b ut below the waist he r esembled a fish ;

,

hi s tail was cleft and c r o oked and his hair r esem ,

bled wil d par sley .

Q ues What other sea monste r s wer e c e le br at

.
-

ed
A ns The Sir ens also Scylla and Char ybdis
.
, , .

Q nes Who . we r e the Si r ens ?

A ns They we r e monste r s who had the faces
.

of women bu t the bo di es o f flyin g fi sh they dwelt

,
-

near the p r omontor y of Pe lo r is o r in islands ,

called S ir e nus se south o f Italy By the magical

, .

s w eetness o f their singing they allur ed all who ,

sailed by those coasts ; and after they had lull ed

them into a tr ance drowned them in the sea
, .

Q ues What was ther e r emar kable in the songs

.

o f the S l r e n s

A ns They blended the notes o f differ ent m u

.

s ic al instr u ments with their voices and adapted ,

the style and matter of their songs to the inclina

tion o f their hear ers They had bold and sti rr ing
.

str ains to enti ce the ambitiou s softe r melo di es fo r ,

the lovers o f pleasur e and with still di ffer ent

,

notes they dr ew o n the covetous to the ir de s tr uo

,
o
96 MYT H O LO G Y .

Q
ues . D id any escape who passed those coasts ?
A ns . Hi story mentions onl y two ; Uly s ses and ’

O rp he u s
’
The fir st was war ned against the dan
g er by the enchant r ess Ci r ce he the r efo re

stopped the ear s o f his companions with wax and ,

had hi mself fir mly bound to the mast o f the ship ,

by which means he passed the fatal coasts in

’
s afety . O r pheu s over came them in their own ar t ;
fo r he sang the pr aises of the gods accompanying ,

himself u pon his lyr e and made su ch di vine mel

,

od that the m u sic o f the Sir ens attr acted no at

y
tention The Fat e s had dec r eed that the Sir ens
.

Sho ul d live u ntil some one who passed by had lis ,

tened to their songs u nmoved When they saw .

’
themselves over come by O r pheu s they knew that ,

their hour had come and flung thems elves head

,

lo ng into the sea whe r e they we r e tr ansfor m ed

,

into r ocks .

Q ues Who was Cir ce ?

.

A ns She was a skillful enchantr ess

. Havin g .

poisoned he r h u sband the kin g of the Sar matian s

, ,

she was obli ged to fly into Italy whe r e she fixed ,

he r dwelling o n the p r omonto ry Circ se um She .

pr esented to all tr avell e r s an enchanted cup and

after they had dr unk tr ansfo r med them into
,

’
wolves swin e o r othe r animals Ulys ses escaped
,
.

by thr owing an her b into th e c up which r ender ed ,

it powerless ; he then r ushed upon the sor c e r ess

with his swor d and fo r ced he r to r estor e his c o m
,

pani ons whom she had tr ansfor med A fter thi s .

,
’
Cir ce enter tained U lys ses in a friendly manner .
 G OD S OF T HE S EA . 97

Q ues . What did the poets endeavor to teach by

’
the fables o f the Sir ens song and the c up o f ,

Cir ce
A ns They wished to signify by the S in ging o f
.

the Si r ens the allur ements Of vice and the dan

, ,

ger s of listening to its seductions by the story o f

Cir ce they showed that when men dr in k o f the
,

cup of sens ual pleas u r e they become soon degr ad ,

ed to the level of the beasts .

Q ues Who was Scyll a ?

.

A ns The fable r elates that she was the dau gh

.

te r o f Pho r c u s and that she was t r ansfor med by

,

the jealou sy o f Cir ce into a fr ightful monster , .

Scylla was so mu ch gr ieved by this tr ansfo r ma

tion that she cast her self into the sea wher e she
, ,

was changed into a r ock made famo u s by the ,

many shipwr ecks that occ urr ed u pon it O ver .

against this r ock is the whi rlpool o f Charyb di s ,

abo u t which the poets r elate a similar fable .

They s ay that Charybdis was a ve ry r aveno u s

’
woman who stole Her cules s oxen Fo r thi s theft
,
.
,

Jupiter stru ck he r dea d with a thu nder bolt and ,

changed he r into the whirlpool whi ch bear s he r

nam e The ancients placed Scylla and Cha rybdis
.

in the str aits o f Messina It was consider ed a .

gr eat feat to steer su ccessfull y between them .

Q ues Who was Melicer tes ?

.

A ns He was the son o f A thama s king o f

.
,

Thebes and o f Inc the dau ghter o f C a dm us

, ,

’
an d He r mi one Ino offended Ju no and the
.
,

goddess in r evenge deprived A tham a s o f

, ,

reason The king in his fr e nz

. took the
,
98 MYT H O LO G Y .

qu een and he r childr en fo r wild beasts and pur ,

s ued them thr o u gh the palace He kill ed his son .

Lear chu s by dashing him against a wall b ut ,

Ino escaped and thr ew her self into the sea with
,

M e li ce r tes in he r ar ms A t the inter cession o f

.

Venu s N e ptu ne endowed them both with im m o r

,

tality Ino became a sea goddess u nder the

.
-

name o f Leu cothea while Melicer tes was wo r

,

shipped as Palae mon He was supp o se d to have

.

power in savi ng vessels from ship wr e e k and was , ,

ther efor e invoked by mar iner s The Romans

,
.

call ed him Po r tunu s and honor e d hi m as the go d

,

of shor es and harbors .

Q ues Who was Thetis ?

.

A ns She was a sea goddess the dau ghter o f

.
-

N e r e u s and Doris and siste r o f the Ner e ides

,
’
.

She was endowed with su ch beauty that Jupiter

himself sought he r in marri age b ut Pr omethe us ,

the Tita n p r ophesied that Thetis wo uld give bir th

,

to a son who sho ul d be greate r than his father .

Jupiter ther eupon desiste d from his sui t an d ,

Thetis was betr othed to Peleu s king o f Thessaly

”

.
,

T heir ma rr iage was celeb r ated with much pomp ,

all the deities o f O lymp u s hono r ing the n uptial

rites with their p r esence A chilles the son o f

.
,
’
T hetis fulfilled the Titan s pr oph e cy by his h e r oic
,
 CH APT E R XXII I .

In f e r n al D eiti e s .

PL UT O — H A D E S .

Ones Who was Pluto ?

.

A ns .He was the s o n o f Satur n and O ps and ,

the b r other o f Ju piter and Nept un e In the divi .

’
sion o f his father s kin gdom the infer nal r egions ,

wer e allotted to him and he is ther efor e calle d

,

the kin g of Hell .

Q ues How 1 8 Plu to r ep r esente d ?

.

A ns He is seated on a th r one in the midst o f

.

clou ds and dar kness ; he wear s a cr own o f ebony ,

and holds a key in his hand m s te a d o f a scept r e .

Q ues What does the key signify ?

.

A ns It seems to imply that when once the

.
,
’
dead ar e r eceived into Pluto s kingdom the gates ,

ar e locked u pon them and the r e is no e s cape .

Q ues What does Pluto s name signify ?

.
’

A ns The G r eek name Plu to and the Latin

.
,

wor d Dis signify wealth becau se thi s go d is s up

, ,

posed to cont r ol the hidden tr easur es o f the ear t h

The th u nder that happens in the night time is
a ttribu ted to Pl u to an d he is often styled the
,

Inte r n al J upiter .
1 00 MYT H O LO G Y
Q ues Was Pluto the same as Plu tu s ?
.

A ns No ; Plutu s was the god o f r iches and

.
,

wa s s upposed to be the son of Jason and Ce r es .

H e is descr ib e d as being blind and lame inj u di ,

cio u s and timor o u s

,
.

Q ues What does this mean ?

.

A ns Pl ut u s is blind and in j u diciou s becau s e

.
,

he passes over the vir tuou s to heap r iches o n the

wicked ; he is lame becau se r iches come slowly ,

and timo r ou s becau se the r ich watch their treas

,

ur es with gr eat fear and anxiety .

Q ues To whom was Plu to marr ied ?

.

A ns A s we have lear ned befor e Pluto was

.
,

marr ied to Pr ose r pine dau ghter o f Cer es

’
, .

a How
s .was Hell desc r ibed ?
A ns The entr ance to t he infernal r egions was
.

by a wide dar k cave thr ou gh which the depar ted

, ,

soul s we r e obliged to pass ; they next came to a

gloomy gr ove and a black lake called A ve r nu s ;
, ,

this was over h ung with s uch poisonou s vapors that

no bir ds could fly ove r it The fe r ryman Char on
.
, ,

was al ways waitin g o n the shor e to carr y the dead

to the other side o f the lake The ghosts o f those
.

who had not been b ur ied with funer al rites wer e ,

obliged to wander fo r a h undr ed year s by the

gloomy water s o f A ve r nu s befor e Char on coul d
,

carry them to the othe r S ide This sup e r stition

.
 IN FE RN AL D E IT IE S . 1 01

m ade the ancients ve r y ca r e fu l?abcnit fb ur ying !

th e i r d e ad .

Q ues What do yo u say o fithe; r ivers of B ell ?

.

A ns The Styx was the most r emar kabl e

. .

When any o f the gods swor e by the Styx the ,

oath was sac r ed ; if any deity was guilty o f

br eaking su ch an oath he was d e p r ived of nectar
, ,

and exclu ded from the table of the gods fo r a

y e ar and nin e days Lethe was also a r iver o f
.

Hell ; the name means oblivion ; it is so called ,

be cau se when the dead d r ank o f its wat e r s they ,

fo r ge t all that had passed upon this ear th .

’
Qne s What monste r kept the gate o f Pluto s
.

palace .

’
A ns Ce r ber us
. a th r ee headed do g whose -

body was clothed with snakes instead o f hair .

PA T E S — PU R IB S .

Q ues Who we r e the Fates ?

.

A ns They wer e t hr ee siste r s the da u ghter s o f

.
,

Chaos who wer e appointed to watch over the

,

th r ead o f h u man life Thei r names wer e Clotho

.
, ,
’
L ach esis and A t r opos ; Clotho dr ew the thr e a d
’

between he r finger s ; Lach esis tur ned the wheel '

,
’
and at the appointed moment A t r opos c ut the
, ,

th r ead wi th he r scissor s .

Q ue s Who wer e the F uries ?

.

’ ’
A ns They we r e thr ee sis te r s Al e c to Tisi phon e
.
, , ,

and Megae r a They ar e call ed by the poets the

’
.

D au ghter s o f Night ; thei r o fli ce was to to rme nt

the wicked dur ing life and after de ath .
 02 MYT H OL O G Y .

Q ues H w item they r ep r esen ted ?

o ?
!A n , As hi de o iis women with te rr ible
count s
s
nances the y had t wining ser pents instead o f
,

hair and carr ied snaky whips and lighted tor che s
,

in their hands They wer e often call ed by the

.

Gr eeks E u men ides ’

.

Q ues O f what wer e the F uries an e mblem ?

.

A ns O f the evil passions o f men and the r e

.
,

mo r se which to r ments the wicked When the .

ancients said of a man that the F uries had taken ,

up their abode with him they meant that the r e ,

m e m b r an c e o f his c r imes di d not leave him any

r epose .

J UD G E S O F T H E D E A D .

Puni s hm e n t s infli c t e d on t he C o n d e m n e d .

Q ues Besides Plu to who were appointe d j u dges

.
,

o f the dead ?
’
A ns Minos Rhadamanth u s and ZE a c u s These
.
,
.

wer e p rinces who gover ned so j u stly dur ing life

, ,

that the fate o f the de a d was entr u sted to them .

Q ues What Offices wer e assigned to each ?

.

’
A ns Rhadamanth us j u dged the A sia tics Z E a
.
,

c u s the E u r opeans ; and when a ve ry diffi c ul t

c ase ar ose it was r eferr ed to M in e s .

Q ues Who wer e the most famou s among the

.

c ondemned

A ns T he giants whom Jupite r conqu er ed

. Ty .

phon was the most eno r mou s ; when he was ove r

thr own Jupite r was oblig ed to lay the whol e
,
 IN FE RN AL D E IT IE S . 103

is land Sic ily upon him to keep him down

of .

B r iar e u s was another giant r emar kable fo r hav

,
‘

ng fifty heads and a hu ndr ed hands A cco r din g .

to the ancient poets he is impr isoned u nder

,

Mo unt Etna and wheneve r he tries to move he

,

cau s e s terrible er uptions o f the volcano Tityus .

was still mor e c ru elly punis hed He was chained .

to the gr o und in the infer nal r egions and su c h ,

was his statur e that he cover ed ni ne a cr es A

,
.

fr ightful vul tur e fed continu ally u pon his live 1 ,

which gr ew as fast as it was consumed that his ,

punishment might be eter nal .

Q ues Who was Ixion ?

.

A ns He was the s o n o f Phle gyas o r accor d

.
, ,

in g to some o f Mar s ,
He boasted falsely that
.

he had gain ed the affections o f Jun o Fo r this .

insolence Jupite r cast him down into hell where ,

he was fastened to a wheel which revolved con

Q ues Wh o was Sis yphu s ?

.
’

A ns He was a famou s r obber who was slam

.

by Theseus In hell he was obliged to r oll a

.
,

hu ge s tone up a steep moun tain When it .

tou ched the to p it r olled down again so that he ,

wa s to r mented with un ceasin g toil .

Ques Who was Tan talu s ?

.
’

A ns He was the so n o f Jupiter

. He in vite d .

the gods to a feast at whi ch he ser ved up the

,

flesh o f his son Pelops to try their divinity In .

hell he is to rmented by continu al hunger an d

thir st
. He stands up to his lips in a cool fo untain ,
 104 MYT H OL O G Y
whose wate r s r ecede whenever he attempts to
dr ink . B r anches laden wi th te m pting h ui t han g
over hi m b ut they ar e carri ed o ut of r each by a
,

S u dden g ust o f wind wheneve r he attempts to

p l u ck them .

Q ues Who wer e the B e li de s ?

.
’

A ns They wer e fifty maidens dau ghter s o f

.
,
’
D an au s and gr and—daughte f King Bel us fr om ,

whom they ar e called . ll mur der ed their

hu s b ands o n the weddin g night fo r which c r im c ,

they are obliged to dr aw water fr om a deep well

until they have fil led an immense sieve Their .

labor is the r efo r e pe r pet u al .

Q ues Who was S alm o n e u s ?

.
’

A ns S a hn o n e u s was kin g o f Elis and was cast

.
’
,
’
into hell fo r imi tating Jupiter s th u n der .

Q ue s What became o f the soul s of good men ?

.

A ns Af ter being p ur ified fr om whatever slight

.

o ffences they had com mi tt e d in life they wer e ,

condu cted to a place abo u ndin g in delights called ,

Elysium Wh en they had passed many ages in

.

hi
t s bli ssfu l abode they r et u r ned to ea r th b u t b e ,

fo r e doing s o they dr ank

,
of the r ive r Lethe tha t ,

they might fo rget the happine ss they had e n e

 CH APTE R XXIV .

FA B U L O US — M O N S T E R S .

Q
ue s . Wer e ther e any fabulo us monster sbe
sides those o f Hell .

A ns Yes many ; the Centaur s who wer e half

.
, ,

man and half hor se ; also Ger y on who was kin g ,

o f the th r ee Balea r ic Islands no w known as Ivica , ,

M ino r ca and Maj or ca F o r this r eason he was

.
,

said to have thr ee heads and thr ee bodies and ,

passed into fable as a monster He was pr obably .

a wicked and c ruel p r ince Ther e wer e also the

.

Har pies which had the faces o f women and the

,

bodies o f bir ds .

Q ues What was the C him aer a ?

.

A ns A fab ulou s monster which vomited fi r e

.
, .

It had the head and b r east of a lion the body o f ,

a goat and the tail o f a dr agon

,
.

Q nes What
. was intended by this fable
A ns Poets th u s desc r ibed a volcano in Lycia
.
,

o n the su m mit o f whi c h we r e lions ; in the mid dl e

wa s pastur e land fr equ ented by goats ; and the

-

lowest par t was infested by ser pents Belle r ophon .

made this mo u ntain inhabitable and was the r e ,

fo r e said to have killed the Chim ae r a A t pr esen t .

106 MYT H O LO G Y .

a nythin g which is qui te imagin a1 v is c a ll ed a

C hi m aer a .

Q ue s What was the Sphinx ?

.

A ns It was a monste r with the head and sho ul

.
o

der s o f a woman the wings o f a bir d and the , ,

paws O f a lion She infested the country abo ut

-
.

Thebes so that the people in the1r distr ess went

, , ,

to cons ul t the o r acle o f A pollo An answe r was .

given that no r emedy coul d be foun d u ntil som e

o n e sho uld solve the r id dl e that the Sphinx had

p r oposed and whi ch she had lear ned fr om the

,
“
Mu ses The questi on was thi s ! What animal
.

is that which goes on four feet in the mor ning o n ,

two at noon and o n thr ee in the evening ? T he

,
”

Thebans often met to try their skill and when ,

they had failed the Sphi nx carr ied o ff and de ,

vo ur e d o n e of their n u mbe r A t length B ee man .

,

so n o f C r eon was destr oyed by the monste r a n d

, ,

the king made a public pr oclamation that he ,

would give the thr one with the hand o f his sister ,

Jo c asta to that man who shoul d solve the r iddle

,
.

(E dip u s who was then at Thebes came fo r war d

, ,

and answer ed the Sph in x that the animal w as ,

Man because when an infant he c r eeps o n all

,

four s ; in m anhood he walks o n two feet and , ,

when o ld u se s a staff as a thir d foot Upon hear .

ing this answe r the Sphi nx dashed he r hea d ,

against a r ock and expir ed ,

.

Q ues Why is the story o f the Sphinx inter es t

.
«

ing ?
A ns . Bec ause the r e still remains in E gy pt
 FAB UL O US MO N S T E RS .
101

e nor mou s s tatue of the monster car ved in solid ,

rock . For mer ly little was visible save the hea d

,

and neck b ut the sand whi ch has been gathe ri ng

,

ar o und it fo r so many centur ies is now clear ed ,

a way .The body is one h un dr ed and twenty five -

fe e t long ; and the for e paws extend abou t fifty

-

fe e t mor e The face has been mu ch disfi gur ed

.

by the arr ows and lances o f the Ar abs who ar e ,

tau ght by their r eligion to hold all images o f men

o r animals in detestation .

Q ues What wa s the Ph oenix ?

.

A ns A fab ul ou s bir d of which ther e never ex

.

is te d mo r e than o n e at the same time It excelled .

all other bir ds in beauty o f plumage and fed onl y ,

o n fr ankincense and sweet g ums When the .

Ph oe nix had attained the age o f five hundr ed

year s it built a funer al pile o f odor ous wood o n
, ,

which it was consu med A n ew Ph oenix also im

.

me di ately ar ose fr om the flames The fir st car e .

o f the yo ung bir d was to collect th e ashes of its

a r ent which it carr ied enclose d in myrrh to the

p , , ,

ternp le of the S un in E gyp t .

 CH A PTER X XV .

H o us e h o l d D iv i ni t i e s .

PE N A T E S — L A R E S

Q
’
ues . Wha t wer e the Pena tes
A ns This name was given to a cer tain class o f
.

hou sehold deities w hi ch wer e wo r shipped by the

,

Romans in the penetr alia o r inne r most par t o f

,

their dwelli ngs The gr eater Pena tes gover ned

.
’

kingdoms and pr ovinces ; other s p r esided over

’
cities and the lesse r Pena tes watched over p ar
tic ular ho u ses and famili es .

Q ues What wer e the Lar es ?

.

A ns They wer e accor di ng to some the chil

.
, ,

dr en o f Mer cur y and the nymph Lar a they wer e

domestic gods and pr esided over ho uses str eet s
, ,

and r oads The y war ded o fl danger fr om with

'

o u t while the Pena tes wat ched ove r the inte r io r

’
,

o f the dwelling The S pirits o f ancestor s so m e

.

times watched as Lar es over the for tu nes o f fam

,

ili e s. This idea Of the spiri ts o f the decease d

watchin g o ver their de sc endants made the R o ,

mans wish to b ur y the dead within o r ve ry near ,

their dwellings This c u stom was condemned b y

.
 H O US E H O LD D IVIN IT IE S 1 09
'

the laws o f the Twelve Tables Besides the spir it .

which watched over the fa m ily each individu al ,

was supposed to have his L ar o r famili ar geniu s , ,

who watched ove r him fr om his bir th In ear ly .

tim es chil dr en we r e sac r ificed to the goddess Ma

,

nia who was s upposed by some to be the mother

,

o f the L ar es A fte r the exp ulsion of the Tar quins

.
,

Jun iu s B rutu s abolished th is bar bar ou s r ite and ,

substit u ted little balls o f wool and heads o f gar lic,

and poppy in place o f the human heads which

,

had been for mer ly o ffer ed The or dinar y altar o f

.

the L ar es was the domestic hear th ; hogs sheep ,

and st e er s wer e among the sacrifices offer ed to

these divinities b ut the fir st fr uits o f the season
,

wer e always laid up on the hear th No fam il y r e ~ .

p ast was p r ope r ly beg un u nless some por tion of

,

the viands had been fi r st cast into the fi r e in the

mor e solemn for m o f mar r iage the b r ide always ,

thr ew a piece o f money o n the hear th to the ,

L ar e s o f he r family and anothe r o n the cr oss

,

r oads that they mi ght g r ant he r fr ee passage to

,
’
he r h u sband s hou se The Roman boy o n at
.
,

taining the age o f fifteen p u t o ff his childish dr ess

, ,

an d consec r ated the golden b ulla which he had ,

worn ar ound hi s neck fr om inf ancy to the domes ,

tic Lar es .

The soldier whose ter m o f ser vice had expir e d

dedi cated hi s ar ms to these powe r ful genii ; whil e
captives and slaves r estor ed to fr eedom h u ng up
, ,

their fetter s in token o f gr atitude by the altar o f

, ,

the Lar es .
 MYT H O LO G Y .

Ques How . we r e the La r es r ep r esente d?

A ns Va r iou sly ; sometimes as childr en som e
.
,

times as young wa rr ior s b ut always accompanie d ,

by a do g .

V ir t u e s W o r sh ip p e d b y t h e A n c ie nt s .

V ic e s .

a s What Virtues we r e particularly honor e d

.

as divini ties ?

A ns The ancients not onl y wo r shi pped the

.

di ffer ent Vir tues b ut the abstr act idea of vi r tue

,

itself was per sonified as a goddess The Romans .

de di cated two temples o n e to thi s divini ty and , ,

another adjoini ng t o Honor A s the temple o f

, ,
.

Hono r coul d only be r eached by passing thr ou gh

that dedicated to Vir tu e the votaries w e r e r e ,

m inded that it was by walking in he r paths that ,

tr ue hono r was to be attained .

Q ues What wer e the emblems o f Tru th ?

.

A ns She was gener ally r ep r esented as a beau

.

tiful and modest vir gin with gar ments as white as ,

snow She was the daughter o f Time o r Satur n

.
, ,

becau se Time always b r ings t r uth to light .

Fide s o r Fideli ty had a temple near the Capitol

,
.
, ,

which was said to have been fou nded by Numa

Pompili u s The symbols o f this goddess we r e a
.
,

white dog two hands join ed o r sometimes twe

, ,

maidens with joined hands .

Q u es W hat
. we r e the emblems of Peac e ?
 H O US E H O L D D rvmrrms . 11 1

A ns Fax, .Peace was r epr esented as a mat

or ,

[ o n holdin g ear s o f co r n and c r owned with oliv e s ,

and la ur el H e r par ticul ar symbol was a cadu

.

c e u s a white staff anciently bo r ne by ambassa

,

dor s when sent to tr eat o f peace A magnifice nt .

temple was dedicated to this goddess in the R O

man Fo ru m .

Ju stice was wor shipped by the Egypti ans ,

Gr eeks and Romans H e r emblems have been .

desc ribed in the ar ticle on the goddess A st r ae a .

Hope had a temple at Rome in the her b m ar

ket It was destr oyed by lightning
. .

Miser icor dia o r Mer cy had an altar at A then

, ,
s

This was a p ublic sanctu ary fo r the unfor tun ate ,

and it was unl awful to take any o n e fr om it by

for ce This altar is said to have been e r ected by
.

the kindr ed o f Her c ul es after the death o f that ,

her o .

Pu dicitia o r Modesty had two temples mu ch

, , ,

fr equ ented by the Roman matr ons The second .

Of these was foun ded under pec uliar cir c um s ta n

ces.

Vir ginia the dau ghter o f A ul us a pat rician o f

, ,

high r ank marr ied into a plebeian family The

noble ladies o f Rom
.
,

e we r e so indig n ant at this

alli ance that they woul d n o t pe r m it he r to ente r

,

the temple o f P u dicitia n o r to Offer sacrifice with ,

th e m S he desir ed to r epair this p ublic a ffr ont

.

by some memo r able action Fo r this pur pose .

,

she b ui lt in the Via Longa a temple si mil ar to

, ,

that fr om which she had been expelled and dedi ,

1 12 M YT H O LO G Y .

c ate d to P u di citi a Vir gini a then as

it lik ewise .
‘

s embled the plebeian matr ons and exhor ted them ,

to honor thi s Virtue in su ch a manner that how ,

ever the patr ician ladi es sho ul d sur pass them in

powe r o r r ank they might still excel in modest
,

be havior and purity o f life The two temple s.

wer e fr om that time di stinguish e d as Pudi citia

Patr icia and Pudi citia Plebeia
, .

Q ues Was Fort une honor ed as a goddess ?

!

A ns Y es the ancients wo r shi pped unde r t his

.
,

name a certain unseen power whi ch was supposed

,

to exe r cise a s up r eme domini on ove r hu man a f

fair s Fortune had many splendi d temples in
.

Italy Servi u s Tulli us de di cated two at Rome ;

.

o n e to Bona Fo r tu na the othe r to Fo r s Fo r t una

, .

This capriciou s goddess was sometimes r epr esent

e d with he r eyes bandaged he r feet winged and , ,

he r right hand r esting o n a wheel In the temple .

o f Fo r t u ne at Thebes the goddess held Wealth

, ,

r ep r esented as an infant in he r a r ms ,
.

The goddess Salu s o r Health was mu ch ho n

, ,

or ed by the Romans In ancient times certain

.
,

days in the year we r e se t apar t fo r he r wor ship .

H e r emblems wer e a bowl and a se rpent .

Liber ty was honor ed as a di vin ity H e r emblem .

w as the pec uliar cap with which we ar e famili ar

fr om the r epr ese ntations o n o ur o wn coins .

Q ues We r e no t the Vices also honor ed by the

.

an cients

A ns It is ce r tain that both the Gr eeks and Ro

.

mans e r ecte d temples and altar s to ce r tain vice s

 H OU SE H O LD D rvrmr m s . 1 13

but It o s not appear that their intention was t o

t e

do them hono r In some instances they s tr o ve

.
,

to p r opitiate the power s of evil that they mi ght ,

abstain fr om doing them har m When they b u ilt .

a t emple at Rome to Feb r is o r Fever they un , ,

doubtedly wished to appease the demon o r mali g

nant deity who was supposed to send this calam
ity The same super stition has been r ema rk e d
.

among the moder n Hindoos who ar e said to have ,

dedicated temples to thunder and lightning ear th ,

qu ake pestilence etc The Vices wer e always

, ,
.

rep r esented in s u ch a manner as to excite a bho r

rence . We have an instance of thi s in the altar

erected to Cal umny at A thens .

A pell es dr ew an allego r ical p ictur e in which the ,

o di ou s featur es of this Vice we r e str ikin gly p o r

tr ay e d A man sits in a liste ni ng attit ude beck
.
,

onin g Calu mny to appr oach Two coun sell o r s .

,

Ignor ance and S u spicion stand near him Cal , .

um ny is beau tiful in for m and featur e b u t has a ,

malignant co untenance and flashing eyes Envy , .

goes befor e whil e Fr au d and Conspir acy a c co m

,

pany he r o n either side Repentance follows with .

wofu l mien and to rn gar ments S he looks behind .

he r as if c al ling u pon T r uth who is seen advanc

, ,

in g slowly in the distance .

Discor d F r au d etc wer e r epr esente d with ap

, ,
.
,

p o p riate symbols
'
.
 CH APTER XXVI .

D e m i g o ds an d H e r o e s.

Ones .Who we r e the Demigods ?

A ns They wer e br ave men who had r ende r e d
.
,

themselves famou s in life by illustr io u s actions .

Afte r their death their co untr ymen believed that

,

they wer e admitted among the gods and gave ,

them di vine honor s The cir c u mstance o f a m o r ~

.

tal takin g hi s place among the gods was called ,

an A potheosis .

Q ues Who was the most famo us of the Demi

.

g ods ?
A ns He r cules the son o f Ju pite r and Al cmena
.
, .

Ju no hated him o n his mother s account and r e ’

solved u pon hi s destr uction Fo r this p ur pose .

she sent two monstr ou s s er pents to kill hi m as he

was sleeping in his c r adl e The infant he r o .

a woke ,
and seizing the serpents in his hands ,

str angled them both Juno was not discour aged

.
,

and when He r c ules was gr own up devised new ,

means to destr oy him She per su aded Jupiter to

.

p u t He r c ul es unde r the a u tho rity o f E ur ys the u s

’

kin g of Mycen ae who imposed u pon the her o

,

sw c lve Labo r s o r tasks o f g r eat dan ge r an d (lif

, ,
e
 DE M I G O D S AN D HE RO E S . 1 15

fi c ul ty . Her cul es was in dou bt as to whether he

shoul d submit to this inj u stice and consul te d ,

the or acle o f A pollo at Delphi The o r acle told .

’
him th a t he m u st Obey E ur ys the us which he ,

accor dingly did Her c ules had been car efully

.

ins tr ucted by the Centa ur Chir on and he was ,

no w equi pped fo r his labor s by the libe r ali ty

o f the gods He r eceived a swor d fr om Mer c ury

.
,

a bow from A pollo a golden b r eastplate from ,

Vul can hor ses fr om Neptune and a r obe fr om

, ,

Min er va .

Q ues Relate the Twelve Lab or s O f He r c ules

. .

A ns They a r e b r iefly as follows

.

F ir s t He kill ed a terr ible li on which r aged m

.

the Ne mean fo r est Her cules is u su ally r e p r e

’
.

sented as clothed in the skin o f this animal and ,

leaning o n the club whi ch was his or dinary

weapon .

S eco nd He dest r oyed the Hydr a a ser pent

.
,

with fifty heads which lived in the ma r shes o f

,

Lerna and r avaged the s ur r o un ding co untr y

, .

Her c ules noticed that wher e he c u t o ff o n e o f

the heads o f this serpent t w o imm e di ately spr ang ,

up . He commanded an attendant to b ur n the

wou nd with a fir eb r and and by this means he at ,

length c ut o ff the last head .

T hir d He captur ed the savage wild boar o f

.

Mount Er ymanth us in Ar cadia and br o u ght it , ,

bo und to E ur ys the u s
’
The tyr ant was so fr ight.

e ned at the sight of the ani mal that he sh u t him ,

se lf up in a b r azen apa rtment o f hi s pal ace .

116 MYT H O LO G Y .

F ou r th He cau ght after a chase whi ch la sted ,

an entir e year a famo us st ag which was sac r e d

,

to Diana It had golden ho r ns and b r azen

.

feet .

F ifth He kill ed o r dr ove away fr om Lake

.
,

Stympha lu s certain vor aciou s bir ds which fed o n

’
,

h uman flesh .

S ixth He defeated the A mazons and Obtained

.
,
’
as a spoil the gir dle Of their queen Hippol yte
, , .

S eve nth Thr ee tho u sand oxen had been kept

.

’
thir ty year s in the stables of A u geas which h ad ,

neve r been cleaned d ur ing the enti r e per iod .

Her cules was r equir ed to per for m this task which ,

he effected by t ur ning the co urse o f a r iver

th r ou gh the stables .

E ighth He tamed the wild bull o f C r ete and

.
,

br ou ght him bound to E ur ys theu s

’
.

N inth He ove r came Diome des tyr ant o f

’
,

Thr ace who fed his hor ses with the flesh o f his
,

gu e sts Her c ul es cau sed him in tur n to se r ve as

.
, ,

food to these same ho r ses .

’
T enth He ove r came Ger yon who had thr ee
.
,

heads and thr ee bodies Her c ules b r o u ght int o .

Italy the oxen of thi s monster which we r e accus ,

to m e d to feed o n hu man flesh .

E leve nth He kill ed the dr agon that watche d

.

’
the golden apple in the gar den of the Hesper ide s ,

an d bor e away the p r eciou s fr u it .

T welfth Her c ul es descended alive into the ih

.

fe rn al r egions and b r ought fr om thence the thr e e

,

he aded dog Cer berus , .

 D E M IG O D S AND HE RO E S . 1 17

Q ues . Did Her c ules pe r fo r m any other r a

g e t
act ons
i ?
A ns . vast n umber o f exploits ar e attribute d
A
to him Ther e is a plain near Nar bonne in
.
,

Fr ance cover ed with stones The ancients sai d

,
.

that Her cul es was co nten di ng o n this spot with

two giants when his arr ows becoming exhau sted
, , ,

he p r ayed to Jupite r fo r aid The god sent down .

a shower o f gr eat ston e s with which Her cules ,

p u t the giants to fli ght .

Q ues Relate the death of Her c ules ?

.

A ns Thi s her o had slain the Centaur Nessu s to

.

r evenge an ins ul t Offe r ed to hi s wife Deiani r a

’
.
,

When the monste r was dying he gave Deiani r a a ’

,

char med philter tell ing he r that if Her c ul es ever

,

gave he r cau se to doubt his affection she could ,

secur e his constancy by making him wear a gar

ment whi ch had been sp r inkled with thi s potion .

The c r edulou s Deiani r a acc e pted the phil ter

'
,

whi c h was nothi ng else b ut the venom o f the hy

'

’
dr a which had been infu sed into the Centa ur s
blood ; and it was not long befor e he r jealo usy
led he r to u s e it as she had been dir ected H e r .

cul es had plunder ed (E c hali a and car ried O ff , ,

’
among othe r captives the beau tif ul I ole dau gh
, ,

te r o f the kin g o f that city The her o who .

,

wished to keep a fes tival and to offer sacr ifice in ,

honor o f his victory sent fo r a S plendid r obe b e

,
’
fitting the occasion D e ian i ra s jealou sy was ex
.
'

’
cited against I ole by the r epor ts o f the messenge r ,

and she se nt he r hu sband a tunic impregnate d

1 18 MYT H O LO G Y .

with the ven om o f the hydr a The poison so o n .

began t o wo rk and Her c ules endeavo r ed in vain

,

to tear o ff the t uni c which clu ng to his flesh a n d

,

c ons u med even the mar r ow o f hi s bones In his .

fury he cau ght the youth who had b r ou ght him

the gar ment by the foot and hurled hi m into the
, ,

sea He then fled in his agony to the su mmit o f

.

Mo unt (Eta wher e he er ected a funer al pyr e with

,

for est tr ees which he tor e up by the r oots O n .

’
thi s he laid the S kin of the Ne mean lion and his
famo u s club after which he ascended the pile
,

and dir ected his follower s to set it o n fi r e All .

r e fused except Philocte tes who pitied the s uffe r

’
,

ings o f the dying her o and obeyed his command

,
.

He r eceived the b o w and arr ows o f Her c ules as a

r ewa r d fo r this ser vice While the pyr e was blaz
.

ing Jupiter sent a th under clo u d in which E sr

,
-

c ul es was conveyed to O lymp u s Her e he wa s .

endowed with immo r tality and accor ding to , ,

some accou nts was r econciled with Juno whr

, ,

g av e him h e r da ughte r Hebe in m ar ri a e

g .
 CH APT E R XXVI] .

JA S O N .

Ques Who was Jason ?

.

A ns He was the son o f Bi son kin g o f T h e s s aly,

.
,

an d was celeb r ated o n acco u nt o f his expedi tion

in sear ch o f the Golden Fleece He is als o .

known as the hus b and o f the famous sor ce r ess

M e de ’
a .

Ques What was the Golden Fleece ?

.

A ns Phr yxus s o n of A thamas kin g o f Thebes

.
, , ,

received fr om his mothe r a r a m of a golden colo r ,

o r acco r ding to fable with a fleece o f p u r e gold

, , .

Some time after Phryxu s and his sister Hell e to

, ,

escape fr om their ste p mother Ino attempted to

-

cr oss the sea o n this r am Hell e became te r .

ri fi e d and was dr owned in the st r aits whi ch ar e

,

called from he r Hell espont Phryxu s ar rived in

, .

S afety at Colchis whe r e he sac r ificed the r a m to

,

Jupiter who placed it among the signs o f the

,

Zodiac The fleece was hu ng in a gr ove sacred

.

to Mar s whe r e it was gu ar ded by b ulls who

,

breathed flame fr om their nost rils and also by a ,

sleepless dr agon When Jason demanded his

.
1 20 MYT H O LO G Y .

’
fath e r s thr one his uncle who wish e d to contin ue
, ,

in the g o ve rn ment pe r su aded him to undert ak e

,

a n expedi tion fo r the r ecover y o f the Golden

Fleece Jason with some b r ave comp anions

.
, ,

a mong whom wer e He r c ules O r pheu s Casto r and , ,

Pollux went on boar d a ship called the A r go

, ,
’
fr om which cir c u mstance they wer e call ed A r
g o n au ts O. n ar riving at Colchi s they demanded ,

the fleece whi ch the king Z E e te s pr omised to

, , ,

Jason o n condition that he would tame the wild

bulls that gu ar ded it kill the dr agon sow his , ,

te eth in the gr ou nd and after war ds destr oy the

,

soldi e rs who S ho ul d sp r ing fr om them Jason .

accepted the conditions b ut would inevitably ,

’ ’
have per ished had n o t Mede a the king s daugh
, ,

te r saved him by he r magical a r ts

, Jason o b .

ta in e d the fleec e and fled by night fr om Colchis

, ,
’
carr yin g with him Mede a whom he marr ied in , ,

fulfil ment o f the en gagement which he had made .

Q ues What else is r elated Of Mede a ?

.
’

A ns She lived fo r some time happily with Jason

.
,

upon whom S he conferr ed an addi tional favo r by

resto r ing his aged and dec r epit fathe r to the

vigo r and beau ty of youth Jason was ungr ateful .

’
fo r these benefits and divor ced Mede a in o r der
,

that he might ma rr y C r e usa the daughter of the ,

kin g o f Cor inth .

Q ues What was Mede a s r evenge ?

.
’ ’

A ns She mur der ed in the sight of thei r fathe r

.
, ,

the two chi ldr en whom she had bor ne to Jason ,

and consu med his palace and b ride in a c o nflagr a

 D E M IG O D S AN D H E RO E S . 1 21

tion r ais ed by he r art A S Jason was abou t to

.

ru sh u pon the sor ce r ess she r ose in the a ir in a

,

flying chariot and escaped to A thens

, .

T H E S E US .

Q nes . WhoThese us ?
w as
’
A ns He was the s o n o f E geus kin g o f A thens
.
, .

T he A theni ans we r e obliged to send every year ,

as tr ibu te to Cr ete seven o f the noblest o f their

,

you ng men and as many maidens T hese wer e

, .

usu ally devo ur ed by a horr ible monster call ed

Min otaur whom M in e s the king o f Cr ete ke pt

, , ,

in the Labyr inth .

Ques What was the L abyrinth ?

.

A ns It was a bu ilding with fifteen hun dr ed

.

r ooms above gr ou nd and as many u nde rneath

, .

These apar tm ents had so many door s and we r e ,

connected by such intr icate windings that no o ne ,

who was condu cted a cer tain distan ce into the

edifice could find the entr ance again
,
.

Theseu s resolve d to deliver the A thenians fr om

this dr e adful tri bu te and when the lots wer e
,

abou t being cast fo r the four th time he offe r ed ,

’
himsel f as o n e Of the victims Z E ge us str ove to .

di ssu ade the yo ung her o b ut in vain ; and the ,

trib u te ship depar ted as u s u al u nder black sails ,

whi ch Theseu s pr omised his father to chang e for

whi te in case o f hi s r etur nin g victo riou s
,
.

Wh e n they arr ived in Cr ete the you th s and ,

m aidens wer e exhibited befor e Ki n g M in e s ; and

122 MYT H O L O G Y .

Ar iadne , the da ughter Of the kin g was so much ,

str uck by the cour age and gene r osity o f Theseus

that she r esolved to save hi s life Fo r this p ur .

ose she gave hi m a ball o f thr ead which S he

p
dir e cte d him to attach to the entr ance o f the
l a byr inth and to u nwind as he p r oceeded
, .

T h e s e us followed he r instr u ctions and when he ,

c ame to whe r e the Minotaur lay he slew him , ,

an d fo und hi s way o ut by the th r ead The whole .

band then embar ked fo r A thens .

Q ues What became Of Ari adne ?

.

A ns She accompani ed Theseu s o n his flight

.
,

b ut he was so un r ateful as to abandon he r o n

g
the island o f Naxos wher e she had fall en asleep
,

on the shor e Ariadne was after war ds marr ied

.

to Bacchus who gave he r a c r own composed o f

,

seven stars the same which we admir e in the

,

heavens as the Cor ona Bor ealis o r Nor thern ,

Cr own .

Q ues O f what negligence was Theseu s guil ty

.

o n his r et ur n to A thens ?

Ans He fo rge t his p r o mi se to his father with

.

’
reg ar d to the colo r o f hi s sails and Z E ge u s who , ,
’
watched every day fo r hi s son s r etur n saw the ,

black sails in the dis tance He believed fr om this .

that his son was dead In his despair he ca st .

him self into the sea which was called Z E ge an fr om

' '

his name Theseu s after perfo rming many other

.
,

wonder ful actions was banished fr om his country,

,

and die d in obscur i ty .

 CH APT ER XXVIII .

C A S T O R A N D PO L L UX

Q uesW h
. o we r e Casto r and Poll u x ?
A ns They wer e twin br other s the sons o f J u
.
,

ite and Leda Casto was mo r tal like hi s

p r r .

mother and when he died Poll ux gr ieved so

, ,

mu ch that Jupiter per mitted him to shar e hi s

immor tality with his b r other It was arr anged
.
,

ther efor e that they should live every alter nat e

,

day .

Q ues What Constellation is named fr om these

.

br other s ?
A ns Gemini o r the T wins the thir d S ign Of
.
, ,

the Zo di a c .

PR O M E T H E US .

Q ue s Who was Pr ometheu s

.

A ns He was the son of Iape tus and Clymene

.
,

one o f the O ceanides He for med a man o u t o f

.

clay and gave it life by means o f fi r e whi ch he

,

s tole fr om heav e n .

Q ues What p r etty fable is connected with this ?

.

A ns The poets t e ll u s that Jupiter wa s s o

.
124 M YT H O LO G Y .

m u ch displeased at the theft that he sent Pa n ,

’
do r a to Pr omethe us with a myster iou s box in ,

whi ch we r e impr isoned all the evils which have

s ince a fflicted the hu man r ace Pr ometheu s s u s .
,

e c tin something w r ong ef sed to to ch th

p g r u u , e
’
bo x u pon which Pando r a car r ied it to his b r othe r
,

E pimetheus He was less cau tiou s and opening

.
,

the casket set fr ee the evil s and mi ser ies which

,

fle w abr oad thr ou gh the wor ld When he saw .

what he had done he shu t the b o x quickl y and

, ,

pr evented Hope which was lyin g at the bottom

, ,

fr om escaping also T hi s signifies that in the

.

midst o f all hu man mi se r ies hO p e yet r emains , .

