A H A ND B O O K

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O F M Y TH O L O G Y.

THE

M YTHS A ND L E GE NDS

A NCIENT GRE E CE AND ROME ,

E . M . B E RE NS .

I L L US TRA TE D FR OM A N TI QUE S C UL P T URE S .

NE W Y ORK

C L A RK M A Y N A RD, PUB L I SH E RS,

77 1 B R O AD W A Y A ND 67 69 N I N TH ST .
A C O M PLE T E C O URS E I N T HE S T UD Y O F E N G LI S H .

Sp elling, L a ng u ag e Gr a mm a r Co mp os it ion, L it erature.

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Re e d s W ord L e ssons —A C om ple t e Speller

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Re e d K ello g g s G ra d e d L e ssons in E ng lish

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Re e d K e llo g g s Hig her L e ssons in E ng lis h

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K e llo g g s T e xt B ook o n Rhe t ori c

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E ng lish L it e rat ure

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K ello gg s T e xt -
B ook on .

I n t h e pre pa ra t i o n o f t h isseri es t h e a ut h o rs h ave h a d o n e o bj e c t

c le a rl y i n v i e w
—
t o s o d e v el o p t h e s t ud y o f t h e E n g lis h l a ng ua g e as t o

pre s en t a co m ple t e pro g res s i v e c o urse fro m t h e S pe ll i n g B o o k t o t h e

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s t ud y o f E n g lis h L i t era t ure T h e t ro ubl e s o m e c o n t ra d i c t io n s w h ich

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a ri s e i n us ing b o o k s a rra n g e d b y d i fi e re n t au t h o rs o n t h e s e su bj e c t s
'

a n d w h i ch re q uire m uch t i m e fo r e xpl a n a t io n i n t h e s ch o o l ro o m w ill -

,

be a v o id e d by t h e u s e o f t h e a b o v e C o m ple t e C o urse
!
.

T ea ch e rs a re e a rn es t l y i n v i t e d t o e xa m i n e t h e s e b o o ks .

C LA RK M A YN A RD P u bli s h e rs, ,

7 7 1 B r o a d w a y , N e w Yo rk .
 P R E FA C E .

THE want o f aninteres t ing wo rk o n G reek an d Ro m an m yt h o

lo gy sui table fo r t h e req
,
uire m ents o f bo t h bo y s a n d g irl s h as,

lo ng bee n reco g nized by t h e principa ls o f o u r a d vance d sc h o o l s .

Th e stud y o f t h e c l a ssi c s t h e m sel v es eve n w h e re t h e a t t a in

,

m ents o f t h e pupi l h a v e ren d ere d t h is fe a sible h as n o t b een

,

f o und a lt o g et h er success f ul in g i vi n g t o t h e s tu d ent a clea r

a n d s u cc inc t id ea o f t h e relig i o us belief s o f t h e a nc ients a n d it
,

h a s been su g g este d t h a t a w o rk wh i c h wo ul d so d ea l wit h t h e

subj ec t a s t o rend er it a t o n c e i nteresting a n d i n s t ructi v e
wo ul d be h a ile d as a v a lu a b le intro d u c ti o n t o t h e s t ud y o f
c l a ssic a ut h o rs ,
an d wo ul d be f o und t o a ssist ma teri a lly t h e

labo urs o f bo t h m a s t er a n d pup il .

I n end ea v o u ring t o su pply t h i s wa nt I h a v e s o u g h t t o plac e

befo re t h e read er a li feli k e picture o f t h e d eit ies o f c l a ss ica l
t i m es a s t h ey were c o n c eived a n d wo rsh i ppe d by t h e a n cients
t h e m sel ves an d th e reby t o awa ken i n t h e mind s o f yo un g
,

st ud ents a d esire t o beco me mo re inti m ately acq u a inted wit h

t h e n o ble pro d u ct io ns o f c l a ssi ca l anti q
uity .

l t h a s been m y a i m t o rend er t h e L eg en d s wh i ch fo rm t h e
,

se c o n d po rti o n o f t h e wo rk a pi c ture a s it were o f o ld G reek

, , ,

li fe its c u s t o m s i t s su persti ti o ns a n d its princel y h o spitali t ies

, , ,

f o r w h ic h rea so n t h ey a re g i v en a t so mewh at g reater len g th

th a n is usua l in wo rks o f t h e k in d .

In a ch a pter d e v o t ed t o t h e pur po se s o m e inte restin g par

t ic u la rs h a v e been co llec ted res pec t in g t h e publi c wo rs h ip o f
t h e an c ient G re e ks a n d Ro m ans ( m o re espec i a lly o f t h e
f o r m er) t o wh ic h is su bj o ined a n acc o unt o f t h ei r princip a l
,

fes t i vals .

I m a y ad d th a t n o p a ins h a v e been spa re d in o rd er th a t ,

with o ut p a ssing o ver d eta i ls t h e o missi o n o f wh ic h wo uld h a v e

20 0 7 5 1 5
I! PR EFAC E.

m a rred t h e co m pleteness o f th e wo rk n o t a sin g le passag e

,

sh o ul d be f o un d wh ich co u l d po ssi bly o fie n d t h e mo st sc ru pu .

l o us d eli ca cy ; a n d also t h at I h a v e purpo s el y t reated t h e

subj ec t wi th th at reverenc e wh i ch I c o nsid er d u e t o e v ery
relig i o us syste m h o wever erro neo us
, .

I t is h a rdl y ne cessa ry t o d wel l u po n t h e impo rta n c e o f t h e

st ud y o f M y t h o lo g y : o u r po ems o u r n o vels a n d e v en o u r
, ,

d aily j o u rn als tee m with c l a ssic a l a llusi o ns n o r c a n a visit t o

o u r a rt g all eries a n d m u se u m s b e f ul ly en j o ye d wi t h o ut s o m e

t h ing mo re t h an a mere supe rfic ia l k n o wled g e o f a subj ec t .

wh i ch h as i n a ll a g es ins pir e d pa inters sc ul pto rs a n d po ets

, ,
.

I t t h ere fo re o nly re m ai n s f o r me t o e x press a h o pe t h a t m y

litt le wo rk m a y pro ve use ful n o t o nl y t o te ac h ers a n d sc h o la rs
, ,

but al so t o a la rge cl a ss o f g ene ra l re ad e rs w h o in wh i l ing

, ,

a wa y a l ei s u re h o u r m ay d erive so me pleasu re an d pro fit

,

fro m its perusal .

E. M . B E R E NS .
 C O N TE N TS .

PA RT I .
—
M YTH S .

INTRO Du crI O N,

FIR S T D Y N A S TY .

O RIG I N O F THE W OR L D
U RAN US A ND GE A ( C oel u s an d Terra ) ,

S E C O N D D Y NA S TY .

C B O NU S ( Sa t u rn )
RH EA ( O ps ) ,

D I VIS I O N O F TH E W ORLD ,
THEOR I ES A S TO T H E O RI G IN OF M A N,

TH I R D D Y N A S TY .

O L YM ZPIA N D IV I NIT I E S
ZE US (J u pit e r ) ,

H ERA ( J u n o ) ,

PA L L A s A T HEN E (M in er v a ) ,

T HE M IS ,

H ES TI A ( Ves a ) , t
DE M E I E B ( C e re s ) ,
’ ‘

A P HRODITE ( Ven us ) ,
H E LI OS ( So l ) ,
E 08 ( A u ro r a ) ,
P HCE B US A -
P O LL O
H E C AT E ,

S E L EN E ( L u n a ) ,

A R T EM I S ( D i an a ) ,
HE P l UE S TUS ( Vu l can ),
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P OSEI DO N ( Ne pt u n e ) ,
iv C O N T EN TS.

DIVI NI TI E S
O CE ANUS,
N ERE US ,
P RO TE Us,
T R ITO N AN D THE TRI TONS,
G L A UC Us ,
THE TI s ,
T HAUM AS ,
P HO R c , AN D C E TO ,
LE U CO T HEA,
THE SI RE Ns,
A RES ( M a rs ) ,

N IK E ( Vi ct o ri a ) ,

HERMES ( M e rcu ry ) ,

D I O NYSUS ( B acc h u s or L ibe r ) ,

A IDES ( P l u t o )
P L UTUs ,

M IN O R D IV I NITIE S
T HE H AR P IE S ,
E Rm E uM E NID E s ( Fur iae Dir e a),
-
YE s , ,

M om on FA TE s ( P arcae ) ,

N E ME SIS,

NI G HT A ND H E R C HIL DREN
N Yx ( N o x) ,
T HA NA To s (M or s) ,
H YPNUS ( So m n u s ),
M ORP HE US ,

THE G O RG O Ns ,
G RIE AE,
S PHIN X ,

A TE .

M OM U S ,

E RO S ( C u pi d, A m o r) an d P B YC HE ,

IR IS ,

HE RE ( J u v en t as ),
G ANYM EDE S,
 THE M USE s ,
P E G A S Us ,
TH E H E s PE RI D E s ,
C HA RITE s OR G RA CES ,
H ORE ( Se a so n s ) ,
T HE N YM PE S,
T HE W I N D S ,
PA N ( Fau n us ) ,
THE SA TYRs ,
P RIAPUS,
A S C L EP I AS ( Z E sc u l apiu s ) ,

ROM A N DIV I NITIE S

JANUS ,

FL OR A ,

Ro RIG Us ,
P OMO NA,
V ERTU M NU S,
PA L E s,
P ICUS,
P I C U M NU S
‘

A ND P I LUM NUS,
S I L VA N Us ,
T ERM I NUS ,
C ON S US ,

L I B ITI NA,
LAVERNA,
C OM U S ,

C A ME NE ,

G ENI I,
M ANES ,
P E NA TE s ,

PUB L I C W O RSHIP A NC IENT G REEK S A ND

TE M PL E s,

ST A T U E S ,
A L TA R S ,

P RI E s 'rs ,
SA C R I FI C ES ,
O RA C L E s ,
SO OTHSA YE Rs ,
v1 C O NTE NT8.

A UG URs ,

G REE K FE STIVA L S
E L E US I N IAN M YS TERI ES ,

THES MO P H ORIA,
D I O NYS IA,

DA P HNE PHO B IA ,

ROM A N FE S TIVA LS
S A TURNA L IA,
C EREA L IA,
V ES TAL I A,

PA RT II .
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L E G E NDS .

C AD M US,
‘

P ERSE U S,
I O N,
DE D AL US AND I CARUS ,

TH E A RG O NA UTs ,

P E L O Ps ,

BELL EROPHO N ,

THESE U S ,

(E DI PUR,

THE S E VEN A GAINS T THE RE s ,

THE E PI GO NI,
A L C M E O N AND T HE N E C K LA C E,
THE H E RA C L ID E ,
T HE SI EGE o r T RO Y,
RETURN o r THE G RE E K s FRO M
 M YT H S A ND L E G E ND S

O F A N C I E N T G RE E C E A N D RO M E .

P A RT I .
—
M YTHS .

INTRO DUCTI ON .

B E FO RE ente rin g upon the many strange beliefs o f the

ancient Greeks and the extrao rdi nary num ber o f gods
,

they worshipped we must fir st consider what kind o f

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be in gs these divini ties were .

In appearance the go ds were supposed t o resemble

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morta ls whom howev er they far surp as sed in beauty

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grandeur and strength ; they were also more command

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i n g in sta ture height being considered by the Greeks an

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attribute of beauty in man o r woman They resembled .

human beings in their feelings and habits in termarrying ,

and having children and requiri ng daily nourishment to

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recruit their strength and refreshing sleep to restore their

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energies T h eir blood a b ri ght ethereal fluid c alled Ichor

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, ,

never engendered disease and when shed had the power , , ,

o f producing new life .

The Greeks beli eved that the menta l qualifications o f

their gods were o f a much higher order than those of men ,

but nevertheless as we shall see they were not considered

, ,

t o be exempt from human passions and we frequently ,

behold them actuate d by revenge deceit and j ealousy .

Th ey h o wever always punish t lie evil d oer and visi t

, ,

, ,

with dire calamities any impious mortal wh o dares t o

neglect their worship o r despise their rites We ofte n .

hear o f them visitin g man kind and partaki ng o f their

hospitality and n o t unfrequently both gods and goddess es
,
8 M YT H S OF AN C I E N T G R EE C E A ND ROM E .

become attached t o mortals with whom they uni te them ,

selves the offspring o f these un i ons being call ed heroes o r

,

demi gods who were usually renowned for their great

—
,

strength and co u ra e But although there were so manyg .

points o f resemblance between gods and men there re ,

mained the o n e great characteristic disti nction v iz that , .

,

the gods enj oyed immortality Sti ll they were n o t in vul .

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n e rable and we often hear o f them being wounded and

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sufferin g in consequence such exquisite torture that they

have earnestly prayed t o be deprived o f their privilege o f
immortality .

The gods knew no limitation o f time o r space be ing ,

able t o t ransport themselves t o incredible distances with

the speed o f thought They possessed the power o f ren .

dering themselves invisible at will and could a ssu me the ,

forms of men o r animals as it suited their convenience .

They could also transform human beings into trees stones , ,

animals & c either as a pun i shment for their m i sdeeds

,
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o r as a means o f prote cting the individual thus tr a ns ,

formed from impen d ing danger Their robe s were like

,
.

t h ose worn by mortals but were perfect in form and ,

much fin er in tex ture Their weapons also resembl ed .

those used by mankind ; we hear o f spears shields hel , ,

mets bo w s and arrows & c be ing employ e d by the gods

, ,
.
, .

E ach deity possessed a beauti ful ch ariot whi ch drawn by , ,

hor es or other an imals of celestial breed conveyed them

s
,

rapidly over land and sea according t o their ple asure .

Most o f these divinities lived on the summit o f Mount

O lympus each possessing his o r her individual habitation
, ,

and a ll meeting to gether o n festive occasions in the

council chamber of t h e gods where their banquets were
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,
’
enli vened by t h e s w eet strains o f Ap o llo s lyre whilst ,

the beautiful voices o f t h e Muses poured forth their rich

melo di es to his harmoni o u s accompaniment Magn ificent .

temples were erected to their honour w here they were ,

worshipped w ith the greatest solemnity ; rich gif t s were

resented to them and animals an d i ndeed s ometimes, ,

uman bei ngs were sacrificed o n their alt ars

,
.

In t h e study of Gre cian myt hology we meet with s ome

.
 I N TRO DUCT I O N . 9

curious and what may at first sight appe ar u n acco u n t

,

able notions Thus we hear o f terrible giants hurli n g

.

rocks upheavin g mountains and raising earthquakes

, ,

which engulf whole armies these ideas however may be , ,

acco u nted for by the awful conv u lsions Of nature which ,

were in Operati o n in pre historic times Again the daily

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recurring phenomena which to us who kn Ow them to

, ,

be the result o f certain well ascertained laws O f nature ,

are so familiar as to excite no remark were t o the early , ,

Greeks matter Of grave Speculation and not unfrequently

, ,

o f alarm F or instance when they heard the awful roar

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,

o f thunder and saw vivid flashes of li ghtni ng a cco m pa

, ,
nied by black clouds and t o rrents o f rain t h e y be li e v e d , ,

that the great god Of heaven was angry and they trembled ,

at his wrath If the calm and tranquil sea became sud

.

d e n ly agitated and the crested billows rose moun tains

,

h igh dashing furiously against the r o cks and th reatening

, ,

destruction to all within their reach the sea god was ,

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supposed to be in a furious rage When they beheld the .

Sky glowin g with the hues of coming day they thought

that the goddess o f the daw n with rosy fingers was draw , ,

ing aside the dark veil Of night to allow her brother , ,

the sun god to enter upon h i s b ri llian t career Thus

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,
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pe rsoni fy ing all the powers o f nature this very i m agi ,

native and highly poetical nation beheld a divinity in

every tree that grew in e very stream that flowed in
, ,

the bright beams O f the glorious su n and the clear cold , ,

rays of the S ilvery moon ; for them the whole universe

lived and breathed peopled by a thousand forms o f grace
,

and beauty .

