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THT ExCYCLoPEDIA
oF
MnHoLoGY
THE ExCYCLoPEDIA oF
MYTHOLOGY
ClassrcAL

Cel.rrc

GnEex

AnrnuR CoTTERELL
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IGllela
This page: TheRapeoJGanymedeby PeterPaul
Rubens

Author's Note
The entries in this encvcloDedia are all
Iisted alphabetically.Wft.r. more than one
name exists for a character the entry is
listed under the name used in the original
country of origin flor that particular myth.
Names in iralic caDitalletters indicate that
rhat name has an individual entry. Special
feature spreads examine specific
mythological themes in more detail. lf a
characteris included in a specialfeature
spreadit is noted at the end of their
indMdual entry.

1098765+32
 CONTENTS

P n e F A C E6

CInSSICAL MYTHOLoGY B
Introduction l0
L o v e r s o f .Z e u s 2 0
Heroes 30
Oracles and Prophecies 40
Voyagers 50
Monsters and Fabulous Beasts58
Forcesof Nature 6B
G i a nt s 7 6
Founders B4

CeLTIC MyTHoLOGY 9O
Introduction 92
Celtic Otherworlds 104
S a g e sa n d S e e r s l l 4
Magic and Enchantment I24
Wondrous Cauldrons 132
Celtic Romance 140
Single Combat L48
Heroic Quests 156
Fabulous Voyages 164

NoRSE MyTHOLOGY L72

Introduction I74
Nature Spirits 186
T r e a s u r e sa n d T a l i s m a n s 1 9 6
Norse Heroes 204
T h e V a l k y ri e s 2I2
Sorcery and Sp eIIs 220
Tragic Lovers 228
Rings of Power 236
Ragnarok 24+

P r c r u R EA c r x o w L E D G E M E N r2s 5 2
Ixnnx 2 53
PREFACE

PnEFACE
H I S C O M B I N E DE N C Y C L O P E D I A
of
mythology contains the three
ourstanding traditions of Europe -
Greek, Celtic and Norse. They form
the core of European mythological thought, rhe
early ideas and notions which underlie our
present-day consciousness. For the stories related
in Greek, Celtic and Germanic myths touch upon
the fundamental issues of existence. They reveal
the power of love, with its accompanying anxiery Cuchulainn ro srop and think for a moment led to
and jealousy; the conflict between the generarions, his hlling of Conlai, his own son by the Amazon
the old and rhe new; the violence of men,
especially on the battlefield or in single combat;
the mischief of the trouble-maker, bored by rhe
steady pace of everyday events; the sadness of
illness or accidenral injury; the mystery of dearh,
successfu\ confronted the Minotaur on Crete, but
later abandoned his helper, the Cretan princess
Ariadne. Full of his success against the bull-man,
Theseus forgot the agreement made with his father
abour changing the sail of his ship from black if he
escaped death himself. As a result of this moment
of carelessness,Theseus' father committed suicide
by leaping from the Athenian acropolis when rhe
black sail was sighred. So in lreiand rhe inability of
Aoifa. In Norse myth, however, it is the pride of
the gods or their opponents, the frost giants,
which causes disasters ro occur. Unlike the Greel.<s
NEssuS,4 wild Greehcentaur,ties to abductHeracles'new bide whileJerryingher
acrossthe RfuerEvenus GHER^pE
oFDEhNTM RrN/
ByGurDo 1621
. c^NvAs. )

with a variety of after-life possibilities including

rebirth; the effect of enchantment upon the mind
and body; rhe challenge of the unknown, wherher
a voyage into uncharted waters or a quest fot a
sacred object; the personal danger of a contest
with a monster, even a beheading game; the
sadness of betrayal and treachery, nor least within
a family or a group of colleagues; the cycle of
fertility in human beings and animals, plus the
growth of plans; the horror of madness with its
disruption of human relations; the incidence of
misfortune and luck, plus the whole issue of fate;
rhe relation between human and divine, between
mankind and the gods; the crearion of the world
and the origins of sociery; and, last, but not least,
the nature of the universe.
Different myths rackle these great quesrions in
distinct ways. But heroes and heroines find
themselves in unreiated circumstances facing the
same basic problems in Greece, ireland and
Scandinavia. The Athenian hero Theseus
 PREFACE

sea to Poseidon, is real owner. ln consequence of

this sacrilege Minos' wife Pasiphae was consumed
with passion for the beast, and her mating with it
led to the birth of the bull-man known as the
Minotaur: hence Theseus and his combat with the
strange creature. The Athenian hero's entangle-
ment with Minos' family did not stop with the
abandonment of fuiadne and the death of his own
father, however. For Theseus married Phaedra,
another daughter of Minos. She too was cursed
with an illicit passion, not for an animal this dme,
but for her stepson Hippolytus. Before Theseus
A CELTIC Drrv, posib! Dogda, donglestwo worriors high absvehishead, and thus Ieamed the truth, he banished honest Hippolytus
reveakhis awesomepwer, while the wariors in tum lift twoboa6, showingtheir on Phaedra's denunciation of his evil intendons,
supremaq overanirncls (curosrnupcauDRoN,
GiDDsILwR,
c lN Bc.)
and then lost his exiled son in a chariot accident.
and the Celts, the German peoples of northern The abiding interest of mythology, European or
Europe did not develop a heroic tradition of any otherwise, is is frankness about such basic human
significance. The great hero was Thor, the slow- drives. It could almost be described as sacred
witted but honest champion of the gods. He literature undisturbed by theologians. The raw and
delighted the tough Northmen, who appreciated ragged ends of existence are still visible in is tales
how his allergy to frost glants naturally led to skull- of both men and gods.
smashing encounterc in fields and halls. Yet those
who undertook raids as Vikings had a more Srcuto,thegreatNorsehero,helpshismmtor,Regln,re-Jorgehiswondroussword With
it, Srgurd sltv the dragon, Fafnir. {wuto aavtNc,.l2rHcENruRY)
suitable patron in Odin, the one-eyed god of batrle
and the inspirer of the dreaded berserkers.
Usually myths reveal an interwoven pattem of
circumstances ourcide the control of both mortals
and gods. Fate and destiny in European mythology
are almost beyond manipulation. Attempts may be
made to slow down the operation of fate's decrees,
sometimes to thwart them entirely, but they never
work. Odin can do nothing about his future death
at Ragnarok, the doom of the gods. The Celtic sun
god Lugh cannot save his son Cuchulainn on the
battlefield. And even immonal Zeus, the chief god
of the Greeks, has a duty to see that fate takes its
proper course. He cannot control events.
The tangled web of difficulties which besets
Theseus can thus be traced to a number of actions,
but one stands out clearly: the refusal of King
Minos of Crete to sacrifice the white bull from the
INTRODLTCTI()N

IxTRODIJCTION
fl r r r , l x t I E N I C R I - F K 5 w l :nRr tr g r e a t
I
l l m y r h m u k , r * t r l E u r o p cT h t ' ) e r e n
tl MAcEDoNtA

J i g l r c u s r h c n r m e h 1 'w h r r h u e ,ftY
4E \1
refer today to the amazrngstonestold about
(
gods, henres,men and animals Around 400 E RUs

Bc the Arhenian philosopherPlatocoined the

w o r d r n y t h o l o g i ar n o r d e r t o d r s t i n g u i s h
b e t w e e n r m a g i n a r i v e z r c c o u n t so l d i v i n e
a c t t o n sl n d f e rr u a i i t ' : t r t p t i o n r ( , { t \ ' ( n t 5 .
supemamralor othenvlse Although he lived
in an age thzrtwas increasingly scrtntrllc in
o u t l o o k , a n d n o l o n g er i n c l r n e d t o b c l i e v e
cvery detail related about gods and god-
d e s s c s .P l r t t o r c c , , g n i z , ' dt h e p o w r ' r r h a t
resided in myth, and warned hrs followers tcr
beu'areof its seductrve charm
The strcngth of Greek myrholog', Likeall
active traclitions,lay in rrs collecrivcnature
Unlike a story composed by a partrcular during hrs abscnceat the
s l r r t r db y t h r ' s r ' w h ol i s r e n c t1l , 't h q 5 1 1 ' r y - t , ' l l c ru.r[eC.lytemnestra
author, a m)'th ah."'aysstood on its ou'n, *T rh or dramattst making use o[ tt When. for Trojan \Var

a plot and a set of charactersreadily under- i n s t a n c e ,t h e A t h e n r a n sw a t c h e d t h e g r e a t All this would have been famrliar to the
cyclc of plays that Aeschylusstagedabout the Athcnians beforeAcschylus' treatment of the
MAR5 AND NEpruNE, two gocls of ancrent Romc, ricir over m u r d e r o I A g a m em n o n . t h c y r v e r ea l r e a d y m 1 ' t h b e g a n u r t h . { g a m e m n ( ) nr e t u r n i n g
(-rq',
thc Ettnol .guarding itr mrhtary und monnmt homc liom the Trojan War Some of the audi-
a w a r e o f t h c m a i n c h a r a c t e r sa n d t h c i r
rntcrests At klt, an aifiomt putLo above Mdrs burs h$
actlons The audienceknew how the House ence doubtlessrecalledan even older curse
hr)rsd's h(lmcl, whiic Neptunc's putto .anies a seasheil,

symbol oJ thr god's dominion ttvar lhd watves {Mq* r:l of Atreus, Agamemnon'sfather,'"vasfated to laid on l'elops himself by the messengergod
N T P T L NBFY P 4 r r ryr r R ( ) N E sCEA, N L c n d u r e a t e r n b l e p e n o d o [ d o m e s t i cs t n f e H e r m e s P e l o p sh a d p r o v o k e d t h e g o d b y

Not only had Atreus and hrs brother Thycstes relusing a promiscd gift to one of his sons

bcen cursed by rherrown father, Pelops, for Nothing that Aeschylusrncludedin hrs plays

kLllrnghis favounte chrld, their half-brother was unexpected. neirher the murder o[

Chrysippus, but a bloody quarrel of their own Agamemnon, nor the revenge of his son

had also added to the family mrsfbrtune A Orcstes,nor Orestes'punuit by thc Funes for

dispute over the successionto Pelops'throne sheddrnga mother's blood What would have

at Mycenae led Atreus to kill three oI fascinatedthe audiencewas the dramatist's

T h y e s t e s ' s o n s ,a l t h o u g h t h e y h a d s o u g h t approach to these tangled incidents, his'raew

sanctuaryin a temple dedicatedto Zeus, the of motive, guilt and expiation For that rea-

supreme god Even worse, the murderer then son another dramatist was able to tackle the

served the bocliesof his nephews up to his same srory later in Athens during the fifth

brorher at a banquet, afrerwhich he dared to cenrury sC It needs to be remembered that

show Th1'estestheir feet and hands Atreus such drama remained very much part of

paid for the outrage wrth hrs life at the hands ancient religron Today we cannot expect to

of Thyestes' sumving son, Aegisthus, who appreciate the full meaning of these perfor-

l r r t c r h e c a m , ' t h r l o v e r r ' l A g a m e m n t t ns mances, but we are fortunate in halrng the

l0
 INTRODUCTION

raw materials from which they were made,

the myths themselves
Myths retain much of rheir power, even
when told in summary, as rhey are in this Venone o

encyclopedia Because Greek myths were

fashioned and refashioned over so many gen-
erations, they acquired their essential form, a
shape that had been collectively recognized
for longer than anyone could remember Even
now, we conrinue to be fascinated by the
stories of Oedipus, rhe man who murdered <-r{
0
"n
\t
his father and married his morher; of the
Athenian hero Theseus, slayer of the strange
tcn&ifii
bull-headed man, rhe Minotaur, of rhe great
voyagerJason,who sailed acrossrhe Black Sea
ro disranr Colchis in order to ferch the Golden
Fleece;of Agamemnon, the doomed leaderof
the Greek expedrtion againsrTroy, o[cunning
Odysseus, one of rhe bravesr of the Greek
and the inventor of the Wooden Horse, rhe
means by which Troy was raken; of the hap- TYRRHENIAN SEA . .- -'!

less Pentheus,victim of Dionysus' ecsraric
worshippers, who included his own morher;
of the unbeatable champron Achilles; of rhe
labours of Heracles, Zeus' own son and the
only hero to be granted immortaliry; and
many others As Greek lMng before and afrer
Plato evidently understood, myrhs were ficti-
tious stones rhar illusrrared rruh
The Romans were no less impressed by the
range and interesr of Greek myrhology
Indeed, rhey adopred it wholesale and iden-
tified many of their own haiian deities wrrh
those in rhe Greek panrheon, even adopring
others for whom they possessedno real equiv-
alent The unruly Dionysus gave Rome
considerable rrouble Thrs god ofvegetation,
wine and ecstasywas by no means a comfort-
able deity for the Greeks, but the Romans
were more deeply disturbed by his orgiastic
rites In 186 nc rhe Roman Senarepassed
severe laws against the excesseso[ his wor-
shippers h is likely rhat severalthousand
AFR ICA AFRICAN SEA
people were executedbefore the cult of the
native wine god Bacchus discarded those
aspects of Dronysus which mer wrth official
disproval This taming of a Greek god, albeir
Thracian rn ongin, could stand for rhe enrire
processby which Greek and Roman myrh-
ologr merged in rhe second century BC There
were just too many myths for rhe Romans to
resist, although rhey chose to impose a rypical
restraint on Greek extravagance
Roman heroes could never compare wrth
Heracles, Jason, Theseus, Perseus or
"'*.
IONIAN
SIcILIAN SEA
Bellerophon Something s)'nthetic can be felr
in the story of Aeneas, rhe leader of the
refugees {rom Troy His adoption as a
founder-hero made him of particular concem
to the lirst Roman emperor Augustus, but The
Aeneid,the epic poem abour Aeneas written
by Virgil in the 20s sc, turned out ro be a
balanced celebrarion of Roman aurhoriry
rather than an exciting heroic narrative The
hero heededthe call ofduty and abandoned
the woman he loved, as Roman heroes were
expected to do rn every myth

ll
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
ACUtt-leS was rhc son of Krng
Peleus of Thessaly and the sea
nymph THETISHe was the greatesr
of the Greek wamors, although in
compansonwith acar'tlllxov and
the other Greekhngs who went on
r h c e x p e d r t r o na g a i n s tT r o y . h e
a p p e a r sr o h a v eb e e n s o m c t h i n g
of a barbarian His anger was as
legendaryas his prowess
The uncerrainnatureof Achilles
is apparentin the story of his brrth
Both zEL'sand pttsr-iitrt.twanted
to have a son by the beautiful
The tis, but PROMETIlirt.'-s, the fire
god, had wamed them that her off-
spnng would be greaterthan his
Iather Anxious ro avord the
emergcnceof a powcr qupenorto
r h e m s e l v e s ,r h e g o d s c a r e f u l l y
TZ
arranged the mamage of Thetis to
a mortal Because she was scr
attached to Achilies, Thetis tried to
make him immorral by various
mcans Thc bcst known wrs drp-
ping the new-born baby in the
Sryx, rhe rrver rhat ran through
HADE-S, the world of the dead
Since Thcris had to hold him by
the heel, thrs one spot was left vul-
nerable and at Troy brought about
A, hrlles de.rrh lrom a noisoncd
anow shot from the bow ol PeRts
Achrlles learned the skills of
warfare from CHIRON, le ader of the
c.l:NlAt/R.s, who also fed him on
wild game to increase his f'erocity
Under Chrron's care Achilles
became renowned as a courageous
lrshrcr bur hi' immortal mothcr
. . b . . ' - . I to arms was sounded and the D l / l ' 4 \ A i i i i I l \ L ' 8 t \ L 1 \ t 1 \ l S L i l l
knew that he was doomed to die at warrior quickly reached for the
Troy rf he went on the expedition w e a p o n s .g i v i n g h i m s e l I a w a y
So Thetis arrangedfor him to be Unmasked, Achilles had no choice
disguised as a grrl and hrdden but to sail for Troy
among the women at the palaceof There he bitterly quanelled wrth
Krng Lycomedeson rhe islandof Agamemnon, the leader o[ the
Sc1'rosThe Greek felt that wrth- Greeks lt may be that he was
our Achilles therr chances of angeredby Agamemnon'suse o[
beating the Trojanswere sLtm,but his name to bring IPHIGENTA ro
no one could identify the hidden Aulis, for she had been told she
hero At last, cunning oDYssEUs was to marry Achrlles, whereas
was sent to discover AchiLles, Agamemnon intended to sacnfice
which he did by meansof a tnck
Haung tracedthe young man to ACHILLES, reluingbnde hrstentwth
Scpos, Odysseusplacedweapons hs tompdnion,Patroclus,welcomeshrs
among some jewellery in the comratles,Odysseus(centre)arul Aiax
palace Whrle Achilles' female (right), who irnplorc tht moodyhero to
c o m p a n i o n sw c r r a d m i r i n gr h c retum Lobattle whereht s sorelyneeded
crafrsmanshipof rhejewels,a call ( A ( H i l | r ! f u i l r \ r , s A ( ; A M r M ! ( ) N ! N l l s s l \ c t : f , s
"F;
P#
 ClesstcAr- MvrHoLocY

her to the goddess ARTEMIS,to
ensure a favourable wind for the
Greek fleer For a long time
Achilles srayed in his rent and
refused to fight the Trojans. He
even persuaded his mother to use
her influence with Zeus to let the
tide of war go against the Greels.
But Achilles was roused to action
by the death of Patroclus, his
squire and lover, at the hands of
the Trojan HEcToR.Patroclus had
bonowed Achilles' armour, which
had been forged by the smith god
HEPHAISTOS, and entered the fray,
but he cameup againstHectorwho
easilydefeatedhim.
In brand-new arrnour Achilles
sought out Hector, who asked for
respect to be shown for his body if
he was defeated.Achilles refused,
slew Hector with his spear and
draggedrhe Trojan hero round rhe
tomb of Patroclus for rwelve days.
Only Thetis could persuade her
son to le! the Trojans recover the
corpse and arrange a funeral, a
serious obligarion for the living.
Backin rhe flght, Achilles struck
fear into the Trojans, of whom he
killed hundreds. But his own life
was coming to an end, which he
AnCeUS was the son of King
Pandion ofAthens, and farher of
tne nero THfslus Ha!1ng twrce
manied wirhout begetdng any chil-
dren, Aegeuswent to consult the
Delphic Oracle bur received only
the ambiguous answer that he
should nor untie his wine skin
until he reachedhome. When he
sought advice from his friend
Pittheus. another ruler. the latter
realizedrhat the oracie had foretold
how Aegeuswould father a heroic
son. To securethe sewices of such
ACTAEONwasayoungGreeh hunter a man, Pittheus made Aegeus
whounluchily chanceduponthepoolwhae drunk and let him sleep wirh his
Artemisandhernymphs woebathingIn daughter Aethra. When Aegeus
outrage,thevir$ngoddess tumedhim into undersrood what had happened,
a srcgandhewastornapartbyhisovn he placed a sword and a pair of
hounds,(IuusrunoN FRoM DlcnoNARy
oF sandals beneath an enormous
C6srclANTreuns, l89l) boulder. He rold the princessthat
if she bore a son who could move
had been wamed about by his the rock, he was to bring these
steed XeivlHUS, before rhe FURIES rokens to him in Athens on reach-
struck the divine creature dumb. ing manhood. Thus it was that
An arrow from the bow of Paris, Theseusgew up and was eventu-
guided by rhe god of prophecy ally reunited with his father.
APOLLO,gave Achilles a mortal Meantime, Aegeus had married
wound. Heroic yet also arrogant, the sorceressMEDF-A, whose magi-
Achilles was rhe myrhical figure cal powers had given him another
most admired by Alexander rhe son, Medus. lt was for this reason
Great.At the commencementof char Medea did everything she
his Asian campaign against rhe could to thwart Theseus. Ar her
suggesrion Theseus was sent to
fight the wild bull of Marathon,
which he captured alive. Once
Aegeusrecognizedhis son, Medea
returned in disgust ro her native
Colchis on rhe Black Sea.But bad
Iuck continued to dog Aegeus and
wentually causedhis death. For it
was agreed that Theseus should
travel ro Crete with the seven girls
and sevenboys sent as ribute each
year to feed the MINOTAUR,a bull-
headed man. If Theseus was
successfulin his dangerous mission
ro kill the Minotaur, the ship bring-
ing him home was to fly a white
sail: if unsuccessful. a black sail
would signalhis dearh. Retuming
to Arhens after an incredible adven-
ture in the Labynnth at Knossos,
Theseus forgot the agreement to
changehis sail from black to white,
wirh the result rhar, upon seeing
the vesselwith is black sail,Aegeus
threw himself off the Athenian
acropolis to certain dearh
AEGEUS , Ioohing
outto sea,sees
hisson's
ships
retuminghome, allwithblachsails
hoistedThinhingthathissonhaddied,
Aegeushurledhimsefintothesea,aJter-
wardsnamed theAegean
(lrr/srMr,(,N 8v Nlck 8uLE. 1995)

ACHIIJ-ES Jallsbneath theTrojanwalk, Persians,the youthful Alexander

shotbyParisThesungodaimshisarrow
heel,theonlymortal
Jor Achilles'
straight
partoJthehao'sbody.ln somemyths,
ApolloguidedPais' bw; in othm, thegod,
shottheanow,a seenhere (ArcLLoshys ACfnfON
ACHILLEry FMNZST ssEN,w^ftRconu{, 1869) minor royal god and Auronoe,
pardcipared in funeral games that
were held at Troy in memory of
Achilles. (Seealso HEROES)
was rhe son of a
daughrer of. ceouus. A Greek
hunter trained by CHIROw,he
offended rhe goddess,rnrEMISand
paid wirh his life. There are several
reasons given for his terrible end.
Actaeon may have boasted of his
superior skill as a hunrer, or
annoyed the goddessby seeingher
bathing naked. To stop his boasr-
ing, futemis tumed him into a sug
and he was chased and devoured
byhis own hounds. But thesefaith-
ful animals were broken-heaned at
the loss of their master, unril
Chiron carved a statue of Acaeon
so lifelike that they were satisfied.

I3
ClnssrcAr- MvrHoLoGY

AENFASgdzes in wonderat thedecoratwe became, and ir seemed as i[ Italy

AfNneS was a Trojan hero and
the son ofAnchises and vENUs,the
Roman goddess of love He was the
favourite of the Romans. who
believedthat some of their eminent
families were descended from the
Trojans who fled westwards with
him from Asia Minor, after the
Greek sack of their city. Upstart
Rome was only too aware of its
lack of tradition and history in
Anchises on his back, Aeneas
managed to escape Troy with his
father and his son Somehow
Creusabecame separatedlrom the
party and disappeared Later,
Aeneassaw her ghost and leamed
from it that he would found a new
Troy in distant ltaly.
After sailing through the Aegean
Sea,where the small fleet Aeneas
commanded stopped at a number
templeIn Carthage, whileDrdo,thequeen, and the new sute to be founded on
welromahim to heraotic hingCom its shoreswere both forgotten. But
Aroundthan,pillan,doorsand.beams are watchful;uetrrR, rhe chief Roman
madeoJbronze,whiletheJabulous walls god, dispatched urncuRv wirh a
aredecorated with thefamousale oJ messageto Aeneas,recalling him to
Aenens anil theTrolans his dury and commanding him to
ouuiRfloN BY NrcxBuE,1995) resume the voyage Honified by his
inrention to leave, Dido bitterly
on the eastem Adriatic coast From reproachedAeneas,but his deep
there it made for Sicily, but before sense of piety gave him strength
reaching the Iulian mainland itwas enough to launch the fleet again.
diverted to North Afnca dunng a Then the weeping queen mounted
sudden storm sent by the goddess a pyre which she had ordered to be
;ulo, the Roman equivalent o[ prepared and, having run herself
HERA, who harassed Aeneas rhrough with a sword, was con-
throughout the voyage Only the sumed by the flames
dmelyhelp of rurm;Nr, the Roman When the Trgans finallylanded
seagod, saved the fleet from ship- in laly, near the city of Cumae,
wreck At the ciry of Canhage, the Aeneaswent to consult the SIBYL,
great trading port founded by the who was a renowned prophetess.
Phoenicians (which was located She took him on a visit to the
in present-day Tunisia), Venus
ensured that Aeneas fell in love A-ENE{Sandhiscomrddes battlewitha
with is beauriful queen, the widow JbchoJraglnghorpieswho hwerabwe
DIDO.Becauseofher own flrght to themin thesky,waitingtocanyofl the
Carthage, Dido welcomed the weahondwovndcl.Prsidclwrts sheher
Trojan refugeeswith geat hndness htsfamily:ha blindJathcrAnchls,hs
and unlimited hospitaliry. wiJeCmtsaandthar tvtosons.(ANs AND
Time passed pleasantly for the HE CoMpNloNs FlGm frE ll^mEs rv Fwcors

comparison with Greece(there was of islands, the fleet came to Epirus lovers, as Aeneas and Dido soon I'ERroE crwtr. 161#7)

a nouble absenceof a glorious past

peopled with mythical heroes and
gods), so the exploits o[Aeneas
conveniently provided a means of
reassertingnational pride. lt was
not a coincidence that the first
Roman emperor, Augustus, took a
personal interest in the myth.
During the Trojan WarAnchises
was unable to fight, having been
renderedblind or lame for boasdng
about his reladonship with Venus.
But young Aeneas distinguished
himself againsr the Greeks, who
fearedhim second only ro urcron,
the Trojan champion. ln gradtude
PRIAMgave Aeneas his daughter
Creusa to have as his wife, and a
son was born named AscANlus.
Although Venus wamed him of the
impending fall of Troy, Anchises
refused to quit the city until two
omens occurred: a small flame rose
from rhe top ofAscanius'head and
a meteor fell close by. So, carryrng

l4
 ClassIcAr- MyrHoLocY

AGAMEMNON waxha coolly ahis ACnunuNON, according ro Agamemnon's father. On her it around his body, rendering him
daughtu, Iphignia, is ofered a a Greek mythology, was the son husband's retum, Clytemnesrraar an easy targerfor Aegisthus' axe.
"sacnfciallamb" to apryase theanger oJ of erRrus and the brother of first pretended how pleased she
Artem(: but at the last moment, the MENEIAUS,long of Spana. He was wzlsto seehim Thanlcng the gods A;AX -as rhe son of Telamon of
goddesshenef rebnted and, descending married ro CLyTEMNESTM. From for his safe retum, Agamemnon Salamisand, like ACHILLES, was a
Jromheavat shecarried Iphignia ofl to his citadel at Mycenae,or nearby crossed the threshold ofhis palace, powerful aid to the Greeksin their
Tdurus OHE SACruNCE OFIPHIGENN
8YGIOVNNI Argos, he sent out a summons to ignoring the warning o[ his slave assault on Troy. Afrer Achilles'
BAmsr^, NEM, 1770-) the Greek to join the expedition cAssANDM, the prophetic daugh- death there was a contest for rhe
against Troy The causeo[ the war ter of PRIAM,the defeated Trojan armour of this great warrior, which
underworld. There Aeneasmet his was the flight of Menelaus' wife, king. He rhen rerired to a barhroom had been forged by the smirh god
father's ghost, who showed him HELEN,ro rhar ciry wirh PARI5. in order to change his clothes. HEPFIAISTOS. When ODY55EU5 was
the destiny of Rome.Anchiseshad However, rhe Greek fleer was Clytemnestra quickly threw a large awarded the armour, Ajax became
died of old age during the smy in delayed at Auhs by conrary winds net over Agamemnon and twisted mad with.;ealousy He planned a
Sicily, but his enthusiastic ourline Agamemnon then realized that he nighr attack on his comrades,but
of the future encouraged his son. would have to make a human sac- AJAXheadsof theTrqan onslaught wth rhe goddesserHrNA deceived him
Aeneas also saw Dido's ghost, but rifice in order to appeaseARTEMIS, Wical mightandcourageBeside htm,his into slaughtering a flock of sheep
it did not speak to him and the goddess o[ the forest and wild brother,Tatcerthearcher,aimshisbowat instead. In the light of dawn, Ajax
humedly rumed away animais. His daughter IPHTGENIA theTrojanswho,withJlamingtorches,hopewas suddenly overwhelmed by a
Afterwards, Aeneassreered for was therefore sent to Aulis under to settheGreehshipsalight 0uusmnoru fear of his evil intentions, and fell
che mouth of rhe River Tiber, on the pretexr rhat she was to be rRoM STORIE FROM HoMER. i885 ) on his sword and died
whose river banks the ciry of Rome married to the Greek champion
would be built centuries larer. and hero ACHILLESAccording ro
Conflict with rhe latins, the local one tradition, lphigeniawas sacri-
inhabirants, was bloody and pro- ficed, but accordingto another,she
longed But peacewas made when was savedby Artemrs herselfand
Aeneas mamed l-avinia, the daugh- uken ro Taurus to becomea priesr-
ter of King Larinus lt had been ess in the goddess'stemple
foretold that for the sake of the Clytemnestra never forgave
longdom Laviniamust marryraman Agamerhnon for lphigenia's loss,
from abroad The Tro.lans,in order and she took Aegrsthusfor a lover
to appeaseJuno, adopred the during the ten-yearsiegeofTroy.
Latins' rraditions and language. Aegisthus was rhe son ofThyesres,
(Seealso VOYAGERS) the brother and enemy of Atreus,

I5
CI,q,sslcAL MYTHoLoGY

AlCfSftS, according ro Greek

mythology, was the daughrer of
Krng Pelias of Thessaly When she
was o[ an age to marry, many suit-
ors appeared and her father set a
test to discoverwho would be the
most suirable husband. Alcestis
was to be the wife of the firsr man
to yoke a lion and a boar (or, in
some versions.a bear) to a chariot.
Wirh rhe aid of epoLro, the god of
prophecy, a neighbounng monarch
named Admetus succeededin this
seemingly impossible task But at
the wedding he forgot to make the
necessarysacnfice in gratitude ro
ARTEMIS, the goddessof the foresr
and wrld animals. and so found his
wedding bed full of snakes Once
again Apollo came to the king's
assistanceand, by making rhe AlCUeNt was rhe daughrerof the seer TIRESIAS explained that Eileithyia,ro frusrate the delivery,
FATESdrunk. extracted from rhem Electryon,son of pEFsrus,and the zEUs had come ro Alcmene dis- but a trick savedAlcmene and her
a promise that if anyone elsewould morher of urnacrrs. She married guised as her husband in order to two sons. Hera then put snakes
die on Admetus' behalf, he might Amphitryon, king of Tir;'ns, near father a monal who would aid the into Heracles'cradle, but the infant
continue to live. fu no one would Mycenae in the Peloponnese. gods in their forthcoming battle hero strangled them
volunteer, Alcescisgaveher life for Alcmene refused to consummate against the GIANTS. ku s never ler H era f.a:e.llyinjur e
him prnstpuolr, rhe undenvorld her marriagero Amphitryon undl So Alcmene became pregnant Heracles, and always protected
goddess,was so impressedby this he had avenged the murder of her with rwins: Heracles, the son o[ Alcmene. Once Amphitryon tried
complete devotion rhar she brothers. This the king did, but Zeus, and lphicles, rhe son of ro bum her for infidelity, but was
restoredAlcestis to Admetus. and when he retumed he was amazed Amphirryon. Zeus could not hide stopped by a sudden downpour.
they had two sons who later took to learn from Alcmene rhat she hls sarisfaction from his wife HERA When Alcmene died naturally of
part in the Greek expedirion believedshe had alreadyslept with who realized what had happened old age,Zeus sent HERMES to bring
agarnstthe city ofTroy. him. Amphitryon was enrageduntil Shesent the goddessof childbirth, her body to the ElysianFields,

ALCESTISbelow)welcomes hersuitor, ALCMENE6ght) wasote oJrheslEgod

Admetus,whoanivesin o chaiotdrawnby Zeus'manyloers,but wospunished Jor
Iionsandbears,whileAlcestis'
Jather, herinlideliry
byherangryhusband,
Pelias,
Ioohsonin disbelieJ.
Admetus was Amphitryon, whohereisportr(lyed
setting
theonlyherotoyohethebeasts, sowinning alighta pyrebeneath
her Shewassaved by
thehandoJAlcestis(trrt'srurror
rnovsrorur a heawnly dwnpoursentbyZeus
r R o MG R r ( L A N DR o M r , 1 9 2 0 ) (lrLLsruTr)I 8YNtcKBilu. ,l995)

I6
 CLASSIcAL MYinoIocy

AMUIJUS (Iet't) casts outhis nephews,

Romulusand Remus,the twin sonsoJ Rhea
Silviaand the war god Mars, ord.eing that
thq be drownedin the nver Tiber. But thq
are eventually
Jound fo a she-wolJwho
suchlesthem until a shepherd, Faustulus,
tahesthem home (ttlsrurrul rRoM
sroRrEs
l ROM Ll\a, 1885 )

violent and tempestuous temper urs

wrth her. He even slew a comrade god laas, Amulius imprisoned her his father when he rurhlessly killed
who mentioned it Fascination and ordered that her rwin sons, the Trojan hng, PRIAM,ar rhe altar
with Amazon power affectedother REMUS ANDROMULUS, be drowned of zrus'remple. Andromache bore
heroesbesidesAchilles. The adven- in the Tiber Bur rhe rwo boys Neoptolemus three sons, and in
tures of borh rurnecrES and escapeda watery death and grew consequen'cesuffered the hatred of
ll-tt5tu) lnvolveo Datlles wltn up in the countryside Once rhey his barren Greek wrfe When
Arnazons.One of Heracles'famous realized their parenrage, Romulus Neoptolemusdied, Andromache
labours was the seizure of a girdle and Remusretumed ro Alba Longa went on to marry Helenus who,
belonging to the Amazon queen and lalled their uncle Amulius. like her, was a Trojan captive Her
Hippolyta, a theft that required finalyearswere spent in fuia Minor
considerablenerve. ANonOveCHE, the daughter at Pergamum,which was a new ciry
of Eetion, a king of Mysia in Asia founded by one of her sons.
AUUIIUS, in Roman my'thology, Minor, was the wlfe of nncton, rhe
was a descendant of the Trojan foremost Trojan warrior Her entire ANDROMACHE, Hector'syoungwtJe,
hero AENEAS.He usurped the family - parens, brothers, husband bowsherheadin captivityOneoJthe
throne of Alba Longa from his and son - was killed during the noblestbut mostll-starredofheroines,she
younger brother Numitor and Trojan War. After the sack of Troy, seesherhusband, Jatherandseven brothers
forced Numitor's daughter RHEA Andromache was taken off into hilledbyArhilles,
andhersonhurled Jrom
SILYIAto become a Vestal Mrgin so captlvityby Neoptolemus, rhe son thecirywalls;whilesheJallsasa pize oJ
as to deny her father an heir When of the great Greek hero ACHILLES war to Achilles' son (cAf lvr: ANDRi)MAcHli
D)

RheaSihra was raped by the war Neoptolemus had shown rhe same L0RDLErcHroN,cnNVAs,
c 1890)
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY

ANTIGONE (abwe) sp'inhlesmrth on

the body oJha brother, Polynices,as a
symbolicat oJbunal For the Greelu,
buial wasa sacredduty, wrthout which a
soul couV not rest;yet Creon, ha uncle,
had daied Polynicesa bunnl, iolating
diine l,||n 04usrunoN ByNrcKBilrE 1995
)

ANDROMEDA Q$), chainedto a roch os

a sacifice m a seamonster,can only pray,
whilehlgh owrhead,theheroPerseuss on
his way Swoopingdwtn on thewinged
hone, Pegaw, he cu* Andromedafree and
slaysthe monster (PERSEUS
REH$
EyJflcHtMwlflEi.wtr,
ANDRoMED 1630)

in an uprising against the new ruler

cREoN, and his body was con-
demned to rot unburied outside
the ciry. Antigone refusedto accept
this impiety and spnnkled earth
over the corpse as a token burial
For this she was walled up in a
cave,where she hangedhenelflike
her mother Jocasta. There are a
number of different versionsof the
myth, but they all castAntigone as
the heroic victim of a family
wrecked by a terrible deed.
ANDROUEDA was the daugh- sandals carrying the head of the ANilCONE was rhe daughrerof
ter o[ Cassiopeand Cepheus,king Gorgon Medusa He fell in love IEDIPUS,king ofThebes, and his ANNOPN LOYER5
SCC OFZEUS
of the Ethiopians When Cassiope with Andromeda, and obtained wrfe and motherJocasta On leam-
boasted that Andromeda was more both her and her father's consent ing of their unwitting incest, APnnOOtfE was the Greek
beautiful than the Nereids, the sea to mamage if he defeatedthe mon- Oedipus tore out his eyes while goddess o[ Iove, beauty and fertil-
nymphs, they complained to the ster. This Perseusdid by using Jocastahanged herself.The peni- iry Unlike her Roman counterpan
tent Oedipus was then guided by yENUs,with whom she was idend-
seagod PosEIDoN He avengedthis Medusa's head, the sighr of which
insult by flooding the land and tumed all living things to stone. Antigone in his wanderings round fied, Aphrodite was not only a
sending a seamonster to devastate After sorne time, Perseus and Greece. She was with him at the goddess of sexuai love but also of
Cepheus'kingdom To avoid com- Andromeda settled in Tirfns, sancuary of Colonus, near Athens, the affection that sustains social
plete disaster it was decided to which Perseusruled. The constel- when her distraught father gained life. The meaningo[ her name is
sacriliceAndromeda to the beast Iation of Andromeda lies close to some hnd of peacejust before his uncertain, although the ancient
and she was chained to a rock at that of Pegasus,and both Cepheus death. She retumed to Thebes, but Greek came to believe it refened
the foot of a cliff. There PERSEUS and Cassiopewere also commem- her troubles were not over. Her to foam Quite possibly this belief
saw her as he flew past on winged orated in the stars. brother Polyniceshad been killed arosefrom the story ofAphrodite's

l8

I.PHRODITE, goddessof lwe andbeauty,
was bom Jrom theJoam ol the su; sherose
lrom the waveson a seashell,stepping
ashoreon Cyprus At hu sile, the west
wtnd, Ztphyus, andFlora, the spingblow
her gently uhore in a showeroJ roses,her
sacredflower, (THE oFvENUs
BrRrH BysANDRo
BomcEur,TEMpEv,
c 1482
) ancient Greels accommodated a
binh. When rheTiran CRONOS cur
off the penis of his farher Ouranos
with a sharp sickle, he casr rhe
immortal member into the sea,
where it floated amid white foam
Inside the penis Aphrodite grew
and was then washed up at Paphos
on C1prus. There were in fact sanc-
tuaries dedicared to her on many
islands, which suggesrsrhar she
was a Westfuian goddesswho was
brought to Greeceby sea-traders.
Once she arrived. the ancient
Gree}<smarried her in their myth-
ology to the crippled smith god
HEPFIAISTOS. But Aphrodire was
not content to be a hithful wife and
she bore children by severalorher
gods, including DIONYSUSand
ARES.When Hephaisros found out
about Aphrodire's passion for rhe
war god Ares, rhe ourraged smith
god made a mesh of gold and
caught the lovers in bed togerher.
He called rhe other gods from
Mount Olympus ro see the pair,
but they only lauglred at his shame,
and posenoru, the god of the sea,
persuaded Hephaisros to release
Aphrodite and Ares.
Perhaps Aphrodire's grearesr
Iove was for rhe handsome yourh
Adonis, another West Asian deity.
Killed by a wild boar, Adonis
became the object of admirarion for
both Aphrodite and pERsEpHorur,
ClnssrcAr- MyrHoLocY
Roman religions, and was the god with healing and connected with
of prophecy, archery and music sitesin nonhem Greece Indeed, so
The origrn of his name is uncenain accomplished was Asclepius in
but it is probably non-European medicine that Zeus slew him with
A light with the gigandc earth- a thunderbolt for daring to bring a
serpent Python at Delphi gave man back to life. (Seealso FORCES
Apollo rhe sear o[ his famous OFNATURE)
oracle. $rthon was an offspring of
GAIA,mother earth, which issued AnrS, the son of zr.vs and srna,
revelations through a fissurein the was the Greek god of war, and was
rock so that a priestess,the $nhia, Iater idenrified with the Roman war
queen of the dead. Their birter could give answers to any ques- god uens. Although Ares had no
quarrel was only ended by zrUs, tions that might be asked.After he wife of his own, he had three chil-
who ruled that for a rhird of the slew the eanh-serpent, Apollo took dren byAPHROOIr, the goddessof
year Adonis was to dwell with its place, though he had to do Iove The rwins, Phobos, "panic",
himself, for a third parr wirh penance in Thessalyfor the hlling. and Deimos, "[ear", alwaysaccom-
Persephone, and for a third part Indeed, Zeus rwice forced Apollo panied him on the bardefield. ln
with Aphrodite. So it was rhar rhe to be the slave of a mortal man to Greek mythology, Ares is depicted
pay for his crime. as an instigator of vrolence, a
West Asian mother goddessand Apollo's interest in healing tempestuous and passionatelover
her dying-and-rising husband. suSges6 an anclent assoclatlon and an unscrupulous fnend The
Indeed the Adonia, or annual with the plagueand is conrrol. His Roman god Mars, however, has
festivals commemorating Adonis' son ASCLEPIUS was also identified nothing of Ares' fickleness
death, were celebrated in many
pars of the eastemMediterranean
Becauseof her unruly behav-
iour, Zeus causedAphrodire ro fall
in love wirh Anchises, the farher of
AENEAS.ln the Roman version o[
this myth Venus herself is deeply
attracted ro rhe Trojan, but wams
him to keep the parentageof their
son Aeneasa secret.This Anchlscs
fails to do, and as a resuk suffers
blindness or a disability of the
Iimbs. While the Roman goddess
provided, througlr the leadership of
Aeneas, a means for some of the APOILO (abate), the sun gd, urgcs the ARES @lov,t), infuIl atmour,luik the
Trojans to escape and flourish sun-chaiot ta ise in the slty This unusual gods into battle. Howarcr, in war, the gods
anew in ltaly, the GreekAphrodite wsion oJ themythhas Apollo, rather tlnn were not im4rtial; Ares,Aphrodi? Ael),
actually helped to causethe Trojan Helios, as ider, andlbns, insteadoJ Poseidonand Apolb (cntre) wouV oJtm
War. ln order to ensure that he horses, pull the chaiot, ruallingthe linh ad the Trojans, whilc Hqa anil Athena
would name her zlsthe most beau- fuween lzo anil the sun. (H{oEBUs
Arcrc By (ri$t) supporttt the Greek. orurmroN
tiful of the goddesses,Aphrodite EMoNRMEtrcANvs,c .1870) noM SroruBrcM HoMER.
l8ll5 )
promised PARIs,son of pRraU rhe
hng of Troy, the hand of the most
beaudful woman in the world. This
fatefully rumed our ro be HELEN,
wife of vrruruqus, kingof Spana.
APOILO was rhe son of zEUs
and the Timness LETO,and the
twin brother of the goddess
ARTEMIS,the virgin hunrress. He
was one of the most important
deities of both the Greek and
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY

LovERs oF Zr,us
s rRtKtNG ASpEC-T op GRr,t,KN4yt-tIt)Lt)GY is thc
maritai conilict between the two chicf
deities, Hera, an earth gc-rddess, and her
husband, Zcus, suprcmc power on
Olympus One of the most amorous gods in
mytholo gy,Zeus loved countlesswomen and he
courtcd them in as many forms, somctimesas a bull,
a s a s a t y r .a s a s w a n . s r r m c t i m c sa s a m o r t a l m a n ,
and erren in the form of a golden shower. Hera rvas
notoriously jealous and r,engeful,pursuing without
mercy his loversand their offspring.The antagonism
between the two could be viewed as a clashbetween
different religious traditions or local cults, each cult
recognizing a different lovcr who was often regarded
as the anccs[orof a ruling family
ANTIOPE (uhort), rlrughtir,r/u rrvergrtl,w(r\ior((1hl Zeustn tht lom LtJd sdtvr,d
gout-lihccrtaturt 5hc iorl hrn twlr soils,Atlphtotrurcl Zrlhus tlerc,Zus, dtstrtiscc,l
as
Eros,sucl grrd
ct vttuthlulsutl'r,gcnliv sfiaJrrAntrrpe/rom thr sunwhilcshcsicrpsbe-side
Oflove td.roil \f\r'u)rf /r r\nr\(,rr\rr)$1S{r\R8}Atr1)\rr(i)tsRr('(r),(r\l:A-\, 152125J

CALLI-S1-O (ahrrr'), /r,rlt nrrnph und FI/ROPA lr.ghl) ucrs ir(rrr(/ l^ Zt'ti\ In

(()ntfdnl()il()/Atfttnl\ rn t/tr thrlSa trcts t h ( ' \ h d 1 l i , / i r b c a L r t r / r lh u l l r . l t r , t n t t t g t d

l o \ a ( 1h : r r i \ r t n t . /b o r r h t t t t c t s o n , A t i a s / r r r n rl h t n t l l c s o n t l t a n t L t l h r t r n r l h r

-Shcw,us lhcn , hun(t r.l rnlo u bcur erlhcr la st'a trr (.rtft whcri'shr bort hun Lhrtt

ZLus, wrshrrrg to hrclL htr lrom I lcra, or lry srrns I ht' r'anous \tug6 ol th( hdntu drt

Htru htrvll A\ d btdr rhc was shol hv rrprr'sr'ntcd htrt on tht klt, ['uropu

Arl.mrs rn thr /orcsr aar.l wus plared among nr()unl5 tLc bull tntouruged ht ls

fht stcrs ds tht 5h. Baar Hrre, surrounciccl tcrflr'nrss On the nght, she ts homr

lrr th. t(rfhr( \ ry' thr Lhctsc,Arlemrs on,.l ht r selulrlv Jown to rhr sea, w'rlh mrlnl Lltlt

m m p h s r o n r / o r t ( a i l r s t o p o s s r b i va f t er h i ' r I:rotcs (Lrr sprnts) horenng rn lhr riry

(n(ount(r wrth th" ovemhclmtng god, Ztus I rnulh shc foats happiy away, ltdvrng lo

( l l h N AA \ r ) ( r \ | r \ r ( r t r I ' r r f RP 4 rr R rB t N \ , htr moukns (Trlr R{n ,r F( R(n'AB) I)^rrr)

al\vAs l6J640 )

20
 M YTTt o

childlry Semdt,apptarshtre
huggrnghis mothcr,whilc Apolkt
s t c r n Jhs w r t hu h u yt t r t ( l r t r i i t r '
becanta goc,l, raisedhts ntothrt
Dionystrs
to heavenand placedher arnongthe starsus
ThyoneThisEtmsrdnmitror is borderedwith iw,
which was l)tonysus' sutred plant (lrrr \ ru rr()Nrn()M
DRSvI Hs Cliss(il Dr(Ir()\ARY
1895
)

DANAE below) u,usconfinedin a brazt'n tLtwer

lry her father whofearedan oracleprtdtctrng thut
ht woukl be hilledby o gundson In htr lout'r shs
n s/roxd ,
wds visiledby Zeusn tfu lonn oJa golc.lt
anclbort hun o son, Pcrsrus When htr lttthtr
thebaby,ht tdsthothoJ thtm out to
drstoveretl
seain a woodenchest,hut thq ftoattd ushorc
on the Isleol Senphoswherethqt wert rtt uttl
lry Dictls (llrr \rMrr()! Bl(rrr)Rc[,s(
)rFR )\'
FRr
T { \ ( , [ u ( x ) r ) T A l(t 5] 9 2 C 1

SEMELE (klt) encourugtd

14'Htro, ptrsuudtd
in all his qlenJour Whenh,'
Zcrs lo shor hrrnscl/
apptarttl beJorthcr as tht radiunt gil ttl thwtdtr
wasconsumediry thc /icrrnes
anrl lightning,-Senreic
unLl,dymg, gavcbrrth prtmuturdy to Diorrysus,
whom Zeussavedlrtnn tht Jirt In thrspowerful
veirion oJ the myth, thegeat godrodutes
5-ynrbolist

Itery.bloodredhghtnrngA wingedchrldhtdrng
from thehght coulclbc Dionysus,whrle thet)arh,
homed godscemsto be a fusion oJ Hudrs und Pun
(l( filR4NrSl\1lrr r) a,t\r4\'rM()RF;t (1\\1\ ltiq6)
CrnssrcAL MYTHoLoGy

I
I
I

THE AncoNAUTS were very
earlyexplorers,mosr likely rhe first
Greek voyagers to the Black Sea
They sailed from Thessaly,where
their leader,TAsoN,was the nghtful
k r n g o f I o l c u s A c c o r d i n gt o r h e
myrh, Jason'sfather,Aeson, was
deposedby his half-brorherPelias,
THE ARGONAUTS (top) commissioned
Argus to build theArgo, a ship with th,enty
oars Hereht caruesout thestem,while
Athenamahessails Behindher,perchedon
a pillar, her sacredcreature,the owl,
symbolizesher wisdom (lLLUsrMroN
rRoM
DI(TIoNARY oF ChsSIcAI ANTIQUITIEs ]89] )
which Jason did at the cost of one
of his sandals Thus the prophecy
was fulfilled: a man weannS only
one sandalarrived at lolcus to chal-
lenge Pelias BecauseJason made
his intentionsknown ar the time of
a religrousfestival,Peliascould not
krll his nephew wrthout the nsk o[
ARIADNE (qbove) hands the vital shetnto
Theseus,whirh allows hrm to trach his way
throughthe Itfuyinth AItu hilling the
bull-Iihebeast,the Minotdur, in the
Ltbynnth, he sailedaway with her, but
then desertedher on Dia, possiblybelieving
that shewasdestrnedto marry a god
(ir l l'srRAnoN FRoM I Alcl s,ooD IAr Es, c I 920 )

who was wamed at the time how
he would in tum be overthrown by
a man wearing only one sandal In
order to protectJasonfrom Pe]ias,
Aeson had secrerlysent his son to
CHIRON to educatethe young man,
iike many other heroes On reach-
ing manhood,Jasondeterminedto
return to Iolcus and reclarm che
throne During the joumey, how-
ever, he was tested by the goddess
HERA,who was disguised as an old
woman She begged him to carry
her safelyacrossa swollen river,
JASON (abne IeJt),helpsHera, disguised
as an old woman,dcrossthe stredm In the
cunent he losesa sandal, Julfilling parl oJ
an oraclethat ahalJ-shodman would tahe
Pehas'throne ThepeacochbesideHera
her all-seeingvision (ItusrurrcN
denoLes
FROM TANGLEWOOD TALI.S, ( 1924 )
IASON (abne), with Medea'shelp- she
anointshim wtth a salveto protect him
Jromlire and steel ploughstheJreldswith
the bulls oJ Aietes He was the fvst hero to
yohe thewlld and,Jiery credtures
(lLLUsrMTpN FRoM TA\GI l,s,ooDTALES ( lg20
suffenng divine disfavour So the
king toldJason that he could have wamors to Join his expedition and
the throne provided he obtained they became known as the
rhe Golden Fleece,which was an Argonauts, the crew of the ship
apparently impossible task This Argo Among their number were
miraculous fleece belonged to a Castor and Polydeuces,ORPHEUS
ram which had flown to Colchis, a rhe poet, Calaisand Zetes the sons
distant land identified wrth mod- of BoR-EAS and rhe hero HTMCLES
ern Georgia It hung from a tree Together they crossed a sea of
there, guarded by an enormous marvels, visited strange lands and
snake that never slept overcame many obstaclesbefore
The DELPHICOMCLE encoul- reaching Colchis, where Hera used
agedJasonro undertakethe quest the goddessof love APHRODITE to
) Hera inspired a group o[Thessa]ran make MEDEA,rhe seconddaughter

22
 ClesslcAI- MvrHoLocY

of King Aietes, fall in love with

Jason. The king hated Greek but
he kept his feelings hidden from
the Argonaus. He even consented
toJason's attempt to capture the
Golden Fleece. But first Aietes set
Jason a challenge that was intended
to result in his death. The hero was
required to yoke a team of fire-
breathing bulls, plough and sow a
field with dragon's teeth, and slay
the armed men who would at once
rise from the gound.
With the assistance of Medea's
skills in the magic arm, Jason
accomplished Aietes' task within a
single day. Bur the hng of Colchis
was not prepared to give up the
Golden Fleeceso easily. He secrerly
planned to attack the Argonaus,
who were wamed by Medea, now
Jason's lover. She employed her
magic once again to deal y"ith the
unsleeping snake,andJasonseized
the Golden Fleece The Argonaus
quickly rowed away from Colchis
with the fleece and Medea, whom
Jason had promised to marry once
back in Thessaly it into a constellarion. The Golden version offar older tales of the spon ARTEMIS,virgin goddess oJthewild,
The Colchian princessseemsro Fleece also appear in the heavens of bull-leaping, which dated from alwaysresisted
theloveor attentions
of
have been associatedwirh rhe rires as the first constellarion of the the pre-Greekera of Cretan history. men WhenthehunterActaeon sawhoin
of dismemberrnent as well as Tndiac, Aries the ram. Dionysus himself was known to thenude,bathingwithhu nymphs, she
magic, for during the pursuit of rhe the Greeks as "the roanng one", a indignantlytumedhimintoa sta&which
Argonauts across the Black Sea, ArunONf, in Greek myrhology, "bull-homed god" who was full of wassetuponfo hisownhounds(Durrrro
Medea slowed the Ileet of her hther was the daughter of pestprl,4nand powerand feniliry. AcAEoN ByTrruN,
aNvs,1556-59)
Aietes by hlling and cutring up her King MINos, rhe ruler of Knossos
own brother, Apsyrtus. Piecesof on the island of Crete. When the AruON SECVOYAGER5 atAulis. Only a promise to sacrifice
Apsynus' body were thrown over- Athenian hero THESEUS came to his daughter PHIGENIAwas enough
board, forcing the Colchians to Knossos to pay the annual tribute AnfgUtS was rhe daughter of to appeasethe goddess,although
gather up the remains for a decenr of seven young men and seven the Tiraness LETOand ZEUS,and there are differing accounts as to
burial. t-ater, in Thessaly, Medea girls, fuiadne gavehim a sword and the rwin sisrer of APoLLo. She was whether the girl was acually hlled.
also persuaded the daughters of a skein of thread that allowed him in all likelihood averyancient deity Another monal punished by
King Pelias ro cur rheir father to to escapefrom Daedalus'kbynnth whom the Greeks adopted as god- Anemis was ACTAEON.He had the
pieces and boil him, so as ro rcsrorc after a bloody struggle with the dess of the wild Traces of human misfonune while hundng to come
his youth. This they did, and in dreaded bull-headed man, the sacrifice could still be found in her upon the goddess as she was
hlling him avenged rhe disgrace of MINOTAUR.Theseus and Ariadne worship. Most of all, Anemis liked bathing She changed him into a
Jason's htherAeson. then fled from Crete. but for some to roam the mountains with a com- stag and he was chased and tom
Jason and Medea led an unser- unknown reason the hero aban- panion band of nymphs Cenainly apart by his own hundng dogs.
tled life in Greece. After a few years doned the princess on the nearby the virgin goddess resented any However, according to a different
he deserted her for another island of Dia. The desened princess kind of inmrsion into her domain, version, Actaeon actually tried to
wonvul, butMedeahlled rhis riral may then have become the wife of or any harm done to her favourite approach the naked goddess
and her own children byJason. DloNysus, rhe god of ecsmsy and animals. For killing a sug sacred to hidden beneath a stag's pelt
Jason died in Corinrh as a result of wine. Local legend would suggest Artemis. the leader of the Greek To the Romans, Artemis was
a rotten piece of rhe Argo hlling on such a connection, although the expedition against Troy, King closely identified with their god-
his head. Afterwards rhe gods whole story of the Minotaur was AGAMEMNONof Mycenae, found dess Diana, who was also a goddess
raised the ship to the skyand made probably no more than a garbled his fleet sranded by contrary winds of light as well as of the wild.

23
Cr-RssrcAL MYTHoLocY

baidehLswounded
ASO{NIUSweeps
Jatho, AateasCloseby,in a mantleoJ
mrst,
Aeneas' divinemother,Venus,
dacendsJromheaven wttha spngof
whiletheGreehsurgeo\
healingilittany,
Iapyx,pullsoutthearow-headwrthhis
/orceps(wouxoeo AENW,ANoN,AD62AND
79)

the CentaurCHIRoN, whose Imowl-

edge was so great that zEUshimself
fearedthat Asclepius mrght leam a
way of overcomrng death. When he
did succeed in resurrecdngone of
his patients, Zeus decided that
Asclepius should be punished for
threatening the gods' monopoly
over immortality. Asclepius was
slain by a thunder-bolt, but at
Apollo's request the god of medi-
cine was placed among the stars, zls
Ophiuchus, the serpent-bearer.
So impressed were the Romans
with Asclepius' cult that during a
time of plague they requested aid
from Epidauros and a sacredsnake
was duly shipped to Rome.

ArnreNfn, in Greek myth-

olory, was the daughter of Iasus of
Arcadia and was known as a
famous hunness. As an unwanted
daughter she was exposed and left
to die on a mounainside, bur was
suckled by a bear and later brought
up by hunters. This experience
may have inclined her to manly
pursuits. She even tried to enlist
ASCANIUS was rhe son o[ The family ofJulius Caesar,rhe believed to embody the god's heal- with the ARGONAUTS, but fiSOw
AENEASand Creusa According to Julii, claimed descent from Aeneas ing power. The ancient associadon refused herbecause the presenceof
the Romans, he founded the city of through Ascanius, who was also between snakes and medicine is one woman on rhe ship mighr
AIba Longa thirry-rhree years after called Iulus llus ("made of llium"), probably due to the snake's appar- causejealousies amongst them.
the arrival of the Trojan refugeesin Ilium being the old name for Troy enr abiliry to renew its youth each Atalanra's most famous myth
Italy. An altemadve radirion makes year by sloughing off is own shn. concems the lengths to which she
Ascanius' mother l-avinia, a l-atin ASCrnPtuS, the Greek god of Only the stories of Asclepius' went to avoid marriage. She said
princess whose marriageto Aeneas healing, was rhe son of epotto, birth and death were ever well rhat her husband must first beat
brought peace and unity to the god of prophecy, and the lake known to the Greek and Romans. her in a race and any man who lost
L-arinand Trojan peoples. It was in nFmph Coronis. In myrhology he When Coronis dared to take in would be put to death. Despite the
her honour that Aeneas founded is a somewhat shadowy figure, secret a monal as a second lover, an awful consequence of losing, there
Lavinium within three years of which suggess his late arrival as a enraged Apollo sent his sister were many who admired Atalana's
landing. This would mean that major deiry. fuclepius would seem ARTEMISto kill the lake nymph beauty and paid the price against
Ascanius was hng of lavinium fol- to have been a Thessalianhealer with a disease. However, as the herspeed. None could catch her,
Iowing Aeneas' death, and before whose skills became known flames of the funeral pyre bumed although they ran naked while she
he left to take up residence in a throughout Greece: his cult even- Coronis, Apollo felt sorry for his was fu\ clothed Finally, the love
new ciry at Alba Longa. Early rilalry tually took over the sanctuary at unbom son and removed him from goddess ernnoorn took piry on a
between the two cities probably Epidauros in the Peloponnese the corpse. Thus was Asclepius young man named Melanion and
explains the removal myth. Sacred snakes resident there were bom..He was taught medicine by provided him with a way to delay

24
 CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY

miraculously disappearedso rhat

the semen of the smith god fell to
the ground, where it grew into the
serpent Erichthonius The three
daughterso[ Cecrops,the semi-
serpent who first ruled Athens,
were given a box by Athena and
told not to look inside it Ignoring
this command, two of them looked
inside, found themselves gazing
upon Erichthonius, and went
insane However, Athena connn-
ASCLEPIUS, Greehgod oJhealing tends AfnfNn, somerimesArhene, rhe ued to protect Athens. Although ATHENA, goddess oJwisdomarul craJts,
a man on his sichbedA sonof ApoIIo,the daughter ofzrus and rhe Titaness the ciry fell into enemy hands dur- guidedand helpedherJavouites Here she
gredtesthealer,AsclepiuswasglJted wrth Metis, was the Greek goddess o[ ing the Persianinvasion of Greece visits thehero Bellerophonwith a g'Jt - the
mtraculousp(Nters,oncercune(ling d war and crafts Although a fierce in 480-479 nc, the Athenians later bndlewith whichto tameand mount tht
mortalJrom death His attibutes, stafl and urgin like ARTEMIS,she did not went on to achievemasteryof the wingedhorse,Pegdsus{tulsrmn,r rr,,v
setwL sign{ypowerandrnaval oJhJe shun men but on the contrary seaand found their own empire It SToRrEs FRoM GREECE AND RoME, ,l930 )
(IIUsBfloN BYNICK B4E, 1995 ) delighted in being a city-goddess, was during this period that the
most notably at Athens. This city Parthenon was built on the hero took over his job of holding
Atalanta. She gave him three adopted her cult when an olive tree Athenian acropolis up the sky When Atlas returned
golden apples, which he placed at grew on its acropoiis: the other Athena was alwaysregarded by wrth the appleshe suggestedthat
different points on the course diune nval for worship was rhe god the Greeks as an active goddess, he should deliverthem himself, as
Curiosiry gor the better o[Atalanta, POSEIDON, who produced only a involved in the affairs of men She Heracleswas doing so well The
who stopped three times to pick spnng of brackish water Arhena helped several heroes such as hero pretended to agreeand then
up the apples So Melanion won sprang into being fully grown and BELLEROPHON, JAsON,HERACLES askedifAt]as would take the world
the race and Atalancaas a wife. Bur armed from the head of her father and prRsrus Also, it was she who for a moment so that he could
in his hasre to make love to her, Zeus, afrer he had swallowed the eventuallygot ODYSSEUS back to adjust the weight on his shoulder,
Melanion either forgot a vow to pregnant Metis The smith god the island of Ithaca, followrng his so tncking Atlas into resuming his
Aphrodite or consummated their HEPFIAISTOS assistedrhe birrh wirh epic voyagehome from the Trojan lonely duty (SeealsoGIANTS)
union in a sacredplace To pay for a blow from his axe Quire likely War PerhapsAthena's most sig-
the sacrilegeboth he and Aralanta this intervention accounts for her nificant aid was given ro the ATIAS,thegreatTitanglant,wds
were tumed into hons. title of Hephaistia,rhe companion matncide ORESTES Not only did condemned to shouldutheheavms Jorever,
of the smith god. Athena's symbol she offer him protection, but she aspunishment Jorj.ghtingtheslEgod
ATAIr{NTA,thegtJtedhuntress dnd was the wrse owl, which featured also arranged for him to be rried Zeus (Iuvsrunou moM DrcnoNAfr oF cwsrql
unusually athletichuoine,Joundhermatch on Athenian coins. The Romans and acquitted of his terrible crime ANrreurilE, i89l )
in theequally resourceJul andarugetic idendfied her wirh MINERvA,a god- by the ancient court o[ the
MelanionHeretheheroic pairhuntand dessofwrsdom and the arts. Areopagus,in Athens The verdict
sW themonstrous wiWboarwhichhas An early myth relares how meant an end to the blood-feud,
beenravaglngthe plainsoJCalydon Hephaistos tned to rape Athena not leastbecausefor the firsr nme
(lltusrunoN FRoM TANGLTooD TALB c 1920 ) To avoid losing her virginity, she even the FURIES acceptedOresres'
deliverancefrom guilr

ATIAS was a rlTAN, rhe son o[

Iapetus and the Oceanid Cl)'mene
He was thought by the ancient
Greek to hold up the sky, and his
name means"he who cames" His
most famous encounter was wirh
the hero HEMCLES,one of whose
labours was to obtain the golden
apples of the HESPERIDES, female
guardiansof the fruit that morher
earrh, GAIA,presented ro HERAar
her mamage LozEUs Atlas offered
to fetch them for Heracles if the
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY

finished eating, Atreus showed his BOREAS, oneoJtheJour wnds, blewJrom

brother rhe hands and feet of his
dead sons and told him what he
had consumed ln horror the sun
halted in its course Thyesres'only
survmng son, Aegisthus, may have
slain Atreus in revengefor this out-
the north, whistling through his conch He
oJtn helped sailorsilth aJiendlJ breeze
Alongwtth his brother winds, Eurus,
Zephyrusand Notus,he wasdepicLedLnthe
TempleoJWinds (llusrunoN FRoM
DRSMrrH
s
CHSIaL DIOIoNARY, i895 )

rage Cenanly he became the lover

of cryrrvNrslRa, whose husband Proteusdspatched Bellerophon ro
ArnruS was the son o[ prLops, ATREUS, sonoJPelops,cherisheda golden AGAMEMNON was the eldest son of southem Asia Minor, where he was
an early king after whom the ram, a double-edgedglJt of the god Hermes Atreus and his successoras king of supposedto meet his end, but ser-
Peloponnesein southern Greeceis The godgave thecovetedtreasureto Atreus, Mycenae, or Argos. Not until vice in the local hng's lorces saved
named, and Hippodaemia The hopingto sowstiJe and discordm the Clytemnestra and Aegisthus had his life Mounted on Pegasus,the
house of Atreus was infamous for houseoJ Pelops,in revengeJor the murder murdered Agamemnon, and were hero was able to overcome the
rhe heredimry curse laid upon it by oJ his son,Myrtilus rhemselveshlled by Agamemnon's monsuous Chimaera,defeatneigh-
the son of urRvrs, rhe messenger (ll r usrMroN By NrcK BTAIE, 1995 ) son ORESTES, did the curse of bouring peoples, including the
god A terrible cycie of murder and Myrtilus come to an end Amazons, and even become the
revengewas ended only by the tnal champion of Lycia A constelladon
Ln Arhens of Atreus' grandson BnUnnOPHON was a Greek was named after his fabulous
oREsTEson a charge of matricide hero from the city of Corinth and winged horse
Family misfortune stemmed the son of Glaucus. He possessed Two mlescast a cenain shadow
from the action of Pelops, the a wonderful winged horse named over Bellerophon's character. In the
fatherofAreus He seemseither to PEGAsus,which had sprung out of firsr he is credited with a brutal
have brought about the death of the GoRGoNMedusa's blood when revenge on the false Argive queen.
Hermes' son Myrtilus, or to have she was beheadedby PERSEUS The By pretending that he really loved
caused him great grief by refusing goddessATHENAgave Bellerophon her, Bellerophon persuaded the
to make a promised gift Fnctron a specialbridle in order to help him queen to elope with him on
berween the sons of Pelops, tame Pegasus. Pegasus,only to pushher off the
Arreus, Thyestesand Chrysippus, Bellerophon's problems began, winged horse's back in mid-air.
arose about the ownership of a as his own name indicates, with a The second nle almost ends in the
golden ram, a wondrous animal murder He evidently killed an hero's death when he attempted to
placed in Atreus' flock by Hermes important Corinthian becausein fly ro Mount Olympus, the home
First, Chrysippus was murdered by exile he changed his name from of the gods. zEUs in anger caused
Atreus and Thyestes,then Thyestes Hipponous to Bellerophon ("hller Pegasusto unseat Bellerophon,
seducedAerope, the wrfe of Atreus, of Bellerus") Although he was who was lamed for life.
in order to gain her help in seizing BELLEROPHON swoopsdownJor the hiII given refuge in Argos by King
the golden ram An enragedAtreus on his wingedhorse,Pegasus,diving Proreus, rhe passion of the local BORBS. the nonh wind. was the
slew Aerope and exiled Thyestes throughthe smoheandJlamesoJ thefire- queen Stheneboeafor him caused son ofEos, the goddessofdawn,
At a banquet supposedly for breathingChimaera,a monsterwith the further difficulties, and not least and the Titan Asraeus. His home
reconciliation, Atreus served his t'orepartoJa lion, thehindpart ol a dragon becausehe steadfastlyrejected her was rhought to be Thrace, which is
brother Thyestes with the flesh of and its middleJormedfrom a goot advances.Srheneboea accused him siuated to the nonh of theAegean
his children When Thyestes had (lrlr,srMroN FROM TANGTTmD TAL6, c i920) of attempted rape and the enraged Sea. In contrast to Zephynrs, the

26

gende west wind, Boreaswas capa-
ble of great dessucdon. During the
Persian invasion of Greece, he
helped the Greek cause by damag-
ing the Persianfleet at the battle of
Anemisium in 480 sc
Boreas abducted Orithyia, a
daughter of King Erechtheus of
Attica. Coming across Onthyra
dancing near a stream, he then
wrapped her up in a cloud and
canied her off to Thrace. She bore
Boreas twin sons, Calais andZrtes,
who were lcrown as the Boreades
At birth these boys were enrirely
human in appearance,but later
they sprouted golden wings from
their shoulders. Theywere hlled by
the geat hero HEMCLES.
Boreas was worshipped in the
city of Athens, where an annual
festival, known as the Boreasmi,
was celebratedin his honour
BRITOMARTISIedJromRing Minos
whopursuedho Jorninemonths, untilat
Itst,in desryir,shelmptintothesea
Luchily,shebecame ottangledin some
andwhenArtemischanged
ftshingnets,
ho intoa god&ess shewashnavnas
Dictynnd, which means "net"
(I[UsIMfloN BYNICXBuE. 1995)
BruroueRrlS ("sweet maid")
was said to be the daughter of
zEUS.She lived on the island of
Crete, where she spent her rime as
a hunuess l(ng MINos of Knossos
tried to make Britomanis his mis-
tress But she fled from him and in
her desperation to preserve her
virginiry threw herself off a clilf into
rhe sea. The lcng finally gaveup the
pursuit when the Cretan goddess
CLASSIcAL
sought sanctuary in the sacred
grove ofARTEMtS, and becameher
close associate The myth is almost
certainly an account of the amalga-
mation of rwo ancient culs.
BRUTUS was said to be the son
of Tarqurnia, who was rhe sister o[
TARQUINIUS sUPERBUs. He was the
founder of the Roman Republic
Like most Roman myths, the story
o[ Lucius Junius Brutus lays
emphasison dury to the sute, even
though in this instance it invojved
the sacrifice of two sons. Dunng
the early part of his life Bnrtus was
regarded as a simpleton, which his
name implies. Indeed, he was
something of a joke in the court of
Tarquinius Superbus, the last
Elruscan king to rule Rome When
a snake was found in the king's
palace, two princes travelled to
Delphi to ask the Oracle to explain
this event and Bruus accompanied
them almost in the role of a jester.
The Oracle told the Romans that
the first person in the delegation to
hss his mother would be the next
ruler of Rome. The princes drew
loa to decide who was to hss their
mother on their retum home, but
Brutus tnpped and kissed the
earth, much to their amusement.
MYTHOLOGY
BRUTUS, thefirst consuloJthe new
republicoJ Rome,condemnshis sonsto
deathJor isingagainst the gwemment
Brutus, 4s his name implies,t'agned
idioq but was noJool; wrse\ and duttfuIly,
he led the tial againsthis rebelsons
(IrLUsrMroN FROM SToruE FROM Llw, ,I885 )
Shortly after their return to
Rome, the youngest prince raped
LULRLItA. a Koman matron. r nls
act of violation was the lasr srraw
for the oppressed Roman aristoc-
racy, especiallywhen it was leamed
rhat Lucreria had subbed hdrselfto
death The outrage was cleverly
used by Brutus as a means of over-
throwing the monarchy and setting
up a republic. The now eloquent
Brutus was elected consul, one o[
the rwo highest offices of scate.But
this fulfilment of the Oracle was
soon to cause him grief, when a
conspiracy to restore Tarquinius
Superbus to the throne was found
to have the suppon ofTitus and
Tiberius, rwo of Brutus'own sons
As he was the chiel magistrate,
Brutus, with great digniry, oversaw
their arrest, trial and executlon
Thus, at the moment of the new
Republic's triumph, the qplcally
Roman idea of self-sacrificeappears
as part of is foundation myth.
27
CLASSTcAL MYTHoLocY

are in fact a number o[ ancient

accounts o[ Phoenicianactiviryin
the Aegean Sea For instance, on
the island of Cythera,which lies off
the southem Peloponnese,a shrine
to Aphrodite is known to have
been erected based on the god-
dess'schief temple in Phoemcra. CERBERUS snafuandgrwlsby the
mouthoJHodesA threz-headed hound
CEICNES SCE OMCLE5 AND witha snahe for a uil, heallowedno
PROPHECIES shadesto retumJromthedead,though a
Ju slippedby wtththehelpol thegds Hts
CRt-t-sro see Lowks oF zEUs darhdn openedontotheStyt(alongwhxh
CharonJemed theikad Qrusrunop w
C,eSSnNonn was rhe daughrer GUNN 5w m.1995 )
of pruaivl,krng of Troy, and his wife
Hecuba. Herbeaurywas asremark- AGAMEMNON,to whom she was
able as her power of prophecy, awarded as part of his share of the
which was said to have been a gift spoils But ultimately Cassandra
CECUS SCCGIANT5 CADMUS sowsthe teeth oJa dragon he from APoLLo,who loved her, but had her revenge on the Greeks.
has slain, and instantly the soil bnstles wtth becauseshe refusedhis advances When Troy fell, she had sought
CenUUS was rhe son ofAgenor, armed wantors, who sping up to attnch he condemned her to prophesy the sanctuaryin ATHENA'stemple but
i<rngof Phoenicia,and Telephassa, eachother OnlyJivesuwived,to become rruth but never ro be believed. was raped, and so the goddess
and the brother of ruRop,r When ancestos oJthe Thebans,whosecity Cassandraforetold the Trojan punished this sacnlegeby killing
Europa was forcibly taken to Crete CadmusJoundedon the site War, the true purpose of the many of the Greeks during rheir
by zEUs, disguised as a bull, (IIU5IMIIoN 8Y NICX BAE, 1995 ) Wooden Horse and the murder of voyagehome However, Cassandra
Cadmus and his four brothers were met her own end at the hands of
sent after her, wrth instructionsnot that the Theban aristocracy was CASSANDM,/rcnnd seer, Jleesthrough Agamemnon's wife CLYIEMNESTM
to return home without her. descended from the five wamors bumingTrq,aghast dt thesightolho an (Seealso ORACIESAND PROPHECTES)
Although the five Phoenician who survived the mutual slaughter predictionsGiJtedwtthpropheq,she
princes failed in their task, they After a penod of penance for clearly Joresaw theTrolanWarandthe cncRops see FouNDERs
seem to have had an impact on the killing Ares' serpent, Zeus gave hcheryoJtheWoodetHorse, butnoone
places where they eventually set- Cadmus a wife - none other than believed ho Jor shewasJatedto beignored CeNfeUnS, according to Greek
tled Cadmus himself was told by Harmonia, the daughter of Ares (IuusrMfloN BvNrcK BilE, 1995) mythology, were said to be the
the Oracle at Delphi to forget about and epuRoottr, goddessoflove descendanmof xlo,v, son of ARE5.
Europa and instead find a cowwith Since he was marr;nnga goddess, These strange creatures had the
a moon-shaped mark on its flank the gods themselvesartended the head, arms and chestof a man but
He was to follow the animal and wedding and gavewonderful gifts the legs and lower half of a horse
build a city on the spot where it The unusual union o[ mortal and They lived in Thessaiy,fed on meat
chose to lie down and rest Har,rng immortal was not blessedby par- and were given to riotous behav-
found the cow and followed it east- trcularly success[ul offspring, iour They were usually depicted as
wards to Boeotia,where at last it however One of their descendans, drunken followers of ololysus,
sank in exhaustion,Cadmus then Pentheus,suffereda homble fate except for wise CHIRONwho was
sent some o[ his men for warer so Having insulted DIoNYsus,he was the tutor to severalheroes,includ-
that they might sacrificethe animal tom to piecesby the god's female ing ACHILLES(Seealso MONSTERS
to ATHENA But rhesemen were worshippers when he spied on ANDFABULOUS BFAsTs)
attacked by a serpent sprung from their secret rites. Among the fren-
the war god enrs After Cadmus zred worshippers was Pentheus' CfnngnUS was a three-headed
had killed the monster, the god- own mother, Agave, the daughter hound, the offspringof rwo mon-
dessAthena adnsed him to remove of Cadmus and Harmonia sters,TYPHON and Echidna He was
its teeth and sow half of them in The ancient Greeks always the watchdog of the Greek under-
the ground lmmediately,armed acknowledged the importance oI world and stopped anyone trying
men arose,but wrly Cadmus rhrew Cadmus' reign, hence, his divrne ro rerum to the land of rhe living.
stones among them so that, sus- wife He was credited with the One of grRacLES'labours was ro
pecting each other, they fell upon introduction from Phoenicia of an fetch Cerberus,a challengethe god
themselves lt was later believed alphabet o[ sixteen letters There of rhe dead. uenrs. allowed him ro

28

undertake,but only on condition
thar he was unarmed Like thc
GORGONS, Cerberuswas so dread-
ful to behold that anyone who
looked upon him was turned to
stone He was brother to the Hydra
and the Chimaera
CHTRON was rhe son of PhilJra,
daughter of ocEANos, and the
Titan CRoNoS,who had adopted
the form of a horse to hide from his
wrfe RHrAhis passion for Phillra,
which is why Chiron had the
a p p c a r a n cocf a r y p i c a (l . E N t A t r R ,
wlth the body and legsof a horsc,
and the armsand hcad of a rnan
His unusualparentagcexplains
why Chiron was so wrse, unlikc
other Centaurs,for he was leamcd
i n m u s i c ,m e d i c i n e h
, untingand
warfare He was a fnend of 'cPot-trl
and the ruror ro several Greek
heroessuch asACHILLES,
andTeso,v He lived rn a cave on
-fhessaly,
Mount Pelionin
when he died zru-sscr him rn thc
slryas the constellationCentaurus
CLASSICAL MYTHoLoGY
CHIRON (elt) instructstheyouthJul
Achillesin the afts oJwar, medicine,
hunting, musrcand propheq Uniihe his
brother Centdurs,who Lndulgedin iotous
revelnes,Chiron was notedJor his wisdom
and gtntleness(THrEr)uGlloN
oFA( Hill I t 0v
PoMPEo BAToNr, aANn-s, c I/70)
CtNctNNerUS wasa Roman
hero who was instrumentalin sav-
ing the early Republic ln 458 nc,,
Romc was in danger of berng
d c s t r o l ' e db ; r h e A c q u i . a n ei g h -
bounng lralian tnbe To defeatthis
threat,the Senatevoted to appolnr
C i n c i n n a t u sa s d r c t a t o r ,a t e m
poraryofficevcstcdrvith unlimired
powers A deputationwas senr ro
his small farm, rvhich was the
s m a l l e s tl a n d h o l d i n ga l l o w e d t o
quah$'for citizenshrpThe senators
found Crncrnnatusar work tending
hi< , r,rn< Hr u'as rnld 6[ thg
S en a r e ' s d e c r s i o n a n d r ' " . a ss a l u t e d
as dictaror However. the plebeians,
thc ordinary people, feared that
( in, Lnnatusmight abuse his pos-
-fheir
ition fears proved groundless
and, after the dcfeat o[ the Aeqr-ri.
rhel""oted Crncinnatus a golden
wreath at the end of his sixty days
of office He then returned to his
fields and was remembered as the
perfect example of a r'rnuous and
dutilul Roman citizen
CINCINATTUS, oneoJthe mostmodest
oJ Romanheroesand a modeloJ Roman
integnry AIter 60 daystn ot'fice,he quietly
to hlsJanfl (lrrr,rtqtn,".",,u
retumed,
5r()Rlr5 rR()MIr\ry, 188-5)
A-Sa.LEPlL/-S
and
29
CrassrcAr- MvrHoLocY

HERoES
HE MYTHS OF ALL CULTUREScontain inspiring individuals
who express ideal traits and talens, such as the courage
of Achilles, might of Heracles, wit of Odysseus and
endurance of Oedipus. A classic hero is a champion
rn every sense, overcomrng trials, ridding the world of
troublemakers , blazrng trails and winning through
despite all the odds. Yet he is neither inr,ulnerablenor
immortal, though often helped, and sometimes
hindered, by the gods. Greek mythology is
unusually rich in heroes and heroines of every kind.
Some, such as Achilles and Hector, are wartime
champions; others, such as Odysseus or Theseus,
are heroes for peacetime, some are positive and
outgoing, such as Heracles or Perseus; still others
are heroes of attitude rather than action, such as
Oedipus, Antigone, or Hector, who, at the end,
remained steadfastin the face of hopeless defeat.
HEMCLES (bdow) shootshis poisonedanows at his oldJoe, the Centaur Nessu.s,
who racedaway wth his
wile, Deuntru, whik lerrying her acrosstheiver EvenusThe dying Centaur olJeredDeianira the glJtof his
bloodus u sulvelor prcseruingthe loveo[ HeraclesThe lovephiltre provedto be a futal tnch Lrywhich Heracles
tlied manyyears later, tragcally, by the handsoJhis insecurebut loting wife, Deiantra, who in her sorrow
h i l l e d h e r s t(llll.r R ( L U s ^ N r ) N r \ \ L r \ a i F R A N : \ ( ) N - s r r i . r k , . ^ N v A s l 8 6 J l 9 2 8 )

HEMCLES (above), best hnow Jor his mighry labour:, was aII his hJea
helper oJ godsand men, setting theearthJree oJmany monstus and rascak
Worshrypedas a heroand deity,he was invohedas d saviour;as the herooJ
labourand strug,le,he waspatron deity oJthe gmnasium In art he appears
as the ideal oJ manly strength, wrth massivemusclesand graveocpression This
celebratedGreehsculptureshowsthehero in reposeleantngon his club, draped
wth thefamous lion's shin (THLFANrsri
HrRcuL c 200Bc)
E BvGLY.oN.
 CIeSSICAI- MyTHoLoGY

A C H I L L I . S ( a b o v c ) . y 9 J l i h eh c r r r u n d p c e r l t ' s s u t n r o r w u r l l l l d o r i r u / / y , t / i r g u i s e c r. lr ' r r { r f / r n h r \ r r r r i t h H i i t L r r r r r

t n o t h r t , f l t r t t r . t r r r / t t r t g1 i r\ d 1 c h r n r / r r ) r i f h ( l f ( ) / d n \ l ' c l , l r r r / l r r r l d r ) ) ( l t ( \ l r l t d r r L r q i r rt ,r r r / l - \ r r , r r r r t L r 1 r 1-1\ 1 1 1 1 , rf 1 1 1 1 1

( ) d _ y s s e t r s L r r n t , d t s t r r r s r J a s d l l r r ' r i h d n t , la/ rn,cr .wl ' c J t h c t r r / s l r w r l sr l r r \ \ r \ . u r J L m r r \ ( ) r r i r , 4 , h r / i r . \ i ' l i a r f/ / r ( ( t r l r j

eagerlv, suJJcnly n,ulrtrns iris trur rlr and nit, m hlt Hc l/rr rr arconrpanrr i./ Odlsirrr lrr Inl

PI:RSIU.S, guded tnJ nnrdtd hv tfu gods,utii rble ro

s1a_t
thc nrorla/Crrr-qorr
,\Icdusa,orr ,y'thrri /rrtht/Lrl
stslcrswlrrrlwt:lt rtntfu larLhest
sh,,n,11tht orrut. untl
tthosf l()()lis
lutned mot lrr\lol1{'lJ}rvicvingMlr.lururn hrs
s h r n r nrql r r t L iP e r r ' r rn t r sa b l cl o , r i tr y ' / h ehrr a , / u s h r
rltpt Hrtltitn lry thr rnrrrrbl he/nrtr ,y'Hadcshr /ior to
':ulayu
on wtnuL:cl sanJrr/s gilcn hirn,lry/he n-ynr|hr
\lcdusu r /l ctclrvrtsplrrrt J rrnAlhuru r hreasfllrtr rl
parall,stttt' pttirer rn,lrrtll/c' t r i r i r ! \ i i ) \ I r , r J ' I \ f , ( L I ! , . 1r l i

J\rr\ i lr,)rrl

, ; r 1 , 1
l

( . L O F , I l A l r r h r l r ' . t ,l i o r r r r r nh L r r , r r r , $ t r s
$lrr1 rt\ d itoildg . / A S O N i , r / r r r i ) t / r r ' rr ' / r ' h r c i t r '(r(j/ l ) l ( / i r )r r / t h t . \ r r l r r r r r r l : l i O R A T I t r . S ' i ? h r ) \Ir / r r d 1 r ' R , r r l u r/ r Lr o h i l , l r l r ,
l() fhf lrllli\(d|, L r t r s / ) , r r s L r r n ur,/ r 0 r r r t / r i l r ( | | / t / r ! . r r ' n r b a r / rr . /r ) r i t , q l 1 t / lt r , / i r l f r l l lrr hrrrv hut /l tltr (,oltkrt \ t t b l t ,t r t t t/ J i l r i L tI t l l t l r ! r r( ( ) l ] i l ( t r \l ( r l q . / t i t \ l/ / t r / t l l l l s ( r 0 )
(lgdinst ll()nr( But \h( (lup(d
lr(nn hr tttmp unr.l swcrm Ik'ct,:.whth was sus7;rrrr.lcr./fru
r rbnr u n t h o l t t n d t h h 1 ( r t r m t , W / r / r ' h t h t l , l o l l l h r ' F l r u s r r r r r s ,l h r i l r r r r r r r r rhsa r h r r /
d( rllst lhr / r,b0 lrr lirrrrrr \{rhen l/rt ii()ritdI\ \r,Il }tr'i bd( li t t t t l t r g r r t l r / , \ r t r r r r( ' r 1 1 J 1 1
115l r t s g r r ' u f l r r l t , r r r I i chj t it c b l , l t r h r ' h r r r Jh r r r r r l l j l l t ( ( ) J L / l ) \J( I I , r r r r L , ' , l r / r r r ,h
t r ) I ) a r A d t i t d ,h a r " d s r , , / ( { h r ' nn L / t r I L ( / l / d r f n , t l r r t l h a \ c l r \ t t / r : s l, l r r h r r r q i y ' ( r r l i r r s l V r t / rt l r r h L l p o l 1 p , t 1 7 , 1 1, ,t ' , , t n l i l \ r ( ) f r i ( i r /\r H ( ) r r / l i r i r\ l , l l l . r j r r r r r r o r t r lt j r , j r r r , l ( , / , l l

htr lrct'wtlh:ornc ot|rr hoslagi,s rirrri guvc htr t spk'nJitl l h t s r r r ri r r ' s s, \ I c d c a ,J t r r r r l r t c r r t l t h L t n g o l ( . r r i ri r r s / a s r r n l l t r ' n / t r ' s r [ 0 n l d \ . ] / r t \ ' ( r (f 1 r \ \ l / r r r r t g r r r gI t l l r , , r r r r r Jr l 0 r r V
h r r t r e l J r ' r r r h c r r d r r l r r l r r p h a l r l h t , , f r r r J o n r n ' r l i rh L r , J r r t n r t r l l r , ' L i T r f l r r Lr r r r r u f i h / r r / r / r i r g o n l h r r r r r r r l i i t d l l r , ,lnrlrr 1 / t , \ f t t t c r , r i l ( ( 1 r\ tl { t l r i rr r ) l | 5 i t ( ) | 1 ) | irl t t / t (
r ( ) n l p t l l l l { ) l l \i r . r r i \ i , ' .r r ' | \ ' , , , , , . t l i , . rl 5 r ,
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
CtnCr, daughter of ruruos, the
sun god, was a powerful witch who
had porsoned her husband, hng of
the Sarmatians,before going to rhe
fabulous island of Aeaea.Her mag-
ical powers tumed ODY55EU5' men
into swine when they landed on
Aeaea on their way home from
Troy. Aided by HERMES, the mes-
senger god, Odysseuswas immune
to Circe's magic and restored his
crew to human form, and also
gained the witch's aid for the next
part of his joumey For ayearhe
stayed as her lover, before she told
him how to navigate through the
waters o[ the Sirens and between
Scylla, a monster, and Charybdis, a
whirlpool. Srylla had been a nval of
Circe, who had rumed her into a
monster when one of her many
lovers had shown an interest in the
unfortunate girl ln some accounts,
Circe eventuallymanied Odpseus'
son Telemachus.
32
CIRCE Q4t), an enchantingnynph, CLYTEMNESTM (abwe), the estrangd
inites Odysseusb dnnhJrom ho maglc wife oJAgamonnon, watchesand waitslor
cup, containingd potion which tums men the shipsfrom Troy,binglngho husband
into swine But Odysseushas ben home Yet no hero's welcomeawaits the
forewamed and, immunized with the herb retumingwarior, onlybetrayaland
moly, he dnnls wtthout coming to ham murder by his wrJeandher lover
(IIUSIMTION FROM TANGLMOOD TALEs, C I92O) (IrLUsTMfloN BYNICX BUE,1995 )
CLOTUASCC HEROES dess ARTEMIS, either as sacrificial wars. He said that unless the ple-
victim or as pnestess beians, the ordinary people, were
CLrrnunrsrRn was the Like her sister HELEN,whose willing to restore to the nobiliry is
daughter ofrpoe and Tyndareos, elopement with PARIScaused the full ancient privileges they should
king ofsparta, and the estranged Trojan War, Clytemnestra felt no expect no charity Hounded from
Mfe of eceurMNoN. Sometimes loyalry towards her husband. She Rome for such an opinion, he
she is poruayed as a weak woman, openly conducted an affair with joined the Volsci and evenrually Ied
easily persuaded by her lover Aegisthus, Agamemnon's cousin, a Volscian army against the ciry. All
Aegisthus to assistin the murder of and ruled Mycenae with him. The seemed lost until his mother
her husband on his return from end of the war required desperate Volumnia spoke to him, asking
the Trojan War Otherwise it is measures.When he rerumed home Coriolanus whether he saw her as
Clytemnestra who rs the strong Agamemnon was butchered by his own mother or as a prisoner of
character,the insdgator of the mur- Aegisthus, usinga wo-headed axe, war. As a result he quit the battle-
der, while Aegisrhusis little more while Clytemnestra had him en- field and went into exile.
than a weakling Even before the ungled in a net For this terrible
the Greek force departed for Troy, crime, Clytemnestra was herself CneON, in Greek mythology,
Clytemnesrra already had good hlled by her son oREsrEs was the brother o[Jocasta and a
reason to hate her husband. In reluctant ruler of Thebes He was
order to gain a fair wind to Troy, he COruOUNUS wasalegendary regent during the uncertain period
agreed to sacrifice her favourite Roman traitor o[ the fifth century afrerKing LAIUS, Jocasu'shusband,
child tpntcrruin Even though the BC Conscious above all of his had been killed near the ciry Creon
champion ACHTLEShad promised noble birth, Coriolanus objected to offered the throne and the hand of
to defend the grrl againstall threats, the Senate'swish to distribute free Jocastato any man who could solve
rhe Greek host had its way and bread to poorer citizens, who were the nddle of the SPHINX and thus
lphigenia was offered to the god- starving becauseof Rome's endless rid Thebes of this bloodthirsty
 CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY

was a com god whom they associ-

ated with the Golden Age

CUPTU was rhe Roman god of

love and son of the love goddess
IENUS.He was deprctedas a beaut-
iful but wanlon boy, armed with a
qurver fuli o[ "arrowed desires"
Some of his arrows, however,
would um people awayfrom those
who fell rn love wrth them
CREON, reluctanthing oJThebes,Iosthis According to one myth, Venus
son, wiJeand niecein a traglcqde oJ wasjealous ofpsycHE ("the soui")
suicidescausedby his infteible will His and told Cupid to make her love
crushingJatewas to endurea hJeof the ugliest man alive But Cupid fell
solitary gneJand remorse olrl'srurk)NBr in love wrth Psycheand, inv'rsible,
NICK 8arE, I995 ) nsired her everynighr. He told her
nor to rry to see hrm, but, over-
CORIOLT{NUS. a Roman As a result of this act of defiance,
exile.marched to keep chained up. In gratitude, come by curiosity, she did try and
againsthisoA cirywithandmy oJ Creon hadAnngone walled up in a the Cyclopes, the single-eyed he left her Psychesearchedthe
Vokcians, encamping justoutsideRome
cave. lne seer llRt5iAStoro Lreon giants, fashioned for Zeus his world for him, until the sky god
There, heignored aIIentreaties to bury the dead and disinter the
Jorpeace famous hghrning and thunderbolts JUPITER granted her immortality so
until visitedbyhismother(centre), hiswiJe
living, but he refused The result In a subsequenr struggle for that she could be Cupid's consmnt
andtheRoman matrons, whose tears
was personalgnef, when his own power, Zeus and hrs brothers companion The couple's daughter
softenedhis sternheatt(IuusrmroN son committed suicide on leaming
rRoM successfullydealt wrth all the might was named Voluptas ("pleasure")
STouEs FROM Llw.1885) of Antigone's dearh, and hts own and power that Cronos could
wrfe soon followed suit direct against them After his CUPIDJshes playt'ully
amongst thewaves
monsrer. jEDIPIIS managed ro Although Creon was well defeat, Cronos was either banished Heis usuallyportrayed asa cute,
achieve the apparently lmpossible known ro the ancient Greek, his to a distant paradise, or he simply capncious childwithwingsandoJten witha
task, then took over the kingdom, own characterseemslessimponanr slowly faded awayas an unimpor- quiveroJarowsor a torchto inJlame love
marriedJocastaand raiseda family in myth than his role as regent in tant deity The Romansequated in the hearts oJ gods and men (cr prDFrsHrNG
Not until a piague threatened the troubled ciry of Thebes. Cronos with their SATURN,who FREDER((WArrs,-sfprAL ]890 )
B) C;E()RG[

Thebes and the Delphic Oracle was

consulted about irs cause,did ir CRONOS, in Greek myrhology,
become known thatJocasrawas was the son of Ouranos, the sky
Oedipus' mother and that he had god, and GAIA,rhe earth morher.
lolled L-aius.Oedipus blinded him- With the help of Gaia, Cronos
self,Jocastacommitted suicide and emasculatedOuranos and seized
Creon became regent once more. control of the universe He then
A quarrel between Oedipus' married his sister nHEAand fol-
sons, Eteocles and Polynices, Iowed the example of Ouranos in
caused another penod of dismay, disposing of his children by swal-
eventually leaving both of them lowrng them, becausehe had been
dead and Creon on the throne. wamed that he would be displaced
Whereas Eteocleswas regardedby byone ofhis sons Rhea,however,
Creon as a patriot and properly gavehim a stone wrapped in swad-
buned, the body of the rebel dling clorhesinsteadof the infanr
Polynices was thrown outside the ZEUS,his youngest son, who was
city walls and forbidden burial. taken secretlyto Crete in order to
Such a situationwas unaccepmble gow up safelyon the island When
to ANTIGONE,Oedipus' daughter Zeus came ofage, he forced Cronos
and companion during his wan- to vomit up hrs brothersand sisters
denngs around Greece,and on her - POSEIDON, HADES, HERA, HESTIA
retum to Thebes she sprinkled and orl,trrrR - and to releasehis
Poll'nices' corpse with earth, so as uncles and aunts, especiallythe
to give her brother a token burial Tians, whom Cronos had chosen
Cle,ssrcAr- MyrHoLoGY

wrngs olwax and feathersfor him-

self and his son lcarus Despite his
father's waming, Icarus flew too
close to the sun, the wax of his
CURTIUS baps into the chasmin the wings melted and he fell into the
RomanJorum The seersdeclared that the sea and drowned. Daedalusman-
,hasm could only beJilled by Rome's aged ro amve safelyin Sicily, where
greatesttreasure,and so Curtiusymped he amused the daughters of l(ng
in, declanng that therewasno greater Cocaloswith his invendons When
treasurethan a gallant Romancltizen Minos eventually caught up with
(lra|srMTft)N FRoM 5r()RrEs r,RoM Lrw, 1885.) the fugitive craftsman, a battle of
wits ended in Daedalus' favour:
CURTIUS is the subject of a Mrnos was lolled by boilingwater, DANAE (above) was impisoned in a D{ED{[US (nght) craftedwtngs of
srrange incident in Roman myth- or oil, which Daedaiuspersuaded bronze tower by ho Jather, becatsehe feathus, heWtogetho by wax, to escary
ology Around 362 nc a grear Cocalos'daughters ro pour down a Jeareda propheq that he woull be ktlled by t'rom Crete, anl taught hrs son, Iccrus, hon,
chasm appeared in the Forum in pipe into the king's bath. his grandson Yet even htdden away in her toJl, waminghim that he must notJty too
Rome, which led straight down to tower, shewas still accessibleto the god closeto the sun But lcarus wasdrawn to
the underworld It had appeared DRNen was rhe morher of the Zeus, who came to her as a goWat shower thelight ol the sun so his wings meltd and
becausethe Romansforgot to make breeK nero PtR5tuJ ano Ine Thq had a son,Perseus(Drrreauour heJeII into the sea, now named the lcaian
an appropnate sacrificeto the dead daughter ofAcnsius, long of Argos GoLDEN RAIN BY TITIAN, cANvAs, i554 ) (DAEDALUS AND IGRU5 By CMU laNmN, 1799)

Marcus Curtius therelore plunged in the Peloponnese lt had been

on horseback into the bottomless foretold that her son would cause DePHNn, in Greek myrholory, was a gold-tipped shaft and when
pit and was seen no more the death ofAcrisius, so he locked was the daughter of the river god it struck Apollo it made him fall
her in a bronze tower But ZEUS Peneius.She was similar in many immediately in love with Daphne
Cyct-oPts see GrANrs visited her as a shower of golden ways to the goddess ARTEMIS, in The second one, however, had a
rain and Perseuswas conceived that she was also a virgrn huntress lead tip and caused Daphne to
DngP,qlUS, according to Greek The kingbanished the morher and who happily roamed the wrlder- become even more indifferent than
mytholory, was said by some to be her son, but after many adventures ness One day, the love god enos she aiready had been to any lover
the son of Alcippe, the daughtero[ Perseus did accidentally kill shot a flurry of arrows in response Apollo, however, pursued Daphne
the war god eREs,and by others to Acnsius when throwing a discus. ro taunts from APOLLO,the god of relentlesslyuntil, in desperation,
be the son of Merope It is agreed, (Seealso LOv'ERs OFZEUS) prophecy The first ofEros'anows she tumed herselfinto a laurel uee
though, that he came from Athens
He was a gifted craftsman and was
employed by khng MINOSar his
palace of Knossos in Crete.
Daedalus designed and built the
Labynnth for the dreaded vtlo-
TAUR This was the offspnng of
PASIPFIAE, Minos'wife, and a great
bull Daedalus had designed an
anificial cow inro which rhe queen
could place herself and so be able
to mate wrth the bull Thus was the
Minotaur conceived Minos later
impnsoned Daedalus for revealing
the secretof the Labynnth, but he
managed to escapeby constructing

DAPHNE,a iver nymph,wasbvedby

Apollowhopursuedheruntll,on thebanlzs
oJherJather'siver, sheprayedJor
helpand
was at oncechangedinto a laurel tree
Here. herJather, the iver god Penaus,
weepstnconsolably, whlle Apollo strohts her
Ieafi arms tn wonder CApoLLo
ANDDApHNL
8y
(ANvAs.
Nr()ut P(tr,55rN. c 1627)

34
CTASSTcAL MyrHor.ocy
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY

DEMETER,QeJt) goddess of theeanh,and

herdaughter,Persephone, holding a mystic
theyung Tiptolemus,
torth,consecrate
theJirstmanto sowcom ThisrelieJ was
s1
:{. Joundat Eleusis,
siteof theEleusian
mystenes whichrcntred onDaneterand
herworship(MARB:E RELTEF,
c 490 BC)

dead she pined and refusedto eat

d
l7
any food, while in the world of the
lirnngher mother iost all interestin
fertiliry,so thar plants languished,
animals ceased to multiply and
people feared lor their future
Eventually,Zeus had to intervene
and rule that Hadesmust grve up
Persephoneif she would not con-
senr to stay with him As she had
by then earen something in his
realm,it was deemedthat she had
not completelyrejectedHades,so
henceforth Persephone would
dinde the year equallybetween her
mother and her husband

DIDO @elow), exoticqueeroJCarthage,

traglcally
stabbed whenhr lover
herselJ
Aneasdesmedher to fufilhisdestiny,
and
leadhispeopleto RomeTheheroine
isportrayedbyVirglaso nobleand
generoussoulwho,in theclassictradition,
endureshertraglcJatealone
OLLUSTMTON 8Y NICK BULE, ]995 )

Dnlpntc ORACLEs." an important cult at Eleusis,just Her myth tums on the disap- The story of Demeter and
OMCLESANDPROPHECIES south o[Athens, where ntes were pearanceof Persephone When the Persephoneis clearlyancient lt has
celebraredannually in the autumn girl was a child, her father, ZeuS, parallelsin the mythology of Wesr
DEUETER, rhe Greekgoddessof when, through music and dancing, wrthout even consulting Demeter, fuia, where gowth and decaywere
vegetadonand fruitfu]ness, was the her worshippers recalled the loss agreed to his brother FIADES' closely associatedwith a dyng and
daughrer of cRolos and RHre and rediscovery of her daughter request that Persephoneshould be reviving deiry For the Greek,
Like her Roman equivalent,Ceres, PERSEPHONEDemeter means his bride and rule the underworld Persephoneas Kore ("the maid-
she was especiallyassocratedwith "mother eanh" - rhe abundant soil wuh him Hadeswas impatient and sn"), was identified as rhe power
com Demeter possessedmysteri- as well as the resting-placeof the rose from the earth and abducted within the com i6elf, which was a
ous powers of growth and even dead (which were known by the Persephoneas she plucked flowers natural extersion of her mother the
resurrection She was the focus of Atheniansas "Demeter'speople") in a field Bur in rhe world of the com goddessDemeter.