T he fable may have bee n de rived fr om some an

’
cient tr a di tion o f Eve s c uriosity the fall of man , ,

and the hope left him a mi d so many misfor tu nes .

Q ues How was P r ometheu s p unished ?

.

A ns Jupite r commanded Merc ury to chain him

.

to a r ock o n Mou nt Cau casu s ; ther e an eagle fed

on his liver whi ch was continu ally r enewed
,
.

Pr ometheus had at o n e time r ende r ed Jupiter

, ,

3
. s e r vice The king of the gods r emember e d
.

this and per mitte d th at after a cer tain tim e H e r

, ,

cul e s sho uld kill the e ag l e and se t him fr e e .

 CH AJ ! u m X XIX .

O R PH E U S .

O nes . Who was Or pheus ?

A ns He was the son o f A pollo and the M use
.

Call iope He played so sweetly o n the lyr e a o

. .

companying the mu sic with his voice that he ,

tamed wild beasts stayed the co ur se Of r iver s

, ,

and dr ew the ve ry t r ees to ga ther ar oun d him as

he sung Orpheu s marr ied the beau tiful nymph
.

’
Eu ry dice ; b u t on the very day o f their nupti als
she w as stung l n the foot by a venomou s serpent ,

and di ed leaving O rpheus over whelmed with grief

, .

Trusting to the magi c o f his lyr e he r epair ed to ,

the infernal r egions Her e at the mu sic o f his

.
,
”
golden shell the wheeL o f Ixion stopped ; Tan
,

tal us fo r ge t his thir st ; the v ult ur e ceased to p r ey

o n the vitals o f Tity us ; Cerbe ru s fawned at the
’
mu sician s feet Pr oserpine was melted to tear s
,

and the ster n king o f Hell was moved to pity .

’
E ur y dice was per mitted to r etur n to the upper
wo rld b ut only o n condition that O rphe us did
,

no t look upon he r befo r e they passed the confin e s

1 26 MYT H O LO G Y .

’
of Plu to s kingdom O r pheu s fo rge t this in his
.

eagerness and Eury dice vanished fr om hi s sight

’
,
.

In hi s despai r he now sh unned all inte r co urs e

,

with mankind and r etir ed to woods and solitary

,

gr ottoes endeavor ing to for get his misfortune in

,

the char ms of music O r pheus was mur der ed dur .

ing the or gies of Bacchu s by the Thr acian wo ,

men who were incensed a t the coldness with

,

which he had treated them Aft er tear in g him .

to pieces they thr ew his head into the r ive r

,

H e b ru s and we r e s ur p rised to hear its m ur m ur

, ,

’ ’ ”
Eury di ce E ur y di ce 1 as it was car r ied down the
,

str eam to the E ge an Sea Bacch u s wa s i n dign an t .

at the cruelty of the Thr ac ian women an d change d ,

them in to tr ee s .

A R IO N .

Q ues Who w a s Ar ion ?

.

A n s He was a famou s m usician who r eside d

.

at the cou r t o f Periander king o f Co r inth , .

’
Impelled by a minstr el s love o f wandering he ,

felt desir ou s of visiting fo r eign countr ies a n d ,

d e par ted fr om Cor inth notwithstan din g the e ,

est solicitations o f Pe riander who war ned hi m in ,

vain o f the danger to which he might be exposed .

Af te r some time spent in Italy and Sicily Ar io n ,

desir ed to r etur n to Corinth and embarked fo r ,

thi s pu r pose at S ar e n tum taking with him the ,

riches that he had amassed D ur ing the voyage .

the mar ine r s agr eed among themselves that the )

 D E hfl G O D S AN D HE RO E S . 1 27

would m ur der A l lO D and seize hi s t r easur es

’

The un happy m usician offer ed in vain to abando n

e ve rything to their c upi di ty if they woul d b ut ,

spar e his life The only favor he co ul d obtain

.

was the choice o f a gr ave If he desir ed to b e .

laid on shor e under the gr een t ur f they wo uld ,

ca rr y his lifeless body to land and give it s e p ul ,

tur e If he car ed not fo r this he must im m e di

.
,

ately cast himself into the sea Ar ion chose the .

latter alternative b ut begged that he might die

,

as became a bar d after having played fo r the last

,

time upon hi s lyr e and s ung hi s own death song

,
-
.

The mariner s gr anted his r equest not fr om pity , ,

b u t they desir ed to hear so famo u s a minstr el ;

mu sic had char ms even fo r their ru de hearts .

A r ion atti r ed himself in festal r obes ; hi s

mantle was of pur ple fr in ged with gold and his ,

br ow was ador ned w ith a golden wr ea th He .

stru ck his lyr e with the ivor y wand and sung a ,

s w e et and mo urnfu l melody Then commen ding .

,

him self to the friendly N e r e ide s he Spr ang into ,

the sea The wa ve s closed above him and the

.
,

ship held o n its way The in habitants of the

.

de e p had gathe r ed ar o und as A r ion sung and ,

n o w as he was st ru ggling 1 n the wav e s a dolphi n

, ,

took him on his back and carr ied him safe to

,

shor e Periander r eceived his friend with a c e r

.

di al welcome and listene d with wonder to the

,

story o f his escape When the ship arr ived he

.
,

or de red the mar iners to be b r o u ght befor e him,

and in qu i r ed if they knew anyt hing o f Ar i o n
128 MYT H OL O G Y .

T hey eplied confidently that they h ad left hi m

r

well and happy at S ar e ntum Upon this Ar ion .

stepped for th clothed in gold and p urp le and

, ,

h olding his lyr e as when he had cast himself into

the sea O ver come with te rr o r the guilty men
.
,

confessed their cr ime and s uffer ed the p u nish ,

ment they had so well deser ved This event was .

commemor ated by a statu e of br ass which was

consecr ated at T ae n arus It r epr esente d a man .

m o unted o n a dolphin .

A M PH IO N .

Q ues . Who was A mphi on ? ’

’
A ns He was the son o f A nti ope and Jupite r
. .

H e Obtained the kingdom o f Thebes which he ,

gover ned conjointly with his twin br other Zethu s -

.

Amphi on c ul tivated the a r t o f mu sic he was in

'

structed by Mer cury who gave him a golden lyr e

,

with which he is said to have b uil t the walls o f

Thebes causing the stones to move and place
,
’
themselves in o r der as he played M p hi o n , .

’
married Ni obe and became the father of seven
,

sons and as many dau ghter s who we r e all slain ,

by A poll o and Diana He is said to have killed .

himself in despair The legend o f the buil di ng o f

.

the walls o f Thebes is p r obably an allu sion to

,

the o ld Dor ian an d Z E O li an cu stom o f erecting

the wall s o f cities with p u blic s ol emnitie s and to ,

the s o un d O f mu sical instr ume nts .

 A T L A S .

O wes Who was A tlas ?

.

A ns He was a kin g o f Maur itania the son o f

.
,
’ ’
the Titan J ap e tu s and the nymph Clym ene ; he
,

was ther efor e br other of Pr ometheu s He is

, ,
.

r ep r esented as s u staining the heavens o n his

shoulde r s A tlas had been war ned that he wo ul d
.

suffer mu ch fr om a son o f Jupiter When Pe r .

s eu s was r etur ning fr om the conqu est o f the G o r

gons he arr ived in the domini ons of A tlas o f

, ,

whom he claimed the r ites of hospit ality de c lar ,

ing at the same time his divine par entage The .

king r emembe r ing the pr ophecy w ith r egar d to

,
’
Jupiter s Offspr in g r ep ul sed him har shly This
, .

condu ct br ought u pon A tlas the calami ty which

he fear ed fo r Per seus indi gnant at so mu ch inb u
,

mani ty Showed hi m the head o f Medu sa and

, ,

changed him into the mo untain which be ar s his

name .

The fable that A tlas su stained the heavens o n

,

his sho ul der s has been explained by saying he

,
1 30 MYT H O LO G Y .

wa s an astr onomer who Observe d th m otion o f

, e

the heavenly bodies fr om the su mmi t o f a 1 1 ty .

mou ntain to which his name was after war ds

,

g iven .

?
Q ues Who wer e the childr en Of A tl a
. s

A ns By his wife Pe li o ne he had seven dau g h

.
’
,

te rs who wer e called Pleiades ; they we r e changed

,

into stars and for m the beautiful gr oup which we

,

admir e in the constellation Ta uru s A tlas ha d .

seven other dau ghter s who underwent the same

tr ansfor mation ; they wer e placed in the head of
Taur us and wer e called by the Gr eeks Hyades
, , ,
”
fr om a wor d which signifies to r ain .

The Hesper ides o r Wester n Maidens we r e

, ,

th r ee celeb r ated nymphs concer ning whose p a ,

r entage ancient w r ite r s ar e not agr eed He siod .

S peaks o f them as the dau ghte r s of Night b u t a c ,

cor ding to other s they wer e the o ffspr in g o f A t

,

las and Hesperis A t the b r idal Of Jupite r and

.

J11 11 0 the differ ent deities b r ought nuptial pr es

,

ents ; among these Juno most admir ed some ,

br anches loaded with golden apples which wer e ,

o ffer ed by the goddess o f the Earth She begged .

the Earth to plant them in he r gar dens which ex ,

tended as far as Mo un t A tlas The Hesper ide s .

wer e dir ected to watch these tr ees b u t they ,

pr oved u nfaithful and fr equ ently plu cked the ap

,

ples fo r themselves Juno sent the r efor e a te r

.
, ,

rible dr agon to gu ar d the p r eciou s fru it This .

monster was the o ffsp ring o f Typhon an d had a ,

hun dr ed h e ads so that it never slept

,
.
 D E M IG O D S AN D H E RO E S . 1 3]

O R IO N .

One s W .ho was O r i on ? ’

A ns His o rigin is doubtful acco r ding to s om e

.

’
wri ter s he was the son o f Nept une and E ur y al e
, .

The accoun ts given o f his exploits and Of his

death ar e many and contr adictor y A cco r ding to .

’
o n e legen d O r i on was a famo u s h un te r ; h aving
,

boasted that he co ul d subdue the wildest and

fier cest animals the ear th was di spleased at his
,

p r esu mption and sent a scor pion to sting him

, .

The he re was changed after d e ath into a c o n s te l

, ,

lation which is known as the most r esplenden t

gr oup in the winter heavens .

PE R S E US .

Q ues Who was Per seu s ?

.

A ns He was the son o f Jupiter an d o D anae

.
,
f
,

the only daughter o f A crisiu s king o f Ar gos , .

T his prince had been war ned by an or acle that

hi s dau ghter would have a s o n who was destined ,

to dep rive him o f life A cr isiu s r esolved in c o n

.
,

sequence that Danae sho ul d never marr y To

, .

gu ar d against the possibility o f su ch an event he ,

impr isoned he r in a b r azen apar tment which he

had dil igently guar ded .

Jupiter had seen and admir ed the yo u ng p r in

cess and he n o w fo und means to visit he r b y
,

t r ansfor ming him self into a S how e r o f gold which ,

we m ay take fo r a poetical mann e r of sayin g that

he br ibed the g uar ds When A cri siu s discove r e d
.
132 MYT H O LO G Y .

that his p e c au tio n s had been o f no av ail he e n

r
,

closed D a na e and he r inf ant son in a co ffer which ,

he cast into the sea The c o fle r was carr ied by

'

the waves to the island o f Seriphu s wher e a fi sh ,

e r m an named Dictys dr ew it asho r e in hi s n o t .

H e was mu ch s ur p r i s ed at behol di ng Dana e and

the in fa nt Per seu s and b r ou ght them immediately
,

to Po lyde c te s who r eigned in that island Poly

, .

de c te s r e c e ived the st r anger s kindly b u t when ,

Per seus w a s gr o wn he s tr ove to effect his de s tru c

,

tion by eng a ging him in an expe di tion against the

Gor gons This advent ur e has been alr eady r elat
.

ed in the ar tic le o n Miner va It was followed by

,
.

the r escu e o f A ndr e m eda which is to o re m ar ka ,

b le to be omitte d .

Q ues Who was An dr om eda ?

.
’

A ns She was the dau ghter o f Cepheus king of

.
,

Ethio p ia H e r mother Cassiopeia had boasted

.
, ,

that S he was fai r er than J un e and the Ner eides .

The o ffended nymphs complained to Neptune ,

who sent a sea monster to r avage the domini ons

-

o f Cephe u s The people in their di str e s s had

.
, ,

r eco u rse to the or acle o f Ju pite r A mmon b u t the ,

god d e clar ed that the countr y coul d not be freed

fr om this calamity unl ess A ndr om eda wer e given
,
'

up to be devo u r ed by the monste r Cepheu s c o n .

sented to the sac r ifice and his daughter w as ,

chained to a r ock by the sea shor e whe r e she -

wa s abandoned to he r fate .

P e r se us r etur ning thr ou gh the air fr om his

, ,

conqu est o f the G o r gons saw the unh appy mai d ,

 D E M IG O D S AN D HE RO E S . 1 33

on and r e solved to r esc ue he r He asked he r .

ha nd as his only r ewar d which Cephe u s r ea dily ,

pr omised .

When the s e a monste r appear ed Pe r s e u s showe d

-

him the head O f Medusa and changed him into a ,

rock which was long famo u s u pon that coast

, .

Phine us who had been betr othed to A ndr om eda

,
’
,

opposed he r marr iage with Pe r seu s and changed ,

the nu ptial solemnities into a scene of discor d and

bloodshed .

The head of the Gor gon again p r ocur ed fo r

Per seu s an easy victor y He war ned hi s fri ends .

to aver t their eyes and di splayed the fr ightf ul

,
‘

tr ophy upon which Phineu s and his follower s

,

wer e changed into stone in the very attitu des in ,

which they fou ght .

Po lyde c te s who had pe r secu ted Dana e in the

,

absence o f Per seu s was p unished in the same ,

manner The her o after war ds fulfilled the or acle

.

by killing hi s gr andfather whom he di d not know , ,

by an accidental blow o f a q uoit .

’
Per seu s A ndr om eda Cepheus and Cassiopeia
, , ,

wer e changed after de a th into the c ons te lla tio ns

, ,

which b e ar th e ir name s .
 CH APTER XXXI .

B E LLE R O PH O N

Ones Who was Beller ophon ?

.
’

A ns This he r e was the son o f Glaucu s a nd ,

gr andson o f Sis yphu s king o f C o rinth Havin g

'
, .

accidentally killed o n e o f his r elatives he fled as . .

was u su al in su ch cir c umstances and was r eceive d ,

with mu ch kindness by Pr oe tu s king o f A r gos , .

Beller ophon had not however been long at Ar

’
, ,

gos when the king was pr ej u diced by a c alu m ni

o u s r epo r t and became jealo u s o f the yo ung her o
, .

A s he was ashamed to violate the r igh ts o f hospi

’
tality he de sp a tche d B e lle r O p ho n to hi s father
,
‘

’
in law JO b a te s king of the Lycians with sealed
-

, , ,

letter s in which he r equ ested that pr in ce to p u t

the bear er to death Jo b a te s was also u nwilli n g
’
.

to imbru e hi s hands openly in the blood of a

gu est ; he r esolved ther efor e to e ffect hi s p ur p os e
, ,

’
indir ectly by engaging Bell er ophon in dan ger o us
,

enterpr ises .

The fir st task imposed u pon the he r e was the ,

slaying o f the Chim ae r a a fab ulo u s m onste r which ,

We have alr eady desc ribed and which was the n ,

 D E M IG O D S AN D HE RO E S . 1 35

S p reading terr or th r ough the kingdom o f Lycia .

Befo r e pr ocee ding to the combat Beller O p ho n ,

’
took co unsel o f the soothsaye r Polyi du s who a d , ,

vised him to p r oc u r e if possible the winged stee d

, ,
’
Peg a s us Fo r this p urpose he dir ected him to
.
,

pass the night in the temple of Miner va Ther e .

the godd e ss visited him in a dr eam an d gave hi m ,

a golde n bridle in st ru cting him as to its u s e O n

, .

’
awaking Beller ophon fo und the br idle in his
,

hand and r epair ed immediately to the spr in g at

,

whi ch Peg asu s was accu stomed to dr ink The

’
.

’
winged steed submitted to the golden bit Belle r ,

O p ho n mo unted him fea r lessly and was borne ,

th r o ugh the air to his combat with the Chim ae r a .

When he r etur ned to J o b a te s with the spoil s o f

’

the monster the kin g sent him to fight against

,
’
cer t ain people called Sol ymi whom he had m u ch
, ,

difficul ty in subduing He next de feated the A m .

a zons a nation o f female wa rri o r s and dest r oyed

, ,

a par ty o f Lycians who laid an amb u sh fo r him

,
’
on his r etur n JO b a te s per ceived from these ex
.

p lo its that his gu est was indeed al lied to the gods ,

and abandoned all fur the r designs against hi m .

He even gave him his dau ghter in mar riage ,

a n d declar ed him hi s s u ccesso r in the kin gdom .

’
Belle r ophon might have ended his days in
happiness and pr osper ity had he not irritated the ,

gods by hi s p r ide He conceived the pr oject o f

.

mo unting to heaven o n his winged steed Jupiter

was indignant and sent a gad fly which stung the
,
-

hor s e and caused him to thr ow the p res umpt uous

,
136 MYT H O LO G Y .

’
ride r Beller ophon lame and blind fr om
.
, his
fall wande r ed in lonely places avoidin g
, , the
ha u nts o f men until death came to r elieve
, his
m isery .

D E U C A L IO N .

Q ues . Who was D eu calion ?

A ns He was kin g o f Thessaly and son o f Pro
.
,

m e the u s D ur ing his r eign ther e occur r ed so

.
,

gr e at a flood that the whole ear th was cover ed

with the water s O f the entir e hu man r ace only
.
,

De u calion and his wife Pyr r ha we r e saved , , .

When the wate r s abated the ship in which they ,

wer e carr ied r ested upon Mount Par nassu s and ,

they consulted the or acle o f Themis to know by ,

what means the earth might again be peopled .

The o r acle di r ected that they shoul d cast b e

hi nd them the bones of their Gr eat Mothe r Un .

de r s tan din g by this expr ession the ear th which is ,

the co m mon mothe r o f all they gathe r ed stones ,

w hich they cast behind the m as they had been ,

commanded w hen a gr eat pr odigy ensu ed The

,
.

stones th r own by De u calion assu med hu man fo r m

and became men and those thr own by Pyrrha ,

wer e changed into women .

Q nes How is
. this fable explained ?
A ns It is s u ppos e d that De u calion and Pyr r ha
.

we r e r ema r kable fo r their pi e ty and virtue ; a n d

that by p r ec e pt and exa m ple they subdued the ,

fe r ocity o f their s ubj e cts In this manner they .

 D E M IG O D S AN D HE RO E S . 1 37

softe n ed those who befor e wer e har d like stone s ,

so that gentleness and h umanity began to r eign

among them .

D E D A L US .

O nes Who was D ae d alus ?

.
’

A ns He is said to have been a native o f A thens

.
,

eminent fo r his skill in ar chitectur e and stat uary .

His nephew Per dix wr ou ght with him and showe d ,

mu ch inventive geniu s Havin g obser ved the .

teeth Of a serpent o r accor di ng to some the back

, , ,
’
bone o f a fish Per dix invented the carpenter s
,

saw and applied it to the c utting o f timber By

,
.

this and other e ffor ts o f skill the yo un g man ex ,

cited the je alo u sy O f D ae d alu s who killed hi m by ’

,

casting him down from the summit o f the A c r o p

olis Pe r di x w a s t r ansfor med into a par t r idge a
.
,

timid bir d which seems still mindfu l O f its fall and ,

keeps to low cove r ts avoiding high plac e s and ,

’
lofty flights Fo r this mur der D ae d alu s was sen
.
,

te n c e d to b anishment by the Co ur t o f the A r e o p a

’

u s He fo u nd an asyl u m with M in e s king of

g .
,

Cr ete fo r whom he constr u cted the famo u s Laby

,

rin th Having incurr ed the displeas ur e o f M in e s

.
,

D ae d alu s was impr isone d in a lofty towe r A s

’
.

ther e seemed no other means o f escape he r e ,

solved o n attempting a flight thr ou gh the air .

Fo r thi s p ur pose he made wings fo r himself a n d

,

his son Ic ar us which wer e so skilfufly cont r ived

’
, ,

that b y their aid they mounted boldly in the air,

, ,
1 38 MYT H O LO G Y .

and dir ected their flight over the sea Ic aru s dis .
.

’
r ega r ded his fathe r s instr u ctions and app r oac he d ,

so n e w the sun tha t its h e at melted the w ax

which united the feather s o f hi s wings He co ul d .

no long e r s u s tain hi mself and was dr owned in ,

t hat sea whi c h is called Icarian fr om his name , .

D ae d alu s ar r iv ed in Sicily w her e he was employe d

’
,

by Coc alu s king of that island in the er ection o f

'

, ,

many S plendid e difices .

Var io u s explanations have been given o f the fa ~

’
ble o f D ae d alu s The most p r obable opinion is
.

that ther e r eally existed an a r chitect of that nam e ,

whose fame was such that all the imp r ovemen t s

made in those ear ly times in ar chitect ur e and
sculptur e wer e attribu ted to hi m by popular tr a
dition He int r odu ced the us e of masts and sails
.

in ships and he is said to have been the fir st who

,

r ep r esented sta tues in natu r al and lifelike atti

’
tu des and with open eyes D ae d alus is also men
,
.

tio n e d as the invento r o f the axe plu mb line an d ,

-

C E Y X — H A L C Y O N E — T H E H A L C Y O N
B IR D S .

O nes Ceyx
. ? Who w as
A ns He was a king o f T r a chin ia who mar ried
.
,

H al e y o n e a dau ghter Of the god Z E o lus Ceyx w a s

’
,
.

dr owned o n his way to consult the o r acle o f Cla

ro s . Halcy one was appr ised of the sad eve nt in
’

~
a dr eam in which she saw he r h usband stand b e
,
 D E M IG O D S AN D HE RO E S . 1 39

for e he r with palli d countenance and dr ipping

,

gar ments She hastened to the str and at br e ak

.

of day and gazing over the water s beheld the

, ,

body o f Ceyx bor ne towar ds he r by the waves In .

he r despair she cast her self into the sea b u t the

, ,

g ods took pity o n the faithfu l pair and t r ans ,

formed them into halcyons A ccor ding to the .

poets it was decr eed that the sea should r emain

,

calm while these bir ds b uilt their nests upon it .

Notwithstanding the qu erulo us lamenting note o f ,

the halcyon it was r egar ded by the ancients as a

,

symbol o f tr anquilli ty and as it seemed to make ,

its home upon the water s it was consecr ated to ,

Thetis Pliny tells u s that these bir ds constru ct

.

ed their floating nests dur ing the seven days im

mediately pr eceding the wime r solstice and laid ,

their eggs in the seven days su ccee din g These .

”
ar e the
“
halcyon days o f antiqui ty and this e x ,

pr e ssion is still u sed to denote a period o f bright

and tr anquil happiness .

The o nl y bir d of moder n times which at all r e

sembles the halcyon desc r ibed by Pliny an d Aris
to tle is the A ted i o Isp iola a species o f ma r tin
, ,

called by the Fr ench mar tin p é cheur This m ar ,

-
.

tin howeve r makes its nest o n shor e lays its eggs

, , ,

in the spr ing and has n o connection with calm

,

w e ather The lar ge sponge like ball whi ch was

.
-

taken by the ancients fo r the floatin g nest o f the

halcyon was in r eality a z o Op hyte o f the class
, ,

named by Linn ae u s halc yo nium ,

.
 CH A P T ER XXXII .

M E L B A G E IL —T H B C A L Y D O N IA N 5 0 N T

O ne s What was the sto ry of thi s prince ?

.

A ns Meleager was the son of (E ne u s an d

.

Al thea king and qu een of Calydon

, A fte r his .

bir th the Fate s ente red the chamber o f A lthea

, ,

and for etold that the life of the ch ild sho uld exp i r e
wi th a b ill et of wood then b ur ning on the hea r th .

Al thea immediately seized and qu ench e d the

br and whi c h she secu r ed in an oaken chest
,
.

Meleager had alr eady attained the yea r s o f man

hood when he took par t in the exp e dition gene r
ally known as the Calydoni an h unt (E n e u s had .
,

u pon o n e occasion in offe r ing sac r ifice to the

,

gods neglecte d the honor s due to Diana and the

, ,

goddess in r evenge sent a wild boar o f eno r mo u s

, ,

size to lay waste the fields of Calydon The .

boldest h unter s fear ed to attack the monster ,

whose eyes shone with fir e while its b ristles stood

,

er ect like spears and its t usks r esembled those o f

,

an In di an elephant The c o rnfi e lds and vi neyar ds

.

wer e tr ampled down in its path and the terr ified ,

h usbandmen ever ywher e fled in dismay At .

leng th Meleager called o n the her oes o f Gr eece to

i r oy the common fo e
j o n in a h un t a n d dest .
 THE CALYD O N IAN HU N T . 1 41

T he r e came on the appointed day Castor an d ,

Pollux These us and his fr iend Pir o tho u s Peleu s

, , ,

after war ds father o f A chil les Telamon father o f ’

, ,

Aj ax Nesto r then a yo uth and many other s o f

, , ,

he r oic fame All eyes we r e however attr acted by

.
, ,

the fair hun tr ess A talanta H e r gi r dle was o f .

bur nished gold an ivory quive r hung fr om he r

,

shoul der and she carr ied a bow in he r l e f t hand

,
.

’
They soon r eached the monste r s lair Ro u sed .

by the baying ho unds he r u shed fo r th t r amplin g , ,

down and Slaying the near est h untsm e n In vain .

Jason th r ew his spear p r aying that Diana might ,

gui de his ar m It glanced aside and the weapon

.
,

o f Telamon p r oved equ ally har mless while Nes ,

to r was obliged to seek safety in the br anches o f a

tr ee The fir st wo und was infli cted by an arr ow
.

fr om the bow o f A talanta Meleager following .

,

up this advantage despatched the monste r with ,

his spear The her oes c r owded ar ound to con

.

gr at ul ate the victor who o ffer ed the head o f the

,

b e ar and the b r istlin g hide to A talanta The .

hun tr ess accepted the tr ophies b ut the u ncles o f ,

.

Meleage r indignant that a woman shoul d bear o il

,

the hono r s of the day snatched them r u dely fr om ,

he r. Meleager fo r ge t in hi s ange r the ties o f , ,

kindr ed and slew the offender s o n the spot

,
.

A s Al thea was going to the temple to r eturn

’
thanks fo r he r son s victo ry she beheld the bodi es
o f he r m ur de r ed b r others When she lear ned .

that they had fallen by the hand o f Meleager the ,

Fur ies took possession o f he r soul Enteri ng .

1 42 MYT H O O G Y L .

hastily into the palace she snatched the fat al ,

br and s e long pr e s e r ved and cast it into the

, ,

flames A t the sam e moment Meleage r sta r ted

.

with s udden pain his str ength ebbed away and as , ,

the br and fell to ashes the soul o f the he r e was ,

bre athed forth on the light win ds .

When the deed was accomplished Al thea

killed her self in despair The S ister s o f Meleag e r .

wept his los s un til Diana pityin g their so rr o w

, , ,

changed them into bir ds call ed M e le agr ide s .

N IS US A N D S C Y LLA .

Ones Relate the story

. thei r t r ansfo r matio n ? of

A ns Nisu s was king o f Megar a this city w a s

.

closely besieged by M in e s b u t all his e ffor ts wer e ,

vain as the Fates had dec r eed that it sho u ld n o t

,

b e taken so long as a pur p le lock whi ch gr ew on

,

the head of Nisu s r emained uncu t Scyll a the , .

,

dau ghter o f this p r ince admir ed the majestic p e r ,

s o n o f M in e s and the valo r which he displayed

, .

Believin g that he would r ewar d he r tr eacher y by

making he r hi s qu een she c u t the fatal lock while ,

he r father slept M in e s r eceived the gift with

.

ho rr o r and when the city was taken r efu sed to

“

, , ,

e r mit Scylla to accompany hi m to C r ete In

p .

despair she clung to the pr ow o f his ship ; b u t

,

N is u s who had j u st been tr ansfo r med into a

,

ha wk s w ooped down upon he r fr om the sky

,
.

S cylla cast her self into the s e a and was tr ans ,

fo r med at the s a me moment in to a la rk .

 E RIS ICH T H O N . 1 43

E R IS IC H T H O N

O nes Who was E risichtho n ?

.

A ns He was a profane pe r son and a despise r

.

of the gods Ther e stood in a gr ove sacr ed to

.

Cer es a stately o ak whi ch ove r topped the t r ees

,

ar o und as they did the gar den shr ubs E risic h .

thon commanded his attendants to fell the tr ee ,

and when they hesitated he snatched an axe him ,

self and str u ck the sac r ed wood Blood flowe d

,
.

fr om the wo unded t r unk and a voice fr om the ,

D r yad dwellin g in the oak wa r ned him o f the ,

punishm ent w hich awaited his impiety E ri s ic h .

thon per sisted in his cri m e and at length the tr e e , ,

sever ed by r epeated blo ws and dr awn with r opes , ,

s unk to the g r o un d p r ostr ating half the gr ov e in

,

its fall The indignant D ryades went to Cer es in

.

mo urning gar b and invoked vengeance o n the

,

head o f their i m piou s fe e The goddess was .

moved and de li ver ed E ri sic htho n into the power

,

of Fa m ine A s the Fates had d e c r eed that thi s

.

go dde ss and Cer es sho uld neve r meet an O r ead ,

wa s s e n t to the ic e clad plains o f Scythi a whe r e

-

Famine chiefly dwelt Ar r iving at Mo unt Ca u~

.

cas us the nymph fo und he r in a stony field tear

, ,

in g u p with teeth and claws the scanty he rbage .

T he pale goddess obeyed the com m and o f Ce r es ,

an d visitin g the dwelling o f E risichtho n she ,

br eathed u pon him as he slept A waking he .

cr aved food b ut the mo r e he cons u med the m o r e

, ,
144 M YT H O LO G Y .

his h unger r aged In vain the unhappy man

.

spent all his substance to obtain r elief ; he w a s

redu ced to misery and famished as befor e H e .

had one dau ghter call ed Mestr a an only child , ,

whom he sold to p r oc ur e food The maiden .

sco r ned to be a slave and standing with he r p ur

,

chaser o n the sea shor e she lifted he r hands an d

‘

, ,

invoked the aid of Neptune The go d im m e di .

ate ly changed he r for m so that she appear ed to

,

be an a ged fis he r man mending nets .

The master str angely surpri sed at the su dden

,

dis ap pe ar ance o f his slave qu estione d the sup

,

posed fisher man Mestr a r epli ed that she ha d

.

seen no o n e and he pr oceeded to sear ch fo r the

,

fu gitive els ewher e She then resu med he r o wn

.

fo r m and r etur ned to he r father who was

, ,

well pleased to find that he had still both his

dau ghter and the money fo r whi ch he had sold he r .

He again r esor ted to this base expedient b ut a s ,

often as Mestr a was sold she was tr ansfor med by

, ,

the favor o f Neptune now into a ho r se now an

, ,

e x and now a stag ; and so escaped fr om he r

,

p ur chaser.

Al l means pr oved insuffi cient to s upply t he

wants o f the un happy E risichtho n who was c o m ,

p e lle d b y h un ge r to devo ur his o wn flesh b e fo re

de ath cam e to e nd his m is e ry .

 CHAPT E R X XXIH .

Po e ts of Cl as s i c F a b l e .

H O M E R— H E S IO D —V IR G IL —0 m

Ques Who was Home r ?

.

A ns Everything r elating to this poet is involve d

.

in obscur i ty The two biogr aphies o f hi m whi c h

.

wer e for merly attribu ted to Her odo tus and Plu
tar ch ar e evidently fab ulous ; their r eal author s
,

ar e not known Nothing is known ce rtainly r e

.

’
garding Homer s par entage hi s bir th placc o r ,
-

even the exact e r a in which he lived Seve n citie s .

contended fo r the hono r o f having given this

gr eat poet to the wor ld ; these wer e Smyr n a .

’
Chios Col ophon Sal ami s Rhodes A r g o s ar j
,
’
, ,

Ath e ns .

Smyr na appear s to have the best cl aim and it ,

is conside r ed ce r tain that the po e t was by bir th

an I o nia n the Ionic is the dialect employed in his
Wo rks with a slight m ix tur e ho w ever of the
, , ,

ZE o lic and othe r fo r ms With r egar d to the time in

,
.

whi ch Homer lived ther e is m u ch d iffe r ence o f

,

O pin ion amon g the lear ned som e placing hi m in ,

E R ‘
E I
'

l
'
v

h lr
‘
116 PO E T S or Ou s src F AB LE .

the nin th , oth e r s in the tenth cent ury befor e o ur

e ra. The latter opini on is the mor e p r o b ab lo .

A cco r din g to the acco u nt gener ally given ,

Homer was fo r many year s a schoolmaster in

Smyr na He after war ds abandoned this occ upa
.

tion and spent some time in t r avellin g

, .

He made sever al voyages in the company o f a

se a captain named Mente s ; b u t at length his

sight became so mu ch affected that he w a s

obliged to r emain o n shor e at Ithaca Whil e in .

this island he was kindly enter tained by a

,

wealthy man named Mento r who r elated to hi m ,

the tr aditionar y tales o n which he after war ds

fo unded the O dyssey .

Becoming totally blind Homer r etur ned to ,

S m yr na wher e he p r obably composed the gr eater

,

part o f his poems He afte r war ds led a wander

.

in g life gaini ng wealth and fame by the r ecita

,

tio n o f his ver ses He di ed at Ios o n e o f the

.
,

Cy c lades wher e he was b ur ied

,
The fame o f .

Homer is fo unded o n his two gr eat poems the ,

Iliad and the O dyssey The fir st o f these has .

be en always consider ed among the fin est p r odu c

tions o f hu m an geni us Homer is di sting uished .

no t o nl y fo r his subli m ity b u t fo r the high mo r a l ,

tone which pervades his wor ks .

Q ues Who was Hesiod ?

.

A ns This poet flour ished abo u t half a cent ury

.

later than Home r He was a B oe o tian and in hi s

.
,

vo uth tended sheep u pon Mo u nt Helicon H e .

e m igr a t e d afte r wa r ds to O r chomenos in weste rn ,

B oe o ti a w h e r e he di e d
. .
 MYT H O LO G Y . 147

The only complete wo rks of Hesiod now extan t

ar e the Wor ks and Days and the Theogony o r ,
”
,
”
Bi r th of the Gods The latte r work consists o f
.

a long a n d r athe r tedio us catalogu e of the go ds

.

and goddesses it is valu ed as containing an ac

c ur ate acco unt O f the Gr ecian deities The de ~ .

s c r iption of the Battle of the Titans and the G ods ,

at the close of the wo rk is consider ed o n e of the

,

most s ublime passages in classic poetr y ; Milton

ha s bor r owed fr om it in his Battle o f the A ngels .

Q ues When di d Vir gil flo ur ish ?

.

A ns P ubli us Vir giliu s M ar e was born near

.
,

Mant u a in the year 7 0 B C He r eceived a lib

,
. .

er al edu cation and inhe r ited fr om his father a

,

conside r able estate O f this he wa s deprived

.

dur ing the civil t r o ubles which dist r acted Italy ,

b ut it was after war ds r estor ed at the inter cession

o f a powe r f ul fr iend His gr atitu de towar ds this
.

kind benefactor and the happiness felt by the

,

poet in the peaceful possession o f his patri m ony ,

for m the subject Of his fir st pasto r al poem o r

E clogu e Vir gil enjoyed the favo r Of A u gustu s
.
,

with the fr iendshi p of M ae cenas and other gene r

o u s and powe r ful pat r ons ; his life was the r e fo r e , ,

spent in ease and pr osperity He di ed at B r un .

du siu m in the year 1 9 B C

, ,
. .

The Eclo gues sometimes call ed als o B ucO lic a

,
'

o r B u colics a r e ten sho r t pasto r al poems

, T he .

fo u r th entitled Polli o has given rise to mu ch

, ,

s pec ulati on on acco un t of its str ikin g coincidenc e

with Scriptu r e Many suppose that the p o e t

.

wa s s o uain te d with the O he cie s o f Is aiah .

 £8 PO E T S or C LAS S IC FAB LE .

The Geo r gics tr eat of agr ic ultur e the car e o f ,

cattle the r aising o f bees etc These peac e fu l

, , .

a r ts had been mu ch neglected in Italy dur ing the

civil war s ; Vir gil hop e d to r evive the taste fo r
rur al p ur s u its by his bea u tifu l desc r iptions o f
,

coun try life The Z E n e id the last and gr e atest

.
,

o f his wor ks is an epic poem in twelve books

, .

It is a hi story of the wander ings o f ZE n e as and ,

the settlement of the T r oj ans in Italy .

Vi rgil is consider ed infe r ior to Home r in s ub

li mi ty b ut he exceeds him in swe e tness and in
,

the bea uty o f hi s desc r iptions The mo r al and.

,

even to a cer tain extent the r eligiou s S pir it whi ch

p e r vades his wr itings 1 S beyond p r aise and places ,

him almost alone among the poets of antiquity .

Q ue s When did O vid wr ite ?

.

A ns O vidi u s Naso was bo r n in the yea r 43

.
,

B C at S ulm o (now S ul m ona) a to w n abo ut

. .
, ,

ninety miles distant fr om Rome The date o f his

.

birth is r ender ed memor able in histor y by the

m ur de r O f the gr eat Cicer o O vid belong e d to an
.

e qu est r ian fa m ily he was edu cated at Ro m e and ,

enjoyed every advantage that Splendid capi t al af

for ded He showed his taste fo r poetr y at an
.

e ar ly age b u t was di ss u aded fr om c ul tivating this

,

ar t by his fathe r who wished him to apply exclu

,

siv e ly to the st udy o f eloqu ence O vid gained .

some distinction as an o r ator b ut when the death

of his elde r b r other left him sole heir to an ample
fortune his natur al inclination pr evail ed and he
, ,

av himse lf u t lite y vr snits A car e er of

g e p o r ar p .
 M YT H O L O G Y . 1 49

u nexampled pr osperity was now o p e ned to the

oet He enjoyed the favo r o f A u gu stu s and the
p .
,

frie ndship of the most distin gui shed men in Rom e ;

hi s ver ses we r e uni ver sally admir ed they we r e ,

14q in the st r eets and at ente r tainments o r we r e ,

recited in the theatr e amid b ur sts o f applau se .

Ovid was not conte nt with the noble r pleasur es o f

fame and fr iendshi p b u t pl unged witho u t re
,

st r aint into all the vices and folli es o f w hi ch the

Roman capital was the cent r e. This car eer of

r ospe r ity and pleas u r e was b r o u ght s u ddenl to
p y
a close O vid was banished by A u gustu s to Tomi
.
,

now T i ar ) o n the sho r es o f t he E u xine

( e m s w .

The decr ee was ex e cuted wi th the u tmost se

ver ity B u t o n e w r etched night was all owed
.

to the poet to deplo r e his fate and take leave ,

o f his fri ends His wife begged in vain to be

.

all owed to accompany he r hu sband in his ex

ile It is not known b v what c r ime the unfo r tu
.

nate poet mer ited so sever e a p unishment The .

imm o r al tendency o f some o f his poems was the ,

ostensible r eason set fo rth by the emper or ; b ut

these ver ses had been wr itten many year s befor e .

It is evident ther efor e that he mu st have offend

, ,

ed A u gu stu s in some manner whi ch the latter di d

not choose to make public O vid wr ote in his.
,
”
exile poems appr opriately named T r istia in
, ,

which he bewails his har d fate and descr ibes the

,

s cenes by which he was s urr o u nded Fr om the

.

seve r ity o f the climate and the in r oads o f the

,

barbari ans the fields wer e witho ut gr ain the hills

, ,
15 0 MYT H O LO G Y .

withou t vin e s ; no stately oaks clothed the moun

tain S ide no will ows dr ooped along the banks ; 3
-

scanty gr owth o f wor mwood alone cover ed the

desolate pla ins Sp r ing b r ou ght with it neither
.

bir ds n o r flower s In Su mmer the sun was o b .

,
!

s our ed by clou ds ; the A u t u mn shed no fr ui ts ,

b ut th r ou gh every season o f the year the wintr y ,

win ds blew with pr o di gio us violence and lashed ,

the waves O f the boiste r o u s E uxine o n its deser t

shor e The only animate d obj e ct was the wild
.

Sar matian dr iving hi s c ar yoked with oxen acr oss , ,

the icy waste himself wr apped in fur s his shaggy

, ,

ha ir and be ar d sparkling with the hoar fr ost and

flak es o f snow S uch was the abode fo r which
.

the poet was compelled to exchange the theatr es .

the po r ticoes and gar dens o f Rome the co ur t o f ,

Au gu stu s and the s unny skies o f Italy

,
He di ed .

in the ni nth year o f his exil e and the sixty fi r s t ,

-

o f hi s age .

The poems of O vid however beau tiful othe r ,

wise a r e all mo r e o r less objectionable o n account

,

o f the ir im m o r al te ndency ; the corr u ption Of the

‘

’
au tho r s private char acte r has left its impr ess o n
all his wo r ks .

The claim Of O vid to be nu mber ed among the

poets o f mythology r ests chiefly o n his M e tam o r ,

p h o s e s This
. is a collection o f legends o f all the

tr ansfor matio ns said to have taken place in hea

then mythology beginning with the earliest times, ,

and closin g with the changing of Juliu s C ae sar

into a star T he stories ar e not themselves ori gi
.
 PO E T S or C LA S S IC FAB LE . 151

nal ; they are p rincipally Gr eek and Or iental fi c

tions inter spe r sed pe rhaps with a few Lat in o r
, , ,

E tr u scan fables Ther e a r e in all tw o h un d r e d

.
, ,

and fifty o f these stor ies O vid was engaged in .

c o rr ecting this hi s reatest wor k when he wa s

g , ,

sur prised by the se ntence o f banishm e nt In a fit .

o f impatience and despair he th r ew it into the ,

flames Some o f his fr iends possessed copies

.
,

and the poem was thu s pr eser ved .

If the Metamo r phose s had been de str oyed b y

this r ash act we wo uld have lost many inter est
,

in g fables which have been r ender ed immor tal b y

’
the beauty o f Ovi d s ver se and his gr aceful fancy .

The Tr istia ar e not so gener ally admir ed

’
They tur n pr incipall y o n the poet s per sonal mis
for tunes and this subject however absor bing to ,

himself soon becomes wear isome to the reader

, .

O vid composed a poe m in the har sh di alect sp o

ken by the Get ae who dwelt o n the bor der s of the
Euxine Sea The barbar ians listened with deli gh t
.

to his r ecitations until the ir anger was excited by

,

his constant complaints o f their r ude manner s

and inhospitable c lim e te .
 CHA P T ER XXXI V .

H er oe s C e l e b r a t e d b y t h e Po e t s .

A G A M E M N O N .

