Chapter III: Part 3

PAN. The Arcadian god of shepherds, huntsmen, and country folk, and chief of the inferior deities, is usually considered to have been the son of Mercury and Penelope. After his birth he was metamorphosed into the mythical form in which we find him depicted, namely, a horned, long-eared man, with the lower half of the body like a goat. He is generally seen playing a pipe made of reeds of various lengths, which he invented himself, and from which he could produce music which charmed even the gods. These are the Pan-pipes, played by Punch and Judy showmen. Pan’s terrific appearance once so frightened the Gauls when they invaded Greece that they ran away though no one pursued them; and the word _panic_ is said to have been derived from this episode. The Fauns, who greatly resembled Pan, were his attendants.

“Piping on their reeds the shepherds go,
Nor fear an ambush, nor suspect a foe.”

POPE.

PANDO′RA, according to Hesiod, was the first mortal female. Vulcan made her of clay, and gave her life. Venus gave her beauty; and the art of captivating was bestowed upon her by the Graces. She was taught singing by Apollo, and Mercury taught her oratory. Jupiter gave her a box, the famous “Pandora’s Box,” which she was told to give to her husband, Epimetheus, brother of Prometheus. As soon as he opened it there issued from it numberless diseases and evils which were soon spread all over the world, and from that moment they have afflicted the human race. It is said that Hope alone remained in the box.

“More lovely than Pandora, whom the gods
Endowed with all their gifts.”

MILTON.

PANTHE′ON. The temple of all the gods, built by Agrippa at Rome, in the reign of Augustus. It was 144 feet in diameter, and 144 feet high; and was built in the Corinthian style of architecture, mostly of marble; while its walls were covered with engraved brass and silver. Its magnificence induced Pliny to give it rank amongst the wonders of the world.

PA′PHIA, a name of Venus.

PAP′REMIS. The Egyptian Mars.

PAR′CÆ, THE, were goddesses who presided over the destiny of human beings. They were also called the Fates, and were three in number, Atropos, Clotho, and Lachesis. See Fates.

PAR′IS was son of Priam, king of Troy, and his mother was Hecuba. It had been predicted that he would be the cause of the destruction of Troy, and his father therefore ordered him to be strangled as soon as he was born; but the slave who had been entrusted with this mission took the child to Mount Ida, and left it there. Some shepherds, however, found the infant and took care of him. He lived amongst them till he had grown to man’s estate, and he then married Œnone, a nymph of Ida. At the famous nuptial feast of Peleus and Thetis, Discordia, who had not been invited, attended secretly; and when all were assembled, she threw amongst the goddesses a golden apple, on which was inscribed “Let the fairest take it.” This occasioned a great contention, for each thought herself the fairest. Ultimately, the contestants were reduced to three, Juno, Pallas (Minerva), and Venus; but Jove himself could not make these three agree, and it was decided that Paris should be the umpire. He was sent for, and each of the goddesses courted his favour by offering all sorts of bribes. Juno offered him power, Pallas wisdom, and Venus promised him the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris gave the golden apple to Venus. Soon after this episode Priam owned Paris as his son, and sent him to Greece to fetch Helen, who was renowned as being the most beautiful woman in the world. She was the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta; but during his absence Paris carried Helen away to Troy, and this gave rise to the celebrated war between the Greeks and the Trojans, which ended in the destruction of Troy. Paris was amongst the 676,000 Trojans who fell during or after the siege.

PARNAS′SIDES, a name common to the Muses, from Mount Parnassus.

PARNAS′SUS. The mountain of the Muses in Phocis, and sacred to Apollo and Bacchus. Any one who slept on this mountain became a poet. It was named after one of the sons of Bacchus.

PAR′THENON. The temple of Minerva (or Pallas), at Athens. It was destroyed by the Persians, and rebuilt by Pericles.

PAR′THENOS was a name of Juno, and also of Minerva. See Pallas.

PASIPH′AE was the reputed mother of the Minotaur killed by Theseus. She was said to be the daughter of Sol and Perseis, and her husband was Minos, king of Crete.

PASITH′EA. Sometimes there are _four_ Graces spoken of; when this is so, the name of the fourth is Pasithea.

PA′VAN, the Hindoo god of the winds.

PEACE, see Concordia.

PEACOCK, see Argus.

PEG′ASUS. The famous winged horse which was said to have sprung from the blood of Medusa when her head was cut off by Perseus. His abode was on Mount Helicon, where, by striking the ground with his hoof, he caused water to spring forth, which formed the fountain afterwards called Hippocrene.

“Thy stumbling founder’d jade can trot as high
As any other Pegasus can fly.”

EARL OF DORSET.

“To turn and wind a fiery Pegasus,
And witch the world with noble horsemanship.”

SHAKESPEARE.

PE′LEUS. A king of Thessaly, who married Thetis, one of the Nereids.

PE′LIAS. A son of Neptune and Tyro. He usurped the throne of Cretheus, which Jason was persuaded to relinquish and take the command of the Argonautic expedition. On the return of Jason, Medea, the sorceress, undertook to restore Pelias to youth, but required that the body should first be cut up and put in a caldron of boiling water. When this had been done, Medea refused to fulfil her promise. Pelias had four daughters, who were called the Peliades.

PE′LIAS was the name of the spear of Achilles, which was so large that none could wield it but the hero himself.

PE′LION. A well-wooded mountain, famous for the wars between the giants and the gods, and as the abode of the Centaurs, who were expelled by the Lapithæ.