T h e most important o f these divinities may have been

something more t h an the mere creations Of an active and
poetical imagination They were possibly human beings
.

w h o had so distinguished themselves in life by their pre

eminence over their fellow mortals that af t er death they
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were deified by the people among w hom they lived and ,

the poets touched with their magic wand the details o f

lives which in more prosaic times would simply have
, , ,

be en record e d as ill ustrious .

10 M YT H S or A N CI E N T G RE E C E A ND R OM E .

It is highly probable that the reputed actions of these

deified beings were commemorated by bards w h o t ra , ,

velling from o n e state to another celebrated their praise ,

in song ; it therefore becomes exceedingly di fficult nay ,

almost impo ssible to separate bare facts from the e x ag

,

g e ra t io n s which never fail to accompany oral traditions .

In order to exemplify thi s let us suppose that O rpheus

, ,

the s o n o f Apollo so renowned fo r hi s extraordi nary

,

musical powers had existed at the present day We

,
.

sho u ld no doubt have ranked him among the greatest of

o u r musicians and honoured him as such but the Greeks
, ,

wi th the ir vivi d imagination and poetic license e x agge r ,

ated his remarkable gifts an d attributed to his music

,

supernatural influence over animate and inanimate nature .

Thus we hear O f wild beasts tamed Of mighty rivers ,

arrested in their course and o f mountains being moved

,

by the sweet tones o f his voice The theory here a d .

v an c e d may possibly prove useful in the future in sug ,

ge s t in g to the reader the probable basis o f many o f the

extraordinary accounts we meet with in the study O f
classical mythology .

And now a few words w ill be necessary concern ing

the religious beliefs o f the Romans When the Greeks .

first settled in Italy they found in the country they col

o n i z e d a mythology belonging to the Celtic inhabitants ,

which according to the Greek custom Of paying reverenc e

, .

t o all gods known o r unkn own they readily adopted

, , ,

selecting and appropriating those divinities which had

the greatest affinity to their o wn and thus they formed ,

a religious belief which natu rall y bore the impress o f its

ancient Greek source A s the primitive Celts however
.
, ,

were a less civilized people than the Greeks their m y ,

t h o lo gy was o f a more barbarous character and this cir ,

cu m s t a n ce combined with the fact that the Romans were

,

not gifted with the vivid imagination o f their Greek

neighbours leaves its mark o n the Roman mythology
, ,

whi ch is far less fertil e in fanciful conceits and deficient ,

in all those fairy like stories and wonderfully poetic ideas

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which so strongly characteriz e that o f the Greeks .

 U RAN U S A ND S E A . ll

O RIG IN O F THE W ORL D —

FIRST D YN A STY .

U R A N U S A N D G A GA .

( C cE L U S A ND TE RRA ) .

The ancient Greeks had sever al di ff erent theories wi th

regard t o the origin o f the world but the generally ,

accepted notion was that before this world came into

existence there was in its place a confu sed mass o f
,

shapeless elements called Chaos These elements be .

comi ng at length consolidated ( by what means does not

appear) resolved themselves into two widely di fferent
,

subst ances the lighter portion o f which soaring o n high

, , ,

formed t h e sky o r firm am e n t and constituted itself into ,

a vast overarching vaul t which protected the firm and

, ,

S olid mass beneath .

Thus came into being the two first great primeval

deities of the Greeks U ranus and Ge o r G aea ,
.

U ranus the more refined deity represented th e light

, ,

and air o f heaven possessing the distinguishing qualities

,

Of light heat purity and omnipresence whilst G aea the

, , , , ,

firm fl at 1 life sustaining earth was worsh ipped as the

, ,
-

great all nourishi ng mother Her many titles refer t o

-
.

her more or less in this character and she appears to ,

have been universally revered among the Greeks there ,

being scarcely a city in Greece which did not contain a

temple erected in her honour ; indeed G aea was held in
such veneration that her name was always invoked when
ever the gods took a solemn oath m ad e an emphatic ,

declaration o r implored assistance

, .

U ranus the heaven was believed to have uni ted him

, ,
:

’
self in marriage with G aea the earth ; and a moment s ,

reflection will show what a truly poetic al and also what ,

a logic al idea this was ; for taken in a figu rative sense , ,

1 e y
Th e a rl G r e e ks s
u p po se d th e e a rt h t o b e a fl a t c ir c l e , i n t h e c e n t r e
o f w h i c h w as G r e e ce s
O c ea n u , t h e o c e a n t re a m , e n c irc le d i t ; t h e
. s
s
M e d i t e rran e a n be i n g su po e d t o fl o w in t o t hi ri e r o n t h e o n e i d e , s v s
an d t h e E u xi n e , o r B lac fi
Sea , o n t h e o t h e r .
12 M YT HS or AN CI E N T G RE E CE A N D RO M E .

this un ion actually does exist The smi les o f heaven .

produce the flowers o f earth whereas hi s long conti nued ,

-

fro w ns exercise so depressing an infl uence upon h i s loving

partner that she no l o nger decks herself in bright and
,

festive robes but responds with ready sym pathy t o hi s

,

mel ancholy mood .

The firs t born c h ild o f Uranus an d G aea was O cean us !

—

the ocean stream that vast exp anse o f ever flo w in g wate r

,
-

whi ch encircled the earth Here we meet w ith another .

l ogical though fanciful conclus ion which a very slight ,

knowled ge o f the workings of nature pro ves t o have be en

jus t and true The ocean is formed from the rai ns whi ch
.

descend from heaven and the stre am s whi ch flo w from

earth By making O ceanus therefore the o ffsprin g o f
.

Uranus and G aea the ancients if we tak e thi s n o tion in

, ,

its literal sense merely assert that the ocean is pr o duced

,

by the combined influence o f heaven an d earth whil st at ,

the same time their fervid and po etical imagi nation led
them t o see in this as in all mani festa tions of the powers
,

o f nat ur e an actu al tangible di vinity

, , .

But U ranus the heaven the embodi ment o f li ght heat

, , , ,

and the breath o f life produced offspring who were o f a ,

much less materi al nature than hi s s o n O ceanus These .

other ch il dren o f his were supposed to occupy the inter

mediate sp a ce which divided him fro m G aea Nearest t o .

U ranus and j ust beneath h i m came Aether ( E ther) a

, , ,

bright creation representing that highly r ari fie d atmo

sphere whi ch imm orta ls al one coul d breathe Then fol .

lowed A er ( Ai r) whi ch was in close pro ximity t o G ae a

, ,

and represented as its name impli es the gr o sser atmo

, ,

sphere surroun ding the earth which m o rta l s could freely

breathe and without whi ch they woul d perish Aether
, .

and A er were separated from each other by di vini ties

called Ne ph e lae These were their restless and wander
.

ing sisters who e xisted in the form of clouds ever fl o at

, ,

1
Owi n g t o t h e ag u e n e v of t he ar i o u ss
ac co u n t v s s
o f cre a t i o n , t h e
o rig in o f t h e p ri m e al g o d v s v
is ar io u l ac co u n te d f o r syTh u , f o r i n . s
st a n ce , O ce an u s, wi t h o m e , be c o m e s s
t h e y o un g e r bro th e o f Uran us r
 URANU S A ND G E A . 13

ing between Aether and Aer G aea al so produced the .

moun tains and Pontus ( the sea) Sh e un ited herself with

,
.

the latte r and their offspri n g were the sea deities Ne r e u s

, ‘
—
,

Thaumas Phorcys Ceto and E urybi a

, , ,

C o e xistent with Uranus and G aea were two m ighty

powers who were al s o the offspring of Chaos T h ese .

were E rebus ( Dark ness ) and Ny x ( Night) who formed ,

a striki n g contrast t o the cheerful ligh t o f heaven and

the bright smiles of earth E rebus reigned in that mys .

t e ri o u s world below where no ray of sunshine no gleam ,

o f daylight nor vestige of health giving terrestrial life

,
-

ever appeared Nyx the sister o f E rebus represented

.
, ,

Night and was worshipped by the ancients with the

,

greatest solemn ity .

U ranus w as also supposed to have been un ited to Nyx ,

but only in his capacity as go d of light he bei n g considered ,

the source and fountain o f all light and their children ,

were E o s (Au rora) the Dawn and Hemera the Daylight

, , ,
.

Nyx again o n her side was also doubly un ited having

, ,

been married at some indefinite period to E rebus .

In addi tion to those children of heaven and earth

already enumerate d Uranus and G aea produced two dis ,

t in ct ly di ff erent races o f bei n gs called G iants and Titans .

The Giants personified br u te strength alone but the ,

Titans united to their great physical power intellectual

qualifications variously developed There were three .

Giants Briareus Cottus and Gyges who each possessed

, , , ,

a h u ndred hands and fifty heads and were known col ,

le ct iv e ly by the name o f the Hecatoncheires which ,

signified hundred handed These mighty Giants could

-
.

shake the universe and produce earth quakes ; it is there

fore evident that they represented those active su bt e r
ran e an forces to which allusion has been made in the

opening chapter The Titans were twelve in number ;

.

their names were : O ceanus Ceos Crios Hyperion , , , ,

Iapetus Cronus Theia Rhea Themis Mnemosyne

, , , , , ,

P h oebe and Tethys

,
.

No w U ranus the chaste l i ht o f heaven the essence

, g ,

o f all that is b ri ght and pleasing held in abhorrence his ,

14 M YT HS OF AN CI E NT G RE E C E A ND ROM E .

crude rough and tu rbul ent offspri ng the Giants and

, , , ,

moreover feared that their great power might even

t u ally prove hurtful t o himself He therefore hurl e d .

them into Tartarus t h at portion of the lower world

,

whi ch served as the subterranean dungeon o f the god s

In order t o avenge the Oppression o f her children the ,

Giants G aea instigated a conspirac y o n the part o f the

,

Ti t ans against U ran u s which w as carried t o a succ ess

,

ful issue by her so n Cronus He wounded h i s fath er .

,

and from the blood o f the wound which fell upon the
earth spran g a race o f monstrous beings al so called
Giants Assisted by hi s brother Titans Cronus succeed ed
.
-

in dethronin g his father who enr aged at his defeat , , ,

cursed hi s rebellious son and foretold t o hi m a similar ,

fate Cronus now bec a me i nvested with supreme power

.
,

and assigned t o h i s brothers offices o f di stinction subo r ,

d i n a te only t o h imself Subsequently however when .

, , ,

secure o f his position he no longer ne e ded their as sist

,

ance he basely repaid their former servi ces with treachery

, ,

made war upon his b1 others and faithful allies and as , ,

siste d by the Giants complete ly defeate d them sending

, ,

such as resisted his all conquerin g arm dow n into t h e —

lowest depth s o f Tartarus .

SE C O ND D YNA STY .

C RO N U S ( SA TURN ) .

Cr onus was the god of time in its sense o f eternal

duration He marri ed Rhea dau ghte r o f Uran us and
.
,

G aea a very important divin ity to whom a special chapte r

, ,

will be devoted hereafter Their children were three .

,

sons
and
and Hera (Juno ) Cronus having an uneasy conscience
.
, ,

was afraid th at h i s childr en might o n e day rise up against

h i s authority and thus veri fy the prediction of his father
,

( 73 )
 C RONU S ( SA TURN) . 15

Uranus In order therefore to render the prophecy i m

.
, ,

p o ssible o i fulfilment Cronus s w allowed each child as ,

soon as it was born ‘ greatly to the sorrow and indign a

,

tion o f his wife Rhea \Vhen it came to Zeus the sixth.

,

and last Rhea resolved to try and save this o n e child at

,

least to love and cherish and appealed to her parents

, , ,

U ranus and G aea for counsel and assistance By their

,
.

advice she wrapped a stone in baby clothes and Cronus -

, ,

in ea ge r haste swallowed it without noticing the d e ce p

, ,

tion The child thus saved eventually as we shall see

.
, , ,

dethroned his father Cronus became supreme g o d in his ,

stead and was universally venerated as the great national

,

god o f the Greeks .

Anxious to preserve the secret o f his existence from

Cronus Rhea sent the in fant ,

Zeus secretly to C rete where ,

he was nour ish ed protected , ,

and educated A sacred goat .

,

call ed Amalthea supplied the ,

place of h i s mother by pro vid ,

i n g him with milk ; nymphs ,

called M e lis s a e fed him with ,

honey and eagles and doves ,

brought h im nectar and am

2
bro sia He was kept concealed .

in a cave in the heart o f

Mount Ida and the Curetes o r , ,

priests o f Rhea by beating their ,

shields together kept up a co n ,

stant noise at the entrance ,

which drowned the cries o f the

child and frightened away all
intruders U nder the watch ful .

care of the Nymph s the infant Zeus throve rapidly ,

developing great physical powers combined with extra ,

1
y
Th e m t h o f C o n u r s s w l l wi g h i h i l d
a o i vi d
n s c re n s e en y i te d d
tl n n e
b s
t h e p o e t t o e xp re ss t h m l h l y t t h t h t t i m d s t ys all
y
e e an c o ru a e e ro
t in
h e ct ar was t h e d ri k n d m b si t h f d f t h g
, an a ro a e o o o e o ds.
16 M YT HS or AN CIE N T G R E E C E A ND n o u s .

ordinary wi sdom and intelligence Grow n t o manh ood .

,

be de t e rmined t o compel his father t o restore his br o thers

and si st e rs t o the light o f day and is sa id t o h ave been
‘ ,

assisted in this di ffi cul t task by the goddess Metis who ,

artfull y persuaded Cronus t o drink a potion which caused ,

h i m t o give back the children he had swallow e d Th e .

stone whi ch had counterfeited Zeus was placed at Delphi ,

where it w as lo n g e xhibited as a sacred relic .

Cronus w as so e n ra ed at being c ircumven t ed that war

g

between the father and son be came inevita ble The rival .

forces ran ged themselves o n two separate h igh mountain s

in Thessaly ; Zeus with his brot h ers and sisters took
, ,

hi s stand o n Moun t O lympus where he w as j oined by

'

O ceanus and others o f the Titan s who had forsak en

, ,

Cronus o n account o f hi s oppressions Cronus an d hi s .

brother Tita ns took possess ion of Mount O t h ry s and pre

—
,

pared for battle The struggle was long and fierce

.
,

and at length Zeus fin ding that he was no nearer ,

victo ry than before bethought himself o f the exi stence

,

o f the imprison e d Giants and k nowing that they would ,

be able t o render him most powerfu l assista nce he ,

has t ened t o liberate them He also call ed to his aid .

1
the Cyclops ( sons of Poseidon and Amphi trite) who ,

had onl y o n e e y e each in the middle o f their foreheads ,

and were called Brontes ( Thu nder) Ster o pes ( L ightning) , ,

and Pyr acm o n (F ire anvil ) They promptly responded

-
.

t o hi s summons for help and brought with them t re ,

mendons thun derb o lts which the Hecatoncheires with ,

the ir hu ndred hands hurled down upon the enemy at the

, ,

same time raising mighty eart hquakes which swall ow ed ,

up and destroyed all w h o oppo sed them Aided by .

these new an d po w erful alli es Zeus now made a furious ,

onslaught 0 11 h i s enemi es and so tremendous w as the ,

encounter that all nature is sai d t o have throbbed in

acco rd with thi s migh ty effort o f the celestial deiti e s
The sea rose mountai ns hi gh and its angry bill ows ,

l y s
Th e C c lo p are g e n era l ly
m e n t i o n e d as t h e o n o f Uranu an d s s s
G aza , bu t Ho m e r pe a s ks y
o f Po l p h e m u , t h e c h i e s
o f t h e Cy c lo ps , as f
s s s y
t h e so n o f Po e id o n , an d t a t e t h e C c l o p t o be h is bro t h e r . s s
( 73 )
 011 0 a ( SATURN) . 17

h issed and foamed ; the earth shook to its foun dations ,

the heavens sent forth rolling thunder and flash after ,

flash o f death bringing lightning whilst a blinding mi st

-

enveloped Cronus and his al lies .

