mythical. Ques. Were the Greek and Roman mythologies the same? Ans. They were, to a great extent. The ancient Latins had,

adopted, also, their divinities and their entire system of religion. They shared a tradition, which seems to have been univ

believe that the gods resembled men? Ans. Yes; in many particulars. They supposed them to have the same passions, both goo

rs. They supposed them to have the same passions, both good and evil. They were immortal, yet could suffer pain and receive

some exceptions, of majestic stature and shone with celestial beauty. They could render themselves invisible at will, and we

assembled the giants, generally called Titans, to avenge the injury. They overcame Saturn, and bound him with Ops, or Rhea,

r descendants, that they petitioned the gods to deprive them of life. They were soon after changed into serpents. Ques. Rel

inged sandals Talaria. Ques. What were the offices of Mercury? Ans. They were various; his most important function was to

simply wooden posts, surmounted by a rude head with a pointed beard. They were set up in the fields, and at all cross roads

chus were various. The Bacchanalia or Orgia were the most celebrated. They were at first participated in by women only but a

t on shore, found near the spring a boy of uncommon grace and beauty. They bore him to the ship, still heavy with sleep and

nce who taught the people to till the ground, and cultivate the vine. They disgraced his memory in after times by the drunke

ove is blind. Ques. What do you say of the festivals of Venus? Ans. They were various, and accompanied by much that was di

en assumed its present crimson hue. Ques. Who were the Graces? Ans. They were inferior goddesses, who presided over the ba

social enjoyments and elegant arts. Ques. How many were there? Ans. They were three in number. Their names were Euphrosyne

eir names were Euphrosyne [Euphro′syne], Aglaia [Agla′ia] and Thalia. They are represented as beautiful young women, standin

lossal figures which are directly opposite the great temple of Luxor. They are called by the Arabs, Shama and Dama. The stat

xercise a malignant influence. Ques. What were the Saturnalia? Ans. They were solemnities instituted by Tullus Hostilius,

three, four, or five days. Ques. How were these days observed? Ans. They were a season of general rejoicing; the Senate di

he gates of Janus were closed but three times in seven hundred years. They were shut for the first time in the reign of Numa

ese severe laws, the Vestals were treated with extraordinary respect. They had the most honorable seats at games and festiva

authors mention six, others seven, as the number actually in office. They were chosen between the ages of six and ten; for

ituted in honor of Ceres? Ans. The Eleusian or Eleusinian Mysteries. They were named from Eleusis, a town in Greece where t

es. What do the early Christian writers say of these mysteries? Ans. They speak of them as being almost as immoral as the f

ey were used in the libations. Ques. What were the Ambarvalia? Ans. They were feasts kept in the beginning of harvest, pre

shment or the Daughters of Pierus. Ques. Who were the Muses? Ans. They were the daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne [Mnem

he liberal arts and sciences. Ques. How many Muses were there? Ans. They were nine in number, and each presided over some

Ques. How have some writers accounted for the number of Muses? Ans. They say that in ancient times there were but three Mu

to be so skillfully wrought, that it was impossible to make a choice. They were all placed in the temple, and the poet Hesio

offered to Pan. Satyrs and Fauns. Ques. Who were these? Ans. They were hideous monsters who dwelt in forests, and w

ct site is not known. Nymphs. Ques. Who were the Nymphs? Ans. They were graceful young women who attended on Diana a

pastures. The Romans celebrated feasts, called Pallia, in her honor. They offered milk, and cakes of millet, that she might

common use; each one wore it in turn, in the middle of her forehead. They were the guardians of the Gorgons, of whom Medusa

Sirens, also Scylla, and Charybdis. Ques. Who were the Sirens? Ans. They were monsters who had the faces of women, but the

a. Ques. What was there remarkable in the songs of the Sirens? Ans. They blended the notes of different musical instrument

style and matter of their songs to the inclination of their hearers. They had bold and stirring strains to entice the ambit

teach by the fables of the Sirens’ song, and the cup of Circe? Ans. They wished to signify by the singing of the Sirens, t

whirlpool of Charybdis, about which the poets relate a similar fable. They say that Charybdis was a very ravenous woman, who

stead of hair. Fates — Furies. Ques. Who were the Fates? Ans. They were three sisters, the daughters of Chaos, who w

s cut the thread with her scissors. Ques. Who were the Furies? Ans. They were three sisters, Alecto [Alecto], Tisiphone [T

sters, Alecto [Alecto], Tisiphone [Tisi′phone], and Megæra [Megæ′ra]. They are called by the poets the Daughters of Night; t

of hair, and carried snaky whips and lighted torches in their hands. They were often called by the Greeks Eumenides [Eumen′

attempts to pluck them. Ques. Who were the Belides [Beli′des]? Ans. They were fifty maidens, daughters of Danaus [Dan′aus]

Dan′aus] and grand-daughter of King Belus, from whom they are called. They all murdered their husbands on the wedding night,

ver particular houses and families. Ques. What were the Lares? Ans. They were, according to some, the children of Mercury

they were domestic gods, and presided over houses, streets and roads. They warded off danger from without, while the Penates

f Narbonne — Death of Hercules. Ques. Who were the Demigods? Ans. They were brave men, who had rendered themselves famou

robe from Minerva. Ques. Relate the Twelve Labors of Hercules. Ans. They are briefly as follows: First. He killed a terri

s. Castor And Pollux. Ques. Who were Castor and Pollux? Ans. They were twin brothers, the sons of Jupiter and Leda.

o be brought before him, and inquired if they knew anything of Arion. They replied confidently that they had left him well a

uiver hung from her shoulder, and she carried a bow in her left hand. They soon reached the monster’s lair. Roused by the ba

rse and his graceful fancy. The Tristia are not so generally admired. They turn principally on the poet’s personal misfortun

hen the tempest abated, Ulysses sent some of his companions on shore. They were kindly entertained by the Lotus-eaters, who

ocks should be held inviolate, however pressing their wants might be. They were detained a long time at Thrinakia by contrar

his companions by an oath that they would not touch the sacred herds. They were, however, so pressed by famine that they ven

e had completed a certain web of embroidery on which she was engaged. They agreed to wait, and Penelope deceived them for a

friend. The tragic poets add many incidents to the story of Orestes. They say that when pursued by the Furies, he took refu

men and women, who had escaped from the horrors of that fatal night. They concealed themselves in the neighboring mountains

ivination by Omens — The Augurs. Ques. Who were the Augurs? Ans. They were priests whose office it was to observe and i

at Delphi, and were directed to seek aid from Trophonius in Lebadea. They proceeded thither, and seeing a swarm of bees ent

nce, taking care to hold in each hand a certain composition of honey. They were then carried downwards with great force, as

age the votaries, and inspire them with a confident hope of recovery. They were obliged to sleep in the temple, and we shoul

arly Christian writers hold with regard to the heathen oracles? Ans. They believed that although the responses were to be a

were closely connected with the religious observances of the Greeks. They were begun and ended with solemn sacrifices, and

o the Greek drama. Ques. What games were solemnized in Greece? Ans. They were of four kinds: the Olympic, the Pythian, the

ean, and the Isthmian. Ques. Who instituted the Olympic games? Ans. They were very ancient; their first institution was at

nt; their first institution was attributed by the Greeks to Hercules. They were revived by Iphitus, king of Elis, who obtain

ty of Argolis, celebrated as the haunt of the lion slain by Hercules. They were said to have been restored by that hero, and

ge of Kutchumadi. Ques. Why were the Isthmian Games so called? Ans. They were named from the Isthmus of Corinth, where the

y were named from the Isthmus of Corinth, where they were celebrated. They were instituted in honor of Melicertes, who was c

ty. After falling into neglect, these games were restored by Theseus. They were celebrated every five years, and continued t

l representations of the Greeks resemble those of modern times? Ans. They differed widely, both in the arrangement of the d

t shelter in the lofty colonnade which always ran behind their seats. They chose to suffer these occasional inconveniences,

or Furies. These were generally robed in black, with purple girdles. They brandished whips, wreathed with serpents, in thei

ere sorely disappointed and dismayed at the sad tidings of his death. They crowded the tribunals and demanded vengeance on t

choral hymn swelled and rose, thrilling the hearts of all who heard. They sang of the happiness enjoyed by the pure of hear

which once adorned this temple may now be seen in the British Museum. They are called “Elgin Marbles,” because they were bro

d the dog, the wolf, the crocodile, the ibis, and many other animals. They even attributed divinity to certain plants and ro

of Baal introduced among the Israelites? Ans. By King Achab or Ahab. They offered human sacrifices to Baal in groves, or hi

worshipped only the first. Ques. Did they not worship the sun? Ans. They probably did in later times, but the early follow

are the Sacred Books of the Hindoos, and are much reverenced by them. They maintain that they were composed by Brahma, the S

dian and European races. Ques. What do the Vedas teach of God? Ans. They teach one supreme deity, called Brahma, and like

nu, or of Siva. Ques. What do the Hindoos believe of the soul? Ans. They think that every soul is a part of Brahma, as a s

ill be absorbed into Brahma, as drops of water are lost in the ocean. They also believe in metempsychosis. Ques. What is me

has been wicked, it will enter into the body of some unclean animal. They think the soul will transmigrate many times befor

perhaps their own friends or relations. Ques. What are Castes? Ans. They are different classes into which the Hindoos have

ed with the utmost contempt, and employed only in the vilest offices. They cannot enter the house of any one belonging to a

is followers give a different account. Ques. What do they say? Ans. They say that he was a mortal sage, called Guatama, an

tern peninsula. Ques. What are the doctrines of the Buddhists? Ans. They reject the Vedas altogether, and the religious ob

e Vedas altogether, and the religious observances prescribed in them. They allow animal food, and acknowledge no distinction

norant and degraded, and are allowed to live in the greatest poverty. They are not permitted to marry; to keep up their numb

at is the general feeling of the Chinese on religious subjects? Ans. They are entirely indifferent, and have but a vague id

ers. Their priests, called Lamas, live together in large communities. They are given to study, and their dwellings, or Lamas

and the punishment of sins committed in a former state of existence. They maintain, however, that pure spirits, from time t

ninsula. Ques. What account do the Eddas give of the creation? Ans. They say that in the beginning, there was neither heav

erefore formed, the man out of an ash, and the woman out of an alder. They were the parents of the whole human race. Ques.

rth? Ans. Their notions on the subject were childish in the extreme. They thought that the ash tree Ygdrasill, supported th

thy. The joys of Valhalla consisted in eating, drinking and fighting. They feasted on the flesh of the boar Schrimnir, which

shment. Ques. How did the gods revenge the death of Baldur? Ans. They pursued Loki, who made use of his magical power t

whole earth shakes. The Elves. Ques. Who were the Elves? Ans. They were beautiful spirits, clothed in transparent an

were beautiful spirits, clothed in transparent and delicate garments. They loved the light, and were kindly disposed to mank

Gnomes, and sometimes Brownies, were at times exceedingly malicious. They were ugly, long-nosed dwarfs of a dark brown comp

? Ans. The Gnomes dwelt in mountain caverns and the clefts of rocks. They were particularly distinguished for their knowled

distinguished for their knowledge of the mysterious powers of nature. They were also skillful workers in wood and metal, and

hich appear, at first sight, very different from any letters we know. They consist almost invariably of straight lines in th

properly so called. Ques. What were the duties of the priests? Ans. They studied the hidden laws of nature and the mysteri

died the hidden laws of nature and the mysteries of earth and heaven. They offered public and private sacrifices, and obtain

m the entrails and the blood of victims, or from the flight of birds. They also cured maladies with certain mysterious charm

lory they sung. Ques. Who were the Druids, properly so called? Ans. They were priests of the highest order, who remained s

ligion, and to consult more directly the secret will of the divinity. They were also the teachers of youth. The Druids must

ught fasting, and gathered with the left hand, without looking at it. They plucked the helago, or hedge hyssop, barefooted,

mbs. Ques. Were the Druids acquainted with the art of writing? Ans. They were, at least in Gaul and Ireland. Their alphabe

druid held his office for life. Ques. Who were the Druidesses? Ans. They were prophetesses or sorceresses, most generally

of the Druids, who exercised an unbounded influence over the people. They were supposed to read the future, to conjure temp

by the Druidesses who resided in an island at the mouth of the Loire. They were obliged once every year, between sunrise and

sacrifices were preferred. Ques. How were the victims chosen? Ans. They were generally captives taken in war, slaves or c

ruids called loudly for the punishment of the sacrilegious strangers. They were seized and brought before the assembly, but

little known to the ancient Gauls, as to be still a land of mystery. They believed that on every feast of the moon, the sou

er men along the coast hear mysterious voices calling at their doors. They rise and find strange barks waiting on the shore.

ea, whence they were driven by the Roman troops with great slaughter. They found a last asylum in the island of Iona. Here t

s. The word is derived from the old Breton man, stone; and hir, long. They are upright blocks of stone, often terminating in

of their mythology. Ques. What did the Aztecs believe of God? Ans. They believed in one Supreme Lord and Creator, to whom

s tall, with a fair complexion, long, dark hair, and a flowing beard. They looked confidently for the return of the benevole

e deceased. Ques. Did the Aztec priests form a distinct order? Ans. They were altogether distinct from the people, and for

Aztec priestesses exercised every function except that of sacrifice. They superintended the schools in which the daughters

ublic worship. Ques. What was the form of the Mexican temples? Ans. They were solid pyramids, constructed of earth, but co

ramids, constructed of earth, but completely cased in brick or stone. They were disposed in three or four stories, each smal

ictims for their altars. Ques. Were these sacrifices numerous? Ans. They were introduced only about two hundred years befo

introduced only about two hundred years before the Spanish Conquest. They were at first exceptional, but became more freque

He was adored under the different names of Pachacamac and Viracocha. They raised no temples in his honor; that which stood

d of Lake Titicaca, as far as the sixteenth degree of south latitude. They bore with them a golden wedge, and were directed

es. From what class were the Peruvian priests generally chosen? Ans. They were all, without exception, Inca nobles, and the

e was watched by the Virgins of the Sun. Ques. Who were these? Ans. They were maidens of noble birth who were dedicated to

maidens of noble birth who were dedicated to the service of the Sun. They were taken from their families at an early age, a

em in their religious duties, and in every branch of female industry. They spun garments, which they were taught to embroide

n garments, which they were taught to embroider with exquisite skill. They also wove, of the fine hair of the vicuña, the ha

s of the temples and the garments worn by the Inca and his household. They were completely secluded, even from their own nea

Pelasgi. A name given to the most ancient inhabitants of Greece. They founded colonies in Asia Minor, the islands of th

its professors. Pliny has left a collection of letters in ten books. They are addressed to some of the most celebrated pers

ake in Bolivia, celebrated for the ruins of Tiahuanico on its shores. They stand on an eminence which, from the water-marks

d a vague tradition that they were built by giants in a single night. They regarded them, therefore, with superstitious awe,

ty, generated Mythology. Polytheism was the religion of the ancients. They acknowledged a plurality of gods. The ancients wo

scale of fame. In time they excelled in civilization and refinement. They represented their gods in human shape of the most

llowed them to bestow but little attention to science and philosophy. They , therefore, adopted, without scruple, the gods of

arron , skilled in heathen theology, enumerates thirty thousand gods. They were invented to preside over all parts of the un

greater nations, because they were known and revered by all nations. They were twenty in number, the first of whom was Jupi

om was Jupiter. The inferior gods were comprised in the second order. They were named Dii minorum gentium, gods of the small

mposed of eight deities, who were not present at the supreme council. They were called Dii selecti, select gods. Their names

eral authors affirm that it was Cadmus who introduced it into Europe. They relate that Dardanus, contemporary with Cadmus, a

where they introduced the mysteries of Terra, the mother of the gods. They also affirm that Cybele gave her own name to that

alled Vestals, who were chosen between the ages of six and ten years. They were not exempted from the priesthood nor permitt

ood nor permitted to marry until they had attained the age of thirty. They also took care of the palladium, on which the ver