Q
'

ucsWho . w a s A gamemnon ?
A ns He was king of Mycen ae and command e r
.
,

i n chief o f the Gr ecian for ces d ur ing the S iege o f

-

Tr oy The combined fl e et was detained fo r a

.

long time at A u lis owing to the wr ath o f Diana , ,

whom A gamemnon had o ffended by killing o n e o f

he r favo r ite dee r Calchas the soothsayer was.
, ,

consulted ; he declar ed that the godd e ss co uld

o nl y be appeased by the sacr ifice o f Iphige nia ’
,

the oldest dau ghte r o f the monar ch S he was .

ac c or dingly led to the altar b ut Diana w as moved ,

w ith pity and carr ied the maiden with he r to

,

Taur is le aving a hind in he r place The qu arr el

,
.

o f A gamemnon with A chil les a n d the t r o ubles

’
,

that r esul ted for m the pr incipal subject o f H o

,

mer s Iliad In the division o f captives after the

’
.
,

taking o f Tr oy Cassandr a o n e of the dau ghter s

, ,

O f P r iam fell to the lot of A ga m emnon

,
This .

princess had been endowed by A pollo with the

ift f p r oph ecy b u t as S he r efu sed afte r war ds tc
g o ,
 HE RO E S CE L E B RAT E D BY THE PO E T S . 15 3

liste n tothe s uit of that go d he dec r eed that n o

,

one should attach any c r e di t to he r pr edictions .

It was S O in the pr esent instance Clytemnestr a .

,

the qu een o f A gamemnon believing and per hap s

, ,

hoping that he r h u sband wo uld not r eturn had

, ,

gi ven a pr omise O f marr iage to Z E gis thuS who al ,

r eady conside r ed h imself king o i Mycen ae Cas .

s andr a war n e d A gamemnon against r etur ning

thithe r b u t he r pr e di ction was disr egar ded A ga
,
.

memnon w a s assassinated immediately o n his

arr ival at Mycen ae ; acco r di ng to the tr agic poets ,

it was Clyte m nestr a who dealt the fatal blow .

A C H ILLE S .

Q ues Who was A chil les ?

.
’

A ns He was the s o n o f Peleu s king o f Phthi

.
,

’
O tis in Thessaly ; his mother was Thetis a sea ,

go ddess Many incr edible sto ries a r e told con

.

cer ning the manner in which the her o was nur sed
in his infa n cy A ccor ding to o n e acco unt his
.
,

m othe r d e si gned to make hi m immo r tal and fo r ,

that p urpose anointed him with amb r osia dur ing

the day and laid him in the fir e at ni ght The
, .

fear s of Pele u s interru pted this str ange t r ea tment ,

and A chil les r emained s ubject to death Calchas

’
.

ha d declar ed that Tr oy coul d not be taken with

o u t his aid and Thetis who was awa r e that he r
, ,

s o n was destined to pe r ish if he joined the e xp e

dition disgui sed him in female attir e and con

, ,

ce aled him among the da u ghter s of King L yc o

15 4 MYT H O LO G Y .

me des C ly s s e s wa s sent to discover his r e tr e at

’
.
,

which he effected by the foll owing str atagem .

A ttir ed as a tr av e lling me r chant he p r esente d ,

himself at cour t and displayed befor e the qu e e n

,

and he r maidens var ious ar ticles O f femal e attir e

,
.

Some pieces o f ar mor we r e di sposed amon g the

’
mer chandise by the o r der o f Ulys ses a trum pet ,

was su ddenly blown when the dis guised A chil les

,
’

betr ayed himself by seizing the ar mor The .

you ng war r ior was then obliged to join the exp o

di tion. D uring the siege A chil les had a dispu te
’
,

with A gamemnon concer nin g some female cap

,

tive s ; conside r ing himself wr onged he withdr ew ,

fr om the contest and no entr eati e s co ul d induce

,

him to r etu r n to the field The death of his fr ie nd

.

Patr oclu s who fell by the hand o f He cto r at

, ,
’
length ar o u sed him to action ’
A chil les ar mor .
,

which he had lent to Pat r ocl u s had beco m e the ,

spoil of Hecto r and it was upon thi s occasio n

,

that Vul can fab ri cated fo r the her o the famou s ,

s uit which is descr ibed in the Iliad A rr ayed in .

this A chil l es per fo r m ed pr odigies o f valo r and at ,

length killed Hecto r after a desper ate combat, .

Acco r ding to Homer A chil les took an ignoble r e

,

veng e o n the dead body o f hi s foe which he ,

dr agged at his char iot wheels thr ee times ar oun d

-

the tomb o f Patr oclu s The corpse o f the Tr ojan.

her o was yielded at last to the tear s and suppli ,

cations of P ria m and a t ru ce was gr an ted to the

,

T r ojans fo r the pe r for mance o f the fune r al r it e s

, .

Achil les was hi mself slain soon afte r ; his a shes

’
 H E RO E S C E LE B RAT E D BY THE PO E T S . 155

we r e mi ngled in a golden urn with those o f Pa

tr o clu s and a tomb was e r ect e d to both her oes
, ,

on the p r omonto ry o f S igoe um .

The vindictive Spi r it of A chil les knew n o ’

repose even in death

, A fter the fall o f T r oy
.
,

his ghost appear ed to the Gr eeks and c o m ,

m ande d them with fea r ful menaces in case

,

o f r efusal to sacri fice o n his tomb Polyxen a

, , ,

o n e Of the da u ghte r s of P r iam The unhappy .

’
maiden was tor n from he r mothe r s ar ms and ,
’
immolate d by Pyr r h us the son o f A chil les Hec
,
.
’

ub a lear ned soon afte r the sad fate o f he r son

P olydo ru s This young pr i n ce who had been

.
,

commended by Pr iam to the car e o f Polymnestor ,

king o f Thr ace was tr eacher ou sly mur der ed by

,

that monar ch The ber eaved mother planned a

.

terr ible r evenge Pr omisin g disclosur es with r e

.

gar d to hi dden t r easur e s she indu ced Po lym n e s

,

to r and his childr e n to visit he r in s e c r et Then .

,

aided by he r fe llow captives H e c uba m ur d e r e d

’
,

the yo ung p r inces and p ut o ut the father s e ye s ’

.

Whil e endeavo r ing to escape fr om the vengeanc e

o f the Th r acians S he was suddenly t r ans for m e d
,

into a do g .
 CH APTER XXXV .

U LY S S E S .

O re s . Who was Ulys ses ? ’

A ns He was king o f Ithaca and ha d been li ke

.
, ,

many other p rinces o f Gr e ece a su ito r o f the ,

beau tiful Helen Believing that he h ad no hop e

.

fo r s u ccess among so many competitor s Ulys ses ’

,
’
ask e d the hand of Penel ope dau ght er of Icar us, .

His s ui t was gr anted ; b u t when he was abo ut to

de par t w ith his bride Ic a r us was S O mu ch grieved
, ,

that he t ried to per su ade Pe n e l ope to r emain with

’

him and n o t acco m pany he r h u sband to Ithaca

, .

’
Ulys ses bade he r act accor ding to he r inclination .

saying that she was fr ee to r emain if su ch was ,

he r desir e Penel ope made no r eply but d r opped

.
'
,

he r veil over he r face Icar u s u r ged he r no

.

longer and when she was gone he e r ected a s ta

, ,

tu e to Modesty o n the S pot whe r e they pa rt

,

ed When the Gr ecian pr inces wer e call ed u p on

.

to r evenge the abdu ction of Helen Ulys s es w a s ,

’

unwillin g to leave his peaceful kingdom and s a c ,

rifi ce the happiness he enj oyed in the co m any o f

p
 MYT H O LO G Y .
157

’
Penel ope Hear ing that Palame des had come t o
’
.

summon him to the field he pr etended to be in ,

san e He yoked a ho r se and a b ull togethe r and

.
,

began plou ghi ng the sands o f the sea S ho r e s o w -

ing salt instead of gr ain Palame des cau sed Tel ~

’
.

’
e m ac hu s the inf ant son of Ulys ses to be laid b e
'

, ,

for e the plo ugh and the manne r in which the

,

father hastened to r emove the child con vinced ,

eve r y o ne that his insanity was feigned He was .

obliged ther efor e to j oin the expeditio n against

, ,

Tr oy b ut he never for gave Palame des fo r having

,
’

exposed his str ata ge m The manner in which .

’
Ulys ses r evenged himself is not calc ulated to give
u s a very high op inion of the he r o D ur ing the .

siege he b r o u ght for war d a false accu sation

,
’
against Palame des which he su ppor ted S O well
, ,

that the latter was condemned and p u t to death , .

’
Ulys ses distingu ished himself dur ing the war ,

by his wisdom an d pru dence in co uncil and his ,

cour age o n the field of battle We have alr eady .

spoken o f the par t which he took in carrying o ff

the Palladium o f Tr oy A s a r ewar d fo r his S e r
.

’
vices he r eceived the ar mor o f A chil les which
, ,

Ajax had di spu ted with him .

Af ter the fall of Tr oy Ulys ses embar ked with

’
,

the intention o f r etur ning to Gr eece b ut he met ,

with so many extr aor dinar y advent ur es that it ,

was onl y after ten year s o f pe r il and har dships ,

that he was per mitted to land u pon the sho re s o f

Ithaca .

The O dyssey the second of the two great poem s

,
 58 HE RO E S CE LE B RAT E D BY T HE PO E T S .

a t tri buted to Home r is a history o f the wa nde r

,
.

’
in gs of Ulys ses Af te r some adventu r es of mi
.

no r impo rt ance the ships o f the her o we r e ove r

,

taken by a stor m which dr ove them so u thwar d

fo r nine days and as many nights u ntil they
, ,

r eached the countr y o f the Lot u s eate r s When -

.

’
the tempest abated Ulys ses sent some o f his
,

co m pani ons o n sho r e They wer e kindly enter

.

tain e d by the Lot u s eate r s who r e gal e d them

-

with their own favor ite food the lotu s plant , .

This was of s u ch a natur e that all who par took ,

o f it for got home and fr iends and we r e fill ed with ,

a so r t o f indolent contentment so that they had ,

no other desir e than to r emain always in that

’
co untr y Ulys ses was obli ged to have these men
.

dr agg e d away by for ce and even then it was , ,

necessary to bind them with r opes to the benches

o f the ship .

’
The escape o f U l ys ses fr om the caver n o f the
Cyclops a n d from the enchantments o f Cir ce has
been alr eady r elated A fter passing safely b e
.

tween Scylla and Charyb di s Ulys ses landed in ,

’

the island o f T hrin akia whe r e the cattle o f

,

Hyper ion (the S un) fed in ver dant pastur es Cir ce .

had war ned the voyage r s that these flocks shoul d

b e held inviolate howeve r pr essing their wants
-

might be They wer e detained a long time at

.

’
T hr in akia by contr ar y winds and Ulys ses bound
his companions by an oath that they wo ul d n o t
to u ch the sac r ed her ds They wer e however .
, ,

so pr ess e d by famine that they vent u r ed one da y ,

 HE R O E S C E LE B RAT E D BY THE PO RT S . 159

’
in the abs e nce o f Ulys ses to slay a nu mbe r of the ,
.

sacr ed cattle vainly endeavo r ing to p r opiti ate

the o ffended god by o ffe r ing a po r tion in sac r ifice
, .

’
Ulys ses r etur ning to the S hor e was str uck with ,

horr or at their temer ity the mo r e so o n acco unt ,

of the fear ful signs whi ch follo wed The skins .

c r e pt on the gr ound and the j oints o f meat lowed

,

on the spits whil e r oasting .

A s the wind was n o w favor able Ulys ses has ,

'

tened to fly fr om the fatal island The ven .

g e a n ce of the
g o d p ur s u ed them o n the sea and ,

a terr ible sto r m ar ose in which all perished ex

, ,

’
cept Ulys ses himself who was spar ed as havin g
,

taken no par t in the s ac rn e ge He fo r med a r aft .

fr o m the fr agments of his S hip and was at length ,

cast by the waves upon the island of the nymph

’
Calypso This goddess ente r tained Ulys ses with
.

mu ch kindness and even o fle r e d to Shar e he r

'

i
immor tal ty with the he re if he wo ul d con s ent to ,

fo r get Ithaca and d well fo r ever in he r happy island .

Jupite r however sent Mer c ur y to Calypso with

, , ,
’
the command that she shoul d dis m iss Ulys ses ,

a nd p r ovide him with all that was necessa r y fo r

his homewar d voyage .

The goddess r eluctantly obeyed a r aft was

constructed and fur n ished and Ulys ses depar ted ,
'

fr o m the island .He sped p r osper ously fo r som e

days and was almost within sight of land when
, ,

a violent sto r m a r ose in which he would have,

p e r is hed had he no t been aided by a c o mp assio m

160 MYT H O LO G Y .

ate sea nymph Minerva also smoothed the bil , ,

lows b e for e him and he swam safely to land

, .

T he Ph ae acians o n whos e shor es he had b e en

,

c ast r eceived him kin dly

, and fitted o u t a s hip ,

in which he sailed fo r Ithaca Ulys ses was ’

.

a sleep when the vessel to u ched the st r and T he .

Ph ae acians carr ied him on shor e without awak

ing him and placed near him a chest fill e d with
,

costly gifts afte r whi ch they sailed away N e p

, .

t u ne was S o mu ch di spleased with the Phte a c ian s

’
fo r ai di ng Ulys ses that as thei r vessel was r e
, ,

tur ning to por t he tr ansfor med it into a r ock

, ,

which continued ever after to obst r u ct the mou th

o f their ha r bor .

The arr ival of the he r e could not have o c

c urr ed mor e oppor tunely fo r the deliver ance of
’
hi s wife the faithful Penel ope
,
When a long .

time had elapsed afte r the fall o f Tr oy and n o ,

tidin gs wer e r eceived of Ulys ses it was gen e r ally

’
,

believed that he had perished Mor e than a hun .

dr ed nobles of Ithaca and the s ur r ou n di ng islands ,

became suitor s fo r the hand of Pen e l ope ; she ’

’
however still cher ished the hope o f he r h u sban d s
r et ur n and r e fused to enter tain any p r oposal of
,

marri age The suito r s neve rtheless per sisted ;

.

they r emained in the palace which they filled ,

with riot and feasting and continu ally ur ged Pen

,

e l ope to choose a h u sband fr om among th e i r

'

number She p r omised at len gth that she woul d

.
, ,

do so when she had completed a cer tain w e b of

em b r oi de r y o n which she was engaged They .
 H E RO E S CE LE B RAT E D BY THE PO E T S . 1 61

g eed to w ait and Penel ope deceived them fo r

a r ,
’

a long time plying he r nee dl e dili gently d ur i ng

,

the day and undoing the gr eater par t o f he r wo rk

,

a t night This device su cceeded fo r th r ee year s

.
,

at the end o f which time the s uitor s became S O

i mpo r tu nate that Penel ope co uld no longe r r esist
’
.

She pr omised ther efor e that she wo ul d marr y

, ,

that man who sho ul d send an ar row fr om the

bow o f Ulys ses thr ough twelve r ings su spended
’
,

in a line The conditions wer e accepte d ! and it

.

was o n the ve r y eve o f the day appoin ted fo r the

contest that Ulys ses landed in Ithaca It was
,
’
.

necessary to conce al his r etur n ; fo r this p ur pose

the he r o di sguised himself as a beggar and by ,

the aid o f Miner va so changed his whole appear ,

ance that it was impossible fo r any o ne to r e cog

nize hi m In thi s char acte r he was kindly r e
.

ce iv e d by E u m ae u s a swine he r d fr om whom he,

-

lear ned all that had tr anspir ed and the p r esent ,

’
distr ess of Penel ope .

’
Telem ach us the son o f Ulys ses had be e n ah
’
, ,

sent fo r a long time in sear ch o f his fa ther He .

had vis ited the co ur ts o f the other kings who had

taken par t l n the Tr ojan w a r b ut without obtain ,

ing any cer tain tidings While still engaged in .

thi s qu est Mine rva bade him r etur n to Ithaca ;

,

he obeyed and the goddess contr ived that he

,

s ho uld arr ive o n the same day with his fath e r ,

and meet him in the hut o f E um ae us A ft e r .

mutual explanations and affectionate gr e eti n gs , ,

the two he r oes cons ulted as to what me a sur e s

162 MYT H O LO G Y .

they sho uld take for the p uni shment of the suit s

’
o r s and the delive r ance of Penel ope
,
It was r e .

solved that Telem ach us shoul d pr oceed to the'

palace and mingle with the suitor s as for mer ly ;

, ,

’
that Ulys ses S houl d also go b ut in the disgui se ,

o f a begga r S u ch pe r sons wer e often admitt ed

.
,

in ancient times to the hall s o f chi eftains and

,

princes wher e they enter tained the guests with

,

stories o f their wander ings and wer e r egale d ,

with a po r tion of the viands O n their arr ival at .

the p alace they fo und the u s u al scene o f ri ot and

,

’
festivity The suito r s r eceived Telem achu s with
.

affected joy altho u gh sec r etly mo r tified at the

,

’
fail ur e o f their plots against him A s Ulys se s .

ente r ed a dog which lay in the cour t half dead

, ,

with age r aised his head in s u dden r ecognition

, ,

fawned upon his O ld maste r and expir ed It w as ,

.

’
A r g us whom Ulys ses had ofte n led to the chase
,
.

T he banqu et p r oceeded b ut Telem ach u s ha d

’
,

mu ch diffic ul ty in dissembling his feelin gs when

the suito r s made his father a subject o f mocker y ;
and o n e o f them carr ied his insolence so far as to
str ike the disg uised her o At length the tim e .
,

arr ived fo r the contest o f S kill whi ch was to de

’
cide the fate of Penel ope Twelve rings wer e .

s u spended at equ al distances and Telem achus ,

’

br o u ght fr om the ar mor y the mighty bow o f

’
Ulys ses with its quiver o f arr ows ; taking car e
, ,

a t the same tim e to r emove all other weapons

,

fr om the hall .

T he fi r st thing to be done was to ben d the b o w in , ,

orde r to a tta ch the str in This T e le m achus ’

 HE RO E S C E LE B RAT E D BY T H E PO RT S . 1 63

tr ied to do and was obliged to confess that his

,

st r ength was u nequ al to the e ffor t He passed .

the bow to o n e o f the s uitor s who was compelled ,

to yield it in tur n amid the r aille r y o f his com

,

panions When sever al had failed in the sam e

.

manner Ulys ses begged that he might be allowed

,
’

to try hi s skill The r equ est was r eceived with

.

sho uts o f der ision and some woul d have driven

,
’
the insolent beggar fr om the hall Telem ach us .

interfer ed and r e m ar king with affected indiffe r

, ,

ence that they might as well gr atify the o ld man

, ,

bade him try Ulys ses took the bow and the
’
.
,

s u ito r s wer e a m azed to see him handle the migh ty

weapon as if it had been a playthi ng Their sur .

p r ise was still gr eate r when having adj u sted the

, ,

cor d and chosen an ar r ow fr om the quive r he

, ,

took su ch steady aim that the arr ow sped u ner

rin gly th r o u gh all the r ings ; he then exclaimed ,
”
Now fo r another mark 1 and aimed a second
s haft at the most insolent of the su ito r s He fell .

’
dead and as the other s r u shed for war d Telem a
, ,
’
ch u s placed hi mself by his father s side with E u ,

m ee u s and other ar med r etainer s The s ui to r s de .

,

riv e d o f their weapons and te rr ified at the as

p ,

e c t o f the inj ur ed p r ince who m they r ecognized

p ,

too late turned to fly b u t E um aeu s secur ed the

, ,

door s A despe r ate str uggle ens u ed in whi ch all

.
,

wer e slain and Ulys ses was left master of his pal
,
’

ace and hi s kingdom The O dyssey concludes

.

with a descr iption o f the r ejoicin gs which followed ,

an d the happiness enjoyed by Ulys ses and Pe n e l

’ ’

O p e afte r their lon g se p ar atio n .

 CH APT ER XXXVI .

O R E S T E S .

One s Who was O r estes ?

.

Ans . He was the son o f A gamemnon a nd Cly ,

’
te mn e str a . A t the time o f his fathe r s assassina
tion O r este s then a ch il d was saved by his sis
, , ,

te r Electr a who sent him sec r etly to their u ncl e

,

Str ophiu s king o f Phocis Her e he fo r med a

, .

friendship with Pylad e s the son o f that monar ch , ,

which was so t ru e and constant that it passed

in to a pr o ver b O r estes was u r ged by messages
.

fr om his siste r Electr a to avenge the m ur der o f

,

his father and he r co unsels wer e confir med by

,

the r e S p o n s o s o f the o r acle o f A pollo at Delphi .

O r estes accompani ed by his fri end Pyl ades r e

,
'
,

p ai r ed in disg u ise to Mycen ae He r e he an .

n o un c e d h imself to Clytemnestr a as a messenger

fr om Str ophiu s bringing news o f the death o f he r

,

s o n O r estes The. g u ilty qu e en f e igned to gr ie v e

at these ti di ngs b ut Z E gis thu s made no e ffor t to

,

conceal his satisfaction O r estes was now seized .

with horr or at the thou ght o f the d e ed which he

was abou t to commit b ut the r epr oaches Of Ele c
,
 HE RO E S CRL E R RAT E D BY T H E PO RT S . 1 65
’
tr a , and the rememb r ance o f his fathe r s cr uel
fate banished every tho ught o f pity and he sle w
, ,

Clytemnestr a and E gisthu s with his o wn hand .

This act however j u stified by the guilt o f Clyte m

,

n e s tr a and the exp r ess command o f the gods w a s

, ,

abhorr ent to natur e and could n o t pass u n a ,

venged O r estes was p ur su ed by the Fur ies and

.
,

wandered fr antic and despair ing fr om land to

’
land always accompanied by the faithful Pyl ades
, .

The o r acle of A pollo was cons ulted and the ,

Pythi a declar e d that O r estes would n o t be de

liver ed u ntil he had visited the Taur ic Cher so
’
ne s u s and b r o u ht fr om thence to A r gos a c e r
, g ,

tain statu e o f Diana fr om the temple o f that god

,

dess It was the c ustom at Taur is to sacr ifice

.
,

all str anger s at the altar O f Diana ; O restes and

’
Pyl ades wer e accor di ngly seized o n their arr ival ,

and car ried as victims to the temple The o ffi c i .

ating pr iestess was no other than Iphigenia the ,

si s ter o f O r estes whom Diana had saved when

,

she was abou t to be immolated at A ul is Pe r .

c e iv in g that the str ange r s wer e Gr eeks she O f ,

fe r e d to spar e the life of one o n condition that he ,

wo ul d be the bea r e r o f a letter to Gr eece .

This p r op osal gave r ise to a memor able

contest o f fri endship each desiring to sacr ifice,

’
himself fo r the other Pyl ades at length yielde d
.

to O r estes and consented to take the letter H is

, .

sur p r ise was great on per ceivin g that it was a d

dressed to O r estes hi mself ; an e xp lan atro n fol
lowe d and Iphigeni a r e s olved o fly from T aur is
,
t
16 6 MYT H OLO G Y .

with he r br other Their plans wer e so well lai d

.
,

that they not only su cceeded in escaping un o b ~

s e rved b ut wer e also enabled to carry O ff the
,

st a t u e Of Diana which they br ought to A r gos

,
.

O r estes r eigned many year s in Mycen ae and ,

wa s marr ied to his cou sin Her mi one dau gh

’

te r Of Menela u s and Hel e n ’

Pyl ades mar ri e d .
’

Elec tr a the sister Of hi s fr iend

,
.

The tr agic poets add many m c ide nts to the

sto r y o f O r estes They say that when pur s ued
.

by the F ur ies he took r efu ge in the temple o f

,

A pollo at D elphi
,
By the command of that go d
.
,

he r epai r ed to A thens wher e he was tri ed by the ,

cour t of A r eop agus The j u dges we r e di vided in

'

their sentiments b u t Miner va inter fer e d in beh alf

,

of O r estes and he was ac quitte d

,
.

H E C T O R .

Q ues Who was Hector ?

.

A ns He was the son o f Pr iam and Hec ub a

.
’
,

and the most valiant o f all the Tr ojan chiefs who

fo u ght against the Gr eeks The Fates had de .

cr eed that Tr oy sho uld n o t be taken as long a s

Hecto r lived The her o kn ew that he was des
.

tined to fall befo r e the walls of hi s native city ,

an d that he co ul d at best o nl y postpone the r u in

o f his co untry fo r a little time Not di scour age d .

by this he per fo r med pr odigi es o f valor and slew

, , ,

with his o wn hand Pa tr oclus the fr iend o f A chil

, ,

le s
. He next went o u t to meet A chil les himse lf ’
 HE RO E S C E LE B RAT E D BY T HE PORT S . 1 67

n otwithstan di ng the r emonstr ances o f Pri a m and

’
H ec uba and the tear s of his wife An dr om ach e
’
, .

H e fell as we have s een and this event was sho r tly

, ,
’
followed by the over thr ow o f his fathe r s king
dom Hector was not only distingu ished as a
.

wa rr io r and a patr iot ; he was equ ally admir able

as a son hu sband and father ; and his char acter
, ,

is pe rhaps the noblest which has been described

by any wr iter O f antiqu ity .

When T r oy was taken Calchas excited mu ch ,

un e asiness among the G r eeks by a p r ediction , ,

’
that if A sty anax the son o f Hector wer e per mit
, ,
’
ted to live he woul d o n e day avenge his fathe r s
,

death and r aise Tr oy fr om its ru ins Diligent

,
.

sear ch was ther efo r e made fo r the child who had ,

been concealed by his mother in the r ecesses o f

’
Hecto r s tomb Her e he was di scover ed by
.

Ulys ses Disr egar din g the p r ayer s of the unh ap

’
.

py A nd r om ache
’
the G r ecian commander s
, p re

cip ita te d the boy fr om the summit o f a lofty tower .

(E D I P U S — E T E O C L E S A N D
PO L Y N ICE S .

Q ues What was the story o f these princes ?

.

’
A ns (E dip u s was the son o f L a iu s kin g o f
.
,

T hebes He was exposed by hi s father im m e di

.

ately o n his bir th to avoid the fulfill ment o f an

,

’
o r acle which declar ed that La i u s was destined to

fall by the hand o f o n e o f his c hi ld r en (E di p .

wa s found by a he r dsman who b r o ugh t him to ,

I 68 MYT H O LO G Y .

Pol yb u s kin g o f Cor inth Thi s monar ch was

’

, .

chil dless and adopted the in fant as his o wn

, .

When (E dip us was gr own to manhood he de ,

«

sired to lear n something o f his r eal par e ntag e ,

and went to consul t the or acle o f Delphi T he .

god war ned him to shun his native countr y de ,

c la ri n
g that if he r et ur ned thithe r he wo ul d b e ,

come the mur der er o f his father and be guilty o f,

c ri m es which would dr aw u pon him the ven

g e a n c e o f the gods (E. dip u s u nde r stood this o f
Co r inth and instead o f r e tur ning to that city
, ,

p r oc e eded to Thebes Her e he slew his fathe r

La ius in an accid e ntal enco unter and afte r his
’
, ,

vi cto r y ove r the Sphinx which we have alr eady

,

mentioned he fulfilled the other pr edictions o f

,

the o r acle .

(E dip u s r eigned many year s in Thebes befo re

he di scover ed his par entage and the cr imes which
,

he had un knowingly committed In his despair .

,

he p u t o u t his eyes and went into exil e leaving

, ,

’ ’
the thr one to his sons Et e ocles and Polyni ces .

It w a s agr eed between the b r othe r s that they

’
S ho ul d r eign each a yea r alt e r nately Ete ocles .

fi r st ascended the thr one b ut when the year had

expir ed he r efu sed to r esign the c r own Polyni ces
,
.
’

wa s indignant at this b r each of faith and fled to ,

A r gos wh e r e he marri e d the dau ghte r of King

,

A dr ast us This monar ch ass e mbled a lar ge ar m v

.

to e nfo r ce the claims o f his son in —law T he -

.

c ommand of the exp editio n was given to s e ve n

 HE RO E S CE LE B RAT E D BY THE PO RT S . 1 69

c hieftains who wer e to attack each o ne o f the

,

seven gates o f Thebes .

A fte r all the Ar give leader s except A dr astu s , ,

had per ished befo r e the walls it was pr e po sed ,

’
that Ete o c les and Polyni ces should decide the '

war by single com b at The b r othe r s fou ght with

.

s u ch a nim o sitv that both fell mor tally wou nded , .

'

The battle was then r enewed and the A r give s ,

we r e totall y defeated C r eon the u ncle of the

.
,

fallen pri nces was n e w kin g o f Thebes ; he had

,

the body o f Ete ocles honor ably b uried b u t he left

'
,

’
the r emains of Polyni ces exposed to the dogs and
vul tur es and forbade under pain o f death that
, , ,

any o n e Should bestow o n him the r ites o f s e p ul

tur e He th us car ried his vengeance beyond the
.

gr ave a s accor ding to Gr eek su per stition the

, , ,

soul s o f the unb ur ied wer e exclu ded fo r a he n ;

dr ed year s fr om the Elysian fields .

A ntig one the dau ghter o f (E dip u s had mean

'
, , ,

while accompanied he r fathe r in hi s exile a nd

, ,

watched ove r him with to u ching devotion until

death r eleased he r fr om this filial du ty She no .

sooner learned the cru el or der of Cr eon than she ,

r esolved at whateve r haza r d to pe r fo r m the tu

, ,

n e r al r ites fo r Polyni ces S he s ucceeded in ap

’
.

pr e aching the cor pse whi c h she cover ed wi th

,

ea rth making the u su al libations

,
.

While th us engaged An tig one w a s seized a nd

’
,

br ought befor e C r eon She defended nobly the

.

pious act which she had p e rfo r m ed and w a s ,

condemned by the ty r ant to be entombed alive .

1 70 MYT H O LO G Y .

The misfor tu nes o f (E di p u s an d his chil i r e n

have b e e n celebr ated by th r ee Gr eek t r agedians
ZE s c hylu s Sophocles and E ur ipide s In the
,
.

tr agedy of Sophocles which bear s he r name the ,

’
char acter o f A ntig one is beau tiful ly dr awn .

We have the ste r nest he r ois m temp e r ed always ,

by the tender ness o f filial piety an d sisterly devo

tion The whole pr ese nts the finest ideal o f w e
.

manl y excellence which can be fo und in the writ

ings o f any ancient poet .

’
The following lines ar e ta ken fr om Dale s tr ans
'

lation o f the A ntig one C r eon r epr oaches the .

he r oine with having violated the laws ; she r e ~

p lies

N e er
’
did e ter n a l Jo v e laws o r dain
s u ch ,

O r Ju stic e , thr o n e d am i d th ’
infe r n al p o we rs ,

Wh o on k
m an in d the s e ho i e r l rite s im p o s e d
N o r c an I de e m thin e e di c t ar m e d with p o we r
T o c o n tr av e n e laws
the fi r m un writte n
O f th e j u s t g o ds thys e lf a w e ak frail m o rtal !
,

I kn e w b e fo r e
T ha t I m u s t di e th o u gh tho u had s t n e er p r o c laim e d it
’ ’
, .

An d if I p e r is h e re th al l o tte d t er m
’
,

I d e e m that de ath a b l e s sin g Who tha t live s .

L ik e m e e n c o m p as s e d b y u nn u m b e r e d ill s ,

B u t wo ul d acc o un t it b l e ss e dn e ss to die ?
If the n I m e e t the do o m thy laws as sign ,

It n o thi n g gr ie v e s m e H a d I l e ft m y b r o the r
.
,

Fr o m m y o wn m o the r s p ru n g o n th e b ar e ear th
T o lie u n b u ri e d that in d e e d m ight gr ie v e m e ;
, , ,

B ut fo r thi s d e e d I m e an . no t.
”
 C HAPTER XX XVII .

E N E- A S .

Q W h was ZE s?
'
ue s o . n e a

A ns He was a T r oj an chief the s o n of Ven us

.
,

and A nchi ses

’
He was born o n Mo unt Ida
.
,

wher e he was nur tur ed by the D ryads u ntil he

had attained his fif th year when he was b r o u ght ,
’
to his fathe r A nchi ses was not o n fr ien dl y ter ms
.

with the family o f P riam b u t thi s coldn ess did ,

J o t p r event E ne as fr om exe r tin g hi mself to the

’

utmost in defence o f hi s co untry Excepting .

Hector only ther e was no Tr ojan who so distin

,

u is he d himself by his valor When T r oy was

g .

taken ZE n e as made his escape fr om the burning

,
’

’
city bear ing o n his sho ul de r s the aged A nchi ses
,
“

and leadin g his little son As caniu s by the hand .

His wife was separ ated fr om hi m in the confu sion

and d ar kness and peri shed by the swo r d o f the
,

enemy A nchises bor e with him the s ac r ed

.

Penates O f T r oy and his ho usehold gods l E n e a s

,
.
’

was join e d by the gr eate r par t o f the Tr ojans ,

b oth men and women who had escaped fr om the ,

horr o r s Of that fatal night They concealed th e m .

1 72 MYT H O LO G Y .

s elves in the neighbor ing mo un tains u ntil the

Gr eeks had departed after which they constru c ted
,

a fleet o f tw enty sail In the second yea r afte r

.

the destru ction o f Tr oy the r e m nant o f the T r o

,

jans embar ked u nder the gu idance o f Z E n e a s in

’

sear ch o f n e w settlements A fte r many wand e r

.

in gs and adventur es they land e d at Epi r u s and

,
’
,

’
wer e r ejoiced to lear n that Hel enu s o n e o f the ,

s ons o f P r ia m was r eigni ng in that co untr y

, He .

had marri ed An dr om ache and the meeting o f

’
,

ZE n e a s with the wi dow o f the great Hector is the

'

s u bj e ct o f a very beau tiful passage in the ZE n e id .

The Penates of T r oy had appear ed at night to

An chi ses and r evealed to him that Italy was the
’
,

land allotted by the Fates to the exiled T r oj ans .

Z E n e aS r ecalled a p r edi ction o f Cassandr a to the

'

’
same effect ; and Hel enus who was endowed ,

with the gift of pr ophecy now confir med what ,

had been alr eady fo r etold He r ender ed hi s ex

.

iled countrymen all the assistan c e in his powe r ,

and dis m issed them at length loaded with costly ,

’
gifts Z E n e a s was destined to pass th r ou gh many
.

pe r ils befo r e landing o n the shor es o f Italy In .

the seventh year O f their wander ings the T r oj ans ,

wer e dr iven by a stor m on the coast of Afri ca ; her e

they wer e kin dly enter tained by Dido who was ,

then e ngaged in the e r ection o f he r new city o f

Carthage The qu een admir ed the gr eat qu ali
.

ties o f the T r ojan chief and felt he r hear t moved

,

with compassion at the sight of so mu ch unde

se rv e d misfo r tune. She r esolved ther efor e to , ,
 HE RO E S CE LE B RAT E D BY THE PO RT S 1 73

sha r e he r thr o ne with the he r o and to Offer his ,

follower s a per manent settl e m en t in the countr y .

This pr oposal seems n o t to have been displeasin g

either to Z E n e as o r to the T r oj ans For getful O i
’
.

the decr ees o f fate th e y lin ger ed many months

,

in i dl e pleasur e and [E ne as was only r ou se d to

,
’

action by the dir ect inter ve ntion o f the gods J u .

piter sent Mer c ur y to the he r o com m anding him ,

to embark withou t delay and p r o cee d to his des

,

tined settlement in Italy Z E n e a s obeyed and .

’
,

made the necessar y p r epar ations fo r depar tur e ,

di s r egar d n g the tear s and r ep r oaches Of the

i

qu een .

When Dido foun d that all was un availing and ,

that the Tr ojans had alr eady embar ked S he kill ed ,

her self in despair .

EE n e a s spent some time in Sicily whe r e he cele

’
,

br a te d funer al g a m e s in honor o f his father who

'
,

ha d died the r e the p r eceding yea r He left with .

A cestes a T r oj an p r ince who gove r ned a par t o f

,

the island the women the aged men and all who
, , ,

wer e likely to be u sel e ss in the w ar s which a wait

’
ed him E ne as next landed at C u m ae in Italy
.
,
.

This was the abode o f a famo us Sibyl of whom ,

we will speak elsewher e She for etold to the

.

her o mu ch that was to happen dur ing hi s settle

ment in Italy ; b ut in or der that he might b e
fully infor med o f the f utur e destinies Of his r ace ,

she O ffer ed to cond uc t hi m to the wor ld of shades .

’
ZE n e a s having plu cked in the sacr ed gr ove a
, ,

g olden bo u gh as a gift to Pr ose r

’
pine descende d ,
1 74 MYT H OLO G Y .

with the Si byl to the dr eary r ea lms o f Plu to

After seein g m u ch that was wond e r ful and pass ,

ing thr o u gh r egions inhabited by di ffe r ent classe s

of depar ted soul s th e y enter ed the happy plain s ,

of Elysiu m This was the abode of the her oes

.

an d other favo r ites of the gods He r e in a fr a ‘

.
,

’
gr ant meado w Z E n e a S foun d the shade o f An
,

chi s e s
’
who sho wed him the so uls which we r e
,

destined to r et ur n to ea r th and beco m e the futur e ,

’
he r oes o f Rome A nchi ses also r e cou nted to .

’
E ne as the glo r io u s deeds which they wer e o n e
day to per for m In this passage Virgil takes .
,

occasion to gr atify the vanity o f A u gu st u s and

the gr eat families of Rome by int r oducing their ,

names and actions in the p r ophetic di scour se o f

’
A nchi ses .

’
Ret ur ning to uppe r air Z E n e a S t o ok leave o f ,

the S ibyl and pur su ed his voyage along the Ital

,

ian coast anchoring at len gth in the mo ut h o f the

,

Tiber .

The country ar o un d was gove r ned by a p rince

named La tinus the son of Fa u nu s and the nymph
,

Marica This pr ince had o n e child a dau ghter

.
,

named Lavini a H e r hand had been p r omised to

.

T ur nu s p r ince of the Rutuli an s b u t L atinu s wa s

, ,

war ned by an or acle that his destined son in law - -

was to come from afar and that Lavini a was to ,

’
wed a for eigner When Z E n e a s sent an embassy
.

to Latinu s r equ esting per mission to settle in the

,

co untry that pr ince believed that the T r oj an

,

chi e f was the pe r son pointed o u t by the o r acle ,

 HE RO E S CE LE B RAT E D BY THE PO RT S . 1 75

an d invited him to his palace All n e w seeme d

.

to pr omise a peaceful settlement to the har asse d

T r oj an s b ut the enmity o f J un o was not yet a p
,

peased She sent the F ury A lecto to the palac e

.

o f T ur nu s with o r de r s to excite this p r ince against

,

the str anger who was about to r o b him o f his

,

p r o mi sed br ide A long w ar ensued which fo r ms

.
,

the subject o f the conclu ding books o f the Z E R e id .

A t length T ur n us fell in a p e r s o n ah c o m b at wit h

’
Z E ne as. The hand o f Lavinia was the price o f
victo r y and fr om the T r ojan he r e we r e descend
,

ed the fo under s o f Rome .

The ZE n e id conclu des with the death o f Tur n us ,

but we have some fur the r p a r t icula r s h anded

down by tr adition ZE n e a s b uilt a city call e d
.
,

fr om his b r ide L aviniu m Her e he gover n e d his

,
.

T r oj an and Italian s ubjects who became o n e

,

p e ople under the common name of Latin s T he .

new kingdom was attacked by sever al o f the

neighbor ing p rinces led by Mezentiu s king of
, ,

Etr uria JE n e a s defeated the allies b ut was

.
,

kil led in the moment o f victory The family of .

J ulii made ill ust r io u s by Juli u s C ae sar claim e d

, ,

de s ce nt from Iul us gr andson of E ne as

,
.
 C H A PT ER XXXVIII .

S IB Y LS — A UG UR S

O
nes Who. we r e the Sibyls ?
A ns The Sibyll ae o r Sibyls wer e cer tain fe
.
, ,

m ales s upposed to be in spir ed by Heaven who

, ,

flourished at di ffer ent times and in differ ent par ts

of the wor ld A ccor din g to the histor ian Var r o
.
,

they wer e ten in number The most cel e b r ated .

was the Cu m ae an Sibyl o f whom the po e ts give

,

the following account A pollo sou ght the love Of

.

the yo un g pr ophetess and pr om ised to give he r

,

w hateve r she sho uld demand The S ibyl desir ed .

that she might live as many year s as she had

gr ains of sand in he r hand ; b ut as she fo r got to
ask fo r health and you thful bloom this long life ,

pr oved r ather a b ur den than a benefit She had .

re jected the s ui t of A pollo and the go d r efu sed , ,

ther efo r e to w ithdr aw hi s gift o r mitigate the

,

s ever ity o f he r lo t This Sibyl had alr eady live d

.

’
s even hun d r ed year s w hen Z E n e a s came to Italy ,

and six centuri es still r emained o f the time gr ant

ed by A pollo She accompanied Z E ne a s o n his
.
’

vis it to the lower wo r l d Accor din g to a well

.
 S IB YLS AN D AUG URS . 1 77

kno wn Roman legend the sibyl s came to

,
one of

the palace of the second Tar qu in with nine vol

umes which she offe r ed to s e ll at a ver y high
,

price The king declined the o ffer the S ibyl im

.

me di ately disappear ed and b ur ned thr ee o f the

volu mes Retu r ning soon afte r she asked the
.
,

same p r ice fo r the r emaining six books ; and

when Tar qu in again r efused to b uy them she ,

bur ned th r ee mor e and still per sisted in demand

,

ing the same sum o f money fo r those that we r e

left This extr aor dinary conduc t astonished the
.

monar ch and with the advice o f the A u gur s he

,

bo ught the books upon which the S ibyl dis ap ~

,

e are d and was neve r seen afte r These books

p .

wer e p r eser ved w ith gr eat car e and wer e calle d ,

the Sibylli ne Ver s e s A college of p r iests was ap

.

poin ted to take char ge of them an d the y wer e ,

'

consulted with the gr eatest solemnity whenever ,

the state seemed to be in danger When the Capi .

tol was b ur ned in the tr ou bles r ais ed by Sylla the ,

Sibylline Ver ses ar e said by so m e to have perished

in the c o nfla gr atio n It is believed however o n
.
, ,

good au thority that they wer e in existence as lat e

,

as the four th centur y when they we r e dest r oy e d

,

by command of the E m pe r or Hono r iu s Var io u s .

coll e ctions wer e after war ds made which are ge n ,

e ra lly admitted to be fo r ger ies .

Differ ent opinions have pr evailed with r egar d

to the pr oph e cies of the S ibyls some o f which it , ,

is said pointed clear ly to the advent o f a R e

,

de emer the time o f his com ing and the submi t!

, ,
1 78 MYT H OLO G Y .

sion o f Rome to the new dispensatio n It has .

been thou ght that these passages wer e invented

by later Ch r istian wr iter s b ut Bishop Hor sley a , ,

lear ned English divine thi nks it mor e r easonab le to

,

suppose that the S ibylli ne books contained the r e

c o r ds o f p r ophecies which we r e gr anted in p rimi

tive times to nations o u tside o f the patriar chal

,

and Jewish r aces He cites in favor o f this Opin

.

io n the fact that St Ju stin in his apology a d

,
.
,

dr essed to the E m per o r Mar cu s A ntoninu s ap ,

peals confidently to the S ibylline pr ophecies ,

and at that time abou t the middle o f the secon d

,

cent ur y it was not possible that the Chr istian s

,

S ho uld have added anything to them The r e ar e .

also passages in the fo ur th Eclogue o f Vir gil

which pr ove that the expectation o f a Saviour ,

a n d the beli ef that the time o f his advent was ap

r o ac hin g existed even amo ng the pagans

p ,
.

D iv i n a t i o n by O m ens — T he A u g ur s .

Q ues Wh o wer e the A u gur s ?

.

A ns They we r e p ri ests who s e office it was to

.

Obser ve and interpr et omens This science was .

derived fr om the ancient E trur ians Ther e w er e .

five pr incipal classes o f omens f r om which the

Au gu r s we r e su pposed to for etell futur e e ve nts ,

the good o r ill s u ccess o f an unde r taking etc , .