And n o w the fortunes o f war began to tur n and ,

victory smi led o n Zeus Cronus and his army were

.

completely overthr own hi s brothers despatc hed to the

,

gloomy depths o f the lower world and Cronus himself ,

was bani shed from his kin gdom and deprived for ever of
the supreme power which n o w became vested in his so n
,

Zeus . This war was called the Titanomachi a and is ,

most graphically described by the o ld classic poets .

With the defeat o f Cronus and his banishment from

his domi nions hi s career as a ruling Greek di vin ity
,

entirely ceases But being like all the gods immortal

.
, , ,

he was supposed t o be still in exi stence though pos ,

sessing no longer either influence o r authority his place ,

fi ll e d t o a certain extent by his descendant and

successor Zeus ,
.

Cronus is often re pre

sented as an o ld man lean
ing on a scythe with an ,

hour glass in hi s hand-

.

The hour gl ass symbolizes -

t h e fas t fl e e t in g m o m e n t s as
-

they succeed each other u n

c e as in gly ; the scythe is em

ble m at i cal o f time which ,

mows down all before i t .

SA TU RN.

The Ro mans according ,

t o their custom o f i d e n t i
fyin g their deities with
those o f the Greek gods
whose attributes were simi
lar to their own declared ,

Cronus to be identical with their o ld agricul tural divinity

Satur n They be lieved that after his defeat in the
.

( 73 ) B
I8 M YTHS OF A N CI E N T G R E E C E A ND RO M E .

Titanomachia and his banishment from hi s dominions

by Zeus he took refuge with Janus king o f Italy who
, , ,

received the exiled deity with great kindness and even ,

shared his throne with him Their un ited reign became .

so thoroughly peaceful and happy and was distinguished ,

by such uninterrupted prosperity that it was called t h e ,

Golden Age .

Saturn is usually represented bearing a sickle in t h e

o n e hand and a wheat sheaf in the other -
.

A temple was erected to him at the foot o f the Capito

line Hill in which were deposite d t h e public treasury
,

and the laws o f the stat e .

RH E A ( O rs ) .

Rhea the wife of Cronus and mother

,
Zeus and t h e ,
of

other great gods of Ol ympus pers o nified the earth and , ,

was regarded as the Great Mother and unceasing pro

du o er of all plant li fe Sh e was also believed to exerc i se
-
.

unbounded sway over the animal creation more especially ,

over t h e lion the noble ki ng o f beasts Rhea is generally

, .

represented wearing a crown o f turrets o r towers and

seated on a throne with lions crouching at her feet Sh e
, .

is sometimes depic t ed sitting in a ch ario t drawn by li ons ,

.

The principal seat of her worship which was always of ,

a very riotous character was at Crete At her festivals , .

,

which took place at ni ght the wildest music o f flutes , ,

cymbals and drums resounded whilst j oyful shouts and

, ,

cries accompan ied by dancing and loud stamping of feet

, ,

filled the air .

This divinity was introduced into Crete by its first

coloni sts from Phrygia in Asia Minor in which country , ,

she was worshipped under the name o f Cybele The people .

o f Crete adored her as the Great Mother more especially ,

i n her signification as the sustainer o f t h e vegetable

world Seeing however that year by year as winter
.
, , ,

appears all her glory vanish es her flowers fade and her
, , ,

trees become leafless they poetically expressed this ,

process of n atur e under the figu re o f a lost love Sh e .

 D IVI S I ON or T HE W ORL D . 19

was said to hav e been tenderly attac h e d t o a youth o f

remarkable beauty named Atys w h o to h e r grief and
, , ,

indignation proved faithless to her He was about to

,
.

un ite himself t o a nymph call ed Sa aIi s when in the

g , ,
'

midst o f the wedding feast the rage o f the in censed ,

godd e ss suddenly bur st fort h upon all present A pani c .

seized the assembled guests and Atys becoming afflicted , ,

with temporary m adness fle d to the mountains and de

,

stroyed himself Cybele moved with sorr o w and regret

.
, ,

i nstitute d a yearly mourning fo r his loss when her priests , ,

the Corybantes with their usual noisy accompaniments

, ,

marched in to the mountains to seek the lost youth .

‘
Having di scovered him they gave ful l vent to their
ecstatic delight by indulging in the most violent gestic u l a
tions dancing shoutin g an d at the same time woun ding
, , , , ,

an d gashing themselves i n a frightful m anner .

In Ro m e the Greek Rhea was identi fi ed with Ops th e ,

goddess o f plenty the wi fe o f Saturn who had a variety

, ,

o f appellations Sh e was called Ma na Mate r Mater

.
o' -

De o ru m B e re cyn t h ia Idea and also D

,

,
-
indym ene This
, .

latter title she acquired from three high m ountains in

P hrygia whence she was brought to Rome as Cybele
,

during the second Puni c war R C 205 in obedience to ,

.
,

an injunction contained in the Sybi llin e books Sh e was .

represented as a matron crowned with to wers seated in ,

a chariot drawn by li ons .

D I V I SI O N O F T HE W O RL D .

We will now return t o Zeus and his brothers wh o , ,

having gained a complete victo ry over their enemies ,

began to consider how the world w hich they had con ,

1 P o ssi bl y a n i m a e o f h i m
g pl d i re a di n ess ace n .
20 M YT HS or AN CI E N T G R E E CE A ND ROM E .

quere d should be divid e d between them At las t it was

, .

settled by lot that Zeus should reign supreme in Heaven ,

’
whilst Aides g o vern e d the L ower \l o rld and Poseidon ,

had full command over the Se a but the supremacy o f ,

Zeus was recognized in all three kingdoms in heaven on , ,

earth (in which o f course the sea w a s included ) and under ,

the earth Zeus held his court o n the top o f Mount

.

O lympus whose summit w a s beyond the clouds ; the

,

domini ons o f Ai des were the gloomy un known regions

below the earth ; and Poseidon reigned over the sea .

It wi ll be seen that the rea lm o f each o f these gods

was enveloped in mystery O lympus was shrouded i n .

mists Hades was wrapt in gl oomy darkn ess and the sea
, ,

was and indeed still is a s o urce o f w onder and dee p

, ,

interest Hen ce we see that what t o other nati o ns were

.

merely strange phenomen a served thi s poetical and ,

a in a t i v e people as a fO Im d a t i o n upon w hich t o bui ld th e

g
wonderful stories o f their mythology .

The di vision of the world be ing now satisfacto rily

arranged it would seem that all th ings ought t o h ave
,

gone o n smoothly but such was n o t the case Trouble

“

.
,

arose i n an un l ooked for quarter Th e Giants those .

,

hideous monsters ( some w i t h legs fo rmed o f serpe nts)

who had sprung from the earth and th e blood o f U ranus ,

declared war agai nst th e tri umphant deiti e s o f O lympus ,

and a struggle ensued which in consequence o f G ae a hav , ,

ing m ade t hese children o f hers invi ncible as long as

they kept their feet o n the ground was w e aIi so m e and ,
’
protracte d Their mother s precauti o n how ever was , ,

render e d unava iling by pieces o f rock being hurl ed upon

them which threw them down and their feet being
, ,

no longer plac ed firmly o n their mother earth they were -

overc o me and th is te dious war (w hich was c alled th e

,

Giganto machia ) at l ast came t o an end A mong the most .

d arin g of these earth born giants were E ncelad us Rh oetus

-

, ,

and the valiant Mimas who with youthful fire and , ,

energy hurled a ai nst heaven great masses o f rock an d

,
g

burning oak trees and defied the lightnings o f Zeus One

,
.

o f the most p owerful monsters who oppos e d Zeus In this

 T E H OR I E S As To THE OR IG I N or MA N . 21

war called Typhon o r Typh oeus He was the youn g

w as .

e s t son o f Tartar us and G aea and h ad a h un dred heads

, ,

w ith eyes which struck terror to the beholders and awe ,

insp iring voices frightful t o hear Thi s d read ful monster .

resolved to conquer b o th go ds and men but his plan s ,

were at len gth defeat ed by Zeus who after a v iolent , ,

enco u nter succeed e d i n destro yi n g him with a thunder

,

bolt but not befo re he had so terrified the gods that they
,

h ad fled fo r refuge t o E gy pt where they metamorphos e d

,

themselves into different an imals and thus escap e d .

T H E O RI E S A S TO T HE O RI G I N
OF M A N .

Jus t as there were several theories concerning the o ri gin

o f the worl d so there were vari ous accounts o f the creation
,

of m an .

Th efirst natural belief o f the Greek people was that

man had sprun g from the earth They saw the tender .

plants and flowers fo rce th e ir way through the groun d

in the early spri n g of the year after the frost o f w i nter
had disappeared and so they naturally conclud e d that
,

man must also have issued from the earth in a similar

manner L ike the wild plants and flowers he was sup
.
,

p o sed to have h ad no cultivation and resembled in h i s ,

habits the untamed beasts o f the field having no habita ,

tion ex cept that which nature had provided in the holes

o f the rocks and in the dense forests whose overarc h ing
,

boughs protected h im from the inclemency of the weather .

In the cours e o f time these primitive hum an beings

bec ame ta med and civilized by the g o ds and heroes w h o ,

taught them t o work in met a l s t o build houses and other, ,

useful arts o f ci v ilization But the hu man race became

.

in the co u rse of time so degenerate that the gods re so lv ed

t o destroy all ma nki nd by means o f a flood ; Deucalion
22 M YT HS OF A N CI E N T G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

( son o f Prometheus ) and his wi fe Pyrrha being o n ao , ,

coun t O i their piet y the only mortals saved

, .

By t h e comm and of hi s father Deucalion built a ship , ,

in whi ch he and hi s wife took refuge d u Ii n g the deluge ,

which lasted for nine days When the waters abat e d .

the ship rested o n Mount O t h ry s in Thessaly o r according ,

to some on Moun t Parnassus Deucalion and his wife .

now cons ulted the oracl e o f Themis as t o how the hum a n

rac e might be restored The answer was that they were
.
,

to cover their heads and t h row the bones of their mother

,

behind them F or s o me time they were perplexed as t o

.

the meaning of the oracul ar command but at length both ,

agre e d that by the bones of their mother were meant the

stones o f the earth They accord ingly took up stones
.

from the mountain side and cast them over the ir shoulders .

F rom those thrown by Deucalion there sprang up men ,

and from those thrown by Pyrrh a w o men , .

Af t er the lapse o f time the theory o f Autochthony

( from au tos self and ch i/i on earth ) was l ai d aside When
, , ,
.

this belief exis t ed there were no religious teachers what

ever ; but in c o urse o f time temples were raised in h o n
o u r of the di fferent gods and priests appointed to o ffer ,

sacrifices to them and conduct their w o rsh ip These .

priests were looked upon as authorities in all religious

matters and the doctrine they taught was that man h ad
, ,

been created by the gods and that there had been several ,

successive ages o f m e n whi ch were called the G olden

, ,

Silver Brazen and Iron Ages

, ,
.

L ife in the Golden Age was o n e unceasing round o f

ever recur ri ng pleasures unmarred by sorrow o r care The
-
.

favour ed mortals living at this happy time led pure and

j oyous lives think ing no evil and doing no wr ong The
, ,
.

earth brought forth fruits and flowers without to il or

labour in plentiful luxuriance and war w as un known T hi s ,
.

delightful and god like existence lasted for hun dreds of

-

years and when at length life o n earth was ended death

, ,

laid hi s hand so gently upon th em that they passed pain

lessly a way in a happy dream and continued their exist .

e n ce as minist e rin
g spirits in Had es , w atchin g over and
 T H E OR I E S A s TO THE OR I G I N O F M A N. 23

those they had loved and left beh ind o n earth

t e c t in g
plp
r .

e men of t h e Silver A ge were a long time gr o wing up

‘
,

and during their ch ildhood which l a sted a hundr ed years , ,

they suffered from ill health and extreme debility When-

.

they at last became men they lived but a Short time for ,

they wo u ld not abstain from mutual inj u ry nor pay the ,

service due to the gods and were therefore bani shed to ,

Hades There u n like the bei n gs o f the Golden Age they

.
, ,

exerci s ed no be n e fice n t supervision over the dear ones

left behind but wandered about as restle s s spi ri ts always
, ,

sighing for the lost pleasures they h ad enj oyed in life .

The men o f the Brazen A ge were quite a different race

o f beings being as stro n g and powerfu l as those o f th e
,

Silver A ge were we a k and enervat e d E verything which .

surrounded them was o f brass ; their arms the ir tools , ,

their dwell ings and all that they m ade Their ch aracters
, .

seem t o have resembled the metal In w hich they delighted ,

their minds and hearts we re hard obdurate and cruel , , .

T h ey led a life of strife and contention introduced into ,

.

the world which had hitherto kno w n nothi ng but peace

,

and tranquillity the scourge of war and were in fac t only

, ,

happy when fighting and quarrelling w ith each other .

Hitherto Themis the goddess o f Justice had b e en living

, ,

among man kind but becoming disheartened at their evil

,

doi ngs she abandoned the earth and w inged her flight
, ,

ba k to heaven
c At last the gods bec ame so tired o f
.

their ev i l deeds and continual dissensi o ns that they re ,

moved them from the face o f the earth and sent them ,

down t o H ades to share the fate o f their predecessors .

We now come to the men o f the Iron Age The .

earth no longer teeming with fruitfuln ess o n ly yielded

, ,

her increase after much t o il and lab o ur Th e goddess .

o f Justice having abandoned m a nkind no influence ,

remained sufficiently powerful t o preserve them from

every kind of w ickedness and Sin T h is condition grew .

worse as time went on u ntil at last Zeus in h is anger let,

loose the water courses from above and drowned eve ry

-

1
Th i s ag e w as t m po ra r y wi t h t h e c o m m e n e m n t o f t h e d y n as t y
co n e c e
of Z eu s.
24 M YT HS OF A N CI E NT G RE E C E A ND ROM E .

indi v idu al o f thi s evi l r ace except Deucalion and ,

Pyrrha .

l
The theory of Hesiod t h e oldest o f all the Greek p o ets
, ,

was that the Titan Prometheus the s o n o f Iapetus h ad , ,

formed man out o f clay and that Athene had breathed ,

a soul into h im F ull o f love for the bei ngs he h ad call e d

.

into exi s t ence Prometheus dete rmined to elevate their

,

minds and impr o ve their condi tion in every way ; h e

therefore taught them astronomy mathematics the alpha , ,

bet how t o c u re dis e ases and the art o f divination He

, , .

created this race in such great numbers that the gods

began t o see the necessity o f instituting certain fixed
laws with regard t o the sacrifices due to them and the ,

worship t o which they considered themselves entitled

from mank ind in return fo r the protection w hi ch they
accorded them An assembly was therefore convened at
.

M e co n e in o rder to settle these points It was d e cid e d .

that Prometheus as the advo cate o f man shoul d slay an

, ,

ox whi ch shoul d be di vided into two equal parts and

, ,

that the gods shoul d select o n e po rtion which should

henceforth in all future sacrifices be set apart for them
, ,
.

Prometheus s o divided the o x that one part consisted of

the bones (which fo rmed of co u rse the le as t valuable po r
tion of the ani mal ) artfu lly concealed by the white fat ;
,

whilst the o ther contained all t h e edible parts which he ,

covere d with the ski n and o n the t o p o f all he l aid t h e

,

stom ach .

Zeus pretending to be deceived chose the heap o f bones

, , ,

but he saw through t h e stratagem and was so angry at ,

the deception practised o n hi m by Prometheus that he

avenged himself by refu sing t o mortals the gift o f fir e .