36

DIOO, origrnally a princess of
Tyre, in Phoenicia, became rhe
tragic queen of Canhage and rhe
abandoned love of AENEA5.Her
husband had been murdered by
her brother, when the latrer
ascended the throne ofTyre. Dido
escaped from Phoenicia with a
small band of followers and sertled
in present-day Tunisia, where she
purchased enough land to found
the ciry of Canhage The local ruler
agreed to sell her as much ground
as a bull's hide might contain,so
Dido cut the skin into strips in
order to obtain an adequateplot
When the Trojan hero Aeneas
arrived in Carthage, having been
blown offcourse on his way to Italy
from Troy, Dido welcomed him
and his fellow refugeeswith great
understanding Aeneasand Dido
CLAssrcAL MYTHoLoGY
DIONYSUS, the vital and beautifulGreeh
god oJunc whirls in a state oJblisslul
euphoia inducedW his own Jruit,the
grape Entwined in his hair is a wreath oJ
vine, and coveinghis shouldersthe shin oJ
a lyrw, one oJ the oeatures sdcredto hifi
DtOtttYSUS was rhe son of zEUs
and sruELr, who was a Theban
princess.In Greek mythology, he rs
a youthful god o[vegetation,wine
and ecstasy,known as the "bull-
homed god" because he ofren
adopted the form of this powerful
beast. In Roman mythology he is
representedby the god Bacchus.
Onginally, he may have had a
mythological role somewhat simi-
lar to that of the goddessDEMETER
("mother earth") His cult in later
times, however, developed into
one of personalsalvation,particu-
larly for women worshippers who
were known as maenads
From the beginning, the ancient
Greeks were well aware o[ rhe
strangecharacteroI Dionysus,and
in some city-stateshis wrld, orgras-
tic ntes were outlawed. The most
famous attempt to prohibit his
worship was by King Pentheusof
Thebes The king even tried to
imprison Dionysus, but the chains
fell off him and the prison doors
could not be closed Dionysus then
told Pentheus that he could
observe at lirst hand the secret
rituals performed on a mountain
close to the city, but only if he
disguised himself as a woman. The
hng readily took the bait and spied
on the maenads from a hiding-
place in a tree However, rhe
maenadssoon discoveredhim and,
soon fell in love, but the Roman in their ecsraticfrenzy,thought that
god luetrrn senr MERcuRvwirh a he was a lion and tore him limb
messagereminding Aeneasof his from limb. Afterwards his mother,
desdny to found a new Troy in Italy Agave, who was also one o[ the
and ordenng him to resume his leading maenads, realized to her
voyage at once When Aeneas horror thar they had dismembered
sailed away, Dido became so over- not a lion but her son. After his
whelmed by the loss of her lover bunal, Agave, together vnth her
that she stabbed herself and then parents, CADMUsand Harmonia,
leapt inro the flames of. a pyre left Thebesand went into exile
(Seealso FOUNDERS) (Seealso LovERsoF zEUs)
37
 CLASSICAL MYTHoLOGY

E {'ffi
"\\

i.i"e'i
T H E D t o s C U R I , t h em y s r e r L -THE DIOSCURI (aboLe), truns Castor I
ous twin sons of LHI)A,queen of ant) Pollw, retumed to ccrrtir to help thc \r, ,

Sparta,were known to the Greek Romon ranhs dgoiist tn I anns Ln tht

as Castor and Polydeuces,and ro JohldBatle ol h/re RegrilusAdom(durth

the Romans as Castor and Pollux gltuming urmLtur, and rnountetl on snow
:
They were brothers oI HrLrruand wirrtt sfeels, thty- [ed thL Rom.]ns l() vi.tory ltt'
'I,lt
CTYTIMNESTM Around all rhese ( l t r \ r R { I t r ) \L t i r \ r L \ \ s r j r \ \ r r \ r R a \ i l 1 8 , ! /l

rhilrlro- pY,-pnr al\/tp - . / . - ' m n e srfa . \r.

t h e r c h r r n p a d e f i n i r r -s e n s c o f Ihc Drorr un wcrc revcrcd by

diunc parentage,and it may well the Spartansand rhe Romansrn

be chat they were ancrentdeiries particular Roman .soldiers.swore
whose worship had dechned so rhrt thc nrrscn, r' of I ;strrr and

that their exploits could be told as Pollux on a battlefieldsecuredlor

the mythological actionsof mortal them r.rctonesagarnstall the odds
rulers Castor and Polydeuces("the
heavenly twins whom the corn- EUCfne was rhe daughter of
bearingearth holds") wereregard- A C A M F M N T TkNi n. g o f M y t c n a e .
ed as bcing both dead and alive ln and cttrnv,lESTM, and rhe sister
one story, Polydeuceswas the o l t n e m a ln c l o e ( r R L 1 \ L\ ner
r m m o r r a sl o n o f z t u s w h i l eC a s t o rname (whrchonce may havemeant
was rhe mortal son of Kng " f i r c ' o r " s n a r k ' ) r e { e r st n a m h e r
Tlrrdareos At Polydeuccs'request When Agamemnon rerumed from ELECTRA (ubove),heroicdaughttroJ EOS (bdow), Greth goddess
oJ thedawn,
the twins shared the dl,rniry the Trojan War and was murdered Agamemnonand Clyttmnestra,rneetsher n\f\ rLrrflea.h J,rr to announ\cthecomrng
b c t w e e nt h c n r ,l i v i n g h a l fr h c y c a r
by his wrfe and her loverAegisrhus, tibd brothtr Ortstt's outside ol tht sun Shewas the daughteroJ
beneath the earth with the dead, Electrarescuedher young brother Agamtmnon'stomb It was Electruwho Hypenonund Thcia ttnd sisterto the sun
and rhe other half on Mount Orestes and ensured thar he rescuedher brotherfrom theflii lntentrons god Helros In worhsoJart, shes oJten
Olirmpus wrth the gods They are cstapedAcgrsthuscvrlintcntions o/Aegrsthuslry helpinghim escupt Having deprctedhoveing tn the slry,her roEJbm
shown together rn the constellation Years later, Orcstes retumed to thoughtthat shewouk) neverseehtm ,tJomeJ m a goldtn m.tnllc Shcs
of Gemini Mycenaeas a grown man Electra ugain, sht r seenhtre rqoicing in his accompanedhert by her starry daughters
In their youth the Droscun("rhe m r t h i m a t t h c t r r m br r ft h c i r m u r - ri'[um l()Rr .r r \\r) LL | ( | R\ vlRil r ( 1D ]00 I ( J rr l \ T M r i r ) \ F R o M 5 r ( ) R l t s I R o M l l ( ) M t R , 1 8 8 5 )

sons of Zeus") were ARGONAT/TSdered father and gave hrm advrce

D u n n g r h e e x p e d r t i o nr o r e t n c v e and encouragementIn at leastone
the Golden Fleece, Polydeuces versionof thc myth Electrais por-
hlled with his bare handsAmycus, trayed as berng so consumed by
king of the savageBebryces,who hatred ior Clytemnestrathat she
were a people hung in AsraMinor participatesin the act of revenge
O n a n o t h c r o c c a s i o nt h e t w i n s herself.Lttcr she was overwhelmed
were ranged against the Athenian by remorse, while her distraught
n e r o r H L 5 t u 5 .w n o c a m c oo l l t n c brother fled before rhe FURIES, the
twelve-year-oldHelen pnor to her dertieswho wreakedvengeanceon
mamage to King MENEI,AUS They murderers
brought their sister safelyhome to
Sparta,and even set up a rival to ENOYUTON was rhe king o[ a
Theseuson the throne o[Athens small ciry-statein the Peloponnese,

38
 ClessrcAr MvrHoLocY

ENDYMION(abne)waslmedby Selne EUROPA (nght) wasa Phoenician relationshipto Ares,for he was rhe
whovisitedhimin hisetenal sleepHere, pnncessbome away by Zeus, who assumed patron divrnity of the SacredBand
thelovers
partat dawnIn theslg,the theJom oJa great white bull He swam to of Thebes,which was a group of
goddessspinhlesdot beJore
thesun- the island.oJCretewith Europandingon one hundred and fifty pairs of
chaiot,whileoneanhNyxdraws a curtain his bach Sheoentually mamed Asteius, lovers who were all killed by the
oJdarhnessabouther (SLLENE
ANo ENoyMroN the rulerol Crete (luusrur()NFRoMDRsMtrH's Macedonianarmy at the battle of
ByNrcousPouJSrN,
a/NvAs,
c 1591-1665
) ClaslGl DlcroNARY, 1895) Chaeronia in 338 nc After the
battle l(ng Philip of Macedon
in all likelihood Elis According ro Theia Shewasseenasa charioteer locked him in a granted them a specialbunal
Greek mythology, he became the riding across the sl<yjusr before becamethe cicada(an insectnoted
lover of the moon goddessSelene sunrise,pulied by her horsesShiner for im complaining sound) EUnOPe, in Greek mythology,
(frequentlyidendlied wrth Diana), and Bright Her brother, the sun was the daughter ofTelephassaand
who bore him fifty daughters god riruos, had a four-horsechar- EruXYES SCEFURIE5 of King Agenor of Tyre, a city in
Becauseshe could not endure the iot to indicate his greaterstatus. Phoenicia. Agenor's five sons,
thought that Endymion would The Romanscalled her Aurora EROS, according to some Greek including CADMUS, were sent out
eventually die, Selene put her Eos had a repuation for passion rraditions, was rhe son of Erebos to look for their sister after ZEUS,
youthful lover into an everlasting, and fell in love with a largenumber and the Night, while in others he disguisedas a white bull, swam to
deep sleep However, in another of young men, including the was the son of ARES,god of war As the island of Cretewrth Europaon
version of the myth, it is said that particularly handsome Tithonus, the youngest of the gods and the his back There she bore the god
zEUs grarrredEnd)rynion his wish son of Laomedon, king of Troy companion of apHRoottr, he rhree sons. MINOS.RFTADAMANTHYS
that he might be allowed to sleep When Eos asked zrus ro make appearedto enjoy mahng asmuch and saRprporu,beforemanying rhe
loreverin a cavewrthout ageing Tithonus immorral, she forgot mischief as he could by firing his local ruler Astenus By way of com-
about etemal youth and ended arrows of passion into the hearts of pensatlon for Europa's vrrginity,
EOS *rs rhe Greek, wrnged god- with a lover made helpless mth gods and humans alike His con- Zeus gaveAstenus a mighry bronze
dess of the dawn and the third age Thereupon, accordingto dif- nection with homosexuallove may man, Taios, to defend his realm
child of the TITANSHyperion and ferent versions of the myth, she have derived from his supposed (Seealso LovERsoF zEUS)

39
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY

ORACLES AND PnOPHECIES

Ar people beheved that the future couid be

revealed, they frequently consulted oraclesof
every kind for personal and politlcal purposes.
The most famous was the Delphic Oracle
where Apollo, rhc sccr-god,spoke through a
p n e s t e s s . T h e f u [ u r e w a s a l s o r e v e a l e db y
oracular signs, such as the fall of dice, lots, or
bumt offerings. Dreams afforded another type of
oracle, usually inspired by the gods, sometimes
to mrslead. Prophecieswere also sought from
s e e r s ,b o t h l i v i n g a n d d e a d . A l t h o u g h t h e
Romans consulted lorc (or sorres) for personal
problems, they rarely, if ever, prophesied for
politicai purposes.

D R [ . . 1 , \ ' 1 5 i h i ' k n r ] . l r r l J 5 ( , D r r l l r t \ r , r , , r 1t l r , / r r l r i l t u r r J x r r r o f t d r r i r s T r r r i l i ' r t h , g , l l t ,

r i ' r r , r l ]t r, r ( r r l r l i J l d r a l l n r r ' 1 l , , r t i(ll l, i r \ i r t \ \ I l r t ItrrLLl.ij5\i\it'.i llir,r,jr,rrr /'r

\ t l r , r t , t t r t l / t , / , r i r l t , . 1 l t , t r t r t , r 1 / . J t i i t/ tl lt t, ,t t ' t , , t t . , , r . , r i L , l P . r r . h l , . t r l i t , ' r i r , r t r i , l '

, i r r , /i r r t r / r , t L .tl h . t t i r l : , , r r , l r ' I r l , t r i r r i s t / r , , r r ! /lrr t n n a i l i i n g l n r r t r l , lr , , n , i i r ,I r r

/ ( l l r , r l l l { ) i r l r\ d / a l } i , , r r , r \ . r r , \ : , i . i I I , j . , ir i l s i ft:

C-I.S.S.,1NDR'1ulrrr ) /rrrrrstcluLLghter
oJl\tant urtJ lirr tilu wtr' a gr/teJ
h r r tl n i L r L\ r L r , t r h r )h r / i . i r r ( ) r n t o
d b et g r o r - c d- S h n
c u s t ' r r J o n t rni r r h
pnph,rl h'.1poi1,rItr f\rhdn.Kfdr thepronttseo/ ho Llr \\''hrnshtrbroke
hdr rrrrrl, ht lrrinrsht
J ho hy lccrrcingthat hat prophilk \, h{rw(\r'r trar,
worll uln'uys,h rqnrrrrJ Ihs powefulpornayulry'(r:rar,/ru rtrrals lhc
:ohtai1,ull :r'rrirr irtrL/,y' thc sorrowfulsecr,rvhoucruralc/yprrrlitlcd the

/ai I o/ Itrl' i( \!\\\r,il\ n \Ju K r i r ( , r ! , r J 4 R B r r ,l 3 8 a ) g j l

 CIeSSICAL MYTHOLOGY

',1
i,'. ,i;t r 1 r r , r L , , , , i rt 'n! i, i t , ! r \ l L r r , i
, ,,t+nl.l
{\'dl

5l(i\5 tx ()Ifl:N\ r,,i,,rr i , r , r ' , i , 1l i i , i r , l i t ' t'r / I,rr r i! Lji rrL/!\ \ L j r ) i ri i r l \

i,,i' ,',jr,, r l r i L t l t r L , r l r \ L , r ) i r i r , t , \ t , r r l r i , , l / r r l , t ! l \1 1 , r , 1 r 1 7 r , l L , i . i i t i r .iil,rr ir

\ L , r r r L\ L i Lr , L 1i , r ( , r r i r i \ i j l L ' , , i r i l , l , , 1, ; r 6 i l r r l , , , ' , i 1 1 r i j r , . j , i ' 1 1, , 1, 1 ' r 1 i , i ') l, I

ClassrcAr- MyrHoLoGy
Tnr FefES, from rhe Roman,
Fatae,were three goddesseslmown
to the Greeks as the Moerae Their
origins are uncertain, although
some called them daughrers of
night. It is clear, however,rhar at a
certain period they ceased to be
concemed with death and became
instead those powers which decid-
ed whar must happen ro individu-
als. The Greeks knew them as
Clotho ("the spinner"), Lachesis
("the apportioner") and Atropos
("the ineviuble") A late idea was
that the Fatesspun a lengrh ofyam
which represenred rhe allorred
span for each mortal
Alrhough zEUs was the chief
Greek god, he was still subjecr to
the decisions of the Fares, and
thus the executor of destinyrather
than its source Hence the great
importance to both gods and
humans of oracles which indicared
the ineutable drift of events ln
mythology, however, the Fates
played little direct parr (Seealso
OMCLESANDPROPHECIES)
FnUnUS was rhe Roman god of
the countryside and identified with
the Greek PAN.god of the moun-
uinside Faunus was said to be rhe
grandson ofsarunN and was cred-
ited with prophetic powers,which
on occasion inspired the Romans
to renew effons on the battlelield in
the face o[ defeat Perhapsrhis is
the reason for Faunus sometimes
42
THE FAIES, or the Mdfie, rr,tr tilJolsd
dtblfth aod6ide d nrani dattrny O/ten
dqictod as spinnm, Clotho, at the dght,
with a spindlespinsout the thftdd o/lf,
u,frile lzchais, at the $, nasum the
lengh of a lp, and Atropos, with the
shean, cub it of G cornrN THRFDrvJ M
SnuDMcKorloNc{N s,c 1890)
Gnn, in Greek myrhology, was
the earth,who came out of Chaos
and gavebirth to Ouranos the sky
god, who was her son and hus-
band. So passionate was their
reladonship and so overwhelming
Ouranos' embrace that their off-
spring could not emerge lrom her
womb. One of these buried chil-
dren, CRONOS, the youngestson,
decided to overthrow Ouranos.
Gaia conceived a great sickle which
Cronos used to cut off his father's
penis within the eanh womb The
god was emasculatedand the sky
separated from the earth From
Ouranos' blood, Gaia conceived
the FURIES,the avenging goddesses
who pursued murderers.
Ouranos then faded from the
mythological scene and Cronos
FAUNUS, a spiil oJthe plainsandJields, A FURY,goddess oJpunishmnt,wbldsa ruled the universe, uhng his sister
Jrolics alongwith aJriendly goat Faunus' torch,scourge - thetookoJho
dnd.spears RHEAas a wife. The Greeks regard-
children,hnown as Fauni, hall-mn, halJ- vengeo,nceTheFuiespursuedwrthout ed this as the golden age of the
goats,weredelightlulbut capicious merqin l{e andin deathall wrong-dom TITANS.Cronos, however, tumed
crmtures,who sometimesplaguedmen's Sometimes thq werewinged, Embolizng out to be as tyrannical to his own
sleepwith nightmares (tLLr/srMr()N
FRoM
DR the*t{tnessoJtheirvengeance (tlruirunoN family as Ouranos had been before
SMilH
s CrAssrql
DrcroNARy,
1895) FRoMDRSMrrH's
C6slGLDrcrroNARy, 1895) him. He had been wamed by an
oracle that he would be displaced
being seen as a descendant of the were ponrayed as uglywomen$lth by one of his sons, so he swallowed
war god MAR5 His mortal son, snakes enrwined in their hair, and his children as soon as they were
Latinus, was the king of the Latin were pitiless to those mormls who bom Rhea, on Gaia's advice, gave
people ar rhe time of erNnqs' had wrongly shed blood They him a stone wrapped in swaddling
arrival in Italy after the long voyage relenrlesslypursued oREsrEs,who insteadof the infant ZEUS,who was
from Troy. avengedhis father AGAMEMNON's secretly taken to Crete in order to
murder by killing CLYTEMNESTM, grow up there in safery When Zeus
FLORA SCCFORCESOF NATURE his mother The Furies were only was grown, he compelled his father
persuaded to abandon their perse- to disgorge his brothers and sisters,
Tnn FUruES, from rhe Roman cution of Orestes after his acquitul including his future wife HEM, the
name, Furiae, were the avenging by the Areopagus, an ancient seagod PosEtDoN,the god of rhe
goddeqsesof Greek mythology and Athenian council presided over by underworld FIADESand DEMETER.
were known as the Ennyes ("the the goddess ATHENA.The verdict the goddessof vegendon.
angry ones") Theywere bom from calmed the anger of the Furies, Gaia may have savedZeus hom
the blood of Ouranos that fell into whose name was then changed to a fate similar to that of Ouranos
rhe womb of cete,when CRoNos, the less-threatening Eumenides, and Cronos when she wamed him
his son, castratedhim. The Furies ("the soothed ones") that a child of his bom by Metis
 CIaSSICAT MYTHOL-OCY

"';{.l
1l'
I

t
GAIA i h r 5 r - c r rr i l l l r l r , f / l a i l . ' l i 5 h r ' \

t J r r , , L r tt//rr ci i l t t f L r l , r r r t hr t r t h h c r g r f t i , r /

I n t l . i o u n t l a b u n d . l r r (r N t ) t o n ! x t t s s h t
, 1 ' , , , ' , r 1 6 s y1 , fa l l u n J l h r r o u n s / t c r o /

, l r r L i r , ' r r b r r t s / t r 't r u ' r i r r , d g ( r l d f s \ i ,

J r r t h x h o , / t h cr h r t r l t h r d l l sh a r . r . ( / l t i i i \

bu,ltl0 h0 i l r r l \ i r \ i i L , \r i r\ r , r 6 [ \ l i j ' ) ' r ar

( " r h o u g h t " ) w o u l d r ep l a c e h i m i r s
rht' sr-rpremc gocl So Zeus st:tL-
Lru.'ccl \'1etis iln(l latcr tl-ie godclcs:
A /l l/ NA sprang frorn hrs heacl
'l'hc
srorv r)l fhe separatl()lt
l r r ' l \ \ tL ' l tt l < r , r n r l( . l r l l l l i J l l 1 l l ,l ( l l l

onc lt rs ior:nd rn e valieq'ol ftrrnls

Ln \\'cst Asian rnythologl' I hc
I lumans, who lncd ()n the borclcrs
ol nrodem-furkcy nncl lraq, hlcl in
rherr rnt,rhs thc ntost I Lolcnt
\ crsron of the sk1's ctnascltlaIltltt
Kurnarbr, the equivalent of Cronos,
brt off and swallowccl hrs fathtr's
pe ttis As a rcsult of hts unr.rsr-ral
a t t r o n . h o * ' e v e r , K r - r m a r b ib c c l r m c
prcgnant wirh tcmble deitres. olre
ol whom at Lastove rthrerv hln'r

GnNYIr,teoe n r L J r c ek m l l h
1 , l 1 r g 1r r , a <t h c ' , ' r r
f ro-. thl krnA
"l
of Phrygia, and brother of llus He
was such a beautr{ul young man
t h a r Z F i . r . sa b d u c t e d h i m a n d t c - r o k
hrm to Mounr Olympus ILrbc hls
cupbearer lt was believed thar
Ganymede also bccame Zcus'
lover, and gained hls immonality zt-s
thc consrellation Aquanus. thc
water-camer

GANYMEDE, a handsomeboy,excitttl
rhc passionof Zrus whtr,n the grustol ttn
uglt, borehim uwnyto Mount OrymPui
(IHr R A f t o F G A N Y M Tr ) r B l P F r F R P A r l R l 8 t N \

(ANVA5 1577 )640)

CLASSIcAL MYTHoLoGY

HADES (abwe) , lord oJ theundewvorld, HECTOR Aelow), the Trojan champion,

with his wiJe,Persephone,receivesthe souk snatchesa fioment oJpeocewith his loving
oJthe dead, who are gadedby Hermes wtJeand. small son He wasportrayed as
Hades appedrs with typically darh lools both a raglng warior and a gentlefamily
and unntly hair wer which he often worea man who had taughthimself to be valiant
m a g l ch e l m e tr l r l u s r M r / rop^o M
D Fs M l l H ' out oJdury rather than any natural
CHSIGL DICTIoNARY. I895 ) COUrAge(LLUsrMrraN
ByAUNLEE,
1994)

THE GIANTS (above)weregigantic

creatures with snahe-Iihetails After thq
were defeatedby the gods,thq werebuied
beneathvolcanoesHerewe seethe hound
oJ Artemts hilling a glant at the battle of the
Giants and thegods (zEL,s
ALIAR
oFIERGAMIN,
^TARBLE.
c 1808C)

THe GnNrS, from rhe Roman

name, Giganres, in Greek myrh-
ology, had human shape, excepr
for the snake-like tails thar were
attached to their legs They were
bom at the same time as rhe
FURIES,from rhe blood thar [e]l THE GORGON MEDUSA (abwe) was
into GAIA'Swomb ftom Ouranos' onte a beauttful woman whoseloclu were
severed penis. When the Gianrs tumed to withing snahesby a vengeJul
attacked Olympus, rhe gods stood goddessThe imageoJhu fnghtfulJace was
their ground, but knew rhar they cawed,lihe an etl qe, on wamors' shtelds,
would not be able to defeatrhem, city walls, charmsand amulets (tuusrMroN
because the Gians could nor be FRoil DR SM|TH s CNSIGL DtcTtoNARy. 1895 )
killed by divine hands zEUs rhere-
fore fathered rhe great hero HEM- Tnr GonGoNs werechree
CLES through a morral woman sistersnamed Srheno("strengrh"),
Dunng the geat batrle berween rhe Medusa ("queen") and Euryale
gods and rhe Giants, Heracles ("wide-leaping"), and were rhe
played a decisive pan, finishing off children of Phorcys, son o[ GAIA. THg GneCES. from rhe Roman Euphrosyne and Thalia. They
each opponent wirh poisoned The only mortal of rhe three was name, Gradae,were the daughters were attendants to APHRoDITE and
arrows. It is important to realize Medusa, the victim of rhe Greek of zEUs and Eurynome, and were YENUS, the love goddesses of
that the Giants are quire differenr hero PERSEUS Like her immorul minor goddesses to both the Greece and Rome respectir/ely.A
from the TITANS,who were rhe old- sisrers,she had snakesfor hair and Greela and rhe Romans According favourite subject for artiss, the
est generadonof rhe gods and were one look at her lace could tum any to the most widely accepted Graces were thought to represent
led by CROwOS, Zeus' farher. living man or rhing ro srone myth, their names were Aglaia, beauty, gentlenessand friendship.

+4
 CInSSIcAL MYTHoLoGY

Although usually a faithful hus-

band, Hades at one time became
enamouredof the nymph Minthe.
When Persephonediscovered this,
however, she became so jealous
that she tumed the nymph into the
sweet-smellingherb, mint

H,ANPTNS SEE MONSTER5AND

FABULOUS
BF/5TS

HfCefe was believed by some

to be descendedfrom the tltexs.
A Greek goddess with two quite
separateaspects,in the day she was
supposed to have a benign influ-
ence on farming, but during the
hours of darknessshe was interest-
ed in witchcrafr, ghosrsand tombs
ln many ways similar to the veg-
eution goddessDEMETER, Hecate
uncomfortably combined ferriliry
with death as a power of the eanh.
The wrrch MEDEA,JAsoN'srejected
Colchian princess, used to invoke
Hecate in her magic arts. Hecareis
usually portrayed with three faces.
The Athenians were parricularly
respectful towards her, and once a
month they placed offerinp of food
at crossroads,where her influence
was said to be feh.

HnCfOR was rhe eldesr son of

THE 6RACES, or Chaities, graced the Polydegmon ("receiver of many eyes when making a sacrifice. In pRmv, rhe king of Troy during rhe
wodd with beauty, bloom and billiance, guests") on accounr of rhe muld- order to avoid any reference to the Greek siege. The bravest of rhe
IiJting the spints oJ godsand men. In the tudes who had died and come ro nature of the underworld it was Trojan wamors, he was unbearen
earliest worlu of art, the Gracesappear in his kingdom. The ghosts of rhe usual to call Hades by the drle of on the battlefield. He mistakenly
lwing chitons, veiling their beauty, but dead were escortedby HERirarS,the Pluto ("the giver of weahh") killed Patroclus, the squire and
bter on thq woe dqicteil a:snudes $xr messengergod, to the boarman Hades'chief myth concems the lover ofAcHlttES, rhe Greek hero.
THEEGucEsBYRAPMET-W@D, c I50l) Charon who ferried acrossrhe Sryx, abducdon ofPersephone, who was Achilles had quarrelled with
a subtenanean river, only those the daughter of Demeter and his AGAMEMNoNand refused ro fighr,
HeoeS (whose name means "the ghosts who could pay the fare brorher Zeus. Persephone was but Parroclusborrowed his divine
unseen") was rhe Greek god of rhe CERBERUS, the rhree-headeddog, abruptly taken underground by armour in order to nlly the Greek,
underworld, the realm of the dead. guarded the ennance to the under- Hades when she beheld a special only to be slain by Hector. Roused
He was the son of cnoruosand world and prevented anyone from narcissus planted by the earrh from his lethargy, Achilles sought
RHEA,and rhe brorher of.zrus, reuming to the world of rhe living. mother GAIAro please the god of out Hector and compelled him to
POSEIDON,HERA, DEMETERand tu in Egrydan mythology, the death. The conflicr berween Hades fight to the death. Such was
Hestia. He forcibly married Greek associated the undenvorld and Demeter over Persephone's Achilles' anger rhat for rwelve days
PERSEPHONE, Demeter's daughter. wirh the west, the place where the fatewas decided by Zeus,who gave he dragged Hector's corpse round
At the division of the universe after sun sets. Neither the Greeks nor the husband and the mother equal Parroclus' tomb. In rhe end zEUs
the ovenhrow of their father, Zeus the Romans, however, ever thoughr shareso[ her time As a dyrng-and- himself intervened, by sending
took the sky, Poseidon the sea,and of Hades as an evil force like Satan rising goddess, Persephone sank Achilles' mother THETISto stop this
Hades the underworld; the earth in Chrisdaniry. He was cenainly a and rose annually from the under- humiliadon. So in exchange for a
was to be shared among them. grim and implacable deiry, and world, in tune with rhe narural great treasure,Hector's body was
Another name for Hades was worshippers always averted rheir rycle of sowing and hawesting. retumed and properly buried.

45
CrnssrcAL MYTHoLoGY
HnffN wasthe daughterof ttrDt
and zrus, the wrfeof rhe Spartan
hng urrurf,{us,and the causeo[
the Tro;anWar Her immortaliryas
thedaughterofthesupremeGreek
deitysuggesFthatHelenwasonce
a goddessand that her incorpor-
ation into myth as an unfaithful
queen only occurred when her
q796|ripwaslargelyforg,otten.
Zeusmatedwrth Leda,wife of
theSpartanhng Tyndareos, in the
guiseof a swan.Ledalaid an egg,
and when Helenhatchedfrom it
shebroughtherup asa memberof
the royalfamily.Helen'sbrothers
were Castotand Polydeuces, the
m)|stenous DIOSCURI,arrdhersister
wasKingAcAMaalvoN'sunfaithfuI
wlfe CLYTEMNESTM.
At the time of her mamage to
Menelaus, the younger brother o[
Agamemnon, Helen was the most
46
HEI-EN (abovd pcces thewqlLsoJTroy
The nostbeeuttJulwoman of the arcimt
woid,, shewas ako, accordingto Homei, a
thoughtful heroine, gpen to seft mochery
anl6ygT 4wre oJ themiserycausedbyha
bgaul (Hrreuor rHEW[s oFTRoY
BYLop
lEcHril. cav J, c 1880..)
desirable bnde in Greece. At first
Menelaus and Helen were very
happy, but then PARts,one of the
many sons of King rrueu ofTroy,
visited Spana and, with the help of
the love goddessAPHf,oDlrr, gaixed
Helen's a[ec[on. They even eloped
with a part o[ Menelaus' treasury.
When the Trolars refrrsed to retum
Helen and lhe stolen lreasure,
Agamemnon assembled a great
army to help his brother Menelaus
For ten years the city o[ Troy was
besieged and then only captured
through the tnck of the Wooden
Horse. Throughout this long war many other children, among them
the sympathies of Helen were Augeas, CIRCEand PASIPHAEA
mainlywith the Greeks, although gigantic statue of the sun god was
she was reated as the proper wife, erectedat the harbour of Rhodes,
and not merely the mistress, of an island sacred ro him. This so-
Pans. After the fall of Troy, Helen called Colossus was one of the
and Menelauswere reconciled and seven wonders of the ancient
they lived undisturbed at Spana. world, but was toppled by an earth-
quake around 226 Bc.
HEUOS was rhe Greek sun god
and son of the ntqN Hyperion. To HfPHetSfOS was the son of
the Romans he was known as Sol. zEUs and HERlt,andwas the Greek
It was rhought that Helios, after smith god. His Roman equivalent
crossing the slcy,sailed during the was vULcAN, whose smithy lay
night around the earth in a golden beneath the crater of Mount Aetna
bowl on the encircling waters of in Sicily. Hephaistoswas lame as a
oc&{Nos, and so arrived back in result of having interfered in a
the eastjust before dawn. Both rhe quanel between his parents. So
Greeks and the Romans held that angry did Zeus become that he
the inhabited world was a large flung his son from the top of
Mount olympus and let him fall
heavily on the volcanic island of
Lrmnos, in the nonhem part of the
Aegean Sea. ln another version,
Hera ried to drown her imperfect
child, only to be thwaned by sea
nymphs who took him to a beach.
A sequel to this rale has the smith
god gain his revenge as a fully
grown man by making a golden
rhrone for his mother which was
actually a trap. None of the gods
could releaseHera, so Hephaistos
HEUOS, god oJ the svn, appearsin worhs was invited to retum permanendy
oJart as a strongardbeautfulyouth wrth to Mount Olympus. There, under
gluming cyes,and,a crwn oJ laming rays the influence of dnnk, he was per-
suaded by his friend DIoNYsus to
Just 4s th sun's rcys ynetrate everylhere,
so Helios saw everything atdwu iwohd unlock the cunning device and let
4s 4 witness oJo4tlu {t*rsrut oNFrcMDR his mother escape
SMIrH'sCrAsl(}LDrcloNeY,1895) Hephaistos seems to have come
onginally from Asia Minor, where
island sunounded by an ocean iron rnines date from a very early
Although Oceanos was sometimes period His cultwas strong in Cana
descnbed as a nver, it stretched and Lycia, along its south-westem
into the unimaginable distance and shore. His rnarriage to the love god-
far lrom anyshore dess APHRODIIEmay have some-
One myth of Helios concems thing to do wrth this eastem con-
rhe death o[ his son PMETHoN nection, as she also came to Greece
Once thu impetuousyouth med to from West Asia. Their reladonship
steer his father's radiant chariot, was almost as tumultuous as that
but he quickly lost conuol. Only of Zeus and Hera. Once Hephastos
rhe dmely acrion of zEus steadied fashioned a trap to catch his
its runaway horses and prevented unfaithful wife in bed with the war
the earth from catching fire. god nnrs. The Olympian gods
Phaethon fell from the vehicle and merely laughed at Hephaistos'sit-
was drowned. However, Helios had uation; the seagod PoSEIDoNonly
 CLASSICAL MYTHoLoGY

HEPIIAISTOS,godoJJ'tre,Jashions HnRn means "lady" and was in his cradle However, later in
gcWen
exquistte worles
in hlsJieryJorgeundoubtedly the title of a powerful his life, Hera succeededin dnvinq
Lame,heleansononeleg Byhim stands mother goddess whom the Greek Heracles temporanly mad
whorewakthathiswtJe,
ApoIIo, Aphrodite,
inhented from the earlier inhabi- There are a number of myths
Ioves
Ares,andHephaistos resoltesto trap
tants of Argos, which was a major about Zeus' courtship of Hera ln
theguiltypalr (THE
FoRCE oFvuLGN ByDrEGo
city in the Peloponnese It was one of them he disguisedhimseif as
VEAseuEz,aNvs,16J0) claimed rhat she was the daughter a cuckoo and took shelter inside
ofcRolos and RHEA;however, her her clothes during a hear,ydown-
promised some remedy if he agreed addition to the Greek pantheon pour Once out of the rain, Zeus
to releaseAphrodrte and Ares was not an easy or straightforward resumed his normal shape and
A myth about ATHENA'sbinh matter, as the ceaselessconflicts promised to marD/ Hera Later she
recounts how Hephaistos split benveenher and her husband zrus bore him the war god eRrs, rhe
open Zeus' head wrth an axe in readily bear wrtness Often her fis goddess of birth Eileithyra, and
order to release the fuily grown of jealousy and quarrelsomeness Hebe, the cupbearer of the gods
goddess Apparently, Zeus had led to disaster for gods, heroesand Another child was the smith god
swallowedAthena's mother, Metis, men, when she relentlesslyper- HtPflAlSlu5,wno ls salo rn some
once he realized she was pregnant secutedZeus' mistressesand their HEM, queenoJheaven,di'rectsHelios mlths to have been the son of Zeus
wlth a powerful deiry Later, children For example, againsrthe acrossthe slry She is crownedwitha and Hera, but in others the off-
Hepharstosfell in love wrth Athena, baby HEMCLES,whom Zeus had dadem and vetl,symbolilngher statusas spring of Hera aione Herawas wor-
but was rejected by her and his fathered in order to help rn the Zeus' bicle Her sceptreB trpryd with d shipped wrth particular reverence
semen fell to earth where it gave coming battle against the GIANTS, cuchoo,sacred to her as the messengeroJ in Crete and at Samos, where a
birth ro the serpent Erichthonius she senr two serpenrs ro kill him, sping, the seasonin which shemaried great temple was said to have been
(Seealso FORCES OFNATURE) but the infant hero strangledthem Zgus (lrri'srurnrlrR()I1
SroRlrs
r R()vLrw,1885
) built for her by the ARGONAUTS

47
ClnssrcAL MYTHoLocY
HgnnCt rS, the son otzeus and
ALCMENE,was the geatest of all the
Greek heroes. To the Romans he
was known as Hercules, and they
added various encounters in ltaly
to his already large cycle of adven-
tures. The name Heracles means
"Hera's glory" - a circumstance
that firmly ties the hero to Argos,
the site of the goddess HEM's
temple lt remains a mystery that
Heracles should have been perse-
cuted so much by Hera, even going
mad at one point during his life.
BecauseZeus needed a mortal
champion in the forthcoming
battle berween the gods and the
GIANTS,he fathered Heracles at
the court of Thebes. The chosen
mother was Alcmene, the Theban
queen. Zeus intended Heraclesto
be ruler of Mycenae or Tiryns,
48
HERACI.ES slays the llydra,whlle a crab,
sent by the vengeful goddessHtra, nips at
his heek AJter buning away the lTydra's
eight morul huds, Heraclesburied iu
ninth immoftal head undr a huge roch in
the swamp. (HERCULE
ND frE Hmn^ A F
vAs,c 1920)
GoRauET,c
strongholds close to Argos, but
Hera frustrated this plan so well
that the hero became the slave of
Eurystheus, king of Tiryns. She
struck Heracleswith a fir of mad-
ness, in the course of which he
hlled his wife and their three sons
with arrows. To atone for this
terrible deed he had to become
Eufrstheus' dependent and under-
took his famous rwelve labours.
These labours began with the
killing of the Nemean lion, which
could not be harmed by arrows.
HEMCLES wra tleswith Anaats,a glant
whodrawshisstrmglhJromtheeanh To
wmhenthegiant'smight,HoaclcsliJshim
highaba,etheurth, and ctusheshimin
mid-air Thisbronzec:'prnsestheclassical
idealoJhcrot shillandmight.crErcumND
ANTEUS ByPrHAmco, BRoNzE,,,601528
) which the goddess ATHENAhad
Heracles had to fight it with his
bare hands and a wooden club.
After overcoming the lion, he cured
the skin and wore it as a trophy.
His next opponent, the Hydra, was
a nine-headed serpent sacred to
Hera. It Iived in a swamp at [ma,
not far from Argos. The problem
that the hero encountered when
fighting with the Hydra was that for
every head he cur off with his
sword two new ones grew in its
place. But with assistancefrom his
nephew lolaus he was able to
triumph, for Iolaus bumed the
srumps of the necks as soon as
Heraclesseveredeach head. When
he retumed ro Eurystheus,the king
refused to count the exploit as a
labour, because Heracles had
received help from his nephew.
The next labour was not quire
so bloody. Heracleshad to capture
the Ceryneian hind, which was a
beasrsacredro ARTEMIS, goddessof
rhe wild. According to different
accounts, he retumed to Tir)ryrs
with either its golden antlers or the
hind iself. Another labour reouired
him to caprure the Erymanthian
boar, which plagued the country-
side of Arcadia. He rrapped it with
a neq and during the hunt Heracles
encounrered a band of crxteuns.
beast-like men who lived in wood-
lands. One of them, Nessus,was
Iater to cause the hero's death.
The fifth labourwas the cleans-
ing ofAugeas'stables. The son of
the sun god, Augeashad vast herds
of animals, which he pastured in
the hngdom of EIis in the westem
Peloponnese. I(ng Eurystheus told
Heracles to remove the immense
piles of dung from the stables, a
feat he achieved by divening rhe
course of a nearby river. The lasr
Iabour that the hero performed in
the Peloponnese was the removal
of the Stymphalian birds. Although
they had steel-dpped feathen with
which they killed borh men and
animals, these birds were fright-
ened away by the noise of a rattle,
specially made for Heracles.
On the island of Crete the hero
tracked down the bull that utlos
had failed to sacrifice to the seagod
PosEIDoN. The bull had mated
with Minos'wife, PASIPFIAE, who
then gave birth to the MNOTAUR,
the bull-headed man slain by the
Athenian hero THESEUSHeracles
captured Poseidon'sbull alive and
brought it back to Tryns, where he
let it go free at the end of this
seventh labour. The eighth labour
was more gruesome. It took
Heracles to Thrace in pursuit of the
man-eating mares of Diomedes,
which he subdued after feeding
them on their master's flesh
The last four labours were quite
different in nature. First of all
Eurystheus had,Heraclesfetch the
girdle of Hippolyta, queen of the
frerce AM,4ZONSThen he captured
the catde of Geryon, a westem king
who had three heads,three bodies
and six hands. After this labour
Heracles brought back the golden
apples of the HESPERIDES, female
guardians of the fruit that the eanh
goddess GAIAgaveto Hera on her

HERMAPHRODIT O S, the beauuJul son
oJAphroditeand Hermes,inspirerlthe love
ol the watr nymph SalmacisHut, the
goldn boy bathesm a showeroJ sunlryht,
unawart oJ hrsbeautful admirer on tht
iver banb ( s A LM A ( r s A N D H E M p H R O T T T ( ) s
BARrHoloufl ( SPMN(,tR,, 4Ntes,,
wedding to Zeus The last exploit of
Heracleswas the mosr testing.lor
it meanr a descent into the under-
world, the realm of the dead From
there the hero managed,wrth some
help from PERSEPHONE, queen of
the underworld, ro bnng bnefly
back to Tinns rhe three-headed
hound crn-arnus As a result of this
labour, hard-working Heracles
attainedimmortality for himself
No other hero gained this honour
Heracles'death on earth, an
event that the Greeksexpected to
precede his translarion to Mount
Olympus as a god, was the work o[
the Cenuur Nessus,who gavethe
hero's second wife a poisoned
galrnent for him to wear Realzing
that his death was near, Heracles
CrnssrcAr MyrHoLoGY
when he bathed in some waiers with the Roman equivalent of
and she mergedwith him physr- H e r m e s , M E R C U R Y O d i n w a s t h e
caLly The result was a femaleboy, c h a m p r o n o [ w a r r i o r s a n d t h e
hencethe term hermaphrodite But father of the slarn
Hermaphroditoswas not emascu- Hermes is usually depicted as a
lated like Attis, the lover of rhe y o u n g m a n w i t h a w i d e - b n m m e d
PhrygianmorhergoddcssCybele, hat and wrnged sandals, carrynng a
lor this West Asiangod intention- h e r a l d ' s s t a f f c r o w n e d w r t h t w o
ally cut off his own manhood snakes In ancient Greece this staff
assured the messenger safe passage
HEnUgS was rhe Greek messen- even dunng time of war Hermes'
ger god, and the son o[zrus and greatest passion was for the love
Maia He enloyed playrng tncks goddess APtIRoDITE
and games Dunng the TrojanWar, The nvo sons that are attnbuted
rt was Hermeswho wzs alrvayssent to them were borh renowned for
to stealsomethingthat was other- their unusual sexualiry HER,vtApH,
wrseunobtarnable Beforethe sea R O P I T O Sw a s t h e f i r s r f e m a l e b o y .
n y m p h t r u rt t 5 p c r s u e d c dh c r s o n whiLe the gnome-like Pnapus was
A ( H i L L t St o s t o p m u r i l a r i n gt h c [amous for his cnormous penis
corpseof HECTOR, the gods con- Like that o[ Hermaphroditus, the
sideredrhat the simplesrsolutron cult of Priapus originated rn Asia
m i g h t b e r o l e t H c r m e s s t e a lt h e Minor, though some drstance [ar-
broken body Hermes was the god ther north at Lampascus, near the
wlo most easilycrossed the line Black Sea
betweenthe lir'rngand rhe dead,
for the Greeks believed that he HER.lvtESleadsEurydice(centre)and
guided the dead to the realm of Orphns (nght) throughthe undemorld As
H,coEs,rhe underworld This dury psychopomp,HermesconductedsoulsJrom
consulted the Delphic Oracle, helps to explain the later idenrifi- l{e on earth to d,eathin Hddes (ruusrurrcr
whrch told him to build a funeral cation of the Germanicgod Odin FRoM D crroNARy ot,CrAssrcAl ANleutTil,s l89l )
ppe rn Thessaly When the dyrng
hero climbed on to it, there was
a great flash of lighrning and
dr Zeus took his son to loin rhe
/58. immortals
Someof the labourso[ Heracles
arereflectedin rhe namesof certain
constellations,such as Leo,which
representsthe Nemean Lion, and
Cancer,the crab that was allegedly
sent by Hera to help the Hydra
(SeealsoHEROES)
HEnMAPHRODITOS was rhe
bisexualoffspnng of the messenger
god urRvrs and APnRootrr, rhe
goddessoilove According to one
Greek myth, rhis handsome boy
excited the passion of Salmacis,
who was a nymph of a founrain
nearto the ciry of Halicamassus in
Asia Minor When the young
Hermaphrodirosignored her arten-
tions, Salmacisprayed to the gods
that she might be etemally united
wrth him The wish was granted
49
CT-eSSICAL MYTHOLOGY

VOYAGERS
HE LUREoF THEuNKNowN prompts all restiessheroes to stnke out on a new
path in search of a fabulous treasureor shining dream,
or for the sheer joy of discovery and adventure.
Three intrepid explorersstand out in
Classicalmphology: Jason, Aeneasand Odysseus.
Jason set sail with his fearlesscrew of Argonauts
in search of the Golden Fleece;while Aeneas'
seven-year voyage after the fall of Tioy led him
to the site of future Rome. Most famous and
appealing, perhaps, was th'e fabled Odyssey of
the shipwrecked wanderer, Odysseus. Tossed
from shore to shore by the angry sea god,
Poseidon, he found his way home after ten years'
wandertng through fabulous lands. The lure of the
AENF,AS'Qbove)s*en yearvoyagtalter tfu lull ofTroYwas
underworld, or a f.orayinto a monster's den, attracts lestibed rn Virgrl'seprrtale,thc AenertJ,rn port a Roman
OdysseyAlttr fleeingwth hs father dnLlsonlrttnt buming Tnty'
many heroes,too, such as Theseuswho went into the At ncasanl his contraclcs awuyIrywayLtJThrar and
sarled

Labyrinth to slay the Minotaur, and found his way I)elos to (.rttt and onwurdsto .Sirily ancJCunhttgt, be.lore
Ltlrum n ltalywherehe bttamc theuntestrulherool
reachLng
out again. Aeneas and Odysseusboth joumeyed to theRomanr Hert, Atnt'us,amvtngon Deios,is hlndlywelcomrd
/ r yK i n g A n i a s( A r N r irAN\l ) tL ( ) sM, r j o r r ^ l r \ r1r ,4 9)7
the underworld in searchof prophetic counsel.
ORPHET/SQtlt) wtnt down tnlo I lddes,tht'
untltrvorltl,Lobnngbachhrswilc, F.urydue
(--hairrrrng
thr shadcsttnLlewn Ptrstphoncwrlh his
bath ttt the
rnusrr.hr' uas allowccito taht F,urydice
uppr:rworld as long as he did not knh bach untrl dear
of Haclts /ust as thty wtre about b stepoul mto tht
h g h t ,t ) r 1 / r e utsu n t c Jr o u n do n i yt o s c eE u r y c lrr ts l l p
bachml<ttht worlclol shades lortttr Here, Owheus
bils /arcwcii to Euryclrce,whib Htmes (IeJt),waits to
lcacJ[urrJiic buh LhroughLhcworld oJ shudts
(lilR\1t\ l:r [\T)t(r lNri()Rfr]rL5,lt1Rrrl, ( 4208( )

ARION 0rght),a l.yntalpoetund ctharaplqer.

sailcJ trr .Sirily b tuhcpdrt in tt magltul conteslwhrch
he won On hrsway homcrn a Lonnthian ship,he
wusrohbcdI thc sarlors,andlorril toleap owrboard
whert' hc was bome uway to safcryIry song-loving
tlolphtns Here, Anon playshis rlhara on tht prow oJ
leuping
thr shrp,rnvohingtht godso.lthe uo, beJore
ovtrbourd llrr'jrMrr)r rR()MTA\(lrlw(x)DT^ll\ ( 1920)

50
 CLASSICAL MYTHoLoGY

ODYSSEUS (above), ctltbruted trcl'cllcr, rvas JA5oNfclru')satlcdacrossthf5('ds()napcrrltlas\1}}'c/g('lt/tts/cttntlls:/rrp,thrAr.qrl'c]((ll]l)(li]lL'J

rcnowntd lor hLswil.s dncl silvdr l(rnguc, /or hrs
unntng, tralt ancl rrrrosify
I roy, ht btttthtd ut -Srtrly, hornr ry' thc luwlcss rar c
ol one-qed gants, the Cyt lopcs l3olclrrncl
On hrs wuy horne /rrrnr
a g t I h t l u t ' n t r n s c a r r hr y t h r ( i o l l t n
t h eJ n r g o n ' s r 1 e , / u s o n a n J h i s A r . q o n u u t s s a r l c J a r r , 4 . . / r n u l l y u r r Ir lrrrrn' ,g/ au tsl r, r n
[ ussl t u l s p d1s! lr l ] h r s r r r ! , / r ] , r u r r r r r g
r ,rl ti(drn , L \l rt r r , r r r t : r r ' r , ir f i r r \ , ! , i \ \ r \ (
u / u r t r r ge i c t n r ' c d l r t s t d t u a ( ) / A r c s r n l h c s u c r c c i p r t rLt J' or /' ,t ,hrcr g J(,;rr

i n q u i s i r r v r , O d y s s c u sw a n d c r c r Jr n l o a ( - y r l o p s J c n

w h e r t h e a n t l h r s r o m r a d c s h c r a n r t l r u p p c r /h t i r c

hostilc granl To csrrrpc. thn, hltrufuclthc trant arrcl

s L p p e c io u t , / r c l c l c nr n J c r s h c c p r ' b c / l i r s I l t r c

Oc,lysscusand hts r onrarlt s prcrt L thc vrclrl i :rnllt

4 c w i l h c r s h a r y c n c c s/ t a h r ' l r r l l r \ i i \ ( L l

f r i t \ t ' H t \ 1\ l1t ] , 4 j t \ . 1 \ t ) R\l1, i , ) Nt lt l . ( Ji,irr

#
ffi

i,

ODYSSEUS (obovt), /crrt rrs/tcp, rs Lrrrl ()r lri ()iur

roat hy l'hcicacian iai/orr Ar prcJittcc/ hv lfic sctr,

Trrtsiar, Oc.ilsscur rrar hcJ irrrnrcu/onc rrn u /ortrgrr

shrp,only d/lar nrdny vacl\'ilclrc/arlrL Orrtt bath

on his islanc/ htnutlon ol ithara, irc haci arorircr

baLtk Lo lighL w r l h l h e s u r k r r sr y 'h r i w r / c hrfort

hc couk/ rzecin hrs thronc anrl sctlit Jrrrvn n'rlir

P e n t l o p t t l t r t \ r R r r r , \ r a l , \ r\ r ( ) ! r r\ | F ( , ! I l \ r l r rI l a 8j

5I
ClnsstcAr- MyrHoLocy

Hnno AND LEANDER were Leander lost his senseof direction

one o[ the great pairs of loversin and he drowned in the cold waters
Greek mythology Hero was a When his bodywas washed ashore
pnestesso[ epnnoorceat Sesrosin at Sestos,Hero threw herselffrom
the Dardanelles, while Leander her tower and died
lived on the Asianside of the chan-
nel at Abydos They met and fell in Tne HTSPERIDES were sup-
love, but becauseoI her religious posedly rhe daughtersof Hesperus,
calling Hero was barred from mar- the evening star Their nameswere
nage. ln order to keep their affair Hespera, Aegle and Erytheis, and
secret, they arrangedthat Leander they were the guardians o[ a tree of
should swim acrossto Hero each golden applesgrvenby GAIA,moth-
night, guided by a light that she er earth, to the goddess HERAon
placedin her tower Next moming her marriage ro zELls, chief of rhe
he would swrm back at dawn One Greek gods This tree stood in the
stormy night the light blew out, Garden of the Hespendes on rhe

HERO(below) Ioohs
JorherLeander,who THE HESPERIDES (nght)guardedthe
usually
swamto heracross theHellespont golden
apples in thegarden
oJthegodsThe
guidedbya lightin hertwer Butherlight serpentreallsthemythoj thedragon ltdon
blewout in a stormandlttinderwas whoguarded theapples untilhewasslain
drowned |Jm, lxt wArcH oF HERoByLoRD by Heracles (TH[ cARl)r,Nor rHr: HrspLRlDEs
By

LErcH()N cANviS .1880) EDWARD

BURNE-JoNE5,
rANvAs,186973)

slopes of Mount Atlas in the far HOnqftUS was a Roman hero

west For one of his labours the who saved the early Republic from
hero HFMCLES tncked the Titan the Etruscans,when they tned to
ATI-{S into getting him the golden restore TARQUINIUS SUPERBUS to
apples, offenng ro hold up the the Roman throne by force of arms.
heavens in his stead The Etruscansmounted a surpnse
attack and attempted to capture
HORATIUS (below),a Romanhero,held Rome by crossing a poorly defend-
the Sublician Bndge, wtth nuo oJhis ed bridge over the Rrver Tiber
comrades,against the ELruscanamy ''ly'hile With two comrades,Horatius held
other Romanshacheddown the bidge, he the enemy back untrl the Romans
held o[f the entmy until the last moment had destroyed the wooden bndge
whenheleaptinto thestredmand swamto As the final supports were sawrr
saJety(LrusrvnoNFROM
SroRl6FROM
Llw, 1885
) away, he ordered his comrades
 CInSSIcAL MYTHoLoGY

IO ,"as the daughter of the river

god Inachus, and was one of the
mortal women who bore children
by zEUs. Although Io was a virgin
priestess of nrRe, Zeus's wife, at
her tempie in Argos, this did not
prevent Zeus from having her
expelled from Argos so rhar he
could make love to herwithout any
difficulties According to one ver-
sion, he tumed Io into a beautiful
heifer, and would have mated with
her at once had not Hera guessed
his intentions and sent a gadfly to
INO rescuesshipwuhed Odysseusby ILUS SCCFOUNDERS killed. The unbom Dionysus, how- prevent the animal from standing
thrauinghimher veil which saveshimJrom ever, was uken from her womb still. It seemsthat Zeus eventually
drowning Shewas honoured along the INO was rhe daughrerof cADMUs, and placed in Zeus'own rhigh unril made love to lo on a cloud over
Greeh shoresas a maine deity who aided the Phoenicianhng of Thebes,and it was time for his birth. Then, ar Egypt, where she was retumed to
sailors in distressand guided ships through Harmonia ln Greek myrhology, rhe suggesrionof Hpnvrs, rhe mes- her human form Surprisingly, she
storms (ODyssEUs AND THEcoDDs INo8y she brought up DIONYSUS, the son senger god, lno suckled the divine was forgiven by Hera. Because lo
AEsNDRoArcfl, F6co. 1580) of zrus and Semele,who was Ino's child and kept him safefrom Hera. had been bovine in shape on her
dead sister. Semele had been However, such a powerful goddess arrival, she became identified with
back to the Roman bank. Theyjust tricked by the goddessHERA,rhe could nor be thwarted wirhour the Egptian cow goddess Hathor.
made it, but Horatius was obhged jealous and vengeful wrfe of Zeus, great personal cost. When she
to swim back in full armour Only who advised her to resr rhe divin- discovered the deceprion, Hera IO, "thewanderer",wulwed byZeuswho
prayer saved the hero as he dodged ity of her lover by relling him to made Ino kill her own children changeilhointoahaJo in ordo toavod
the Etruscan arrows and struggled come to her in his rrue form This After she had done this Ino killed hisjealousw{e Hera Heraorderedall-
across the waters of the Tiber Zeus was also tricked into doing, herself by jumping off a cliff into seangArgusto wakh Io,butZfus,in his
His full name was Horatius and the unfonunate resultwas that the sea. In another myth, she and tum, sentHermes to lull Argusn sleepby
Cocles ("Horatius the one-eyed"). he appeared to Semeleas lightning her infant son Melicertesleaptinto theilreamynota o! hislute (Mt:rcuRy
AND
Whether he was wounded in the and thunderbohs, and she was the sea and became marine deities gNv s, c 1635)
ARGU58y PEEn Plur RUBENJ,
eye remains uncertain, though tra-
dition saysrhar an ancienrsarue of
a lame, one-eyed man was erected
near the bridge in his honour He
was also given as much land as he
could drive a plough over in a day
(Seealso HERoES)

HYPNOS ("sleep"), in Greek

mphology, was the son of Np<, the
night goddess,and the brother of
Thanaros ("Death"). Morpheus,
the god of dreams, was his son.
Hypnos lived in the underworld,
the realm of nnors, and never saw
the sun. On severaloccasionsHERA
asked Hypnos to lull her husband
zEIJs to sleep so rhar she could
attack his son HEMCLESHypnos
usually refused ro anger Zeus,
possibly because he had already
come close to having a thunder-
bolt hurled at him He was saved
by taking refuge with Nrght, whose
power Zeus alwap respected.

53
CressrcAL MYTHoLocY
IPHtCgNfR was rhe eldest
Qaughterof l(ngAGAMEMNON and
Queen CLYTEMNESTRA of Mycenae
When Agamemnon and the Greek
fleet were about to sail for Troy,
contrary winds caused by ARTEMIS
kept the ships at Aulis The god-
dessof the forestand wild animals
had been offended, either by
Agamemnon himself or by an
action committed by his father
ATREUS ln any event, Artemis
demanded that Iphigenia should
be sacnficed To bnng the sacrificial
victim all the way from Mycenae to
the port of Aulis in Boeotia,wrth-
out his wife Clytemnestra'sbecom-
ing suspicious,Agamemnonpre-
tended that lphigenra was to be
married there to the Greek hero
and champron ACHILLES After she
discovered his true intention,
Clytemnestra never forgave her
husband, and years later on his
retum from the Trqan War helped
her loverAegrsthusto murder him
IXION was a Thessalianking of
Lanssaand supposedly the son of
Phlegyas, though some say his
father was ARES,god of war ln
order to avoid payrng a bride-price
to Eioneus for his beautiful daugh-
rer Dia, lxion prepareda trap for his
unsuspecting[ather-in-law- a pit
filled wrth fire Eioneus fell into it
on a visrr ro Lanssaand died, and
lxion thus became the first man to
shed the blood of a krnsman
IXION,chained to a rollingwheel,
hissinsin Tartarus, a hellheneath
Alongside him,Jellowpisoners Sisyphus
snd Tontalus endurethetrownordeols
Sisyphus condemed to endless toiland
Tantalus to endless thirsl (tlu,srhr(rN fR(,M month of January - a time for
DR SMrrHs CKslqL DrcTroNARy, .1895)
54
in the city wrth only one of his
sandals The hero had lost it while
carrynngwhat seemedto be an old
lady acrossa smft stream,it was in
lact the goddess HERAin disguise
Unable to harm the unwelcome
guest becausehe had arrivedat the
time of a religious festival,Pelias
decidedto rid himselfof the threat
he represented by sendrngJasonon
an impossible quest He offered to
name Jason as his successorpro-
IPHIGENIA, theyoung daughteroJ JASON, the son o[ Aeson and uded he should bring home from
Agamemnonand Clytemnestra,wasolt'ered Phili'ra, was a Greek hero and Colchis the Golden FIeecebelong-
as o "sacnJiciallamb" to appeaseArtemts voyager,bom in Iolcus, a town in ing ro a wonderful ram which had
who wasangry wrth Agamemnon Here, Thessalian Magnesra However, flown there from lolcus
while the hrghpriest Calchasraiseshis difficulties arosewhen Aeson, ruler Jason gathered together his
arms in prayer,Agamemnon(nght) bows of Iolcus, was deposedby his half- companions,who becameknown
his headsorowJuliy {tur,srmrrcrrn,," brother Pelias Either because as the ARGONAUTS, and crosseda
5 r ( ) r i L r , sr R ( ) M H ( ) M F R 1 8 8 5 ) PhilyradisrrustedPelias'intentions seaof mawels, overcamedifficult
towardsJason,or simply becauseit task, defeateda guardianserpent
Becausehe was polluted by this would berter for the boy if he were and retumed vvith the magrcfleece
unprecedentedact, the Thessalian educated elsewhere,she placed Part of his successwas due to the
king could not properly rule his him in the care of the weseCentaur aid of the Colchian princess and
land Perhapsa secret passion for CHiRoN,who hved in the Thessa- mtch, vrtre, whomJasonmade
Dia prompred zEUs himself to lian woodlands Chiron was skilled his wrfe wrrh the assistanceof the
devrsespecial rites of punfication in many things, including medi- goddessATHENA On retuming to
for lxion At first lxion was grateful cine, and may have given the boy lolcus, the Argonauts found that
to the god, but it was not long the nameJason ("healer") Peliashad assumedthat they had
beforehe took an interestin HERA, The Delnhic Oracle wamed died in a shiprweck and murdered
Zeus' wife lt was thereforeIxron's Peliasthat he would be rumed off Jason's father Aeson Two versions
turn to be trapped, when Zeus the throne of lolcus by a man wear- of the myth exist from this point
made an exactcopy of Hera from a ing only one sandal So rhe usurp- onwards In one of them Peliasis
cloud and enticed the unwary hng ing king was amazed and fnght- destroyed by means of Medea's
to rapeit The punishmentfor such ened when a matureJasonarrived magic. In another the Argonaum,
sacrilegious cnme was to spend seeingthat Peliaswrll not honour
eremiry in Tartarus. the pnson JANUS,a dual-Jaced,god,prestdal
over his promise to Jason, sail off to
beneath the underworld in hJeHisimage
allthatisdouble-edged Connth after failing to capture
wasJoundon cirygates,whichloohboth Iolcus Jason seemsto have accep-
JANUS was a very old ltalian god mwards andourwards,andhewasinvohed red exile in Connth with Medea,
exprates whom the Romansassociatedwith at thestartoJeachnewdayandyearwhen where for some ten yearsthey lived
Hades beginnings ln Rome, his double- people loohbothbackwards andJomards happily together and had three
gated temple in the Forum was in time (ItLustutto N FRoMDRSMITHs Ct^sslGl sons. Then rhe hero was offered the
- always kept open in time o[ war DrcroNARY1895) hand of a princessnamed Glauce.
and closed in time of peace.The When he desertedMedeafor her,
Jason brought down on his own
people to look backwards and for- head the full fury and magical
wards - was sacredtoJanus There powers of the Colchian princess
are few myrhs conceming him, For Medea not only killed Glauce
although his exrra eyesdid on one but she also destroyed her sons by
occasion enable him to catch the Jason. Alone and depressed,the
nymph Carna, who liked to tease hero lingered at Corinth until one
her lovers with sexual advances day, as he sat in the shade of the
before suddenly running away Argo, hrs old ship, a piece of rotten
Their son became a king of the dmber fell and crushed his skull.
important ciry of Alba Longa (Seealso HERoES;voYAGERS)
ClnssrcAL MYTHoLoGY

IASON Aeft), thecelebratedherooJthe

Argonauts,was lovedby tht darh sorceress
Medea,whosemaglc at:'shelpedhim slay
thedragonguarding the GoldenFleece
With salvesand invoottons, sheprotected
hm Jrom harm b1Jtre, dmon or sword
UAsoN By G{'sr^Vr MoRetr, a A N v A s , 1 8 6 - 5)

JUNO was rhe Roman equivalenr

of HER,a, rhe wrfe of zEUS,rhe chief
god of the Greeks Juno was the
queen of the sky and the wife of
JUPllt:R>ne wasalwaysassoclateo
wrth the Greek goddessof birth,
E i l e i t h y a .a n d w a s c a l l e db y t h e
Romans"the one who makesthe
child see the light of day" Ar the
touch of a magicalherb specially
grown by Flora, the goddess of
f l o w e n n ga n d b l o s s o m r n g planrs.
Juno became pregnant wlth the
war god MARSJuno's own warlike
aspectis apparentin her attire She
often appearsarmed anclweannga
goatskincloak.which w.rsthe gdr-
ment favouredby RomansoLdiers
on campaign In Rome she was
worshipped on the Capitol hilL
along wirh Jupirer and vtNrRlA,
goddessof wisdom and the arrs
The festivalof Matronaliawas held
in her hon.ruron I March

JUNO (belou), theRornan

rquetn
of huten
oncl o.fwomanhood. atcompautd wo1

woman through life Jrotn brth to autn

She ts here portrat,td rn ciassrral srylc, rrth

a regdl diadtnt, sat'rc hairsry/e, anri

t r o n q u l l , m d J e s t i c , r l r ( l L N o\ \ ' f r D r 4 r )N! l

\ 1 A R 8 ]cE 2 0 CB a )

55
ClessrcAr MyrHoLocY

JUPITER and Mucury, who is weaing

his trawllinghat, enjoyawholesomemeal
with the hindly rustics,Philemonand
Baucis,who aloneamongmortals
welcomedthe godsas thq wanderedin
humanJorm throughPhryga guprrER
ANr)
MERcuRy wrH PHII FMON AND BAUCls, By PETERPA(rL

RUBENS, cANvAs, 1620 25 )

all The god ofprophecy,APoLLo,

was simply punishing the priest for
disobeying a divine command An
altemative view was that the death
o[ Laocoon and his sons was the
work of ATHENAor Poseidon for
causingdamageto the dedicatory
horse A Greek named Sinon had
informed the Trojans that it was an
offenng to the goddessAthena: if
they destroyed it, then Troy would
fall, but if they draggedit inside the
ciry walls, then the Wooden Horse
was a guaranteeof Troy's safery.In
the event the cunning plot worked
JUllteR *as the Roman s}<ygod, conceived a son So as to overcome tryside Oedipus refused to stand for the benefir of the Greek, as
the equivalent of zr.us The cult of the prophecy, the baby was left to aside for the king, a fight ensued those warriors hidden wrthin the
Jupiter Optimus Maximus ("the die on a distant mountainside,his and Laius was killed Thus was horse began a slaughter that led to
best and greatest")beganunder the feet havrng been cut through wrth L-aius'destiny, and the first part of the eventual overthrow and
Etruscan kings, who were expelled a spike This action may havebeen his son's, fulfilled destructionof the besiegedciry
from Rome around 507 nc At first, intended to hastendeath,but it is As for the two serpents,once
Jupiter was associatedwrth the ele- not impossible that Laiuswas also I-IOCOON was a Trojan, said they had crushed Laocoonand his
ments, especiallystorrns,thunder concemed to prevent the child's by some to be the brorher of sons to dearh, they hid themselves
and lightning, but he later became ghost from walking freely But the Anchises, and a pnest of the sea in either the temple of Apollo or
the protector o[ the Roman people effect was quite rhe opposite A god tosrtooN Borh the Greek the temple of Athena
and was their powerful ally in war shepherd heard the baby's screams and the Romansrememberedhim
The games held in the crrcus rn and took him to Connrh, where as the man who warned the IAOCOONandhtssons weremtshedto
Rome were dedicatedro him the childless l(ng Polybus adopted Trojans not to acceptthe so-called deathbya pairoJg](mtsea-setpents The
him and gave him the name o[ Greek gift of the Wooden Horse andentpoets dfereddstotheserpents'
I-etUS, son of Labdacus,king of Oedipus ("swell-foot") He even drove a spearinto its side oign, whether thq were
sentbyAthena or
Thebes, was the father of orolpus When Oedipus reached man- to show his fellow country.'rnenthat Apollo, and whether ltocoon wds innocent
and one of the most tragic figures hood he went to Delphr to ask inside the hollow belly could lurk a or guilry and ofwh.lt sin (lll'srur()N FRoM
in Greek mythology The fate rhat about his parentageHe was told terrible danger to Troy However, D( ItoNARy(n,ClnssrcArANreuilfii, /891l
destroyed his family was due to a that he would be reunitedwith his like rhe prophetess CASSANDM,
curse uttered by PELOPS in revenge parens in a temble manner,for he Laocoon was ignored Worse than
for L^aiuscarrynngoff Pelops'young was desrined to kill his father and the fate of Cassandrawas that o[
son Chrysippus, who later hanged marry his mother Concluding Laocoon and his two sons, for no
himself for shame incorrecrly that Corinth was his Trolan lifted a hand to heip when
In Thebes, l-aius tookJocasu as place of birth, Oedipus travelled two great sea-serpentssuddenly
his wrfe, but they had no children, towards the north and approached amved and crushed them to death
which rhe Delphic Oracle rold Thebes On the road he encoun- There was no agreement,how-
them was fortunate, becausel-aius tered laius, who was on his way to ever, among rhe Greeks or the
was destined to be killed by his consult the Delphic Oracle about Romans about why Laocoon and
own son For a time Larus and the SPHINX, a monsterwith the face his sons were killed by the sea-
Jocasta did not share the marriage and breastsof a woman, the body serpents One opinion was that
bed Then one night, full of wine, of a lion and wlngs, which was Laocoon's punishment was not
Laius slept with her and Jocasta causing havoc in the Theban coun- connected wrth the Trojan War at

56

LnnR was rhe daughter of l(ng
Thestius of Aetolia, which was a
statein north-westemGreece Her
husband was Krng Tlmdareos of
Sparu Two o[ Leda'schildren were
CLYTEMNESTM,the murderous
wife of ec,qurMNoN, and HELEN,
who was the unfaithful wife of
MENEI-AU5, Agamemnon'sbrother,
and the causeof the Trojan War
Leda was also the mother of the
DIOSCURI, the twrn sonsCastorand
Polydeuces Vanous accountsare
given of the fathersof her children,
lor Leda was loveo oy lLU5 wno
CInSSICAL MYTHOLOGY
LEDA was lovedby Zns in the shapeoJa
swl.n From their union, Ledaproducedtwo
eW, one contdrningthetwins,Castorand
PolydeucesAsyoung men, the twinsdre
oJtendepictedwi|h eg-shdpedhelmats,
ntrrR
recolling their unusual parentage Lr'r),\
LL()N/RD0 D^ VtN( r, c1Nf3\, ( l5l5 l6 )
LnfO was the daughter of the
TITANSCoeus and Phoebe,and she
was one of the few Titanessesto be
worshipped in ancient Greece
However, her cult was commonly
associatedwith those of her more
famous son and daughter APoLLo
and eRtrnzls,whose fatherwas the
stcygod zEUs Leto may havegiven
birth to her dir,rne children on the
sacred island of Delos, which a
helpful PosEtDoNis sard to have
fastenedpermanentlyto the bot-
tom of the seawith a huge pillar
Later.one of Apollo's most impor-
tant temples was built on the
island Even the invading Persians
respectedthis sanctuary,when in
490 BCtheir fleet passedby on its
way to punish the Eretrians and
Athenians for provrdrngaid to the
Greek rebels who were fightrng
Persrain Asia Minor
LETO(below), clutthmghtr trnytwins,
childrenoJZeus, a gJant
Jlees seryentsent
bythewngeJul Herawhorelentlessly
pIoprcdherhusband's lowrs Thebq,
Apollo, a cithara,
pluchs hisattibuteas
godol thearts,whrleArtemis a
clutches
tinybow,rymboloJherroleasgoddess oJ
the wild ttttL \ r&4r()\ a) N( { BF;LE,I 99-5.)
came to her disguisedas a swan
Some say that as a result of therr
union Leda produced two e8gs,
one containedClytemnesrraand
Helen,and the otherthe Dioscun,
but that Helen'sand Polydeuces'
father was Zeus while Tyrrdareos
was the father of the mortals
Clytemnestra and Castor In the
caseof Helen there rs little doubt
that the myth of the Trojan War
tumed a goddessinto a Queen
She clearly has a connection wrth
older Aegeangoddesseswho were
associatedwrth birds and eggs.
 MONSTERS
AND EABI-]LoIJS
Be,qSTS
TASSICAL MONSTERS come in all shapes and colours, sometimes hideous,
but sometimes bewitchitgly fair, sometimes hallhuman and somerimes
entirely demonic. Monsters generally symbolize the dark and unresolved
forces in life and in human narure. Greek mythologl
is full of composirecrearures,such as the Chimaera,Sphinx and
Scylla,symbolizingcomplex evil. Not all monsrerswere cruel,
and some,such as Ladon,guardeda precioustreasure,while the
Sphinx guardedthe passro the city of Thebes.other monsrers
ravagedthe land, such as the Hydra and Chimaera.Still others
were raised by u curse, as when Poseidon
PYTHON (above),a monstrous
sent a sea monster in response to Theseus' serpent,sonof Gaia, hauntedthe caves
of Pamassusuntil slainby Apollo with
r a g e . S a v a g eb e a s t s , s u c h a s s a t y r s a n d his frst anows Apollot'oundedthe

Centaurs, part human and part animal, ffthnn gamcsto rcmmemorate his
tictory and wasaJtmuardsnamed
represent man's unruly, instinctive nature. Apollo PhysiusThe monster'sdeJeat
wascelebratedevay ninelears at the
Although less awesome than demons, they
JestivaloJSteptenaat Delphi and
still harassedand haunted humans. invofuedan enactmottoJthe whole
event lLLUsrMrpN By CLENN STryAD, 1995 )

SCYLLTI (above),a s*-headed sea

monster,fshed Jor dolphins, sea-clogs
and sailorsfrom her cayem m the Strait
oJ Messina According Loone myth, she
was oiglnally a beuutful seanymph,
Iowd b1 Zus and Poserdonin tum, until
changedby the rculoug of Cru mto a
snapping,barhing monster Here, she
snatchesup thecreruoJ Odysseus
as his
ship sail.s
past her cavem 1Lr{rsrMroN
rRo!,SroRlF:sFROM(;RtF(F A\D RoMrr l9J0)

THE SIRENS (ight) werebeauttfuIsea

nymphswho charmed sailorsby tlrcir
alluing songsAlthough iniially depicted
as brrd-maids,thq later became
Jair
temptressesHere, Odysseussailspast
with hts crtw; having advisedhis men to
stop Lheirearswith war, he hadhimself
b o u n dt o t h em a s ts o t h a t h ec o u l d h e a r
the srrensmaglcsongvnthoutbeing
Iured oway (ol)yssfLis A N D T H I S T R E N sB y

FMNcE-so PRrM^rrcdo, aANv"s 1505-70 )

Cle.ssrcAt- MvrHoLoGY
CLASSICAL MYTHoLOGY

ARES,was more widelyworshipped rejuvenate an old ram by boiling he already had a son in the hero
than any of the other Roman gods, him rn a magic pot whereupon he rHEsEUs.Through her wily skills,
probably because his sons REMUS tumed into a lamb. She also dis- Medea prevailed upon Aegeus to
ANDROMULIJSwere said to have posed ofJason'senemy, King Pehas reject Theseuswhen he came co
founded the ciry of lolcus, by persuadinghis daugh- Athens to claim his inheritance,
ters to give him a similar course of and she may also have persuaded
Menfn was rhe daughrer of beauty treatment, but which hlled him to send Theseusto subdue the
Aietes, king of Colchis, a country him As a result, Jason and Medea bull of Marathon. When Theseus
adjoining the Black Sea, and the were banished to Corinth succeededin this dangeroustask
LUCRETIA,aJterhosuxide,retumed. to first wrfe o[ the voyager JAsoN The relarions betweenJason and and at last Aegeusrecognizedhim
hauntSexnsTarquinius, "Jalse
Sextus", Medea means"the cunning one" - Medea went badly wrong Jason as his own successor,Medea fled
thehigh-handed Etruscanwhohadrapeda suitable name for a princess put his firsr wife aside in order to with Medus to Colchis, where they
her,incensing thewholeoJPameShe skilled in the magic ans ln fact, to marry Glauce, a Theban pnncess avenged the recent overthrow and
aryeasasa pale,shrouded phantomwhorhe Greek she hovered somewhere Medea, feelingvery insulted, took death of Aietes Medus became a
singsasshespinsthrough thewatches
oJ between witch and goddess. a terribie revengeonJason Glauce ruler of Colchis, but nothing elseis
the night (llrusrmfloN
FRoMLAys
oFANclENr Medea fell in love with the was bumed alive in a poisoned known of Medea
Thessalian heroJason as soon as he wedding dress, and Medea saw to
LUCRgffA was rhe wife of landed in Colchis with the ARGO- it that her own children byJason MTNEUUS, kingof Sparta,was
Tarquinius Collatinus and repre- NAI/TS,and she used magic to help were also hlled She then escaped rhe younger son ofATREUS. It was
sented the ideal of Roman woman- him gain the Golden Fleece, the to Athens in a magrc chariot, which to recover Menelaus' wrfe HELEN
hood. When Sextus, youngest son objecr of rheir expedirion On the was said to belong to her grand- that his older brotherAGAMEMNON,
of the Etruscan king TARQUINIUS hasty voyage back, when the father Hruos, the sun god king of Mycenae, led the Greek
SUPERBUS,raped her at dagger Colchian fleet gavepursuit, Medea In Athens, Medea married its expedition againstTroy. ln spite of
point around 507 Bc,she made her sacnficed her brother to slow the krng, AEGEUS, and bore him a son being wamed, Menelausnot only
father and her husband promise to pursuers. On their retum to lolcus, named Medus. At this timeAegeus enrenained PAruS,the eldest son of
avenge her honour before she Jason's birthplace, she managed to believed he was childless,although King PRIAMof Troy, but he also
stabbed herself to death. According
to Roman legend, Lucretia's fun-
eral roused the people and their
anger was channelled by rhe inspir-
ing eloquence of Lucius Junius
BRUTUSinto a desire for the over-
throw of the monarchy.

MARS, rhe son of ;ulo and a

magical flower, was originally the
Roman god of fenility and vegeta-
tion but later became associated
with battle. As the god of spring,
when his major fesdvalswere held,
he presided over agriculture in gen-
eral ln his warlike aspect he was
offered sacrifices before combar
and was said to appear on the
battlefield accompaniedby Bellona,
a warrior goddess variously identi-
fied as his wife, sister or daughter.
Mars, unlike his Greekcounrerpan,

MAFS,godoJwar,forceshrmself ongentle
Paxand Abundonti,spintsoJpeaceand
plenty,whileMinemashifullysteers
him
away Thealleguydramat4esanage-old
henlyJdt in thewaringRoman
conJlict,
heart (MrNERv^DRrvrNG
MAs BrJ^coR) RoB{,sfl

TrNroREfio. c/NVAs,c lJ76 )

60
 CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY

MERCURY (above),as the messenger

god oJ the Romans, was closelyidnttJted
with the Greehgod Hermes In worlu oJart,
he typicallywearsa wingedhelmet,
or wide-bimmed traveller'shat, and
canies a herald'sstaft',the emblemof
(MFRCURy AND ARcus By PErIR PAUL
Pedce

RU8EN5, DEIAII, GNV^s, I6J5.)

MEDEA, a ruthlesssorceress, by the intervention of the love god- prosperity. He was apparently Dionysus told him how to wash
JleesJrom
Co\chiswith lason and the Colden Fleece dessAPHRODITEShewas rndebted imported from Greece around the away his golden touch, which
, with herIather,
acrossthe seasto Greece to Parisfor.;udgrngher more beau- fifth century BC Mercuryis usually Midas did in the fuver Pactolus,
Aietes,in pursuit To slowhim down, she tiful than the goddessesHER,+and depicted in the same way as his thereafter famous for the goid dust
cut up her brotho and cast thc parts into ATHENA;in gatitude shehad grven Greek counterpart HERMES, with a ro be lound on im bed
to pichup thepieces
thesea,JorcingAietes him the love of Helen, the most wrnged hat and staff Another my'th told about Midas
beautiful woman alive concerns a musical competition
Jor a piousbunal (lxr 6<rorr FLLTcE
ByH ./
DMPER, cANvAs, (: 1880) After the fall of Troy, Menelaus MIO.CS was sard to be the son of berween rhe gods APoLLoand PAN,
could not bnng hrmself to kill Gordius and Cybele, or to have the divrne inventors of the lge and
went off to Crete and left Helen Helen because of her ourctanding been adopted by Gordius. He was pipes respectively When the prize
alone at Spanawlth the handsome beauty Once again the goddess the kmg of Phrygia and renowned was awarded to Apollo, Midas in-
visiror. Pansand Helen eloped, tak- Aphrodite cast her spell and they for his wealth According to the caudously expressedhis surprise at
ingmany of the reasures forwhich were reconciled and rerumed ro Greeks, his fabulous riches were the outcome and received from
Menelauswas famous Sparta,where rhey lived happily for the result of a hndness he showed Apollo a set of ass's ears for his
During the ten-year strugSle many years When Menelausdied ro 5ILENU5,rhe old goar-like tutor foolish presumption
against Troy, Menelaus played a he went to hve ln the ElysianFields of otoMsus, rhe god of vegetation,
secondaryrole to Agamemnon and wrrh his immortal Helen wlne and ecstasy So pleasedwas MIDAS. rheJabled htngof Phryga.was
the other Greek lcngs, ahhough he Dionysus wrth this behaviour that ich, yetchose,
Jabulously whengranted a
was no coward In single combat MeRCURY*as rhe Romanmes- he offered Midas whatever he wishbythegods,to become ncherstill,by
wlth Pans, Menelaus tried to settle sengergod, and was alsothe deiry wished The king asked for every- ashingJoreverythinghetouched to tum to
rhe dispure berween the Greeks who watched over trade and com- rhing he touched to be tumed into gold Hiswishwasganted,but joyquichly
and the Trojans He won and was merce, as his name suggesm He gold At first Midas was overjoyed tumedto gneJwhenhecouldneither eat
only preventedfrom killing hs nval was associated wrth peace and wrth the gift, but once he realized nor dinh (llrrlsrMfloN ByNrcx B^LE, l9g5)

that even his food and drink were

being transformed on touching his
lips, he was homfied Out of pity

MENEI-AUSAeJ)wasusuallya gentle,
even-tenpered man,buthereheftghts
overtheJaIIen
firercely bodyoJPatroclus
wholiesnahed, JorApoIIohadstrucholJhis
helmeqsplinteredhis ashspeorondbrohet
htscorselet,
shppinghLm baresothathe
wouldbemsilyhilledbyHectorolrusrurft)N
FR()M SroRrfs r R()M HOMER, 1885 )

6l
CIeSSICAL MYTHoLoGY

MINgRve (whose name may unsuspeccingCreran king. After his

have originally meanr "rhoughr") death Minos became a srem judge
was the Roman goddessof wrsdom in the realm of.Hlors, rhe urider-
and the arts, rhe equivalenr of the world, the land of the dead.
Greek goddess ATHEN,. She was
worshipped rhroughout ltaly, THe MINoTAUR was rhe
though only in Rome did she rake monsrrous son of a whire bull,
on a wariike character Minerva is which was senr by the sea god
usually depicted wearing a coar of POSETDON,and pASrpI.IAE.
rhe wife
mail and a helmet, and carryringa of King MINoS of Crete When the
spear The Romans dedicared the child was bom it had rhe head of a
spoils of war to her. bull and the body of a man, and
was given the name Minomur
MtnOS was rhe son of zEUsand ("Minos'bull").
EUROPAand became the king of The creature was fed on seven
Crete, wrth his palace siruated at boys and seven girls sent annually
I(nossos The Greek regardedhim as uibute by rhe Athenians. To free
both as a jusr lawgiver and as a his counr)rmen of this tenible bur-
cruel oppressor To build his won- den rhe hero tHrsrus came ro
derful palace, Minos employed rhe Knossos, entered rhe maze-like
Athenian craftsman DAEDALUS, Labynnth where rhe Minotaur lived
whose creatronswere thought ro be and killed it. He was assistedby
almosr divine 5o lifelike were his Krng Minos' daughter ARIADNE,
sutues, for instance, rhat they had who gave him a ball of rhread,
to be chained down in order ro insructing him ro unravel it on his
stop them running away Minos wayinto the mazeso thar he could
was lesspleased, however,with the find his way our again She also
hollow cow thar Daedalusmade for gaveTheseusa sword.
his queen, PASIPHAE, so thar she In the srrange srory of rhe
might satisfy her desire for rhe Minotaur the Greelcsrecalledin a
whire bull which possooN had garbled form the glones of rhe older
sent from the wavesas a sign that MINERVA (abne), the Romangoddessof THE MINOTAUR (below) wrestles inhabitants of Crete It is now
Minos should ascend rhe Cretan wisdom, is depictedhere tamingd wiW with Theseusin the labyrtnth, which is known that rhe bull games of rhe
throne. The MINOTAUR, a man wirh Centaur, who symbolizesthe darh unruIy rtpresentedbythe meanderpattem at the ancient Cretans involved young
a bull's head, was the outcome o[ sideoJhuman nature HtsJeaming sides Thebull-baiters above illwtrate the athletes leaping over bulls, even
Pasiphae's unnarural union This expression suggestsman's longlngJor sport oJbull-leaping, part oJ the mystoious attempring somersauls holding the
monstrous creature was housed in divinity, despitehimsef {Mrnrnve ero rne bull-cult oJancient Crete GHEBULL-BArrEK By homs Although some of them
the Labynnth, a special maze built CENTAUR By SANDRo BofttcEu, C/.NAS, c 1482) JoHN DUNGN, w rERcoLouR,c ]880) doubtless sustained seriousinjury,
by Daedalusar Minos' request. or may wen have been hlled, rhere
Minos was known to the Greek Minos carried a shell and promised is nothing to suggesrrhar a man-
as an ancient ruler of the seas His to reward anyone who could passa eating creature was involved
naval strengrh could well have thread through ir Daedalusalone
owed somerhing ro Daedalus' could soive the problem, which MoenRg see FArEs
inventiveness Cenainly he was not eventuallyhe was unable to resist.
prepared for anorher ruler ro enjoy When l(ng Cocalos,on Daedalus' Tne MUSTS, from rhe Roman
rhe remarkable services of the behalf, claimed rhe prize, Minos name, Musae, were rhe daughters
craftsman. When Daedalusand his demanded that the craftsman be of zfuS and Mnemosyre, a TITAN,
son Icarus Ieft Crere wirhour per- surrendered to him. But rhe daugh- whose name means "memory"
missron, Minos sailed ro Sicily in ters of Cocalos were unwilling to They used to dance and sing ar par-
hot pursuit. There, in the ciry of Iose the inventive man who made ties held by the gods and heroes.
IGmikos, Minos mer his death. rhem beautiful toys, and with his For the Greek, cheMuseswere the
Daedalus had arrived in Sicily as a help they plotred Minos' dearh. inspiration of poetry, music and
refugee He quicklywent ro ground When rhey rook rheir royal guesr to dance. Later, other intellectual
and was hidden by King Cocalosof the bathroom, Daedalus led a pipe activities were added ro rherr care.
Kamikos ln order ro find our through the roof and boiling water, Although accounts of rheir number
where rhe craftsman was hiding, or oil, was poured down upon rhe differ, it is generally accepted that

62
 CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY

the echo of her votce Narcissus

was then condemnedby Nemesis,
goddess of retnbution, to spend
the rest of his days adminng his
own reflecdon in a pool At last he
died and was tumed into rhe flower
that bears his name

NnPruNr was an ancrent

Iralian water god whom the
Romans identified wrth PoSEIDON
Compared to Poseidon,however,
Neptune plays a minor role in
Roman mythology

FORCES
NOTUS SCC OFNATURE

ocrnNos was a TrrAN,the son

THE MusEs, guidingspiritsoJthe arts,
inspired aII $t'ted artists, though thq
resentedany smots competition dnd
depnvedthe SircnsoJtheirJeathosJor
daing to be better than than in song The
nine Musesappear hereamid the lsPiing
anistsoJ theRenaiss4nceGxr Rsrv or lHr
uw6, c 1506)
Mus6BvLouNzoCO5TA,
there were nine Muses altogether -
CIio, Euterpe, Thalia, MelPomene,
of Ouranos and Gete,but never an
enemy of zEUs On the contrary, he
prorected Zeus' wrle HEnA and
mother RHEAwhen the gods fought
rhe Titans As ruler of the encircling
sea, which rhe Greek believed
surrounded the world, Oceanos
married his sister Tethys and they
produced three thousandnvers.
OCEANUS1eJr). Jatherof thenver
gods, witha rypically
isdepictedhere
face,unrulylocluand
tempestuous
homedbrowAbwehim,Selene, the
crescentmoon,sheds a mildlight;andon
eithersidelash thesars,Phosphorus AeJt)
andHespmts(ight) (tununox o^uu
oF CLASSTGL ANTIQUlrl6, l89l )
DroloNAfr

Terpsichore, Erato, PolYhYmnia,

Urania and Calliope.

NNTNOS SCCFORCESOFNATURE

NARCSSUS, according to Greek

myhology, was the beautiful son of
the River Cephissus in Boeotia and
the nymph Linope Among the
many who loved him, including
immortals and monals, was Echo,
who slowly pined away, leavingjust

NARCISSUS (nght), a beaut{ul youth,

wasknenfo thenymph&ho who,Joiling
to attrdct him, dted of gtef He, in hs tum,

Jelltn lne wrth ttts wn reiection and pned

away until changedby the goik inn the
jower that bearshis nanc (Ecrono
Nficsus sYJWlY^roousE,w#, IW )

63
ClesstcAL MyrHoLoGy
OOYSSEUS, king of tthaca, was
one of the Greek leaderswho took
part in the Trojan War. He was
celebrared for both his parr in rhis
conflict and his remarkable voyage
home to his island kingdom in the
lonian Sea.
A brave and clever man,
Odysseus was sometimes rhoughr
ro have been rhe son ofslsypHus,
the trickster of Greek myrhology
But his real farher was probably
Laertes, whom he succeeded as
king of lthaca. His morher was
named Anricleia and his fairhful
wife Penelope was rhe sister of King
TyndareosofSparta.
From the starr of the campaign
againsr Troy it is clear rhat King
AGAMEMNaN,the Greek leader,
placed geat store upon Odysseus'
cunning. He was sentwirh Nesror,
the aged king of $os, to discover
where the great warrior ACHILLES
64
ODYSSEUS ahghtsontheislandoJAeau
wherehe iswamedby Hermes oJthe
honorsoJCirce'senchantingwine,
which
tumsmenintoswineThisJatehasalready
beJallen
onecomradeandsoO$tsseus must
heephu guard(clRcE
wrHrHEcoMMDr oF
ODssEUsByA[ssANDRo
A[oe,rtrsco,
1580
)
Greek warriors under his own
command The Trojans dragged
the Wooden Horse inside their
walls when they leamed from a
Greek, deliberately left behind
when the rest put to sea, thar rhe
offering would bring their ciry a
guaranteeof divine protection. Bur
during the night the Greeks
emerged from it, and surprised
the Trojans. Hence, the ancient
saying "Never trust the Greeks
bearing grfa"
Although Troy fell, the wildness
of the looting and the slaughter
deeply offended the gods. [n par-
ticular, the goddessAIHENAwas
enraged ar rhe rape of cesseruoRn
within the sanctuary of her own
temple. Odysseustried to appease
Athena, and he escapeddrowning
in the geat storm which the angry
goddesssent to shatter the vicrori-
ous Greek fleet on its homeward
was hidden. Again, arAulis, where year struggle againsr rhe Trojans, joumey. But he could not entirely
the Greek fleet was stranded by Odysseus was importanr not so avoid blame, and PoSEIDoNsaw ro
contrary winds, it was Odysseus much as a fighter but as a counsel- it that he was the last Greek leader
who tricked Agamemnon's wife lor and a schemer. His eloquence to reach home, after a voyage last-
CLYTEMNESTMinto sending her was renowned, and ir was probably rn8,some ten years.
daughter IPHIGENIA from Mycenae, Odysseus who thought of rhe The long period of wanderirrg
supposedly ro marry Achilles. Wooden Horse, which gave rhe that Odysseus suffered was a
lnstead, however, lphigeniawas to Greeksvictory. favourite story of both the Greek
be sacrificedroARllMIs, goddessof Odysseus deceived the Trojans and the Romans. who knew the
Ihe wild, in order ro obtain a fair wirh this horse built of wood voyager by the name of Ulysses.
wind to Troy. Throughout rhe ren- whose hollow beN was filled with The exact route that he followed
remains a mystery, not leasr
because his travels took him
beyond known territory and inro
strange and dangerous lands. From
Troy Odysseus sailed first ro
ODYSSEUS raises hisgreatbanond,with
effonbssnifltt, stretches
thebowst'ing
whichthesuitorshadstruggJed invainto
funil. He thrn slaysthesuianwhohne
denuredhk wealthandplagued,hk wrle
dunnghisbng voyage home(tuustunon
FRoM SToRE FRoM HoMER 1885 )
 CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY

ODYSSEUS. on his way throughthe

ghostlyundenvorld,tonsultsthe shadeoJ
Tiresras,who wams hrm that rJhe olJends
Helioshe will retum homealoneon a

Joreignship only at'termatryyears'

wandeing (TrRr,srAs oDYssFUs
coL:Nsn-s 81
Al EsitNDR() Ari ()R/, FREs(tr, 1580 )

[ather-in-law. But Penelope unrav-

Thrace,where he lost many of his
men in battle. After this bloody
incident the places he touched
upon are less easy to identify.
Storms drove him to the land of the
Lotophagi ("rhe Iotus-eaters"),
whose diet made visitors forget
their homelands and wish to suy
on forever Then he encounteredin
Sicily, it was later believed, the
Cyclops P)LWHEMU s, whose father
was Poseidon By putting out
Polyphemus'single eye when the
gigantic man was befuddled with
wlne, Odysseusand his compan-
ions managedto escapebecoming
his dinner They then amved on
the floating island of Aeolus, who
was the ruler of the winds There
Odysseusreceiveda rarepresent, a
sack full of wrnds The idea appears
in many different mythologies, but
according to the Greeks,it was of
little use on the voyagebecausethe
cunosity of Odysseus'men got the
eiled it each night, undl one ofher
maids betrayed the tnck Finally,
after ten years, Penelope agreed to
marry the suitor who could bend
and string Odysseus' great bow.
westem edge of the encrrcling sea, swallowed by the great whirlpool This challenge was proposed on
rhe realm of ocEaruos, where Charybdis In an exhausted state the advice of the goddessAthena
ghosts came from the underworld he dnfted to the wondrous island fhe only suitor who succeededat
realm of riAprs ro meet him The of the sea nymph Calypso, who the challenge was a beggar, who
shade ol rhe blrnd seer TIRESIAS cared for him and eventually pro- rhen threw off his disguise and
gave Odysseus a special waming posed mamage But not even revealedhrmself as Odysseus.
abour his homeward joumey to immortaiiry would tempt him, and Assistedby hrs son Telemachus
Irhaca He rold him that if the cat- after seven years the gods forced and two loyal retainers,Odysseus
tle of the sun god HELIoSon the Calypso to let Odysseus set off dispatchedthe suitors and hanged
isle of Thrinacia were harmed by again Shipwreckedonce more in the rreacherous maids Reunited
him he would never reach his the land of the Phaeacians,he was wrth his family at last,including his
home The ghost of Odysseus' welcomed as an honoured guest father Laertes, Odysseus then
mother also spoke of the dilliculdes and offered a passage back to defeatedan attack by the relations
being faced by Penelopein Ithaca Ithaca So it was that he was secret- of the suitors and rerurned Ithaca
at the time The ghost of ly ianded near his own palace, to peace Zeus himself threw down
Agamemnon, his old comrade-in- which he entered disguised with a thunderboit to signalan end to
arms, also wamed him about his Athena's aid as a beggar the fighring. (Seealso VOYAGERS)
homecoming; when he retumed Penelope had been patientiy
home he had been murdered by awaicingOdysseus'rerum from the ODYSSEUS thewanderer retums
home
his wrfe and lover in the bathroom war. Akhough pressed to marry aJtertwenty yearsandembraces Penelope
Turning eastwards, Odysseus one of her many noble suitors,she at last Shehadrejused to achnowledgeher
sailed back towards Greece and had put rhem off for a while by husband untilhehadremincledherof the
was the only man who dared to pretending that she could not serretof theirbed,whichwascurued outof
listen to the allunng song of the marry until she had finished a greaLolivetreegrownin thecourtyard
Sirens,bird-women of storm He weaving a shroud for Laertes,her (ll-LL rsTMTrL)N |RoM 5l r)Rll 5 l ROM Hrwl R, I 885 )

beuer of them and they opened the filled his men's earswith wax and
sack and the winds no ionger blew had himself bound urth strong
in a helpful direction cords to the mast Odysseusthen
A tragedy overcame the passedrhrough the strairsberween
squadron of ships that Odysseus Sicily and ltaly, where six of his
led among the Laestrygones,a race crew were seizedby the six-headed
of giant cannibals Only his own monster Scylla On the island of
ship survrved the attack and Thrinacia, as Tiresias had foretold,
reached Aeaea, the island of the the voyagers were tempted by
enchantressCIRCE, laier considered hunger ro slay some o[ Helios'
to be situated off ltaly Odysseus catrle Despite his warning, the
resistedher spells,wrth the aid of desperaremen killed and cooked
the messengergod nrRvls, and severalcows when Odysseuswas
made the enchantressrestore to asleep.Later they desertedhim,
human shape his men who had but were drowned in a storm sent
been tumed to swine Afterwards, by zEUsat Helios' request
on Circe's advice,he sailedto the Alone, Odysseus was almost
ClessrcAL MyrHoLocy
OEOIPUS ("swell-foot")was rhe
unluciy son of King L{IUS and
QueenJocastaof Thebes Because,
as a guest at the court of prLops,
Laius had taken sexualadvanrage
of Pelops' young son Chrysippus,
a curse was laid on rhe ruling house
of Thebes Indeed, an oracle
wamed Laius that any sonJocasra
bore him would hll him For a long
time the king and queen aban-
doned the marriagebed, bur dnnk
one night caused Laius to rhrow
caurion to rhewnds and a son was
duly conceived At birth, the infant
was pierced in rhe feet and left ro
die on a distanr mountainside,a
fairly common practice for un-
wanred children in ancient Greece
However, a shepherd lound the
baby and took it ro King Polybus of
Corinrh, who, having no children,
adopted rhe boy and chose the
name of Oedipus because of his
damaged feet When he grew up,
Oedipus was taunted that he was
not Polybus'son, so he went ro ask
OEDIPUS,aJtoyearsol wanderingsince
hs exrleJromThebes, Ieanson hLsloyal
daughterAntigone;thq travelto Colonus
whereit is destined
thatOedipuswillJinally
find peaceanddeathin a sacred grove
(lLrusrMrfoN BYNtcx BilE. 1995)
66
OEDIPUS pudes ner the Sphinx s
Adilb, whbh she chalbngesall trq',ellcrsn
Thebesto solve Wha. Oedipus outwits the
Sphiw, sheJlingshetulf ina the cham
below and datroys hmelf . Ocdipus is
portraydhere, ashe s in anc.eil art, as a
calm and pensivehrro (oorpusND rBE
SPHIM ByJilN AU6USTE lN6E, wA, l@)
Jocasu, Oedipus decided ro rry or
die in the attempt. By ourwirdng
rhe Sphinx and causingics dearh,
Oedipus unwittingly fulfilled his
own destiny: he had killed his
father, now he married his morher
For a dme Oedipus andJocasm
lived happily rogerher, having a
famiiy of two sons, Polynices and
Ereocles, and two daughrers,
ANTIGONEand Ismene. Then a
dreadful plague settled on Thebes,
and Creon was sent to ask the
Oracle at Delphi for a remedy. The
dMne command he brought back
to the city was to dnve our the
murderer of Laius.Alrhough rhe
famous seer TIRESIA5 announced
the Delphic Oracle about his
parentage. He was told thar he was
desrined ro kill his farherand marry
his mother, and in horror he fled
north. En route he encountered
l-aius, whose charioreerdeliberare-
iy ran over Oedipus' foot The
result was rhat Oedipus killed
everyone there, except one of his
father's servantswho ran away
Arrivrng in Thebes, Oedipus
discoveredits people were greatly
distressed at the news of Laius'
dearh and rernfied of the spnirux,
an ugly monster causing havoc in
the countryside, When the regent
CREONannounced thar whoever
nd the ciry o[ rhe Sphinx would be
offered the throne and the hand of
ORESTES6ght) fnds some peaceat the
shnneoJApolloin Delphiwhcreheha
led, pursuedby theFuries,aJtermurdering
hismother.At Delphi,Orestes ispartly
punJiedbyApollo,andewn theFuiae,
asleepon thealtar,fnd rest In time,
OrestesisocquittedfotheArmpags
(ORL5E, M^$LE, c 200 BC)

that Oedipus was the guiity one,
the new hngwould not believe rhis
was true until he rraced rhose
involved in his own exposure as a
child Convinced ar lasc of his
excepdonalcrime, Oedipus blind-
ed himself and left Thebes. His
mother and wife, Jocasta, had
akeady commirred suicide In the
company of his daughter Andgone,
a broken Oedipus evenually found
spiritual peacein a sacredgrove at
Colonus near Athens His death
there was considered to be a good
omen by the Athenians,becausein
graritude for the sancuary he was
given, Oedipus had foretold rhat
his bones would save rhem from
any future attack by the Thebans
OnfSfgS was the son of King
AGAMEMNON of Mycenae and
CLYTEMNESTM and is renowned for
having commitred matricide In
ancient Greece there were many
placesassociatedwith his purifica-
tion after such a tenible crime For
example,in front of the sancruary
of.eporto in Troezen, there was a
hut used by Oresres,which was
said to have been buik ro avoid
receiving the pollured murderer as
a guest in a normal house
When Agamemnon left ro lead
the Greek expedition againstTroy,
his wife Clyremnesrrarook a lover,
Aegisthus When Agamemnon
returned, some ten yearslater, the
rwo lovers murdered him, and it
was to avenge rhis crime that
Oresteshlled his mother The grear
horror feh by the Greeks over
Orestes' actions runs deep in his
myth Correcr though he was ro
seekvengeancefor his father's mur-
der, as the Delphic Oracle had
advised him ro, the killing of a
mother by her son could not be
expected to bring anyrhing orher
than dire misfonune. The FURIES
were avenging deities who tracked
down all rhosewith blood on rheir
hands, and they now relenrlessly
pursued Oresres.
Wild-eyed and distraught,
Orestes wandered as an outcast
throughout Greece When finally
he went to Delphi for help, since
Apollo had advisedhim to slay his
father's murderers, Orestes was
told to go to Arhens and srand tnal
by the fueopagus,an ancienrcoun-
cil presided over byATHENA.The
verdict in his favour calmed the
Furies, so they were renamed the
Eumenides ("the soorhed god-
desses").lt is likely, however, rhar
the Greeks called them by this
euphemism because rhey were
afraid to use their real name, the
Erinyes, "the angry ones"
OruON SECGIANT5
OnPHEUS was a Thracian singer
much reveredin ancient Greece.
He was said ro be the son of
Calliope,MUSEof epic poerry His
chief myth concems the dearh of
his wife, the nymph Eurydice One
CINSSICAL
d^y she died of a snake bite
Orpheus was so saddened and
grief-stricken by this sudden loss
that he no longer sang or played
Then he decided to risk his own life
in a desperatejoumey ro the land
of the dead in the forlom hope of
bringing Eurydice home. By using
his miraculous music, Orpheus
was able to charm rhe boarman,
Charon, who femed him across
the Styx, and the rhree-headed
CERBERUS so rhat he could enrer
the underworld Even rhe ghoss of
the dead were greatly moved by his
song, but the rulers of the under-
world, HADESand his wife prnsr-
PHONE,granted Orpheus his only
desireon one condition: under no
circumstances was Orpheus to
look back at Eurydiceuntil borh of
them were complerely rerumed to
the land of rhe living But so over-
come was the singer by love for his
MyTHoLoGY
ORPHEUS, aJtuhtsdeath,became an
oracle,
andispictured huebangconsulted
byaThracian maid Hishead rests
ona
lyrethatis encrusted
withseaweedbecause,
orcr musical,
evenin deathhisdecapitated
headhadfloateddownstream calling
Jor
Eurydice(ATnrecnN MAID wtrHrHEHFID ot-
OnpHrussyGusreveMoREAU,
ceruyes,
1865)
departed wife thar just before rhey
reachedthe surfaceof the ground,
he could not resist a quick glance
in the half-light The result was rhar
Eurydice tumed inro a ghost again
and sank back to Hades' kingdom
forever Orpheus' own fate was to
be dismemberedby Thracian mae-
nads, the female worshippers of
DIoNYsus,the god of vegetation,
wine and ecstasyApparently, they
tore the singer to pieces excepr for
his head. which was rhen casr inro
a river and went floating down-
streamcalling out "Eurydicel"
Ancient fascinarion with this
romantic story was probably con-
nected wirh religious ceremonies
and rituals rhat were aimed ar
securing personal salvation after
death The worshippers of both
Orpheus and Dionysus believed in
some form of afterlife Painringsof
Orpheus have even been found in
the catacombs, rhe early burial
chambers of Christians in haly
(Seealso yOYAGERS)
ORPHEUS waspursued
andtornapartby
theJrenzedmaenads, whowerethewtld
devoteesoJDionysusThq wereusually
depicted,
asthq arehere,whirlingin
withswirlingrobes,
ecstary, and
dishev hair.( uusrvruw
elled,snalubound
rnov Dn SvrrH'sCr,tssrocrDtcrloNARy.1895)
 FORCES OF NATTJRE
H E W O N D E R S A N D M Y S T E R I E SO F N A T U R E A T C
explained in mythology through the will and
actions of the gods. Sunrise and sunset, storrns
and tidal waves. summer and winter unfold as
part of a divine drama. For the ancient Gree}<s,rhe sun
rose and set because Phoebus Apollo drove the
glittering sun-chariot on a fiery course across the stry,
preceded by Eos who sprinkled moming dew from
her vase. Sp.ingtime came when Persephone,who
symboltzed the seed-com, rose from the underworld
to live in the light of day with her mother, Demerer,
goddessof corn. The tempestuousseagod, Poseidor,
could stir up sea-storrns,or soothe the waves; while
mighty Zeus could strike from afar with a bolt of
lighmirg or brighten the sly with rainbows. In addition
to the great gods of stry, land and sea, nature spints o
nymphs infused the forests,fields and nvers.

POSEIDON (above),the turbulentgod oJthe seas,

symbolizedthe might of the sea-stormHe dwelt in a
goldenpalacein the depthsof the ocean,and rode
the wavesin his sea-chaiot, drawn by sea-horses,
speedingso Jastthathe passedJromSamothraceto
Aegaein threegreat stndes Besidehim bashshis
APOLL0 (above),god oJ light, wife, the sea nymph Amphitite,while a schoolof

rymbolized not only sunlight- Jor titons (part men, part fsh) t'nsharoundhis chaiot
ongnally Helios (the sun) blowngtheir conches,which thq used to raise or
radiateddaylightand wasonly calm the wdves (PosErDoN
ANDHrsCHARIoT
ByMtR^BEuo
Iater identifed with Apollo - but c 1197
Cavaroru, )
alsothebngnt,I{e-g:ing pure,
healinglight oJ divtnity Apollo's ZEUS QeJt),the chiefdary, gwemed thewinds and
light underlieshis other rolesas clouds,rain, thunder andlightning By strilcinghis
god oJhealing,god oJprophecy oeglshecausedstormsand tempests
to rage,but
and god of the arts He withdrew equally,he could calm the elemantsand brighten the
in winter to sunny Lycius and slE k theJatherof thehours,hegwemed the
returnedin spingto dispel changingseasonsAn awesomebutbenigngod,he is
winter Here,he dnves the sun- seenhereresplendantin frry light, beannghis aeg1s,
chaiot on its courseacrossthe rymbol oJhissamagn pruer ovu allJorcesof
heavens (IrLusrn
crroNrnovSronrEs natureand all other go& guprrER
^NDSEMELE
By
nnouLrw 1885) Gusttvt MOREAU, c^NvAs, perxt- 1896 )
FLOM (nght),blooming
Romangoddess
of spnng,
was honouredeveryyear at
the time oJthe Floralia, a
theaticalfestivalwhenthe
peopledechedthemselves
in

flowers and enjoyeda great

feast lastingJorsk days
Flora,sereneandbenign,is
herehonouredtn alavish
parade Poussin's
atmosphencscenev:idly
raives the pagan splendour
of the early Greehpostoral

Jestivak (THeTruuupH
or
FLORA By Nrcol s PoussfN,

cANVAs, c 1627 )

HEPIIAISTOS (below),the smith god, is typrcallydepicted

as a grave, intenseman weanng a worhman's cap and
immersedrn hisf,ery craft He hadforges beneathvolcanoes
but olsoon Olympus where20 bellowsworhed athis
bidding Famedfor hts artistry, he craJtedworhs of wonder,
such as Achtlles'shield,embossedwith a dramatic sceneoJ
liJeand death,joy and gneJ,peaceand war (Aporr,orNrur,
FoRGr, oF Hr,pHArsros av Dtrc<; VELAseuEz, cANVA-s, onett, 1630 )

THE NAIADS (above),orwater NOTUS (below),the southwind, ZEPLIYRUS(below),thewestwind,

nymphs.dweltbesiderunntng
water Lihe thar cousins,the
Nereidsand Oceanidsof the
oceans,the OreadsoJthe hills and
the Dryads of Jorestsand trees,thq
were usually sweet,benrgn spirits
broughtwrthit fog and rain Here,as a dwelt with his brotherwrnd. Boreas.in
wingeddeity,Notuspours ruin from aa palacein Thrace He wasfather oJ
vase,muchas hrsmother,Eos,goddess the rmmortalhorses.Xanthusand
of dawn, spinhlesdov Jrom a vase Balius, Achilles'battle steedswho
beforethesun-chanotin the early gallopedwtththe speedoJwind
morrung (l[usrnerroru
FRoM
DRSr,.rrrn's (lt-t-usrnzcrtolJFRoMD RSr'ltrn's C r-rssrca I

Naiad,s,especially,werehelpJuland CLAssr( L DrcnoNARY, l89l ) DrcrroNARY.