T he first wer e dr awn fr om the phenomena o f na

tur e su ch as thunde r lightning comets etc
, , , , .

T he second kin d Of omen was Obtained by O b s e rv

 SIB YL S AN D AUG URS . 1 79

bi g the c ries and the fligh t o f bir ds In the thir d .

class we m ay place the appetite o f the sac r e d

chickens ; when they di d n o t eat the omen was ,

so bad that it w a s consider ed unlu cky to give

battle o r u nd e r take anyt hi ng o f impor tance It
,
.

happened once that a Roman commander (Clau ,

diu s P ulcher ) when abo u t to engage the fl e et o f

,

the enemy was wa r ned by the A u gur s that the

,

s a c r ed chickens wo ul d n o t eat He r eplied w ith

.
,

ver y natur al contempt that if they would not e a t

, ,

they might dr ink and had them thr own into the
,

se a
. It is believed that the terr ible defeat the
Romans suffe r ed o n that day was owing in gr eat ,

par t to the discour agement o f the sailo r s who

, ,

supposed that their commander had for fe ite d the

favor o f the gods by this act O f sac r ileg a .

O mens wer e dr awn fr om the appear ance o f the

entr ails o f ani mals o ffe r ed in sacrific e also fr om ,

the meeting with qu adrupeds in a ny un a c c us

te med place .

The fifth class o f omen s was take n fr om differ

ent casualties such as Spilling salt S tu mbling o n
, ,

the thr eshold sneezing meeting a b ar e wolf fox

, , , , ,

e tc
. Some o f these last sup e r stitions p r e vail ,

mo re o r less to the p r ese nt da y

, .
 CH APT E R XXXIX .

O R A C LE S .

Ques W hat do yo u unders tand by or acle s ?

.

A ns The places whe r e th e heathen diviniti es

.

we r e supposed to answe r those who consul te d -

them wer e called or acl e s This wor d was also

, .

applied to the r esponses gi ven .

Q ues Name some o f the mor e famou s o r acles ?

.

A ns A m ong the most celeb r ated w e r e the o r a

.
,

’
cles o f Jupiter at Dodo na o f A poll o at Delphi ,

o f T r O p ho nius near L e b e de a in B oe oti a

’

, o f J up i

te r A mmon in the dese r ts o f L yb ia ; o f E sc u

,

lapins at Epidaur u s an d the C a stalian Fo u nt

[
.

Q ues De s c ribe the o r acle o f Dodo na

.
’
.

’
An s Dodo na was a town o f Epiru s p r obably
.
,

situ ated in the valley now called J o a nnin a b ut ,

the exact site has not been asce r tained In the .

e ar li e r times Ju piter gave answe r s to his votar ies

by me a ns o f a s o —called vocal o ak o r beach B r a .

ze n instr u ments s u spended fr om the higher

,

br an ches clashed togethe r when moved by the

,

wind . The p riestesses who wer e ap p ointe d to

 O R ACLE S .
1 8]

“ pl ain the r esponses o f the or acle co ul d attach

whateve r meaning they pleased to these inar tic
ula te so unds Later the Co r cyr ian s pr esented to
.
,

the temple a bra zen cal dron sur mo u nted by a

fig ur e of the same met al ; the stat u e held in its
ha n d a whi p the lash o f which consisted o f thr e e
,

ch ai ns each having an astr agalu s (a small bone)

,

at the end These when moved by the winds

.
, ,

str u ck the cal dr on and p r odu ced so contin u o us

,

a so und that four hundr ed vib r ations wer e some

ti mes counted befo r e it ceased Demos thene s .

tell s u s that the r esponses deliver ed to the A the

’
nian s at Dodo na wer e car efully p r eser ved in the

pu blic ar chives ; their r ever ence fo r the or acle

did n o t however pr event them fr om acc using
, ,

the pr iestess of being influenced by b r ibes when

they wer e dissatisfied with he r answer s .

The o r acle o f D o do fn a was pr obably the most

ancient in Gr eece The te mp le was founded by
.

the Pelasgi long befo r e the siege o f Tr oy it was

par tially des tr oyed by the EE to lian s dur ing the
S ocial W ar and it woul d seem that it never r e
,

cover ed fr om this di saste r The town existed .

many centur ies later and we r ead o f a bishop of

D odo na who attended the c o u ncil o f Ephesu s
’
.

Q ue s What does D io do r us tell u s concerning

.

the o r acle at Delphi ?

A ns This hi stori an r el ates that a shepher d
.
,

while feeding his flocks o n the side o f Mou nt

Par nassus observed that hi s sheep and goats o n
, ,

appr oaching a cer tain cavity in the e ar th b e gan ,

18 2 MYT H O LO G Y .

to skip and dance abou t in an extr aor din ary m an '

ne r . A s he dr ew near to examine the cau se o f

this phenom e non the vapor s exhaling fr om the
, ,

ear th a ffect e d him in the sam e way ; his body

,

wa s conv ulsed and he spoke wor ds w hich r e vealed

,

fut urity O ther s expe r ienced similar e ffects and

.
,

the exhalation was s u pposed to have a cer tain

divin e p r oper ty The cavity was appr oach e d
.

with r ever ence ; a tr ipod was placed ove r it ;

and a pr iestess o r Pythia was appointed to p r e
side The wo r ds which she u tter ed when under
.

the influ ence o f the vapo r we r e consider ed to be

inspir ed by A po llo ; c r o wds came to consult the
o r acle a temple was buil t and the city o f Delp h
, i

ar ose insensibly ar o und the spot .

A s the or acle gr ew in r epu te it became necessar y

to appoint a second and a thir d Pythia to ans w er
those who came to consul t the go d The Pythia .

could not pr ophesy u ntil she had become in to x

ic ate d by the vapo r fr o m the san c tu ar y This .

effect was n o t p r odu ced at all times and on som e ,

days it was not per mitte d to consult the o r acle .

Spr ing was consider ed the most pr opitiou s sea

so n .When A pollo was favor ably disposed his ,

appr oach was made known by the moving o f a

laur el that stood befor e the gate o f the templ e .

The sac red t ree was then se e n to t r emble in ev e ry

leaf .

The Pythia was obliged to p r epar e by fasts ,

s ac r ifices and p ur ifi c atio n s befo r e she ascend e d

the tr ipod When unde r the infl ue nc e o f the

.
 O RA CLE S .
18 3

myster io u s vapor he r hair stood e r ect h e r e yes

, ,

flashed she foamed at the mou th and a c o n vu l

, ,

sive t r emblin g seized he r whole body .

She then spoke p r O p he tic wor ds which wer e ,

car efull y noted by the attendant p riests T he .

o r a c le s we r e sometimes in ve r se b ut mo r e com
,

m o nl y in pr ose ; in the latte r case they we r e im

mediately v e r s ifi e d by po e ts employed fo r that
purpose .

Many r emar kable or acles ar e r eco r ded by H e

r o do tu s as having been delive r ed at Delphi b ut ,

as a gener al thing the answer s wer e ambig uous ,

and so cautio u sly wo r ded as to seem tr u e what ,

ever might be the event S uch was the answer

.

’
given to C r oe s us king o f Lydia when he con
, ,

s a lted the o r acle concer ning the r esult of his ex

e di tio n against the Medes The Pythia told
p .

hi m that by cr ossing the r ive r H alys he would

ruin a g r eat e m pir e b u t as she did not say what
,

empir e whether his own o r that of hi s enemies

, ,

the or acle coul d not fail of being fulfill e d T he r e .

is no doubt that the Pythi a was ofte n infl u e nced

by per su asio n o r b r i b es and many ill ustriou s p e r
,

s ons we r e acc u sed o f having bo ught the o r a c le s

they desir ed .

The temple of A pollo at Delphi was enri ched

by the offe rings o f di ffer ent p r inces and the s ur ,

ro un di ng nation s vied with o n e anothe r in the

m agnificence of their gifts The b ui lding wa s

.

d e s tr oyed by fi r e in the year 5 48 B C b ut was . .

,

so o n reb ui lt
. Xerxe s afte r h aving for ced the
,
18 4 M YT H O LO G Y .

pass o f The r mopylae sent a detachment o f his ,

a rmy to plu nder the t r easur es o f Delphi T he .

e xp e dition was u nsu ccess ful owing as the D el , ,

p h ian s asse r ted to a manifest inter position o f the

,

’
de ity Af te r war ds Philome l a s a Phocian gen
.
, ,

e r al ,
seized these tr eas ur es to pay his tr oops .

He is said to have ca rr ied O ff in gold and silver , ,

a sum equ al to ten million dollar s Still later .

Delphi w a s thr eatened by the Gauls unde r th eir ,

king B r enna s A cco r di ng to Pa usanias the

.
,

city and te mple wer e saved by Pan as w e have ,

seen in the acco u nt given o f that god ; b ut other s

d e clar e that the invaders possessed themselves o f
gr eat booty Sylla also pl unde r ed Delphi and
.
,

Ner o took fr om it at o n e time no less than five

, ,

hu ndr ed statu es o f b r onze .

The temple was finally di smantled by Constan

tine the Gr eat who ado r ned his Hippo dr ome
,

with the sac r ed tr ipods

No t r aces ar e known to exist of the cavern
whence issu ed the sacr ed vapor b ut some have ,

thou ght it might be di scover ed by sear chin g in

the centr al par t o f the ru ins Of the ancient city .

Q ues Who was T r o p ho niu s and fo r what was

.
,

his or acle r emarkable ?

’
A ns T r o p ho niu s and his b r other A game de s
.
,

we r e the a r chitects o f the temple o f A poll o at

D elphi A cco r din g to o n e legend when the e di
.
,

fi c e was fi ni shed they asked the go d to r ewar d

,

them fo r their labo r A pollo pr omi se d that he

.

woul d r ecompense them o n the seventh day and ,

 O m cm s . 1 85

D a do th e m l ive happily dur ing the int e r val O n .

the seventh night the b r othe r s died in their sleep .

The o r acle is said to have been discover ed o n the

following occasion ! In a time o f sever e dr o u ght
the B oe otians consu lted A pollo at Delphi an r ,

we r e dir ected to seek aid from T r o p ho niu s in

L e b ade a They p r oceeded thither and seeing
.
,

a sw ar m o f bees enter a chasm in the ear th they ,

followed and discover ed a deep cave r n Her e .

they fou nd the o r acle of T r o p ho niu s and the aid ,

they so u ght .

Q ues What cer emonies wer e Obse r ved in con

.

sultin g th is or acle ?
A ns The votar y was fir st p ur ified by solemn
.

ablutions ; then afte r Offer ing sacr ifice and dr ink

, ,

in g o f a water called Lethe o r Oblivion he de , ,

scended by means o f ladder s into the fi r st o r up ,

e r cave r n The opening into the lowe r cave

p .

was extr emely narr ow and ther e was appar ently

,

nothing to aid the descent Her e those who .

,

wer e co ur ageou s eno ugh to advance lay upon the ,

g r o und with thei r feet within the ent r ance taking ,

car e to hold in each hand a cer tain composition

o f honey They wer e then car r ied downwar ds
.

with gr eat for ce as by the curr ent O f a r apid r iver

, .

In the myster iou s depths o f the lower cave the ,

futu r e was r evealed b ut not to all in the sam e

,

man ner ; some saw other s hear d what they de

,

sir ed to know .

It has been fr equently asser ted that those who

e nte re d the cave of T r o p ho nius neve r smile d
18 6 DIY T B u h O G Y .

an d we sho uld j u dge fr o m the accounts given by

,

a ncient write r s that they we r e su bjected to a

,

tr eatment closely r e s e mblin g what we now call

animal magnetis m o r mesme rism , .

Q ue s Wher e was the temple o f Jupite r A m

.

mon
A ns It was situ ated in an oasis o f the Libyan
.

desert called by the ancients A mmon and by

, ,

the modern A r abs Siwah It is abou t five de

,
.

gr ees west of Cair o .

The tem ple is s aid to have been founded

by Bacchu s under the following cir c um stances .

Whil e mar ching thr ough the L ibyan deser t Bac ,

chu s came to a barr en waste of sand wher e his

whole ar my was in dange r o f per ishi ng fo r want o f
water He call ed o n Jupiter fo r aid and a r a m
.
,

s u ddenly appea r ed which guided them to a v e r

,

dant oasis in the midst O f w hich spa r kled a clear

,

fountain Bacchu s e r ected o n the spot a tem

.
,

p l e whi c h he dedicated to Ju pite r A s the s ur .

’
r ou nding co unt r y was called H a m m o de s fr om
‘

Hammon o r A mmon sand the god was w o r , ,

shipped her e u nder thi s title and was always r e p ,

r e sented as having the head and hor ns O f a r a m .

The temple soon became celebr ated as an or acle ,

and was enr iched lik e that o f Delphi by splen

, ,

did o ffe r ings When Camby se s invaded Egypt

.
’
,

he sent a lar ge body o f tr oops acr oss the deser t

to seize its t r e a s ur es A s nothi ng was eve r hear d
.

o f thi s expedition it seems p r obable that the

,

Pe rsians we r e pur posely misled by thei r E gyp

 O RACLE S . 18 7

tian gui des and th u s per ish e d in the dese rt .

Al e x an de r the Gr ea t visited the temple o f Jup ite r

A mmon to qu e s tion the o r acl e as to his pa r entage ;
a nd the p r iests who we r e u ndou bte dl y app r is e d
,

of the object o f hi s visit did not wait to be q ues ,

tio ne d b u t s al u ted the king as the son o f Jupiter

, .

T he si te of this te m ple was discover ed in the last

centur y by an English tr ave ller b ut the latest ,

and best acco u nt is given by Belzoni who visite d ,

it in 1 8 1 6 The oasis is abou t six miles in

.

length wi th an aver age b r eadth of four miles It

,
.

is fer til e a w pr odu ces in abu n dance r ice wheat

. , ,

and fruits The r uins o f the temple ar e n o t exten

.

sive ; th e y ar e however in t e r esting as many

, , ,

pieces of sc ul ptur e inclu ding figu r es of goats with

,
’
r ams heads a r e fo und in a good state of p r ese r
,

vation In a beau tiful gr ove of palms towar ds

.
,

the centr e o f the oas1 s is the famo us Fons Solis

, ,

o r Fo un tain o f the S un which does not how e v e r

, , ,

corr espond with the desc ription given by Her o

do tus. A ccor ding to that histo r ian this fo u ntain ,

was always tepid at dawn icy cold at noon ; it ,

gr ew war m again towar ds su nset and was boilin g ,

hot at mi dni ght Belzoni says that this accou nt

.

is quite exagge r ated altho ugh the wate r of the

,

fo untain felt to him mu ch war mer at midnight

than at noon day The tru th seems to be that
-
.

little o r no change takes place in the fo untain ,

which is well shaded and very deep The gr ea t .

change whi ch r eally takes place in the atmo

sph e r e is pr obably the ca u se o f the appar ent va r i
18 8 MYT H OLO G Y .

ation in the temper atur e Of the fountain B e lzo n .

‘

had no the r mometer with him so that he was a n ,

able to test the tr uth o f this s upposition .

Q ues Whe r e was the or acle o f E s cul ap ius ?

.

A ns This god was consult e d by the sick in

.

many places b ut hi s most celebr ate d o r acle w a s

,

in his native city o f Epidaur u s in A r golis This .

o r acle was so famou s that in the year 29 3 B C . .

,

when a terrible pestilence was r agin g in R o m e ,

the Se nate sent a sole m n embassy to Epidaur u s

to implo r e the aid o f E s cul ap ius The god was .

r opitio u s and accompanied the r e tur ning e m

p ,

bassy in the fo r m o f a serpent A ccor din g to an

.

other acco u nt the p r iests sent to R o m e a sacr ed

,

se r pent whi ch they no ur ished in the temple .

Q ues What was partic ul ar ly r emar kable in the

.

or acles o f E s culap ius ?

A ns It wo uld seem that the pr iests who had
.
,

probably some skill in medicine made u se o f ,

every means calcul ated to encour age the votar ies ,

and inspir e them with a confident hope o f r e c o v

e ry
. They wer e obliged to sleep in the templ e ,

and w e sho uld j udge from the accou nts given by

,

ancient wr iter s that they wer e s ubjected to a

,

tr eatment closely r esemblin g what we now c all

ani m al m agnetism o r mesmerism ,
.

The temple of Epidauru s was plunde r ed by

Sylla to defr ay the expense s Of the w ar aga ins t
Mithr idates .

Q ues Wher e was the Castalian Fo unt ?

.

A ns Ther e wer e two c e leb r ated sp r ings o f that

.
 O RA CLE S . 189

n ame ; one o n Mo unt Parn assu s w hic h w as ,

s acr ed to the Mu ses and anothe r near Daphne

, ,

in Syr ia This last was believed to impar t the

.

knowle dge of futur ity to those who dr ank o f its

water s The o r acle of this fountain pr omi sed the
.

e mpir e to Ha dri an while he was yet in a p r ivate

,

station Whe n he ascended the th r one he ha d

.
,

the fo u ntain sh u t up with stones .

Q ue s What opinions did the early Chri stian

.

wr iter s hold with r egar d to the heathen o r acles ?

A ns They believed that altho u gh the r esponses
.

wer e to be attr ib uted as a gene r al thi n g to me r e

, ,

human j uggler y and impost ur e the r e wer e occa ,

sions in which it was impossible to do ubt the

dir ect agency o f evil spir its We r ead in Scr ip
.

tur e that Satan spoke by the mo uths o f the pos

sesse d and none wer e mor e lik ely to fall u nder
,

thi s demoniac influ ence than the pr iests and other

m ini st r ants in these shrines of i m post ur e Many .

instances a r e r ecor ded w her e Chr istians imposed

silence o n o r acles by p r onou ncing the name o f
Jesu s Ch r ist o r by the sign of the cr oss ; an d
,

so me times the same e ffect was p r odu ced by thei r

sim ple p r esence in the temple .

Q ues A t what pe r iod did the o r acles cease to

.

ive r esponses ?
g
A ns N o exact date can be assigned ; as Chris
.

tianity spr ead the se impostu r e s fell gr adu ally

,

into dis r epu te and we r e at length e n tir ely ab an

,

do n e d
. It has been as ser te d that the or acl e s b e
c am e sil ent at the b i rth O f C hr ist b ut this is a n .
19 0 MYT H O LO G Y .

e rror Milton howeve r adO p ts this idea in

.
,

be autiful Hymn o f the Nativity

T he l
o r ac e s are dum b
N o v o ic e o r hid e o us hu m
R in gs g
thr o u h the ar ch e d r o o f in wo r ds de c e ivin g .

Ap o ll o fro m his s hrin e

Can no m ore di vin e ,

With ho ll o w shrie k the s te e p o f D e lp ho s l eavin g .

330 ghtly tran c e o r b r ea the d s p e ll

ni

im pires the p ale e ye d p riest fro m the

-

p ro
p tic m il
he .
 CH A PTER XL .

C L A S S IC G A M E S .

Ques Why is a n otice Of these games appr opri

.

ate in this place ?

A ns Becau se they wer e closely c onn ected with
.

the r eligiou s Observances o f the Gr eeks They .

we r e begu n and ended with solemn sac rifices and ,

fo r med a par t in the celeb r ation o f the principal

festivals held in honor o f the gods These r e .

m arks apply als o to the Gr eek d r ama

'

Q ues What games wer e solemni zed in Gr eece ?

.

A ns They we r e of four kinds ! the O lympi c

.
,
’
the Pythian the Ne m ean and the Isth m ian
, ,
.

Q ues Who instituted the O lympic games

.
?

A ns They we r e ve r y ancient ; their fir st insti

.

tutio n was attr ib u ted by the Gr eeks to Her c ule s .

T hey wer e r evived by Iphi tu s king Of E lis who

, ,

obtaine d fo r them the solemn sanction o f the

Delphic or acle The O lympian games wer e cele
.

b r ate d at inte r vals o f for ty nine and fifty lu nar

-

months alter nately so that they fell some tim es in

,

the month A poll onius (July ) ; sometimes in the

,
192 MYT H O LO G Y .

month Par theniu s (Au gu st) The time o f their

,
.

celeb r a tion was a per iod of sacr ed tr u ce suffi ,

c ie n tl p r olonged to enable per sons to attend the

y
games fr om ever y par t of Gr e ece and r etur n to ,

the ir homes in safety The inter val between the

.

celeb r ations was called an Olympiad and the ,

Gr eeks u su all y co unted time in this manner T he .

O lympiads we r e r eckoned only fr om the yea r 7 7 6 ,

B C altho u gh the games had be e n r evive d by

. .
,

Iphitu s mo r e than a centur y ear lier The O lym .

pic festival lasted five days The games consist .

e d o f char iot ho r se and foot r aces ; l e aping

, ,

Wr estling boxing thr owing the discu s o r qu oit

, , ,

e tc . All per sons we r e ad m itted to cont e nd in

t h e se games who co ul d p r ove that they w e r e fr ee ,

o f p ur e Hellenic blood and that their char acte rs

,

ha d neve r been stained by any base o r immor al

no t . So g r eat was the impor tance attached to
r ace ,
that eve n the kings o f Macedon wer e
obliged to pr ove their Hellenic descent befo r e
they wer e all owed to enter as competitor s It is .

almost impossible fo r u s to r ealize the impor tance

attached by the Gr eeks to a victory gained in
any o f these exer cises The p r ize itself was a .

M O WH of wild olive This was c ut h o m a tr ee in

.

the sac r ed g r ove o f O lympia which was said to ,

have been b r o u ght by He r c ules fr om the land o f

the Hyper bo r eans A palm b r anch was at the
.

’
sa me time placed in the victor s hand and his ,

n ame was pr oclaimed by the her ald O n his r e .

tur n home mor e distinguished honor s awaited

,
 C LAS S IC GAM E S . 19 3

him . He ente r ed his native city not by the g at e , ,

b ut th r o ugh a b r each made in the walls fo r his

r ece tion Banq u ets we r e given to him by his
p .

fr iends at which Odes we r e sung in honor O f his

,

victory T he ho r se and chariot r aces held the

. .

highest r ank and singularly eno u gh the honor

, ,

o f the victor y belonged to the owne r o f the ho r se

o r cha riot altho u gh he himself sho uld not have

,

been p r esent at the gam e s .

T he Gr eek histo r ians r elate that thr ee co ur ie r s

'

wer e r eceived by Philip o i Macedon on the same

day each being the bear e r o f j oyful tidings The
, .

fir st anno unced that his gener al had gained a

gr eat victor y the second that his ho r se had won
,

the prize in the O lympic games while the thir d

br o ught news o f the bir th of his s o n after war ds
.
,

Al e xander the Gr eat This passage is s ufficient

.

to show what impor tance was attached to s u ch a

victo r y when we see it thu s classed as an event
,
“

o f equ al impo r tance with the su ccess o f an a r my ,

and the birth o f an heir to a gr eat kingdom .

Al cibiades on o n e occasion ente r ed seven fo ur

ho r se cha r iots in the O lympic games and ca rr ied ,

o ff the fi r st second and thi r d p r izes

,
The poet .

E ur ipides celeb r ated this vi cto ry, and Al cibiades ,

afte r O ffering solemn sacr ifices to Jupiter feasted ,

the entir e multit ude assembled to witness the

games Ladi es wer e admi tted to disp u te the
.

prizes at O lympia and many ar e mentioned as

,

s u ccessful competitor s Cyni sc a the siste r o f

.
,

Age s il aus king of Spar ta fi r st Opened this pa th

, ,
194 MYT H O LO G Y .

of glo ry to he r sex and w a s pr oclaimed conqu er or

,

in the four ho r se char iot r a c e

-
This vic t ory till .
,

then u nexampled was cele b r at e d with all p os

,

sible Splendor A magnific e nt monu ment was

.

e r ec te d in Spar ta in hono r o f Cynis c a and the ,

L ac e df em o ni an s who wer e gener ally indi ffe r ent

,

to the char ms of ver se engaged a poet to tr ansmit,

this new t r iumph to poster ity The prin cess .

d e dicated a br azen char iot in the temple o f A pollo

at Delphi ; in this votive Offer ing the charioteer ,

was also r ep r esented ; which p r oves that she had

not dr iven the char iot he r self at the games This .

is a feat whi ch it is believed no woman ever at

, ,

tempted The por tr ait O f Cynis c a dr awn by the

.
,

gr eat A pelles , was afte r war ds placed in the same

te m p l
Q ues Wer e any other exer cises admitted at the
.

O lympic games ?
A ns Yes ; ther e was also an intellect u al com
.

p etition which was

,
pe r haps mo r e lively and ar

dent than any other as the victo r y in su ch a con

,

test was mo r e highly esteemed The best wr iter s .

and poets o f Gr eece r epair ed to the O lympic

games believing that the app r obation Of so illu s
,

tr io u s an assembly was the most ce r tain means

o f establishing a gr eat r ep u tation in a little ti m e .

It w a s thu s that He r odot u s r ead his histor y to

a ssembled G r eece It was r e c eive d with e n thu s i
.

a s tic applau se and the names o f the nine m u ses

,

we r e im mediately given to the nine books whi ch

co mpose the wo rk Dionysius was not so fo rtu
.
«
 CL AS S IO GAM E S . 19 5

t
na e . T his
prin c e believed himself the most e x
c e ll e n t poet of the time and em p loyed pr oies
,

s io n al r eader s to r ecite so m e of his pieces at

O lym pia When they began to r ead these ve r s e s

.

thei r clear and har mo n io u s voices pleased the e ar ,

a n d they w e r e listened to at fi r st with gr eat at .

tenti on which gr adu ally d e c r e ased as th e y went

,

on u ntil the whole assembly b ur st fo r th in to

,

b o o ting and shou ts of la u ghte r so abs ur d did the ,

pr etensions O f the r oyal poet app e ar .

What we have said o f the O lympic Games m ay ,

be applied with some lit tle var iation to those s o l

e m n iz e d in other places .

Q ues By whom wer e the Pythian Games instr

.

tu te d
A ns . A cco r ding
to Gr eek fable by A pollo him ,

self in comme m or ation Of his victo r y over the

,

ser pent Python ; accor di ng to the mor e pr obable

histor ic account they or iginated at the time when
,

the Delphic o r acle had alr eady gained some r e p

uta tio n The A mphictyonic cou ncil was char ged
.

with the s uper intendence O f the games which ,

we r e celeb r ated at fir st eve ry ninth and after ,

war ds ever y fifth year The c r own bestowed .

was of b ay .

’
Q ues Wher e wer e the Ne mean games celebr e t
.

ed ?
’
A ns A t Ne mea a city of A r golis celeb r ate d
.
, ,

as the haunt o f the lion slain by He r c ul e s They .

we r e said to have been r e stor ed by that her o an d ,

we r e c e leb r ated every thir d year The c r owns .

19 6 MYT H O LO G Y .

be stowed on the victor s wer e of par sley because ,

th e se wer e originall y fun e r al games and it w a s ,

c u stomar y to lay chaplets o f pa r sley o n the

tombs o f the dead The r u ins of Ne mea ar e to
.
'

be seen near the m oder n village O f K utchum a di .

Q we s .Why we r e the Isthmian Games so

called
A ns They wer e named fr om the Isthmu s o f
.

Corinth wher e they wer e celeb r ated They wer e

,
.

instituted in honor of Melicer tes who was changed ,

into a sea deity A fter falling into negl e ct these

.
,

games wer e r estor ed by These u s They w er e .

celeb r ated ever y fi ve year s and continu ed to be

,

solemnized even after the destr u ction o f Corinth

by the Romans The victo r s we r e at fi r st r e
.

war ded with garlands o f pine leaves b ut this c u s ,

tom was c hanged and the pine w s r eplac ed by

,
a

a c r own of wither e d p ar sley .

 CH APTER XL I .

T H E A T R E S .

c es Did the
. theat r ical r ep r esentations o f the

G r e e ks r esemble those o f mode r n times ?

A ns They diffe r ed widely both in the ar r ange
.
,

ment of the dr ama and the mode o f r epr esenta

,

tion. The g r eatest di stinction lay per haps in , ,

the stru ctu r e Of the theatr e itse lf .

Q ue s Describe the gener al plan o f a Gr eek

.

theatr e
A ns It was qui te ope n above and the d r ama s
.
,

we r e al ways acted in the light o f day beneath the

. ,

bri ght canopy o f a southern heaven The R o .

mans at a later per iod intr odu ced awni ngs to

scr een the au dience fr om the s un b ut the Gr ee k s,

wo ul d have r egar ded su ch a p r e c au tion as a mar k

o f e fle m in ac y and it mu st be admitt ed that their
'

m ilder climate r ende r ed it almost unn ecessar y .

If a sto r m o r a S howe r came o n the play was , ,

o f co ur se inte rr upte d ; the gods and he r oes dis

,

appe ared and the au dience sou ght shelter in the

,

lofty colonnade which always r an behind their

se a ts They chose to suffe r these occ asional in
.
1 98 MYT H O LO G Y .

c onveniences r ather than shu t themselves up in

,

a c lose and c r owd e d ho u se and fo rfeit the s unny ,

brightness o f what was to them a national and ,

e ven in some so r t r eligio u s solemnity

, ,
To have .

c o ve r ed in the stage its e lf and impri soned god s ,

an d her oes in a gloomy apart m ent a r tificiall

y
lighted would have appear ed to the ancients in
,

the highest degr ee absur d

The gr eat theatr e o f Bacch us at A thens is the , ,

only str u ct ur e o f the kind o f which a complet e

desc ription has r eached u s It may serve to gi ve .

a gene r al idea o f these edifices .

This theatr e stood o n the southeastern side o f

the eminence which was c r owned by the nobl e
buil di ngs o f the A c r opolis Fr om the level Of the .

plain below a semici r cular excavation ascen d e d

,

far up on the Slope o f the h ill Ro un d the c o n .

cavity seats fo r an au di ence of t hir ty tho u san d

,

per sons ar ose r ange above r ange ; higher S till

, ,

the whole was en c losed by a lofty po r tico ador ned

with statu es and sur mounted by a balustr aded
terr ace F o r the conveni ence Of ente r ing and
.

leaving the tier s of benches wer e di vided at int e r

,

vals,
by passages extending ar ou nd the theatr e ,

a n d again tr ansver sely in to wedge like masses

,
-

by flights o f steps which r a di ated fr om the lowest

tier to the por tico above The l o wer seats b e ing
.
,

mor e conveniently placed fo r seeing and hear in g ,

we r e esteemed the most hono r able and wer e r e ,

ser ved fo r the high magis tr ates the p riests a n d ,

the Senate B e low was the semicir c ul ar o r c he s

.
,
v
 THE T H E AT RE . 19 9

tr a , or pit which was gener ally occupied by the

,

cho r us Elevated above the or chestr a and o p

.
,

p o s i te the lowe r seats was the stage itself This ,

.

had a ve ry wide fr ont and b ut little depth T he .

ac tor s u su ally spoke in the centr al par t c a lled ,

loge um o r pulpitum Behind thi s the S tage

, .
,

gr ew deeper and for med a qu adr angle called the

,

pr oscenium T hi s was enclosed by lofty b uild

.

in gs O f stone work r epr esenting extern all y a

-

palace like mansion and containi ng withi n with

-

dr awing r ooms fo r the actors and r eceptacles fo r ,

the stage machin ery When the nat ur e o f the .

play r ender ed it necessar y these b uil din gs we r e ,

con c ealed by painted scenes In the gr ea te r .

nu mber o f tr agedies however the whole action , ,

mi ght b e carried o n appr op riate ly enou gh in the

po rtico o r cour t o f a palace The r e wer e also .

contri vances by whi ch a portion of the inte r io r

might b e exposed to view The r ank o f the .

per sonages was gene r ally indicated by the p ar

tic ul ar door at whi ch they ente r ed ; that in the
centr e o f the pr oscenium being r eserved fo r r o y
alty Wonder ful effects wer e p r odu ced by the
.

use Of the mac hi ner y w hich was dis posed behin d

the walls o f the stage Suppor ted by r opes o r .

,

ir on c r anes car efu lly concealed gods appear ed in

, ,

the air descended o n the stage and per for me d

, ,

their allotted part in the dr ama Her oes also .

ascended to O lympu s an d wer e hidden at length ,

from view by s c e n ic clou ds In the Pr omethe us .

o f Z E S O hy lu s O ceanu s passes th r ou gh the air

, ,
200 MYT H O LO G Y .

m o unted a griflin and a choir o f fifteen ocean

on ,

nym hs is intr o d u ced in a fly ing ch ar iot In

p a n .

o th e r piece A ur o r a descends and ca rr ies O ff the

,

dead body o f Memnon Ghosts and infer nal .

l e itie s ascended fr om beneath the stage whe r e ,

ther e wer e appr op r iate contr ivances fo r thei r in

tr o duc tio n When it was necessary to conceal
.

the stage the cur tain was not dr opped but dr awn
, ,

up fr om beneath the floo r .

Q ues Was ther e anything pec uliar in the d r ess

.

Of the acto r s ?
A ns The cost umes wer e S plendi d and car efull y
.
,

adapted to the r ank and char acter o f the pe r son

ages r epr esented The actor s wo r e masks which
.

cove r ed the entir e head When gods o r her oic .

p e r sonages we re r ep r esented the masks we r e ,

lar ger than life and the disp r opo r tion o f the size
,

o f the head with the r est Of the body was o b vi ,

ated by two differ ent contr ivan ces The c o thur .

n us o r b u skin was soled with sever al layer s o f

, ,

cor k which added at least thr ee inches to the

,

height o f the acto r and the dr ess was j u di cio usly

,

padded so as to give the whole figur e the n e c e s

,

sary her oic dimensions Women we r e not adm it .

ted o n the G r eek stage ; the female parts we r e

always per fo r m ed by men wea r ing app r O p ria te ,

wigs a n d masks .

It has been su pposed that the u se o f masks

mu st have e m bar r as se d the acto r s and made ,

them appear stiff and u nnat ur al This may have .

be e n t r u e to a ce r tain extent b u t we m u st remem .

!
 T HE T H E AT RE S . 20]

D e r that , at the distance at whi ch the a cto rs were

placed fr om the gr eater par t o f their au dience ,

the changes o f exp r ession and the play o f feat ur e

,

woul d have been qu ite lost whil e the lar ge an d ,

fin ely colo r ed masks may ha ve had a very good

e ffect . Nothing wo ul d have seemed mo r e o ut o f
place to the Greeks than to see the par t of A pollo
,

o r He r c ules per fo r med by an acto r wit h st r ongly

marke d o r or dinary featur es .

The masks wer e l ined with br ass and s o con ,

s tr u cted that instead o f m uffling the voice they ,

gave it depth and vol ume almost as a S peakin g ,

tru mpet would have done .

Q ues What was the Chor u s ?

.

A ns It was a choir O f S inger s varying in num

.
,

b e r fr om fifteen to fifty In the in te rvals between

.

the acts o f the dr ama the cho r u s chanted ver ses

,

corr esponding to the action o f the piece some ,

times po ur ing for th hym ns O f thanksgiving o r

suppli cation to the gods ; sometimes chanting
odes o n the instability o f human affair s as e xe m
p lifi e d in the scenes which they had j u st witnessed .

A t other times the choru s b r oke fo r th in to lamen

t tions ove r the u nti m ely fate o f some per sonage
a
-

o f the d r a m a o r deno unced the ange r o f the gods

,

o n the head Of a tyr ant Besides this mo r e legit

.

im ate action o f the choru s it was occasiona lly ,

permitted to take par t in the dialogu e Even in .

thi s case they always r e m ained in the or chestr a .

The sin ging was always acco m panied by dance s

whi ch var ied acco r din g to the natur e o f the pie ce
202 MYT H O LO G Y .

All the movem ents o f a t r agic c h o rus u e r e slo w

and gr ave while in the li ghter pieces the m usi c
, ,

and the measur es o f the dance wer e quick an d

lively The dr ess o f the cho r u s var i e d in the
.

s ame m anne r In certain tr agedies these singe r s

.
,

per sonated the E um enides o r Fur ies These .

w e r e gene r ally r obed in black with p ur ple gir ,

d es They b r an di shed whips wr eathed with s e r

l
.
,

pents in their fle shle s s hands and their aspec t

, ,

was r e nd e r ed still mo r e te rr ible by the fr ightful

masks which appear ed beneath thei r sn aky t r e s
ses We ar e told that when Z E s c hylu s intr od uc e d
.

s u ch a chor u s in one Of his tr agedi es the te rr or ,

of the spectato r s was s uch that many fainted and

'

sever al childr en di ed of fr ight .

In thi s connection we have an inte r esti n g

sto r y Ibyc us a lyric poet was on his way to
.
, ,

the Isthmian games when he was waylaid by two ,

robbe r s The u nhappy bar d called in vain fo r

.

aid ; no human help was near ; b u t his last des ,

p air ing c r
y was echoed by the hoa r se sc r eam o f a

flock of c r anes which was passing ove r head The .

dying poet hear d and looking u pwar ds p r ayed

, ,

the bir ds to discove r and avenge the crime

which they alone had seen The mur der er s hear d .

t his appeal to which howeve r they paid no he e d

, , ,

at the time T he body o f Ibyc u s was fo und an d

.

re cognized and the m ultit u de assembled to wit

,

ness the Isthmian games wer e sor ely di sapp o int

ed and dismayed at the sad tidings o f his d e ath .

Th e y c r owded the tri b una ls and demanded ven~

 T HE T H E AT RE S . 203

ge a n ce the m ur de r er s b u t no tr ace co uld b e

on ,

fo un d which m i ght lead to their discove r y T he .

festival p r oceeded the fate o f b cus bein g still

,

o n ever y tong u e The assembled people wer e as

.

sis t ing at a dr amatic r ep r esentation when the ,

dr ead choru s o f the F ur ies advanced with meas

ur e d step and made the cir c uit o f the Theatr e
,
.

The sound o f instr u ments was hear d no mo r e

a s their cho r al hymn swelled and r ose th r illin g ,

the hear ts o f all who hear d They sang o f the .

h appiness enjoyed by the p ur e o f hear t O f the ,

good man whose dwelli ng was neve r darkened by

their shadow Then the blood o f the list e n e r s
.

g r ew cold with fear as they told of the vengeance

which it was their s to wr eak o n the secr et m ur
de r er on him whose cr ime had been vainly hid
,

den fr om mor tal eye Thus they sang in meas

.

ar ed cadence and passed fr om view whil e a s o l

, ,

e m n stillness settled on the vast assembly At .

this moment a voice wasiheard fr om the u pper

benches exclaiming as if in s u dden t e rr o r B e
, , ,
”
hold com r ade ! yonder ar e the c r anes O f Ib yc us l
,

and a flight of cr anes was seen passing dir ectly

over the Theatr e The name of the m ur de r ed
.

po e t cau ght the ears of the m u ltitude Each one .

asked what thi s exclamation might mean and ,

what had the c r anes to do with him A cry w a s .

rais e d to seize the man w ho had S poken and the ,

o ne to whom his speech had b e en add r essed .

The wr etched m ur der er s th u s betr ayed by their

,

o wn gu ilty fear s confessed the c r ime and suffe r e d

, ,
204 MYT H OLO G Y .

the p unishment they had deser ved A tte mpts .

have been mad e by Fr e nch and Ge r m an t r a ge

dians to r evive the an ci e nt cho ru s b ut witho ut
, ,

su ccess as it is entir ely u ns uited to the mode rn

,

dr ama .

Q ucs We .r e dr amatic e nte r tainments as fr e

quent in ancient times as in o u r own ?
A ns No ; b u t they took place sever al times in
.

the year for ming a necessar y par t in the c e leb r a

,

tion o f the p r incipal festivals The best acto r s .

we r e engaged long befo r ehand and wer e subject ,

to heavy fines if they failed to appear o n the a p

o inted day When s u ch an enter tainment w a s
p .

abou t to take place the people hastened to the

,

theatr e at the dawn o f day that they might S O ,

cur e good seats as the per fo r mance commenc e d

,

at a ver y ear ly hour Ther e wer e th r ee o r four

.

distinct r epr esentations dur ing the day divided ,

by shor t inte rvals o f r epose D uring these the .

,

au di ence walked in the neighbo r in g gr oves ,

amu sed themselves and par took o f the r efr esh

,

ments whi ch they br ou ght with them When .

differ ent dr amatic poets contended fo r the p rize

Of excellence they gener ally p r esented two o r
,

thr ee pieces each so that twelve complete dr am as

,

we r e sometimes pe r for med o n the same day .

Q ues Wer e these theatr es fr ee to all ?

.

A ns N o ; each per son was obli ged to pay a

.

sm all s u m fo r admi ssion When Per icles wished

.

to gain the favo r of the A thenians he r edu ced the ,

m tr an c e fee to two oboli and obtained a dec r ee ,

 T HE T H E A T RE S . 205

that e ven this t ri fling sum shou ld be fur nished

by the magistr ates to the poor e r class o f citizens .

The theatr es the m selves wer e er ected and in a ,

gr eat measur e maintain ed at the expense o f the

state The cost of the enter tain ments mu st hav e
.

been heavy if we ar e to j u dge by the de s c r ip

,

tions gi ven o f the scenic arr angements It is .

even said that when gr oves wer e r equ ir ed livin g ,

tr ees fr om the fo r e s t we r e planted o n the stag e .

Whatever may have been the faults of the

Gr eek dr ama ther e is no doubt that it was i n tend
,

ed to in culcate principles o f r eligion and mor ality .

The theatr ical enter tainments o f the Gr eeks ,

and their public games for m a striking cont r ast

,

to the inhuman sp o r s o f the R om an a m nhi

t

the a h e ‘
.
 CHA PTER KL E .

C E LE B R A T E D S T A T UE S .

Q ues What ar e the most celebr ated s tatues of

.

the heat hen divinities

A ns The O lympian Ju piter the A poll o Bel
.
,

vide r e the D iana a la Biche the Mine r va o f the

, ,

Par thenon and the Venu s de Medicis .

Qnes What was the O lympi an Jupite r ?

.

A ns This stat u e now lost was for ty fe e t in

.
, ,

height o n a pedestal o f twelve feet It was con

,
.

s ide r e d the finest wo r k o f a r t of the gr eat A th e n

ian sculptor Phi di as and ther e ar e still in e xi st;

, ,

ence bu sts taken fr om it which ar e r emar kable

,

fo r their calm majesty o f exp r ession T he mate .

r ial was what th Gr eeks called ch r yselephantin e ;

e

that is the fl e sh was composed o f plates o f ivo r y

,

skill fully laid o n b ut the dr ape r y and o rnaments

we r e pur e gold This cir cu mstance is sufficient
.

to acco unt fo r the destru ction o f the statu e It w a s .

e xec u ted fo r the temple o f Ju pite r at O lympia ,

wh ich was worthy o f su ch an adornment being ,

o n e o f the most magnificent edifices in G r eece .

Q uas Describe the Min e rva Of the Part h e no n ?

.
 C E LE BRAT E D S T AT UE S . 07

A 125 The stat ue was of the same dim e nsions

.

and was composed o f the sa m e ma ter ials as the

Olympian Jupiter ; it was also the wor k of Phidias
The Par th e non was one of the most b eautif ul
o f the Gr eek temples and was enr iched by the
,

hand o f Phidias with statu es and other o r na~

ments This magnificent temple would have
.

been s uffi cient in itself to confer immo rtal glory

on the admin i str ation of Pe ricles It existed in its .

full bea uty fo r mor e than a century afte r his

d e ath It was fi rs t d e spoiled by L a char e s who
.
,

str ipped the stat ue of Miner va o f its golden ado r n

ments It is said he obtained in this manne r an
.

a m o u nt o f p r eciou s m e tal equ al to near ly half a

million o f dollar s The temple itself r e s iste d the
.

attacks o f time ; it was u sed successively as a

Ch ristian ch ur ch and a T ur kish mosque and was ,

still enti r e when the Venetians besieg e d the cita

del o f A thens in the year 1 6 8 7 The T ur ks con
.

ver ted the Par the non into a powder magazine ;

it was u nfo r tunately stru ck by a bomb and the ,

e nti r e edifice was r edu ced to its p r esent r u ino u s

con di tion Some of the sc ulptur es and ha s r e

.
-

liefs which once ador ned this temp le may now be

se e n in the B r itish M u se u m They ar e called
.