H si d
‘
e s v lv y s f
i s a id t o h a e i ed 850 ear be o re th e Ch ri t i an e ra, co n
o s
s q t ly
e uen abo u t 200 e ar a ter y s f K v
i n g Da i d . lv
He i e d i n B re s t i a,
W h e re h i s t o m b i s ti s ll s s
h o w n a t O rc h o m e n u s . Th i a n c ie n t wri te r eft l
s
be h i n d h im t w o g re a t p o e m , o n e e n u t le d “ Th e W o r a n d Da ,ks
!
in ys
w hi ch h e g i e us vs
o me s l
o f t h e e ar ie s t G re ek l egend s
a n d t h e o t h er,
,
“
s
Th e Th eo go n y , ! c o n ta i n i n g t h e ge n e al o gi e o f t h e g o d ; b u t, n n f o r~ s
t u n a t e l y , bo t h t h e e po e m s s v l
h a e be e n so i n t erpo at e d b y t h e wri t e r s
o f th e Al
e x a n d ri an choo s
th at t h el y v l
h a e o s t t h e ir v l
a u e as re i ab e l l
s o u rce s f
o f i n o rm a t i o n wi t h re g a rd ly
t o t h e ea r be li e of th e fs
G re e k
n at i o n .
 T H E OR I E S A S TO TH E OR I G I N O F M A N. 25

P rometheus however resolved to brave t h e an g e r o f th e

’

, ,

great ruler o f O lympus and t o obtain from heaven the vit al

,

spark so necessary fo r the further progress and comfort o f

t h e b i nnan race He accordingly contrived to steal some
.

sparks from the chariot o f the sun w h ich he conveyed ,

to earth h idden in a hollow tube F urious at being .

again outwitted Zeus determined to be revenged fir st

,

o n mank ind and then o n Pr o metheus

,
To punish the .

former he commanded Heph aestus ( Vulcan ) to mould a

beautiful woman o u t o f clay and determined that through ,

her instrumentality trouble and m isery should be brought

i nto the worl d
The gods were so ch armed w ith the graceful and art istic
creation o f He ph mst u s that they all d eterm ined to endow
,

her with some special gift Hermes ( Mercury) bestowed .

o n her a smo o th persuasive tongue Aphrodi te gave her ,

beauty and the art o f pl easing ; the Graces made h e r

fascinating and Athene (Min erva ) gifted h er with t h e
,

possession o f femi n ine acc o mplishments Sh e was called .

Pandora which means all gifted h aving received every

,
-

attri bute necessary to make her ch arming and irresistible .

Thus beautifully formed and endowed th is exquisite ,

creature attired by the Graces and crowned w ith flowers

, ,

by the Seasons was conducted to the house o f E pimetheus 1

,

by Hermes the messenger o f the gods No w E pimetheus .

had been warned by his brother not to accept any gift

whatever from the gods ; but h e was so fascinated by the
beautiful being who suddenly appeared befo re him that ,

h e welcomed her to his home and made her his wife It , .

was n o t long however before he h ad cause to regret h i s

, ,

weakness .

He had in his possessi o n a j ar o f rare workmanship ,

containing all the blessings reserved by the gods for man

kind which he had been expressly forbidden to Open
,
.

’
But wo man s proverbial curiosity could n o t w ithstand so
great a temptation and Pandora determined to solve the
,

mystery at any cost Watch ing her opportunity she

.

raised the lid and immediately all the blessings which

,

1
E pim e t h e us sig i fie s a ft e r t h
n g h t Pro m t h
-
s f t h gh t
ou ,
e eu o re -
ou .
26 M YTHS OF A N CI E NT G R E E CE A ND RO M E .

the gods had thus reserved for mankind took wi n g and

flew away But all was n o t lost Just as HO pe ( which
. .

lay at t h e bottom ) was about to escape Pandora hastily ,

closed the lid o f the j ar and thus preserv e d to man that ,

never failin g sol ace which helps him to bear with cou rage
-

the many il ls which assail him 1

.

Having p u nished mankind Zeus determined to exe ,

cute vengeance o n Prometheus He accordingly chained .

him t o a rock in Moun t Caucasus and sent an eagle every ,

day t o gnaw away h i s liver which grew a ain every night ,

g

ready fo r fresh torments F or thirty years Prometheus .

endured this fearful pun ishment ; but at length Zeus

relented and permitted his s o n Heracles ( Hercules) t o
,

kill the e agle and t h e sufferer was release d , .

THI RD DYNA STY —

O L YMP IAN DIV INITI E S .

Z E US 2
(J UPITE R) .

Zeus the great presid ing deity o f the univers e t h e

, ,

ruler o f heaven and earth was regarded by the Greeks , ,

first as the god o f all aerial phenomena ; secondly as

, ,

the personification o f the laws o f natu re ; thirdly as lord ,

o f state life ; and fourthly as the father of gods and men

-

, .

As the god of aejri al phenomena he could by shaking ,

his ae gisf pr o duce storms tempests and intense dark

’
, ,

ness At h i s command the mighty thunder rolls the

.
,

lightning flashes and the clouds open and pour forth ,

their refreshing streams to fructify the earth .

As the pers onification o f the operati o ns of nature h e ,

represents those grand laws o f unchan ging and barmo

ni o u s order by which n o t only the physical but also
,

.
1 Th e r e are v
s v si s f t h i s m y t h A
a ri o u d i g to s m t h e j
er on o . cco r n o e ar
or v s w f ll f ll t h i l ls w h i h fl s h i h i t
a e as u o a
“
e c e s e r o .
!

F m Di
ro t h sky
a u s, e .

3 A s d h i ld m d
a c re f
S Z s by H ph st s w h i h d i v d i t
e a e or eu e ae u ,
c er e s
na m f m b i g
e ro v d by t h e ki f t h g t A m al t h t h wo rd
e n co e re s n o e oa ea , e
E g i s si gn i fyin g g oa t s sk i
’
- n.
 Z E U S ( J U PI TE R) . 27

the moral world is governed Hence h e is the god o f .

regulated time as marked by the ch anging seasons and ,

by the regular successi o n o f ( lay and night in c o n t radi s ,

tinction to h i s father Cronus who represents time ah ,

s o lu t e ly i e etern ity
,
. . .

As the lord o f state li fe h e is the founder of ki ngly

—

power the upholder o f all institutions connected with

,

the state and the special friend and patron o f princes

, ,

whom he guards and assists with his advice and coun sel .

He protects the assembly o f th e people and in fact , , ,

watches over the welfar e o f the whole commun ity .

As the father of the gods Zeus sees that each deity ,

performs hi s o r her individual duty pun ishes their mis ,

deeds settles their disputes and acts towards them o n

, ,

all occasions as thei r a ll knowing counsellor and mighty

-

As the father o f men he takes a paternal interest in,

the actions and well being o f mortals He watc hes over

-
.

them with tender solicitude rew arding truth charity and , , ,

uprightness but severely pun ishing perj ury cruelty and

, , ,

want of hospita lity E ven the p o o rest and most forlorn

.

wanderer fin d s in h im a powerful advocate fo r he by a , ,

wise and m e rciful dispensation ordains that the mighty ,

ones o f the earth should succour th eir distressed an d

needy breth ren .

The Greeks believ e d that the home o f th is their

m ighty and all powerful deity was o n the t o p o f Mount
-

O lympus that high and lofty moun tain betw een Th ess al y
,

and Mac edon whose summit wrapt in clouds and m ist

, , ,

was h idden from mort al view It w as supposed that .

this mysteri ous region which even a bird could n o t

,

reach extended beyond t h e clouds right in to Aether the

, ,

realm o f the immortal go ds The poets d e scribe this .

ethereal atmosphere as b right gli st e ning and re fl e sh in g , , ,

e x ercising a pecu liar gl adde n i n g influence over the m inds

,

and hearts o f th o se privil ege d bei n gs permitted t o share

its delights Here youth never a ges and the p assing
.
,

years leave no traces o n its fav o ured inh abitants On .

the clo u d c appe d summit of O l ympus was the palace o f

28 M YT HS OF AN CI E N T G R E E CE A ND ROM E .

Zeus an d Hera o f burni sh e d gold chas ed silver and

, , ,

glea ming ivory L ower down were the h o m e s o f the

.

other gods which though less comm anding in position

, ,

and size were yet sim il ar t o that o f Z eus in design and

,

w o rkm anship all being the work o f the di vin e artist

,

Heph aestus Below these were other palaces of s ilver

.
,

ebony ivory o r bu rnished brass where the Heroes or

, , , ,

Demi go ds resided
-

,
.

A s the worshi p o f Zeus formed so important a featur e

in the reli gion of the Greeks his statues were neces sari ly
,

both numerous and magni ficent He i s usu al ly re pre .

sente d as a man of noble and imposing mien his coun ,

t e n an ce expressing all the lofty maj esty of the omnipotent

ruler of the uni verse combined ,

with the gracious yet seri ous , ,

benign ity o f the father and

fri end of man kin d He may .

be recogni zed by hi s rich flo w

in g beard and the thick ,

masses o f hair which rise ,

s t raight from the high and in

t e ll e ct u a l forehead an d fall t o
hi s shoulders in
locks The nose i
finely formed and the sli ghtly ,

opened lips impart an ai r o f

sympathetic kindl i ness whi ch
i nv i te s confidence He is .

always accompani e d by an
eagle whi ch either surmounts,

h i s sceptre or sits at his feet ; ,

he generally bear s in his u p

lifted hand a sheaf o f thunder bolts just ready t o be -

hurl e d whilst in the other he holds the lightni ng Th e

,
.

head is frequently encircl e d with a wreath of o ak leaves -

.

The m o st celebrated statue o f the Olympi an Zeus was

that by the famous Atheni an sculpto r Phidias which was ,

forty feet high and stood in t h e te mple o f Zeus at

, p
O lympia It was formed of ivory an d gold and was
.
,
 Z E U S ( J U PI TE R) . 29

such a masterpiece of art that it was reckoned among the

,

seven wonders of the world It represented the god .

,

seate d o n a throne holdi ng In his righ t hand a life sized

,

image o f Nike ( the goddess O f Victory) and in hi s left a ,

royal sceptre surmounted by an eagle It is said that the

,
.

great sculpto r h ad concentrated all the marvellous powers

o f hi s geni us o n this sublime conception and earnestly e n ,

treat ed Zeus t o give hi m a decided proof that hi s labours

were approved An answer to his prayer came through the
.

open roof o f the te mple in the shape o f a flash of lightning ,

which Phidias interpreted as a S ign that the go d o f heaven

was pleased with hi s work .

Zeus was fir st worshipped at Dodona in E pirus where , ,

at the foot of Mount To m ar us o n the woody shore of ,

L ake J o an in a was h is famous oracle the most ancient in

, ,

Gre e ce Here the voice o f the eternal and invisible go d

.

was supposed t o be heard in the rustling leaves o f a giant

o ak announcing t o mankind the will o f heaven a nd the
,

destin y of mor t als ; these revelations bein g interpreted t o

the people by the pri ests o f Zeus w h o were c alled Sel li , .

Recent excavations which have been ma de at this spot

have brought to light the rui n s o f the ancient temple o f
Zeus and also among other interes ting rel i cs some plates
, , ,

Of le ad on which are engraved inquiries which were evi

,

d e n t ly m ade by certain i ndividuals w h o consult e d the

'

oracle These little lea den plates speak t o us as it were

.
, ,

in a curiou sly homely manner o f a byg one time in the

buri ed p ast O ne pe rson i nquires what god he should
.

apply t o for health and fort u ne ; another as ks for advice

concerning hi s chi ld ; an d a third evidently a shepherd , ,

prom ises a gift t o the oracle should a speculation in sheep

turn o u t succes sfu lly Had these li ttle memo ri als been of
.

gold ins t ead of lead they would doubtless have shared the
,

fate o f the numerous tre a sures which adorned this and

.

other temples in the universal pill a e whic h to ok place

,
g

when Greece fell into the hands of barbarians .

Though D o dona was the most ancient of his shrines ,

the great national seat o f the wors hip o f Zeus was at

O lympia in E lis where there was a magni ficent temple
,
30 M YTHS or A N C IENT G RE EC E A ND RO M E .

dedicated t o him containi ng the famous colossal statu e

,

by Phidias above described Crowds o f devout worship .

pers flocked to this world reno wned fane from all parts of
-

Greece not only t o pay homage t o their supreme deity

, ,

but also t o j o i n in the celebrat e d games which were held

there at intervals o f four years The O lym pic games .

were such a thoroughly national institution that even ,

Greeks who had left their native country mad e a point

of retur nin g on these occasions if possible in order to , ,

contend with their fellow countrymen in the various -

athletic sports which to o k place at these festival s .

It wi ll be seen on reflection that in a coun try lik e

Greece which contained so many petty state s often at
, ,

vari ance wi th each other thes e national gatherings must

,

have been most valuable as a means o f un i ting the Greeks

in one great bond o f brotherhood O n these festive
occas ions the whole nation met together forgetting fo r c! ,

the moment all past di fferences and uni ting in t h e ,

enj oyment o f the same festivities .

It will doubtless have been remarked that in the

representations o f Zeus he is always accompanied by an
eagle This royal b ird was sacred to him probably from
.
,

the fact o f its being t h e only creatur e capable o f ga zing

0

at the sun without be ing dazzled which may have sug ,

gested the idea that it was able t o contemplate the

splendour o f divine maj esty unshrinkingly .

The o ak tree and also the summits o f mo u ntains were

, ,

sacred to Zeus His sacri fi ces consisted o f white bulls

.
,

cows and goats

,
.

Zeus had seven immo rtal wi ves whose names were ,

Metis Themis E urynome Demeter Mnemosyne L eto

, , , , , ,

and Hera .

M E T I S his first wife was o n e o f the O ceanides o r s e a

, ,

nymphs Sh e was the personification o f prudence and

.

wisdom a convincing proof o f which she di splayed

,

in her successf u l admi nistration o f the potion whi ch

ca us ed Cronus t o yield up his children Sh e was e u .

dowed with the gift o f prophecy and foretold t o Zeus ,

tha t o n e of their chil dre n would gain ascendency over

 Z EU S ( J U P I TE R) . 31

hi m .In order therefore t o avert th e possibili ty o f the

, ,

predicti on being fulfilled he swallowed her before any

chi ldren were bo m t o them F eeling afterwards violent .

pains in his head he sent for Heph aestus an d ordered ,

hi m t o open it w it h an a x e His command was obeyed .

,

an d out sprang with a loud and mart ial sh o ut a beautif ul

, ,

being clad 1 n armour from head to fo ot Th is was Athene

,
.

( Minerva ) goddess of A,
rm ed Resistance and Wisdom .

THE M IS was the goddess o f Justice L aw and O rder , , .

E URYN O M E was o n e o f the O ceani des and the mother ,

of the Cha ri tes or Graces .

DE M E TE R the daughter o f Cronus and Rhea was the

1
, ,

goddess o f Agri cultur e .

M N E M O SYN E the daughter of U ranus a n d G aea w as

,
,

the goddess of Memory and the mother o f t h e nin e

Muses .

L E TO ( L atona ) was the daughter o f Coe us and Ph oebe .

Sh e was gift e d with wonderful beauty and was te nderly ,

loved by Zeus but her lot was fa r from being a happy

,

one for Hera being extremely jeal ous o f h e r persecuted

, , ,

her with inveterate cruelty and sent t h e dreadful serpent ,

2
Python to terrify and torment her wherever she went .

But Zeus who had observed with the deepest compassion

,

her weary wanderi ngs and agonized fears resolved to ,

create for her some place o f refu ge however humble , ,

where she might feel herself safe from the venomous

attacks of the serpent He therefore brought her to .

Delos a floating island in the Z E ge an Se a which he

, ,

made stationary by attaching it with chains o f adamant

t o the bottom of the s e a Here she gave birth t o her
t win children Apollo and Artemis ( Diana) two of the
-

, ,

most beautiful of the immortals .

According t o some versi o ns o f the st o ry of L eto Zeus ,

trans formed her into a quail in order that she might ,

thus elude t h e vi gilance of Hera and she is said t o have ,

1
Se e De m e t e r .

2
Th i sf f
rig h t u l m o n s t e r h ad pru n g r o m t h e lims an d f
t ag n a n t s y s
s s f
W a t e r w hi c h re m ain e d o n t h e u r a c e o f t h e e a rt h a t e r t h e d e lu g e of f
De u ca li o n .
32 M YT HS or ANCI ENT G RE E CE A N D RO M E .

res umed her true form when she arri ved at the isl and o f
Delos .