“The gods they challenge, and affect the skies,
Heaved on Olympus tottering Ossa stood;
On Ossa, Pelion nods with all his wood.”

POPE.

PE′LOPS, son of Tantalus, king of Phrygia. His father killed him, and served him up to be eaten at a feast given to the gods, who, when they found out what the father of Pelops had done, restored the son to life, and he afterwards became the husband of Hippodamia.

PENA′TES. Roman domestic gods. See Lares.

PERPETUAL PUNISHMENT, see Sisyphus.

PERSEPH′ONE. The Greek name of Proserpine.

PER′SEUS was a son of Jupiter and Danæ, the daughter of Acrisius. His first famous exploit was against the Gorgon, Medusa. He was assisted in this enterprise by Pluto, who lent him a helmet which would make him invisible. Pallas lent him her shield, and Mercury supplied him with wings. He made a speedy conquest of the Gorgons, and cut off Medusa’s head, with which he flew through the air, and from the blood sprang the winged horse Pegasus. As he flew along he saw Andromeda chained to the rock, and a sea-monster ready to devour her. He killed the monster, and married Andromeda. When he got back, he showed the Gorgon’s head to King Polydectes, and the monarch was immediately turned into stone.

“Now on Dædalian waxen pinions stray,
Or those which wafted Perseus on his way.”

F. LEWIS.

PERSUASION, goddess of, see Pitho.

PHA′ETON. A son of Sol, or, according to most mythologists, of Phœbus and Clymene. Anxious to display his skill in horsemanship, he was allowed to drive the chariot of the sun for one day. The horses soon found out the incapacity of the charioteer, became unmanageable, and overturned the chariot. There was such great fear of injury to heaven and earth, that Jove, to stop the destruction, killed Phaeton with a thunderbolt.

“Now Phaeton, by lofty hopes possessed,
The burning seat with youthful vigour pressed.”

“The breathless Phaëton, with flaming hair,
Shot from the chariot like a falling star
That in a summer’s evening from the top
Of heaven drops down, or seems at least to drop.”

ADDISON.

PHA′ON. A boatman, who received from Venus a box of ointment, with which, when he anointed himself, he grew so beautiful that Sappho became enamoured of him; but when the ointment had all been used Phaon returned to his former condition, and Sappho, in despair, drowned herself.

PHEASANT, see Itys.

PHILOCT′ETES was son of Pœas, and one of the companions of Jason on his Argonautic expedition. He was present at the death of Hercules, and received from him the poisoned arrows which had been dipped in the blood of the Hydra. These arrows, an oracle declared, were necessary to be used in the destruction of Troy, and Philoctetes was persuaded by Ulysses to go and assist at the siege. He appears to have used the weapons with great dexterity and with wonderful effect, for Paris was amongst the heroes whom he killed.

PHILOME′LA was a daughter of Pandion, King of Athens, who was transformed into a nightingale.

“Forth like a fury Philomela flew,
And at his face the head of Itys threw.”

POPE.

“And thou, melodious Philomel,
Again thy plaintive story tell.”

Sir THOMAS LYTTLETON.

PHLEG′ETHON. A river of fire in the infernal regions. It was the picture of desolation, for nothing could grow on its parched and withered banks.

“... Infernal rivers ...
... Fierce Phlegethon,
Whose waves of torrent fire inflame with rage.”

MILTON.

PHLE′GON (earth loving), one of the four chariot horses of Sol.

PHLE′GYAS. Son of Mars and father of Ixion and Coronis. For his impiety in desecrating and plundering the temple of Apollo at Delphi, he was sent to Hades, and there was made to sit with a huge stone suspended over his head, ready to be dropped on him at any moment.

PHŒ′BUS. A name of Apollo, signifying light and life.

“Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds,
Towards Phœbus’ lodging.”

SHAKESPEARE.

PHOR′CUS. A son of Neptune, father of the Gorgons.

PHRYX′US, see Golden Fleece.

PICUM′NUS. A rural divinity, who presided over the manuring of lands, called also Sterentius.

PI′CUS. A son of Saturn, father of Faunus, was turned into a woodpecker by Circe, whose love he had not requited.

PIER′IDES. A name of the Muses, derived from Pieria, a fountain near Mount Olympus, where they were supposed to have been born. Also, the daughters of Pierus, a king of Macedonia, who settled in Bœotia. They challenged the Muses to sing, and were changed into magpies.

PILLAR, see Calpe.

PILUM′NUS. A rural divinity, which presided over the corn while it was being ground.

PINE-TREE, see Atys.

PIRITH′OUS. A son of Ixion and great friend of Theseus, King of Athens. The marriage of Pirithous and Hippodamia became famous for the quarrel between the drunken Centaurs and the Lapithæ, who, with the help of Theseus, Pirithous, and Hercules, attacked and overcame the Centaurs, many of whom were killed, and the rest took to flight.

PI′THO, the goddess of Persuasion, daughter of Mercury and Venus. She is sometimes referred to under the name of Suada.

PLANTS, see Demogorgon.

PLEASURE, see Rembha.

PLEI′ADES, THE. Seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Their names were Electra, Alcyone, Celæno, Maia, Sterope, Taygete, and Merope. They were made a constellation, but as there are only six stars to be seen, the ancients believed that one of the sisters, Merope, married a mortal, and was ashamed to show herself amongst her sisters, who had all been married to gods.

“... The gray
Dawn and the Pleiades before him danced,
Shedding sweet influence.”

MILTON.