, Eurytus, Polibetes, Hippolytus, Gration, Agrius, Thaon, and Typhon. They threw enormous rocks, oak trees, pine trees, and

ling at the god.” Virgil. “Jove can’t resist the just man’s cries, They bring him down, e’en from the skies; Hence he’s E

top of mount Parnassus, where they remained till the waters subsided. They then inquired of the oracle of Themis, how the ea

d were commanded to throw behind them the bones of their grandmother. They rightly guessed that by their grandmother was int

es were patronized by Laverna, from whom they were named Laverniones. They worshipped her, when they put their designs and i

o legs, or other limbs. Volumnus and Volumna presided over the will. They were particularly invoked at the nuptial rites, i

ter assumed to carry Europa away. 3. May, sign of Gemini (the twins.) They represent Castor and Pollux, sons of Jupiter and

ch fall during this month. 12. February, sign of Pisces (the fishes.) They represent the Dolphins which conducted Amphitrite

ona; an indignity which brought on her the wrath of Apollo and Diana. They pierced with their arrows the children of Niobe i

him off from the island of Naxos with a view to sell him for a slave. They had already proceeded on their voyage, when Bacch

solemnized in February at noon, and celebrated with riot and excess. They were observed by persons of both sexes, who disgu

a city of Arabia Felix, to which place his father Ammon had sent him. They recognized in the Bacchus adopted by the Greeks,

d men believe that the poets have represented Moses in their Bacchus. They find so striking resemblances between both, that

va. The twelve great gods were chosen as arbiters of this difference. They decided that the deity who should confer the most

henians held in honour of her, magnificent festivals, called Athenia. They were instituted by Erichthonius, the third king o

e twelve boroughs of Attica, and constituted them the city of Athens. They were by the Romans called Quinquatra, and celebra

pril. On these festival days, pupils made presents to their teachers. They were obliged to give them, in order to habituate

had temples in all countries. His priests at Rome were called Salii. They were twenty-four in number, and had the care of t

ng in the Areopagus, was embellished by the imagination of the poets. They forsook the noble simplicity of history for the b

k the noble simplicity of history for the brilliant attire of poetry. They gave out, that Mars had been acquitted by the twe

allowed the poets the exercise of their imaginations as their guide. They consulted their passions or those of kings and gr

and grew luxuriantly before they were fitted for conjugal happiness. They solicited the consent of their parents, which was

s. The Graces, or Charities, were daughters of Bacchus and Venus. They were three and sometimes four in number, Aglaia,

a, (shining,) Thalia, (flourishing,) Euphrosyne, (gay,) and Pasithea. They were the constant attendants of their mother, who

tendants of their mother, who sometimes represented Hours or Seasons. They were supposed to give attractive charms to beauty

give attractive charms to beauty, and dispense the gift of pleasing. They taught mankind the duties of gratitude and friend

f gratitude and friendship, and promoted love and harmony among them. They appear as virgins, young, beautiful, modest, amia

scribed as naked, young, smiling, and holding each other by the hand. They are naked, to intimate that they borrow nothing f

w that charms consist in little things, even in a gesture or a smile. They are in the attitude of dancing, holding each othe

s of mind and that we should judge no one by his external appearance. They were said to be sprightly and light, because one

d promptly oblige, and bestow a favour with no expectation of reward. They were virgins, because inclination to render servi

ly graceful, is so, in itself, without the aid of external ornaments. They bestow liberality, eloquence, wisdom, together wi

s. He constructed seats in such a manner as to make them self-moving. They were used by the gods at table and in council; an

a race of giants with a circular eye in the middle of their forehead. They were described as working in the caverns of Mount

was compared to the redoubled strokes of the Cyclops on their anvils. They are fabled to have had but one eye; to explain wh

sea in horror, because it represented to them the tremendous Typhon. They reserved their whole veneration for the waters of

hon. They reserved their whole veneration for the waters of the Nile. They named this river Ocean, Ypeus, or Nileus, and oft

ifty daughters, called Nereides, who compose the train of Amphitrite. They are described as young and beautiful virgins, mou

ns of Proserpine, when Pluto carried away the daughter of Proserpine. They requested the gods to grant them wings to look af

em with the perfidious idea of challenging the nine Muses in singing. They were overcome, and the pupils of Apollo punished

ishes, holding, one a lyre, another, a flute, and the third, singing. They knew how to accommodate their songs to the temper

of Aurora and Astræus, one of the giants who waged war with the gods. They were the attendants or secretaries of Æolus. Thei

es, and often the divinity and the mortal became confounded together. They counted twelve of the first order, which were cal

equeathed the inheritance of her immense estates to the Roman senate. They were accepted; but to conceal the disgrace of the

eep with the fumes of olive, box, fir, rosemary, laurel, and sulphur. They kindled great fires of straw, around and over whi

tches by her pow’r.” Obs. — All these deities were of Roman origin. They bore their names from the offices which they perf

legs of a goat, dancing under the shade of a tall and spreading oak. They were indifferently called Panes, Egypans, Fauns,

upercalia, were instituted to his honour, and celebrated in February. They were the Lycæa of the Greeks. The Luperci, his pr

ey are called Pentrales, and the palace of their residence, Pentrale. They endue us with that heat, spirit, and reason which

r, or earth, and sometimes covered with garlands, poppies, or garlic. They were sometimes fashioned in the shape of trumpets

tales; of the sea, Marini; of small dishes, Patellarii, and so forth. They were frequently invoked as the guardians and prot

name of Lararium was given to that place where they were worshipped. They are often confounded with the Penates, but they d

nii were deities, supposed to preside over the birth and life of man. They are sometimes synonymous with the Lares and Manes

counsels and heir power, and looked after their most secret thoughts. They carefully watched over their voyage of life, atte

ir voyage of life, attending them from their cradles to their graves. They carried the prayers of men to the gods, and deliv

p to judgment. Just men, after death, were supposed to become dæmons. They are described as being of superior dignity to man

ing of superior dignity to man, but of a nature inferior to the gods. They existed in different countries, whence they were

Bonus Genius, or a good spirit, and a malus Genius, or a bad spirit. They are also called Genium album et nigrum, or a whit

r evil genius.” By the Manes, are usually understood, departed souls. They preside over the sepulchral monuments, where the

their prattling boys, Were call’d; all tasted of their sportive joys: They drank, they danc’d they sung, made wanton sport,

of his education, and by recounting all the good actions of his life. They extolled his justice, his piety, and his courage;

ascended to heaven. The Pagans distinguished the soul from the mind. They considered the former as the cover of the latter,

e ancients always placed this coin under the tongues of the deceased. They could not enter the boat without a regular burial

e Fates. Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Æacus, were the judges of hell. They tried at their tribunal, the souls which Mercury

and Nox, named Alecto (envy,) Tisiphone (rage,) and Megara (carnage.) They were likewise called Diræ, Eumenides, Canes and E

rnage.) They were likewise called Diræ, Eumenides, Canes and Erinnys. They were attendants upon Nemesis, were stern and inex

were three sisters, daughters of Jupiter and Themis, or of Necessity. They were also called the Destinies. Their names were

called the Destinies. Their names were Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. They resided in a cave, scooped out of a marble rock,

loyed gold and silk, and that unhappy days were spun with black wool. They were the secretaries of heaven, and keepers of th

ts were the sons of Cœlus and Terra, who had uncommonly large bodies. They had fifty heads and one hundred arms each; their

; and for legs they had serpents; and for claws, the feet of dragons. They were impudent enough to dethrone Jupiter; and whe

and became islands; others fell upon the earth, and became mountains. They were, however, overcome, and all cut off by Jupit

, or Oceanus, and Terra; and their names, Aello, Ocypete, and Celeno. They were filthy in their habits, and voracious in the

o. They were filthy in their habits, and voracious in their appetite. They plundered the tables of Phoneus, king of Phœnicia

of Phœnicia, and haunted many, whom they affected with severe hunger. They had the power of predicting future events. Obs. 

gth the strongest tusks of a wild-boar; and their looks caused death. They dwelt near the gardens of the Hesperides, and mad

to name and designate all the particular divinities of the ancients. They deified virtues, passions, blessings, and evils.

of laws, having a sword in her hand to defend them, with this legend: They assert the liberty of all. See Fig. 55. Fig. 55

upon the actions of kings, generals, and all persons of consequence. They preserved the memory of the great and good, and r

The learned moderns generally agree in tracing its origin to Cadmus. They observe that this prince, having brought into Gre

s; but often their celebrity was extended entirely beyond the family. They became the gods Penates, although the rest of the

o honor on account of their important services and brilliant actions. They became by public decrees, the protecting heroes o

ainted this temple as the ordinary residence of Apollo and the Muses. They represented the genius of poetry in the form of a

hter of Minos the second. The Amazons were a warlike nation of women. They burnt off their right breast, in order to brandis

andish weapons with more force, and to shoot arrows with more effect. They killed the boys at their birth, and brought up th

ommanded to gather the golden apples in the garden of the Hesperides. They were guarded by Melius, a dragon which never slep

o the conquered, procured them the surname of Anaces, or Benefactors. They also rendered themselves formidable at sea, and c

s war with the Latins, they aided the Romans, riding on white horses. They are usually represented in the figure of young me

ved, that the rooms of palaces, at that time, had the form of an egg. They were born in Laconia, near Sparta, on the banks o

lly fell in love with her, and offered her his hand. Priam consented. They entered the temple of Apollo to have their nuptia

e prince whose name it bears, painted him as the pillar of the world. They also held that Perseus had metamorphosed him into

inanimate and confused nature could not be the origin of all things. They believed that there was a supreme intelligence th

ch history affords in relation to the Egyptian mythology, are meagre. They paid adoration to animals, birds, insects, and ve

by the Romans; but history makes mention of their principal deities. They adopted eight great gods: the Sun, Saturn, Rhea,

siris; and the Greeks have blended the attributes of others with his. They bestowed on him the divine honours with which Jup

, walked barefoot, wore linen garments, and vowed perpetual chastity. They never ate the flesh of sheep or hogs, and abstain

r ate the flesh of sheep or hogs, and abstained from salt and onions. They spent the night in devotion, near the statue of t

. He generated the good spirits and the Genii, residing in the stars. They were enclosed in an egg, which Ahriman broke. The

toes in the mountains. These caves were symbols of the ark of safety. They mingled traditions with respect to the deluge and

the unfolded tent. Fire blaz’d beside them. Towards the sacred flame They turn’d and sent their tuneful praise to heav’n. F

up in their streets and roads, and against their temples and houses. They daily sprinkle it with oil, and adorn it with flo

n, even as with hope or fear, The soul regardeth him, doth he appear. They who, polluted with offences, come,               

r faith, they learn the Gayterre, or invocation of praise to the sun. They have absolute dominion over the Indians. They abs

n of praise to the sun. They have absolute dominion over the Indians. They abstain from fermented liquors and animal food, b

or battle-axes. The religion of the Hindoos is full of superstition. They worship the ox, the cow, large apes, and other an

stition. They worship the ox, the cow, large apes, and other animals. They believe that Vishnu, having already been nine tim

The river Ganges is sacred; and they practise ablution in its waters. They celebrate the worship with ridiculous, cruel, and

brate the worship with ridiculous, cruel, and disgraceful ceremonies. They deem it meritorious to inflict upon themselves se

easts. The Fakirs are the most disgusting of these wretched fanatics. They hang themselves upon spikes, until having been re

ind and hurtful planets, and counted generations and reigns by sares. They also divided time by neres and soses. The sare ma

under the name of the Prince of Glory, and called heaven his palace. They believed in the immortality of the soul, in mette

ean persons were changed into bats, beetles, and disgusting reptiles. They supposed that the blessed lived in the palace of

music, dancing, praising the gods, and enjoying each other’s society. They imagined that they sometimes appeared under the f

vens as the sun and moon. The Mexicans prayed, kneeling or prostrate. They offered incense four times every day to their ido

. Their rites were characterized by penances, fasts, vows, and oaths. They were jealous to keep inviolable an oath. If one t

or of Mexico, says that that empire contained forty thousand temples. They had houses in which strangers were allowed to wor

of vast stone serpents. The priests of Mexico were numerous and rich. They were provided with land for their maintenance. Th

age, she was permitted to marry. The Mexicans had 14 principal gods. They called their supreme god Teotl. They described hi

Mexicans had 14 principal gods. They called their supreme god Teotl. They described him as a spiritual, immortal, almighty,

o defile them in any way. Sometimes they entered them on their knees. They served as an asylum for debtors and criminals; in

The works of the Egyptians had the true characteristics of grandeur. They loved colossal figures, and employed immense ston

dias, the most celebrated of all sculptors, either ancient or modern. They were elevated from the pavement to the arch. They

ancient or modern. They were elevated from the pavement to the arch. They could not be viewed without astonishment and admi

doves, says Servius, had been given by Jupiter to his daughter Thebe. They had the gift of speech. Herodotus has sought aft

s succeeded this woman, and assumed the office of delivering oracles. They represented Jupiter Ammon with the head and horns

ts of this god carried his statue on their shoulders, in a gilt ship. They pursued no particular route, and made it believed

the vapour which exhaled from the abyss, over which stood the tripod. They collected her speeches, and gave them to poets, a

. The games were most commonly instituted from religious motives. They were at the same time a kind of spectacle among t

s between men and animals, the latter being trained for this purpose. They took place in the amphitheatre, consecrated to Ma

Greece, were the Olympian, the Pythian, the Nemæan, and the Isthmian. They were instituted in honour of the Gods, or to cele

rs were proclaimed by a herald, and celebrated with songs of victory. They wore a triumphal crown, and had the first places

ues, erected in honour of those who had won the prize in these games. They were all made by the most celebrated Grecian scul

,) a supreme council or tribunal, composed of twelve lords or druids. They were appointed to watch over the public safety, t

le intercourse with the northern people, whom they styled barbarians. They were ignorant even of their language, especially

the sins of man, but merciful, and exorable to prayer and repentance. They addressed him as the active principle that produc

; and upon this belief was founded the veneration they had for Earth. They called her mother earth, the mother of the gods.

ities just named, composed the courts or supreme council of the gods. They were the principal objects of worship. But the Sc

sses, there are other virgins in Valhalla, or the paradise of heroes. They are majestic and beautiful, neither daughters of

nowledged by immortal mothers; and are named the Valkyrias, or Disas. They appear with a helmet and mail, and mounted on swi

bones; rocks, with his teeth, and the fragments of his broken bones. They made of his skull the arch of heaven, which is su

outh, (Sudre,) North, (Nordure,) East, (Austere,) and West, (Westre.) They threw his brain into the air, and it formed the c

Westre.) They threw his brain into the air, and it formed the clouds. They there placed flambeaux to enlighten it, and fixed

rs under heaven. Days were distinguished, and years had their number. They made the earth round, and girded it with the deep

the gods carried away his children, and took them up to the heavens. They were employed in driving the chariots of the sun

seemed to be particularly consecrated to the three great divinities. They were there represented by their peculiar symbols.

drought, and fertility; Frigga, as the goddess of love and marriage. They held three great festivals in the year. The first

very ninth month or three times three, great sacrifices were renewed. They lasted nine days; and nine victims, either men or

filled up with bodies of men and of animals that had been sacrificed. They were sometimes carried off and buried in honor of

irst settled in that portion of the island which is opposite to Gaul. They then extended towards the north, and gradually pe

pontiffs. Their genius and knowledge elevated them above the vulgar. They consecrated their songs to the picture of all vir

. The great soon learned to despise the mean flatteries of the bards. They were welcomed only by the multitude; but not havi

in placing the druids of England above the druids of other countries. They extol those of the college of Chartres, those of

t how deeply interesting and touchingly charming they must have been! They were enough to feast and fill up the most poetic

tive countries, were always consulted on matters of great importance. They were equally the sole ministers of their religion

divided into different classes. The Druids composed the first class. They were the supreme chiefs; so that the inferior ord

at, that none undertook any important affair without consulting them. They presided over the state; decided upon peace and w

hem belonged the right of appointing those who were to govern cities. They could raise one of those magistrates even to the

his pretended king could do nothing without the advice of the Druids. They alone convoked the council; so that the vergobret

rests of the people, justice was administered only by their ministry. They decided equally on public and private affairs. Wh

the Supreme Being, the course of the stars and of their revolutions. They pretended to know the whole of the universe; and

to consider death as a sure means of attaining to a more happy life. They made a great difference between those who died pe

they departed to taste an eternal happiness in the bosom of divinity. They had tombs and epitaphs. But the blessings of the

he blessings of the immortality of the soul were not to be universal. They , who had adorned their lives by no exploit, eithe

e Druids taught that one day water and fire would destroy all things. They believed in the doctrine of metempsychosis, which

were accustomed to bury the dead, or to enclose their ashes in urns. They placed in the tombs, the arms of the dead, their

heir valuable furniture, and the cedula of money which they had lent. They wrote even letters to their friends, though dead.

ir doctrines to their candidates, whose novitiate was extremely long. They never wrote down their maxims, nor any thing appe

rote down their maxims, nor any thing appertaining to their sciences. They arranged and digested all sorts of knowledge inve

nation, in the hope of thereby increasing their credit and authority. They maintained that people are always more fond of th

ned that people are always more fond of the marvellous than of truth. They had some knowledge of botany; but they mingled so

God had chiefly chosen the oak to entrust to it that valuable plant. They ran over the forests and looked for it with the g

long and painful searches, they discovered a certain quantity of it. They could not collect that plant except in the month

wives of the Druids sometimes shared the authority of their husbands. They were often consulted in political and religious a

ple of Hellas, Greece. Their country was inaccessible by land or sea. They lived exempt from disease or old age, from toils

ream of Ocean, dwelt a people happy and virtuous as the Hyperboreans. They were named the Æthiopians. The gods favored them

form as themselves, but of far greater beauty, strength, and dignity. They also regarded them as being of much larger size t

uid named Ichor supplied the place of blood in the veins of the gods. They were not capable of death, but they might be woun

not capable of death, but they might be wounded or otherwise injured. They could make themselves visible or invisible to men

, the gods were divided into two sexes, — namely, gods and goddesses. They married and had children, just as mortals do. To

eks ascribed to their deities all human passions, both good and evil. They were capable of love, friendship, gratitude; of e

gods. But the Roman and Etruscan races were by no means irreligious. They venerated their departed ancestors, and in each f

e similar to their own, declared Chronos to be identical with Saturn. They believed that after his defeat in the Titanomachi

Corybantes crowned a pine-tree and covered it with a veil of Cybele. They marched to the mountains, and to music of fifes a

fe of Lycus, fled for protection to her sons when they were grown up. They attacked and slew Lycus, and, tying Dirce by the

swan, was the mother of four children — two mortal and two immortal. They were Castor* and Pollux*, called Dioscuri* (sons

ondition of their spending one day in Olympus and the next in Hades*. They thus led a life divided between mortality and imm

who, after the Dorian invasion, were degraded to the rank of heroes. They are often interpreted as personifications of the

of the morning and evening star, or of the twilight (dawn and dusk). They were venerated not only in their native Sparta, b

to name any wish they particularly desired, and it should be granted. They accordingly begged that they might serve the gods

ttempted to scale heaven by piling mighty mountains one upon another. They had succeeded in placing Mount Ossa* on Pelion*,

of the horse was referred to the contest between Athené and Poseidon. They both claimed the right to name the city which Cec

thologists call them the daughters of Nyx, others of Zeus and Themis. They were three in number — Clotho*, Lachesis*, and At

the precise torture which the wicked should undergo for their crimes. They had sanctuaries in many parts of Greece. The sacr

nys* (Furies) were three in number, Alecto*, Megæra*, and Tisiphone*. They were female divinities, who personified the tortu