HE RA being the p ri n cipal wif e of Zeus and queen

,

o f heaven a detai led account will be given o f her in a

,

special ch apter .

In the un i on o f Zeus with most o f hi s im morta l wives

we shall fin d t h at an allego ri cal meanin g is conveye d Hi s
marria ge with Metis who is said t o have surp assed bo th , ,

gods and men in k nowledge represents supreme po wer ,

allied t o wi sdom and prudence His union with Tbemi s .

typifies the bond whi ch exi sts between divine majesty

and j ustice law and order E urynome as the mother
, ,
.
,

o f the Cha rites or Graces supp lied the refini ng an d h ar ,

m o n izi n g infl uences o f grace and beauty whilst the ,

marri a e of Zeus with Mnemosy ne typifies t h e union o f

g

genius w ith memory .

In addition t o the seven imm ortal w ives of Zeus he ,

was also a lli ed t o a number o f morta l maidens whom he

vi sited under various di sgu ises as it was suppose d that ,

if he revealed hi mself in his true for m as king of heaven

the splendour of hi s glory wo u ld cause in stant d e st ru c
tion t o mortal s The mort al consorts o f Zeus have be en
.

su c h a favourite theme with p oets painters and scul p , ,

tors that it is nec e ssary to give some account o f their

,

individual hi sto ry Th o se best known are Antiope L eda.

, ,

E uropa Calli sto Alcmene Semele l o and Danae

, , , , ,
.

A N TI O P E t o wh o m Zeus appeared under the form o f a

,

satyr was the daughter o f Ni ct e u s ki ng o f Thebes To

, ,
.

escape the anger o f her father she fled t o Sicyon where ,

kin g E po pe u s enraptur ed with her wonderf ul beauty

, ,
’
made her hi s wi fe without as kin g her father s consent .

Thi s so enra ed Ni ct e u s that h e declared war a ainst

g g

E po pe u s in order t o compel him t o restore An tiope

,
At .

hi s death which to ok place before he coul d succeed in

,

his purpose Nietens left his ln n gd o m t o hi s brother

'

L ycus commandi ng him at the sa me time t o carry o n

, , ,

the war and execute hi s vengeance

,
L yc u s invaded .

Sicyon defeate d and ki ll ed E po pe u s and brough t b ac k

, ,
 Z E US ( J U PI TE R) . 33

Antiope as a prisoner O n the way t o Thebes she gave .

birth t o her t w in sons Amphion and Zethus w h o by t h e -

, , ,

orders o f L ycus were at once exposed on Mount C i t h ,

aeron and woul d have perished but fo r the ki ndness o f

,

a shepherd who t o ok pity on them and preserved their

,

lives Antiope was for many years held captive by her

.
, ,

uncle L y on s and compelled t o suffer the utmost cruelty

,

at the hands o f his wife Dirce But one day her bonds .

were m irac u lously loosened and she flew for shelter and ,

protection t o the hu mble dwelling of her sons o n Mount

’
Cithaeron Duri ng the long period of their mother s
.

captivity the babes h a d gro w n into sturdy yo uths and , ,

as they li stened angri ly to the story o f her wrongs they ,

became all impatience to avenge them Se tting o ff at .

once to Thebes they succeeded in possessin g themselves

o f the to w n and after slaying the cruel L ycus they
,

bound Dirce by the hair t o t h e horns o f a wi ld b u ll ,

which dragged her hith er and thith er until sh e expire d

Her mangled bod y was cast into the fount ne a r Th ebes ,

whi ch still bears her name Amphion became king o f .

’
Thebes in hi s uncle s stead He was a friend o f the .

Muses and devoted to music and poetry His brother

,
.
,

Zethus was famous for his skill in archery and was

, ,

passionately fond of th e chase It is said that when .

Amphion wish ed t o inclose the to w n of Thebes with

wall s and towers h e had but to play a sweet melody o n ,

the lyre given t o him by Hermes and the huge stones

, ,

began t o move and obediently fitted themselves t o gether, .

The punishment o f Dirce at the h ands o f Am phion

and Zethus forms the subject o f the world renowned -

marble group in the museum at Naples known by the ,

name of the Farnese Bull .

In sculpture Am phion i s always represented wi th a

lyre ; Zethus with a club .

L E D A whose affections Zeus w o n under the form o f a

,

swan was the daugh t er o f Thestius king of fE t o li a

, ,
.

1
Her twin sons Castor and ( Polydeuces o r) P o llux were
-

, ,

1 C ast r a d P ll x w
o k o w by t h am o f t h Di s ri f o m
n o u e re n n e n e e o cu ,
r
d i s g d s an d I
e , o i y ou th s
, ca ra , .

( 73 1
34 M YT HS OF AN CI E NT G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

renowned for their te nder attachment t o eac h other .

They were also famous for their p h ysic al a ccomplish

ments Casto r being t h e most expert ch ar ioteer o f hi s
,

day and Pollux the first of pugilists Their names a p

,
;

pear both among the hun t e rs o f the Calydoni an boar

hunt and the hero es of the Argonautic expedition The .

brothers became attached to the daughters o f L eucippus ,

prince o f the Messenians who had been be trothed by ,

their father to Idas and L ynceus so ns o f Aphareus ,

.

Havi ng persuaded L eucippus t o break his prom i se the ,

t win s carri ed o ff the m ai dens as their brides Idas and .

L ynceus naturally furious at this proceedin g challenge d

, ,

the Dioscuri to mortal c o mbat in which Castor pe ri shed ,

by the hand of Idas and L ynceus by that o f Pollux , .

Zeus wi shed t o c o nfer the gift o f immortali ty upon Pollux ,

but he refused t o a ccept it un less allowed t o s h are it with

Cast o r Zeus gave t h e desired perm ission and the faith
.
,

ful brothers were both allow e d t o live but o n ly o n ,

alternate days The Dioscu ri received di vin e honour s

.

throughout Greece and were worshipped with special

,

reverence at Sparta .

E U RO P A was the beautif ul daughter o f Agenor kin g ,

o f Phoenici a Sh e w as o n e day gatherin g flowers with

.

her compani ons in a meadow near the sea shore when -

Zeus charmed with her great beauty an d wi shing t o

, ,

wi n her l o ve transfo rmed himself into a beautif ul white

,

bul l and tro tt ed qu ietly up t o the p ri ncess so as not t o

, ,

alarm her Sur pri s ed at the gentleness o f the ani mal and
.
,

admiri ng its beauty as it lay pl acidly o n the grass she

caressed it cro w ned it with flowers and at last playqy
, ,

, , , ,

seate d herself o n its back Hardly h ad she done so

.

than the disgui sed god bounded away with his lovely
burden and swam acro ss the sea with her t o the island
,

o f Crete .

E uropa was the mother of M i n e s Aeacus and Rha da , ,

m an t h u s M in e s w h o became ki ng o f Crete was cele

.
, ,

bra t e d fo r h i s j ustice and moderation and after d ea t h he ,

was created o n e o f the judges o f the lower world whi ch ,

office he held in co nj unction with his brothers .

 Z E U S ( J U PI TE R) . 35

C A L L ISTO , the daughter o f L yc aon king of Arcadi a , ,

w as a hun tress in the train o f Artemis devote d t o the ,

pleasures of the ch ase who h ad made a vow never to

,

m arry ; but Zeus under the fo rm o f the h u n t re s s go d d e ss

, ,

succee de d in obtaining her affections Hera being ex .

,

t re m e ly j ealous o f her changed her in to a bear and ca used

, ,

Arte m is ( w h o failed t o recogni ze her attendant under this

form ) t o hunt her in the chase and put a h end t o her ,
-

exi stence Af ter her death she was placed by Zeus among
.

the sta rs as a constell ation un der the name o f Ar ctos or

, ,

A L CM E NE , the dau ghter o f E lectryon king of Mycenae ,

'
,

was betrothed t o her cousin A m ph y t rio n ; but during his ,

absence o n a perilous u nde rtaking Zeus assumed his form , ,

and obta ined her affections Heracles ( whose world .

renowned exploits will be related among the legends ) was

the son o f Alcmene and Zeus .

SE M E L E a bea utiful pri ncess the daughter of Cadmus

, , ,

king of Ph oenicia was greatly beloved by Zeus L ike

, .

the u n fortuna te Callisto she w as hated by Hera with,

j ealous m aligni ty and the haughty q

,
ueen o f heaven
determined t o effect her destruction Disguising herself .
,
’
therefore as Beroe Se m e le s faithful o ld nurse she art
, , ,

ful ly persuaded her t o insist upon Zeus visiting her as ,

he appe ared t o Hera in a ll his power and gl o ry well

, ,

knowing that this would cause her instant death Semele .

,

suspecting no treachery followed the ad vice o f her sup

,

posed nurse ; and the next time Zeus came to her she ,

earnestly entreated him t o grant the favour she was

about to as k Zeus swore by the Styx ( which was t o the
god s an irrevocable oath ) t o accede to her request what
soever it might be Semele therefore secure o f gaini ng
.
, ,

her petition beg ed o f Zeus t o appear t o her in all the

,
g

glory o f h is di vine power and maj esty As he had sworn .

t o grant whatever she asked o f him he was compelled t o ,

comply with her wish ; he therefore revealed hi mself a s

the mighty lord o f the uni verse acc o mpanied by th u nder ,

and li ghtning and she was instantly consumed in the

,

flam es .
36 MYT H S o r A N C I E NT GREE C E A ND RO M E .

IO ,daughter of Inachus ki ng of Argos w as a pri e ste ss, ,

of Hera Sh e was ve ry beautiful and Zeus who was much

.
, ,

attach ed t o her transformed her into a white cow in o rder

, ,

t o defeat the j ealous intri gues of Hera who however was , , ,

n o t t o be deceive d Aware of the stratagem she con ,

t riv e d t o obta in the anim al from Zeus and placed her ,

under the watchful care o f a m an called Ar gus Panoptes -

who faste ned her to an olive tree in the gro ve of Hera -

.

He had a hun dred eyes o f which when asleep he never

, , ,

closed m o re than t w o at a time ; being thus always o n

the watch Hera fo und him extremely useful in keepin g
,

guard over Io Hermes however by the co n n n an d o f

.
, ,

Zeus succeeded in putting all his eyes to sleep w ith the

,

sound of his magic lyre and then taking ad vantage o f , ,

hi s helpless con di tion slew him The story goes tha t in

,
.
,

commem o ration of the services which Argus h ad rendered

her Hera placed hi s eyes o n t h e tail o f a peacock as a
, ,

lasting memori al o f her gratitude E ver fertile in resource .

,

Hera now sent a ga d fly to worry and torment the u n fo r

t un at e Io incessantly and she wandered all over the world
,

i n hopes of escaping from her t o rrn e n t o r At length she .

reached E gypt where she found rest and freed o m from

,

the persecutions o f her enemy O n the banks o f the Nil e .

she resumed her o rigi n al form and gave birth t o a so n

called E paphus who afterw ards became kin g o f E gyp t
, ,

and built the famous city o f Memphis .

DA N A E Zeus appeared to Danae under the form o f a

—

shower o f gold ( F urther details concerni ng her wi ll be

.

foun d in the legend o f Perseus ) .

The Greeks supposed that the divi ne ruler o f the

U ni verse occasionally a sumed a human form and de s
,

scended from his celestial abode in order t o visit man ,

kin d and observe their proceedings his ai m being ,

generally either to pun i sh the guilty o r t o reward the ,

deservi ng .

O n o n e occasi o n Zeus accompanied by Hermes made

, ,

a j ourney thr o ugh P h rygi a seeking hospitality and shelte r

,

wherever they went But nowhere di d they receive a

.
 Z E US ( J U PI TE R) . 37

ki ndl y welcome till they came t o the humble cottage of

an o ld man and his w ife called Phi lemon and Baucis ,

who ente rta ined them wi th the greatest kindn ess settin g ,

before them what frugal fare t h eir hum ble mean s per
mi t te d and bidding them welc o me w ith unaffect ed
,

cordiality O bserving in the course o f their simple

.

repast that the wine bowl was miracul ously replenished ,

the aged couple became convinced o f the di vine natur e of

their guests The gods now info rmed them that o n
.

account o f i t s wickedness the ir native place w as do o med

to destruction and t o ld them to climb the neighbo uri n g
,

hill with them w h ich overlooked the vil lage w h ere they
,

dwelt What was their dismay on behol di ng at the ir feet

.
,

i n place o f the spot where they had passed so many happy

years to gether nothing but a watery plain the onl y hous e
, ,

to be seen being the i r o wn little cotta ge w hich sudde nl y ,

chan ged itse lf i nto a te mple before th e i r eyes Zeus now .

asked the w o rthy pair to name any wish t h ey p ar ticul arly

desired and it sho u ld be granted They acc o rdingly begged .

that they might serv e the gods i n the temple below and ,

end life together .

The ir wish was granted for after spendi n g the re , ,

m ain d e r o f the i r lives in the worshi p o f the gods they ,

both di ed at the same instant and were tr ansform e d by ,

Zeus i nt o trees remaining fo r ever side by side

,
.

U pon another occasi o n Zeus w ish ing t o ascertain fo r ,

himself the tr u th o f the reports concerni ng the atrocious

wickedness o f mankind m ad e a j our ney through Arcadi a
, .

Being recogniz ed by the Arcad ians as king o f heaven ,

he was received by them with b e coming respect and

veneration ; but L ycao n the i r king w h o h ad rendered
, ,

hi mself inf amous by the gross impiety o f himself and hi s

sons doubted t h e divini ty o f Zeus ridi cul ed hi s pe opl e
, ,

for being so easily duped and accord ing t o h i s cus to m

, ,

o f kil li ng all strangers who ventur ed t o trust his hospi

tality resolved to murder him Before executing thi s

,
.

wicked design however he decided t o put Zeus t o the

, ,

test and having ki lled a boy fo r the purpose pl aced be

, ,

fore hi m a di sh containin g hu man fl e sh But Zeus w as .

38 M YT HS or AN CI ENT GREE C E A ND RO M E .

not t o be dece ived He beheld t h e revolting di sh with .

h o rror and loathi n g and angrily upsetting the table up o n ,

whi ch it was plac e d turned L ycao n into a wolf and d e , ,

stroyed all his fifty sons by lightning except Nyctim u s , ,

who was saved by the interventi on o f G ai a .

J UP I TE R

The Roman Jupiter who is so frequently confound ed ,

with the Greek Zeus is identical w ith h im only as being ,

the head of the O lympic go ds and the presidi n g deity ,

over L if e L ight and A erial Phenomena Jupi t er is lord

, ,
.

o f lif e in its wid e st and most comprehensive s i gn i fica

tion having absolute power over li fe and de ath in which

, ,

respect he differed from the Greek Zeus who was t o a ,

certa i n extent contro lled by the all potent sway o f the -

M o irae or F ates Zeus as we have seen often conde .

, ,

scends to visit mankind either as a mortal or under , ,

vari o us disgui ses w h ereas Jupiter alwa ys remain s essen

,

t ia ll y the supreme god o f heaven and never appears ,

up o n earth .

The most celebrated temple o f J Upit e r was that on th e

Capito line Hill in t h e city o f Rome where he was wor ,

sh ipped under the names o f Jupiter O ptimus Maximus - -

C a pit o li n u s and Ta rpe iu s ,

.

Th e Romans represented him seated on a throne o f

iv o ry h o lding in his right hand a shea f o f thunderbolts
, ,

and in his left a sceptre whilst an eagle stands beside ,

his throne .

H E RA ( J UNo ) .

Hera the eldest daughter o f Cronus and Rhea was

, ,

born at Samos o r according t o some accoun ts at Argos

, , , ,

and w as reared by the sea d ivi n ities O ceanus and Tethys -

,
‘
who were m o dels o f conj ugal fidelity Sh e was the prin .