”
Elgin Mar bles beca u se they we r e b r o u ght
,

fr om Gr e ece by Lor d Elgin .

Q ues Describe the Ven us de Medicis ?

.

A ns This stat ue still pe r fe ct is so called fr om

.
, ,

having been in the possession o f the Medicis

family .An insc r iption o n its base info r ms us“
208 MYT H O LO G Y .

that it was carved by O le o m e ne s an A thenian ,

sculptor 200 B C The ar tist has s ucceeded in

,
. .

pr od ucing a figur e qui te p e r fect in for m ; b ut

ther e is nothing spir itu al abou t the Venu s which
~
,

is ther efor e far infer ior to the Jupiter and Mi

, ,

ne r va .

Q ucs D esc r.ibe the A pollo Belvide r e ?

A ns This statu e is so called fr om the Bel vider e
.

’
galler y of the Pope s palace The ar tist is nu .

known b ut it is believed to be a Roman wor k

, .

The go d is r epr esented as havin g j u st dischar ged

an ar r ow from hi s bow against the monster Py
thon The for m and attitude ar e per fect but
.
,

the face is par tic ularly adm ir ed fo r its expr ession

o f maj e sty and power .

Q ues D escr ibe the Di an a a la Biche ?

.

A ns This beau tiful statu e now at the Louvre

.
, ,

is consider ed the coun terpar t o f the A pollo The .

goddess is engaged in the chase and a hi nd is ,

r unning by he r sid e O n e h an d is lifted to dr aw

.

an arr ow fr om the q uive r .

 PA R T II .

CHA PTER I .

E g y p t i an D iv ini t i e s .

Q S IR IS — A P IS — S E R A P IS — IS IS
A N UB IS

Q ues Who was O si is

. r ?
A ns O sir is A pis and Ser apis ar e thr ee diffe r
.
, ,

e nt names o f o n e and the same go d O siris wa s .

the so n of Jupiter and of Niobe the dau ghte r o f ,

Phor oneu s He conqu er ed Egypt which he go v

.
,

e r ned so well and wisely as to r eceive divine ho n

o r s fr om his s ubjects even d ur ing his life He .

married as we have alr eady lear ned 1 6 the

, , ,

daughter of Inach u s who was mor e gener ally

,

known to the Egyp tians by the name o f Isis .

O sir is was c ru elly mur de r ed by his b r othe r

T yp hon Isis afte r a lo ng sear ch fo u nd h is
.
, ,

body whi ch she laid in a monu ment in an islan d

,

near Memphis O siris became fr om that ti m e

.

the t utelar deity o f the Egyptians He was re .

21 0 MYT H OLO G Y .

gar ded a s identical with the s un while Isis was ,

s upposed like Cybele to per sonify the ea r th

, , .

Q ues How was thi s goddess r epr esented ?

.

A ns A s a woman with the hor ns o f a cow

. .

sometimes also a s cr owned with lotu s He ads

, , .

o f Isis ar e co m mon among the deco r ations o f

E gyptian temples A fte r the wor ship o f this go d

.

de ss was intr oduced into Rome he r image was ,

ador ned with diffe r ent emblems The mysteriou s .

rites o f Isis became a cloak fo r mu ch sec r et vice ,

and wer e r epeatedly for bidden at Rome Tibe .

ri us ca u sed the images of the goddess to be

thr own into the Tiber he r wo r ship was however , ,

afte r wa r ds r evived The ab u ses attending it ar e

.

m entioned with indignation by the p oet Juve

na l
.

c es Who. was A pis ?

A ns He was the sac r ed b ull o f Memphis
. The .

E gyptians maintained that the soul o f O si r is

p assed afte r death into the body o f A pis ; and that

as often as the sacr ed animal died the soul ,

passed into the body of its su ccesso r .

Sac r ifices wer e offer ed to this str ange di vini ty

his bir th day was cel e b r ated with gr eat m agnifi
-

cenc e and it was believed that dur ing thi s festival

,

the cr ocodiles fo r got their u s u al fer ocity and b e ,

came har mless A temple two chapels and a

.
, ,

co ur t fo r exe r cise wer e assigned to this god

, ,

Whose food was always se r ved in vessels o f gold .

It may be do ubted whether the poo r anim al w as

 E G YPT IAN D IvIN IT ms . 21 1

c apable o f app r eciating these ext r aor dina ry ho n

o r s ; he was not pe r mitted however to enjoy , ,

them beyond a stated per iod If he attained the .

age o f twenty fiv e years he was dr own e d by the

-

attendant p riests in the sac r ed cister n ; his body

was then car efully embalmed and b ur ied in the ,

temple o f S e r apis .

O n the death of A pis whethe r it occurr ed in

,

the co ur se o f natur e o r by violence the whol e ,

coun t ry was plunged into mo ur nin g which last e d ,

until his s u ccesso r was fo und The ani mal into .

whom the divinity had pas se d was known by ,

many ext r aor dinar y mar ks ; a squ ar e whi te S pot

o n the fo r ehead the figur e o f an eagle on the
,

back a white cr escent on the right side and the

, ,

ma rk o f a beetle under the t o ngu e The pr iests .

always s u cceeded in finding an animal with these

extr ao r di nary marks and the happy event was
,

immediately celeb r ated th r ou gho u t Egypt .

Q ues How did the people Ob tain r eplies fr om

.

the o r acle o f A pis ?

A ns By va rio u s signs ! the vo tary having p r o
.

posed a qu estion offer ed food to the sacr ed ani

,

mal if he ate it was consider e d a favo r able

,

omen It was also a good augury i he enter ed

.
f
,

o f his o w n acco r d a par tic ul a r stall

, When G e r .

m an ic us Offer ed food to A pis the anim al r ef used ,

to eat and this cir c umstance was after war ds con

,

side r e d as ominous of the ear ly fate of the R o m a n

r in c e
p .
212 M Y TH O LO G Y .

Q ues Who was Harpocr ates ?

.

A ns H o r us o r Harpoc r ates was the s o n o f

.

O siris He was wo r shi pped as the god o f Sil ence

.
,

and is r epr esented as a b o y seated o n a lotu s ,

flowe r with his finger o n hi s lips

, .

Besides the gods we have mentioned the ,

Egyptians wor shi pped the dog the wolf the c r oc , ,

o dil e the ibis and many other animals The y

, , .

even a ttr ibuted divinity to cer tain plants and

r oots Juve n al in one of his Satir es thu s
.
, ,

c ules their s uper stition

Who he ar d whe re E gyp t s re alm s are nam d

has no t
’ ’

What m o n ste r go ds her rantic so ns have fram d ?

f ’

H e re gorge d wi th we ll gr o wn s e rp e n ts the re
Ibis -

T he Cr o co dil e c o m m an ds r e ligio us fe ar
Wher e M e m n o n s s tatue m agic s train s insp ire
’

With v o c al so un ds that e m ul ate the lyr e

An d T he b e s , s u c h, F a te , ar e thy di s as tro u s tur ns,
’
N o w p r o s tr ate o e r he r p o m p o u s ru in s m o urns
A m o nk e y go d, p r o di gio u s t o b e to l d !
-

S trik e s the b eh o l d e r go l d
’ ’
s e ye with b urnis h d
T o go d s hip he re b l u e T r ito n
’
s s ca ly he rd ,

T he riv e r p ro g e n y is the r e p r e fe rr d
'

T hr o ugh to wn s D ian a s p o we r n e gl e cte d lie s,

’

Whe r e to h e r do g s asp irin g te m p l e s ris e 1

An d sho ul d yo u l e e k s o r o ni o ns e at, n o tim e
Wo ul d e xp iate the sac ril e gio u s c rim e .

Re li gio us n atio ns sur e , an d blas t ab o d e s ,

Whe r e e very orchar d is o er run with go ds
’
-
 CHA PTER I] .

E AS T E RN M YT H O LOG Y .

D e it i es of th e A s s y r i an s .

B A A L , O R B B L — M O L O C H .

Q ues Who. we r e these divinities ?

The names Baal and Moloch see m to
have been at fir st diffe r ent appellations Of the
, ,

S un ; later they assumed another signi fication ,

and wer e applied to distinct deities .

Q ues Wher e was the S un wor shi pped un der

.

the name o f Baal o f Bel (the Lo r d)

A ns In Babylon
. The famou s tower o f Babel
.

o r Bel u s was ther e devoted to his wor ship al

, ,

thou gh the highest apar tment o f the edifice

ser ved als o as an Obser vator y and was the r epos ,

ito ry o f the most ancient astr onomical Obser va

tions . Some writer s have im agined that the ,

Chaldean s and Babylonians wor shipped Nimr o d

unde r the name o f Belu s b ut it is gener ally b e ,

lie v e d that with these nation s and the ancient ,

Canaanites this was one o f the many appellations

,

of the S u n .
214 MYT H O LO G Y .

Q ues What p r oof hav e we o f the popul ar ity o f

.

this go d among the Ph oe nician s and Car tha gin ~

ians ?
Ans In their p r ope r names ; as among the
.

fo r mer Eth baa l Je ru b ba a l ; among the latte r

, , ,

H anni ba l A s dr u bm , .

Q ues By whom wa s the wor ship of Baal int r o

.

du ce d among the l sr a e hte s ?

A ns By King A chab o r A hab
. They o ffere d .

human sacr ifices to Baal in gr oves o r high plac e s , ,

and o n the terr aces o f their hou ses J e r e m ia s .

rep r oaches the Je ws with b uilding the high

“

places o f Baalim to bu r n their chil dr en with fi r e

,

fo r a holocaust to Baalim This text shows the .

extent to which the apostate Hebr ews carr ie d

t hi s abominable wo r shi p .

M O LO C H .

Q ues Who was Moloch ?

.

A ns He was a di v inity of the A mmonite s

. .

The Ph oe ni cians wer e also par ticul arly devoted to

his wor shi p Y o ung childr en and infants wer e
.

O ffer ed as holoca usts to this c ru el god Th e se .

ho rrid sac rifices wer e most fr equ ent in Car thage .

When the Sicili an A gathocles th r eatened that

city we a r e told that five hu ndr ed infants m a ny
, ,

the fir s t bo r n o f noble par ents were cons u med in

-

one day o n the altar o f Mol o c h .

Q ues How was this god r e p r esented ?

.

A ns By a br az e n im a g e which was so con

. ,
 EA S T E RN MYT H O LO G Y . 21 5

trive d that when a child was laid upon its extend

e d a r ms they we r e lowe r ed and the littl e victim
, ,

imme di ately fell into the fiery fu rnace placed a t

t he foot o f the idol .

Q ues Was Moloch wor shipped by the Jews ?

.

A ns Yes ; it wo ul d seem that they we r e a d

.

dicted to this idolatry befo r e their depar tur e from

E gypt sin ce Moses in many places fo r bids the
,

Isr aelites under pain o f death to dedicate thei r

, ,

childr en to Moloch by passi ng them thr ou gh fir e ,

.

Solomon built a temple fo r his wor ship o n the

Mou nt of O lives Later hu man sacrifices w e r e
.

o ffer ed to hi m in the v alley o f Hinnom ca ll e d ,

also Tophet whi ch lay to the east o f Je r usalem

,

Q ues Wher e does Milton r efe r to this go d ?

.

A ns A ss uming that the d e m ons o r fallen an

.

g els r eceived the wor shi p o f men unde r the names ,

o f diffe r ent heathen di vinities he th u s descr ib e s ,

M oloch amid the host o f Satan

Firs t, M l
o o ch, ho rr i d kin g , b e sm e ar d with b l o o d
’

’
O f hu m an s acrifi c e , an d p ar e n ts te ar s
g
T h o u h, fo r the n o is e o f drum s an d ti m b re ls lo u d ,

T he ir l dre n s crie s un he ar d tha t p as se d through fire

c hi
’
, ,

T o his gr im i do l H i m the Amm o n ite

.

Wo rship p d in R ab b a an d he r w ate ry p lai n

’
,

In Ar go b an d in B as an to the s tr e am ,

O f u tm o s t Arn o n n o r c o n te n t with su ch

Au dac io u s nei ghb o rho o d , the w is e s t he art

O f S o l o m o n he le d b y fr au d to b uil d
H i s te m p l e right again s t the te m p l e o f G o d,

O n that 0 p p r ob r io u s hill an d m a d e his gr o v e

l l
T he p e as an t v a l e y o f H i n n o m , T o p he t t he n c e
l k ’
An d b a c G e he n n a c all d, the typ e o f H a
”
ll
.
 MYT H O LO G Y .

Q ues Who was A star oth

.

A ns T hi s goddess call e d by the Gr e eks As

.
,

tar te r ep r esented the moon in the same mann er

, ,

as Baal was held to be identical with the sun .

T he Hebr ews always connected the wor ship o f

these two divinities A ccor ding to Cicer o As
.
,

tar te was the Syr ian Venus and it is cer tain th at ,

in he r wo r shi p and the festivals celeb r ated in he r

,

honor the r e is some fo undation fo r this ide a

,
.

Whu e human s ac r ifices wer e o ffer ed to Baal ,

Wheaten cakes wine and pe rfumes wer e laid

,

upon the alta r o f As tar oth .

Notwithstandin g these mor e inn ocent offerings ,

he r wo r ship was r ende r ed inf amous by the licen se

whi ch pr evailed during these festivals and the ,

o p en immor ality p r ac tis e d by he r vo taries .

T H A M M U Z .

Q ues . Who was Thammuz ?

A ns This was another name fo r Ado m s whose
.
,

s to ry is o f Easter n origin His death which we .

,

have alr eady r eferr ed to in conn ection with the

goddess Venus is said to have taken place in the
,

mo untains of L ib anus fr om whi ch the river ,

Adonis flows to the sea The A ssyr ian women .

mourned fo r him in the autumn t ime It was be -

.

lie v e d that at thi s season the r iver changed its

c olor and r an r e d as if tinged with bloo d
, , To .

this Mil ton alludes

 EAS T E RN MYT H O LO G Y . 1 17

T ham m uz xt b e hin d
c am e n e ,

Who se an n ua l w o un d in L eb an o n all ur e d
T he S yrian dam se ls to lam e n t his fate
In am o ro us di ttie s all a summ e r s day ’

Whil e s m o o th A do nis fro m his n ative roc k

B an p urp l e to the se a sup p o se d wi th b l oo d
,

O f T ham m uz yearly wo un d e d
”
.

T he pr ophet Ezekiel in r elating the in iqui tie s

,

c ommitted in Je ru salem say s that he saw women

,

sitting by the nor th gate o f the temple who ,

mour ned fo r A donis (In the He b r ew Tham

.
,

muz )
.

C A N N E S .

Q ues . Who was O annes ?

A ns He was a god o f the A ssyrian s half m an
.
, ,

half fish who was said to dwell in the sea fr om

, ,

which he came at state d times to instru ct the ,

B abylonians in wisdom and scie nc e O ann es is .

the D agon o f the Philistines .

 CH A PTER III .

PE R S IA .

Q ues What was the r eligion o f the ancie nt

.

Pe r sians ?
A ns W e de rive o ur kn o wl e dge o f their r eligion
.

in cipally f om thei Zend —avesta Sac re d

pr r r o r ,

Book .

Q ues What does the Zend avesta contain ?

.
-

A ns The doctr ines o f Zo r oaste r an Easter n

.
,

sage who is thou ght to have lived in Bactr i a

,

abou t twelve h undr ed year s befor e o ur e r a .

Q ues Was the Zend avesta wr itten by Z o r o a s

.
-

te r
A ns B ut a small po rtion if any of the Sac r e d
.
, ,

Books wer e wr itte n by him b ut the most ancient

,

p assages which a r e in ve r se we r e pr obably w r it

, ,

ten soon afte r his time when the knowledge o f his

,

doctr ines was stil l p r eser ved The Par sees o r .

,

moder n follo w er s o f Zor oaster n o w scattere d ,

thr o u gh In di a say that the Zend avesta fo rm erly

,
-

consisted o f t w enty o n e books but that the

-

gr eate r par t wer e lost in the tr oubled times that

followed the conquest o f Pe r sia by Al exander the
Gr eat .
 E AS T E RN MYT H O L O G Y . 2 19

Qucs t at is the f m O f the Z end avesta ?

. or -

A ns It is in the fo r m o f a dialog u e in which

.
,

O r muzd the su pr eme deity r eplies to the inquir ie s

, ,

o f Zo r oaster and teaches him his will with r ega r d

,

to his c r eat ur es .

Q ue s What wer e the doctrines o f Zo r oaste r ?

.

A ns This philosopher was mo r e enli ghtened

.

than hi s contempor aries and was p r obably a o ,

q u ain te d with pr i mi tive t r adition He taught the

“
.

existence of o n e s upr eme Being call ed the

”
Eter nal who c r eated two other mighty beings
, ,

and impar ted to them a por tion o f his own eter ~

nal divinity .

Q ues Who wer e these deities ?

.

A ns O r muzd o r O r o m a s de s who r emaine d

.
, ,

faithful and pur e gove r ns the wo r ld with all the

,

attributes which ar e given to the tr u e God A h .

riman o n the cont r ar y u ses all his ener gies fo r

, ,

evil ; and is in all r espects consider ed as a so r t o f

, ,

independent demon endowed with in fi nite and ,

un tir ing malice .

Q ues Wh at par t di d each o f these divinitie s

.

take in the cr eation ?

A ns Orm u zd c r eated men and angels the s u n
.
, ,

moon and star s and ever ything which can contr i

,

b ute to the welfar e o r pl e asur e o f his c r eatur es .

Ah riman c r eated the wild beasts poisono u s s e r ,

pents etc and sent di seases earthqu akes and

,
.
, ,

stor ms The Per sians thu s believed in two inde

.

pendent p rinciples o ne o i good and one o f evil , , ,

but t hey wo r shipped onl y the fir st .

 MYT H O LO G Y .

Q Did they not wor ship the s un ?

ue s .

A ns They p r obably di d in late r times b ut the

.
,

ear ly followe r s of Zor oaster reverenced the sun

and fir e as emblems o f O r muzd Perpetu al fi r e .

was kept b ur ning o n their altar s The Par sees o i .

Hi ndostan say that they have sacr ed fir e which

has never been extin gui shed since the time o f Z o
roaste r All the sac r ed fir es w er e originally lit
.

from that which Zo r oaste r b r ou ght fr om heaven .

The Guebr es as these people ar e sometimes

,

call ed often built their temples over subte rr anean

,

fir es .

Q ues Is ther e any s uch fire now r everenced by

.

them ?
A ns Y es near the town of B ako o in Geor gi a
.
, ,

on the Caspian Sea ther e is a per petu al flam e,

issuing fr om a limestone r ock It is watched by .

pr iests and is mu ch vener ated by the surr o unding

,

tri bes Pilgr images ar e made to thi s sacred fi r e

.

fr om all par ts o f A sia .

Ques What is the c ause o f this p he no m e

.

no n ?
A ns . B ako o
and the surr ounding coun try
abound in naphtha and petr ole um The sacr ed fir e .

is simply a jet Of inflammable gas escaping fr om

the r ocks whi ch once lit b urns per petu ally a s
, , , ,

the supply is inexhau stible .

Q ues Wer e the Persia ns attached to magic al

.

ar ts ?

A ns Y es their p r iests mi ngled the fables o f

.
,

as tr ology with their ast r onomical le arning ; h e n ce ,

 E AS T E RN MYT H O L O G Y . 22 1

fr om the wo r d magi is der ived

, o ur wor d magi
cian .

Q ues Wher e. di d the Pe r sians o ffe r their sacr ?

fic e s ?
A ns Gene r ally o n the tops o f lofty mo untains
. .

Q ues When was the r eligion o f Zor oaste r sup

.

r essed in Pe r sia ?
p
A ns A fter the conquest o f P e r sia by the
.
,

Ar abs which to ok place in the seventh cent ury

, ,

those who r efu sed to emb r ace the Kor an fled to

Hin dostan wher e they still exist under the nam e
,

O f Par sees A t Bombay they are an activ e inte }

.

lig e n t and we althy c lass .

 H in d oo M y th o l o g y .

BR A H M A —T H E V E D A S

O What
nes ar e the
. Vedas ?
Ans The Vedas ar e the Sac r ed Books o f the H l ib
.

doo s and ar e m u ch r eve r enced by them

,
They .

maintain that they wer e composed by Br ahma ,

the S up r eme Deity at the c r eation,

.

Q ues When do the Hi ndoos think that the

.

wor ld was c r eated ?

A ns A t an incr edibly r emote pe r iod they say
.

the p r esent arr angement Of the Vedas was made

by a sage named Vyas a some five thou sand year s
,

ago .

Q ues What is the mor e co rr ect Opinion ?

.

A ns That they wer e wr itten in the second

.

thou sand year s befor e o ur e r a a li ttle later p r o

, ,

bably than the Books o f Moses

,
.

Q ues Had the Hindoos then conqu er ed the

,

co untry whi ch now bear s their name

A ns No ; they we r e onl y c r o ss in g the b o r de r
.

o f In dia .
 E A S T E RN MYT H O LO G Y .

O
nes In what
. fo r m ar e the Vedas wr itten ?
A ns In poetry
. The p rincipal Veda contains
.

te n thou sand double verses These works a r e .

heavy and uninter es ting b ut very impor tant to ,

hi storians .

Q ues Why so ?
.

A ns Becau se they th r ow light o n the early

.

history o f the In dian and Eur opean r a c e s .

Q ues What do the Vedas teach of God ?

.

A ns They te ach o n e supr eme deity calle d

. .

B r ahma and like the Per sians seem to have som e

,

idea of the Trinity speaking o f B r ahma Vishnu

, , ,

and Siva as o n e God The modern Hin doos

, .
,

however wor ship them as distinct divinities

,

Q ues What a r e the offices o f these gods ?

.

A ns B r ahma c r eated all th ings Vishnu p r e

.
,

ser ves them and w hen the end o f the wo r ld is

,

come which the Vedas say will occur in abou t

,

t
welve m illion year s Siva will dest r oy them , .

Q ues What is ther e pec uliar in the hi story o f

.

Vis hn u ?
A ns His A vata r s o r incar nations which are
.
, ,

nu mer ou s but ten ar e mor e especially celeb r ated

,
.

Q ues What was the fir st A vatar ?

.

A ns The fir st A vatar was wh e n Vishnu as

.

su med the fo r m o f a fi sh an d saved Man u the , ,

fa ther o f the h uman r ace fr om a u niver sal de ,

lu ge
.

Q ues What is the ninth A vatar

.

Ans In the ninth A vatar Vishnu appear ed in

.
,

the for m of Kr ishn a a so r t o f Indi an A pollo the

,
224 MYT H O L O G Y .

last of the Sac r ed Books is that which contains

the life o f Kr ishna .

a s What
. is the r e r ema r kable abo u t this li fe?
A ns So many cir c umstances closely r es e mble
.

c o rr espondi ng events in the li fe o f o ur Savio ur ,

that it is impossible the coincidence sho uld b e

accidental It is supposed this book was wr itten
.

after o ur e r a by some o n e who had hear d imper

fe c t acco unts of the life o f o ur Lo r d .

Q ues What is to be the tenth A vatar ?

.

A ns The te n th A v atar is called Kalki in which

’

.
,

Vi shnu will come to j udge the wo r ld destr oying ,

the wi cked and r ewar din g the good .

What do o u say o f Siva ?

Q ues .
y
A ns Siva o r Mahadeva as he is mo r e gene r
.
, ,

ally called has a vast n um ber o f foll ower s H is

,
.

wor shipper s and those o f Vishn u for m two di s

tinct sects B r ahma having finished his wo r k
.
, ,

ha s b ut o n e temple in India It is dou btfu l

.

whether the wor shipper s o f Ju ggernaut belong

to the sect o f Vishnu o r o f Siva , .

Q ues What do the Hi ndoos believe o f the

.

so ul ?
A ns They
. think that every soul is a par t o f
fl r ahm a , as a
spar k is a par t o f the fi r e and that ,

finally all so ul s will be absor bed into B r ahma ,

as dr ops o f wate r ar e lost in the ocean Th e y .

also believe in metempsychosis .

Q ues What is metempsychosis ?

.

A ns The tr ansmigr ation o f soul s

. The Hin .

doos be lieve that if a man lead a pur e life his ,

 E AS T E RN M YT H O L O G Y . 22a

so ul will pass after death into another human

, ,

body b u t that if he has been wicked it will

, ,

e nte r into the body of some unclean animal .

They thin k the so ul will tr ansmigr ate many

times befor e bein g finally unite d to B r ahma .

This belief makes many o f the Hin doos afr aid to

kill ani mals fo r food lest they may possess hu,

man s ouls and be per haps their own friends o r

,

relations .

Q ues What ar e Castes ?

.

A ns They ar e differ ent classes into which the

.

H indoos have been di vided fr om the earliest

Q ues How many c astes are the r e ?

.

A ns Fo ur ; the B r ahmins o r pr iests who

.
,

spru ng fr om the head o f B r ahm a ; the Warr io r

caste which issued fr om his ar ms ; the A gr icul ta
,

rists and T r ader s who came fr om hi s thighs and

, ,

lastly the S u dr as o r labor er s who sp r ung fr om

, , ,

his feet .

a s Is the r
. e m uch di stinction between the

castes
A ns Y es ; they cannot under any cir cum stance s
.

inte r m ar ry ; n o r can a member o f a lower caste

ever pass to a higher O nl y if he lead a good .
,

life he may console himself wi th the hope o f b e

,

ing bor n in a highe r caste the next time

Q ues Is ther e any c aste lower than the S u~
.

dr as
A ns N o r e gul ar caste b ut t her e exists a mos t
.
,

unhappy r ace called Pa r iahs who ar e tr eate d ,

226 M YT H O LO G Y .

with the u tmost contempt and employe d only in

,

the vilest offices They cannot enter th e ho u se o f

.

any o n e belonging to a pur e caste and they a re ,

not only u ncle an themselves b ut ar e s upposed to,

c ontamin ate everyt hing they tou ch D iffer ent .

a cco unts a r e given as to the or igin o f these Pa

riahs .

Q ues Ar e
the Hindoos allowed to eat flesh
.

A ns The th r ee highe r castes ar e for bidd e n it

.

altogethe r The S udr as may eat every kind b ut

.

beef b u t the Pari ahs ar e un de r no r estr iction

,

whate ver The idea seems to be that they ar e so

.

vile that no kind o f food coul d pollute them .

Q ues Ar e the castes ancient ?

.

A ns S O m u ch so that it is impossible to s ay
.
,

when they wer e first established T he Par iah s .

ar e being gr adu ally r aised fr om their degr adatio n

by the effor ts o f Chr istian missionaries .

B U D D H A .

Q ues Who was B u ddha ?

.

A ns B u ddh a is said by the Vedas to have b e en

.

a delu sive incar nation o f Vishnu b u t his follow ,

e r s give a di ffe r ent acco unt .

Q ues What do they say ?

.

A ns They say that he was a mor tal sage calle d

.
,

G u a ta m a and also B u ddha o r the Wise

, ,
.

Q ues When did B uddh a live ?

.

A ns W e cannot ascer tain e xactly but it is p r o

.
,
 E
AS T E RN MYT H O LO G Y .
22 7

bable he was a contempor ary o f Solomon— that is,

he lived abou t o n e thou sand year s befor e o ur e r a .

He was the s o n o f a king and was di stin gui she d ,

by wisdom vir tue and every per sonal gift He

, .

was so dis g usted with the wickedne s s o f m e n ,

th at he r etir ed i n to a deser t place where he spen t ,

six years in pr ayer and meditation A t the end o f .

this time he began his car eer as a religiou s

,

te acher He pr eached fir st in Benar es b u t his

.
,

doctr ines wer e r eceived with so m uch favo r that

he lived to see th e m spr ead over all In dia B u d .

dha died at the age Of eighty .

Q ues W as B u ddhi sm toler ated by the B r ah

.

mins ?
A ns It appear s that fo r sever al cent ur ies it
.

was and that it extended to Ceylon and the

, ,

Easter n penins ula .

(2 146 8 What a
. r e the doct ri nes o f the B ud

dhi s ts ?
A ns They r eject the Vedas altogether and the
.
,

religio u s Obse rvances p r escr ibed in them They .

allow anim al food and acknowledge no di stinction

,

of castes Bloody sacr ifices ar e p r ohibited O n e

. .

o f the d uties o f a p r i e st Of B u ddha is to s tu dy

the m e dicin al pr oper ties o f plants in o r der to

benefit hi s fellow m e n We may see ther efo r e
. .
, ,

that B uddha had mo r e r easonable and hu mane

ide as than those who composed the Vedas and ,

that he was pr obably a tr ue sage among his peo

ple .

Q ues . Is B u ddhism com m on in India ?

228 MY T H O L O G Y .

A ns . afte r being toler ated for a long time

N O ,

a fie r ce and contin u ed pe r sec u tion was r aised

a gainst it This had the e ffect o f s uppr essing the

.

se c t almost enti r ely in In di a and o f sp r eadi ng it

,

in the adj acent co untr ies .

Q ues Wh en was the wo r ship of B u ddha fir st

.

intr odu ced into China ?

Ans A bo u t the year 6 5 o f o ur e r a
. Fr om .

China it Sp r ead to Cor ea Japan and Java , .

In Japan B u ddhism has to a gr eat extent

, , ,

supplanted the Sinto r eligion the ancient faith o f ,

Japan The w or d Sinto signifies spir it wor ship ;

.

the p r iests o f this sect teach that the world is

gove r ned by an infinite nu mber of Spir its The .

chief o f these animates the s un ; other s rule the

moon star s and diffe r ent elements
, ,
.

The wor ship o f the sun is the most imp ort ant
exter ior part o f their r eligion and the Japanese ,

wer e so mu ch attached to this form O f idolatry ,

that the Buddhis ts have in corp o r ate d it with their .

o wn ri te s .
 C H A PTER V .

C H IN A .

Q ues Is B uddhism niversally foll owe d in

u

A ns .Ther e is strictly speaking no state o r

, ,

national r eligion in China b ut all fo r ms o f wo r ,

ship ar e to le r ate d unl e s s they ar e consider ed

,
. -

politically danger ous A mong the pagan Chin ese .

thr ee pr incipal r eligions ar e admi tted whi ch ar e ,

now consider ed equ ally good alt hou gh ther e ,

wer e for mer ly b itter war s between their follower s .

Q ue s What a r e these ?
.

A ns The fir st o f whi ch Con fuciu s is in some

.
,

sor t the founder is called the Doc tr ine o f the

,
”
Letter ed ; the second is r egar ded by its p r o fhs
sor s as the primitive r eli gion o f the ancient inb ah
itan ts o f China The priests are call ed T a o sse
.
-

o r Doctor s o f Reason fr om the prin cipal doctr in e

,

o f thei r gr eat teache r Lao tze who considere d ,

-

pr imor di al r eason as the c reator o f all thin gs .

The thir d r eligion is B u ddhi sm which as w e , ,

have seen was intr odu ced into China in the fir st

,

c e n tur
y . o f o ur e r a .
230 MYT H OLO G Y .

Q ues Who w a s Confuciu s ?

.

A n s Confu ciu s is the Latinized nam e o f a phi

.

lo so p he r whom the Chinese call Kung fu tse - -

Reve r end Maste r Kun g) He was bo n in

( r . the
year 5 5 1 B C and died in 47 9 eleven year s b e
. .
,

fO r e Soc r ates was born Confuciu s was car efu lly

.

edu cated in virtue an d learnin g by hi s widowed

mother A t he r death he r eti r ed accor ding to
.
,

Chinese cu stom fo r the appointe d thr ee year s o f

,

mourn ing D ur ing this time he devoted himself

.
,

to the stu dy o f ancie nt wr iter s and noticing how ,

completely the mor ali ty o f the o ld sages was fo r

gotten in China he deter mined to r estor e the ir
,

u sages and doctr in es Af te r car eful p r epar atio n

.
,

he set himself up as a teacher and hi s di sciples ,

we r e soon nu mber ed by tens o f thou sands Co n .

fuc ius tr avelled thr o ugh the neighbo r ing co unt r ies ,

pr eaching whe r ever he went ; he was at o ne tim e

pr ime min iste r o f the empir e b ut his last year s ,

we r e S pent in r etir ement with some chosen di sci

p les
. We r ead that he paid a visit to L a o tze -

and was so conf o un ded by the sublime wisdom

of that philosopher that o n his r etur n home he
,

r emained th r ee days b uried in p r ofo u nd tho u ght ,

r efu sing to speak o r answe r any Of the qu estion s

,

u t to him by his di sciples C onfu ciu s enjoye d

p .

unbounded pop ular ity dur ing life b u t the hono r s ,

paid to him after death have no par allel in his ,

tory His tablet is in every school in C hina and

.
.

both master and p upils ar e r equir ed to p r os tr ate

themselves befor e it at the beginni ng and end o f
 EAS T E RN MYT H O LO G Y . 231

ea c h class Every town has a temple er e cted in

.

his honor and hi s statu e is to be found in every

,

liter ary institution Confuciu s left o n e gr andson

.
,

Tse tse who s e descendants constitute the only

-

he r editary nobility in China In the seven .

te e n th centur y they numbe r ed eleven tho u san d

,

males .

Q cs What we r e the doct rines o f Confuciu s ?

u .

A ns This philosopher did not o riginate any

.

r eli gio us c r eed ! he was simply a teache r of m o r

ality It is tho u ght fr om many passages in his

.
,

wr itings that he beli eved in o n e O m nipotent

,

G od He does not however incul cate any su ch

.
, ,

doctr ine n o r does he ever S peak o f any futur e r e

,

war d as a motive fo r vir tu o us actions Filial .

piety and othe r social and domestic vir tu es ar e

str ongly incul cated It wo ul d be well fo r the .

C hi nese of the pr esent day if their condu ct c o r ,

r esponded to the maxims o f thei r gr eat teache r ,

whose mor ality though often defective contains

, ,

m u ch that is to be admi r ed It is a pr oof if any .

,

wer e needed that h uman motives ar e too weak to

,

have any lasting influ ence o n the passions of men ;

and the Chin ese par tic ul ar ly the follower s o f
,

Confucius seem to have lost even the last tr aces

,

o f nat ur al r eligion .

Q ues Why then do they persever e in his wo r

.

ship ?

A ns The honor s paid to Con fuciu s as well as

.
,

to the soul s of thei r ancestor s constitu te an exter ,

nal r e ligion fo r official pers ons and li te r ar y men .

23 2 MYT H O LO G Y .

Th ere seems to be no sort o f belief conn ected with

these Obs e r vances .

Qnes Wh at difficulties did this cause amon g

.

the Chr istian missionaries ?

A ns Some o f these mi ssionar ies believed that
.

the hono r s paid to Confuciu s we r e p ur ely civil

Obser vances ; and that the wo r ship o f the souls
o f deceased r elations the oblations made at the ir ,

tombs etc we r e simply national cu stoms t o

,
.
,

which no super stitio us idea was attached A s .

they wer e assur ed of this by the most learned

men o f the Empir e they per mitted the newly ,

conver ted Chinese to continu e these Obser vances .

O the rs however consider ed that among the

, , ,

igno r ant these r ites always degener ated into

,

super stition and ofte n into idolatry The di s

, .

pute was r eferr ed to Rome and after a car eful in ,

qui ry the latter Opinion pr evailed ; the rites in

,

honor o f Confuciu s togethe r with the wor ship o f

,

ancestor s wer e for bidden to the Chinese Chr is

,

tians .

Q ues Who was L ao tze ?

.
-

A ns He was a Chinese philosopher contempo

.
,

r ar y with Confu ciu s With r egar d to his life and.

actio n s many abs u r d and impossible things a re

,

related His name Lao tze means O ld Child

.
,
-

an d the Chinese say this appellation was given

him becau se he was bor n alr eady Old and with ,

gr ay hair The follow e r s o f Lao tze believe in a

.
-

spir itu al world in spir itual m anifestation s and in

, ,

the tr ansmigr ation o f so uls This doctr ine is .

 E AS T E RN MYT H O L O G Y . 233

calle d thei r e lig o n o f

Tao o r Reason The priests ,
.

a r e n o w o nl cheat s and j u ggle r s li ving o n the

y ,

s uper stiti o n o f the people to whom they sell ,

char m s an d spells .

Notwith s tanding the d e gr aded char acter of hi s

follower s the w ith gs o f Lao tze pr ove that he
,
-

was a tru e sage a m a n of noble and elevated

,

ideas He has been compar ed favo r ably with

.

Plato and s o me have claimed that the Chin e se

,

philosophe r tr avelled far west as A thens Be .

this as it may it is ce tain L a o tze spent some

,
r
-

time in Per sia and Syr ia The Ten Tr ibes had .

j u st b een di sp e r sed ove r A sia by the conqu ests o f

S alm an as ar ; a nd it is no n possible that a sage so
eager in the p ur suit o f re li giou s knowledge should ,

have fail ed to lear n s o m e thing o f the ancient

p r ophecies and the M o saie law .

Q ues What did L ao tz e teach with r egar d to

.
-

God ?
A ns In his writings he declar es plain ly that
.

the wor ld w a s er ected b y a th r eefold di vinity .

His follower s ho we ver lik e the r est o f the Chi

, ,

nese have no definite idea o f G o d

,
.

Q ues Wh at class o f Chi nese follow the doc

.

tr ines o f B uddha o r F0 ? ,

A ns A t pr esent the Chinese B u ddhists belo n g

.

rincipall y to the lower classes Fo r me rly thi s

p .

reli gion was in hi gher r ep u te b ut the magnificent ,

temples o f B u ddha ar e now going gr adu ally to

decay and ther e seems no p r ospect that any at
,

te mpt will b e m a de to re sto re them The Bonz e s .

,
2 34 MYT H O LO G Y .

or B u ddhist p r iests are igno r ant and degr ad e d

, ,

and ar e allowed to live in the gr eatest poverty

They ar e not p e rmitted to marry ; to keep up
their number s they b uy young chi ldr en who may ,

be had in China fo r a fe w s ap e c ks and these ar e ,

tr ained fo r the servic e o f B u ddha These Bonzes .

have s unk so low in pu blic estimation that they ,

a r e often hi r ed to pe r fo r m infer io r par ts on the

stage .

Q ue s Where is the most celebr at ed temple o f

.

B u ddha
A ns In Po u to u an island in the A r chipelago
.
-

of Chusan T his temple r etain s many t r aces of

.

its fo r me r m agnificence and is par tic ul arly r e

,

mar kable fo r a tripl e stat ue o f B u ddha Ther e .

ar e thr ee gig antic figur es r ichl y gil t which r e p

, ,

re sent the di vinity in the past the p r esent and ,

the futur e In this te mple is a hall dedi cated to

.

the Goddess of Po r celain and every par t o f the ,

e difice is c r owded with hideo us idols of the lesser

divinities .

Q ues What is the gener al fe elin g o f the Chi

.

nese o n r eligio u s s ubjects ?

A ns They ar e entir ely in di ffer ent and have
~
.
,

bu t a vag u e idea of the existence O f anything b e

yond the p r esent li fe This in difi e r e n ce is the

.

gr eatest obstacle with whi ch the Chr isti a n mis

s io n ar ie s have to contend in China .

Q ues D o the Chinese ever ar gu e among them

.

se lves o n points of belief ?

A ns Never
. When Chinese who are st] ange r s
.
,
 E AS T E RN MYT H O LO G Y . 2 35

to each oth e r meet a polite fo rmula is to a sk

, ,
“
T o what s ublime r eligion do yo u belong
Then o n e will call himself a B u ddhist anothe r a ,

follower o f Confuciu s etc upon whi ch polite

, .
,

ness r equir e s that each o ne should speak slight

ingly o f his o wn r eligion and pr aise the sect to
,

whi ch he does not b e lo n g These compliments .

end by all r epeating in chorus a pr ove r bial phr as e

to the effect that all men ar e b r other s and r elig ,

io n s ar e o f no consequ ence .

Q ues If such total in differ ence prevail s in Chi

.

na o n the subject of r eligion how does it happen

, ,

that Christiani ty sho uld be so sever ely per secuted ?

A ns Thi s arises partly fr om the political fear s
.

of the C hinese government and its jealou sy of ,

strangers The missionaries are o f co ur se fo r

.
, ,
.

eigner s and it is natur al that the emper or s sho ul d

,

imagine them to be wor king in the inter est o f the

gr eat western nations whose power they so mu ch
fear Ther e ar e other r easons ; the p ur ity o f
.

Chr istian mor als has been always a r ep r oach to

pagan society and the spir it of darkness never
,

fails to r ouse the pr ej udices and passions o f men

against the pr ogr ess of the faith In ancient .

Rome wher e the idols and supe r stitions o f eve ry

,

c onqu er ed nation fo und a r e a dy welcome Chr is ,

tianity obtained a foothol d only afte r thr ee c an “

tut ies Of per sec ution .

 T H E G R A N D L A M !

Wh at is the pr evailin g r eligion of

be t
A ns Buddhi sm p r evails in Thibet and Tar tar y
. .

T he people o f these countr ies ar e mor e thou ghtful

than the C hi nese and mo r e ear nest with r egar d
,

to r eligiou s matter s Their priests called L amas

.
, ,

live together in lar ge comm uni ties Th e y ar e .

given to stu dy and their dwell ings o r Lamaser ies

, , ,

often contain lar ge and valu able li br a ries Many .

o f the Lamas ar e ad di cted to demon wo r ship and

sor cer y b ut these ar e gener ally looked upon with

,

aver sion by the more vir tuou s among their br eth

re n .

Q ues Who is the Gr and L ama ?

.

A ns He is a sor t o f High Pr iest Of B uddhis m

.

re siding in L assa the capital Of T hi bet ; he is in

,

ve s te d with a n en tir ely s upe rn atur al char ac te r .

O n es How. is th i
s ?
 E A S T E RN MYT H O LO G Y . 23 7

A ns T he . B uddhists believe that the c o nfi n e

ment o f the so ul in a h uman body is a state o f
misery and the p u nishment o f sins committed in
,

a for mer state Of exis tenc e They m aii t ain how

.
,

e ve r th at p ur e spir its fr o m t ime to time ass u me

, , ,

our h uman nat ur e volu ntar il y in or der to p r omot e

,

the welfar e of man kind S uch are the Lamas

.
,

an d since the victo rie s o f Genghis Kan in the

East the Lama r esi ding in Thibet has been con

,

s ide r e d the Chief Po n tifi o f his sect and a per pet

‘

ual incar nation O f B uddha He is also a tempo

.

r al sove r eign altho ugh he is contr oll ed by the

,

Chinese gove rnment .

Q ue s H o w is the line perpetu ate d ?

.

A ns W hen the Lama dies his soul enters im

.
,

me di ately into the body of some child so th at he ,

is simply said to tr ansmigr ate .

Q ues H o w is the child discover ed ?

.

A ns T hi s is an affair of some di ffi c ulty b ut the

.
,

inferior Lamas al ways s ucceed in finding the bi d

den divinity The child into whom they s up
.