1891)
healing nurturing fruits,flowers
and mortak Yet theyouth Hylas
who went to draw waterJroma
poolwasluredby the nymphsinto
thewaterand neverseenagatn
(HYtAs AND rHE WArER NyrilpHS ByJ W

WArERHousE, c NvAs, c 1890 )

CTeSSIcAL MyrHoLoGY

PAt'l (abarc) playshs pipesat dush '4sa

spint oJthe darhforest,he oJtenstartled
solitary trav ellers,arousingsuddenawe
and panic He is usuallydepictedwith
shagt head, goat's horns and hocves,
dancing or playing a synnx (tLLUsrMrroN
nnov TnNclrwooD TALES. c 1920 )

PAN was the son of the messen-

ger god HERIvfEs. fu the Greek god
of the mountainside, the pastures
of sheep and goats,he was himself
goat-homed and goat-legged.Pan
was gspecially associated with
Arcadia, the mountainous smte in
cenral Peloponnese. He was play-
ful and energedc,but very irritable,
especiallyif disturbed during his
aftemoon nap. He liked to play on
a pipe, which was known as a
syrinx after a nymph of that name
who tumed herself into a reed-bed
to avoid his advances. For Pan
could also be a frightening god
when he blew on his conch Our

PANDORA(below)," all-g1fs",wasthe
firstwomantaappearonearth,createdby
thegodstoworhmischieJJor men word "panic" derives from this
Inepressibly cuious,shecouWnotresist aspect of his diviniry His worship
opainga sealed jar, containingthe
horors spread from Arcadia to Athens
andsichness,
of life: stnJe sorrov,t
andgneJ. immediately after the Athenian and
(luusrncttou sv NrcxBEA!f. 1945) Plataeanvictory over the Persiansat
Marathon in '180 BC, because he
made the Persiansflee in panic. He
order t6.'upset PROMETHEUS, the
Greekgod of fire and friend of men.
When she went to live zrmongmen,
she was given a grft from the gods
which was a sealed jar that con-
tained all the misfortunes of exis-
tence. But soon Pandora's great
PARIS (abwe), the judgeoJa diinebeauty
contest,choseAphroditeas thewinnq
becausesheoflredhim the woril'sJairest
woman Behind her, wse Athena had
promtsed hirn Jame, whib quenly Hua
had offeredhim pwr. (TueJuoceueur
or
PARrs BYJE{N REGN ULT, C/.I,wAS, 1820 )

rendered a similar service for ZEUS curiosity overcamea natural fear of

during the battle against CRONOS what might be inside, and she PnruS was one of the fifry sons of
and the TITANS.His conch deeply broke the seal, releasing solrow, King PRTAMof Troy. According to
worried kus' opponents. diseaseand conflict. As a result, the the Greeks, he was responsible for
men who originally comprised the causing the Trojan War. Paris was
PnNOORA was the Greek Eve, human race gained a monal, female a very handsome young man and
the bringer of all sorrows for companion, but also untold woes. wooed HELENso well thar she left
manhnd. She was the first woman Appropriately, the name Pandora her husband trlrrunutus, hng of
and was created by HEPHAISTOS, means "all gifts" - the bad as well Sparta, and fled with her lover to
the smith god, on ZEIIS'orders in as the good. Troy. His unusual attracdveness

70

was believed to have been a gift
from APHRODITE, the goddess of
love. In retum for choosing her as
the fairestof goddesses,Aphrodire
offered Paris the most beautiful
woman in the world, Helen.
During the long siege of Troy
Pariscut a poor figure as a warrior.
His singlecombar with Menelaus,
Helen's husband, was supposed to
have settled the outcome of the
whole war. Instead it revealedParis
as a coward, who only escaped
with his life through the interven-
tion of Aphrodite. As a resuh, rhe
Trojan champion HECTOR,his
eidest brother, treated him very
badiy [t was an irony of fare thar a
poisoned arrow shot from Paris'
bow should have found the one
vulnerable spot on the mighty
Greek champion ACHILLES,his
heel Parishimself was hlled by an
arrow, pnor to the fall of Troy
PeStPHeE, in Greek mythology,
was the daughter of Hruos, rhe
sun god, and wife of MINos, hng of
Crete The seagod rosrlDoN sent
a white bull as a sign of Minos'
right to rule the island, but the king
refused to sacnfice the animal
when it emergedfrom the waves,
and Poseidonpronounced a curse
in anger at the lack of respecr
PASIPHAE, queenoJCrete,wasdrawn
irresistibly
toa mystmous whitebullwhich
emrged fromthewavesShedorcloped a The winged steed was born from missing piece of his body was
strangepassionJorthebull,andfrom hu
unionwtththecreature sheborea dreadJul
bull-man,theMinotaur,whowashept
hiddenin anunderground maze
(lrrusrRertorusv NrcxBEArr 1995)
CInSSICAL MYTHoLoGY
By favour of Poseidon the
restoredPelopsbecamefamousas
a champion charioteer,which was
an accomplishmenr thar the
ancient Greek regardedas one of
the greatest So when Oenomaus,
king of Elis, offered his daughter
Hippodameia in marriageand also
his lands to anyone who could
defeathim in a chariotrace,Pelops
acceptedthe challenge But he had
to agree that Oenomaus could
shoot an arrow at him if he caught
up with his chariot Thirteen con-
testantshad aireadyperished
It was said that Pelopsbribed a
certain Mptilus, rhe king's chano-
PEGASUS, a magnificentwingedhorse, The seagod eosuDoN so loved teer, to remove the linchpins from
dips and divesthrough theJlamesof the Pelopsthat he sezed rhe youth and his master'schariot, but when he
ftre-breathingmonster,the Chimaera On carried hlm off ro Mounr Olympus won Pelops refused to acknowl-
his bach,Bellerophonurgeshim on The Possibly because of this divine edge this assistance ln different
hero had successJully tamed Pegasuswith a favour shown to his son, Tantalus versions of the story, he either
goldenbidlegvn tohimby Athena was honoured by the gods as no rhrew Myrtilus into the sea,or he
(lrrusrncrro^J FRoM TANGLEwooD TALEs. c 1920 ) other morral He was allowed to ear spurned him As a consequence,
nectar and ambrosia,the immortal the father of Myrtilus, who was the
shown to himself Pasiphaewas to food servedto the deities on their messengergod HERMES, saw thar a
be stncken with a passionatedesire mountain home But Tantalus fell curse afflicted the descendanrsof
for the bull. In order to gratify her from divine favour and suffered Pelops The consequencesof this
lust, the greatcrafsman DAEDALUS etemal torrnent as a result curse on the house of AIREUS,
made a cow, inro which Pasiphae Accordrng [o one version of the Pelops'eldestson and the fatherof
fitted and so could mate with the myth, Tanulus cut up, boiled and AGAMEMNON, is the basis for thar
bull Later, she gave birth to rhe served his own son Pelops to the family's tragic story
MINOTAUR ("Minos' Bull"), which gods in order to test their om-
was kept in rhe Labynnth niscience Only DEMETER, the god- PELOPS, in thewinnrngchanot, races
dessof vegetation,partook of the alongtheGreeh.
trach,Jastoutstipprnghts
PECnSUS, in Greek mythology, feast,inadvertentlyeatinga piece of ival Oenomaus,whosechanotswewesand
was the flytrg horse belonging to Pelops'shoulder Later,when the crashesPelops'white shoulderwas madeof
the Connthian hero BELLEROPHONgods retumed the youth to life, the ivory,Jashionedby thegodsafterhe had
beenpartly eatenby Demeter (Iuu-srR.anor
blood which spilled from the sev- repiacedby ivory avGLrrux .1995
Srrw,cno, )
ered head of the GORGON Medusa,
who was alreadypregnanr by rhe
sea god PoSEIDoN(a deiry always
associatedwith bulls and horses)
Bellerophon was given a magic
bridle byATHENAro help him tame
PegasusWhen the hero tried ro fly
to Mount Olympus, Pegasusthrew
him on rhe instrucrion of zrus
PEIOPS was rhe son of Kirg
TANTALI/S, rhe ruler of a kingdom
in fuia Minor Pelops'nameis still
recalledin the Peloponnese("rhe
isle of Pelops"),which is rhe large
peninsulaof southem Greece
ClnssrcAL MvrHoLoGY

PENEIOPE was the daughrerof

Icarius, king of Sparta, and a
nymph Peribaea As the faithful
wife of ooYssrus, the ruler of
Ithaca,she was celebratedfor her
patience in waiting almost twenty
yearsfor his retum from Troy Beset
by suitors, Penelopekepr them at
bay for a long time by prerendingto
weave a shroud for her father-rn-
law Laertes Each night she would
secretly unravel the day's work
Eventually,rhe retum of Odysseus
savedher from an enforcedsecond
marriage,but she remained cold
towards her saviour until she was
absolutelycertain of his identity
Peneloperefused to be convinced
that the new arrival really was
Odysseusuntil he describedtheir
bed, carved in part from a tree
trunk still rooted in the ground

PenSePHONE was the daugh-

ter of zp,Ltsand DEMETER, the eanh
goddess,and becamequeen of the
underworld as the abductedwrfe of
HADESAccording to the Greeks,
Zeus promised his beautiful daugh-
ter to Hadeswithour consuldngher
mother When Hades rose from rhe
underworld and took his bride by
force, Demeter was beside herself
wrth grief The goddesswandered
the earth searchingfor her daugh-
[er, two burning torches in her
hands As a result the land was no
longer ferrile Plans wrlted, animals

PENELOPE (nght),pattentwtJeof PERSEUS and Andromeda (above)peer

Odysseus,shared herhusband's clev

emess rn
glngerlyat theJaceoJMedusa,reJlected

Duinghislongabsence, shehepthermany thewater Bume-Jones' Medusarecallsthe

at baybyrefusrng
suitors to matryunttlshe tranquil an and death-lthebeau4toJthe

hadcompleted a shroudwhtchshesecretly GreehMedusascawedon amuletsand

unravelledeachnight,untilthesuitors charms,whichremrndus that shewasonce

discovered her ploy (luusrn,rrto^/Fno,vs tt.rrtt,s beauttful (THrBartrut HI:AD BtiRNE-

ByEDMUND

r , n o vH o u t , n . . 1 8 8 5 ) Jorurs, caNves,188/)

PERSEPHONE (Jar ngh), goddess

of
death,spentthe winter rn the underworld,
nsing eachspnng to live with her mother,
the goddessoJcorn Shesymbolizesthe
seed-cornthat is buned, nsesandJalls
agarnin a q,cleof constantrenewal- a
themecentralto the Eleusianmysteies
( P t ' R S t , p H o N l . M A R B L E ,D E T A I L ,c +90 BC)

72

bore no offspringand death sulked
mankind. In rhe end, Zeus was
obliged to intervene and ruled that
Persephone should spend rime
each year with both her husband
and her mother. Persephonecould
never return entirely to the living
world because she had eaten in
Hades' realm: avery old idea that
snicdy divided the food of the dead
from that of the living
The story of Persephone's
abduction, disappearance and
retum parallels the fertiliry myths
of West Asia. She may well have
been a pre-Greek goddess,a deity
worshipped by earlier setrlers of
the counuywho was later incorpor-
ated into Greek religion. Her asso-
ciation with the dead may have a
similar origrn. The Athenians, who
were originally a non-Greek speak-
ing people, referred to the dead as
"Demeter'speople"
PfnSnUS was the son of.zrus
and oaruer, daughrer of Acrisius,
king of Argos Danaehad been shur
up in a bronze tower in order to
thwart a prophecy that if she had a
son he would kill Acrisius. Bur
Zeus visited her as a golden show-
er and Perseuswas bom A tenifred
Acrisius placed mother and son in
a wooden chest and cast it on the
sea.The protection of.Zeus,how-
ever, was enough to bring them
safelyto the shoresof the island of
Seriphos, where Perseusgrew up
among fishermen
On reaching manhood Perseus
was sent by the local ruier,
Polydectes,to fetch the head of the
GORGON Medusa,avery dangerous
task. Luckily for the hero the god-
dess ATHENAhated Medusa and
insrructed him how ro proceed
PHAEDRA,seenherewithhersister
Aiadneandhusband Theseus.wasthe
unfortunate
daughter of KingMinos and
Queen Pasiphaeof CreteShe Jellin love
Uthherstepson Hippolytus which
oatually prarcdtobeherdownJall
Cfnrsrus wtrH ARTADNE AND PHAEDM
Gr,vluenr rHE youNGER, cet'tves, 1702 )
ClnssrcAL MvrHoLocY
First he visited the Grarae.three oldsaved the beauriful erupRoMEDA her his second wife He seems to
hags who shared a single eye from a seamonster, he married her, have abandonedher sisterARIADNE
Perseusseized the eye and obliged but severalpeople had to be tumed not long after she helped him kill
the Graiae to tell him about the to stone before he and his bride the MINOTAUR,the bull-headed
nature of the Gorgons, their three retumed safely to Danae Having creature kept in the Labynnth at
dreadful sisters. retumed his magrcalequipmenr ro Knossos Like her mother Pasiphae,
Most important of all, they HERMES, the messenger god, who gave birth to the Minotaur,
informed him how a direcr glance Perseusvisited Argos only to find Phaedrawas soon overcomeby an
from Medusa's eyes would turn that Acrisius had already fled to illicit desire.It was not for an ani-
him to stone. He also received l-arissaon hearing of his grandson's mal this time, but for her srepson,
three useful gifts from some friend- arrival The prophecy was lulfilled, Hippolytus, the son of Theseus'
ly nymphs: a cap of invisibility, nevertheless, when Perseus was earliermarriageto the queen of the
winged shoes and a bag for invited to compete in the gamesar AMAZ.ONS, Hippolyta. When she
Medusa's head Ready for the Lanssaand his discus hit rhe old saw how Hippolytus was homfied
exploit at last, Perseusput on the man on the head by her passion for him, Phaedra
shoes and flew to the Gorgon's Becauseof the accident the hero hanged herself and left a message
cavein the far west. Careful not to chose to be king of Tiryns rather to Theseussaying that his son had
look at Medusa directly, he than Argos On hearing of their ried to rape her. Theseusexiled his
approached by watching her reflec- deathsAthena placed both Perseus son. who was later killed in a char-
tion in his shield Having cut off and Andromeda in the sky as con- iot accident In another version,
Medusa'shead and stowedit in his srellations (Seealso HERoEs) Theseuscursed his son and asked
bag, Perseusflew awayunseen by POSEIDON to destroy Hippolytus,
her rwo sisters. PHAEORA was the daughter of which he did by sending a sea-
The chilling powers of rhe head Kirg MINOSand Queen PASIPHAE monster Phaedra, filled with
were used to good purpose by of Crete According to the Greeks, sorrow. then killed herself
Perseuson his way home Having the Arhenian hero THEsEUS made
PUegfUON was the son of rhe
sun god HELIoS and Clymene,
daughrer of ocnnlsos He drove his
father's four-horse chariot so fast
that he lost control and threatened
the world with a terrible heat ZEIJS
stopped him with a thunderbolt,
which sent Phaerhon crashing to
the eanh The great god may have
also flooded the earth in an attempt
to reduce rhe temperature Ir was
believed rhat Phaethon's mad
exploit could be rraced in the
shape of the Milky Way, while he
was reflectedin the constelladonof
Auriga, the charioteer
THe PI-HADES were the seven
daughrersof the Tiun ATl,As,and
were named Maia, Elecra, Taygete,
Celeno, Merope, Asterope and
Alcyone They may have become
stars,or doves, in order to escape
from rhe passionateintentions of
Orion, the giant hunter Their
appearancein the nighr s\y in May
coincides with rhe beginning of
summer, and the constellation of
By BENEDETTO Orion then appears to be in
perpetualpursuir of them
73
CIASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
POLYPHEMUS, a one-qedg1ant,was in
love with the nymph Galatea,but she
scornedhim,lovinginsteadthehandsome
Acrs In a jealousrage,theglant crushed
Aciswith a roch;but Galateatumedher
belovedinto a Srcilianiver beannghrs
ntme (PotypHr:MUS AND tHt- NvvpH G,qt,qrl-n av
ANNTBALE CARMCCT, rnrsc<1, c 1595.)
POI-YPHEMUS was rhe son of
POSEIDONand the sea nymph
Thoosa He was a Cyclops, a one-
eyed giant, and was thoughr ro
have lived on the island of Sicily
ODYSSEUS, during his longjoumey
home, came to the island and
asked for hospitality, but called
himseif Nobody Polyphemus
indeed proved to be a dangerous
hosr and treated rhe Greeksas part
of his flock, shutting them up in his
cave and earing them one by one
for his evening meal Odysseus
dared not kill the Cyclops during
the night becausehis men lacked
the strength ro move the boulder
blocking rhe entrance to the cave
So Odysseus thought of a cunning
plan to enable their escape He got
Polyphemus drunk on wine and
then put out his single eye with a
smke The rnjured grant roared wrrh
74
pain, but in responsero the other
Cyclopes' questionshe cried our
that he was being attacked by
Nobody, so they went away, con-
sidering him drunk or mad ln the
morning Polyphemusopened the
entrance to the cave to let out his
flock and feit the back of each ani-
mal as it passed to ensure no men
escaped But Odysseus and his
men tied themselvesto the under-
sides of the sheep and managed to
leave undetected For this crime
againsthis son, Poseidonpromised
revengeon Odysseus
POSgtoON was the son of
CRoNos and Rnra He was the
Greek god of the sea, and the
equivalent of the Roman NEPTUNE
He was panicularly associatedwith
horses and bulls After the over-
throw of Cronos, his three sons
divided the world between them:
POSEIDON, godoJtheoceans,rodethe
wavesin a chaiotdrawnbygoldmsea-
ongedtident,
horsesWtthhisthree-pr
rymbolofhispower,heshatteredtherochs,
calledJorth andshooh
storms theearth
(Nr,pruNe AND Hls HORSES By E K BIRCE,
cANvAs. c 1880)
ZEUS took the slqy, FTADESthe
underworld and Poseidon the sea,
while the land was ruled by all
three It was agreedthat Zeus was
the senior deiry, though Poseidon
frequently assertedhis indepen-
dence Once he even chained up
Zeus. with the aid of HERA,Zeus'
wife, and his daughter ATHENA
Possibly becausehis element was
the tempestuoussea,Poseidonwas
thought of as an unruly god.
Earthquakeswere attributed to his
anger, and Hades was often afraid
that the roof of the underworld
would cavein becauseof the shak-
ing Poseidongave the earth PRIAM,thehingoJTroy, sa\tours
a
Poseidon was pictured riding moment ofrarepeacewithHelenonthe
rhe deep in a chanot pulled by citywalk,as shedescibes
thehingsand
golden seahorsesIn his handswas of theGreehhost,
chieJtains whocirclethe
a mighry trident, a weapon capable cityon theplainsbelow(IrtusrwroNFRoM
oFGREECF
of stirring the waters to fury, like SroRrES eruo
Ror'ar.
1930)
the sudden violence of an Aegean
storrn His wife was Amphitrite, a the Greeks,although the maritime
seanymph whose name recallsthat state of Athens did not always
of the seamonster Triton This fear- enjoy the best reladonswith him
ful pre-Greek creature was tumed Because the Athenians chose
by the Greeks into the merman. Athena as the deity of their ciry,
One of Poseidon's children by Poseidon flooded the countryside
Amphitrite bore this name undl Zeusbrought about an under-
However, the sea god had many standing The temple of Athena
other offspring by other partners. stood on the acropolis in Athens
He even mated with the GoRGoN and Poseidon'sown sanctuarywas
Medusa, much to the annoyanceof conspicuously sited on Cape
the goddessArhena From the sev- Sunium, which majesticallyjuts
ered head of Medusa sprang the out into the AegeanSea
winged horse PEGASUS, surely a Another naval power that
favourite of Poseidon Worship of offended Poseidon was Crete
the seagod was wrdespreadamong When its ruler, King MINoS,asked
 CL,qssrc.{L MrrHOroGY

P S Y C H E r \ . . 1 -. s ob e a t t t r l u l t l r r t r A p / t i r r r l i t t

l r i ' t r : . l t t t/ ,d c t l o u -rst t t r l s c t t f h d s , , r r I r r , . s t t ,

i r r . s p r r tP s t c h e r r r r h r t | c r s s r 0 r r/ ( ) r r l l r r { t h

r i r r l r h L r t l t e u a s s o e r r t r ? n c c r lr r h t ' r r h , s r n r

l r er t h a t h e d r o p p e r l a n u n o l \ ( ) n h r s / ( ) ( ) t ,

and .softll tn love wrth hu hinr.srl/ Lr L n,,

tt tht ( - . .- \.( d - ^ . J ft L^, l. . a J<r 5j tot .n . ; rr ryr rhl riLr n h r r l l

J r / L r l t
5 L , u

cmcrged from thc \\ a\ es Rclrgrous

( llslom rpallired MtnOSt() s.tenficL'
the anrmal. but he chose not tcldo
so, \\,'rth the result that his o\\'n \\'rfe
P A . S I P H AbEe c a m e t h e b u l l ' s l o r . e r
f h c i r q r. r* ,2. f ]n. o en n i { ) n n r r r d r , , ' , 1r h c
IllNOlALrR. the bull-headed man
.'.....,",/
l

sl:1ln
l ( l

n\' *\f nPnl2fl

I

f-|[fqt lHl\l,t \

(See alsoFORCE.S
OF\A f L.R!)

PruenA was rhe son of Laomedon

^ hr P l l J( .r t. ^r 'l -l u
c, ,l .l 1l L .rrrh. r, r' f. r. rr )- u
.. , 1r .dtu, ,B, lr rt t,r L
\'. L ' .t

of the Rrver Scamander 81, the trme

of the Tro.lan War Pnam, rhe krng

. . r fT r o ) ' . \ \ ' a s a l r c a d y a n t r l d m a n .
lathcr ol'fift1 sons. >t)mc hy his
qllcen Hecuba. thc rcst b; ..'ther
\\'omen Although hc disapproved
of the confllct urth the Greeks and
lts callse, Pnam rvas alu,ays krnd to
H E It \ throughout the l()ng5icge
Shc had eloped to Troy wrth his
son PARIS Pnam was killed in the
courtyard of hrs palace whe n the
Greeks sacked Tro1,

PROUETHEUS was a son of rhe

IITAN Iapetus and one o[ the older
Greek gods who sided wlth zEU-sin
his fight against hrs father cRONoS
His fame was due to his affection
for mankind,
Zeus, the leader of the new and
stronger gods, had
away, but Prometheus stole it and
brought lt to earth wrh
this drew Prometheus into confhct
wrrh Zeus, who chained the rebel-
lious Titan to a rock and senr an
eagle to ear his liver As rhis organ
was immortal,
fast as the bird could consume rr by
day Prometheus was oniy released
when he gave Zeus the informarron
that the sea nymph rHEris. whom
both Zeus and posrtDoN were pur-
suing, would
to whom he gave fire
hrdden fire
hrm But mrghtrer rhan his farher 81'mai<rng
sure that Thetis married a morral
ruler, the newly 'urctonous gods
protected themselves because her
son turned out to be the warrior
it grew at nrght as ACHILLES, an inr.rncrble bur nor
immorral fighter
Zeus' anger wrth mankrnd was
on occasron explained by poor sac-
nfices Bur Prometheus himself was
not a strarghtforward helper errher
give birth to a son He gave [ire, an essenria] of cnrhzed
l r f e, b u t o t h e r g r f t s* e r c p c r h a p s s en t h e r s o n L I I ( ) \ t o r . n l i k cP s v c h c
iess hclpful O ut of the fl am r ng l r r l l r n l o v c r i i t h t h e r r g l r t ' s lt r - c . I t u l - c
forgecameweaponsof rvarr,pltrs ali he could lincl Brrt rvhcn Eros sar,r'
the mr sene sthat l ol l or vr hc di s m p- hcr hc fcll rn ltrrt' .rflclforgor his
tion of'a simple wa1'of hfc mother's commancl Thcl' became
lovers, rhor-rgh Eros ftrrbadc Ps,vche
PSYCHE in GreekrehgrousbcheI e v e r t o l o o k r - r p t , r -hi r m \ \ ' h e n a t
was the "sou1" ,br - r tr n m ) 'thol og) ' l a s r s h e d i c l . h c f l c c l i n f c a r o I n ' h a t
she was r ep r es entedas a pnnc c s s A p h r o d i t c r i o u r L d c l o t o h r m n o u '
so beautrfulthat peopleadorcclhcr t h e s e c r et \ \ ' l i s ( ) u t l n t h e e n d .
- fo
r nsr eadof a puR c tptr u put an hor.vever, .rirt r.\ lgrccd that the
cncl to thrs s ac r i l egc ,A;r hr oc l r tc I r l r ' c r sr ' t ' u l J h t ' r r n i t r ' d l ( ) r e t e r n i t ) '

75
CIeSSICAL MYTHOLOGY

GIANTS
IANTS SYMBOLIZE IMMENSE PR1MAL
forces, neither good nor bad, but
Iarger than life. While Greek
grants could be "g.ntle"
guardians, such as TaloS,the gigantic
bro nze man who defended the island of
Crete, others, such as Geryon, were
predators, preying on unwary travellers.
Equally, the Cyclopes were orginally creative
beings, making armour and omaments in the
forge of Hephaistos, and building the
rnassive city walls of Tiryns . Later on they
were also portrayed as moody, rebellious
shepherds who igtored divine laws and
preyed on monals. The gods themselves are
g i g a n r i c , e s p e c ia I I y t h e o l d e r g o d s ,
reflecting their primal nalure, such as
the Titans, and the Giants, who were
beings with mighry torsos and snake-like
legs. The Titans overthrew their father
Ouranos, replacing him with Cronos, who
was in his turn dethroned by his son
Zeus. Such a cosmic struggle between
older primal gods and a younger
generation is a common feature in
world mythology.

ATIAS (nght), the"bearer"or "endurer", bore theheavenson his

us puntshmentfor havingfought agatnstZeus with the o
shoulders,
thatgr
dwrne Titans ThemythprobablyaroseJrom thermpressron
reJ
mountainsbear theheavensIn anotherstory,Atlcs, becausehe
Perseusshelter,was tumed to a stonymountatn,namedafter htm
globe showingthe
Here, the heavensare depictedas a celestral
constellattons (THE FARNESE ATLAS, M^RBLE, c AD 200 )
 ClassrcAr- MyrHoLoGy

THE CYCLOPES

Jabulousraceof
AeJt),
one-qed glants,were
initrally regardedas
creativecraJtsmen
who
helpedHephaistosin his
volcantct'orge,crat'ttng
specialarrnour, suchas
Hades' rnvrstblehelmer
Zeus'thunderbolt
and
Poseidon's
tndent Yet
thq were alsoportrayed
aslawless,
man-eattng
shepherdsOne such,
Polyphemus,
herelooms
over Odysseusandhts
comradeswho have
rashlystrayed tnto his
den QtrusrurtoN FRIM

SroRrrsrnov Hovr-n, .1885)

ORION (abwe lef), who wasoneof Posadon'sunruly sons,w4s a glganticand handsomehunter, who couldwalh CACUS (above),sonoJ Hepharstos,
and a goat-hheg1ant,prryedon
through the oceanswithhis feet on the seabedand hrsheadabwe the waves Lrhehtsglant brother, the one-eyed human berngswho strayedLtyhtscavenear Rome Cucusstole
Polyphemus,Oion wasblindedin a quarrel,but his Ees werehealedby the radianceof the sungod Hehos There Geryon'sredcattleJrom Heracleswhrlehe slept,and hid them in his
are many diffenngstonesconcerninghis
death,but accordingtoone myth,thelwe that Eos,the goddess oJ the cave Howater,thecattlebeganto bellowand Heraclescameand
dawn,felt for Oion was suchthat it causeddivine lealouryuntil Artemtswaspersuadedto shoothim with an slayedCacus,retnevrngthe cattle that he had onglnally stolent'rom
arrov/ on behalfoJthe gods He wasthen raisedto the starstoJorm a constellation(IttusrwrrctN
0yNrcKBEALE,
tg95) Geryon (Hr,naclt-s SLcys r r-1, GL,rr r C,rcus av GLluaerrtstt leNcErrt, c 1670 )
CInSSICAL MYTHOLOGY

PYCN4ALION was a king of

Cyprus According to rhe Greeks,
he commissioned an ivory statueof
his ideal woman, sinceno real one
measured up to his expectations
Nor surpnsingly, Pygmalion fell
hopelesslyin love with rhe statue,
an even more unsatisfactory fate
than he had prevrously suffered
Becauseof his obviously genuine
disappointment, the love goddess REMUS nNn ROMULUS (obove)were

APHRODITT brought the statue to setadift on the Tiber by Amulius,but the

life and made it love him Some va- cradlecameashoreandwasJoundby a she-

ditions tell how the couple had a wolf. The nvins Qef) march tnumphantly

daughter named Paphos,who gave from Alba Longa On theleft, Romulus

her name to the town bearsaloft theheod oJ their treachrous
uncle, Amulius On the nght, Remus

PYTHON AND
SCC MON5TER5 carnesthewildhead of Camers,a piest
BEASTS
FABULOUS thehingto drwn the wins
who counselled
(li-rusrnerrorus FROM [AYs oF ANCIENT ROME, 188] )

were
Rruus AND ROtr,tut-uS
rhe rwrn sons of nnr,,4SILVIAand RHEA SILYIA (below),a vestalvirgn,

MARS,and rhe two founders of waslovedbyMars,andborehim twin sons,

Rome Rhea Silvia had been the Romulusand Remus For violating the laws

only child of King Numitor of Alba oJher holy order, shewasthrown into the

Longa When Numitor's brother Ttber, but the god oJ the nver, Tibernus,

AMULIUSdeposed him, he also sayedand mamed her (t'lenswrrnRnreSIrwe

forced Rhea Silvia to become a BYFMNcEsco DEL CossA FREsco,1476)

Vestal Virgrn, thereby ensuring rhat

rherewould be no other claimant
to the throne But the war god
Mars raped her in his sacredgrove,
and Rhea Silvia gave binh to
Romulus and Remus
Amulius ordered his servans to
hll the new-bom nvins. but instead
they cast them on the Tiber Their
cradle was carried swrftly away and
evenrually came to rest on a mud-
bank To look after his children
Mars sent his sacred animal, the
wolf Later Romulus and Remus
were discoveredin the wolf s lair by
a shepherd named Faustulus,who
took rhe foundlings home So they
were raised as shepherds,although
the ability of the brothers to lead
others, and to fight, eventually
became widely known. One day
Numiror met Remusand guessed
who he was and so the lost grand-
children were reunited with him,
but they were not content to live
quietly in Alba Longa. Insread,they
went off and founded a ciry of their
own - Rome A quanel, however,

78
 ClessrcAL
SARPEDON is lifted by Thamtos (Death)
andllypnos (Slap) from thebattlfield of
Troy This Lyatn rulq, an ally of the
Trqans, waslater confusedwithZats' son
of the samename lu:usrtAnoNFRoM
sroRrEs
FRoM HoMER, .1885)
eruued and Romulus hlled Remus,
possiblywith a blow from a spade.
Though he showed remorse at rhe
funeral, Romulus ruled Rome wirh
a srong hand and rhe ciry flour-
ished. It was a haven for runaway
slavesand other fugitives, bur suf-
fered from a shortage of women,
which Romulus overcame by
arranging for the caprure of
Sabinewomen at anearby fesdval.
After a reign of forty years he
disappearedto become, some of
his subjecs believed, the war god
Quirinus.
The Romulus and Remus mFh
was as popular as rhar of erruras.
From the beginning of republican
times, around 507 gc, the she-wolf
became the symbol of Roman
nationhood. (Seealso FoUNDERS)
RPtnaI,lANTHyS was rhe son
of ruRopa and zEUs, and the
brother of tvrlos and seRpEDoN.
According ro one radition he mar-
riedarcuENE after the dearh of her
husband Amphitryon. Others say
rhat he was one of the rhreeJudges
of the Dead and lived in the para-
dise of Elpium, in the far wesr
Rnnn was the daughter of
Ouranos and cen. fu the wife of
CRONOS, she bore six children, rhe
heanh goddessHesria, the goddess
of vegetation DEMETER, the earth
goddessHEM, the underworld god
FtADEs,rhe seagod rosaDoN and
zEus, the skygod. Cronos, having
leamed chat one of his children
would depose him, swallowed all
of them, except for Zeus, as they
were bom. Rhea substiuted rhe
babyZeus with a stone wrapped in
swaddling clothes. He was rhen
mken to the island of Crete, where
the worship of Rhea was norable,
and was secredyraised.
MyrHoLoGY
Rnnn SLVIA*as rhemotherof
REMUSAND ROMULUSShe was the
only child of Numitor, the king of
Alba Longa. When he was deposed
by his younger brother AMIJLIUS,
the new king forced Rhea Silvia to
become a Vestal Virgin. However,
Amulius could not guaranteeRhea
Silvra'sprotection from the atten-
tions of the gods and she was raped
by MARSin his sacred grove. Her
twin sons were rhen cast into the
swollen Tiber, where she may have
been drowned
Rouurus seeREMU5
SnnPfOONwasthesonof.zrus
and ruRoPA. He was adopred by
Asterius, king of Crete. Sarpedon
quanelled with ond of his brothers,
MINOS,over the throne of Crete
and fled to Asia Minor, where he
founded the Greek ciry of Miletus
It is said that Zeus allowed him to
live to a great age
S,qfUnN was an ancient Italian
com god, the Roman equivalent of
the Greekgod cnoruos, though he
had more in cornmon with the
goddessDEMETERHe was believed
ro have ruled the eanh during a losr
Golden Age. His fesrival, the
Satumalia,was celebratedin Rome
over sevendays and was held at the
end of December
Tnf S.qfYnS were the wild
spirirs of Greek and Roman wood-
lands Their bestial nature was
shown in their horse-like or goat-
like appearance.They were mainly
associated wirh DIoNYsus, rhe
Greek god of vegerarion,wine and
ecstasy,and played a crucial role in
his festivals.(Seealso MONSTERS
ANDFABULOUS BEASTS)
SATURN,"thesower", wasalsoregarded
asanearlyhingoJIntiumdunnga lost
GoldenAgeHere,withhisdaughterJuno,
heisweaingexoticrobes,
relectingthe
RomanbelieJthathewasaJoreignerwho
jed to Latium to escape Zeus guNo nlro
Serunn ByPAoLoyERoNEsE. .1553-55)
c,qruv,qs
79
 C lessr (.Ar My I H or-oc,\'

scnu see\.10\-\
rER,s
Ar\r) SIBl'I- tht' gftttl.st'o /orctold rhr (ie.stur\
FAI]t/l ()Lr5BEA-S
l -5 r r f R r r r i r t t t sp r e d r r t t ' r 1i n t h t - S i h - l l r n eB o o h s

r y h r rh h t t u m e a t , r t u l s ( ) r 1 1e o / r e l i g r o u s

Sruelg s e e L c ) \ ' r r R -OSI . 7 E L ' , - S r n . s 1 ) l lfili( ) n t t n r i g r r r i L r t t , r ' \ i r r \ r ' ' r . r r r R LL r . '

StnYl, rn Roman myrhology, was

rhc prophcrcss nho d r , ' , 'let n c a r - S f S l ? H { I - S r l i r r h r \ 1 r / n t / t r a f u r ts t r r /

Cumac, rn southem italy' ()t-r. ,rt. r i t ( ' n t r (l i . \| L r n t . S h t ' ,/ 1r r r h r S . s r r r .hS b t ' r r r {

explarns hou, shc became rmmortal .(rrrir nttfr/ frrrn'r'r tir f ri.\h rt nrarhlt' hlor h

b r - r ts t i l l s r e w o l d
c)
She refused tfrc np tt hrll oniy to .set it rrri/ down agtnn

favour.s of ,qpttl i rt, rhe gocl ol /l I i \ lli \ ll, 'r nt \tr A Ill.1l / l')')i

prophecl-, so he condemned her rcr

an endless old agc -Shevu'asalready \\'hcn the offer rv:is refused. Srby.l
ancient when AENFASconsulted bun-rcd three books and offered rhe
her about hrs visit to the under- other srx at the samc pnce, br-tt rhe
world Another story concems rhe offer was strll refr-rsed. so rhree
famous Srbyllinc Books, u hrch more \\'ere burnt and thcn she
were a collection of oracles thar offered the last three at rhe ongrnal
detailed Rome's destiny These ^;.-.- I- L^-,^ .he Romans closed
rLL rl l Ila)Lt L
Pr

were offered fbr saic ro Rome dur- the deal before all the rrreplaceable
rng the rule of thr Erruscan krngs oracles were totalll' destroved

80

SILENUSwasajwial satyr,muchglvento
sleepanddnnh Baldbuthairy,andasJat
androundashiswine-bag,hewasmore
oftendrunhthansober,butwhen drunhor
asleep,
hebecame aninspired
andmuch
prophet(Iuusrnenoru
sought-aJter rnov
DrlnoNnnv
oFCrAssrcAL
ANleurrEs,
i89i)
SU-ENUS was variously described
as the son either of the Greek
messengergod HERMES, or of PAN,
the goatJike god of the pastures
He was usually portrayed as the
elderly companion of oiolysus,
the Greek god of vegetation,wine
and ecstasy.ln appearanceSilenus
was a fat, bald man with the tail
and earsof a horse Becauseof the
hndness shown to Silenus by King
MIDASof Phrygia,Dionysusgranted
the king his famous and shorr-
sighted wish for a golden touch
STNENS SCC MONSTER5AND
FABULOUS
BM5T5
STSYPHUS was rhe son of King
Aelus of Thessalyand Enarete He
was known to the Greeks as the
craftiest of men. and suffered for
his rickery by endless labour in
Tarurus, a place of punishment
beneath the underworld. Sisyphus
is credited wirh the foundation of
Corinth. According ro one tradi-
tion, he angered zEUs by revealing
that the god had abducred the
daughter of a river god. Zeus there-
fore sent Thanatos,god of death, to
take Sisyphus to the underworld
Somehow the ingenious hng tem-
porarily made Thanaros his own
prisoner. When the gods again
claimed him, Sisyphus tricked
HADESinto letting him retum to
earth. Having told his wife to do
CInSSICAL MyTHOLOGY
THE SPHINX, or throttler,perchedon a
rochat a passto the cil oJThebesand
challengedall travellerswith a nddle,
da,ouing all whoJailedthe test In
Moreau's chtllingscene,the queenly,Jeline
Sphinxpaws her victims (TurTnruurpHRur
Spnrrux nv GustrvE M1RFAU. wermcotoun. 1888 )
the widowed queenJocasta,and so
fulfilled his tragic desriny because
the queen was his mother
The Greek Sphinx should not
be confused with the Egyptian
Sphinx. The Grear Sphinx at Grza
was the protector of the pyramids
and scourge of the sun god Ra
TAnPgfn was a Roman heroine,
the daughter of Spurius Tarpeius,
the commander of the Capiroline
fortress at Rome She may have
played a role in savrngthe city A
war berween Romans and Sabines,
a people of central ltaly, had been
provoked by ROMULUS' abduction
of Sabinewomen to provrde wives
for Rome's men One radirion says
thar Tarpeialet the Sabinesinto her
father's fortress afrer making them
promise to give her what they wore
on rheir lefr arms, their shields
Another mentions only rheir
braceierc ln the first version the
Sabinesrealued thar they had been
tricked and threw their shields at
her and killed her The Romans
could not agreehow Tarpeiadied
nothing if he died, Sisyphussaid of a lion and the wings of a bird, but, whateverher motive was, real
that his bodywas unburied and the she was sent as a curse on the ciry traitors were always thrown from
customary offerings to the dead of Thebes by the goddess HERA the Tarpeian Rock
had not been made He must The Sphinx guarded a pass ro rhe
therefore see to the arrangemenrc city and asked all who wished to TARPEIA, o Romanherorne,wsscrushed
himself before he could be said to passa riddle Those who failed to oJtheSabines
todeathbytheshields as
be truly dead Finally, Zeus lost give the correct answerwere eaten thrystormed thegates
through oJthe
patience and condemned Sisyphus The riddle was: "What rhingwalks Capitohne
Jortress toone
According
to Tanarus ro pay for his lifelong on four legs in the morning, on shehadluredtheSabines
legend, to
insrde,
impiety. For the rest of etemiry he three in the evening, and is weak- l{efor Rome
trapthem,soglvingher
had to roll a block of stone to the est when ir walks on four?" The (l[rrsrnarro,r' FRoM STORTF-st nov Ltr r J885 ]
top of a hill only to seeit roll back correct answer was Man, because
again as it reached the crest he walks on four as a baby and
Ieans on a stick in old age When
THE SPHINX, according ro OEDIPUS gave the correct answer,
Greek mythologlr, was the daugh- the Sphinx hurled herself over a
ter of Echidna, either by rrrHoru or cliff and died As a reward for
by Onhus. A monsterwrth the face destroying rhe monster, he was
and breasts of a woman, the body made king of Thebes and mamed
8l
ClessrcAL MvrHoLocY
TAnqurNtus Supennus
was rhe sevenrhand last Etruscan
king of Rome, who reigned in the
sixrh century ec His youngestson,
Tarquinius Sextus,causedthe end
of rhe monarchy by raping the
Roman matron LUCRETIA, which
caused BRUrus to lead a rebellion
Tarquinius was defeated and the
Roman republic was established
TARQUINIUSSE)ffUS, asheJIedthe
battleJield
oJLaheRegrllus,wasstruch
from behindHisingloiousdeathwas
recountedrn Macaulay'slcys:"Andin the
bach felt theRoman
JalseSextus / And
steel
wng;lingin thedusthedied,lihe a worm
beneath the wheel " (lur'.srncl,r," rno,u L.rysor,
ANL[,NTR()Mr:.l88i )
THESEUS was the son either of
POSEIDONor AEGEIISthe king of
Athens His mother was Aethra
The childlessAegeusconsulted the
Delphic Oracle and was told not to
untie his wine skin undl he
retumed home He did not under-
stand what the oraclemeant and so
visited his friend Ki.g Pittheus of
Troezen Realizingthat Aegeuswas
going to beget a powerful son
immediately after the celebration
feast for his saferetum to Athens,
Pittheusmade his guestdrunk and
put him to bed with his daughter
Aethra, and so Theseuswas con-
ceived Beflorehe left for home,
Aegeustook the pregnantAethra to
a great boulder undemeath which
he placed his sword and sandals
He told her that, should she have a
son, she must wait until he was
strong enough to raise the boulder
before she senr him ro his farher's
court After Aegeus'departurethe
wily Pitrheus said his daughrer's
lover was really Poseidon
When Theseus came of age,
Aethra explained that he was heir
to the Arhenian rhrone and he
retrieved the sword and sandals
On his joumey to Athens he slew
several desperatebandits, a f.ear-
some son of HEPHAtsros,and a
dreadful sow, the daughter of the
monster ITPHONAt Eleusis.then
a kingdom separatefrom Arhens,
Theseuswas forced to acceprthe
challenge of a wrestling match with
its king, Cercyon The aggressive
ruler died as a result of rhe conresr,
so Theseusbecameking of Eleusis,
which he later added to the
Athenian kingdom
On his amval in Athens.
Theseus leamed that his father
Aegeuswas hardly able to hold on
to the throne Not only was the
apparently heirless hng challenged
by the fifry sons of his half-brother
Pallas,but, worse sdll, Aegeushad
fallenunder the spell of unDEA,the
former wife of;asoN and a power-
ful witch She hoped that her own
son Medus would succeedAegeus
Although Theseus hid his rrue
identity, Medea knew who he was
and persuaded Aegeus to let her
poison the mighty stranger at a
banquet Theseuswas savedwhen
TARQUINfUS SUPERBUS,a crueland
ryrannicalhing sireda no lesscrueland
ignoble son, Tarquinius Sextus,who raped
the Roman matron, Lucretia She,in
shame,hilled herselJ.Theoutrageprw ohed
an uprisingand Tarquiniuswas
werthrown (TnrRape
oFLucRErA
ByPALIrL
the king recognizedhis sword as
the hero carved the meat. The plot
was revealed, Medea fled from
Athens with her son, and Aegeus
named Theseusashis successor
The next cycle of Theseus'
explois was designed to securethe
saferyof Athens First, he deahwith
Pallas' sons. Then he killed a wild
bull that was ravagingMarathon, [o
the north-east of the city. He also
overcame the MINOTAUR,the
srrange offspring of p,qstpHnE, the
wife of Kirg MINos of Crete. An
annual ribute of youngAthenians
was fed to the Minotaur, which
lived in the Labyrinth rhat had
been designed by oAEDALUS. No
one had ever managed to find their
way through this maze, so when
Theseus volunteered to confront
 ClessrcAL MyrHoLoGy

THESEUS'uploitsareillustrated onan
inticateRomanmosaicAt thecentreof
thelabynnthTheseus withthe
battles
MinotaurOntheleJt,Theseus and
Anadne pledgetharlweat thealtar,
whileat thetop,TheseussetsAiadne
ashore,desmingtheunfortunate matden
on Dia,on thenght trHrE)clorrs
oFTHEsEUs,
MosArcc AD200)

the Minotaur his farher despaired

It was agreed that if Theseus
should, by some miracle, suwive,
he was to change the sail of the
tribute ship from black to white on
the homeward voyage
At Minos' palacein Knossosthe
goddessAPHRODITE gaveTheseus
an invaluable ally in ARIADNE,a
daughter of the Cretan king who
fell in love wrth the hero Princess
Ariadne knew that the Labynnrh
was so complex that the only way
out was to follow back a rhread
fastened to the entrance After
Theseus had promised to marry
her, Anadne gave him a ball of
rhread and a sword The hero
entered the Labynnrh, slew rhe
Minotaur and rhen set sail for
Athens with Ariadne and the rest of
the Athenian parry He rhen lefr the
princess on the nearby island of
Dia h is thought rhat he was in
love with another woman, but
whatever the reasonhe was soon
repaid for his heardessnessfu the
ship approachedAthens, Theseus
forgot to changethe sail ro indicate
to his farher that he was alive
Aegeussaw a black sail and, think-
ing his son dead, threw himself off
the Athenian acropolis
The suicide meanr thar Theseus
was now king of Athens, and he
joined all the communidesof Attica
into one scate Apart from enlargrng
Athens' territory, Theseus also
undertook a number of heroic
exploits On one expedirion he
captured Hippolyta, the queen of
TheAMAZONS, who bore him a son,
Hippolytus, bur she died shorriy
afrerwards Theseus gave rhe
accursedoEDtPUsand his daughrer
ANTIGONE sancruaryat Coionus.
near Athens But discord enrered
his own house when his second
wife PFiAEDM,another daughter of
Minos, came to desireher stepson
Hippolytus, to lhe young man's
horror Ahhough he promised ro
keep her passiona secre[,Phaedra
was so humiliated by his rejection
that she hanged herself and left
Theseus a letrer in which she
accusedHippolytus of artempted
rape He was exiled and died in a
chanot accident before his father
discovered the truth In another
version, Hippolytus was hlled by a
sea monster rhar was raised by
Theseus'anger,and Phaedra,filled
with remorse,killed herself
Theseuslater seizedthe twelve-
year-oldHELEN,daughterof zELls,
as a future wrfe He ciaimed that
only she was worthy enough to be
his wrfe, possibly becauseof her
divine father But she had powerful
hnsmen, and her rwo brorhers,the
DIOSCURI, defeatedthe Athenians
and drove Theseusabroad He died
on the island of Scpos, when its
ki.g, fearingthe presenceof such a
man, pushed him over a cliff as he
admired the view k was believed
that in the fifrh cenrury BC, rhe
Athenian admiral Cimon wenr ro
Scy'ros and brought the hero's
bones back to Athens, where they
were kept in a shrine
THESEUS aruoSINIScircleeachother
in a battleof witsandwills Sinis,thepine-
bender,wasa robber whohilledbytyirg
hts victim between two bent pine trees and
then letting them sping upnght, thereby
teaing the man apart (TurseusANr)SrNrs,
( 490 BC )
RED-Frcr./RE.

83
 FOIJNDERS
HEANCIENTsBELIEVED that many of their fabulous cities
were founded by the pioneering heroes and heroines
of legend,such as Cadmus of Thebesand Dido of I
Carth age. In Classical mythology, the heroic ethic \
combined with the Greek ideal of polis, or city-state, to
cre ate a varLety of dynamic founders who built such
celebrated cities as Athens, Mycenae, Sparta and Thebes.
The Greek polis was an autonomous, ind.penden[ / a
community of citizens, slaves and foreigners who gathered
within and around a fortified ciry. Each ciry honoured its own
hero who was also often its legend ary founder, such as Perseusof Cncnops (above),one oJthe
mythicJoundersoJ Athens,and the
Mycenae and Lacedaemon of Sparta. Mythic founders were first hing of Attica, is depicted with

innovative, godlike heroes, guided by destiny and deiry to createa d serpent'stail, recallinghis oigln
as an aboiglne of Attica He
fresh, vibrant culture. Apart from leading a ribe to a bright new dividedthe nativesinto twelve
communitiesandJoundedthe
land, and buildirg a strong citadel, founders often developed Acropolis,the strongholdoJAthenl

helpful new ways and customs: Cecrops of Athens, for instance, whichwas alsonamed Cecropia
aftu him An innovator, Cecrops
encouraged religious worship, while Cadmus of Thebes introduced abolishedbloodsocifce, encour-
agedtheworshipof Zzus and
an alphabet of L6 Phoenician letters. A city or ribe sometimes Athenaand introducedbasiclaws

honoured irc founder hero by sharing his name, such as llium, of property, politicsond mariage
(l[usrnenoru FROM DrcfloNARY oF

named after llus, the Ttojans after Tios, and Rome after Romulus. CrASslcAL ANTrqunrs, i89l )

ArHErus (ngh), the splendidcapital oJ Attica,

owed its oiglnboth to Cecrops,whoJounded
the ancientAcropolis,and to Theseus
who
united Attica's twelve statesinto one, and
made Athenstheir capital The ci1 divided
rnto the upper town, or Acropohs,and the
lowerwalledtown. as well as threeharbour
towns TheAcropolis,seenhere,riseson a
steeproch, its summit oncecrownedwith
sparhlingtemples Mostfamous oJ all was the
Parthenon,built oJPentelicmarble in pure
Doic styleand adomedwithinandwithout
with gllded and painted sculpture North oJ
the Parthenonrosea great statuteoJthe ciry's
Athena,whosehelmetand spearwere
goddess,
seenfrom the sea Athens,the arttstic centreoJ
the ancientworld, reachedits greatest
splendourin the time oJPmcles(160-429 sc)
(THE AcRopol,rs sv ClnL HaeG, ceNves, c 1890 )
 SSICAL MyTH OLOGY

Rovurus (above),the mythicJounderof Ron1e,was

, wtth his twtn brother,Rernus
suchledatbtrth by a she-wolf
The tvvrnshad beencastinto the RiverTrberIry therrg'eat-
uncle Amuhuswho covetedthe throneof Alba Longa,but
theird:ine Jather,Mars, senthrssacredanimul,thewolf,
to savehis sons lLtter thetwinswere rescuedLrythe good
Roiur (above)
, theworld-ruItngcaprtalof Italy, situatetlon the RiverTrber,wasfoundedtn c AD 753 W the mythrchero, shepherdFaustuluswhorarsedthemas lus own Once
RomulusTheColosseum, seenhere,wusoneol the{eatest monumentsol theancrentci\, tmtiatedby theEmperor gowt1, theyleftAlba LongatoJound Rorne,but the
and inaugtratedby his son,Tttus,rn B0 ,qn Theggantrc amphttheatrewasdesrgned
Vespastan to accommodate87,000 belhgerent overthe stteand nune ol the
brothersbtckered
a centralarena In Jront of the amphttheatrenses the tnumphalArch of Titus,
around crrculartrers, overloohing
spectators future clqy,and Romulussbw Remus,settrngthewarlike
erectedtn eo 81, to celebrateTttus' vtctonouscampatgntn Judaea (\lru or rHr,C()Lossr,r rr KERIFL,
rMavLrpr cANvA.s
, 1846
) toneof thefuture ctty (lLLr
srnlrrorD)P4{l f{{)()r)norrr, )
c 1920

Tnov (above) or llium arose on the grassy plain oJ Troas lry

the Joot of Mount Ida Founded lry the mythrc hero, Ilus,

son ol Tros, the anctent ctty was named lltum and Trola

after both Jather and son The famous walls oJ Troy were
(above), Iegendary
Dtoo founder of Curthage ,supervr.ses a tedm of architects and masons on the leJt banh of the bay Dido butlt'by the gods, Poserdon and Apollo, rn the rergn of IIus'
had fled to Afnca from Tyre in Phoeniciu wherc her husband, Sychaeus. hud been murdered by her brother, \gmalion, who son, Inomedon The nextktng, Pnam, ruled danng the

coveted the throne oJ Tyre On the coast of North AJntu, the local king, Iarbus, sold Dtdo as much land as she might contain traglc Trolan War, provohedby Pans' abduction of Helen,

rn a bull's htde By artt'ully cutting the hrde into nen'ow stnps, Drdo managed to se(ure enough land to hurld a cttadel, wtfe of the Greeh chteJtatn, Menelaus At a cntical stage

named Byrsa, or "hrde" Around thts fort, the lubuktus ctry oJ Carthuge flouished from 853 nc On the nght bank, the sttll, rn the ten-year siege, the Greehs dreamt up the Trolan

crlm tomb of $,chacus nsc.s be.srdca ncw .sapling, sl,mboh2rn g the growth oJ Carthage The glrls und boys playrng on the Horse, a massNe wooden modelhrdingwrthtn tts hollow

banh represent the future power und gentrattons of Cunhage; while the nstngsun, lih.ewtse, rymbolizes the nsrng power oJ belly an army oJ Greelzs (THr,Tnol,r:i Honsr B) Nrr r r ri t r nri l
thebnghtnrwcity ( l ) r n o B r r r r D r N c ( - { R r H ' \ ( , r , B } / w f i , R N I : R l, 8r .l l5, )v v a . s TEMPERA.
A|3BArr,. c .i560)
CINSSICAL MYTHOLOGY
THnffS was a seanymph and the
daughter of Nereus and Doris She
was the mother of ecutt-t-rS, the
great Greek hero Becauseit was
known that she was fated to bear a
son mightier than his father, both
zEtJSand PoselDoN gave up all
thoughts of possessingThetis,who
was much admired on Mount
Olympus, the home of the gods
lnstead, Zeus ensured that she
became the wife of a mortal king,
Peleusof Phthia Thetis bore him
sevensons,but she was dissatisfied
with the mortaliry of her children
She tested them wrth fire and boil-
ing water, but none could with-
smnd such treatment, not even the
youngest boy Achilles until Thetis
dipped him in the Sryx, the nver of
the dead Even then, she forgot to
wet the heel she held him by, with
the result that he was not totaily
immortal About this time Thetis
left Peleusand retumed to the sea,
although she continued to assist
Achilles as far as she could during
his evendul life
TtnnSfRS, in Greek mythology,
was the son of a nymph, Chanclo,
and Everes,descendantof one of
CADMUi'own men The blind seer
of Thebes, he was so wise that even
his ghost had kept its wits, and not
been overcome by forgetfulness
Iike the other inhabitants of the
underworld At the edge of the
world Tiresias advised oDYSSEUs OEDIPIJS who was personally
rhat he would never retum home responsible for the plague which
ro lthaca if he harmed the catde of roubled the Thebans
HELIos,rhe sun god
During his lifetime Tiresias
played a pan in severalmyths For
rnstance,he wamed King Pentheus
in vain about the identity of
DIOI{YSUS, when that powerful god
an immortalseo
THEIIS, although
nymph,lovedher with
mortalson,Achilles,
ofahuman
all thecareandtendemess
motherShesharedhis andrushed
sorrows,
o/hismoftllity
to hisaid,wer conscious
Hereshebingshimsomesplendid aftnour
as he mourns Patroclus' death (Ittusru.qnou
rnov Sronrrsrnou Hovrn, i885 )
86
came in disguise to Thebes As a
result of Pentheus'refusalto listen
to the seer, he gravely offended
Dionysus and was tom to pieces bY
the god's frerLaedworshippers, the
maenads Tiresiasalso confirmed
rhe pronouncement of the Delphic
Oracle that it was indeed King
The blindness of Tiresias was
explained by two tales One
account states that the affliction
was a punishment for seeing the
goddess ATHENA bathing The
other story is a somewhat lesstra-
ditional explanarion Tiresiasone
day saw snakesmating and struck
them with a staff, whereupon he
turned into a woman. After living
as a woman for a period of time,
blind seer,
TIRESIAS, thelegendary
advisedmany heroesSomelistenedto him,
but others,to thar cost,ignoredhim,such
as hard-headedCreon,or short-sighted
Pentheus His goldat stofJwas a gJt Jrom
Athenaand enabledhimtofndhis way
lihe a sightedman (ILLUsrMroN
FRoM
DrcfloNARy oF CtAsslc,{L ANTIQUITIES, .1891 )
the seerwitnessedthe same sight
and became a man again His
unique experienceled to Tiresias
being askedby LEUSand HERa,the
chief Greek deities, to settle a
dispure berween rhem as to which
sex got most pleasureout of love
When he said that it was the
female,Herablinded him, but Zrus
awarded him a long life and the
power of prophecy
THf TtfeNS and Titanesses,
according to Greek mythology,
were the children of Ouranos, the
sky, and GAIA, the earth These
grgantic beings were the older gods
who ruled before the Olympian
gods, who were the brothers,
sisrersand children of zEUs The
Titans included cRoNoS, RHn.e,
Coeus, Metis, Mnemoslme and
Hyperion
They came to power after
Cronos emasculated his father
Ouranos with a sickle provided by
Gaia, his long-suffering mother
The eventual battle between the
older generarionof gods, the Titans
led by Cronos, and the younger
generation, the Olympians led by
his son Zeus,lasted ten years and
shook the universe like no other
conflict. Afterwards Zeus threw
those deities who had opposed
him down to Tartarus, which was a
land beneath the underworld.
The battle against the Titans
should not be confused with the
Olympian gods' Iater struggle with
the GIANTS.In order to win this
terrible confrontadon, Zeus knew
that he would require the help of
a mighry, mortal champion, and
so he fathered by 'LLCMEwEthe
greatest of the Greek heroes
HEMCLES.
 CInSSICAL MYTHOLOGY

THE TITANS wereglganticbangswho

ruled the earthbeJorethe Olympian gods
Thq overthro,rtheir tyrannicalJather,
Ouranus,and put Cronosinhis place
Cronos, inhis turn, swallowedallhis
children, exceptZeus,who was raisedin
secreE Here, RheapresentsCronoswith a
stonewrapped in swaddling clothesinstead
of thebaby Zeuswhois saJelyhiddenaway
(RHrrc nr.ro Cnouos, RELTEF,c 400 BC )

supreme deity, but the recently

victorious ZEUS destroyed him
with a mighty thunderbolt The
volcanic activity of Mounr Aetna
in Sicily was believed to be caused
by Typhon's imprisonment
beneath the crater. The struggle
berween Typhon and Zeus was an
evenly balanced fight, however
At one point 7:uswas left helpless
in a cave,weaponlessand without
his sinews Fortunately rhe mes-
sengergod HrnvEs came to his aid
on this occasion Before his final
defeat,Typhon sired the Chimaera,
the huge seamonster killed by the
hero PERSEUS

VENUS was rhe Roman equiv-

alent of apHRopirE, the Greek love
TyPHON (left), a fire-breathing serpent, goddess Venus was onginally a
was impisonedbeneaththe crqterwhen the goddess connected with agricul-
volcanoat Mount Aetna mtpted ture. but when she was identified
Symbolinng the darhJorcesoJearth, he wrth Aphrodite she took on a more
sired monstersas hideousas himself:the active and differenr role in myth-
flaming Chimaeraand snarlingCerberus ology One of her most crucial
(GnrcxVxr..c 600BC) acdonswls to retumAENMS'spear
after it had stuck in a tree stump
TYPHON was a terrible, serpenr- during his fight with the Iralian
Iike monster whose eyes shot out champion Tumus Indeed, in some
flames. He was conceived by GAIA, versionsAeneasis her son
mother earth, when she was ban-
ished to Tartarus along with the
orher defeated TITANS
According to the Greeks, Typhon
endeavoured to establish himself
as the ruler of the world, the

VENUS, the RomangoddessoJlwe, is

rarely portrayed withouther capnciousand
chmtbic son,Cupid This gracefulportrait
oJher by the French artist Boucher, Jull oJ
light and charm, owesmuch to Venusof
FRoM
Arles QrtusrnerroN or CL,tsstcel
Dtcttoxeny
189])
Arurreurrrs,
CInSSICAL MyTHOLOGY

VnSfn was the Roman equivalenr the dethronement and exile of the
of the Greek goddessHestia,who Eruscan monarchy, the death of
was the goddess of the hearth Virginia was a major factor in the
Vesta, however, was worshipped ending of an aristocratic tyranny in
both as the guardian of the 449 sc.
domestic heanh and also as the The lust of a comrpt official,
personification of the ceremonial Appius Claudius, for Virginia lcnew
flame. Ceremonies in her honour no bounds. He even dared to claim
were conducted by the Vestal that the girl was his slave and used
Virgins, who were young girls from the law to have her handed over to
noble families who took vows of him. At the last moment her father
chastity for the thirty years subbedVirginia through the heart,
during which they served her declaring that her death was less
Vesra's chief festival, the Vestalia, painful to suffer than her dishon-
was held on TJune our. The Roman arrny rose to
support him, along with the
VtnCtNLA was the daughrer of a WRGINIA (abwe) dies in the arms oJher WTCAN (below), Roman god oJfve, poorer citizens not then bearing
Roman centurion named Virginius father who hilledher to releaseherfrom presentsVenus with gloious armsforher arrns, and checks were placed
and, as with LUCRETIA, she was a bondageto the comtpt Appius Clnudius son,Aeneas The goldar swordwas thereafter on magistrates' powers.
Roman connected with a major He then cursedthe Claudionline, who were descibed in the Aeneid as loaded wtth
constitutional change Whereas overthrown by the outragedRomans doom NENus tN rHE FoRGE oF vuLCAN BY VUICAN was the Roman smith
Lucretia's rape and suicide led to (Ir-r-usrnerroru
FRoM rnov Ltw, 1885)
SroRrFs FMNcors BoucHER, cenve,s, 1757 ) god and the equivalent of the
Greek HEPtiAIsros. He was widely
associatedwith Maia and YEsrA,
who were both goddessesof the
hearth. His smithywas believed to
be situated undemeath Mount
Aetna in Sicily. At the Vulcanalia
festival, which was held on 23
August, fish and small animals
were thrown into a fire.

XnNTHUS was said to be the off-

spring of the HARPYPodarge and
ZEPHYRIIS, the west wind. He was
one of wo immonal hones belong-
ing to the great Greek champion
ACHILLESand had the power of
human speech. Achilles inherited
the horses from his father, King
Peleusof Phthia, who had received
them as a present from the gods on
his wedding to the sea nymph
THETIS. Achilles tookXanthus and
Balius, the other wonderful steed,
to Troy with him They performed
extremely well on the battlefield,
although theyseemed unnerved by
the slaughter. When Achilles
quesdoned them, Xanthus wamed
the champion that his own death
was near, at which point the horse
was struck dumb by the FURIES

ZTPHYNUS SCC FORCE5OF

NATURE

88
 CIASSICAL MYTHOLOGY

ZEUS, all-powufuIfathu oJ the gods,

enthronedon Olympus,isbegedby Thetis
to help her son, Achilles;she tugshis beard
and claspshis hneein her affectionateway,
as descnbedin thelliad, and thegreat god
nodshis assent (ZrusnNoTnrnsrvJr,rl-
A]GUSTE lNGREs, c,qruvas, 18.11)

After the overthrow of Cronos,

Zeus divided up the world between
himself and his two brothers,
HADESand PoselDoN Zeus chose
to rule the sky, Hades the under-
world, and Poseidon the sea: the
earth and Mount OlYmPus,which
was the home of the gods, were
regarded as common territory A
rare visitor to either of them was
Hades, who preferred to be among
the dead Trus'influence, however,
was felt e,rery*h.re, although he
had no control over destiny itself
Rather he was the god who saw
that fate took is proper course
The many lovers taken byZeus,
both mortal and immortal, form
the very stuff of mytholory It is
hghly likely that they describe the
coming together of severalreligious
radinons , as7-eusincorporated the
attributes of rival deities and gained
credit for all important even6 The
continual antagonism between
Zeus and his wife HERA,who was
definitely an ancient, pre-Greek
mother-goddess in origin, often
ZBUS was the supreme deity in broke out into major conflict. So
Greek mythology and the son of jealous was Hera that she sPenr
the Titans cRoNos and nHr,q The most of her dme persecuting ktJs'
Romans identified Zeus wrth their lovers and their children Once
Zeus became so angry about Hera's
J7PITER,an all-powerful slcy god
The ryrannical Cronos insisted on cruelty to the hero HEMCLES,his
swallowin g alI Trus' older bro thers greatest son by a mortal woman,
and sisters as soon as they were that he suspended the goddess
bom, but Zeus escapedthis fate from a pinnacle by her wrists and
when his mother Rhea offered hung weights on her ankles (See
Cronos a stone wrapped up in OFNATURE)
also FORCES
swaddling clothes to swallow
instead.In secrecy,kuswas raised XANTHUSeNn BALIUS, immortal
on the island of Crete. He grew ro horsesandchildrenof thewestwind,
"torewiththespeed oJwtnd" Thq were
manhood determined to topple his
father. The wise Metis, an earlylove Achtlles' duing theTrojan
battlesteeds
and daughter of ocEANos, gave War,andweptJorfallenheroes onthe
Zeus the idea of a potion that feld Here,Zzusleads themasa glt oJ
would make his fathervomit up all thegodsto Peleus onhisweddingday
(IrruSrnenOruBy GLENNSrrtvnw, 1995)
the children he had swallowed.
 INTRODUCTION
INTRoDL]CTIoN
ODAYPEOPLE
OF CELNC DESCENT
IN
Europe are concentrated on its
wesrem shores They live chiefly in
Brittany, Comwall, Wales, Scotland, the Isle
of Man and lreland At one dme, however, the
Cels were spread over a large parr of the
Continenr, and in 278 BC one roving band
even penetrated as far east as Asia Minor,
where rhey gave rheir name ro Galatia. Until
the rise of Roman power, the Celts were a
force to be reckoned with. Rome itself had
been sacked by rhem in 385 BC, a historical
fact not forgotten by the legronaries who gave
Julius Caesar vrcrory berween 59 and 49 sc
over the Celdc tribes living in Gaul, presenr-
day France Although largely incorporated
into the Roman Empire, the Cels condnued
to worship their own gods and goddesses
right up ro the dme of the official adopdon by
rhe Romans of the Christian faith. Then their
rehgion and mytholory waned in importance,
except where people remembered tales about
the Celtic gods and heroes of the past. Even
in distant lreland, an island thar was never
under Roman control, the influence of
Christianiry was soon felt. Bur here conver-
sion did nor mean rhe wholesale desrrucdon
of rhe Celtic heitage, for monks rook great
care from the fifth cenrury onwards to write
down the ancienr sagas
To this remarkable effort of preservarion
we owe almost our enrire knowledge of Celtic
mythology. For excepr in Wales, where a
small group of stories was recorded, nothing
else was ever commirred to writing. The Cels
always distrusted script and preferred to rely
on speech and properly trained memories.
In lreland the poet was held in particular
esteem. Possibly because there was a clear dis-
tinction there berween druid and poet in pre-
Christian times. The newly-founded monas-
teries could therefore undertake the work of
recording rhe ancient rexts without any fear
92
of paganism It seems that poets wenr on
reciting the sagaslong after St Parrick con-
verted the Irish and cleared the country of
snakes, because these tales were seen as enter-
tainment. lrish folklore insisrs, however, rhar
they kept something of their magic, since rhe
Devil could never enter a house where rhe
exploits of the heroes were being sung.
Bnarvrvrxwasa classic Celticheroinewho remainedcalm
anddigniJiedunderpressure A Jakelyslandered
wtfe,she
wasJorcedto sufierunjustly,untilrescued
b hn brother,
Bran the Blessed (BnaNweNryG SarRrurucneM,
cANVAs,c Ig20 )
Irish myths nearly always include fighring,
though the combat is undenaken more often
by heroes than by gods. The fearless warrior
Cuchulainn, rhe lone defender of Ulster dur-
ing the invasion of forces raised by Queen
Medb of Connacht, is very much the ideal. He
was chosen as the Irish champion afrer a
beheading conresr with the watergiant Uath
No other man had courage enough to receive
rhe giant's retum blow. Yet Cuchalainn, "the
Hound of Culann", enjoyed but a brief life;
his refusal to rerum the affecrions of Monigan,
the goddess of slaughter, sealed his fate. Nor
even the intewention of his father Lugh, the
sun god, could save him
The apparently endless conflicr appears
less tenible when it is recalled how the Cels
believed in reincamation. Their otherworld,
unlike the Greek or Roman underworld, was
not a dismal abode of the dead. Rather ir was
a paradise in which souls rested prior ro rheir
rebinh in the world. The warrior-poer Oisin,
son of the Fenian leader Finn MacCool, spent
three hundred years there before reuming to
Ireland. Oisin was warned that he would
never be able to go back to the underworld if
he dismounted from amagScsreed.When rhe
saddle slipped and he fell to rhe ground,
Oisin was immediately changed from a hand-
some yourh into a blind, grey-haired, with-
ered old man Only St Patrick is said to have
bothered to listen to his fantasdc story as it
was being written down.
The interest of St Parrick in the advenrures
of Oisin and, indeed in the explois of many
other heroes of old, is obviously a later
embellishmenr, but it does indicate a degree
of tolerance not readily found elsewhere in
Christian Europe. Yet saints in lreland could
curse as well as anyone else when the occa-
sion demanded For instance, the trouble-
some King Suibhne Geilt was cursed by St
Ronan for his violence towards the fairh. and
 t\tR()l)t(ll()\

.J
*fu;'
ffi
td
,t
..:
r+Ih.*
*j

, , r r l l , , t l\ 1 i t : , i i r , i l t i ) r ' l ( , l l l , , t i i f l , r , . 1 i 1 , fi 1 1 1 1 1
Ilfnrltf

( i t . i t r t l ' t ) r i \\ t ( , i t . i ' ( L , , i t r i i , i I i r :i , , t i { i t l i , , l l l , , l , , i i l l ,'/ltr

)t ;l(ir))(l\
i r / , r : . 1 r i i ( l l i r ] r , l , i ,r il l , ' r l , / i t , i t , 1 ' r r r r ' i 1 1 l i r , i )

i r i l i t 1 , , , , 1,ri r 1 , fr . l \ 1 r , r r l 1 , l l i r . \ 1 1 1 ; , ' , f r. i / t r , ) l i i \ i r i . l . i r l l iI

ATLANTIC
OCERN
: p t ' r l t t h c r c - : t t r l h L . l L t c r i r l h t h t ' t I l . t t - : t- .

t r ' n s t l r s ( ) t ; l b r r c l l t ' l l 1 - 1 1 1l r1O{ t r l t t c e t ( ) I I C Ci t l l ( i

a t r t l n g i r t l l l g h t . : I l t r t h r r l t l l L r t \ \ . t l t ' l - (l - c \ :

I p l . t r c ( c l t r t r p \ I h r r l , . , , { )c : 1 - r cir. i l l r r h e
' \ r t h L r r l i . l lIlr \ t h > ( h t t . t L ; l l l l t \ h l t . b e . ( ) l l l ( ' 1 1

t c l r t r l t l ( ' l c n l ( ' l l t I h t ' i l r L t ' - tl t r t t h t ' ( i r , l t l t : t h c

n l ( r : l . ' r b , , l t r L cl r\ l r ) t P l t ' \ltir,'trgh sllllll.llI() il

( L'lrttntitqtt t;tLtltlttrtltht> ilt'l\ rc''t'l rill:

t h r ' t L t l tL t . c t l. t t t l l r ' i . t > t \ t l [ ) ] l t ' t . t r l . l . t l t h r '

( f L l rl t l \ l ( ) l l t l l t ' r r l l t t l l . l i l t ' t t ' i \ t . ' . ti l l t l l l t r t r c l
R Dn,..
' 'I'Ef
B LAC K r i i r r t h f l , , r i t ' i l1 t r ' , t lI ll l t ' - P r ' . i l t l l r t t : l t l l ( i - t l t : t:
Srn
: t t l c l t r i l t s I t t ' , i t g h t l r r I ] t l t i l l l l i ) \ J t r - r ' 1 l hi r l
o Rour THRAcq
SperN ' a
\ n n r r i t l t c a l t L t r u : t . L . t t t ' tl o : t . i l l t l l l \ ( l L l ( ' \ t

:f-'- ' I<trt{ht- t)tlLr \tr

[ ) r r ' ( ) r r L t l ) t cKc rl n g \ t t i r r r r
-4"
. rDEr-pur . qq- ( , . r l . r l - i a c\ \l; 1 5I ) L t r ( f' I l r r t l { h I t r f r t ' r l l . l t l t t ' t l . r f L r l l

\ r > r r ) nr r t t h t ' ( i r l r r l u i t t t i l h e r r r r r k. t : ( )ttt

I rrtrl i trt'tir ttcts t't'tl llt> h.ttttl.

\\ht'tltct trt Il()[ \rtlltll \\.t:.t flt.trr]1i.lL

9l
INTRODUCTION

Mrnuru .tNo Nnrun representopposite polesoJthe

CelticothemvorWMalin, in the tradition of Celtic
druids, guided his hing Arthur, with wrsdomand

Jorestght;while Nimue,his enchantress,symbolked the

threateningpwm oJthe othenvorld.(THrBrcuruNcon
MERLTN By E BURNEJoNES, cAwAs, c i8l0-14 )

figure is still uncerrain. It is quire likely rhat

he may have been a successful warlord in the
confused and violent period following the
withdrawal of the Roman legions from Britain
around 4I0 eo That his myth blames the
ultimate vicrory won by rhe Anglo-Saxon
invaders on civil strife perhaps reflects a
kemel of truth. The Celtic peoples were norG-
rious for only rarely combining against an
extemal, common foe, so deep-rooted were
their own birrer quarrels. Thus British chival-

ry came ro an end with Kirg Arthur's disas-

trous bartle againsr his nephew Modred near
Salisbury. Hardly a knighr survived and the
Kirg himselfwas badlywounded His depar-
ture to Avalon, accompanied by three myste-
rious ladies, gave rise ro rhe idea of his
undeath. In an otherworld, ir was believed,
Kirg Arthur lingered, awaiting reincamadon
as a national saviour.

ARrnunandhisChristian Fellowship of l{nights

probabty
deived
fromtheearlierWelsh warlordArthur,who
journqedto theothenvorldwthhiswarband in search
oJa
wondrous cauldronHere,theKnights oftheRoundTable
erpenencetheGrailvision
for thefirsttime,amiddivine
light and splendour. (MeruuscrurrmusrurroN, c 1470 )

9+
 INTRODUCTION

B
Celrrc MyrHoLocy

Annnfn, which probably means who was unable ro ler go of rhe fell in love wirh his brother's wife, felt sorry/ for ailing Ailill and
"doer of deeds", was, in Irish horse's tail Abarta took them to E7AIN,who was actually a goddess, eventuallypromised ro sadsfyhis
mythology, a mischievous god He the otherworld, for that was rhe one of the TUATHADE DANANN desire as the only means of saving
was one of the TUATTIADEDANANN, reason for his appearanceon earth Etain had been the second wife of his life It was arranged thar rhey
who ruled lreland undl rhey were- This wonderful land was rhoughr the proud and handsome god should meet secretly in a house
overcome by the Milesians,warlike by the Celts to be the home of the MIDIR,who lived under a mound in outside Tara However,Ailill never
invaders from Spain Driyen under- gods and goddesses,and the place the middle of Ireland She had came because he fell into an
ground, Abana and his kin appear where souls briefly resred before been rebom as a human as punish- enchantedsleep
in the Irish sagasmore like heroic rebirth The rest of the Fianna. or ment for her great jealousy of
mortals rhan gods, although in the Fenians, acquired a magic ship to Midir's first wife. Fuamnach When Atut-t- MnC MAIA, according
tale of his trick on the Fenian war- give chase to Abarra's sreed.The High Kirg Eochaidh was looking to some versions of the myth, was
riors there remains a srong trace of best tracker among rhem was Finn for a bride himself, he heard reporrs the hng of Connacht and husband
his original dMniry MacCool'sassismntFoltor He suc- that described Etain as rhe fairest of the warrior-queen MEDB.He is
Abana offered himself as a ser- ceededin navrgadnga course to the maiden in Ireland So he broughr genera\ ponrayed as a ratherweak
vanr ro FINNMACCOOL, one of the otherworld for the rescue expedi- the beautiful former goddessback characterwho was entirely under
foremosr Irish heroes,and heredi- tion There Abana was compelled to his palace atTara, rhe capital the influence of Medb It was due
tary leader of the FmNNA Abarn to releasethe prisoners aswell as to There Eochaidh and Etain enjoyed ro her taundng that he agreedro go
tried ro serveFinn MacCool short- run back to Ireland himself holding a happy married life Ailill, how- to war with Ulster over the Brown
ly after the hero had succeededhis on to the horse'stail Honour being ever, gradually succumbed to a Bull of Cuailgne.Ailill finally met
father as leader of rhe band. As a sarisfied,rhe Fenians agreed ro a terrible wasring diseasebecauseof his death at the hands of coNALt,
gesture of goodwill, rricky Abarta peacewirh Abarta his unrequited passion for rhe who killed him in revenge for the
presented the Fianna wirh a wrld, new queen death of rrRcus MACRITH
grey horse Only afrer great effort AILILL, rvho was the brother of Etain was steadfast in her
did the warriors manage to ger a Eochaidh, a High Kirg of lreland, love for Eochaidh, but she also AINE was rhe Irish goddess of
bridle on the animal, and rhen it love and ferdlity She was the
refused to move even one hoof AINE, Irishgoddess oJloveandJertility, AI\4AETHON, thoughtheJruitfulrustic daughter of Eogabail,who was the
when mounted It was not until wasworshipped onMidsummer Evebythe godoJagnculture, wasnotalwayshelpful foster son of the Manx sea god
fourteen warriors had climbed localpeople wholit up herhiII withtorches ItwasAmaethon thatrobbedArawn, MANANNANMAC LIR HeT main
on its powerful back rhat it would Whensomeglrlsstayedlate onenight,Aine thereby
prwohingtheBattleof Trees, ond, responsibilty was to encourage
stir at all Once Abana had appeared amongthem andra,ealed thehill whorefusedto helphard-pressedCulhwch human love, although one mortal
mounted behind rhem, it broke tobealivewrthfaines, whichwereonly toplough,sowandreapahill in a dq - o Iover of hers, Kirg Arllil OIom of
immediarely inro a gallop, even visible throughher magc"ing tashinhis questto win Olwat Munster, paid for his passionate
pulling along a fifteenrh warrior (lLrusrnerroruByNtcK Brew., 1995) (lr-r-usrRqnoru
ByNrcK Buu, 1995) audacity with his life When he
 CeITIC MYTHOLOGY

brothers plunged the country once

again into dreadful srife The fight-
ing came to an end only with the
death of Eber. Amairgen then
installed Eremon as High King of
Ireland atTara Even then conflicts
still occurred becauseof the cease-
Iessrivalnes between lesserrulers.

AUNONTNS SCCPELLES

ANNWN was a Welsh other-

world that was an idyllic land of
peace and plenty. ln Annwn there
was a fountain of sweet wine and a
cauldron of rebirth, which, it
would seem, was the basis of the
medieval Grail myth ln one Welsh
tradition, ARTHURlost most of his
warriors in a disastrous attempt to
seize this magic cauldron.
The lord of Annwn was the
grey-cladAMwN, wirh whom the
Dyfed chieftain PWYLLagreed to
exchange shapes and responsibil-
ities for ayear Arawn had a pack of
hounds, the Celtic "hounds of
hell", which were believed to fly at
night in pursuit of human souls
(See AISOCELTICOTHERWORLDS;
WONDROUS
CAULDRONS)

attempted to force himself upon magically transformed rrees inro AJVTAIRGEN(above)was one oJthe Jirst ANNWN (below), aWelshotherworld,
Aine and rape her, she slew him warriors to fight in the battle druidsin lreland He possessedboth andrest,filled
wasa landoJJruitfulness
with her magic. spiitual and political authoity, and wtththesongoJbirds Annwn'smaglcal
Aine's worship was alwaysasso- AUAInCEN, sometimes known pronouncedthe first judgement in the guarded
cauldron, byninemaidens, healed
ciated in lreland with agriculture, as Amergin, was one of the first land,decidingwhowouldbe thefirsthing. thesichandrestoredthedeadto lfe A
because,as a goddessof fertility, Irish druids, the ancient priests in An inspiredshamanand seer,heis credited motifin Celticmyth,magic
recurrent
she had command over crops and Celtic lands He came to Ireland with a mysticalpoem in the Book of Jeaturein thetalesoJBranand
cauldrons
animals. Even as late as the last with the Milesians Thesechildren Invasions (ILLusrn
crtoxA^roN'
) Dagda (IllusrnlloN By NIcK BxLE, 1995 )

century, celebrationswere still held of ulrrsluS, or Mil, who was a

in her honour on Midsummer Eve leader of the Celts who lived in
at l(nockainy, or "Aine's hill", in Spain, were believed to be the
County Ketry ancestorsof the present-dayIrish
Having defeated the divine rulers of
AueerHoN (whose name lreland, the ru,trqADE DANANN,
means "labourer" or "ploughman") the Milesians could not agreeon
was the god of agnculture and the which of their leaders should be
son of the Welsh goddess ool hng Two sons of Mil, Eremon and
Amaethon was said to have EBER, contested the throne and for
stolen fromAMWN, the lord of the the sake of peace the island was
orherworld euruwru, a hound, a divided into rwo kingdoms, one in
deer and a bird, and as a result the north, the other in the south.
causedthe Cad Goddeu or Battle However, peacewas not to surive
of Trees It was in this battle rhat for long, and renewed fighting
Amaethon's brother, GWYDION, between the followers of the two

97
Crr-Trc MyrHoLocy

who wrote down the trish sagas

tried to legidmize rhe binh by
making Boann the wife of Dagda,
but it is obvrous that Aonghus wzls
a divine love-child
Aonghus was handsome and
fourbirds alwap hovered abovehis
head which were said ro represenr
kisses. Birds also feature in his AMWN, hingof Annwn,stidesthrough
courtship of CAER,a girl of divine hisenchanted accompaniedby
Jorest his
descentwho came from Connacht theCeltic"houndsoJhell",
Jlyinghounds,
and lived as a swan Her father, oneof whosedutieswasto escortsoukon
ANU, a greatearthgoddessandmotheroJ what Aoifa loved best and Scathach Ethal, was one of the TUATHADE tharjoumeyto theothaworldLihesome
all theheroes,
washnown asthe"lasting told him that above ali else she DANANN He seems to have been otherfairy creatures,
thq appearwhite
one"andalsoasDana,mother oJthe treasured her chanot At first the reluctant about the marriageuntil withredears,a tohenoJtheothenvorld
TuathaDeDanannIn Munster thereare combat went as expectedin Aoifa's Aonghus' father, Dagda, made (luusrnenor.r
ByJAMEs
Alrx,cNorn,
1995
)
twohillshnownasthePapsof Anubecause favour, but Cuchuiainn distracted Ethal his prisoner lt was finally
thq rymbolizedherbreasts(tuusrRarroru
ny her attention at a critical moment agreed that Aonghus could marryt night dunng a hunt. From rhen on,
Grrruli
SrEwanD,
1995
) by calling out that her chanot horse Caer provrded he could identi$r her no woman could everseeDiarmuid
was in trouble Afterwards, Aoifa and she was willing to be his bride without loving him. This included
ANU, sometrmescalled Danu or became Cuchulainn's lover and On the feastof Samhain,Aonghus GMINNE, the princess who had
Dana, was the mother goddess of bore him a son named cotvl,ql It found Caer swimming on a lake been promised by the High King of
Irish myrhology The TUATHADE was, however, the boy's fate to be wich a hundred and fifty other lreland to his Fenian commander
DANANN("the people of the god- killed by his own father swans He instantly recognizedher FINNMACCOOLAonghus savedthe
dess Dana") were her divine chil- and she agreed to marry him Iovers from the great warrior's
dren and the gods and goddesses AONCHUS was the Insh love An interesting tale rhat has wrath, but he could not protect
who ruled Ireland prior to the god His father was DAGDA,the attached imelf to Aonghus con- Diarmuid from the fate given to
amval of the Milesians h is quite father of the gods and the protector cerns his foster-son DIARMIIIDLtA him at birth by the gods, that he
possibie that the monks who wrote of druids, and his mother was the DUIBHNE, or "Diarmuid of the Love should be killed by a magic boar
down the lnsh sagasfrom the fifth water goddess BOANN Rarherlike Spot" This attractiveyoung man Nevertheless, Aonghus brought
century onwards underplayed the 7-eus,Dugdr deceivedBoann's hus- received a magic love spot on his Diarmuid's body back to his own
original role o[ goddessesin rheir band and lay with her The monks forehead from a mysterious grrl one palace at New Grange, on the
compilations Certainly, the srories bank of the RiverBoyne,where he
they recorded show us a man's breathed a new soul into it so that
world, a place where warriors seem he could talk to his foster-son
most at home The cult of Anu was
especiallyassociatedwith Munster, AnAWN was rhe ruler of the
and two hrils in County Kerry are Welsh otherworld aNruwru,which
still known as Da Chich Anann was a paradiseof peaceand plenty
("The Papsof Anu") The Dyfed chiefrain PuvLLbecame
friends with Arawn and was
AOIFA, somerimes known as allowed to claim in his title some
Aoife, was the daughter of Ard- authority over the otherworld The
Greimne and an lrish warrior- two rulers met by chance While
princess in the Land of Shadows, out hunting, Pwyll encounrereda
an otherworld kingdom Her sisrer strange pack of hounds chasinga
SCATHACHinstrucred rhe Ulster stag, so he drove them off and ser
hero CIJCHUIAINNin the arts of
war But when the sisterswent ro AOIFA,a wanior-pnncess JromtheInnd
war Scathach was frightened ro oJShadows, sparswithheryoungson,
take the hero with her into battle in Conlai,instructinghim
in themartialarts
case Aoifa killed him Undeterred Thetraditionofwamor-womenwds
by Aoifa's repurarion as a fighter, stronginCelticsociery,
where women bore
Cuchulainn challenged her ro arrnsaslateasAD700,andwhere the
single combat. Beforethe fighr rook fiercestgodswereoJtenwomen
place, Cuchulainn askedScarhach (Itrusraanov ByJAMEI ALExANorn, 1995 )

98
 CEI-TIC MYTHOLOGY

AONGHUS AeJ), an engagtnggodoJ

Iwe and courtesy,a Celtic equivalatt oJ
Eros,oppearsin thisJoncijul portrayal
as a charming, iJ somewhatwhimsical
character,who calms thefoamy seawith his

Jairy maglc (Aor.rcnus,

coD oFLovEAND
COURTESY, PUTTING A SPELL OF SUN,IMERCAIU ON

THE SEA ByJoHN DUNCAN, cANVAs, orrntl, 1908 )

ART(above)conJrontsan armyoJsavage
andvenomous glanttoadsonhispeilous
journq throughtheLandofWonder, in
of DelbchaunA taboolaidon the
search
younghero bythejealousgoddessBecuma,
forcedhim tofind andwinthelovely
glrlimpnsoned byherwiched
parents
(luusrnerroru
BvARTHUR c 1900
R4cKHAM, )

than she gave birth to DYI4N

and rtrtL GwYDION,Arianrhod's
brother, immediately took charge
of Lleu and brought him up, but
this did not prevent Arianrhod
placing a seriesof raboos upon him,
including the stricture that he was
to have no wrfe in the human race

ART, in Irish mythology, was the

his own hounds on to the prey
Just as the stag was about to fall, a
grey-clad figure appeared and
rebuked h^ryll for rhis discourtesy
in the field. It was Arawn. In order
to placate Arawn and to gain his
friendship, Pwyll accepted a pro-
posal that he should exchange
forms with him for ayear and then
tlayArao*'s enemy, Havgan.ltwas
also agreed that hryll would share
the bed of Arawn's queen for the
same period of time, but without
making love to her
Arawn wamed Pwyll that he
must hll Havgan by a single blow,
for if struck a second time he
instantly revived. When Pwyll and
Havgan fought, the Welsh chieftain
dealt him a fatal blow and ignored
Havgan'splea to finish him offwith
another strike. As a result of this
service, Arawn and Pwyll became
closeallies and Dyfed prospered.
ArueNnnOD was the daughter
of the Welsh goddess DoN and
niece of MArH, king of Gwynedd.
Marh could sleep only if his feet
wereheld in avirgin's lap, andwhen
Goewin, the virgin who usually
acted this part for him was raped by
his nephew Gilvaethwy, it was
suggestedthat Ananrhod should
mke her place. To test her purity
fuianrhod had to step over Math's
wand No sooner had she done so
son of Conn of the Hundred
Battles.In one myth, Conn's jeal-
ous mistress, the goddess Becuma
Cneisgel,contrived to send Art off
on a perilous journey through the
Land of Wonder in search of
Delbchaem ("Fair Shape") After
facing untold dangers,he managed
to find and rescue Delbchaem
Art's son by another woman was
C)PJ\LACMAC ART Arr was hlled by
the rebel Lugaide Mac Con in the
battle of Moy Muchruinne

99
CTITIC MyTHoLoGY

AnfnUR is undoubredly the best
I<nownof rhe Celdc heroes He was
mosr popular during rhe Middle
Ages,when the exploirs of his fol-
lowers, the Ifuights of the Round
Table,impressedthe gearer part of
westem Europe It was wirh some
misgivrngs thar the Church per-
mitted a Chrisriamzed version of
theseCeltic myrhs ro occupy such
an importanr placein rhe medieval
imagination It was never quire at
easewith the story of rhe Grail, or
5AN6REAI, which JOSEPH OF
ARIMATHMwas believed ro have
brought to Britain, since its mirac-
ulous propenies were clearly
derived from the Celtic cauldron. a
vesselof plenry aswell as of rebinh
The strength of popular feeling for
the Arthurian myth can be appre-
ciated by a riot thar occurred in
l l l 3 a r th e ro wn o f B o d m in in
ARTHUR, a child oJdestiny,was guarded
and guided by spintual forcesfrom birth
Smugg;Ied
out oJTintagelCastlebyMerlin,
the mage,he wasfosteredin safetyand
secrery,unawareof his destiny untilhis
nghtfuI time to draw the swordfrom the
stone,thusprovinghisbirthnght (urnur.r
AND ARTHUR By W HATHERELL, CANVA5, C 1910 )
Irish sagas,one of which describes
how he stole the hounds of rhe
Fenian leader FINNMACCOOLon
have a connectionwith Josephof
Anmathea, not leastbecauseit had
a special place resewed for rhe
Graii WhileJoseph of Anmarhea
was imprisoned in Paiesdne,the
Grail is said ro have kept him alive
Later he broughr it ro Brirain,
where it disappeareddue ro peo-
ple's sinfulness Thus the recovery
of the Grail became the grearquesr
of Arthur's knights
When Urher fendragon died,
the ltuighrs of the Round Table
were at a loss ro know who should
be the nexr hng They decidedrhar
Merlin should guide them The
wlzard told them that rhey would
know who Uther's successorwas
when he drew a magrc sword from
a srone, which had mysreriously
appearedin London Many knighs
tried ro pull the sword from the
stone, but none could move it
After a number of yearsArrhur
joumeyed ro London to watch his
first toumament A knight who had
been appointed by Merlin ro act as
the boy's guardianwas tahng part,
but finding he was wirhour a
sword, he sent Arthur to get one
Wi thou t r ealizrngrhe signific ance
of the sword in rhe stone,Arthur
pulled it out and gave it ro the
amazedknight. Thus was the heir
of Uther Pendragonrevealed
Even rhen, there were knights
who would nor accept Arthur as
ARTHUR,at restin anenchantedforest,
gazes in wonderat theamazngQuesting
Beastat thewell lt wasaferlieor
bewitchingotheruv
orldlywonder,which
deJied captureSirPellinoreandlater
SirPalomides spent yearsinfutilepursuit
of thetantalizngchimaera
(lrrusrnarrou ByAUBREy BEARDSLEy,c 1870 )

Comwall becausethe French ser- one of his daring raids Indeed, as

vants of visiring nobiliry denied a warrior, hunter of magic boars,
Arthur's undeath killer of giants, wrtches and mon-
Although some of the earliest sters, and as leader of a band of
storiesconcemingfuthur are found heroeswhose adventuresled them
in Welsh poems of the sevenrh into untold mysteriesand marvels,
century, rhere can be little doubr Arthur had much in common with
that the warlike hngbelongs to rhe Finn MacCool But according to
heroic traditions of borh lreland the ninth-century monk Nennius,
and Wales He appearsin several Arthur was a historical leader who
rallied the people of Bntain against
ARTHU& promptedby Merlin, aslu the Anglo-Saxon invaders after the
Lady oJ the LaheJor thesword, Fxcalibur Roman legions had gone Nennius
Theyoung hing mawelledat theshining credir Anhur with rwelvevicrories, .l
I
sword but Merlin insistedthat the scabbard but does not mention the account
wasworth ten of the swordsbecause it of his death recorded slighdy later
pra,ented bss of blood in banle (tuusnenoru in a history of Wales, which srares
BYAUBREYBERosuv, c 1870.) that Arthur and his swom enemy
M?DREDboth fell in 537 ar rhe
bartle o[Camluan
Anhur was the son of rhe Brirish
king UTHER PENDMGON and
Igraine, wife of rhe Cornish duke
Gorlois He was conceived out of
wedlock and brought up away
from his parens by rhe wizard
MERLIN The resourceful Merlin
had already designed for Uther
Pendragona wonderful stronghold
and placed in ir the famous Round
Table, at which one hundred and
fifty knights could be seated.This
unusual piece of furniture may

ARTHUR S RoundTablesewedmany
purposes:it pruented quarels aver
ce; rymbolQed wh olaness; and
pr eceden
commemoratedthe TableoJthe l-ast
Suppo, with the Grail at the centre
(Knc Anrnur. rND THE l(t.ttcHTs oF THE RouND
Tesre SuUMoNED To rHE QuEsr By A SrnnNcr
DAMSEL By E BURNE-JoNEs, rApEsrRy, 1898-99
king Only with Merlin's aid was
the young ruler able to defeat his
opponents and bring peace to
Britain How much he depended
on magic became obvrous to
Arthur early in his reign Having
drawn his own sword wrthout
cause against one of his knights,
Arthur was dismayed to see the
blade sharter.Merlin savedhim by
putting the knight to sleep, for
futhur was otherwise unalrned. tn
despair the king wandered along
the shore of a lake when. tci his
amazement, he saw a hand and
arm rise out of the water, holding
another magrcsword. This was the
famous Excalibur, his sure support,
according to the l-:ldy of the Lake,
who handed it to him
Rearmedand reassured,Arthur
went on to be a great king. He
defeated the Anglo-Saxons, aided
King Leodegraunceof Scotland in
his wars against the Irish and even
campaigned as far away from his
kingdom asRome. ln rerum for the
aid given to Lrodegraunce, Arthur
was betrothed to his daughter
CEr-TIC MvrHoLoGY
GUINEVERT. At first Merlin object- was coveredby the dead and dyttg. his weakened kingdom from the
ed ro the match, since he knew of Although he had won, King Arthur Anglo-Saxons,however The whole
Guinevere'slove for Sir IANCELOT, had to be carried away by these of the Anhunan myth tums on rhe
the most handsome of the lfuights I<rrhs, such was the severiryof his disintegation of the chivalnc uniry
of the Round Table But he later wound Knowing his own end was that was establishedby the Round
blessed the married couple and, near, he had Excalibur rhrown into Table, but which was finally
according to one version of the a lake, where a hand swiftly seized destroyedby the implacablehatred
) myth,gaveAnhur the Round Table it Then Anhur boarded a magic berweenArthur and Modred (See
as a wedding grft Nevenheless,the boat and disappeared. His last also MAGICAND ENCHANTMENT,
queen and Lancelot were soon words were that he was going to HEROTC QUEsrs)
Iovers, and when futhur found out AVALONto be cured of his wounds
about his wife's unfaithfulness so that he might retum one day to ARTHURrestsin peoce in Avalon,
Lancelot fled to Brittany lead his people once more guardedbyfourt'airyqueens Morganle
Anhur pursued Sir l^ancelotand The inscription on Arthur's Fay,cowledin blach,consults herboohoJ
besiegedhim in his Breton strong- tomb at Glastonbury picks up this to healthewounds
maglccraJts, of the
hold The siege had to be lifted, Celtic idea of reincamation It "undead"htngThewinged appantion
however, because news reached reads: "Here lies Arrhur, king that carryingthe Grailrymbolizes thehope and
the king that his nephew Sir was, king that shall be " Such an Juturepromise oJArthur'sreign (t-et',tonr
Modred had seized Camelot and undeath was not enough to save D'ARTHUR BYJAME5 ARCHER, c,quvas, 1860)
even forced Guinevere to consent
to marriage,after spreadingstories
of the king's death on campaign
Returning ro Brimin, Arthur sum-
moned his knights to do battle
with the rebels Prior to the con-
flict, it was agreedthat the hng and
his nephew would meet between
the rwo armies to discuss the pos-
sibility of peace. Becauseneither
one trusted the other, each ordered
his forces to attack if they saw any-
one draw a sword When a knight
unsheathed his weapon to kill a
snake, a terrible battie was fought,
in which the flower of British
chivalry fell
Only two of Arthur's knights
were left alive on a batdefield that
Cnlrrc MyrHoLoGy

AVnI-ON was another name for

the Welsh otherworld, ANNwN.
and its name suggess that itwas an
island of apples The mortally
woundedARTHURwas ferried there
by three mysterious women in a
black boat, following the terrible
batrle againsrSir MODRED'sarmy
The undead king was expected to
retum from Avalon and lead the
oppressed Celtic population of
Britain to victory over rheirAnglo-
Saxon and, Iater, Norman con-
querors According to one version
of the myth, Excalibur was forged
there Tradidonally, Avalon has
been idendfied with Glastonbury,
the supposedsite of Arthur's tomb. BRIOR was rhe Irish Cyclops The fateful meeting between AVALON, Arthur's last restingplace, was
(Seealso CELTICOTHERWORLDS) This one-eyedgod of death was rhe Lugh and Balor occurred at the an otherworldlyretreat of wonder, mystery
most formidable of the FoMoRII, second battle of Magh Tuireadh, a and peace lts nine guardian queensrecall
BAOB (meaning "crow") was an the violent and monstrous seagods fiercecontest berween the Fomorii an actual, histoncalordu oJnine nuns who
Irish goddess of battle She was one who ruled Ireland before the arrival and the Tuatha De Danann lived olJthe coastoJRomanBittany, as
of a group of war deitieswho could of the TIJATHADE DANANN So Nobody could stand Balor's lethal well as the nine mythical maidensguarding
influence rhe outcome of conflict dreadful was his one eye thar he gaze, not even the Tuatha De Annwn's maglccauldron (KrucAnrHun
rN
by inspiring the combarants wirh destroyedwhoever he looked upon Danann leaderNUADA.rhe owner AvALoN By E BURNE-JoNIs, ctuves, 1894 )

fear or courage The others were and his eyelid had to be levered up
Known as MORRIGAN, NEMAINand by four servans It was prophesied
MACHA.Myth connec$ Badb with that he would be slain by his own
the historical bartle of Clonrarf in grandson, To avoid rhis fate he
1014, when the High Kirg Brian locked his only daughter ETHLINN
defeated the Viking invaders and in a crystal tower on Tory Island, off
Badb was said ro have appeared the north-west coasr of Ireland
over rhe warriors' heads. Even so. Balor was killed in barrle
with a sling-shot by the sun god
BALOR, aJormidable one-qed god of LIIGH,Ethlinn's son and the cham-
death,led the misshapenFomoni against pion of the Tuatha De Danann
theyoungerTuatha De Danann Herehis Lugh's father was Cian, a lesser
grandson, Lugh, castsaJatal stoneinto member of the Tuatha De Danann
Balor's deadlyq,e,forcing it bach through With the assistance of a female
his head where its lethal gazedestroyshis druid, Cian had enrered the crystal
warriors marching behind him tower and slepr wirh Ethlinn.
(llr-L,srn cloN By MTn,qNDA Gnev, 1995
) When Balor leamed that his daugh-
ter had given binh to three sons, he
ordered that rhey be drowned in a
whirlpool nearTory Island Balor's
servants duly rolled them up in a
sheet, but on rhe way ro the
whirlpool one of the boys fell out
unnoticed Either rhe druid rhen
handed the fortunate baby to the
smith god cotnHNIU, or alternat-
ively MANANNANMACUn, the god
of the sea, decided to foster him. ln
either event, Lugh was saved and
set on the road to his desriny as rhe
slayerof Balor.
of a sword which previously none
could escape The battle was just
tuming into a Tuatha De Danann
rout, when Lugh noriced that the
BANSHEE, or beansidhe,womenoJthe
faines,livedunderground in sparlzling
- Joiryheavens hiddenbeneath gassy
mounds on Inshhilkideskgendhasit
thatabanshee attaches itselftoaJamily
andwams ofimpendingdeathwith an
eeie wail (tu-usrnerror.rByH I FIRD, i902 )
single eyelid of Balor was slowly
closing through weariness Lugh
crept near to him with a magic
sling-shot in hand The momenr
the eyelid opened again,he hurled
sidhe the stone so hard rhat ir forced the
eyeball backward through Balor's
head, with the result that it was rhe
Fomoni who now sufferedfrom the
destrucdve effect of its paralysing
stare The Tuatha De Danann were
able to defeat the Fomorii, who
were driven from Ireland for ever.
(Seealso CELTICOTHERWORLDS)
BRNSHEE is the modern name
for the beansidhe ("woman of the
fairies"), the traditional fairy of the
Irish countryside After the arrival
of the Milesians from what is now
Spain (the ancestorsof the presenr-
day Irish) the gods and goddesses
known as rhe TUATHADEDANANN
disappeared underground and
dwelt in mounds, and over the
centuries they were slowly trans-
formed in the popularimagination
into fairies. It was believed thar the
wailing of a banshee foretold the
approach of a human death.