, and had not been reconciled to the gods before descending to Hades. They appeared upon earth as the avenging deities who r

d them as beings of terrific appearance, with snakes instead of hair. They were sometimes winged. They were clad in black an

appearance, with snakes instead of hair. They were sometimes winged. They were clad in black and carried a torch, a sword,

dition bordering on madness, owing to the persecution of the Erinnys. They constantly held up a mirror to his horrified gaze

ant mercy to the repentant sinner and to give succor to all good men. They were then represented, more especially in Athens,

eus*, the king of the city, found her sitting on a stone near a well. They offered the old woman service in their father’s h

Mysteries, or Eleusinia*, were observed at Eleusis every fifth year. They were in honor of Demeter, and were the most celeb

s god Vulcanus, or, according to its more ancient spelling, Volcanus. They honored in him the blessings and beneficial actio

nus. They honored in him the blessings and beneficial action of fire. They also sought his protection against conflagrations

e chariot of the sun which they help to unyoke when he sinks to rest. They were originally personifications of the clouds, a

en they pour down upon them their refreshing and life-giving streams. They appeared as attendants upon Hera, Aphrodite, Apol

, a term originally applied to a personification of grace and beauty. They were the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, and were

urynome, and were three in number, Euphrosyne*, Aglaia*, and Thalia*. They were believed to preside over those qualities whi

games, music, and dancing held prominent places. Representation. They are represented as beautiful, slender maidens in

he should not look back upon her until they reached the upper world. They journeyed on through the gloomy regions of Erebus

by hate, Hermes threw it down between two snakes which were fighting. They curled around the staff and remained ever after p

s celebrated at Rome in honor of Bacchus about the month of December. They were first instituted by Romulus. Representatio

Pindus, Hehcon, and Parnassus were the favorite haunts of the Muses. They received appellations from hills and fountains th

eived appellations from hills and fountains that were sacred to them. They were called Pierides* from Mount Pieria, Libethri

Pierus*, King of Æmathia, challenged the Muses to a contest in music. They were defeated, and changed into magpies by the in

the numerous rocks and unseen dangers which abound on the sea-coast. They were gifted with such melodious voices that marin

the presiding deities of the woods, grottoes, streams, meadows, etc. They personified the restless activity and energy of n

ws, etc. They personified the restless activity and energy of nature. They were supposed to be tender, graceful maidens, who

nd Tethys, and were believed to be endowed with the gift of prophecy. They were personifications of the vaporlike exhalation

n warm climates, are emitted from the sea, more especially at sunset. They were represented as misty, shadowy beings, with g

s, were represented as tall, graceful maidens, attired as huntresses. They received special names from the particular mounta

ities were termed by the Greeks “dæmones,” and by the Romans “genii.” They were believed to be the invisible counselors of e

over the prosperity of the family. Their statues stood on the hearth. They received their share at every meal„ and were crow

ents of Iris and the Harpies. The latter personified the storm-winds. They were winged creatures, having the faces of maiden

inged creatures, having the faces of maidens and the bodies of birds. They were continually tormented with an insatiable hun

er and sister of Thaumas, personified the sea in its terrible aspect. They were the parents of the Gorgons*, the Grææ* and t

e east wind), Zephyrus* (the west wind), and Notus* (the south wind). They were said to be the children of Eos and Astræus.

en, feeling escape impossible, she called on the gods for assistance. They transformed her into a reed just as Pan was about

s when in a state of intoxication he had strayed from his companions. They took him to Midas*, the king, who entertained him

ior deities of the woods, and formed the attendant train of Dionysus. They were of a lively, frolicsome disposition, and wer

d were said to be bald, with short, sprouting horns, and goat-footed. They loved music and dancing, their instruments being

ns and vineyards, served as scarecrows as well as objects of worship. They represented him as having a red and very ugly fac

otal vestments, but also by their piety, wisdom, and blameless lives. They were the chosen mediators between gods and men, a

en who were far inferior to their predecessors both in mind and body. They refused to pay the gods due honors, and Zeus dest

ds due honors, and Zeus destroyed them. The next was the Brazen race. They were of giant stature and great strength, and too

rth desolate and devoid of inhabitants, they were filled with sorrow. They repaired to an ancient oracle of the goddess Them

your girded clothes, And cast behind you your great parent’s bones!” They heard the words with astonishment. At length it o

of the earth, the great parent of all, that were meant by the oracle. They therefore flung stones behind their backs, — thos

ilix* to go in search of her, and not to return until they found her. They went, accompanied by their mother, Telephassa*, a

mpanied by their mother, Telephassa*, and Thasos*, a son of Poseidon. They could obtain no intelligence of Europa, and feari

Athene. There arose a band of armed men, at whom Cadmus flung stones. They turned their arms against each other and were all

one were Ino*, Agave*, Autonoe*, Semele*, and a son named Polydorus*. They were all persecuted by Hera. Semele, the mother o

ed the most powerful chiefs in his kingdom to join in the expedition. They all readily obeyed the call, with the exception o

of Phegeus, and then went to Psophis and killed Phegeus and his wife. They brought the robe and collar to their mother, and

by the ocean-stream. Medusa was the only one of them that was mortal. They turned to stone all who beheld them. While Perseu

rths, and had but one eye and one tooth, which they shared in common. They were the only ones who could direct him to the ab

mised to restore them if they would give him the desired information. They were obliged to comply, and the Nymphs gladly agr

splendid cattle which were famous for their size, beauty, and color. They were guarded by another giant named Eurytion*, an

Thy friendship,” replied Theseus, and they swore inviolable fidelity. They ever continued true brothers in arms. Each of the

ving lost the favor of the king, both father and son were imprisoned. They contrived to escape from the prison, but, as the

storm forced the adventurers to seek refuge in the harbor of Lemnos. They were hospitabty entertained by the Lemnian women,

ial of strength. He was vanquished and slain in a combat with Pollux. They sailed on to Salmydessus, on the European coast,

s instructed the Argonauts how to overcome the dangers awaiting them. They once more set sail, but they had not proceeded fa

of time to the sacred grove, in order to secure the coveted treasure. They set out together; Medea led the way, and they adv

home until Jason and Medea are absolved from the murder of Absyrtus.” They accordingly steered for the island of Ææa*, where

umbers went out of the town to view the site of the Greek encampment. They found the wooden horse, which they examined with

obliged to drag them away and fasten them to the benches of the ship. They next arrived at the country of the Cyclopes. The

r of wine. Near the shore they found a vast cave, which they entered. They found it stored with quantities of cheese, pails

his outcry. He replied, “O friends, I die, and Noman gives the blow.” They answered, “If no man hurts thee, it is the stroke

ght, exhorted his men to ply their oars vigorously, and they escaped. They pursued their way till they arrived at the island

of Eurylochus*, to see what prospect of hospitality they might find. They soon came to a magnificent marble palace, which w

called aloud, and the goddess came forward and invited them to enter. They all gladly entered except Eurylochus, who suspect

put to sea and returned to Ææa, where they spent one day with Circe. They then took a final leave of her, and in a few days

still faster, and he alone heard the song of the Sirens and escaped. They now approached the terrible dangers of Scylla* an

f one of the slain suitors, incited the people to avenge their death. They took up arms and followed the hero. A conflict en

carried him upon his shoulders. In the confusion, his wife was lost. They sought refuge on Mount Ida, where with other fugi

go in search of new settlements, embarked under the command of Æneas. They first landed on the neighboring shores of Thrace,

forefathers came from Crete, to which place they accordingly steered. They began to build a city, but a pestilence broke out

to the Strophades*, islands which were then the abode of the Harpies. They saw herds of cattle, some of which they slew, and

eeded to the river Acheron*, over which they were ferried by Charon*. They encountered the dog Cerberus, but the Sibyl threw

hrases which lie at the root of Hindu, Greek, and Teutonic mythology. They believed in one invisible, overruling, self-creat

rael*. The Phœnicians were widely known for their devotion to Moloch. They appeased him with the blood of infants, especiall

kness. “The religious rites of the ancient Persians were very simple. They used neither temples, altars, nor statues, and pe

nor statues, and performed their sacrifices on the tops of mountains. They adored fire, light, and the sun, as emblems of Or

arsees are at this day a very active, intelligent, and wealthy class. They are noted for their purity of life, honesty, and

re noted for their purity of life, honesty, and conciliatory manners. They have numerous temples to Fire, which they adore a

Trita and Traitana were names given to the god of the clear heaven. They reappear in the Greek Triton and Tritogenia*. Th

has been wicked, it will enter into the body of some unclean animal. They think the soul will transmigrate many times befor

r of the giant race, sprung the three brothers Odin*, Vili*, and Ve*. They slew the giant Ymir, and out of his body formed t

, were then formed, the man of an ash-tree and the woman of an alder. They were the parents of the human race. Asgard* was

ed. The joys of Valhalla consisted in eating, drinking, and fighting. They feasted on the flesh of the boar Schrimnir, which

etoe. The Elves were beautiful spirits clothed in delicate garments. They loved the light and were kindly disposed towards

nomes*, and sometimes Brownies*, were at times exceedingly malicious. They were ugly dwarfs of a dark-brown complexion, and

ght, because the sun’s rays had the power to change them into stones. They dwelt in mountain caverns and the clefts of rocks

lay asleep. Sigurd rode through the fire, and at his touch she awoke. They then plighted their troth, and Sigurd rode on to

lay Sigurd, but he and his brothers had sworn not to injure the hero. They therefore induced Guttorm to slay Sigurd during h

ligion, and to consult more directly the secret will of the divinity. They were also the teachers of youth. Their teaching w

e bards were supposed to be endowed with powers equal to inspiration. They were the oral historians of all past transactions

ere the oral historians of all past transactions, public and private. They were also accomplished genealogists.” The same au

Cairns were large stones or piles of stones on the summits of hills. They were used in the worship of the deity under the s

ifices. Cæsar gives an account of the manner in which this was done. “ They have images of immense size, the limbs of which a

y of it was an occasion of rejoicing and solemn worship. Pliny says, “ They call it by a word in their language which means ‘

God will render his gift prosperous to those to whom He has given it. They drink the water in which it has been infused, and

ea, whence they were driven by the Roman troops with great slaughter. They found a last asylum in the island of Iona, where

d south of Hudson Bay was peopled by the Algonquins and the Iroquois. They differed in temperament and language, but their r

f animals, the captain and chief of whom was Michabo, the Great Hare. They ardently desired land on which to live; so this m

t. But at length she floated to the surface, unconscious, as if dead. They hastily hauled her on the raft, and examined her

. In the Algonquin legends, four brothers were prominent characters. They were personifications of the cardinal points. The

the classical legends in this book are derived from Ovid and Virgil. They are not literally translated, for, in the author’

o freely introduced are expected to answer several valuable purposes. They will tend to fix in memory the leading fact of ea

pebbly spring. Or chasms and watery depths; all these hare vanished; They live no longer in the faith of reason; But still

divinities of Olympus have not a single worshipper among living men. They belong now not to the department of theology, but

e of Hellas, (Greece.) Their country was inaccessible by land or sea. They lived exempt from disease or old age, from toils

ream of Ocean, dwelt a people happy and virtuous as the Hyperboreans. They were named the Æthiopians. The gods favored them

Iapetus, and Ophion, males; and Themis, Mnemosyne, Eurynome, females. They are spoken of as the elder gods, whose dominion w

ace. The Muses were the daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne, (Memory.) They presided over song, and prompted the memory. They

nemosyne, (Memory.) They presided over song, and prompted the memory. They were nine in number, to each of whom was assigned

r the banquet, the dance, and all social enjoyments and elegant arts. They were three in number. Their names were Euphrosyne

endly offices that bind,     And all the complements of courtesy;      They teach us how to each degree and kind     We shoul

were armed with shears, with which they cut it off when they pleased. They were the daughters of Themis, (Law,) who sits by

rrific and appalling. Their names were Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megæra. They were also called Eumenides. Nemesis was also an a

ence was in Arcadia. The Satyrs were deities of the woods and fields. They were conceived to be covered with bristly hair, t

state of things, burned with anger. He summoned the gods to council. They obeyed the call, and took the road to the palace

ek yonder temple, and inquire of the gods what remains for us to do.” They entered the temple, deformed as it was with slime

and garments unbound, and cast behind you the bones of your mother.” They heard the words with astonishment. Pyrrha first b

ce: “We cannot obey; we dare not profane the remains of our parents.” They sought the thickest shades of the wood, and revol

this is what the oracle means. At least, it will do no harm to try.” They veiled their faces, unbound their garments, and p

age one arrow sped     And smiled! The spoilers tempt no second blow; They fawn on the proud feet that spurn them as they go

rought the young people together, and acquaintance ripened into love. They would gladly have married, but their parents forb

orbid — that love should glow with equal ardor in the bosoms of both. They conversed by signs and glances, and the fire burn

d she had only time to call for help on her friends the water nymphs. They heard and consented. Pan threw his arms around wh

eased to see the exploits of his dogs, but to feel them was too much. They were all around him, rending and tearing; and it

threats of violence if she did not leave the place. Nor was this all. They waded into the pond and stirred up the mud with t

t pool, but pass their lives there!’ and it came to pass accordingly. They now live in the water, sometimes totally submerge

they come out upon the bank, but soon leap back again into the water. They still use their base voices in railing, and thoug

Moon preparing to retire, ordered the Hours to harness up the horses. They obeyed, and led forth from the lofty stalls the s

his at least heed my advice, spare the whip and hold tight the reins. They go fast enough of their own accord; the labor is

down, and the boundless plain of the universe lies open before them. They dart forward and cleave the opposing clouds, and

chariot, without its accustomed weight, was dashed about as if empty. They rush headlong and leave the travelled road. He is

and with him his son Mercury (he of the caduceus,) without his wings. They presented themselves, as weary travellers, at man

their pursuit, and at last took shelter between the gods themselves. They forbade it to be slain; and spoke in these words:

sement. Quit your house, and come with us to the top of yonder hill.” They hastened to obey, and, staff in hand, labored up

ey hastened to obey, and, staff in hand, labored up the steep ascent. They had reached to within an arrow’s flight of the to

e her grave, nor be laid in my own by her.” Their prayer was granted. They were the keepers of the temple as long as they li

ilemon is made the parson. The following may serve as a specimen: — “ They scarce had spoke, when, fair and soft, The roof b

and banished them to Tartarus, a new enemy rose up against the gods. They were the giants Typhon, Briareus, Enceladus, and

nd others. Some of them had a hundred arms, others breathed out fire. They were finally subdued and buried alive under Mount

er, mother, and little girl, for they were all; they had no servants. They spread the table, and put upon it curds and cream

hither from Elis. I was a woodland nymph, and delighted in the chase. They praised my beauty, but I cared nothing for it, an

eived him graciously, and admitted him to the honor of their society. They obtained the consent of Oceanus and Tethys, the s

own to the water’s edge, while the upland was overgrown with myrtles. They were intending to gather flowers for forming garl

hen they asked for Dryope, Iole pointed them to the new-formed lotus. They embraced the trunk of the yet warm tree, and show

od of the winds, and having as much as he could do to restrain them. “ They rush together,” said she, “with such fury that fi

eel it, and by the pitying gods both of them were changed into birds. They mate and have their young ones. For seven placid

soon brought them across the mountain down to their sister’s valley. They embraced her and she returned their caresses. “Co

er possessed of such state and splendor, so much exceeding their own. They asked her numberless questions, among others what

Psyche is well presented in the beautiful lines of T. K. Harvey: — “ They wove bright fables in the days of old,     When r

d prayed to the gods to let her share his fate. Both became serpents. They live in the woods, but mindful of their origin, t

ep forth, and if not strong enough to stand, would die on the ground. They seemed to hate their friends, and got away from t

eir dispositions resemble those which they had in their former shape. They are a diligent and industrious race, eager to gai

and tenacious of their gains. Among them you may recruit your forces. They will follow you to the war, young in years and bo

water-nymphs; and when they smote their breasts Echo smote hers also. They prepared a funeral pile and would have burned the

er fate. Minerva forbore no longer nor interposed any further advice. They proceed to the contest. Each takes her station an

estling. As they stood breast to breast, one arrow pierced them both. They uttered a cry together, together cast a parting l

act was a signal for an onset by his band upon the guests of Cepheus. They defended themselves and a general conflict ensued

for that purpose took up the mountain Ossa and piled it on Pelion. 10 They were at last subdued by thunderbolts, which Miner

out thirteen inches, which was said to be the height of these people. They lived near the sources of the Nile, or according

nking-cups. India was assigned as the native country of the Griffins. They found gold in the mountains and built their nests

s there lived in Thessaly a king and queen named Athamas and Nephele. They had two children, a boy and a girl. After a time

ds of Greece. Hercules, Theseus, Orpheus, and Nestor were among them. They are called the Argonauts, from the name of their

g and grinding to atoms any object that might be caught between them. They were called the Symplegades, or Clashing Islands.