’
p osed the Lama s so u l has ente r ed is r eq ui r ed,
to
’
r emembe r the most p rivate acts o f the Lama s life ,

to r ecogni ze as familiar objects the a r ticles

, ,

which he was acc ustomed to u se etc The chil d

, . .

re n th u s exa m ined have sometimes answe r ed in

so extr ao r dinary a mann e r that many ha ve sup

p o se d Satan was pe r mitted to aid in th e i m p o s~

t ur e
.
 CH A PT E R VII .

M YT H O LOG Y O F S CAN D IN AVIA .

O wes What does thi s myt hology inc lude

.

A ns The ancient su per stitions o f that po r tio n

.

o f No r thern E ur ope now kno wn as Sweden N o r ,

way Denmar k and Iceland

,
.

Q ues What is the gener al char acter o f Scan di

.

n avian mythology ?

A ns It has none o f the gr ace and poetic beauty

.

whi ch ch ar ac te rize the fable s o f Gr eece and

Rome ; and it differs e qu all y f r om the mor e mys
tical super stitions o f the Per sians and Hindoos .

In war m and fer til e r egions the tem pe r even o f , ,

the barb ar ian is softened into har mony wi th the

,

sc e nes ar ound hi m and his super stitions thoug h

, ,

still sensual ar e mo r e gentle and r efined O n the

,
.

o the r han d the wild and r u gged No r th made its

'

o wn imp r ess o n the Scan dinavian t r ib e s and their ,

s u pe r stitions we r e gloomy and extr avagant with ,

s ometimes an element o f s ava ge gr ande ur an d

sub limity .

Q ues W as thi s mythology tr ansmitte d by oral

.

tr adition onl y ?
 S CAN D IN AVIAN MYT H O LO G Y . 2 3 2)

A ns .This mu st hav e been the case fo r a long

time ; as the oldest o f the Eddas was compile d
only in the eleventh centur y and the stories whi ch ,

it contains o f the Nor thern gods and her oes had ,

been long famili ar to the people in the r ecitations

o f their bar ds The Scandinavian Skalds o r
.

c ar ds we r e like the Celtic his torians a s well as

, ,

minstr e ls .

Q ues Who composed the Eddas ?

.

A ns It is impossible to say
. The Oldest o r .
,

poetic Edda was compiled by S é m un d S igffiss o n

, ,

an Icelan dic priest abou t the middle o f the eleventh

,

centur y He was edu cated in Fr ance and G e r

.

many an d S pent some time in R o m e befor e his

,

r et ur n to Iceland He was indu ced to compile

.

the Edd a pr incipally it would seem fr om a p a

, , ,

tr io tic de sir e of pr eser ving the ancient legends o f

his r ace The wo r d Edda means ancestr ess a nd
.
,

it is S O c a lled becau se it is consider ed the mothe r

o f Icela n dic poetr y The Sagas wer e wr itte n in
.

D enma r k and the Scandinavian penins ula .

Q ues W hat account do the Eddas give o f the

.

cr eation ?
A ns The y s ay that in the begin ning ther e wa s
.
,

neithe r heaven n o r ear th b ut a wo r ld o f mis t in , ,

which flowed a myster iou s foun tain Twelve .

rive r s iss ued fr om this fo u ntain and when they ,

nad flowed fa r fr om their sou r ce fr oze into ice , ,

which gr ad u ally accum ul ating the gr eat deep w a s

, ,

filled u p Sou thwar d from the world Of mist was

.
,

the wo r ld o f light Fr o m this a warm wind . .

2 10 MYT H O LO G Y .

flowed upon the ic e and melted it The vapo rs ,

.

rose in the air and fo r m e d clo u ds from which ,

spr ung the Fr ost Giant and hi s p r ogeny ; also

the cow A u dh umbla by whose milk the giant w as
,

no ur ished The F r ost Giants wer e the enemie s

.

of gods and men F r om the ice o f the lower

.

deep a god ar ose who marr ied a dau ghter o f the

,

g iants and
,
became the fathe r of t h r ee sons O din , ,

Vili and Ve These slew the giant Y mir and o u t

.
,

of his body fo r med the ear th o n which we live .

H is bones wer e changed into mo untains his hair ,

m to tr ees ; o f his skull they made the heavens ,

and o f hi s br ain clou ds char ged with hail and

,

snow O din next r egulated the days and seasons

.

by placing the s un and moon in the heavens and ,

appointin g them their r espective co ur ses A s soon .

as the sun shed its r ays u pon the ear th the plants ,

d t r ees began to b u d and S pr o u t The thr ee .

gods walked by the side o f the sea admiri ng their ,

new cr eation b ut seeing that it w as uninhabited

, ,

they r esolved to c r eate m an A ske and Embla .

,

the fir st man and woman wer e ther efor e for med , ,

the man o ut of an ash and the woman o ut o f an ,

alder They wer e the p ar ents of the whol e hu

.

man r ace
Q ues What idea had the an c ient S c andin a~
.

vians Of the fo r m o f the ear th ?

A ns Their notions On the s ubject wer e childish

.

in the extr eme They tho u ght that the ash tr ee

.

Y gdr asill s u ppor ted the entir e un iver se

,
This .

tr ee had thr ee r oots o n e of whi ch extended into

,
 S CAN D IN AVIAN MYT H O LO G Y . 24!

t sg ar d,the dwelling place of the gods ; ano ther

-

nto Jot unheim the abode of the giants ; and a

,

zhir d into N iffie he im the r egion of da r kness a n d

,

cold Under the tr ee lies Y mir and his e ffo r ts to

.
,

th r ow o ff the weight ca use ear thqu ake s T he .

root that extends into A sgar d is ca r efull y tend e d

by thr ee Nor ns who corr espond to the Fates o f

,

Gr eek mythology A sgar d could only be ente r e d

.

by c r ossing the br idge Bifr ost (the r ainbow) , .

Q ues Desc ribe A sgar d

. .

A n s It contained gold and silver palaces the

.
,

dwellings o f the gods b u t the most famo us and

,

beautifu l of these was Valhalla the r esiden ce o f ,

O din T his god is r ep r esented as seated o n a

.

th r one which over looks all heaven and ear th O n .

his shoulder s sit the r avens H u gin and Munin , ,

who fly eve r y day over the whole wor ld and o n ,

their r etur n r epor t to him all that they have seen .

’
A t O din s feet lie two wolves to whom he gives ,

all the meat that is set befo r e him as he himself ,

-

stands in no need o f food Mead is fo r him both .

food and dr ink .

’
Q ues How is O din s name sometimes wr it
.

ten ?
A ns Woden ; and fr om this comes the name 0 1
.

’
the four th day o f the week Woden s day , ,

c hang e d to Wednesday .

Q ues Has O din any othe r name ?

.

A ns He was sometimes called Alfa dur (A ll

‘

.
,

fa ther) b ut this name is occasionally used in a

way tha t s e e m s to
242 MYT H OLO G Y .

ha d an idea o f a divini ty superior to O din U n ,

e

c r eate d and Ete rnal .

Q ues What wer e the deli ghts Of Valhalla an d

.
,

who we r e per mitted to enjoy them ?

A ns None wer e admi tted to Valhalla b ut he
.

t o e s who had fa llen in battle W omen childr en .

, ,

an d all who had died a peaceful death we r e ex ,

clu ded as u nwor thy The joys Of Valh alla con .

sisted in eating dr inking and fighting They, .

feasted o n the flesh o f the boar S chrim n ir which ,

was cooked ever y day and became whole again ,

ever y night The goat Hei dr u n su pplied them

.

with neve r failin g dr au ghts o f mead which they

-

dr ank fr om the skulls Of their slaughte r ed ene

mies Fo r pastime they fou ght and c u t o ne a n
.
, ,

other to pie ce s When the hour o f feastin g

.

came they r ecover ed fr om their wounds and were

, ,

whole as befo r e .

T H O R .

Q ues . Who was Thor ?

’
A ns . and was go d o f
He was O din s eldest so n,

thunder His mighty str ength depended u pon

.

thr ee things— his hammer his belt o f str ength , ,

an d his ir on gloves The giants at o n e tim e .

O btained his ha m me r and he was obliged to u s e ,

a ve r y singular s tr atagem to r ecover it .

Q ues What was this ?

.

A ns Tho r was most anxiou s to r ecover hi s

.

ha mmer b ut the giant T hr ym had b ur ied it e igh t

,
 S CAN D IN AVIAN MYT H O LO G Y 24a
7
.

fathoms deep under the r o ks o f Jot unheim c .

L oki u nde r took to negotiate with T hrym ; b u t

the giant demanded the hand O f the goddess
Fr eya and r efused to r esto re the hammer o n any
,

oth e r te r ms Tho r was m u ch tr o u bled as he

.
,

knew how vain it was to expect that the b right

goddess o f love and song wo uld consent to dwell
in the dismal r egions o f J o tunhe im The ar tful .

Loki pr oposed that Thor sho uld ar r ay himself in

the gar ments o f F r eya and accompany him to
,

the abode of the Fr ost Giants Thor consented .

,

and T hrym welcomed hi s veil ed b r ide with gr eat

j y
o ,
att r ib u ting he r silence to a modest r ese r ve .

He was m u ch s ur p rised howeve r to see he r e at

, ,

fo r supper eight sal m ons besides a full gr own o x

,

and other delicacies washing down the r epas t

,

with pr opo rtionate dr aughts Of mead Loki bade .

him not to wonder at this as he r thoughts had ,

been so m u ch occ upied by he r appr oaching n u p

tials that she had not eaten fo r many days When .

T hrym was star tled by the fier y eyes he saw

gleami ng fr om beneath the b r idal veil Loki ,

again m ade an exc us e whi ch satisfied him so ,

he b r ou ght the hammer and laid it o n the lap o f

,

the supposed bride Thor seized the weapon

.
,

and findin g his wonted str en gth r estor ed he thr e w ,

o ff his di sgu ise and ru shed upon T hrym who m

, ,

he slew with all his follower s .

Loki had ser ved Tho r in this adventur e o n an

o ther occasion he inc urr e d his wr ath by a n inj ury
.

O ffe r ed to S if o r Sifa his wife

,
The hair o f thi s .
244 MYT H O LO G Y .

goddess flowed a r ound he r in s unny waves th a t

shone like gold She was p r ou d o f this ado r n
.

ment ; and Loki willing to punish he r vanity , ,

and a lways r eady fo r mischi ef foun d means to ,

c ut O ff he r hair whil e S he slept .

The goddess was inconsolable and Thor so ugh t ,

t he insolent O ffender inten di n g to c ru sh him wi th

,

hi s r edo ubtable hamme r .

Loki was terr ified and so ught the dwelling o f ,

the Gnomes These skillful wo r kmen gave him a

.

head Of hair whi ch they had sp un from the p ur est

gold and which was so wonder fully wr o ught that
,

it wo uld attach itself to the head of the wear e r ,

and incr ease in length like o r di nar y hair Sifa .

was enchanted with the golden locks and the ,

c unning Loki escaped the th r eatened p unish

ment .

Fr om Thor s na me is derived the wor d Thur s

’

day .

PR E Y A N D FR E Y A .

Q ues Who was Fr ey ?

.

A ns He was one o f the gr eatest o f the gods

. .

H e p r eside d over r ain sunshine and the fr uits of , ,

the ea r th Fr om his name comes o ur wor d Fri

.

day .

Q ues Who was F r eya ?

.

A ns She was the siste r of Fr ey o r Fr ey r

. S he .

loved mu sic Spr ing and flowe r s and was a

, ,

Friend o f the elv e s o r good fai ies Frey a was r

.
,
 S CAN D IN AVIAN MYT H O LO G Y . 245

invoked by lover s and seems to hav e be e n , a s rt o

of Scandinavian Venu s .

B R A G I .

Ques Who was B r a gi ?

.

A ns He was go d O f poetry b u t he scor ned all

.
,

lighte r str ains and was the patr on o f the s e only

,

who sung the p r aises o f the gods and the dee ds

o f wa r r io r s .

Iduna hi s wife kept in a casket cer tain apples

, ,

whi ch the gods when they felt age appr oaching

, ,

had only to taste to r enew the vigor and bloom

o f you th O n the app r oach o f the Gr eat Twi
.

light and the end o f time this fruit was to lose

, ,

its magic power .

H E IM D A L L

Q ue s Who was Heimdall ?

.

A ns He was the watchman o f the gods and

.
,

was stationed at the extr eme ve r ge Of heaven to

g u a r d the b r idge Bifr ost The gods contin u ally .

fear ed that the giants might fo r ce their way over

the shi ning ar ch and invade Valhalla ,
.

Heimdall r equ ir ed less sle ep than a bir d and ,

his sight was so keen that he coul d distinguish the

smallest Object fo r a thou sand leagu es ar ound
, ,

e ven in the da r kest ni ght His qui ckness o f .

hear ing was equ ally wonderful ; he could hear the

246 MYT H O LO G Y .

’
wool gr owing on the sheep s backs and the gr ai n ,

sp r outing in the fields He possessed a ho r n Of

.

s uch constr u ction that when he blew up o n it the ,

soun d spr ead in widening cir cles until it r each e d

the u tter most confines of the wor ld H e imdall .

was not per mitted to marr y lest any ca r e fo r wife

,

o r chil dr en mi ght inte rr upt his unceas in g watc h

V ID A R .

Q ues . Who was Vidar ?

A ns H .was the go d o f S ilence H is str ength
e .

was alm ost equ al to that Of Thor ; he was Often

e mployed like Me r c ur y as messenge r of the ods
g .

He had sandals whic h su stained him e q u ally ir

the air and upon the wa te r

, .

H O D U R .

Q ues . Who was Hodur ?

A ns He was a blind deity endowed with p ro
.
,

digio us st r ength He was mild and benevolent

.
,

b ut cer tain terr ible pr e di ctions concerning him

inspir ed su ch terr or in A sgar d that it was not
lawful fo r any god to pr onounce his name H o .

dur seems to have been a pe r sonification o f

ni ght .
 S O AN D IN AVIAN MYT H O LO G Y . 247

T H E V A L K Y R IO R .

Ques Who are the Valkyrio r ?

.

A ns A cco r din g to the Scandinavian tr a dition

.
,

they are war like vir gins the messenger s Of O din , ,

”
an d their name signifies Chooser s o f the S lain .

O din is desi r o u s o f collecting a great many her oes

in Valhalla that he m a y b e able to meet the
,

giants in the final contest at the end of the world .

He sends the Valkyrio r ther efor e to every battl e , ,

field to make choice o f those who shall be slain .

When they r ide for th o n their e rr and mounted ,

'

upo n w ar steeds and in full ar mo r their shields ,

and helmets shed a str ange fli ckering light ,

whi ch flashes up over the nor thern skies and is ,

“ ”
called by men Aur or a B orealis or N orther n
, ,
”
Li ghts .

L O K I A N D H IS PR O G E N Y .

Ques Who was L o ki ?

.

A ns Loki was an evil deity the contr iver o f all

.
,

fr au d and mischief H e was very handsome b u t

.
,

o f fickl e and malicio u s tempe r Loki had th r ee .

childr en the wolf Fenr is the Midgar d ser pent

, , ,

and Hela o r Death The gods wer e not igno

,
.

r ant that these monster s wer e gr owing u n d

p a ,

would o ne day br ing m uch evil upon gods and

248 MYT H O LO G Y .

me n . O din ther e for e sent a messenge r to b r ing

, ,

them to him When they came he thr ew the.

,

s e rpent i nto the deep ocean by which the ear th is

s u rr o unded T he monste r soon gr ew to s u ch an
.

e no r mo us size that hol di ng his tail in hi s mo u th

, , ,

he encir cled the whole wo r ld Hela was cast into .

N iflle he im wher e S he r eceives as he r s ubjects all

,

who di e Of S ickness o r Old age The wolf Fen ri s .

gave the go ds mu ch tr o uble befo r e they s u cceeded

in chaining him He br oke the str ongest fet .

te r s as if they wer e made o f cobwebs Finally .

,

the mountain spirits fashi oned a chain which he

coul d not b r eak It was fab r icated o f the r oots
.

of stones the noise made by the footfall o f a c at

, ,

and other equally absur d an d imagin ar y material .

B A L D UR T H E G O O D

Q ues Who was Baldur

.

A ns He was the son o f O din good and exc e e d

.
,

[11e beautiful He was tor mented by terr ible

.
,

d r eams in di catin g that hi s life was in peril H e

, .

told these thin gs to the assembled gods who r e ,

solved to do all in their power to pr otect him .

Fr igga the wife Of O di n exac ted an oath from

, ,

the elements fi re air wate r and fr om ever ythin g

, , , ,

a n imate a n d ina n im a te u pon the ear th — stones ,

plants r ocks and animals — tha t they would do no

,
m

har m to Baldur The gods wer e so well satisfie d

.

with this that they amu se d themselves with

,
 S CAN D IN AVIAN MYT H O L O G Y . 249

th r owing sticks stones and all mann e r of we a

,

pons at the her o who was not har med by any ,

thing Loki with his u su al mali ce w as deter

.
, ,
’
m ined o n Baldur s death b u t did not know e x ,

a c tly how to br ing it abo u t He assu med there .

,

for e the for m o f an o ld woman and went to s e e

, ,

Frigga The goddess asked hi m what the gods

.

wer e doing at their meetings The di sguised Loki .

replied that they wer e th r o wing dar ts and stones

at Baldur witho u t being able to h ur t him

,
.

He inquir ed o f Fri gga in his t urn if it wer e , ,

r eally t r u e that she had exacted an oath of all cr e

“
ated thi ngs to spar e Baldur , A ye said Frig .
,

g a all t hings have swo r n save a mis tleto e ,

which was gr owing o n a mountain S ide and ,

which I tho ught to o youn g and feeble to c r av e an

”
oath fr om A S soon as Loki hear d this he went
.
,

away r ej oicing Having c ut down the mistletoe

.
,

he r epai r ed to the place wher e the gods wer e as

sembled and p ut the bo ugh among the sticks
,

which they wer e casting in spo r t at Baldur .

It was thr own with the r est and Baldur fell to the ,

gr ou nd pier ced thr o ugh and thr ou gh The gods .

wer e over whelmed with gr ief and b r oke for th ,

in the wildest lamentations Then Frigga came .

,

and asked who among them wo ul d show his love

,

fo r he r and fo r Baldur by pr oc ur ing the de liv

, ,

e r a n c e Of the he r o Not having fallen in battle

.
,

Baldur had passed into the power o f Hela who ,

rul ed over the gloomy r egions o f Hell o r N iflle ,

hc im . Hermod the son Of O din o ffer ed to re

, ,
25 0 M YT H O LO G Y .

p ai r t hi ther and pay

,
to Hela a m ig h ty r a nso m

fo r the r etur n o f hi s b r othe r Baldur He s e t o u t .

,
’
the r efor e mo unted o n O di n s ho r se Sl e ipnir
, ,

which had eight legs and could ou tstrip the wind

‘

Fo r nine days and as many nights the her o r o de

, ,

thr ou gh dar ksome glens wher e no object coul d b e

discer ned in the gloom O n the tenth he came .
,

to a dar k r iver w hi ch was spanned by a bridge

,

o f gold ; this was the entr ance into Hell and H e r ,

m o d r ode over it fear lessly altho u gh it shook and ,

swayed un der hi s living weight He passed the .

ni ght in disco ur se with Baldur and the next ,

morning pr eferr ed his petition to Hela H e .

’
o ffer ed any r ansom she might name fo r Baldur s
r et ur n
,
assu ring he r that heaven and ear th r e
sounded with lamentations fo r the her o Hela .

would take no r ansom b ut wished to try if Baldur

,
“ ”
wer e r eally so beloved If said she “
all , ,

thi ngs in the wor ld both livin g an d lifeless weep

, ,

fo r him then shall he r e tur n ; b u t if any o n e

,

thing r e fuse to weep fo r him then S hall he b e ,

kept in Hell .

’
O n hear ing the r esult o f He r mod s mission the ,

gods made p r oclamation thr ou ghout the wor ld ,

’
beseeching all cr eated things to weep fo r Baldur s
deliver ance A ll complied with this r equ est ;
.

both men and animals all even to the savage , ,

beasts o f the fo r est shed tear s fo r the her o T he

, .

tre es and plants shed c rystal dr ops lik e r ain and ,

e ven the r oc ks and sto nes we r e cove r ed with a

 SCAN D IN AVIAN MYT H O LO G Y . 25 1

gli t te ring de w . O ne o ld hag only sat in a cave rn , .

a nd r efus ed to weep saying ,

.

T hankt wil wai l l

With dry te ar s
B al dur s b al e fi r e
’
-
.

L et H e a l ke e p he r o wn .

It was str ongly suspecte d that this b ag was no

other than Lo ki himself who never ceased to ,

wo rk e vil among gods and men Thu s Baldur .

wa s p r evented fr om coming back to A sgar d .

F lm of B al du r
'

e r al .

Ones How
. was the he r o b ur ied ?
’
A ns Baldur s body was bor ne to the sea shore
.
,

a n d placed u pon a fune r al pile which was b uil t

o f his o w n ship the la r est in the wo r ld All

g , .

the gods we r e p r esent and even the Fr ost and ,

Mo untain Giants wer e tou ched with kindness and

came to do him hono r When the wife o f Baldur.

s aw the funer al pile p r epar ed she di ed o f g rief , ,

and he r body was consumed with that o f he r

h us b and .

L oki
’
s Pu ni s hm e n t .

Q ues How did the gods r evenge the death o f

.

Baldur ?
A ns They p ur su ed L oki who made use o f his
.
,

m agical power to esc ape the ir wr ath He chan ge d .

25 2 MYT H O LO G Y .

hi mself at o n e time into a salmon a nd hid ,

among the stones of a br ook He was taken .

,

however by Thor who c augh t him by the tail

, , ,

and compr essed it so that all salmons eve r sinc e ,

have had that par t r emar kably thin Being r e .

s to r ed to hi s nat ur al for m L oki was bo und wit h ,

chains in a gl o omy cave r n A serpent was s u s .

pended over hi s head whose venom falls upon his,

face dr op by dr op O ne comfo r t is allowed him

.

hi s wife S igu n a sits by his side and catches the ,

dr ops as they fall in a cup ; b ut when she car r ies

,

it away to empty it the venom falls u pon Loki

, ,

whi ch makes him b o wl with horr or and twist hi s ,

b ody so violently that the whole earth shakes .

T h e E lv e s .

Q ues Who were the E lve s ?

.

A ns They wer e be au tiful spir its clothed in

.
,

tr anspar ent and delicate gar ments They loved .

the li ght and wer e kin dl y di sposed to mankind

,
.

The coun try o f the Elves was called Al fheim and ,

was the domain Of F r e yr the go d o f the s un in , ,

whose light they wer e always spo r tin g .

Q ues Wer e all the fair ies equ ally b e n e fi c e nt ?

.

A n N o ; the Night Elves also called G n o m e s

s. , ,

and sometimes B r own ies wer e at times excee d ,

m gly mali ciou s They we r e u gly long nosed -

. ,

dwar fs o f a dar k br own complexion and w e r e ,

’

n eve r seen except at night beca u se the s un s r ay s ,

ha d the powe r of changing them into ston e s .

W he did the se dwell ?

Q ues .r e
 S CAN D IN AVIAN MYT H O LO G Y . 25 3

A ns The Gnomes dwelt in mountain caver ns

.

an d the clefts O f r ocks They wer e par tic ul ar ly

.

distingui shed fo r their knowledge o f the m ys te ri

o u s power s o f nat ur e They wer e also skillful
.

worker s in wood and metal and wer e acqu ainte d ,

with the sec r et sto r es Of gold and silver which the

go ds had hidden in the ear th Many stories a m .

r elated of their malicio u s p r anks ; b u t they som e

times favo r ed the poor and fr ien dl ess in an u n e x '

p e c te d manne r .

The prin cipal works of the Gnomes we r e Tho r s ’

hammer and the ship S kidb la dnir This vessel

,
.

was so wonderfully wr ou ght that while it was ,

lar ge enough to car r y all the d e ities with their

war and ho u sehold implements it co uld be folded ,

to gether so small as to be carr ied in the hand .

R u nic L e t t e r s.

Q ues . What ar e Runic le tte r s ? o

A ns . O ne may occ asionall y meet in Norway

enmar k o r Sweden with gr eat stones o f difle r
'

D ,

ent fo r ms engr aven with char acter s called R unic

, ,

which appear at fir st sight very differ ent fr om

, ,

any lette r s we know They consist al most inva

.

riab ly o f str aight lin es in the S h a p e Of little s ticks ,

ei ther single o r in gr o ups Divination wa s an .

c ie n tly p r acticed among the no r the r n nations by

mean s o f sticks Of different lengths These wer e .

shak e n up a nd fr om the chance figur es they

,

fo rm e d the p r iests pr e di cted fu tur e event s

,
.
254 MYT H O LO G Y .

When alphabetic writing was intr oduced the le t ,

ter s nat ur ally took the for m o f the ancient r unes .

T he magic ver ses we r e o f var iou s kinds T he .

noxio u s o r as they wer e called the bitte r r unes

, , ,

wer e r ecited to b r ing evils o n their enemies ; the

favor able aver ted misfor tune ; some we r e medi
cinal Other s employed to win love etc In later
, , .

ti m es the r u nes wer e u sed fo r inscriptions o f

, ,

which mo r e than a thou sand have been found .

The lang uage is a dialect o f the Gothic called ,

No r se still in u se in Iceland
,
The inscr iptions .

may ther efor e be r ead with cer tainty ; b ut they

, ,

thr ow ve ry little light o n history being p r inci ,

p ally epi taph s o n tombstone s .

R a g n ar o k , t h e T w ili gh t of th e G o ds .

It was a fi rm belief Of the northern nation s ,

that a time woul d come when all the visible cr ea

tion the gods o f Valhalla the inhabitants o f
, ,

e ar th men giants and elv es wo uld be dest r oyed

, , , ,

togethe r with their habitations .

This fear ful day will not be witho u t its fo r e

r unne r s Fir st will come a tr iple winter d ur ing
.
,

which clou ds of snow driven by pie r cing winds ,

fr om the fo ur q u ar te r s o f the heavens will fall ,

unceasingly o n the ear th ; tempests will sweep

the sea and the s un will impar t neither heat n o r

,

g ladness Th r ee s u ch winte
. r s will pass a way

wi tho u t being te mpe r ed by a sin gle s umm e r

 S CAN D IN A VIAN M YT H O LO G Y . 25 5

Thr ee other winters w ill then foll ow dur in g ,

which w ar and di scor d will convulse the u niverse .

The soli d ear th will tr emble the sea will leave its ,

bed and the heavens will be r ent as under

, .

D ur ing this convulsion Of n atur e ar mies will ,

meet in combat and so gr eat shall be the slaugh

,

te r that wolves and eagles will b an q

, ue t up o n the
'

fle sh o f kings and her oes The wolf Fenris will.

now b r eak his bands ; the Midgar d serpent r is e

o ut o f the sea and Loki r eleased fr om his chain s
, ,

will join the enemies o f the gods The Eddas .

giv e a wild description Of the last gr e at battle

field on which the power s of good and evil shall
contend and o n which all alike whethe r gods o r
, ,

demo n s ar e doomed to per ish When all ar e

, .

S lain the wo rld will be wr apped in flames the

, ,

s un will become dim the star s will fall fr om

,

heaven and time sh all be no mor e

,
.

A fter this un iver sal destru ction Al fadur (Al l ,

Father) will cause a new heaven and a new ear th

to r ise o ut o f the abyss This new ear th will p r o
.

du ce its fru its without labo r o r car e ; pe rpet u al

S p ring will r eign and S in and miser y will be un
,

kno wn In this blissful abode gods and men

.
,

a re to dwell togethe r in a peace which the powe r s

Of evil can never again distur b .

G e r m an y .

The Mythology o f the Teu tonic o r Germ anic

r ace is neither so pic tur esqu e n o r so well de fined
25 6 MYT H O LO G Y .

as that o f Scandinavia Od in and other Scandi

.
‘

navian di vini ties wer e wor shipped by the tri bes

who dwelt along the bor der s Of the Nor ther n
O cean ; in other par ts o f Ger many Dr ui di sm p r e
,

vailed The Ger mans had however their o w n

.
, ,

deities and their own supers titions . T uis c o

(sometimes w r itten T ue sco o r T u is to ) was w o r

shipped by the Saxons as the go d O f w ar The .

thir d day o f the we e k take s its n ame fr om this

 CH APTER VIII

CE LT IC M YT H O L O G Y
D R UID IS M .

r m D r uid d e r ive d ?
g
ates . F r om what is the te
A ns Ther e exists m u ch differ ence o f opini on
.

on this point The wor d has been variously de

.

du ce d fr om the Saxon dry a magician fr om

, , ,

the Ge r man dr u thin

,
a master o r lor d fr om
, ,

“ ”
the Celtic ,
der u an o ak etc The best in
, ,
.

fo r med wri ter s now r efe r it to the compo und Cel

” ”
tic wor d de r o uyd fr om ,
De God and , ,

r o u yd ,speaking It wo uld ther efor e seem to

.
, ,

n
g y if those who S peak o f o r fo r G o d .

Q ues. Whe r e did Druidi sm pr evail ?

A ns In some par ts of Ger many in Gaul an d
.
, ,

in ancient B r itain and I r elan d .

Q ues Wher e did it origin ate ?

.

A ns Va riou s theo ries have bee n advanced o n

.

this su bject Some r efer i t to the Siva wor ship

.
-

p e r s o f Hindostan othe r s to the M ag i of Per sia

,

but all agr ee as to its Easte r n o r igi n .

Q ues Who is t he ear liest write r o n this sub

.

j e c t ?
25 8 MYT H O LO G Y .

A ns .Juliu s C ae sar His account is consider e d .

per fectly r eli able althou gh to r ender it mo r e in

, ,

te lli gib le he gives to the Celtic gods the names

,

of the Gr eek and R o m an di vini ties whom they

r esemble .

Q ues What we r e the p rincipal ch ar acteristic s

.

of D rui dism ?
A n s The belief in o n e Sup r e me Being ! in the
.

immortality o f the so ul and a futur e state o f r e ,

war ds and p unishments T hi s last doct r ine take s .

with the m as with the Hindoos the for m o f

, ,

metempsychosis The r eligion Of the D ru ids

.

was far ther char acter ized by the u se o f ci r c ula r

temples open at the top ; the wo r ship o f fi re as
,

the emblem o f the s un and the cel eb r ation o f the ,

ancient Taur ic festival (held on the fir st o f May , ,

when the s un e nte r s Taur u s ) .

Q ues What name did the D ruids give to the

.

Supr eme Being ?

A ns B su s o r H e su s ; althou gh this is some
.
,

times mentioned as the appellation o f a s ub o r di

nate divin ity S uper ior to the R o m an Jupiter
.
,

o r the Zeu s o f the Gr eeks E su s had no par e nt ,

age ; was subject to no fate ; he was fr ee an d

self exi stent and the cr eation o f the wor ld wa s
-

hi s o wn volun ta r y act The D r uids taught that .

e xcepting t hi s S u pr eme God a ll things had a b e ,

in nin b u t that nothing c r eated wo ul d eve r h av e

g g ,

an end Not withstandin g these enlightened ideas

.
,

they r ev e r enced m a ny other divinities T he .

Ass yr ian Baal was wor shipped among the Cel ts

 CE L T IC MYT H O L O G Y . 25 9

as B e l o r Belen As he r ep r esented the sun the

.
,

Romans r ecognize d in him their god A pollo .

D io do r us S iculus a contempor ary o f C ae sar

, ,

makes the following statement o n the author ity

o f an ancient Gr eek w r ite r .

“ ”
A pollo he says is wor shipped with solemn
, ,

ri t e s by the inhabitants o f a lar ge island which ,

lies O ff the coast o f Gaul in the Nor thern O cean ,

.

T his island is inhabited by the Hyperbor eans ,

so named because they live beyond the r egion o f

the no r th wind The god has the r e a r emar kable
. ,

te m ple cir c ular in for m and a m agnificent fo r est

, ,
”
is consec r ated to hi m It is gener ally suppose d .

that the temple all uded to by D io do r us was the ,

Dr ui dical cir cle o f Stonehenge o f which we shall ,

s n eak late r .

Q ues Who was T e u tate s ?

.
’

A ns This name is thou ght to be der ived fr om

.

”
T ut tat
-
signifying par ent o f men
,
This .

god was m u ch honor ed by the Gauls who attr ib ,

ute d to hi m the invention o f letter s and poet r y .

A ccor ding to the T riads (D ru idi cal ve r ses ) he , ,

“
wr ote u pon stone the arts and the sciences o f
the wor ld In his mor e b e n e fi c e nt char ac ter the
.
,

name G wyo n was Often given to this di vinity .

He r esembles both in name and attribu tes Thoth

, , ,

the Mer c ury o f Egypt and Ph oe nicia The an

,
.

ci e nt Gauls had no idols n o r did they ever at ,

te mpt any visible r epr esentation o f their deities .

When the Romans established their o wn wo r

ship in the co untr y they endeavor ed accor di ng to
, ,
26 0 MYT H O LO G Y .

their u sual p o hcy to conciliate the conque r e d

,

tr ibes by adopting their gods and placing their ,

im ages in the temples which th e y b uilt We r ead .

that Z e no do r us a famo u s sc ulpto r s ai d by som e

, ,

to have been a native Of Gaul e xc ute d a stat ue ,

o f T e u t a te s which cost fo r ty milli on seste r ti a

'
.

He spent six year s u pon this g r eat work .

Ca m ul the Celtic Mar s T ar ann the god of

, , ,

thu nder and many othe r divini ties o f infer ior

,

r ank we r e wo r shipp e d in Ga u l and Ge r many

,
.

Q ues How was the D ru id pr iesthood divided ?

.

A ns Into th r ee o r de r s ; the pr iests the ba r ds

.
, ,

and the D r u ids pr oper ly S O called ,

.

Ques What wer e the duties of the p r iests ?

.

A ns They st u died the hidden laws of natur e

.

and the mysteries o f ear th and heaven They .

o ffer ed p ublic and private sac rifices and obtaine d ,

a knowledge O f the futur e from the entr ails and

the blo o d of victims o r fr om the flight Of bir ds
,
.

They also c u r ed maladi es with cer tain myster iou s

char ms The b ar ds held a still higher r ank ! they
.

pr ese r ved in their ver ses the mystic lear ning o f

the p riests the tr adi tions o f their r ace and the
, ,

gr eat actions o f their her oes No sacr ifice was .

dul y Offer ed withou t their sacr ed chant they e n

c o ur a ge d the wa r r ior going to the field of combat ,

and r eceived him on hi s r e tur n with notes o f

tr iu mph To live in her oic song was the aspir a
.

tion o f e ver y Celtic warr ior and to the cowar d o r ,

tr aito r ther e was no pen alty so te rrible as the

,

de nun ciation of the sac r ed bar ds Music was the .

 CE L T LO MY T H O LO G Y . 26 ]

onl y gentle ar t kn own to the r ude tribes o f Gaul

and B ritain and they wer e per haps fo r thi s r eason
, , ,

the mo r e s usceptible to its influence The char .

acte r o f these minstr els was peculiar ly sacr ed in

their eyes o n account o f the gifts o f pr ophecy an d
,

s econd sight which th e y we r e believ e d to possess

in moments o f inspir ation .

The ve r ses o f the bards wer e never committed

to wr iting and a long and painful cou r se Of or al
,

instr u ction was necessary befo r e a candidate co ul d

be adm itted to take his place in this infl uential
class A ccor din g to C ae sar twenty year s was the
.
,

o r dina r y novitiate r equir ed .

The bar ds o f Gaul seem to have passed aw ay

with the re li giou s system to which they b e
longed ; b ut in the B ritish islands they con ,

tinu e d althou gh divested o f their sacr ed char ac

,

te r to be a hi ghl y esteemed and p r ivileged cla ss

, .

We may j u dge o f their influ ence in keepin g ali ve

the patr iotic S pir it of the people from the fact ,

that Edwar d I or de r ed their exter mination as

.

the s ur est means o f extingui shing the feeling o f

nationa lity among the Welsh tr ibes In Ir eland .

an d Scotland the bar ds gr adu ally passed away

,

wi th the decline o f the feu dal system and the ,

w e r of the native pr inces and chieftains whos e

p o

g lo ry they sung .

Who we e the ids p r ope r ly S O call ed ?

Q u es . r D ru ,

A ns They we r e p ries ts O f the highest o r der

.
,

who r emained seclu ded in caves an d gr otto e s o r ,

in the depths Of o ak fo r e s ts where th e y we re sup

,
262 M YT H O LO G Y .

p osed to st u dy the deepe r myste r ies O f nat ur e a nd

religio n and to cons ul t mo r e di r ectly the sec r e t

,

will o f the divinity They wer e also the teacher s

.

of y o u th
The D ruids mu st have posses se d some kno wl w

e dge Of the motions of the heavenly bodies since ,

they co unted the year by lunations astr onomical

instruments have also been fo und among the
druidi cal r emains in Ir eland which p r ove that ,

they had made a c er tain pr ogr ess in this science .

Like the Pe r sians they mingled ast r ology and

,

divination with their obse r vations o f the celes tial

bo di e s The healing ar t was also pr actised by the
.

Druids The e ffect of their r emedies was not

.
,

however attrib u te d to any natur al cau se b ut

, ,

r athe r to a myste r iou s vi r t u e r esiding in ce r tain

plants and r ender ed efficacio u s by the magic r ites

,

with whi ch they we r e gathe r ed .

The mi stletoe when fo und gr owing on the oak

, ,

was esteemed par tic ul ar ly s a cr ed it was an anti

dote against poison a r emedy in all diseases and
, ,

a p r eservative against the machinations of evil

S pir its
. To posse s s the pr oper e fficacy it sho uld ,

be gathe r ed in Febru ary o r Mar ch on the sixth ,

day o f the moon As soon as the mistletoe was

.

fo und g r owing o n the no less sacr ed o ak the ,

D ru ids assembled ; a ban quet and a sacrifi ce wer e

pr epar e d after which a pr iest in white vestments
,

c ut the plant with a golden sickle whil e two

othe r s r eceived it r ever ently into a whi te mantle
sp r ea d beneath T wo milk white heifer s w e r e
.
-
 CE LT I C MYT H O L O G Y . 263

ins tantly o ffer ed in sac r ifice and the rest of the ,

day was spent in r ejoicing In like manner the .

,

samolus o r mar sh wo r t possessed no vir tu e unless

,
-

it wer e so u ght fasting and gathe r ed with the left

,

hand witho u t looking at it They plu cked the

,
.

b elago o r hedge hyssop bar efooted and witho ut a

, , ,

knife aft e r abl utions and o ffer in gs o f br ead and

, ,

wine The ver vain and other plants had also

.

their distinct cer emonial .

A mber was valu e d fo r cer tain myste r ious

pr oper ties ; it was manufactur ed into beads by the
D ru ids and these wer e given as char ms to w ar
,

I l o I S going to battle ; su ch beads ar e sometimes

‘ ‘

fo und in their tombs .

Ques We r e the D rui ds acqu ain ted with the art

.

o f wr iting ?

A ns They we r e at least in Gaul and Ir eland

.
, .

Their alphabet contained seventeen lette r s a n d ,

r esembled the char acte r s u sed by the ancient Pe

l e sgi It is pr obable ther efor e that they r eceived

.
, ,

it fr om the early Gr eek colonists Writin g was .

e mployed fo r o r di nar y a ffair s whethe r p ublic o r ,

p r ivate b ut the mystic lear ning o f the D r uids

,

was handed down by o r al tr adition o nl y The few .

insc riptions they have left ar e in symbolic w ritin g ,

whi ch r esembles the r unes of Scandinavia and ,

o r iginate d in the same mann er fr om the r ods an d

br anches o f certain plants u sed in divination .

These inscriptions ar e called in Ir eland o g “

”
ham ; they ar e prin cipally str aight lin es gr oup e d ,

in diffe ren t w ay s .
 MYT H O LO G Y .

Q ues Did the D r uids exe r cise any political

. aut

tho r ity
A ns . Yes ; the y wer e the legislator s Of the p e o
ple and had the r ight o f deci ding in all co ntr o ve r
,

sies Ther e was no appeal fr om their senten ce

.
,

and those who ventur ed to r esist wer e e xc o m m u

nic a te d and o u tlawed .

The coll ege of D ruids was gover ned by a chief

o r A r ch d rui d chosen by vote fr om among their
-

nu mber The elections we r e eager ly conteste d

.
,

and wer e often attended with m uch bloodshed .

The Ar ch dr uid held his office fo r life

-
.

Q ues Who wer e the D ruidesses ?

.

A ns They wer e p r ophetes s es o r sor ce r ess

.

es most gene r ally wives o r dau ghter s o f the

,

D r u ids who exer cised an u nbou nd e d influ ence

,

ove r the people They wer e supposed to r ead the .

fut ur e to conj ur e te mpests and appease them

, ,

again at will The Gallic mar iner often went to

.

consult them amid the r eefs O f the Ar morican

coast and tr embled with super stitio u s awe as he
,

aw them gliding like phantoms amon the misty

O g
c r a gs waving flami ng tor ches and mingling their
, ,

wil d chants with the voices Of wind and sea .

Some Of these sor ce r esses wer e obliged to assist

at noctur nal r ites whe r e with their bo di es pain t , ,

ed black and their hair dishe ve lle d they join ed in

, ,

a fr antic dance and abandoned fhe m s e lv e s to the

,

wildest tr anspor ts o f fr enzy A pecu liar r ite was .

p r actised by the D ruidesses who r esided in an

is la nd at the mouth o f Loir e T hey were
the ‘
.
 CE L T IC MYT H O LO G Y . 26 5

ob liged once every year b e twe en sun rise and sun ,

set to de m olish and r eb uild the r oof o f their ru s ~

,

tic temple If any o f their n u mber shoul d let

.

fall the least par t of the s acr ed mate rial he r fate ,

was sealed She was tor n to pieces by he r com

.

pani ons amid par oxysms Of wild fr enzy which

,

r ecalled to the Gr eeks the o r gies o f their o wn

Bacchantes It is said that no year passed with

.

o u t a victim .

The nine vir gin p riestesses who dwelt o n the

island o f Se na an almost inaccessible r ock o ff the
,

p r omontory o f Plo go fl o n the coast o f B rittany

'

, ,

wer e r egar ded with par ticular v ener ation and con ,

stit uted per haps the highest r eli giou s authority

, ,

among the ancient Gaul s Ther e was a class o f .

D ru idesses in Gaul and Ger many who in addition , ,

to pr actices o f sor cery and incantation p r esided at ,

fe ar ful rites St r abo tells u s that wh e n the Cim

.

bri had taken p risoner s o f w ar they we r e O ffe r ed ,

in sacr ifice by these terr ible women The chief .

D ru idess stan din g by a r u de stone altar r eceived

, ,

the victim dr agged thithe r by he r companions .

She plun ged he r knife into his hea r t and watched ,

car eful ly to Obtain an omen accor di ng as the ,

b lood sho ul d flow mo r e o r less r apidl y This c e r .

e mony was r epeated with othe r vi ctims until the

au gury was deemed decisive The su per stitions .

with r egar d to witches and their noctur nal r evels ,

which pr evail ed so long in E ur ope originate d no , ,

dou bt fr om popular t r a di tions concer ning the s e

,

so r ce r esse s .
266 MYT H O L O G Y .

IL Ir eland they do not appear to h ave play e d

,

e ithe r so te r r ible o r so impor tant a pa r t We .

o nly know that at Ta r a ce r tain vir gins o f r oya l ,

blood wer e consec r ated to B a al and Samhain ,

( th e moon ) and watched the pe,

r pet u al fi r e which
burned o n their altar s In o n e of the civil war s
.

so common in the island a chief o f Lein ster de ,

str oyed this sanctu ar y and m assacr ed its inmates .