102

BTOTVERE SCCBEDW}R
BEOWYR, according to welsh
mythology, was a one-handed
warrior who, together with his
friend and companion I<AI,played
an important pail in helping
CULHWCHto procure the prizes he
required to win the hand of
otwEN. They were both members
of King ARTHUR'scourt. In later
Anhurian romance Bedwyr became
Sir Bedivere, the faithful knight
who remained with King Arthur
after he was mortally wounded,
threw the sword Excalibur into the
lake on the king's insrucdons and
bore his body to the boat which
camed him to AVALON
BEL seeBELENUS
BEUNUS, also known as Bel,
was a Celtic sun god known to the
Romans Julius Caesarcompared
Belenus to Apollo, the god of
prophecy He appears in various
forms across the Celtic world, as
Beli to the Welsh, Bile to the lrish
and Belenusto the Gauls Beltaine,
CnITIC MVTHOLOGY
one of the important fesdvalsof the BTLE SCCBELENU5 BELENUS, a Celtic sungod,was
Celdc calendar,was celebratedon honoured on the eveof Beltaine when Celts
the first of May in his honour, and BUqfHNATwas the wife of King litbonfires, the "firesof Bel", symbolizng
his name survives in a number of CU RoI of Munster She fell in love the raysoJthe sunand the promiseof
place names such as Billingsgate, with cucHut AINN,the geat Ulster summer fruitfulness Here, thefaines, once
"Bile's gate" (formerly a fish market hero and enemy of Cu Roi, and Celtic gods,ide outJrom their hollow hills
in London) Although his worship betrayed her husband's people by to celebrateBeltaine (THrRrorps
oFrHEsrDHE
was clearly widespread,little elseis showing the hero how he could BYJOHN DUNCAN, cANVAs, l9ll )
known about him enter her husband's apparentlY
impregnable fortress A stream water, Cuchuiainn was able to
BTN DTCTTPFRAN SCEBRAN flowed through rhe fort and when follow its course. In the fiercebattle
THEBLESSED Blathnat poured milk into the that followed Cu Roi was killed and
Cuchulainn was able to ride off
with Blathnar He also took with
him Cu Roi's bard, Fer Cherdne
When the party halted on a cliff
top, however, Fer Cherdne took
the opportunity to avengehis for-
mer master's death by grabbing
hold of Blathnat and jumping over
the edge with her in his arrns.
BEDWYRguardedArthurat theendoJhis
hJe,asthq waitedbyalaheJortheship
thatwouldferrythehingtoAvalonThis
blends
e scene
evocativ realism
photographic
witha ghostlybachdrop 4n
to create
and convincing
elfective oJ
representation
an otheweorldly realm (Monr D'AnrHun nv
JoHw Genntcx,ctNvts, 1862)
r03
CEr-Trc MyrHoLoGy

Pwytt, idingthrough alush, woodedidyll, suddenly
Jound
himselfin the othemvorldlyrealm of Annwn AJterdnving
off someshtningwhitehoundsJrom a t'allen stag,he
Arawn, thegrry-cladlordof Annwn Lthethe
encountered
Greehgod oJthe underworldHades,Arawn may possibly
symbolizea Lord oJWinter, because
heJoughtan annual
battlewith Havgan("SummerSong") On oneoccasion,he
ashedPwyll to swapplaceswrth him Jor a year, at the end
oJwhich PwyllJoughtand won theseasonalduel
(lrrusrRerroN sy Ar,4N LEE, 1984 )
Can-soxnx (above),the Grail CastleoJArthunan legend,
was an otherworldlyheavenguardedbyangelsand
wondrousspintswhoseunearthlysongwasbeautful
theGratl,aholy
bqond imagnrng Thecastlehoused
vessel,sard to be the Cup oJthe Inst Supper,whtch
Lancelotwasferned
containedhealingsptntualsustenance
to Carbonehon a ghostlyshtpwtthout captatnor crewand
permitteda dtstantvisionof the sacredchahcebecauseoJ
his courogeoussprnt Hts loveof Guinevereforbade a
completevision (lui'sruroN BvALAN
Lrr, 1984
)
Beron (above)andhis mtsshapen
people,the Fomont,
symboltzethe darht'orcesof the otherworld Beforetheir
deJeatat thehandsof the TuathaDe Danann,they
oppressedthe Insh with crushingtnbutesand cruelry
While the Tuatha De Danann livedundergroundrn
glittenngsidhe, the Fomoii roamedbeneath
lahesand
seasrn bleahpurgatones Balor'ss,nglerye, poisonedtn
youth, paralysedhrsenemteswith rtsdeadlygaze
(lr-r-usrnaloru BYALAN Let, 1984 )
:IO5
CeITIC MyTHoLoGY
BlooruEDD (whose name
means "bom of flowers" or "flower
face") was a beautiful, magical
woman Shewas conjured by MATH
andGwyoioN from the blossoms of
oak, broom and meadowsweet to
be the wife of LLEIJ,Gwydion's
nephew, because Lleu's mother,
ARIANRHOP, had declared that he
should marry/ no mortal woman
For a time rhe young couple livec.
together happily, but one day Lleu
went to visit Math and while he
was awayBlodeuedd hndly offered
hospitaliry to a passinghuntsman,
Goronwy, the lord of Penllyn
Blodeuedd and Goronwy fell in
love and began to plot the murder
of LIeu This was no easy task, for
Lleu could be kilied only while
standing wrth one foot on a goat's
back and rhe other on the edge of a
bath tub, and only by u spear
which it had taken a full year to
make However, even though the
pair finally succeededin meeting all
the conditions and attackedhrm,
he did not die buc flew into the air
in the shape of an eagle Math and
Gwydion set out ro avenge LIeu
When they found Blodeuedd,
Gwydion turned her into an owl.
the bird of the night
BOANN was a warer goddessand
the mother of AONGHUs,the Insh
god of love According to the dif-
ferent versions of her myth, she was
mamed eirher ro NECHTANor ro
Elcmar DAGDA,the chief god of
rhe TUeTHADEDANANN.was her
lover and the father of Aonghus He
was able ro seduce Boann by send-
ing her husband on a nine-month
joumey that seemedbut one day
BRAN, son of Febal, is the hero of
the most famous of the Insh voyage
myths Seavoyages fascinated the
Irish storytellers,who would tell of
strange adventures on remote
islands, including those of orher-
worlds, such as the home of gods
and goddesses,as well as the place
where souls briefly rested before
rebirth Bran's greatjourn ey began
r06
BLODEUEDD (above),thefairest woman
in the world, was conjuredout oJ blossoms
by the maglciansGwydionand Math, so
that shecouldbe thewtfe of Gwydion's
nephew,Lleu But shebetrayedher
husbandJoranotherman Gwydion,here,
watchesas his beautiful creation comesto
life (tttustwrroNByALAN
LEE,
1984
) (Iuusrnenoru
BOANN below), awater goddessand the
mother of Aonghus,violated the sanctil oJ
a sacredwell oJ inspiration In outragethe
wqters bubbledand swelled,formin g a
torrent which becamethe River Boyne,
which is namedafterher In its current
swam the Salmonof Knowledge,seenhere
ByARTHUR RActclrru, c 1910 )
when he found a silver branch that
was covered with white flowers.
Gathering his kinsmen together,
Bran displayed the magic bough,
only to be surprised by the sudden
appearanceof a woman dressed in
veryunusual cloth She sang to the
assembledcompany of the great
wonders to be found in the lands
beyond the sea, the otherworld
islands, each larger than lreland,
and inhabited by beautiful women
who had no knowledge of sorrow,
sicknessor death Happiness, she
sang to them, was the lot of all
Iiving in these wonderful lands
Then the strangewoman stopped
singing and vanished, taking the
magic bough with her Bran had
been unable to hold on to it, even
with both his hands
The next day Bran sailed west-
wards with t'wenty-sevenkinsmen
Their first encounter was with the
sea god MANANNAN MACLIR,who
was dnving his chariot across the
waves Once again the lrish heroes
were informed by the seagod of the
marvels that awaited them Even
then the seaappearedto be a plain
of flowers,with blossoming shrubs
and an orchard of fruitful trees
That day Bran's boat came to the
Isle of Merriment, where his crew
could hardlystand up for laughing,
and then in the evening they
reached the Isle of Women. The
beautiful women's leader called to
Bran to step ashore, but he was
afraid to land; so she threw a ball of
rhread that stuck to Bran's hand,
and by magic drew the boat from
the waves.When they came ashore
the Irish heroes found soft beds
and delicious food ready for them
The delightful stay seemed to them
to last for only ayear, but in fact
many yearshad passed When one
of the crew grew homesick and
persuaded Bran that it was time
rhat they sailed home, he was
wamed by the chief woman not [o
set foot on soil again. Arriving off
the lrish coas[, Bran discovered
that nobody recognizedhim, and
he was known only as a legendary
 Crlrtc MYTHoLoGY

figure who had long ago embarked
on a great voyage to the other-
worlds, so he set sail again; but not
before one desp erate hero forgot
the waming and jumPed ashore,
and immediately tumed into a Pile
of ash, as though he had been dead
for centuries
The voyage of Bran is certainlY
an ancient myth, although it was
not written down until the eighth
century by monks Even though
the monla added cenain Christian
elements such as references to
JesusChrist and Adam's sin, theY
did not obscure the tale's original
magical atmosphere. (See also
FABULOUSVOYAGES)
BnnN THE BLESSED, rhe son
of the seagod Llp, played a differ-
ent role to BMN, son of Febal ln
Welsh mythology, he was called
Bendigeidfran and seems to have
been an otherworld god, although
he was also active as a British king
in mortal affairs He allowed his
sister BMNWENto marry the Irish
king tvtATHOLwCH,wrthout the
consentof her hallbrother EFNISIEN.
Becauseof this slight, Efnisien
cut off the lips, ears and tails of
Matholwch's horses during the
wedding feast in Wales. Not
unnaturally, hosdlities almost
broke out between the Irish and
the Britons as a result, but Bran

visited
BRANbelow),onhisepicvoyage, BRANTHEBLESSTo(ngh),themighry
woman
wherethechieJ
theIsIeoJWomen, rulu oJBitain, sailedto lrelandto rescue
shipto shorewith
broughthis maglc hisbeauttful BranwenIn the
sister,
threadHere,sheholdsa cupofplenty, BranwasmortallY
ensuingbattle,
of theisland
idyllicdelights
symbolizngthe wounded,buthishead,cutfromhisbody,
stayed
Thevoyagers for whatthq thought livedon Hismaglcal ofrebirthis
cauldron
wasayearbeforethq,leJtJorhome alongwithhishead
seenhere,restored,
(Irrusrnnnot'r BvDervur,qMr"tR, 1993) (luusrnerrorv BYAL4NLer, 1984)

managed to avoid a war bY Pre- seven of their own alrny survived

sendng Matholwch with a magic
cauldron This otherworld vessel
could bring men back to life, but
without restoring their speech
Back in Ireland, Matholwch was
unable ro convince his warriors that
Bran's gift was adequatecomPen-
sadon for the damage done to the
horses So Branwen ceased to be
the Irish queen and was made to
work in the palacekitchens, even
though she had alreadY given
Matholwch a son and heir, GwERN
When Bran leamed of how she was
being treated, he raised a great
army and sailed to lreland In the
ensuing battle the Britons slew
every Irish man there was, but onlY
Even Bran was killed, bY a wound
caused by a poisoned arrow On
his deathbed he told his followers
to cut off his head, which aqqar-
ently was still able to eat and talk
during the voyage home A later
addidon to the myth saYsthat the
head was brought to London and
buried facing EuroPe, to ward off
foreign invaders KingAnhur is said
to have used the head for its Power
The Celts believed that heads
were the seat of the soul, which
may partly explain their pracdce of
head-hunting Even more curious,
was the medieval Chnstian claim
that Bran was the first British man
(SeeaISOWONDROUS CAULDRONS)

r07
 Crr-Ttc MyrHoLoGy

BMNGAINE (above)and lseult peer

euizzcally at the shyyoungstrangerin the

palace garden, pur4ling w r his idntity
But as soonas the dogleapt fondly onto his
lap, thq recognized the strangeras Tnstan,
who had been wsumed dead Thq wue
confusedatfrstbecausehe was much
changedafterhiswandeings in the
wildwood (luusrncrtonByEvELwpAUr-
c 1g2O
)

BnnNCnINE was rhe maid of

ISEULT,princess of lreland and
lover of rRtsraN. tseuk had been
promised in maniage ro King MARK
of Comwall. Trismn, his nephew,
came to lreland to escort her across
the sea. Before rhe ship sailed,
Iseult's mother gave Brangaine a
love potion for Iseult and Mark on
their wedding night, as ir caused
those who drank ir to love only
each other for the rest of their lives
However, during rhe voyage,Trisran
became thirsty and unwittingly
drank the potion, and then offered
some to Iseult.
Through all rhe ensuing difficul-
ties Brangaine was always loyal,
sharing their secrets,such as when
Trismn was brought ro Mark's
castle mistaken for a wild man.
even tahng Iseuh's place in Mark's
bed on rhe wedding nighr.

BRANWEN(righ? releases a starling

bearinga pleafor help,across the seato
her giantbrother,Bran Whenhereads
of her plght in lreland,he setssail
immediately witha Welsh Jleet
(Ir-rrrsrnenoruByAI.AN LEE,Iggq )

r08
 CTITIC MYTHOLOGY

BnnUWnN was the daughter of BRES, in Irish mythology, was leadership, the De Danann were
briefly the leader of the TUATHADE under the command of Bres But
Llyr, the Welsh equivalent of the
DANANN,the implacable enemies Breshad no gift for leadershiPand
Irish seagod tm, and sister to BRAN
THE BLESSED,ANd UEruAWYDAN of the F)MORII, the sea gods who becamesomethingof a tyrant On
When High Kitg MATHOLWCH of ruled treland long before rhem the restoradon of Nuada, Bres and
Ireland came to Bran's court at Breswas an unusual leader of the his mother En fled to Elatha in
Tuatha De Danann because his order ro seek Fomoni assistance
Harlech itwas ageed rhat Branwen
father was EIATHA, who was a This caused the second battle of
should be given to him in marriage
was Fomoni king of a land that IaY Magh Tuireadh, in which Nuada
But her half-brother EFNISIEN
under the sea. Elatha had met a was killed Through the bravery of
not consulted and, feeling insulted,
he cut off the lips, earsand tails of Tuatha De Danann goddessnamed the sun god tucu, however, the
En on the sea-shoreand made love Fomoni were routed and Breswas
Matholwch's horses To restore
peace Bran offered the lrish king to her on the sand Bres was bom taken prisoner One version of the
as a result, although En was careful myth explains how, in return for
replacement horses and a magic
to say nothing to her husband his life, Bres promised to instruct
cauldron Matholwch retumed to
BRENDAN,thelish saintandnavigator, about the boy's real father the Tuarha De Danann in the arts
Ireland with Branwen, who was at
first receivedwith geat rqoicing for retumsto lrelnndafterhtswondrous voyage When Bres grew up, he fought of planting and sowing croPs It is
in search of theLandoJPromise Histour againstthe existing inhabitans of possiblethat Bres,like his wife, the
she was generouswith gifts, and
oJtwelve mysteious includdaland
rslnnds Ireland, the ntRnoLG,at the first fertiliry goddessBRIGID,was a deiry
before long she gavebirth to a son,
the
of birdlilu spiits, whichwaspossibly battle of Magh Tuireadh In this connected with agriculture
GWERN But after a few Years
Matholwch's fnends and family LandoJhomise Hisamazngtnle seems engagementNUADA,the leader of
(Iuusrnenoruthe invading Tuatha De Danann,
tobeablafi oJearliervoyages BrunN was one of the three sons
began to complain that the com-
pensation he had received from BY c: 1920
Srrpsrrus,
IAMES ) Iost a hand and in consequencehe of tutREaNN, whose family were
Bran was not enough To satisfY retired for a time Nuada tried to engagedin a feud with the family of
second in a boat made of wood. use a silver replacement without Cian, father of the god LUGH
Ihem, Matholwch insisted that
Miraculous events took place due success,until Miach, son of the When Lugh sent Cian to summon
Branwen relinquish her Position
to the saint's faith. One Easter a healinggod oreru;ECHT,made him the warriors of rhe TUATHADE
as queen and become a cook for
whale appearedso that St Brendan ^ hand of flesh and blood DANANNto battle, Bnan and his
the court.
During the next three Years,as and his followers could hold a ser- However, until Nuada was fully brothers, Iuchar and lucharba,
vice on its broad back After the ser- recoveredand able to resume his killed him during his journey To
Branwen worked in the Palace
vice, the whale plunged under the atone for this act of murder theY
htchens, she reared a starling and
waves and swam away.This great BRIANandhisbrothers setoutona were given by Lugh eight tasks to
taught it to recognizeher brorher
animal was made docile by St pmbusvoyage acrosstheworldtoJufil perform. Among the objecm theY
Bran Then she sent it acrossthe
Brendan, as were numerous whirl- aghttasls,sethythesungodLughWith had to retrieve were three aPPles
sea with a letter tied to its leg,
pools. Even the Devilwas unable to daringandresourcethq sought andfound from the Gardens of the Sun, a
telling of her reatment. When Bran
disurb the saint's serenirywhenhe wondrous treasures,suchasan inincible healing pigskin from the king of
and the Britons leamed of her fate
they brought an army to lreland. showed him the pain of Hell St swordandhealingpigshin,whichhelped Gr.eece,a poisoned spear from the
Brendan also restored to life one of theDeDanannin tharbattlewtththe king of Persia, a cooking-sPit
the Navigatorwas rhe the monks who were his compan- Fomoni (Iu-usrnqnorvBvSTEPHEN Rno, 1912) belonging to the nymphs of an
BnfUOnN
ions after he had insisted on seeing underseakingdom and the seven
dtle given to a sixth-century lrish
pigs of Kitg Asal of the Golden
sainr. Indeed, the account of the this forbidden sight for himself
On the voyageshe also encoun- Pillars.which could be cooked and
rwo voyages undenaken bY St
Brendan was just as PoPular in rhe tered a heathen giant, whom he eaten one day and found alive the
next Finally, they were to shout
Middle Ages as the stories told bapdzed, terrifying mice and an
about the l(nights of the Round enorrnous sea cat. Finally, they rhreetimes on the Hill of Mochaen
Table. This wonder tale is in the reached the island in St Brendan's Having successfullybrought back
sameradition as that of BR{N, son vision. Inhabited by a hermit to Lugh all the magical objects he
required, they then set out to
of Febal, although its direct insPi- clothed in feathers,it was probably
ration was the voyageof the Aran the Land of Promise, a place of perform their last dutY However,
hero MAELDUN.Having nken holY Chrisdan resunection similar to the they were mortally wounded bY
Mochaen and his sons. Tuireann
orders, Brendan prayed to go on a Celtic otherworlds On his return
pilgrimage into unknown lands. An to Ireland, St Brendan refused to therefore asked Lugh if he might
angel then showed him an island in smy in his old monastery but borrow the magical pigskin and so
moved instead to a retreat near heal his sons, but the god refused
a vision. ln search of this beautiful
land, St Brendan set sail twice, first Limerick, where he died. (Seealso and Dnan and his brothers died.
(SeCAISOFABULOU S VOYAGES)
in a craft made from shns, and FABULOUSVOYAGES)

r09
 Crlrtc MyrHoLocy
BruCtU was one of the trouble-
makers of Irish myrh An Ulsrer
lord, he arranged a great feast to
which he invired all rhe Ulsrer
heroes,and ordered thar the hero's
portion be given to rhe grearesr
among them. Ar which point rhe
three great warriors, CUCHUIIINN,
CONALLand Laoghaire, sprang up
at once and began'fighting each
other for the honour In order to
settle the argument ir was agreed
that a monster should be sum-
moned ro tesr the courage of the
three heroes. Briciu did this by
challengrng each one ro cut off rhe
demon's head, on the understand-
ing that the following day rhar man
should then lay his own head on
the block. Cuchulainn stepped up
rr0
first and beheaded rhe monsrer,
whereupon the creaturerose, took
up its head and departed.The next
day Cuchulainn offered his own
head and the monsrer pronounced
him the bravestman in lreland.
Bntpg seeBRTGTD
BruceNrm ("Highone" or
"Queen") was the chief goddessof
the Brigantes,rhe dominant rribe in
the north of England before rhe
invasiron of the Romans. She was
associated with water, war and
healing, and also with prosperiry. A
widely revered goddess, she was
worshipped throughour rhe Celdc
world. In Ireland she was known as
BRIGIDand in France as Brigindo.
BruCtn, somerimes known as
Brigit, was a goddessof healing and
fertiliry who was believed to assist
women in labour. She seems ro
have been widely worshipped in
Ireland and Britain, where she was
mosr likely known as BRIGANTIA. In
Irish mythology, she was the wife
of BREs,the half-roMout god who
briefly led the TUATHADE DANANN
after the first batde of Magh
Tuireadh against the FIRBOLG. Bres
was handsome but also oppressive,
like all Fomorii, so his reign was
short. Brigid, however, bore him
three sons. She often appearsirsan
alternative for her mother ANU,
which suggesrc rhat rhey were
probably different aspects of the
same mother goddess.
ST BRIDEisJemedhyangek Jromlonato
Bethlehem
on theweof Chnst'sbirthto
fostertheinfantChnstCelticand
Christianmotifsmergein thisscene,while
theangek'soanng Jlightbq ondtheJrame
enhancesthepwafully spintualefect
(SrBnroe
ByJoHN
Dur.rct'r,
crNVAs,
c 1913
)
St Brigit, or Sr Bride, one of
Ireland's patron sainm, may have
been a priestess of the goddess
Brigid prior to her conversion ro
Chrisdaniry. It was said thar she
was able to feed animals without
reducing the available food for the
people, and this also linla herwith
Brigid, who was celebraredat rhe
Celtic fesdval of Imbolc on the first
of February, at the same dme as the
ewes came into milk.
 Crlrrc MvrHoLoGY

CelqnN, in Irish mytholory,

was a misshapen druid of novoRtt
origin who was said to have studied
sorcery for seventeen years. Queen
MEDB of Connachr dispatched
Calatin along with his numerous
sons to fight the Ulster hero CAILTE,a Fanian warnorandbard,was
CUCHUIATNN'. All of them had their renowned Jorhissongs andlegends Bards
Ieft hands and right feer missing, or tyic poetsplayeda centralrolein Celtic
but they never missed with their society,perpetuatingthemysteies,praising
poisoned spears, and Cuchulainn theirleaders
and satinzngthar enemies
only succeeded in beadng rhem flouishedin lrelandnghtup
Bardicschools
CAER wu afairy maiilatwho walwd C-runf, son of Row,+w,was a with the assistanceof a Connacht to thesnenteanthcentury(Aeu,crr^rr
avR
by Aonghus Shechosenlweas a ntanfor Fenian warrior and poet, and a warriorwho disapproved of such a H,+veu c 1890)
pan oJher hfe. What the sryansgathud cousin of nruruMACC))L, Ieader of one-sidedcontest. The destruction
on the Lalu oJ the Dragon's Mouth, the FIANNA,the wariorbodyguard of the male Caladns did not spell becausethe dog was his namesake,
Aonghuswmt toJind Caer and win her of the High King of lreland. Cailte, the end of Cuchulainn's troubles, or becauseit would have been dis-
Iwe. ,4s he reachedout to hqhe was also though exceptionally thin, was a however, for not long afterwards courteous to refuse a piece of the
tuned into a s'tttan,and thq flan away formidable fighter and is credited Calatin's wife gave birth to three cooked meat, Cuchulainn stopped
togethq. (luusrnenorrvGrrur Srrw,cRD,
I995) with killing LIR, the sea god who daughters, who were blinded in and took hold of the dog's shoul-
was rhe father of ueN,qruNANMAC one eye, like the Germanic god der fu a result, his own hand and
Bructr seeBRTGTD uR. But it was as a poet that he was Odin, so as to leam the magic ars. shoulder withered. Gravely weak-
most admired, and his most Soon the three Calatin sisters ened, he sdll advanced with his
C-AER*as afairymaiden lovedby famous audience was St Patrick. becamepowerful wirches, and rhey faithful charioteerIAEG
AONGHUS,the Irish love god. Her Possibly after retuming from an deceived Cuchulainn wrth their
father Ethal was one of the TTJATIIA otherworld, Cailte was said to have spells, and so assisted Queen C,tueloT seeHEROTC
QUEST5
DE DANANN. Aonghus became uavelled through Ireland recount- Medb's invasion of Ulster. When
aware of Caer in a dream and so ing to the saint the legends of the Cuchulainn rode out in his chariot C-nUUIOS was rhe god of the
atracted was he to her beaury that hills, woods and lakes that they against the invaders, he came Remi, a Celtic ribe living in what is
he fell into a deep sickness.When encountered, and also the great acrossthese hideous women cook- now Belgium, although there is
the identity of Caerwas discovered, exploits and batdes of the Fianna. ing a dog next to the road Either evidence that he was also wor-
Aonghus immediately asked her shipped as a divinity of war in
father for her hand, but Ethal said nonhem Brimin and at the town of
itwas not in his power to granr rhis Camulodunum ("The Fort of
becausehis daughter had taken the Camulos"), modem Colchester,in
form of a swan. It was agreed,how- Essex. The name of the town
ever, that Aonghus could ask Caer formed the basis for the mythical
to mary him but only if he was city of Camelot. The Romans as-
able to recognize her from among sociated Camulos with their god
the large flock of swans with whom Mars. He was said to wield an
she lived. invincible sword.
When the swans arrived at the
Lake of the Dragon's Mouth, C-nnnnewC, in welsh myrh-
Aonghus went to the shore and, ology, was the son of BR.aN (son of
recognizing Caer, called out her the sea god, Llp). When Bran
name. Afterwards Aonghus and sailed with his army to Ireland to
Caerwere married. avengethe ill-ueatment of his sis-
ter BMNWEN by the High Kirg
CA IELOT,a mythicalcastle-city named MATHOLWCH, he left Caradawc as
aftr Camulos, l4,as
theheartoJArthur's chief steward. When news of
hingdom, theseatof hispou,er,symbolof Bran's death arrived, Caradawcwas
hisgolden ageandhismostbelnedhome overthrown by Caswallon, son of
ItsshiningtowersdrevrhnightsJrom all the death god Beli.
wer theworfl Partof themystique of
Camelot is its elusivelocation
whichhas yet CennoNEK see cELrrc
to be found (tlrusrncflor'r BvATANLEE,lg}q) OTHERWORLDS

tll
Crlrrc MyrHoLocy
CATHBAD (abwe), the inspireddruid
and seer,predicted Dardre's traglc destiny
ather birth Druids,bothmaleandfemale,
heldhigh ranh in Celtic societyThq were
counwllors,judges, tecichm and
ambassadors Evena htgh hing could not
speahat an assanblybeJorehisdruid
(luusrnenoru
ByNtcKBE{LE,
1995)
CnfHnnD, in Irish mythology,
wasa seeranddruid,andadvisor
to CONCHOBHAR MACNESSA,the
hng of Ulsrer Cathbad prophesied
that though ortnoRE would have
great beauty she would bring
destruction ro Ulsrer He also fore-
told that the hero CUCHULqINN
would have a glorious bur shorr
life When King Conchobhar Mac
Nessa became cruel rowards rhe
end of his reign, Cathbad cursed
the king and his srronghold at
Emain Macha. Carhbad had three
children, DECHTIRE, the mother of
Cuchulainn, Elbha, rhe morher of
NAOISE,and Findchaem, mother of
CONALLCeamach.
CfnlnWEN was a welsh god-
dess of fertility and the mother of
Afagddu, reputedly the ugliest man
in the world. To compensarefor his
Iooks Ceridwen boiled a cauldron
of knowledge for ayear and a day
so thatAfagddu could become wise
and respected,and she set Gwion
Bach, the second son, to watch
over the por. Bur Afagddu was
denied the prophedc gift when a
drop fell on Gwion Bach's finger
and he unthinkingly sucked it ln
fury, Ceridwen chased and are
Gwion Bach, only later to reincar-
nate him as TALIESIN, who was the
greatest of all rhe Welsh bards.
Ceridwen had another equally ugly
son, Morfan, who was also a fear-
some warrior. He fought with King
112
CERIDWENboika n.agical brarthoprng
to endowherill.favouredsonwithwidom.
At theandoJayear,thebrothwouWfuA
justthreepreciousdropsoJinspiration;
but
thesesplashed onto thelundoJGvrwn
Bach,whobecame all-hnwing.(tuusrnrnoN
BYJ^MESAttxfivpen,
1995)
ARTHUR in his lasr barrle, at
Camlan. At firsr none of Sir
MoDRED'smen would fighr Morfan
because they thought he was ugly
enough to be a devil.
CEnNUNNOS was a Celdc god
worshipped in both France and
Britain. He is usually depicted
sitting cross-leggedand wearing a
sleevelessunic and bead necklace.
He has an impressive pair of
antlers, and the name Cemunnos
means "the Homed One", which
suggests that he was a god of wild
animals and the foresr,ahhough he
has also been seenas a god of plen-
ry The Romansidenrified him wirh
their god Mercury, rhe messenger
god and the guide of the dead to
the underworld. In medieval
Ireland the anders of Cemunnos
were transferred ro the Devil.
CfSrun was the daughter of Bith,
son of Noah and one of the earliest
arrivals in lreland. In her myrh,
Celtic and Hebrew radidons were
brough t somewhar u ncomfo rtably
together by the monks who wrore
down the sagasand who suggested
that the first setrlers had reached
lreland before the Flood. Although
Bith was denied a place in rhe fuk,
he was fortunate to be advisedby a
god to build his own boat. Cesair
appears to have guided him to rhis
decision as well. They sailed for
sevenyearsand eventually reached
CESAIR, granddaughta oJNoah, set sail
withhcrJathq, Bith, to escarythe Flood.
After a serar-yearvoyage,thq reached the
shoresof lreland. Yet neither Cesairnorhq
fatho surnvedthe Floodwhenit ngu@
the land, although her husband, Fintan,
escapedbychan$nginto a vrlmon.
(Iuusrntnol ByJAMEs
ALDc{NDEI,
IggS)
 CeITIc MyrHoLoGY

the daughter of Etain Oig and At this time Conaire Mor was
CORMAC king of Ulsrer. However, some distance from Tara As he
Cormac wztsso disappointed not to headed back ro rhe palace in his
have a son that he ordered Mess chariot, a flock of birds descended
Buachallato be thrown into a pit. upon him Theyhad such wonder-
According to the myth, the baby ful plumage rhat Conaire Mor
girl was savedby rwo hnd-hearted forgot the raboo about hlling birds
servants, who could not bring and got out his sling. The birds
themselvesto carry out the king's shed their fearhersand artacked rhe
order lnstead they gave Mess charioteer as warriors But one of
CERI\TUNNOS, a Celtichunter godoJ Buachallato a cowherd.When she the birdlike fighters, who was more
beasts,is typicallydepictedin alotus grew up, herbeautywas so remark- handsome than the rest, protected
positionThe"horned one"wasalordof able that Eterscel,the High King of Conaire Mor. He inrroduced him-
animakandishere sunoundedw wild Ireland, decided to manryher He self as his father Nemglan and CONAIREMORwasburdenedby more
creatures sucha thestagboarandlion was also persuadedby a prophecy reminded the young man rhar he geis(taboos) thananyotherl'ishwarlord
In onehandhe closps awarior'storc, which said that an obscurewoman must never cast stones ar birds for Violation oJgeisledto misJortuneor death
in theothera strpent,demonstrating would bear him a famousson. But they were his own kin As a andmarhed a traglcturning-point
in the
hispwr. (Gurvorsnup ccuLDRoN,
GTLDED on the night before the wedding, penance,Nemglan told his son to hero'shfe Despite hiswisdom,Conaire
srLVE&c 1008C) Mess Buachallaslept with the god walk naked along the road to Tara, Mor wasluredbyhisenemies into,
Nemglan, who had magnificenr can)nng only his sling If he did breahinghisgeisonebyone
Ireland, where Cesairwas married plumage. From this union was this, and promised ro rule lreland (luusrnrnoru nySrrpHrruRao,1910
)
ro FINTAN.When the rising warers bom Conaire Mor. whom Mess in peace, Conaire Mor would be
of the Flood engulfed the land, Buachallapassedoff as the son of made High Itng part in the growing disorder, the
Fintan saved himself by changing Eterscel The one instrucrion rhat So it was that Conaire Mor was country soon slid back into clan
into a salmon, but the rest of Bith's Nemglan told Mess Buachalla to received atTaraas the High Kirg. warfare Evenually, the High Kirg
famrly drowned This myth is lqrown give to their child was rhar he was Peaceand prosperity ar first marked had to forgo the ways of peaceand
as the first invasion of lreland. never to hll a bird. his reign, although the lure of plun- break his promise to his farher.
Subsequentinvasionswere by the When Conaire Morwas a young der gradually drew the trish back to Conaire Mor soon realizedrhar this
PARTHOLONand Nemed, the man, Etersceldied and the right of their old habit of cartle-raiding. would bring about his own down-
FoMoNr and ruente DE DANANN, successionwas raised in Tara, the Since ConaireMorwas reluctant to fall. While on campaign, he came
who were all more or less super- Irish capital It was agreedto follow punish severely those who rook to a roadsidehostel where he was
natural in nature The final invasion the ancient custom of the dream greetedby three strangehorsemen,
of lreland was by the sons of After a feast,one of the court would CLIODHNAfledto Glandore to livewith whose clothes, weapons, bodies
MIIESIUS,who camefrom Spainand have a spell of truth sung over him hermortallwer, Ciabhan,but theseagod, and horseswere all red A hideous
brought human rule to the island as he slept The man rhe courtier Manannan Mac Lir, sent a great wave to old woman told Conaire Mor rhar
dreamed abour would then be the scoopher up and bnngher home Here, during his stay in the hostel
CltOnHNA, in Irish mythology, next High King In rhe succession lulled to sleepbyJairy music, shednfts "neither skin nor flesh of you wrll
was an otherworld goddess of dream a naked man was revealed, bach toJairyland The Wave oJCliodhna is escapefrom the place to which you
beauty. [t was said that her rhree walhng along the road to Tara with still one oJ the threegreat wavesoJlreland have come, savewhat rhe birds will
magical birds could sing the sick ro a sling in his hand (IrrusrnenorByJAMES Ar-H(
rvorn,1995) take in rheir claws " The same
sleepand cure them. Cliodhna was night a rebel force surrounded the
passionatelyin love with a mortal hostel and attacked Three dmes
named Ciabhan,a yourh with won- the building caught fire and three
derful curling lock One day on times the flames were brought
the shore near Cork, while Ciabhan under control, but all the water had
went hundng inland, Cliodhna was now been used When a druid
put into a magic sleep by the sea accompanying the rebels laid a
god ivt,+ru,eNNAN MACLIR,who then spell of thirst on the High King, he
sent a wave to pull her back ro rhe sent one of his companionsto fetch
[^andof Promise. some water On retuming, the war-
rior saw that the fight was over and
CONrunf MOn was a High Conaire Mor's severedhead lay on
King of Ireland He was the son of the floor So he poured the warer
a cowherd's foster-daughternamed into the king's head, at which
Mess Buachallaand the bird god Conaire Mor's decapitated head
NEMGIANHis motherwas acrually praised him for his senseof dury

rl3
CTITIC MYTHoLoGY

SAGES AND SEERS

H E S P I R I T U A LS E E R Sa n d s h a m a n s o f
Celtic myth were endowed wirh
extraordinarygifts of proph ecy,
wisdom and healing.They
enjoyed a profound rapport with narural
and supernatural forces, and acted as
intermediaries between the realms of
the living and the dead, berween rhe
visible world of men and the invisible
otherworld, a realm of wondrous
spints. Most famous of all was Arrhur's
wise counsellor, Merlin; but other
inspired druids Amairgen, Taliesin
and Cathbad feature in Celtic myths
as prophetic bards and counsellors [o
clan chiefs and kings. Some lived as
hermits in the wilderness, while
remaining powerful in Cekic society.
Although on the whole helpful to
rnortals, some dark sorceresses,such as
Morgan, Nimue or the Calatihs, used
their supernatural gifts ro bewitch and
rnanipulate mortals for their own ends.

MoRcaru Ln Fev (abovenght), QueenoJ Avalon,the otherworldlyIsleof Apples,bears

an apple bough, the celtic symboloJpeaceand plenty A glfted sorceress,
sheis oJten
portrayed as a darh soul, thwartingArthur and manipulatingheroes At a deeperlevel,
she is a winter goddessof darhnessand death,opposingArthur, theLord of summer
Sherorcals the redeemingaspectof her characterin her role as sovereignhealeroJ Avalon
and guardian of Arthur's body in death (Iuusrnarroru
rv srueRrLrntqoun,1994
)

Mrnrtru (ngh) is best rememberedas the fatherly and spiitual guardian of Arthur A
wise seer,Merltn counselledthe younghing sometimessternlyand sometimesgently, but
always with wisdom Merlin was alsoa peerlesssage,crediteduth the designof the
Round Table, the plan for Camelot and the stone'ing at StonehengeHe leamt his craft

from a master, Bleise,portrayedhere as anhistonan recordingthedeedsoJ Arthur's

ragn, as reportedby Merlin (MeruuscRrpr
rllusrunoN, c i300)
 CTITIC MyTHoLoGY

Hrrr,cwEs helow) was a

in theArthunan
sorceress
mythswho had sether heart
on the noblehnight Sv
I-ancelot,whom shehad
lovedfrom aJarJor some
sevenyears Eventually,she
managedto lurehtm tnto
her ChapelPenlousand
there shetned all the
methodsshehnewto inspire
hts loveJor her But tt was
to no avatlbecause
the
steadJast and loyal hnight
lovedonewomanonly,
Arthur'squeen,theJair
Guinnere, and he had come
to thechapelwith but one
missrontn mtnd,whtchwas
to collectheahngtalismans

Jor thewoundedlzntght Str

Meliot When l-ancelotleft
wrththetahsmans,he
was
completelyuntouchedlry
Hellawes'loveand evenher
magcal craJt Thesorceress

Jinallyreahzedthat he
would ne,terlwe her and
shedtedoJabrohenheart
(lr-r-usrnarroru
BYAuBREY
BFARDSLEY,c 1870)

Dnurps (abwe) heldbothpoliticaland sptntual

power in Celtrc societyand wereglfted not only as
shamansand seersbut alsoas legaland moral
advisors Druids underwenta long apprenticeshtp
oJat leasttwaty years,learningthe mystmesand
lnws by heart Hqe, druids on a snowyhill celebrate
the wintu sokticebygathmngabough oJ mistletoe,
cutwtth the sacredgoWatsichlebornebythe

Joranost druid CtaeDRUTDS

BRTNGTNG
lNrHEMrsrLEroE
By
C HENRY AND E A HoRNED, c,qNv,rs, 1890 )

Tnueslru QeJt),a propheticpoet and shamanistic

seer,was$Jtedwrth all-seeingwisdomaftu
consuminga "geal" oJ inspirationfrom Ceidwen's
cauAron Wales'sgreatestbard, heJoretold the
comingoJthe Saxonsand the oppression
oJthe
Cy^ry as well as his own death He appearshereas
an eagle,thebird oJtenchosenbyshamanson their
spirirJlighu or trance)ournqs to the othenrorld The
eagJe'sgoW nimbus symbolkesTaliesin'sradiant
btOttt (tuusrntnoNBySruARr
Lrnt4onN,1991)

lI5
CTITIC MYTHOLOGY

CONnlL, in Irish mythology,
was the foster-brother of the Ulster
hero CUCHUI-,{INNAs children,
they swore that if either was hlled
first the other would avengehim.
When Queen MEDBof Connacht
invaded Ulster, Cuchulainn faced
her army single-handed,but he was
doomed becausehe had offended
the war goddess MoRRIGAN.After
Cuchulainn had been killed, and
his head and sword-hand cut offby
the enemy, the warriors of Ulster
were stined by Conall to wreak
bloody revenge. They caught up
with Queen Medb's army and
Conall slew those who had killed
his foster-brother. Later, Conall
went on to ravage the whole of
Ireland as he punished Queen
Medb's allies one by one. In doing
so he eamed his title, Caemach
("of the Victories").
N'IncNnssn,
CoNcnoBHAR
in Irish mythology, was an Ulster
king. He was the son of Fachtna
Fathach and rurssa, a local beaury
who, according to one tradition,
conceived Conchobhar on the eve
CONCHOBHAR 1\4ACNESSA, ahigh
refused his advances and eloped
with a handsome young warrior
named NAolSE.But the hng never
gave up his passion, and so even-
ually he had Naoise hlled and was
married to Deirdre. She found her
situation so intolerable that she
committed suicide by throwing
herself from a speeding chariot.
Fergus Mac Roth, appalled by
Conchobhar's behaviour, offered
his servicesto Ulster's enemiesand
a long war ensued. Conchobhar
was himself hlled by a magrcsling-
shot. It was the famous "brain ball"
made by Conall out of the brains of
CONALLoJtheVictones, aveteran a slain Leinster king. The ball
warlord,avenged deathby
Cuchulainn's lodged in the hng's skull, and his
slayinghishillmonebyone.Fromthe doctors advised him to avoid any
MacDa Tho,
brainof oneoJhisvictims, strenous exerciseand excitement.
hemadea maglcbrainball, alethal Some yearslater Conchobhar Mac
weaponConallhere iswelcomedby his Nessagot into arageand the "brain
lJlsterman in MacDa Tho'sdun
at aJeast ball" causedhis death.
(lrrusrn
tnorBY Pen,1910
STEPHEN )
CONU,I, somerimesknown as
of her royal marriage through a Connla, was the doomed son of the
secret aflairwith a druid. When her great Ulster hero CUCHUL{INN.
husband died shonly after the wed- According to one Irish tradition,
ding, Nessa was courted by his Cuchulainn hadvisited the l-and of
half-brother and successor,FERGUS Shadows in order to challenge the
MAC R?TH. But she would onlY warrior woman AOIFAto single
agree to become his wife on the combat. After the fight, which the
hero just managed to win by the
use of cunning, they became lovers
and Conlai was conceived. When
he left, Cuchulainn gave Aoifa a
gold ring. Yearslater Conlai wore
this ring on a visit to Ulster, where
he challenged the local heroes to
combat. Just like his father, Conlai
was quick to anger and soon over-
came CONALL,Cuchulainn's foster-
brother Despite the misgivings of
his wife EMER,Cuchulainn could
not resist fighting the young
stranger himself. Too proud to
announce his own identity when
challenged by Cuchulainn, Conlai
accepted the possibility of death
and drew his sword. Although
Cuchulainn was impressed by
sword-play that matched his own,
he lost his temper the moment
Conlai cut off one of his locks of
hair. The terrible combat only
CONI-AI, theill-starcdsonof Aorfaand
Cuchulainn, grm up in Slye,a strangerto
hisJatherWhenhewent to Ukterto
challaryethelocalheroes,hemet
Cuchulainn combat
in single andwa
hilled Recogntanghissontoolate,
Cuchulainn wu wemvhelmed wrthgnef.
(luusrnerolr By IAMESALH<rvorn, 1995)

hingof lreland,grantedaffns to theyoung condidon that he would first let her

Cuchulainn, but when the boy grasped his son Conchobhar rule as king of
a
spears,thq splinteredin his hand; nrarct, Ulster for a year. An ambitious and
his stcmp No
chanotshatteredbeneath determined woman, Nessa
weaponswithstoodthehero's mighty grasp instructed her son how to be a
untilhewas glventhehing's own arrns great ruler so that when the dme
(Iu-usrnrnoru fulo,l9l0)
avSrrpnrru arrived for Fergus Mac Roth to
retum to the throne, the people of
Ulster simply refused to let
Conchobhar step down.
Although he was maried, Kitg
Conchobhar fell deeply in love with
DEIRDRE,whO WAS SOMCTiMES
called Derdriu ("of the Sorrows").
She was the daughter of an Ulster
chieftain, and at herbinh the druid
CATHBAD had wamed that, though
Deirdre would be the most beauti-
ful woman in lreland and would
marry a king, she would be the
cause of death and destruction
throughout the land. By the time
Deirdre grew up, Conchobharwas
an old man, and she in disgust

t16

endedwhen Cuchulainn drove his
spear through Conlai's stomach.
Only then did Cuchulainn notice
on his young opponent's finger the
gold ring he had given to Aoifa.
Cuchulainn, overwhelmed with
remorse and grief, canied the dyrng
Conlai to his house and afterwards
buried his forgotten son.
COnUeC was the son of rhe
Ulster hrg CONCHOBHAR MAC
NESSA.An Irish myth tells of his
distasteat his father's treacheryin
hlling NAOISE,the husband of
DEIRDM, and of his going into
volunmry exile with the deposed
Ulster ruIer FERGUS MACROTH.Not
until he receivedan invitation from
his father Conchobhar, when the
dF tg hng had nominated Cormac
as his successor,did he consider
retuming home. However, a
druidess had wamed Cormac that
if he went back to Ulster he would
be killed, but he set out anyway
and on the joumey he fell into a
deep magrc sleep and was slain by
a group of warriors. The atmckwas
said to have been arranged by a
jealous husband, whose wife had
fallen in love with Cormac.
CORMAC @elow), returninghome afta
hulongvoluntary acile,stoppedhya
roaikrde hostelwhqe he wa lulled n sleep
by the soft notesof aharp DeJarceless
in
hrs enchantedsleep,he wu slain by
assdssins,sentby theharpkt, Cratfttne, in
rnenge for Cormac's afiair wtthhts Ufe
(IrusrnenorayNrcxBaqr-e,
I995)
CORMAC IVf{CARTS (abwe) ragn
was dtstingushedbypeaceandplmty
A wr,e and good man, he wa Jnoured by
the Tuatha De Danann who inited him to
tharhiddnworld, and gavehima anrative
applebranch In tunewtth Chnsttan
hindness,he warmly welcomedSt Patnch at
hts court (Iuusrmnorunvleurs Ar-rx.al.iprn
1995)
CTITIC MyTHoLoGY
Conuec Mec Anrwas rhe
High King of Ireland during the
period that FINNMACCOOLled the
Fenian warrior band. He was the
most famous of the earlyrulers of
Ireland, his reign being tentadvely
dated from 227 to 266. Cormac
Mac Art was the Irish Solomon, a
wise and powerful king, who was
well served by the brave exploits of
Finn MacCool. His wisdom seems
to have impressed the TUATFIA DE
DANANN.These gods and goddess-
es invited Cormac Mac Art to their
home in the othenvorld, where
they gave him wonderful presens.
One of these was a silver branch
that bore golden apples, and when
shaken produced music that could
cure the sickandwounded. On his
own death Cormat Mac An had to
hand back this incredible talisman
One of Cormac's sons, Cellach,
raped the niece of Aonghus of the
Tenible Spear In the ensuing fight,
Cellach was slain and Cormac lost
an eye. As a High King could have
no imperfection Cormac had to
step down and his son Cairbe took
his place. The repumtion of the
High King remained so strong that
Iater the Insh Chnstians also adopt-
ed him. It was claimed that Cormac
Mac Art leamed of the Christian
faith before it was actually preached
in Ireland by St Patrick, with the
result that he ordered that he
should not be buried at the royal
cemetery by the River Boyne
becauseof its pagan associadons.
CnnnnNE was the goldsmirh of
the TUATI]ADE DANANTV and the
brorher of cotgHNIU, the smith
god, and Luchtar, the carpenter.
During the second battle of Magh
Tuireadh, when the De Danann
finally defeated the FOMORII,the
three brothers could be seen on the
battlefield making and repairing
spears with magical speed As
Goibhniu fashioned a blade with
three blows of his hammer, Luchtar
carved a handle in a flash, and
Creidhne crafted rivets that flew
into place and bonded at once.
tl7
CrlTrc MvrHoLocY
CUCHUIAINN as a youngsterlivedat
the court of the High King wherehe
trained with other sonsoJchieJtains,whom
he soonoutstipped in arms and might
Ahhoughsmall,he glowedwith an inner
divinelight and warmth, which he inheited
JromhisJatherthe sungod Lugh
(LLusmencr|
nvSrrpurru
Rno,1912)
CUcHUIAINN, in trish myrh-
ology, was the champion warrior
o[ Ulster His name means "the
Hound of Culann", although he
was usually called the Hound of
Ulster Cuchulainn was the lnsh
Achilles, a larger-than-life fighter
whose bouts of [emper often
causedgrief to himself and others
Anger certainly made him slay his
son CoNtAI, when the young man
ravelled from the [^and of Shadows
to visit Ulster The fifteen-year-old
warrior was Cuchulainn's son by
the wamor-princess AOIFANeither
father nor son would identifi them-
selves,so a tragic fight ensued A
gold .irg on Conlai's finger
revealed too late that he was
Cuchulainn's own offpsring
Cuchulainn's mother was
DECHTIRE,the daughter of the
druid )ATHBAD,an advisor to the
Kirg CONCHOBHARMAC NE55A It
was Cathbad who foretold that
Cuchulainn would become agreat
warrior but die young Shortly after
her marriage to SUALTAMMAC
ROTH,who was the brother of the
deposed Ulster ruler FERGUS MAC
1r8
RoTH,Dechtire along with fifty of
her kinswomen flew to the other-
world in the form of a flock of
birds During the wedding feastshe
had swallowed a fly and dreamed
as a result of the sun god LIJGH,
who told her ro make this joumey.
Cathbad reassured his son-in-law
by sapng that Dechtire had merely
gone to visit her otherworld re-
lations, for her mother was a
daughter of rhe god eorucHUS In
fact, Lugh kept Dechtire there for
his own pleasure for three years
When Dechtire and her women
retumed to Emain Macha, the
stronghold of the Ulster kings, in
the form of brightly coloured birds,
Dechdrewas expectingLugh's son,
Setanta Sualtam Mac Roth was so
pleased to have his wife home
again that when the boy was bom
he accepredhim as his own child
As a youth, Setanta quickly
leamed the wavs of the warrior. but
it was not obvrous to everyonejust
how strong and brave he was until
he hlled an enorrnoushound with
his bare hands One day, arriving
late at the gate of a house where
King Cochobhar Mac Nessa was
being entertained by the Ulster
smith CULANN,the young hero was
attackedby the ferociousguard dog
and only savedhimself by dashing
out its brains on one of the gate's
pillars. Their host had now lost a
faithful guardian, so Setantaoffered
to take the hound's place while a
replacement was found When
Culann thanked the young warrior
but declined his offer. it was decid-
ed that henceforth Setantawould
be known as Cuchulainn ("the
Hound of Culann")
Even though Cathbad wamed
that anyone going to battle for the
first time on a cermin day was des-
tined for a short life, Cuchulainn
could nor wait to dealwith Ulster's
enemiesand he soon tookup aITIls
against three semi-divine wariors
named Foill, Fannell and Tuachell,
aswell as their numerous followers,
all of whom he hlled. In this com-
bat Cuchulainn displayed for the
first dme the dreadful shape of his
battle-frenzy. His body trembled
violently; his heels and calves
appearedin front; one eye receded
into his head, the other stood out
huge and red on his cheek; a man's
head could fit into his jaw; his hair
bristled like hawthom, with a drop
of blood at the end of each single
hair; and from the top of his head
arosea thick coiumn of dark blood
Iike the mast of a ship. Retuming to
Emain Macha in his chariot,
"gaced with the bleeding headsof
his enemies",and with the battle-
frenry still upon him, Cuchulainn
was only stopped from circling the
defencesand screamingfor a fight
through a ploy of the Ulster queen
Mughain She led out of Emain
Macha some hundred and fifty
naked women carrying three vats of
cold water An embarrassed or
amazed Cuchulainn was swiftly
womanhandled into the vats The
first one burst is sides The second
boiled furiously, but the last vat
became only very hot. Thus was
the young hero tamed after his first
tasteof blood.
In his calm, everyday state of
mind Cuchulainn was a favourite of
womenfolk But he fell in love wrth
EMER,the daughter of Fogall, a wrly
chieftain whose castlewas close to
Dublin Cuchulainn asked for
Emer's hand but Fogall, who was
againstthe match, pointed out that
Cuchulainn had yet to esrablishhis
reputation as a warrior and sug-
gestedthat he should go and leam
CUCHUIAINN,theInshAchilles,
performdmanymightydeeds inhisbneJ
yearsThehero's dreamy qesreflect
hrsidealism, in the
whichis expressed
insciptionbeneath thisportrait,"I carenot
thoughllastbuta dayiJmynameand
myJamearea pwer Jorater"
(CucHuretrll ByJoHN DuNcAN, c,tnves, l9l3)

CUCHUIAINN, mortally woundedin
hsJinal combatbut determinedto ftght to
the end,lashedhimselfto a pillar and died
onhisfeet At theend a crw settledonhis
shouher, signtfyingdeath This memonal
rymbolkes all thosewho JoughtJor lish
indqendarce. (Tnr Dr.,rrnoFcucHUtArNN
BY O SHEPP RD. sRoNzt, 1916 )
Crlrtc MYrHoLocY
For a year and a day Cuchuiainn
was taught by Scathach, and
became the lover of her daughter
UATHACHScathachseemsto have
fearedfor the saferyof Cuchulainn,
and she wamed him without suc-
cess not to challenge her sister
Aoifa But Cuchulainn beat Aoifa
by cunning, and afterwards she
became his mistress, conceiving
the unfortunate Conlai Cuchulainn
finally retumed to Fogall's strong-
hold and claimed Emer, but only
after a heated battle wrth Fogall and
his warriors, during which Fogall
leapt to his death escapingthe hero
Acclaimed as the champion of
Ireland in a beheading contest, CUCHUIAINNjourneyed to theIsleoJ
Cuchulainn was soon unbeatable to trainin themartialarts Onthe
Sltye
in combat, a skill he was to need Islehemetamanwhogavehimaflaming
dearly in his last campaign, which wheeltoguidehimthroughthedeadly
was a single-handed defence of qngnire TheguidewashisJather,thesun
Ulster against the invading army ol god,Lugh(Iuusrnqrt,r," Rno,
avSrrpnrru 1912
)
Queen MEDB of Connacht The
main reason fo'r this large-scale Medb's forcesby the use of clever
cattle raid was a famous brown bull racticsand lighrning attacks,until
which was kept in Cuailgne But the effects of Macha's curse had
the tyrannical ruler of Ulsrer, King almost worn off, and the dazed
Conchobhar Mac Nessa, also warriors were able ro respond to
played a part in gathering rebei'lious SualtamMac Roth's call to arms
Ulstermen and others from many But their help came too iate for
parts of Ireland to Queen Medb's Cuchulainn Pressedon all sidesbY
side. One prophecy told the queen his enemies,the Ulster chamPion
that there would be "crimson and was overcometn spire of aid from
red" upon her forces becauseof his divine father, rhe sun god Lugh
Cuchulainn's prowess,but she was His only companion, L-aeg,was laid
derermined to invade and she also low with a spear,then Cuchulainn
had three advantages Firsr, the himself suffereda temble stomach
greathero had made bitter enemies wound that even Lugh could not
of rhe CATATIN family, whose heal Finally, Cuchulainn ded him-
daughterswere wrtches Just pnor self ro an upright stone in order to
to his last stand along with his light dll his last breath As soon as
faithful charioreerIAEG,they cast a he died Morrigan, in the form of a
spell on Cuchulainn which with- crow, settled on his shoulder and
ered a shoulder and a hand his enemies cut off his head and
Second, Medb attacked when right hand, leavinghis bodY for the
Ulster's heroes were laid low by carrion birds Conall, his foster-
MACHA'scurse, and were unable to brother, managed to recover the
from the Scottish champion fight for five days and nights missing parts, but Ulster wePt for
Domhall. Domhall told Cuchulainn Finally, Cuchulainn had lost the the lossof their champion Indeed,
rhat his best trainer in arms would support of the goddessMORRIGAN, so widespreadwas Cuchulainn's
be SCATIIACH, awanior-pnncess in because he had rejected her fame that his exploits inlluenced
the Land of Shadows So he trav- passionare advances Yet he still the developmenr of the Arthunan
elled to this mysterious land and managed to conduct a successful myths in Britain and France (See
served Scathach She taught the single-handed defence and was also MAGICAND ENCHANTMENT,
young hero his famousbattle leap. able to slow the advanceof Queen CELTICROMANCE)
I19
Celrrc MvrHoLocY
CUufNN, in lrish myrhology,
was an Ulster smith who was
thought to be a reincamation of the
sea god MANANNANMAc tlR It was
his enormous guardian dog that
young Semnta hlled with his bare
hands. Culann was angry about
this so Setantaoffered to become
his hound until a new one was
trained. Thereafterthe young man
was known as CIJCHUL{INN."the
Hound of Culann".
CUtnwCn, in welsh myth-
ology, was the son of Cildydd, one
of KingARTHUR'sk"ryhtt. His step-
mother hated Culhwch so much
that she placed a curse on him that
he could marry only OLWEN,the
daughter of the giant Yspaddaden.
This fate. however, seemed less
dreadful once Culhwch found
Olwen, a task which took over a
year, for they fell deeply in love.
Culhwch's nexl problem was how
to persuade her giant father to
agree ro the match. Like the lrish
Cyclops BALoR,Yspaddaden's eye-
lids needed to be levered up with
supports in order for him to see
CUHNN below),theLllstersmith,and
theHighKingConchobhar gazein
amazement at theyoungCuchulainn who
slanCulann'sJiercehoundoutnghtwhen
thegeat guarddoghadattached thehero
at the gateTo compansateJorhillinghis
hound,Cuchulainn offoedto talu itsplace
(tllusrncfloN sv SrEprer.rPe'r:.,1912)
I20
CU ROt andhiscomrade,Cuchulninn, on
onewiWescapade, raidedInisTerFalga,
offthehing's bootyandbeautiful
carrying
daughter,BlnthnatWen theheroes fell
outwq thegtrrl,Cuchulcinnwas qt one
pointbeatatandbuned upto hisarms
whileCu Roigalloped offwrthBlathnat
(luusrnnnoru At-Ex
ByIAMES rvpen,
I 995
)
Culhwch AIso like Balor, the
Welsh glant did not favour the idea
of his daughter marrying a man. At
intewiews held on successivedays
Yspaddaden threw a poisoned
spear at Culhwch and his compan-
ions, but they managed on each
occasion to catch it and throw it
back. When Culhwch finally put
out one of the giant's eyeswith a
retum throw, Yspaddaden agreed
to the marriage on condition that
Culhwch perform a whole seriesof
difficult tasks.With the assistance
of KingArthur's men and a couple
of divine allies, Culhwch success-
fully completed these trials, then
killed Yspaddaden and married
Olwen. (Seealso HERoIcQUESTS)
Cuuel (whose name means
"sky") was the father of the Fenian
hero Finn Mac Cumal, more com-
monly known as FINNMACCOOL,
who was born after his father's
death. Cumal was also a renowned
Ieader of the FIANNAand chief of
the CIan Bascna.He was killed by
Jadhg, a druid, who had been
enraged when Cumal eloped with
his daughter.
Cu Rot (whose name means
"hound of Roi") was a Munster
hng. It was King Cu Roi who trans-
formed himself into IJATH, the
dreadful giant, in order to choose
the champion of lreland. The three
CULIIWCH (nght), onhis questJor
Olwen, arives at Afthur's court, seehing
help and counsel ThisVictoian painting
e,tohesa medievalmood,portrayingthe
hero as a courtlyhunterJrom the Ageof
Chivalry The surlystovard couldbe
Arthur's brusque seneschal,I(qt (xrr-nwvcn,
Grsxrl,w<no,c 1940)
rHEKfNG'sSoNayAnrnrrn

contenders for the championship -
Laoghaire, Cuchulainn's foster-
brother coNALL, and cucuulAlNN
himself - were invited by Cu Roi to
a beheading contesr, which only
Cuchulainn had enough courage to
go through with. I-ater, Cu Roi and
Cuchulainn carried off ntlruNer,
a beautiful woman. Although she
expressedher love for Cuchulainn,
Cu Roi took her to his casrle in
Munster. When Cuchulainn laid
siege to the stronghold, Blathnat
betrayed Cu Roi by showing how
the place could be entered.
CYNON, according ro a late
Anhurian myth,was a knight who
encountered a black man with one
foot and one eye, and bearing a
Iargewooden club. This Fomorii-
like fighter, doubtless a cousin of
the violent and misshapen Irish sea
gods, ordered Cynon to go ro a
founuin and fill with water a silver
bowl that he would find there , and
then to throw the water against a
marble slab. Sir Cynon did as he
was instructed and a Black l(night
appearedto the sound of thunder
and the singing of magic birds. Sir
CLNON,anArthurunhero, battleswith
theBlnchKnight,a mysteious warnorwho
appeared b rragc Although deJeated,
Cynonreturndhome onfootto tellthe
tnb, and thusinspiredOwainto setouton
htsmemorable quat.Yearslntr Cynon
retracdhissteps of awain
in search
(luusnsnoN nv H Tnrluan 1920)
Qynon then foughr his mysterious
opponent but was defeared.
DnCOn means "the good god".
He was in fact rhe grear god of
Irish mythology, and was usually
depicted as a man in rustic clorhes
dragging an enorrnous club on
wheels. With one end of this
weapon he could slay his enemies
and with the other he could resrore
the dead rc life. Dugduwasbelieved
to be wise, full of knowledge and
well versed in rhe magic arts He
was a chief of rhe TUATHADE
DANANN
Dagda was a grear fighter and
the lover of tr,loRRlcnN,the war
goddess.The bones of his enemies
were described as "hailstones
under horses' hooves" when he
wielded his mighty club. Like an
all-powerful chiefrain, Dagda led
the Tuatha De Danann on the bat-
tlefield, slaying all rhosewho dared
to confront him. Yet he was also
associatedwith abundance, being
able to sadsff the hunger of every-
body by means of an inexhaustible
cauldron. That Dagda took great
pleasure in eating was apparent,
when just before rhe second batde
of Magh Tuireadh he visited rhe
camp of the F2MORII,his bitter
enemies, during a truce at the time
of the NewYear festival.There they
made for him a ponidge of milk,
flour, fat, pigs and goats, enough
for fifry men.
On pain of dearh Dagda was
ordered by the Fomorii ro consume
this massive meal, which he
readily did with a huge wooden
ladle "so big that a man and a
woman could have slept together
in it" This test tumed Dagda rem-
porarilyinto a grossold man, bur ir
did not prevent him from making
love to a Fomorii girl, who
promised to use her magic on
behalf of the Tuarha De Danann.
The story may recall, in a distorted
form, a holy marriage between a
chieftain and a maiden at the
beginning of each year: similar to
DANA,thegreatmothr goddess,
gaveher
nameto the TuathaDe Danann,a raceof
wonderJul,beautiful but often vulnerable
godswho lived in the sparhlingotherworld
Here, thqr gather to hear thepoignant song
oJ Lir's children, ill-staned godswho were
tumed into swans (llrusrnerroru
aySrrpHrl
Rrlo,1912
) present-dayIrish
Crlrrc MYrHoLocy
DAGDA, father of the gods,owneda
wondrouscauldron of plenty and a
double-edgedmaglc club, caried on
wheels Thisbronzerelief of aweful
Celticdaty,wth awheel, is regardedby
someto be Dagda, wtth the wheel
rymbohzng his treasures (culoesrnup
CAULDRoN, ctLDED stLvER, c lN BC )
the sacredrite that was performed
by a Sumerianruler and a priesress
in Mesopotamia. This union was
meant to ensure prosperity,
strength and peace.
Although the evenrualdefeat of
the Fomorii at the second battle of
Magh Tuireadh was really due ro
the sun god rucH, ir was Dagda
who was held in the grearesr
respect, even after the Tuatha
De Danann were in their tum
overthrown by the sons of
MILESIUS,the ancesrors of rhe
To Dagda fell the imporunr msk
of setding the defeatedTuarha De
Danann underground.Just as rhe
Fomorii had retrearedbenearh the
waves, so the vanquished De
Danann disappearedunderground.
Over the centuries these powerful
deities were gradually transformed
into fairies - the bean sidhe or
BANSHEES of lrish folklore. (Seealso
WONDROUS CAULDRONS)
DANA, anorher name for ANU,
was the goddess atter whom the
TUATHADEDANANNwere named -
"the people of the goddessDana".
121
CTITIC MyTHOLOGY
DnCnnRE, in Irish mythology,
was the mother of.cucuul,{INN.
She was a daughter of Maga, the
child of the love godAoNGHUsand
of the druid ;ATHBAD.advisor to
King CONCHOBHARMAC NESSAof
Ulster. When Dechtire married
iUALTAMMAC RorH, a fly flew into
her cup during the wedding feasr
and she swallowed it. She fell into
a deep sleep and dreamed that the
sun god LUGHinsisted that she and
fifty of her kinswomen follow him
to the otherworld as a flock of
birds. Three years later a flock of
brightly coloured birds reappeared
at Emain Macha, the capital of
Ulster. The Ulstermen went after
them with slings, but were unable
to hit any of rhem. It was decided,
therefore, to surpnse.the birds at
night as they rested. So it was rhat
rhe warriors came upon Dechtire,
herwomen and Lugh sleepingin a
hut on a site renowned for its mag-
ical propenies. When Conchobhar
was told of of this he sent for
Dechtire at once, but she told her
captors that she was too ill to be
able to travel for another day. The
next moming she showed them
her new-bom son, a gift to Ulster.
DECHTIRE,whohaddisappeared
mysteriouslyonhq wedding day,returned
threeyearslaterwrththeshiningsungod,
Lugh Dechtirebroughtwrthhera $ft from
theotherworld-her child,Setanta,
who
l)kter'sgreatest
became hqo, Cuchulainn
(llrusrn crtoN av G DrNn cu, c 1900)
L22
DEIRDRE gievesfor thedeath of hn
belaved Ncoiseand his brothers,slain by
the jealous KingConchobhar Over the
brothers'grave, shesanghu pitiable
Iament,"May myheartnotbreah todayfor
the sea-tidesoJour ewryday softclwsare
strong but I am soffM itself. " (Detnom
or
rnr Sonnows c 1912
Durvcrtl,
BYJoHN )
half novoRII, took his place. But
Bres was a tpant and became very
unpopular, so Nuada was restored
to the leadership, once Dian
Cecht's son Miach had made him
a new hand of flesh and blood.
Apparently the god of healing grew
jealous of his son's medical skills
and so killed him.
DTNNUUID UA DUIBHNE,
or Diarmuid "of the Love Spot",
was the foster-sonof the lrish love
god eorucHUS.His mortal father
gavehim to the god as a child, a grft
that was retumed when Diarmuid
Df tROne was the cause of DTNBNORGAILLE was the receivedthe famous love spot as a
Ulster's sorrows,according to lrish daughter of a ruler of Lochlann. young Fenian warrior One night,
mythology The drui d cetuneo When her father left her on the when out hunting, Diarmuid and
foretold this before she was bom, shore as a tribute for the FOMORII, three companions took shelterin a
as well as telling of how beautiful she was rescued by the Ulster hero small hut in a wood. There a beau-
she would become. When she CIICHULAINNand fell in love with tiful young woman received them
grew up, King CONCHOBHARMAC him. In order to follow him, she but chose to sleep only with
NE55Awished to marry her, even rumed herself into a swan Diarmuid She told him that she
though he was already advanced in However, unaware of the bird's was Youth, and that the love spot
years, but Deirdre would have true identiry, Cuchulainn brought she put on his forehead would
none of this. Shepersuaded NAolsE her down with a sling-shot She make him inesistible to women. fu
and his brothers to run away with retumed to human form and he a consequence,Diarmuid's life was
her to Alba After living for many sucked the stone out of the wound, almost continuously troubled bY
yearsin their voluntary exile, they bur now theywere linked byblood desperatewomen, the worst being
were tricked into retuming to and so he could not marry her. GMINNE,the passionatedaughter
Ulster on the understanding that of High King C)NMACMAC ARr.
they would come ro no harm. But DnN CnCnf was the lrish god Grainne was betrothed to FINN
Conchobhar arranged to have of healing Itwas said thatwith his LIACCOOL. the Fenian commander,
Naoise killed and then forced daughter Airmid, he had charge of but she wanted Diarmuid and
Deirdre to agree to marry him. a spring whose waters restored the forced him to elope with her. For
Once married, however, Deirdre dy,.g gods to life. After NUADA,the sixteen years the Fenians Pursued
remained sad and kept her disunce Ieadcr Of thc TI]ATIL4DE DANANN, them until, at the request of the
flrom the ki.g,with the result that Iost his hand fighdng the FIRBoLG hng and the love god, a peacewas
he handed her over to the killer of at the first battle of Magh Tuireadh, grudgrngly made.
Naoise Rather than sleep with this Dian Cecht gave him a silver hand, It seemed that Diarmuid and
man, she threw herself from his thus earning him the title Nuada Grainne would settle down to a
speeding chariot and smashed her "of the Silver Hand" ImPressed contented famrly life and they had
brains out on a rock From each of though the Tuatha De Danann several children. But Diarmuid's
the graves of Naoise and Deirdre were by Dian Cecht's handiwork, own desdnywas about to catch uP
grew a pine, which eventually inter- Nuadawas felt to be no longerfit to with him. His mortal father had
rwined and grew as a single tree be a war leader and BRES,who was hlled his brother at binh because

DIAN CECHT (abwe), god of healing,
guards the sacredspnngof healthwtthhis
daughter,Airmid lts miraclewaterscured
the sichand restored thedead,to hJe
Knwn as theJathu of medicine,Dian
Cechtis creditedwth a remarlable sath-
centuryBrehonLaw tract on thepracticeof
medicine (luusrnenoru
ayNrcxBute,i995)
DIARMUID (below),a gJtedFanian
warior, was lured undergroundby the De
Danann who often recruitedchampionsto
ftght in their othewvorldlybattles To test
hts sletll,thE senta mysteriouswarior to
challengehim ashe dranhfrom theirforest
well luusrnenoNsySrrpar/ Rno.i9l2 )
DON below), theWelsh mother goddess,
wo,sds popular as her lnsh countapart,
Dana ThisfemaleJigure, surroundedby
birds and children, is widely assumedto be
a Celtic mother goddessSheis one of
sqeral Celtic daties embossed
on the
gildedpanelsof the GundestrupCauldron
(Graep srLv'ER. c lOO BC )
Crlrrc MyrHoLoGY
he believed that Aonghus' sreward,
Roc, was responsible for rhe preg-
nancy. However, Roc revived the
infant as a magic boar and told ir ro
bring Diarmuid ro his dearh When
hundng one daywirh Cormac Mac
Art and Finn MacCool, Diarmuid
came face to facewich this creature
His hounds fled in reror, his sling-
shot had no impacr on rhe charg-
ing boar's head and his sword
broke in two, so rhe inesisrible
Diarmuid was left bleeding ro
death on the ground. Finn
MacCool refusedro fetch rhe dying
Diarmuid a drink of warer, and by DIAKMUID, goredby a wild boar, was
the time the other hunters amved deniedhealingwater by Finn, still smarting
on the scene, he was too near to over Diarmuid's lwe alfair with Grainne A
death to be saved Grainne was Celtic Adonis,thehero waslwedby women
devastatedby the loss, alrhough oftenagainst his will, and,lihe Adonis,was
she was moved by rhe way rhar hilledby aboar, but enjoyedsomeJormoJ
Aonghus took care of Diarmuid's immoftality (llrusrncno,\
B\HI F)RD,
lgl2 )
corpse He took the body to his
own palace by rhe River Boyne, DON was the Welsh equivalenr of
where he breatheda new soul inro rhe Irish mother goddess DANA and
Diarmuid so that they could con- was the daughter of Mathonwy,
verse each day This was how the sister of MATH, and rhe wife of Beli,
young man came to live with rhe the god of death. She had many
TIIATHADE DANANN,who had by children, including AMAETHON,
this time left the upper world and ARIANRHOD, Govannon, GWYDION,
lived beneath the soil of Ireland Gilvaerhwy and ruupp
I23
 MNCIC AND EXCHANTMENT
NCHANTMENT PERMEATES Celtic myth, shrouding
the tales in a haunting, dreamlike qualiry. The all-
pervasive otherworld lies behind much of the
mystery and magic, penetrating the forests and
lakes, and crafting charmed rings and weapons.Yet spells
and magic also arosein the visibleworld where bards,druids
a n d s o m e p r i v i l e g e d h e r o e s ,s u c h a s F i n n M a c C o o l ,
possessedmagicalpowers. Bardscould weaken the enemy
with satire or enchantedsleep,while druids bewitched the
host with magical illusions. Off the battlefield, love and
romancewere also subject to spells,love philtres or magical
rickery, as in the romancesof Sadb,
Rhiannon and Iseult. On the
brighter side, many heroesenjoyed
the gifts of the otherworld, such as
Arthur's sword, Excalibur,or Fergus
M a c R ot h ' s s i d h e s w o r d ; w h i l e
F e r g u sM a c L e d a ' s w a t e r - s h o e s
affordedunderwateradventures;and
countlessheroeswere nourished or
reborn from magicalcauldrons.
Frncus Mlrc l-r:oe, (abwe), a high hing of Uktu, wned a pair of water-
shoeswith whkh he enjoyd underwatcr travel He ne,tr tired oJacplonng the
dqtl$ of thelvaihrsand nvcn of lrelondunttlhe encounteredaferce rwar-hotse
in Loch Rury The inadatt so tmiJied Fergs thathis face becamepermanently
dktoned wrthfear.'4s onlyan unbbmkhed hing couWrule lrelnnd, Fe, gus
returned n the loch to slay the monstu before goingilwn himself, but wth a
Rrto,1912)
rYSTEPHEN
face atlost restoredand snene 0uusrpcnoN

THn EruCnersrro Fonrsr QeJt)of Arthuianlegend, ww alivewithbeguiling

BelleDame Sans
Jairy maidats, who oftm taunted effanthnighs One such,Ia
Mqa, desatbd by thepoet Keats, was a funshee who lttracted monnl Wers
and then
for hr wn amusemant,insptnng them wtth a hopelss infaruatnn
leavingthembereftof wtll or Wrpose until thq uthqed on thelolu, "abne and
palely toitrnng" k thelnnguishinghmghthue sleqs,he dreamsof the pab

::r#:'KX:L:i-DamehotdsinthrarrII'TSTLLEDAMESANS

Pwrrr's fubove)Jamt[ywanderm un enchunted
aJtu thetr country,AJed,had been
wtlderness
sptntedaway tn a pealoJthunder Thebaffling
wqsport oJa hngenngcurseplaced
enchqntment
on hvyll to avengeGwawl, a nval surtort'or the
hond oJRhronnon Eten aJterhrryll's death,the
spellbli{ttedhs Jamily,untrl Rhrannon'sner\/
husband, Manawydan, strucha dealwtth the
enchanter,who atlast restoredDyt'edto rtsJormer
benu\ (lLursrnrnor.r Ue, 1984)
ByA:AN
CelrIC MvrHoLocY
E x c - . q r t s t * 1 , 1 l r 1 r r t{' r. f) h u r \ r i r ( l r r l r t r , /s t r , , r , l r l t , , t t tt t r r l rt l i t / t t h r , r /
l h i r t t t r r t i h e tsi t t t / t i t l i : l t cl 1l i s , t l , t t l l t t / / t t 1 t 1 , ( l ( r l\1( \, l h h c u c / / r r t t t r t l ft /t t/ t
I r s s i r f h l r r p rri r rh , l r t / t l , r i r , { r r / r r l i i t t l r ,i t c t : l t i tl t , l t r 1 , t l1j t l r t , i l i s t t t . - ,t ,t tt , t
l r r l t r s l t r t l / - . i t s l t \' tl r r t ( r { r l 1 t I ' c t r f r , r : t l / t h t t f i t t , ; t l t r . l r l \ t t l r l t l \ r } l t l t l tr l
MrRrnv (ngh), wtseand thoughtJtlthoughht' u,as.
LrythercvtshtngLnly ol th.ehht,
was enchanted
htsforestght,he ullowedhmself
Nirnue,and desprte
to be lureddeepbeneatha stoneand boundthereIry
htsown maglc spellsIn anotherlegend,Nrmueput
Merlin tntoa trancebeneotha thorn treeand then
trarledhervetlaroundhtm,creattngan mvrstble
towu oJ atr rn whtchhe was trappedJorou It rs
satdthat htsvorcecan sttllbe heardtn theplatntwe
rustltngoJleaves (luustnrrtr.r,v
BvAi,4NI FF lg84)
125
CeITIC MyTHoLoGY
DONN ("rhe Dark One") was rhe
Irish god of the dead. He is some-
dmes confused with ErEn Donn,
one of the leaders o[ rhe sons of
MILESIUS, who insulted ERIU,one
of rhe TT]ATIIADEDANANN, and was
drowned off the south-west coast
of lreland. Donn's home, the
House of Donn, was thought to be
an assemblypoint on rhe joumey
to the otherworld.
DNUTOS SCC5AGE5ANDSEERS
DUBH was a druidess. According
to one Irish tradition, her angerat
her husband Enna's passion for
another woman uhimately led to
the name of Dublin. Dubh used
magic to drown her rival, but her
husband in turn drowned her in
whac became known as Dubhlinn
("Dubh's pool").
Dn q,'N("Son of the Wave") was
a Welsh sea god whose parenrs
were ARIANRHOD and her brorher
GWYDION. fu soon as he was bom
DYI-AN,a Welshseadeity,leaptJromhis
mother's armsatbirthandplungedstraight were Eber Donn, or Eber "the
intotheseaand swarrt aswellasanyfsh.
Belwedby thesea,all thewaves
hewashilled, andhisdeath-groan
beheardin theroarof theincoming
(Tnr B,rprrsrv
ot, Dvt,tN, Soruor rHE WAVEBl
Grrlncr Sxennt,vcn,qrr,
crruvn.sc I900 )
L26
druid AMAIRGENhad only jusr
succeededin casting a spell over
the turbulent waves, when Eber
Donn was seizedby a battle-trenny
and the charm was broken by his
wild cries. After rhe defear of the
TUATHADE DANANN,rhe advice of
Amairgen was ignored by Eber
Finn, who refused to acknowledge
the right of his older brother
Eremon to be king of the whole
DONN, god of the dead,gathers souls island. So it was that lreland was
aroundhim as thq assanbleonhis stormy partitioned inro two kingdoms,
islandbejore settingout on theirjournq with Eremon ruling the north and
to the othewvorld Inaitably, he became Eber Finn the south. Bur Eber Finn
associatedin popularJolhlorewith invaded Eremon's terrirory and Iaid
shipwreclsand seastorms,andwas oJten waste to his lands until he fell in
confusedwithEber Donn, who died at sea battle. Eremon rhen became rhe
(IrrusrnrnolByJAMEI
ALDa,vprn,
J995) first High King of all Ireland.
he headed straighr ro the sea, EnnrcmN, in welsh mythology,
where he immediarely swam as was the rroublesome half-brocher
well as a fish. When his uncle, the of nR+NTHEBLEsSED who caused
smirh god Govannon, killed him, the rift berween Bran and King
all the waves of Britain and Ireland MATHOLWCH. BecauseEfnisien had
lamented his death. not been consulted by Bran over
the marriage of his half-sisrer
Engn was rhe name of rwo of che BMNwEN ro rhe Irish hng, he pro-
three leaderswho led the Milesians ceeded to cut off the lips, earsand
in their conquest of lreland. They tails of Matholwch's horsesduring
the wedding feast.To compensare
Brown", and Eber Finn, or Eber for this act, Bran gaveMatholwch a
weptwhen "the Fair". The third was named ma$c cauldron that was capableof
canstill Eremon. Eber Donn failed ro reach restoring dead warriors to life, bur
tide the lrish coast because his ship wich one small imperfecrion - rhey
foundered in a storm caused by, it
came back to life withour rhe
was said, his bloody war cry. The power of speech. However, the
Irish did not consider this gift a
suflicient redressfor Efnisien's acr
of mudlation, and some dme afrer
her arival in Ireland Branwen was
demoted from being queen to just
a lowly cook in rhe palacehrchens.
Efnisien accompanied the army
thatwas sent againstMatholwch to
avengethis insuk. It was fortunare
for Bran that his half-brother did
come, because Efnisien foiled a
cunning trap that had been laid for
the Britons by Matholwch in his
hall. He had placedbehind each of
Bran's strongest warriors a sack
hung from the wall containing an
armed lrishman, and at a signal
they were to fall upon the Britons
during what was supposed to be a
feast of welcome. When Efnisien
inspected the hall beforehand, he
askedwhacwas in one of rhe bags.
On being told it was com, Efnisien
Iaid hold of the sack and felt about
till his fingers closed on the head of
the warrior within it, then he
squeezed and cracked his skull.
One by one Efnisien asked about
the contens of the sacksand each
time repeatedhis squeezing.
The feast took place therefore
not as Marholwch had planned.An
even more unexpected rurn of
events occurred when Efnisien
rhrew Matholwch's three-year-old
son by Branwen on to the fire.
Branwen would have leapt after her

EBER DONN (abwe) and the Milesian
chiefsdnft in thefairy sea mists of the lrish
cowt OnboardEbcr's ship,the druid
Amairgencharmedthe seawth magtcof
hts wwr,butEberlet outhis greatwar cry
whichbrolu the druid's spelland stired up
a stoftn inwhichhewas drwned
BvJAMES
0rrusrnerroru ALEX{Noen,
1995)
EFNISIEN belw) inspectssaclu in
Matholwch'shall. In each sachhefelt a
warior's head, which he cnshed between
his fngm The moody ticlster went on to
prwohe a deadly contest,but than, in
remorse,sacnfced himself to save his
comrades (tuununov aySrrparru
Rno,l9i0)
CeITIc MyrHoLoGY
EIATII"A (abwe), a F omoii hing lived
beneath the waveswith his wolat and
misshapenpeople Unlihe the other
Fomoii, Elatha was a godlihebang with
Iong golden hair EmuglngJrom the sea
one day in his silvsr ship,he met the lwely
goddess,En, who Jellimmediatelyin lwe
withhim, SoonaJtu, thqhad ahandsome
but troublesomeson,Bies (tr-LusrnrroN
By
NrcxBTALE,
I995)
son, but Bran held her back. In the EMER, in Irish mythology, was around to the front of his house.
fight that took place afterwards the the daughter of Fogall and the wife Even then, he thought of Emer's
Britons were almost defeatedby the of.cucuul{INN, who first saw her request, but his enemies the witch-
magrc cauldron that Bran had given when he was at the courr of rhe es of celqrlN casr a spell to harden
Matholwch, because at night it High Kirg of Ireland at Tara. She his resolve to fighr single-handed.
restored to life the trish warriors appeared "dark-haired almosr as
who had been slain during rhe day himself, and her skin whire as ENTO SCCCELTIC ROIVIANCE
The Britons were in a desperare mare's milk, and her eyeswide and
predicament and so Eftrisien,ar rhe proud and brilliant like the eyes of EME& a peerlessInsh maiden, inspired
cost of his li[e, destroyedthe magicFedelma, his favourite falcon". the lwe ol Ulster'sgreathero, Cuchulainn
cauldron. He hid among the Irish Emer's father was a chieftain from Shewasblessedwiththe sA gJB oJ
dead and was thrown into rhe boil- Meath and was against the match. womanhood:beaul, chasilry,wisdom,
ing cauldron, where he strerched He told Cuchulainn to travel to sweetspeech,songand needlecraJtWhen
and burst its sides, bur rhe grear improve his fighting shlls and only thehero courtedher,shesmiledathis
effort involved hlled him. then would he consider him as a youth,and saidthathehad "deedsto do"
son-in-law. Cuchulainn survived (Iu-usrnqnox
BySrEpHEN
REID.
1912
)
EL,ffHA, in Irish myrhologr, w6 and retumed to claim his bride.
the son of Delbaeth, the leader of Indeed, Cuchulainn was forced to
the FOMORIIand father of BRES, atuck the reluctant Fogall's fortress
who was briefly the leader of the before the wedding could mke
TUATHADE DANANIV.UnIiKe the place. Although Emer was totally
other Fomorii, who were described enraptured by her handsome hus-
as being hideous and deformed, band, their marriagewas not with-
Elathawas fair and had golden hair. out its troubles, not least because
He met the goddessEri on rhe sea many other women also found the
shore and there they conceived Ulscerhero attrac[ive.Just before
their child Bres. When Bres was his final batde, when he fought rhe
removed from the leadership of rhe army of Queen MEDBalone, Emer
De Danann, he and his morher tried to persuadehim to remain in
went to Elathato ask for help, bur the fortress of Emain Macha, rhe
the Fomorii were defeated at the seat of King CONCHOBHAR MAC
second battle of Magh Tuireadh NE55A.However, he got on his
and dnven from lreland. chanot when it was broughr
t27
CTITIC MYTHOLOGY

E?{IN QighD, one of the High Queensof

Ireland, appears withher peers in power
andbeauty:fromleJt to ight, Etain, Greeh
Helen,MedbandFand, theJairyqueen
Thejuelled atp of plenty recalk Etain's
linlu wtth the otherworld (ErnrH,HnuN,
MEDB AND Fexn sv HAnnv Ct,cR(E, ct css, c I9@)

EPONA, rhe celtic horse god-

dess,won the favour of the Roman
army and was depicted in monu-
ments set up at its cavalrybarracl<s
as a woman riding a fast steed, her
cloak billowing with air behind her.
Shewas even given her own festival
in Rome on December 18, Ongi-
nally, Epona was almost certainly
seen by the Celts as a mare, possi-
bly like the great white horse cawed
in the chalk downs near Wantage,
in southem England The fact that
she is often depicted riding a horse
with a foal suggesrc that she was
also a goddess of fertility. In the
Welsh myth of. PwYtt there is a
connection between Epona and his
wife RHIANNON.who is made to
carry visitors into her husband's
palace.

ERIU, or Erinn, was rhe wife of

Ma Greine, son of.)GMA, and her-
self one of the TUATHADEDANANN
When the Milesians invaded, she
and her two sisters. Banba and

EPONA(belw), theCeltichorse goddess,

v,usadoptedhy theRoman cavalrywho
spreadlwcultacross Europe. Hn ,fiy,
portrayedhtnding
oftenplacedin stables,
sometimes
srde-sadille, wtthafoal, which
rejectedherroleasafmtlity goddess,
Embohzdhm by thewheatandbirik

128
 Crlrrc MvrHoLocY

EfnltNN, somerimes Erhnea, Fnncus Mec RorH, a king

was the only daughter of BALOR, of Ulster, according to one myth
the one-eyedgiant of Irish myth fell in love with his predecessor's
Balor imprisoned Ethlinn in a widow, NESSA She would only
crysal tower on Tory Island, off the marry him if her son, CONCHOBHAR
north-western coast of lreland, MACNESSA, was allowed to rule for
becauseof a prophecy that said he ayear Conchobhar, with heip from
would be hlled by his own grand- his mother, proved to be a popular
son. However, a cerrain Cian, king and the people refused to let
brother of the smith god GomHrulu, him stand down At first Fergus
managed to reach Ethlinn, and so accepted this but, later, when
the sun godrual was conceived. Conchobhar losr the support of
ETHNE,a gentleTuathaDeDanann Despite Balor's attemprc to have EAND'smaidens appearedto Cuchulainn severalleading Ulstermen, he led
maiden. waslostto theothewvorld whut the baby killed, he survived to be in a vision,beatinghim
withrods,which them in revolt Conchobhar's love
shemislaidher VeiloJlnvisibility,
hq to brought up either by Goibhniu or, Iefthimsore Jorayear Havinggained for ortRPREwas rhe cause of his
thekalm oJFoiry Shewasrescued by according to another version of the hisattention,thq explainedthatthe unpopularity, especially after he
monlsand,according to a latu legend, myrh, by the sea god MANANNAN goddess, Fand,neededhishelptofght the had her lover NAoiSEhlled in order
became a nun,but shewasdisturbed by MACLIR,and so fulfilled his desriny Fomoii AfterdeJmting herattachers, to marry her Fergus wirh rhree
"voices",
theciesof hu Jairyfolh,seehing by hlling Balorat the secondbattle Cuchulainn stayedonFand'sislandJora hundred Ulster warriors joined
herin vain (luusrnarroru
nvSrrpHrru Rr.r:.,
1910) of Magh Tuireadh month (Iuusrnarroru
BySrEpHEN
REID,1912
) Queen MEDBin her invasion of
Ulsrer The great CUCHUIAINN lost
Foda,went to greet them All three EfHNn was rhe daughter of Roc, his life in this war, but not at the
decided to stay with her husband
asked that the newcomers would srewardof the iove god AONGHUS, and forget Cuchulainn Manannan
hands of Fergus They had been
name the island after her. and acted as maid to the daughter Mac Lir then shook his magrccloak
friends before the war and had
AMAIRGEN, druid and advrsorto the of u,+ruaNNANMAC LIR After a between Fand and Cuchulainn so
swom not to fight each other
sons of MILESius,promised rhat chieftain of the TUATLLADE DANANN they would never see each other
During the final battle, Ferguspre-
Ireland would be named after Eriu rried to rape her, she refusedto eat again,and druids gaveCuchulainn
tended to rereat and rhe next time
or drink Aonghus and Manannan and Emer drinks of forgetfulness
rhey met Cuchulainn would do the
ETAIN, in Irish myrhology, was searchedfor a remedy and found (Seealso CELTIC ROMANCE)same Ir was due to Fergus'retreat
one of IheTUATIIADEDANANN and rwo magic cows whose milk never rhat CoNAu, Cuchulainn's foster-
was reincamated severaitimes She ran dry and she lived on their milk
FgoltvtlD rhe story-reller was brother, was ableto defeatMedb's
was the second wife of the god rhe father of orlnoRr One day, army and rally the Ulstermen after
MIDIR His first wife was jealous of ETHNNR SCC ETHLINN when CONCHOBHAR MAC NE55A rhe death of Cuchulainn
Etain and by a druid's speil Etain and some fellow Ulstermen were
was rebom as a morul, the daugh- EXCRT-TBUR SCC MAGIC AND drinking at his house, the unbom FERDIAtsborne fromthebattleJteld by
ter of rhe Ulster warrior Etar To ENCFIANTMENT Deirdre cried out from her mother's hisliJelongJnend,CuchulainnThetwo
hinder Midir's searchfor her, Erain womb The druid c,qtruneo then weregoaded intosingle combatby Medb
was turned first into a pool of FAND, in lrish myrhology, was foretold thar the child would cause andfought gnmlytothedeathAt
water, then a wolrn and finally a fly rhe wife of uaNaruNANMAC LIR nothing but doom and desrrucdon Ferdia's death, Cuchulainn fellexhausted,
When Emr'swife accidenrallyswal- One day she quarrelled with her lamenting,"Why shouldI nseagainnow
lowed the fly she becamepregnant husband and he left her When she FgnOfR son of Daman rhe hethatliesherehasJallenW -y hand? "
wirh Etain Unaware of her previ- was attackedby the nOvORI/,Fand FIRBOLG, was a friend and comrade (llrusrnarro,vev E We[coustNs, 1912)
a - _ - . -

ous existence,Etain was loved both SCNIfor CUCHUIAINN, who CameTo of.cuctlui,AlNN As young men,
by the High King Eochaidh, whom her island and defeared her en- they were both taught ro fighr by
she married, and by his brother emies,and remainedfor one month SCATHACH During the war of the
AILILL This potendally difficult as her lover Before he returned brown bull of Cuailgne, Ferdia
situation wassolved by her sudden home, they arranged to meet again fought on the side of Queen MEDB
discoverythat she was alreadymar- in Ireland.But Cuchulainn's wife, and against Cuchulainn and the
ned to Midir, who had awakened EMER,found out about this secret men of Ulster Ferdia did his best
her memories High King Eochaidh meedng and took fifry of her maid- to avoid coming up against his
lost Etain to the god at a game of ens armed with sharp knives to kill friend, but eventually Medb taunt-
chess,but although she lived once Fand A confused argument then ed him into fighting the great hero
again with Midir for a period of took place between Fand, Emer, in singlecombat and he was killed
time, Etain decided in the end to Cuchulainn and Manannan Mac
retum to Taraand finish her morral Lir, who had also learned of the Frncus Mnc Leoa see
life as Eochaidh'squeen arrangement But in the end, Fand MAGIC AND ENCFIANTMENT
CTITIC MYTHOLOGY
THE FIANNA (ngh), afierceband of free
wariors, guardedthe High King oJIreland
and rovedup and down the countrysideon
vaious ventures Hand-piched,thq were
gftedinboth arms andthe arts Although
close-hnit,occasionalivalry brohe out and
therewastheoddbrawl,as shownhere
(lu-usrnerrp RAcKHAM,
ByARTHUR c 1910
)
THg FrnNNn was rhe famous
band ofwardors responsible for the
safety of the High Kitg of Ireland
Popularly called the Fenians, their
greatestleader was FINNMACCOOL
and the ma.;orityof their members
came from one of two clans, the
Bascnaand the Moma. Many of the
adventures of the lfuights of the
Round Table recall the exploits of
the Fenians.To join, "no man was
taken till in the ground a hole had
been made, such as would reach
the waist, and he put into it with
his shield and a forearm's length of
ahazel stick. Then must nine war-
riors, having nine spears,with a ten
furrows'width berween them and
him, assailhim and let fly at him lf
he sustained injury, he was not
receivedinto the band "
FINEGAS,theagedseerandpoet,
humblyolfersFinn theSalmon oJ
Knowledge, fulfillingthepropheqthata
mannamed"Fionn"wouldbeneftfrom
miraculous fish On eatingthesalmon,
Finn becameas wiseas he was strong with
instant insight into the past andfuture
(lrusraerrorv
svH R MrtLAn, 1912)
r30
FINECRS, in lrish mythology,
was a druid. Hoping to become
supremely wise, he caught the
Salmon of lfuowledge, but unfor-
tunately for his own ambitions he
gaveit to the young FINNMACCOOL
to cook Finn bumt his thumb on
the flesh of the fish and sucked the
bum. Realizingthat his pupil Finn
was the one destined to gain the
wisdom, Finegasgenerouslylet the
the boy eat the whole fish
FINN MacCooL, sometimes
called Finn Mac Cumaill or Fionn
MacCumal, was the leader of the
FIANNA,or Fenians, the selecrband
of warriors which guarded the High
King of lreland. His father , CIJMAL,
a previous leader of the Fenians,
was killed by Goll, a Fenian war-
rior. Cumal had eloped with a girl
named Huma and her father urged
Goll to avengethis dishonour. Goll
slew Cumal, but later Cumal's son
Finn was bom and brought up
secretly. One of his tutors was the
druid FINEGAS,who lived beside
the River Boyne and caught the
Salmon of lGrowledge. He gave rhe
fish to his pupil to cook, but Finn
bumt his thumb on the flesh and
in sucking it obtained wisdom.
FINN MACCOOL bela^D' a Praocious
and gfted child, enjoyeda specnl ffinity
wtth the crenturesof the wods He was
raisedon the sbpa of Bloom Sliew by two
warior women, who helpedhim darcbp the
hqoicirtues oJwtdom and strenglh
(luusrnanor.r c 1910
RAclctAM,
BvARTHUR )
So great was Finn MacCool's the elopement, and he exulted over
prowess as a warrior that he was his rival's morul wound, which he
soon appointed over the head of had received when hunting.
Goll to lead the Fenians, as his The account of Finn MacCool's
father had done. Goll accepted this own death is unclear. Some sagas
decision with good grace, a gesture tell how he fell attempdng to quell
that may explain why Finn an uprising among the Fenians
MacCool did not challenge Goll
over his father's death. Indeed, FINTAN, the Salmonof Knouiledge,bashs
Goll eventually manied one of Finn in Nechtan's weIIoJ inspiration, werhung
MacCool's daughters, rhough he wtth theNuts of Knowldge Fintnn gained
also slew his son. This last act of hs wisdomfrom eating the nuts whichfell
violence was too much and the into the well, causingbubblesoJ inspiration
Fenians pursued him. Trapped, The wellts decoratedherewith Celtic
Goll chose to suwe to death rather heads,rymbok oJspintualpwer.
than surrender. Finn MacCool (Iuusrnertoru Lrrrepnu, 1994
avSrunRr )
used to quote a saying of Goll: "A
man lives after his life but nor after
his dishonour."
Under Finn MacCool's leader-
ship, the Fenians reached the high
point o[ their fame as a warrior
band The pursuit of oreRvulDUA
DIUBHNE,the foster-son of the love
god,eorucHus, alone took sixteen
years. He had taken GRAINwE,the
daughter of High Kitg C)RMAC
MACART,but she was betrothed to
Finn MacCool at the dme. The
Fenians were relentless in the
chase, but a peace of sorts was
begrudgingly agreed However,
Finn never forgave Diarmuid for

THE FOMORII, a misshapenraceof sea
gods,oppressedlrelandwith crueltyand
crushingtibutes This imaginative
and pou,aful sceneportrays the Fomoii
as repellentand alien creatures,who are
divatby a sichand menacingJrnry
(THE FoMoRs oR THE PowERs or EvrL Asnoeo
THE \Voru,D ByJoHN Dunctr't, 1912)
themselves,while others refer ro an
ARTHUR-likeundeath in a cave
There he was supposed to remain
in a deep sleep unril such dme as
Ireland needed his aid
FtNfnN was the husband of
Noah's granddaughterCESAIR. It is
likely that the monk who first
recorded the Irish sagasahered the
original myrh in order ro link it
with Noah's descendants,because
of the deluge rhat only Fintan man-
aged to survive by becoming a
salmon. The monk wanted ro tidy
up the lrish myth of Fintan's mys-
rerious transformation The same
name was also glven to the Salmon
of I(rowledge, which was so called
becauseit had earenrhe nuts of a
hazel ree thar grew over the warers
of ruecareN's well.
THEFIRBOLG, orbag-motarivedin
lrelnndafterescaping
ahJeofslnvery in
Thrace, wherethq hadbeenforced to
cultivate
thelandbyheavinghewy bagsoJ
Jmile earthuproctyhilLsln ronlt, thq
tumedtharbagsintoboatsandsailedto
Irelnnd (Iuusrnenoru ByNlcK Brer-r.,j995 )
rNt
THg Ftnnolc, or "bag men",
in Irish mythology were said to
have acquired their name from a
time when they were enslaved in
Thrace and made ro carry bags of
earth They lived in Ireland just
before the arrivalof the TUATHADE
DANANN But rhey were already
being hard pressedby theFOMONt,
the seagods whom rhe Tuatha De
Danann eventually overcame At
the first barrle of Magh Tuireadh
the Tuatha De Danann defeared
the Firbolg, though the De Danann
Ieader,NUADA,lost a hand. In the
second bamleof Magh Tuireadh rhe
Fomorii were thoroughly beaten,
due mainly to rhe bravery of the
sun god LIIGH, and were driven
from Ireland for ever
Celrrc MyrHoLocy
THg FOUOruI were seagods in otherworld His morher Be Find
Irish mythology Violent and mis- (who was a goddess and sisrer of
shapen, the Fomorii emergedfrom the river goddess BOANN) nursed
rhe waves to challengerwo rulers of him back to health so rhar he could
Ireland: the FiRBOLGand rhe claim the hand of Findbhair The
TUATHADE DANANN The Tuatha account of Fraoch and the water
De Danann were younger gods, monster is thought to have had
and they seizedcontrol of Ireland some influence on the Danish
from the Firbolgs at rhe first barde legend of Beowulf's batrle wirh
of Magh Tuireadh, only to have to Grendel, a monster invulnerable to
defeatthe Fomoiri at asecondbar- weapons who lived in an under-
tle there in order to secure rheir water cavem
conquest Often the Fomorii were
described as having only a single FINN MACCOOL standsguard on the
hand, foot or eye ramports oJTara awaiting aJiery goblin
whosemaglc music usually disarmshisJoes
FOnnru was rhe son of the Ulster Armedwith aJairy spear,Finnbreahsthe
king CONCHOBHAR MAC NESSA spelland slnysthe unsuspectingdemon
For
According to one myth, Queen his valourhe wasmadecaptainof the
MEDBof Connachr fell back before Fianna (lllusrnarrorv BySTEpHEN REID. l9i0 )
rhe fury of the Ulster warriors afrer
her invasion of the kingdom. In
Galway, however, Forbai caught up
with her as she was bathing in a
lake A shot from his sling fatally
struck the old warrior-queen in the
cen[e of her forehead.
FneOCH ("wrath" or "fury"), in
Irish mythology, was a warriorwho
defeateda fearsomewarer monster
in order to manry Findbhair, who
was the daughrer of Queen MEDB
of Connacht The tenible srruggle
with the monsrer left Fraoch very
badly wounded and he recovered
fully only afrer a timely visit to rhe
131
il'i';t'il *'iri' +

WoNDRous C,tuLDRoNs
IMCULouscAULDRoNS featureas a recurrenrmotif in Celtic myrh. Some
overflow with plenty, others restore the dead to life, while still others
contain a specialbrew of wisdom. Dagda'sgiganticCauldron of Plenty
overflowedwith abundant, delicious meats; no hero left his bowl
hungry, though cowardsneverhad their fill. From Bran'smassiveCauldronof Rebirth
waffiors emerged alive but dumb; another
Cauldron of Rebirth in Annwn was
guarded by nine maidens. Cauldrons of
Inspiration provided "greals" or brews of
wisdom. The most famous belonged to
the goddess Ceridwen, whose magi cal
broth endowed Taliesin with all-knowrng
insight. Some cauldrons, such as Dagda's,
combined the magical properties of both
plenty and rebirth. Similar mystery bowls
or cups fea[ure in Greek and easlern
myths as holy vesselsof spintual insight.
Ultim ateIy, the early Celtic cauldrons find
expression in the Arthurian Grail, which
overflows with spiritual sustenance and
leads the hero from death to immoruliry.