PLU′TO. King of the infernal regions. He was a son of Saturn and Ops, and husband of Proserpine, daughter of Ceres. He is sometimes referred to under the name Dis, and he personifies hell. His principal attendant was the three-headed dog Cerberus, and about his throne were the Eumenides, the Harpies, and the Furies.

“With equal foot, rich friend, impartial fate
Knocks at the cottage and the palace gate.
. . . . . . .
Night soon will seize, and you must go below,
To story’d ghosts and Pluto’s house below.”

CREECH.

PLU′TUS, the god of riches, was son of Jason and Ceres. He is described as being blind and lame; blind because he so often injudiciously bestows his riches, and lame because fortunes come so slowly.

PLU′VIUS. A name of Jupiter, because he had the rain in his control.

PODALIR′IUS. A famous surgeon, a son of Æsculapius, who was very serviceable amongst the soldiers in the Trojan war.

POET, see Parnassus.

POETRY, see Apollo, Calliope, The Muses.

POISONOUS HERBS, see Circe.

POISONOUS LAKE, see Avernus.

POLL′EAR. Son of Siva, the Hindoo god of wisdom.

POL′LUX. Twin brother of Castor. Their father was Jupiter and their mother Leda. He and his brother form the constellation Gemini. His Greek name was Polydeuces. See Ædepol.

POLYBO′TES. One of the giants who made war against Jupiter.

POLYDEC′TES was turned into stone when Perseus showed him Medusa’s head. See Perseus.

POLYDEU′CES. The Greek name of Pollux.

POLYHYM′NIA. Daughter of Jupiter and Mnemosyne. One of the Muses who presided over singing and rhetoric.

POLYPHE′MUS, one of the most celebrated of the Cyclopes, a son of Neptune. He captured Ulysses and twelve of his companions, and it is said that six of them were eaten. The rest escaped by the ingenuity of Ulysses, who destroyed the Cyclop’s one eye with a firebrand.

“Charybdis barks and Polyphemus roars.”

FRANCIS.

POLYX′ENA. Daughter of Priam, king of Troy. It was by her treachery that Achilles was shot in the heel.

POMO′NA. The Roman goddess of fruits and gardens.

“So to the sylvan lodge
They came, that like Pomona’s arbour smiled
With flowerets decked and fragrant smells.”

MILTON.

POPLAR-TREE, see Heliades.

PORTU′NUS (Palæmon), son of Ino, was god of harbours.

POSEI′DON. A name of Neptune.

PRAC′RITI. The Hindoo goddess of nature.

PREDICTIONS, see Cassandra.

PRI′AM. The last king of Troy. See Paris.

PRIA′PUS, the guardian of gardens and god of natural reproduction, was son of Venus and Bacchus.

“Priapus could not half describe the grace
(Though god of gardens) of this charming place.”

POPE.

PRIS′CA. Another name of Vesta.

PRO′CRIS. Daughter of the king of Athens. See Cephalus.

PROG′NE, wife of Tereus. See Itys and Tereus.

“Complaining oft gives respite to our grief,
From hence the wretched Progne sought relief.”

F. LEWIS.

PROME′THEUS was son of Japetes and father of Deucalion. He presumed to make clay men, and animate them with fire which he had stolen from heaven. This so displeased Jupiter that he sent him a box full of evils, which Prometheus refused; but his brother Epimetheus, not so cautious, opened it, and the evils spread over all the earth. Jupiter then punished Prometheus by commanding Mercury to bind him to Mount Caucasus, where a vulture daily preyed upon his liver, which grew in the night as much as it had been reduced in the day, so that the punishment was a prolonged torture. Hercules at last killed the vulture and set Prometheus free.

PROPHECY, see Nereus.

PROSER′PINE. A daughter of Jupiter and Ceres. Pluto carried her off to the infernal regions and made her his wife. She was known by the names of “the Queen of Hell,” Hecate, Juno Inferna, and Libitina.

“He sung, and hell consented
To hear the poet’s prayer,
Stern Proserpine relented,
And gave him back the fair.”

F. LEWIS.

PRO′TEUS. A marine deity, who could foretell events and convert himself at will into all sorts of shapes.

“The changeful Proteus, whose prophetic mind,
The secret cause of Bacchus’ rage divined.”

_The Lusiad._

“What chain can hold this varying Proteus fast?”

BUDGELL.

PSY′CHE. The wife of Cupid. The name is Greek, signifying the soul or spirit.

PYGMA′LION. A famous sculptor who had resolved to remain unmarried, but he made such a beautiful statue of a goddess that he begged Venus to give it life. His request being granted, Pygmalion married the animated statue.

“Few, like Pygmalion, doat on lifeless charms,
Or care to clasp a statue in their arms.”

PY′LADES.

“His wine
Was better, Pylades, than thine.
... If you please
To chuse me for your Pylades.”

F. LEWIS.

PYLO′TIS. A Greek name of Minerva.

PYR′ACMON, one of the chiefs of the Cyclopes.

PY′ROIS (luminous). One of the four chariot horses of Sol.

PY′THIA. The priestess of Apollo at Delphi, who delivered the answers of the oracle. Also the name of the games celebrated in honour of Apollo’s victory over the Pithon.

PY′THON. A famous serpent killed by Apollo. See Septerion.

QUADRA’TUS. A surname given to Mercury, because some of his statues were four-sided.

QUAD′RIFRON′TIS. Janus was sometimes depicted with four faces instead of the usual two, and he was then called Janus Quadrifrontis.