The entir e co untry united to p unish the perp etr a

to r s o f this sacr ilege ; they we r e p ut to death and ,

a per petu al fine w as imposed o n the pr ovince o f

I einster
r .

Q ues What sac r ifices we r e O ffe r ed by the

.

D ru ids ?
A ns In time o f peace fr uits an d cattle ; in
.
,

wa r h u man sac r ifices we r e p r efe rr ed

, .

Q ues How wer e the victims chosen ?

.

A ns They we r e gene r ally captives taken in

.

war slaves o r c r iminals

, In some cases war rio r s
.
,

and others devoted themselves voluntarily to the

altar either to pr opitiate the gods and obtain vic
, ,

tor y fo r their people o r because they wer e wear y

,

o f life and desir ed to haste n the moment o f t r ans

,

migr ation These acts o f self immolation wer e

.
-

e steemed exceedingly me rito r io u s C ae sar s up~ .

’
poses T e u ta te s to be the same with Dis 0 1
Pl uto ; b u t in the mythology Of the Ga ul s ther e ,

wer e no infer nal r egions and consequ ently ther e , ,

wa s no P luto The soul passed into another body ,

and the t r ansmigr ation was happy o r the c o n ,

 CE L T IC MYT H O LO G Y . 26 7

bre r y, as the actions perfor med dur ing its las t

s tate of existence had been good o r evil .

A ccor ding to the D ru ids death was but the ,

c entr al point o f a long li fe .

Q ues What was the u su al mode o f sacr ifice

.

A ns Victims o ffer ed to Baal wer e always

.

b ur ned O n impor tant occasions a gr eat num

.
,

b e r we r e enclosed in a hu ge fr ame o f wicker wor k

5111 which they wer e consumed together In o ffer .

ings to other gods differ ent r ites w e r e Obse r ved

, .

These r emar ks apply chiefly to Gaul Ger many ,

and B r itain Human sa crifices wer e r ar e in Ir e

.

land .

Q ue s What wer e the principal festival s Of the

.

Drui ds ?
A ns The Taur ic festival w
. hich ha s been ,

alr eady mentioned was the most ancient dating

, ,

fr om the time o f the Chaldees o r Babylonian s , .

In Ir eland and in the Highlands o f Scotland t he ,

fir st o f May takes its name fr om this sol e mni ty ,

bein g called in Gaelic B e ltane ; and in Irish , ,

Beal Tinne o r the Fir e o f Baal The sol s tices

-

,
.

wer e also celebr ate d as the chief points in the

’
s un s annu al cour se Whe r ever D rui di sm p r e
.

vailed ther e was in the centr e o f each gr eat dis

,

tric t o r canton a perpetu al fi r e in hono r o f Baa l

, .

O n the feast o f the go d this was extin gui shed , ,

and again lighte d after which all the fir e s,

thr oughou t the coun t ry we r e r ekin dl ed fr om this

sacr ed sour ce This rite was observed with p a r
.

ti cula r s ol e m ni ty in Ir eland There the D ruids .

26 8 MYT H O LO G Y .

assembled ar o und the sacr ed o r par e nt fi r e ,

which the Ar ch dr uid extingu ished A t thi s signal

-
.

every fi r e disappear ed and in an in cr edibly sho r t

, ,

space o f time darkness settled o n the island

, .

The chiefs and pr inces together with the assem

,

bled p eople then assisted in silent awe while the

, ,

D r ui ds pe r fo r med their noctur nal rites A t le n gth .

the fi r e was r ekindled tor ches lighted at the s a

c r ed flame wer e passed fr om hand to hand and ,

the cou ntry was soon illu min ated by the Baal
fir es whi ch blazed on ever y hill The chief scene .

Of these solemnities was O ui sne ach in the centr e ,

o f the island b u t the same r ite was per fo r med in

,

many other places .

A ccor ding to what se e ms an a u thentic t r adi

tion it was dur ing su ch a ce r emony that St Pat
,
.

rick Obtained the oppo r t unity o f holding a p ublic

dispu tation with the D rui ds in the pr esence o f

the king and chieftains assemble d at Tar a It .

was Easter Eve and the Saint who mu st have

, ,

been well awar e of the penalty o f death attached

to su ch an act commanded his di sciples to light
,

the pasch al fir e at the moment when all ar ou nd

was pl unged in dar kness The flame was seen at .

Tar a and the Dr uids called loudl y fo r the punish

,

ment Of the sacr ilegious str anger s T h ey wer e .

se iz ed and b r ou ght be for e the assembly b ut the ,

r es ult was favor able to the mi ssionar ies and fr om ,

that day may be dated the r apid though peac e ful

decline o f D rui di sm in Ir eland .

The idolatr o u s rites p e culiar to the season o i

 CE L T IC MYT H O LO G Y . 269

the s ummer solstice have be en long fo r gotten

bu t the c u stom of lighting fi r es u pon that day ,
’
s till p r evail s
. The bonfi res o f St John s Eve .

J ne 2 l st) r ecall at least o n e featur e of the

( u , ,

an cient D ruid festival .

Q ues Wh a t r ites we r e observed o n the fi r st

.

day o f November ?
A ns The day was consec r ated to the Moon
.
,

c alled in Ir eland S a mhain ) and was Obse r ve d

( ,

both in Gaul and in the British islands It .

wo uld seem that the spir its Of the depar ted wer e
als o p r opitiated at this season and many c urio u s ,

tr aditions ar e connected with its obser vance .

Befor e the invasion of C ae sar B r itain was so ,

little known to the ancient Gauls as to be still a ,

land o f mystery They b elieved that o n e ver y

.

feast o f the moon the souls o f those who had

,

di ed dur ing the year wer e obliged to r epair,

thi ther fo r j udgment .

Connected with thi s Pr ocopi us r elates an A r

,

m o r ic an legend o f whi ch some t r aces may yet be

found in B rittany A t the foot o f the p r o m o n
.

to ry Of Plo go fl ar ound the sacr ed isle o f Sena

'

, ,

ar e scatte r ed r ocks o n w hi ch the sea b r eaks with

an unceasing moan Thi ther assemble o n the

.
,

ni ght Of j u dgment the spiri ts o f the dead

,
Fain t .

wailings a r e hear d and pale phantoms are seen

,

gliding above the waves which they ar e not ye t ,

S pir itu al eno u gh to c r oss witho u t hum an succo r .

At the hour o f midnight the sailor s and fisher

m e n along the coast hear mysterio us voices c all
2 70 MYT H OLO G Y .

ing at their door s They r is e and find str ange

.

b ar ks waitin g o n the sho r e Scar cely have they

. .

ente r ed these when the light cr aft is we ighe d

,

down by a ghostly band The terr ified pilot ha s.

no need o f he lm o r sail fo r the bar ks a r e bor ne

,

westwa r dl y with incr e di ble velocity When th e y .

to u ch the misty sho r es o f B r itain ther e is a hol ,

lo w m m
ur ur — the boats r ide lightly on the wate r
— the so ul s ar e gone .

The super stitiou s Observances whi ch ar e stil l

pr actised o n November o r All Hall ow Eve in , ,

Ir eland Scotland and some parts o f England

, , ,

ar e o f pagan o r igin and seem to be r elics o f thi s

,

fes tival .

Q ues A t what period may we fix the declin e o f

.

D rui di sm ?
A ns It was s uppr essed in Gaul by the Roman
.

conquer o r s who bu ilt temples and introd u ced

, ,

the wo r s hip o f their own gods adopting also ,

those o f the conqu er ed r ace D ruidism r etir ed .

,

step by step befo r e this mor e c lassic heathenism

, ,

bu t fo und a tempo r ar y r ef uge in the Ge r man fo r !

ests and in Ar morica . It was suppr ess ed in B r it

ain du r ing the r eign of Ner o The per sec u ted .

D r ui ds took r efuge in the island o f Mona o r An

le se a whence they w er e dr iven by the Roman
g ,

tr oops with gr eat slaughter T hey fou nd a las t .

a sylum in the island o f Iona Her e they .

tain e d a ce r tain infl uence up to the latter par t o f

the sixth centur y when the inhabita nts o f the is
,

la n d we re conve rte d by the p r e ac hin g o f S t

 C E LT IC MYT H O LO G Y . 27 1

Columb a, the Apostle the Hi ghlands Thisof .

m issionar y was a native o f Ir eland whe r e Chr is ,

tia nity had been established fo r nea rly a centu r y .

Q ues What tr ace s still r emain o f the a ncient

.

Dru idical wor ship ?

A ns Cert ain monum e nts which ar e calle d a
.
, ,
c

cor din g to their form menhir s dolmens o r cr om

, ,
o

lechs .

Q ues What ar e the menhirs ?

.

A ns T he wo r d is de rived from the o ld B r e to n

.
‘

man stone ; and hir long They ar e uprigh t

, , .

blocks o f stone often ter min ating in a p o int ;

,

and ar e fo r the most part r o ugh and unshapely ;

the or dinary height is fr om seven to twelve feet ;
b u t in some r a r e instances they exceed thir ty ,

feet in height The purpose of these menhir s is

.

not well unde r stood Whe r e they stand singly

.
,

o r in gr o ups o f t wo o r th r ee they p r obably ma r k ,

a spot r ender ed memor able by some impor tan t

event . S imil ar monuments wer e common in
pr imitive times as we learn fro m Scr iptur e ;
,

when the Is r aelites had c r ossed the dry b e d o f

the Jo r dan Joshu a placed twelve stones o n the
,

bank as a r ememb r ance o f the mir acle Jacob

,
.

marked in th e same mann er the spot on which he

ha d been favor ed by a celestial vision In ce r~ .

ta in places o n the Scandinavian penin s ula e x ,

te nsive gr o ups e f menhir s occ ur scatte r ed irr e gu ,

la rly ove r the plain ; these ar e s upposed to mark

ancie n t battle fi e lds -
Whe r e the stones ar e ar
.

ran ge d in a c r oml ec h o r cir c ular form there is ,

27 2 MYT H O LO G Y .

gener all y a dolmen in the centr e T h e dolmen is .

a lar ge flat stone placed like a table upon two

, ,

o the r s which ar e set u pright Some o f thes e .

wer e evidently altar s as the flat stone on the

,

to p is fur r owed and slightly inclined to facilitat e

as it wer e the flowing of blood Dolmens ar e .

found also in st r aight lines fo r ming a sort o f c o v

,

e r ed gall er y .

Q ues Wher e are the most r emarkable o f the se

.
'

monu ments ?
A ns O n the continent of E ur ope the most e x
.
,

tensive ser ies is that of Car nac in B r ittany In .

the mi dst of a wide heath stand ru de blocks o f ,

gr ay gr anite set o n end ; they are angul ar an d

, ,

show no mar ks o f polish These menhi r s a r e ar

.

r ange d in eleven lines for ming r e gular alleys

,

The blocks numbe red for me rly abou t ten tho u

sand ; b u t ther e a r e now many gaps in the stony
lines as ever y ho u se in the vicinity seems to
,

have been b uil t fr om thi s conveni ent qu arr y .

A t Stonehenge in England is a lar ge c r om

, ,

lech arr anged in two cir cles and two ovals Ther e .

ar e in all abo u t one h undr ed and fo r ty stones O f ,

which the smallest ar e estimated to weigh ten o r

twelve and the lar gest seventy tons In the cen
,
.

tr e o f the wo r k is a massive slab of fin e sand

stone supposed to have been an altar This
,
.

cr omlech is surr o unded by a tr ench and an earth

en embankment Numer o u s ancient ba r r ows o r
.
,

burial mo u nds ar e fo un d in the neighbor hood In

, .

Ir eland monu ments constr ucted o f stone are

,
 CE LT IC MYT H O LO G Y . 273

so m etimes found ; b ut cir cular earthworks ar e

mor e common In thi s countr y as in B r ittany
.
, ,

many pop ul ar super stitions still attach to thes e

r emains o f ancient paganism Al most withi n o ur
.

o wn day ,
many an Ir ish pe asant has made his
scanty har vest still smaller r ather than violat e ,
”
with the plo ugh the gr ass grown
,
r ath or-

Druid circle D eath withi n the year is the sup

.

osed penalty f s u ch an act In B r ittany malig

p o .
,

nant dwarfs and n ight elves still hau nt the deser t

-

ed cr omlech and have power at certain times to

, ,

wr eak their mali ce on the belated tr aveller .

S ome Of these giant stones ar e themselves s ubject

to mysterio us laws O nce in a hundr ed year s
.
,

they ar e obliged at the ho ur o f midnight to pas s

, ,

m weir d pr ocession to bathe in the water s of the

Nor ther n O cean .

Then fo r a few b rief moments the star s look

do wn on the r iches b ur ied in ancient times b e
neath the enchante d cir cle It is the tr easur e
.

’
se eker s golden Oppor tuni ty b ut woe to the avar i
,

c io us wr etch who linge r s ove r the spoil He is .

cru shed by the swift r eturni ng stones and the ,

mor ning sun finds the grim sentin els silent a n d

motionl ess as befor e bearin g no tr ac e o f the ir
,

wil d noct ur nal m arch .

 CH APT E R II .

M e xi c o .

M Y T H O L O G Y O F T H E A Z T E C S

Q ues . What peculi ar ity has been emar k e d in

r

the mythology of the A z te cs or ancient Mexi

cans ?
A ns Its incon gruity O n the o n e hand we fin d
. .

their pr iests inc ul cating the most sublime truths

o f nat ur al r eli gion and the pur est maxims o f
,

mor ality whil e o n the other their sac rifi c es and

, ,

public wor ship wer e marked by a S pir it o f un e x

a m p le d fe r ocity .

Ques H o w has thi s been explained ?

.

A ns It is supposed that the r eligion o f the Az

.

te cs was der ived fr om two di stinct sour ces T he .

ancient Toltecs who pr e ceded them in Mexico

, ,

wer e a compar atively humane an d enli ghte ned

ra ce ; they r etained many o f the hig hest pr inci

ples o f natur al r eligion united pr obably wit h

, , ,

tr uths der ived fr om pr imi tive tr adition The A z .

o

te e s seem to have adopted the r eligion o f their

mor e civiliz ed predecessor s without aban donin g
 MYT H O L O G Y or T H E AZ T E O S . 27 5

the ir dar k and c ru el s uper stitions Henc e

o wn .

the contr adictions and inconsis tencies o f their m y

tho lo gy .

Q ue s What did the Az tecs believe o f God ?

.

A ns They believed in one S upr eme L or d and

.

C reato r to whom they attrib u ted all the divin e

,

per fections The p r aye r s which they addr essed

.

to Him r ecall in many instances the very , ,

phr a s e o logy o f Scrip tur e .

Q ues Did the A zt ecs wor ship any other deity ?

.

A ns Y es they wo r shipped many s ubo r dinate

.
,

di vinities who w e r e s u pposed to p r eside over the

e lements the changes o f the seasons and the
,

var ious occu pati ons o f men O f these gods thir .

,

teen hel d the most exalte d r ank while the inferior ,

class nu mbe r ed over two hundr ed .

Q ues Who may be consider ed the chi ef o f

.

these s ubo rdinate di vinities ?

A ns Huitzilopotchli a sor t o f Mexican M ar s
.
, ,

who was in fact the patr on deity o f the nation

, , .

H i s temples we r e the most stately o f all the p ub

lic edifices and his altar s in every par t of the em
,

pir e wer e continually r eeking with the blood o f

h uman victims .

Q ues Who w a s Qu etzalcoatl ?

.

A ns The A zte cs like many nations o f the o ld

.
,

wo r ld had their Golden A ge D ur in g t hi s blis s

, .

ful pe riod Q uetzalcoatl go d o f the air dwelt o n

, , ,

e ar th and inst ru cted men in the u s e o f metals in

, ,

a gr ic ult ure and eve ry u se ful art Under his ben e .

fice n t r ule the ear th b r o u ght forth its fr uits with

,
‘
276 MYT H O LO G Y .

o ut car e o r labo r ! and such was the fer tility o f

the soil that a single e ar o f cor n was as m u c h
’
as a man coul d carr y The dyer s ar t was
.

not needed fo r the cotton took as it gr ew the

, , ,

richest and most var ied h u es The r ar est flowe r s

.

fi lled the air with pe rfume and the melody o f

,

b ir ds was hear d in every gr ove This happy state .

was not destined to last ; Quetzalcoatl incur r ed

the anger o f o n e o f the gr eate r gods and was ,

obliged to abandon the countr y He pr oceeded .

to the shor es o f the Mexican g ulf wher e he took ,

-

le a ve o f hi s follower s pr omising that when many

, ,

year s had r olled away he wo ul d r evisit their de

,

S c e n da n ts He then embar ked in a skifl made o f

'

’
s e r pent s skins and sailed eastwar d towar ds the
,

fabled land o f Tlapallan .

Q u etzalcoatl was desc r ibed by the Mexicans as

tall with a fair complexion long dar k hair and a
, , , ,

flo wing bea r d . They looked confidently fo r the

r et u r n o f the benevolent deity and this t r adi tion
,

had no small infl u ence in prepar ing the way fo r

the futur e su ccess of the Spani ar ds .

It is evident that Qu etzalcoatl was the name

given by the Mexicans to some b e n e fi c e nt ruler
who instr u cted them in the ar ts o f civili zed life .

It is sin gular that he shoul d have been desc r ib e d

with eve r y char acter istic o f the E ur opean r ace ;
and some have conjectur ed that he was indeed a
native o f the Easte r n hemispher e cast by some ,

s t r a n ge accident amon g the simple native s of the

N e w W orld .
 MY T H O LO G Y OF THE A zr ncs . 27 7

Q Did
ues the
. A ztecs wo r ship any ho usehol d
divinities ?
A ns Yes ; the images of the ir p e nates o r
.
,

ho usehold gods we r e to be fo und in eve ry dwell

,

mg .

Q ues What did the A ztecs believe with r egar d

.

to a futur e life ?
A ns Their p r iests tau ght that the wicked we r e
.

sent afte r death to expiate their sin s in a r egion

of ete r nal da r kness Those who died o f cer tain
.
'

di seases wer e e ntitled afte r death to a state o f

, ,

indolent contentment ; b ut the A ztec par adise ,

like the Elysiu m o f the G r eeks and R o mans was ,

rese rved fo r their warr io r s and he r oes I n this .

class wer e inclu ded those Who wer e o ffe r ed in sac

rifi c e. These p r ivileged soul s passed at once into
the p resence o f the S un whom they accompanied
,

with songs and chor al dances in his jour ney

th r o u gh the heavens After a cer tain per iod
.
,

th e ir spi r its went to animate the golden clou ds

which floated ove r the gar dens o f par adise o r , ,

assu ming the for m o f singing bir ds r evelled amid ,

the blossoms and odo r s o f its sacr ed gr oves .

Q ues What pecu liar r ite was p r actised by the

.

Az tecs in the naming of their childr en ?

A ns The lips and bosom o f the infant wer e
.

S pr inkled with wate r D urin g the cer emony they

.

implo r ed the Lo r d that the holy dr ops might

,

wash away the sin that was given to it befor e the

fou ndation o f the wor ld so that the child might
,

be bo r n anew .
27 8 MYT H OLO G Y .

Ques H o w did the A ztecs bury their dea d ?

.

A ns Imme di ately after death the cor pse w as

.
,

clothed in ce r tain sacr ed habili ments and str e we d ,

with char ms which wer e suppose d to be n e c es

,

s a ry as a defence against the dan ger s o f the un

k nown r oad which the spir it was abou t to tr avel .

The body was then bur ned and the ashes car e , ,

full y coll ected in a funer al ur n wer e placed in ,

the house o f the deceased In this mode o f .

bur ial we may notice a cer tain r esemblance to

,

the funer al rites o f the ancient Gr eeks and R o

mans The r e was however this distin ction that
.
, , ,

althou gh the latter occasionally sacr ificed their

captive ene mi es to the manes o f a depar ted w a r
r io r this O ffe r in g fo r med no neces s a r y pa r t o f the
,

burial r ite ; o n the other hand the obsequies o f ,

an A zte c noble wer e always accompanied by the

sac r ifice o f un o fle n din g slaves the nu mber o f
'

victims being pr opor tioned to the r ank o f the

deceased .

Q ues Did the A ztec pr iests fo r m a distinc t

.

o r der ?
A ns They we r e altogether di stinct fr om the
.

p eople and , fo r med a n u me r o u s and powe r ful

hier ar chy Their differ ent flm c tio n s we r e exactly
.

r egulate d ; those who wer e best skill ed in m u si c

for med the choir s— O ther s arr anged the festivals

a cco r ding to the calenda r Some wer e engaged
.

in the edu cation o f youth and othe r s had char ge

,

o f the hi e r oglyphical paintin gs and o r al t r a di

 MYT H O LO G Y OF THE AZ T E CS . 2 79

tions , while the dr ead ful rite s o f sac r ific e were

r e se r ved to the chief dig n itar ies o f the o r de r .

Q ues We r e women per mitted to exe r cise any

.

s ace r dotal functions ?

A ns Y es ; the A z tec p r ies tesses exer cised every

.

function except that o f sacrifice They supe r .

intended the schools in which the daughter s o f

the highe r and middl e classes r eceived their e du
cation These schools as well as those fo r boys
.
, ,

di r ected by the priests wer e under the str icte st

,

discipline O r di nary faults wer e p unished with

.

e xtr eme r igo r gr aver offences with death ,

.

Q ues How was thi s n u mer ou s priesthood main

.

tain e d ?
Ans A cer tain
. qu antity o f land was annexed
to each temple an d the pr iests we r e fur the r e n
,

riched by fir st fr u its and othe r o fle rin gs This

'

lar ge pr ovision became necessar y fr om the fact

that the A z t e c priests wer e allowed to marry .

The law pr escribed that any sur plus beyond what ,

was actually r equir ed fo r their s u ppor t sho ul d be ,

dis tr ibu ted among the p o o r This and other .

,

benevolent pr ovisions seem ve r v inconsistent with

,

the c r uelties pr actised in their pu blic wor shi p .

Q ues What was the for m o f the Mexican tem

.

ples
A ns They wer e solid pyr am ids constr ucte d
.
,

o f ear th b ut complete ly case d in br ick o r stone

, .

T hey wer e di sposed in thr ee o r four stories each ,

s malle r than that below A t the to p was a br oad

.

ar e a in which stood o n e o r mo r e towe rs c o n ta in

, ,
o
28 0 MYT H O L O G Y .

in g images o f the p r esiding deities Befo r e these .

to we r s we r e gener ally placed besides the dr e ad ,

ful stone of sac r ifice two lofty altar s o n w hich

,

b ur n e d per petu al fi r es So nu mer ou s w e r e these

.

sac r ed fir es in the city o f Mexico that the str eets ,

we r e br illiantly lighte d eve n o n the dar kest night .

The ascent was made in some cases by a stair , ,

way whi ch led dir ectly up the cent r e o f the west

e rn face o f the pyr amid Mo r e gener ally it was .
,

so ar r anged that the r eligio u s pr ocessions wer e

,

obliged to pass two o r thr ee times a r ou nd the

pyr amid befor e r eaching the s ummit The Mex .

ic an s called their temples Teocalli s o r hou ses of ,

”
G od .

Q ues . Ar e any of these str u ctur es still in exist

ence ?
A ns Y es ;. of
those which yet r emain the pyr a ,

mid o f Chol ul a is the lar gest a n d perhaps the ,

most pe r fect It m e ar s ure s 1 7 6 fe e t in p e rp e n

.

dic ular height and is 142 5 feet squ ar e ; it cove rs

,

45 ac r es It is very ancient havin g been b u ilt

.
,

befo r e the A ztecs conqu e r ed A nahu ac as that ,

par t o f Mexico was for merly named .

Q ues What sacr ifices wer e offe r ed by the

.
‘

A zte c s ?
A ns Thei r sacri fices p r esent the same str iki n g
.

c ontr asts which we find in ever ything connect e d

w ith thei r r eligio n — So m e festivals wer e o f a

light and j oyou s char a ct e r being celebr at ed with ,

chor al songs and dances Pr ocessions o f votar ie s .

c r own e d w ith garlands bor e Offe ring s to the te m

,
!
 MYT H O L O G Y or T HE A zT E cs . 28 1

le ; fr u its ,
ipe maize and the sweet incense o f
r
p ,

the co p al and othe r odo r ife r o us gu ms ; while the

bir ds and domestic animals o ffer ed in sac rific e
wer e consumed at the banqu ets with which the
fe stival concl uded These innocent r ites wer e e vi
.

de n tly o f Toltec o r igin ; the dr eadfu l p r actice

o f h uman sac r ifice was intr odu ced by the A ztec

conquer or s whose war s wer e often u nde r taken fo r

,

no other purpos e than to p r oc ur e victims fo r their

altar s .

Q ues Wer e these sacr ifices nume r ou s ?

.

A ns They we r e intr odu ced onl y abou t two

.

hu ndr ed year s befor e the Spanish Conqu e st .

They wer e at fi r s t e xc e p tio n al but became mor e

c
,

fr equ ent as the A ztec empir e extended u ntil ,

the nu mbe r o f those sacrificed annu all y thr ough

o ut the empir e is calc ulated at twenty tho u
s and , which is the low e st estimate given It .

was c u sto m ary to pr ese rve the skulls o f the vic e

tims in b uil dings e r ected fo r the p ur pose O ne .

hu ndred and thir ty six tho usand of these ghastly

-

r elics wer e co u nted in a single edifice Women .

we r e occasionally offe r ed in sacrifice b u t Tlaloc , ,

the god o f r ain co ul d only be pr op itiated by the

,

blood of young childr en and infants In seasons .

of dr ou ght these innocent vi ctims decke d in the

, ,

richest attir e and cr o wned with flower s we r e

, ,

born e to the temple in Open litter s their c ries b e ,

ing dr owned in the wil d chanting o f the priests .

The feast o f Te zcatl ipo ca one of the chief gods

, ,
”
who was called the So ul o f the Wo r ld was c e le ,
o
28 2 M YT H O L U G Y .

brate d by the sacrifice o f a single victim with r e ,

a r d to whom many pec uli ar ce r emo ni es we r e o b

g
served A year befo r e the sacrifice a yo u ng man
.
, ,

distin guished fo r gr ace and beau ty was chosen ,

fr om among the captives He was splen didly .

attir ed sur r ou nded by eve r y luxury and was r e

, ,

c e iv e d eve rywher e with the homa ge du e to the

di vi ni ty whom he was su pposed to r ep r esent .

When the fatal day arr ived the victim who , ,

had been tr ained to per fo r m hi s part with calm

ness and dignity was conducted to the temple
, .

A s the melancholy pr ocession wou nd up the sid e s

of the pyr amid he played u pon a mu sical in s tr u
,

ment ; at fi r st j oyo us air s which gr ew gr ave r and

, ,

mor e mourn ful as the cor tege advanced until at ,

length he br oke hi s lute and cast it aside He ,

.

then thr e w fr om him o n e by o n e his chaplets o f

, ,

flower s and stood u nador n e d befor e the stone of

,

sacr ifice The bloody wor k was soon a cco m

.

p li s he d and
, the yet palpita ting hea r t o f the vic
tim was thr own at the feet o f the idol The c a .

r ee r o f thi s captive an d his pr ogr ess to the altar

, .
,

was inte nded as an all e gori cal r epr esentation o f

hu man life which joyous at fir st ter minates in
, , ,

sorr ow and in death In S peaking o f hu man sac

.

rifi c e s we have yet to mention the most r evoltin g

,

featur e The Mexicans both men and women

.
, ,

feaste d o n the bodies o f the victims ; and no A ztec

noble would ventur e to ente r tain his friends o n a
festival day without plac ing be for e them this
loathsom e food .
 MYT H O LO G Y O F T HE AZ T E O S . 28 3

It is wor thy o f r emark that Montez uma s ur

p assed all h is p r edecess o r s in the pomp with

whi ch he celeb r ate d the o f the A zte c

gods and the number o f human

, whic h
he o ffe re d o n the i r e lm
 fi m
r X .

PE R U .

Ques What deities wer e wo r shi ppe d by the

.

a ncient Pe r uvians ?

A ns L ike most o f the r aces inhabiting the

.

A merican continent the Per uvians beli eved in

,

o n e S up r eme God immater ial and infini te

,
This .

S ublime doctri ne di d not howeve r lead to the

, ,

pr actical r esul ts that might have been expected .

Q ues Wh at name di d the Pe ru vian s give to

.

this Supr eme deity ?

A ns He was ador ed un de r the diffe r ent names
.

o f Pachacamac and Vir a c o c ha They r aised no .

temples in his honor ; that which stood near

the p r esent site of Lima havin g been er ected ,

befor e the co un tr y c ame under the sway o f the

Incas It seems pr obable ther efor e that the
.
, ,

wor ship o f this Gr eat Spir it did not o rigin ate

with the Pe ru vian s Their entir e system o f r eli
.

gion was dir ected to the ad or ation o f the b eav

e n ly bo di es The S un w as ador ed as the father
.

of the wor ld the sour ce of light and life T he

,
.

M oo n was honor ed a s his sister wife and the -

,
 P E RU . 285

S tar s were wor shipped a s h e r heavenl y tr ain .

T he planet kno wn to u s as Venu s was an es pe

cia l obj e ct o f devotion The Per uvians named it
.

Chasca o r the Y o uth with the long and c urlin g

“
,
”
lo ckS ; they wor shipped it as the page o f the S un ,

whom he attends in his r isin g a n d setting .

The S un was honored also as the fathe r of the

royal Inca r ace ; and connected with this beli ef
, ,

we have one o f the few legends wor thy of note in

the barr en mythology o f the Pe r uvians .

Q ues Relate this legend

. .

A ns A cco r din g to tr adition the r e was a tim e

.
,

when the ancient r aces of the contin ent wer e

plunged in the most complete bar bar ism ! the will
of the strongest was the o nl y law ; w ar was their
pastime ; they wor shipped the vilest obj e cts in
nat ur e an d feasted o n the flesh o f their slau gh
,

te r e d enemies The S un the great par ent o f man

.
,

kind took compassion o n their degr aded state

, ,

and sent two of his childr en Manco Capac and ,

-

Mama O cll o Hu aco to fo r m men into r egul ar

,

communities and teach them the ar ts o f civili zed

,

life. The celestial pair advanced along the high

p lains in the neighbo r hood of Lake Titicaca as ,

far as the sixteenth degr ee o f so u th latitu de .

The y bor e with them a golden wedge and wer e ,

dir ecte d to take up their abode wher ever the

sa cr ed emblem sho uld sink into the ear th o f its

o wn acco r d Thi s pr odigy t o ok place in the val

.

le y o f C uzco whe r e the wedge sank in to the

,

g r o u nd and
,
disappea r ed fo r eve r He re th e .
28 6 M YT H O L O G Y .

childr en of the S un enter ed upon their benevole nt

m ission ; Manco Capac in str u cting the men in the
-

arts o f ag r icul tur e while M a m a O e ll o initiate d

,

the women into the myst e r i e s o f weaving a n d

S pin nin g .The ru de b ut sim ple hear ted natives
,
-

we r e not S low to appr eciate the benefits conferr e d

by the messenger s of heaven ! a lar ge communi ty
was gr adu ally for med and the city of C uzco was
,

fo unded in the vall ey The monar chy thus.

fo r med was gover ned by the Incas who claimed

, ,

d e scent fr om M an cO Capac and Mama O cllo and

-

always styled themselves Childr en o f the S un , .

Q ues Wha t was the o rigin of thi s legend ?

.

A ns It was evidently a fiction invented at a

.
,

later period to gr atify the vanity o f the Incas by ,

attr ibuting to their r ace a celestial origin T he .

extensive r uins on the S ho r e s o f L ake Titicac a

pr ove that this r egion was inhabited by a powe r
ful and compar atively civiliz ed people lon g b e
, ,
«

fore the foun dation o f the Per uvian monar chy .

Q ues A r e ther e any other Pe r uvian legends ?

.

A ns A mong the tr aditio ns o f this r ace is o n e

.
,

o f the del u ge which r esembles in o n e o r two c uri

,

o us par tic ul ar s the Mexican legend o n the sam e

s ubject . A cco r ding to both these tr a di tions ,

s e ven persons took r e fuge in caves in which they ,

we r e p r ese r ved fr om the unive r sal destru ction ;

and fr om these the e arth was r e peopled T he
,
-
.

Pe ru vians maintained that whi te and be a r ded

men fr om the east had visited the country in
ancient times and in stru cted the natives in the
,
 PE RU . 28 7

ar ts o f civilized life This legend r eca ll s the

.

Mexican sto ry o f Quetzalcoatl and the c o inci ,

dence is sin g ular becau se no communication is

,

believed to have existed between the two coun

tr ies
.

Q ues Wher e wer e the most celeb r ated temples

.

o f the S un ?

A ns The most ancient o f these edifices was in

.

the island o f Titicaca whence the fo under s o f the

,

In ca dynasty wer e said to have pr oceeded .

E verything belonging to t his sanct uar y was held

in par tic ular vener ation Even the fields o f maize
.

which wer e attached to the temple wer e s upposed

to par take o f its sanctity ; and the year ly p r o
d u ce was di str ib uted in small qu antities thr ou gh
all the p ub lic gr anaries to b r ing a blessing o n,

the r est of the stor e .

A Pe ru vian esteemed h imself happy in s c our

ing even a single e ar o f the sac r ed gr ain .

Q ue s Desc r ibe the temple o f C uzco

. .

A ns This edifice was const ru cte d of stone and

.
,

cover ed a large e xtent o f gr o und in the hear t o f

the city The inte r ior of the temple has b e en
.

d e sc r ibed by those who saw it in its glor y as b e

, ,

ing lite r ally a m ine o f p r ecio u s metals It was .

“
called by the natives Cor icancha o r Place o f ,
”
G old . O n the wester n wall was the image o f the
S un ; this was a massive golden plate o f enor ,

mou s dimensions o n whi ch was emblazoned a hu

,

m an co unte n ance dar ting fo r th r ays o n eve r y S ide .

T he i m ag e was richly ornamented with emer al d s

288 MYT H O LO G Y .

an d pr eciou s stones It fr onted the easte r n p o r

.

tal of the temp le in su ch a mann er that the first

r ays o f the mo r ning S un fell dir ectly o n his golden

image and wer e r eflected from the r ich o r naments

,

with which the wall s and ceiling wer e encr uste d .

E ver y par t o f the temple glowed with the

pr ecio u s metal and even the exter ior was e n c o m
,

passed with a b r oad fr ieze o f gold set in the soli d

stone wor k of the edi fice A djoining the princi
-
.

pal stru ctur e was the temple o f the Moon H e r .

e fli gy was of silve r b ut othe r wise r e sembled that

,

of the S un The same metal was u sed in all the

.

decor ations o f the b uildi ng as r es e mbling in its,

pale lu stre the milder r adi ance o f the beau tiful

p lanet .

O ne chapel was dedi cated to the star s anothe r ,

to thunder and lightni ng and a thir d to the r ain,

bo w . This last was decor ated with a many col -

or ed ar ch of r esplende nt hues A ttached to the .

temple of Cu zco wer e the celeb r ated gar dens ,

sparklin g with flowe r s o f gold and Sil ver Ani .

mals also we r e r epr esented in pr eciou s o re and ,

the classic fable o f the golden fleece was r ealized

in the llama o f this fair y gar den .

Q uas Does anything now r emain of this mag

.

nifi c e n t temple

A ns No ; its riches became the p r ey o f the

.

c an q u e r o r s and the desec r ated shr ine o ffer ed a n

,

inexhau stible s upply o f material fo r the e r ection

of other b uil din gs Fields o f m a ize ar e n o w
.

waving whe r e the golden garde ns once sparkled in

 PE RU . 28 9

the and the chur ch o f St Dominic o ne o f

s un, .
,

the most magnifice n t b u il di ngs o f th e N e w

World occupies the S ite o f the famou s G or ican
,

cha The temples of Peru we r e many and mag

.

nifi c e n t ; b ut C uzco wa s to the Inca noble what

Mecca is to the devou t followe r o f Mahomet and ,

he wo uld conside r that he had neglected a sacr ed

d uty if he had not made at least o n e pilgr image
,

to the holy shr ine .

Q ues Fr om what class wer e the Pe r uvian

.

pr iests gener ally chosen ?

A ns They wer e all witho ut e xception Inca no
.
, ,

bles and ther efor e chil dr en of the S un The

,
.

I i h Pr iest called Villac Vm u was seco n d o nl y

i g , ,

so the Inca and was chosen fr om amon g his

,

br othe r s o r near est kindr ed .

a s What sacrifices we r e offer ed to the S un ?

.

A ns A nimals r ipe maize flowe r s an d sweet

.
, ,

scented gu ms Hu man sacr ifices wer e r ar e and

.
.

w er e only o ffer ed o n gr eat occasions s u ch a s a ,

co r onation a victo r y etc A child o r a beau tiful

, ,
.

m a iden was then selected as the victim ; b u t the

can nibal r epasts o f the Mexi cans we r e unkn o wn
among the mor e r efined Pe ru vians .

a s What we r e.the p rincipal festivals o f the

S un ?
A ns The sols tices and equ inoxes wer e c e le b r at
.

ed b y four gr eat festivals ; b ut the most solemn

wa s the feast o f R aym i held at the pe r io d o f ,

their s u mme r solstic e Thi s fe stiv al lasted many

.

da y s The animals o ffe r e d in sacrifice we r e

.
290 MYT H O LO G Y .

ser ved at the tables of the Inca and o f hi s ne w

bles ; b u t o f the flocks belonging to the te m pl e a ,

vast n u mber w e r e slau ghte r ed and dist rib u t e d

a mong the p eo p le .

Q ue s What p oints o f r esem blance have been

.

noticed betwe e n the r eligio u s Observances o f the

Pe r uvians and those o f the ancient Romans ?

A ns In the mode o f p r oc u r ing the sacr ed fi r e
.
,

the obtaini ng o f omens fr om the ani mals offer ed

in sac r ifice and in some o f the laws with r egar d
,

to the Vir gin s o f the S un A t the festival o f Ray

.

m i the sac r ed fi r e was obtained as unde r the

, ,

r e ign of Nu ma by means o f a concave mir r o r o f

,
’

p o lished metal The .s u n s r ays we r e in this man

ne r collected in a foc u s of s ufficient int e nsity to

ig nite dr ied cotton Wh e n the S ky was ove r c a st

.
,

which was esteem ed a ver y bad omen the fir e ,

was obtained by m e ans o f fri ction This fi r e was .

watched by the Vir gins o f the S un .

a s .I h o we
V
r e these ?
A ns They wer e maidens o f noble bir th who
.

we r e dedicated to the ser vice o f the S un They .

we r e taken fr om their famil ies at an early age ,

and placed under the car e o f elder ly matr ons who ,

in stru cted them in their r eligio us du ties and in ,

every br an ch o f female indu str y Th e y spun .

gar ments which they w er e tau ght to embr oide r

,

with exquisite skill They also wove o f the fi n e

.
,

hair o f the vic ufia the hangings o f the te m pl e s

,

and the gar m e nts wor n by the Inca and his

hous ehold They w e r e completely se cl uded e ven
.
7
,
 PE RU 29 ]

fr om their own near est r elatives The wives o f .

the Inca and they wer e nu mer ous wer e chosen

, ,

fr om among the Vir gins o f the S un With thi s .

exception they wer e for bidden to mar r y T he

,
.

un happy maiden who ventu r ed to fo r m in sec r e t

a le ss exalted alli ance ; was condemned to the

c r uel p im ishm e n t dec r eed in lik e cir c umstance s
against the Roman Ve stal She was b ur i e d .

alive ; he r acco m plice was str angled and the vil ,

lage to which he belonged was r azed to the

gr ou nd and sowed with stones .

Q ues How did the Per uvians b ur y their d e a d ?

.

A ns The body was embalmed not as in Egypt

.
, , ,

with gu ms and spices b ut by si m ple exposur e to

,

the cold dry and r ar efied atmospher e of the

,

mountains The mu mmies are ge n e r a lly in a sit

.

tin g postur e A s the Peruvians i m agined that

.

the wants and occupations o f men wo u ld be the

same beyond the gr ave as in this life costly ,

appar el ar ms u tensils and som e times tr eas ur es

, ,

we r e plac e d in the tomb o f a deceased noble .

That he might not lack attendance and society ,

his favo r ite wives and domestics wer e sac r ificed

o n his tomb .

The Pe r uvians believed in an evil spir it whom

they called C upay b u t they did not atte m pt to
,

pr opitiate him by any fo r m o f wor ship C upay .

seems in fact to h ave been only a per sonificatio n

, ,
 S U PPL E M E N T .

A B R IE F N O T I CE O F A U T H O R S , E T C , M E N T IO N E B
IN T H IS VO L U M E .

E S C H Y L U S ,

T he earliest of the Gr eek dr amatists was born ,

at Eleu sis in A ttica 5 25 B C He distingu ished

,
. .

himself in the battles of Mar athon Salamis and ,

Plat ae a Z E s chylus has been called the father of

.

Gr ecian tr agedy as he was the fi r st to give r ules

,

to the dialogue and define the du ties o f the

,

cho ru s ; he also plann ed the dr ess o f the actor s ,

the scener y and the whole mechanism o f the stage .

Z E s h lus w r ote sixty —six d r amas in thi r te e n o f

c
y ,

which he obtained the victo r y over all his compe

tito r s . He was at l e ngth defea ted by a yo unger
r ival,
Sophocles He r etir ed the same year to
. .
!

the co ur t o f Hier o king o f Syr acu se and s o m e

, ,

wr ite r s attrib ute this step to the m o r tifi c atio n felt

by the poet on thi s occasion O ther s say that he .

was accu sed as gui lty o f p r ofanity in exhibiting

o n the stage ce r tain things connecte d with the

E leu sini an myste r ies The people wer e abo ut to

.

s tone him when he was saved by the p r esence o f

,

mind of hi s b r other A m in ias The latter had .

 SUPPLE M E N T . 29 3

wo n mu ch glory in the Per sian war and n o w ,

while inter ceding fo r his b r othe r he dexter o u sly

dr op p ed his mantle so as to expose the stu mp o f
the arm he had lost at Salamis The silent ap .

peal was not witho u t its effect o n the impul sive

A th e nians and E s c hylu s w as par doned
,
H e .

deemed it pr udent however to r etir e to Sicily

, , ,

wher e he was kin dl y enter tained by Hier o H is .

d e ath is said to have occurr ed in a very e xtr a o r

din ary manner .

A s he slept in the fields an eagle which was,

flying over him with a tor toise in hi s claws mis ,

took the bald head o f the poet fo r a stone The .

bi r d dr opped the tor toise fo r the p ur pose o f bre ak

ing the shell and he was kill ed by the blow th u s
, ,

ver ifying a p r ophecy that his death wo ul d come

fr om o n hi gh .

O f the d r amas wr itte n by E ls chylu s b u t seven ,

remain . O f these the most admi r ed is the Pro

,
”
methene Chained .The su bject is the p uni sh
ment o f Pr ometheu s o n Mo unt Cau casu s the
S cener y is gr and and te r r ific and all the per sons
,

o f the dr ama ar e divi nities .

c as S A R (C ai n s Julius ) ,

The Roman gener al and di ctator holds a ,

high r ank among Latin authors D uring the .

most ac tive per iod o f hi s life he fo und time ,

to d e vote to lite r ary p ur s ui ts O f the wo r ks wr it

.

te n b y him o n var iou s subjects bo th in p r ose and

,
 MYT H O LO G Y .

ver se we have only his Commentaries in te n

, ,

b ooks Seven o f these treat of the Gallic w a r

.

the r est conta in an acco u nt of the Civi l w a r .