CeurpRorvs on Prnvrv Qeft)glttteredin BMN'5 (aba,e) Cauldron of kbirth

bronze,copper, silveror gold, embossed
with exquisitecraJtsmanship The gllded
GundestrupCauldron,here,Jound in a bog
in Denmarh, is a magnifcent suwiving
exampleof a Celtic cauldron Embossedin
silverg1lt,it is beautiJullydecoratedin the
Ia. Tene stylewith Celtic daties and itual
activities, suchas hunting or Jighting
(Gl'xrorsrnup Cerii-onol, GTLDED srLvER, 100 BC )
restoredwariors to l{e, but without the
powerof speechBran rece:edhis
wondrouscauWronJrom two martial
glonts,in gratitude JorhtshindnessHere,
the great and gloomy glanx brood ovn
thar bubblingcauldron,Jlnnhedbyarmed
wariors on ather side,for thewarlihe
glantsproduceda grou,nwarior wery sa
weelc (tuusrunoNByALAN
LEE,
1984)
 t*r

!! 'ii
!! 'i*
{, 1{

?\
'r,.
i
i". a\
" : :4i i" 1n
i t'fuo,u*.
t
,,,w ,#

,:i{l, r:,,i
CTITIC MyTHoLoGY

GAIAHAD AeJ), the pure andpeerless

hnight, standsresplendentin ablnze oJ
holylight,armedas a Chistian Crusader
His snow-whiteshield,marhedwtth the
blood of JosephoJAnmathea, wo'sdesigned
in Saras Jor Galahadalone (GilAaeosvw
HATHERELL, cuss, c 1910 )

GAIAIIAD (nght), robed in red, entered

Arthur'scourt escortedbyahermit, and
toohhisplaceat the RoundTable,filling
the SiegePeilous Completingthecircleof
hnights,his arnval sparhedoff the Grail
Quest (G,rL,enRo CouRrByw
EurrpsARTHUR's
H A T H E R E L L ,c A N y A S , c 19IO )

Gnf-tfmD was unique at the Camelot A mystenous lady then Bors when he encountered the After this, various miracles took
court of King ARTHUR, for he alone announced how the sacredvessel Grail. Together they had received place and Sir Galahad was even
saw the entire Grail, or SANGREAL would come and feed all the the sacrament from the long-dead obltged to become a hng for a dme
He may even have handled the knights This happened, although JOSEPH OF ANMATHEA, who told Sir while he waited patiently for his
sacredvessel,as one version of the none at the wonderful meal saw or Galahad to take a bleeding spear to requesr ro be fulfilled. When
Arthurian myth states that Sir touched the Grail When Sir the castle of the "Maimed Kirg" Joseph of Arimathea eventually
Galahad took "Our Lord's body Gawain vowed to find its home in and rub it on this crippled ruler's retumed, Galahad was at last
berween his hands" and then died order to see the Grail for himself, body and limbs Once this taskwas granted his wish to leave the
The quest for the Grail was an most of the t(nights of the Round camed out, and the strange king world Joseph first allowed the
important preoccupation of the Table followed suit, despite the restored to health, Sir Gaiahadsaw pure and humble knight to hold
K.,ghs of the Round Table One of efforts of King Arthur to dissuade the Grail in a vision. When he the Grail for a few moments, then,
the seas was alwaln left vacant as it them from undenahng what might prayed that "he might leave the as Sir Galahad knelt down to pray
was the place reserved for the prove to be their final quest world", a voice told him how his for his deliverance. his soul was
knight who would find the Grail Although they set off in different soulwould live in the next life with suddenly releasedfrom his body
Unril Sir Galahad sat there. no directions, Sir Galahadwas in the Christ the moment his request and "a great multitude of angels
knight had earned the right to company of Sir PERCIVAL and Sir could be granted. bore it up to heaven".
occupy the place wrthout being
instantly swallowed by the earth.
The worthy young Sir Galahad
was rhe son of Sir LANCEtot. the
secret lover of Queen GUINEVERE,
Anhur's wife. From the beginning
of Galahad'smanhood, however, it
is made clear that he is without
blemish. Twelve nuns. who had
raised Galahad, told his father thar
he should "make him a lceight, for
there is no man alive more desew-
ing of the order of knighthood" As
soon as Sir Galahad had taken his
rightful place at the Round Table,
the presenceof the Grail was felt in

GAIAHAD recav
esspiitual nouishment
from theGrail,followedby Percivaland
BorsTheideaof an all-sustainingand
all-inspiing"greal"or brauis rootedin
Celtic myth (How SrnGnLeneo,srRBoRsAND

SrnPrncrvnrwenr Feo wtrH THESANCGRAEL

By

DANIE Rossrrn . cANvAs,1864)

134

GnwruN, in welsh Gwalchmai, present, the giant behaved as if
was the most courteous knight at
ARTHUR'scourt. He was a strict
upholder of chivalry and the enemy
of Sir LtNCELor. Sir Gawain's mosr
exrraordinaryadventure concemed
the Green lGright. Rather like the
hazard faced by the Ulsrer hero
CUCHUIAINN,when a water giant
came to test the courage of Irish
warriors, the gigantic Green Kttrght
strode into King Arthur's hall at
Camelot one New Year's Eve and
challenged the ltuighrs of rhe
Round Table to a beheading con-
test. Sir Gawain accepted and cut
off the stranger's head in a single
blow. fu the severed head rolled
around the hall, the royal courr
relaxed and thought the challenge
over. But to the amazement of all
nothing had happened. Calmly
stooping, he picked up his head
and mounted his green charger.
Then, from the saddle, the Green
Ktrght pointed his severedhead in
Sir Gawain's direcdon and told him
to be at a lonely chapel ayear from
that day in order to take a tum ar
receiving a blow from an axe. On
the journey to this dangerous
appointment Sir Gawain stayed
with Sir Bercilak de Hautdesert
who had a beautiful wrfe He was
sorely tempted by Sir Bercilak's
wife but managed to resist her
advances for rwo days. However,
on the third daySir Gawain accept-
ed from her a green sash, which
was the usual token worn by
"
knight to show his love for a lady.
CII-TIC MyTHOLoGY
At the meeting berween Sir GAWAIN, an activeand restlesshnight,
Gawain and his fearful opponent, lost interestin theGrail Questquite early
the Green lGright tumed out to be on Ahhoughone oJthe first to setJorth,
none other than Sir Bercilak him- inspinngthe restoJthe Knights,helost
self. Three times the axe was swung heart, laching the necessarydiscipline,
at Sir Gawain's neck. Twice it was patienceand humility (Tnr.Fnrr
urir,or,srn
deflected because he had not r pE.srRy,
nyWMrxnrs,
GnwRrr.r 1895-96
)
abused his host's hospitality by
making love to his wife. The third Unlike Sir Gawain. Cuchulainn
time it made a slighr cut, at which had no hesitarion in slippingaway
Sir Gawain flinched. It did not cut from the battlefield in order to keep
off his head because Sir Gawain a secret meedng with a lover, even
had only acceptedthe green sash during Queen MEDB's invasion of
out of good manners Yet Sir Ulster. The magical transformation
Gawain realized that courtesy was of Sir Bercilak de Hautdesert into
no equal to moral purity, and the Green lftright was explained as
thereafterhe alwap wore the green the work of the wirch MoRGAN LE
sashas a reminder of his lapse FAY, King Anhur's half-sister.
This late Bridsh version of the
Celtic beheadingcontest was quite GTNATNT SCC CELTICROMANCE;
clearly influenced by Christianity SINGLE COMBAT
r35
CeITIC MYTHOLOGY
GOIBHNIU was the Irish smith
god and one o[ the ruerHA DE
DANANN He could make a perfect
sword or spearwith three blows of
his magic hammer Just before the
second battle of Magh Tuireadh, a
FOMORIIspy came to see how
Goibhniu made such impressive
weapons, and even wounded the
god Goibhniu was said to preside
over an otherworld feast called Fled
Goibnenn,for which he brewed the
aIe His Welsh counterpart was
named Govannon
THT GNruI SCC SANGREAL; goldsmith,and Luchtar, the carpater, he
see also WONDROUS
CAULDRONS; rrpaired the Tuatha De Danann armour
HEROTCQUESTS. with miraanlots spd on thebattlefeW
GnntNNE, in lrish mythology,
was the daughter of coRiuecMAc
ART,the High Kirg of lreland She
was promised to FINNMACC))L,
leader of the FIANNA,the body-
guard of the High King Although
still powerful, Finn MacCool was
quire old and Grainne preferred
DIARMT]IDUA DI,]IBHNE.WhO WAS
r36
by rhe Fenians But Diarmuid was
killed by a magic boar in a hunting
accidentafter Cormac Mac Art and
Finn MacCool had finally accepted
his marriage to Grainne Although
Grainne blamed Finn MacCool for
Diarmuid's death and swore to
obtain vengeancethrough her four
sons, the wily Finn wooed her until
she agreedto manryhim.
GUtunvERE, whose welsh
GOIBHNIU, the Insh smith god, wasan name, Gwenhwfar, probably GMINNE (abwe), a passionateand
outstanding craftsmanand armourer means "white spirit", was the wife wilJulmaiden,JelIJor the iwesistible
Along wtth his glJtedbrothm, Cradhne the of eRrnuR and the secret lover of Diarmuid ,\s shewasbetrothedto Finn
Sir LANCELOT. In the stories about MacCool, Diarmuid politely refusedher
the ltuights of the Round Table, advances But shepersisted untilhe agreed
Guinevereis alwap comparedwith to elope,with the Fianna in hot pursuit
0lrusrmnoNANoN) Helen of Troy, the famous beauty Here, the guilg pairhide in a maglc tree
of Greek mytholory Such a com- ANON)
otrusr&qnoN
the foster-son of the love god parison is not unjustified, for both
AONGHUS. By using magic, Grainne these women brought disaster to GUINEVEM (below),inher onglnal
managed to escape from Tara, the those who loved them. ln role as Flovtu Bide, is crmnedMay
Irish capital, with a rather relucmnt Guinevere'scasethe love affairwith Quear in abower of peals On May
Diarmuid Gradually, however, he Sir l.ancelot weakened the uniry of Morning Arthur and his hntghs celebrated
came to love Grainne, although for the RoundTable. ltwas herbeaury wtth sportsand contestsLancebt,her
sixteen years they had to keep that also atuacted Arthur's nephew champion, alwaysoccelled.o-,rncerorexo
moving in order to avoid capture Sir uoDRED,who seizedCamelot GUINEVERE.BY HERBERT DMPE& UNVES, 19c.o )
 Crlrrc MvrHoLocY

GUINEVERE (abwe), conilemnedto quarrel. He proposed that Gwem, and the builder of London. King GWYDION (abwe) and Gilvaethv,lyJlee
deathJorhu afair with lancelot, was though only three, should be futhur set out after Griddylad and from Prydm's castlewith his precious
rescuedby him. In the bbody contestthot placed on the lrish throne. But demanded that Gwyn ap Nudd *vine The danngtheJt was part oJan
ensuel,I-ancebt slrw many h"rghs. Arthur Branwen's half-brother EFNISIEN retum her to her rightful husband, ingeniousplan to help Gilvaethwy wtn
'thefairatJellovship
wept at theloss of of would not agree and threw the his loyal follower Gwythyr. The Gwan A resourcefulmaglcian,Gwydion
noblc tmights". ([-nncrLo,r
REscuEs
Gunrvmr rv child on to a fire. siege of the otherworld king's casde had tnclud hyde" into anhangpnghis
IVldrrHrnrtt.crNv s,c 1910.) proved to be long and difficult, so wineJor someilhsory honcs
GWYDION was rhe nephew of a strange compromise was agreed 0rrusrnrnourv fin Isz 1981)
and forced Guinevere to consent to MATH,lord of the Welsh hngdom by both sides Gwyn ap Nudd and
marry him during the hng's of Gwynedd. In order to help his Gr"nhyr agreed to meet in combat IRNAN (bela4/) was one oJthree sister
absenceabroad. The confronadon brother, Gilvaethwy, sleep with each May Day until the end of witches.Shespuna magpcwebto snare
between Arthur and Modred at the Gowein, the young woman who time; whoever was the winner on the Fenian waritors The wariors were
battle of Camlan brought to a was Math's footholder, Gwydion doomsday could have Griddylad. rescuedbyGoLwho slav two of thesistm,
bloody end the golden age of stirred up a quarrel beween Math but spared lrnan when shebeggedfor
Brirish chivahy, as hardly a knight and pnyprRr, which meanr that the HTIITWNS SCC SAGE5AND merE. Hmtato, lrnan instantly changed
wuls left alive. Arthur, mortally kingwent awaytowar. When Math SEERS intn a monstrr and Goll hilled hq.
wounded, was mken to AVALoN, rerumed and discovered the decep Rtto,1910)
0rrusrprnorvBySIEpHEN
while Guinevere became a nun at tion, he rumed his nephews into a IRl.lAI.l, in lrish mythology, was a
Amesbury, where she later died. It stag and a hind for one year, into a witch who once spun a magic web
is believed by some that herbody boar and a sow for the next, and to catch some members of the
was buried at Glastonbury, not far into a pair of wolves for the third. FIANNA,or Fenians, the bodyguard
from Arthur's tomb. (See also Later, Gwydion took charge of his of the High King of lreland When
CELNCROMANCE) sister ARIANRHOD's son LLEU. this plan failed, Irnan changed her-
self into a monster and challenged
GWfnN, according ro Welsh GwtoN BacH seeTAUESTN. any one of the Fenians to single
mytholory, w6 the son of the Irish combat. FINNMACCOOL,the leader
king MATHOLWCHand the Welsh GwyN AP NUDD, in welsh of the Fenians,stepped forward but
princess BRANWEN. A dispute mytholory, ws an otherworld hng wzrspersuadedthat itwould notbe
between the two royal families led who crossed swords with King heroic enough for a warrior of his
to Branwen becoming a cook, ART}IL/R.Gwyn aMucrcd Griddylad, stature to fight thag, even if she
which caused her brother, BRltN the daughter of Lludd Llaw Ereint, was in the form of a monster. So
THEBLESSED,to sail to lreland to on herwedding day. According to another Fenian, Goll, slew Iman
avenge the insult. Matholwch sug- one late myth, Lludd Llaw Ereint and as a reward Finn allowed him
gested a compromise to setde the was the son of the death god Beli to marry his daughter.

t37
CEI-TIC MyTHOLOGY

ISeUf.T, somerimes Isolde, was

an Irish princess, and the story of
her love for TRISTANwas extremely
popular in medieval times. The
Celtic myth of Tristan and Iseult
originated in Britmny and was
retold in almost every European
country. It becameattached ro the
Arthurian stories by the later
addition ofeRrnuR to the myth.
lseult, a beautiful woman with
wonderful golden hair, cured the
orphan Tristan of a wound in the
side; a lingering ailment similar to
the one afflicting the "Maimed
Ki.g" in the story of the Grail. On
Tristan's arrival in Cornwall, his
uncle King MARKwanted to name
the young man his successor,but
the nobles objected to this anange-
ment, so the king said that he
would mary/ only the girl to whom
belonged the golden hair a swallow
had just dropped Sir Tristan, rec-
ognizing the hair as belonging to
Iseult, suggested to his uncle that
he should go on his behalf to ask
for her hand.
Disguised as a Comish trader,
Sir Tristan arrived in lreland to find
the country tefiorr:ed by a dragon,
an enorrnous "crested serpent". shock then, on his recovery, that ISEULT and Tnstan unwtttingly dranh a
ISEULTOelow), an lishbeaury,was also Realizing that the best way to Sir Tristan asked for Iseult on love philtre which haghtened their already
andcuredtheComish
a glJtedhealer, advanceKing Mark's suit would be behalf of King Mark. When her a,talzenedpassion,forglng an unbrealubb
hnightTnstanoJalingmngwound While to slay this monster, Sir Tristan own father readily agreed to the and Jinally traglc bond Duncan's strongly
nursinghimto health,thqJellin lne, but sought out its lair and fought it. marriage as a means of restoring Celticportrayal capturesthe intanseand
theirblisswasshortlivedasTnstanwas Although he just managed to over- good relarions between lreland and eNo
undyngnature of thar love CtrusrrH

forcedto leavethelrish courtJor political come the dragon, its poisonous Comwall, lseult was deeply upset. lsoLDE ByJoHN DuNclN, uNvtts, 1912 )

reasons (ltLusrnertoru By EvELYlv Pettt, c I9A0 ) breath weakened him temporarily
and an imposter claimed to have
won the contest. lseult and her
mother, however, suspected trick-
ery and discovered the injured
young knight While they were
nursing Sir Trismn back to health,
Iseult nodced that his sword had a
piece missing exactly like the frag-
ment of metal found in the head of
MoRHoLT,the Irish champion. Sir
Tristan had monallywounded him
on the last occasion the Irish tried
to collect ribute from Comwall.
Iseult wanted to hll Sir Tristan
in revenge,but she found that her
heart would not let her wield the
sword against him. It came as a
But her mother gave Iseult's maid
BMNGAINEa love potion which, if
drunk on their wedding night,
would make the couple love each
other forever. All would have been
well had not Tristan accidentally
drunk the potion and gtven some
to Iseult on the joumey to King
Mark's court. Although Iseult did
marry the Cornish hng, on the
wedding night, under the cover of
darkness, Brangaine took her Place
in the royal bed so that he would
suspect nothing. For a time the
lovers managed to meet in secret,
bur, like the love of culrur'rcnE and
IANCEL?T, they were eventually
discovered. lt happened one day
that King Mark found them asleep
with Sir Tristan's sword between
them, but he decided not to slay
them there and then. Instead he
exchanged Sir Trismn's sword for
his own and left them sleeping.
Overcome by the mercy shown by
his uncle, Trisun persuaded Iseult
to retum to her husband and he
left forvoluntary exile in Brituny.
In Brittany Sir Trisun married
but without happiness. On several
occasions he rerumed to Comwall
in disguise and secretly met lseult
again, but war took up most of his
energies.A serious wound forced
Sir Trisan to send for Iseult. It was

r38

agreedthat lseult should indicate
her imminent arrival with a white
sail. Jealous of the reunion of the
lovers,SirTristan's Breton wife said
a ship with a black sail had been
sighted. Tristan lost the will to live
and threw himself on his sword
before Iseult could land and reach
his bedside. Iseult followed him
into death shonly afterwards.
Stories of elopements,
courtships and ill-fated lovers
were always popular with the
Celts, for whom this late story
of frustrated passion held great
appeal.(Seealso CELilC ROMANCE)
IfH was said to have dwelt in a
great towerin Spain, from which he
was able to see lreland and so
decided to go there. He landed
with ninery followers just after the
TIJATIaDE DANANwhad defeated
the FOMORIIat the second battle of
Magh Tuireadh. The Tuatha De
Danann suspectedIth of harbour-
ing invasion plans and so hlled
him. When his body was retumed
to Spain, his sons swore to conquer
the island. The leader of this
IUBDANbelow),oneof theWeeFoIh,
wasinclinedto bragoJhtsgreatness,
incitinghisbardto cathimdownto size
greater
by inststingthatJar menlived in
Ulster, raceof glantsToprwe
averitable
htsvalour,Iubdanventured of to thedun
ofthe"glant",Fergus Mackda
(luusrnenoru BYSTEPHEN
REID,I 9t 0 )
invasion of lreland, the iast to be
recorded in Irish mytholory, was
Ith's uncle Mil, or MILESIUS
IUgnnN was a ruler of tiny
people According to lrish myth-
ology, King Iubdan liked to boast a
lot; to put a stop to this annoying
habit his court poet told him that
Ulsrcrwas a land of gians. He even
made Kirg Iubdan and his wife,
Queen Bebo, travel there in secret
and try the porridge of the king of
Ulster, Fergus Mac Leda.
Unfortunately, Iubdan fell into the
porridge and, along with his wife,
was mken prisoner by Fergus No
ransom offer proved acceptableto
the king of Ulster, although the
tiny people offered him an abun-
dant crop of com. So theywent on
to the offensive: milk became
scarce,rivers and wells were made
foul and polluted, mills burned
and during the nights the hair of
JOSEPHor ARIMATHEA(above), the
manwhointerredChist'sbodyinhis
wwttomb,isbeliorcdtohavebrought the
AJterbuildinga
Grailto Glastonbury
churchJoritwhueGlnstonbury fubry
nowstands,heJoundeda Jamilyof Grail
Guardians(MANUscRrpr
ILLUsTMnoNc 1450)
men and women was entirely cut
off. After a year and a day of this
harassmentFergus Mac Leda even-
tually agreedto releaselubdan and
Bebo, but only on the condition
thar in return he was given the
hng's most valuable and treasured
possession,a pair of magic shoes.
Whoever wore these shoes was
able to travel across the surface
of water as if walking on dry land,
and when Fergus Mac Leda put
them on they grew to fit his feet
exactly Echoes of the dny people
in this lrish myth can be found
in Jonathan Swift's novel, Gulliver's
Travek.
CEI-TIC MYTHOLOGY
I(AI (abne), Arthur's steward,was a
hnight of legendarymight and prowess
Endowedwithunusualshills,he couldgo
for nine daysunderwaterand could grow as
tall as a forest tree at will He was very
gruf, thwartingboth Peredurand Culhwch
at thegate (Meruuscnrpr c 1450
IlLUsrMloN )
JosreH oF ARrMArHEAwas
a biblical figure who was included
in Arthunan mythology becauseof
the Grail story. Joseph allowed
Christ's body to be placed in his
own tomb. His own long life was
said to have been due to the Grail.
EitherJoseph, or his brother-in-law
Bron with his son Alan, brought
the Grail to Glastonbtry. Later, it
disappeared and i$ recovery was
the geatest quest for the lGrights of
the Round Table. Only GAIAHAD
was granted a complete vision of
the Grail It was handed to him by
Joseph of Arimathea, a "bishop
already dead for more than three
hundred years"; this "good man
took Our Lord's body berween his
hands, and offered it to Sir
Galahad, who received it with
humble joy"
I(AI, in welsh myrhology, was one
of the senior warriors of ARTHUR's
coun ln medieval romance, he
became the steward Sir lGy. In one
tradition, he is a Comishman and
Arthur's foster-brother. He was said
to have magical powers: he could
go nine days and nine nights with-
out sleep and breathe for nine days
and nine nighs under water
KNY SCCI(AI
r39
 CELTIC ROMANCE
HE LIVELyAND coMpELLINGcharacter of Celtic romance stems from the
heated rivalries and passionsof the lovers.Most, if not all, talesinvolve a
love trianglewith two men contestingone desirablewoman. Sometimesone
of the rivals is young and handsome,while the other is an oppressive
guardian, as in the tale of Naoise and Conchobhar; elsewhere,the two suitors are
simply rival admirers, one loved and the other despised,as in the caseof Pwyll and
Gwawl. This recurrent rivalry probably q'mbolizesa seasonalbattle betweena Lord of
Summer and a Lord of Winter for the Spring Maiden. Celtic love trianglescreate
tension, drama and colourful charactersof timelessappeal.The attractiveyoung
heroes,such as raven-hairedNaoise, or Diarmuid of the Love-Spot,are quite as
irresistibleas the ravishingCeltic beauties,Deirdreand Fand.While all the characters
are portrayedwith touching flaws, the heroinesemergeas sffong and independent
women, expressingwarmth and wisdom.

[-ANcEtor (above)and Guinevere'sabidinglovet'or
eachother woundedArthur, shoohhiscourt and
split the Fellowshipof Knights Yet both loversare
portrayed by Mallory as essentiallygood but traglc
characters EvenArthur realizedthat Guinwere had
beentrue to him inher way as a generousand
fatthful consort,and he was n6)er lessenedby thar Tnrsr,q.u(above)ond Iseult snatcha tensemoment togetherin their
love Here, the couplehissat thar first meeting clandestineromanceThq had gown obsessively
attachedto one
contnvedbyGalleotin an embroideredmedionl another after acctdentallydnnhing a lovephtltre intendedfor Iseultand
setting Althoughtheir lwe grew out oJ the courtly her betrothed,KingMarh of Cornwall Thedoomedlwersembarhedan
tradition,it wentJar bqond what the courtlycode a desperateand traglc romance,Jraught with guilt and unrequited
would have allowed (MaNuscnrpr
ILLUSTMTToNc I 400) longrngs(Tmsren ByAwTuRNBArr,
isoLDE
AND 1904)
cnrvns,
CTITIC MYTHOLOGY
IAEG, chaioteq oJ Cuchulainn, drave the
hero on allhis adventures, acted as scout
and comrade andfinalty casthimselfin
front of a sryar meantJorhismaster.War
chaios pbyed altq rob in Celticbattle,
wtth diwer andwcrnor acting cs a single
t9I6)
unit 04usrnrnoNByJ LEvENDEctcR,
IiNCELOT, mosthanikome and gJted
of Arthur's hnights, attractd both monal
anil immortal queens FourJairy queefls
hae hdnap the sbeping hnight and hold
himin thar castb,demandingthathe
chooseoneof than tobe hs mistress
(HowFounFArny FouttoLct{crlor
QUEENS
s,c 1900)
SurnNcBvWFCALDERoN,cANv
r42
I-q,nc was GuCHUIAINN'Schario-
[eer. The Celts were renowned in
the ancient world for their skill in
handling charios on the battlefield,
and l-aeg'sshllwas crucial to many
of Cuchulainn's victories. He was
also a grearfriend and companion
When FANDinvited Cuchulainn to
the Land of Promise, he sent Laeg
before him to suwey the place
During Cuchulainn's final and
monal combat, I-aegthrew himself
in front of a spear aimed at his
master Id, Laeg's brother, was
charioteer to coNALL Caemach
mistress. When he tumed them all Ir{NCELOT, after muchJasting and
I-qNCELOT was one of the geat- down, including Morgan LeFay, praying came dtlast to Carboneh,the
est and noblest knights in the the knight admitted his love for Grail Castle Bang tainted with sin,he
Arthunan tales. He was known as GUINEYEREAll of Sir Lancelot's could not enterbutwas granted avision
Lancelot of the Lake because the great adventures and exploits were Whenhesteppedtoo closehewasstruchby
indeed informed by ths secretlove fire andleJt dazedfor 24 days (r-cNcn-or
I-:.dy of the [-ake had plunged him
into a magic pool when he was a For a dme Queen Guineverewould REFUsED THE GneIL Bv E BuRNE-JoNrs, cetlts, 1870 )
child Sir Lancelot, described as not allow Sir Lancelot to come to
"the flower of knights", was very her, but they eventually became Honour seemedsausfiedand the
atracdve to women, not unlike the lovers. Sir Meliagaunt, however, reputation of Arthur's queen also
handsome lrish warrior DIAKMIIID was suspicious and confronted Sir appeared unblemished, but there
IJADUIBHNE.Once Ki.g ARTHUR's Lancelot in the presence of King were other ltrights of the Round
half-sister and enemy MORGANLE Arthur and Queen Guinevere. A Table who could not accept this
FAYcast a spell over the sleeping tournament was held to discover judgement byarms. So SirAgravain
kotght and shut him in a dungeon. the truth. "With such great force and Sir M?DREDled rwelve knighs
There she demanded that he must Sir Lancelot smote Sir Meliagaunt to Guinevere's chamber and
choose among four enchanresses on the helmet that the stroke surprised the lovers. Although Sir
who would be his "paramour", or carved the head into two parts." l^ancelotmanaged to make a fight-
ing exit and severaldays later saved
Queen Guineverefrom being bumt
to death, his acdons effectivelysplit
the Round Table and weakened the
sffength of King Arthur's realm
First, Anhur conducted an unsuc-
cessfulsiegeof Sir l-ancelot's castle
in Brittany. Then a second and
more deadlychallenge to the hng's
authoriry came from Sir Modred,
his nephew. In the subsequent
batde at Camlan, near Salisbury,
most of the Ituights of the Round
Table were slain. Ki.g Arthur was
mortally wounded and taken by a
magic boat to AYALON. Queen
Guinevere retneatedfrom the world
and became a nun at Amesbury,
where she died. Sir Lancelot and
Guinevere met only once more
before the knight renounced the
ways of war to lead the life of a
hermit. (Seealso CELilCROMANCE)

r t Flll Qigh}hail n fitrn intoan uflc
to a;apehismurilnouswlfe, Blodarcdd.
vwndcil and
Hc hidin tlrcfczla,t,
starnnguntil Gwydionlurdhimdmn
andratord himn healtluBlodadd
By
wasturnd intnan anl. otusrnefloN
44y I r.q1984)
LlR, or Llyr in Welsh, was the
father of T,IANANNAN lr{c uR, the
Manx seagod, magician and god of
healing. Althouglr Lirwas also a sea
god he is hardly mendoned in
mytholory, despite Sving his name
to nuilny places, including kicester
in England. Shakespeareprobably
had the Welsh LIyr in mind when
he wrote his tragedy Kngl-ear.
LLEU, named Lleu of the Skilful
Hand, in Welsh mytholorywas the
son ofARIAwRHoD.His motherlaid
a series of curses upon him, includ-
i.tg th" promise that he was to have
no name unless she gave him one,
no weapons unless she provided
them and no wife of the human
race. With the help of his uncle
GWYDION,who raised him, Lleu
overcame all these taboos, though
the wife conjured by Gurydion and
the magician lv0{TFIwas nearly his
undoing. For this woman,
BLODEIIEDD, fell in love with
IJR'Sfour lnely chrWrnwqe turnedinn
swansbykariulous stqmothq. For
9A0yun tlvy adureilcoWandhunga
in W waters,clnrminglXtenmwik tluir
poignantsong.Whatat Lastranrd a
humanfomt, thq waebentandbony.
(l-rn's Carlpnnt ByJorDrDuNcAN, ilNvtrs, I9I2)
another man and plotted Lleu's
death. When the guilry lovers
smrck him, Lleu rose into the airin
the shape of an eagle. After a long
search, Gwydion found him,
restored him to human form and
healed his wounds.
ITUO SCCNUDD
LUCH was the Irish name for the
Celtic sun god, who was known as
Lleu in Wales and as Lugos in
France. He was alwala described as
a young and handsome wanior.
Lugh was himself pan FOMORII,
since his grandfather was the lrish
one-eyed god neroR, the Fomorii
champion. The Fomorii were sea
gods who challenged the TUATFIA
DEDANANNfor control of lreland;
theywere sometimes described as
having only a single hand, foot or
eye. Lugh's mother was ETHUNN,
the only daughrcr of Balor. Because
a prophecy had said that Balor
would be hlled by his own grand-
son, he locked Ethlinn in a cryatal
tov/er on Tory Island, off the nonh-
westem cozlstof Ireland. But Cian,
son of the Tuatha De Danann heal-
rng god DIANIECHT, succeededin
reaching Ethlinn and she bore
Lugh as a result. Either the seagod
I&{NANNANlvt{C LIR or the smith
CTITIC
god GOTBHNIU,Cian's brother,
saved Lugh from Balor's wrath and
raised him to manhood.
Well before the final battle
between the Tuatha De Danann
and the Fomorii, Lugh's proweas tls
a warrior had been recognized. The
De Danann leader NUADAstepped
down in his favour, and at the
second battle of Magh Tuireadh
Lugh fulfilled the prophecy of
Balor's death when he killed him
with a sling-shot. Before delivering
this decisive blow Lugh had circled
the enemy host on one foot and gd oJartsandoafts,lwirwntedtlu
with one eye closed, a magic circuit popularboard gameof fdchell,inwhkhhe
that copied the single-leggednessof ucelled,. 0uusrn rnor.r ByE wu:-:cousrrvs, I 912 )
the Fomorii in general and one-
eyed Balor in particular. It would
seem that, like the Ulster hero
cUcHULAtNNand the berserkers of
Germanic mythology, the battle-
frenzy gnpped Lugh in such away
that one eye disappeared into his
head while the other expanded into
a hideous, paralprng stare. Balor's
own single eyelid had to be raised
by four servants, and Lugh sent his
shot smashing into the eye the
moment itwas opened. Balor's eYe
was forced back through his head,
with the result that its tenible gaze
fell upon the Fomorii ranks behind.
Thus Balor died and the Fomorii
scattered. Lugh became known as
MYTHOLOGY
Lamfhada ("of the Long Arm").
Quite possibly this great victory
represented the rise of youngergods
amongst the Tuatha De Danann
themselves, for the youthful Lugh
felled Balor with a more modem
weapon than DAGDA's ancient
club. Indeed, an altemative name
for Lugh was Samildanach ("the
many-shlled"). This ingenuiry may
account for Lugh's introduction as
the father of Cuchulainn in the
more historical sagas.The sun god
was believed to have fought along-
side his hard-pressed son during
Queen MEDBof Connacht's inva-
sion of Ulster. After Cuchulainn's
death his foster-brother coNALL
claimed to have received help from
Lugh when he chased Cuchulainn's
killers. On one occasion the sun god
appearedin a magic mist.
Lugh's final claim to fame is that
his name became part of the term
used to describe the fairy in lrish
folklore, because over time "Little
stooping Lugh', or Luchorpain,
tumed into the leprechaun, the
tiny guardian of hidden treasure
and the expert cobbler.
LllGH, theraplndent Celticsungod,
ledtheTwthaDeDatunnagainstthe
Fotnuiibn W hisgranilfathu,Mbr,
whomhesW with hismagtrc As
sling-shot
r43
CTITIC MyTHoLoGY
LUCUS was the name used in
Britain and France for a god very
similar to rhe Irish rucn and the
Welsh lmu His importance can be
judged from the old name for Lyon,
Lugdunum ("the fortressof Lug")
The Roman emperor Augusrus
made it the capital of the provinces
of Gaul, and ordered the inhabi-
tants to celebratethis choice each
August, the month in which the
feasrof rhe Celtic sun god Lugus
occurred. The god's name was
used for many other place names,
possibly even London: the Roman
Londinium may havederived from
Lugdunum
IMenON, son of the Welsh dMne
mother Modron, was said to have
been abducted when only three
nights old and imprisoned in
Gloucester However,since only he
was able to control the hound
which cuLHwcH needed to win the
hand of orwEnr, an expedition was
mounted to releaseMabon Once
free, he duly helped to capture rhe
wild boar rwRCH TRwYTHwith the
aid of the hound and to take from
between the boar's ears the razor
MACHAcursed theUktermen to suft'er
painof childbirth forfive days, at thetime
oJlJkter'sgreatest needThebittercurse
stemmed Jromhq ill-treatment by the
Uktermenwhen, though nearhqterm,she of eloquenceand the son of.ocue
wasJorced to raceonJoottoprweabet
0[usrpcflol ry SmpHrruPe:,r,1910)
that Olwen's father had demanded.
Apart from adventureslike this, the
actions of Mabon are uncertain,
suggesdngthat he may have been a
former god, possibly Maponos, a
Celtic god of youth, who was incor-
porated in Welsh mythology as a
warrior once his worship was all
but forgotten The Romansknew of
the
Maponos, whom they equated
with Apollo, the god of prophecy.
If4eC CnCnf was the trish god
After NUADAhad been hlled at the
second battle of Magh Tuireadh,
Mac Cecht and his brothers could
not decide whether to divide
Ireland berween them and so they
consulted a stranger named ItH.
Suspecting from his responsethat
he had designson conquenng the
island himself, they killed him,
thus provoking the invasion of the
sons of MILESIUS
MAC Dn THO was king of
Leinster at the time that MEDBwas
queen of Connacht. He owned a
fine hound and a huge boar, and
many of his neighbours coveted
these animals, including Medb and
CONCHOBHARMAC NE55A,king of
Ulster threatened to execute her
husband if she did not race, Macha
cursed all Ulstermen to suffer the
pain of childbinh for five days and
five nights whenever the kingdom
was in danger. Machawon the race
and gave birth to twins, which is
said to be the reasonfor calling the
fortress of the Ulster hngs Emain
Macha ("Macha's Twins").
MeflPUN, or Mael Duin, was
one of the geat lrish voyagers.The
late saga that describes his voyage
is a mixture of Christian and pre-
Christian ideas, in contrast ro the
fundamenully pre-Christian mph-
ical voyage of the earlier BRaN.
Maeldun's fatherwas a chieftain
of the Aran lslands who attacked
the Irish mainland, looted a church
and raped a nun. He was killed
shortly afterwards by raiders from
I|{ABON,or Maponos, wastheyouthful overseas,in all likelihood Vihngs.
Welshlovegod A SrJtdmt$iirrrn,hewas The nun gavebinh to Maeldun and
alsoequated.wrththeclassical
godApollo the child was fostered by the local
AlthoughJorgottanasa god,Maponos ruler's wife, who was the sister of
survwed inWekhmythasMabon,a the unfortunate nun. It was only
shilbdhuntqamongAnhur'schampions when children taunted Maeldun
(IuusrnenoxsyMl&qr.,oe 1994
Gnev, ) that he was not reallywell bom that
his foster-mothertook him to see
Ulster. Mac Da Tho promised both his true mother and his parentage
these rulers that they could have was revealed.He then set out with
the hound, and slaughtered the three of his foster-brothersto find
boar to provide a feast, to which he his father, only to leam that he had
invited them Fighting broke out been murdered
between the Ulster king and the Determined to avenge his
men of Connacht. but the latter father's death, Maeldun was
soon retreated When the hound, advisedbya druid as to which were
over which rhey had been quar- the favourable days for him to
relling, ran after the king's chariot build, launch and sail a three-
his charioteer cut off its head skinned coracle Then, sdll accom-
panied by his foster-brothers and
MnCHe was one of the Irish war also a crew of seventeenwarriors,
goddesses, often identified with he sailed on his long and strange
BADB,MORRIGANANdruTUNIN ShC voyage of revenge
first mamed Nemed, a Scythian The first island Maeldun came
ru1er who defeated the FOMORII, to was inhabited by murderers, but
the sea gods who slew her second apparently not the killers of his
husband NUADAand herselfat the father. Next they landed upon an
second battle of Magh Tuireadh. A isle of enorrnous an$; as large as
later Macha laid a curse on Ulster horses, the ants almost devoured
after her boastful husband said the crew and the boat. l-argebirds
that, though heavy with child, she living on another island were found
could outrun all the king's horses to pose no threat, however They
and chariots When the king of even provided the voyagers with

IA{EIDUN, onhs qk voyagt,stoppcn
tlrcblah slandof tlv mill (abarc)tylwe
liveda glaot"ymilla grtmlygnnding
mounds of cant.Heobwvcdilouriytlut
tlv am synrblizd atlttwt nnbegrydgd
eachothcr.Thevoyagm,aghast, *ild
6tttty.fiutsntnoNSYALANlrq 198{
) colour of their wool apparenrly ar
meat. Two subsequent islands of
monsrous, gigantic honsesproved
to be even more dangerous, so it
was with some relief thar Maeldun
and his companions landed on the
Island of the House of rhe Salmon.
There theydiscovered an uninhabi.
ted house with food and drink, as
well as comfonable beds, awairing
them. A regular supply of fresh
salmon was provided by a device
that periodically threw fish into rhe
house from the sea. Similar lunrry
was encountered on the next isle,
which was covered with orchards
of delicious apples.
Danger w.ts soon encountered
again, however, on islands that
werc populated by rwohing beasrs,
fighting horses, a mpterious car
and fierysvine. The ground on one
Crlrrc MyrHoLocY
on top of a pedestal; the offer of
etemal youth on one island which
was inhabited by a queen and her
daughters; intoxicating fruits; con-
tagious laughter; rwolving fire; and
a hermit who lived on salmon that
was given by * otter and half a loaf
provided each day by angels.
Evenrually, Maeldun caught up
with his farher's killers, bur they
pleaded for mercy and a peace was
agreed.Thus ended thevoyage that
was said to contain "the sum of the
wisdom of lreland". (See also
FABULOUS VOYAGES)
MAEVE see MEDB.
IdAEI^DUNOeloul)andhrssailon
foundawondroussilvr columnrising
straightfrom thesea.lts summit,lostin
tlres}1.,wailrapeilwrtha silvqnet,
flungJarouttosea.Astheywiled
thrugh themah, Aurnan hached of a
pieceu proofoJke tale.(tuusrntnoN By
D,tpur,r ME{ER"1991)
by of them was hot like a volcano.
Among other strange creanrres and
encounters on the voyage were
gigantic swine and calves so huge
that they could not be cooked
whole; sheep rhat changed the
will; a sombre miller who ground
everything that was begrudged in
the world; a population of moum-
ers; an island divided inro four
hngdoms by fences made of gold,
silver, brass and crysral; a casde
with a glass bridge where there
lived a beautiful girl who rejecred
Maeldun's advances;crylng birds;
a solitary pilgrim on a tiny island
that was enlarged every year by
divine providence; a wonderful
founrain that gushed milk, beer
and wine; glant smiths; a sea of
glass; a sea of clouds in which
casdes,fores6, animals and a fear-
some monster suddenly appeared;
an underwaterisland of prophecy;
an amazing water-arch; a gigandc
silver column and net, from which
the voyagerscut offa small piece as
a souvenir; an inaccessible island
L15
CTITIC MYTHOLOGY
MANANNAN Mec LlR, ro.t
of the lrish sea god ttR, took his
name from the lsie of Man, which
is situated in the Insh Sea about
halfway berween Ireland and
Bntain Manannan was a seagod,
magician and healer, and the ruler
of the Land of Promise, where he
lived in Emhain ("of the Apple
Trees") His home was imagrned to
be sited off the western coast of
Ireland, somewhere in the Atlantic
Ocean His wife was the renowned
beaury FAND,who fell in love with
the Ulster hero CUCHULAINN but
finally chose to stay with her sea
god husband. Manannan therefore
shook a magic cloak benveen Fand
and Cuchulainn in order to make
sure they would never meet again
Manannan Mac Lir was a noble
and handsome warrior, who drove
a chariot as easily over the waves as
over a plain and was said to have a
ship that sailed itself. He had both
divrne and mortal children, and
one of his mortal sons, MONGAN,
was conceived by way of a deceP-
tion similar to the ruse used for
ARTHUR's conception Manannan
slept with an Ulster queen when
disguisedas her husband. Mongan
did, however, inherit supematural
gifs, including the abiliry to shape-
change,and he went on to become
a greatking and mighry warrior
thel'ish seagod,
MANANNAN,@elou,),
rodethewaves boat
in a self-propelled
called"WaveSweeper"'4sa seagod,
Manannan couWstirup or soothethesea,
andhelporhindershipsHeoftenappeared
suchasBran,at theoutvt oJ
tovoyagers,
thar tnp 0uustn rtotr BYMIMNDA Gru''t, 1991)
MANAWYDAN (abwe) tiedto grwv
wheat aJtu a my stanousblight had
devastatedhtsland Onefield was npe for
hawestwhanwernight itwu stipped to
the stalluby mice In dupair,he planned to
hangone of the mice, until drssuadedbya
strangcr.0[usrnenoru Lez,1984
BYAIAN ) Fum,c 1900)
IUARK belw) watchessadly ashrswtJe,
Isath, hneek beforea drawn sttord, beside
herselJwrthgneJ atTnstan's death Marh,
whowa oJtenponrayd a a muctfulman,
gatheredherup andborehr off to a touter
where shewasrestoredtohealth.
BYRussELr
ouusrnnnoN
MmtnWYOeN, sonof Llyr,was
rheWelshequivalentof the Irish
sea god MANANNAN,though his
Iinla with the seawere far lesswell
defined The brother of nRerurin
BLES5ED and nnaxwnN, he married
RHIANNON on the death of her hus-
band PvwLL. One day he and
Rhiannon, along with Rhiannon's
son PRlDrru and his wife Cigfa,
were enveloped in a magical mist
When it cleared, their palace was
deserted and the land around it
desolate, so they travelled to
England, where Manawydan and
Pryderi made a lMng as leather-
workers. So successfulwere theY
that the local craftsmen forced
them to leave. On their return to
Wales, both Pryderi and Rhiannon
disappearedby magrc, Ieaving Cigfa
and Manawydan alone. He then
ried to support them by growing a
crop of wheat, but his fields were
stripped by mice He caught one of
the mice and would have hanged
it, but a passing stranger offered
him whatever he wanted in return
for the mouse's life. Manawydan
asked for the retum of Rhiannon
and Pryderi. The stranger agreed
and revealedhimself to be Llwyd, a
magician and friend of Gwawl, the
suitorwhom Rhiannon had refused
in order to marry Pwyll (Seealso
MAGICANDENCFIANTMENT)
IvIePoNoS seeMABoN
MenI( was the king of Comwall
in rhe Breton myth of mtstaN and
ISEULT.He was the guardian of his
orphaned nephew Tristan and the
husband of Iseult, an Irish princess.
Although jealous of Tristan and
lseult, he was not endrely unsym-
pathetic, and even when he came
upon the lovers sleeping together
with Trisun's sword between them
he did not kill them. He o<changed
the sword for his own and left with-
out waking them. Shamed by this
act o[ mercy, the lovers knew that
they must part. Tristan solemnly
retumed lseult to his uncle and
went into exile in BritunY.

MAIH was rhe brother of rhe
Welsh mother goddessDoN and a
great magician At the time that
PRYDERI ruled over Dyfed in the
southem part of Wales, Math was
the lord of Gwynedd in the north.
Except during war, Math could
only live if his feet were held in the
lap of a virgin. When Gilvaethwy,
one of his nephews, fell in love
with the young woman who held
Math's feet in her lap, his brother,
GWYDION, tncked Math into going
to war wrth Pryderi so that the girl
might be left behind On discover-
ing that he had been deceived,
however, the furious Math turned
his nephews into animals
IM,qrHoLwCH, in welsh myrh-
ology, was the lrish kingmarried to
BMNWEN, the sister of nRarutle
BLESSED and half-sisterof rnvlsrEN.
Efnisien, becausehe claimed that
he had not been consulted over
Branwen's wedding, "cut off the
lips of Matholwch's horsesat their
tecth, their earsto their heads,and
their tails ro their bodies" Later.
when Bran took his army to Ireland
to avenge the insult of Branwen
being made a cook, Efnisien tossed
Matholwch's three-year-old son
GwERNinto a fire In the battle that
followed, nearly all the Brirons were
hlled and all of the Irish except for
five pregnant women.
CIITIC MyTHoLoGY
MATHOLWCH'SAqDconvoy uJships MEDB (abwe),themagnifcantbut
glides
up to theraggedWelsh
shorein the malanlentqueen wasa
of Connarht,
preludeto a doomedmarnagebetwean warnorwhoJoughtasfiucelyasMorigan
himself
andBranwen, thebeautifuI
sistr dJ A wiWandwiful woman,sheprecipitated
BrantheBlessed Theshipshadarignsof andpapetuatedthebloody war withUkter
brocaded silhandanuptilted,
shieWasa in whichCuchulainnandothq hqoeslost
signofpeace0uusrnenor.r
ByArNt-ze,1984) thar lwa 0uusrnenoru ByJLEyENDEctcR
, 1916
)
IMruCN SCCFABULOI) S VOYAGES while she was bathing in a pool
Forbai had discovered that Queen
MEDB, also known as Maeve,was Medb was in the habit of regularly
the wamor-queen of Connacht taking her bath in a Galway pool
According to lrish mythology, no He very carefully measured the
king could reign in Connachr exact distance between the spot
unless he was married to Medb, where she bathed and the shore,
who was believed to hold the hng- then he returned to the Ulster
dom's sovereignryin her person. ft stronghold of Emain Macha and
was also said that she "never was practised with a sling-shot until he
wrthout one man in the shadow of was able to knock an apple from
another". Medb's most famous the top of a pole over the same
action was the invasion of Ulster, distance Satisfied ar last rhat his
when her forcescaptured rhe geat aim was perfect, he stealthily made
brown bull of Cuailgne and killed his way back to the pool and hir
the Ulster hero CUCHULAINNShe Queen Medb in the centre of her
was herselfslain by Forbai, rhe son forehead using his sling-shot Thus
of King CONCHOBHARMAC NESSA, was Ulster revenged.
t+7
 SINGLE COMBAT
N wAR,THEANCIENTCElrs relied on heroic single combat, rarher than all-out
warfare,as a meansof settling disputes.Shortagegf manpowerforbademultiple
pitched battles.Instead, chosenchampions,such as Cuchulainn or Morholt,
duelled to the death. Even in a large-scaleepic war, like the campaign of
Cuailgne, the Ulster champion fought in single combat every day with a different
warrior. In the Arthurian legends,single combat continued in the form of Ltghtly
jousts. While the Celtic heroes wore scant arrnour, Arthur's
mounted knights encased themselvesin glittering iron. In
addition to the basic weapons of spear, sword, sling and
shield, the hero of legend had recourse to magical skills
and a range of enchanted weaponS, such as Arthur's
Excalibur or Fergus Mac Roth's Caladcholg, the
originalExcalibur.
Cucnu-uttN Aeft), the Insh champion,
njoys a short rupite betweenbattles
fuhausted by continual combat, he suf ued

from chroniclach of sleep, snatchingcat-naps

beween dueb Once, hisfather Lugh, pitying
him, castthe hero into a magpcalsleepJor three
daysand nights,dunngwhichhehealedallhs
wounds When Cuchulainn deJaded Wtr
abne against theforces of Medb, he confronted
chosenchampionsoneby one Betweenduels,
the restlesshqo harassed the army with his
sling {trrusrnrnoNByYvoNN
r Gr:flenr,
1991
)

Crrrrc Clernv (ngh) ide their

battlehorsesto war, armedwith
spearsand crestedhelmetsThar
comradesonJoot wear breeches
and caps,andbear spearsand,
long bossed shields,while
trumpetersbnngup the rear. The
Celtswereheavilyreliant on thar
long shields,which were usually
made oJwood and sometimes
cwered with decorativebronze
worh Other sharp-rimmed shields
could ako be used as missile
weApOnS(GulotsrnupC,culDnot'r,
GTLDED
srLVER,
c 100BC)
 CTITIC MyTHoLoGY

lntrnI dn drdn.Eng,ln rnsull trr (,urnt'r't'rc's

hanclmattlen, macle h thc irnrght -s,/rror/

G o a c l e t lr r n h , t h c r r s e , o n d . s h o t h i h u m f r t r r r s

fought trrcles.slr,u;ttrl Gtutnt'-s rLlgc gcrvc hrrn

t h e d g e u n c l h e ( ) r c r ( ( i m e, b u t s p a r c L l t h t

hntght ilri 'rRliii)\3)4i 1\ Iri 1984

O w ' : r t l ' S ( h c l o u ' ) l t i t r J n c s s[ t r i ] i l r r n t r l l t r i hrnr

tt lathlul /rrcnr,irrho prorcr-l to bt u rtrftt.lrl

cornrcdc-rn urlrs In thts unequal rnatth, tht

( ) w , u r n ' sh o n l c a p t t , ,
lldnl ilLisll'ilrntng untrl
()rrlrn s cir'ft'rrr
c \\'hcn rhc ,qrtrntconrp/rrrn,'.:/

t h a t h c r o u l d i r t t n d l t ' ( h r r r r r r r , c l l, ' n t , u , g hi / r r

rr'crr' n()r ftrr hrs lton. Ltrr'urn prr-shcdhrs pct hrri la

l n t i r t l ' r ( f' ( r r 1 r a \ s h
, rrt rhc rnt'prrssrhl, rrc(iIr{r(
/t1l;.'1,,1,'1 thc forlress rrttlls anc/ rrt.:trrlt'Jthc

{ c i l r t t r r t l C c l t h l , r i \ r k 1 i i ,, . .i r i \ , \ \ l r , l , ) t ' +
CTITIC MyTHOLOGY
MfnltN, somerimesMyrddin,
was the famous wizardof Arthunan
mythology So powerful was his
magic that one medieval tradition
credits him with the magical con-
struction of Stonehenge,the out-
standing British monument rhat
has survived from ancient times
Another of his worl<swas supposed
to be KingARTHUR's famous Round
Table, alate copy of which can still
be seenat Winchester today
Merlin's birth was the subject of
a strange story Apparently, the
Bntons were toid that a great
fortressthey had built on Salisbury
plain, possibly near Stonehenge,
would never be safe until the
ground rhere had been soaked by
the blood of a child who had no
MERLINbelow), for allhiswisdom, was
bewitchedby thehdy oJthel-a,ke who
turnedhislove toherownendsShesapped powers inherited from his demon
htspowerandplunderedhis storeofsecret father Somehow the boy did not
hnowledge, and when done, she bound him
in stone by his own spells {trlrmrN ANDNIMUE the fortressbecauseit is likely that
BYE BURNE-/ONE5, c 1870)
cANVAs,
t50
mortal father Such a half-human
sacrifice seemed impossible to
achieve,until it was leamed that a
beautiful girl was with child by a
demon The child tumed out to be
Merlin, who, though baptized as a
Christian, still possessedfabulous
need to be sacnficedfor the sakeof
Merlin was able to deal with the
MERLIN QeJ), sageJrom anotlier world,
was an inspiredseerand mysticmage,a
wise counsellorandJaithJulfnend to three
ablehings This powerJulportrayal captures
the mysticaland visionarynature of Celtic
bards,rootedin a deepffinity with nature
(Mgnrru BY Ar,aN LEE, CANvAs, 1984 )
MIDIR (nght), one oJthe Tuatha De
Danann, appearedat the palaceoJTara to
carry off Etain, the Ulsterwoman he loved,
long sincelost to him by enchantmentThe
pair dnfted upwardsand disappeared
througha palacewindow,andJlewto an
otherworld (Ir-rusrnarroN Rrir, 1910
BySrEpHEN )
problem by means of magic Two
dragonswere, in fact, responsible
for the problem
This mixture of pre-Chnstian
and Christian ideas sits strangely
with Merlin's later assistanceto
Ki.g Arthur, whose father UTHER
PENDMGONwas said to have suc-
cessfullyinvaded Bntain about this
time Merlin sided with Uther and
employed his powers to enablehim
to sleep with lgraine, the wife of a
Cornish nobleman, by disguising
him as her husband Due to this
deception Arthur was conceived
Once he ascendedthe throne, King
Arthur had Merlin as his trusted
advisor and often used the wizard
as a messengerbecause, as wrth
many of the Celtic gods and god-
desses,he could assumeany shape
he pleased
There are various accounts of
Meriin's death One tells how the
wtzard forgot about the seat at the
Round Table thar only GAIAHAD
could use, being the only knight
wonhy enough to see the GRAIL
Merlin sat down and was at once
swallowed up by the earth, like
other sinful men who had tried it
before him Another story blames
the wrzard's death on his passion
for women. Either Viviane, possibly
the Lady of the l-ake, or Nimue, the
daughter of a Sicilian siren, impris-
oned him in an enchanted wood
after Merlin had explained all about
the secrets of his own magic As
Merlin told Sir GAWAIN.who once
passedby: "l am also the greatest
fool I love another more than I love
myself, and I taught my beloved
how to bind me to herself, and
now no one can set me free." (See
also SAGES MAGICAND
AND5EER5:
ENCHANTMENT)
MIDIR, in Insh mythology, was
rhe proud son of DAGDA,father of
the gods Unlike his father, who is
usua\ ponrayed asa rough, coarse
figure, Midir alwaysappeared as a
splendidly dressed young man
Midir's first wife was Fuamnach,
the daughter of Beothach She
becamefurious with jealousywhen
Midir mamed a secondwife, ETAIN,
from Ulster With a druid's aid,
Fuamnach tumed Emin first into a
pool, then into a worrn and finally
into a fly in order to keep her away
from Midir fu a fly Etain was swal-
lowed by the wife of Etar, an Ulster
warrior, and reborn as the wife of
the High King of lreland Although
Midir recoveredEtain, he had to
accept in the end that she was the
High King's consort and leaveher
alone Midir also had some diffi-
culty in acceptinghis father's suc-
cessorsas leadersof the TUATIIADE
DANANN The conflict that he
started seems to have had a dan-
gerouslyweakening effect on this
generationof godsjust before the
invasion of the Milesians,who then
went on to defeatthe gods.
MILE5IU5
MTT- OR MILE SCC
 CeITIC MYTHOLOGY

MONCnN was the son of rhe

Manx seagod MANANNAN MACLIR.
According to Irish mythology, his
conception had been made poss-
ible by the use of a deception akin
to the one used by MERLINso that
UTHERcould sleepwith Igaine and
so conceive ARTHURManannan
Mac Lir had assumedthe shape of
an Ulster king in order to sleep
with his beautiful queen. When
Mongan was three days old, his
father took him to one of his other-
world realms, the [-and of Promise,
where the boy remained until he
had grown to manhood. It is
MILESIUSsails Jorlrelandtoavenge the claimed by some traditions that MORGAN LE FAYS (below)paradoncal MODRED (above), Arthur' s treacherous
deathoJhisnephew, Ith,whowasslainby Mongan then retumed to lreland nature is relectedin her dual roleas both nephew,abusedhisroleof regentand
theTuathaDe Danann, rulersoJIreland reincamatedas FINMACCOOL, the healerand dorh maglcian,asArthur's usurpedthe throne,t'orcingArthur to quash
Although Milesiusdid notreachshore famousleaderof the FIANNA, but in thom in liJe,yet also his guardian in death the rebelJorces Bothpmshed in theJrnal
himself,hisfamilysucceeded,deJeating the other accountshe retainedhis own Althougheducatedat a conyent,she battle that endedthe war and so cameto an
DeDanannwhoretreated intoan invisible identity The storiesabout Mongan managedto emergeas a glftedmagcian end theArthuian golden4gc (ARTHUR
AND
otherworld(luusrnenorusySEpHriv
Rrro,19.10
) describe how he used his shape- (MoncnN LE FAy ByA SANDys, wooo,1864) MODRED gy W Hetutmtl, CANVA5, c 1910 )

changing abiliry to get his own way,

MtlfStUS. somerimes Mil or and mention in particular the
Mile, was the name given to a recovery of his wife Dubh Lacha
Spanish soldier whose sons were He had inherited the divine abiliry
said to have organized the final of metamorphosisfrom his father
invasion of Ireland The murder
there of their kinsman ITH caused MOnCnN LE FnY was King
the Milesians to take revenge by ARTHUR'shaif-sisterand in some
conquering the island This rhey versionsof the story she is said to
achieved by defeating the TLTATHA have been the mistress of Sir
DE DANANN,"the people of the Accolon of Gaul. Throughout all
goddessDana", the exisdngrulers. the British myths that tell of
Following the final decisivebattle Arthur's incredible reign Morgan
bet'ween the two forces,which the Le Fay is always depicted as the
Milesians won, the Tuatha De king's implacable enemy, often
Danann retired to an otherworld plotting his downfall According to
beneath the soil of Ireland one story she is supposed to have
stolen the magic sword Excalibur
MOOnfD was the treacherous and sent it to Accolon. who then
nephew of King ARTHURWhile he challengedArthur to single com-
was away waging war in Brirtany, bat. When Accolon dropped the
Arthur had appointed Modred his sword Arthur recognzed it and the
regent, but his schemingnephew other lcright admitted his guilt and
tried instead to uke the rhrone and surrendered However, after the
force GUINEVERE to marry him. On bloody battle against Arthur's
the king's return, a terrible battle rebellious nephew Sir MoDRED,
was fought nearSalisburyandmosr Morgan le Faywas one of the three
of the Iftrighs of the Round Table women who took the grievously
were killed, including Modred. wounded king in a black boar to
Arthur, who had been mortally AyALONThe other two were "the
wounded during the battle, was Queen of Northgales and the
then mken ro AVALoNin a black Queen of Wastelands" (Seealso
boat by three mysterious women SAGESAND 5EER5;SINGLECOMBAT)

r5r
CTITIC MYTHOLOGY

MOnHOm was the gigandc of war deities who sometimes

brother of the king of lreland, to appeared as beautiful young
whom King Mark and Cornwall women and sometimes as crows,
were expected to pay an annual screeching over the batdefield.
tribute. Mark's nephew TRISTAN Nemain was said to have been the
was determined to put an end to wife of NUADA. the leader of the
this practice. He therefore sailed to TUATHADE DANANN.
Ireland and succeeded in hlling
Morholt, but not before he had NfnACUtN, an Irish bird god,
been wounded by the giant's great fell in love with Mess Buachalla, the
poisoned sword. Before he died, berothed of Eterscel,High Kingof
Morholt told Tristan that only his MORHOLT,theInshchampion, conJrontslreland. On the eve of the wedding, NElt{IN, oneoJthedrmdfulgoddesses of
sistEr ISEULTwould be able to cure Tistan, theCornishnmcomer,in a duel Nemglan came to her in a bird shn war,appeared sometimesasawashrat
his poisoned wound. ovq InshtaxesDespiteMorholt'sgreater and seduced her, and this was how theford,presaglngdoom hrsLrst
BeJore
pmlerand shill,theyoungTistanfought she conceived corualRnMoR The combat,Cuchulainn sawa washerwerping
MOnTGAN, somedmesknown lilu amightylionanddealttheolderhmght child was passed off as High King andwailingwshennsed aheapofbbody
as Monigu, w6 an Irish goddess of a mortnlblowto htshelm,lodgnga piece Eterscel'sson, but Mess Buachalla raimentfulongngto thegreathero
death on the batdefield who helped oJword inhisbrain 0uusrncnoN avErnrw was careful to wam the boy that he BvSTEPHEN
0rrusrprnoru Rno,1910
)
the TUATHADE DANANNat both Ptw c 1%)0.) must never, whatever the circum-
batdes of Magh Tuireadh. She was smncesmrght be, hll a bird. When iot down this very road when a
associated with the other war NnOmn was rhe eldest son of Conaire Mor was a young man, flock of birds with beautiful
deities MACHA.BADBand rurunlru. Usna and his wife Elbha, daughter Etersceldied and the question of plumage descended upon him.
Her favourite form was the crow, of. cetuneP. When DEIRDREper- the successionwas raised in Tara, Forgemng his mother's instnrcdon
and as such she settled in triumph suaded him to run away with her the lrish capital. Unknown to never to harm any bird, he loaded
on the shoulder of the Ulster hero so that she could avoid maniage to Conaire, there was a prophecy to his sling, at which point the birds
CUCHUIAINNwhen he was finally the Ulster hng COwCHOBHARMACthe effect that Eterscel'ssuccessor immediately tumed into armed
killed in the war against Queen NEssA,Naoise and his two brothers would be a naked man walking warriors. The leader of these
MEDB'sforces.Cuchulainn had not fled with her to Alba. Conchobhar along the road to Tara with a sling incredible warriors, however,
onlyrefused Monigan's love, but in sent FERGUSMAC ROTHto bring in his hand. It happened one day introduced himself to Conaire as
anger he had even wounded her. them all home. Suspicious of that Conaire was driving his char- his real father Nemglan. To make
For such a deed his fate was sealed. Conchobhar, but trusting Fergus' up for his misconduct towards the
promise that no harm would come NAOISEelopes with thegreatIrch beauty, birds, Conaire was told to undress
MORRIGAN,theterible goddess of war, to them, Naoise agreed. In the Dardre fhry fled acrosstheseato and retum home to Tara on foot,
appeared sometimes asawarnorin a event, Conchobhar had Naoise Scotlnnd, pursuedby FqgusMacRothBy carrying only his sling. He thus
futtb, sidingwith herJavourites
Most killed, and so enraged was Fergus LochNess,thq foundrefuge andhunted became the next High King of
oftenshesmrednethead(Ea ravenor Mac Roth that he joined the forces deqanil salmon, lrrng in pastoral
blss Ireland.
crw, shnehing andJlappingher winSsto of Conchobhar's great enemy, untilthq wqe lurd bachto a deadlytrap
scarethehost,or to signtfiimminantdeath, Queen MEDBof Connacht. in lrelandbyan unsuspectingFrgus Mac NESSA, in lrish mythology, was
as hqe (lLnrsrulrn ay Srrprer Ren, 1910) Roth. 0uusrnrfloNANoN) the mother of CONCHOBHARMAC
NeCHfeN was an trish warer NEssA,the Ulster ruler during the
god and, according to some ver- Iifetime of the hero CUCHUL{INN.
sions, the husband of BoANN On Nessa'shusband was King Fachma
Nechtan's hill there was a holywell of Ulster and when the king died
that was the source of all knowl- his half-brother, FERGU
S NIACROTH,
edge, to which only Nechtan and succeeded to the throne and pro-
his three cup-bearers had access. posed marriage to Nessa.
When Boann found herway to the However, she would agee to the
well, the waters rose from the match only on the condidon that
ground and chased afrer her, her son should be allowed to rule
becoming the River Boyne. Ulster for one year. Fergus Mac
Roth was so in love with her that
NguetN (whose name means he readily agreed,but at the end of
"dreadful" or "venomous"), in Irish the year the people of Ulster
mythology, was a goddess of war. refused to let Conchobhar step
Along with nenp, MORRIGAN and down from the throne, so excellent
MACIuA,she formed one of a goup was his rule.

r52
 CTITIC MYTHOLOGY

NUnnn, also known as Nuada

Airgedamh ("Nuada of the Silver
Hand"), because of a temporury
replacementfor a hand he lost at
the lirst battle of Magh Tuireadh,
was an important Irish god and
Ieader of the TI]ATHADEDANANN
He was mamed to NEMAIN.The De
Danann were a younger generation
of gods than the FOMORII,the sea
gods who were soon to challenge
them at the second batde of Magh
NEMGITIN,abirdgodJrom another- Tuireadh. For a while berween the
world,cameto Mess Buachallabeiorehu nvo battles,Nuada appointed nnrs
weddingtotheHighKing., sheJlavin,his as leaderbecauseof the loss of his
plumage to reveal
moulted abeauttful hand. The silver replacementwas
youthLilu kla andDanaebeforeher, she made by DIANCECHT.But Nuada
lwedthegodandborehima son,Conaire was dissatisfiedwith it and umed
Mor.(IuusrntnoN
BvNrcKBEil-E,
1995) to Dian Cechr's son Miach. who
made him a new hand of flesh and
NHUH was rhe wife of coNALL blood Dian Cecht slew Miach out
Caemach.Whrle CUCHTIIAINN was of jealousy. Nuada's restoration as
recoveringfrom wounds sustained Ieadercausedthe second battle of
during the war against the men of Magh Tuireadh, because the half-
Connacht, Niamh nursed him and Fomorii Bres complained to his
becamehis mistress She then ried hnsmen about his treatment.
to prevent him retuming to battle At the second battle the lethal
But the witch BADB,one of the eye of BALoRkilled both Nuada
daughters of.ceumtN, cast a spell and Nemain before the sun god
on Niamh so that she wandered LIJGHdestroyeditwith a sling-shot
away into the counrryside Badb Their victory saved the Tuatha De
then assumed the form of Niamh Danann, but later they in tum were
and told Cuchulainn that he must defearedby the sons of MILESIUS
retum to the war and fight. That Nuada was the great De
Danann leader, there is no doubt.
Nnu oF Tnr GolnnN He is described as sitting on his
Hetn was a daughter of the sea throne "with a white light about
god uerueNNANMACLIR.She fell in him as it had been a fleeceof silver,
Iove wrth the poet oISlNand they and round his head a wheel of light
Iived happily together in the L-and pulsed and beat with changing
of Promise,which was one of the colours". Nuada is cognate with
otherworld realms. Niam bore the rhe Welsh NUDD
poet a daughter, Plur nam Ban
("Flower of Woman") NUDD, known as Llud to the
Bridsh, is the Welsh equivalent of
NOPENS was a British god of NUADA.He also had a silver hand,
healing, whose magrc hounds were and in one tale was lanown as Llud
also believed to be able to cure the Llawereint (" silver-handed")
sick. Nodens wursworshipped dur-
ing the Roman occupation; the NUDD,or IJud,ruledBitain at a time
nrins of a great temple have been whatitwasplnguedby a strange
MayEve
found on the banks of the River thattwosubtenanean
scrarmIt transpired
Sevem. ln lreland, he became dragowcauselthescream duingan
NUADAof the Silver Hand and in annunlbattb.Thq wqesoothedby sinhing
Wales NUDD of the Silver Hand, meadinba pitdugthrou$tthecantreoJ
also known as Llud to the Britons. the earth 0uusrnrnor ByAuN l;.z, 1981)

r53
CTITIC MyrHoLoGY

OGMA *as the Irish god of OGMA,godoJeloquence, inventedthe

eloquence and the inventor of Ogham scipt, consisting
oJverticallines
Ogham, the earliestsystem of wrir- crossing
a lateralbaseline
Ogham
ing used in lreland. Ogham is messageswerecarved onstoneand
made up of a series of vertical or inscibedonbarhsandwands oJhazelor
sloping lines inscribed on a base aspenOvr 400ancientmessages have
line The sagastell of vast libraries suw|ed(Irrusrnerroru
ByNrcKBMLE,1995 )
of Ogham writing, though only
inscriptions in stone carvings have explained how a spell had been
suryived, and the sagasthemselves placedupon her, but that she had
were later recorded by monks using leamed that if Finn MacCool came
the Roman alphaber to love her. then all the enchant-
Ogma was a son of DAGDA,who men$ would ceaseto have power
was a god described as rhe "Lord of and she could resumeher normal
I(nowledge" Besideshaving a truly shape So it came to passthat Sadb
remarkable skill as a poet, Ogma iived with Finn MacCool as his
was a fighter like other Irish gods misress, and for months neither of
and also, like the the Greek god them stirred from their dwelling
Hermes or the Roman Mercury, he Then news amved of invaders in
was responsiblefor conveying souls ships off Dublin, most likely a
to the otherworld Whereas for the Viking raid, and the Fenians were
Greek and Roman messengergods called to arrns For only one week
this was a sad dury, nor least Finn MacCool was absentdealing
becausethe hngdom of Hades was Mediterranean first encountered OtStN, somerimesOssian, was with the Vikings On his rerum,
not an invidng place, Ogma's task the idea of the transmigration of the son of rhe Fenian, or FIANNA, however, he discovered that Sadb
was a happier one since rhe Celtic souls from their Celdc neighbours IeaderFINNMACCIIL According had been lured awayby someone
otherworld was a delightful and In the sixth century sc the famous to lrish mytholory, Oisin was rhe disguised as himself (a common
peacefulresdng-placefor the soul and unusual Greek philosopher greatestpoet in Ireland, perhaps trick among shape-changersin Irish
prior to irs next rebirth in rhe $nhagoras left the Aegean island of not a surprising achievement con- mythology) Realizingthat it must
world It is thought rhar Greek Samosand went to live in the city sidering how as a young man his be the enchanter whom Sadb had
colonists in the westem end of the of Croton in southem Italy He father had eaten the Salmon of rejected,Finn MacCool organized
becameexremely interestedin the Ifuowledge. Oisin's mother was a searchof everyremote hill, valley
OISINandthefairymaiden, Niamh,Jlew theory of reincamadon. His follow- none other than the goddessSADB, and forestin the country, butwith-
awayona snow-white steedthrough golden ers.who believed that the soul was the granddaughter of oecoe. This out success Eventuallyhe gaveup
mistto theInnd of Promise, whichwasa immortal, acceptedtransmigration made OGMA,the god of eloquence, all hope of finding his mistressand
delightfulotherw orldbq ondalldream s, through animals and plans as well, Oisin's uncle rerumed to his pleasureof hunting
filled withbirdsong andscented Jlowers, and as a result proposed the kin- One day, as Finn MacCool with It happened, by chance, that his
withoverflowing meadandwondrous ship of all living things his companions and dogs was dogs tracked down avery strange
creatures (lLLLrsrR,4rroru
BySTEPHENREID.I9i 0 ) In some lrish myths Ogma is returning homewards, a beautiful quarry and Finn MacCool came
said to have married EtAtN, who deer started up on their path and upon them surrounding a naked
was the daughter of the god of the ensuing chase took them boy with long hair. His two best
healing DIAN CECHTAt rhe second towards Tara, the Irish capital and hounds were, in fact, keeping the
and final battle of Magh Tuireadh the base of the Fenians.At last the pack from seizing the child
Ogma slew Indech, son of the exhausted animal stopped and Having driven offthe dogs, Finn
FOMORII goddessDomnu Indech croucheddown on the gound, but MacCool and the other hunsmen
was one of the leaders of the instead of atuchng their quarry the regardedthe boywith cunosiry. He
Fomorii, who were rhe older sea hounds began to play roufld her, told them that he did not know the
gods who had challenged the and even to lick her head and identity of his father, but that his
TUATHADE DANANN,the younger limbs So Finn MacCool ordered mother was a gentle hind, with
generation of gods of which Ogma that no harm should be done to the whom he lived in a quier valley
was one. After the temble batde deer, which followed them on the safely shut in by steep cliffs. To
was over and the De Danann were way home until sunset. their home a tall, dark stranger
victorious, Ogma claimed as his That same nighr Finn MacCool came every now and again to see
pnze a magic Fomorii sword that awoke to find the most beaudful his mother, but she alwaysshrank
was capable of recounting all the woman he had ever seen smnding away in fear and the man left in
deeds it had performed next to his bed It was Sadb. She anger. When the stranger finally

t54
 CeITIC MYTHOLOGY

OISIN returnedfrom the othewvorldaJter

his timeandJoundhimselJ an old man,
aloneand bereJt,the solesuwivor oJa
maglcalage Withhislyre he sangofthe
heroesand godsof hrsera, conjunngup the
maglcalphantomsoJ that bygoneage
(Osstlx at Fnllcots Grtino, c,lu rs, 1800 )

His famous adventure concems

NIAMH,the daughter of the seagod
A,4ANANNAN MACLTR OiSiN rnCThCT
while on a hunt by the shoresof a
lake Shesuddenly appearedriding
a horse with silver hooves and a
golden mane When Niamh toid
Oisin how she had travelleda great
distance to invite him to her
father'sotherworld realm, the l-and
of Promise,he readily mounted the
magic steed and was never seenbY
his father again ln the orherworld
kingdom he foughr against a
FOMORII giant in an underseacom-
bat worthy of his father But aftera
number of other exploits Oisin
began to miss his own land of
Ireland Niamh gavehim her magc
horse so that he could visit his
home, but told him not to dis-
mount otherwise he would never
be allowed to return lreland
struck her with a rnagic hazel appearedto Oisin almosr a strange
wand, the hind was forced to fol- land, for everyone he knew had
low him, although she tned to died long before The peoPle
comfort her son as she left seemedfar sadder and more care-
As soon as the boy finished this wom than the heroes he had grown
accounl, Finn MacCool embraced up with By chance he came uPon
him as his own son by Sadb, and a raggedgoup of men attempting
immediately named him Oisin to move a boulder, which he easily
("Little Fawn") He was trained as lifted for them while still seatedon
a Fenian warrior, which involved his mount However, his saddle
one of the most difficuh coursesof slipped and he fell to the ground
raining imaginable, and becamea In an instant the magic horse van-
shlled fighter like his father,but he ished and the valiant youngwarrior
also inhented the gentler abiliry of was tumed into a blind and frail
eloquencefrom his mother, and his old man
songs and poetry were admired A Christian addition to the end
throughout lreland of this myth includes St Patrick
Becauseeveryone rook Oisin to be
OISIN,on hisretumJromtheotherworld, mad he cried out: "lf your god has
andcold,thepeople slain Finn MacCool, then I would
JoundIrelandbleah
sadandsmall,andhimselJ awearyand say that he is a sffong man " So he
witheredoldmanAfterpassingonthe was taken to the saint, who record-
away
hequietlyslipped
maglclegends, , ed his strange tale and explained
hisendasstrangeashisbegnning the changes to Ireland since the
(lrrusrRarto| nvSTrpHrvRuo, 1910) amval of Christianity

155
 HERoIC QTJESTS
HE THRILLING puRSUrrof a real or visionary goal forms the plot of many
compelling tales of advenrure.The goal is not alwaysthe most tantalizing
part of the venture and might seem like a redious or even trivial rask, but
servesto spur the travelleron his way. Other goals,such as the Grail, seem
barely attainable,bur serve as shining symbols of aspiration. The impetus is
sometlmes romantic, as when
Culhwch set our ro find fa:r Olwen;
or retributory, as when Geraint went
forth ro avenge a wrong; while
Peredur, Owain and rhe Grail l(nighrc
were inspired by o rherworldly
visions and ideals. Wharever the
goal, the quesr usually rakes on a
magic of its own, leading the hero
d o w n u n e x p e cr e d b y p a t h s o f
adventure and discovery. En route he
meets new friends and travelling
companions, learns much-needed
Iessons and carches sight of even
more tantahzrng quests ahead.

Ownrru (abne), inspired by the nle of Cynon, setofr in

searchof the Castleof the Fountain, whichwasguarded
by the Blach Knight He passedthrough thefairest vale
untilhe sawo shiningcastleon thehill After enteing
its otherworldlydomain CulhwchdeJeated
the Blach
Knight, and went on to woo his widow AJtera rather
dfficult beglnning,he a,ercameher resentment,and
guardedher realm until hisyenfor adventurelured him
olf again QLLU|TRAn1N
sy A./.uLee,1984
)

Ceueto'r QefD,ertnur' s shining city-castle,drew

hnightsfrom far and wide to join the Fellowshipof the
RoundTable,inspiredby ideak oJcourage,honourand,
vision From Camelot, the questinghnightsetJorthon
joumrys of adventureand discovery,
to seehhonour,to
dvengewrongsand to winladtes and renown The

JigureoJthe questinghnightbecame a symbolof

aspiration (luusrnerrorByAr-AN
LEE,
1984
)
 Tnn Gner Qursr
(righ) prwed to be the
hardest,highestand
greatestoJ all quests
Many hnightssetJorth
butJav returned \Vhen
Arthur's wariors
resolvedto undefiahethe
Grail Quest, Arthur
wept, lamenting that the

fairest fellowshipoJnoble
hnightswould nuer meet
again around thetable
at Camelot Hewas
nght,forJnt oJhis
companywuefittedJor
the questandmarry
pmshed (TneAnvtncaNo
DEPARTURE OF THE KNIGHTS BY

E BURNE-JONE5 AND W MoRRls,

TAPESTRY,1895-96)

CutuwcH's QeJt)questJor theJair Olwen involvedthnry-

nine impossibletashs,the longestseiesof tashsrn Celttc
mytholog En route thehero enlistedthehelp oJ Arthur's
Culhwchin oneof hishardesttashs,
war-bandwho asststed
which was the retnonl oJa comb, razor and sctssorsJrom
betweenthe earsoJ theternble,enchantedboar,Twrch
TwWth (/LLLrsrMloN BYAL4N Lrc, 1984 )

PEREDuR's (above) questJor adventure led him through

many wondrouslands At onepoint he passedthrougha
lwely iver vallq,,filled with colourfulpavilionsand a
wondrous multitude oJ windmills and water-mills He
lodgedwith thehead miller andjoustedtn the tournament,
deJeatingcountlesswariors with suchshilland mrght that
he impressedthe localempress Aft'r Jightingherbattles,
he ruIed with herJor Jourteen yearsbeJorecontrnvinghis
searchfor new adventures(lnt'.sraartor Lrr-,1984
Bi-ALAN )

ffi
iiti
'ff
',. i
irri
CeITIC MyTHoLoGY

OfWfN, in welsh mythology, steal a maglc dog, leash and collar; sheer size and cornplexity of rhe
was the daughter of the gianr hire as a huntsman MABON. son of challenges, Culhwch said that
Yspaddaden and her suitor was Modron, who had first ro be "Ki.g Arthur will provide horses
CULHWCH,one of King ARTHUR's released from pnson; find a won- and men to help him win Olwen"
warriors Culhwch's stepmother derful sceed and swift hounds; sreal He also informed the gianr thar he
hated him so much rhar she cursed a comb, scissors and a razor from would retum to slay him. Culhwch
him to mary only Olwen, a girl berween the ears of a fierce boar; succeeded and married Olwen
whom rhe warrior came to love and persuade a number of unlikely "and she was his only wife as long
dearly. Yspaddaden was so upser gues6 to come to Yspaddaden's as he lived" The giant was killed by
by the obvious affecrion berween stronghold. Undaunred by the one of Culhwch's fellow knighs.
Olwen and Culhwch that he set his
daughter's lover a seriesof tasksin OLWEN QeJ),in flaming red, wanders OWAIN below)peersthroughthetangled
order to prevent the marriage through the otherworld,depictedhereas a branchesofthewtldwood,Iihe
a shy,wtld.
Among other things, Culhwch had vibrant, broodingwoodedidyll Olwenwas creatureOvercomewithshameafter
to uproot a forest, burn the wood lovedbyCulhwch,awarior of King wronginghkwtfe,heJIedintothe
for fertilizer and plough rhe cleared Arthur's court, who had to go to great wiWaness andlived
asawildman,wasting
land in one day; force AMAETHON, lengths to securehts bnde awayuntilrescuedbya nobluoman
the god of agricukure, ro nourish (lrrusrnenow
ByATAN
LEE,
1981) (IrrusrnenoN sv Au|v Lrc., 1984)
its crops; make the smith god
Govannon forge rools for the work;
bring four srrong oxen ro help;
obtain magic seed; provide honey
nine times sweeter than thar of a
virgin swarrn; get a magic cup and
a hamper of delicious mear;borrow
the drinking-hom of the under-
water king Gwyddbwyll and rhe
magc harp belonglng to Teirru (an
instrument rhar played irself);
caprure the birds of RHmNruoru,
whose song could wake rhe dead
and lull the living to sleep; provide
a magic cauldron; a boar's tusk for
the giant to shave with and shaving
cream made from a witch's blood:

OWAIN and Arthur (below) appearin a

warrior' s dream, playing grvyddbtvyll
Duing the game, Arthur's hnightsbattle
with Owain's ravens,but the players simply
play on, until Arthur smashesthe pieces
The game symbolizesabattle, possibly for
swereignty (Itrusrnqrroru
ByArr{N
Lee,lggl )

PARTHOTON (abwe) Jound a lush,
pnmal countrywhatheJirstlnnded in
Irelsnd The foress and ploins wcre alive
with strange,shyandbeaunful creatures
Parihobn cbared the land for cultivation
and inhis time threenavlnlus appeared,
one of whtchwasnamedafterhts son
ByARTHUR
0rrusrnnnoN c 1910
RACIGIAM, )
OSCAR, in Irish mphology,
the son of olstN and the grandson
of rururuueccooL. His name means
"deer lover" and recalls his grand-
mother, the goddess SADB,whom
Finn MacCool first encountered
while he was hunting. Sadb had
been changed into a hind by ^
spell, which Finn MacCool brieflY
lifted. Oscar's mother was Eibhir,
who was said to be "a yellow-haired
maiden from a warrn country".
Oscarwas a mighty fi,ghter,one
of the best of all the FIANNA,or
Fenians, the waniors who acted as
a bodyguard to the High King of
Ireland. But he lived during a dme
when the ruler, Cailbe, felt that the
Fenians had too much power, and
a bloody struggle ensued. High
King Cairbe refused to pay the
Fenians for their sewices and raised
another band of fighters to rePlace
them. In a battle fought at Gabhra,
near present-day Dublin, Oscar
hlled Cairbe in single combat but
was himself mortally wounded.
According to one version of the
w6 myth, Finn MacCool returned
briefly from the otherworld to
moum Oscar'sdeath.
OwntN, in welsh myrhology,
was the son of URIENand one of
King ARTHUR'swarriors. When a
fellow warrior named cYNoN was
defeated by ^ mysterious Black
l(tught,Owain set out to find this
stranger.He severelywounded the
Black t(night but did not unseat
him, and when the lcright galloped
off to a nearby casde, he gavechase
only ro find himself almost a
prisoner once he entered its walls.
Owain was saved by a lady named
Luned, who gave him a ring of
invisibiliry. Soon the lord of the
CTITIC MYTHOLOGY
castle,the Black l(night, died of the PRNSTTru- SCCPERCIVAL
wound Owain had inflicted on
him. Not deterred by her grief, PAnTHOLON, son of Sera,was
Owain persuaded Luned to plead believed to have led one of the early
his causewith such successthat his invasions of Ireland Together with
widow consented to marry him. twenty-four men and their wives,
Thus he became master of the he is said to have come out of the
Castleof the Founmin, as the Black west after the waters of the Flood
I(night's stronghold was called. But had receded and cleared the island
rhe long absenceof Owain wonied of trees ready for cultivation.
Kingfuthur a great deal, so he sent According to the myth, after living
out a party ef knights to find him in Ireland for some five thousand
Owain retumed with them to King years, the race of Partholon were
Arthur's court, and he gradually sricken by disease and theY all
forgot about his wife. diedwithin thespaceof aweek.
When avery anry lady arrived
at court to accuseOwain of deceit, PgllnS was one of the names
treachery and unfaithfulness, he glven to the "Maimed King" of the
was overcome with shame A GMIL story in whose castle of
remorseful Owain fled to the forest Carbonek the holyvesselwas kePt.
and pursued the solitary life of a In other versions of the tale he is
hermit. There he would have died known asAmfortas Pelleswas said
but for a well-bom lady who used a to have been the father of Elaine,
maglc potion to restore his health. who fell in love with Sir L4NCELOT
Sir Owain took up his arms, slew a and bore him the pure knight Sir
dragon and befriended a lion. The GAIAHAD,who was the onlY one of
knight and the lion had numerous ARTHUR'sknighs granted a vision
adventures,which included saving of the Grail and allowed to hold it.
Luned from death by buming and
slayrnga giant. Owain retumed to PELLES,theGrailKingguarded theGrail
the Castle of the Fountain, where in Corboneh, theGrailCastleMaimedby
he was reconciled with his wife. an incurablewound,symbolizng some
They seem to have spent the rest o[ helivedin a wilight
spiitualimperJection,
their lives together in Kingfuthur's awaiting
state,whilehiscountrywasted,
court. (SCCAISOCELTICROMANCE; thecomingoJ Galahad, theredeeming
SINGLECOMBAT; HEROICQUESTS) hnight (lrLusrnAnoNavAu,v Lea 1984)
r59
 CTITIC MyTHoLoGY

PERCIVAL, the PerJectFool,attained a

glimpseof the Grail throughhis innocence
RetumingJrom Sarras,he becameGrail
King,headingtheOrder oJGrail Knights,
sometimeshnownas ParstJal,sometimes
as
Templeisen,aJterthe Knights Templar
(P,tRZivnt Bl MARilN WtX;eNo, CtNveS, 1934 )

PfnCryRL, who was also some-

times called Percevalor Parsifalin
differenr traditions, was in larer
Arthurian mythology somerhing of
an ousider He was brought up in
a forest far from the courr of
Camelot and was completely ignor-
ant of courdy manners However,
he travelledto KingARTHUR's court
and was duly made a knighr, and
then ser off in quesr of the Grail,
the holyvessel that was used ar rhe
Last Supper and which received the
blood that flowed from the spear
thrust in Christ's side at rhe rime of
the Crucifixion The Grail had been
brought ro Bntain by IOSE4HOF
ARIMATHEA, the rich man who had
allowed Christ's body to be placed
in his tomb. However. rhe Grail
was later lost and irc recovery
became the great quest for rhe
IGrightsof the Round Table
The puriry of Sir Percival may
have meanr rhat he was permirted
a brief glimpse of rhe Grail, bur he
was denied the complete vision
and heavenlyreleasethat was even-
tually granred ro Sir GAMHAD, Sir
IANCELOT'sson Only Galahadwas
allowed to touch the Grail, "Our
Lord's body between his hands",
and then to die in rhe company of
angels. The mysrerious Queen o[
the Wastelands, one of rhe three
ladies who rook rhe dpng Ki.g
Anhur roAyALoNafter he had been
wounded in rhe battle againsr entering her bed when, "by chance smoke." So annoyed and filled with PnngOUR in welsh mphology,
MODRED,was Sir Percival's aunt and grace, Sir Percival saw his remorse was Percivalby rhis moral was the seventh son of Errawgand
On his personalquesr for the Grail, unsheathed sword lyrrg on rhe lapse that he felt obhged to inflict a the only surviving male. His father
Sir Percivalunfortunately fell some- ground, and on its pommel was a punishment on the weaknessof his and brothers were hlled before his
what short of the high standard of red cross, rhe sign of rhe own flesh by wounding himself in own coming of age. This did not
conduct required for recovering the Crucifixion, which reminded him the thigh. Meanwhile, the enchant- prevent Peredur from becoming
Grail. One day on his joumey he of his knighrly dury ro behave as a ress who had artempred to waylay one of ARTHUR'swarriors and his
encountered a wondrous and good man. So he made the sign of him and diven him from his quest many advenrures formed the basis
mysterious ship and at once fell in the crosson his forehead.at which "set off with the wind roaring and for the laterstories abour pERcIVAt.

PEREDU&raisedin rusticsecreqt, grav
upstrongand agllebutdanidoJcourtly
mannersWhenhesawthreeshining
hnights,hewasentranced Daisinga
saddleof twigs,
andarmedwith a
sharpened hesetfonhJorArthur's
stahe,
court (IuusnarroN
BvAr,AN
Lrr,1984
) finally retumed home, Rhiannon
number, Peredurwas particularly
adept at defeadngwitches, who in
Wales took to the field like knighs
attired in full arrnour Indeed. his
myth as it is told in rhe Mabinogon
ends with a terrible duel between
him and a leading witch. "For the
third time the hag slew a man of
futhur's before Peredur'seyes,and
Peredurdrew his sword and smote
the witch on the cresrof her helmet
so rhat the helmet and all the
arrnour were split into two And
she raiseda shout, and orderedthe
rest of the witches to flee, and said
it was Peredurwho was destined to
slay all the witches of Caer Loyw "
(Seealso HEROIC QUESTS)
PnYOfnI, in welsh mythologr,
was the son of PWYLL,a notable
chieftain of Dyfed in south Wales,
and of RHmruNoru Pryderi was
snatched from his cot bv one of
CTITIC MYTHOLOGY
Rhiannon's rejected suitors and years eking out an existence on PEMDUR arousedthe rageof the Pnde
brought up by TEIRNON, a chieftain wild honey, fish and garne, they of the Cleaing whenhe suppedwith his
who discovered the infant in his finally decided to travel acrossthe wife The arrogant hnight assumedhis
stable The chieftain's wife named border to Lloegp, present-day wrfe's guilt and punishedheruntil Peredur
the child Gwri, or "Golden Hair", England But the skill of JinaIIy challengedand werthrov him
but when, aftersevenyears,he was Manawydan and Pryderi as crafts- Here, spladid as a peacoch,the proud one
men made them many enemies ides out to joust with Peredur
renamed him Pryderi, "Care", and they retumed to Wales ln a (lrlusrnqloru BYAIAN Lrr, 1984)
becauseduring the child's absence ruined castle, Pryderi came across
her life had been very careworn a golden bowl fastened by four PRYDERI, lord of DyJed,marchedinto
She had been falsely accused of chains on a marble slab Pryden Gwyneddto awnge the theJtoJhis swineby
hlling her son and was made to do went to pick it up, but his hands the resourceJulmaglctan, Gwydion The
penance by sitting at the gare of stuck to the bowl and he found dispute was to be decidedby singlecombat,
hvyll's fortress and telling srangers that he couid not move or let it go but the matchwas unequalas Gvuydion
of her crime, then offering to cary He was also struck dumb When bewitchedPryden with maglcal illusions
them on her back into his hall his mother tried to save him, (lrrusrnqrto,^l
nvAu^tLre,1984
)
When Pwyll died, Pryderi suc- Rhiannon and Pryderi disappeared
ceeded him as lord of Dyfed and in another mist
gave his mother in marriage to It later emerged rhat all the
MANAW)'DAN, son of the Welsh sea strange events had been causedby
god Llyr, although in Pryden's a spell laid on rhe household by an
myth Manawydan appears as a enemy of Pwyll, Pryderi's father
morml warrior rather than a god At Manawydan discoveredthe trurh as
their wedding banquet therewas a he was about to hang a mouse for
peal of thunder and a misr fell "No eating their corn The creature
one could seethe other, although tumed out to be the wife of Llwyd,
the great hall was filled wrth light " the old enemy of Rryll Other mice
When the mist cleared, the land helping to devour the crops were
was desolate People, animals and his wamors ransformed by magic
crops were gone Pryderi, his wife During their temporary disappear-
Cigfa, Manawydan and Rhiannon ance, Pryderi and his mother had
were the only peopie left After two been forced to work as donkeys
16r
CTITIC MyrHoLoGY
P\AryLL was achieftain of Dyfed
whose authoriry even reachedinto
ANNwN, the Welsh otherworld.
Indeed. he boasted the title Pen
Annwn ("Lord of Beyond"). One
day hvyll was hunringin the forest
when he saw an unusual pack of
hounds running down a stag.
These hounds were snow-white in
colour and had red ears Pwyll
drove them off and was serting his
own pack on the cornered stag
when a grey-clad horseman rode
up and accusedhim of discourtesy
for chasingaway his hounds. Pwyll
accepted the charge and promised
to make amends, at which the
stranger revealed himself to be
AMwN, the ruler of Annwn fuawn
told hvyll that he was being hanied
by ^ rival named Havgan, who
could be slain only by a srngleblow,
since a second one immediately
at last, becausewhen the babywas Because of this curse, Rhiannon
stolen her maids were so afraid of suffered years of barrennessand,
Rvyll that they blamed Rhiannon. after the birth of a son, she was
They laid bones next to their sleep-
unjustly accused of eating the
ing mistress and smearedher face baby. Even after the boy, whom
and hands with blood. When she named pRronru, which meanr
Rhiannon awoke in amaaement, "Care", had been restored and
the maids told hvyll how she had grown up, the spell condnued to
devoured the babyin the night. dog Rhiannon. At one stage she
Pwyll imposed a humiliating and Pryderi were changed into
penance upon her. Everydayshe donkep. Rhiannon henselfhad her
had to sit by his gate, tell her ale rc
own magical aspect, however, for
every sranger who came and offer the singing of her birds was said to
to canry them on her back to the be able to wake the dead and send
great hall. Not until the eventual the living to sleep.
retum of her son, whom she called Rhiannon is a singular figure in
PRYDERI("Care"), was Rhiannon Welsh mythology. She bore her
excused from her penance (See suffering and injustice with a
also CELIIC OTHERWORLDS; MAGIC padence that still seems remark-
AND ENCHANTMENT) able. But her real nature was in all
likelihood originally connected
RHIANNON, in welsh myrho-
logy, was the daughterof Hereydd, RIIIANNON @lovt),asf'r;t seenW
and the long-suffering wife of hvyll,wasaision inwhiteandgold,
PwYLL,a chieftan of Dyfed. AII of ridinga WrV steel,andclad,in brnadd
Rhiannon's noubles stemmed from silh Thetwoseemdmade for eachothr,
her rejection of Gwawl, the man ro buta anseclorfirltheirWeandmaninge.
whom she had been promised, and As patiartas shewasfuaunJul, Pkiannon
as a result his enraged father had endured,herlat withoutcomplaint
Iaid a spell on Pwyll's household 0uusrRrnop nY NaN ItE. 1984)
PWYI (abne),dsguised asabeggar,lies
in waitwrth 100horsanan to tnchGwaul,
a ival suitorJor thehandoJRhiannon
Oncewapwered,Gwawlagredtobave
thetwoin peace, buthisbittq anrse
blightedthar mari4gevnthstrange
mtsfoftunes o[usrncnoN B],AIANl^ee,
1984)
year, and to slay Havgan. During
the period of exchange it was
understood that Pwyll would not
make love to Arawn's wife, even
though he would shareherbed
Pwyll, having successfullyhlled
Havgan and fulfilled hls promise to
Arawn, retumed home He then
wooed and won RHIANNON for his
wife, although a rival suitor never
forgave him and laid a curse upon
his household, both before and
after Pwyll's death. For years no
child was bom and, angeredat her
barrenness,Pwyll treated Rhiannon
 CrlrIC MvrHoLoGY

with horses When Fwyll first set

eyes on her, Rhiannon was riding
"a big fine pale whire horse, cov-
ered with a garment of shining gold
brocaded silk". Also, Rhiannon's
stolen son was found in a stable
and her punishment for Iosing him
was ro act as a beast of burden to
visitorswho came to herhusband's
palace. It is tempdng to link her
wirh the horse goddessEPoNA,one
of the few Celtic gods or goddesses
to be worshipped by the Romans.

RONAN, hrg of Leinsrer,was, in

RHIANNON'S singing birds were heralfu
of theothem,torWTharbeautifuland
archantingsongwassardtofu able to
walu thedudandnlullthelMnginto a king's second wife Eochaid loved
deepsbep. Celtk an andmyth are alwe
with btrds of everyhind. While some, such
as rcNens,pre,ge doom, nuansand singlng
birdshenlwtth their maglcal song.
(II.IUSTMIoN ANoN )
RU ADH, an intrqid vqtagil, dtscwqed a
secret rslandbeneaththe wana, on which
li'uednine buunful women who slrpt on
nine bronze beils Thar qa slwne with
rainbow ltght, bavitchingfuafi for nine
blissfd nighs beforehe grav ratless again
orrusrMnoNBYNrcKBE4r41995)
the tangled relations of his second
marriage, the lrish equivalent of the
great Greekhero Theseus.Just like
Theseus'secondwife Phaedra,the
Ronan's son more than her hus-
band. When the stepson showed
his honor of her passion, Eochaid of the TUATHADE DANANN.At the
toid her husband that the young second batde of Magh Tuireadh
man had attempted to rape her. Ruadan was sent to spy on'the
Ronan ordered his son's execution Tuatha De Danann smith god
and died of remorse when he later G2IBHNIUwho was busily making
leamed the truth. Eochaid ended spears. Ruadan se2ed one of these
her own Iife with poison. weapons and thrust it into the god,
but Goibhniu merely pulled it out
RUnOnN, in Irish mythology, again and drove it into Ruadan,
was the son of the goddess BRIGID monally wounding him. When the
and of BREs,the half-noMoRll ruler goddess Bri$d came to the battle-
field to bewail herson, herweeping
was said to have been the first
keening in Ireland.
RUenH was a voyager whose
ship became becalmed off the
nonh coast of lreland. According to
lrish mythology, when he swam
away to find help for his dyrng
crew, he chanced upon a magical
underwater island. On the island
there lived nine beautiful women,
and for nine wonderful nights
Ruadh slept with all of them. The
women then informed him that
together they would bear him a
son. Although Ruadh promised
faithfully to retum at the end of his
voyage, he unfortunately forgot
about his underwater lovers, and
they, in their fury, pursued him,
hcking the severedhead of his son
before them like a football.
SADB,a gentlegoddess, wa compelledby
anail drud tolivemuchoJhrhfea a
deq. Hwaner,sheboreFinnMacCool a
from whosetfury
lwely son, forehead gril, a
tuJtofdeuhairwhere shehadlbludthe
boy,gyvingfis tn hs name,"LittleFawn"
avAnrnuR
ouusrnnnoru c 1910
&rcxnnu, )
SADB, in lrish mythology, was the
misrress of rlruru MACC))L, the
great Ieader of the FIANNA,popu-
larly known as the Fenians, the
bodyguard of the High King. She
first appeared to the hero while he
was out hunting, but although a
goddess herself, Sadb had been
placed under a powerful spell by a
wrzardand was compelled to take
the form of a deer. That night, how-
ever. Sadb came to Finn as a
woman and for a dme they lived
happily together Then, when Finn
was away from home, the wizard
returned and turned Sadb into a
deer again Finn searched the
whole of lreland for his lost mis-
tress,but the only uace he found of
herwas a naked boywho had been
raised in the wild. The hero recog-
nized him as his own son by Sadb,
so he called him olsltrl, meaning
"Little Fawn". Oisin grew uP to
become one of the most famous of
all trish poets

163
CTITIC MyTHoLoGY

EaT\TTT^^T-r \ T ^^\rr a ^ T- r-
rAI' U LTJ U ) V LJ YAtrl,)

HEEptcvoyAGES of Celtic myth are fabuloustours of the otherworld,usually

through an archipelagoof wonder isles.The yen ro travelitself was often
inspired by tales of the otherworld, and the epic tnps of both Bran and
Brendan were sparkedoff by otherworldly visions. Like another intrepid
voyager,Maeldun, they sailedacrossthe oceans,exploring a myriad of dreamlikeisles,
some of timeless delights and some of deadly perils. Like time travellers,Cehic
voyagersexperienceda time walp, either retuming home long alter their time or
condemned to wander on a iourney without end. Another featureof the restless
Celtic voyager was his eventual
disenchantment with otherworldly
delights, and a yeamirg for the changirg
seasonsof his homeland.

MAELDL/NAeJt) sg1sail to avengehis BMN's (abwe) voyagewa sparhedof

father's murder and, en route, passed by a blossomingand scentedsilvu fairy

through a fabulous archipelngo ln one
strihing eprsode,he reachedan rslnnd
surmountedby a fortress with a brazen
door and a glnssdrawbndge which thrut
the trm,ellen bacluards - a telling signoJ
the othemvorld,Whn thq struchthe
bronze door, a soponfc sound sent them
to sbep until thq awohe to the welcoming
voiceof the castle'senchantress When
Maeldun tned to woo her, the whob cnstle
dissolved,and the scilon found themwlves
bough,left besde him as he slqt l-ater a
beauttful worwn chd, in othaworlilly robes
cameto rerlaim theboufit; shevngalny
about her lnely home acrossthe sen whbh
inspiredBran andhslansmn to *t sail
Far out to ea, tluy reachcdhqwondrous
kb of blosnmingtrea, just one of 50
sruchdelightfnhearcns vfwe rulclived
in timclas joy ail plntyYet an tN wn,
Bran's oart oavdthe clnngpngsr<olrnlns
oJ thar homeland ouusrnrnor rr D,u,rur,r
$'
CeITIC MYTHOLOGY

SnNCnenL, or Grail, was the SANGREAL AeJt),aJter inspiingthe

holyvessel of Arrhurian mythology great questin Bitain, wasbornebach to

during the Middle Ages. It was said Sanasby the three goodhnights,Galnhad,

to be the cup that Christ drank out Pucival and Bors,andwas celebratedin

of at the Last Supper It was also a Euchaistic Mass bejoreoscendingto

believed ro have received the blood heaven (How rHe GMIL ABlDlrH tN A FAR

which flowed from the spear thrust Couurnv BY WTLLIAM MORRIS, ct'qss, c 1890 )

in Christ's side at the Crucifixion.

Brought to Bntain by IOSEPHOF this Christian myth. When "the
ARIMATHEA,rhe rich man who Holy Grail covered with a white
buried Christ, or by his brother-in- cloth" appeared ar Camelot, the
law Bron and his son Alan, the vesselfilled Kingfuthur's hall with
Grail was always associatedwith the most tasty smells, so that the
the early Christian settlement at I(nighs of the Round Table ate and
Glastonbury Another miraculous drank as never before. It was, in
object connected with the Grail fact, nothing lessthan a Celtic caul-
was a bleeding lance or spear. Sir dron of plenry When, at the end of
GAIAHADused its magic power to the quest, the Grail became "Our
cure a mysterious ruler, rhe Lord's body", the draught that Sir
"Maimed Ki.g", who lay between Galahadtook from it atJoseph of
life and death in his castle It Anmathea's request ensured his
seems,however, that Sir PERCIVAL spiritual suwival Like a Celtic caul-
was originally the knight who saw dron of rebirth. it allowed Sir
the Grail, and that it was only in Galahad to live on in a Chrisdan
Iaterversionsthat Galahad took his otherworld This obvious debt to
place as the only knight worthy of Celtic mythology meant that the
such a vision Church never fully embraced the
The Grail was lost, but it was Grail as a Christian symbol The
thought not to have left Britain, gre^t populariry of Grail stories
rather that it was hidden some- forced a degreeof toleration, but
where in the country becauseof the clencs were always aware of its
links with pre-Christian rites (See
SANGRML Oelow)wasguardedby also WONDROUS CAULDRONS;
womerr,
angelic theGrailMaidensHere, HEROTC
QUESTS)
thedweoJheaven bearsa goldcenser from
whicharose"a savourasiJall thespicebf ScrqrHecH (whosename means
the "shadowy") was a warrior-princess
, recalling
theworldhadbeenther'e"
spiq "greal" oJ Celtic myth Gm DAMSEL
oF in the Land of Shadowsand tutor
rur S,ruc GRA|LBYDANTERossErrl, certves,1874) in the martial arts. One myth
recounts that her most famous
sinfulnessof the times lndeed, the the young knight's soul was pupil was the Ulster hero
mere presenceof rhe holy vessel releasedfrom his body and "a great CUCHUIAINNShe taught him his
was enough to act as a challenge to multirude of angels bore it up to famous battle leap and gave him
most knights to pursue a path of heaven" That the Grail was the the spearnamed Gae-Bolg("Belly-
goodness.On its unseen arrival at representation of the body and spear"). Although it made a single
Camelot, the chivalrous Sir GAWAIN blood of Christ there can be no wound on entry, once inside the
immediatelyvowed to seek out its doubt, for Joseph of Arimathea body of one of Cuchulainn's ene-
home in order to see the Grail for administered it as part of the sacra- mies, thirty barbs opened to tear
himself Many of the Kttightt of the ment to Sir Galahad, "who had the stomach apart \JATHACH,the
Round Table made similar vows, trembled when his mortal flesh daughter of Scathach, was
much to the distress of Ki.g beheld spiritual things" lt is even Cuchulainn's mistress during his
ARTHUR, who feared the Ioss of his stated that Sir Galahad was a year of training, and was unhaPPy
best fighting men But only Sir descendant of the same Joseph, that he wanted to fight her sister
Galahad successfully completed "the firsr Chrisdan bishop" A)IFA In the event, Cuchulainn
the quest and died contented. After There remains, nevertheless, a was able to defeat Aoifa by trickery
holding the Grail in his own hands, powerlul charge of Celtic magic in and made her his next mistress
 CeITIC MYTHOLOGY

SANGREAL (abwe) wasattainedby three guardeda magrcree, which no one the night of her wedding to Connacht, Suaham Mac Roth
verydtlferenthnightsGalahad,the purest, dared approach However, during Sualtam Mac Roth, DECHTTRT had attempted to gather the men of
beheldits contents;Bors,the mostworldly, the sixteen-yearflight of GRelrurun swallowed a fly and fallen into a Ulsterwho had been weakenedbY
returnedto tell the tale: Percival,the and DieRMUIDuA DUTBHNE from deep sleep ln this state she went to MACHA'scurse So desPerateiYdid
simplest,becameits guardian {tae the FIANNA,the hard-pressedlovers the othervrzorldwith Lugh and he tum his horse that Suaitam cut
ATTAINMENT BYWILIJAM MORRIS, IAPE5TRY,C 1870) managed to become friends with there conceivedCuchulainn While off his own head with the sharP
Searbhanand he allowed them to Cuchulainn was single-handedlY edge of his shield. But the severed
SCOfnwas said to be the earliest shelter in the branchesof the magtc defending Ulster againstthe invad- head continued rhe call to arms
known ancestor of the Scots tree, which made it difficult for ing forces of Queen MEDB of long enough to rouse the warriors
According to one version of the FINN MACCIIL to find them
myth, she was the daughter of an However, Searbhanand Diarmuid
Egyptian pharaoh A wrse teacher came to blows when Grainne
named Niul, who had settled in attempted to eat some of the maglc
Egypt, became her husband and bemes that grew on the tree, and
they had a child, Goidel, who gave the Fomorii wamor was slain
his name to the Gaels In another
tradition. she was the wife of CI.]CHULIAIN
SNTENTN SCC
MILESIUSand was killed fighting
TheTUATMDEDANANN Sunrrnu Mec RotH, i',
lrish mythology, was the brorher of

SennnHnN, in Irish mythology, FERGUSMAC ROTH. AN UISTCITNAN,

was a FOMORII warrior, one of the he accepted cucuuL+INN as his

ancient sea gods This one-eyed, owrr son, although the hero's real
one-arrnedand one-leggedfighter father was the sun god LLIGH On

SEARBHAN Q{t), the surly one-qed

Fomoii g1ant,guardeda magic tree,
squattingat itsfoot all day The eloping
lwers, Diarmuid I,Ja Duibhne and
Grainne shelteredin its branches,but
Grainne dwelopeda cravingJor the tree's
maglcbemes This so anragedthe glant
thatheand DiarmuidJoughtand the
mighty Searbhonwos slain with his own
club luusrntnoNANoN)

SUALTANI MAC ROTH'S (ight) head

rallied the Uktermen to battle, arcn aJter
hs death Hehad exhortedthem rn liJe
as thE were weahenedby
without success,
Macha's curse The cies oJthe severedhead
atlostbrohe the spelland rousedthe men
to fight (luusrpqrorrnvStepnrxRep,1910
)

r67
 Crlrrc MyrHoLoGy
SutnnNe GEILT, "rhemad
one", in lare Irish mythologrwas a
hng cursed by St Ronan. One day
King Suibhne was outraged to learn
that, wirhout his permission,
Ronan was founding a church on
his land. Although his wife,
Eorann, ried to restrain him, the
hng rushed ro the new foundadon,
sezed the saint's psalter and threw
it in a nearby lake. He rhen laid
hands on St Ronan, when a mes-
senger arrived to summon him to
an ally's aid on the batdefield. Nexr
day an orter rerumed rhe psalter
unharmed. St Ronan thanked heav-
en for this and cursed Suibhne,
who assumed the characteristics of
a bird, leaping from rees for seven
yeam before his reason rerumed.
When Sr Ronan heard abour
this recovery, he prayed that the
hngwould not retum to persecure
Chrisdans. So Suibhne was once
again on the brink of madness as
headlessbodies and severed heads
hanied him. Another priest took
pity on che tormenced man and
wrote down his sad tale, after
which Suibhne "died a Christian
and his soul ascended to heaven".
IA&{NIS, "the thunderer", wctsa Celtic
sly godwhom theRomansequatedwith
their supreme deil Jupiter. The wheel,
which is sometimesusedas a symbolof
the sun in Celtic art, here representsthe
electnclight of a thunderbolt, symbolized
by the trident, a three-prongedspear.
(llr-trsrnAfl(r^l By MTR,{NDA Gptt', 1994 )
THI.TU was rhe daughrer of a
ruler of the FIRBOLGand wife of
Eochaidh Mac Erc, another Firbolg
hng. She was said ro have cleared
the forest of Bregso rhar it became
a plain, a msk which killed her.
Becauseshe was the foster-mother
of the sun god LIIGH, he declared
that the festival of Lughnasadh be
held in her honour, which rook
place on the first day of Augusr. Ir
was originally the occasion of a
nadonal sponing compedtion, nor
unlike the Olympic Games.
TAUESIN ("Shining Brow") was
a Welsh wizard and bard and
according to Welsh mythology he
was the firsr person ro acquire rhe
shll of prophecy. In one version of
his story he was the servant of rhe
witch CERIDUIENand was named
Gwion Bach. Ceridwen prepared a
magic brew thar, afrer a year of
boiling, wzls ro peld three drops of
knowledge. Whoever swallowed
these precious drops would know
all the secrersof the pasr, rhe pres-
ent and the fuure. As Gwion Bach
was tending rhe fire beneath the
cauldron, some of the hot liquid
fell on hrs finger and he sucked it ro
relieve the pain (much like FINN
MACCOOLwhen he was cooking
the Salmon of l(nowledge). The
furious Ceridwen employed all her
magic powers to pursue the boy.
During the chase he transformed
himself inro a hare, a fish and a bird
before being eaten by the wirch in
the form of a grain of whear. later
Gwion Bach was thrown inro the
sea and was caughr in a fish-trap
and renamed Taliesin because of
his radiant forehead. "I am old, I
am new," he said. "l have been
dead, I have been alive. " (See also
SAGESANDSEERS)
TALIESINwasa prophetic bardwhowas
gtftedwtthall-hnou,ingvision,whichwas
rymbolized byhis shiningbrw At the
youngage of thirteen,healreadrysurpassed
allofArthur'sbards in spiitrnlinsight
Heisportraydhueas avisionary spiit
whowasot onewth theforces ofnature
(IuusrncnoNrvSrurrnr
Lrn:.Jonx,l99l)
ThnnNtS (whose name means
"Thunderer") was one of the few
Celtic gods with whom the
Romans idendfied and he was
often equated with Jupiter.
Monumens to Taranis have been
found all over the Celdc world,
from the Adriatic coast ro the
nonhem regions of Britain. Taranis
is usually depicrcd wirh his symbol,
the wheel. The word "taran" is srill
used in modem Welsh and Breton
to mean thunder.
TnnNON was lord of Gwenr Is
Coed and fosrer-farherof pRrornr.
Teimon owned a beaudful mare,
and everyyear on the eve of the first
of May the animal gave birth to a
foal, which mysteriously disap-
peared One year Teimon decided
to keep watch ro see what would
happen. Agiant clawed hand came
through the stable window and
took the new-bom foal. He hacked
off the hand bur heard a crying
coming from ouside and found a
threeday-old baby boy lying on his
doorstep.
Teirnon and his wife took the
child in and raised him as one of
their own, but as he grew, the
resemblance to pwyLL became
increasingly marked until they
knew that he was the missing son
of Rvyll and RHmNNoN.
TnUfnffS, also called Tounds,
was one of rhe Celdc gods men-
tioned by the Roman historian
Lucan and is often equared with
the god Mans. His name means "a
people" or "a ribe" and so it may
well be that rhe manllinscripdons
to him are acrually dedicated to
local deities of a region rarher than
to a single pan-Celdc figure.