QUI′ES. The Roman goddess of rest; she had a temple just outside the Collini gate of Rome.

QUIE′TUS. One of the names of Pluto.

QUIRI′NUS. A name given to Mars during war time; and Virgil refers to Jupiter under the same name.

QUOIT, see Hyacinthus.

RACE, see Atalanta.

RADAMAN′THUS, see Rhadamanthus.

RAGE, see Furies.

RAINBOW, see Iris.

RA′MA. A Hindoo god, who was the terrestrial representative of Vishnu.

RAM’S HIDE, see Golden Fleece.

REEDS, see Pan and Syrinx.

REM′BHA. The Hindoo goddess of pleasure.

REPRODUCTION, see Priapus.

REST, see Quies.

REVENGE, see Ate.

RHADAMAN′THUS, a son of Jupiter and Europa, was the judge of the Asiatics in the infernal regions.

“These are the realms of unrelenting fate:
And awful Rhadamanthus rules the state.
He hears and judges each committed crime,
Inquires into the manner, place, and time;
The conscious wretch must all his acts reveal,
Loth to confess, unable to conceal;
From the first moment of his vital breath,
To the last hour of unrepenting death.”

DRYDEN.

RHAMNU′SIA. A name of Nemesis, from Rhamnus, a town in Attica, where she had a temple in which was her statue, made of one stone ten cubits high.

RHE′A. The Greek name of Cybele.

RHETORIC, see Calliope, Polyhymnia.

RICHES, see Plutus.

RIDDLE, see Sphinx.

RIM′MON. A Phrygian god of whom Milton says--

“... Rimmon, whose delightful seat
Was fair Damascus, on the fertile banks
Of Abana and Pharpar, lucid streams.”

RIOT, see Saturnalia.

RIVER OF FIRE, see Phlegethon.

ROADS, see Vialis.

ROBBER, see Cacus, Cœculus.

ROM′ULUS. The traditional founder of Rome. He was a son of Mars and Ilia, and twin brother of Remus. The infants were thrown into the Tiber, but were miraculously saved and suckled by a she-wolf, till they were found by Faustulus, a shepherd, who brought them up. Remus was killed in a quarrel with his brother, and Romulus became the famous emperor.

RUMI′A DEA. The Roman goddess of babes in arms.

RUNCI′A. The goddess of weeding or cleansing the ground.

SACRIFICES were ceremonious offerings made to the gods. To every deity a distinct victim was allotted, and the greatest care was always taken in the selection of them. Anything in any way blemished was considered as an insult to the god. At the time of the sacrifice the people were called together by heralds led by a procession of musicians. The priest, clothed in white, was crowned with a wreath made of the leaves of the tree which was sacred to the particular god to whom the sacrifice was offered. The victim had its horns gilt, and was adorned with a chaplet similar to that of the priest, and was decorated with bright-coloured ribbons. The priest then said, “Who is here?” to which the spectators replied, “Many good people.” “Begone all ye who are profane,” said the priest; and he then began a prayer addressed to all the gods. The sacrifice was begun by putting corn, frankincense, flour, salt, cakes, and fruit on the head of the victim. This was called the Immolation. The priest then took a cup of wine, tasted it, and handed it to the bystanders to taste also; some of it was then poured between the horns of the victim, and a few of the saturated hairs were pulled off and put in the fire which was burning on the altar. Then, turning to the east, the priest drew with his knife a crooked line along the back of the beast from the head to the tail, and told the assistants to kill the animal. This was done directly, and the entrails of the victim taken out and carefully examined by the Aruspices to find out what was prognosticated. The carcase was then divided, and the thighs, covered with fat, were put in the fire, and the rest of the animal was cut up, cooked, and eaten. This feast was celebrated with dancing, music, and hymns, in praise of the god in whose honour the sacrifice was made. On great occasions as many as a hundred bullocks were offered at one time; and it is said that Pythagoras made this offering when he found out the demonstration of the forty-seventh proposition of the book of Euclid.

SA′GA. The Scandinavian goddess of history.

SAGGITA′RIUS, see Chiron.

SAILS, see Dædalus.

SAL′AMAN′DERS. The genii who, according to Plato, lived in fire.

“The sprites of fiery termagants in flame,
Mount up and take a Salamander’s name.”

POPE.

SALA′TIA, see Amphitrite.

SAL′II. The priests of Mars who had charge of the sacred shields.

SALMO′NEUS. A king of Elis who, for trying to imitate Jupiter’s splendours, was sent by the god straight to the infernal regions.

SA′LUS. The Roman god of health.

SAP′PHO, a celebrated poetess, a native of Lesbos, who flourished B.C. 610. Her only connection with the goddesses of the time is that the Greeks called her “The tenth Muse.”

SARCASM, see Momus.

SA′RON, a sea-god.

SAT′URN, King of the Universe, was father of Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto. These gods quarrelled amongst themselves as to the division of their father’s kingdom, which ended in Jupiter having heaven and earth, Neptune the sea, and Pluto the infernal regions.

SATURNA′LIA. Festivals held in honour of Saturn about the 16th or 18th of December. Principally famous for the riotous disorder which generally attended them.

SATUR′NIUS. A name given to Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto, as sons of Saturn.

SATYA′VRA′TA. The Hindoo god of law. The same as Menu.

SAT′YRS were the attendants of Silenus, and were similar in most respects to the fauns who attended Pan. See Silenus.