1
Th n ci
e a t G ks t t ib t d m h f t h e s b s q t h arac t f
en re e a r u e uc o u e uen c er o
a n i d i vi d
n l tua ly i fl s; h e H
o e ar th f t q n d
u e n ce e nc e ra , e u ure u ee n an
m i s t ss f h ea v
re o i p s t d b i g b
en , gh t
s
p i re d m s re en e as e n ro u u n a o e
t i t d an d
ca e d ly h s h ld w h
or er h m vi t a re ca re f l l y
ou e o , e re o e r u es u
i n c u l ca t e d .
 H ERA ( J UNO) . 39

cipal wi fe of Zeus and as queen o f heaven participated

, ,
!
,

i n the hon o urs paid to him but her dominion only ex ,

tended over the ai r ( the lower aerial regions ) Hera .

appears to be the sublime embodiment o f stri ct matronly

vi rtue and is on that account the protectress o f purity
,

and married women F aultless herself in her fidelity .

as a wife she is essentially the type o f the sanctity o f

,

the marri age tie and holds in abh o rrence any violation
,

o f its obligations So strongly w as she imbued with

.

this hatred Of any i mmorality that finding herself so , ,

ofte n called upon to pun ish t h e failings o f both gods

and men in this respect Sh e became j ealous harsh and , , ,

vindictive Her exalted position as the wi fe of the

.

supreme deity combined with her e x treme beauty caused

, ,

her t o become exceedingly vain and she consequently ,

resented wi th great severity any infringement o n her

ri ghts as queen o f heaven or any app arent sli ght o n her ,

pers o nal appearance .

The following story will signally illustrate how read y

Sh e was to resent any slight off ered t o her .

At the marri age o f the sea nymph Thetis with a mortal -

called Peleus all the gods and go ddesses were present

, ,

except E ris ( t h e goddess o f Discord ) Indignant at n o t .

be ing invited she determined t o cause dissensi o n in t h e

,

assembly and fo r this pur p o se threw into the midst o f

,

the guests a golden apple with the inscription o n it Fo r “

the Fairest No w as all the god d esses were extremely

.
!

beautiful each claimed the apple ; but at length the rest

, ,

having relinquished their pretensions the number o f ,

candidates was reduced to thre e Hera Athene and , , ,

Aphrodite who agreed to appeal to Paris for a settlement

,

o f this delicate question he being noted fo r the w isdom ,

he h ad displayed in his judgment up o n several occa

sions Pari s was the s o n o f P ri am kin g o f Troy who
.
, , ,

ignorant o f his noble bi rth was at this t i me feeding his ,

flocks o n Mount Ida in Ph ry wi a Hermes as mes, ,

seng er o f the go ds c o nducted the three rival beauties

,

t o t h e youn g shepherd and with breath l e ss anxiety they

,

awai ted his decision E ach fair can di date endeavou red
.
40 MYTH S or A N CI ENT GRE E CE AND HO M E .

to secure hi s favour by the most tempting O ffers Hera .

promi sed hi m extensive domin i ons Athene martial fame ,

and glory ; an d Aph r o dite the loveliest woman in the

,

world But whether he really considered Aphrodite the

.

fairest o f the thr e e o r preferr e d a beautiful wife t o

,

fame and power we cann o t te ll ; all we kn ow I s that to

,

her he awar ded the golden apple and she became ever ,

afte r un iversa lly acknowledged as the goddes s of beauty .

Hera havin g fu ll y expected that Paris woul d give her the

,

preference was so indi gnant that she never forgave h im

, ,

and not onl y persecuted h im but all the family o f Priam, ,

whose dreadful suffe ri ngs and mi sfo rtunes duri ng the

Troj an war were attribut ed to her influence In fact .
,

she carried her animosity to such an extent that it was

often the cause of domestic disagreements between her
self and Zeus w h o espoused the caus e of the Troj ans
,
.

A m ong the many sto ri es of these frequent quarrels there

is o n e connected w ith Heracles the favouri te son of Zeus , ,

whi ch is as foll ows Hera h avin g r ai sed a sto rm at se a

—

i n order t o dri ve him o u t of his c o urse Zeus becam e so ,

angry that he hung her in t h e clouds by a golden chain ,

and attac hed heavy anvil s to her fee t Her son Heph aestu s
tri ed t o release hi s mother from her hum iliating positi on ,

for whi ch Ze u s t hr ew him out o f heaven and hi s leg w as ,

broken by the fall .

Hera be n deeply off ended with Zeus dete rm ined t o

,

separate herself from him fo r ever and Sh e accordingly ,

left him and took up h e r abode in E ub oea Sur pri sed and .

g i
r eved at t h is unl ooked fo r desertion Zeus
-
resolv e d t o ,

leave no means untri e d t o wi n her back a ain In this g .

emergency he consul ted Cithaeron kin g of Platea wh o , ,

was famed for his great wi sdom an d subtlety Cithae ron .

advised hi m t o dr ess up an image in bridal attire and

place it in a chari ot an n ouncing th at thi s was Platea hi s
, ,

future wif e Th e art ifice succeede d Hera incensed at

. .
,

the idea o f a ri val flew t o meet the pr o cession in great

,

anger and s e rzrn g the supp o sed bride she furi ous ly
,
'
,

attacke d her and dr agged o fl her nuptial attire Her .

delight on discovering the d e ception was so grea t th at a

 H E R A ( J UNO ) . 41

reconciliation took place and commi tting the image t o

, ,

the flames with j oyf u l laughter she seated herself in its

,

p lace and retur ned to O lympus .

Hera was the mother o f Ar es ( Mars ) Heph aestus Hebe , , ,

and E ileithyi a Ar es was t h e god of War ; Heph aestus ,

o f F ire ; Hebe o f Youth ; and E ileithyia presided over the

,

birth o f m o rt a ls .

Hera dearly loved Greece and indeed always watched

,

over and protected Greek interests her beloved and ,

favourite cities being Argos Samos Sparta and Mycen ae

, , , .

Her princip al temples were at Argos and Samos .

From a remote period she was greatly venerated at

O lympia and her temple th ere which stood in the Al tis
, ,

o r sacred gr o ve was five hun dr ed years older than that

,

o f Zeus o n the same spot Some in t eresting excavations

.

which are now going o n there have br o ught to light

the remains o f the ancient edifice whi ch contai ns among
,

other treasures of antiquity

several beautiful statues ,

the work of the famous

sculptors o f ancient Greece .

At first thi s te mple was

bui lt o f wood then o f stone , ,

and the one late ly dis

covered w as formed o f con
glomerate of shells .

In the Al tis races were

run by youn g maidens in
hono u r o f Hera and the ,

fl e e t e s t o f foot received in
to ken o f her vi ct o ry an olive
wreath and a piece of the
flesh of the sac rifices These .

races lik e the O lympic ,

Game s were celebrate d at

L j ,

intervals o f four ye a rs and ,

were called He rae A beau .

t iful r o be woven by sixteen w omen chosen from the Six

,

teen cities o i E lis was always offered t o Hera o n these

,
42 m or u c m Ni -
G m m no n

oca si ona, and choral songs an d a ed da nce s forme d

s cr

Hera is us ually repre sente d sea te d o n a thro ne holdi ng ,

a pomegranat e in o n e han d an d a sce p t re surmounte d

by a cuckoo in the o t her Sh e appears as a ca lm di gnified
.
,

at A r go s
Her att ri butes are th e dia dem veil sc eptr e and
, , , pea

The fir st d a y Of every mo nth a ewe lamb and se w —

were sacri fi ce d t o Hera The ha wk go ose and more . , ,

w e re sacr ed t o her Flocks .

an d dra w h e r chari o t, h is th e Rai nbow bei ng ,

se ate d
beh i nd her .

J UNO .

di vinity su ppose d t o be identi ca l

with t h e G re ek Hera diffe re d from her in the mos t
,

sa lient po ints fo r where as Hera invaria bly appea rs as the

,

haughty unbe ndi ng qu e en of hea ven Juno o n th e o ther

, , ,

ha nd is reve re d and belo ve d 13 the t ype o f a ma tron an d

,

house wife Sh e w as w o rsh i ] pe d in Rome under various

titl es mos t of whi ch point t o her vocati on as the prote ct
,

re cs o f ma r ri ed women Juno w as believed t o watc h over

.

and guard t h e life o f every wo ma n from h er birth t o her

Ro me, on e being ere cte d on th e Avent in e an d the other

,

h ad als o a temple o n the A rx ,

as Juno Moneta or the warn ,

l In t t o m e ri c ae e pea c o c krs w e re u n k n o wn ; it i s t i mre fo m t h e

 PALLAS AT HE NE ( M I N E RVA)
-
. 43

in g goddess Adj ac ent t o thi s sh rin e w as th e public mint

. .
‘

O n the l st of March a grand annual festival ca lled the ,

Matronali a was celebrate d in h e r h o nour by all the mar

,

ri e d women of Rome and this religious institution w as ,

acco mp ani e d wi th much solemn i ty .

PA L L A S —A T HE NE ( sh a ma n ) .

'
P allas Athene goddess of W isdom and Armed Resist
—
,

a nce was a purely Greek divini ty ; that is t o sa y no

, ,

other nati o n possessed a corresponding co nce ption Sh e .

was supp o sed as al ready related t o have issued from the

, ,

head of Zeus hi mself clad in armour fr o m he a d t o fo o t , .

The miracul o us ad vent of this maiden go d dess is beauti

full y desc ri bed by Homer in o n e of his hymns : snow
ca pped O lymp u s shook to its foundation ; t h e glad eart h
t e e choed her martial sh o ut ; the bill o wy sea became agi
q
—

t a t e d ; and Helios t h e s u n god arrested h i s fiery s t e e d s i n

,
-

their head long course t o W elcome this wonderful emanati o n

from the g odhead Athene was at once admitted into .

the assembly o f the go ds and hen ceforth took h e r place ,

’
as the most faithful and sa gacious of all her father s coun
sellors This brave dauntless maiden so exactly the
.
, ,

es sence o f all th at is noble in the characte r o f the father

of gods and men remained thr o ugh o ut chaste in word,
!

and deed and kind at heart without exhibiting a n y o f

, ,

those fai lings which some w hat mar the n o bler fea tures
in the characte r of Zeus Thi s di rect emanation from .

his own self j ustly his favo ur ite child his be tter an d
, ,

purer counterpart received fro m him several im port ,

ant prerogati ves Sh e was permitte d t o hurl the thun

.

d e rbo lt s t o prolong the li fe o f man and to be sto w

, ,

the gift o f prophecy ; in fac t Athene was the only

divinity whose authority w as equal to that o f Zeus him
self and when he had ceased t o visit the earth i n person
,

1
Th i s ci r cu m st a n ce v s
t o t h e e rro n eo u c o n c u s i o n t h a t
h as gi en ri e s l
s
J u n o pre i d e d o e r t h e n an c evof t he fi s
t a t e , bu t t h e wo rd m o n e t a i s s
v f
d er i e d ro m t h e L a t in m o m e , w h i c h m e a n s t o w ar n o r a d m o n i h s .

Se e Ro m an Fe s t i vals .
44 M YTHS OF A N CI E N T GR EEC E A N D RO M E .

she was empowere d by him t o act as his deputy It was .

her especial duty t o protect the sta te and a ll peaceful

associa tions of mankin d wh ich sh e possessed the p o wer o f
,

defen di ng when o ccasion require d Sh e encouraged the

main t enance o f law and order and defended the right on ,

a ll occasions for which reason in the Trojan war sh e

, ,

espous es the cause o f the Greeks and ex erts all her in flu

ence on th eir behalf The Are o pagus a court o f justice
.
,

where reli gious causes and murders were tried was be ,

li e v e d t o h ave been instituted by her and w h en both ,

sides ha ppened t o have an equal number o f v o tes she gave

the casting vote in favour o f the accuse d Sh e was the
-

patroness o f learni ng science and art more particularly

, , ,

where these contributed d irectly towards the welfare of

nations Sh e presided over all inventions co nnecte d with
.

agricul ture invented the pl o ugh and taugh t mankind

, ,

how t o use oxen fo r farming purp o ses Sh e als o ih .

structed mankind in the use of numbers trumpets , ,

chariots & c and presided o ver t e building o

,
.
,
h f t h e Argo
1
,

thereby enco uragin g the useful art o f navigati o n Sh e .

also taught the Greeks h o w t o buil d the wo o den horse

by me ans of whi ch the destruction of Troy was
effecte d .

The safety of cities depended o n her care for whi ch ,

reason her temples were generally built o n the citad els and ,

s h e was supposed t o watch o ver the defence o f the walls ,

fortifications harbours & c A di vinity w h o so fai th fu lly

, ,
.

guarded t h e best i nte rests of t h e sta te by not onl y pro ,

t e ct in g it from the attacks of enemies but also by devel ,

oping its chi ef res o u rces o f wealth and prosperity was ,

worthily chosen as the presidi ng deity o f the state and ,

in thi s ch aracter as an essenti a lly poli tical goddess she

was called Athene Poli as -

The fact o f Athene having been born clad in armour ,

whi ch merely signi fied th at her virtue and purity were

unassail able has given ri se to t h e erroneous supp o sition
,

that she was the presiding goddess o f war ; but a deepe r

‘ Th e firs t la rg e sh i P 130889 839 d bY t h e G re e ks fit f o r m o re t h an co u t
na v i ga t i o n .
 PA L M S ATH E N E ( M I N E RVA)
-
. 45

study of her character in all its bearings proves that in ,

contrad istinction to her brother Ares the god o f war , ,

who l o ved strife for its o wn sake she only takes up ,

arms to protect the innocent and deserving against tyran

n i ca l oppression It is true that in the Ili ad we frequently
.

see her o n the battlefield fighting valiantly and protecting ,

her favourite heroes ; but t h is is always at the command

o f Zeus who even supplies her with arm s fo r the purpose
, ,

as it is supposed that sh e possessed none o f her o wn A .

marked feature in the representations o f this deity is the

aegis ,
that w o nderful shield given t o her by her father
as a f u rth er means o f defence w hich when in danger she , , ,

swung so swiftly roun d and round that it kept at a dis

tance all antag o nistic influences ; hence her name Pallas ,

from p a llo I swing In the centre o f this shield which

,
.
,
’
was covered with dragon s scales bordered with serpents , ,

and which she sometimes w o re as a breastplate was the ,

awe inspiring head o f th e Medusa which had the effect

-

of turning t o stone all be h olders .

In ad dition t o the many functions which she ex

e rci se d in connection w ith the state Athene presided ,

over the two chief departments o f feminine industry ,

spinning and weaving In the latter art she herself dis .

played unri valled ability and exquisite taste Sh e wove .

her own robe and that o f Hera which last she is said ,

to have embroidered very richly ; she also gave Jason a

cloak wrought by herself when he set forth in quest o f ,

the Golden F leece Being on o n e occasion chall enged

.

t o a contest in this accomplishment by a mortal maiden

named Ar achne whom sh e had in structed in the art of
,

weaving she accepted th e challenge and was completely

,

vanqui s h ed by her pupil An gry at her defeat she struck .

,

the unfortunate maiden o n the forehead wit h t h e shuttle

which she h eld in her hand ; and Arachne being of a sen ,

s i t iv e nature was so hur t by this indignity that she hung

,

herself in despair and was changed by Athene into a spider

,
.

1
Thi s go ddess is said to have invented the fl u t e upon ,

1
W h e P s s wit h t h h lp f A t h
n er eu , eh d t ff t h h
e o d f th ene ,
a cu o e ea o e
M e d u sa t h e t wo si s t e rs c s d
, d d i rg li k s g t i ss u fr m t h
au e a sa e -
e o n o e o e
46 M YTHS or A N C I EN T G R E E CE A ND RO M E .

which she played with considerable talent until o n e day , ,

being laughed at by the assembled go ds and goddesses

for the contortions which her countenance assumed dur
ing these musical efforts she hastily ran to a fo untain
,

in order to c o nvince herself whether she deserved their

ridicule F inding to her intense disgust that such was
.

indeed th e fact she threw the flute away and never

, ,

raised it to her lips again .