THoues THE RHyueR see
CELTIC OTHERWORLDS
TruSfnN, rhe nephewof King
MARKof Comwall, was one of the
great lovers of medieval myrhology
His name is said to have been glven
ro him after his morher's death in
childbirth Of Breton origin, the
srory of Tristan and tsrulT was
popular in Cornwall, Ireland and
Bnttany A love porion prepared by
Iseult's mother, the Irish queen,
was the cause of their grear love
Tristan and Iseuh drank ir acciden-
tallywhen Tnsan was escorring her
TRISTANandIseultAef),enchantedby
lwepotion,gazeat eachotherin rapture
In onelegend,theuo hadJallenin love
beforesippingthepotion,whichonlyserved
to quashtheirscruplesTheVictonan
designcapturestheextremenatureoJ
courtly lwe luusrntloN ByEvELTNpeut, 1900)
Crlrrc MyrHoLocy
TEIRNON, watchingthe birth of a JoaI,
was shochedto seeqvasthairy arm thrust
throughthestablewindow After hachingat
thearm withhis sword,TeirnonJounda
beautifulbabyboyin thestable,whomhe
raisedand who turnedout to be the lost son
of Rhiannonand \mll, ruIersoJ the realm
(lr-r-usrnqrror
ByAL{N
Lrr. 1984
)
ro Comwall, where King Mark wait-
ed to marry her The ensuing taie
relates the sad course of rheir love,
separation and their dearhs The
Iovers' end was particularly touch-
ing Having agreed ro pan, Tristan
wen[ ro Brittany, but later was
gravely wounded and sent for help
from Iseult, who had once before
cured him of a serious wound So
she sailed ro Bntnny with a magic
cure It had been agreed rhar the
ship carr;nng lseult would hoisr a
white sail to indicare rhat she was
aboard However, an incorrect
report of a black sail caused Tristan
to lose rhe will to live and he died
of his wound When Iseult was rold
of her lover's death she too quick-
Iy died, bur of a broken hearr (See
also CELTIC ROMANCE: SINGLE
COMBAT)
TRISTAN humbly soughtthe Grail, arcn
though he doubtedhis chqncesbecauseoJ
his illlcrt loveJor Iseult At one stagein his
quest,heJounda splendidcastleall alight
and alive with song Sadly,however,he
wasstruchbachbyaburningbeamof light,
t'or only thepurestcouldattain the Grail
(lLLLtstRqrtnru nv EvrLvrv PAUL. c ..900 )
a
169
CTITIC MYTHOLOGY
TuerHe Dr DnNANN were
"rhe people of the goddessDana"
in Irish mythologr They were the
lasr generation of gods to rule
Ireland before the invasion of the
sons of MILESIUS, the ancestorsof
the present-day lrish The Tuatha
De Danann overcamethe FOMORII,
vrolentand monstrous seagods, ar
the second battle of Magh Tuireadh
largely because of their superior
magic They were said to have
learned magic, crafts and knowl-
edgein four mawellous cities of the
nor[h, Falias, Gorias, Finias and
Murias From these ciries the
Tuatha De Danann brought to
Ireland four talismans:the Stone of
Fal, which screamed aloud when
the rightful king of Ireland placed
his foot upon it; the magic sword of
NUADA, their great war-leader,
which was a weapon that could
only inflict faml blows; the spearor
170
TWRCH TRWYTH helow)wos aboar
that guardedthreetreasuresbenveenhis
ears which Culhwchsought to retnue
Arthur'swar-bandhuntedthe boar,and
hereMabon, therenownedhunter, shilfully
snatches,ne treasureJrombetween the
bOAT,S CATS (ILLUSTMTION BY AIAN Lrc, 1984 )
TUATIIA DE DANANN (above),an
ancient raceoJ lnsh gods,went to live
undergroundaJtertheir defeatbythe
Milesians Beneathgasry mounds,eoch
hadhis own sparhlingsidhe, a subter-
ranedncourt whichglittered with wonders
within (lnusrnqrroru Lrc,1984
ByAr-AN ) De Danann were believed to allow
sling-shotof the sun god LUGH,
who, as the slayerof BALOR, was the
bringer of vrcroryover the Fomorii;
and the cauldron belonging to
DAGDA,father of the gods, which
was an inexhaustible pot that was
capableof sadsfyingevery appetite
It is clear that the gods known
in lreland as the Tuatha De
Danann were common to all Celtic
peoples Their namescan be found
inWelsh myths and in inscriPtions
on the continent of EuroPe ln
lreland they were not entirely lost
with the advent of ChristianitY.
Apart from having their exPloits
recordedby the monks who wrote
down the lrish sagas,the Tuatha
De Danann took up residence
underground as the faines On the
ancient Celtic feast of Samhain,
celebrated on the last du1 of
October to mark rhe new year, the
mortals to enter their realm
TUtnnnNN was the Irish father
of three sons who killed Cian,
father of the son god LUGH To
atone for this crime, Lugh demand-
ed that the sons of Tuireann should
perform a seriesof near impossible
tasls, bnngrngback to lreland such
magicalobjects as a healing pigshn
belongingto a hng of Greeceand a
cooking spit from an undersea
hngdom When fulfilling their final
labour they were badly wounded
and Tuireann begged Lugh for the
pigskin to cure his sons, but the
god refusedand they died
TwncH TnwYrH, in welsh
mythology, was a king who was
tumed into a gigantic boar for his
sins. Between his ears he kePt a
comb, a pair of scissorsand a razor.
The retrieval of these objects was
one of the hardest of the tasks
that the giant Yspaddaden set
CUHWCHwho wanted to marry his
daughter oLwEN. The boar was an
important animal to the Celts and
appears in many myths, as well as
in statues and carvings. It reP-
resented both war and feasdng.

UAITHNE was the god Dagda's inspired
harpist Hehad, threeequallygfted sons
who playedsuchsad musicthat on one
occasiontwelvemen died weepingfrom
sorrow The Celtic bardsaccompanied
their music wlth lyncs which perpetuated
the legendsdown the generations
(Ir-r-usrpcrroN
ANoN)
UATH submitted three Iishheroes to a
beheadingcontestto testthnr courageand
Jind the champion of Ireland The rules
allowedahero to beheadthe glantbut only
iJhe could return theJavouf on the next
day Only Cuchulainnhadthe courageto
beheadthe glantand placehisheadon the
bloch (tnvsrneroNByJAMEs
Alrxrrvorn,
1995
) martial ars When Uathach sewed
UAITUNE, in Irish mythology,
was the magic harp of the TUATFIA
DE DANANN god DAGDA.It was
stolen by the FOMORII,the enemies
of the De Danann When Dagda
discoveredwhere it was, he called
out to the harp to free itself. The
harp responded by killing nine
Fomorii and then singing Dagda's
praises Uaithne was also the name UTHER PEMRAG ON, Arthur'sJathu,
of Dagda's harpist
UefH ("Horror") was the name
of the water giant who challenged
the three lrish heroesCUCHUIAINN,
laoghaire and cox.qLLrc abehead-
ing contest Each was invited to
mke an a:<eand chop off the giant's
head, provided that he would then
lay his own head on the block for
the giant to decapitate Only
Cuchulainn rose to the challenge,
and was proclaimed by the giant as
the Irish champion After the
announcement uath revealedhim-
self to be CURoI, the Munster kirg.
U,qTHACH was one of rhe lovers
of the great Ulster hero and cham-
pion CUCHUI-AINN, and, according
to lrish mythology, the daughter of
the female warrior SCATTIACH. who
had been Cuchulainn's tutor in the
CTITIC MyTHOLOGY
URIEN, father of owarru, ruled
Rheghedin north-west Bntain His
courageand skill as a walrior were
celebratedin many songs,includ-
ing rhe work of raurslru When the
Angles invaded, Unen is said to
havefought a successfulcampaign
againstthem andbesieged them on
the island of Lindisfame
hit upon the incredibleidea of having a UrHrn PnNonRcoN (whose
round table at which 150 hnightscould see name means "dragon head") was
eachother and sitwithout quarrelling ARTHUR's father According to late-
Turning to Merlin, he ashedhim to design British mytholory, Uther was able
a table "round in thelihenessof theworld" to sleep with lgraine because he
(lrlusrMnoN ANON ) was disguised as her husband,
Gorlois, Duke of Comwall, and the
the hero food, he forgot his own result of their union was Arthur
srength and accidently broke her The wrzard vrnriru helped in this
finger while taking a dish from her deceprion and later Uther kilied
hand Her scream brought her pre- Gorlois and married lgraine, while
vious lover to Uathach's immediate Arthur was taken by Merlin
aid, but Cuchulainn easily slew
him in rhe fight that followed and VORilCERN was a British ruler
afterwards Uathach transferred her who hiredJutish mercenaries,but
affecrion to the vicror as increasing numbers of Saxons
came inro Britain he fled to Wales
YORflGERN, affth-century ruIer of Here he tried to build a stronghold,
Bntain, tied to build a grand castle,but but it kept collapsing When
the walls hept crumbling The boy Merlin, a MERLINwas consulted he said that
precociousseer,was consultedand revealed a red dragon (the Saxons)battled
that two dragonsbattledbeneaththe site with a white dragon (the Britons)
wery night, destroyingthe castlewalls beneath the fort and that the red
(Irrusrnqtror.r
nvAuw Lr.r.1984
) dragon would evenruallywrn.
17l
ru.:
 INTRODUCTION

INTRoDT]CTIoN
HE MYTHOLOGYOF NORTHERNAND
eastem Europe is essentiaily that of
two main groups, peoples of
Germanic and of Slavic descent Today the
former group includes Germans, Dutch,
Danes, Swedes, Norwegians, lcelanders,
English, and any of their exracdon, while rhe
Slavs are made up of Russians,Serbs, Croa6,
Bulgarians, Rumanians, Slovacs and Poles.
Other peoples have also contributed to the
mythological tradition of the region, such as
the inhabitanrc of rhe Baltic shore: the
Prussians, Lithuanlans and Letts. Further
north there are conrriburions from the Finns
and the Lapps of Sweden and Norway The
northemmost people of all, the Lapps of
River Dnieper was a by-product of Viking
exploration. It is rherefore likely that the Slavic
thunder god Perunu had already absorbed
much of Thor's mythologr. Although a nadve
hammer-god undoubtedly existed before the
Vihngs arrived in the 860s, the imponance of
northem wariors in Novgorod and Kiev made
it inevitable that the Russian god would be
identified wrth his Germanic counterpan The
strength of the Vihng presence can be judged
from the Arab raveller Ibn-Fadlan's accounr
of the ship cremadon of a "Rus" Ieader on the
Volga river in922.
In the Balkans the Slavs not only encoun-
tered Onhodox Chrisdaniry, but were later for
a time under Islamic rule also This long
isolation from such Slavonic influences did
not bode well for Balkan mythology As rhe
mphs were never wntten down, the influence
of Christianiry and lslamic rule replaced the
native story-telling Of Baltic myrhologlr next
to nothing now exists, although some idea
can be formed of the pantheon The brutal
truth is that European mythology has escaped
the Baltic fate only where by historical acci-
dent it was written down In the case of Celtic
Ootw,theleadingwarior godoJtheVihings,
atleft,bears
theweaponsofhiswarcraft,an axeandspearThestylized
treedepicted
beside himrymbolizes
Ygdrasil,the WorV
TreeAt centreis thethundugodThor,wieldinghisfiery
thunderbolt,
Mjollnir;whileat nght,Frqrbearsanearof
corn to represent hts Jmtlity (Taprsrny.t2rH cENruRy)

Finland and their cousins, the Samoyeds of

Russia, are actually the scattered remnants of
rhe Uralians, an ancient group once spread
right across the tundra of Europe and Asia.
Their beliefs remained similar ro those held
by the tribespeople of Siberia unril quite
recent times For rhe purpose of rhis book
these traditions have been grouped rogerher
under the generic [errn, Norse.
It is a fact thar the overwhelming bulk of
mythologl surviving from nonhem and easr-
em Europe is Scandinavian and lcelandic in
origin. Most Slavic gods are nor much more
than names, and the lirtle we know about
their worship is usually as a consequence of
its Christian terminarion [n Russia the con-
version of Vladimir in 989 to rhe Orthodox
faith involved rhe ransacking of pagan rem-
ples at Kiev. Fortunately, chroniclers of rhis
event noted the srange worship accorded to
the rhunder god Perunu or Veles, the god of
flocks. Without such passing resrimony our
scant knowledge would be almost nonexis-
tent Even so, there are difficulties wirh
Vladimir's own pagan beliefs prior to his con-
version to Christianity. He was of Swedish
descent and the "Rus" state he ruled on the

174
 TNTRODUCTION

mythologywe are fortunate in the care taken

by Christian monks in lreland to record the
ancient sagas.The classical heritage of Greece
and Rome was presewed like that of the Cels
in monastic libraries, after the Germanic peo-
ples overran the western provinces of the
Roman empire. And much of Germanic
mythology would have been lost in its tum
without the efforts of the Icelandic scholar
and statesman Snorri Sturluson.
At the tum of the thineenth century Snorri
Sturluson wrote a handbook for poets on the
world of the Germanic gods, providing
detailed explanations of the old myths. He
was recalling the sagas of the Viking era,
approximately 750-1050, when a vigorous
tradition formed around the heroic deeds of
Odin, Thor and Freyr Still untouched by
Christianity, the restless and adventurous
Northmen - the Danes, Norwegians and
Swedes- put to sea in search of plunder and
land. Viking warriors were largely organized
in small bands or ships' crews, only joining
together in temporary alliances for military
expeditions, trading voyages or piracy. They
mlght sewe under a famous leader for a while,
and then break up again, although on occa- Slcuno roaststheheartoJtheternbledragon,FaJnir,and the war god said "the grey wolf watches the
suclahisthumbwhichwassplashedwith thedragon's halls of the gods". Gathering to Valhalla the
sion they built up armies or large fleets of war-
bloodOn tastingthe blood,Sigurd
otherworldly gainedthe
ships, Iike the forces that attacked France in heroic warriors slain in battle was the only
powerto undmtandbirdsong andlearntfrom thebirds
842 or invaded England in 866 Their mag- thatReg1n, thefire, plannedtreachery
histutorsleepingby policy Odin felt he could sensibly follow

nificent ships and expert seamanship gave (Wooo 12rucrvrunY.)

c,tnvtruc, under the constant threat of Ragnarok, the

them mastery of rivers and seas,and enabled doom of the gods. These dead warriors, the

them to travel far and wide. warriors loved hearing about the exploits of Einheqar, were desperately needed for the

The lrish lamented the Viking onslaught one-eyed Odin. This chief of the Germanic final battle on the Vigrid Plain, where nearly

most. "The sea spewed forth floods of for- gods exened a special fascination as "father of all would fall in an encounter between the

eigners over lreland," noted the Annals oJ the slain" He shared those who fell on the gods and the frost giants. Odin himselfwas

IJlster, "so that no harbour, no beach, no battlefield with Freyla, the goddess of fertili- desdned to be killed by the wolf Fenrir, the

stronghold, no fort, no casde, might be ry. He also inspired the frightful berserkers, monstrous offspring of the fire god Loki and

found, but it was sunk beneath waves of the shield-bidng fighters who rushed unheed- the frost giantess Angrboda. Whether Harald

northmen and pirates." In 836 the Vikings ing and naked into the fray. When the Danish Wartooth accepted this as an adequate

had decided to set up a permanent raiding king Harald Warcooth complained about answer is uncertain, since Odin, who was act-

base on the site of present-day Dublin. Odin's fickleness, the way he gave luck in ing as his charioteer, flung the old king down

It is hardly surpnsrng that aggressiveVihng battle and then suddenly withdrew it again, and slew him with his sword as he fell.

175
INTRODUCTION
Vttnqu-e, helow), the splendid,many-spiredHaIl of the
Slain,housed Odin's phantomarmy oJheroicwarnors,
gatheredtofight at Ragnaroh- thepreordaineddoom of
the gods On the right, the massiyeWorld Serpenr,
Jormungand, was destinedto werwhelm the world at
rnovTnr pRosEEDDA,
Rngnaroh (Irrusrnerrorl 1760)
L76
The "axe-age,sword-age", which was the
age that would lead up ro the carasrrophe of
Ragnarok, must have seemed like a descrip-
tion of contemporary times to rhe footloose
Vikings. But for rhose who settled down as
colonisrs, either as farmens or traders, an alter-
nadve god ro worship was Thor, Odin's son.
Although "allergic" ro frosr giants, Thor is rep-
resented in the sagas as an honest and
straightforward person. He was very popular
with lcelandic colonisrs, who had fled south-
em Norway to avoid the Odinlike acdvities
of leaders like Erik Bloodaxe. Thousands of
them revealed their allegiance in the choice of
family name: Thorsten or Thorolf were most
common. Thor was indeed a reassuring
supematural presence in both divine and
human crises, be they encroachmenrc by frost
gians on gods, or local tyrans on farmers, or
even overzealous Christian missionaries on
pagan temples. Ever handy was his rhunder-
hammer Mjollnir, a magic instrumenr wirh
powers of destruction, fertiliry and resurrec-
tion. It was hardly suqprising then that Thor
became a greatergod than Odin ar rhe close
of the Viking era, jusr a cenury or so before
Scandinavia was converted to Christianiry.
Loxt below),thefiery ticluter god,wastobeglnwth a
mischiwousandplayJul pranluter,buthebecame sodarh
ondttistedthathismalicethreatened thestabtlity
oJthe
worldandprecipitatedRagnaroh Here,thetroublesome
godtduntstheRhineMaidens, whoaregnevingthelossoJ
thar Rhinegold (ItusrnerroN BYARTHUR
R4cKfiM, c 1900)
 INTRODUCTION

ARCTIC OCEAN

NORWEGIAN SEN

FARoE
ISLANDS
I
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SHETLAND
ISLANDS FIT.TLAND
not'
ATLANTIc OcEarrl V

sioRKNEY
lslaNDs
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NoRTH
ORK SER
F'r il"?, D
BA LT IC
sEn
RuSSIA

Srernru
o Docnuu

'b4\
rF
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)
T
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f-
f
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j':

I
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f\r c:
D \"r'
NonsE MyrHoLoGY
AEGIR, or Eagor,was a Germanic
sea god, the husband of MN and
father of nine daughters, rhe waves
He seems to have belonged ro an
older generation of the gods rhan
either the erSlR or the VANIR,
although no details of his descent
survive Aegir was sometimes
depicted as a very old man with
whire hair and claw-like fingers
Whenever he rose from his under-
water hall, he broke the surfaqeof
the sea for a single pulpose, rhe
destrucrion of ships and rheir
crews To ensure a calm voyage,
prisoners would usually be
sacrificed to Aegir before a Viking
raiding parry set sail for home
One myth tells how the proud
sea god was ourwirted by THOR
Aegir had been ordered by Thor ro
brew some ale for the gods, but he
pretended thar he had no cauldron
large enough for rhe task In fact he
disliked being told what to do But
undaunred, Thor acquired a vast
cauldron from the frost gianr
HYMIR k was so big that when he
hoisted ir onto his shoulders. the
r78
handles reached his ankles Hymir The goddessesof the Aesirwere
tned to stop Thor leaving with rhe FREYJA, rhe fertiliry goddess and
cauldron, but the god's hammer twin sister of Freyr; FRIGG,Odin's
saw off Hymir and his gigandc wife; SIF, the wife of Thor; and
friends As a result, a humiliared IDUN, who was the keeper of the
Aegir had to accepr the cauldron apples of youth
and supply ASGARD,rhe home of Almost all the Aesir were to be
the gods, with ale hlled at Ragnarok(the doom of the
It was at a subsequentfeastfor gods), when a terrible battle was
the gods held by Aegir rhar r-oxr destined to nke place berween the
showed how evii he had become forces led by Odin, and the forces
Ar.cm (above),a tempestuousand when he insuhed rhe assembled led by Loh
powerfuIgod of the sea,residedin a company and stabbedAegir's ser-
glisteningunderwaterpalacefrom where vant Fimafeng AlnrntCH seeANDyART
he directedthe swirlingwavesthroughhis
nine daughters,who werehnownas the THf AESIR, in Germanic myrh- ALUS ("All Wise"), in Germanic
billow maidens The hissing,seething ology, were one branch of rhe myrhology, was a dwarf who was
Nordtc seawascalled"Aeglr'sBrauing family of the gods; the other branch outwrtted by ODIN'sson IHOR,the
Kettle" (lrrusrnnrroru
ByJAMES
ALEx,Aruorn,
1995) were the VANIR.At one time thre possessorof a magic hammer of
was a war between the younger inesistible force In pq/ment for rhe
Aesir and the older Vanir. which weapons Alvis had forgedfor them,
AnGIR'ssister-w{e,Rnn,wasJamous ended in a peace thar left the Aesir the gods promised that he could
t'or her drowningnet, which sheusedto dominant Both branches had in marry Thor's daughter THRUD.
snatch unsuspectingsatlorsfrom the dechs fact grown weary of fighting, and However, Thor was displeasedwith
oJ shipsand dragthan down to theseabed were pleased to come to terms In the arrangemenr and so devised
Sheentertainedthem in her coral cayes, order to cement the peace,several a test of knowledge to srop rhe
which were lit by gleaminggold and where of the leading Aesir wenr ro live dwarf from marrlnng his daughter.
meadjowed asJreelyas inValhalla among the Vanir, while a number When Alvis came ro ASGARD, Thor
(llli/srunoN By PErER HURD 1882 ) of important Vanir wenr ro ASGARD, questioned him all night long
the Aesir's home becausesunlight rumed dwarfs to
The Aesir, under the leadership stone
of opll. included his sons BALDER
("the bleeding god") and BRAGI, Arws,a dwarf
famedforhiswisdom,
the god of eloquence;rhe jusrice hoped to marryThor'sglantdaughter,
god ronsETI, who resolvedquanels Thrud,butftrsthehadtoprovethathis
in a splendid hall supporred by greatwisdom madeupforhissmallstature
pillars of red gold and coveredwirh Thorquizzedhim andprolonged thetest
a roof inlaid with silver, the fertiliry until sunisewhenthefirstraypetnfied
god nnnrR, once a leading Vanir; Alviswho,liheall dwarfs, turnedto stonein
the vigiian r HEIMDALL, whose dury daylight (Iuusrnenoru BvJAMEsALFxANorn,i995 )
it would be to summon everylirirg
creature to MGNAROK,the day of
doom, with his hom; blind HoDR,
the unwitting killer of Balder; rhe
trickster LOKI,god of fire and ally of
the frost giants; the seagod w.Jono,
one of the gods exchangedwith the
Vanir; another of Odin's sons,
THOR,whose mighty magic ham-
mer was the only weapon the frost
giants feared; the god of war T1?,a
son of H;rmir; VILI and VE, the
brothers of Odin; and wpaR, a son
of Odin who was desdned ro
avenge his father's death at
Ragnarok

AXOVnru, or Alberich, as he was
known in later German legend, was
a craftsman dwarf who lost his
hoard of treasure to the fire god
LoKt. On an expedition to Midgard
(the land of men), Loh killed a
sleeping otter with a stone.
Carrying the dead otter, he, oDIN
and noNlR came acrossa farm and
offered to share the otter's meat
with the household in retum for a
night's lodgings. To the horror of
HREIDI4AR,the farmer, the offering
was none other than his own son
OTTER.Finstof all, Hreidmarchant-
ed aspell toweaken his guests and
then his two suwivingsons, FAFNIR
and Rrcnv, bound them hand and
foot. Odin protested their inno-
cence and pointed out that they
would not have come straight to the
farm had they known the otterwas
the farmer's son. So, eventually,
Hreidmar settled on a death-price:
enough gold to cover Otter's skin,
inside and out. Becausethe flayed
skin was endowed with magic
powers, it was capable of being
stretched to a great size and so no
ordinary amount of gold could be
acceptedin compensation.
Loh was allowed by Hreidmar
to seek this great treasure, while
Odin and Honir (in some versions
just Honir) remained at the farm as
hosuges. The fire god was not per-
mitted to wear his sky-shoes,how-
ever, and these were also kept as
security against Loki's return.
Having borrowed the drowning-net
Tnr ArstR AeJ) werewamor-gods
worshippedbyheroesandhings Very lihe
Norsemen,thq loved,t'oughtand diedwith
humanfeelingsfor, thoughdivine, thq
were not immortal Odin, sem herein
hornedhelmet,behindthe Vanir uins,led
thehuoic Aesir Tnr.Nonrnru Goos
DESCENDING By w CoLLlNGwooD, CANVAS, c
of Ran, wife of the seagod eEGtR,
Loh descended through amaze of.
dripping tunnels to an under-
ground lake, where he caught a
large pike. This fish, like the otter
before, tumed out to be more than
it firsr seemed For it was in fact the
dwarf Andvari, who was the nchest
of those who dwelt underground
Only because of Loki's terrible
threats, Andvari sunendered all his
immense hoard of gold, including
his magic gold-making ring. But in
his anger the dwarf laid a terrible
curse on the ring which would
causethe doom ofwhoeverwore ir.
When Loki retumed to the farm
with the gold and Odin and Honir
were released, he told Hreidmar of
Andvari's curse and in this way
Nonsr MvrHoLoGY
ANDVARI'sbbove) treasuretrrve was
stolenby the godsOdin and Lohi in order
to pay a ransom When thq toohhis gold-
mahingnng too, Andvan dancedwith
rageand cursedthe ing At top, the three
Norns examine the darh thread of destiny,
whilebelow,Hel awaits a nan inmate
1890 )
passedit on to the farmer lndeed,
Hreidmar was soon after killed by
his son Fafnir, who then ran away
with the cursed treasure
The hero SIGURDwas later Per-
suaded by his foster-father Regrnto
pursue Fafnir, who had bY this
time become a dragon The hero
duly searched for the creature and
eventually found it in its lair and
slew it. However, when Sigurd
reahzed that for the sake of the
reasure Regrn intended to kill him
in tum, he made sure that he slew
his foster-father first. Thus it was
that Andvari's curse continued to
cling to the stolen gold and
brought about the death of all
those who attempted to Possessit
(Seealso RINGSOFPowER)
179
 NoRSE MyTHoLoGY
ANCRBODA, or Angerboda
(" Distress-bringer"), in Germanic
mythology, was a frosr giantess.
She was rhe misrress of LOKI and
the mother of three monstrous
offspring: rhe wolf FENRIR, the ser-
pentJOR.NfUNGAND, and a daughter
named HEL.When the gods heard
about this brood, rhey agreed thar
such creaturesmusr be deah with
quickly. A group of gods broke into
Angrboda's hall ar night, bound
and gaggedher, and rook her and
Loh's children ro ASGARD.
ODIN first banished Hel ro rhe
"world beneath the worlds" and
there he put her in charge of ail the
inglorious dead. He rhen hurled
Jormungand inro rhe ocean,where
the huge snake smashed through
the ice and sank down into the
depths. Odin was Iesscertain what
to do wirh Fenrir, so ar first he
decided that rhe gods should keep
an eyeon him at fugard. However,
when the NoIWS, the goddessesof
destiny, wamed that rhe wolf
would bring abour Odin's dearh
action was finally raken to bind
Fenrir securely with a magic chain
and keep him in captiviry.
r80
Although Angrboda's children
were thus contained, Odin knew
rhat the wolf Fenrir would break
free at MGNAROK,the day of doom,
and destroy him The sea serpenr
Jormungand also awaited the final
conflict, like his sister Hel "sur-
rounded by corpses and swirling
death-mist" in the netherworld A
tenth-century Danish complainr
about Odin's withdrawal of luck
from brave wariors is answered in
terrns of Angrboda's brood Odin
is supposed to havesaid that "the
ArucnrooeQet't) mothered a dreadful
broodoJmonsters - a rottingg1rl,Hel;a
sayage wo[, Fenir;anda glontserpent,
Jormungand - whowuebanished bythe
godsHere,Odinflingstheserpent intothe
iq deep, whileAngrboda guardshu wolf-
child (tr;:usrrurrc:,N
ByIAMEIArc.xeuorn,
1995)
the sun and the moon, as his price
for the eighteen-monrh rask Ar
LOKI's suggestion, ODIN set the
seemingly impossible Iimit of six
months for the constnrction of
fugard's walls As a concession the
stonemasonwas allowed to use his
horse, the magic Svadilfari,to help
him in the work. To the horror of
the gods he had finished all the
walls, except a gateway,three days
before the time was up So Loh
transformed himself inro a mare
and beguiled the stonemason's
sullion, thus prevendngthe com-
pledon of thejob The stonemason
then revealed himself as a frost
grey wolf watches the halls of rhe giant and tHoR broke his skull with
gods" With this threat in mind, he his hammer It is ironic that the
had no choice but ro garher to his defences of Asgard should have
side the greatestchampions been built by the labour of a frost
giant, given rhe bitter enmity
ASCenO, in Germanic myth- between the gods and the giants
ology, was the divine stronghold of Indeed, ar MGNAROXthese rwo
the AESIR,who were the younger enemies were destined to meet in a
and sronger branch of the family of batde of mutual destrucdon.
gods. The other branch, the vANIR, The idea of ciry walls that were
lived in Vanaheim. fugard's mlghry built by giants is a widespread
walls were built by a stonemason, myth in Europe The walls of
Hrimthurs, who named the hand TinTns in southem Greece, for
of the ferdlirygoddessFRE[,A,plus example, were believed to have
been construcredby rhe Cyclopes,
who were giant, one-eyedbeings.
There is also a srory of a dispute
over Payment for the snengthening
of Troy's walls by the gods rrpollo
and Poseidon and King l-aomedon,
which is not dissimilar to the above
story conceming fugard's walls
(Seealso MGNAROK)
Asc.*ot Qeft)walkwrebuiltbya gpant
stonemason, Hrimthurs,
aidedbyhis
wondrous horse,SvadilJariThegodsgave
himonly sixmonthsto complete theworh,
hopingto avordpaymentHeneafi
on timebutwas thwartdbylohi's
finished
fichery (Itusrnenol ByH HENDRICH,
c lg90)

AsGAw, (abwe) the magnificent strong-
hold oJthe Aesirgods,shimmeredon a
plane aboveMdgard Within, therewere
countlessshining glittuinghalk Jor each
of the gods lsgard was linlud to Midgard
by an etherealpathwayJor the gods,a
wondrousrainbw bndgecalled BiJrost
(Ir-r-usrnerror Lrc,1984
ByALAN ) NAAEILGAARD, cANVAs, c
Auotruute, below), the ongnalcw,
emergedJromthepimal ice at the dawn
of time, and nouished thefirstfrost g1ant,
Ymir. Shesuwived by liching icefrom
which shefreed the Jirst man, Bu'i Here,
while Ymir suchbshcr milh, Audhumla
liclu Bunfree of the ice (Aupnuuuay
1790)
BeneYece bottom ight) was a Slavonic
witch of monstraus sze who prqed on
travellers,donuring thar fleshwith a
mouth that stretchedJromearth toheII. She
wasseenas ahunchedhag bearded,Wrt-
woman, part-tree Here,perchedon a
rolling log shepropelk herselffow ord with
a pole ttuusrufloNsyI Bruilu,1900)
Nonsr MvrHoLocY
AUOHUMIA was rhe primeval
cow in Germanic mythology. This
creature was the first animal to
emerge from GINNUNGAGAP ("the
yawning emptiness") at the start of
creation From Audhumla's teats
"flowed four rivers of milk", nour-
ishment enough for YMIR,the first
frost giant and the first live thing of
all. From Ymir's children descend-
ed the frost gians, the implacable
enemiesof the gods. The cow her-
self seemsto have suwived on the
goodness that she obtained from
an icy salt lick. fu she licked, first
some hair appeared,then a head,
and finally the whole body of a
man, BURI.In time Buri had a son
named BoR,who married Bestla,
rhe daughter of a frost giant. Their
sonswere the first gods, ODIN,WLI
and tt. These three battled against
rhe frost gians and finally slew
Ymir. fu the giant fell the blood
from his wounds flooded the land
and drowned all his frost children,
except for BERGELMIR and his wife
who managed to escape
Bnnn YAGA, somerime s Jezr
Baba, is the hideous man-eating
lemale demon of Slavonic rradidon.
According to some versions of her
myth,her mouth is said to stretch
from earth to the gates of hell. She
Iived in a strangehouse which had
legs like a chicken's at each comer,
and stood inside a fence made of
human bones When she wished
to travel, it was believed that she
flew in an iron ketde.
r8t
Nonsr MYTHoLoGY
BeI-nEn, somerimes Baldr or Betoen, alwingand gentlesoul,spread
Baldur. was rhe son of oDIN and light and goodwillwhera,er he went but,
FRIGGand rhe "bleeding god" of inevitably,evohedthe enry of the
Germanic mythology His wrfe was bitter godlnhi, who plottedhis
'' ..,W-
Nanna and their son, FORSETI,
was tra,glc death and impisoftment in
the god ofjustice Hel This romantic portrayal captures the
As a young man, Balder sacred,Chnst-lihe goodness
of the god
was tormented by night- (BALDER BY B FOGELBERG,uenalf, 1840 )
mares, all of which indicat- "i',;.'
ed that he was about to die gods decided to test Balder'snew
A sense of foreboding, rherefore, invulnerabiliry by throwing srones
settled over ASGARD,the home of and spearsat him wrth great force,
the gods, as the divine inhabitants he remained unharmed All in
tned to understand rhe meaning of fugard were delighted except LOKI,
Balder'sdreams Theywere deepiy the god of fire He was so annoyed
puzzled because the genrle god by Balder'sescapefrom danger that
least deservedto suffer such tor- he transformedhimseif into an old
ments. So Odin rode his eighr- woman and vrsited Fngg's hall. ln
leggedsreedsLEIrNIRto the land of conversation with the goddess,
the dead and by means of magic Loh leamed that she had received
Ieamed from a seeressthere that a promise of harmlessnessfrom all
Balderwas to be killed by the blind things except the misdetoe, which
god ruoon, his own brother, wirh a travelled through the nine worids was a plant too small and too feeble
branch Although depressedby thrs and got each and every thing ro to bother about
news, Odin retumed to fugard and swearan oath that ir would do her Armed with this information,
found that his wife Frigg had a son no harm To Odin's relief this Loki went off to cur some mistle-
plan to save Balder The goddess plan seemed to work When rhe toe In his normal shape the fire
182
god rerumed to the assemblyof the
gods and found everyonethrowing
things at Balder, except blind
Hodr. Pretending to help Hodr
enjoy the sport, Loki gave him the
branch of mistletoe and directed
his throw, with the result that the
branch passed right through
Balder,who immediately fell down
dead At Frigg's entrearyHERMOD,
Balder'sbrother, was sent to HELin
order to oflfera ransom for Balder.
He used the eight-legged Sleipnir
for the joumey While Hermod was
away, the bodies of Balder and
Nanna, who had died of gnef, were
placed on a pyre in a longship
which was allowed to drift buming
out to sea.
BALDER's bodywaslaidona pyrein his
longshipandhewasthencweredin
treasureanddecorated wtthflowersand
thoms,theemblems ofsleepHisshipwas
setaflameandpushed outtoseawhereit
shone bightly,bejoresinhingintodarhness
(Fuurner oF A VIKNG By F DrcKsEE, ceNvrc, 1893 )

In the netherworld the brave
Hermod found his brother Balder
seatedin a high position. When he
asked for his release, Hel said
Balder could leave only on con-
dition that "everything in the nine
worlds, dead and alive, wept for
him" Messengerswere sent out
and soon even the stones were
weeping But THOKK,an old frost
giantess,refused, saying, "Let Hel
hold what she has." So upset were
the gods at this refusal to mourn
that it took some time for them to
realue that Thokk was none other
than Loh in disguise Nevertheless,
Balder remained with Hel
Balder's good looks and early
death recall the myths of the
Egyptian Osiris and the Sumerian
Tammuz, aswell as that of Adonis,
who was the dying-and-rising god
the ancient Greeks adopted from
the Phoenicians.For the Germanic
peoplesbelieved that the retum of
the wounded, dying Balderwould
occur in a new world, a green land
risen from the sea,after MGNAROK,
the doom of the gods. Like the un-
dead Celtic KingAnhur, Balderwas
expected [o retum and rule over a
world cleansedby catastrophe.lt
would seemthat some of the initial
appeal of Christianiry in northem
Europe was connected with the tri-
umphant retum of the risen Christ
on Judgement Day. (See also
RAGNAROK)
Bru-oR seeBALDER
Bru.OUNSCC BALDER
BEOWULF was rhe Germanic
hero who slew wo water monsters.
He was said to be the nephew of
the king o[ Geats, whom some
interpret as theJutes. His story is
set in Denmark. One night a dread-
ful crearure known as GMNDEL
came to the hall of King Hrothgar
and ate one of the wanions sleeping
there. Although inrmlnerable to
weapons, Grendel was seized by
Beowulf and held in a powerful
grip, from which it could only
BEowuLF,seenhere with raiseddnnhing
horn, gazesup at the gory trophy hanging
Jrom the splendidvault oJDenmarh's
VictoryHall Theglanthairyhand
belongedto thefearsomeseamonster,
Grendel, who had continually terroized
and dwoured the Danes, until Beou,ulJtore
the creature'sarm nght out of its sochet
(lLr-usrtucfloN Lrr.,1981)
ByALAN
Beowun wrestleswith a monstrous
merwomanin the crystal cavernof her
undemvatqden GrievingJor the death oJ
her son,Grndel, slainby BeowulJ,the
memvoman Jrenry, but BewulJ
Jought :v'i.th
battled calmlyand toohherW surpise
(luusrnrnoru
BYJAMES I 995)
Ar.e,&c^rprn,
break away by losing an arrn.
Mortallywounded, the water mon-
ster fled to its home, deep in a near-
by lake, and bled to death.
Delighted by this feat of courage
and strength, King Hrothgar loaded
Beowulf with gifts, since his king-
dom had been rid of a menace.But
neither the king nor the warrior
reckoned on Grendel's mother, an
even more dreadful creature She
returned to the attack and ate
another sleeping warrior In Pur-
suit. Beowulf followed her into a
lake and dived down to her cavem-
like lair A desperatestruggle then
took place and Beowulf lost his
Nonse MvrHoLocY
trusry sword Like Anhur, he was
fortunare to find another magic
weapon in the water and he used
this to finish off Grendel's mother.
Having once again saved King
Hrothgar's kingdom from danger,
Beowulf retumed home to south-
em Sweden,where his father ruled
Towards the end of his popular
reign a dragon attacked his land
Going out wrth rwelve followers to
slay the fiery beast, Beowulf soon
found himseif almost on his own,
for all his companions but one ran
awayin terror Although he man-
aged to hll the dragon, it was at the
cost of his own life.
In contrast to the Celtic myths
that describecombat with water-
giants, the Germanic stories tell of
heroes who face actual monsters
rather than magical opponents.
This is quite unlike the great Ulster
hero and champion Cuchulainn's
beheadingcontestwith Uath, or Sir
Gawain's with the Green lfuight,
for in these traditions their mon-
strous opponents were able to
restorethemselvesto life after they
had been decapimted
Beowutr,arcnin hisoldage,tachledJire'
breathingdragonsYetneitherhismight
armour,
norhist'abled craJtedbyWayland,
couldwithstandthedragon'scrushing
teethBeowulJ wasmortallywoundedin the
combat, buthedidnotdiebeforeseeingthe
dragon's Jorhispeople
released
treasure
(lrlusrncrtoN BYJAMES
Auxaruorn, 1995)
r83
Nonsr MyrHoLocy
BenCflMIR, according ro Ger-
manic mythology, was the son of
Thrudgelmir and the grandson of
YMIR When ODIN, VILI and vE
hlled Ymir and rhrew his body into
rhe middle of GTNNUNGA GAp, all
the frost giants drowned in rhe
grant'sblood exceprBergelmirand
his wife By using a hollowed rree
trunk as a boat, rhey escaped to
BIFRosr (above)wqs a glganticrainbow
causeway, reachingJrom the shining
citadel of Asgard to theearthly realm of
Midgard Composedof fre, water and air,
tt shimmeredwith rainbow-colouredlight
in huesoJred, blue and green Over the
etherealarch, thegodsmovedto andfro
(lLLtrsrnarroru ar AL4N Lee, 1984 )
continue the race of gianrc, who
neverlost their harred for rhe gods
Ar RacruaRoxrhe frost gianrs and
the dead of HEr were desrined ro
settle the final account for Ymir's
dismemberrnent
BIEnOST, in Germanic myrh-
olory, was the flaming three-srrand
rainbow bridge berween ASGARD
and Midgard (heaven and earrh
respectively) [t was said ro have
been built by the gods our of red
fire, greenwater and blue air, and
was guardedby rhe watchman god
HEIMDALLEvery day rhe gods rode
acrossthe bndge ro hold meerings
at the rr"ellof uRp
Btlt tNC, in Germanic myth-
ology, was rhe farher o[ ntruo
According to some traditions, he
was king of the Rurhenians, or
Russians So strong-willed was
Rrnd rhar ODINcould norwoo her,
even though Billing approved of Brncrrutn below) andhis wife werethe BtruNc (above) gazes in wonderat the
the god's suir On rhe conrary, she onlyfrost glantsto escapedrowningin glittmng tinhetsJashioned bythedwarf
treatedrhe chief of rhe Germanic the torrent of Ymir's blood thatflowedfrom goldsmith Rosterus Unhnown to King
gods wirh undisguisedconrempr his morTalwoundsThryjournqed in a BiIIing,thedwarfis Odinin disguise,
who
Eventually, however, she gave way hollowed-outtree trunh to the edgeof the wasintentonwooingthehing'sdaughter,
to his advancesand she bore a son, world wherethq founded the realm oJ Rind Shewasdestined tobearOdina son,
vALr, who killed Hopn with his Jotunheimand bred a noy rlce oJ glants VaIi,whowouldavenge Balder'sdeath
bow and arrow (lr-r-usrnerroru
ByNlcKBreu. 1995) (Ilrusrnerroru
ByNtcKBULE,1995
)
BOn was rhe son of BURI,hus-
band of the granr Bestlaand father
of ODIN,VILI and \rE An ancient
god, Bor lived in rhe time before
the world had been made, when
there was no earth, sky or sea,only
mist, ice, fire and the gaping pir of
GINNUNGAGAP Bor's father-in-law,
the giant Bolthur, also had a son
who imparred his wisdom ro his
nephew Odin.
BnnCl was rhe son of oDrN and
Gunnlod, a female giant, and was
the Germanic god of poerry and
eloquence He was married to
IDUN, rhe goddess who kept the
maglc apples of yourh When LOra
retumed ro ASGARD,afrer being
instrumental in causing BALDER's
death, Bragi, who was never at a
loss forwords, told him rhat he was

Bnecl (aba,e)wasbornin a glitteing
stalactite cave, wherehts mother, Gunnlod,
guarded the Mead oJPoetry, until seduced
by Odin The dwarfsgavethet'air child a
magicalharp and sethim aJloaton one of
thar fne-craJted vessekJrom whichhe sang
hrspoignantSongoJLifewhichroseto the
hem,ar (luusrpcnoN HyRD,
ByPETER 18f,2)
unwelcome company at their feast even more threatening He finallY
Enraged, Loki called Bragi "the prophesied the destruction of the
bragger", whereupon Bragi threat- gods and then fled from fugard
ened to twist off Loh's head as the Possibly Bragi was a lare addi-
only sure method of stopping his tion to the Germanic pantheon It
Iies Although Odin tned to calm is not unlikely that Bragi was added
the gathering, the effect of Bragi's through the dMne elevation of a
words on Loki was to make him poet, since in Germanic courts
poets were venerated second only
Tnr BTsruGAMEN below) wa.san to kings. Bragi was portrayed as an
uquisite nechlacecraftedby dwarJsso old, bearded man carrying a harp,
fnely that it shonelllu liquid jome The and when oaths were swom they
goddessFrqja, besideherselfwith longng were solemnized by speakingover
treaure An
pad dmrly Jor possessingthe a vesselcalled the Cup of Bragi
emblemoJthe stars,it so enhancedher
beauty that shewore it continually, night BRTSTNCNMEN SCCRINGSOF
ByJPENRosE,
and day 0uusrnrnoru c 1890
) POWER
THr BruStNcS, also known as
the Brisdings,were the mysterious
owners of a golden necklace,called
the Brisingamen, that the fertility
goddess FREYAcraved To ODIN's
disgust she slepr on four successive
nights with the dwarfs Alfrigg,
Dvalin, Berling and Grer in order to
acquire it. When she retumed to
ASGARD,Odin accusedher of de-
basing her diviniry by payrngsuch
a price As a penance he made her
stir up war in Midgard, the worid of
men Freyja and Odin shared those
slain on the battlefield
No agreementexistsabout the
meaning of this strangemyth, not
Ieast because the identity of the
Brisings is unknown It has been
suggestedthat necklaceswere the
specialadomment of mother god-
desses,but this hardly does more
than explain Freyja'sattraction to
this particular one. What seems
more likely is that the sexualprice
Frefa paid for it represents the
other side of love, namely, blind
passion and lust Nothing could
stop her, not even Odin's great
disapproval, when she desired
something badly enough The
Brisingamen came to be identified
so closely with Frepa that when
THORwished to disguisehimself as
the goddess to rerieve his hammer
from THRYM,she lent it to him to
make his costume convincing (See
also TR.CASURES ANDTALISMANS)
Nonse MvrHoLoGY
THT BruSNTNGS BRisINGs
SCC
BNUNHILD SCC
BRYNHILD
BNYNHILD WASAVALI<YRIE WhO
defied oDIN and so was banished
to earth and imprisoned within a
ring of fire When SIGURDbraved
the fire and broke her charmed
sleep, they fell in love. He gaveher
his nng, Andvannaut, unawareof
its curse. On his travelshe was be-
witched by Grimhild into berapng
Brynhild, first by marrying Gudrun
and rhen by helping Gunner win
Brynhild On discoveringSigurd's
betrayal, Brynhild planned his
death, but then killed herself in
despair (Seealso THEVALKfRIES,
LOYERS)
TRAGIC
BURI, in Germanic mythology,
was rhe ancestor of the gods He
was released from the ice by
AUDHUMIA.the primeval cow One
day Buri's hair appearedwhere she
licked; on the secondday, his head
was free of ice; and, on the third,
his entire body He had a son, BoR,
who married a frost giantess,and
their sons were ODIN,VILIand \rE
BRvNHILD, VallEies,
oneoJtheleading
waspunished byOdinJor meddlingwrth
hiswill inwarfareThegodputhutosleep
andimpisonedherin a nngoffre, where
herofreed
shewouWremainuntila peerless
her OnlySigurdbravedthescorchingJire,
sleep
wahingho from hr enchanted
(llrusrncno^i BYARTHUR
RAcKtl M, c 1900)
r85
l

NATTJRE SPIRITS
HE DRAMATTc LANDSCApE of scandinavia,with is electric skies, icy wastes
and seethingsprings,was easilypeopled with nature spirits. such spirits
roamed the mountains and snow slopes as fearsomefrost, storrn and fire
giants, personi$dngthe mysteriousand menacingforcesof nature. So great
were the telrors of crushing ice and searingfire rhat the giants loomed large in the
Norse myths as evil and ominous forces.Yetother less dramaticbut no lessimportant
spirits were the invisible landvaettir,or land spirits, who imbued the land and guarded
its welfare. Helpful and timid, the landvaettir easlly took fright, shyrng away from
Viking dragon ships. In the undergound cavems,dark dwarfs unearthed glittering
gems and metals,while light elvesinspired the forestsand lakes.In Slavonicmyrh, a
host of vital forces filled
the world and imbued
the forests, fields and
rivers wi rh whirling
spirits of nature.

Tne Fnosr Grnrurs (below)personifiedthe iq

teftors oJthe Nordic landscapeMighry,menactng
and numbing, the ice masses
of the North werec
constantthreat to the Norsemen,much lihe theJrost
glants,whoseundytng enmity wouldoyerwhelmthe
godsat Ragnaroh In the intenm, theJrostglants
sentfreezngblasts to nip the budsoJsping, or
shoohava,lanches
Jrom their iqt shouldersand brows
(RcrNoere ar NrcHr at H SoHrnrnc, cANVAi. c 1890 )

Tnr Sunv(above),in one myth,

wasfashionedby the godsfrom a
bright sparh ofJire Its glou,ingorb
wasplacedin a chaiot, drawnby
two white stee&and drivnhy the
sun-maid, Sol Feaing tlnt the
sun's heat mifitt be harmful, the
go& placed a shieH, Svalin, or
CooW, inJront of the golden car
In anothq myth, the godsgne a
g1ant,Day, a clwnot andhones n
drwe round the eanh once e''tay 24
hours. Day's horse, Shining Mane,
litup the earth and slq with the
radiance of his shininghair. (sw
Drsc,
GTLDED c 10008C)
BRoNzE,
 Nonse N,tvrHoLOGY

nar 0eft), a stormyspint of the seu,reflectedthe shfting Denx DwaRr-s @elow) -*te lotmed from mup4ots tn tht

h.elpful,
somettmes
moodsoJ the ocean, somettmes rottrngfesh o/ the siarn .Eant, Ymtr Thc gods thought them

harmful Shegatheredsatktrsrn her drowntngnetand too ugly to be sten, howa'er, uncl condemned them to a lfe

rlrag4edthemdown to thedepthsoJ thesta There,wtth undergound Lrire ganr-s. tht,- tttmecl to -stoneIn dctr-hght,

her husband,Aegr, sheenttrtainedherviclim.srn her thus aplatmng the mam srnaller stons-s and r ochs scattered

gleamrngcoral caves,whichwerelx Lrythe shrning goldol across the Nordic landscape The twin pettks ofTrold

fintlteme , for e,xample, cre two bands ol\NanlngdwarJs who

the sea Ranloved gold,named the FlameoJtfu Sea.aJttr
(#alit\/ of ltordtc wave.sSatlors seekrng As dwatJs had a httbtt ol
the Jluorescent forgot to retre(lt beJttre sunnv

Ran'sfovour wiselypochetedsone goldJrv rhe tnp v'hrspmngbehtnd rochs, the mttuntuin tthoes v'er( knott'n us

( I L L L\ l R 4 l ( ) \ BI ARTHtR R{akHA\l, t l90C I

" d**ufs' talk" Iiil ' ttq ti, )\ tsiqi-'1\i I F i 9s4 )

-':
S-'r L :1.

Tsr Rtlnr tr4qtorNs (abovd rvereetherul spntesv'ho

m lakesand nters dunng thett'inter,emergngfrom
tlv'el,t
1nsummcr The nt'er's
thett'aterto lltt throughtheforest-s
reJlected
colour.s wrth
then tmphs'moods,tumtngbluch.
gnef whenthe RhrneMardenslost thcrr gold Htre, the
beratetheirlos.s
RhmeMdrdens rhe
to the godscrossing
ratnbott'bntlge abot't 'ttr'. \rR4ri( j\ E] {RfHl R R{(kr/4\1 r' la00 ;

Rocx eNo Srom,l Gr.qNrs persontlted the vost crdlgr

mountdlns and storm clouds Rocky thastn.s an(l oLtt(ro?s

uere created fu gants treatltng too hear,tly at the dawn oJ

time Best sutted to mrst and fog the mountaln gants. Lrkc

dwafs, were petnfred bv the light of dt+', which explains

someJ a ntostrc r o ch.t' ormat i ons, .su ch a-sth e Rtescngehr ge

(nght), formed bl foohsh grants who were caught outstde at

slinnsr Snntlarly, tn lcelantl tht hrghest peuhs are named

lohul whrch dmvts Jrom Jotun ot Gtant

ilr rL-srRrnat\lt Ntct BEAIEl9g5 l

187
 Nonse MyrHoLocy

DAZHBOG was the Slavrc sun

god, known as Dabog to rhe Serbs
and Dazbog ro rhe Poles Son of
Svarog, rhe god of the sky, and
brother of svenazlC, god of fire, he
was bom again everymoming and
rode through the slcy on his dia-
mond chanor unril he becamean
old man in rhe evening In some
versions he is married to MyESyATs,
the moon, and quarrels between
them are said ro causeeanhquakes

DNAUPNIR SCCR/NG5OF POWER

DTNTruCH SCCRINGSOFPOWER

EECON SCC
AEGIR

THe EtNHrn;AR were the

"heroic dead" of Germanic myth-
olory Theywere garheredfrom the
battlefields by rhe vALr<rRtESIn
vALHALLA,rhe Einherjar formed
ODIN's private army, which he FRnNtn, son of rhe magician beast of RqcNaRoK,rhe doom of THE ErunrR/A& or
'huoic
dead",were
raised ro fight ar RAGNAROK, the HREIDMAR, was comrpted by the the gods His was "an axe-ag?,a gatheredupJrom thebottlefeldby the
doom of rhe gods This was the cursed ring Andvarinaut Lusting sword-age,a wind-age, a wolf-age, VallEieswho gallopedarcr theJray,
final battle between rhe gods and after the fabulous ring-hoard, he before the wrechng of rhe world". choosingthe bravesthuoesJor Odin's
the frosr giants on the WGRIDPlain. slew his farher, helped by his ODIN, the chief of the gods, was ghostlyarmy A chosenherosawa soaing
Until then, these dead warriors brother REGIN Greed made him destined to become his vicrim VollEriejustbeforetheJatalblw GHERoe
would fight every day and feast monstrous in nature and form, as Kidnapped by the gods and oF THE VALKYRTESBy W T MAUD, cANVAs, c jg90
)
every nighr, and any wounds they he tumed inro a dragon ro guard brought to AscARo where rhey
sustained were magically healed. his hoard The legend of his rrea- could keep an eye on him, Fenrir mouth was kept open by a sword
(Seealso rHE vALKrRrEs) sure drew many aspiring heroes to was so savagethat oniy the war god so he could not bire.
his lair in search of fame and for- rrn dared to feed him At first Odin When freed from captivity at
FanNtRslayshisJather,Hradmar,because tune Most mer their dearhson the was uncertain about the wolf, but Ragnarok, Fenrir was a fearsome
heisbewitched
bythetreasuretrovestolen blasted heath ourside his lair, bur when the NORNS,rhe goddessesof spectacle His vast mourh gapedso
from thedwarfAndvai Thedwarfs cursed the yourhful sicuno, armed with destiny, wamed him about his own wide that the lower jaw touched
ing canbeseenglitteingonHreidmqr'
s his father's sword and guided by fate, he decided that Fennr should rhe ground and the upper one
ashewithesin thedustBehind Regin, outwirted the dragon and
forefinger be restrained No chain, however, reached the sky, and Odin was
thewaningpair,thegodsgazeonin numb won his ill-fared reasure was strong enough ro hold rhe ani- swallowed by him
dismay lttusrnarn9 BYF yoN Sussilt, l9l4 ) mal Finaliy, rhe dwarfs made a
FenneUTI ("Cruel srriker") was magic fetter called Gleipnir from FnNrus seeFENRIR
a giant and father of the fire god strange materialssuch as the r00ts
LOKI According to one tradirion, of a mountain and bird's spitrie Flnltn and his brother Galar, in
his wife was anorher giant, Laufey Although it seemedto be a silken Germanic mythology, were the
("Tree isldnd") who gavebirth to ribbon, Fenrir would nor have it wicked dwarfs who killed the wise
Loki when hir by a lightning bolt round his neck unless one of rhe man KVASIRin order to gain his
unleashed by Farbauti Little else is gods put his hand berween hrsjaws magic powers They mixed his
known of Loh's paren6. as a pledge that it was as harmless blood with honey in a cauldron
as it seemed Tyr was the only one and made a mead rhat besrowed
FeNntn, or Fenris,according to prepared ro risk his hand, and the wisdom Bur Fjalarand Galarlost
Germanic mythologr, was the son other gods laughed when the wolf the wonderful drink to Sutrung, a
of the mischief-making god roxi bit it off on finding that the chain frost grant whose paren$ they had
and the frost giantessANGRBODA could not be broken Fenrir was also kiiled Unlike the dwarfs,
He was the devouring wolf, the then secured to a rock and his Suttung was boastful abour his

Fer.rRIn(abwe), thewolJJathtedby Lohi,
wasso satage that the godschainedhim to
an undergroundroch Only a maglcal cord
tobindhim Here,the
was strongenough
bravegod Tyrfetters Fenrir at the costof
hts ovn hand, which he placed in the wolf s
mouth as a signoJtrust (Drc.,8m
crrurunv.)
NORSE MYTHOLOGY
acquisition and it was not long
before the gods heard about the
mead. ODINhimself decided that
he would go to JoTUNHEIM,the
Iand of the frost gianm, and laY
hold of the magic drink, Disguised
as evil Bolverk, he journeyed to
Jotunheim and persuadedthe frost
giant Baugi to tunnel through a
mountain to where Suttung kePt
the mead under the care of his
daughter Gunnlod. Once the hole Fonsrn, theJair god oJjustice, was a
was drilled, Odin changed his Solomon-liheforcefor peace He sat in
shape from Bolverk's to a snake, judgement in his goldenhall, Glitnir, and
and slithered downwards to the settled the disputesoJ godsand men,
hidden treasure as quickly as he allaying stiJe and resolvingfeudsHe nuer
could. Reaching the secret cave, he failed to reconcileeventhe bitterestJoes
changed himself into a handsome (lrrusrnertorBvNICKBULE,1995)
one-eyed giant and for three days
and nighs he was Gunnlod's lover. fermentation. To put rhe seal on
The passionategiantesslet Odin their peace agreement the two
drink up every drop of the mead, branches of the gods, the,arsiR and
before he turned himself into an the VANIR, had spat into a jar, and
eagleand flew back to ASGARD,the it was from the spittle that Kvasir
F.;.a.r,+n
belw) andhisbrother Galar slew home of the gods. There he sPat had been formed. Spittle, like yeast,
the wise Kvasirand drainedhis blood to the mead into jars left empry for his causes fermentation, and so when
extract his wisdom Two glisteningbowk retum Suttung gave chase as Flalar and Galar mixed Kvasir's
and the Kettleof Inspiration clntained the another eagle,but just failed to blood with honey in a cauldron
catch Odin. they created a magical mead The
maglcalfluid, which the brothers mixed
wtthhonq to producethe goldenMead of ln the account of Kvasir'sdeath, connection berween insPiration,
Poetry (Iuusrnartoru 1995)
ALE],ANoen,
BYJAMES it is clear that this is a myth about poetry and wisdom and some form
of potent drink occurs in several
mythological radidons
FOnSffI was the Germanic god
of jusdce, and was known to the
Frisiansas Forsite He was the son
of neronn and Nanna Both of his
parents were killed, his father
stabbed by a piece of mistletoe,
rhrown unwitringly by the blind
god noon, and his mother with a
broken heart shonly after this raglc
event. Although Forseti plays only
a relatively small role in Germanic
mythology, we are told in demil
that his hall of Glitnir "had pillars
of red gold and a roof inlaid wrth
silver " There he sat in judgement
and resolvedstrife
Fnrn seeFREUA
FNTY SCCFREYR
Fnryn seeFREYJA
r89
 Nonse MyrHoLocy

Fnrrye, the voluptuous,blue-eyed Frefa's greatest treasure was Fnnn ("Lord"), somedmesFrey, Fnru,l helow) Jla,t over the earth,
goddessof lwe, rode in a chaiot drawn the BRISINGS'necklace. which she was the twrn brother of the spnnhling morning don and summer
by cats, which were rymbolsoJ her warm obtained by sleeping with irc four Germanic ferdlity goddess FRDgA. sunlightbehindher She shoohsping
alfections Accompaniedby a JlochoJ dwarf makers Her beaury won her Their father was NJORo,the god
flowersJrom her golden hair and wept tears
airborne love spiits, shetoured heavanand many admirers, including OTTAR, associatedwirh the wind and the which turnedto gold,or to amberat sea
earth in searchof her rovinghusband, whom she changed inro a boar sea Freyr, with ootN and THOR, Shewasso beautlful that shewas wooed
Odur, sheddingtears of gold all thewhile She was said ro be a sorceresswho was one of rhe principal gods He and pwsued by all liwng creatures
(Fnrv;n av NJ O BLoMMER, c,qrvvns, 1852
.) could fly in a falcon's skin Some was marnly concemed wirh feniliry, (IlrusrncrroN
syF voNSressH.r,
19t4 )
tradirions state that, on her arrival having conrrol of sunlighr, rain,
Fnfv;A ("Lady"), somerimes in fugard, she taughr the gods the fruitfulness and peace His
rirle of
known as Freya or Frea, was the spells and charms of the Vanir Skin means "shining", and the
daughrer of rhe sea god NJoRDin Both Odin and Frefa took an name of the frost giantess he mar-
Germanic myrhology and sisrer of interestin rhe heroic dead, dividing ried, GrRoe, derives from "field"
FREyR.She was an importanr fertil- the slain berween rhem ar the end As late as 1200, Freyr's statue in
ity goddessand a member of rhe of every battle Odin's share wenr his temple ar Uppsala, Sweden was
YANIR,one of the two branches to live invALIIALI q, while Frefa's noted for the size of its penis
inro which the Germanic gods were lived in her hall, Sessrumnir [t is Possiblyfor this reason the Romans
divided After awar the Vanir seem possible that Fref a's losr husband had always identified him with
ro have been supplanted by the Odur, or Od, of whom norhing is Priapus, the virile son of Dionysus
younger AESIR,who were led by known but his name, was Odin. and Aphrodite Although a mem-
ODIN When peace was agreed For she was rhe goddess of lust as ber of the VANIRby descent, Freyr
benveen rhe rwo sides, Njord wenr well as love, a suitable partner for moved ro ASGARDro live with the
wirh Freyr and Freyja ro ASGARD, Odin who was rhe farher of barrles AEslR,the younger branch of rhe
where they lived with the Aesir as a and the lover of destruction (See gods under the leadership of Odin,
token of friendship also SORCERYAND SPEUS) alongwith his father Njord and his

190

Fnrn (ndrl), a gatb godofsummtrsun
waslordof theJairyrealm
and.shouters,
oJAlftam,homeoJtheLtghtElvesHere,
hets sailinghisship,Shidblndnir,
persontfyng thecbudsHs Jlnshing *vord,
symbohznga sutbeam, foughtoftx wn
accord0uusrnenox ALE&{N
ryJ^MEs DER,1gg5
) have her son releasedfrom rhe land
sister Freyja, as a gesture of good-
will that had been ageed at the end
of the war between the Vanir and
the Aesir.
Freyr's myth is about his woo-
ing of Gerda, the daughter of the
frost giant Gymir When Frep first
saw Gerda he immediately fell in
love with her, and becausehe did
not lcnow how to gain her affection
he became ill Njord became so
worried about him that he asked
his faithful servant Skimir to find
out what was amiss. Having
leamed of this love, Shmirwent to
JOTUNHEIM, rhe land of the gians,
taking two of Freyr's greatest
treasures,his magic horse and his
magic sword The servant was
instructed to bring Gerda back to
fugard, whether her father liked it
or not. On reaching Gymir's hall,
Skimir tned to persuade Gerda to
Fnrcc belout),a datyoJtheatmosphue, when Skirnir then threatened to
spunlongpearlywebsoJcloudfrom her
jovelleddistaffwhichshone in thenightslE Finally, Skimir said that he would
astheconstellation of Fng's Spinning
\Mheel Herheron plumes rymbolizehu
discretion,whileherhrys stgniJy herdivine outcast and it was this that per-
housaviJery (Iuusrnarroru By NrcK BEA:-E,
1gg5) suaded Gerda to pledgeherself to
declare her love for Freyr in retum
for "eleven of the applesof youth"
She refused both this gift and
Skimir's second offer of one of
Odin's arm-rings Gerda'sresolve
was only strengthened further
decapitate her with Freyr s sword.
impose on her an unbreakablespell
that would make her a perrnanent
the fertiliry god with an agreement
to meet Freyr in a forest in nine
days' time In this way the passion
of Freyrwas fulfilled, though ir cost
him his horse and sword which he
gave ro Skimir At nacruaRoK,the
doom of the gods, he sorelymissed
his mighry magic weapon, since it
could fight giants on its own (See
AND TALISMANS:
also TREASURES
TMGIC LOYERS)
FruCXN SCCFRIGG
FRIGG, also known as Frigga,
Frija and Fricka, in Germanic
mythology, was the daughter of
Fjorgye, goddessof the earth and
atmosphere,wife of oDiN, the chief
of the gods, and mother of natPnR
She has given her name to Friday
Frigg was a fertility goddess who
"will tell no fortunes, yet well she
knows the fates" When Balder
dreamed of impending danger,
Ftigg extracted a promise from
each and every thing, except the
mistletoe, that no harm should
happen to him Apparently, the
mistletoe appearedsuch a harmless
NOnSr MYTHOLOGY
plant that she did not bother about
it This proved to be a mistake
because the fire god roru got the
blind god uoon to throw a branch
of mistletoe at Balder which killed
him. Frigg's subsequent effon to
of the dead also failed, because
Loh refused to moum on behalf of
Balder Thus it would seem that
Frigg was a ferriliry. goddess not
unlike the Sumerian deity Inanna,
though she lacked rhat goddess's
ability to enter the netherworld
F.igg has much in common
with nnrY_1aAlthough her role as
consort of Odin shows her to be a
devoted wife and mother. she roo
possessesa falcon skin and has a
great passion for gold ft is quite
possible that the two goddesses
had their ongins in a single earth-
mother deiry
FruCCN SCCFRIGG
FruJn see FRrGG
FruTHIOF SCCTMGICLOYER5
GNTNTNN SCCGEFION
FRrGGenloyed thepivilegeoJsittingbeside
herhusband, Odin,onhisJabulous throne,
,fromwherethedivinepaircould
Hlidshialf
viav the nine worlds, witnessing events
present andfuture Aparagon oJ silence,
she nqer rqealedher forehnowledge
(ILLU5TRAIION C 1920)
8y H THLAKER,
l9t
NoRSE MYTHOLOGY

GgntON, also known as Gefinn GftnnOD was a frost giant, the

and Gef on, was a Germanic god-
dess of fertility akin to rnEYTA,the
sister of the fertiliry god nnrrR, and
FRIGG,the wife of oPtw Appropri-
ately for a goddess of agriculture,
Gefion's name is connecredwith
"g,ring" She was usually imagrned
as a vrrgin and as the protector of
virgrns after their deaths However,
LoKI accused Gefion of selling her-
self, like Freyja, for a necklace
Her myth concems ploughing
and doubtless recalls the ancient
ritual of ploughing a token strip of
land each spring Gefion, disguised
as an oid beggar,managed to trick
Kirg Gylfi oflsweden out of a great
tract of land In retum for her hos-
pitality, the king offered Gefion as
much of his kingdom as she could
plough with four oxen dunng one
day and one night Wirh the aid of
her four giant sons, transformed
in[o oxen, she cut from the main-
land the whole island of Zealand,
part of present-day Denmark
father of rwo daughters, GJALPand
Greip, and was one of THoR'smost
formidable enemies lt happened
thar LoKI, a consunt companion of
Thor, had uken the form of a hawk
and was caprured by Geinod The
only way Loki could avoid death
was to promise to bring Thor to
Geirrod's hall without his magic
belt and maglc hammer which pro-
tected the god againstfrost giants
BecauseThor rrusted Loki he
went with him to Geirrod's hall
Fortunately, they rested on the way
at the home of a friendly giantess
named GRID,and she wamed Thor
about the plan while Loki was
asleep She also lent the god her
own magic belt of strength, magic
iron gloves and magic staff Thus
equipped, Thor amved at their des-
tination, wirh Loki hanging as
usual on his belt Geinod was nor
at home, but the giant's servants
received the visitors It was not
Iong, though, before Geinod's rwo

GEIRRoD's QeJ)immensebody,slainby Grnoru (abwe), disguisedas abegar,

Thor,layin theCityoJtheNot-Dead, plougheda vastJieA in Swedenwtthfour
shrouded in cobwebsBqondthesleeping glant oxut,her supernatural sons Thq
gantsparhled theChamberof Treasures draged the tllledfield to the coastand

full oJjovelsandweapons Herecamethe Jloatedit acrossthe sea to Denmarh,

Danishhero,Thorhill,yearslater,ona roid whereitJormed the island oJZealand
ByNICK
for hishing {trtusrwloN BEAtI-,1995
) (lr-r-usrnqrron
ByIAMES 1995
Ar-rx.qrtotn, )

daughters ried to hll the slumber- Gfnnn, in Germanic mytholory,

ing Thor by lifting up his chair and
dashing out his brains on the ceil-
ing But with the aid of Grid's sraff,
Thor succeeded in driving the
chair downwards and crushed the
frost giantessesinstead However,
Geinod himself then appearedin
the hali and using a pair of tongs he
picked up a red-hot iron ball and
threw it at Thor, who caught it in
Gnd's iron gloves Angered beyond
measure by this exremely discour-
teous action, Thor threw the still
hot and smoking ball back down
the hall, sraight through an iron
pillar and deep into Geirrod's
stomach After this, the thunder
god laid about the frost giant's
sewants with the magrc staff.
was a beautiful frost giantessand
daughter of the giant Gymir, who
reluctantly became the wife of
FREYR,the fertility god Although
inidally resistant to the idea, she
was persuaded to marry by Freyr's
faithful servant SKIRNIR, when he
threatened to recite a terrible spell
This spell would have made Gerda
so ugly than no man would ever
come near her again Shewould be
transformed into "a sight to make
the blood run cold" So it was that
Gerda met Freyr in a forest after
nine nights, representingthe nine
months of the nonhemwrnter. The
Aurora Borealis was believed by
some to be the radianceof Gerda
(SeCAISOTMGIC LOYERS)

L92
 NonSr MYTHOLOGY

GINNUNGAGAP, in Germanic
mythology, wd a "yawning emPti-
ness" at the time of creation, which
lay berween the realms of fire and
cold. As the warrn air from the
south met the chill of'the north,
the ice of Ginnun1agap melted and
from the drops was formed Y,fIR,
the frost grant, and.auPnuMLA,the
primeval cow. By licking the ice,
Audhumla uncovered nuru, ances-
tor of the gods. Buri's three grand-
sons,ODIN,vIU and Vr, killedYmir
and took his body to the centre of
Ginnungagap There they made
Midgard, the world of men, from
his body Ymir's flesh became the Grnpa (above),a Jrostybeaury,inspired
earth, his bones the mounuins, his the lne of Frqr who sent Shirnir to wn hu
teeth rocla and stones,his hair the hand Althoughheoferedher the applesoJ
treesand his blood tumed into the youth,and ra,ealedhu master'sglowing
lakes and seas The brothers used portrait reflectedin water, sheremarned
his skull to form the sky, with four unmoveduntil Jorcedby threat of magc to
dwarfsnamed Nordi, Sudri, Austn consent (l[usrnqnoru c 1920
BYH THEAKER, )
and Wesrn holding up rhe comers
GlerY (nght) stirsup a iver into a great
GJAIP ("Howler") was a frost flood, ng,tlfngThor as he wadesacross
giantess, daughter of GrrRRoo, Thor managedto stem the tonentby
who, along with her sister Greip, stihingGjalp with aboulder He then
tned to kill rnon, the Germanic heaved himselJashoreby graspinga
thunder god When Thor, accom- mountain ashnamed "Thor'sSalvatton"
panied by the fire god LoKt, came (lrrusrncrroN' 1995
ArcxeNotn.
ByJAMEi )
to the hall of Geirrod, Gjalp did
what she could to harm the visi-
tors Even before their arrival she
added a torrenl of her menstrual
blood [o a river in order ro drown
Thorand Loki Awell-aimed stone
stopped Gjalp and sent her howl-
ing home However, she and Greip
then med to ram the head of sleep-
ingThor againstthe raftersby sud-
denly raising his chair The thunder
god woke just in time to force the
chair downwards by using a maglc
sraff.lts massiveweight broke the
backs of rhe rwo giantessesand
they died in agony on the floor

(nght),thepimal abyss
Gltvruuncacap at
theiq
between
thedawnofcreation,lay
northandfery southTwelve swirling
streams gushedintoitsvacuum andJroze
intomassive iceblocluIn thesouth,fiery
sparhs slowlymeltedtheice,andfrom the
slowlyanerged
iry droplets afrostglant
(ir-rusinarrorvByNICK BEALE,
1995)

193
Nonse MyrHoLocy
GRENDEL, a man-danuring monster,met
hismatchin thefearless
warior Beowulf,
whosazedthecreature'shairylimbin a
vice-lihe
gnpandwrenched itJromits
sochetHowlingwithpainandrage,
Grendeljedbachtohiswaterylairand
bledto death@ruslunoN
ByArrrN
LEE,
rg84
) a replacemenr for the golden hair of
GnENOEL was the name of a
water monsterwhich was invulner-
able to weapons and rroubled the
kingdom of King Hrothgar of
Denmark One night Grendel,
"gri* and greedy, bruully cruel",
came to the royal hall and ate a
sleepingwarrior, bur a visidng war-
rior, BEOWIJLF, held one of the
monster's arrns in a vice-like grip.
In the fierce struggle that ensued,
Grendel's arrn was tom off and he
ran away and bled to dearh in his
watery lair. It was in this lair rhar,
later, Beowulf killed rhe monsrer's
mother Grendel's head was so
Iarge that when Beowulf broughr it
back as a trophy to King Hrorhgar,
he needed the assistanceof four
men ro canrylt.
GruO was a kindly frost gianress
who helped rhe Germanic thunder
god raon in his struggle against
GEIRROD. Thor had been lured by
LOKI,the fire god, into dangerwith-
out the protecdon of his magic belt
of strength and his magic hammer.
Grid loaned Thor her own belt,
iron gloves and unbreakable scaffro
face Geinod. In some rraditions she
is said to have borne ODIN a son,
the silenr god vloaR, and to have
made for him a special shoe which
enabled him to stand in rhe mourh
of the wolf Rnrurun.
GnlunILD see soRCERy
AND
SPELLS
GROA, according to Germanic
mythology, was a seeressand rhe
wife of Aurvandil, whose frozen toe
THORtumed into a star by throw-
ing it up into rhe sky. Exacrly who
this Aurvandil, orAurvandill, was
remains uncertain, though it has
been suggested thar he may have
L9+
been a fertility god of the werlands.
Groa herself tried by magic ro
remove whetstone fragments from
Thor's head aftei his fighr with the
frost gianr HRUNGNIn.They had
come from Hrungnir's sharp-
edged, three-comeredstone when
it had collided with Thor's hammer
in mid-air So excired was Groa,
however,byThor's news about the
GUNCNIR was rhe magic spear
belonging ro oDrN, rhe leaderof rhe
Germanic gods. [t was forged by
dwarfs, rhe sons of lvaldi, at rhe
same time as a wig of spun gold,
which rhe fire god rorc ordered as
THOR'swife SIF.Mischievous Loh
had cut off her beaudful locks as a
joke. Having made the wig, the
dwarfs decided ro please the gods
by using the fumace to make a ship
for FREYRand, for Odin, a spear
star and the rerum of her lost hus- that managed to be both srrong
band that she unfortunately failed and slender, and never missed its
to finish the spell, and rhis was why mark. It was required in Viking
a few fragmenrc of whetstone custom that a spear should be
remained in Thor's head. Some thrown over the heads of an enemy
time after her death, Groa was before batde commenced, as an
roused from the grave by her son, enreaty for Odin's aid. When rhe
Svipdrag, who needed her advice god hung himself on the cosmic
on how he could win rhe love of uee YGGDMSILfor nine nights in
the beaucifulMenglad. order to obtain wisdom, he was,
just like Christ, stabbed with a
SPear (See also TRMSURES AND
TALISA,'{NS)
GUONUN SCCTHEVALKTRIES
GUNNNR SCCNORSE
HEROE5
Hennnnn ("grey-beard"), in
Germanic mythology, was a surly
boatman. Wishing to cross a deep
river, the god THORsummoned
Harbard to ferry him over, only ro
be met by insuls. Thor could rhink
of no responseto Harbard's abuse
other than anger,but the boatman
remained away from the bank. ln
his fury, Thor failed to nodce rhar
Harbard was his father oDIN. The
meeting between the two gods
reveals their differenr characrers:
Odin, the deceitful croublemaker
and braggart; while Thor is hot-
tempered but honest.
GRoA,a glftedhealer,chantscharms wer
Thorin ordertoloosenthestonesplinters
lodgedin thegod's
foreheadFeelingrelief
and gratitude,Thorrwhlyrevmled thather
Iong-lost
husband wasalive Thehappy
newssoucitedGroathatsheforgothr
spelkandsolefta splintuin Thor'shead
(Irrusrnenoru ByNrcK nutt, 1995)
 Nonsr MYTHoLoGY

HETMDAr (nght),bnght guardian of the

BtJrostBndge, wds a)er alert, sleepingless
than abird Gtftedwith specialsightand
heainghe couldseeJor100milesby
"rght
or day, andhear grassgrovingon the
htlLsideWith his cumedhuaW's horn, he
would summon the godsto Rngnaroh
(I[usrRArroN
nvNrcxBEI.rt,1995
)

GuNGNn's Gelow)spear shaftwa cawed

Jrom the sacredwoodoJYggdrasilAfter

gaining wisdom at the WorA Tree, Odin
apaJect
broheoff obough, andJashioned
staf Jrom its holy wood Here,the one-qed,
all-seang god peers through the boughsoJ
the sacredosh (ttusrntrloNBYALAN
Lee,1984
)

Guwcltn (abwe) wasthe name of Odin's

spear;both slenderand strong itwas
unsttervrngin its Jlight The weapon was so
sacred that oathswere svtomon its point
Dvalin, the dwarf,forgeditshead, and
Odin made the snfr, carvrngit wtth maglc
ruNES (ODIN BY R FOGELBERG, MARBTT, C 1890 )

HetUPnLL, or Heimdalr, was

the son of nine mothers and the
watchman for the Germanic gods
Originally, he may have been an
omniscient skygod. He could hear
the sound of grassand wool gow-
ing, and see for over a hundred
miles. He stood upon BIFRosr,the
three-strand bridge that linked
ASGARDand Midgard (heaven and
eanh respecdvely).There he stood
ready to blow his hom Gjall at the
onset of RecruenoK,during which
he was to be the last to fall in single
combat with L}KI. Heimdall's
name may be related to the con-
cept of a "world [ree", as he was
thought to be the supreme watch-
man perched at is top, above the
higlrest rainbow. He disguised him-
self as RIG, the mortal who esmb-
Iished the three social groups: the
nobles, the peasan$, and the
enslaved. Disguised as Rig, the god
visited in turn three houses in
Midgard and fathered handsome
children for the nobiliry, srurdy
children for the peasans and ill-
favoured children for the slaves.

HNNAOET.N, SCCHEIMDNL

r95
 Nonse MyrHoLoGy

TneESURESAND TALISMANS
HE MosT cELF-BR{TED (.zuql-
fsMhN of the Norse world were wise and gifted
dwarfs who laboured underground in ca'erns studded rvith gems. With
superhuman artistry and secretwisdom, they lashioned fabulous treasures
and tahsmans for gods and heroes. Some of their creationswere exquisitely
beautilul, such as the Brisingamen necklace; others were supematurally powerful,
such as the silken thread which fettered the fierce wolf, Fenrir. Most indispensable
\.ryLlL.LlrL
..,^,^ L^ -^l^' ---^- l--^--^
wulluruuS
---^
\,vcaijUrrs
Tl
lrrol
' I
5 DOOmcianS nammer, NUollnlr, and udins
I r .. rl
5uu5
infallible spear, Gungnir. The tireless dwarfs were aiso innovarive engineers who
crafted a collapsible, fl1,ingship for Frelr and a sword that fought of its own accord
once drawn. Most amazing of all, perhaps, were their living rreasures,the gold-
bristled boaq Gullinbursti, and Sif's golden hair which grew narurally. Some precious
marvels were created by nature, such as the golden apples of youth. Among morrals,
only Volund the smirh
r&
could match the dwarfs {ffi
in artistry and crafr
while, among sorcerers,
the Finnish Ilmarinen
excelled in magical crafr
and produced a peerless
talism?il,the Sampo.

I D I ' N ' . s ( l t J t ) r o l c / t ' n r r p p l ts k e p t r h r ' s o d s r t e n r u l l l v r r u n g Tur' Bru-SIwGAMEN (ohove)netkluct wus trat'tet)\t

four tlwarJs
I ht' lrihtrlrrus lntn trtt ir'.ts tandcd dn(l g-t(uLlt(l b^,,tht' thret' wirh such aftstry thut tt gltttuedlike tt constelkttron
of starsin the
w , l s t ' \ ' r r r - n sr r h o , l l l o l r t t / o r r l v l c i u n , t h t ' d c r r y -o f , S p r r n g ,l r r nrght.slzyAroundFrry1u'slovdy nech.
ttbecamean tmblrm ol the
lrtt h rltt rnLi{l( fnll }r't sur h prt'r-rou-sg/rs wrre tovett'tl Lry lntits ol the heuvens
and earth She,in her turn,produced
t l r t g r c l r r t .Isr l t r , s r r r i { h l f ( ) s l r r y rr h t g o r i s o l t h a r r r g r r u r a n d trrdsuresfttr tht earrhwhenr,*er
sht cned,undFrqluwrpt
v r r i t l i i l J t r t f / r t l r c r r i l l - h r a s r t J i s g t r s e c /u s a b t r t l , ( a / n t ( - s proJuse\,upetrullydunngher searchlorherhusband,Odur
Irlurt ttrtJ ho applts oll m tn tll-fattLl atttnlpt fir .slcri/ thc Whenher tearslell on roch.,thty turned to gold,but tearsshedat
q r r c l Se l r , r t rr l / l t f t l l r . r R 1 r i ,, . ,f i r I J i r r rl r r N , / , ) l l sta turntd to amber (i:Ri\tA
B)N / () BrttrvrnDErAiL, .1852
crNvA-\ )

196
 NoRsr MyTHOLoGY

M;orr,'vln Qef), Thor'swondroushammer,was neverJar

from htsgrasp,as seenherein thischaractensttc poseof the

god with his hammer clutchedcloseto hts hean The Mlollnir
wasusedas a t'iery thunderbolt,Iaunchrng
shaJtsof hghtning,
and as a weaponfor smashtngglants'shulls It was a
talismanof bothcreat:ity and destruction,
and wasusedto
hallow both btth and death ceremontes

Gr,avcNrn(nght), Odin's great spear,neyermrssedits mark

Thespearshaftwasfashtonedby Odinlt'romthe sacredashol
Ygdrastl and carvedwtth the god'smaglc ntnes lust as
valuablewas Odin'sJabulousnng, Draupntr,whichproduced
etghtsimrlargold nngs everyntnedays,an everlasting
source
of weakhand power (tr,r
lsrRqrro^- u, ( 1906
BlH HFIDRI. )

Tar Senapo(below)wasforgedby llmannen, the Etemal

HammereroJFinmshmyth, whohammeredout the slryat
thedawn of time Oyer threedays,the tahsmanwas

t'ashronedmystenouslyfrom oneswft tlutll,rnilk of thet'erttle

cow,a gatn of barleyand thefleeceoJa summerlamb So
out oJthe maglcalflames oJthet'orgetheSampowascreated;
it consrsted
of aflour mtll, salt mrll and monq mrll,ensuing
lastingprospentyand power Here,the mastersmithloolzs
tntentlytnto thefurnace to seewhat theJrre hasproduced
( f H I , F ( ) R G t N Gc t r L H t , S a v p i t B l ' A G A L I E \ K A L I E I i , ( A \ ! ' 4 5 , r _ l 8 - 5 2 )

WorutRous LoNGsHIps(above)helongerlto both Freyr antl Thorstern

Thegod'sshtp,Skidbladnir,wascraltedLry
thedu,afs A personftcrttion
of theclouds,tt ghcledacrossland, seaand av Akhoughtnussle enough
to cot"Nel/
all the godsand an ennrehost.rt couldbefoldedtLpand
pochetedhhea handh.erchteJ.
Thorstein'sfabulousdrugon boat, Ellida,
was u g,ftJrom theseagod,Aegr Shapetllry sruellngplanks which grew
togethtr tn thefotm oJa *-rngeddragon,Elhdara.ed wrth the whi.stling
wrnd and outstnppedtheeagleThe floatrngJortress
wasfumedfar and
-*ide A r { \l R4rr( )\ B} .l i llrr,jar\ r I 900 )
 Nonsr MvrHoLoGy

Hflwas the daughter of trickster
LOKI, the fire god, and the frost
giantessANGRBODA. She was ruler
of the Germanic netherworld (also
called Hel), ro which she had been
banished by oDIN, rhe chief god
Once there, however, her powers
were stronger than Odin's, for
when Odin's son BALDERwas
hlled Helrefused to retum him to
his parenrc Her brothers, FENRIR
the wolf and;oRlzutrcAND rhe ser-
pent, were as terrifying as she,
though it was Hel and her ghastly
home which were adopted by the
Christians as rhe name for rheir
realm of etemal damnation.
The unpleasantnessof Hel's
realm standsin marked contrast to
the pleasurable and enviable after-
life that was enjoyed by the heroic
dead who dwelt in Odin's won-
drous hall veulerte. However,
Hel's subjecs were little more rhan
silent attendants of rhe semi-
decomposed queen She was only
Her, the gim goddessoJthe dead,listens
unimpressedto Hermod'splea to release
the much-lovedgod BalderJromher dismal
realm Behindher,hneeling, thereore rows
of her sad subjects- soulsof the old, sichor
ciminal who suferedceaseless
cold,pain
andhunger in thar cheerless,
dreary home
(luusrnerrolByJAMEs
AlrxAruoen,
1995
) was noubled by dreamsof his com- to assailthebaredgateoJHeI Within,
HnnUOD, in Germanic myrh-
ology, was rhe son of oolN and
FRIGG,and brother of netorn
Rather like the Greek god Hermes
and the Roman Mercury, he acted
the animal's vast size, and used itsgod rorc leamed about rhe mistle-
head to bait his hook Jormungand toe, however, and guided Hodr's
rose for this delicacy,bur the head hand when he threw it at his
stuck in his thr,oat. Thor would brother. The branch of mistletoe
have landed the prize had not the went straight through Balder, who
sight of the serpenr rising from the
fell down dead. Once it became
depths of the sea terrified Hymir clear that Balderwould have ro suy
In the confusion that ensued in the land of the dead, Hodr was
Hymirwas able ro cur the greatsea sent to join him as a punishment.
serpent free. In a very different version of rhe
story, Hodr and Balderare rivals for
HOO SCC HODR the hand of Nanna, and Balder is
portrayed as a hateful figure. Their
HODR, somerimes Hodur or conflict is finally resolved when
Hod, the son of optl and FRIGG, Hodr kills Balder wirh a magic
was the blind god of Germanic sword. This Danish version shows
mythology. In the Icelandic tradi- the brothers in averydifferent lighr
tion, Hodr unintentionally killed
his brother BALDER. When Balder Hrnuop below)spurshisJabulaus steed
ing death, his morher Frigg exacr- Baldercanbesmt waitingstoically beside
ed a promise from each and every an alarmingcreature, whois possibly oneof
thing not to do her son any harm. thestawedinmates of HeI Balder,who
A sole exceptionwas the misdetoe, kna,tthefuturewell,hnattthathewas
a plant the goddessconsideredto destined to remainin cheerless HeIforner.
be too insignificant. The rickster (ILLUSIMTIoN FRoM THE PROSE EDDA, I 760 )

partly decomposed because she as a divine messenger Hermod also

had the face and body of a living
woman, bur her thighs and legs
were those of a corpse. Hel's
throne was known as rhe Sick Bed
and hersubjecrcwere "all who died
through sicknessand old age"
Hrnuoo leapsbravelyinto mis$ Hel on
his vain mission to seehBalder's release
from death The great noisemadeby the
hero and his eight-hoofedhorseSleipnir
when thq crossedthe crystal Gioll Bidge,
prwohed the gnm guardian, Modgud, to
complain imtably that Hermod mustbe
aliye (IttusrnqloN BypErER Huno, 1gg2)
shared these gods'interest in the
dead, for it was he who was sent to
HELafter Balder's death to ask for
his brother's release He rode there
on Odin's famous horse, the eight-
legged SLEIPNIR. When Hel refused
to let Balder go unril everyrhing
wept for him, Hermod was allowed
to take back ro A5GARDthe arm-
ring which Odin had fastened to
Balder'sbody as a memento
Hermod nearly met his own
death on ajoumey to Midgard, the
land of men He was senr there by
Odin to consult a Finn named
Rossthiof about his worries con-
ceming the future. He was saved by
magic, however, and retumed to
reassurehis fatheras best he could.

HIIralN BRIOTER seeHrMrN(/or

HtUtNn;OT, or Himinbriorer,
("Sky Bellower") was the head of a
giganric black ox The ox belonged
to HY 4/Rwirh whom THORwenr
fishing foTJORMUNGAND, the sea
serpent. Thor had no trouble in
breahng Himinrjot's neck, despire

r98
 NoRSE MyTHoLoGY

Honn (abwe) , whowasblindJrombirth, death. Not for nothing was Balder

HONtn, or Hoenir, according to Hocll below) listens suspiciouslyto
unwittinf,ysla,vhisbelarcdbrothu,BaAer, slain by his blind brother in a game
Germanic mythology, w6 a mem- Brynhild's passionatepleaJor vengeanceon
promptedhy thetwktedgod,,Lohi Hre, that involved throwing potentially
ber of the ersm goup of gods and her lwer, Sigurd, who had unwtttingly
L*i M&3pi#i llodr'slvnd n aima dangerous objects. brother of oDIN, rhe chief god. betrayedher love Although refusingto hill
dradlydarrof mistletoeat BaAq, whilethe Apart from a terrible inability to SigurdhimselJ,he prsuaded Guttorm to
othu godslmh onin shochddtsmny. (rHEHOOUNSCC HODR make up his mind, his other promi- undmalu the awfuldeed Brynhildwas
Drrruor Bfl-DER
ByCEcrcnsrrnc,
cANvAs,
c 1840) nent characteristic was said to be laterflled wtth remorseand hilled herself.
HonNmsee HoNrR his long-leggedness. Sent to live (ILLUSTMTIoN ByARTHUR RIcxrrnv, c 19OO )

After &{GNAROK,the doom of among the VANIR as a token of

the gods, "Balder and Hodr rerum HOCNT and his brother, Gunner, goodwill after peace was agreed
from the world of the dead", rec- befriended the hero SIGURD,who benryeenthe nvo warring branches
onciled, to a new eanh. Thar rhese owned a famous but ill-fated for- of the gods, Honir unfortunarely
two sons of Odin are menrioned tune generated by u magic ring proved to be a grave disappoinr-
together here shows their impor- called Andvarinaut. Under the ment to his new companions, who
tance in lcelandic myrhology. First ring's spell, Sigurd had unwitting- became increasingly angry at the
there is Balder, handsome and ly betrayed the Val$rie BRYNHILD. way he appeared always to rely on
kind, ahnost too good for the She asked the brothers for help, his fellow Aesir, the wise MIMIR,
world. He represens rhe posirive and, bewitched by the curse, they when it came to making decisions
side of his father's nature, as the arrangedSigurd's death. However, of any hnd. The Vanir therefore
god of magic and inspiradon. The when Hogni and Gunner inherited killed Mimir and sent his head
second brother, Hodr, is the oppo- Srgurd'gfonune, they in rum were back to the Aesir. In some versions
site of Odin's foresight. Instead, he doomed and suffered at the hands of the Germanic creation story, it
represenls his blind spor, rhe side of the Atli who coveted the gold. was believed that Honir was the
of his nature that mkes delight in (Seealso NORSEHEROES) god who gavehumans their senses.

r99
NORSE MYTHOLOGY

HnfnUen, or Reidmar, accord- HRUNCNIR, in Germanic myth-

ing to Germantc mythologr, was a ologr, was the sffongest of the frost
magician-farmerand rhe father of $ants and owner of a powerful stal-
REGIN,FAFNIRANd OTTERWhCN lion named Gullfaxi, or Golden
O[[er, who was a shape-changer, Mane He encountered ODIN on
was killed accidentally by LIKI, one of the god's joumeys rhrough
Hreidmar demanded to be com- the nine worlds and challenged
pensared and told Loki to obrain him to a horse race Mounted on
enough gold to cover Otter's flayed eighr-leggedsrntPruiR,Odin won a
skin, inside and out The wily fire narrow victory over Hrungnir on
god seized the dwarf ANDVARI's Golden Mane By this dme, the two
treasure, but the dwarf placed a had ridden to AsGARD,the divine
curse upon it Hreidmar was so stronghold, where Hrungnir was
pleased with the gold that he did invired to rest before retuming to
not wory/ about the curse But his JoruNHErM, rhe land of the gianm
second son, Fafnir,came to covet But Hrungnir drank too much
the treasureand killed him for ir srong ale and became alrogant He
Fafnir changed inro a dragon to even threatened to carry VALLIALIA,
guard rhe gold and Regin asked the hali in which the honoured
SIGURDto slay him and recoverthe dead lived with Odin, off to
fieasure.but he was killed as well Jotunheim on his back and to kill

HnrrucrutRQO, o rughry frostglantwtth Hucr (above) outstipshts nvalThialf,an

a stony heart and shull,t'oolishlybalances warior,competingin
athletic of
a contest
on his stoneshield,believtng that lt* shillsbenveen go&andglantsTryashe
expectedJoe, Thor, plans to attqchhim would,Thiolf couWnotoutrunhtsfrosty
frombelow FuIIyexposedtothe impactoJ ivalwhogathered speed at everystep
Jor,
Thor's crushinghammer, the glant tnes to unhnown to ThiaIJi,Huglwasan illusion
deflectthehammer Uthhis whetstone q,mbolizngThought, everJasterthan
(iLLUsrMfloN By IAME' ALEXANpm, i 995 ) action (Irrusrnqnoru
BY JAME' 1995
Ar-rx.quor* )

all the gods, except FREYJAand StR
At this point the grant-slayerTHOR
retumed and waved his magic
hammer ar Hrungnir, but the frost
giant, understandingthat he would
be easily killed without his own
weapons, challengedThor to a duel
on the border between fugard and
Jotunheim No one had met the
thunder god in single combat
before. Thor acceptedeagerly,even
though Hrungnir's head, hean and
shield were made of stone.
When the frost giants heard
about the forthcoming duel, they
were both proud and anxious:
proud that Hrungnir had chal-
lenged Thor, but anxious lest the
god slay the most powerful of their
number So they made out of clay
a man so huge that the thunder
god would shake with fright when
he first caught sight of him. The
heart of a dead mare was used to
animate the clay grant, whom they
called Mist Calf Alongside Mist
Calf stood Hrungnir, awaiting the
anival of Thor. The frostSantlnew
rhat he had to avoid his opponent's
hammer, and he held his sharp
whestone in readiness.As soon as
Thor was in range, he hurled his
magic weapon at Hrungnir, who
swiftly launched his own sharp-
edged, three-comered stone in
Thor's direcdon. The weapons met
in mid-air. Although the hammer
shattered the whetstone and went

200

on to crush Hrungnir's skull, a
number of stone fragmens lodged
in Thor's head and he was also
pinned beneath one of the fallen
Hrungnir's legs. After this heroic
incident, Thor became known as
"Hrungnir's skull splitter".
HUCI ("Thought"), in Germanic
mythologlr, w6 a young frost giant
who ouuan THoR'shuman sewant
HIALFI in a race The story of
Thor's joumey to the srronghold of
nGARD in the land of the frost
giants is full of magic. The race
between Hugr and Thialfi was but
one incident in this strange adven-
ture, which shows Thor to be an
ineffectual suong man in the face
of cunning spells. Throughout the
joumey the trickster LOKI,the god
of fire, had cause to remind Thor of
the superiority of brain over brawn
At one point Thor, [-oh, Thialfi and
his sister RosKYA inadvenendy
slept in the thumb of an empty
glove belonging to the enorrnous
frost giant SKRIIIIR, mistaking it for
avzrsthall. When he woke, Slqmir
wamed them that at Utgard there
were gians even greater than he.
Sure enough, when the travellers
reached Utgard, theywere unable
to see the top of its batdemens
Nonse MvrHoLocY
AEGIRcould offer hospitality to JORMUNGAND took this bait and
ODIN and his companions, so T1n Thor set about its head with his
and tHoR were sent to fetch it hammer, Hymir shookwith terror
When they anived at Hymir's hall, ln the confusionJormungand tore
Tyr's mother advised them to hide itself free of the great hook and
until she had expiained their pres- sank bleeding beneath the surface
ence. Hymir found them and of the waves. Two whales had to
offered them a meal, though he felt suffice for food instead
uneasy Thor astonished the assem- Back in Hymir's hall, relations
bled company by eating two whole between host and guest quickly
oxen byhimself. The next day their deterioratedinto violence. Gobles
host suggested they go fishing if were thrown before Thor left wirh
they wanted to eat again.Together the grgantic cauldron When Hymir
they put to sea in Hymir's boat, and some frost gianrs attempted to
Thor baiting his colossalhook with follow him in order to regain the
rhe head of Htvttl4yor, the giant's cauldron,Thorused his hammer to
black ox When the sea monster such effecr that all were hlled
Hucttw Aef),oneof Odin'sfabulous Hr.rIRandThorbelow)t'orageJor foodon
ravens,whosefloffd tfleoflSThought,was bait
afatedfishingtip Thor'stantalizing
an airborne gatheru oJ news Alongwith themonstrous
sttracted wsterserpent,
hisbrother raven,Muninn, or Memory,he Jormungand, thegodwho
whichdelighted
without pressing the crowns of Jlew through the nine worldscollecting withhisglantcatchWen
battledfuriously
their heads on the napes of their information Thq would thenJly bach to tocapsize
thestrug;lethreatened theboat,
necks. Inside the great fortressThor Odin and whisper the latest novs into his howarcr,Hymir,infear,cuttheline
(ILLUsrMrroN FROM THE PRosE EDDA, I260.)
and his companions failed in a CAT. (ILLUSTRATTON FROM THE PRO5E EOOI',1760)
number of tests, the thunder god
himself being wrestled down on
one krree by an "old, old woman".
He also failed to empty a drinking
hom, only to leam afterwards how
its other end was in the sea.At the
end of their adventure, however,
the travellers saw that Slcttmir and
Utgard were no more than magic
creations sent out by the frightened
frost gians to m1atifr mhty Thor.
HUCTNN ("Thought") and
Muninn ("Memory") were the
ravens o[ODIN, the chief Germanic
god. In order to be informed about
events in the nine worlds, Odin
sent the ravensout everyday to see
and hear all that happened there.
Theywould then retum to rest on
Odin's shoulders and tell him what
they had obsewed.
HWtm ("Dark One") was a frost
grant and, accordrng to some tradi-
dons, father of the war god trR.
Hymirhad an enolrnous cauldron,
so deep that it could brew ale for all
the gods. Without this huge vessel,
there was no way that the sea god
201
NORSE MyTHoLoGY
IDUN, Idunnor or Iduna, was, in
Germanic mythology, the goddess
who guarded the apples of youth.
She was the wife of BMGI, the god
of poetry. When LoK, rhe fire god,
was caprured by the frost giant
THIASSI,he had to promise ro sreal
the apples from Idun to securehis
release.On his retum ro ASGARD-
therefore, Loh rold Idun rhar he
had discovered apples of much
better qualiry gowing nearby, and Ioutt guarded a Jabulousfruit tree, which
so the goddess trustingly accom- produced ltfe-ging apples Here, shehands
panied him into the forest, where, outher precious gJtsto the wer-youthful
in the shape of an eagle, Thiassi godsJrom her inuhaustible cashet The
awaited hs prey. He took Idun and mythic tradition oJthe golden apple,
her apples in his claws and flew to rymbolizng immonality and Jmility, can
JOTUNHEIM,rhe land of the frost beJound inboth ancient Greehand Celtic
glan6. The loss of rhe apples ar first Cultures (luusrpqTlor.r
ByJPENRo5E
c tSgO
) mphology, w6 the serpent son of about him, except thar the oak tree
caused the gods ro become weak
and old, wirh blearyeyes and loose skin. Then their minds began ro
weaken, as a general fear of death
settled on fugard. At lasr ODIN
gathered his remaining srrengrh
and found Loh. By threat of magic
he compelled Loki to bring back
Idun and her apples.
Loki flew to Jorunheim as a
falcon, changed ldun into a nut
and carried her home. The frost
grant gave chase as an eagle, but he
was bumed to dearh by fires placed
along the tops of Asgard's mighry
walls. Loki then resrored Idun to
her true shape and she gave magic
apples to the ailing gods. (See also
TREASURES AND TALISA,TANS)
IOUNIE SCEIDUN
Jonuuvcewo Qdt), the saryt sonoJ
Lohi, washurled into the icyoceanby
Odin Therehe grevvto sucha monstrous
ske thathe encircledMdgard and
threatened,sailors throughout the ocenns.
Here, the WorM Seryent risesto afuit of
ox head, dtngling from Thor's ftshing line
0uusrnenotFRoM THEPRosEEDDA, I Z@)
Jonrunelu (nght), thehome oJ thefrost
gtrants,was a snwt<wred wastelandon
the ocean edge, possiblynear the Nonh
Pole Itwu a rmlm of mtsts,bliuards and
roanngwinds From hre the frost giants
dtrutedblasts of wind to nip thebudsof
spnng orJ-usrp,rnoru
ayNlcxBFA:,1gg5)
202
AESIR,one branch of the gods;
Vanaheim, the home of the VANIR,
the other branch of rhe divine
family; Alfheim, the land of the
lighr elves; Nidavellir, rhe land of
the dwarfs; Midgard, rhe home of
humanhnd; Svarul{heim, rhe land
of the dark elves; HEL,the realm of
the unworthy dead; and cold
Niflheim beneath Yggdrasil's100ts.
A mountainous region of freezing
IOUNNOR SCC
IDUN cold, Jotunheim was variously
described as being inside Midgard,
INCTNORG SCCTMGICLO\4R5 the land of mortals, or over the sea.
Bann see BABAYAGA was rhe crearor god of
Jrzl JUUnlt
Finnish mythology and their
JOnUUNGAND, in Germanic supreme deity. Verylittle is lcrown
LOKI, god of fire, and the frost was sacred to him. He was later
giantessANGRBODA, and brother of replaced by Ukko, also a supreme
FENRIRand nnt ODINananged for god, but a deiry of the sky and the
these monsuous children to be air, who allowed the rain to fall.
kidnapped and brought ro AsGARD. Ukko's wife was Akka, which sug-
He then threw Jormungand into gesrsa linkwith unopER-AKt(A,the
the ocean, where he grew so long creator goddess of the lrpps.
that he encircled rhe earth, and was
known as the Midgard Serpent. At IQro I(tnJunMELwas a srone
MGNAROK Jormungand was ro god worshipped by the [.apps, rhe
come on to the earth and be slain northernmost people of Europe.
by THOR.(Seealso MGNARoK) Reindeerwere sacrificedto Kied I(e
Jubmel as late as the sevenreenth
JOTUNHEIM was the land given century to ensure successin the
to the frost gians by oDIN and his hunt. He seems to have been
brothers at the Creation. With its regarded as "lord of the herds".
stronghold of LTTGARD, it was one Among the Swedeshe was linown
of the nine worlds sheltered by the as Sto{unka, or "Great Lord".
cosmic ITeeYGGDMSIL. The others
were ASGARD,the home of rhe I(NNNTTHILD SCCTRAGICLOVER5

LrurruxerrurN (abwe) was slain and
dismemberedduingone of his uploits But
his maglcianmothr gatheredhimup and
restoredhim toliJe Hue shecallsuryn a
bee to bing lrfr- Slr'lrn1honeyfrom bq ond
the highestheavm (Lrurrxeruru's MoTHER
avA GnurN-IGr r FLq, cqNvAs, c 1890 )
KUIITRVO SCC5ORCERY
AND
SPELIS
KVnStn was a wise man in
Germanic mythology. His name
means "spittle" and recalls his cre-
ation when the gods spat into a jar
to mark the end of conflict beween
two branches of the divine family,
the VANIRand the AESIR.The Aesir
then took the jar and Kvasir was
made from the spittle. Renowned
for his great wisdom, he travelled
the world and wherever he went
people stopped what they were
doing to listen to him. He was
killed by two dwarfs, r'|,+reR and
Galar, who wanted his wisdom
They mixed his blood with honey
in order to make awonderful mead
which gave the gift of poerry ro
everyonewho drank it
L-EB-OLN4AI ("Alder man") was
a Lapp bear god. At bear festivals
hunters used to sprinkle their faces
with an exrract of alder bark. As the
protector of bears, Leib-Olmai
required certain prayers before he
would allow any man to hll a bear.
LgutNxnINEN ("Lover") was
one of the heroesof Finnish epic.
As a child, he was bathed by his
mother three dmes in one summer
night and nine times in one
autumn night to ensure that he
would become a wise adult, grfted
Nonsr MvrHoLocY
Kvesln(nght),a characterendowedwith
wondrous ww created
wisdom, Jromthe
spittleoJthegodsHetravelledtheworld
inspinnggods and mortalswithhts sense
andwisdomAfterhisdeathhisbloodwas
usedto mahea meadof inspiration
(IrrusrnenoN
FROM
THEPnosr
Eoon, I 760
)
with a talent for song. A carefree
young man, many of his adven-
tures involve the pursuit of women
and he accompaniedvAnvavoINEN
on ajoumey to the land of Pohja in
search of wives. His most danger-
ous exploit was an attempt to kill
the swan of TUONI,the god of the
dead. Failing to protect himself
with magic, he was tom apartby
Tuoni's son and his remains were
scattered in the river. But his ma-
gician mother put his body back
together again and restored him to
life. (Seealso woRSEHEROES)
203
 NoRSE HERoES
He MrcNcs were famed for their fighting spirir, facing death and doom with
vigour and courage.Their hardy heroism was doubtlessshaped by the
crushing Nordic climare, but also by a sroic fatalism.while acceptingthe
inevitabiliry of death on the field and doom at the end of the world, the
Norsemen fought with undiminished spirit. For the vikings, word-fame was
everything, redeemingand surviving a hero's death. After death, the bravestheroes
went to Valhallawhere they awaited the fated and fatal showdown at Ragnarok.No
less than the heroes, the Norse gods were heroic, facing doom at Ragnarokwith
fighting spirit. Finnish heroeswere quite as determined and brave in their way,
though perhaps less grand and stoic. Armed with magical forces,they battled with
incantadons rather than force of arms. For the Finns, death was not always final:
Leminkainen had more than one life, while agedVainamoinencould alwaysslip out
of a dght comer by shifting shape.
Guvxrnexo Hocrr AeJ), the
N ibelung brothers,died gallnntly
thoughnatherlived aJlnwlessltfe
Drawn into the web of tragedy
wovenbya cursednng thE sleuy
the
peulesshero Sigurd,andhoarded
his gold When sazedby AtIi,who
covetedtheir gold, thq refusedto
sunenderunder threat of death
Hogni died laughing as his heart
wascut out; and Gunner, here, cast
into a serpent'spitwithbound
hands,plqedhis harp with hisfeet,
defuingdeathto thelast
(Wooo c,qnvtNc, 12TH cENr.)