The h urr y of mili tar y expe di tions did not p r eve nt

this ext r ao r di na r y man fr om obse r ving clos e ly
the mann e r s and cu stoms o f the differ ent nation s
with whom he contended We ar e indebted to
.

the Commentar ies fo r almost all the accur ate in

fo r mation we possess with r egar d to the inhabit
ants o f ancient Gaul .

C ae sar was not s ur passed even by the w r iter s

,

o f the A u g u stan age in cl e ar ness and bea u ty o f

,

style He exagger ates nothin g and his most

.
,

br illi ant achievements ar e r elated with a cer tain

mod e st simplicity whi ch is o ne o f the char acter
is tic s o f t ru e g r eatn e ss .

C ICE R O .

A Roman or ato r and statesman He filled the .

highest offices in the gift o f his country and took ,

so pr omin ent a par t in p ublic affair s that an a o ,

cou n t o f his life woul d be a lso a hi story of his

times Cice r o wr ote on the ar t o f pu bli c Speak
.

ing o n p hilosophy and j urisp r ud e nce This gr e at

, .

man who had saved Rome fr om the plots o f

,

Catil ine and r ender ed many oth e r signal ser vices

,

to his countr y was basely m u r der ed by the o r der

,

o f the second T rium vir ate in the ye ar 43 B C

,
. .
 S UPPLE M E N T . 29 5

D E M O S T H E N E S .

A fam o us A thenian or ator who defended the ,

liberties o f his country a gainst the aggr essions

of Phili p o f Macedon .

D IO D O R U S ,

Surnamed S iculus from Sicily his birthplace

, ,
.

He was a celebr ated histor ian contempor a ry with ,

“
Juliu s C ae sar and Au gu stu s He wr ote a Gener al .

”
Hi sto r y in for ty books o f whi c h we have now ,

fifteen entir e with scatter ed fr agments o f the

,

other s D io do rus devoted thir ty year s to this

.

gr eat wo rk .

E U R IPID E S ,

A Gr eek tr agedian was bor n in 480 B C o n the

, . .
,

day r ender ed fam ous by the victory o f Sala mi s .

After gaining a high r ep u tation as a dr amatist ,

E uripides r etir ed to Macedon to the cou rt o f ,

Kin g A r chelaus O n the death o f the poet the

.
,

A thenians begged that his body might be sent to

A thens fo r inter ment This r equ est A r chelaus
.

re fused and E ur ipides was b ur ied with m u ch

,

pomp at Pella in Macedon This poet is infer ior

, .

to ZE s chylu s and Sophocles not onl y in dignity ,

o f sentiment b u t in the mo r al tone of his dr a

,

mas . Sophocles is said to have obse r ved tha t

while he r ep r esented men as they ou gh t to b e ,

E uripides descr ibed them as they wer e .

29 6 M YT H O LO G Y .

L E R O D O T US
Who has been called the Father o f Histor y was ,

b o r n at Halicar nass u s 48 4 B C He spent many,

. .

year s t r avelling thr ou gh E ur ope As ia and A frica , ,

o bse r ving eve r ywhe r e the manne r s and c u stoms

o f the people and collecting materials fo r his

,

gr eat wor k His account o f the Per sian war is

.

full of inter est and w o n fo r him gr eat pop ul arity

,

among his countr ymen .

Her odotu s r elates many things which seem

st r ange and even incr edible ; b u t these ar e either
,

tr adi tions o f r emote times o r accou nts r eceived ,

from other tr avelle r s The gener al opini on is that

.

wher e Her odotus speaks fr om his o wn Observa

tion o r r elates events o f which the memo r y was
,

still r ecent he may be r elied up on as an accur ate

,

and tru thful hi sto rian .

JUS T IN (S a i n t) .

A Ch r istian wr iter o f the second century H e .

is p r incipally celebr ated fo r hi s A pology fo r the

Chr istians addr essed to the Emper or An tonin u s
, .

It is wr itten in a style at once eloqu ent and p e r

su asive and it is believed that it had the desir e d
,

e ffect and was the immediate cau se o f the e di ct

,

iss ued by An toninus in favo r o f the Ch r istian s .

St Justin addressed a second A pology to M ar

.

us A ur eliu s b u t with fa r diffe r ent s u ccess

,
This .

E mper o r was to o m uc h un de r the influenc e of

 S UPPLE M E N T . 29 7

the he athen philosopher s whom he had assembled

at his cour t to j udge impar tially in the matte r
,
.

O ne o f these Cr e s c e n tiu s a bitter ene m y o f the

, ,

Chr istians p r oc ur ed the death o f their intr epid

,

defender The mar tyr dom of St Ju stin took

. .

plac e at Rome about the year 1 6 1 A D ,

. .

JUV E N A L
A Roman poet o f the fir st centur y He was .

bor n in the r eign of Caligul a b ut the exact da te ,

is not know n Juvenal is celebr ated fo r his s a

.

tir es in which he attacked the vices and folli es of

,

his day not sparing the emper or s themselves

,

wher e their condu ct was deserving o f r epr oach .

Hadr ian believed that o n e o f the satir es of Juve

nal was dir ected against himself he had not the
magnani mity to over look the offence and Juve n al ,

wa s exil ed to L yb ia wher e he died soon afte r ,

.

M E C E N A S .

Minister and favor ite o f the Emper or A u gu stu s .

H e was distingui shed fo r the wisdom o f hi s co u n

s els and his r a r e abilities as a statesman
,
Al .

tho ugh hi mself an indiffer ent poet he was still a ,

patr on o f liter atur e and liter ary men Vir gil ,

Hor ace O vid and other celebr ated wr iter s o f the

,

Au gustan age wer e among his most intimat e ,

friends S uch was the car e with whi c h M ae cena s

.

S o ught o ut and r ewar ded eve ry speci e s of me r i t ,

29 8 MYT H O LO G Y .

that his name is pr overbially u sed to den o te a

gener o u s patr on .

A dmi r able in hi s public capacity he was in p r i ,

vate life as indolent and lu xur iou s as the most

e ffeminate o r iental H is vill as wer e laid o ut with
.

une xampled magni ficence and his banqu ets s ur ,

passed in taste and display those g iven by A u

, ,

gus tu s himself .

The later year s of M aecenas offer a sad com

mentar y o n the value o f hu man gr eatness His .

constitu tion which had never been str ong was

, ,

weakened by excess He was to r mented by con .

stant wakefulness and this gr eat man w ith the

, ,

r eso u r ces o f the wor ld at his command wo ul d ,

p r obably have sacrificed both wealth and powe r

fo r the common b e e n o f S leep enjoyed by the
meanest o f his Slaves In vain the physicia n s ex .

e r cis e d their skill ; nar cotics monotono u s so unds , ,

distant mu sic all failed to p r odu ce the desir ed

,

e ffect A str eam was at length conduct e d

.
, ,

thr o u gh a gar den adjoining the chamber wher e

he lay and the soft mur mur of the falling water s
,

pr oc ur ed a tempor ar y a lleviation W e ar e told .

,

however that fo r th r ee year s precedin g his death

, ,

M ae cenas never slept .

PE L A S G I .

A name given to the most anc l e n t inhabitants

o f Gr eece They founded colonies in A sia Minor
.
,

the is land s o f the E ge an Sea and in Italy T he , .

 S U PPLE M E N T . 2 99

Cyclopean remains in these co untries a re gen e r

ally attr ib u te d to the Pelasgi These structur es .

ar e r emar kable fo r the im m ense siz e of the S tone s

o f whic h they ar e b uil t .

P L IN IUS , (S e c u n dus C )
.

A Roman writer gener ally k nown as Pliny the

,

E lder is equ ally celeb r ated as a hi storian and

,

a natur alist It is not easy to un der stand

.

ho w o n e man coul d have followed so many dif

fe re nt avocations filled high o fli c e s u nder dif
,

fe r e n t empe r or s and yet have found time fo r s u ch

,

a vast amount o f composition Whil e still quite .

yo u ng Pliny served in Ger many wher e he com

, ,

m a n de d a tr oop o f cavalr y ; he after war ds p r a c

tis e d as a p leade r at the Roman b a r filled the ,

o ffice o f pr oc ur ator in Spain and we find him at , ,

the time o f his death in command o f the flee t ,

which gu ar ded the coast o f Italy .

The appli cation of Pliny to liter ar y p ur suits w a s

uninte rru pted He r ose to his stu di es at two in
.

the morning and dur ing the entir e day whether

, ,

in the bath at table o r sitting in his gar d e n he

, , ,

e ithe r listened to r eading wr ote o r di ctated , , .

E ven o n his jo ur neys and m il itary expeditions a ,

S ec r etar y always sat in his char iot We ar e .

told that in winter Pliny was car eful to p r ovide

him with a wa r m glove of pec uliar make that his ,

finge r s might not be too m u ch ben u mbed to hold

the s tyl us
.
300 MYT H O LO G Y .

We have b u t o n e complete wor k of this au thor ,

his Natur al History in thir tv seven books It

,
-
.

tr e ats n o t only o f nat ur al h i s tory pr operly s o

, ,

c alled b u t also of ast r onomy biogr aphy hi sto r y

, , , ,

p hysiology med i cine

, and the fine a r ts The p o r .

tion whi ch t r eats o f animals possesses now b u t

little inter est .

In many instances the description i s so vague

,

a s to l e ave u s in do u bt as to the par ticu lar ani m al

he wo uld designate He also mingles facts r eally

.
,

obser ved with fables of winged hor ses monster s

, ,

with h u man heads and the tails o f sco r pions etc ,

.

The ten books on botany ar e open to the same

ob jections He attrib utes to many plants pr op
.

e rtie s altogethe r fab ul o u s and hi s wo r k altho ugh

, ,

fo r mer ly mu ch quoted o n these points has r e n ,

der ed ver y li ttle ser vice to the ar t of medicine .

The case is differ ent wher e he speaks of geo gre

phy histo r y and the fine ar ts O n all these
,
.

points he impar ts m u ch valu able infor mation o f

,

which we wo uld other wise be deprived T he .

N atur al Histo ry may be consid e r ed fr om its wid e ,

range o f s u bjects a so r t of Cyclop ae dia and it is

, ,

s aid that if the Latin lan guage we r e lost it might ,

be r estor ed fr om thi s wo rk alone .

Pliny per ished in the gr eat eruption o f Moun t

Vesuviu s whi ch destr oyed the towns o f H e rc u
lan e um and Pompeii He Obser ved the phenom
.

ena accompanyin g it from the deck of his ship .

Wishing to take a near e r view and also to su c c or ,

s ome o f his f ri e nds w hos e villas lay near the

 S UPPLE M E N T . 301

sc ene o f peril he steer ed ac r oss the bay a nd

, ,

landed at the foot o f the mou ntain The next .

mo r ni n g w hile pur s uing his in vestigations r egar d

, ,

less o f the r emonstr ances of his f r iends he was ,

suffocated by the noxious vapor s o f the volcano .

H i s body was di scove r ed thr ee days late r e n ,

a

tir e lv u ni nj u r ed and in an attit ude o f r epose

,
.

C PLIN IUS CZE CIL IU S SE CUN D US nephew o f the

.
,

pr ecedin g is gener ally distin g ui shed as Pli n y the

,

Yo unger Under the car e of his u ncle he made

.

su ch r apid p r ogr ess in lite r ature that he was ,

gener ally accounte d o n e of the m o st le arn e d men '

o f his age .

He began his car eer as an o r ator at the early

age o f nineteen A fter filling the high o ffices o f
.

quae stor consul and au gur Pli ny was ap p ointed

, ,

by T r ajan gove r no r of Bithynia It w a s fr om this .

c o u nt r y that he wr ote his celeb r ated letter in

favor of the Chr istians It is inter esting and im
.

por ta nt as showing the pr o gr ess of Chr istiani ty

, ,

and bear ing testimony to the pur ity of life which

wa s the disting uishing mar k of its p r ofes s o r s .

Pliny has left a collection o f lett e r s in ten

b ooks . They ar e addressed to some of the most
celeb r ated per sons o f the time and ar e valu able ,

and inter esting fo r the info r mation they convey

with r egar d to pu blic events and the manne r s a n d ,

habits o f his co n tempo r ar ies The style o f thes e

.

lett e r s is st udi ed a n d they h ave none o f the ease

,

and famili a rity of fri en dl y co rr espondence It .

se ems p r obable that they wer e inte nded r ath e r

802 MYT H O LO G Y .

fo rpos ter ity than fo r the p e r sons to

, whom the y
wer e ostensibly addr essed .

PR O C O P IUS .

O ne of
the most celeb r ated histor ians of t he
E aste r n Empir e He flo ur ished d uring the r eign s
.

o f Ju stin the Elde r and Ju stinian and acc e m ,

anie d Beli sa ri u s as sec r etar y o n his milit ar y e x

p
p e di tio n s .

S IM O N ID E S .

This poet excelled par tic ularly in elegiac vers e

When the most disting uished poets of Gr eece
wr ote ver ses in honor of thos e who fell at Mar a
thon the elegy of Simonides took the prize al
, ,

thou gh [E s chylus was one o f the competito r s .

The compositions o f the gr eat tr agedian wer e de

fi c ie n t in the tende r nes s and pathos fo r which
Simoni des was par ticul arly di stin guis hed The .

lament of Dana e and a few scatte re d fr agments

, ,

ar e all that r emain o f his ve r ses b u t these a r e ,

s ufli c ie n t to p r o v e that his re p u tation in this r e

pe o t was w ell deser ved .

Simonides bro ught the epigr am to al l the p e r

fe c tio n of w hi ch it was capable The most cele
.

br a te d of hi s epitaphs is the mon umental ins cr ip

tion composed fo r the Spart ans who died at Ther .

m o p ylae Str an ger tell the Lacedae monian s

,
”
that we lie her e i n obedi ence to their laws .

Simonides was held i n high e ste e m at the co ur t

 S UPPL E M E N T . 303

of H ier o , king of S y r ac use This prince having .

in q uir ed of him concer ning the nat ur e o f God ,

the p o et r equ este d a day to deliber ate on the sub

j c e t When Hier o r epeated his question o n the
.

mo rr ow he asked fo r two days A s he contin ue d

,
.

in t his manner do ubling the nu mber o f days the

, ,

king r equir ed an explanation Simonides r eplied .

that he postponed his answe r becau se the longe r , ,

he medi tate d o n the subject the mo r e obscur e it ,

became and the mor e he felt his inability to tr eat

,

it in an adequ ate manner .

Simonides was the master o f Pindar he lived

to a very advanced age so that he became the ,

conte m por ar y of the Pisistr atid ae and o f Pau

sauias king o f Spar ta This poet is accu sed o f
, .

having become me r cenar y in his old age and ,

Gr eek writer s speak of him as the fir st who wr ote

ver ses fo r money In this connection we have a
.
,

sto r y whi ch would S how that the poet was not

believed to have for feited the favor o f the gods
by his avar ice .

Whi le r esiding at the court of Scopas kin g o f ,

Thessaly he was engage d by that pr ince to com

,

pose a poem in hi s hono r fo r an appr oachin g ban

quet Whethe r S imoni des fo und the exploit s of
.

Scopas too barr en a subject fo r his m u se o r that ,

his piety led him to intr odu ce highe r themes we ,

do not know ; b ut when the ve r ses we r e r ecited

befor e the assembled co ur t the pr aises o f Cas tor ,

and Poll ux were min gled lar gely with those of his
ro y a l p a tr o n .
304 MYT H O LO G Y .

A mor tal mi ght have been content to shar e his

honor s with the divine pair ; b ut Scopas gru dge d
e ve ry line whi ch di d not celeb r ate his o wn fame .

When Simonides appr oach e d to r eceive his r ewar d ,

the king gave him half the appointed sum say ,

ing that was fo r his part ; fo r what r elated to

,

Castor and Pollux they wo ul d no do ubt bestow

,

a gene r ou s r ecompense The disconcer ted po e t

.

r e tur n e d to his place amid the jeer s and lau ghter

of the guests In a little while a slave b r ought

.
,

him wor d that two young men o n hor seback wer e

at the gate and desir ed ear nestly to speak with
,

him . Simonides went o ut b ut found no one ; ,

whil e he was looking to se e which way the str an

ger s had gone the r oof o f the palace fell with a
,

terr ible cr ash bur ying Scopas and his gu ests b e

,

neath the r uins .

O n being informed of the appear ance o f the

young men who had sent fo r him— o f their snow
white steeds and shining ar mor he knew that it ,

was indeed Castor and Pollux who had acknow

ledged in thi s m anner the homage of his ver se
, ,
.

S O PH O C L E S

Wa s the second in or de r o f tim e o f the great

tr agic poets o f G r ee ce In tru e dr amatic excel
.

lence he is gener ally consider ed the fir t

,
T he s .

p oet w as onl y S ixteen when he was selected to

le ad the choru s O f A thenian you ths who c e l e

 S UPPLE M E NT . 305

br ate d with lyr e and song the er ection o f the

tr ophy in honor o f the victory at Salamis In his .

twenty fi fth year he carr ied o ff the t r agi c pr iz e

-

fr om E schylus He gained the same tr iumph

.

over other competitor s taking the fir st prize o n ,

twenty four di ffer ent occasions

-
.

Irr epr oachable in pr ivate life distinguished fo r ,

his skill in every manly exer cise and a r ar e ex ,

c e ll e n ce in the a rts of poet r y and mu sic S O p ho ,

cles was consider ed by hi s admir in g countrymen

as an especial favorite o f the gods The r emar k .

o f the ancient sage that no man is to be accounted

happy befo r e he di es was ver ified in the case of ,

this great poet If the mor ning o f his life was

.
’

bright in the lustr e of national glory and per sonal

renown the evenin g was clo u ded by the mi s fo r
,

t unes o f hi s coun try and domestic u nhappiness , .

Sophocles served wi th co ur age b ut witho ut gain ,

ing m u ch distinction in the Peloponnesian w ar , ,

and was a witness o f the miser ies which that fatal

str uggle br ou ght u pon Gr eece He died in the .

year 405 B C a few months befor e the defeat o f

,
. .
,

ZE go s pota m os completed the mi sfor tunes o f

-

Athens He was deeply lamented by the A the ni

.

ans who seem to for get the calamities o f the

,

time in their grief at the loss o f so illu str io u s a

citizen Sophocles wr ote o n e hundr ed and thir ty
.

dr amas o f which seven r emain O f th e se t he

, .
,

(E di pu s Tyr annus and the An tigone ar e the m o s t

39 5 MYT H O LO G Y .

S T R A B O .

A celeb r ated geogr aphe r bo rn at A m x e xg ,

‘

in Pont u s about the year 24 B 0 He spent

, , . .

many year s in t r avelling at fir st fo r his own gr at

,

ifi c a tio n and in the p ur s uit o f knowledge b u t

, ,

after war ds by the or der o f A u gustu s He wa s .

alr eady advanced in life when he compiled his

r eat wo r k o n geogr aphy It is di vided into
g .

s e ve nteen books and contains m uch valu able an d

,

inte r e sting inf or mation with r egar d to the m an

n e r s and c u stoms Of the nat ions he had visited .

Little was known at that tim e O f the ext e nt and

for m of ear th Str abo imagined that the entir e
.

habitable po r tion was included between two meri

dians o ne Of whi ch p as se d thr ou gh the island o f
,

Ie r ne (Ir eland ) and the other thr ou gh Ceylon

, ,
.

T IT IC A C A .

A lake in Bolivia celebr ated fo r the ruins

,

Of T iahu an ic o on its shor es They stan d on an .

eminence which fr om the water mar ks s ur r ound

,
-

ing it seems to have been fo r me r ly an island in

,

the lake S O gr eat a change has taken place that

.
,

the level o f the lake is now 1 3 5 feet lowe r a n d ,

its shor es 1 2 mil e s distant These r u in s ar e b e .

lie v e d to be the most anci e nt o n the A mer ican

continent The Peruvians knew nothing of their
.

origin b ut had a vagu e t r a di tion that they we r e

,

built by giants in a single night Th e y re garde d .

 SUPPLE M E N T . 307

them , ther e for e with super stitiou s awe a nd con

, ,

ne c te d them as we have seen with the fabl e s o f

, ,

their mythology These ruins like some in the

.
,

the O ld Wor ld a r e Often called cyclopean on ac

, ,

c ou nt o f the size o f the blocks of stone u sed in

their constr uction Ther e ar e still r emaining .

,

monolithi c pill ar s statues and doorways sc ulp , ,

tur e d in a style enti r ely di ffe r ent fr om that o h

s e r ved o n any other A me r ican mon u ments We .

may for m some idea of the size of the blocks u sed ,

fr om the measur ement of o n e door way which is ,

1 0 ft high and 1 3 ft b r oad with an op e ni ng 6 ft

.
,
.
, ,
.

4 inches by 3 ft 2 inches the whole bein g c u t

,
.
,

fr om a single stone .

Some o f the b uil di ngs appear to have been o f

pyr amidal fo r m and to have cover ed seve r al
,

ac r es O f the people who exec uted su ch st a pen

.

dou s wo rks we know absolut e ly nothing except

, ,

that they pr eceded the Peruvians and wer e fa r ,

ther advanced in the ar ts of civili zed li fe than

any nation existing o n the continent at the time
o f its discove r y .

V A R R O

A L atin writer celebr ated fo r his extensive learn

,

in g
. He is said to have composed five hund r ed
volu m es all of whi ch ar e now lost with the
, ,

exception O f two tr eatises ; one o n agricultur e the ,

other on the Latin langu age The latte r is ded .

«

ic ate d to Cicer o an intim ate fr iend o f the au thor

,
.
308 MYT H O LO G Y
.

The life of Varr o was eventful he was favor e d

C ae sar pr oscribed by A ntony and
, ,

passed his later year s in liter ar y ease u nder the

r otection O f A u ust u s Speaki ng f Va o St
p g . o r r ,
“
A u gu stine says that
, it is an equ al su bject o f
wonder how o n e who r ead s uch a number o f
,

books co ul d find time to compose so many vol

,

umes and how he who composed so many vol

umes co uld have found le is ure to p e ruse s uch a
,
”
varie t o f b o oks
y .
 IN D E X .

Alfhe im 25 2 .

A . l ,

Al p he u s , 9 1 .

Ac e s te s , 1 73 . Al thea , 1 40 .

A c hab , 21 4 . A m az o n s , 1 35 .

Achill e s , 5 8 152, 1 5 3, 1 66 , 9 8 . Am b ar valie , 79 .

&
Ac es te s, 42 . A m p hi o n , 8 8 , 1 28 .

A c risius , 131 Am p hitrite , 9 3 .

A d m e tus , 3 1 . An c his e s , 1 7 1 , 1 74
A d o nis , 5 3, 21 6 . A n dr o m ache , 1 6 7 , 1 72
A dra s tus 1 6 8
. . An dro m e da, 1 32 .

ZE ac u s , 1 02 . An tigo n e , 1 6 9 .

ZE ge u s , 1 21 , 1 22 . An til o chu s, 5 8 .

Z E gis thus , 1 53 1 64 . A p e ll e s , 1 13, 19 3 .

E n e as , 1 7 1 . Ap is , S e rap is , 209 , 210 .

E n e id , 1 48 . Ap o ll o , Phoeb us, 1 7 6 , 26, 29

E o lu s , 6 7 . 30, 33 2 5 9 , 18 4, 1 8 2, 1 52
,
.

schylu s, 1 7C 1 9 9 , 202, 29 1 . Ar a chn e , 47 .

s c u lap ius , 30, 1 88 . A r c as , 44 .

ZE so n , 1 1 9. Ar e thu sa, 9 1 .

E e te s, 1 20 Ar g o n au ts , 120
Ag am e d es , 1 84 . Ar g u s , 3 7 .

A gam e m n o n , 1 5 2 . A r ia dn e , 1 22 .

Ag atho cl e s , 21 4 . Ar io n , 1 26 .

Ag e s o f the Wo r l d, 1 8 A s c alap hus, 7

A g e no r , 2 6 . A s c anius, 1 7 1 .

Aglai a, 5 3 . Asgar d , 241 .

Aj ax, 1 41 , 1 5 7 . As htar o th, As tarte , 21 6 .

Ahrim an, 2 1 8 . Ask e 240

, .

Al ce s tis , 3 1 . As tr se a, 80 .

Alc itho e, 41 . As tyan ax, 1 6 7 .

A lcibia de s , 38 , 19 3 . Ata lan ta , 5 2, 1 41 .

Al c m e na, 1 1 4 . A tta lu s , 7 3 .

Al e c to , 1 01 . A tha m as , 9 7 , 1 19 .

Al e xan d e r , 1 8 7, 193 . A tlas , 3 6 , 129 .

 31 0 IN D E X .

A tr o p o s, 1 01 .
Ce c ro p s , 46 .

A u dax, A p CL , 7 1 . . Cas to r , 1 23, 1 41

g
.

Au urs, 1 7 8 .
Ce l e u s , 7 8 .

Aur o r a , E o s , 5 6 . C e n tau r s , 1 04 .

A vatar s , 222 . Ce p ha lu s , 5 6 .

A ve rn u s , 1 00 . C e p h e u s , 1 32 .

Az te cs , 274 .
C e rb e ru s , 1 01 , 1 1 6 .

C e r e s , D e m e te r , 1 7 , 76 1 43 .

B Ce stu s , 5 0 .

C e yx , 1 3 8
Baal, B el, 21 3 25 8
.

, .
Cha r o n , 1 00
B ac chan ali a, 40
.

.
Charyb dis , 1 5 8
B a c chan te s , 41
.

.
Chim aera , 1 04 1 34
B a c c hu s 3 2, 39 , 1 22, 1 26, 1 8 6 ,
.

, .
Chio n e , 8 8
B ak o o , 21 9 .
Chir o n , 1 1 4
l
B a d ur , 248 .
Cho lul a, 280
.

B ar d s, 2 6 0
.

.
Cic e r o , 148 , 29 3
B e lide s , 1 04
.

.
Cm yr as 5 3
ll
. .

B e e r op ho n , 1 04, 1 3 7 .
O n ce , 9 6
l
.

B e l o n a, 3 5 .
Cl au d ia, 7 3
l
B e u s , 21 3 .
Cle o m e n e s , 208
.

l
B e vide r e , A p o o , 208 ll
.

.
Cli o , 8 2
B ifr os t, 241
.

.
Cl o tho , 1 0
B o n a D e a, 73 .
Clym e n e , 3 3, 123
B o n z e s , 232
.

.
Cly te m n e s tr a, 15 3, 1 64.
g
B r a i, 245 .
C oe n e u s , 5 2 .

B rahm a, 221 Co n fu c iu s , 228 9 -

B r e nnu s, 8 4
.

C o n su ali a 9 4 , .

B riar e u s, 1 03 .
Co n s ta n tin e , 1 84, 8 6
B uddha, 226
.

.
C o r c yr e an s , 1 8 1 .

C o ri c a n c ha, 28 7 .

Co ry b an te s , G a lli,
Cr e o n , 1 69 .

Cac u s, 65 .
C r e u s a, 1 20
Ca dm us, 26
.

.
C r oe s u s , 1 8 3
C a duc e us , 3 6
.

.
Cr o m l e c hs , 27 1 .

C ae c ulu s , 65 C up i d , 5 0
‘

.
.

C ae s ar , A u us tus , 63, 147 , 1 49 Cu z c o , 2 8 7

g
J
.

Cae s ar , u k u s , 2 5 8 , 2 9 2 .
Cyan e 7 6
l
. .

Ca chas , 1 5 2, 1 5 3 , 1 6 7 .
Cyb e l e , 7 2
ll
.

Ca io p e , 8 2, 1 25 .
Cy cl o p s , 30, 65
ll
.

Ca is ta, 44 .
Cyni s c a, 1 9 3
l
.

Ca yp s o , 1 5 9 .
Cyp ari s su s , 30 .

C am b ys e s, 5 9 , 1 8 7 .

Ca m u l, 2 6 0 .

Ca m a c , 2 7 2 .

Ca s s an dr a, 1 52, 1 7 2 . D ae dalu s137 , .

Ca s s io p e ia, 1 3 2 .
g
a o n , 21 7 .

l
Cas ta ian fo un t, 1 8 9 . ana e, 1 3 1 .

D anaus 1 04 . .
 ll
D aphn e , 33 .

D e i an ira, 1 1 7 .

D e l os, 5 4 . F .

D e lp hi 1 8 1
, . Fa te s , 1 01 , 140 .

D e m o s the n e s , 1 8 1, 2 9 5 . Faun s , 8 5 .

D e u c al io n , 1 3 6 . F e n ri s , 24 7 8 , 25 5 -
.

D ia n a, 29 , 8 7 , 9 1 , 1 5 2 . l
F o ra, 9 2 .

D ic tys , 1 32 . F 0 , 2 33 .

D id o , 1 7 2 . Fr e y, 244 .

D io do rus , 1 8 1 , 25 9 , 29 5 Fr e ya, 244 .

D io m e de s , 4 6 , 1 1 6 . gg
Fr i a, 248 , 249
D in dym u s , M t , 7 2
.

. . Fr o s t G ian ts 240 249 ,

,
D io n ys iu s, 23 , 1 9 4 . F urie s , 1 01 , 201
D o do na, 1 8 0
.

D o l m e n s, 27 2
G
.

D o m itian, 7 0 .

D r uids , 25 8, 2 6 1 .
G ai n e s , Class ic, 1 9 1 .

D ruid e s s e s , 264 .
G anym e d e , 43 .

D rya d e s , 9 0, 1 43 .
G e o r gic s , 1 48 .

G e n g his Kan , 23 7
, .

G e rm ani cus , 21 1 .

G e r yo n 1 04, 1 1 6
. .

G ian ts , 209 .

E cho , 9 1 .
G n o m e s , 244, 25 2 .

E cl o gue s , 1 47, 1 7 8 G or g o n s 47 , 1 32
, .
.

E ddas, 239 .
G r ac e s 5 3
, .

E l e c tra, 1 64 .
G r adivu s, M ar s , 35 .

E le usin ian M ys te rie s 7 7 G u a tam a, 226 .

, .

E l v e s , 25 0, 25 1 , 25 2 G u e b er s o r G ue b re s 22a .
.

E lys ium , 1 74, 1 04 .

E m b la , 241 .

E p he s us, T e m l e o f 8
p , 9 H a d rian , 1 8 9
E pida uru s , 1 8 8 .

H ae m o n , 1 06
.

E p im e the us , 1 24 .

H al cyo n e , 1 38
.

E ra to 8 2 .

H al cyo n s , 1 3 9
. .

E rigo n e , 8 1 .

H am a drya d e s , 9 0
.

E ris ic htho n , 143 4 -

.
.

E r o s tr a tus, 89 .

E s us , 2 5 8 .

E te o cl e s , 1 6 8 H eb e , 1 18 .

H e ca te , 8 7
.

E um e ni de s , 1 02 .

H e c to r , 1 5 4, 1 6 6
.

E up hro s yn e , 5 3 .

H e c ub a, 1 5 5
.

E urip id e s , 1 7 0 19 3
, 29 5
.

E ur o p a, 26
,
H e im d all, 245 .

H e la , 245 , 248 , 25 11.

.

E urya l e , 1 3 1
H e l e n , 5 2, 1 5 5
.

E ury dic e , 1 25 .

H e l e nu s , 1 7 2
.

E u rys the us , 1 1 4 .

H e lic o n, M t , 48 1 46 .
.

E ute rp e 8 2 ,
B e ll, 1 00
. .

.
 31 2 IN D EX .

H e ll e , 11 9 . J o tunhe ir if .

H e r cu l e s , 3 1 , 77 , 1 14 , 1 9 1 , J ugge rnap
195 . Jun o 25 , $8,
, 43 , 31 , 1 14
H erm io n e , 1 66 . 1 75 .

H e r m o d , 249 . J up ite r , 1 7 , 19 , 23 , 1 31 , 1 5 9 .

H e r o d o tu s , 1 87 , 1 9 4, 29 6 . J up ite r Am m o n 1 8 6 , .

H e sio d , 1 46 , 8 3 . J u s tin , (S ain t, ) 1 7 8 , 29 6 .

H e s p e rid e s , 1 1 6 , 1 30 . J l
uve na , 21 0, 2 1 2, 29 7 .

H in n o m , 21 5 .

H ip p o cr e n e , 48 .

H ipp o ytu s , 30 l
Kalki, 223
.

H i p p om e n e s , 5 2 .

H o dur , 246 .
K rl s hna, 223 .

H o m e r , 1 45 .

l
H uitz i o p o tc hli , 2 7 5 .
L
H yac in thu s , 30
L ab yrin th, 1 21 , 137
.

H ya d e s , 40, 1 3 0
.

L ache s is , 1 01
.

H yp er b o r e an s 1 82 25 9
.

H yp e rio n , 15 8
, , .

L aius, 1 6 7 .

L am a, G ran d , 235 7
.

-
.

L ao m e do n , 5 7 .

L ao tz e , 228 231
- -
.

L ara, 1 08 .

Ib yc u s 202 , .
L ar e s , 1 08 .

I car us , 1 37 , 15 6 .
L atin us , 1 74 .

Ida , M t , 5 1 , 24, 1 7 1 .
L at o na , 29 , 54 .

Idun a, 245 .
L avinia, 1 74 .

l
I ia d, 1 46 . L e da , 1 23 .

Inachus, 38 .
L e m n o s , 64 .

In cas , 285 .
L e the , 101 , 1 04 .

Ip hitus, 1 9 2 . L u c o the a, 9 8 .

In c , 9 7 , 1 1 9 . L o ki , 247 250, 243, 251, -

Io , 3 8, 209 . L o tu s e ate r s , 15 8 .

l
Io e , 1 1 7 . L up e r cus , 84 .

I o n a, 2 7 0 . Lu x o r , 5 9 .

g
Ip hi e ni a , 5 2, 1 65 . L yc ao n , 28 .

Ip hitus, 1 9 1 . L yc o m e de s , 15 3 .

Iris , 43 .

Is is, 38 , 21 0
M
.

Is thmi an G am e s, 196 .

x
I io n , 103 . M ae c e n a s , 1 4 7 , 29 7 .

l
Iu us, 1 75 .
M aia , 3 6 .

M am a O e ll o H ua c o,
M an c o Cap ac , 285
J
.

M an ia, 1 08
.
.

Jan us 1 7 6 1 63
, , , . M ara tho n , 81 .

Jap e tus 1 23 , . M ar s A r e s , 3 4
, .

Ja s o n 1 19 141
, , . M ar syas , 31 .

J o b ate s , 1 34 . M e d e a, 1 19 .

Jocasta, 106 . M edusa, 47 , 94 .

 IN D E X. 3 13

M e g a ra 1 01
, . O dy ss e y, 1 46 1 5 7 -
.

M e gale c ia 7 3 , . O c e anu s 8 7 , .

M e gan ir a 7 8 , . O c e a ni d e s , 8 7 9 0 -
.

M e l e ag e r , 1 40 .
0
(E dip u s , 1 6 7 , 1 06 .

M e lic e rte s , 9 7 , 19 6 . (E n e u s 140

, .

M e lp o m e n e , 8 2 . O lym p iad s 1 9 2 . .

M e um o u , 5 8 . O l ym p ic G am e s , 1 91 .

M e n e lau s, 5 2 . lym p us , M t , 1 8 . .

M e nhi rs , 2 7 1 .
p s , R he a, 24 .

M e n to r , 1 46 . r a c l e s , 1 80 .

M e r c ury, H e rm e s , 36 , 37 O r e ad e s , 9 0 .

M e s tra , 144 . O r e s te s , 1 64 .

M e ta m o rp ho s e s , 1 5 0 . O r io n , 1 3 1 .

M e te m p sy cho s e s , 223 . O rm uzd , O rm as des, 218 .

M e z e n ti u s , 1 7 5 . O rp he u s , 9 6 , 125 .

M i da s , 3 1 . O s iris , 38 , 209 .

M id g ard s e rp e n t, 24 7 . O u is n e ach, 268 .

M in e r v a, Pa lla s Athe n a) , O vi d, 1 48 .

45 , 5 1 , 88 , 1 6 6 .

M in e s , 1 02, 121 , 142, 1 37

M in o taur , 1 21 .
.

P .

M is tl e t o e , rite o f the , 262 Pac hacam ac , 284 .

Pal am e de s , 1 5 7
.

M n e m o s yn e , 8 2 .
.

M o l o c h, 214 .
Pal e s 9 2
, .

M om us, 67 .
Palae m o n , 98 .

M o n a , 2 70 .
Palladi um , 46 , 15 7 .

M o nte z u m a , 28 3 Pan , 3 1 , 84, 1 84 .

Pan d o ra, 1 24
.

M u s es , 48, 8 2 .

Par iahs 225, .

Paris , 5 1 .

Parn ass u s , M t , 1 8 1 , 189 , .

N aiade s, 9 0 . Par the n o n 207 , .

N ar c iss us , 9 2 .
Parse e s , 220 .

N e m e s is , 8 1 . Pa tro c lu s , 1 54 .

N e p tun e , 1 7 , 24, 54, 68 , 9 3, 144 Pausanias , 1 84 .

N e r e id e s , 9 0 .
Pe gas us , 4 8 , 1 35 .

N e r o , 1 84 90, 12 7
-
. Pe las gi, 1 8 1 , 263 , 29 9 .

N e s su s , 1 1 7 . Pe l e u s , 5 1 , 9 8, 1 41 , 153 .

N e s to r , 1 41 . Pe l o p s , 1 03 .

N ifl e he im , 241 , 246 .
Pe na te s , 1 08 , 1 7 1 .

N io b e , 8 8 , 128 .
Pe n e lo p e , 1 5 6 , 1 60 .

N is us , 142 . Pe n th e us 41 , .

N o rn s , 241 . Pe r dix, 1 3 7 .

N um a , 63, 1 10 .
Pe ri an d e r 1 26 , .

N ym rhs. 90 Pe ric le s , 204 .

Pe rs e u s 4 7 , 94, 12!
,

Pe ru , 284 .

Pe ta sus 3 6
, .

l) ann e s , 21 7 . Phae to n 33 , .

O di n, 240 2, 245 6
- -
. Phaeacia 1 60 , .
8 14 IN D E X .

t nix, 1 07 . Rha dam an thu s 1 02 , .

Phi di as , 8 1 , 206 . Run ic L e tte r s , 2 5 8 283 .

Philip , 1 9 3 .

Phi l o c te t e s , 1 1 8 .

Philo m e lu s , 1 84 .

Phin e u s , 1 3 3 .
S alu , 35 .

Ph o r c u s o r Pr o te us , 9 4 .
S alm o n e us , 1 04 .

Phryxu s , 1 1 9 .
S a m hain , 2 6 6 .

Pie ri de s , 8 3 .
S am un d S igfii s so n, 239 .
Pl e ia de s , 1 3 0 .
S a n ta S O p hi a 9 0 . .

Pliny, 1 39 , 2 9 9 .
S a tu rn alia 62 , .

Pl uto , 24 7 6 , 9 9
, .
S atur n , 1 7 , 24, 6 1 .

Plu tu s , 1 00 .
S atyr s , 8 5 .

Po ll u x, 1 23, 141 .
S cyll a, 9 6 , 1 42 .

Po ly de c te s 1 32 , .
S e m e le 39 , .

Po ly b u s, 1 6 8 .
S ib yls , 1 7 6 .

Po ly do ru s 1 55 , .
S ib yl , Cu m aean , 1 7 3, 1 76
Po lyhym nia 8 3 , .
S ifa, 24 3 .

Po l yi dus 1 3 5
, .
S igu n a, 25 2 .

Po lym n e s t o r 1 5 5 , .
S il e n us , 3 2 4 0 -
.

Po l yni c e s 1 68 , .
S ir e n s , 9 5 .

Po lyp h e m u s 6 5 , .
S is yp hus 1 03, 1 34 , .

Po lyxe n a 1 5 5 , .
S iv a , 222 .

Po m o na 9 2
, .
S kal d s, 23 9 .

Po u t o u 2 34
-

, .
S o lym i, 1 35 .

Prie s ts , A z te c , 2 7 8 .
S o p ho cl e s , 1 7 0, 304 .

Prie s te ss e s , A z te c , 279 .
S p hi n x , 1 05 .

Priam , 5 1 , 1 5 4 .
S ta tu e s , 2 06 .

Pr o c ri s , 5 6 .
to n e he n ge 25 9 , 27 2 , .

Pr o co p ius 269 , 302 , .

tr ab o 306 , .

Pr oe tu s , 1 3 7 .
S tr o p hiu s , 1 6 4 .

Pr o m e the us, 9 8 , 1 23 .
S tyx , 33, 1 01
Pr o se rp in e , Pe rs e p ho n e, S u dr a s , 2 24 .

7 6 , 1 00 . S y lla , 1 5 8 , 1 84 , 1 89 .

Pr o te u s, 9 5 . S yr inx, 8 5 .

Pul c he r, CL , 1 7 9 .

T
136
l
.

1 6 5 , 1 81 .
T an ta us, 88 , 103 .

Pythi an G am e s, 195 .
T ao see , 2 29
-
.

Pytho n , 29 , 1 9 5 .
T ar a, 26 8 .

T arann , 26 0

q
.

T ar u in , 8 6 1 7 7
Q .

T aur ic fe s ti v a , 2 58 , 38 7
,

l
.

Qu e tza l c o atl 275 , .

T l
e am o n , 1 4 1 .

l
T e e m achu s , 1 5 7 , 1 61 .

T e rm in u s , 8 5 .

T e z catlip o c a 281 , .

T e rp sic h o r e 8 2 , .

T e u ta te s, 2 5 9 , 266.
 a n .

T halia , 5 3, 8 3 . Varr o , 1 7 6 , 307

T hamm uz, 21 6
.

. Ve , 240 .

T ha m yris , 8 3 . Ve das , 221 .

T he atr e s , 1 9 7 . Ve n u s , 49 , 6 5 17 1 .

T he mi s , 8 0 .
Ve r tum n us , 86 .

T he s e us , 1 21 141 , . Ve s ta, 6 9 .

T he ti s, 9 8 , 1 5 3 . Ve s tal Vir gins, 7 0 .

2 he r 2424
, . Vi da r , 246 .

T ho th, 25 9 .
Vili, 240 .

T hr ym 242 3 ,
-
Viraco c ha, 284 .

T is p ho n e , 1 01 Vir gil , 1 4 7
i
.
.

T i tan , 24 .
Virg in s o f t he S un,
T itho nus , 5 7 V r g i ni a, 1 1 1
T i ticac a , 285 , 3 06
.

.
i .

T ity us , 1 03 .

l l
T a o c 28 1 , .
Vul can , H e p hae s tus , 19,
l
T o te cs , 2 74 .

T r ia d s 2 59
, .
Vul cania, 6 5
l
.

T r ip to e m u s, 78 .
Vyas sa , 221 .

T ris tia , 1 49 .

T r ito n , 9 4 .

T r o p ho niu s , 1 84 .
X .

T s e ts e , 23 1
-

Xe rxe s, 1 8 3
.

T uis c o , 25 6 .
.

T u m us , 1 7 5 .

T yp ho n, 1 02, 209 .

U Y mi r , 240 .

U l ys s e s 4 6 , 1 554 1 56 , 9 6
,
-
.

U r ania, 83
Z
.

V .
Z en d ave sta
-
21&
Valha ll a , 242
,
.
Z e n o do r us , 260 .

Valk y rio r, 247 .

Z o r o as te r , 21 8 .

5 Ynf

VE R S I T Y