“Five satyrs of the woodland sort,
. . . . . .
Their ears prick’d up, their noses short,
. . . . . .
With asses’ hoofs, great goggle eyes,
And double chins of monstrous size.”

YALDEN.

SCYL′LA. A beautiful nymph who excited the jealousy of Neptune’s wife, Amphitrite, and was changed by the goddess into a frightful sea-monster, which had six fearfully ugly heads and necks, and who, rising unexpectedly from the deep, used to take off as many as six sailors from a vessel, and carry them to the bottom of the sea. An alternative danger with Charybdis.

“There on the right her dogs foul Scylla hides,
Charybdis roaring on the left presides.”

VIRGIL.

SCYL′LA. A daughter of Nysus, who was changed into a lark for cutting off a charmed lock of her father’s hair. See Nysus.

SEA, see Neptune.

SEASONS, see Vertumnus.

SEA-WEED, see Glaucus.

SEGES′TA. A rural divinity who protected corn during harvest-time.

SEM. The Egyptian Hercules.

SEM′ELE, the mother of Bacchus, was born in a miraculous manner after Jupiter had visited her, at her special request, in all his terrible splendour. She was deified after her death, and named Thyone.

SEMI-DEI were the demi-gods.

SEMO′NES. Roman gods of a class between the “immortal” and the “mortal,” such as the Satyrs and Fauns.

SEPTE′RION. A festival held in honour of Apollo, at which the victory of that god over the Python was grandly represented.

SERA′PIS. The Egyptian Jupiter, and generally considered to be the same as Osiris. See Apis.

SERPENT. The Greeks and Romans considered the serpent as symbolical of guardian spirits, and as such were often engraved on their altars. See Æsculapius, Apollo, Chimera, Eurydice, and Medusa.

“Pleasing was his shape,
And lovely; never since of serpent kind,
Lovelier; not those that in Illyria changed
Hermione and Cadmus, or the god
In Epidaurus, nor to which transformed
Ammonian Jove, or Capitoline, was seen.”

MILTON.

SESH′ANAG′A. The Egyptian Pluto.

SEWERS, see Cloacina.

SHARP-SIGHTEDNESS, see Lynceus.

SHEPHERDS, see Pan.

SHIELDS, see Ancilia.

SHIPS, see Neptune.

SILENCE, see Harpocrates and Tacita.

SILE′NUS. A Bacchanalian demi-god, the chief of the Satyrs. He is generally represented as a fat, drunken old man, riding on an ass, and crowned with flowers.

“And there two Satyrs on the ground,
Stretched at his ease, their sire Silenus found.”

SINGING, see Polyhymnia, Thanyris.

SI′RENS, THE. Sea nymphs, who by their music allured mariners to destruction. To avoid the snare when nearing their abode, Ulysses had the ears of his companions stopped with wax, and had himself tied to the mast of his ship. They thus sailed past in safety; but the Sirens, thinking that their charms had lost their powers, drowned themselves.

SIS′YPHUS, son of Æolus and Enaretta. He was condemned to roll a stone to the top of a hill in the infernal regions, and as it rolled down again when he reached the summit, his punishment was perpetual.

“I turned my eye, and as I turned, surveyed
A mournful vision! The Sisyphian shade,
With many a weary step and many a groan,
Up the high hill he heaves a huge round stone,
The huge round stone, resulting with a bound,
Thunders impetuous down, and smokes along the ground.”

POPE.

“Thy stone, O Sisyphus, stands still,
Ixion rests upon his wheel,
And the pale spectres dance.”

F. LEWIS.

SI′VA. In Hindoo mythology the “changer of form.”

SLAUGHTER, see Furies.

SLAVES, see Feronia.

SLEEP, see Caduceus, Morpheus, and Somnus.

SLEIP′NER. The eight-legged horse of Odin the chief of the Scandinavian gods.

SOL. The sun. The worship of the god Sol is the oldest on record, and though he is sometimes referred to as being the same as the god Apollo, there is no doubt he was worshipped by the Egyptians, Persians, and other nations long before the Apollo of the Greeks was heard of. See Surya.

“Sol through white curtains shot a timorous ray,
And oped those eyes that must eclipse the day.”

POPE.

SOM′NUS. The god of sleep, son of Nox (Night). He was one of the infernal deities, and resided in a gloomy cave, void of light and air.

SOS′PITA. A name of Juno, as the safeguard of women.

SO′TER. A Greek name of Jupiter, meaning deliverer.

SOUL, see Psyche.

SOUTH WIND, see Auster.

SPEAR, see Pelias.

SPHINX, THE. A monster having the head and breasts of a woman, the body of a dog, the tail of a serpent, the wings of a bird, the paws of a lion, and a human voice. She lived in the country near Thebes, and proposed to every passer-by the following enigma:--“What animal is that which walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening.” Œdipus solved the riddle thus:--Man is the animal; for, when an infant he crawls on his hands and feet, in the noontide of life he walks erect, and as the evening of his existence sets in, he supports himself with a stick. When the sphinx found her riddle solved she destroyed herself.

SPIDER, see Arachne.

SPINDLE, see Pallas.

SPINNING, see Arachne, Ergotis.

SPRING, see Vertumnus.

STABLE, see Augæas.

STARS, see Aurora.

STEREN′TIUS. The Roman god who invented the art of manuring lands. See also Picumnus.

STER′OPES. One of the Cyclopes.

STONE, see Medusa and Phlegyas.

STONE (rolling), see Sisyphus.

STREETS, see Apollo.

STYM′PHALI′DES. The carnivorous birds destroyed in the sixth labour of Hercules.