T non (nght), supematurally

strongandarmedwtth the maglcal
Mjollnir, was a Jormidablefoe
Bang nather immortal nor
invulnerable,hefought with a

fearless spirit, slnying giants with

ffirtless easeandrechlessrage
Alongwrth someof the othergods,
Thor was destinedto die heroically
at Ro,gnaroh,
after puttingup a

Jtercefght and slnyinghisarch-

foe, the World Serpent (rnonnNo
THE GIANTS BY M E WINGE, CANVAS, DETAIL,

c 1890)
 Nonse MvrHoLoGY

Srcunp (above),the mostfamous oJlceland'sheroes,slewthe

tembledragon,Fafnir Armed wtth hisJather'sinvinciblesword,
Sigurdhtd tn a holein the dragon'sslime traclzand, as Fafnrr
slitheredacrosson his datly tnp to thefoul Jorestpool, thrusthis
sword rnto its belly Thebloatedcreature had grown increasingly
monstrousin shapeand character;all the betterto guard hrs
cursedtreasure AhhoughSigurd'sheroicdeedwon himJame
andfortune, hu lfe Jrom then on was bhghtedby the cursethat
camewith the ill-Jatedtreasure 0LLlsrmrrorB' AL-4N
Lrr.,1984
)

Slcutrlp rHE VoruNG (nght) prwedhis heroicstdtus by drawngJorth a maglcalsword thrust into the Branstoch
Mh by Odin With this word he wonJame throughout Scandinavia,but alsoprovohedtheenvyoJ his brother-rn-law,
Sigan who resolvedto slay all the Volsungs All ten sonswere tied to forest trees, prq to the beastsoJ the Jorest OnIy
Sigmundexapel, by biting of a wolf s tongue,and soughtvengeance Jor his hinsmen (ruusrncrro,N syp wlsox, c 1900 )

245
NORSE MyTHoLoGY
THn LESHY, also known as
Lesovik and Lesiye, was the
Slavonic spirit of the forest who led
travellers and hunters asray in the
woods. Akhough human in form,
he had a long green beard and casr
no shadow. His chief attribure,
however, was his abiliry ro change
size: he could become as small as a
rnouse or as tall as the highesr tree
Every October the Leshywent inro
a hnd of hibemation, disappearing
from his woodland home undl the
following spring, when he would
rerum wilder and noisier than ever.
I NSNM SCCTHELE5HY
LnsovtK see rHE LEsFry
Ltf and Lifrhrasir ("Life" and
"Eager for Life") were the man and
woman who were to hide in the
cosmic ash tree YGGDMSIL al
MGNARoK, rhe doom of rhe gods.
They were destined to survive this
catastrophe and then repopulare a
new world, which would rise from
the sea like a volcanic island. "The
bellowing fire will nor scorch them;
it will not even touch them, and
their food will be rhe moming dew.
Through the branchestheywill see
a new sun bum as rhe world ends
and surs again "
LtrmneslR seeun
206
I Fsnr Qef), spint of theforest, thoughhe
appearedin the shapeoJa man, castno
shadowwherehewalhedand could easily
camoujage himself among hisJorest trees,
sometimesas small as aleaf, sometimesa
tall as the tallest tree A jealousgnrdtan oJ
hLslmJy realm, he lwed to lead tresrysers
AStrAy 0[usrunoN ByM voNScHwtpo,
c 1860)
In (nght) and her mate, Lifthrasir,
tooh shelterat the end of theworlil in the
sunlitbranches oJ the cosmicashtree,
Ygdrasil After theeanhhadbeat purged
byfire andflood, theyoungcouplecltmbed
dmn and a nf:t^tagedawned, afrah green
age inwhich thq were destinedto
repopularctheworWand so renav the
human race. (Iuusrwnot ry NrcrBaru, 1995
)
LOODFAFNIR, in Germanic
mythology, was a man who leamed
the wisdom of the gods. He visired
rhe Well of uRD, where the gods
held their daily assembly, and
stayed in VALHALL{,ODIN's hall.
His myth comprises a retelling of
the knowledge he gathered there.
It is an interesting mixture of com-
monsensical advice about good
conduct and superstitions con-
ceming the avoidanceof witchcraft.
LOKI, somerimes Lopt, was rhe
Germanic fire god and son of the
gians FARBAUTIand Laufey. He
was a mischief-maker, trickster and
shape-changer, and grew progress-
ively more evil until eventua\ rhe
gods bound him in a caveundl the
coming of nacruaRoK,the end of
the world. Boredom was a problem
for Loki, who "was tired of the
string of days that unwound wirh-
out a knot or a twist in them".
The fact that his paren$ were
giants may help to explain his
tendency towards evil deeds. He
I-oto helpedto precipitnte
a cycleof
iolenceby callouslyslayngOttafor hls
fur. Toa??eaftOtter'sfatha,lohistole a
dwarfs trasure,invohnghisbittn anv.
Hqe,lohihelpsOdinquietarthcraging
il*orf, whibat thetop,olrtrr'sbrothcrs
sc
a weqingNorn,whichrwlsan omenoJ
doom QuusrunoN ry F yop Srrssnr, l9l{.)

simply could not help plapng
tricks and exposing the gods to
danger, although it was often his
quick-wittedness that afterwards
saved them. Loki, for insance,
brought about the loss and rerurn
of toul and her apples of youth.
Without these maglc fruit, the gods
were subject to the ra\xagesof time
like everyone else. On occasion
lohwas even prcpared to riskseri-
ous harm to his companion THOR,
the thunder god. When Loki led
Thor unarmed to the hall of the
frost giant GEIRROD, only the loan
of weapons from the hndly frost
giantess GRID saved the thunder
god. toh tricked his friend because
the price of his own release by
Geinod had been delivery of the
thundergod into his power.
Yet it was Loki who devised the
novel scheme to get back Thor's
magrc hammer after it was stolen
by dwarfs and passed into the
hands of the frost gianr TlIRrM. The
price for the hammer's retum, Loh
discovered, was the hand of mEtnA,
the fertiliry goddess. He therefore
persuaded Thor to go to Thrym
dressedin Freyja'sclothes. When
Thrym took out the magic ham-
mer, Thor seized it and laid low all
the frost grants present.
Loki was manied twice, first to
the giant ANGRBODA and then to
SIGI?,/,with whom he had two
sons, vntt and Narvi. His mon-
strous children byAngrboda were
FENRIR,JORMUNGANDANd HEL,
ruler of the underworld: all fear-
some representatives of the evil
side of his nature. Even after he
brought about the death of oDIN's
son BAI-DER, the gods continued to
tolerate his presence in ASGARD.
Butwhen he anived atAEGIR'sfeast
and began to torrnent everybody
present with insults and sneers,
their patience came to an end.
To escape their wrath Loki
changed himself into a salmon.
From his hgh seat in Asgard, how-
ever, Odin located the fish and
mounted an e><peditionto catch it.
Loki was then placed in a dark
NORSE MYTHOLOGY
care. His son Vali was changed into
a wolf, who immediately attacked
his brother Nawi and hlled him.
Narvi's intestines were then used to
bind Loki beneath the dripping
mouth of a venomous snake. In
this dreadful prison, the god await-
ed Ragnarok. Then he was to
emerge to lead the army of evil in
their final battle with the gods,
when Loki would meet his own
end at the hands of.unnqout, (See
also MGNAROK)
Lopr seeLoKr
LUONNOTAR (which probably
means "Daughter ofNature") was
the creatorgoddessof the Finns. At
the beginning there was only
Luonnotar "all alone in a vast
emptiness". Later she floated for
cenuries on the cosmic ocean,
undl one day a bird made a nest on
her knees and began to hatch some
eggs. But the goddess became
excited and upset the nest, with
the result that from the broken
shells of the eggs the heavens and
the earth were formed. The yolla
became the sun, and the whites the
moon. Scatteredhagmentsof these
eggs were transformed into the Lolrr (abwe), the tncluta god,,was atfrct Luorworen @elo,n),a primal goddas,
stars. Afterwards Luonnotar fash- just a pwful pranlutr, but becameso ilarh grat restlrssin theheawns and sltppd into
ioned the continents and the seas, and twrstedtlllr;tthe godsrealQedhewas the cosmicua, whue shednful unnl an
and gave birrh ro vAINAMoINEN, evil and resolvedto imprtsonhim l-ohi was eagb built a neston her hnee Wat she
the Finnish hero. amnlrrrlly bound to a ruh, wtth hisface acadentally upset the nat, its egsbroht
atposd to thefay drops of a snaltc's andformed the urth and slE, stn, moon
lvlenoeR-AKIG and her male c 1870)
venom 0[usrnnnourYD PE]rRosE, and stnts Ouusrnrnot avNlcxBrerr,1995)
companion Madder-Atcha were,
according to the kpps, the divine
couple who created humankind.
Madder-Atcha was responsible for
the soul and Madder-Akka for the
body. The child they made was
then placed in the womb of its
eanhlymother. Their three daugh-
ters were involved with procreadon
as well. Sarakkasupponed women
during childbinh; if a male child
was to be born,Juksakka ensured
that the baby changed from is
originally female gender, while
Uksakka, who lived undeqEound,
looked after the interests of the
new-bom child. SeealsoJUMAr:{.
207
Nonse MyrHoLoGy
MeCNt ("Mighry") was the son
of rHoR, the Germanic rhunder
god, and the grantessJamsaxa, and
brother of Modi Afrer his duelwirh
HRUNGNIR,the strongest of rhe
frost gianrs, Thor fell wounded ro
the ground, as fragmentsof whet-
stone had lodged in his.head He
was also unable to move because
one of Hrungnir's lifeless legs
pinned him ro rhe ground Even
worse, Thor wetted himself when
he noticed the clay gianr Mist Calf
Insult was nearly added ro injury
when, at the age of three years,
Magni proved strong enough to
free his father Thor, even rhough
none of the gods had been able to
shift Hrungnir's leg. "ft's a pity I
didn't come sooner," Magni com-
rnented "lf I had met this gianr
first, he would be fallen to my bare
fists " Akhough oDlN was rather
put out by young Magni's inrer-
vendon, Thorshowed his gatitude
by giving the young frost giant
Hrungnir's magnificent horse,
Golden Mane After MGNAROK,rhe
doom of the gods, Magni and Modi
togerher would inherit Thor's
magic hammer, MJOLINfR
Mert Syne Zevrye, ("Moisr MNNUUS SCCMENU
Earth Mother") was the Slavonic
earth goddess Archaeological evi- MIMIR, in Germanic mythology,
dence suggests that her worship was awise god sent by rheAEsIRro
may have originated in the basin of the VANIRin order to seal the peace
rhe River Don as much as 30,000 after these rwo branches of the
years ago Believed ro possessrhe divine family tired of war. Because
abiliry to predict the future and ro the Vanir felt that rhey had been
settle disputes wisely, she was an cheated,they cut off Mimir's head
object of veneration up to the early and sent it back ro rhe Aesir. ODIN,
years of the rwentieth century, however, smeared the severedhead
when Russianpeasantwomen were with herbs so thar it would never
still performing elaborate rires in rot He then recited a charm over it
order to summon her presenceto to restore its power of speech
protect them from disease [-ater,Mimir's head was placed by
Odin to guard a magic well under
MENU, or Menulis, was the Mecm andhisbrother, Modi, stide across the root of the cosmic ree
Baldc moon god The sun was the sunlit Plain of lda at the dawn oJo YGGDMSIL To gain Mimir's wis-
imagrned as the goddessSAULE,the Jreshgreenage,after the world destruction dom, which comprised "many
patroness of green snakes The of Rngnaroh Magni ("Mighty") swings truths unknown ro any other per-
Letts believed that the stars were Thor's sacredhammer, while Modi son", Odin gaveone of his eyesfor
the children of Menu and Saule. ("Courage") Jollowsbehind (Iuusrnnrroru
ny permission to drink at the well
The Moming Star, however, was Jaur.sArrxtr,roER, 1995
)
said to have been the child of a love MJOt-l-NIRwas the magic ham-
affair berween Saule and pnRKUNo, Men Sne Znurvewa invohedby Slavic mer of the Germanic thunder god
the thunder god For this reason farmersathawest time Thq enteredthar THOR Made by the dwarfs Brokk
the moon god, in shame and anger, fields at dawn andblessedthe earthwith and Eitn, it was an instrument of
avoided his spouse, and appeared libations oJhemp oil Bowingto the eut, destruction, fertiliry and resurrec-
only by night, while the sun god- west,north and south,thq invohedthe tion. In Thor's hands Mjollnir was
dess was huppy to be seen all pnmal daty, eachtime soahingtheearth the gods' certain protection againsr
through the day. wth oil (Iuusrnenoru
nyNrcxBr,qu,1995) their enemies,the frost grants That
is why the gods were so worried
when the frost giant THRy,I stole it
The price for its retum was the
hand of rRnY,p, the fertility god-
dess Dressed in Frefa's clothes
and accomDanl
 NoRSr MyTHOLOGY

MtulR saws Odin a draughtfromhis and its legs were vulnerable to

wondrousFountain oJWisdom Thepnce attack On the day of the duel,
demandedfor this pivilege was one q/e, Thor hlled Hrungnir but wet him-
rymbolinngthe saciJiceof oneviu Jor self at the sight of Mist Calf His
another,greater ision Odin's qe floated human servant THIALFIwas less
in the Jountain, a rymbol oJ the Jull moon, impressed, however, and swung
besidethe crescentmoon oJHamdall's his axe at the clay giant's legs
horn (IrrusrnenoN
ByNrcKBr,qr-r,
1995) When Mist Calf toppled back-
wards, his fall shook;oruNHElM,
Nanna, Thor raised his hammer the land of the frost giants.
and chanted certain magic words
to consecrate the ceremony. MUNDTLFARI was a man who
After MGNAROK, the day of offended oDIN. When Odin, along
doom and the end of the world, with his brothers yILI and vE.
ownership of Mjollnir passed to carvedthe world out of the carcass
Thor's sons MAGwI and Modi (See of YMIR,the original frost giant,
also TREASURESAND TALISMANS) they solved the problem of its illu-
minadon by using sparl<sand glow-
MOXKURALFI, or Mist Calf, ing embers from the sun, moon
was a gigandc clay giant. He was and stars.Mundilfari. who lived in
made from the claybed of a nverby Midgard, had a son and a daughter
frost giants in order to tenify THOR, so handsome and beautiful that he
the thundergod. This occunedjust called one Moon and the other
before Thor met HRUNGNIR, the Sun The gods were angeredby this
strongest of the frost gian$, in comparison Odin snatched the
single combat. Mist Calf was ani- brother and sister from Midgard
mated by the heart of a mare, but it and tumed them into constella-
proved inadequate for the task tions to guide the real heavenly
Though the creature towered into bodies on their daily and nightly
the clouds, it was very slow-moving journeys acrossthe sly

MJorrNtn QeJ),rymbolizng Thor's MuruotrraRl(below)namedhtslovely

thunderbolt, glou,edred-hot at the mallet children thesunandmoon,angeing
aJter
end, and could onf be held by an iron Thechildren
thegodswithhisarrogance
gauntlet It was not just destructive,but weremadeto dnve theheavenlychaiots
ako creativeand hallowedweddingsand acrossthe slE At leJt,the moon is drawn by
births The acquisite,whirlingpattems oJ All-Sw{t, while two eagersteeds,Early
Vihing art beautifuIlydepict the blazng Waher and Rapid Goer, pull the larger sun
qes oJthe god {srwenpENDANr,
torHcENruRv) chaiot (Irrusrpqrro,N
BvGTENN 1995
Srrweno, )
NoRSE MyTHoLoGY
MYgSYefS was rhe moon deiry
of Slavonic myth. Some raditions
represent him as the cold, bald-
headed uncle of rhe sun god
DAZHBOG.In others, Myesyars is a
beaudful woman, the consort of
Dazhbogand morher by him of rhe
stars. Every spring the divine pair
are remarried, but in the autumn
Dazhbogleaves his bride and only
retums to her after the cold winter
months have passed.
NenfnUS was a Germanic god-
dess,whose cult was described by
the Roman writer Tacitus in the
first centuryAD.According ro him,
she was an important morher god-
dess who had a sacred grove on a
Frisian island. At regular inrervals
Nerthus travelled inland along a
recognized route, her image placed
in an ox cart and attended by a
priest. During these sacred jour-
neys peacewas expected to prevail
because "all iron was put away".At
a cenain lake the goddess bathed,
2r0
where the dragon lived, ripping NIOnO was rhe Germanic sea
corpses apart and eadng them. god, a member of the divine race of
Between mouthfuls he would send VANIRand father of the fenility gods
the squinel Ratatoskup the cosmic FRELRand f'nrrye. When peace was
tree on an errand of insult, for the agreed between the AESIRand the
agile animal periodically disturbed Vanir, the nvo branches of the
two birds, an eagle and a hawk, divine family, Njord, Freyr and
who were perched at the very top. Freyla came to live with the Aesir as
When momentarily dred of the a sign of goodwill. According to
tasteof dead flesh, Nidhoggwould some versions of the myth, the
gnaw at the root of Yggdrasil iself, mother of Freyr and Freyja was
presumably hoping to inflict dam- Njord's own sister NERTHUS,bur
age on fhe cosmos in some way.
Both Yggdrasil and Nidhogg were N.yonobelw) linesup wtththegodsto
destined to survive the final cata- havehuJeetinspected whowas
W Sll;aldi,
strophe of RacrueRoK,rhe doom of obliged tochooseafutsbandJrom theshape
Nrnrnus ides in a tiumphalprocession, the gods and the end of the world. of htsfeet What Sludipiclzed Njord,she
dunngherbiannualJmilityfestival Neither fire nor flood could deter foundthatshehadwon a *t)eet,oA smgod
BedechedwithJlowen, hq chariotwas the dragon from its ceaselessfeast- with passions quiteopposite to herwn,
drawnW t*o hafm, whichsymbohzed ing on the vast and inexhaustible andso shesoontoohto hr chillyhilk
pimal motherhood andabundance The supply of dead. alone Auusn.tnoN BvJHuARD,1g3O)
peoplehonouredhetW layingasideall iron
toolsandweapons and donningfestiv
e
dress0uusrnrTroN
EvJAMEsArxqtprn,1995)
and afterwards slaves who had
helped in this ritual were drowned
in Nerthus' honour. Sacrifice by
drowning was a pracdce also
favoured by the ancient Slavs in
eastem Europe. The name of the
goddess may have meant "power-
ful one" because it refers to
suength. Quite possibly Tacitus
was describing a local cult of
FRafA. Someversions of the myths
of .asceRo,home of the gods, sug-
gest that Nerthus was sister and
wife ro NJORD,the sea god, and
mother of Freyja and rRna.
NIOHOGG, in Germanic myrh-
ology, was the dragon lMng ar one
of the three r00ts of the cosmic tree
YGGDMSIT.The freezing misr and
darkness of Niflheim, which was
the lowest of the nine worlds, was
Nlpnocc kJt), o gruesome dragon,dwelt
in iq Nilheimand,whennotdevouing
corpses,tthabituallynibbledtherootof
Ygdrasil,thecosmic tree Here,a stag
browsingonthelearcs of Ygdrasilis in
its turnnippedbyNidhog rejectingthe
hJeanddeathstruggle at therootof the
UnNeTSe (Wooo crnvrNc,8ru cnvruRy.)
N"Jonocalmedthe stormsraisedby the nighrs in each place they decided Tan Nonrys, akohnown as the Nordic called Urd by the name of Wyrd,
tempestuous
god, Aeglr A gentle soul, to live apart Skadi went back to her Fates,decidedthe destintesof both gods and in Engiand there was main-
Njordlwedhis sunlit covesand creehs, favourite pastime of hunting on and mortak ds thq wove the Web of Fate tained a belief in rhe tremendous
homeof his sacred seagullsand swans shs and the weather-beatenNjord Here, atleft, wiseold Urd readsfrom the powers of rhe three sisters long
Popular with sailorsandfishermen, he retumed to a life at sea The appar- scrollof thepast,whileyoungVerdandi after the arrival of Christianity For
aided shipsin distress,blo,vfavourable endy unbridgeable gap between the present,andvaled Shuld
symbolizes instance, in Shakespeare'stragic
windsand causedsummer showers them probably reflecs more than claspsher closedscrollof thefuture play Macbeth,the Three Sisterson
(Irrusrnenoru
ByIAMES
ALEXAwoTn,
.1995) personaluste Njord was certainly (lu-usrnarroru ALrx,lrorn,1995
BYJAMES ) "the blasted heath" obviously owed
seen as a god of fertility, since he somerhingro rhe Noms
since the Aesir disapproved of mar- provided to those who worshipped THg NOnNS, or Nomir, were A clear parallel of the Noms are
riage between brother and sister, him not only safe voyagesat sea, the Germanic fates, the goddesses the Moerae, or "Fates", encoun-
Nerthus did not accompany her but alsowealth and good fortune in of destiny. The original Nom was tered in Greek myrhologr. fu in the
husband and children to fugard. the form of land and sons Skadi's undoubtedly URD ("Fate") The Germanic mythic tradition, they
Njord's second marriage was to associationswere quite differenr, Well of Urd, which was situated were seen as three sister goddesses:
the frost giantess SMDI, who chose however She came from a range of under one of the roots of the great Klotho ("The Spinner"), Lachesis
him on the basis of his beautiful frozen mountains, where heavy cosmic ITeeYGGDMSIL, was the site ("The Decider") and Atropos ("The
feet However, the coupie could clouds masked the sun and harsh where the gods heid their daily lnevitable") lt would seem more
not agree about where they should rock made the ground as barren as assembly The rwo other Noms than possible that the Noms were
live Njord found Skadi's home in death [n her wild and unforgiving known by name are Verdandi also originally thought of as
JOTUNHEIM, the land of the frost land, where nothing was able to ("Present") and Skuld ("Future") spinners Howevet, in Germanic
gianrc, too cold and barren, while grow or prosper at all, there was It was believed that the Noms mythologr the Greek and Roman
Skadi disliked the noise and bustle hardly any scope for humankind decided the destinies of gods, concept of the Fates spinning an
of shipbuilding around Njord's hall gians and dwarfs, as well as of individual length of yam for each
of Noatun in Asgard After nine Nonrqtn seerHE NoRNs humankind The Anglo-Saxons mortal life does not appear

2tt
 THE V.TLKYRIES
ALKvRIES wEREoRrcrNALLy srNrsrER
sprRrrsof slaughter,dark angelsof death
who soaredover the batrlefieldslike birds of prey, meting out fare in the
name of Odin. Chosen heroes were gatheredup and borne away to
Valhalla,the heavenlyabode of Odin's ghostly army. In later Norse myth,
the Valkyrieswere romanticizedas Odin's shield-maidens,virginswith golden
hair and snowy arrns who served the chosen heroes everlasting
ff,mead and meat in the greathall of Valhalla.On the battlefield,
they soared over the host as lovely swan-maidens or
splendid mounted Amazons. This far more appealing
;:'ffi;ffi:
n d I , li e b e l u n g en l i e d , w h e r e t h e
heroine,Brynhild or Brunhild, was a
beautiful, fallen Valkyrie. Ide ahzed
Vallcyries were infinitely more vulnerable than
their fierce predecessors,and often fell in love
with mortal heroes. Swan-maiders, especially,
were at risk as they might easily be trapped on
earth if caught without their plumage.

Moururro Verryrrrs Aeft) soaredoverthe battlefeld throughstorm cloudson lying

steeds Their prarly mountspersonifiedthe rain clouds,sprayingdewandhoar frostwer a
 Non.sE MyTHOLOGY

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NonsE MyrHoLoGY
OPIX, alsoknown as Woden or
Wotan, was the chief god of
Germanic myrhology, the son of
BORand grandsonof nuru He was
particularlyfavouredby the Vilcngs
a n d ro se to p ro mi n e n ce in the
eighth and ninth cenrunes These
seafarers and raiderswere attracted
b y Od i n 's l o ve o f b a trl e as the
"lather of the slain", for in
VALHALIA.an immense hall in rhe
diwne forrressof ascaRo, the one-
e;vedgocJwas said Lo prresi,Je erv.
er
the EINHE(/AR ("glorious dead") Ar
rhis penod it seemsrhat Odin drs-
placed TtR, whom rhe Romanshad
identified as the sky god of rhe
north European peoples Tir
rerained his interest in war. bur
214
Odin was looked upon as the inspr-
ration for hard-bitten warriors He
alonehad rhe power ro inspiremen
in battle to a stateof berserkragein
which rhey fearednorhing and felt
no parn The terrible berserkers
would rush naked into the fray,
biting the edgesof their shieldsin
a maddened frenny Odin's name
meanssomethingahn [o "fury" or
OorNQep,thelughest
oJgods,
srrsonhrs
uunite,i th"nno Hi;irb,nii t^,hrrh t^,n< n
mighrywatch-toweroverloohrng
thentne
worlds Hovenng nearbyare his tteless
rayens,theavbornen(ws reporters,Huglnn
and Muninn, while at hisJett crouchhis
pet wolves,Gen and Frekr,omcnsot'good
luch (Onr^-
arE BuRNI-/r.rvrs,
c ,I870.)
"madness" It indicatespossession,
as in the battle-frenzyexhibited by
rhe Irish hero Cuchulainn
That Odin becamerhe foremost
god shows how important wartare
always was in Germanic tradition
It should be noted. however.that
he did not embody martial esctasy
himself; rather he inspired it in a
devious manner Odin was ever
OorN(below),
astheWtldHuntsman,
ieudstheheratchostcn c, ghostli'hunt
throughthe stotmymidnight slry In the
roar and rumbleof thestorm clouds,
Norsemen fanciedthq heardOdin's
phantom idrrs sweepacrossthe sIry,
darh omensoJdoom (THe
wl DHuNroF
ODIN, ry I'NAruo, ctNves, lB72 )
 Nonsr MYTHoLoGY

ready to stir up strife, and on one voluntary death, and his subse- heyday, hanging formed an impor-
occasion commanded the fertility quent resurrection by means of tant part of Odin worship, even
goddess FREUAto "find rwo kings magic, gave Odin greater wisdom being regarded as a shortcut to
and set them at each other's than anyoneelse. Valhalla. The great Viking raid of
throats" so that their vassalswould It is possible that the obvious 842 on Nantes in north-western
wade through torrents of blood on parallel between this myth and the France can thus be seen as the out-
the battlefield. The Danish King Crucifixion gave Christianity a come of a barbarouspledge to the
Harald was supposed to have been head-smrt in northern Europe. god. Most of the ciry's inhabitants
instructed in mctics by the god and Odin's own worship appears to were slain and hanged naked or
granted manyvictories. ln his final have gone into decline in the early clothed from trees.lt was "an axe-
battle, though, Odin took the place eleventh century, at the close of the age,sword-age", a violent interlude
of the hng's charioteer and drove Viking age. Violent times were prior to the end of the world that
Harald to his death. When asked passingasVihng colonists settled would come at Ragnarok
about such withdrawals of luck, down as peaceful farmers and In addition to FRIGG,his wife in
Odin used to reply that "the grey traders. But during the Vikings' Asgard, Odin had many other
wolf watches the halls of the gods". wives, and he fathereda number of
Gathering to Valhalla heroic war- Oow belm), in a timelessbattle scene, OorN (abwe), a god of vision,sacifced children. Among those said to be
riors slain in battle was the only clasps hiswtJeIongngly,beJoredivinginto one qe Jor a draught of Mimir's Fountain his sonswerc THOR,BALDER, HODR,
policy he could adopt under the theJray Armed Jorbattlein eaglehelmet oJWisdom His singleqe symbohzedthe and v,qu.
constant threat of RecrueRoK,the andbluetunic,symbolizngthe slE,heis radiant all-seang sun, while his lost qe, Odin kept himself informed
doom of the gods. These Einhe4ar armedwithhisinJallible spear,Gungnir, floatingin Mimir's well,signtJiedthefull about the affairsof the nine worlds
were desperately needed for the andhiswondrous in g Draupnir,which moon Odin hung himselfJrom Ygdrasil, with two faithful ravens As Vihngs
final battle on the vIGRID Plain, wastherymboloJhispwu andwealth the cosmictreeJor nine dEs, tolearn the at sea sent out ravens in search of
where nearly all would fall in a (Opru's Lrrve-rnKNtc ByF LEEKE,c,ANVAs,c 1875) secretsoJthe dead (Bnoruzr
ncurl c 1950
) Iand, Odin's own ravens HUGINN
struggle berween the gods and the and Muninn flew about and then
frost giants Odin himself was to be "whispered into his earsevery scrap
hlled by the wolf nr'ruruR,the mon- of news which they saw or heard
strous offspring of the fire god roro tell of" The birds' names mean
and the frost giantessANGRBODA "thought" and "memory" respec-
Besideshis authority over the tively Becauseof his wrsdom and
battlefield and the glorious dead, his knowledge of events, Odin was
Odin was a god of magic and wis- oppressed by the approach of
dom. fu the oldest of the gods, the Ragnarok. Just as the cycle of
first-bom son of Bor, he was treat- Germanic mythologystarted with a
ed by the other gods as their father. cosmos awash with the blood of
Shifty-eyed and flaming-eyed he the original frost giant YMIR,when
might be, but Odin also had a Odin and his brothers vtt andvr.
strongly posidve side to his charac- carved the world of men out of his
ter as the most learned god. His dead body, so the final scene was
conflicting negative and posidve to be a batdefield, where the gods
aspects are indeed very similar to were predestined to gush out their
those of the Hindu god Shiva, the own blood. Ragnarok,the doom of
great destroyer-saviour of Indian the gods, beganwith the death of
mythology. For Odin's love of wis- Odin's son Balder and the realiza-
dom was so profound that he was tion by the gods that in Loki, the
prepared to sacrifice himself to god of [ire, rhey had tolerated the
plumb its depths. Odin was often growth of evil. There was nothing
ponrayed as a grey-bearded old that Odin could do to prevent the
man with one eye, his face hidden catastrophe.His only consolation
bya hood orabroad-brimmed hat, was the foreknowledge that his
because he had cast an eye into resurrected son Balder would be
MIMIR'swell in retum for a drink of worshipped in his stead in a new
its "immense wisdom". He gained age and a new land which would
insight in another way by hangrng rise from the sea. (See also rHr
himself for nine days from VALKTRIES; AND SPELLS;
SORCERY
YGGDMSIL,the cosmic tree. This MGNAROK)
RINGSOF POWER:

215
 NoRse MyrHoLoGY

Andvari tried to conceal. Andvari

cursed both the ring and the gold,
saying that whoever owned them
would be destroyedby rhem Loh
put the ring on his own finger and
retumed to Hreidmar with the
gold There was enough ro cover
the whole skin, excepr flor one
whisker; so Loh was compelled ro
hand over the ring as well, and the
curse passedto Hreidmar.

Orrnn wasdisguised asa boarbyhis PnfOfJ-O was the Bakic war god,
divinelover,Frqja Here,Frqtjarideshim
the equivalent of Germanic ODIN,
to theseerHyrdla,seehingprooJof Ottar's
the one-eyedgod of battle, magic,
hingshipTheseerimpartedto Ottarhis inspiration and che dead He was
familytreewithsomeMemoryBeerto help depicted as an old man with a long
himreciteit correctly
in a contestfor
the
green beard and dearh-like pallor,
throne(lu-usrnarroN
ByJAMES Arcxeuorn,
1995
wearing a turban. His sacred
)
objects were the skulls of a man, a
Offen was rhe human lover of horse and a cow
FREYA,the Germanic fertiliry god- Patollo was the chief god of rhe
dess, and was said ro be a disunr Baltic region He bestowed good
descendantof the hero SIGURD fortune and, like Odin, he took it
The wamor caughr the goddess's awaywhenever he had a desire ro
attendon through grand sacrifices tasrehuman blood Ar some point
He buih a srone altar and tumed ir before the advent of Christianity
into glassby rhe consranrhear of Patollo seems to have taken on a
the fire he used in preparing his more pronounced role in respectof Orrrn wasturnedintoanottu byhis appearsin a surviving myth about
bloody offering Fref a transformed the dead. This would explain why Jathutocatchfshfor dinner.
Here,he SAULE, the sun goddess, and the
him into a boar so rhar she could Christian missionariesimmediately nibbles
a salmonwithhisqes closed to moon god vrruu. According ro rhis
keep him with her in ASGARD, the idendfied him with rhe Devil. avoidseeinghisdinnerdimintsh witheach tale, the moon chosenot to appear
home of the gods. She even used mouthfulBlindto theworld,hewas easy in the sky with the sun becauseof
the disguised Ottar as a mounr PrnxoNIS see pERKUNo prEJorInhi whocaveted theotter's
Jtne Perkuno, who had an affair with
Ottar may have been a leader of a Ju, (t utrurroN
BYNlckBr-qrc,
1995) Saule. Their love-child was rhe
warrior band, a lover pleasing to PgnxoNS seepERKUNo Moming Star. Whereas the sun
Freyla who shared rhose fallen in worshipped at Uppsala in Sweden. goddess carried on as if nothing
battle with Odin. In the myth ir is PnnxuNAS seepERKUNo There'the war god ODIN,rhe rhun- had happened and conrinued to
suggestedrhar he is related ro rhe der god THoRand the fertiliry god show herself to all humankind
berserkers,waniors who, "howling PrnxUNO (which probably FREYRwere revered, whereas at during the day, Menu made him-
and foaming in frennl,lefr a uail of
meant "striker"), known as Romowe in Prussia,Baltic peoples self visible only by night.
terror and leaped like wrldfire over
Perkunasin Lithunia, Perkons or gaveworship ro PAT)LL), Perkuno
land and sea". Perkonis in Latvia, was the Baltic and potRIMPo. The young, beard- Prnuu seepERUNU
thunder god. He was obvrously less god Potrimpo was the Baltic
OTTER, in Germanic mythology, connected with rhe Slavic god Freyri grim Patollo was the Baldc PfnUNU, known as pyerun in
was the son of rhe magician-farmer PERUNU, although Perkuno was rhe Odin: and the Baltic Thor was Russia,Piorun in Poland and some-
HREIDMARWhen rhe fire god rOrcr standard European god of the Perkuno, as quick to anger as the times Perun, was the Slavic thun-
killed him by mistake, for he had storrn He was depicted as an giant-killing Germanic thunder der god. He was the chief god and
taken the shape of an orrer, angry-looking middle-aged man god. A late account of the Balts a creator god. At Kiev in Russia he
Hreidmar demanded compensa- with a fiery face and a curly black even supposes a migration from had an important temple until the
don The otter's flayed skin was to beard. An order of priess is known Sweden in the sixth cenrury. tenth century. Perunu's supremacy
be covered inside and out with to have mainrained a perpetual fire Unfortunately, next to nothing was ended byVladimir, rhe ruler of
gold Loki succeededin taking as as part o[ Perkuno's worship of Baltic mythology has survived, Kiev who was later raised to rhe
much gold as he needed from rhe Bahic mythology appears ro apart from the names of gods and sainthood. After living rhe qpical
dwarf ANDyARI,and insisted that have possessedthree main gods, goddesses. It is of considerable life of a Slavic prince, wirh numer-
he also be given a ring which not unlike the Germanic rrio interest, therefore, that Perkuno ous wives and misresses, Vladimir

216

"rired of the desire forwomen" and
sought a newway of living He sent
out ambassadors to witness the
religious ceremonies of both the
Catholic and Orthodox churches,
as well as those of the Jews and
Pnncnvuroamedthe tkundery sly onhrs
milktone,jnshing shaftsof lightning Jr om
htsthunderboltInhis efiig atKia,,he
appearedwith a silver head and golden
moustncheHe was transjormedinto St
Elijahwtth the arival of Chistianig,
nvNrcxBFr''ts,
orrusrpcnoN 1995
) "mother of Russian cities". With
Moslems. His choice fell on rhe
Bfzantine form of Christianiry and
thereafter the Russians and the
Greeks shared the same form of
Chrisdan worship.
Prior to this conversion in 988
though, the "Rus" owed more to
north-westem Europe, for the
esmblishment of the Russiansrare
resulted from Viking trade and
settlement on its greatrivers. The
Viking leader Oleg had captured
Kiev in 882 and raised its status to
this Germanic influx, it is hardly
surprising that there are obvious
parallels berween Perunu and
THOR Oleg was referred to as a
"wizard". It seemsquite likely thar
Thor provided the native Slavic
thunder god with a developed
mythology, since surviving details
of Perunu's worship suggest that
he was originally believed to be an
aid to agriculture. lndeed, rain-
making ceremonies are known to
have involved a chaste girl, naked
and decked with flowers, dancing
in a magic circle. Whirling and
drinhng seem to have been impor-
tant in his Russian worship.
Prnxrno can be seenherendingwith his
divinecompanions:on theleft,young
Potimpo, crownedwith Iruitful wheat;
next, veteran Patollo bears a shull
rymboliztnghisffinity withwar and death,
whilehis hornedturban recallshis sacred
cow Perhuno,at right, Jlasheshis lightning
(llrusrnerroru By IAMES ALExANorn,
PERL.TNU,
as afertility god, wanderedwer
the earth, spreadingsummer sun, chasing
awaycloudsand meltingthe snow A god
with a socialsense.he bombardedthe lands
oJthe wrchedwith hailstorms The oah, his
sacredtree. was burned in his honour
(lLLUsrMiloN ay Nrcx BE/,u. 1995 )
"..::i
Nonsr MvrHoLocY
Elsewherein Europe the Slavic
peoples also revered Perunu, as
place- names still indicate In
Slovenia there is Perunji Ort, in
Croatia Peruna Dubrava, in
Bulgaria Perin Planina, and in
Poland Peruny as well as Piorunow
I 995 ) According to Procopius, secretary
to the Greek general Belisariusin
the sixth century, the Slavs wor-
shipped above all the god of light-
ning, and sacrificedcatde and orher
animals to him. In Russianfolklore
the memories of Perunu's great
skill with the thunderbolt can
doubtlessbe found in stories that
tell of dragon-slaylng and other
supematural deeds rhat required
enorrnousstrength
PERUNU
PTONUN SCC
POTTUPO was the Baltic god of
fertility and the equivalent of the
Germanic fertility god FREYR,
though he was also associatedwith
rivers He was depicted as a happy
young man without a beard and
crowned with ears of grain
PYENUN SECPERUNU
217
 Nonsr MyrHoLoGy

RACNAROK was the doom of

rhe Germanic gods Afrer a terrible
winter lasdng rhree years,a final
batdewould be fought berweenrhe
gods and the frost giants on the
vIGRtDPlain On the side of ODrN
and the gods were ranged rhe
"glorious dead" who had fallen in
battle and were raken to live in
VALHALIA;while with rhe fire god
LOKIand the frost gians fought the
"unworthy dead" from riEr (the
Germanicnetherworld), plus the
fearsomewolf rETRIRand the sea
monsterJORMUNGAND There was
nothing rhat rhe chief god Odin
I
could do to prevenr rhis catastro-
phe His only consolation was the
foreknowledge thar Ragnarok
was not the end of the cosmos
After he had been killed by Fenrir,
THOR had been overcome by RecxnRox (above) wasforeshadowed by
Jormungand, and mosr of the orher a chillingFimbulwinter Soland Mani
gods had died in the mutually grat, pale with fear; blizzards swept down
destructive encounter with the
Jrom the pealx and icebergstouteredaver
frost giants, a new world was des- thefrozen earth Lohi broheJreefrom his
dned [o "rise again our of the water, bondsand set sailwith thef,ery host
fair and green" (lLLUsrMTroN BYJAMES ALFxANorn, 1995 )

Before the batrle rwo humans,

LIF and Lifihrasir, had taken shelter
in the sacred rree yGGDMSILand
they emergedafrer rhe camagewas
over to repopulate the earth
Severalof the gods also survived,
among them Odin's sons VIDAR
and vALI, and his brorher HONIR,
Thor's sons Modi and MAGNI,who
inhented rheir father's hammer.
and BALDER who came back
from the dead
Ragnarokheld a grear appeal for
the Vikings, whose onslaughr on
westem Europe is still the stuff of
legend Once they understood the
effectivenessof the standhogg,rhe
short, sharp shore-raid againsr the
ncher lands ro rhe west and south,
then, as Alcuin remarked in the
eighth century, "no one is free from
fear" ln 793 the British offshore
monasrery of Lindisfarne was
sacked and Sr Cuthberr's church
was spatteredwrrh the blood of the
monks "Never before in Britain,"
Alcuin lamenred, "has such terror
appeared as rhis we have now
suffered at the hands of rhe
heathen " Bu[ for rhe Vikings ir
was like Ragnarok, "an axe-age,a
sword-age" It was a rehearsalfor
the "wind-age and wolf-age before
the world is wrecked" Ahhough
Christianiry did evenruallycome ro
the Germanic peoples of norrhem
Europe, their preoccupationwith a
cosmic carasrrophedid not fade
altogether. The Last Judgemenr
exercised their minds during the
MiddleAges It maywell have been
that behind the Nazis' resolve ro
fight on in World War Two lay a
folk memory of Ragnarok
RNN SCCNATUM SPIRITS
RECIN and his brother FAFNTR RTNUER
slew their father, the magician
HREIDMAR, while under the spell of RHTNT MruONNS SCCNATURE
a cursed ring, Andvarinaut, which
made them covet their father's
gold While Fafnir turned into a RIG was the name assumed by the
dragon in order to protect his gold, Germanic god unuoeu when he
Regin settled down as a smith in
the royal Danish household. There
he tutored the young hero SIGURD
and urged him to overcome Fafnir,
which he did But, equally as cor-
rupted by the curse as his brother,
Regin then plotted to murder
Sigurd. However, he reckoned
without the young hero's insight:
Srgurd was forewamed by the birds
and killed Regin first
RAGNARoK's Aef)warragedonthe
iq Plainof Vignd Hue, Odinwrestles
with thesnarlingwolJ,
Fenrir,whileThor
slaysthemonstrous worldserpat,
Jormungand, thoughdyngJromitsJatal
yenomAt left,Lohiwrestleswiththebnght
god,Hamdall, andboth godsdiein the
conflict(lrrusrRenoru
By
JAMEIALD<ANDER,
I 995)
SCCHMIDMAR
SPIRJTS
created the three categoriesof men:
the slave or thrall; the free peasanr
or harl; and the noble or chieftain,
known as jarl. Though usually
imagined as the watchman of the
gods,scanning the horizon for the
Iinal frost giant attack at Ragnarok,
Heimdall was also idendfied with
Rig, or "hrg".According to Rig's
myth, the god once approached
the lowlydwellingof an old couple,

218

Ai and Edda 0iterally "great-gand-
father" and "great-grandmother")
After introducing himself as a lone
wayfarer, Rigwas given coarsefood
to satisfi his hunger and a place in
the bed berween them when itwas
time to sleep. Rig stayed three
nighs and gave them good advice
Nine months afterwards Edda bore
a son, Thrall, who was black-haired
and ugly, wrth rough skin, thick
fingers,short nails, swollen lcruck-
Ies, long heeis and bent back; but
he was strong Thrall took as his
wrfe an equally ungainly person, a
drudge with crooked legs, dirty
feet, sunbumed arrns and a big
nose Their many children includ-
ed boys like Noisy, Roughneck and
Horsefly, as well as girls such as
Laz1bones, Fatty and Beanpole
From these ill-favoured children
descendedthe thralls, the enslaved
labourers of the oppressed class
Eddar's son Thrall himself per-
fecrly sums up the back-breaking
toil of his oppressedclass,weighed
down with generations of hard
labour
Rig visited a second house,
warrn and better fumished Inside
Rtcwandered throughout theearth,
visitingitspeople andJatheingthree
classes oJmen,thethrallsor sufs,karlsor
freemen andjarlsor earlsHere , Rigsups
withagedrustrcs in theirseashorehut,
ganngwith pndeathisJirstmortalchild, Jarl as his speciai son, imparting
Thrall,whowaso bornlabourer andJather wrsdom and relling him how to
oJ the serfs (lr-rusrnerroNBvNrcK Bzarr, 1995) claim his lands In obedienceto the
he encountered an industrious
couple, Afi and Amma (literally
"gandfather" and "gandmother")
The well-dressed pair were spin-
ning and weaving: Afi prepared a
loom, Amma spun a thread Once
again Rig shared their table and
bed, gave good adviceand depart-
ed after three nights Nine months
afterwardsAmma bore a son, Karl,
who was red and fresh and bright-
eyed IGrl took to wrfe Snor (mean-
ing "daughter-in-law") and rheir
children included boys named
Strongbeard, Husbandman and
Smith, and girls called Prettyface,
Maiden and Capable Together
they ran farms and were free
A third dwelling Rig stayed at
was a splendid hall belonging to
Fadir and Modir ("farher" and
"mother") While Fadir attendedto
his bow and arrows, Modir saw to
her own looks and clothes After a
large meal, accompanied by fine
conversation and dnnk, Rig slept
between his well-off hosts He
stayed three nights and gavegood
advice Nine months afterwards
Modir bore a son, Jarl, who was
fair-haired and handsome,with a
bright cheek and an eyeas piercing
as a serpent's When he grew ro
manhood, Jarl could use bow,
spear,sword and shield; he could
ride and swim and hunt experrly
One day Rig rerurned and greeted
RrctN reforgesthe shardsoJSigurd's
wondroussword, Gram Once mended,the
swordwasso strongand sharp that it split
the iron anvil in two With it, Sigurdslew
Regln'sbrother, FaJnir,who had turned
himselJinto a dragonso that he could
t2rHcENruRy
guard his gold NvooocARVrNG, ) sons One of rhese learned magic
Rtc nextvisiteda thnJq,farmhousewhere
he was hospitablyentertainedby Amma
and Afi Rig stayedJor threedaysand
Jathereda fine sturdy,blue-qed boy,
namedKarl, who {ew up to be a natural
farmer Here, Karl andhis w{e, Snor,can
be seenworhing theirJrurtful land
(lrrusrnatrrrru
BvNrcKBrerr,1995
) the structure of Viking society In
Nonsr MvrHoLocY
god, Jarl rode through the world,
fighting and slayrng,seizing booty
and distriburing treasureto his free
followers At last he married Erna
("lively"), a fair and wise noble-
woman, and she bore him twelve
so well rhat he could prevent forest
fires. control storms and cure the
sick lt was said that he excelled
even Rig in understanding and
almost became a god The impli-
cation is that in his person he com-
bined the roles of pnest and king
The myth of Rig sheds light on
con[rastwith the Celts, the orher
main rribal people of pre-Chrisdan
Europe, rhe Germanic tribes of
Scandinar,raand northem Europe
had alreadylost a priestly classby
the time we encounter their
mythoiogy AsJulius Caesarnoted,
the ancient Germanshad no equiv-
alent of the druids and cared lirtle
for ntual They found religious sig-
nificance in the depths of forests
But the Romans, and later the
Vikings'victims, were in no doubt
about the Germanic love of warfare
and the role of the armed retainer,
the sturdy free peasant,in battle
2r9
 SORCERYAND SPELLS
oRCERY AMoNG THENonsrMEN was
a unique and precious art practised
essentially by Odin and rhe Vanir
deides of nature, bur also by dwarfs
and some privileged mortals, Llsually
women. Although disringuished heroes,
such as Sigurd, were blessed with magical
weapors, they usually lacked any magical
powers. Odin, the arch-sorcerer,developed
his skills over a lifetime of search and
sacrifice, much like a morml shaman. Ever
thirsry for wisdom and power, he wandered
the nine worlds as a vagrant, clad in a blue
mantle and slouch hat , gathering and
garnerirg every snippet of information he
could find. After hanging himself on the
World Tiee, he learnt rhe secrers of the
dead and restored himself ro life. By
contras[, the heroes of Finnish myth were
often gifted from birth with asrounding
magical powers and arcane wisdom.The
wise wtzard, Vainamoineh, was a born sage
and sorcerer,while debonair Leminkainen
was bathed as a baby ro imbue him wirh
wisdom and sorcery. Equipped with a
repertoire of sacred songs, the Finns
penetrated to the roors of life. Finnish
sorcerers were so famous that in medieval Kurrrpvo cursesllmannen'swichedwtJewho had tauntedhim bqond endurance,
glvinghim a dry loalJor hts lunch,stffid with a rochwhich shatteredhis hntJe
times Norwegian kings forbade people ro In response,he tumedher gentlecowsinto bearswhichdevouredherat thefamily milhing

s a i l t o F i n n m a r k f o r t h e p u r p o s e o f Kullewo, d toftured soul,unlovedJrombirth, respondedto the world'ssleightswith

distortedmalice Grftedwith powuful sorcery,he punishedhisenemies bqtondtheir
consulting magicians. Cnme (THF. Cunsr or- KULLL-nVO ByA GALLEN-KALLELA,cAN\,,As, c 1850)
 N : ' g n 5 g : M Y . , i :H o L o G Y

VarruaiuornreN(above)fendsot'Jthegnffin perchedon his

Louhi, who had tumed
shrp Themonsterwasthe sorceress,
herselfinto u metalhcbird Shewas after thetalisman,the
Sampo Justas sherearedto stnhethefinal blow,
Vainamoinenraisedhis rudderand crushedher talons
TheSampowas brolzenand scattered,but Vatnamoinen

fragmentsand partly restoreditspower

gatheredsome
( D r . r p , l c t , ( ) r r H t : S A M P L )B \ A G A L I F N - K A i l F l A , c . r . v t e r 1852 )

Kurrrnvo (above),doomedJrom birth, setout 0n his last Fnrl7a (nght) was renownedfor her maglcal crafts,along
journq, ptpingloudly onhis cowhorn,his mother'sBlachie l,rJh the otherVanir deitiesoJJertiliry and nature Shewas

dogrunningbehindEn route hepossedablastedstretchoJ the Jirstto teachthe wamor Aesir the practiceof seroror
greenwherehe had unwittingly despoiledhrs long-lost maglc SerorwasuseJulbutcould be dongerous,glvrngrts
bemoanedthe maiden's
sister Here the meadow grasses practitilnersforehnowledgeand power overliJeand death,

terible fate Feelingthe crushingweightof guilt and a loveand intelligenceOdin quichly learnt all that Freyja
liJetimeoJ bitterness,Kullemoeventuallythrew himselfon couldteachhimand, ewr thirsryJorhnowledge,surpassed
his sword Although a powerfulsorcerer,Kullewo was the Vanir in maglc arts ln later myth, Frqja wasrdentiJied
deniedlovethroughouthis lit'eand nner learnt theway of oJSpnngwho guardedthe maglcapples
with ldun, goddess
things {xuttERVCl ByA GaLLrN-KeLLnq, cANVAs, c 1850) BYARTHITR
ofyouth,seenhere0lrusrn+nos c 1910)
RAcKrlAM,

Brynhild,
A RrrucoF FInE (far left) enctrcledthe ValLeyne,
sleepfrom all but the
protectingherin an enchanted
bravest OnIy Sigurddared theJieryctcle of Jlamesto win
the sleepingbeauryHrs fearlessspiit camed him through'
mysteiouslyunharmed,as predrctedby the brrdswhose
songheunderstood(liI t/.srmrr()N r 1920)
B)IJTHF.A(ER,

Gruuulro QeJt),QueenoJthe Nrebelungs,wasfamed and

fearedfor her maglc Withher spellsand potions,shecould

erasea person'smemoryand controlhis wrll Whenshe
ofJeredunsuspectrngSigrd her maglcmead,heJorgot hts
lovefor Brynhildand rnsteadfell rn lovewith Gnmhild's
daughter, Gudrun (lrrl \rR{li()\
B)ARIHT c 1910.)
RR{(Klr'\r1

221
NonsE MyTHoLoGY
Rrrun (above),a cool Nordic pnncess,
becameill with a mystery malady and was
nursedbach to health by Odin in disguise
The old nurse, Vecha, restoredRind to
health,
Jirstby bathingherin ahotbath
The warm water thawedher Jrozenheart
and symbolizedthe meltingoJtheJrozen
nnd oJearth (trlusrnerroru
ByNlcKBute, 1995
) Strcr'ruED seesTGURD
THE RusALxt (nght) dwelt in ivers and
lahes The southern spites were pearly
beautieswho lured travellerswith their
sweet song Duing Rusalhi Weeh,which
was at the start of summer, thE emerged
from the ivers to dwell and dancein the
Jorests,eniching the grassin thar wahe
(lLLUsrMfloN ay Ar,4l.r Lre, 1984 )
RIND, in Germanic mythology,
was [he daughter of King BILLING
and the mistress of ODIN,who pur-
sued her in various disguises Their
love led to rhe birth of yALi, rhe
child who was to avengethe death
of reLorR In one version, Odin
was deposed as king of the gods for
forcing Rind to submit simply in
order thar he might farhera son.
ROSnfn was a farmer's daughter
who became a seryant of the god
THOR When Thor stopped at her
father's house and asked for food
and shelter they were too poor to
provide mear, so Thor offered his
own goats on the condition that no
bones were broken. But Roskva's
brother THIALFIbroke one of rhe
thigh bones and when Thor came
to resurrect the goats one of them
had a limp The enraged god was
only pacified by the promised ser-
vrce of Roskva and Thialfi. who
travelled with him thereafter.
222
THr Rusnlru were warer
nymphs and can be found in both
Slavonic and Russian mythology
They were thought to be the spirits
of drowned grrls During the winter
months, they lived in the great
rivers of eastem Europe, taking on
different forms in different regions
For instance, in the RiversDnieper
and Danube, in south-eastem
Europe, they were commonly
pictured as beautiful, siren-like
creatures who would attempt to
lure unsuspecting passers-byinto
the water with their magical song
In the nonhem regions, in contrast,
the water nymphs were considered
to be malevolent, unkempt and
unattractive creatures,who would
grab travellers from the river banlcs
and drag them down into the river
and drown them. During the sum-
mer, when the rivers were warmed
by the sun, the Rusalh came out of
the water on to the land and lived
in the cool of the forests.
SRVTPO SCC TRM5URE5 AND
TALISMANS
SnUlf was rhe Baltic sun god-
dess and, according to one tradi-
tion, the mistress of the thunder
god rERxuwo Shewas worshipped
by Lithuanians, Prussiansand Letts
before they were converted to
Chrisdaniry Her worship took the
form of looking after a harmiess
green snake. Every house kept one:
under the bed, in a corner, even
under the table Apart from ensur-
ing a household's wealth and fer-
tility, the kindness shown to the
snake was regarded as a guarantee
of Saule'sgenerosiry.To hll a snake
was an act of sacrilege.The sight of
a dead one was believed to bring
tears to the eyes of the sun god-
dess Even after the conversion of
the Lithuanians to Christianity in
the fifteenth century - they were
the last people to be Christianized
on the continent - the peasants
continued to reveregreen snakes.
It was long held that seeing one in
the countryside meant that either a
maniage or binh would follow.
Saulewas imagined as pouring
light from a jug.The golden liquid
which she generously gave to the
world was the basis of life isell the
warmth so necessaryafter the cold
north-eastern European winter
Another fragment of myth about
Saule concerns the Baltic equiv-
alent of the Greek Dioscuri, who
were the divine twins Castor and
Polydeuces The unnamed Baltic
rwins are said to have rescued Saule
from the sea and built a bam in
which the goddesscould rest.
SMCUUND SCCTMGICLOYER5
SIF *as the wife of ttoR, the
Germanic thunder god, and the
mother, by a previous marriage,of
Uu, god of archeryand shing She
is the subject of a strange myth in
which the trickster LoK, the god of
fire, one night cut off her beauriful
golden hair, probably a represen-
tation of ripe com and therefore
fertility. Next morning Thor was
beside himself with rageat Sils dis-
tress When Loh protested that it
was only a joke, Thor demanded to
know what he was going to do
about it, and the fire god said he
would get the dwarfs to weave a
wig as a replacement.
So Loh asked the sons of Ivaldi
to make a wig from spun gold The
completed piece of work was quite
remarkable,for it was so light that
a breath of air was enough to ruffle
its skeins and so real that it gew on
her head by magrc Thinhng to get
the gods even more into their debt,
rhe sons of lvaldi used the remain-
ing heat in their fumace to con-
struct a collapsible ship named
Shidbladnir for the fertility god
FREYRand a magic spear called
GUNGNIRfor ODIN. On his way
back to ASGARD, the stronghold of
the gods, crossingthe underqround

S.eurr(abwe),theBalticsungoddess,
pouredgoldatlightfrom herheavenly
haghtthroughthesummery cloudsdownto
theearthbelw Thesnahe onhcrcrown
herJertilityandabundance
symbolizes The
MorningStar,herchiW,Jbshes abweher.
(IlrusrncnoN
BYJAMES
Ar.EMNoen,
1995)
caverns where the dwarfs lived,
Loki also met the dwarf brothers
Brokk and Eiti. They were so jeal-
ous of the workmanship that had
gone into the wig, the boat and the
spear that Loh persuadedthem ro
make something better; he even
smked his own head on their
inabiliry to do so. fu a result, the
dwarf brothers fashioned the magrc
hammer known as MJOLLNIR,the
scourgeof the frost gians.
The gods were delighted with
the treasuresLoh and Brokk had
brought back. However, Brokk
demanded Loh's head. The gods
would not agree,but they had no
objecdon to Brokk sewing up
Loh'slips with a thong when Thor
dragged the god back home after
Nonsr MvrHoLoGY
Src (abwe nght) wa JamousJor her gold,
j*irg hair, symbolwng npe haw estcorn
When Lohi att ofiherlocluher misay
representedthe winter seasonwhen the
cornJiel&,are reducedto stubble Hue, Lohi
lurlu menacinglybehindthe dreaming
beAuty (Irusrnerroru
ByNrcKBrnr.,1995
)
Slctw (nght) Queenof Gotaland, rushes
down the glacialfiord to greether hinsman
Shewamsthem oJan ambushplanned
W hn vengefulhusband,Siggar,a sore
losn, who bittuly resentelher brother
Signund's victory in a maglcal strord
contest 0rrusrncflor'r
ByJAMES 1995
Atrx,qvoen, )
he tried to flee, which caused Loh brorhers about Siggeir'splot against Signy helped Sigmund to plot
to plan a revenge against Thor (See them, but they were ambushed in revenge She even slept with him in
also TR&{SURESAND TALISMANS) a forest and bound to a fallen ree disguise and bore a son named
Each night a wolf devoured one of Sinfiotli When Sinfiotli grew up
stcuut tD seeNoRsEHERoEs them in lum, until only her she placed him in Sigmund's care,
youngestbrother Sigmund was left but they were both captured by
SIGI IY, in Germanic mythology, alive. Signy got a slave to smear Siggeir.A magic sword freed them
was the unfortunate daughter of Sigmund's facewith honey so that and killed Siggeir and his sons
VOLSUNG,supposedly a descen- the wolf would lick him instead of Signy chose to die herself in the
dant of ODIN.Married againsther biting him Sigmund was thus able burning Gothic palace, but not
will to the Gothic king Siggeir, she to catch the wolf's tongue in his before she had told Sigmund the
nied to wam her fatherand her ten teeth and overcomethe beast truth about Sinfiotli'sparenmge
223
Nonsn MyrHoLocY

StcnyN see srcn{

StcuNN seesrcrN

StCUnO, or Siegfned as he was

lcnown in German, wzls a northern
Germanic hero similar to the Celtic
KingAnhur He was the foster-son
of REGIw,the smith at the court of
King Hjalprek inJutland, who senr
him to recover a fabulous hoard of
gold Regin's father HREtoiu,qn had
first acquired rhis treasure,which
once belonged to the dwarf
ANDvARI.To get rheir hands on the
gold Regrn and his brother FAFNIR
had then killed Hreidmar, but
Fafnirwanted the rreasurefor him-
self and tumed into a dragon to
guard it. By cunningly stabbing the
monster from underneath, Sigurd
succeeded in slaying Fafnir, thus
apparendy gaining borh dwarfish
wealth and wisdom, since Fafnir
was said to have understood the
language of birds When he real-
ized that Regrn intended to hll him
for the gold, Srgurd slew him before
carrying it away himself. (Seealso
NORSEHEROES;TMGIC LOYERS;
RINGSOFPOWER)

SIGYN, also known as Sigunn or

Sigrym, in Germanic mytholory,
was the faithful wife of the fire god
toru and morher of his sons Narvi
and vau. Once rhe gods realized
that in Loki they had allowed rhe
growth of evil in their midst, they

Stcunp (above)watches withfascination

as kgln Jorgesthebrohenshards oJhis
father'swondrous sword,a gftlrom Odin
Theconquenng swordwould$elpSigurd
in hisdestined
missionto slaythedragon,
FaJnir,guardianoJa Jabulousbutill-Jated
treasure (SrecrrueotN THEFoRGEoF REGINBl

W rr)N HANScHltp,rnrsco. 1880)

Stcunp (righl confronts theJire-breathing

dragon, Fafnir, and slayshim, winning

Jame and aJateJulfortune. On the adviceof

his mentor, kgn, he roasted the creature's
heart, liching somr-spilt blod Jrom which
he learnt thespeechof birds. (srecrnreo
rro
FAFNIR 8Y H HENRTCH, cc^,vAs, 1906 )

224

Slcunp (abwe) oatls inhiswondrous
nfit weapon,anticiryting victory wer hk
fightful foe, Fafnir. Equipped with the
shatpestbladeand neves of iron, theeager
hero setofl ucitedly onhisfirst quest This
strileing portrayal highlights they outhful
iilealism of the zealousNordichero
0rrusrnrnotByARTHI/R
RACKH
M,c 19ff,.
) BY GLENN Swmp,
bound him in a cave. First they
took hold of rhree slabs of rock,
stood them on end and bored a
hole through each of them. Then
the entrails of Loki's son Narvi
were employed as a rope which
bound the fire god to the stones.
When the gods had tied the Iast
Iqrot, the enrails became as hard as
iron. To ensure Loh's discomfort
the frost gianressSIi{DI, NJORD's
wife, fasteneda snake ro a sulactire
above the god's head and there he
wuls to remain undl RAGNARoK
Nonsr MyrHoLocy
SruRun (abwe) gallopsthrough aJiery
ringguardingthe iqhome of Gerda,a
Jrost glantess On a mission to win Gerda
Jorhis gentlemastu, Frqr, Shirnirbears
gJ* oJliJe-gving apples,a multiply ing nn g,
Draupnir, and a glwingportrait of Frqr,
capturedin his dinhinghom (rlrusrncfloN
1995 )
Slcvl (abwe), the danted wtJeoJInhi, SKADI, or Skade (which means SrtnNtR ("shining")wasa ser-
stoodbyhim uen afterhehadben "destruction"), was a figure in vant of FREYR,
the Germanic god of
banished to an iq prison There she nofihem Germanic mythology. She fertiliry. When Freyr wished to
lessenedhis pain by catchingthefery was the wife of the sea god tryOno marry the frost giantessGERDA,he
venomdnbbledby a serpenttied abovehis and daughter of the frost giant promised Shmir his horse and his
face Wen shewent to empty the bowl, he THIASSI. When the gods ofascenp sword and senr him ro;oruNHEIM,
writhedin agotry,shahingtheearth trorc killed her farher for srealing IDUN's the land of the frost giants. Skirnir
ANDSrcYN ByMEWrNcE, c NVAs, c 1890) apples, Skadi armed herself and had some difficulry in persuading
went to the gods' srronghold to Gerda to agreeto the match, how-
Despite all that her husband had seek compensation. Refusing an ever. Eleven apples of youth, the
done, Sigrn remained rrue to him offer of gold, she demanded a magic fruit that kept the gods
and did what she could to lessen husband and a bellyful of laughter. young, were no temptation to her
his sufferingbycatching the venom This was agreed, provided thar Nor was one of Odin's arm-rings
dripping from the snake in a wood- Skadi chose her husband by his Gerdashowed no fearwhen Shmir
en bowl. However, whenever she feet only. Thinking that the mosr threatenedto beheadher, but she
went awayto empry its poisonous shapely feer must surely belong ro began to panic the moment he
contents, the venom fell on Loh's handsome BALDER,ODIN'S Son, started to recite a powerful spell It
head and causedhim to wirch vio- Skadi made her choice only to dis- promised to deny her any joy or
lently. According ro rhe Vihngs, it cover that she had picked Njord passion, for the beautiful frost
was these compulsive movemens The merrimenr was provided by giantesswas to be transformed into
that accountedfor eanhquakes. L2KI, who tied his resticles io a a lovelessoutcast,a companion of
goat. fu the couple were unable ro the "unwonhy dead". As a result of
sxenn seesK{Dr stand the conditions in each this threatened fate, Gerda at last
other's hornes, Njord and Skadi consented to meet Freyr and so
Src{Dt, a cnl anil indqndnt huntress, decided that ir was best to live Skimir received his promised
roamed the mountainsonhq snow shoes apart. Her relationship with rhe rewards. On another occasion.
A Wirit ol winta, shewasJar happir on gods continued, however, and it Shmir acted in his role as messen-
hn o! slop tlun in hq husband'ssunlit was she who placed the venomous ger by going to the dwarfs on
cwa. A deity oJhuntm and mountain snake above Loki's head when the Odin's behalf to order a magical
climbs, sheguidcd thcir sleigla am the gods eventually imprisoned the fetter so that Odin could resrrain
snox4 0ulstttnoN cf l/o.iEsAwxtxoen195 ) troublesome god in a cave. the terrible wolf FENRIR
225
Nonsn MyrHoLocy
SKOLL, in Germanic mythology,
was a wolf that pursued the sun in
her flight across the sky At
RAGNAROK, the doom of rhe gods,
Skoll was destined.to seizethe sun
between his jaws and swailow her
Jusr before this happened, though,
the sun would give birth to a
daughteras beaudful as herselfand
this new sun would warm and il-
luminate the new earth risen from
the sea, "fresh and green", follow-
ing the catastrophe.Another wolf,
named Hati. chased after the
moon Both creatureswere said to
be the sons of a giantessliving in
Iron Wood
Ravenousdogs often threarened
to eat the heavenly bodies in rhe
myths of northem parts of both
Europe and fuia Chinese families
today sdll bang cooking utensils ro
frighten "the dog oflheaven"during
a lunar eclipse
Sxorr below),a JincewoIJ,symbolizng
Repulsion,
chasedthesunacrosstheslE,
from dawnto dushSholl'ssoleaiminlfe
wasto wertaheanddevourtheheavenly
orb,plunglngtheworldintoprimordial
darhness (Itusrnnrroru ByGLENNSTEwARD.
1995)
226
Slcrun, a massiveJrost g1ant,actsas
mountain guideto Thor andhts parly,
pointingout the shortestroute to lJtgard,
the citadelof thefrost giants The travellm
strug;led on through snow diJts, unaware
that Shrymir wa in Jact only a gant
illusion santto thwart and mtslead them
svNtcxBw-e,,
0rrustpcno^/ 1995
)
SxnYUtR ("vasr") was an exrra
Iargefrost giant in Germanic myth-
ology. So huge was he that on a
joumey through the land of giants
THORand LOKI, along with their
servanB THIALFIand ROSrcya,inad-
vertently slept in the thumb of
Skryrmir'sempry glove, thinhng it
was a hall. When Thor later tned to
hammer in the skull of the sleeping
Skryrmir,the frost giant awoke in
the belief that either a leaf or an
acom had dropped on his brow
Afterwards it dawned on Thor and
his companions that Slcrymirwasa
giganticillusion, a magic creation
sent out by the frost gians in order
to prevent them from reaching
UTGARD, the giants' cimdel.
SlgtPNtR ("Glider"), was rhe
eight-leggedhorse ridden by oDIN,
the chief of the Germanic gods.
This fabulous creature was the
offspring of an unusual union
benween Svadilfari, a stallion of
greatstrength, and L2KI, the shape-
changer,who had disguised him-
self as amare Sleipnircould travel
over sea and through the air, and
was swift enough to beat any other
horse in a race. At necNARoK,
Sleipnir was the horse that carried
Odin into battle.
Sol seeNATURE
sPIRITS
SUnf ("Black"), in Germanic
mythology, w6 a fire giant with a
flaming blade who would set the
cosmos alight at &{GNAROK.He
was identified with the fire god
Lo:rc.At Ragnarok Surt was ro rise
from Muspell, the land of flame,
and fling fire in eYerydirecdon. The
nine worlds were to become raglng
furnaces as gods, frost giants, the

Slaprun (abw e), the fabulous eight-hoofed
(or somesay,eight-bggd) steedof Odin,
certainlydeservedhrsname "Glidu" forhe
slippedthroughcloud, seaor earthwith
eqnl ease Slapnir'showes rumbled,in the
stormcbudswhen Odin travelledacrossthe
sly as god of thewrnik 0uusrnenoru
ayGuuN
Srnverp,1995)
Sunr belwD, afircefire g1ant,roseJrom
thefurnaceoJ Muspellat Pagnarohtolead
hisfiay hordes against the diine host
With hislnming sttord, he set the nine
worlds ablaze, burning them to blactcned
cindm which sanhbeneath the boiling
oceanonly to nseagainJresh,greanand
nqt tlJ,usrnAnoN
BYJAMES
ArD04Noe*
1995
) was influenced by the volcanic
Svexrour (nght),theJour-headed war
godoJtheSlaw,guardedtheworVonJour
sidesHis stone efri.gat Rugenwr
worshippedbeforebattle ,4sa deityof
plentyand destiny,hebore
Jertility, ahom
oJplattyandrodeahorseoJdivrnation A
whitehorsewashrptin thetanpbfor itual
divinatton0uusrnqnoru syNtcxBEArr.,
1995
)
dead, the living, monsters, dwarfs,
elves and animals were all to be
reduced to ashes.Then the eanh
would sink into rhe sea,before ris-
ing again, fresh and green. It may
be that the view of the end of the
world as an immense conflagadon
nature of lceland, from where
many of the wrirren myrhs orig-
inated In I963-7, a new island,
formed by a volcanic eruption off
the coast of lceland. was named
Sursey after the god Surt
SVNNTEUT SCC5VANTOWT
SVANTOVIT. also known as
Svantevit, was the war god of the
Slavic peoples of central Europe
His temple at Arcona on rhe Baltic
island of Rugen was destroyed by
King Valdemar of Denmark and his
Christian advrserAbsalonin I 169
The building contained a four-
headedsmtue of Svantovit that was
nearly thirty feet in height Multiple
headswere indeed a feature of the
Slavicpantheon. lt is thought rhar
Svantovit may also have been wor-
shipped as a supreme deity and
seen as a father to other gods
Prior to the Danish destruction
of the temple in the Christian era,
the worshippers of Svantovrt at
Arcona believed that the god would
mount a sacred white horse and
nde out at nights against those who
denied his diviniry In the moming
the horse was often discovered to
be covered in sweat Omens for
successin war were read from the
behaviour of the sacred horse as
well Human sacrifi.ces,which were
a widespread custom throughout
the Germanic and Slavic peoples,
were made to Svantovit before any
great undertakings,
Nonsr MyrHoLoGY
SVnnnZIC, sometimes Svarozic
or Svarogich (which probably
meant "hot" or "torrid" - a mean-
ing that can sdll be found today in
the Romanian language),was the
Siavicfire god, especiallyof the fire
that was used to dry grain. He was
the son of Svaroz,or Svarog(who
was identified with the Greeksmith
god Hephaistos) and the brother of
DAZHB)G The fire god was depict-
ed wearing a helmet and carrying a
sword, and on his breast was a
black bison's head Human
sacrifices were made to Svarazic.
including, after his capture in
1066, the German bishop of
Mecklenburg In some traditions,
Svaraztcwas idendfied with the
flame of lightning
SVNNOCICH SCC
SVARAZIC
SVNNOZIC SCCSVAMZIC
 TRAGIC LOVERS
TMELESS TALES OFTMGICLOVEare common everywhere,yet rarelyso stark
and bleak as in Norse mythology. Sometimesa curselies at the root of the
trouble, as in the tale of Sigurd and Brynhild, where a cursed ring wrecks
the lives of severalpairs of doomed lovers.Sometimesthe trials of love
symbolze the battles of naure. Sigurd,for instance,might be seenas a sun lord who,
armed with a sunbeam, dispels darl.mess;while his lover, Brynhild, symbolizesthe
dawn-maidenwhose path he crossesonly at the start and closeof his shining career
In other tales,obstaclessimply serveto test the lovers' honour and courage,as when
Frithiof faithfully guards his sleeping rival,
Sigurd Ritg. In their love affairs, the gods
seem Iuckier than mortals, though
friction is rife, if short-lived, ?s when
Odur flees Frefa or Skadi lives apart from
Njord. Such conflict might symb ohze
seasonalchanges: Njord's sunny love can
only hold wrntry Skadi for three months
of the year. By contrast, in the heart-
warrning tale of the summer god, Freyr,
he wins his frosry bride by sheer warmth
of love which melrc her icy heart.

Srccuuxo and SieglindeQeJt),were INGEBoRG(abwe), in the sanctuaryof

siblingswho grot, up apart,both ailunng Balder's temple, stopsspinning and
traglc Jates,beforemeetingby chanceand pinesJor hcr lover, FnthioJ. Cloistqed

Jalling in lwe Here, the lwen uchange by hu watchful brothm, shewas

secret glanceswhile in the cornpanyoJ
Sieglinde's suspicioushusband, Hunding
who plnns to slnySiegmundin a duel
\ilhen Siegmund wins, he and Sieglinde
enjoy bneJlnebeJore dyng one on the
battleJieV,the otherin chiWbinhThechiW
of thar sadunion is thegreathro, Stgurd
(IuusrmnoprYF lEEtc,,
c 1895
) BYFNJENSEN, c Nv s, c 18N)
daied contnctwrth Fnthio[, who wos
considred beneathher royal status
Yetwhan Fnthiof brolu the sanctity
oJ the tanple to rescueIngeborg she
reJuseato flee wtth him, belieing
husef honourbound to.obq thewshes
of her royalbrothers (lNcrnonc's
IAMENT
Fnnn QrD,o gentlesummer god, caughta glimpseoJ
theradiantJrostgldntess,Gerda,from aJarand at once

Jell in lwe, but doubtedhis chancesuntil his decisive

ser.rant,Shirnir, setoff to woo the gyl for his master
Gerdaranained unmwed until shewasJorcedby threat
oJmaglcto atleast consentto a meetingwith FrEr
Oncein thecompanyof thefiery god, Gerda's iq heart
thawed Frqr appearshereas a dreamysummergod,
beannghis wheat, wi.thhis boar at htsJeet,emblemsof

J*itf"l hawest (FnrvnavEBuRNE-JoNEs c t 870)

cANVAs,
JoNEs,

KRrtvntlo (ngh) wahesfrom a nightmare in which she

dreamt that a lavely whiteJalcon was struch in Jlight by
nvo blach eaglesHer mother interpretsthe dream to
mean that Kramhild will arcntuallyJall in lwe with a
peolesspince - who is symbolizedby the white bird -
and that he wtll be hilled W t*o murderers- the blach
eaglesIndeed,someyears later the dreom cametrue as
KreimhildJellinlwe with the greathero Sigurd,Iater
slninby her two brothers,Gunner and Hogni, who wue
actingunder theinfluenceoJa curse Here, Kramhild is
depictedtellingher mother about her dream, while below
a bard, a poet and a Chnstian pontifi ponder the
meaningoJtheTeutonicepic,the Niebelungenlied trHe
LEGEND or Srecrrueo By F PILorY, wooo, c 1890 )

Fnrrnror and IngeborgQeJ)are at last BRnvntro and Sigurd @bwe)findpeace togetherat

united in Balder'stemple Thechildhood
sweetheartshad been thwarted by Ingeborg's
hostilebrothers Wile Ingeborgwasforced
into a mariage with an old chieftain,Sigurd
Ring, FnthioJ roamed thehtgh seasin misery
\I/hen his undying love drwe him home, he
waited honourably until the oA hing died
beforeat last wtnninghis bnde (FrurHron
nuo
INGEBoRG ByJ A MAr.MsrRoM, cANVAs, c
last after a romancewrechedbyaweb oJ intigue and
vengeanceAJterpledglnghislwe to Brynhild.,Sigurd
wasbaryttchedinto marrying Gudrun Brynhild, in
her turn, was unwittingly tnched by Sigurd into
marrying Gunner. Whn Brynhild discwered
Sigurd'sapparentbetrayal, shecned outfor
vengeanceSigurd was slnin and BrynhiW,overcome
W 5"4, hilled herselfto be Intd to rest besidehim
1840 ) (TnrFuurnelPrrurv C BLTTLER, 1909
ct+ttves, )
Nonse MyTHoLoGY

TANNCNOST (meaning "Toorh- had a dangerousside to his narure,

gnasher"),in Germanic mJthology,
was the name of one of the two
billy goats which pulled rHoR's
chanot The other was named
Tanngnsnir ("Tooth-grinder") The
rumble of the chariot was heard by
people on earth as the sound of
thunder Like the magic boar of
VALHALIA.which could be eaten
one day and reappear alive the
next, Thor's goats provided an end-
lesssupply of mear as long as, af[er
cooking, all rheir bones remained
intact Thor would then wave his
magic hammer over the skin and
bones and rhe goats came alive
TAPTO was rhe Finnish forest god,
who, along with his wife Meilikki
and his son Nyynkh, was believed
to ensure that woodland game
remained in plentiful supply He
however, as he enjoyed tickling or
smothering peopie to death His
daughter Tuulikki was a spirit of
the wind Tapio is often portrayed
as wearing a cloak of moss and a
bonnet of fire
THTRIEI and his sister ROSKyA
were the children of a farmer and
servanrcof the Germanic thunder
god rHon When Thor and roxr
were travelling through Midgard
they stopped at the farmhouse and
Thor provrded goats for supper on
condirion that all the bones be kept
intact BecauseThialfi had nor had
a satis$ringmealfor a long time, he
ignored this instruction and split a
thigh bone ro ger ar rhe marrow
Next moming, when Thor used his
magic hammer to restore the goats
to life, the thunder god noriced

Tarurvcruosrand Tanngrisnir Qef) wereq Teuo (abwe),o greengodof theFinnish

pair of goatswho pulledThor's chaiot dweltin thedepths
Jorests, oJthegreen-
acrossthe slE,creatingthe clatterand wood,cladin moss, andgrowing aftr-lihe
rumble oJ storm clouds Thor alone among beardAlongwith othersylvan
daties,he
the godsneverrode,but eitherstrodeor waslordnotjustoJforestplants,but alsoof
drovehisgoat-drawnchaiot (THon
RNorHn forestbeasts andtheherdsoJwoodland
GLnnrs ny M E WNGE, cANyAs, c 1890 ) cattle(trrusrnerroN Arrruxoen,
ByJAMEs 1995)

that one animal was lame He was THHSSI, or Thiazi, in Germanic

so enraged that he threatened
desrruction of the farm and de-
manded compensation. He was
placated only when Thialfi and
Roskva were given to him as his
servants Although Thialfi lost a
running contest to HUGI during
Thor's visit to the frost gnnt strong-
hold of IJTGARD, his master was
ourwrtted by magic in severalchal-
lengestoo. In another myth Thialfi
deservedThor's gratitude when he
toppled the enormous clay giant
Mist Calf, which had causedThor
to panic with fear He also fetched
aid for the wounded thunder god
after his duel with HRUNGNTR, the
srongest of the frosr giants
mythology, was a frost giant and
the father of sxaot who stole from
the goddess IDUN the apples of
youth It was reallyLOKI'sfault thar
this event occurred Disguised as
an eagle,the grantgrabbed hold of
the god and, to secure his own
releasefrom Thiassi, Loh promised
to deiiver the goddess and her
magic apples into the frost giant's
hands The effect upon the gods
was immediate Without ldun's
apples to eat each day, they grew
anxious and old In this crisis Odin
alone had the determination to
rally enough strength to plan a
recovery The gods captured the
tnckter Loki, and made him fly as
 NonsE MvrHoLocY

Tuutn Aeft)and his sister,Roshva,

accompantedThor on a Jabulousjournq to
rn a
Jotunheim En route, thq sheltered
g1ant'sglove,until wohenby his gus\t
snoresHere,Thor battersthe glant'shead,
hoping to silencehis snores,whtle Thialt't
and Roskvagazeon in dazeddisbelieJ.
(lrrtrsrnarro,nl B'" Nr(.K Bp,r,tr, 1995 )

THNZT SCCTHIA5SI

THOKK *ut the callous frost

giantess of Germanic myth After
the popular god BALDER'sunfortu-
nate death, HEL, the queen of the
"unworthy dead", said that she
would allow him back ro the land
of rhe hvrng on the condirion that
"everything in rhe nine worlds,
dead and alive, weeps for him"
Messengers were therefore sent out
to ensure that everything moumed
and were satisfied thar they had
achieved their aim On their way
back to ASGARD, however, they
TurasstQeJt), afrostg1ant,
disguisedas found Thokk in a cave, and when
aneagle, pestered Odrn,HontrandLokion they explained their mission the
a tip to MtdgardAt oneporntThiassi giantess replied thar she had no use
swooped downandscooped upthegods' for Balder and added, "Let Hel
dtnnerpot Enraged, Loktlungedat the keep what she holds " Some ver-
eaglewithhisstafJbutbecame stucht'astto sions of the myth maintain that
thebtrd (/rirrsraarro^
avPrtrR
Http.o,
1882 ) Thokk was none other than LOKI

a falcon to Thiassi'shall in order to THoxx, aloneamong all the creaturesin

bring back Idun and her apples the nine worlds,reJusedto sheda stngle
This Loki was able to accompiish, tearfor Balder,so destroytnghrs onechance
bur the frost giant almost thwarted oJescapeJrom Hel Around bttter Thohhall
the plan by turning himseif yet creationweeps- the leaves,stonesand
again into an eagleand flpng after snowitself- mourningthelossof themuch-
the god He very nearly caught up lovedBalder (JtusrncrtoN
BvNrcKB.,l'rr.,
1995
)
with Loki, but as Thiassi flew over
ASGARD his wings were set alight by
fires thar the gods had placed on
top of the stronghold'shigh walls
The giant could no longer fly and
so fell to the ground, burned to
death by the flames
Eventually,Thiassi'sdaughter
Skadi came ro Asgard to seekcom-
pensation for her father's death
When her demands had been sat-
isfied, Odin took Thiassi's eyes
from his cloak and threw them into
the sly as stars "Thiassiwill look
down on all of us." he said. "for as
Iong as the world lasts "

23r
Nonse MyrHoLoGy
THOn was rhe Germanicrhunder
god He was the son of oDtru,rhe
chief god, and Fjorgrn, the goddess
of earth When the Angio-Saxons
eventually adopted rhe Roman cal-
endar, they named rhe fifrh day
Thursday after Thor, for rhis was
the day belonging ro Jupirer, rhe
Roman sky god and peer of rhe
hot-tempered, red-headedThor,
along with the Greek Zeus and the
Hindu Indra His name means
"thunder" and his magic hammer,
MJOLLNIR,mayonce have meant
"lightning" Among Icelandersand
Norwegians family names like
Thorsten recail rhe name of rhe
god, for these farmers had lirtie
sympathy with the foorloose
Vihngs who worshipped Odin, the
father of rhe slain The Icelandic
colonists, who had fled sourhern
Norway to escapethe aggressionof
Danish and Swedish rulers, pre-
ferred honesr Thor, rhe powerful
but straighrforward opponenr of
rhe frost giants
Yet Thor, rhe birrer enemy of
the frost giants, was in many
aspectsnor unlike a gianr himself.
He was exceptionally srrong, very
THon, inhis most popular guiseas
champion oJ the gods,wasa tirelesswarior
and glant-slayer With his red-hothammer
and belt of strength,whichdoubledhis
power, he was a formidable foe Here, the
thunder god swingshisfiery missile
(Ir-r.usrp.cfloN
ByARTHT/R
R{cr<rl^M,
c I9O0)
232
large - his frequenr companion
L2KI, rhe fire god, usually atrached
himself to Thor's beh - energeric
and had an enormous apperire,
which allowed him ro ear a whole
ox at one sitting And, of course,
there was his relish for a contest, a
trial of strength Two goats drew
Thor's great chanot acrossthe sly:
rheir names were Tooth-grinder
and Tooth-gnasher His magic
weapons were a hammer, really a
thunderboh; iron gaunrles, which
he used to handle rhe red-hor ham-
mer shaft; and a beh rhat increased
his strengrh MJOLLNIR, rhe ham-
mer, was the handiwork of two
dwarfs, the sons of lvaldi ft had a
huge head and a short handle and
always hir its mrger
Thor was rhe mightiesr of rhe
Germanic gods and rheir sraunch
protecror againsrthe frost gans At
MGNAROK,rhe doom of rhe gods,
TnonAef),asaheadstrongchild, prwed
toomuchJorhis motherandwwrakedby
twosaintlyguardians, VinglrandHlora,
spiritsof lightningHue, thefieryyoungster
displnysbothimpressive temperandmight
bywhirlingbearshin balesin aft ofrage,
whilehisguardians soothe hk anger.
(luus'Ix'Anor,t
ByJAME,
Ar-Dhrvorn,
I 995
)
edgeof;oruNHEIM, the land of the
frosr giants, Thor and Loki spenr
rhe nighr with cRID, a friendly
giantess Grid wamed Thor abour
Geirrod's hatred of the gods She
told him rhat he would be espe-
cially pleased ro avengethe death
of uRuNcNIR,rhe srrongesrof the
frost giants whom Thor had hlled
in a duel. The thundergod still had
a piece of this dead frost giant's
throwing srone stuck in his head to
prove it, so Thor was most grateful
at Grid's loan of her own beh of
stengrh, iron gloves and unbreak-
able staff.
Crossing a torrent of water and
blood near the frost giant's hall
proved difficult, until Thor blocked
the source of the blood with a well-
aimed srone k struck GJAL?,
Geirrod's daughter, whose men-
strual outpouring had swollen the
he was destined to be hlled by the river Even then, the rwo gods were
poisonous venom of the seaser- swept away,as Thorlost his foonng
pent JORMUNGANo, although nor and Loki clung desperatelyto the
before Thor had hlled the monster belt of Grid that the thunder god
Before he was slain by rhis terrible was wearing Happily, Thor suc-
son of Loh, however, Loh and he ceededin gabbing a mounrain ash
had many advenruresrogerher. overhanging the flood and scram-
These adventures were often bled ashore on the opposirebank
dangerous for Thor, especially Soon Thor and Loki arrived at
when Loki led rhe thunder god Geirrod's hall, where servan$
into danger as a price for his own grudgingly received them. The
freedom Such was rhe casewith owner was nowhere to be seen,so
rheir vrsit to the hall of the frosr Thor sat down in a chair ro await
giant GEIRRODHaving been cap- his retum. Snatchinganap,he was
tured by Geinod when Loh was in surprised when he dreamed he was
rhe shape of a hawk, he could floating in the air. Thor opened his
avoid death only by making a eyes and saw rhar his head was
promise to deliver an unarmed about to be rammed against the
Thor into the frosr gianr's hands ceiling. Quick as a flash, he used
BecauseThor enjoyed Loh's com- Grid's staff to push againsrrhe ceil-
pany and was so trusdng, he let the ing, with the resuh rhat rhe chair
fire god lead him to Geinod's hall came down hard enough ro crush
without the protecrion of his ham- Gjalp and Greip to death. These
mer, gloves and belt. But on the rwo daughrers of Geinod had been

thrusting it upwards. Then the frost
giant rerumed and ried to hll Thor
as well. Using a pair of tongs, he
launched a red-hot iron ball at
Thor, but the thunder god caught
it deftly in the iron gloves he had
been given by Grid, and rerurned
the compliment by throwing it
back at the giant. The iron ball
passed tl"otgh an iron pillarbefore
tearing a hole in Geirrod's belly.
Afterwards Thor smashed the
skulls of all the sewants.
of such enorrnous sZe that Thor
would be struckby tenor on seeing
him. Named Mrsr C,trn, rhe clay
giant was animated by the heart of
a mare and, slow movrng though
he was, clouds gathered round his
towering head. On the day of the
duel Thor wet himself at the sight
of Mist Calf, although his chario-
teer had the good sense to topple
the clay giant by attachng his legs
with an are. Mist Calfs fall shook
Jotunheim, the land of the frost
grants ln the fight with Hrungnir it
was Thor who came off best,
although the thunder god was left
Tnont Qeft)hammerwasa symbol of
creatwe pwer anda source
and destructive
of Jmtlity,renonaland goodfortune ls
Ch*tianity s'weptnorth,thesignof the
crossoftenfusedwtththesignoJthe
hammq,asin this charm,contr;ininga
cross within ahammer. (Strven, IorH cENr.)
The frost giant mentioned by
Grid, the powerful Hrungnir, had
fallen in single combar with Thor.
Foolishly, the frost grant challenged
Odin to a horse race but then, as a
guest at the gods' sronghold of
ASGARD,he drank too much and
insulted the gods. When Thor
rerumed at this point the giant
challenged Thor to a duel
The frost giants did what they
could to aid Hrungnir in the forth-
coming frght. They built a clay grant
Nonse MYTHoLoGY
pinned to the gound by one of the
dead frost giant's legs and with a
piece of whetstone lodged in his
head. None of the gods could
releaseThor and it was fortunate
that his own three-year-old frost
giant son IvfiGNI tumed up after
the fight. The son of the frost giant-
ess Jarnsaxa, a mistress of Thor,
Magni also told his flattened father
how he could have dealt with
Hrungnir with his bare fists. Thor
was delighted to see Magni's
strength and gave him the dead
frost giant's steed Golden Mane
as a reward, much to Odin's
THonbeW), thethundr god,ruledthe
storms and tempests Wtthqesablazeand
hairaflnme, hebearshisred-hothammer
As hisbronzechanot
tn its iron gauntlet.
madea raclutlilu theclashandclnttr of
copperluttbs, hewasnichnamed thelkttb
Vendor. 0uusrn rnop BYJ AMEIAtaYArrlorn,1995 )
233
 NORSE MyTHoLoGY

THzR battleswith his arch enemy,the

J ormungand, caught on his Jishing

line A lurhing evil coiledaround the
earth, the serpentwasdestinedto
ovewvhelmthe world at Ragnaroh Here,
whtle Thor strug;lesto oyercomethebeast,
Hymir, in fear, cutshim Jree (THon
rNrHn
Bcr,rr
crrHyrr4rn
sr H Fr/sELt,
cexvas.
1790
)

annoyance "You should not give a

horse to the son of a giantess
instead of your own farher," com-
plained Odin
Another famous advenrurein
Jotunheim concerns rhe visir of
Thor and Loki to the srrongholdof
UTGARDOn rhe way rhe rhunder
god passed through Midgard, rhe
land of people, and gained two
human servants named THIALFI
and Rosrye, a brorher and sisrer Ir
happened rhat Thialfi disobeyedan
instruction of Thor when rhey
dined rogerherar his parenrs'farm
Thor toid everyone ro be careful
with the bones of some goarsrhey
were eadng Bur hungry Thialfi split
a thigh bone ro ger ar rhe marrow,
before throwing rhe bone on rhe
goat skins in a comer Next mom-
ing, when Thor used his magic
hammer to restorethe eatengoats
to life, the rhunder god noriced
that one o[ rhem was lame As
compensation and in order to pre-
vent him from slaying the house-
hold, Thialfi and Roskvapledged
themselvesas Thor's servants
As Thor, Loki, Thialfi and
Roskva neared Urgard, they spenr
one night in an empry hall It was
so big that severalof rhe halls in
Asgard, the home of the gods,
could have fitted inside ir ar rhe
same rime Later rhey realizedrhar
rhe hall was in fact the rhumb of a
frosr gianr's empry glove Ir
belonged ro sKRr 4tR,whose name said that sizewas of no imponance failed to shine First the fire god lost Once Thor admitted on leaving
means "vast" Blows deliveredby a - "the bigger they are, the heavier an eating contest A second event Utgard that they had come off sec-
flrustratedThor to SkDrmir'ssleep- they fall" - Loki was more thoughr- saw Thialfi easily outpaced in a ond best, the leader of the frost
ing head were dismissed by rhe ful lnside Utgard huge frosr gians foot-race Then successivelyThor giants revealed that he had used
glant as either a leafor a rwig brush- eyed the four guests Their leaderat lost a drinhng contest, managedto spells to gain the advantage.He
ing his brow during the nighr On firsr ignored rhem, but tinally lift only one paw of a cat, and, most told them how Loki had actually
their arivalat Utgard, the rravellers acknowledged "little" Thor Then embarrassing of all, was easily been pitted against wildfire, and
were just as amazedat rhe strong- he devrsed a series o[ games in wrestled down on to one knee by Thialfi against his own thought,
hold's dimensions While Thor which Loki, Thialfi and Thor all "an old. old woman" while Thor had tried ro swallow the

234
 NOnSE MyrHoLoGY

ocean,Iift the massiveseaserpent

Tnon (abwe) impukive ds uer, confronted
mryhty Shrymirwithhis tiny hammer,
bahinghim over the head to silancehis
snores,butto no avail Each time the giant
wohehescratchedhisbrowand noddedof
again Later,Thorleamt that Shrymir had
beenan tllusion (IrusrmrroNnvI Hueno,1930
) god-like appedte, Thor was passed
Jormungand and wrestle with old
age As soon as this messagewas
delivered, Utgard vanished Only
then did it dawn on Thor that
Slcymir and Utgard were illusions,
vast creations sent out by fright-
ened frost giants But it gave Loki
some satisfactionto leam that brain
had indeed triumphed overbrawn
EvenThor had to admit that on
certain occasionsLoh's clevemess
was necessaryto hold the frost
grans in check Such a moment in
time was when Mjollnir, Thor's
magrchammer, fell into their hands
after it was stolen by the dwarfs Is
new owner, the frost giant THRY4,
demandedas the price of the ham-
mer's retum the hand of RRrr;,+,
the fertiliry goddess Loh got Thor
ro dressin Frefa's clothesand go
to Thn'm's hall instead Despire his

Tnon QeJ)andhis party visitedthe iq THoR (above)wrestleswith Jormungand in

citadel of Utgard, the strongholdoJthefrost
glants,wherethq underwenta seies of
allegoical tests Thialfi was outstipped by
the speedof Thought, Lohi out-eatenby
Wildfire,andThor overcomebyAge Here,
Thor faik to drain ahombnmful of the
OCCAN (ILLUSTMTION EYJAMES ALEXANDER, I995 )
theirJinal combatat Ragnaroh Trapped
within the serpent'scrushingcoils,Thor
smashedits ugly headwith a Jatalblow of
nine
hishammer:he then staggeredbach
pacesand drownedin theJlood oJvenom
flowingfrom the beast's gapingj aws
(ILLUsrMTroN BYJAMES Attxenom, 1995 )

off by his "bridesmaid" Loki as a Thor's knees when the thunder

blushing bnde, and an excited
Thrfm handed over Mjollnir The
ensuing massacredid a great deal
to restoreThor's fierce reputation,
which had been tamished by the
god having to dress like a woman
Mjollnir was the sole protection
of the gods against the frost giants
It was the thunderbolt which ter-
rorized them prior to the cata-
strophe of Ragnarok Apart from is
destructiveside, the hammer had
other magic powers over fertility
and death It seems to have had the
abiliry to restore animal life It also
hallowed marriage, for otherwise
Thrym would not have been so
ready ro place Mjollnir between
god was disguised as Frefa But
throughout the myths relating to
Thor we are never unconscious of
its unlimited destructive powers
For it was the thunder god's pur-
pose to quell the enemies of the
gods - "fo smash their legs,break
their skulls, and crush their bacl<s"
Like his Hindu equivalent Indra,
Thorwas the scourge of evil and in
Germanic mythology this could
only mean frost grants Loki's even-
tual siding with these gnm oppo-
nents is therefore one of the sad-
dest events to befall Thor. for the
two gods "both enjoyed each
other's company" (Seealso NORSE
HEROES:MGNAROK)

235
 RTNGSoF PowER
MONGtrtr VrrcNcs,the ring was a potent symbol of power, fortune and fame.
A gift of honour and form of currency,it was also sometimesa royal
heirloom, such as the swedish sviagriss.The magicalrings of Norse myth
were also symbolsof destiny and, in their bleakesrform, symbolsof doom.
One famous examplewas the cursed ring, Andvarinaut, which blighted many lives.
Another ring of doom was Thor's Domhring, formed by a circle of stone statues
surrounding a punishment pillar in front of his temple. The Domhring possibly
symbolizedthe inevitability of retribution. Much morejoyous and fabulousrings were
Odin's astoundingDraupnir which literally dripped eight similar gold rings everynine
days; or Thor's Oath Ring, a s;'mbol of fair play and good faith. The rings of heroes
inevitably brought wealth and power, but not alwayshappinessand somerimes
tragedy,Lfcorrupredby greed.Yetthe pure nngs
of Onhnit, Wolfdierich and Dietrich were
symbols of a ring-lord's circle of
power and everlasdng fame.