Athene is usually represented fully draped ; she has a

serious and thoughtful aspect as though replete with ,

earnestness and wisd o m ;

t h e beautiful oval contour
of her countenance is
adorned by the lu xuriance
of her wealth o f hair ,

which is drawn back from

the temples an d hangs
down in careless grace ;
she looks the embodiment
o f strength grandeur and , ,

maj est y ; whilst her broad

shoulders and small hips
give her a slightly m ascu
line appearance .

Wh en represented as
the war goddess sh e ap —

pears clad in armour with ,

a helmet o n h er h ead from ,

which waves a large plume ; she carries the aegi s o n her

arm and in her hand a golden staff which p o ssessed
, ,

the property o f endowing her chosen favouri tes w ith

youth and dignity .

Athene was universally worshipped throughout Greece ,

but was regarded with special veneration by the Athenians ,

she being the guardian deity o f Ath ens Her most cele .

bra t e d temple was the Parthenon which sto od o n the ,

m outh s oft h e m an ys k s
na e o f w h i c h t h e i r h a i r w as c o m po s ed ,
wh e re
s
u p o n A t h e n e , pl e a e d wi t h t h e s
o u n d , i m it a t e d t h e m e lo d y o n a re e d,
an d t h u s v
in e n te d t h e flu t e .
 T H E M IS . 47

Acropolis at Athens and contained her world renown ed

,
-

statue by Phidias which ranks sec o nd only to that o f

,

Zeus by the same great artist This colossal statue was

.

39 feet high and was composed o f ivory and gold ; its

,

majestic beauty formed the chief attraction o f the temple .

It represent ed her standing erect bearing her spear and ,

shield ; in her hand she held an image of Nike and at ,

her feet there lay a serpent .

The tree sacred to her was the olive which she herself ,

produced in a contest with Poseidon The olive tree thus .

-

called into existence was preserved in t h e temple o f E rec ~

th eus on the Acropolis and i s said to have p o ssessed such

, ,

marvellous vitality that when the Persians burned it after

,

sacking the t o wn it immediately burst forth into new

shoots .

The principal festival held in honour of this divin i ty

was the Panathen aea
The o wl cock and serpent were the animals sacred to
, ,

her and her sacrifices were

,

rams bulls and cows , , .

M I NE RVA .

The Minerva o f the

Romans was identified with
the Pallas Athene of t h e -

Greeks L ike her she pre .

~

sides over learning and all

useful arts and is the ,

patroness o f the feminin e

accomplishments o f sew ~

ing spinning weaving 850 , , ,

.

Schools were under her

especial care and sch o ol ,

boys t h erefore h ad h o li , ,

days during her festivals

( the Greater Quinquatria ) ,

when they always brought a gift to their master called ,

the Minerval .

It is worthy o f notice that the only three diviniti es

48 m as or AN C I EN T G RE E C E A N D RO M E .

worshipp e d i n the Capit o l were Jupiter Jun o and Minerva , , ,

and i n t h eir j oint honour the L udi Maximi o r great games

were held .

THE M IS .

Themi s who has already been alluded t o as the wif e

,

of Zeus was the daughter o f Cr o nus and Rhea and

, ,

pers o nified those d i vin e laws of justice an d order by

means o f which the well being and m o rality o f c o m m u
-

n i t i e s are regulat ed Sh e presided over the assemblies of

.

the pe o ple and the laws o f hospitali ty To her was i ll .

tru sted the o ffice o f c o nv o king the assembly o f the gods ,

and she was also mistress o f ritual and ceremony O n .

account of her great w isd o m Zeus himself fre q uently

sought her coun s el and acted upon her advice Themis .

was a prophetic divi nity and h ad an orac le near the river

,

C e phi ssu s in B oeotia .

Sh e is usually represented as being in the ful l

maturity o f womanhood o f f air aspect and wearin g
, ,

a flowin g garment which drapes her noble maj estic

, ,

form ; in her right hand she h o lds the sw o rd o f j ust i ce ,

and in her left the scales which indicate the impartiali ty

,

with whi ch every cause is carefully w eighed by her her ,

eyes being bandaged s o t h at the pers o n ality o f the indi

vidual shoul d carry no wei g h t with respe c t t o t h e verdict .

This divinity is s o metimes identified with Tyche ,

sometimes with Ananke .

Themis like so many other Greek di v inities takes t h e

, ,

place o f a more ancient deity o f the s a me name w h o

was a daughter o f Uranus and Gaza This elder Themi s .

inherite d fro m her mother the gift o f prophecy and when ,

s h e became merged int o her youn ger representative she

transmitted t o her thi s prophetic power .

H E S TIA ( VE S TA) .

Hestia was the daughter o f Cronus and Rhea Sh e .

was the goddess o f Fir e in its first application t o the wants

o f mankind hence she was essentially the presidin g deity
,
 H E S T IA ( VE S TA) . 49

of the domestic hearth and the guardian spirit o f man ,

and it was her pur e and benign influence whi c h was sup
posed to pr o tect t h e sanctity o f d o mestic life .

Now i n thes e early ages the h earth was regarded as the

most important and most sacred portion of the dwelli ng ,

probably because t h e protection o f the fire was an impor

tant consideration for if once permitt ed to become ex
,

ti nct r e ignition was attended with ex treme difficul ty

,
-

In fact the hearth was held so sacred that it constituted

,

the sanctum o f the family for which reason it was always

,

erected in the centre o f every house It was a few .

feet in height and was built o f stone ; the fire was placed
o n the top o f it and se rved the d o uble purpose o f pre
,

paring the daily meals and consuming t h e family sacrifices

,
.

Round this domestic hearth o r altar were gathered t h e

various members o f th e family the head o f the h ouse ,

occupying the place of honour nearest the hearth Here .

prayers were said and sacrifices offered and h ere also ,

every kind and l o ving feeling was fostered which even ,

extended to the hunted and guilty stranger w h o if he , ,

once succeeded in touching this sacre d altar was safe fro m ,

pursuit and punishment and was hencefo rth placed u nder

,

t h e protection o f the family Any crime committed within

.

the sacred prec incts o f the domestic heal th was invariably

visited by death .

In Grecian cities there was a common hall called the ,

Prytaneum in which t h e members o f t h e government

,

had their meals at the e xpense of the state and here too ,

was t h e Hesti a or public hearth with its fire by means

, , ,

o f which those meals were prepared It was customary .

fo r emigrants to take with th em a portion o f this sacred

fire which they j ealously guarded an d brought with them
,

to their new home where it served as a connectin g link

,

between the young Greek colony and the mother coun

try . Hestia i s generally represented standing and ,

in accordance wi th the dignity and sanctity o f h e r

character always appears fully draped Her co u n t e n
,
.

ance is di stingui shed by a se re n e gravity o f expre s

S i on
50 M YT HS or ANC I EN T G REEC E A ND R M E . O

VE STA .

V esta occupies a distinguished

place among the earlier di vini
ties o f the Romans Her temple .

in Rome contain ing as it were

,

t h e he arthstone o f the nation ,

stood close besid e the palace o f

Numa Pompilius .

O n her altar burned the never

ceasing fire which was tended ,

by her priestesses the Vestal ,

1
Virgins .

The temple o f V esta was cir

cu l ar in fo rm and contained ,

that sacred and hi ghly prized

?
treas ur e the Palladium o f Troy
Th e great festiv al in honour
o f Vesta called the Vesta li a was
, ,

celebrated on the 9 t h o f Jun e .

DE M E TE R ( C E RE S ) .

Demeter ( from G e me lcr earth mother) was the -

,
-

daughter o f Cronus and Rhea 3

Sh e represented that .

portion o f G aea ( the whole solid earth ) which we call

’
the earth s crust and which produces all vegetation As
, .

goddess of agriculture fie ld frui ts plenty and productive

,
-

, ,

ness she was the sustainer of material life and was there
, ,

fore a divinity of great importance When a ncient G aea .

lost with U ranus her position as a ruling divinity she

, , ,

abdicated her sway in favour o f her daughter Rhea w h o ,

henceforth inherited the powers which her mother had

previously p o ssessed receiving in her place the honour
,

and wors h ip o f mankind In a very o ld poem Gaea is .

accordi ngly described as reti ri n g t o a cavern in the bowels

1 Fo r d e t a il s se e Ro m an Fe t i s v ls
a .

L
Se e e g e n d o f Tro y .

3 So m e , wi t h bu t li t t le re as o n , m k a e De m e t e r t h e d a u gh t e r o f Uran u s
an d G aea .
 DE M E TE R ( CE R E S) . 51

of the earth where she sits in the lap o f h e r daughter

, ,

slumbering moan ing and nodding for ever and ever

, , .

It is necessary t o keep clearly in view the distinctive

d ifference between the three great earth goddesses G aea -

Rhea and Deme t er G aea represents the earth as a whole

,
.
,

with its mighty subterranean forces ; Rhea is that produc ~

tive power which causes vegetation t o spring fort h thus ,

sustain i ng men and ani mals ; Demete r by presidi ng ,

over agriculture directs an d utilizes Rhea s productive

,
’

powers But in lat e r t im e s when Rhea li ke other ancient

.
‘

, ,

divinities loses her importance as a rul ing deity Demeter

, ,

assumes all her functions and attributes and then becomes ,

the go ddess o f the life producing a n d life maintaining

- -

earth crust We must bear in mind the fact that man in

-
.

his primitive state knew neither how t o sow nor how to

till t h e groun d ; when therefore he h ad exh austed the
, ,

pastures which surroun ded him he was compelled t o seek

others whi ch were as yet un reaped ; thus roaming c o n ,

s t an t ly from one place t o another settled habitations and

, ,

consequently civilizing influences ,

were impossible Demeter h o w .

,

ever by introducing a knowledge

,

o f agri cul ture put an end at once , ,

and for ever to that nomad ic ,

lif e which was now no longer

“

necessary .

The favour of Demeter was be

li e ve d t o bring mankind rich har
vests an d f ruitful crops whereas ,

her displeasure caused b light ,

drought and famine The island

,
.

o f Sicily was supposed to be under

her especial protecti o n and there ,

she was regarded with particul ar

veneration the Sicilian s natur ,

ally attributing the wonderful

fertility o f the ir country t o the
p artiality of the goddess .

Demeter i s us ually represente d as a woman of noble

52 M YTHS or A NC I EN T G R E E CE A ND ROM E .

bearing and maj estic appearance tall matronl y and , , ,

di gn ified with beautif ul golden hair whi ch fall s in

, ,

ri ppli ng curls over her stately shoul ders the yellow locks ,

being emblematical o f the ri pened ears o f corn Some .

tim es she appears seate d in a chari ot draw n by win ged

dragons at others she stands erect her figure d rawn up
, ,

t o its fu ll height and always fully draped ; she be ars

,

a sheaf o f wheat ears in one hand and a lighte d torch in

-

the other The wheat ears are not un frequently repl aced
.
-

by a bunch O f poppies with which her brows are al so ,

garlanded though sometimes she merely we ars a simple

,

ri band in her h air .

Demeter as the wif e o f Zeus became the mother

, ,

Of Persephone ( Proserpine ) t o whom she was so t e n ,

d e rly attached that her whole lif e was bound up in her ,

and she knew n o happiness except in her society One .

day however whilst Persephone w as gathering flowers

, ,

in a meadow attended by the oce an nym phs she saw

,
-

t o her surprise a beautiful narcissus fr om t h e ste m o f

which sprang fort h a hun dred blo s so fn s Drawin g near
,

t o examine thi s lovely flower whose exquisite scent e r

p ,

fumed the air she sto oped down t o gather it suspecti ng

, ,

no evil when a y awning abyss opened at her feet and

, o ,

Aides the grim rul er O f the 10“ er world appe ared from
,

its depths seate d in hi s dazzling chari o t drawn by four

,

black horses Regardless o f her te ars and t h e shrieks O f

.

her fem ale attendants Aides seized the terri fied maiden , ,

and bore her away t o the gloomy realms over whi ch he

rei gned in me lanch oly grandeur Heli os the all seein g .
,
-

sun
go d and Hecate a myste ri o us and very ancient di vi
-

, ,

n i t y alone heard her cries for aid but were powerless t o

, ,

help her “Then Demeter became c o nscious o f her loss

.

her g rief was intense and she re fu sed to be comforted ,

.

Sh e knew not w here t o seek fo r her child but fee li ng ,

that repose and inacti o n were impossible she set o u t o n ,

her weary search taki ng with her t w o torches whi ch she .

lighted in t h e flames o f Moun t E tna t o gui de her on her

, )

way F or ni ne long days and nights s h e wandered o n ,

i nqui ri ng of every o n e she met fo r tidi n gs o f her chi ld .

 DE M E TE R ( C E RE S ) . 53

But all was in vai n ! Neither gods nor men could gi v e

her t h e comfort which her soul s o hunge red fo r At last .
,

on the tenth day t h e disconsolate mother met Hecate who

, ,
’
inf ormed her that she had heard her daughter s cries but ,

knew not w h o it was that had borne her away By .

’
Hecate s advice Demeter consulted Helios whose all ,

seeing eye nothing escapes and from him she le ar nt that ,

it was Zeus himself who had permitted Aides t o seize

Persephone and transport her to the lower world in
,

order that she might become his wife Indign an t with .

Zeus for having given his sanction to the abduction Of

his daughter and filled with the bitterest sorrow she
, ,

abandoned her ho me in O lympus and refused all heavenly ,

food Disgui sing herself as an o ld woman she descended

.
,

upon earth and commenced a weary pilgrimag e among

,

mankind O ne eve ni ng she arrived at a place called

.

E leus is i n Attica and sat do w n to rest herself near a

, ,

w e ll beneath the shade o f an Olive tree The youthful -

.

daughters o f C e le u s the king of the country came with

, ,

their pails o f brass t o draw wat er from this well and ,

seeing that the tired wayfarer appeared faint and dis

piri t e d they spoke kindly to her asking who she was
, , ,

and whenc e she Came Demeter replied that she had.

made her escape from pirates who had captured her and , ,

added that she would feel grateful for a home with any
worthy fami ly whom she would be willing to serve in a
, ,

menial capacity The princesses on hearing this begged

.
, ,
’
Demeter t o have a moment s patience while they returned
home and consulted their mother M e t an e ira They soo n , .

brought the j oyful intelligence t h at she was desirous o f

secu ring her services as nurse to her infant son Demo
ph o o n o r Triptolemus
,
When Demeter arrived at the .

house a radiant light suddenly illumined her which cir ,

cu m s t an ce so overawed M e t an e i ra that she treated the

unkno wn stranger wi t h t h e greatest respect and h o spit ,

a bly Offered her food and d rin k But Demeter still ,

g rief worn and dej ected refused her fri endly O fl e rs and
-

, ,

held herself apart from th e social b o ard At length .

,

however the maid se rvant Iambe succeeded by mean s

,
-

,
54 M YT HS OF A N CI E N T G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

Of playful j ests and merri ment i n somewhat di spe lli ng ,

the gri ef Of the sorrowi ng moth er causin g her at ti mes ,

t o smil e i n spi t e of herself and even induci ng her t o

p artake o f a mixture Of bailey m e al mint an d water
,

—
, , ,

which was prepared acco rding t o the directions o f the

goddess herself Time passed on and the youn chi ld
t h rove amazingly under the care O f his ki nd and j ug
.
,

ii ci o u s
nurse who however gave hi m no foo d but an o int e d him
, , , ,

daily with ambrosia and every night laid him secretly in

,

t h e fir e in order t o render hi m immortal and e x empt from

o ld age . But un fortunately this benevolent desi gn on
, ,

t h e part of Demete r was fru strated by M e t a n e ir a herself ,

whose curiosity o n e night impelled her t o watch the

, ,

proceedi ngs of the myste rious be ing who nursed her child .

“Th en t o her horror she beheld her s o n placed in the flames ,

she shri eked al oud Demete r incensed at this untimely

.
,

i n t erruption instantly withdrew the child and thr owin g

, ,

hi m on the groun d revealed herself in her true character

, .