ough the islands closed behind them, and actually grazed their stern. They now rowed along the shore till they arrived at th

had taught him, seized a stone and threw it in the midst of his foes. They immediately turned their arms against one another

ger saw and loved. But now already they were near the monster’s lair. They stretched strong nets from tree to tree; they unc

rdered Hercules to go and get it. The Amazons were a nation of women. They were very warlike and held several flourishing ci

persuaded the rest that the strangers were carrying off their queen. They instantly armed and came in great numbers down to

inguished were the Olympic, founded, it was said, by Jupiter himself. They were celebrated at Olympia in Elis. Vast numbers

to them from every part of Greece, and from Asia, Africa, and Sicily. They were repeated every fifth year in midsummer, and

were repeated every fifth year in midsummer, and continued five days. They gave rise to the custom of reckoning time and dat

sight, and thinking they were gods who could thus cleave the air. They passed Samos and Delos on the left and Lebynthos

amous for taming and managing horses, and Pollux for skill in boxing. They were united by the warmest affection and insepara

ed by the warmest affection and inseparable in all their enterprises. They accompanied the Argonautic expedition. During the

of the brothers by placing them among the stars as Gemini the Twins. They received divine honors under the name of Dioscuri

ey received divine honors under the name of Dioscuri, (sons of Jove.) They were believed to have appeared occasionally in la

now the attendants returned whom he had despatched to seize Bacchus. They had been driven away by the Bacchanals, but had s

ey thought, a boy of delicate appearance, whom they had found asleep. They judged he was a noble youth, perhaps a king’s son

home,’ said Bacchus; ‘take me there and you shall be well rewarded.’ They promised so to do, and told me to pilot the ship

hip;’ withdrawing myself from any further agency in their wickedness. They cursed me, and one of them, exclaiming, ‘Don’t fl

ron of horse races. His own horses had brazen hoofs and golden manes. They drew his chariot over the sea, which became smoot

personified, it is not to be supposed that the winds failed to be so. They were Boreas or Aquilo, the north wind; Zephyrus o

ts were fond of finding a hidden meaning in their mythological tales. They explain this fight of Acheloüs with Hercules by s

mother Rhea to the care of the daughters of Melisseus, a Cretan king. They fed the infant deity with the milk of the goat Am

w their gratitude. Men asked, “Why does not one of his parents do it? They cannot in the course of nature live much longer,

uth,     In whom no good they saw, And yet unwittingly, in truth,      They made his careless words their law. “And day by d

greed that the brothers should decide their quarrel by single combat. They fought and fell by each other’s hands. The armies

ns tried their best to captivate him, but he repulsed their advances. They bore with him as long as they could; but finding

s, where he sought out his Eurydice and embraced her with eager arms. They roam the happy fields together now, sometimes he

ace at the bottom of the river, with her attendant nymphs around her. They were engaged in female occupations, spinning and

ene and her nymphs, who spread their table with the richest dainties. They first poured out libations to Neptune, then regal

n. He told his captors and demanded to be let out, warning them also. They took his warning, and thus escaped destruction, a

any thing of Arion?” he inquired. “I anxiously look for his return.” They replied, “We left him well and prosperous in Tare

d the lyre, his right the ivory wand with which he struck its chords. They fell prostrate at his feet, as if a lightning bol

l occasions, and admission was free to all, they were usually filled. They were without roofs and open to the sky, and the p

s with dismay. All Greece felt the wound, every heart owned its loss. They crowded round the tribunal of the magistrates, an

fulfil their pledge, and join him in his efforts to recover his wife. They generally came forward, but Ulysses, who had marr

Ajax, and Phœnix were sent to carry to Achilles the penitent message. They performed that duty, but Achilles was deaf to the

ight Hector’s heart failed him and he fled. Achilles swiftly pursued. They ran, still keeping near the walls, till they had

hat Troy could not be taken but by the aid of the arrows of Hercules. They were in possession of Philoctetes, the friend who

t by force, and by advice of Ulysses resolved to resort to stratagem. They pretended to be making preparations to abandon th

doubt. There appeared, advancing over the sea, two immense serpents. They came upon the land, and the crowd fled in all dir

advanced directly to the spot where Laocoon stood with his two sons. They first attacked the children, winding round their

and he was even obliged to tie them under the benches of his ship.20 They next arrived at the country of the Cyclopes. The

they had but one eye, and that placed in the middle of the forehead. They dwelt in caves and fed on the wild productions of

ave they entered it, and finding no one within examined its contents. They found it stored with the richest of the flock, qu

of wood cut by the Cyclops for a staff, which they found in the cave. They sharpened the end of it, and seasoned it in the f

d on all the Cyclopes dwelling in the caves around him, far and near. They on his cry flocked round the den, and inquired wh

r slumbers. He replied, “O friends, I die, and Noman gives the blow.” They answered, “If no man hurts thee it is the stroke

, and drove a good part of the flock down to the shore to their boat. They put them aboard with all haste, then pushed off f

nt to his previous orders, sprang forward and bound him still faster. They held on their course, and the music grew fainter

s while roasting. The wind becoming fair they sailed from the island. They had not gone far when the weather changed, and a

to the isle of Scheria, under the conduct of Nausithoüs, their king. They were, the poet tells us, a people akin to the god

id not conceal themselves from solitary wayfarers when they met them. They had abundance of wealth and lived in the enjoymen

e chiefs should present him with a gift, himself setting the example. They obeyed, and vied with one another in loading the

. Some months were spent in preparation, and at length they embarked. They first landed on the neighboring shores of Thrace,

dering the land accursed by the stain of such a crime, hastened away. They next landed on the island of Delos, which was onc

their forefathers came from Crete and thither they resolved to steer. They arrived at Crete and began to build their city, b

ith the heads of maidens, with long claws and faces pale with hunger. They were sent by the gods to torment a certain Phineu

d before him the Harpies darted down from the air and carried it off. They were driven away from Phineus by the heroes of th

ered the port the Trojans saw herds of cattle roaming over the plain. They slew as many as they wished and prepared for a fe

an ships were driven out of their course towards the coast of Africa. They were in imminent danger of being wrecked, and wer

, drew his sword and would have struck, but the Sibyl restrained him. They then came to the black river Cocytus, where they

t autumn, or the flocks that fly southward at the approach of winter. They stood pressing for a passage and longing to touch

ht freight of bodiless spirits, groaned under the weight of the hero. They were soon conveyed to the opposite shore. There t

en, with a heavy heart, rejoined his companion and resumed his route. They next entered the fields where roam the heroes who

ojans thronged around him, and could not be satisfied with the sight. They asked the cause of his coming, and plied him with

ingered long with his Trojan friends, but the Sibyl hurried him away. They next came to a place where the road divided, the

turn from these melancholy regions and seek the city of the blessed. They passed through a middle tract of darkness, and ca

and came upon the Elysian fields, the groves where the happy reside. They breathed a freer air, and saw all objects clothed

He saw another group feasting and listening to the strains of music. They were in a laurel grove, whence the great river Po

, and have made their memory blessed by rendering service to mankind. They wore snow-white fillets about their brows. The Si

ressed a group of these, and inquired where Anchises was to be found. They were directed where to seek him, and soon found h

r. Æneas, with surprise, inquired who were these. Anchises answered, “ They are souls to which bodies are to be given in due

for the nine, his curiosity was excited, and he purchased the books. They were found to contain the destinies of the Roman

e books. They were found to contain the destinies of the Roman state. They were kept in the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, p

Latinus, bearing presents and a request for friendship and alliance. They went and were favorably received. Latinus immedia

g from the trees themselves, and had neither laws nor social culture. They knew not how to yoke the cattle nor raise a harve

roaming over the plain where now the proud and stately Forum stands. They entered, and a couch was spread for Æneas, well s

eadful embrace. At length the people cast him out, him and his house. They burned his palace and slew his friends. He escape

ictory, and that their destined leader must come from across the sea. They have offered the crown to me, but I am too old to

e. I am fixed in the resolution to go with you. Let us lose no time.” They called the guard, and committing the watch to the

e guard, and committing the watch to them, sought the general’s tent. They found the chief officers in consultation, deliber

riends left the camp and plunged at once into the midst of the enemy. They found no watch, no sentinels posted, but, all abo

tent Euryalus made prize of a helmet brilliant with gold and plumes. They had passed through the enemy’s ranks without bein

, and Volscens hailed the two, and demanded who and whence they were. They made no answer, but plunged into the wood. The ho

ting their property in one common stock for the benefit of the whole. They were required to practise the greatest purity and

he was materially assisted by Anubis, the son of Osiris and Nephthys. They sought in vain for some time; for when the chest,

a was held in high estimation. Trophonius and Agamedes were brothers. They were distinguished architects, and built the temp

e directed by the god at Delphi to seek aid of Trophonius at Lebadea. They came thither, but could find no oracle. One of th

tues and busts, the artist’s conceptions of the countenances of both. They are characterized by grave and dignified beauty,

thy. The two great works of Ovid are his Metamorphoses and his Fasti. They are both mythological poems, and from the former

in the popular belief after Paganism was superseded by Christianity. They are mentioned perhaps by the classical writers, b

t it seems they found out how to circumvent the poor unicorn at last. They discovered that it was a great lover of purity an

The religious rites of the ancient Persians were exceedingly simple. They used neither temples, altars, nor statues, and pe

nor statues, and performed their sacrifices on the tops of mountains. They adored fire, light, and the sun as emblems of Orm

honesty, and conciliatory manners, they are favorably distinguished. They have numerous temples to fire, which they adore a

ent incarnations, or bodily forms, which descents are called Avatars. They are very numerous, but ten are more particularly

the fathers of the human race, and heads of their respective castes. They were commanded to regard the four Vedas as contai

d all that was necessary to guide them in their religious ceremonies. They were also commanded to take rank in the order of

ed the greatest crimes, they could only be banished from the kingdom. They were to be treated by sovereigns with the greates

employed in the lowest services and treated with the utmost severity. They are compelled to do what no one else can do witho

. They are compelled to do what no one else can do without pollution. They are not only considered unclean themselves, but t

d unclean themselves, but they render unclean every thing they touch. They are deprived of all civil rights, and stigmatized

aws regulating their mode of life, their houses, and their furniture. They are not allowed to visit the pagodas or temples o

the other castes, but have their own pagodas and religious exercises. They are not suffered to enter the houses of the other

r from necessity, the place must be purified by religious ceremonies. They must not appear at public markets, and are confin

to surround with bones of animals, to warn others against using them. They dwell in miserable hovels, distant from cities an

the religious observances prescribed in them and kept by the Hindus. They also reject the distinction of castes, and prohib

siastical institutions resembling those of the Roman Catholic church. They found convents for priests and nuns; also process

hter of the giant race, sprang the three brothers Odin, Vili, and Ve. They slew the giant Ymir, and out of his body formed t

found that it was still incomplete, for it was without human beings. They therefore took an ash tree and made a man out of

e three Norns, goddesses, who are regarded as the dispensers of fate. They are Urdur, (the past,) Verdandi, (the present,) S

darkness by permitting the giant to carry away the sun and the moon. They all agreed that no one but Loki, the author of so

cer from completing his task and obtaining the stipulated recompense. They proceeded to lay hands on Loki, who in his fright

geance out of respect for the sacred place where they were assembled. They gave vent to their grief by loud lamentations. Wh

that salmons ever since have had that part remarkably fine and thin. They bound him with chains and suspended a serpent ove

the sun, and clad in garments of a delicate and transparent texture. They loved the light, were kindly disposed to mankind,

f solitudes, and their dwelling-places subterranean caves and clefts. They were supposed to have come into existence as magg

rwards endowed by the gods with a human form and great understanding. They were particularly distinguished for a knowledge o

powers of nature, and for the runes which they carved and explained. They were the most skilful artificers of all created b

f divination was derived. The Runic characters were of various kinds. They were chiefly used for magical purposes. The noxio

erto very few have been found which throw the least light on history. They are mostly epitaphs on tombstones. Gray’s ode on

nt class of men in all communities in an early stage of civilization. They are the depositaries of whatever historic lore th

ctions of the priest, the magistrate, the scholar, and the physician. They stood to the people of the Celtic tribes in a rel

riters assert that the Druids also worshipped numerous inferior gods. They used no images to represent the object of their w

r has given a detailed account of the manner in which this was done. “ They have images of immense size, the limbs of which a

The discovery of it was an occasion of rejoicing and solemn worship. “ They call it,” says Pliny , “by a word in their langu

d would render his gift prosperous to those to whom he had given it.” They drink the water in which it has been infused, and

ld and inculcated many very noble and valuable principles of conduct. They were also the men of science and learning of thei

e Bards were supposed to be endowed with powers equal to inspiration. They were the oral historians of all past transactions

ere the oral historians of all past transactions, public and private. They were also accomplished genealogists,” etc. Penna

Culdees, probably from the Latin “cultores Dei” — worshippers of God. They were a body of religious persons associated toget

communities of the Culdees were suppressed and the members dispersed. They still continued to labor as individuals, and resi

se persons, they loved their little daughter with a foolish fondness. They thought her the most beautiful creature in the wo

fondness. They thought her the most beautiful creature in the world. They would say she is fairer than Venus herself. Thoug

on of it, and meditated upon some way to disturb her enjoyment in it. They told her it was the strangest thing in the world,

Ann. I thought the Greeks and Romans were very wise people. Mother. They were very wise in many things, but not wise in th

r to worship Jupiter and the other false gods and goddesses? Mother. They did not know better. They had not been told, like

he other false gods and goddesses? Mother. They did not know better. They had not been told, like the Hebrews, that there w

. Yes; they called their heaven Elysium, and their hell was Tartarus. They placed both Elysium and Tartarus below the surfac

overcast, and a noise like distant thunder startled the young girls. They sprang up, dropped all their flowers upon the gro

and striking the earth with his trident, they disappeared together. “ They are gone, afar, afar: Like the shooting of a star

ny person ever believe that Cyane was changed to a fountain. Mother. They said so, and very likely some ignorant people bel

the people make use of the flour of chestnuts as an article of food. They make a sort of pudding of it, called polenta. Bec

r guided Prague, and she took a course which her companions followed. They soon came to a thicket of tall trees, through whi

used sister, and throwing off her disguise, pressed her to her heart. They kissed each other, and shed many tears. Progne en

best. Jupiter laid down his thunder-bolts, and Mercury his caduceus. They appeared, in this journey, like common mortals, o

when night was approaching, looked about them for supper and lodging. They knocked at many doors, but were refused at all. O

this humble roof lived Baucis and Philemon, an aged and a happy pair. They were poor, but they did not desire to be rich. Th

and a happy pair. They were poor, but they did not desire to be rich. They had no servants to command, and they needed none;

put upon the bench. “These,” she said, “will ease your weary limbs.” They were the best she had, and, though coarse, were a

ng about the table from hand to hand, of their own accord as it were. They looked at each other, and then at the strangers.

were gracious and beautiful, and their voices mild and sweet toned. “ They are not men,” said Philemon to Baucis, softly; “c

y knew how old she was — had served them as a sentry for forty years. They kept no dog, and the goose’s loud cackling gave t

en the feet of Jupiter, who motioned her pursuers to spare the goose. They obeyed, and Jupiter, throwing off the sordid garm

whatever your modest wishes desire, Providence has in store for you.” They looked at each other, and withdrawing a moment fr

near by, caught it, and running after Aglauria, presented it to her. They looked at each other with pleasure, and Herse blu

eably together. Am. What sort of people were they of Attica? Mother. They were very ignorant, and did not know how to build

make good clothes, nor did the men and women marry and have families. They lived almost like flocks of wild animals; but Cec

p or when we wake, they walk unseen” about us, doing us good or harm. They called the good spirit, a good genius; and the wi

t grass where Europa was sporting with some young girls, her friends. They all thought the bull the most beautiful animal th

eans, it had been dedicated, by the rude people living near, to Mars. They had said it belonged to that god, and that none b

nia, the daughter of Mars and Venus, and they lived happily together. They had one son and four daughters. Their son was Pol

illed him. Ann. The young girls were very cruel to do that. Mother. They thought, perhaps, that Acteon came there by desig

one another, and they had very fine children, whom they loved dearly. They were rich, had a better house than their neighbou

of the prison Tartarus, and requested them to guide her to Tisiphone. They attended her very respectfully, and on the way as

ere dipping water in bottomless vessels from a cistern at their feet. They were the Danaides, who had murdered their husband

nd the fury Tisiphone? Mother. Because they did not know any better. They saw that men committed crimes, and that they suff

ry body, I think. Some people thought the gods were very kind to men. They thought that if the gods allowed men to do wrong,

antes, or Menades, were women who assisted in the worship of Bacchus. They would go in bands into the woods, carrying thyrse

ually hidden, he did not escape the searching eyes of the Bacchantes. They were accustomed to illuminate the woods, to hang

m. Some of the Bacchantes in their revels heard a rustling of leaves. They soon discovered Pentheus in the tree, though they

our way. The god inspires us; he disposes us to these extravagances. They were intoxicated, and thus they excused their fol

ther. No; at Athens, festivals in honour of Bacchus were very decent. They were called Dionysia, and magistrates restrained

man’s eagerness to serve her, Danæ rose, and followed his directions. They soon reached, a low cabin, half hidden by the roc

anage horses, with great skill. Every body admired and loved Perseus. They admired him, because in wrestling he threw his an

an arrow, he could bring down a bird, or hit a mark, without missing. They loved him, because he was manly, and generous, an

des. Neptune, as god of the sea, had a great regard for the Nereides. They were fifty daughters of the sea-god Nereus, and h

k. “Beautiful lady,” said he, “I am no god, but the good gods aid me. They know that I desire to deliver the innocent from t

It may be that you do not know the perfidy of her father and mother. They gave her to me when I asked her in marriage; yet,

of her father to herself and to him; but they had both forgiven him. They knew that believed his grandson would live to be

ever they liked, were it ever so distant from their favourite valley. They sang, and danced, and played upon the lyre, all d

like human voices. “Can these be birds which I hear?” asked Minerva. “ They are birds now,” answered Polyhymnia; “they are ma

d, and that provoked them; and they pretended that they were injured. They said the Muses were selfish, and the nymphs were

the Pierian Spring, for so we sometimes call the fountain Hippocrene. They desired to possess it, and now they haunt its bor

nister, and of the congregation; indeed, I think of many more things. They all come into my mind together. Mother. They com

nk of many more things. They all come into my mind together. Mother. They come into your mind together because they belong

mple in honour of Apollo at Delphi, and Homer calls it “rocky Pytho.” They instituted an oracle there, and the priestess was

instituted an oracle there, and the priestess was called the Pythia. They said that the tripod on which this priestess sat

tripods; I mean the form of a tripod was very fashionable among them. They used them for many purposes, and they were someti

rved to the present time. Ann. What were the Pythian games? Mother. They were like other games held in Greece. These games

an antagonist, received a prize. Ann. What were the prizes? Mother. They were wreaths, or garlands of oak leaves, or beach

he fine arts; and that painting and sculpture are fine arts. Mother. They are. Rich persons make collections of the best sp

winds, which had risen to accompany them through the fields of ether. They soon felt that a feeble hand held the reins, and

re represented as lovely young girls, having light embroidered robes. They appear thus in Guido’s Aurora. Prints of Aurora,

verse. How may the Deities of Grecian and Roman Mythology be classed? They are generally arranged in the following classes:

of the Nations, because they were known and revered by every nation. They were twenty in number. How were the Deities of th

ities of this first order farther divided, and what were their names? They were divided into two classes; the first was call

posed of eight divinities, who did not assist at the supreme Council. They were named Dii Selecti — Select Gods. These were

cond order included the gods whom Ovid styled the celestial populace. They were called the Inferior Gods of Nations. They ha

he celestial populace. They were called the Inferior Gods of Nations. They had no place in heaven; nor were they admitted to

e Romans considered him as the peculiar guardian God of their empire. They styled him Jupiter Capitolinus, from his chief te