Dneuprurn,
Odin'sfabulousing,
wasan emblemof abundance
and power Preciousbqond compare,it
dnpped eight similar gold ings every ninth night, consolidating
his vastwealthand dominion overthe nine worMs Draupnir
was crafted by the dwarf, Sindn, while his brother, Brohh,
pumped the bellows ln an extrayagdntgestureof gnef, Odin
castthe ing upon Balder'sJuneral pyre, but later retnevedit
when Hermod ventured to Hel The return of the nng rymbolized
the promise ofJertiliry afbr winter bleahnessHere, the dwarf
Sindnfashions the magnificent ingwithfre and arcanemaglc
in his undergroundforge (luusrnanovayAr,qru
Ler,:j84)
Tur, Goto Rtrltc among the Vlhings wos
a precioustohenof power,fame and
fortune Sometimesbequeathed as an
heirloom,it was alsooften buned with the
nng-lordJorthejournry to the otherworld,
suchas thisbunal treasure Exquisitely
wrought, the ing's clear,bold lines express
the vigour and strengthof Vihing craft
(Gtr strvrn,1Orncrrurunv
)
 Nonse MvrHoLocY

ffi

r.1
t{

+H\

AlrrRrcH ioflnc), u dwarJ rf rhe Nrebelungen[cd, lorged u nngol pctwer DtffRtCH ( a b o t ' c ) a G o f h r C h t t o , l | O i l a t r r r r r d r o u . sr r n f r r , r i r f h c r / r r c r r l I - . i L l r - u l l l t r r n i f t c / r l f . l h t l / ( ) t { s

fronr thc Rhrncgold stolen lrom the Rhrnc I'latdcn.s \t1r\ rr/ rhc sold rohben J r r r q c l o r n/ r r h g e n r s A f r t ' r r u r r r , r r . sh r r r r l e sa r t J i r t t r r q r t c s f ) t t t t t r i t r r t r ' t . . : , r t a1 i 1 1r l i / r
uricio,Ec,rurth

untl nng of pour incied gotlsantl grants tthLze[o octt()n Ihc .4ant-sFalner and r t c { . l 1 r1tr /t t t r t s t b t l t o r t
d v , t t r l. a n c l L l a t m u l h r - s m a g r a / g o l d n n g a s r . . r , e lal . s c r g r r l i c o / . s t r r ' r r g f i e

r n c t { i c c t .l s r r i r r du n c Ji l r r t s t r r n g - h o a r d I t l u n u . sr l n g r r a - sl l t r ' \ f r l r ) r l r ' t r \ i l l c c lh D t c t r r r l t ' . s{ r r ' , l f -

Fu.soltcicriranclttl tht nng::l p()\m.nt fot bttillhnq Vrrlh.rlla, ttntl cctnted ofl
Frtr'ta a.scr hLr.\tir8eIn the horcier rhcgocl.s Odtrr Fngg Lohr Frnr tmdThc,r gtntclfathu f h e E r n p l ' r . l r 1W o l / c J r c f r r r h H c r c D i t t r r t l r h r L ' , i i r -lsr ? l ( rL d t i n n s t ' r t c i t u r t l e d ,e l e t - f l o r l e r - t t t g

t t l l s e a r c h r - / r . s p u r n n g lol r t h t h t c l k n t r e a s u t e lrir .ittir,,\ IlrI i')\ -\ii\-\r\ l'll+ r L i r ( / ( ' t tb, e . f t r t t t ' t n n t n . { l h t r r n $ t l i ' d s i i r e s r i i l r . ' t i i i
l - ( ) sg '\ i|-1rtr lrt ,'rs+

S l a ; ( , R D ( r r g h f) l \ ( r n l h ( '

Lt i l . \ t ' c jn n g . { n c l rc i l l l l c l L { l

l.lfffl slcnrng lt-\ (.irrlg0n

quttrtltan, Fafn rr Ai thouch

n'ilrtricrlf hrm-self.ha

> t i / / t ' r c J/ t i ' D t f h t ' r t r 1 8S

w,eb tr/ cloorn Alto lalling

n1 l()\c urfh the splcndrr.l

VulLune Bntnhrld hr trtt.s

be:nttchttl h Gnnhila

r n t t r h c t r c i , r ' i n gB n r r h r l c ih

r?lcrrh-ul.g G utlnnt Whc n

hrs rncnrrrrl rctunrcd hc

s u | | t t c c lf r o m q r i i l t a r r c l

gre/ -Srerlc/ s {rrlci tn f titrt

c r t r i r c c ir h c c i r r r r r f t h c

Nrhr'hrne bnrthcrs tlhrr

.sleir lttnt , trtgcrl trtt ll rt

rortcfir/ Brr nhr/d sechrrrq

tttm|.tl by rhc hrrrer c ur.serrl AnrJlarr Hrt'rclntttr t^,,hohucl dunundetl the nng t() dsst/dgr' hcr h()ll()llr ,4.s

t r s r r ' i c r - ( o / df r r r r r rL o h r u a . s I h c f i i s r r , , s u l l u l r o n t f l t t ' . L i t s ch l c r l l r r r , g r "t iht e r h r ' l r c r r rh l : a t h i l h r s / c t s l

/r.rncl.s
r,/ lris st,rr Firiirrr rrho lLr.stc,iafto tht qrrirl \c.rt Fu.fnn ttn.nt'tlhrnr-sel/ ht &d r c r l l r n gr r , B n r r h r i c /

u l t o c . r l t ( ) n . s r n ' ud. sr u g o n 1 , rg u a r r i t h c n r r t - h o a r c l W ' i r e n r h e v o u t h f i r l h c r o

- S i q u r L(/ r r h o r t ' ,s l c r t t h c d r r i g r r n h r n r h c r r r e ( l l h t / r t h r r / r r t t n
s ng-hoard hur xtth
l , lliir,irrrt) '
, ; ' 1 1 pr 1
tf tt trrrrhlcttilrc \\ r1

237
Nonsr MyrHoLocy

THnUn, in Germanic myrhologz,

TsRru Qrf), o danng storm g1ant,stole
was the daughrer of rhe rhunder
Thor'ssacredhammer,causingpanic at
god ruon and his wife SrF Shewas
Asgard Here, the glantbroods onhis roclE
promised ro rhe dwarf ALVISas a
hilltop wqloohedby Lohi, dtsgutsedas a
payrnenr for his handicraft Bur
falcon, and scoutingtheiq wastesin search
Thor prevented the dwarf from
of the hammer,buned aght Jathomsdou'n
claiming Thrud by keeping him (Irru5rneroru j 995)
evJ,tuns
Auxe,vprn,
mlking until morning, when rhe
sunlight tumed Alvis inro stone
TIR seerrn

THnYU, in Germanic myrhologr,

Twvlzsee rYR
was the frost gianr who came to
acquireTHOR'smaglc hammer The
TruCf,wwas a rhree-headedgod
gods were at a loss becauseonly
of the Slavsliving in cenrral Europe
this weapon could protecr rhem
At Stettin in present-day Poland,
against rhe frosr gianrs When
Triglav once boasted four separate
Thrym said he would exchangerhe
temples Thesewere mainnined by
hammer for rhe ferrility goddess
war boory, one renrh being the
FREUTA, rhe fire god rorc persuaded
amounr due to the god at the end
Thor ro go ro the frost gianr's
of a campaign The best remple at
stronghold disguised as rhe bride
Stettin housed a black horse for
in order to recover the hammer
Triglav's use In the twelfrh cen-
Loki also wenr along in the form of
tury Chrisdanity amved and
a maidservant Thus rhe unusual
Tnglav'sstatueswere broken and
pair arrived ar Thrym's hall Even
their muldple heads senr to rhe
though rhe frosr gianr was quire
Popein Rome as curiosities
suspiciousabour his bnde-ro-be,
Loki cleverly managed ro talk him
TUONT was rhe Finnish god of
inro producing rhe hammer,which
the dead, who lived in the dark
Thor then used ro lay low all rhe
land of Tuonela, from which few
frost grants in sight
travellers rerum With his wrfe
Tuonetar he had severalchildren
who were deities of suffenng,
including Kipu-Tytro, goddess of
illness One of the few heroeswho
managedto escapefrom Tuonela
was VAINAMOINEN After SucceSS-
fully crossingthe river that marked
the border of Tuonela, he was
received there by Tuonerar, who
gavehim beer to drink But while
her visitor slept, her son createda
vast iron mesh across the river so
rhatVainamoinencould not retum
that way and would be rapped for-
ever But when he woke, the hero
changed into an otter and swam
easilythrough the net

Tuolt guardedthe darh realm oJTuonela

on thebanhsoJablachiver When
VainamoinenvisitedTuoni in searchof
maglccharms,he was trapped by a vast
iron net,flung acrossthe iver; but thehero
changedinto an otter and slipped through
(ILrusrMIoN
ByNrcKButr.,1995)

238

T\T, also known asTiv and Tiwaz,
was the Germanicwargod, and the
son of ODIN and his wife nrucc
The Anglo-Saxonsusually called
him Tiw and gave his name ro
Tuesday (Tiwesdaeg in OId
Englsh) He was closely associated
wirh Odin and, Iike that god,
receivedsacrificesof hanged men
Ir is not unlikely that Tyr was an
Tvn Qeft),JamedJor htsbraveryand might,
wasassignedthe taskoJfeedtngFennr,the
ftercewolf-sonof Lolzi Yet Fennrhepton
growrng,strongerandt'terceruery day,
unttl all-seeingOdin reahzedthe danger
and thegodsdectdedto brndthebeast
underground(luusrnerrrx 1930
ByJ HL)ARD, )
early sly god whose powers were
later passed to Odin and Thor
6UNGNIR, Odin's maglcspear,may
once havebelongedto Tyr, since it
was customary for the Vikings to
casr a spearover the heads of an
enemy as a sacrificebeforefighting
commenced in earnest,and over
recent years archaeologistshave
found numerous splendidly oma-
mented spearsdedicatedto Tyr
The myth of Tyr relatesto the
binding of rhe wolf nrruRtRThis
monstrous creaturehad grown so
powerful that rhe gods decided to
restrain it No ordinary chain was
strong enough, and belore Fenrir
would consent to a magic one
being placed round his neck, Tyr
had to put his hand in rhe wolf's
Tvn (aboveleft),a popularswordgod, was
invohedbeforebattle,honouredwrth sword
dances,andhadhis rune engravedon
blades He losthrs nght hand in a t'ight
with Fennr, but was lustas shrlfulwith hrs
left,and at Ragnarohslewthe hell-hound
Garm (lt-tt,srn,arioN B) JAME-SAt ExqNI)IR, .l 995 )
mouth as a sign of goodwrll
the wolf discovered the chain could
not be broken, he bit
hand Although Tyr was in agony,
the other gods just laughed
downgrading of Tyr may not
unconnected with the loss of a
hand A Cehic god by the name of
Nuada was forced to grve up the
leadership of the lnsh Tuatha De
Danann ("the people of the god-
dess Dana") after he lost a hand at
rhe first battle of Magh Tuireadh
But Tyr was still able ro light ar
MGNAROK, dunng whrch
destined that the hound
which srood at the gates of HEL,
acting as watchdog to rhe land of
the dead, was [o leap at Tyt't throat
and they would hll each orher
NonsE MyTHOLOGY
Llno (above),awrse Norn,persomt'ied
the
present
past, whrleher ststersrepresentecl
andt'uturefate The Nornswatnedthegods
from the
oJJuture evtland drcw lessons
past Urd fer)two swenson the IJrdar pool
whogavebtrth to theswansoJ theworld
(lrrr.stnarror llr /,l rrrsAtExlroi,n ,l995 )
When URD, orWpd (meaning"Fate" or
" Pas t" ) , w as one of thr ee s i s ter s
off Ty'r's who were the Germanicfatesand
were }crown as the NORNSThe rwo
The other sisters were Verdandi
be ( " Bei ng" or " Pr es ent" )and Sk ul d
( " N ec es s i ty " or " F utur e" ) U r d
gaveher name to the well thar was
situatedbeneathone of the roos of
the c os m i c tr ee, and
YG G D R ASIL,
that was where rhe gods would
hold therr daily meetrng As was
also the casein Greekmythology,
the gods w er e not s upenor or
it was beyond the infiuenceof the fates
Garm, Indeed, U r d w ar ned the c hi ef of
the Germanicgods, ODIN,that he
was destined to be krlled by rhe
remble wolf nrrunlRat RAGNAROK,
the doom o[ the gods
239
Nonsr MyrHoLocy

UfCnRO ("Ourer place"), in VnnrHnUDNIR, in Germanic present and the future. After an UTGAu, theiq atadel oJ thefrost gwnts,
Germanic mythology, w6 the huge mythology, w6 a wise frosr giant. impressive display on the part of wu cawed out of snowblocls and f,ittmng
gians' stronghold in JOTUNHEIM, He was believed to have gained his both Odin and Vafthrudnir, the icicles The Norse poets,whohnant all about
where LOKI,THORand Thor's ser- impressive store of wisdom bycon- giant was eventually defeated by a the terorc oJ the ice of thar northern
vant THIALFIfound themselves in sulting rhe dead. Possibly like quite unanswerable question, homes,ina'itably portrayed the ail gianu
contes$ against unequal oppo- ODIN, the chief of rhe gods, who when the god asked the giantwhat in just such aharsh realm, whtre numbing
nen6. Loh failed to consume more voluntarily hanged himself for nine he had whispered to his dead son coWfroze the muscla and paralyseilthe
food than wildfire; Thialfi could nights on YGGDMSIL,the cosmic BALDERbefore he lit the pyre on will (tuusrntnoNByAr.AN
I-EE,
I9g1)
not keep pace as a runner with tree, in order to become wise, which he lay. It is implied in the
thought; and Thor was unable to Vafthrudnir had also temporarily story that Odin's forelano';vledge Now Vafthrudnir recognized
drink the sea dry, pick up the sea died. Seehng to test his knowledge allowed him to assure Balder of Odin and admitted that no one
serpent JORMUNGANDor wresrle againstthe gianr's, Odin decided to future resurrection and worship on could tell what the god had whis-
old age.When they lefr, the gods journey to Vafthrudnir's land in the new earth, "risen out of the pered into the ear of the dead
realized that Uqard was an illusion disguise. There he challenged the water, fresh and green", after Balder. The frost giant's last words
made by the frighrened frost grans gigandc "riddle-master" to match MGNARoK, rhe doom of rhe gods were: "So I have pitted myself
to deter Thor, their greatestenemy. their knowledge of rhe pasr, rhe and the end of the world. against Odin, alwap the wisest.'

210

VarrHnuorutRsparswith Odin in a
f"*dly contestoJwits Evu thirstyfor
hnwledge, Odinhad resolvedto testthe
wiseJrostglant andlearn any new snippets
oJwisdom Yet,aJterquizingeach other
on ve'tyaspectoJlrfeand death, Odin
emergedas thewisestoJthewise
(lLLUsrRATloN By JAMES ALExAworn, .1995 )
VnINRUOINEN, the chief hero
of Finnish epic, was the son of a
primal goddess,LUoNNoTAR.He
was always depicted as a vigorous
and sensitiveold man, who from
birth possessedthe wisdom of rhe
ages, for he was in his mother's
womb for at least thirty years. As
NoRSE MYTHOLOGY
the champion of the Kalevala
(which means "the fatherland of
heroes"),Vainamoinenwas grfted
with extraordinary m.agrcalpowers
He was lesslucky in love, however.
When he sought a bride from
among the women of Pohja,he was
promised one of Louhi's daughters
if he made the magic talisman, the
Sampo He gave the task to his
comrade Ilmannen and so Louhi's
daughterwas manied to Ilmarinen
instead. But the bride was killed
and the magic talismanstolen, so
Vainamoinen and llmarinen, joined
by LEMINKAINEN, set off to find the
Sampo. After several greatadven-
tures, they succeededin recovering
it. However, Louhi raised a great
storrn and, in the form of a griffin,
descended onto their ship. Only
the swift action of Vainamoinen
savedthem, but during the storrn
rhe Sampo was lost to the winds
When the storrn had passed,
Vainamoinen collectedall the scat- VelrueuotNeN (above),a peerlessmage, VeluaiuotN rN helow) courtsreluctant
tered pieces togetherand was able was alsoa gentle,humane hero A tireless Aino in herJathu's grwe Promisedto the
to restore some of the talisman's explorer, he joumqed across the hnown old man againsther willby her brother,she
former power With his mission world and, alone amongheroes,returned drownedhersefrather than marry,only to
completed, Vainamoinen built a Jrom the undemvorldAt theendof his hJe,he wind up as a salmon onhis fishingline,
ship and embarked on an endless setsatlin a copperboat and embarhedon a beJoreleapingbachtnto the iver and
voyage. (Seealso TREASURES AND ByAGATLEN- returning to her humanform (Tnr,Arro
without end (vel.,ouorNEN
voya,ge
TALISMANS : SORCERYAND SPELLS) I(aLLEt,l' CANVAS, c 1890) TRlprycH av A GIIl.N-I/.l.LLr.l', cANvAs, c 1890 )
2+r
Nonse MvrHoLocy

The newly fallenjoining the res-

idenrs in Valhalla had to enter by a
door called Valgrind ("the sacred
baned-gate of the slain"), Even
before they reached this entrance,
they must pass severalobstacles,
including a fasr-runningnver of air
Once in Valhalla"[he men hlled in
war" were miraculously cured of
their wounds and were able ro
indulge endlessly in the pleasures
of feasdngand fighting The meat
of a magic boar was prepared as
wonderful stew in an inexhaustible V AtnAttA' s V allzynes- beauttful battle-
cauldron. The sameboar was eaten maidens- welcomedthe chosenslninwith
day after day through a processof openarrns At other times,Odin's sons,
resurrection. Mead was provrded Hermod or Brag1,recavedthehrroes,
from the teats of a goat It was said conductingthemto thefoot oJOdin's
that everyday the Einheqar pur on throne;whileOdinhimselfroseto greet
their armour, went to the pracrice the bravestVihingsat the gate 0uusrnqnor.r
ground and fought each orher If BYEWALLCousrNs,
c 1920)
hlled, rheywere restoredto life. At
midday they retumed ro Valhalla Veuanut was a Vihing's paradisewhue
and started drinhng Such an exis- chosanheroesJought andJeastedfrom
tence for a Vihng heips ro expiain dawn to dush Woundshealednernight,
Odin's popularity in Denmark, and meadand meatjwed Jreely The hutic
southem Norway and Sweden,rhe round oJcombatensuredthatheroesstayed
regionswhere most of the raiding in fightingform,ft for thefnal bauleat
expedidons came from, Rognaroh (lrrusrncrroN svw B Dwcx,1900
)

Verueu,c, (above),the HaII of the Slain,

was built in the shimmenng grove of Glesir
Encircledby strongouter walls,the
magnificenthall glittered with precious
metals,its walls were built oJspearsand its
roof of shiningshields This starlit scene
aohes a senseoJ the untold wonders that
lie within (llnisrnnrro,v
ByF voNsrAssEN.
l914)

vnlnellA, or Valholl, in
Germanicmychology,
wasrhehall
of the EINHER/AR ("heroic dead"),
those warriors slain on rhe battle-
field and chosen by ODIN himself as
his followers Buik in,aSGARoby
Odin, Valhalla was enormous It
had over five hundred doors, each
wide enough to allow up ro eight
hundred men to march through
abreast These wide doors were
designed to allow rhe chosen war-
riors to pour fonh ar rhe first sign of
MGNAROK,the doom of rhe gods
Then they were destined ro fall
again,alongsidethe gods, in a grear
battle on the VIGRIDPlain.

242

Odin was known as the father of
the slain and he was the host who
presided over Valhalla, and daily
senr our rhe vALKYUESro add ro
the numberof the dead. lnValhalla
the Vallcyries would carry food and
drink for the Einherjar.
Ragnarok was always given as
the reason for creating Valhalla.
When asked about his habit of
Sving luck to a warrior in a battle
and then suddenly tahng rt away,
Odin said that "the grey wolf
watches the halls of the gods": that
is to say, the gods were constantly
threatened by Ragnarok, the cam-
strophe inwhich theywould die in
mutual destrucdon with the frost
gianm and the forces of evil The
gathering of the "heroic dead" in
Valhallawas the onlyway the gods
could prepare to face their own
fate, no matter how vain the
attemptwould prove to be. At least
Odin's men, caught up in a benerk
fury, could be guaranteed to tear
into the enemy ranks in one last
bartle, (Seealso THEvALKTRIES)
VEMOIT SCCVALHALIA
Vett wasoneof thefu bnghtyounggods
to suwiveRagnarolzDestinedfrombirth
to
avenge death,hegravat an
Balder's
amazng rate, reachingmanhoodin a
singleday and rushing of wrth uncombed
hair to slay Hodr. Hsre,he ts portrayed
stridingdcrossthe nav earth aJtu
ayNrcxB::lrrc,
Rngnaroh 0rrusrnenoru 1995)
NORse MYTHOLOGY
VnU was rhe son of oDIN and V.lucnrrs (abwe), Odin's martial V,lrrrnrrs (below) rode through the
RJNDand was destined to hll blind maidens,altghtedon the battlefieldto select stormyslE on magnificentpearly steeds,
HODRin revengefor his unwitting the bravestwariors for Valhalla, the idyllic personilyingclouds,and whosesoahing
murder of nerprn, Fulfilling a abodeoJOdin's ghostlyarmy Although manessprayedthe eanh with Jmile Jrost
prophecy, he grew from a baby to quite charmingin Valhalla,on the and dew Thq alsoscouredthe seas,
manhood in a single d^y and battlefieldthe VallEnes becamesinister snatchingsailorsfrom ships,or sometimes
rushed off to hll Hodr. Along with spiits of slaughter,goadinghcroesto thar bechoningJrom the strand (TnrRroeor rne
his half-brother wDAR,he survived ByG voNLEEKE,
death GaevrLKyRrES 1870
) VALKYRTEByH HERMAN, cANvAs, c 1890)
MGNAROK.Another Vali was one
of the unlucky sons of LoKL
Tng Vnucrues ("female
choosersof the slain") were ODIN's
battle- or shield-maidens. They
rode over battlefields and selected
the elNHr4;AR("heroic dead") who
would go to uALHALLA. Theyprob-
ably derived from something more
dreadful than the attendants of
Valhalla, and must have originally
been the goddessesof slaughter
itself, wild Amazon-like creatures
who rook great delight in the
severed limbs and bloody wounds
of battle. Something of this early
terror can be imagined in an
account of the battle of Stamford
Bridge, Kirg Harold's victory over
the Norwegians shortly before his
defeat by the Normans at Bartle in
I066. A soldier in the Norwegian
army dreamr of a Valkfrie before
the battle. He thought he was on
the hng of Norway's ship, when he
beheld a greatwitch on an island,
with a fork in one hand to rake up
the dead and a trough in the other
to catch the blood (Seealso rHE
VALKIAIES;MGNAROK)
243
 RAGNARoK
AGNARoKwAS THE preordained doom of the gods, and the climax of the
cosmic drama. The seedsof doom were sown at the dawn of time when the
world and its first creatures emerged from the violent
extremes of ice and fire. Inherently fragile, the
i
universe was beset by forces of destruction and flawed from
the outset. The inevitable climax was precipitated by a Sj
series of disasters.Loki, a catalyst of evil, spawned three
fearsome monsters against whom the gods were {'
o
ultim ately powerless. Consumed with hate ,
Loki went on to slay Balder, symbol of
goodness and beauty. Beyond Asgard, the
::: .F
i"'i'i" q'!

enmity of the hostile giants gathered momentum +

until, at Ragnarok, all the world's destructive forces
burst forth in cataclysmic disaster. Apocalypse is a
common mythical theme, but the Norse vision is
""*i
starker than most and unique in the loss of its gods. In .d
one hopeful version, ' : : i
some gods survive and ,
the earth emerges fresh
a n d g r e eD , p u r g e d b y
flood and fire. Ragnarok
casts a dark shadow over ,1
the Norse myths , yet also , q"
1 *.
highlights the heroism of
gods and heroes.

rcru AeJ),orcr enviousoJanyonewho was

goodandbeautlful,guidedblind Hodr to slay his
brother, Balder, with a dart of mtstletoe The
wantondestructionof the bestof the godsmarlzeda
turning-pointin Inhr's downwardspiral oJevil Yet
evenafter the cnme, the godsallowed Inh.i to roam
unrestrained,growingder more bitter and twrsted
(Lor{ AND HODR By C QvARNsrRoM, MARBLE, c, 1890 )
Tnn Mrcur or THon (abwe) andhtshammu, Mjollnir,
rymbolizedtheJoremostdeJenceoJthe godsagarnstthe threat of
the glantsand the doom oJRngnaroh Yet Thor's sustainedmight
provedultimatelyinadequateto withstandthecombined
onslaughtoJ glantsand monstersAt the end,however,Thor id
the world of the glantmonster,Jormungand,beJore
dytnghrmselJ
its venom (THoR By B FOGELBERG,MARBLE,c 1890 )
Jrom
 Nonsr MvrHoLoGY

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111,,1 .il

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245
NORSE MyTHoLOGY
THf VANIn were the older of
the rwo branches of the Germanic
family of gods and were fertility
deities. They lived at Vanaheim, far
from AscARD, the fortified resi-
dence of the AESIR,the younger
branch, who were primarily war
gods. Myth relates how the Vanir
and the Aesir fought for supremacy
not long after creation. After the
Aesir had won, peacewas sealedby
an exchangeofgods and goddess-
es. The Vanir sent to Asgard the sea
god w;onD and his rwin son and
daughter FREYRand nnr1;e, and
also KVASIR, who was believed to be
second to none in his wisdom The
Aesir despatched to Vanaheim
long-legged HoNn and wise MIMIR.
At first Honir and Mimir were
welcomed and accepted by the
Vanir, but the gods gadually came
to the conclusion that theyhad got
the worst of the exchange with the
Aesir. The problem was the terrible
indecisiveness of Honir, which
reached embarrassingproportions
whenever Mimirwas absent To the
Vanir it seemed that Mimir was not
only Honir's voice but also his
brain, so in anger they cut off
Mimir's head and sent it back ro
Asgard. Although this did not
rekindle the conflict, it effectively
caused a rift between the Aesir and
the Vanirwhich greatly reduced the
mythological significance of the
Vanir, so they slowly faded into the
background
The distinction between the
older Vanir and the younger Aesir
was uncenain even in Vihng times.
When the sagaswere collected in
the late rwelfth century, there was
speculation about the origins of the
two groups. The Icelander Snorri
Srurluson thought that the name of
the Aesir recalled their homeland in
Asia, and that IHOR was the grand-
son of King Priam of Troyand oonv
his descendant in the rwendeth
generation, while the Vanir were
originally inhabinns of the land by
the River Don, formerly called
Vanaquisl. Today, however, these
theories have been discounted.
THE VANTR,
daties oJJmility,wealth and
health, wereworshippedbyfarmers The
threemain Vanir gods,Njord (centre)
and his lwely twrns, Frryja and Frqr, were
all gentle,bnW spiits oJ nature, who
nouished the earth and seas,and granted
Jair weatherand good hawests (lnusrnciloN
BvJAMES ALEX{Nonn, 1995 )
VE, in Germanic myrholory, was
one of rhe sons of non and the
brorher of oolx and vltt. At the
beginning of creadon the primeval
cow AUDHUMIA sustained herself
by licking the ice and from her
ample teats flowed enough milk to
feed the frost giant Y /IR, the first
living creature. He is described as
being utterly evil. However,
Audhumla's lichng also uncovered
BURI,the gand-father of Ve. All the
gods were descended from Buri,
because his son Bor married the
frost grantessBestla and had three
sons- Odin, Vili and Ve.
Although the blood of the frost
gians and the gods intermingled,
the implacable enmity berween
them could not be denied or
resolved, for it went right back to
the killing of Ymir. Odin, Vili and
Ve disliked Ymir and his growing
band of frost giants. Eventually,
their dislike tumed to hatred and
they slew Ymir, making the world
in GINNUNGAGAP (the "yawning
emptiness") from the giant's body.
Afterwards the three brothers
found on the seashore two fallen
rees, an ash and an elm. From the
wood they made first man and then
woman. Odin breathed into them
the spirit of life; Vili gave them
intelligence and emotion; and Ve
added the ability to see and hear. ln
some versiors of the creation myth,
Ve is known as Lodur or Lothur.
THEVANIR wreJamedformagXand
foraryhtoJvvhxh themachoAesirwqea
Iittlexspnous,ucqtfor Oilinwho,arcr
eagerb incrensehrshnwiledge,rapidty
absorbed theVanirarts.Hue, thefruitful
VanirtwinsJollmOdinanilFiganq the
BfrostBndge, withThorand Lohtin the
rear. (l-l:usrtAnoN ByF voN Sr ssEN,l9l4 )
 NORSE MYTHOLOGY

Wpen (abave),o stron& silent and solitary

god, lived alone in a leafypalacedeepin
his pnmalJorest He personrfiedthe
imperishableJorcesof nature, and was
one of theJew gods destinedto suwive
Rngnaroh He slew the wolJ Fenir with
his iron-shodfoot
(lr-r-usrnrroru
BvNrcKBr,qtr.,
1995
)

Vn (abave)andhrsbrothm,Vili and woven into a plait }crown as "Veles'

Odin,fashionedhumanforms from two beard". Also in Russian Orthodox

piaes oJdiJtwoodlyingon the cosmic tradition, Veles was incorporated

beachat thedun of ttme Odin created into the Christian faith by idend-

a manJrom the ash,whllehisyoungu fyt^S him with St Blasius, who was

brothmformd awomanfrom theelm, a shepherd and martyr from

and then Odinbreathedlrfeinto them. Cappadocia. Prayers offered to this

(r-r-usrpcnoN
rvJeursAuxrNoen,1995) saint are expected to protect and
increase flocks of sheep and goats

Vrrrs guarded cattle andJlocluJor the

Slavs Espeaallypopular with farmers, he VtOnn was rhe silent and solinry
surwved into the nineteanthcentuty, when god of Germanic mytholory. He
Russnnfarmm still honouredhim in the was the son of ODIN and the frost
lawestfelfuby curlingthe earsoJone giantessGRID,and lived in a place
sheafof corn (seeight), rymbohzngthe called Vidi, where all was quiet and
god's atrly hair andbeard peaceful.It was Vidar's destiny to
.1995
0[usrprnor rv NtcxBpcLE, ) avenge his father's death at
MGNAROK,the doom of the gods
VELES, or Volos, was the Russian and the end of the world. When
god who had authoriry over flocks the terrible wolf FENRIRhad over-
and herds. lt was customary to come Odin in a fierce and bloody
swear oaths in the names of Veles struggle and swallowed him, Vidar
and prRuruu, who was the thunder stepped forward, smashed one of
god. When Vladimir, ntler of Kiev, his well-shod feet against the wolf's
was baptized into the Onhodox lower jaw, and then with both
faith in 988, he had a statue of hands he forced the upper jaw
Veles thrown into the River open till the ravenous beast's throat
Dniepner. ln Russian folklore, was tom asunder. It is more than
however, the god of flocla survives. likely that the meaning of Vidar's
For insmnce, at hawest time the own name refers in some way to
ears of the last sheaf of com are still this ripping in half of evil.

217
NORSE MyTHoLoGY
MCruO, in Germanic myrhology,
was the name of a plain that was
destined to be the sceneof the final
conflict berween the gods and rhe
frost gians. There ar MGNAROxthe
two sides and their allies would
engage in mutual destruction. A
huge expanse of land, Vigrid was
said to stretch l20leagues in every
direction. Even so, it was predicted
that the assembled hoss would
cover it completely.
MLI, in Germanic mytholog/, was
the son of noR and Bestlaand the
brother of opll and yr At the
beginning of creation he helped his
brothers ro slay the frosr gianr yMtR
and form the world from his car-
cass. When they later created the
first man and woman from wood,
Vili's contribution was sharp wits
and feeling hearts.Odin gave rhem
the breath of life, while Ve added
the powers of sight and hearing. In
one Icelandic poem Vili is given rhe
name HONIR.
VfXOOIAKwas the Slavic wolf-
man. More a figure of folklore than
mythology, he exists becauseof the
ancient respect accorded to the rav-
enous wolf, which in the forestsof
northern and eastem Europe was
the animal most feared.According
to Germanic myrhology, the chief
god ooll was destined to be hlled
by rhe wolf FENRIRar MGNARoK,
the doom of the gods.
VOIOS SCCVELES
VOTSUNG was the subjecr of a
late Germanic myth. He was said to
be a descendanr of ODIN. When
Signy, Volsung's only daughter,
was married against her will to the
Gothic king Siggeir, a one-eyed
stranger appeared among the wed-
ding guesrs. k was Odin, chief of
the Germanic gods. He sruck a
sword deep inro an oak and told
the company that the weapon
would belong to the man who
pulled ic out. Whoever wielded rhe
sword could never be defeated.
2+8
Our of counesyVolsung invited
his son-inJawSiggeir to rryhis luck
first. But Siggeirdid not succeed.
Nor was anyone else able to pull
out the sword, except the youngest
of Volsung's sons, Sigmund. When
Siggeir offered to buy the magic
weapon, Sigmund refused ro parr
with it atany price.
This refusai made the Gothic
king really angry.Despite Signy's
Tnr Vtcnrp Pr,cN (abwe) was mapped Votsulc's fuelwv) greathall,built
out as the battlefieldoJ Ragnaroh Wlrcn arounda sacred oah,wu thescene ofa
Hamdall soundedthe call tobattle, the maglcalarcntwhen Odinappeared one
warringhosts convergedJromall corners of nightond thrusta sword,hilt-deep,intothe
the earth; godsandherocspouredover the geat oah Hechallengedthehroes to pull
BtJrostBridge,while Lohi and thefi.eryhost it out,oferingthedivineglftto thewinner.
swarmedinfrom the swirlingseas Signundwasthemuch-enwed champion
qnory
(It-t-usrR ByJAMES
Arcxeuorn,
1995
) (lrrusrpqnoru ByAtaN Lre, 1984)
waming, Volsung and his ten sons
walked into Siggeir's trap when
they accepted an invimdon to visit
his coun. Theywere ambushed on
the way and left in the forest,
bound to a fallen nee. Each night a
wolf came and ate one of them,
until only Sigmund was left alive.
Sig.y succeededin rescuing him.
As a result, Siggeir wrongly
believed that no one had escaped
the attentions of the wolf He
relaxed his guard and Signy was
able to brry her family and help
Sigmund. lt took a long dme to
prepare a revenge,however. First.of
all Signy rried to have her own sons
trained by Sigmund, bur they
lacked courage A second attempt
to reinforce her brother involved
incest. Without his knowledge,
Signy slept with him and bore
Sinfiotli, a warior with double
Volsung blood. When Sinfiotli
grew up, Signy sent him to her
brother to be trained as a warrior
Although Sigmund and Sinfiotli
were captured bySiggeir, the maglc
sword secured their release and
allowed them to take revenge on
the king and his sons. Afterwards
Sigmund reumed home, and had
another son, SIGURD,known in
German legend as Siegfried.
VoruuD seewAYr,{ND
WnYf-,tND was the smith god of
the Anglo-Saxons. The son of a
sailor and a mermaid, he was
renowned for mahng coats of mail
and swords. In Scandinaviahe was
known asVolund, orVolundr, and
in Germany asWielund.
Wayland's myth is a srory of
revenge King Nidud of Sweden cur
Wayland's leg sinews and placed
him and his forge on a remote
island. The smith god avenged this
mudlation by hlling Nidud's nvo
sons, who came to see his trea-
sures, and sending their heads
studded with preciousjewels and
mounted on silver to King Nidud.
He may also have raped Nidud's
daughter, but this is not cenain.
 Nonsr MYTHoLoGY

df
.i?

,i

WArLAND's (above)smithywasvrsitednot
lust by wariors seehingarms,but by
noblewomen wanttngdain\ tnnh.ets oJ
purestgold Waylandwas alsoa craJtsman
on thegrand scale,designtnga Jabulous
Icelandicmaze,hnownas Volund'sHouse
cARVING, 8rH crxruRY )
0VmrrnoruE
Werr-ctvp helow), captlveon a desolate Wen-aNp (abovenght) and hts brothers Afterwards Wayland is said to
tsland,Iabouredinhis underground bathtngtn a
chancedupon threeVallrynes have flown to vALHALt-,q, like the
Jorge,
and lahe Thq tooktherrplumagelet'ton the Greek inventor Daedalus, on wlngs
fashtoningwondrousornaments
weapons master,I'lidud bankandkeptthemon earthJor nlneyears, he had made for hrmself Near
Jor his oppressive
oJSwedenLtheDaedalus,Wayland unttl thq escapedFashromngwrngs Jor Uffingron rn Wiltshire, a long bar-
htmselJ,Waylandflew aJterhis wtJe,Alvrt, row has ancient assoclations with
fashtonedwrngsandflew away toJreedom
0i/ELqND By M.dx KocH, uarrnc.orrrttn, i 904 ) to ,AlJhetm (lLLL,srRA il()N sv H THEAxEn, / 900 ) Wayland, and is locally known as

his smrthy His lameness parallels

that of Hephaistos, the Greek
smith god whose in;ury had two
different explanations In one ver-
sion it was claimed that his limp
was the result of his har,rng inter-
fered rn a \nolent quarrel between
his parents, Zeus and Hera So
annoyed did Zeus become rhat he
flung his son out of Olympus and
ler him fallhear.rly on the island of
Lemnos A second explanation tells
how Hephaistos was born a
dwarfish figure wirh a limp Hera
even tried to drown him, but he
was saved by sea nymPhs The lat-
[er version of the myth is most rel-
evant to Wayland in Germanic
mythology the master crafrsmen
were mainly dwarfs, and Wayland's
own mother was a mermaid It is
interesting to note that Lemnos
was an island with volcanic ac-
tivitv. like the remote island to
rvhich way'and had been banished

wtgHND see wAnAND

WOPEN SCCODIN

WOT,qX SCCODIN

249
NOnse MyTHoLoGY

YGGOnAStt, or yggdrasill,
(which means something like
"dreadful rnount") was the cosmic
ash nee in Germanic mythology. Is
name is a reference either ro the
gallows or ODIN's horse. Not only
did Odin hang himself on Yggdrasil
for nine nights in order ro leam
wisdom, but sacrificial hangings
from gallows trees were also a
favourite Viking way of worship-
ping the god. An archaeological
find that reveals the extent of this
ghastly ritual is rhe Tollund Man,
found in a Jurland peat bog in
1950. The corpse was so well pre-
sewed that it was possible ro
deduce that he was a prisoner of
war who had been sacrificed as a
thank-offering after a batde.
The parallel beween Odin's
volunmry dearh on Yggdrasil and

Yccppslr (nghl theWorldTree,layat

theheartof theuniverseHqe, thewhirling
patternsof Vihingart stihinglycapturethe
wirlingvitality at thecentreof life A stag
brwseson its evergreenfoliagewhile a
strpentnipsthestag'snech,reflectingthe
ItJeanddeathstruggje at therootof hfe
(Wooo ccnvlNc, 8rn crNruny.)

Yuln belou,) was theftrst creatureto

anuge from the pnmal wastesoJice in
theyawningabyss oJ Ginnungagapat the
dawn of creation Asfirefrom the south
mehedicefrom the north, the iq droplets

fused toJorm a massive frost glant As he

slept, his weat formed other frost glants the Crucifixion remains srriking.
(lnusrnnnory
nyNrcxBry.t-t,1995
) Odin was also pierced with a spear
and, like Christ, cried out before he
died. Although it is possible rhat
the Crucifixion was known ar the
time that rhe Odin myrh was
recorded, there is litrle doubt rhat
his hanging on the cosmic tree had
pre-Christian origins and derived
from ancient pagan worship. Odin
had long been the god of the spear,
the god of the hanged.
Yggdrasil is described as the
largest and most stately tree ever to
have grown. Its branches overhung
the nine worlds and spread out
above the heavens. It was sup-
ported by three great roots: one
descended ro;oruruHEtM, rhe land
of the gians, where MIMIR'swell
stood; the second ended in fogg;r
Niflheim, close by rhe spring of
Hvergelmir, where rhe dragon
NIDHOGGgnawed the roor from
belowwheneverit tired of chewing
corpses; the last root was embed-
ded nearaSGARD,the stronghold of
the gods, beneath URD's well,
where the gods held their daily
assembly. Water was raken from
the well each day by the NoRNS,
the three fates, Urd, Skuld and
Verdandi, and mixed wirh earth as
a means of prevendng Yggdrasil's
bark from rotting. An eagleperched
on the very top of the cosmic tree
was daily harassed by a squinel
named Ratatosk, who brought
unpleasant commens and insults
up from the dragon Nidhogg.
Another bird in its branches was a
cock, sometimes refened to as
"Vidoftrir the tree snake".
The idea of a cosmic ree is
common in the myrlrs of the nonh-
em parts of both Europe andfuia.
It was thought of as the backbone
of the universe, the structural sup-
port of the nine worlds. In lreland,
however, the sacreduee acquired a
different role. Although always
associatedwith otherworld splen-
dour, the musical branches of Irish
mythology acted as cures for

250

-q*-.,.,-*-o-*
Yccoustt's mightylimbshe? upthe
nineworldsoJtheNorsemenSean here
(abwe)are thethreehighest
rmlmsoJgods
fing undertherainbow
andlightelves,
bndge;nact,theworlds of mortak,dwarfs
anddarhelves 'iseJromtheocean,withthe
at theiq edge
frostglanS'land
(I[usrnnoNFRoM
NORTHERN 1847
Ar.rnQumrs,)
sickness and despair. In a number
of tales these magic branches of
silver or gold were brought by mes-
sengers from otherworld lands.
Thus the fabulous voyage of Bran
b"g* with the sound of music that
caused him to fall asleep. lt came
from a branch of silver with white
blossoms, which a beautiful lady
took away after telling of the
delights of her world beyond the
sea. Hins of such maglc are also
present in Germariic mythology.
The obvious example must be the
apples belonging to the goddess
IDUN. Only this magic fruit pre-
vented the gods from gowing old.
They were clearly the gift from
Yc copasrl-(nght)Jtlledthehnwn world,
tahingrootnotonlyin thedarhdepths oJ
Niflham(bottom), but alsoin Midgard
and,Asgardlts topmostboughs reached
heaven.whileitslowest It
roottouchedhell
wasgeneralfthoughtoJasthestructural
supportof theuniverse
(lrrusrpcno^J
svAt4NLw,1984
)
another sacred tree. How much
rees were once revered can be seen
from the reactions to early Christian
missionarieslike St Boniface.ln the
eighth cenury he cut down sacrifi-
cial trees, to the telror of the
Frisians, until he himself was felled
at Dockum by an outraged pagan.
YCCOMSILL SCCYGGDRASIL
YMIR, in Germanic mythology,
was the first living creature. He was
a frost giant who emerged from the
ice in GINNT/NGAGAP ("the yawning
empdness"). He was evil and the
father and mother of all frost gians,
who first came from the sweat of
his armpit. Ymir fed on the milk of
the primeval cow AUDHUMIA.He
was slain by the brothers 1DIN,wLJ
and yE, who were the gandsons of
BURI,whom Audhumla had licked
free of the ice.
Growing dred of the brutality of
Ymir and his ever-increasing band
of frost giants, Odin, Vili and Ve
took up arrns They slewYmir and
then drowned all the frost gianr in
his blood, with the exception of
BERGEI^fiIRand his wife, who man-
aged to escape by sailing on a
hollowed tree trunk.
Odin, Vili and Ve then threw
Ymir's carcassinto GinnungagaP.
His flesh became the earth, his
Nonsr MYTHoLoGY
unbroken bones mountains, his
teeth and jaw rocks and boulders,
his blood rivers, lakes and the sea,
and his skull the slcy, which was
held up at its four corners bY
dwarfs Sparks were used to make
the sun, the moon and the stars'
Such an extremelY violent
creation myth is by no means
unique The Babylonian chamPion
of the gods, Marduk, slew the
chaos-dragon Tiamat with raging
winds and an alrow, before sPlit-
dng her carcassinto rwo Parts. One
he pushed upwards to form the
heavens,the other he used to make
a floor above the deep, the emPti-
nessat the bottom of the universe.
25L
 P r c r u RE Ac xN owLE D G E M E NTS
PTCTURE AcKN owLEDGEMENTS
Th. Publishersgratefullyacknowledge
I the following for permissionro repro-
duce the illustrationsindicated.
INTRoDUcTIoN
Archiv ftir Kunsrund Geschichte,London:
6, 5, 7T, 7B..
Ateneum, Helsinh, The CentralAn
Archives:2.
ClesstcAL MyrnoLocy
Archiv fi:r Kunst und Geschichte:12,
I3BL, 14B,l5T, 16T,IgL, tgT, 20 (all),
zIL,23,2+,30 (all),34BR,34TR,35,
36L, 38TR,39T,4OR,4LT,4IBR, 43R,
44TR,45, +7T,48TL,49TL,5OBL, 52TR,
53 (all),55 (all),56T,57T,58BR,59T,
598, 60BR,6lTR, 62T,63T,6+T,65T,
66T, 66BR,67T, 6g8, 6gBR,70R,72T,
7 4TL, 75, 76, 7gB,7gB,g0T, glTM,
82T,83 (all),87T, 878, 88B,89T.
The Bridgemanfut Library/BristolMuseum
and An Gallery:84BlKunsthistorisches
Museum,Vienna:778[the National
Gallery,London: S5BVGalerieEstense,
Modena:858R.
Boardof Trusteesof the NationalMuseums
and Gallerieson Merseyside0MalkerArt
Gallery):638.
E. T. Archive:3lTR, 50TR,5lBR, 68T,
85TL.
Fine An PhotographicLibrary: Z4BR.
Alan Lee: 44BR.
ManchesterCity An Galleries:17P.,528L.
Scala,Florence 29TL.
The Tate Gallery,London: 42T.
252
Nonse MvrnoLocy
Ateneum,Helsinki,The CentralArt
fuchives:197BL,203T, 220R,22ITL,
22I TR,2+TB.
fuchiv ftir Kunstund Geschichte, London:
I79R,18IR,I88BL,190B,I97BR,
206TL,206BR,2L58, 231, 22gTR,
237TL,2378L,242TL,2428R,243T,
Celrrc Mvrnolocy 245ML,2468,2+gB.
AmamagnaeanInstitu te, Copenhagen :
Archiv ftir Kunsrund Geschichte,London: r76L, 202BL,203BR.
93T,113T,II4B, 12IT, I23BR,T32L, BildarchivPreussischer Kulturbesitz: 224T.
l33BL,l33BR,L40L,1498,160. The BridgemanAn Library/Bonhams:
BirminghamMuseumsand An Gallery: LT9lJRoyalLibrary,Copenhagen:I98BR,
l 0 I T , 1 2 0 8 R1, 3 5 ,l 4 I L , 1 5 I B , 1 5 7 T , 20I Goth).
L67T. JeanLoup Charmer:197TR,22+8.
The BodleianLibrary:l39TL. ChristiesImages:2L2T, 2298R.
The BridgemanAn Libraqy:g4BVPhillips E. T. fuchive: 186T, 2138.
FineArt: 9}/Lady LeverAn Gallery,Port FineAn Photogaphic Library:188T,
Sunlight: 9 4l*/frirvareCollection: 243BR.
I 28R/BibliothdqueNationale: AlanLee:l8lT, 183T,184T,I91T,1958,
I33TlPhillipsFineAn L36B/Ciryof 205T,222TR,23 6BL,237TR,240,
EdinburghMuseumsand Art Galleries: 245MR,25lrR.
I 38TR/PrivateCollecdon: Manchester City MuseumsandAn
I4lVGiraudon: 155T. Galleries:192B..
E. Davison:119L. Nasjonalgalleriet, Oslo: 1868, 214B..
DundeeAn Galleriesand Museums:103T, NationalMuseumStockholm:I82T, I90T,
IO4B,I3IT, T42BL. 196R,2L5T,2308L.
FineArt PhotogaphicLibrary'.92,102T, StatensMuseumfur Kunst,Copenhagen:
IO3B,104T,LT+BL,T26B,140R,T12BL, l8lB, I9gT, 245TR,2+gB.
r66BL. WemerFormanArchive:L74,210BL,
GlasgowMuseums:An Galleryand 25OTRAlational Musuem,Copenhagen:
Museum,IGlvingrove:I l5T. 236BVStatens HistoriskaMuseum,
YvonneGilben: 148ML. Stockholm:189TL, I97TL, 205, Z09BL,
MirandaGray:l02BL, 1288L, I++T, 2 I 3TR,2+5TI'/Ihj odminjasafin,
l46BL, 1688. Rey$avik 233N niversitetes
Kirg futhurs GreatHalls, Tintagel: 100T, Oldsaksamling, Oslo: I 75.
L3+TL,I34TR, L37TL, 15 ITR.
Alan Lee:I05 (all),106T, 107R,I08R,
IIIB, T25L,I25R,I32R, I37TR,14ITR,
I4IBR, T43T,I45TL,L46T,L+7L,
L49TL,1498R,I5OTM,153R,156
(both),I57BL, I57BR,158 (all),I59BR,
161 (all),162 (both), L6+L,I65L, 169T,
170 (both),l7IBR.
StuartLittlejohn:Il4T, 1158L, I30BR,
168T.
ManchesterCiry Art Galleries:I0IB.
DanutaMeyer:I07L, 1458, I64R.
NationalGalleriesof Scotland:99L, I10,
II8B, LZZT.
CounesySusanRussellFlint: t 46BR.
The TateGallery,London: L3+8.
Counesyof the Boardof Trusteesof the
Victoriaand Alben Museum: 1508L, 166.
 INorx

INDEX
I58, I59, 160,16I, r87, I95, r95,215, I34, 135, r36, 156, Clotho 41,42,42 Cyprus 19,78
Pagenumbersin bold Amma2I9
r 6 6 ,r 7 I , r 8 3 , 2 2 4 246,248 t57, t66 Clymene 25,73 Cythera 28
type refer to Amphion 20
Amphitrite68,74 fucanius14, 14, 21,24 Billing,King l8a, I84, Camlan, Battle of 100, Clytemnestra 10, i5,
illusrranons
tuclepius19,24,25, 222 I12, I37, I42, I5I 26,28.32,32,38, +2, D
Amphitryon16,f6,79
29 BirhI12 Camulos I I1 46,54,57,64,67 Da Chich Anann 98
A Amulius17,17,78,79,
Asgard178,I80, lB0, Blacklftight121, 14I, Caradawc I I I Cocalos, King of Dabog see Dazhbog
Abana96 85
18l, I82, I84, 18,1, I 5 6 ,I 5 9 Carbonek Castle 105, Kamikos 34,62 D a e d a l u s2 3 , 3 + , 1 5 ,
Abundanti60 Anchises14, 14, 15,
I85, r88, I90, 191, BlackSeaI l, 17,22,23 t42,159 Coeus 57, 86 62,7r,82,249
AchillesIl, l2-13, 12, 19,56
r95, 198,200,202, Blathnat I03, 120, I2I Caia 46 C o l c h i sI I , I 3 , 2 2 . 2 3 , Dagda7,97, 98, 106,
1 3 ,r 5 , 1 7 , 2 8 , 2 9 , 2 9 Andhrimnir2i3
207.2t0, zll,211, Blodeuedd I06, 106, Cama 54 31,54,60 t2l, 12l, I32, 133,
30,3r, 32,+5, 4s,51" Andromache 17, L7,4+
242,245,250,25r I,+3, 143 Carthage 14, l+,37 , Colonus18,66,67,83 I43, 150, 154, r70,
6 4 , 6 9 , 7 r , 7 5 , 8 68, 6 , Andromeda18, 18, 72,
Asterius39,79 Boann98, 106,106, 50,84,85 Colosseum 85 T7L
8 8 , 8 9 ,l t 8 73
futerope 73 1 3 I ,I 5 2 Cassandra 15, 28, 28, Colossus of Rhodes 46 Daman 129
Acrs74 Andvarii79, 179,188,
Bodmin100 Conaire Mor I I2-I I3, D a n al 2 I , l 2 l , 1 2 3 ,
Acrisius3+.73 200.216,224,237 Astraeus26 +0,56,64
Aulanta 24-25,25 Bolthur I84 Cassiope I8 l13, I52 170 and seeAnu
Acaeon13, t3,23,23 Andvarinaut185,I88,
BolverkI89 Casde of the Fountain Conall Caemach 96, D a n a e2 I , 3 4 , 3 4 , 7 3 , '
Admeus 16, 16 188,199,205,216, AthenaI5. 19,22,25,
2 5 , 2 6 , 2 8 3
, I , 4 0 , 4 3 , Bor l8I, 184,i85, 156, 1.59 1I0, II2, ll6, r16, 153
Adonis19, I23, 183 2r8,228,236,237
4 7 ,4 8 , 5 4 , 5 6 , 6 1 , 6 2 , 2 t 4 , 2 4 6 , 2 + 8 Castor 22,38,38, 46, t19, t2I, 142,143, Daphne 31,34
Aeaea32,64,65 AngrbodaI75, I80,
6 4 , 6 5 , 6 7 , 7 r , 7 3 , 7 1 , Boreades 27 57,222 I53, i7I Dazhbog 188,210,227
Aegeus i3, 13,60,82, 180,r88, t98,202,
Boreas 22,26-7,26, 69 Caswallon I I I Conchobhar Mac Nessa, D e c h t i r el 1 2 , 1 1 8 , I 2 2 ,
83 207,215 84.86
6, I0, 13, 18, Bors, Sir 131,167 CathbadlI2, ll2, Il+, King of Ulster I12, L22, 167
Aegrr178,I78, I79, Annwn97,97,98, 98, Athens
2 5 , 2 6 , 2 7 , 3 8 , 4 5 , 6 0 , Boyne,River98, 106, 116, ll8, r22,129, i16, l16, lI7, I18, D e i a n i r a6 , 3 0 , 1 9
r87, r97,20t,207, r 0 2 ,r 0 5 , 1 3 2 , 1 6 2
21r,2+5 Anueus 48 6 7, 7 0 , 7 3 , 7 4 , 8 2 , 8 3 , I l 7 , r 3 0 , 1 5 2 r52 I t9, 120, 122, 127 , Deimos l9
Bragr178,I84-185, cauldrons, magrc 93, I29, I3I,140, I44, Deirdre of the Sonows
Aegrsthus I0, t5, 26, AntigoneI8, 18,30, 84,84
t85,202,242 r00, r04, 107, I09, t47, t52 lI2, I16,117,122,
32,38,54,67 33, 66,66,67,83 A d a s2 5 , 2 5 , 5 2 , 7 3 , 7 6
Atlas,Mount 52 Bran97, 104,106-107, I 32-133 Conlai 6, 98, 98, ll6- t22,129,140, 152,
Aegle52 Antiope20
I 0 7 , 1 0 9I,l 1 , 1 3 2 , ofplenry f04, I32, ll7, I16, l18, I19 r52
Aeneas I1, 14, I'1, 15, A n u9 8 , 9 8 ,I I 0 , 1 2 I Aili r99, 205
Atreus10, I5, 26,26, 132,I33, 114,l+6, i66, I70 Conn of the Hundred Delbaeth I27
I 7 , I 9 , 2 + , 2 4 , 3 7 , 4 2 . A o i f a6 , 9 8 , 9 8 ,I 1 6 -
L6+,164,25r of rebinh 132,132, Battles 99 Delbchaem 99
5 0 ,s 0 , 7 9 , 8 0 , 8 7 8,8 ll7, n8, il9, I66 54,56,60,7l
Connacht 96,144, I47 Delos 50, 57
A e n a dT, h e1 1 , 5 0 , 8 8 Aonghus98, 99, I06, Atropos+1, +2,42,211 Branthe Blessed92, I66
r07, r07, r08, 109, Cecrops 25,84,81 Corinth 23,26, 54. 56, pelphic Oracle 13, 19,
Aeolus65 ur, nt, ll8, 122, Anica27,83,84
1 2 6 - 1 2 7 , 1 3 l7+,6 , Celeno 73 60, 66, 8l 22,27.28,33,40,41,
Aerope26 1 2 9 ,1 3 0 ,r 3 6 Attis 49
Aonghusof theTenible Audhumla18I, l8l, t47 Cellach I 17 Coriolanus 32, j2 +9,5+,56,66,67,82,
Aesir178,I79, I80,
r 8 5 ,r 9 3 , 2 4 6 , 2 5 r Brangaine I08, f08, Celdc otherworlds, I04- Cormac Mac Art, High 86
I89,I90,I9l, I99, Spear117
202,203,208,2I0, AphroditeI8-19,I9, Augeas46,48 r38 r 05 King of Ireland 99, Demeter33, 36, 36,37,
Branwen 92, 107,f08, Celtic romance 140-141 1I7, ll7, I22,130, 43,+5,68, 71, 72,79
246 2 2 , 2 + , 2 5 , 2 8 , 3 9 , 4 1 , A u l i sI 2 , 1 5 , 5 4 , 6 4
1 0 9 ,I t l , 1 2 6 - 1 2 7 , cennurs 6,12,21,28, I36 Derbforgaille 122
Aeson22, 23,54,60 4 6 ,4 7 ,4 9 , 5 2 , 6 1 , 7 1 , Aurora38
r37, 146,147 29,48,58,59,62 Cormac, King of Ulster Dia22.23, 54,83, 83
Aethra13,82 7 5 , 7 8 , 8 3 , 8 71,9 0 AurvandilI94
Breg168 Cepheus l8 I12,t12, li7 Dian Cecht 109, 122,
Aetna,Mount46,87, Apollo13,13,16,19, Autonoe13
Brendan 104,109,f09, Cephissus, River 63 Comwall92, 138, I52, r23, 143,153,154
88 1 9 ,2 t , 2 3 , 2 4 , 2 5 , 2 8 . Avalon94, I0l, l0l,
164,165 Cerberus 28,28, 15, I65, 169 Diana 23, 38, 59
AfagdduI 12 2 9 , 3 4 , 3 4 , 4 0 , 4 r , 4 7 , 1 0 2 , 1 0 2 , 1 0l3l 4, ,
B r e s
I 0 9 ,I I 0 , I 2 2 , 49,67,87 Coronis 24 Diarmuid Ua Duibhne
Afi 2r9 5 6 ,5 7, 5 7 ,5 8 ,6 I , 6 1 , r 3 7 , r 4 2I,5 I , 1 6 Q
r 2 7 , 1 5 3 ,1 6 3 Cercyon 82 Craiftine I I7 98, 122,123, I30,
Agamemnon I0, II, 6 7 , 6 8 , 6 8 8, 0 ,8 5 ,
Bnan, High King102, Ceres 36 Creidhne ll7, 136 136,136, l+0,142,
1 2 ,I 5 , 1 5 , 2 3 , 2 6 . 2 8 , 103,144,I80 B
I8I, 18l I09,165 Ceridwen tl2, ll2, Creon 18,33,33,66, r67
?l ?a 4) 4q 46 \4 AppiusClaudius88 BabaYaga
1 1 , 3 7 Briciu I I0 II5,132,168 86 Dicrynna 27
5+,57,60-66 I ,4 , 6 7 , Apsyrtus23 Bacchus
Brigantes I I0 Cemunnos I I2, I13, Crete6, 7, 13,20, 23 , Dicrys 2I
1 1
t l Apulia4I BadbI02, I14,152,
153 BrigantiaI l0 I33 27,28,33,34,39,43 Dido, Queen o[
Agave 1I,28,37 Arawn,I(ng of Annwn
Brigid109,lI0, 163 CenTneian hind 48 4 7 , 4 8 , 5 0 ,6 I , 6 2 , 7 r , Carthage 14, l'+, 15,
Agenor, King of Tyre 96,97,98-99,98, BalderI78, I82, 182,
I82-183,184,i89, BrigrndoI l0 C e s a i rI 1 2 , I 1 2 , 1 3 1 73,71,76.79,82,89 36,37,84.85
28, 39 I05, 162
Brisingamen 185, 185, Chaeronia, Battle of 39 Creusa14, 14,21 Dietrich 220, 236,237
Aglaia 44 Arcadia24, 18,70 1 9 I ,1 9 8 - I 9 9 , 1 9 8 ,
t 9 9 , 2 0 7 , 2 0 8 , 2 r 5 , 190,196,196 Chaos 43 Cronos L9,29,33,36, Diomedes, mares of 48
Agravain, Sir I42 Arcas 20
Britomartis 27,27 Chanclo 86 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 70, D i o n y s u sI l , I 9 , 2 1 ,
Ai 2I8-219 Arcona227 2t8,222,225,231,
236,240,243,244, Brokk208,222-223, Charities see Graces 74,76,79,86,87, 89 23.28.37,37,46,53,
Aietes, King of Colchis Ard-Greimne98
2++ 236 Charon 28,45,67 Crucifixlon 215,250 61,67,79,81,86,
23,31,60,6r Areopagus 25, 43,66,
Balius 69, 88,89 Bron 139,166 Charybdis 32,65 Cu Roi, King of Munster I90
Ailill96, r29 67
Brutus,LuciusJunius Chimaera 26,26,29, 103,120, 120, l7l Domhall I I9
Ailill Mac Mam 96 Ares17,19,19,28,34, BalorI02, 102,105,
r 2 0 , 1 2 9 , 1 4 3I,5 3 , 27,27,60,82 58, 71,87 Cuailgne, Brown Bull of Domhring 236
Aillil OIom, King of 3 9 ,4 6 ,1 7 , 5 4
Brynhild185,185, I99, Chiron I2, 13, 22,2+, 96,119,129,1+7, Domnu 154
Munster 96-97 A r g 0 2 2 , 2 2 , 2 3 , 5 I , 5 4 I70
t99,2r2,2r3,221, 28,29,29,54,59 i48 Don 97, 99,123,147
Nne 96-97,96 tugonaurc 22,22,23, BanbaI28
102,102,i2l 228,229,237 Christ I34, 139, 160, C u c h u l a i n n6 , 7 , 9 2 , Donn I26, 126
Aino 24I 2 1 , 3 1 , 3 8 , 4 7 , 5 0 , 5 4 , Banshees
Baucis56 B u r il 8 I , 1 8 l , 1 8 4 , 166,194 9 3 , 9 8 , 1 0 3 , 1 0 4 ,i I 0 , Dons 86
Airmid 122,123 60
BaugiI89 I 8 5 ,I 9 3 , 2 1 4 , 2 4 6 , Christianiry 67,92, llI, l12, I16, l16, Draupnir 197 ,2I5,
Ajax 12, 15, 15 A r g o s1 5 , 2 6 , 3 4 , 1 7 ,
BeFind 13I 25r r00, r07, ll0, ll7, ll7, lI8-119, ll8, 225,236,236,237
Akka 202 48,53,73
Bebo,Queen139 Byrsa85 r35, r44, I50, 155, l19, 120, 120, 1.2I, Dryads 69
Alan 139, 166 tugus22, 53
BecumaCneisgel 99 r66, 168,r70,171- t22,122,127, r29, Dubh Lacha 126, l5l
AlbaLonga 17,24,54, Ariadne 6,7,22,23,
79,85 62,73,83,83 BedwyrI03, f03 c 176,I83, I98,2lI, 129, 133,I35, l4I, Dublin 126,I75
Belenus103,103,I04 2t5,216,2r7 ,218, t42, r43, r+6, 147, Dvalin 185, 195
Alberich 237 and see Arianrhod99, 106, Cacus 77
B e l il l I , I 2 3 , 1 3 7a n d 222,238 148, 148, 152,152, Dyfed 99, 125,147,
Andvari r23, 126,137,r43 Cad'Goddeu 96,97
seeBelenus Cadmus13,28,28,37, Chrysippus 10, 26, 56, 1 5 3 ,1 6 6 , 1 6 7 , r 7 1 , l6l,162
Alcesds 16, 16 Arion 50
Bellerophon I1,25,25, 56,66 183,214 Dylan 99, 126,126
Alcippe 34 tut 99,99 39, 53, 84, 86
Artemis13,13,15,15, 2 6 , 2 6 7, r , 7 r C a e r 9 8 ,I I l , l l I Ciabhan II2, l13 Culann 118, 120, 120
Alcmene 16, 16, 48,
Cian 102, 109, I29, Culhwch 96, IO3, 120, E
79,86 r 6 , r 9 , 2 0 , 2 3 , 2 3 , 2 4 . Bellona60 C a i l t el l l , l l l
120, 139, r44,156, Eagor seeAegir
Alcyone 73 2 5 , 2 7 , 3 2 , 3 4 , 4 8 , 5 4 , Beltaine103,I03, I04 Cairbe lI7, 159 t43,170
Beothach 150 Caladcholg I48 Cigfa I46, I61 157, 158,I70 Eber 97
Al{heim 191,202 57,57,64,73,77
Beowulff3i, I83, f83, Crldydd l2O Cumae 80 Eber Donn 126, I27
Alfrigg 185 Anhur,King93, 91, 94, Calais22,27
194 Cimon 83 Cumal 120, I30 Eber Finn 126
Alvis 178, 178, 238 1 0 0 - r 0 1r,0 0 ,l 0 l , C a l a d nI I l , l 1 4 , 1 1 9 ,
Bergelmir 181,184, Cincinnatus 29,29 Cupid 33, 33, 87 Echidna 28, 8l
Nvir249 I02, I03, 103,I07, r27, 153
184,25I Circe 32, 3/, 46,58, Curtius, Marcus 34,34 Echo 63,63
Amaethon 96,97,123, nI, ll2, lI4, ll5, Calchas 41,54
Berling185 6+,65 Cybele+9,6I Edda 218-219
158 t 2 0 ,t 2 1 , 1 2 5l,3 I , Calliope 63,67
berserkers 2L1,216 Clio 63 Cyclopes 33, 5I, 65, Eetion l7
Amairgen 97,97, IL4, I 3 4 ,I 3 5 ,1 3 6 - 1 3 7 , Callisto 20
Bestla18I, 18+,246, Calydon 25 Cliodhna l12, I13 74,76,77, I80 Efnisien 107, I09, 126-
126, t27, t29 I 3 8 ,I 3 9 , 1 4 0 , 1 4 2 ,
248 Cloelia 3I Cynon I21, 12I, 156, r 2 7 , 1 2 7 , 1 3 7, 1 4 7
Amazons 17, 17,26, r 1 4 ,1 4 6 , 1 4 81 ,4 9 , Calypso 65
Bifrost18l, 184,184, Clontarf 102 159 Eibhir 159
48,73,83 1 5 0 ,I 5 I , 1 5 7 ,I 5 8 , C a m e l o tI 0 I , f l l , I I 4 ,

253
 INorx

Eileithyra 16, 17, 55

Hlora232
Einhe4ar, the I75,
Hodr178,182,184,
I88, 188,214,215,
189,I9I, I98-r99,
242,213
199,215,243,2+1
Eioneus 54
Hogni199,199,205,
Eithlinn I43
229
Eiri222-223
HonirI79, 199,218,
Eirn 208
23L,246,218
Elaine I59
HoratiusCocles31,52-
Elarha 109, 127,127
53,52
Elbha lI2, I52
HreidmarI79, I88,
Elcmar I06
r88, 200,206,216,
Eldhrimnir 2I3
218,224,237
Elecrra 38, 38, 73
HrimthursI80
Electryon l6
Hrothgar,King183,
Eleusian mysteries 72
19+
Eleusis 36, 82
HrungnirI94, 200-
Elis38, 48,7I
20r, 200,208,209,
Ellida I97
2.30,232-233
ElysianFields I6,6I,
Hugr20I,200,230
I9
Hugrnn201,20I,214,
Emain Macha l12,
215
I18, 122,r27, r+7
Hunding228
Emer I 16, ll8, ll9,
Hvergelmir250
127,127, I29, l4l
Hydra29, 18,+8, +9,
Emhain 146
58
Enarete 8l F Fjalar I88-189, 189, Ga\ada92 r83 Hebe47 Hylas69
Endymion 38, 39 Fabulous voyages I64- 203 G a n y m e d e4 , 4 3 , 4 3 Grer185 Hecate45 Hymir178,198,201,
Enid 14l 165 Fjorgrn I9I, 232 Garm 239 Grid 192,194,207, H e c t o1r 3 ,I 4 , I 7 , 3 0 , 20t
Enna I26 Fachtna Farhach Ii6 FIed Goibnenn 136 Gaul 92, i44 232-233,2+7 4 4 ,4 5 ,+ 9 , 6 t , 7 I Hyperion38, 46, 86
Eochaid 163 Fachma, King of Ulster F l o o d ,t h e I 1 2 , 1 5 9 G a w a i n ,S i r 1 3 4 , 1 3 5 , Griddylad137 Hecuba 28,40,75 Hypnos53,79
Eochaidh Mac Erc 168 152 Flora 19, 55, 69 r35,150,166,183 Grimhild185,22t,237 HeimdallI78, I84,
Eochaidh, High King of Fadir 2I9 Floralia festival 69 Gefion I92,192 Groa194,194 I 9 5 ,r 9 5 , 2 0 7 , 2 r 8 - I
Ireland 96,129 Fafner 237 F o g a l ll 1 8 , 1 2 7 Geinod I92, 192, i93, G u d r u nI 8 5 , 2 I 3 , 2 2 I , 2t9,2t8,248 Iapetus25,75
Eogabail 96 Fafnir 7, I75, I79, 188, Foltor 96 194, ZO7,232-233 229,237 Hel 179,180,i82, Iapyx2l
Eorann 168 188, 200, 205,2r8, Fomoni 102, 105,109, Geraint,l4l, L49,156 Guinevere, Queenl0l, 183,i84, 198,198, Iarbus85
Eos 26, 38, 38, 68, 69, 224,224,237 n0, Ilt, r12,I17, Gerda 190-19I, 192, I 0 5 , I I 5 , I 3 4 ,I 3 6 - 202,207,2 r8, 231, lasus24
77 Falias I70 rzr , r22,r27 , t29, 193,225,229 r 3 7 , r 3 6 , 1 3 7 ,r 3 8 , 236,239,245 Icarius72
Epidauros 24 Fand 128, 129,129, r 3 I ,1 3 t ,I 3 6 ,I 3 9 , Geri2I4 L 4 O , T 4 ZI 4, 9 , I 5 I Helenof Troy15, I9, Icarus34, 35,62
Epirus l4 140,t4I,142,146 l 4 I , I 4 3 , I 4 4 ,I 5 3 , Geryon18,76,77,77 GullinburstiI96 3 2 ,3 8 ,+ 6 ,+ 6 , 5 7 , 6 0 - Id I42
Epona 128, 128, 163 Fannell I 18 1 5 4 ,1 5 5 ,1 6 3 , 1 6 7 , Giants 16, +4, 4+, +7, GundestrupCauldron 6 1 , 7 0 - 7 t , 7 + , 7 5 , 8 3 , Idun 178,t84, 196,
Erato 63 Farbaud 188, 206 i70,I7I 48,76-77 7 , t 1 3 ,l 2 t , 1 3 2 , 8 5 , 1 2 8 1, 3 6 202,202,207,22r,
Erebos 39 Fasolt 237 F o r b al i3 I , 1 4 7 Gilvaethwy 99, I23, I33, I48 Helenusl7 225, 230, 23r, 251
Erechtheus, Kng27 F a t e s1 6 , 4 1 , 4 2 , 4 2 , Forcesof narure68-69 137, t37, 147 Gungnir194,195,I96, Helgi2I3 Igraine 100,150,15I,
Eremon, High King of ZII ForsedI78, 182,I89, G i n n u n g a g a pi 8 l , 1 8 4 , 197,2I5, 222,239 Helios19,32,38,46, l
L
7
I
l
L

Ireland 97, 126 Fauni 42 189 193, r93,246,25r G u n n e1 r 8 5 ,1 9 9 , 2 0 5 , +6,+7, 48,60,65, 68, Iliad, The 89
En 109, 127 Faunus 12,42 FotlaI29 GiollBridge 198 229 71,73,77,86 llium 84, 85
Erichthonius 25,47 F a u s t u l u sI 7 , 7 8 , 8 5 Founders84-5 Gjalp I92, I93, I93, GunnlodI84, 185,189 HellawesI l5 Ilmarinen 196, I97,
Erik Bloodaxe 176 Febal 106 Founrainof Wisdom 232 Gurtorm199 Hephaistos 13, 15, 19, 220,24r
Eriu I26, I28 Fedlimid 129 2 0 9 ,2 r 5 Glastonbury l0l, I02, GwawlI25, l+0, 146, 2 5 ,1 6 - 1 7 , 4 7 , 6 9 , 7 0 , l l u s 4 3 , 8 4 , 8 5
Ema 219, 219 Fenians seeFianna FraochI3I i37,139, 166 r62 7 6 , 7 7 , 8 2 , 8 8 , 2 2, 7 Imbolc I I0
E r o s2 0 , 3 4 , 3 9 , 7 5 , 7 5 , Fennr I75, 180, 180, Freki2I4 Glauce 54, 60 Gwentls Coed168 249 Inachus 53
99 I88, I89, 194, I96, Freya175,178,179, Glaucus 26 Gwem107,I09, 137, Hera14,16,19, 19, Indech I54
Erymanthian boar 48 198,202, 207,215, 1 8 0 , 1 8 51, 9 0 , 1 9 0 , Gleipnir 188 I+7 2 0 , 2 2 , 2 2 , 2 5 , 3+33, , Indra 232, 235
Erytheia, Island of 77 218,218,225,239, I 9 I , 1 9 2 ,1 9 6 , 2 0 0 , Glitnir I89, I89 GwionBachI 12, t 12 4 5 , 4 6 , 4 7 , 4 7 , 4 8 , 5 2 ,lngeborg 228,229
Erytheis 52 245,247,248 207, 208,210,2 15, Goewin 99 and seeTaliesin 5 3 , 5 1 , 5 5 , 5 7 , 6 I , 6 3 , Ino 53, 53
Ecain96, 128,129, Fer Cherdne 103 2 1 6 ,2 1 6 ,2 2 t , 2 2 8 , Goibhniu 102, II7, Gwyddbwyll158 7+,79,81,86,89, Io 53, 53
150, 150, I54 Ferdia I29, I29 2 3 5 , 2 3 7, 2 4 6 . 2 1 6 r29, 136, 136, 143, Gwydion97, 99, 106, 249 Iolaus 48
Emin Oig I12 Fergus Mac Leda I24, Frey1 r 7 4 , 1 7 5 I, 7 8 , r 63 1 0 6 ,I 2 3 , 1 2 6 , r 3 7 , Heracles 6, ll, 16, 17, Iolcus22, 51, 54, 60
Etar I29, I50 I24, I39 r 7 9 , 1 9 0 - r 9 1t ,9 t , GoldenFleeceI l, 22, I 3 7 , I 4 3 ,L + 3 , 1 4 7 , 2 2 , 2 5 , 2 7 , 2 8 , 3 0 , 3 0 , Iphicles I6
Eteocles 33, 66 Fergus Mac Rorh 96, I 9 2 , 1 9 4 ,1 9 6 ,I 9 7 , 2 3 ,3 I , 3 8 ,5 0 ,5 t , 5 4 , l6I 1 4 , 4 7 ,+ 8 - 4 9+, 8 , 5 2 , Iphigenia 12, 15, 15,
Eterscel, High King of I16, lt7, ll8,124, 2 1 0 , 2 t 62, r 7 , 2 2 2 , 60 Gwynap Nudd 137 53,86,89 23,32, 51, 54,64
Ireland I 13, 152 I29, 148, t52, 167 225, 228, 229, 237, GoldenMane200,208, Gwynedd137,147 Hereydd162 lman i37, 137
Erhal98, III F i a n n a9 6 , l l I , l I 7 , 2+6,246 ./_55 GwythyrI37 Hermaphroditos 49, 49 lseult I08, I08, 124,
Ethiopia I8 120,t22, I30,130, FriggI78, 182,l9l, Goil I30, 137, 137 Gylfi, King of Sweden Hermes I0, I6, 26,32, 138-139, I38, I40,
Ethlinn I02, I29 I36, 137,154, 159, t 9 I , i 9 2 ,I 9 8 , 2 I 5 , Gordius 6l t92 4 4 , 4 5+ , 9 ,+ 9 , 5 0 ,5 3 , I+6, 1+6, 152, 169,
Ethne 129, I29 163, 167 215,237,239,2+6 G o r g o n s1 8 , 2 6 , 2 9 , 3 I , Gymir191,I92 5 3 ,6 1 ,6 4 , 6 5 , 7 0 , 7 1 . 1 6 9
Etruscans 52, 56, 80, Fimafeng I78 Frithiof220,228,229 44,7t,73,74 7 3 , 8 1 , 8 71, 5 4 ,t 9 8 Isle of Menimenr 106
82, 88 Findbhair i3I Fuamnach 96, 150 Gorias I70 H HermodI82-I83,198, lsle of Women 106,
Eumenides see Furies Findchaem I 12 Furies10, 13,25, 38, Goronwy 106 H a d e s1 2 ,1 5 ,2 I , 2 8 , 198,236,242 t07
Euphrosyne 44 Finegas 130, 130 42-43,42. 4+,66,88 Govannon I23, I26, 2 8 , 3 1 ,3 3 ,3 4 ,3 6 . 4 3 , Hero52, 52 Ismene 66
Europa 20, 28, 39, 39, Finias I70 136, 158 4 + , 1 5 , 4 9 , 4 9 , 5 05,3 , Heroes 30-31 Ith 139, I44, l5l
62,79 Finn MacCool92,96, G Gowein I37,I17 5 1 ,6 2 , 6 5 , 6,77 2 , 7 4 , HeroicQuessI56-i57 I t h a c a2 5 , 5 I , 6 4 , 7 2
Eurus 26 98, I00,104, Ill, Gabhra,Bartleo[ 159 Graces 44,45 7 7, 7 9 , 8 0 ,8 t , 8 6 ,8 9 , Hespera 52 lubdan, King I39, I39
Eurydice 19,50,67 lr7, 120, t22, I2+, Gae-bolg166 Graiae 73 9 2 , 1 0 5 ,r 5 1 Hesperides 25, 48, 52, Iuchar 109
Eurymome 44 130, r30, 13l, r36, G a i a1 9 ,2 5 , 3 3 ,4 2 , 1 3 , Grail, Holy seeSangreal Halicamassus 49 52 Iucharba I09
Eurystheus, King of I37, t54-I55, I59, + 3 , 4 4 , 4 5+, 8 ,5 2 ,5 8 , Grainne 98, 122, I30, HaraldWartoothI75, Hesperus 52, 63 Ivaldi, sons of 194,222.
Tiryns 48 I63, 167, t.68 6 3 , 7 9 , 8 68, 7 136, 136, I67 215 Hestia33, 45, 79, 88 232
Eurytion 77 Fintan I 12 Galahad, Sir93, 134, Gram 219, 224 HarbardI94 Hippodameia 26,7I I - : n o n2 8 , 5 4 , 5 + , 5 9
Everes 86 Finnn, the Salmon of 1 3 4 , 1 3 9I ,5 0 , 1 5 9 , Green Iftighr 135 Harmonia 17,28,37, Hippolyta 17,+8,73,
Ewawg 160 Knowledge 106, I30, 1 6 0 ,1 6 6 ,1 6 7 Greip 192, 193, 232 53 83 J
Excalibur I00, l0L, I30, l3I, t54, r68 GalarI88-I89, I89, Grendel I3I, I83, I94, Harpies14, 59 Hippolytus 7,73,73, Jadhg I20
102, 103, r24, tZ5, Firbolg 109, Il0, 122, 203 194 Hati 226 83 Janus 54, 54
I48,151 I29, 13I, 13l, 168 Galarea71 Grendel's morher 183, Havgan99, I05, I62 Hlidshalfi9l,2l4 J a r l2 I 9 , 2 1 9

254
 INorx

Jamsaxa 208, 233 landvaettir L86 M I t 4 , 1 1 4 ,r 2 5 ,r 5 0 , N 240,24t,242-243, 65,65,72,72

Jasconius I65 Laocoon 56,56 Ma Greine I28 I 5 0 ,r 5 t , I 7 I Nanna I82, I89, I98 2 + 5 , 2 1 6 , 2 + 6 , 2 ,1 7 Penthesilea I7
J a s o nI 1 , 2 2 , 2 2 , 2 3 , Laoghaire II0, I2l, Mabinoglon 16l Merope34,73 N a o i s eI 1 2 , l 1 6 , I t 7 , z+7,248, 250,251 P e n r h e u s1 1 , 2 8 , 3 7 , 8 6
2 4 , 2 5 . 2 9 , 3 1 , 4 5 , 5 0 , T7T Mabon 144, I,+4, I58, MessBuachalla i 12, t22,129, r40, r52, O d u rI 9 0 , 1 9 6 , 2 2 8 P e r c i v a l ,S i r I 3 4 , 1 6 0 ,
5 I , 5 4 ,5 5 , 6 0 , 6 1 , 8 2 Laomedon, King of Troy I70 t.52,153 r52 Odysseus ll, I2, 12, I60, I66, t67
Jocasta 18,33, 56,66, 39,75,85,180 Mac Cecht I44 Metis25, 13,17,86, Narcissus 63, 63 r 5 , 2 5 ,3 0 ,3 I , 3 2 , 3 2 , P e r e d u rI 3 9 , I 5 6 , I 5 7 ,
6 7 ,8 I Larissa 54,73 Mac DaTho I16, 144 89 Narvi 207, 224-225 50,51,53, 58, 6+-65, 160-16t,16l
JokulI87 Last Supper, the 93, Macha 102,144,I+4, Miach109,122,L53 Nature spiris 186-187 6 + , 6 5 , 7 2 , 7 4 , 7 7 , 8 6 Peibaea 72
Jormungand176, 180, l 0 I , 1 3 3 , . I 6 0 ,1 6 6 r52 M i d a6 s1,6I,8I Nechnn I06, I30, i3I, O e d i p uIsl , 1 8 , 3 0 , 3 3 , Pericles 84
1 8 0 ,t 9 8 , 2 0 I , 2 0 I , Latinus, King t5, 42 Curseo[ I19, I44, ]67 MidgardI79, 18I, I84, r52 5 6 , 6 6 - 6 7 , 6 6 , 8 I , 8 3 , Perkonis, Perkons,
202,204,207,218, Latium 50 Madder-Akka 202,207 I 8 4 ,I 8 5 , 1 9 3 , 1 9 5 , Nemain I02, I52, I52, 86 Perkunas seePerkuno
zL9,232,234,235, Laufey I88, 206 Madder-Atcha 207 198,202,202,25r I53 Oenomaus, Kingof EIis Perkuno 208,216,217,
235,240,244,2+5, Laurin 237 Maeldun104,I09. Midir96, I29, I50 Nemean lion 48, 49 7t,7r 222
z+5,251 Lavinia I5, 24 1 4 4 ,L + 5 , 1 6 4t,6 1 Mil, Mile seeMilesius Nemed ll2,l+4 Ogham154 P e r s e p h o n eI 6 , I 9 , 1 6 ,
Josephof tuimathea93, Lavinium 24 maenads 37,67, 67,86 Milesians 96, 97, 98, Nemesis 63 O g m aI 2 8 , 1 4 4 , 1 5 4 , 36, ++, 45, 19, 50,67 .
100,I34, I39, 139, Leander 52 Maga 122 1 0 2 ,n 2 , I 2 r , I 2 6 , Nemglan I l2-l13, I13, 151 68,72,72,73
160,166 Leda32,38, 16, 57, MaghTuireadh,Battles 127,128-129,141, I52,153 Oisin92, I04, I53, P e r s e u IsI , 1 6 , 1 8 , 1 8 ,
Jotunheim I84, I89, 57, r53 of I52,153 1 5 0 I, 5 t , 1 5 3 , 1 7 0 Nennius I00 I54-155,154 I 5, 5 , 2r,25.26,30,3r,34,
t9I,200,202,202, Leib-Olmai 203 fint Battleof I09, I10, Milesius 97, I39, l5l, Neoptolemus l7 1 5 9 ,1 6 3 14,72,73,76,81,87
2 0 9 ,2 I 1 , 2 2 5 , 2 4 0 , Leinster 14+, L63 I 2 2 ,r 3 I , 2 3 9 i5l,167 Neptune 10, I4, 63,71 OIcgtheViking217 Perunu174,216-217,
250 Leminkainen 203, 203, secondBauleof I02, sonsof sseMilesians Nereids 18, 69 Olwen96, I03, i20, 217,247
Judaism2I 7 220,24r I 0 9 ,r r 7 , t 2 I , 1 2 7 , Miletus79 Nereus 86 114,156,151 75 , 8, Phaea 82
Jukakka 207 Lemnos, lsland of 46, I 2 9 ,l 3 i , r 3 6 , 1 3 9 , Mimir I99, 208,209, Nenhus2I0,2I0, 2II I58,I70 Phaeacians 65
Julius Caesar 24,92, 249 I + 3 , r 4 4 I, 5 4 , 1 6 3 , 215,246,250 N e s s aI 1 6 , l Z 9 , 1 5 2 Olympus,Mount 19, P h a e d r a7 , 7 3 , 7 3 , 8 3 ,
I03,2I9 Leodegraunce, King of I70 wellof 245 Nessus 6, 30, 48, 49 2 0 , 2 6 , 3 84 , 1 ,4 4 , 1 6 . I63
Jumala 202 Scotland I0I Magrcandenchantment Minerva 25,55,60,62, Nestor, King of $los 64 4 9 , 6 9 , 7 1 , 8 6 , 8899, Phaethon+6,73
J u n o1 4 ,1 5 , 5 5 , 5 5 , leprechauns 143 t24-125 62 Niam of rhe Golden Ophiuchus 24 Philemon 56
60,79 Lema 48 Magni208,208,209, Minos,King7, 23, 27, Hair 153 Oraclesand Prophecres Philip, King of Macedon
JupiterI4, 33, 37,55, Leshy, the 206,206 2I8,233 3 4 , 3 9 , 4 8 , 6 2 , 7 t , 7 3 . Niamh 153, 154, 155 40-41 39
5 6 , 5 6 , 8 9 r, 6 8 , 2 3 2 Leto i9, 23,57,57 Maia49. 73.88 74,79,82-83 Nibelungs 205,237 Orestes I0, 25,26,32, Philyra 29,54
JupiterOptimus Lif 206, 206, 2I8 MaimedKingseePelles Minomur6, 7, t I, 13, Nidavellir 202 3 8 ,3 8 , 4 2 , 6 6 , 6 7 Phleyas 54
Maximus56 Lifthrasir 206,206, Man,lsle of92,96,L46 2 2 , 2 3 , 3 1 , 1 8 , 5 0 , 6 2 , Nidhogg 2I0, 2I0, 250 Oion73,77 Phobos i9
2I8 ManannanMacLir 96, 6 2 , 7 1 , 7 3 , 7 5 , 8 2 - 8 3 , Nidud, King of Sweden Orithy'a27 rndeDe ) /
K Lindisfame I7I, 218 r 0 2 , 1 0 6l l, l , r r 2 , 83 248-219 Orpheus 22,+9,50, P h o e n i c i a1 4 , 2 8 , 3 7 ,
K a i1 0 3 ,1 2 0 ,t 3 9 , 1 3 9 Lir 109,lll, 12I, I43, u 3 , r 2 0 ,I 2 9 , I 4 3 , Minthe45 Niebelungenlied2L2, 67,67 39
Kalevala 24I 116 1 4 6 ,l + 6 , I 5 I , I 5 3 , MistCalf200,208, 229,237 Orthnit236 Phosphorus 63
I Q r l 2 l 9 ,2 1 9 Liriope 63 r 5 5 ,I 6 5 209,230,233 Niflheim 202,210, Orthos77 P h r y g i a4 3 , 4 9 , 5 6 , 6 1
KiedKieJubmel202 Llaser 133 Manawydan I09, I25, MjollnirL7+,176,196, 250,251 Orthus8l Piorun.seePerunu
Kipu-Tytto238 LIeu 99, i06, 137, I.43, r 4 6 , 1 4 6 .1 6 l t97,20+,207,208- Nimue 9+,lI4, L25, OscarI59 Pittheus, King of
Klotho2I I 143,144 Mani218 209,209,223,232, 150 Osins183 Troezen 13,82
Knightof the Kestrel Llud see Nudd Marathon.Batdeof 70 233,235,24+ Nineve 150 otherworlds 92,94,96, PlatoI0, Il
L+9 Lludd LIaw Ereint I37 bull of 13.60. 82 Mnemosyne 62,86 Njord 178,190, I9I, I 0 4 - I 0 5 ,I 0 6 , 1 5 4 Pleiades73
Knossos I3, 23,31,62. Llwyd la6, l6I Marduk25I MochaenI09 2t0-2r r, 2r0, 2ll, O t t a r1 9 0 ,2 1 6 , 2 1 6 t'lur nam 5an I)J
73,83 Llyr I07, IIl, 16l cnd Mark, King of Comwall Modgud198 225 , 228, 246, 2+6 Otrer179,200,206, Pluto seeHades
Kreimhild229 see Lir I 0 8 , 1 3 8 ,I 4 0 , 1 4 6 , Modi208,208,209, Noatun 2I I 216,2t6 Podarge 88
Kullervo220,22L Loddfafnir 206 1 4 6 ,r 5 2 , 1 6 9 2I8 Nodens I53 O u r a n o1s9 , 3 1 , 4 2 , 4 J , Pollux 38, 38
Kumarbi43 Lodur seeVe M a n 1 0 ,1 7 , 1 9 , 4 2 , Modir219 Noms, the I79, I80, 4 4 , 6 3 , 7 6 , 7 9 , 8 6 , 8 7 Polybus, Krng of
'55,
Kvasir188-189,203, Loki I75,176,178, 6 0 ,6 0 ,7 8 ,7 8 . 7 9 . Modred,Sir94, I00, I88, 196,206,2II, O w a i nl 2 I , I 4 l , I 4 9 , Corinth 56,66
203 r79,179,180, 182, 8 5 ,I I l , 1 6 8 I 0 I , 1 0 2 I, I 2 , 1 3 6 - 2rr,239,250 156, 156, 158, 159, Polydectes 73
I 8 3 , 1 8 . + - I 8 5 ,I 8 8 , Math,Kingof Gwynedd 1 3 7 , 1 4 2l ,5 I , t 5 I , Norse Heroes 204-205 l7I Polydegmon see Hades
L 1 9 l , 1 9 2 , 1 9 3 ,1 9 4 , 9 9 ,1 0 6 , 1 2 3 , 1 3 7 , 160 Notus 26, 69 15
labdacus56 I95, 198, t99,200, 143,147 Modron144,158 Nuada 102, 109, 122, P Polydeuces 22,38, 46,
Labynnth13,22,23, 20r , 202, 206-207 , Matholwch,High King MoeraeseeFates 13I, I43, r44,152, Pactolus, Rrver6l 57,222
3 4 , 5 0 , 6 2 ,6 2 , 7 r , 7 3 , 206,207,208,2r5, of Ireland107.I09. MokkuralfisecMist Calf 170,239 Pallas82 Polyhymnra 63
82-83,83 216, 2i8, 2r8,222- I I I , I 2 6 - 1 2 7r ,3 7 , MonganI46, l5l Nuada o[ the Silver P a n2 1 ,+ 2 , 6 1 , 7 0 , 7 0 , Polynices I8, 33, 66
l:cedaemon 84 223,223,221-225, 117 Monstersand Savage Hand I53 8t P o l y p h e m u s6 5 , 7 4 . 7 1 .
Lachesis 41,12, +2, 225,226,230-23r, MathonwvI23 Beasts 58-59 Nudd 123 Pandion, KingI3 77,77
2Il 231 , 232, 235 , 237 , Mad Syrabmlya2oe, Mopsus4I Nudd of the Silver Pandora 70,70 Porsenna, Lars 3l
kdon 52, 58 237, 238, 238, 240, 208 MorfanI l2 Hand I53, I53 Paphos19,78 P o s e i d o n7 , 1 2 , 1 8 , 1 9 ,
I-adyof the Fountain 211,2+4,245,2+5, Medb,Queenof MorganLe Fayl0l, Numitor, King of Alba Pari1 s 2 ,I l , 1 3 ,1 5 , 19,25, 33,43,45,16,
l,+I 246,2+8 C o n n a c h9t2 , 9 6 ,l l I , i l 4 , I I 4 , I 2 5 ,1 3 5 , Longa 17,78,79 1 9 ,3 2 ,4 6 ,6 0 - 6 17, 0 - 48, 50, 56,57,58, 62,
Ladyof the l-ake100, London 100, 103, 107, I 1 6 , I 1 9 , 1 2 7 ,t 2 8 , 1 1 2 , 1 4 9I,5 I , t 5 l nymphs 68 7 1 ,7 0 ,7 5 , 8 5 63,64,65, 68, 68, 71.
I 0 I , 1 2 5 ,1 4 2 ,i 5 0 , 137, I+1 I 2 9 ,l 3 l , 1 3 5 ,I 4 3 , Morholt138,I48, I52, Nyx 39, 53 Pamassus 58 74,71,75,77,79,82,
150 Lopt sec Loh L + + ,1 1 7 , l . + 71, 4 8 , 152 NY)'nkki 230 Partholon II2, 159, 85,86, 89, 180
I-aegI Il, I19, 142, Lothus see Ve 152,167 MomingSmr208,2I6, 159 Potnmpo 216,217 ,
t42 Lotophagi 65 Medea13,22,22,23. 223 o Pasipha 7e ,23,34.46. 2t7
Laenes 61,65,72 Louhi 221,24I 3 I , 4 5 ,5 4 , 6 0 , 6 I , 8 2 Morpheus53 Oath Ring236 4 8 ,6 2 ,7 1 , 7 t , 7 3 , 7 5 . P n a mI 4 , I 5 , 1 7 , 1 9 ,
laestrygones65 Lovers of Zus 20-21 Medus13,60,82 Monigan92, 102,I I6, Oceanids69 82 28, 40, 45,46,60, 70,
Laius,King ofThebes Lucan 168 MedusaI8, 26,3L.44. l 1 9 ,I 2 I , t 4 1 , 1 1 7 , Oceanos 29,46,63,63, Patollo216,217 71,75,85,246
33, 56,66 Luchnr Il7, 136 11,7r,72,73,71 r5z,152,2r2 65,73,89 P a t r o c l u1 s2 ,1 3 , 4 5 , Pnapus 49, 190
I:ke Regillus,Battleof L u c r e t i a2 7 , 6 0 , 6 0 , 8 2 , Meitikki 230 Mughain,Queeno[ O d i n7 , 4 9 ,I I 1 , 1 7 4 , 61,86 Pnde o[ the Cleanng
38,82 82,88 Melanion24,25,25 UlsrcrI i8 1 7 5 ,1 7 8 ,r 7 9 , t 7 9 , Pax60 I6I
lamfhada seeLugh Lugaide Mac Con 99 Meliagaunt, Sir I42 Mundilfari209.209 1 8 0 ,r 8 0 , 1 8 l , I 8 2 , P e g a s uI 8s, 1 8 , 2 5 , 2 6 , Procopius 2 I 7
I-ancelot, Sir I0I, I05, Lugh 7,92, I02, 102, Melicenes53 Muninn20I, 201,21.+, 1 8 4 ,1 8 5 ,I 8 8 , I 8 9 , 2 6 , 7 t ,7 1 ,74 P r o m e t h e u sl Z , 7 0 , 7 5
I I 5 , 1 3 4 ,I 3 5 , 1 3 6 , 109,l18, n9, I2l, MeliotI I5 215 1 9 0 ,I 9 l , 1 9 2 ,1 9 3 , Peleus , Kingof Phthia Proteus, Kng 26
136, 137, 138,1.10, 122,t29, t3l,143, Melpomene63 Munster98, I20 1 9 4 ,1 9 5 ,I 9 6 , I 9 7 , 12,86,88,89 Pryden137,146,147,
t12-L+3, 142, 119, 113, 11+, 148, 153, Menelaus 15, I9, 38, MuriasI70 1 9 8 ,I 9 9 , 2 0 0 , 2 0 1 , Pelias, King16,16,22, t6l, 16I,162,168
159,160 167,168,170 + 6 , 5 7 , 6 0 - 6 1 , 6710, - Muses62-63,63 202.205,206,207 , 23,54,60 P s y c h e3 3 , 7 5 , 7 5
knd of homise I09, Lugus 144 71.85 Muspell226,Z5l 208,209,209,2r2, Pelles 159,I59, 166 Pwyll 97, 98-99, I05,
I 1 2 , I 4 2 , 1 4 6 ,l 5 I , Luned t.+1, 159 Menglad194 Mycenae 10,I5, I6, 2L3,214-2t5,2I4, Pellinore, Sir 100 1 2 . + ,1 2 8 , 1 4 0 , 1 4 6 ,
1 5 3 , 1 5 4I 5 , 5,165 Luonnohr 207,207, Menu208,216 26,32,38,48,54,60, 2t5,2t6,2I8,218, P e l o p1s0 ,2 6 , 5 6 , 6 6 , l6I, 162,162, 163,
I-andof Shadows98. 241 Mercury14,37, 19,56, 84 220,222,225,226, 7L , 7 T I68
It6, l18,166,167 L y c o m e d e s1 2 , 3 1 6 1 , 6 1 ,l 1 2 ,1 5 4 r, 9 8 MyesyarI88, 2I0 2 2 7 , 2 3 0 , 2 3 12, 3 2 , Peneius J+,3+ |erun see Perunu
knd of Wonder 99. 99 Merlin9.+,100,l0l, Myrtilus26, 7I 234,236,237,239, Penelope .+0,51, 64, |gmalion 78,85

255
INoex

$thagoras 154 r32, 133,134,I35, 64 Volsung 223,2+8

$thon 19,58 138,r39, 142,150, Tphon 28,8I, 82,87, VokungSaga2I2
r 5 6 ,1 5 7 , 1 5 9r,6 0 , 87 Volsungs 205
o I66, 166,167,169 T y r1 7 8 ,i 8 8 , 1 8 9 , 2 0 I , Volumnia 32,12
QuestingBeast,the 100 Saral,rka 207 214,2L5,239,239 Volund 196 and see
Quirinus 79 Sarpedon 39,79,79 Tyre37, 85 Wayland
S a t a4n5 , 9 2 ,1 0 9 ,I 1 2 Volund's House 249
R Satum33, 42,79,79 U Volupms 33
Ra81 satyrs 20, 58, 59,79, UaithneI7l, l7l Vonigem I7I, l7f
Ragnarok 7, I75, 176, 8l U a t h9 2 , I 2 0 , I 7 I , 1 7 1 Voyagers 50-5I
178, r80, 183,184, Saule208,216,222, Uathach119.166.t7I Vulcan 46,88,88
r 8 6 , 1 8 8 ,t 9 l , 1 9 5 , 223 Ukko 202
r99.202,201,206, Scamander, River75 UksaLka207 w
207,208,209,2r0, Scathach 98, I 19, I29, Ulster92,96, I18, I19, Waveof CliodhnaI 13
2 t 3 , 2 r 5 , 2 r 8 ,2 1 8 , 1 6 6 ,I 7 l r22, r29, L39,144, Wayland183,248-249,
226,232,235,239, ScotaI67 147 249
2 + O . Z + 2 , 2 + 3 , 2 + 4 - Scotland92.167 Ukter, AnnalsoJI75 Wolfdietrich 236.237
2+5, 215, 2+7, 248 Scylla 32, 58, 58, 65 Ulpses,64 Wooden Horse II,28,
RanI78, f78, I79, 187 Scyros, Islandof 12,3I, Urania63 +6,56,6+,85
Ratatosk210,250 83 U r d2 I 1 , 2 1 1 , 2 3 9 , Woundrous Cauldrons
Regin7, 175, I79, 188, Searbhan L67,167 239,250 r32-I33
200, 2r8,2r9,224 SeigePerilousI34 wellof 184,206,2I I, Wyrd 21 1 and see Urd
Remus17, 17,60, 78- Selene 38. 39. 63 66,8r,8r TaurusI5 Tiber,River15, 17,31, 250
79.78.85 Semele 21,37, 53 StBlasius
247 Taygere73 52,78,79,85,88 UrienI59, l7l x
Rhadamanthys 39,79 SeraI59 St Boniface 251 TeimonI6I, 168,169 Tiberius,sonof Brutus Usna152 X a n t h u1s3 , 6 9 , 8 8 , 8 9
Rhea29, 33,36,43, Seriphos, Islandof 21, St Bride I I0, t l0 TeirtuI58 27 Utgard201,202,208,
+ 5 ,4 7 ,6 3 , 7 + , 7 9 , 8 6 , 73 St Patrick 92, I I I, I 17, Telamon15 Irbemus/u 226,230,23+,235, Y
87. 89 Sessrumnir I90 r55 Telemachus 32,10,65 Tinugel Casdei00 240,2+0 Yggdrasil 174,194,
RheaSilvia17,78,78. Sestos 52 St Ronan 92, 168 Telephassa 28,39 Tiresias 16,33, 5I, 65, UtherPendragon I00, 195,197,202,206,
79 Setanta seeCuchulainn Stheneboea 26 Terpsichore63 65,66,86,86 1 5 0 ,1 5 I , I 7 l , t 7 l 2 0 6 ,2 0 8 ,2 r 0 , 2 r 0 ,
RhiannonI24.125. Shakespeare, William Stheno 44 Tethys63 Tiryns16, I8, 48,49, Uu222 2lr,215,215,218,
I 2 8 , 1 4 6 ,1 5 8 ,r 6 r , L43,2LL Stonehenge ll4, I50 TeucerI5 7 3 . 7 6 .r 8 0 220,239,210,215,
162, 162, r63, 163, ShiningMane186 Storyunka 202 Teumtes 168 Titans25, 33, 38, 43, V 250-251,250,25r
I68 Shiva2I5 Strymo 75 Thalia,1,1, 63 1 4 ,1 5 ,+ 6 , 6 3 . 7 0 , 7 5 . Vafthrudnir240,24L Ymir18I, 18l, t8'+,
RhineMaidens176, S i b y1l a , 8 0 , 8 0 Sturluson, Snoni 175, Thanatos 53, 79, 8l 76,86,87,87 Vainamoinen203,20+, r 8 7 ,r 9 3 , 2 0 9 , 2 r 5 ,
t87,237 Sicily14, 15,34.+6, 246 Thebes 18,28, 33,37, Tithonus39 207,220,22r,238, 246,2+8,250,25r
Riesengebirge 187 5 0 ,5 I , 6 2 , 6 5 , 7 1 , 8 7 Stymphalian birds 48 39,48,535 , 6 ,5 8 ,6 6 , Titus,sonof Brutus27 238.24r.241 Yspaddaden I20, I58,
R i gI 9 5 , 2 I 8 - 2 I 9 , 2 I 9 Siegfried seeSigurd Sryx,River 12,28,15, 6 7 , 8 r ,8 4 , 8 6 Titus,sonof Vespasian Valhalla I75, 176, I78, 170
Rind I84, 222.222. Sieglinde 228 67,86 SacredBandof 39 85 r88, 190,198,200,
243 Siegmund213,228 Sualtam Mac Roth I I8, Theia38 Tiw 239 204,206,2r2,2r3, z
Ringsof power I79, s i f r 7 8 ,1 9 4 ,r 9 6 , 2 0 0 , ll9, r22, 167,167 Theseus 6, 7, Il, 13, Tory Island102,129, 2r+,2r5,2r8,237, Zephyrus 19,26,27,
236-237,236 222-223.223.238 Suibhne Geilr, King 92, 17,22,23,30,38,48, 113 242-243.2+2.2+9 69,88
Roc I29 Siggeir 205,223,2+8 r68 5 0 , 5 8 , 6 0 , 6 26 ,2 , 7 3 , Treasuresand mlismans Vali I8'1,207,215, ktes22,27
R o m a nIsl 0 , I I l , l l 2 , SigmundtheVolsung Surr226-227
,227,215 7 5 , 8 2 - 8 3 , 8 3 , 8 r46, 3 t96-197 2t8,222,221,243, 7 : u s 7 , 1 0l,l , 1 2 ,1 3 ,
I 2 8 , 1 4 . +1, 5 3 ,I 6 3 , 205,223.2+8 Suttung 188-I89 Thessaly I2, 16, 19,22, Triglav238 2+3 I6, 17,19,20-2r,23,
168.2I,1 Signy223,2'23,248 Svadilfari 180, 226 2 3 , 2 1 , 2 8 , 2 9+, 9 , 5 9 Triptolemus36 ValkyriesI85, I88, 2+,25,26,27,28,29,
R o m e3 4 , 5 0 , 5 2 , 5 + , Sigurd7, 175,179, Svalin I86 Thesdus,Kingof Aetolia TrisranI08. f08. 138- 188,212,2t2,2r3, 33,3+,34,36,37,38:,
5 6 . 6 2 , 7 8 - 7 9 , 8 08, 0 . 1 8 5 ,r 8 8 . 1 9 9 , 2 0 0 . Svantovit 227,227 56 t39, I38, I.t0, I46, 2+2,243,213,2+r, 39,39, 40,+2,43,+3,
8 1 , 8 2 ,8 4 , 8 5 , 9 2 , 205,205,216,218, Svarazic 188,227 ThetisI2, 13,3I, 45, L19,152,152,169, 2+9 44,+1, 45, 46,47, 48,
I01 219,220.22t, 224, Svarog I88 + 9 , 7 5 , 8 6 8, 6 , 8 8 ,8 9 r69 VanaheimI80, 202, 4 9 , 5 2 , 5 3 , 5 + , 5 55,6 ,
foundadonof I'1. 15. 22+,225,228,229, Svaroz 227 Thialli20I,200, 209, Triton 74 2+6 5 7 ,5 8 ,6 2 , 6 3 , 6 5 , 6 8 ,
2 7 . 3 1 , 3 7 ,5 0 , 6 0 229,237,248 Svanalfheim 202 222,226,230,231, TrojanWar 10, 14, 15, Vanir178,180,189, 6 8 ,7 0 ,7 r , 7 2 , 7 3 , 7 4 ,
Romulus17, 17, 60, SigurdRing228,229 Sviagriss 236 231,2+0 r7, 19,25,28,3I,32, 190,l9l, r99,202, 7 5 . 7 6 , 7 7 , 7 9 , 8 81 3, ,
7 8 - 7 9 , 7 8 , 8 1 . 8 4 , 8 5 , Sigyn207, 224-225, Svipdrag I94 Thiassi196,202,225, 3 8 ,4 1 , 4 5 , 4 6 ,+ 9 , 5 1 , 203,208,210,246, 8 , + , 8 6 , 8 7 , 8 9 , 8998, ,
85 225 Swift,Jonathan I39 230,23r 5 7 , 6 4 , 7 0 , 7 5 , 8 58 ,9 2+6 232,249
R o n a nl l I , 1 6 3 S i l e n u6s1 . 8 I , 8 l Sychaeus 85 T h o k kI 8 3 , 2 3 I , 2 3 1 Trold Tindteme187 Ve I78, I8I, l8'+,185,
Rosliva201,222,226. Sindn236 Thomasthe Rhymer Tros43,8,+,85 t93,209,2r5,2+6,
230.23r.231 Sinfiotli223.218 T t04 T r o yl l , 1 2 ,1 4 ,1 5 ,1 6 , 2+7,248,25r
Rosterus184 Single combatI48-I49 Tacitus 2I0 Thoosa74 1 9 , 2 4 , 2 82, 8 , 3 2 , 3 7 , Yecha222
RoundTable,Knighrcof Sinis83 Tailtu I68 T h o r7 , 1 7 4 .1 7 + , 1 7 5 . 3 9 ,+ 0 , 4 r , 4 2 , 4 5 , 4 6 , V e l e sI 7 4 , 2 4 7 , 2 4 7
the 94, I00, l0l, 109, Sinon56 T a l i e s i nI 1 2 , l l 4 , l 1 5 , 1 7 6 ,I 7 8 , 1 8 0 ,r 8 5 , 4 6 , 5 0 , 5 1 , 5 66, 0 , 6 + , Venus14, 18,19,24,
I l 4 , 1 3 0 , 1 3 3 ,I 3 4 , Sirens 32, 58, 63, 65 r32, 168,168, l7l 1 9 0 ,I 9 2 , 1 9 3 ,1 9 3 , 67.70-7r.7+.75,84, 33.14,87,87, 88
I 3 5 , 1 3 6 I, 3 9 , 1 4 0 , Sisyphus 54,61.80, 8I Talos 39, 76 r 9 1 , t 9 1 , 1 9 6 ,1 9 7 , 8 5 , 8 8 ,I 8 0 v e r d a n d2il l , 2 l r ,
1 4 2 , 1 5 0l ,5 t , r 5 6 , Skadi2lO. 211,225. Tammuz I83 r98, 200-20r,200, TuachellI 18 239.250
I60, 166 225,228,230-23r Tanngnost 230,230, 201,202,202,204, TuathaDe Danann96, Vespasian 85
Ruadan163 Shidbladnir l9l. I97. 232 207,208-209,215, 97,98, r02, r05, r06, Vesu 88
Ruadh163, 163 222 Tanngrisnir 230, 230, 2 1 6 . 2 r 7 , 2 1 82,1 8 , r 0 9 ,t I 0 , l l l , l l 2 , Vidar178,I9'+,218,
Rusalki.rhe 222.222 ShmirI9l.192.225. 232 222-223.226.226, II7, I2I,122,126, 213,247,217
225.229 Tantalus 54,71 230,230, 23t,232- 1 2 7 ,t 2 8 , I 2 9 , 1 3 t , VrgridPlain175, 188,
s Skoll226,226 Tapio 230, 230 235,232-235,236, 136,I39, l.+3,150, 2 1 5 ,2 1 8 , 2 r 8 , 2 4 2 ,
Sabine women 79, 8I Skrymir201,226,23L, Tara 96, 97, Il3,127, 237, 238, 239, 240, l 5 l , I 5 2 , I 5 3 ,t 5 4 , 215,2+8,218
Sadb I2.1, l5'+, 159, 234,235 I29, 136, r52, t51 241.2+5.2+6.246 163,167,170, r70, vili 178,l8l, 184,I85,
163. 163 S k u l 2d l I , 2 I l , 2 3 9 , Taranis 168, 168 ThorkillI92 r71.239 r93, 209,2r5,2+6,
Sages and Seers I 14- 250 T a r p e i a8 I , 8 l ThorsteinI97 TuireannI09, 170 217,2+8,25r
II5 Sleipnir182,198,198, Tarpeius, Spurius 8I Thrace26, +8,50, 65, Tuonela238 Vingir 232
Salmacis 49,49 200.226.227 Tarquinia 27 67,69 Tuonetar238 VirgrlII, 36, 50
Samhain, feast of 98, Sno2 r I 9 ,2 1 9 Tarquinius Collatinus Thrall2l9,2l9 Tuoni238,238 Virginia88,88
104, I70 Sol(Classical) seeHelios 60 ThrudI78, 238 swanof 203 Virginius 88
Samildanach see Lugh Sol(Norse) 186.2I8 Tarquinius Sextus 60, ThrudgelmirI84 Tumus 87 Viviane150
Samos 47 Sorcerers and spells 60,82,82 ThrymI85, 207,208, Tuulikki 230 MadimirofKiev174,
Sampo, the 2, 196, 220-221 Tarquinius Superbus 235, 238,238 Twrch Trwyth l4'+, 216-217.2+7
t97 .22L. 211 S p a r tIa5 , 1 9 , 3 2 , 3 8 , 27, 52.60, 82, 82 Thyestes 10, I5,26,56 1 5 7 ,I 7 0 , 1 7 0 Vlkodlak2'18
S a n g r e a l9 3 , 9 4 , 9 7 , 46,60-6r,72.81 T a r t a r u s5 + , 5 1 , 8 I , 8 6 , Thyone2I Tyndareos,l(ng of VolossccVeles
100, l0l, l0r, r05, Sphinx33, 56, 58, 66, 87 Tiamat25I Spana32,38,+6,57, Volsci32

256