STYX. A noted river of hell, which was held in such high esteem by the gods that they always swore “By the Styx,” and such an oath was never violated. See Achilles and Thetis.

“To seal his sacred vow by Styx he swore:--
The lake with liquid pitch,--the dreary shore.”

DRYDEN.

“... Infernal rivers that disgorge
Into the burning lake their baleful streams,
Abhorréd Styx, the flood of deadly hate.”

MILTON.

SUA′DA, the goddess of Persuasion. See Pitho.

SUCCESS, see Bonus Eventus.

SUN, see Aurora, Belus, Sol, and Surya.

SUNFLOWER, see Clytie.

SURA′DE′VI. The Hindoo goddess of wine.

SUR′GEON, see Podalirius.

SU′RY′A. The Hindoo god corresponding to the Roman Sol, the sun.

SWALLOW, see Itys.

SWAN, see Cygnus and Leda.

SWIFTNESS, see Atalanta.

SWINE, see Circe.

SYLPHS. Genii who, according to Plato, lived in the air.

“The light coquettes as Sylphs aloft repair,
And sport and flutter in the fields of air.”

POPE.

SYLVES′TER. The name of Mars when he was invoked to protect cultivated land from the ravages of war.

SYRINX. The name of the nymph who, to escape from the importunities of Pan, was by Diana changed into reeds, out of which he made his celebrated pipes, and named them “The Syrinx.”

TAC′ITA. The goddess of Silence. See Harpocrates.

TAN′TALUS. Father of Niobe and Pelops, who, as a punishment for serving up his son Pelops as meat at a feast given to the gods, was placed in a pool of water in the infernal regions; but the waters receded from him whenever he attempted to quench his burning thirst. Hence the word tantalising.

Speaking of this god, Homer’s Ulysses says, “I saw the severe punishment of Tantalus. In a lake, whose waters approached to his lips, he stood burning with thirst, without the power to drink. Whenever he inclined his head to the stream, some deity commanded it to be dry, and the dark earth appeared at his feet. Around him lofty trees spread their fruits to view; the pear, the pomegranate, and the apple, the green olive, and the luscious fig quivered before him, which, whenever he extended his hand to seize them, were snatched by the winds into clouds and obscurity.”

“There, Tantalus, along the Stygian bound,
Pours out deep groans,--his groans through hell resound.
E’en in the circling flood refreshment craves
And pines with thirst amidst a sea of waves.”

“... And of itself the water flies
All taste of living wight, as once it fled
The lip of Tantalus.” MILTON.

TAR′TARUS. An inner region of hell, to which the gods sent the exceptionally depraved.

TELCHI′NES. Priests of Cybele, who were famous magicians.

TEL′LUS. A name of Cybele, wife of Saturn.

TEMPESTS, see Fro.

TEMPLE. An edifice erected to the honour of a god or goddess in which the sacrifices were offered.

TENTH MUSE. Sappho was so called.

TER′EUS was a son of Mars. He married Progne, daughter of the king of Athens, but became enamoured of her sister Philomela, who, however, resented his attentions, which so enraged him that he cut out her tongue. When Progne heard of her husband’s unfaithfulness she took a terrible revenge (see Itys). Progne was turned into a swallow, Philomela into a nightingale, Itys into a pheasant, and Tereus into a hoopoo, a kind of vulture, some say an owl.

TERGEMI′NA. A name of Diana, alluding to her triform divinity as goddess of heaven, earth, and hell.

TER′MINUS. The Roman god of boundaries.

TERPSICH′ORE. One of the nine Muses; she presided over dancing.

TERRA. The earth; one of the most ancient of the Grecian goddesses.

THALES′TRIS. A queen of the Amazons.

THALI′A. One of the nine Muses; she presided over festivals and comedy.

THALI′A. One of the Graces.

THAN′YRIS. A skilful singer, who presumed to challenge the Muses to sing, upon condition that if he did not sing best they might inflict any penalty they pleased. He was, of course, defeated, and the Muses made him blind.

THE′IA. A daughter of Cœlus and Terra, wife of Hyperion.

THE′MIS, a daughter of Cœlus and Terra, and wife of Jupiter, was the Roman goddess of laws, ceremonies, and oracles.

THE′SEUS. One of the most famous of the Greek heroes. He was a son of Ægeus, King of Athens.

“Breasts that with sympathising ardour glowed,
And holy friendship such as Theseus vowed.”

BUDGELL.

THESMONPHO′MUS. A name of Ceres.

THE′TIS. A sea-goddess, daughter of Nereus and Doris. Her husband was Peleus, King of Thessaly, and she was the mother of the famous Achilles, whom she rendered all but invulnerable by dipping him into the River Styx. See Achilles.

THIEF, see Laverna, Mercury.

THOR. The Scandinavian war god (son of Odin), who had rule over the aerial regions, and, like Jupiter, hurled thunder against his foes.

THOR’S BELT, is a girdle which doubles his strength whenever the war-god puts it on.

THOTH. The Mercury of the Egyptians.

THREAD OF LIFE, see Fates.

THUNDERBOLTS, see Cyclops.

THUNDERER, THE, Jupiter. See Tonitrualis.

“O king of gods and men, whose awful hand
Disperses thunder on the seas and land,
Disposing all with absolute command.”

VIRGIL.

“The eternal thunderer sat enthroned in gold.”

HOMER.