How do the learned explain this celebrated division of the universe? They almost all agree in regarding it as a confused tr

rses neigh’d aloud, Breathing out flames and pawing where they stood. They spring together forth, and swiftly bear The bound

youth, the most prudent directions for the management of the horses. They soon perceived the weakness and inexperience of t

ng on various musical instruments, or engaged in scientific pursuits. They are called Muses, from a Greek word, signifying t

ying to meditate, to inquire. What are the proper names of the Muses? They had, each, a name derived from some particular ac

resided over rhetoric and epic poetry. Had the Muses any other names? They had names common to them all. Heliconides, from M

their writers, to have recovered and brought it with him into Italy. They assert that this celebrated image was deposited i

syche; a Greek word, signifying Spirit, or Soul. Who were the Graces? They were supposed to give its attractive charms to be

charms to beauty of every kind, and to dispense the gift of pleasing. They were supposed by some, to be the daughters of Jup

ometimes four, in number; named Aglaia, Thalia, Euphrosyne, Pasithea. They were painted as beautiful young virgins, crowned

and many others in Greece and Thrace, raised temples to their honour. They presided also over friendship and gratitude; and

ules, and Cœculus, a fierce and violent robber. Who were the Cyclops? They were the workmen of Vulcan, and made Jove’s thund

p. XIX. [Tritons, Syrens, Proteus, &c.] Who were the Tritons? They were imaginary sea animals, the upper part of who

with the Gods, by the sound of his instrument. What were the Sirens? They are represented as beautiful young females inhabi

ners to approach the dangerous shore, which proved their destruction. They were supposed to have uncommonly melodious voices

dyssey. Who were Glaucus, Portumnus, Saron, Egeon, Ino, and Palemon? They were mortals changed into sea Gods, by some extra

her rumbling caves, The rough rock roars; tumultuous boil the waves; They toss, they foam, and wild confusion raise, Like w

echoing shrieks arise, I turn and view them, quiv’ring in the skies, They call us, and with outstretch’d arms implore, In v

med, was superbly adorned, and the apartments splendidly illuminated. They were extremely cautious to prevent the presence o

cks with the smoke of sulphur, olive wood, box, laurel, and rosemary. They then made a fire of straw, round which they dance

ns, were rural divinities, supposed to inhabit forests and mountains. They were represented as half men and half goats, C

he foster-father of Bacchus. The poets say that he was born at Malea. They represented him as an old man with a bald head, a

able of keeping his seat. Historians give a different account of him. They say that he was a philosopher of great wisdom and

laced among them the spirits of their departed friends and relations. They were esteemed as the guardians of houses. They we

friends and relations. They were esteemed as the guardians of houses. They were worshiped, under the figure of small images

d them to be descendants of Jupiter and Larmida. What were the Genii? They were likewise ranked in the number of these domes

ying him; one, the author of his happiness, the other, of his misery. They were represented as young men, holding, in one ha

hich falsehood and calumny could never approach. Who were the Furies? They were three in number; Tisiphone6, Megæra, and Ale

rs of Acheron and Nox. Their names signify rage, slaughter, and envy. They are represented with torches in their hands: thei

snakes. The Greeks named them Diræ, Erinnes, Disturbers of the Mind. They were also called Eumenides, or the Mild, when sup

tes? The Fates or Parcæ were three in number, daughters of Necessity. They were supposed to spin and cut the thread of human

s, called Manes, were not clearly distinguished by the ancient poets. They were frequently considered as the souls of the de

no bottom. Did not the ancients strangely multiply their divinities? They deified virtues, passions, blessings, and evils.

in honour of them, and a high degree of worship paid to their memory. They were supposed to enjoy continued existence, and t

dful was their appearance, as to turn into stone all who beheld them. They had the faces and breasts of women, and the tails

erect, or sitting with the legs crossed; or lying on the right side. They are universally yellow. A large yellow robe, line

y also explicitly convey the doctrine of creation, in the true sense. They assert the prior existence of an Eternal and Spir

r streets and their high roads; and against their temples and houses. They daily sprinkle it with oil and adorn it with flow

n; even as with hope or fear, The soul regardeth him, doth he appear. They , who polluted with offences come, Behold him as t

e same time, repeating a prayer, they throw it towards that luminary. They preserve, constantly burning, a kind of sacred fi

crifice. The new-born babe of a Brahmin is exposed to the solar beam. They worship God in the Sun and in Fire. The Hindûs re

munication, as persons of a different nation, or a different species. They cannot intermarry, nor join in any common occupat

animals; to the Ganges, and other rivers, which they account sacred. They believe that Vishnu, who has already been incarna

in the figure of a horse, in order to put an end to all things here. They are taught to practise most cruel, absurd, and im

ed towards material objects, or the departments and powers of nature. They considered every part of the visible universe as

ble universe as endowed with inherent life, energy, and intelligence. They worshiped the intelligent and active cause of the

by symbols, the progress of the sun, and the changes of the seasons. They depicted the sun under the emblem of a newborn in

d, that the ancient Egyptians believed the human soul to be immortal. They admitted likewise the doctrine of the transmigrat

s to his honour, with the idea of his making them his dwelling-place. They venerated fire as his sacred emblem; the sun as h

on traditions concerning the deluge, and upon astronomical opinions. They were celebrated in deep caverns, or in artificial

the unfolded tent. Fire blaz’d beside them. Towards the sacred flame They turn’d, and sent their tuneful praise to heav’n.

n process of time the Mythology of the Scythians became very debased. They worshiped a great number of Gods and Goddesses, b

t, on which was erected a cimeter, as an image, or emblem of the God. They sacrificed horses to him, and every hundredth man

ifices and prayers. To them was intrusted the education of the youth. They were honoured in the highest degree, and determin

directed were held in universal detestation as impious and execrable. They were rendered incapable of any trust, or honour;

was esteemed unlawful to commit their religious doctrines to writing. They were taught and transmitted entirely by tradition

rtures. The descendants of the Scythians corrupted this plain system. They associated to the Supreme God, many of those geni

f they heard the battle bray, And burn’d to join the bloody fray. But They unmov’d and silent sate, With pensive brow, and l

uls of heroes who had fallen in battle, enjoy their supreme felicity. They spend the day in hunting shadowy forms of wild be

l enter, and with Surtur at their head, will pass the bridge Bifrost. They will unite with Fenris and Loke, and range themse

ts of worship throughout Arabia, there were some that were peculiarly They worshiped the fixed stars and the planets: and th

e Chaldeans were not only their priests, but also their philosophers. They were greatly addicted to astrology, and ascribed

ed together, as companions, and as enjoying an equal degree of power. They reverenced likewise a goddess, who was styled the

h the sun; Pachamama, or the Earth; and Mamacocha, or the mother sea. They did not practise the sanguinary rites of the Mexi

en born. But the gods the Greeks loved most were the gods of the sky. They were beautiful and happy and kind. When the Sun d

oo, who helped men to do whatever was beautiful and brave and useful. They made men merry and mischievous and clever and hap

n earth, and they were very much like men and women, even on Olympus. They ate, and drank, and were married, like people of

we are told that they often quarreled outrageously among themselves. They had few cares. They would even leave Olympus for

ey often quarreled outrageously among themselves. They had few cares. They would even leave Olympus for days together, to ma

nd gamesome as the morning air.    The daffodils were fair to see,     They nodded lightly on the lea,    Persephone — Persep

Demeter sighs, but sure'tis well    The wife should love her destiny: They part, and yet, as legends tell,    She mourns her

ays there lived in the world a race of great creatures called Titans. They were children of old Mother Earth, who is so quie

Earth, who is so quiet under our feet, and they were bold and strong. They did not fear Jupiter himself, and once they piled

warming and useful, it seemed to make men proud and angry of temper. They had begun to fight one another. At times they bur

Mercury, the messenger of the gods: — “Take this woman and this box. They are gifts of the gods to Epimetheus, and to manki

y talked and could find no help, suddenly Pandora gave a cry of joy. “ They are not all gone!” she said, eagerly, putting her

delight made him forget all else. “It is true, after all,” he cried. “ They have really given you back, O my Eurydice!” and h

d their eyes shone with a light which filled the room with its glare. They came gliding swiftly toward the cradle, and there

matters. That was a good thought, but the nymphs could not tell him. They advised him to seek out Nereus, the old man of th

ything more. All this time the steeds were pulling hard at the reins. They felt that the chariot was not so heavy as usual,

arm were not the iron hand and arm which usually held them in check. They increased their speed. Phaëton began to be alarme

t once more into his father’s hands. But the steeds did not heed him. They were wild with fright. Then Phaëton looked down.

make you invisible. Seek first the Grææ, the sisters of the Gorgons. They will tell you where Medusa is to be found.” With

eus soon found the three old crones sitting upon a great floe of ice. They had only one eye and one tooth among them, and th

” they cried, and spreading their swift wings, they darted after him. They could not see him, but they had the scent of bloo

than any man in Trœzen.” One day she led Theseus out into the woods. They wandered here and there, but at last they turned

the king heard that the Minotaur was slain, he was filled with rage. “ They shall all be put to death,” he said furiously, “a

f the goddesses.” The goddesses were well pleased with this proposal. They gave the golden apple to Mercury and sent him to

ook their heads and smiled and said, “It was only a rumor, after all. They do not dare.” But one day the watchman spied a mi

d King Menelaus came from the Greeks and in due form asked for Helen. They promised to depart in peace, even then, if she we

d happened in the camp of the Greeks, they grew joyful and confident. They no longer remained within the walls of Troy, but

not. Next morning the battle was renewed, and again the Trojans won. They drove the Greeks further and further back, even t

ed for his foe in vain. Toward evening a panic came upon the Trojans. They fled headlong toward the gate of the city and cro

end the struggle, but even then the Trojans would not give up Helen. They had no mind to let her go after all they had endu

ide of the monster, a new crowd of Trojans came hurrying to the spot. They were laughing and jeering at a captive they had c

near the shore, they saw the huge entrance of a cave beside the sea. They landed, and with twelve picked men Ulysses went i

oke roaring with pain, and called for his friends, the other Cyclops. They soon came. “Ho, Polyphemus. What is the matter?”

s they voyaged on until they came to an island floating on the water. They found that it was the home of Æolus, king of the

ht and the men could see fires upon the hillsides. It was their home. They sailed slowly, waiting for the day, and a deep sl

s and their crews were destroyed. Ulysses and his crew alone escaped. They sailed away in haste, but at last came to a littl

ed him like a god, for his deeds before Troy were well known to them. They carried him to Ithaca, with honor and with many g

awless suitors. Go on before me to the palace, and appear among them. They will not dare to lay hands on you openly. I shall

oughts for a while. She will know me when I have put off these rags.” They went out, and Minerva took off the disguise that

’d, yet all awake, And music in his ears his beating heart did make. They sat them down upon the yellow sand, Between the s

ers became gods and were the protectors of travelers by land and sea. They sometimes appeared in battles. Ceph΄alus. Husban

Evening, 86. Hours. Daughters of Jupiter; goddesses of the seasons. They kept the gate of Olympus, and served the greater

144. Phæ΄c ians. The last people whom Ulysses met in his wanderings. They sent Ulysses home with rich gifts in one of their

on the island of Naxos. 5. Castor and Pollux were brothers of Helen. They were famous heroes, and, at their death, became g

her of all intelligent beings, and the maker of every existing thing. They learn from this, that men have not all, and alway

riptures they perceive, that God has forbidden the worship of images. They must naturally ask, what nations have worshipped

with the false religions of antiquity are still carefully preserved. They constituted the religious faith of civilized nati

led the Supreme Being,) to be as wicked as men had become themselves. They invented a god of wine for the drunkards, of gold

de war upon Saturn; conquered both him and Cybele, and confined them. They were released by their son Jupiter, who deposed S

d, and attended by Bellona, his sister, a goddess, fierce as himself. They were represented in a chariot drawn by two wild h

e his assistance against their enemies, or through fear of his power. They could not feel love and trust in a being who was

nted as pure intelligences, that is, as spirits without animal wants. They ate, drank, slept, and went journeys. When the Is

their writers, to have recovered and brought it with him into Italy. They assert that this celebrated image was deposited i

in summer. The feasts of Adonis were celebrated in Greece and Syria. They commenced with mourning for his death, and conclu

gnify that kind affections and good actions are pleasing and winning. They were exhibited unadorned and unclothed, because g

music, companions of Apollo, directresses of the feasts of the gods. They are represented as nine beautiful virgins, someti

ng on various musical instruments, or engaged in scientific pursuits. They are called Muses, from a Greek word, signifying t

mes with an entire human body, and sometimes with the tail of a fish. They are sometimes pictured riding in the sea upon Tri

osia. In the neighbourhood of the Sirens lived the enchantress Circe. They were all admirable singers, and lured mariners, w

The Harpies not only injured but defiled whatever they lighted upon. They were represented as rapacious and cruel, and dest

yria. The conquests of Bacchus seem to have been of a pacific nature. They represented the triumph of the useful arts over b

cks with the smoke of sulphur, olive wood, box, laurel, and rosemary. They then made a fire of straw, round which they dance

uns were rural divinities, supposed to inhabit forests and mountains. They were represented as half men and half goats. Ter

Silenus was the chief of the Satyrs, the foster-father of Bacchus. They represented him as an old man with a bald head, a

able of keeping his seat. Historians give a different account of him. They say that he was a philosopher of great wisdom and

laced among them the spirits of their departed friends and relations. They were esteemed as the guardians of houses; were wo

were worshipped only in an interior apartment called the Penetralia. They were held so sacred by the Romans, that the expre

virtuous sentiments, and instructed him in what is excellent action. They were represented as young men, holding, in one ha

transported them across the river Acheron, to the shore of eternity. They then proceeded to the tribunal of the judges of t

ere, like the Furies, three in number, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. They were supposed to preside over the life of man, fr

e of the criminals punished in the infernal regions, were the Titans. They were represented as being precipitated into Tarta

mythologists, Danaus ordered his daughters to murder their husbands. They all, except one, obeyed this inhuman order, and a

bad equally, without regard to the merit of either, what she pleased. They represented Fortune, as they called this blind go

their security; he has endangered himself, but he has preserved them. They delight to remember his extraordinary exploits, a

articularly kind to him. The Pallantidæ saw that Ægeus loved Theseus. They said, “He will adopt him for his son, and will le

llux were among the Argonauts, and they recovered Helen from Theseus. They were probably roving adventurers, who did as much

ollux made their appearance in their armies, mounted on white steeds. They were generally represented on white horses, armed

to Paris. The goddesses then repaired to Mount Ida, and found Paris. They instantly related the matter of contention, and e

with all their forces at Aulis, a city opposite to Colchis, in Eubœa. They chose Agamemnon, King of Mycenæ, and brother of M

ices. Ulysses soon made his forlorn state known to these young women. They were moved with compassion for him; provided him

ocia living in a sumptuous palace, surrounded with beautiful gardens. They were persons of amiable manners, and generous dis

opes and second my design.” This other “chosen warrior” was Ulysses. They proceeded together among the unwary Trojans, comm

upon him to make a new body of laws, which they promised to observe. They gave him the regulation of the magistrates, the a

before they were brought by Brahma to their present forms and order. They described the creation as Moses does in the book

r streets and their high roads: and against their temples and houses. They daily sprinkle it with oil, and adorn it with flo

nsuming fire,” yet “he forgiveth iniquity, transgression, and sin.” They , who polluted with offences come,              Be

nd Budha, another beneficent deity, are sometimes called the Avatars. They came into the world to abolish human sacrifices,

lly to check. The Hindus offer religious services to certain animals. They believe that Vishnu, who has already been incarna

in the figure of a horse, in order to put an end to all things here. They are taught to practise most cruel, absurd, and im

munication, as persons of a different nation, or a different species. They cannot intermarry, nor join in any common occupat

them in any thing. The Druids had no letters nor any costly temples. They composed poems which they sung, and which were ta

s. They composed poems which they sung, and which were taught orally. They sometimes performed their religious ceremonies in

ferred a quiet and peaceable life to one of violence and depredation. They believed that those who fell in war, were conveye

ancient Persians regarded the Sun as the peculiar image of the Deity. They represented him by certain fires esteemed holy, a

, and well-informed. These were the Magi, sometimes called Magicians. They were Magi, mentioned in the New Testament as wis

s to his honour, with the idea of him making them his dwelling-place. They venerated fire as his sacred emblem; the sun as h

the unfolded tent. Fire blazed beside them. Towards the sacred flame They turned, and sent their tuneful praise to heaven.

eir hands skilfully, they will meditate upon the objects around them. They will admire the sun, and moon, the earth, and all

like the Greeks and Romans, believed in the immortality of the soul. They called Heaven the House of the Sun. They worshipp

the immortality of the soul. They called Heaven the House of the Sun. They worshipped the sun as a god, by a name which sign

to have worshipped the sun, moon, and the sea, under different names. They did not practice the barbarous rites of the Mexic

xix.) The chief priests of the Hebrews were all descended from Aaron. They were solemnly consecrated to their office, and pr

d that thunder, lightning, and comets expressed the will of the gods. They also maintained, that motions and chattering of b

, the second King of Rome, was the principal founder of these orders. They were only few in number, sometimes not more than

The Sibyls were virgin prophetesses, held in honour by the Romans. They were probably fictitious beings; or traditions of

gods, and celebrated their actions, and their beneficence to mankind. They usually concluded with a petition that the god wh

on, the wars of the giants with Jupiter, and the labours of Hercules. They introduced these facts into the fables of their r

to do the higher services of the temple, and to instruct the people. They also pronounced solemn blessings upon the people

imes single figures, wrought with the most perfect delicacy and truth They are often set in gold, and worn as rings, etc. 1

to order into which a lesson may be poured. Myths are born, not made. They are born in the infancy of a people. They owe the

. Myths are born, not made. They are born in the infancy of a people. They owe their features not to any one historic indivi

ties of Olympus and of Asgard have not a single worshipper among men. They dwell only in the realm of memory and imagination

musement; in the revulsion of the mind from the humdrum of actuality. They furnish information that may not be practical but

, (a) If historic, they utilize events which have a skeleton of fact. They supply flesh and sinew of divine or heroic advent

ples, accentuates the distinction between our imagination and theirs. They , at some time or other, believed in these personi

from the fact that savages do not deem themselves superior to nature. They are not conscious of souls whose flight is higher

ved? How accounted for. — There are many answers to these questions. They may, however, be classified according to the theo

ions mythology that assume a backward tendency in early civilization. They are; — (1) The Historical, or better called after

ns and intelligence. “Many myths may be called ‘human’ in this sense. They are the rough product of the early human mind, an

y eaten through and the roof would soon fall in. He told his captors. They took his warning, escaped destruction, rewarded t

most prominent, have contributed much to our knowledge of mythology. They have left us hymns to the gods, references to myt

o address his wife and absent friends. His letters were all in verse. They are called the “Tristia,” or Sorrows, and Letters

amorphoses,” or Transformations, and his “Fasti,” or Poetic Calendar. They are both mythological poems, and from the former

Skaldic Poems. —The bards and poets of the Norsemen were the Skalds. They were the depositaries of whatever historic lore t

poems are Icelandic, however, in their general character and history. They are principally of heroic and mythical import: su

almists, as far back, perhaps, as 3000 b.c., not later than 1400 b.c. They give us the religious conceptions of the Aryans w

emons and placating them. (2) The Indian Epics of classical standing. They are the Mahâbhârata and the Râmâyana. Scholars di

ulsions of the physical world, of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. They played a quarrelsome part in mythical history; th

rom the wounded Uranus, renewed the revolt against the Olympian gods. They were creatures nearer akin to men than were the T

nearer akin to men than were the Titans, or the Cyclopes, or Typhon. They clothed themselves in the skins of beasts, and ar

cks and trunks of trees. Their bodies and lower limbs were of snakes. They were awful to encounter or to look upon. They wer

r limbs were of snakes. They were awful to encounter or to look upon. They were named, like men, the earth-born; and their c

and garments unbound, and cast behind you the bones of your mother.” They heard the words with astonishment. Pyrrha first b

ce: “We cannot obey; we dare not profane the remains of our parents.” They sought the woods, and revolved the oracle in thei

this, I think, the oracle means. At least, to try will harm us not.” They veiled their faces, unbound their garments, and,

Their adventures form the subject of many of the succeeding chapters. They were the chieftains of the Theban and the Trojan

is stern temper Agamemnon, Orion, and Niobe bore regretful testimony. They found that the “fair-crowned queen of the echoing

oly mouth, The golden bees in eager drouth Plied busy wings and feet; They knew, what every lover knows, There’s no such hon

] (3) The Graces, daughters of Jove by Eurynome, daughter of Oceanus. They were goddesses presiding over the banquet, the da

banquet, the dance, all social pleasures, and polite accomplishments. They were three in number, — Euphrosyne, Aglaia, and T

nce, friendly offices that bind, And all the complements of courtesy; They teach us how to each degree and kind We should ou

ivility. (4) The Muses, daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne (Memory). They presided over song, and prompted the memory. They

Mnemosyne (Memory). They presided over song, and prompted the memory. They are ordinarily cited as nine in number; and to ea

sts of the north wind. Their country was inaccessible by land or sea. They lived exempt from disease or old age, from toils

e or ear Wan waves and wet winds labor, Weak ships and spirits steer; They drive adrift, and whither They wot not who make t

s labor, Weak ships and spirits steer; They drive adrift, and whither They wot not who make thither; But no such winds blow

ecto, Tisiphone, and Megæra, born of the blood of the wounded Uranus. They were attendants of Proserpina. They punished with

the blood of the wounded Uranus. They were attendants of Proserpina. They punished with the frenzies of remorse the crimes

4) Sleep, or Somnus (Hypnos), and Death (Thanatos), sons of Night.102 They dwell in subterranean darkness. The former brings

er closes forever the eyes of men. Dreams, too, are sons of Night.103 They dwell beside their brother, Death, along the West

n of horse races. His own steeds were brazen-hoofed and golden-maned. They drew his chariot over the sea, which became smoot

idens, bodies, wings, and claws of birds, and faces pale with hunger. They are the offspring of Thaumas, a son of Pontus and

mentioned, of most importance were the Naiads, daughters of Jupiter. They presided over brooks and fountains. Other lesser

e overtook her. She called for help on her friends, the water-nymphs. They heard and consented. Pan threw his arms around wh

called them Myrmidons from the ant (myrmex), from which they sprang. They are a diligent and industrious race, eager to gai

visited the land of Phrygia, and with him Mercury, without his wings. They presented themselves as weary travellers at many

their pursuit, and at last took shelter between the gods themselves. They forbade it to be slain, and spoke in these words:

sement. Quit your house, and come with us to the top of yonder hill.” They hastened to obey. The country behind them was spe

ing changed into a church, of which Philemon is made the parson: — … They scarce had spoke, when, fair and soft, The roof b

she grew pale; but she stood to her resolve, and rushed on her fate. They proceed to the contest. Each takes her station, a

added jeers, and threatened violence if she did not leave the place. They waded into the pond, and stirred up the mud with

t pool, but pass their lives there!” And it came to pass accordingly. They still live in the water, sometimes totally submer

r bodies. Their backs are green, their disproportioned bellies white. They dwell as frogs in the slimy pool.139 § 73. Apoll

of Delphi, but had ventured to insult the mother of the twin deities. They overthrew also the Aloadæ, Otus and Ephialtes, so

etation; they were renowned for their strength, stature, and courage. They grew at the rate of three cubits in height, and o

t Apollo and Diana, but Jupiter himself with his lightning slew them. They atoned for their presumption in Hades, where boun

Moon preparing to retire, ordered the Hours to harness up the horses. They led forth from the lofty stalls the steeds full f

less youth, In whom no good they saw; And yet, unwittingly, in truth, They made his careless words their law. They knew not

yet, unwittingly, in truth, They made his careless words their law. They knew not how he learned at all, For idly, hour by

e, But, when a glance they caught Of his slim grace and woman’s eyes, They laughed, and called him good-for-naught. Yet aft

w their gratitude. Men asked, “Why does not one of his parents do it? They cannot in the course of nature live much longer,

Under the ocean foam, And up through the rifts Of the mountain clifts They past to their Dorian home. And now from their fo

here the morning basks Like friends once parted Grown single-hearted, They ply their watery tasks. At sunrise they leap From

ingly incurred the anger of the gods, consulted the oracle of Apollo. They received answer, “The virgin is destined for the

soon brought them across the mountain down to their sister’s valley. They embraced her, she returned their caresses, and th

asures. The view of these delights caused envy to enter their bosoms. They plied their fortunate sister with questions about

as a direful serpent, who nourished her now to devour her by. and by. They advised her to provide herself against the night

mplished had not Cupid stirred up the ants to take compassion on her. They separated the pile, sorting each kind to its parc

gory of Cupid and Psyche is well presented in the following lines: — They wove bright fables in the days of old, When reaso

rooted flowers, fragrant-eyed, Blue, silver-white, and budded Tyrian, They lay calm-breathing on the budded grass; Their arm

o use them. Atalanta and her lover were ready. The signal was given. They both started; he, by one stride, first, For she h

rought the young people together, and acquaintance ripened into love. They would gladly have married, but their parents forb

tch), — that love should glow with equal ardor in the bosoms of both. They conversed by signs and glances, and the fire burn

oon the attendants returned who had been despatched to seize Bacchus. They had succeeded in taking one of the Bacchanals pri

ed at the island of Dia, and had sent his men ashore for fresh water. They returned, bringing with them a lad of delicate ap

home,” said Bacchus; “take me there, and ye shall be well rewarded.” They promised so to do; but, preventing the pilot from

under the displeasure of Jupiter, after the overthrow of the giants. They were compelled, it is said, to resign for a seaso

nctions, and to serve Laomedon, then about to build the city of Troy. They aided the king in erecting the walls of the city,

ater-nymphs; and when they smote their breasts, Echo smote hers also. They prepared a funeral pile, and would have burned th

d by my pale face, whose light Gleameth thro’ sedge and lilies yellow They , lapping at my fountain mellow, Harm not the lamb

perjury, murder, treachery to guests, even unkindness toward beggars. They avenged the ghosts of such as, dying violent deat

ollux. These and their contemporaries may be called the Older Heroes. They are renowned either for individual exploits or fo

etain them, was killed by Hercules and given to the horses to devour. They were, then, delivered to Eurystheus; but, escapin

ersuaded the people that the strangers were carrying off their queen. They instantly armed, and beset the ship. Whereupon He

ands closed behind them, and actually grazed the stern of the vessel. They then rowed along the shore till they arrived at t

erbs. In the night she persuaded the daughters of Pelias to kill him. They , at first, hesitated to strike, but, Medea chidin

weapons fell from their hands. Medea, however, struck the fatal blow. They placed him in the caldron, but, as might be expec

vious of Meleager. Speedily the hunters drew near the monster’s lair. They stretched strong nets from tree to tree; they unc

against her violently And cast the fresh crown from her hair, and now They had rent her spoil away, dishonoring her, Save th

ecause they had not seen What ills he suffered, and what ills he did, They in the dark should look, in time to come, On thos

greed that the brothers should decide their quarrel by single combat. They fought, and fell each by the hand of the other. T

an, should’st overpass The unwritten laws of God that know no change. They are not of to-day nor yesterday, But live forever

ts (Epigoni) of the former Seven thus renewed the war against Thebes. They levelled the city to the ground. Its inhabitants,

tous results for mortals, the immortals manifested a lively interest. They thronged with the Thessalians to the wedding in P

Urges the waves, and impels, to the threshold of journeying Phœbus, — They , at first, blown outward unroughly when Dawn is a

urple, While on ambrosial brows there rested fillets like snowflakes. They , at a task eternal their hands religiously plying

or and Pollux are mentioned here because of their kinship with Helen. They had, however, disappeared from earth before the S

ever, disappeared from earth before the Siege of Troy was undertaken. They are famous for their fraternal affection. Endowed

of the brothers by placing them among the stars as Gemini, the Twins. They received heroic honors as the Tyndaridæ (sons of

lled upon the chieftains of Greece to aid him in recovering his wife. They came forward with a few exceptions. Ulysses, for

Ajax, and Phœnix were sent to carry to Achilles the penitent message. They performed that duty, but Achilles was deaf to the

ight Hector’s heart failed him and he fled. Achilles swiftly pursued. They ran, still keeping near the walls, till they had

hat Troy could not be taken but by the aid of the arrows of Hercules. They were in possession of Philoctetes, the friend who

mus (son of Achilles) were now sent to induce him to rejoin the army. They succeeded. Philoctetes was cured of his wound by

it by force, and by advice of Ulysses they resorted to stratagem.362 They pretended to be making preparations to abandon th

f the ships were withdrawn and concealed behind a neighboring island. They then constructed an immense wooden horse, which t

to doubt. There appeared advancing over the sea two immense serpents. They came upon the land, and the crowd fled in all dir

advanced directly to the spot where Laocoön stood with his two sons. They first attacked the children, winding round their

d object, and prepared to introduce with due solemnity into the city. They did so with songs and triumphal acclamations, and

the hills like Gods together, careless of mankind…” The Cyclopes. — They next arrived at the country of the Cyclopes. The

s (§ 126) inhabited an island of which they were the only possessors. They dwelt in caves and fed on the wild productions of

ave they entered it, and finding no one within examined its contents. They found it stored with the riches of the flock, qua

of wood cut by the Cyclops for a staff, which they found in the cave. They sharpened the end of it and seasoned it in the fi

d on all the Cyclopes dwelling in the caves around him, far and near. They , on his cry, flocked round the den, and inquired

r slumbers. He replied, “O friends, I die, and Noman gives the blow.” They answered, “If no man hurts thee it is the stroke

, and drove a good part of the flock down to the shore to their boat. They put them aboard with all haste, then pushed off f

hing unutterably burned, Unquenchable; and still where’er She turned. They rose about her, striving each o’er each, With res

nt to his previous orders, sprang forward and bound him still faster. They held on their course, and the music grew fainter

s while roasting. The wind becoming fair they sailed from the island. They had not gone far when the weather changed, and a

to the isle of Scheria, under the conduct of Nausithoüs, their king. They were, the poet tells us, a people akin to the god

id not conceal themselves from solitary wayfarers when they met them. They had abundance of wealth, and lived in the enjoyme

e chiefs should present him with a gift, himself setting the example. They obeyed, and vied with one another in loading the

. Some months were spent in preparation, and at length they embarked. They first landed on the neighboring shores of Thrace,

by the stain of such a crime, hastened away. The Promised Empire. — They next landed on the island of Delos. Here Æneas co

heir forefathers came from Crete, and thither they resolved to steer. They arrived at Crete, and began to build their city;

ith the heads of maidens, with long claws and faces pale with hunger. They were sent by the gods to torment a certain Phineu

before him, the harpies darted down from the air and carried it off. They were driven away from Phineus by the heroes of th

ans entered the port they saw herds of cattle roaming over the plain. They slew as many as they wished, and prepared for a f

an ships were driven out of their course towards the coast of Africa. They were in imminent danger of being wrecked, and wer

, drew his sword and would have struck, but the Sibyl restrained him. They then came to the black river Cocytus, where they

t autumn, or the flocks that fly southward at the approach of winter. They stood pressing for a passage and longing to touch

ht freight of bodiless spirits, groaned under the weight of the hero. They were soon conveyed to the opposite shore. There t

. 109. Charon receiving a passenger and his fare. [Relief: Sepolcri.] They next entered the fields where roam the heroes who

ojans thronged around him, and could not be satisfied with the sight. They asked the cause of his coming, and plied him with

ingered long with his Trojan friends, but the Sibyl hurried him away. They next came to a place where the road divided, the

turn from these melancholy regions and seek the city of the blessed. They passed through a middle tract of darkness, and ca

and came upon the Elysian fields, the groves where the happy reside. They breathed a freer air, and saw all objects clothed

He saw another group feasting, and listening to the strains of music. They were in a laurel grove, whence the great river Po

, and have made their memory blessed by rendering service to mankind. They wore snow-white fillets about their brows. The Si

ressed a group of these, and inquired where Anchises was to be found. They were directed where to seek him, and soon found h

r. Æneas, with surprise, inquired who were these. Anchises answered, “ They are souls to which bodies are to be given in due

Latinus, bearing presents and a request for friendship and alliance. They went and were favorably received. Latinus immedia

g from the trees themselves, and had neither laws nor social culture. They knew not how to yoke the cattle nor raise a harve

g over the plain where soon should stand the proud and stately Forum. They entered, and a couch, well stuffed with leaves an

t dreadful embrace. At length people cast him out, him and his house. They burned his palace and slew his friends. He escape

ictory, and that their destined leader must come from across the sea. They have offered the crown to me, but I am too old to

. I am fixed in the resolution to go with thee. Let us lose no time.” They called the guard, and committing the watch to the

e guard, and committing the watch to them, sought the general’s tent. They found the chief officers in consultation, deliber

riends left the camp and plunged at once into the midst of the enemy. They found no watch, no sentinels posted, but, all abo

tent Euryalus made prize of a helmet brilliant with gold and plumes. They had passed through the enemy’s ranks without bein

, and Volscens hailed the two, and demanded who and whence they were. They made no answer, but plunged into the wood. The ho

hter of the giant race, sprang Bor, the father of Odin, Vili, and Ve. They slew the giant Ymir, and out of his body formed t

found that it was still incomplete, for it was without human beings. They therefore took an ashen spar and made a man out o

three Norns, — goddesses who are regarded as the dispensers of fate. They are Urdur (the past), Verdandi (the present), Sku

darkness by permitting the giant to carry away the sun and the moon. They all agreed that no one but Loki, the author of so

cer from completing his task and obtaining the stipulated recompense. They proceeded to lay hands on Loki, who in his fright

that salmons ever since have had that part remarkably fine and thin. They bound him with chains and suspended a serpent ove

the sun, and clad in garments of a delicate and transparent texture. They loved the light, were kindly disposed to mankind,

y, long-nosed dwarfs, of a dirty brown color, appeared only at night. They avoided the sun as their most deadly enemy, becau

f solitudes, and their dwelling-places subterranean caves and clefts. They were supposed to have come into existence as magg

o existence as maggots produced by the decaying flesh of Ymir’s body. They were afterwards endowed by the gods with a human

rwards endowed by the gods with a human form and great understanding. They were particularly distinguished for a knowledge o

powers of nature, and for the runes which they carved and explained. They were the most skilful artificers of all created b