“So when thick clouds enwrap the mountain’s head,
O’er heaven’s expanse like one black ceiling spread;
Sudden the thunderer, with a flashing ray,
Bursts through the darkness and lets down the day.”

POPE.

THY′A, a name of Ops.

THYA′DES. Priestesses of Bacchus, who ran wild in the hills, wearing tiger-skins and carrying torches.

THYR′SUS, a kind of javelin. See Bacchus.

TIDES, see Naryanan.

TIME (or Saturn). The husband of Virtue and father of Truth.

TISIPH′ONE. One of the Furies.

TI′TAN. Elder brother of Saturn, who made war against him, and was ultimately vanquished by Jupiter.

TI′TANS were the supporters of Titan in his war against Saturn and Jupiter.

TI′THO′NUS. The husband of Aurora. At the request of his wife the gods granted him immortality, but she forgot at the same time to ask that he should be granted perpetual youth. The consequence was that Tithonus grew old and decrepit, while Aurora remained as fresh as the morning. The gods, however, changed him into a grasshopper, which is supposed to moult as it gets old, and grows young again.

TIT′YUS. A son of Jupiter. A giant who was thrown into the innermost hell for insulting Diana. He, like Prometheus, has a vulture constantly feeding on his ever-growing liver.

TOIL, see Atlas.

TOMBS, see Manes.

TONGUE, see Tereus.

TONITRUA′LIS. The Thunderer; a name of Jupiter.

TOWERS, see Cybele.

TRAGEDY, see Melpomene.

TREES, see Aristæus.

TRIBULATION, see Echidna.

TRIFOR′MIS, see Tergemina.

TRIPTOL′EMUS. A son of Oceanus and Terra. He was a great favourite of the goddess Ceres, who cured him of a dangerous illness when he was young, and afterwards taught him agriculture. She gave him her chariot, which was drawn by dragons, in which he carried seed-corn to all the inhabitants of the earth, and communicated the knowledge given to him by Ceres. Cicero mentions a Triptolemus as the fourth Judge in hell.

“Triptolemus, whose useful cares intend
The common good.” POPE.

TRITERI′CA. Bacchanalian festivals.

TRI′TONS were sons of Triton, a son of Neptune and Amphitrite. They were the trumpeters of the sea-gods, and were depicted as a sort of mermen--the upper half of the body being like a man, and the lower half like dolphins.

TRI′VIA. A name of Diana.

TROPHO′NIUS. One of Jupiter’s most famous oracles.

TROY. The classic poets say that the walls of this famous city were built by the magic sound of Apollo’s lyre. See Dardanus, Helen, Hercules, Paris.

TRUMPETERS, see Tritons.

TRUTH. A daughter of Time, because Truth is discovered in the course of Time. Democritus says that Truth lies hidden at the bottom of a well.

TUTEL′INA. A rural divinity--the goddess of granaries.

TWO FACES, see Janus.

TYPHŒ′US, see Typhon.

TY′PHON. A monster with a hundred heads who made war against the gods, but was crushed by Jove’s thunderbolts, and imprisoned under Mount Etna.

“... Typhon huge, ending in snaky twine.”

MILTON.

TY′PHON. In Egyptian mythology the god who tried to undo all the good work effected by Osiris.

UL′LER. The Scandinavian god who presided over archery and duels.

ULYS′SES. A noted king of Ithaca, whose exploits in connection with the Trojan war, and his adventures on his return therefrom, are the subject of Homer’s Odyssey. His wife’s name was Penelope, and he was so much endeared to her that he feigned madness to get himself excused from going to the Trojan war; but his artifice was discovered, and he was compelled to go. He was of great help to the Grecians, and forced Achilles from his retreat, and obtained the charmed arrows of Hercules from Philoctetes, and used them against the Trojans. He enabled Paris to shoot one of them at the heel of Achilles, and so kill that charmed warrior. During his wanderings on his homeward voyage he was taken prisoner by the Cyclopes, and escaped, after blinding Polyphemus, their chief. At Æolia he obtained all the winds of heaven, and put them in a bag; but his companions, thinking that the bags contained treasure which they could rob him of when they got to Ithaca, cut the bags, and let out the winds, and the ships were immediately blown back to Æolia. After Circe had turned his companions into swine on an island where he and they were shipwrecked, he compelled the goddess to restore them to their human shape again. As he passed the islands of the Sirens he escaped their allurements by stopping the ears of his companions with wax, and fastening himself to the mast of his ship. His wife Penelope was a pattern of constancy; for, though Ulysses was reported to be dead, she would not marry any one else, and had the satisfaction of finding her husband return after an absence of about twenty years.

“To show what pious wisdom’s power can do,
The poet sets Ulysses in our view.”

FRANCIS.

UN′DINE. A water nymph, or sylph.

UNKNOWN GOD, AN. With reference to this GOD, nothing can be more appropriate than St. Paul’s address to the Athenians, as recorded in the 17th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles:--

“_Ye_ men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by _that_ man whom he hath ordained; _whereof_ he hath given assurance unto all _men_, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”

UNX′IA. A name of Juno, relating to her protection of newly-married people.

URA′NIA. A daughter of Jupiter and Mnemosyne--one of the Muses who presided over astronomy.

URA′NUS. The Greek name of Cœlus; his descendants are sometimes called Uranids.

UR′GUS. A name of Pluto, signifying the Impeller.

UR′SA MA′JOR, see Calistro.

UR′SA MI′NOR, see Arcas.

USUR′ERS, see Jani.

UT′GORD LO′KI. In Scandinavian mythology the king of the giants.