The Homeridæ, who lived on Chios, claimed to be descended from Homer. They devoted themselves to the cultivation of epic poe

s to discourage, and, indeed, as far as possible, suppress their use. They were, therefore, superseded by the Latin alphabet

he only monsters of antiquity to which any good traits were assigned. They were admitted to the companionship of men. Chiron

or less degree, witnessed of the culture and the glories of the vine. They were celebrated, as the case might be, with proce

l occasions, and admission was free to all, they were usually filled. They were without roofs and open to the sky, and the p

mother Rhea to the care of the daughters of Melisseus, a Cretan king. They fed the infant deity with the milk of the goat Am

out thirteen inches, which was said to be the height of these people. They lived near the sources of the Nile, or, according

inguished were the Olympic, founded, it was said, by Jupiter himself. They were celebrated at Olympia in Elis. Vast numbers

to them from every part of Greece, and from Asia, Africa, and Sicily. They were repeated every fifth year in midsummer, and

were repeated every fifth year in midsummer, and continued five days. They gave rise to the custom of reckoning time and dat

for the nine, his curiosity was excited, and he purchased the books. They were found to contain the destinies of the Roman

e books. They were found to contain the destinies of the Roman state. They were kept in the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, p

ns of Homer,” lived in Chios, and claimed to be descended from Homer. They were hereditary epic poets; Com. § 11. Horace (H

liberty. Some of them, having deceived Jupiter, were changed to apes. They were the subject of a comic poem by Homer, and of

and bas-reliefs, and the corners with models of the heads of animals. They varied in height from two feet to twenty, and som

. She stopped to pick them up, and he was victorious and married her. They were both afterward turned into lions by Cybele,

Athena into a crow. Coryban′tes [Corybantes] were priests of Cybele. They obtained the name because they were in the habit

ted in the shell. D Dacty′li [Dactyli] were priests of Cybele. They were given the name, because, like the fingers, t

piter. Dii Selec′ti [Dii Selecti] composed the second class of gods. They were Cœlus, Saturn, Genius, Oreus, Sol, Bacchus,

th the fatal shears. Faun. A rural divinity, half man and half goat. They were very similar to the Satyrs. The Fauns attend

and Manes. Furies, The, were the three daughters of Acheron and Nox. They were the punishers of evil-doers. Their names wer

The [Gorgons], were three sisters, named Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa. They petrified every one they looked at. Instead of ha

from her perpetual freshness; and Euphrosyne, from her cheerfulness. They are generally depicted as three cheerful maidens

aces, should be done with sincerity and candor, and without disguise. They were supposed to teach the duties of gratitude an

′ons [Halcyons] were sea birds, supposed to be the Greek kingfishers. They made their nests on the waves, and during the per

chers, demons of destruction, or, in the modern sense, extortioners). They were monsters, half-birds, half-maidens, having t

and the claws of lions. Their names were Aello, Ocypete, and Celeno. They were loathsome creatures, living in filth, and po

tasks which have long been known as the “Twelve Labors of Hercules.” They were: First, To slay the Nemean Lion. Second, T

Hesper′ides [Hesperides]. Three daughters of Hesperus, King of Italy. They were appointed to guard the golden apples which J

ndig′etes [Indigetes] were deified mortals, gods of the fourth order. They were peculiar to some district. In′dra [Indra].

fore persecuted them to such a degree that they determined to escape. They did so on a ram, whose hide became the Golden Fle

rcury and Lara, or, as other mythologists say, of Jupiter and Lamida. They belonged to the lower order of Roman gods, and pr

“Ode to the Nativity,” says — “Lemures moan with midnight plaint.” They are sometimes referred to as the Manes of the dea

. Mu′ses, The [Muses], were nine daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne. They presided over the arts and sciences, music and po

ato, Thalia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Euterpe, Polyhymnia, and Urania. They principally resided in Mount Parnassus, at Helico

nymphs of human form who presided over springs, fountains, and wells. They resided in the meadows by the sides of rivers. Vi

ere was a dead calm. Nere′ides, The [Nereides], were aquatic nymphs. They were daughters of Nereus and Doris, and were fift

s. They were daughters of Nereus and Doris, and were fifty in number. They are generally represented as beautiful girls ridi

of them presided over springs, fountains, wells, woods, and the sea. They are spoken of as land-nymphs or Naiads, and sea-n

Parcæ], were goddesses who presided over the destiny of human beings. They were also called the Fates, and were three in num

the daughters of Pierus, a king of Macedonia, who settled in Bœotia. They challenged the Muses to sing, and were changed in

es were Electra, Alcyone, Celæno, Maia, Sterope, Taygete, and Merope. They were made a constellation, but as there are only

rees and gardens.                            “So to the sylvan lodge They came, that like Pomona’s arbor smiled With flower

ts of the woodland, half men, half goats, and fond of wine and women. They were the attendants of Dionysus, and were similar

nions stopped with wax, and had himself tied to the mast of his ship. They thus sailed past in safety; but the Sirens, think

] were the supporters of Titan in his war against Saturn and Jupiter. They were the sons of Uranus and Gæa, men of gigantic

′tons [Tritons] were sons of Triton, a son of Neptune and Amphitrite. They were the trumpeters of the sea-gods, and were dep

see that the sacred fire in the temple of Vesta was not extinguished. They were always selected from the best families, and

affected their minds in stimulating to good, or deterring from evil. They were, indeed, the days of “visible poetry;” the “

their actions, their laws, and the very aspirations of their hearts. They aimed at excellence in the highest, in order that

Steropes, and Arges brave, Who to the hands of Jove the thunder gave; They for almighty power did lightning frame, All equal

ir frightful confinement but urged them to greater efforts to escape. They all arose against him, but were compelled to yiel

insulting light Could glimmer on their tears; where their own groans They felt, but heard not; hard flint they sat upon, Co

little babes your pity move, And melt your hearts to charitable love: They (as by chance they did) extend to you Their littl

during their festivals, nor eat bread, but fed only upon sweetmeats. They did not even sing Pæans in honour of Apollo, or o

sult its responses. This was to offer it to the wisest man in Greece. They presented it to Thales, who had told them that th

ed, when the tyrant shut the ‌gates, and sought to offer them insult. They immediately spread their wings and flew away. The

to have possessed but one eye, placed in the middle of the forehead. They inhabited the western part of the island of Sicil

ith a small aperture in the middle, corresponding exactly to the eye. They were sometimes reckoned among the Gods, and had a

determined to be revenged on her for a happiness which was no fault. They affected to believe that her husband had wicked d

ed flowers, fragrant-eyed,     Blue, silver white, and budded Tyrian, They lay calm breathing on the bedded grass;     Their

d with the passion, which is addressed by many as immortal.         “ They sin who tell us Love can die;         With life a

or avarice in the vaults of hell: Earthly these passions of the earth They perish where they have their birth;     But Love

ttitude of a sleeping child, under the title of L’Amore Dominatore. “ They built a temple for the God,     ’Twas in a myrtle

ked.     Can thus the warrior move, To scorn his meed of victory?      They told me it was Love! “I sought the Forum, there

is voice was as the trumpet’s tone,     Mine ear rings with it now. “ They quailed before his flashing eye,     They watched

ne ear rings with it now. “They quailed before his flashing eye,      They watched his lightest word: When suddenly that eye

    Faded and fair like them. “I turned to tales of other days,      They spoke of breath and bloom: And proud hearts that

How can they call a sleeping child,     A likeness, love, of thee? “ They cannot paint thee, let them dream     A dark and

had charms, to gain her love A rival crowd of envious lovers strove. They who have seen her, own they ne’er did trace, More

e depths have more! High hearts and brave are gathered to thy breast! They hear not now the booming waters roar, The battle

and Romans celebrated his festivals, principally in the month of May. They frequently placed on his back the statue of Miner

d commanded the waves of the ocean, and were implored as its deities. They had altars chiefly on the coast of the sea, where

roportioned as they are, Unequal in their length and waxed with care, They still retain the name of his ungrateful fair.” O

to trip in nimble jig, The earth which he dislikes to dig.” Horace. They were the divinities of the woods and fields, and

eat was made, Whose entrance, trees, with spreading boughs o’ershade, They sat; and summoned by the bridegroom, came, To mix

verdure breaks. From the streams and founts I have loosed the chain, They are sweeping on to the silvery main, They are fla

ts I have loosed the chain, They are sweeping on to the silvery main, They are flashing down from the mountain brows, They a

to the silvery main, They are flashing down from the mountain brows, They are flinging spray o’er the forest boughs, They a

m the mountain brows, They are flinging spray o’er the forest boughs, They are bursting fresh from their sparry caves, And t

st of beauty’s race, With their laughing eyes and their festal crown, They are gone from amongst you in silence down! The S

d around. And joined with glad measures     Their soft sighs’ sound. They blessed me for bringing     Sweet perfumes near,

sighs’ sound. They blessed me for bringing     Sweet perfumes near, They blessed me for singing     A cadence so dear.” ‌

pitiless; Who at the birth of men dispense the lot Of good and evil. They of men and gods The crimes pursue, nor ever pause

I bring them from the tomb! O’er the sad couch of late repentant love They pass — though low as murmurs of a dove —         

vain, Or tenderness too precious to sustain,                          They smite with agonies.                         I th

se dark and gloomy sway     Extends o’er all creation, what art thou? They call thee ‘King of Terrors!’ drear dismay     Fol

to preside over the grave, burial places, and monuments of the dead. They were worshipped with great great solemnity, parti

e glimpses of the moon,” to exercise their benevolence or their fury. They were allowed also to leave their tombs three time

some of the superior gods, are often invoked as domestic divinities. They were originally the manes of the dead, but when m

tained, that every man had two of these, the one bad, the other good. They had the power of changing themselves into whateve

heroes before going to combat, sacrificed to Love and to the Graces. They were invoked at festivals, and three cups were dr

over their head, and with their hands placed in a graceful attitude. They sometimes bear with them a branch of myrtle and o

isit their dim haunts below, Look with the same unwithering face,      They wore three thousand years ago. There Silence, tho

s, and immediately the tempest was appeased, and the sea became calm. They were invited to a marriage feast, in which Lynceu

the nation were called upon to join him in the glory and the danger. They set sail in a ship called Argo and after a series

serpine, his ravished bride, That for old Æson with the laws of fate; They would dispense, and lengthen his short date. Thus

to perform the bloody part. Yet, though to act the butchery betrayed, They could not bear to see the wounds they made, ‌Wit

an. Theseus. The brave protector, the kind friend of men. Hercules. They nought avail me. Theseus. Greece will not suffer

nd gave him to be eaten by his mares, which he brought to Eurystheus. They were sent to Mount Olympus by the King of Mycenæ,

e agreed with Theseus to carry away one of the daughters of the gods. They first attempted their scheme upon Helen, the beau

sent for his remains from Scyros, and gave them a magnificent burial. They also raised to him statues and a temple; festival

onster dwelt, And every year was human tribute paid By the Athenians. They had bowed in war; And every spring the flowers of

eir first beauty, stately youths, Were sacrificed to the fierce king! They died In the unfathomable den of want, Or served t

g trance beguiled. The birds surround the den, and, as in weary rest, They drop their fluttering wings, forgetful of the res

and kingdom all! Iphig. Ah! by our death many are sad who loved us. They will be happy too.                 Cheer! king of

gift of an enemy. Vainly he cried, “fear the Greeks and their gifts!” They would not listen to him. At this moment a Greek n

, nor by laws confined: Untaught to plant, to turn the glebe and sow; They all their products to free nature owe. The soil u

e replaced their lowly dwelling, of which they were made the priests. They lived long and happily, and having entreated Jupi

ariance for many years. “But to prevent their wandering in the dark, They both agree to fix upon a mark; A mark that could

ee its rise had took Just in the margin of a gurgling brook.” Ovid. They determined, however, if possible, to elude the vi

nt, as he gazed on Hero. But the sorrowful morning came, and —————— “ They parted, but they met again — The blue sea rolled

ur hundred years after his death, were burned by order of the senate. They are stated merely to have contained the reasons w

racter, than the creeds of the various sects which distinguish India. They present, however, too much interest to enable us

whose insignia answer to those of the cardinals of the Roman church. They admit oral confession, and make prayers for the d

W. Jones. ‌The elephant plays a prominent part in the Hindoo tales. They pretend that the world is sustained by four of th

m through a stratagem very like that employed by Jupiter with Europa. They pay homage also to peculiar divinities, such as t

on by king’s daughters, who were entitled goddesses and prophetesses. They uttered oracles, devoted themselves to a lasting

s which were supposed to belong to Mars, to Hercules, and to Mercury. They worshipped him under the form of a dart, when the

midst of a lake. Insérer image anonyme_heathen-mythology_1842_img285 They had, besides these, Tangatanga, an idol which was

an idol which was, according to them, three-in-one and one-in-three. They possessed also a Venus, who, with her three siste

s of old age, to whom they rendered honours of the highest character. They immolated on her altar once every year a female,

used various fantastic ceremonies to deprive themselves of timidity. They then would rush forth to celebrate their rites, d

anced in civilization, have also more extended ideas of the divinity. They worship a supreme deity whose wife is material an

corporeal, and of a nature therefore entirely different from his own. They gave birth to a class of supernatural beings, whi

e because they have become an inseparable part of art and literature. They have a historical value, too, in conveying to the

ectly on the subjects. These have been selected with the utmost care. They are designed not merely to introduce the children

intended to serve an educative purpose similar to that of the poems. They are reproductions of famous paintings and sculptu

e land which we call Greece, a race of brave men and beautiful women. They thought their own land the best and the fairest i

tars and the oceans and the rivers and the woods and everything else. They are great and happy and good, and they live forev

aid it was there that the gods lived, among the clouds and the stars. They pictured the marble halls, with their great, shin

and the waters and the fields wandered all the gods I have spoken of. They lived their lives of mingled pleasure and sorrow,

step has been. From the streams and founts I have loosed the chain; They are sweeping on to the silvery main, They are fla

ts I have loosed the chain; They are sweeping on to the silvery main, They are flashing down from the mountain brows, They a

to the silvery main, They are flashing down from the mountain brows, They are flinging spray o’er the forest boughs, They a

m the mountain brows, They are flinging spray o’er the forest boughs, They are bursting fresh from their sparry caves, And t

lored robes. Her hair was dark, and her eyes were a deep, clear gray. They were sad eyes, because Latona’s life was very unh

longing for the power to speak to him. But alas! she could not speak. They went on in this way for some time, Narcissus part

to return through those gloomy passages, Eurydice silently following. They had nearly reached the entrance, when Orpheus had

d tried to show their gratitude for the sweet music he made for them. They did, indeed, comfort him, and he lived for a long

ir king afterwards punished them severely for their heartless action. They cast the singer’s body into the weeping river, Hi

d his mother into a boat, and set them adrift on the great, wide sea. They floated about for many days, and Danaë held her l

ll day long, there lived three terrible sisters known as the Gorgons. They were half women and half dragons. They had beauti

sisters known as the Gorgons. They were half women and half dragons. They had beautiful faces, but their bodies were so hid

knew where that was were three sisters who lived together in a cave. They were queer creatures, and the strangest thing abo

each, as you and I have, there was but one eye for all three of them. They took turns in using that single eye; so that whil

th the eye, strange things that were happening in countries far away. They were interested for a while; but at length, one o

ream, and here she prayed for help, to her sisters, the water nymphs. They heard her and drew her down into the stream, and

was over, they started together to journey to the hero’s native land. They had gone some distance, when they came to a river

look like great, white-winged birds skimming lightly over the waves. They seem to fly just as their sister birds in the sky

to the bright, blue sky, And the frolicsome winds as they wander by! They have left their nests on the forest bough; Those

with straw. In it dwelt an old couple, Philemon and his wife Baucis. They were very poor; but, in spite of their poverty, t

cause they were beautiful and good. Soon she began to ill-treat them. They had to lay aside their rich clothes and wear old

sides. Still I do not think that Phryxus and Helle were very unhappy. They loved to frolic in the green fields all day long,

ave believed, as all the people did, that Jason’s last hour had come. They were great, ugly creatures, with hoofs of brass,

o him. Cyparissus and the stag were together from morning till night. They wandered through the woods, seeking the shady noo

he goddess, at the altar where Pygmalion first offered up his prayer. They led a very happy life; but though Pygmalion carve

a time there lived on earth a strange race of giants called Cyclops. They were a very queer people indeed, and were much la

onger than any of the giants you have read about in your fairy tales. They lived in mountain caves, guarding flocks of sheep

And as he sat there, he watched the sea nymphs sporting in the water. They would rise on the crests of the waves, looking al

great publishing houses can be properly classed among our opponents. They have no objection to the extension of the period

ong notion that Geryoneus (from γηρύω) is only another form of Hades. They both, we may observe, had herds of oxen, and the

ance of the Deity, their belief in many gods may have thus commenced. They saw around them various changes brought about by

ge, but to be, like him, under the influence of passion and appetite. They had their favourites and enemies among mankind, w

ayers and offerings, and severely punished slight, neglect or insult. They dwelt in celestial houses, but similar in form to

em, and sought to reduce the whole to a somewhat harmonious system59. They however either studiously abstained from departin

to produce the meditated effect on the feelings of their audience65. They added, abstracted, united, separated, at their pl

d as the centre of the Earth, but the poets are silent on this point. They are equally so as to the exact central point, but

r heads wreathed with garlands of the god’s favourite plant, the bay. They lived exempt from disease or old age, from toils

een well acquainted with the people of the west coast of Lesser Asia. They do not seem to have navigated the Euxine at this

rant of it, as Homer names some of the peoples on its southern coast. They must of course have regarded it as a portion of t

asus they seem to have had no knowledge whatever in these early ages. They were equally ignorant of the interior of Asia. On

ream of Ocean, dwelt a people happy and virtuous as the Hyperboreans. They were named the Æthiopians105 : the gods favoured

eeks seems particularly to have delighted in this species of fiction. They loved to represent the origin, the union, and the

stigation of their mother, fall on their sire, whom Kronos mutilates. They liberate their imprisoned brethren ; but Kronos,

hands Equally strong the banquet they enjoyed, From every ill remote. They died as if O'ercome with sleep, and all good thin

d, but a blood-like fluid named ichôr, which flows in their veins341. They are susceptible of injury by mortal weapons : the

the sun descends, each god retires to repose in his own dwelling345. They frequently partake of the hospitality of men346,

With the form, the Homeric gods also partake of the passions of men. They are capricious, jealous, revengeful, will support

h good and evil ; all human ability and success was ascribed to them. They were believed to have power over the thoughts of

ghts of men, and could imperceptibly suggest such as they pleased350. They required of men to honour them with prayer, and t

skim with them along the surface of the sea without wetting the axle. They were only used on occasions of taking a long jour

wine-bowl being spontaneously replenished as fast as it was drained. They told their hosts that it was their intention to d

bserve the manner in which Poseidôn and Pallas Athene are associated. They were worshiped together, — he as Hippios, she as

urer to the poorest cultivator on earth than a king in those regions. They have no strength or power of mind or body470. Som

l. Whole flocks of them were fed in the sacred grove of the goddess. They were gradually but slowly spread through Greece.

ed it back to the shore, and made an offering of cakes to appease it. They then departed, and next day the rude ignorant peo

ravens, marked which of them took the meat, and on what tree he sat. They then cut down that tree, and made an image from i

ang to light, and the goddesses shouted aloud to celebrate his birth. They washed and swathed the infant deity, and Themis g

s Apollo Delphinios, whence the place should also derive its name617. They now disembark : the god playing on his lyre prece

and begins To lead the dance ; her body all arrayed In raiment fair. They , pouring forth their voice Divine, sing Leto love

tional names of two of the smaller but handsomer of the warm springs. They replied that one of them was called Erôs and the

should come to the palace. The obedient zephyr conveys them thither. They grow envious of Psyche’s happiness, and try to pe

inst him, and the two brothers are sent in quest of the missing kine. They come to Pylos, and Hermes drives the cattle out o

ws on him his whip, and instructs him in the management of the herds. They now proceed together to Olympos, where Apollo sti

han wooden posts with a rude head and a pointed beard carved on them. They were what is termed ithyphallic, and were set up

wakening at the noise found their infant-brother lying on the ground. They took him up, and kindling a fire prepared to wash

ate, and then relates to her mother the whole story of her abduction. They pass the day in delightful converse : And joy th

orn was first known and agriculture first practised in their country. They fabled that the goddess gave to Triptolemos (Thri

r to the god, who, the Phigalians said, was the Despœna (Persephone). They also showed a cavern on Mount Elæon, to which Dem

Pimpleia (Fattener and Filler), and named them after seven rivers953. They probably figured in this comedy as the presidents

ke their steeds, fasten them in their stalls, and lay up the chariot. They are also mentioned by Poseidôn958 as bringing rou

are spoken of by Homer in the plural, and their number is indefinite. They are graceful and beautiful themselves, and the be

and the bestowers of all grace and beauty both on persons and things. They wove the robe of Aphrodite972 ; the beauty of the

ntroduction was ascribed to Eteocles, the son of the river Cephissos. They were three in number, but it was not known what n

the dance, and all that tended to inspire gaiety and cheerfulness986 They are represented as three beautiful sisters, danci

Εὐμενίδες)1021, both of which were apparently placatory appellations. They had a temple in Achaia, which if any one polluted

the daughters of great Zeus, lame and wrinkled, with squinting eyes. They follow Mischief (Ἂτη), and tend those whom she ha

ped on shore and made him captive, thinking him to be of royal birth. They bound him with cords ; but these instantly fell o

ld take their captive to Egypt or elsewhere and sell him for a slave. They then set sail, the wind blew fresh, and they were

change was made in all matters pertaining to the worship of the gods. They contain the origin and growth of solemn lustratio

of the Achæan race to abandon their country and seek new settlements. They seem to have turned their eyes to the former real

e healing art, and cured all the diseases of the children and cattle. They thence called her the Mountain-Mother. While dwel

and even Zeus himself ; and they also brought up Aristæos and Æneias. They were moreover the attendants of the goddesses ; t

ter of Helios, also designated as a goddess and a nymph, it is said, They spring from fountains and from sacred groves, And

nd the Nymph’s soul at the same moment leaves The sun’s fair light. “ They possessed power to reward and punish those who pr

her father, and the Hamadryades conceived a strong affection for her. They made her their playfellow, and taught her to danc

gnifying First (πρὸ, πρῶτος), was too inviting to escape the mystics. They regarded him as a symbol of the original matter w

m, crowned with reeds, and wearing dark-blue mantles of fine texture. They were often given the head or horns of a bull, ind

nd Keto ; they were hoary-haired from their birth, whence their name. They were two in number, ‘well-robed’ Pephredo (Horrif

, hateful to man, whom no one can look on and retain his breath1301.’ They were also represented as winged on the ancient co

the white-crested waves that dash against the rocks of the coast1305. They must have originally belonged to the Sea (Pontos)

the Argonautic cycle the Harpies appear as the tormentors of Phineus. They are there represented as odious offensive monster

se the country of the Lotus-eaters to have been far more to the west. They seem in the poet’s view to have been the last tri

so fertile as spontaneously to produce them wheat, barley, and vines. They had no social institutions, neither assemblies no

ntry of the Phæacians lying between their respective territories1344. They are called wild tribes (ἄγρια ϕῦλα), but akin to

5, by whom it would appear they were destroyed for their impiety1346. They were apparently of huge stature1347 ; yet the dau

s forced him to consent to their landing and passing the night there. They promised to depart in the morning, and took an oa

r the hides crept along the ground, and the flesh lowed on the spits. They fed for six days on the sacred cattle ; on the se

oppressed by that savage race, they migrated to the isle of Scheria. They were led thither by their king Nausithoös, the so

ot conceal themselves from solitary wayfarers when they met them1416. They had abundance of wealth, and lived in the enjoyme

golden race of men, who were in the time when Kronos ruled in heaven. They lived like gods, free from toils and care, and de

ns, the guardians of mortal men, to mark their just and unjust deeds. They move along the earth shrouded in darkness, and ar

rmed from ash-trees : their delight was in war and deeds of violence. They ate not corn, but they had souls of steel, and pr

times called Semigods. These also were carried off by war and combat. They fought at Thebes, on account of the sheep of Œdip

th arose and asserted her right to it, as she had furnished the body. They took Saturn for arbitrator, and he decided that,

your girded clothes, And cast behind you your great parent’s bones. They were at first horror-struck at such an act of imp

ting in all their institutions a considerable degree of civilisation. They had not yet any common name, and seem to have had

ons to go in quest of her, and not to return till they had found her. They were accompanied by their mother and by Thasos a

hey made Cadmos and Harmonia their leaders they should be successful. They obeyed the god, and his prediction was verified.

t were with him, and they ran down and devoured their unhappy master. They then went about whining in quest of him, till the

persuaded the women to parch the seed-corn unknown to their husbands. They did as she desired, and the lands consequently yi

ed from Hermes, which carried them through the air over sea and land. They proceeded safely till they came to the sea betwee

ad : they then cast her body into the fount which was named from her. They expelled Laïos, seized on the government, and wal

hey would not be delivered from her until they had solved her riddle. They often met to try their skill ; and when they fail

the other people of the country, and took to robbing and plundering. They even ventured to assail and burn the temple of De

f one of the early races of Greece, probably a portion of the Æolian. They inhabited the northern part of Bœotia and the sou

and Agamedes ; though some said Apollo was the father of the former. They became distinguished architects, and built the te

directed by the god at Delphi to seek aid of Trophonios in Lebadeia. They came thither, but could find no oracle : one of t

ears of age they were nine ells in height and nine cubits in breadth. They menaced the Immortals, and prepared to pile Ossa

th burning brands : he hunted the remainder with his arrows to Malea. They fled there to Cheirôn, who having been expelled f

their valour. When they bore children, they reared the females alone. They cut off their right breasts, that they might not

persuaded the rest that the strangers were carrying off their queen. They instantly armed, mounted their horses, and came d

rechtheus, was married to Cephalos the son of Deïôn the son of Æolos. They dwelt at Thoricos in Attica, and were happy, till

tentions. The arrival of Theseus threatened to disconcert their plan. They feared that if this young stranger should be rece

one. Theseus, though aware of the risk, would not abandon his friend. They descended together to the region of shadows ; but

made wings of feathers united by wax for himself and his son Icaros. They mounted into the air ; but Icaros ascending too h

n and Pallas-Athene and the horse more fully revealed than elsewhere. They are the parents of Pegasos (for Athena and Medusa

his sons led the troops to Troy were in Messene, and not in Thessaly. They showed at Gerenia the tomb of Machaôn, and at Pha

cessity for supposing two of the same name, as has usually been done. They are both, as we see, connected with the Minyans,

ve sons, who drove their uncles Icarios and Tyndareos out of Laconia. They sought refuge with Thestios king of Ætolia, whose

of Theseus, whose mother Æthra they dragged in return into captivity. They took part in all the great undertakings of their

ships in tempests2020 ; and the St. Elmo's fire was ascribed to them. They were also said to be the constellation of the Twi

olved to kill her stepmother Sidero, by whom she was cruelly treated. They pursued her to the altar of Hera ; and Pelias, wh

d at the head, the woman at the foot, Melampûs himself at the middle. They had not gotten quite out of the house, when the r

vulture ; but none was able to tell how Iphiclos might have children. They therefore brought the vulture, who said that Phyl

ies grew together, and Ibycus2044 that they sprang from a silver egg. They married Theronice and Therophone the daughters of

Olympos it was Tantalos ; but that he could not digest his happiness. They admitted him, he adds, to feast at their table on

that they and their posterity should perish by means of one another. They retired to Mideia, whence on the death of Pelops

fterwards sent his sons Agamemnôn and Menelaos in search of Thyestes. They went to Delphi, where they met him, who was also

nature of the vengeance which he should seek to take on his brother. They seized and brought him to Atreus, who cast him in

Hesiod2135 they are named Phæsula, Coronis, Cleeia, Phæo and Eudora. They went about with their divine charge communicating

accepted the invitation, Heracles alone refusing to quit the vessel. They gave themselves up to joy and festivity, till on

mselves from the Lemnian fair ones, and once more handled their oars. They then came to Samothrace, and thence pursued their

air, and shedding many tears buried Cyzicos with solemn magnificence. They then sailed to Mysia, where they left behind them

ing if she came safely through, the Argo might venture to follow her. They obeyed the directions of the prophet ; the pigeon

Tiphys also dying here, Ancæos undertook the steerage of the vessel. They now kept along the southern coast of the Pontos t

is view is the pseudo-Orpheus, who assigns them the following course. They sailed up the Phasis to the point where it divide

the Mæotis, whence another stream ran northwards with great velocity. They entered this and were whirled along for nine days

gives all the qualities and all the felicity of Hesiod’s Golden Men. They then reached the land of the Kimmerians, which la

and strength, and easily vanquished every one who contended with him. They laid an ambush of fifty men for him on his return

olved that the brothers should decide their quarrel in single combat. They fought, and fell by each other's hands. The battl

Mecisteus, were the other leaders. Alcmæôn had the chief command2185. They ravaged the villages about Thebes. A battle ensue

would war against Troy for nine years, and take it on the tenth2210. They then set sail2211, and reached Teuthrania in Mysi

ans of a forged tale, raised torches as a signal to those at Tenedos. They return, the warriors descend from the horse, and

as distant from Egypt a day's sail of a ship with a favouring breeze. They were here twenty days : their stock of provisions

entreated that they would inform him how Jupiter was to be appeased. They yielded to his prayer, and on his loosing them dr

n2298. The festivals of Minerva were named Minervalia or Quinquatrus. They were two in number. The former, called the Greate

count, as they say, of their ferrying over the souls of the departed. They go to sleep in their houses in the evening, but a

hear a knocking at the doors, and a voice calling them to their work. They get up and go to the shore, not knowing what the

hich with their own boats they can hardly reach in a day and a night. They still see no one, but they hear the voices of tho

fathers and mothers, and themselves, and their ranks and occupations. They then return with their boats much lighter, and in

372. Herod. ii. 7 ; vi. 108. Thuc. vi. 54. Plato, Laws. v. 745. 373. They were Zeus and Poseidôn, Hera and Athena, Hermes a

rabo, i. 2. Tzetz. Lyc. 956. Sil. Ital. xiv. 125. Plin. H. N. iii. 8. They fixed on the country about Leontini. Völcker pref

Ther. 340. seq. with the Scholia. Nicander terms it an ὠγύγιos μῦθos. They derived it from the Κωϕoὶ, a satyric drama of Sop

r, Min. Pol. 3. Orchom. 125. 1510. Il. ii. 840 ; x. 429 ; xvii. 248. They are among the allies of the Trojans : Od. xix. 17

he Pylians and Epeians used to give us a peculiar degree of pleasure. They carried us back from the remote age of the war of

a’ and the Ægimios, as it would seem, are in favour of that in Eubœa. They are followed by Sophocles, Apollodorus, and the c

and Latin poets cannot, of course, convey the same rich impressions. They arc, at the best, weak and imperfect vehicles for

a superior Being, who had fashioned them to serve a definite purpose. They soon came to the conclusion that a hand mighty en

ngtide. Their homes were said to be “inaccessible by land or by sea.” They were “ exempt from disease, old age, and death,”

on, just as happy and virtuous as the Hyperboreans, — the Ethiopians. They , too, often enjoyed the company of the gods, who

and happy, by night and by day.     Far away in the glorious west. “ They need not the moon in that land of delight,     Th

glorious west. “They need not the moon in that land of delight,      They need not the pale, pale star; The sun is bright,

s bright, by day and night,     Where the souls of the blessed are. “ They till not the ground, they plough not the wave,   

lessed are. “They till not the ground, they plough not the wave,      They labour not, never! oh, never! Not a tear do they

er! oh, never! Not a tear do they shed, not a sigh do they heave,      They are happy, for ever and ever!” Pindar. Chaos, E

itors, soon forced them to depart, and began to reign in their stead. They had not dwelt long on the summit of Mount Olympus

“Prometheus first transmuted Atoms culled for human clay.” Horace. They first moulded an image similar in form to the god

gods, after due consideration, decreed she should be called Pandora. They then bade Mercury take her to Prometheus as a gif

and some upon Pandora, pricking and stinging them most unmercifully. They then flew out through the open door and windows,

“Hebe, honoured of them all, Ministered nectar, and from cups of gold They pledged each other.” Homer ( Bryant’s tr.).

p of giants sprang from the soil, full grown, and armed to the teeth. They were about to fall upon Cadmus, when the same voi

usual lot of the gods, as well as of mortal men — the pangs of love. They were first inspired by Coronis, a fair maiden, wh

“Look, look, why shine Those floating bubbles with such light divine? They break, and from their mist a lily form Rises from

nt, friendly offices that bynde, And all the complements of curtesie: They teach us how to each degree and kynde We should o

nvious, and resolved to mar the happiness which they could not enjoy. They therefore did all in their power to convince poor

if she were not very careful, he would probably end by devouring her. They thereupon advised poor troubled Psyche to conceal

h to see Io, and began to stroll with her up and down the river edge. They heeded not the noonday heat, for the cloud over t

ily with his quarrelsome tastes, and delighted in following his lead. They were Eris (Discord), Phobos (Alarm), Metus (Fear)

power of speech, whose early education was entrusted to the Nereides. They trained him to draw his father’s chariot over the

ile), slender youths, beautiful maidens, or little babbling children. They seldom left the cool waves of their appointed dwe

the bosom of the earth. This god inspired all men with a great fear. They never spoke of him without trembling, and fervent

to age, inhospitality, murder, perjury, and some other minor crimes. They secured the punishment of those who had incurred

on the Phlegrean plain. ’Twas of a lesser mould, and lighter weight; They call it thunder of a second-rate. For the rough C

e him off to their vessel, intending to sell him as a slave in Egypt. They were already quite far out at sea when the god aw

basks,         Like friends once parted         Grown single-hearted, They ply their watery tasks.” Shelley. Maidens in Gr

ith bolt and barrier fetters fast Rebellious storm and howling blast. They with the rock’s reverberant roar Chafe blustering

nging on board, bade the sailors weigh anchor as quickly as possible. They were almost out of reach of the Cretan shores, wh

r, and in a short time were exterminated.                           “ They , like swift dogs, Ranging in fierceness, on each

reproved their nephew on their way home for giving it to a stranger. They added taunts to this reproof, which so angered Me

This affray attracted the attention of the master and other servants. They immediately attacked the murderer, who slew them

 curious beings with a man’s body and a goat’s legs, hair, and horns. They were all passionately fond of music and revelry,

nus and Pomona were the special divinities of the garden and orchard. They are represented with pruning-knives and shears, g

g. The Greeks, however anxious to depart, dared not sail without him. They were in despair, until Ulysses, the wily, propose

ess of the deadly disease which was so rapidly reducing their forces. They were told that the plague would never cease until

the walls, ever nearer the place where their vessels rode at anchor. They now ardently longed for the assistance of Achille

out in search of him, they had but little hope of finding him alive. They nevertheless wended their way to the cave where t

now joyfully hailed Ulysses’ proposal to take the city by stratagem. They therefore secretly built a colossal wooden horse,

to await the master’s home-coming and courteously ask his assistance. They had moored their vessel under an overhanging clif

n, and together they planned how best to punish the insolent suitors. They finally agreed that Telemachus should return to t

rs to leave these inhospitable shores and seek another resting-place. They rowed over the briny deep until they came to Delo

his way across, and that of Dido, with a gaping wound in her breast. They did not pause, however, until they reached the El

they were formed to meet the same needs, out of the same materials.” They argue that this similarity exists, “not because t

and religion “abundant survivals of savage manners and savage myths.” They claim that, during the myth-making age, the ances

illes have equal claims to be considered personifications of the sun. They love Œnone, Helen, Clytæmnestra, Briseis, various

h, whose single blazing eye has been considered an emblem of the sun. They forge the terrible thunderbolts, the weapons of t