VAL′HAL′LA. The Scandinavian temple of immortality, inhabited by the souls of heroes slain in battle.

VA′LI. The Scandinavian god of archery.

VALLEYS, see Vallonia.

VALLO′NIA. The goddess of valleys.

VARU′NA. The Hindoo Neptune--generally represented as a white man riding on a sea-horse, carrying a club in one hand and a rope in the other.

VE′DIUS. The same as Vejovis.

VEJO′VIS. “Little Jupiter”--a name given to Jupiter when he appeared without his thunder.

VEJU′PITER, see Vejovis.

VENGEANCE, see Nemesis.

VE′NUS. The goddess of beauty, and mother of love. She is said to have sprung from the foam of the sea, and was immediately carried to the abode of the gods on Olympus, where they were all charmed with her extreme beauty. Vulcan married her, but she permitted the attentions of others of the gods, and notably of Mars, their offspring being Hermione, Cupid, and Anteros. After this she left Olympus and fell in love with Adonis, a beautiful youth, who was killed when hunting a wild boar. Venus indirectly caused the Trojan War, for, when the goddess of discord had thrown amongst the goddesses the golden apple inscribed “To the fairest,” Paris adjudged the apple to Venus, and she inspired him with love for Helen, wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta. Paris carried off Helen to Troy, and the Greeks pursued and besieged the city (see Helen, Paris, and Troy). Venus is mentioned by the classic poets under the names of Aphrodite, Cypria, Urania, Astarte, Paphia, Cythera, and the laughter-loving goddess. Her favourite residence was at Cyprus. Incense alone was usually offered on her altars, but if there was a victim it was a white goat. Her attendants were Cupids and the Graces.

VERTI′COR′DIA. A Roman name of Venus, signifying the power of love to change the hard hearted. The corresponding Greek name was Epistrophia.

VERTUM′NUS. God of spring, or, as some mythologists say, of the seasons; the husband of Pomona, the goddess of orchards.

VES′TA, daughter of Saturn and Cybele, was the goddess of fire. She had under her special care and protection a famous statue of Minerva, before which the Vestal Virgins kept a fire or lamp constantly burning.

VES′TAL VIR′GINS were the priestesses of Vesta, whose chief duty was to see that the sacred fire in the temple of Vesta was not extinguished. They were always selected from the best families, and were under a solemn vow of chastity, and compelled to live perfectly pure lives.

VIA′LIS. A name of Mercury, because he presided over the making of roads.

VIC′TORY. A goddess, the daughter of Styx and Acheron, generally represented as flying in the air holding out a wreath of laurel. See Nicephorus.

VI′DOR. A Scandinavian god, who could walk on the water and in the air. The god of silence (corresponding with the classic Harpocrates).

VIRTUE. A goddess worshipped by most of the ancients under various names. The way to the temple of honour was through the temple of virtue.

VIRTUOUS WOMEN, see Juno.

VISH′NU. The Preserver, the principal Hindoo goddess.

VOLU′PIA, see Angeronia.

VUL′CAN, the god of fire, was the son of Jupiter and Juno. He offended Jupiter, and was by him thrown out of heaven; he was nine days falling, and at last dropped into Lemnos with such violence that he broke his leg, and was lame for ever after. Vulcan was married to Venus. He is supposed to have formed Pandora out of clay. His servants were the Cyclops. He was the patron deity of blacksmiths.

“Men call him Mulciber; and how he fell
From heaven, they fabled, thrown by angry Jove,
Sheer o’er the crystal battlements.”

MILTON.

VULCA′NIA were Roman festivals in honour of Bacchus, at which the victims were thrown into the fire and burned to death.

WAR, see Bellona, Chemos, Mars.

WATER, see Canopus.

WATER-NYMPHS, see Doris.

WAX TABLETS, see Calliope.

WEALTH, see Cuvera.

WEAVING, see Ergatos.

WEEDING, see Runcina.

WEIGHTS and MEASURES, see Mercury.

WELL, see Truth.

WEST WIND, see Favonius.

WINDS, see Aurora, Auster, Boreas, Zephyr.

WINE, see Bacchus, Suradevi.

WISDOM, see Pollear, Minerva.

WO′DEN, the Anglo-Saxon form of the Scandinavian god Odin; Wednesday is called after him.

WOMEN’S SAFEGUARD, see Sospita.

WOODPECKER, see Picus.

WOODS, see Dryads.

WORLD, see Chaos.

XAN′THUS, the name of the wonderful horse of Achilles.

YA′MA. The Hindoo devil, generally represented as a terrible monster of a green colour, with flaming eyes.

YG′DRA′SIL. The famous ash-tree of Scandinavian mythology, under which the gods held daily council.

Y′MIR. The Scandinavian god, corresponding to Chaos of the classics.

YOUTH (perpetual), see Tithonus.

ZEPH′YR. The god of flowers, a son of Æolus and Aurora, the west wind. See Favonius.

“Wanton Zephyr, come away.
. . . . .
The sun, and Mira’s charming eyes,
At thy return more charming grow.
With double glory they appear,
To warm and grace the infant year.”

JOHN HUGHES, 1700.

ZE′TES, with his brother Calais, drove the Harpies from Thrace.

ZE′THUS, twin brother of Amphion. See Amphion.

ZEU′S. The Greek name of Jupiter.

THE END.

Transcriber's Notes:

Italics are shown thus: _sloping_.

Variations in spelling and hyphenation are retained.

Perceived typographical errors have been changed.