The bent and a e d form h ad vani shed an d in its place

g
,

there stood a b ri ght and beauteous being whose golden ,

locks streamed over her shoul ders in richest luxu ri ance ,

her whole aspect bespeaking dignity and maj esty Sh e .

to ld the awe struck M e t an e ira t h a t s h é was the g o ddes s

-
‘

Demeter and had intended t o make her son immortal but

, ,

t h at her fata l curiosity had rendered t h is impossible add ,

ing however that the chi ld having slept in her arms and
, , , ,

been nursed o n her lap should ever comma nd the respec t ,

and esteem o f mankind Sh e then desired that a te mple .

and altar shoul d be erected t o her o n a neighbo u ring

hill by the people of E l eusis promising that she herse lf ,

w o ul d direct th em how t o perform t h e sacred rites and

ce remoni es which shou ld be Observed in her honour
, .

With these words she took her departure never to return .

O be di ent t o her commands Cel s us called together a ,

meeting o f hi s people and bui lt the temple on the spot ,

whi ch the goddess h ad indi cated It w as soon completed ,

and Demeter took up her abode In it but her heart was ,

sti ll sad for the loss of her daugh t er and the whole world D ,

felt th e influence o f her grief and dejection This w as .

 D E M E TE R ( C E RE S) . 55

i ndeed a te rrible year for mankind Demeter no longer .

smiled o n the earth she was wont to bless and though ,

the husbandman sowed the gr ain and the groaning oxen ,

ploughed the fields no harvest rewarded their labour ,

.

A l l Wa s barren dreary desolation Th e world was threat

,
.

ened with famine and the go ds with the loss of their

,

accustomed honours and sacrifices ; it became evi dent ,

therefore to Zeus himself that some measures must be

,

adopted to appease the anger o f t h e goddess He accord .

i n gly despatc h ed Iris and many o f the other gods and god
desses to implore Demeter to retur n to O lympus ; but all
their prayers were fruitless Th e incensed go ddess swore .

that until her daughter was re stored to her she would n o t

allow the grain to spring forth from the earth At length .

Zeus sent Hermes his faithful messenger t o the lower

, ,

world with a petition to Aides urgently entreating him to ,

restore Persephone to the arms Of her disconsolate mother .

When he arrived in the gloomy realms o f Aides Herm es ,

foun d him seated o n a throne with the beautiful Perse

phone beside him sorrowfully bewailing her unhappy fate
,
.

O n learnin g hi s errand Aides consented to resign Per ,

s e ph o n e w h o j oyful ly prepared to follow the messenger

,

o f the gods to the abode Of life and li ght B efore taki ng .

leave Of her husband he presented t o her a few seeds o f

,

pomegranate which in her excitement she thoughtlessly

,

swall owed and this simple act as the sequel will show
, , ,

materially affected her whole futu re li fe The meeting .

between mother and child was one of unmixed rapture ,

and fo r the moment all the past was forgotten The .

’
l o ving mother s happiness woul d now hav e been complete
had n o t Ai des asserted his rights These were that .
,

if any immortal had tasted food in his realms they were

bound t o remain there for ever O f course the ruler o f .

the lower wo rld had to prove this assertion This how .

,

ever he found n o d ifli cu lt y in doing as Asca laphus the

, , ,
1
son of Acheron and O rplm e was hi s witness to the fact ,
.

Zeus pitying the dis appointment of Demeter at finding

,

1
De m e t e r t ra n sf o rm e d A sc al a ph u s in t o an o wl fo r re v ea li n g th e
s e c re t .
56 M YTHS or A NC I E NT G RE EC E A N D ROM E .

her h O pe s thus blighte d , succeeded in effecting a compro

by inducin g his brother A i des t o allow Persephone
t o spend s ix months of the year with the gods above ,
whilst duri ng the other six she was t o be the j oyless co m
pani on of her grim lord below Accompanied by her .

daughter the beautiful Persephone Demeter n o w resum ed

, ,

her long aband o ned dwelling in O lym pus ; the sym pa

-

thetic earth responded gaily t o her brigh t smiles the corn ,

at once sprang fo rth fro m the ground in ful lest plenty ,

the tr ees whi ch late were sered and bare now donned
, ,

their brig h test emerald robes and the flowers so long , ,

imprisoned in the hard dry so il fill e d the whole ai r with

, ,

t h eir fragrant perfu me Thus ends thi s charming story

.
,

whi c h w as a favour i t e theme wi th all the cl as sic

authors .

It is very possible that the poets who first create d this

gra ceful myt h merely intended it as an allegory t o illu s
trate the change of se a s o ns ; in the course o f time h o w ! ,

ever a literal meani ng became attached t o this and similar

,

poetical fancies and thus the pe o pl e of Greece came to

,

regard a s an article of reli gious be lief what in the first ,

instance was nothing more than a poetic sim i l e

,
.

In the temple erecte d t o Demeter at E leusis the ,

famous E le u sinian Mysteries were i nstituted by t h e god

dess herself It is exceedingly di fli cu lt as in the case of
.
,

all secret societies t o di scover anything with certai nty

,

concerning these sacred rites The most plausible sup .

position is that the doctrines taught by the priests t o the

favoured fe w wh o m t h ey ini tiated were reli gi o us truths ,

which were deemed unfit fo r the uni nstructe d min d of

the multitude Fo r instance it is supp o sed that the myth
.
,

o f Demete r and Perseph o n e was explained by the te achers

Of the Mysteries to signify the temporary loss whi ch

moth er earth sustai ns every year when the icy breath o f
winter robs her O f h e r flowers and fruits and grain .

It is believed that in late r times a stil l deeper meani ng

was conveyed by thi s beautiful myth vi z the doctrine ,
.
,

o f the immortality Of the s o ul Th e grai n which as .

, ,

it were remains dead for a time in t h e dark earth only

, ,
 DEM E TE R ( C E R E S) . 57

to ri se o n e day dressed in a newer and lovelier garb ,

was supposed to symbo lize the soul which after death , , ,

frees itself from corruption to li ve again under a better

,

and pur er fo rm .

Wh en Demeter instituted the E leusinian Mysteri es ,

C e le u s and his family were the first to be initiated ,

C e l e u s himself being appointed high priest His son -

Triptolemus and his daughters who acted as priestesses , ,

assisted him in the duties o f his sacred o ffice The .

Mysteries were celebrated by t h e Atheni ans every five

years and were for a long time their exclusive privilege
, , , .

They took place by torchligh t and were conducte d with ,

the greatest solemni ty .

In order to spread abroad the blessings which agri cul

ture co nf ers Demeter presente d Triptolemus with her
,

chari ot draw n by winged dragons and givin g him some , ,

grains Of corn desired him to j ourn ey th rough the world

, ,

teachin g man ki nd the arts O f agri cul tur e and hus

bandry .

Demete r exercised great severity towards those who

incu rred her displeasure We find examples of this in
.

the stories o f Stellio and E re si ct h o n Stellio was a youth .

who ridicul ed the goddess for t h e eagerness with which

she was eating a bowl O f porridge when weary and faint ,
.

in the va in se ar ch for her da u ghter Resolved that he .

should never again have a n Opportunity o f thus Offending ,

she angrily threw into hi s face the remainder of the food ,

and changed him into a spotted lizard .

E re s i ct h o n son o f Tri o pa s had drawn upon himself

, ,

the anger Of Demeter by cutting d o wn her sacred

gro ves fo r which she punished him with a c o nstant
,

and insatiable hunger He sold all his possessi o ns in

.

Order to satisfy hi s cravings and was fo rced at last ,

to devo u r hi s o w n limbs His daughter Metra who was

.
,

devotedly attached to him possessed t h e power o f trans

,

forming herself into a variety Of di fferent animals By .

this means she contrived t o support h e r father who sold

’

her again and again each time s h e assumed a different

form and thus he dragged on a pitiful existence
, .
58 m m or ANC I ENT G REEC E A ND RO M E .

C E RE S .

Rom an Ceres is actua lly the Greek Dem e te r

under another name her at t ri ,

bute s worship festiv als & c

, , ,
.
,

being precisely identical .

The Romans were in debted

to Sicily for thi s di vini ty her ,

worship havin g be en introd uced

by the Gre ek coloni sts who
settled there .

The Cereali a o r festivals in ,

honour O f Ceres commenced on ,

the 1 2t h o f April and laste d ,

several days .

A P H R O D IT E ( VE NUS ) .

Aphrodite ( from ap h ras sea ,

foam and eli te issued) the d au gh

, , ,

ter o f Zeus and a sea nymph -

called Dione was the goddess ,

of L ove and Beauty .

Dione being a s ea nym ph

,
-

gave bir th t o her daughter beneath the waves ; but the

c h il d o f the heaven in habitin g Zeus was forc e d t o as cend
-

from the o ce an d e pt h s and mount t o the snow capped -

summits of O lympus in order t o breathe that ethereal

,

and most refined atmosphere which pertai ns t o the

celestial g o ds
.

Aphr odi te was the mother of E ros ( Cupid ) the go d O f ,

L ove also of fE n e as the great Trojan hero and the he a d

, ,

of that Greek colony which settled in Italy and from ,

whi ch arose the city o f Rome As a mother Aphr o di te

.

claims o u r sympathy for the te nderness she exhibits

towards her children Homer tells us in his Ili ad how
.
, ,

when i E n e as was wounded in battle she came t o his ,

as sistance regardless O f pers o nal danger and w as herself

, ,

s everely wounded in attempting t o save his lif e .

 APH RO D I TE ( VE NU S) . 59

Aphrodi te was tenderly attached t o a lovely youth ,

call ed Adoni s who se exquisite beauty has become pro

,

v e rbi al He w as a motherless babe and Aphrodite

.
, ,

ta king pity o n him pl aced hi m in a chest and intruste d

,

him t o the care o f Persephone who became so fond ,

Of the beautifu l youth that she refused t o part with him .

Zeus being appe al e d to by the ri val foster mothers de

,
-

cided that Ad o nis should spe nd fo u r months O f every

year with Persephone four with Aphr od ite whilst duri ng
, ,

the remaining four months he shoul d be left to hi s o wn

devices He be came however so attached t o Aphrodi te
.
, ,

that he volunta ril y devote d t o her t h e time at his own .

dispo sal Adoni s was killed duri ng the chas e by a wil d

.
, ,

be ar t o the great grief o f Aphrodi t e who bemoaned hi s

, ,

loss so persistently that Ai des moved w ith pity per , ,

rn i t t e d hi m t o pass six months o f every year with her

whi lst the remaini ng h alf Of the year was spent by hi ni

, ,

in the lower worl d

Aphrodi te possessed a m agi c g ird le (the famous ces tu s)
whi ch she frequently lent t o un happy maidens su ffering
from the pangs o f unr e qui ted love as it was endowed ,

with the power o f inspiring affection for the wearer whom ,

it invested with every attri bute o f grace beauty and fas , ,

cination .

Her usual attendants are the Charite s o r Grac es

( E uphrosyne Aglai a and Thalia
, ) who
,
are represented ,

undraped and inte rtwined In a lovin g embrace .

’
In Hesiod s Th eogo ny she 1 s supposed to belong t o the
more ancient divinities and whi lst those o f later date are
, ,

represented as having descended o n e from another and ,

a ll more or less from Zeus Aphrodi te has a variously ,

acco unted fo r yet indepe ndent ori gin

—
, .

The most poetical version o f her birt h is that when

Uranus was wounded by his s o n Cronus his blood m i n ,

gl e d with the foam o f the sea whereu pon the bubbling ,

wate rs at once assum ed a rosy tint and from their depths ,

arose in all the surpassing glory of her loveliness A ph ro

, ,

di te goddess o f love and beauty ! Shaki ng her long fair

, ,

tr es se s the wat er d rops rolled down into the bea uti ful
,
-
60 M YT HS OF AN CI E NT G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

sea shell i n whi ch she stood and became transform e d

-

i nto pur e glisteni ng pearls

,
“f a i t e d by the soft and
.

balmy breezes she floate d o n t o ,

Cyt hera an d was thence trans ,

porte d to the i sland of Cyprus .

L ightly she stepped on shore and ,

under the gentle pressure of her

delicate fo o t t h e dry and ri gid
sand became transformed i nto a
verdant mead o w where every ,

varied shade of c o lour an d every

sweet od o ur charmed the senses .

The whole islan d of Cyprus be

came clothed w ith verdure an d ,

greeted this fairest o f a ll created

beings w ith a glad s m ile o f
frien dl y w elc o me Here she was .

received by t h e Seas o ns who ,

decked her with garments o f

immortal fabric encircli ng her ,

fai r brow wi th a wreath Of purest gold whil st from ,

her ears depended costly rings and a glitt ering chain em

,

brac e d her swan like t h roat A n d n o w arrayed in all the

—
.
,

panoply o f her irresistible charms the nymphs escort her ,

to the dazzli ng halls of O lympus where she 1 s received ,

with ecsta tic enthusiasm by the admi ri ng go ds and go d

desses Th e gods all vied w ith eac h oth er in aspiri n g t o
.

the honour Of her h an d but He ph fe s t u s became the

,

envi e d possessor o f this lovely being who however , , ,

prov e d as faithless as she was beautiful and caus e d her ,

husband much unh appi ness o win g t o the preference sh e

,

showed at v ariou s times fo r some o f the other gods and

also for mortal men .

The celebrated Venus of Milo n o w in the L ouvre is an , ,

exquisite statue o f th i s d ivinity Th e head 1 s beautift

.

formed ; the rich waves Of hair descend o n her rather lo w

but broad forehead an d are caught up grace ful ly in a
small knot at the back of the he ad ; th e exp ression Of
t h e face is most be witchin g and bes peaks the pe rfect
,
 HE L I O S ( SO L ) . 61

j oyousness O f a happy nature combin ed with the d igm t y

Of a god dess ; th e drapery falls in careless folds from the
waist d o w nwards and her wh o le a titude is the e m bo di
,
'

ment o f all that is graceful and lovely i n womanh ood

Sh e is o f medium height and the form is perfect in its,

symm etry and faultless proporti o ns .

Aphrodite is al so fr equently represented in the act of

confini ng her dri pping l o cks I n a kn o t whil st her attend ,

ant nymphs envel o p her In a g a uzy veil .

Th e ani mals sacred t o her were the d o ve swan sw al low , , ,

and sp arrow Her favouri t e plants were the myrtle

.
,

apple tree rose and poppy

-

, ,
.

The worship o f Aphro di te is supp o sed to have been

intro duced int o Greece from Central Asi a There is n o
doubt that she was o rigi n all y identic a l with the fa m o us
Astart e t h e Ashto reth O f the Bible agai nst w h o se idola
, ,

tro us w o rshi p and i nfamous rites t h e pr o phets o f o ld

hurled forth thei r sublime and powerful anathemas .

VE N U S .

The Venus o f the Ro man s was identified with t h e

Aphr odite Of the Greeks Th e w o rs h ip o f this divi n i ty
.

was o nly established in Ro me in c o mparatively late r

times Annual festivals c a lled V e n e ra lia were held in
.
, ,

her hono u r and the m o nth o f April w h en flowers and

, ,

plants sp ri ng forth afresh w a s sacred t o her Sh e was ,

.

worsh ipped as Venus C lo a c in a ( o r the P uri fier) and as ,

Ven u s Myrtea ( o r the myrtle go ddess) an epithet derived ,

from the myrtl e the emblem of L ove , .

H E L I O S ( SO L ) .

The worship Of Heli os w as introduced into Gr e ec e from

Asia According t o the earliest conceptions of the Greeks
.

h e was not o nly the sun god but als o t h e personi fication Of
—
,

li fe and all lif e giving p o wer fo r light is well kn o w n t o be

-

an indi spensable condition o f all h ealthy terrestrial li fe

The worship of the sun was ori ginally very widely sp rea d ,
62 M YTHS or A N C I EN T G RE E C E A N D HO M E .

not only among the early Greeks themselve s but al so ,

among other primitive nations To us the sun is sim ply the .

o rb of li ght whi ch high above our heads performs eac h

, , ,

day the fun ctions assigned t o it by a mighty and invi sible

Power ; we can therefore form but a fain t idea Of the im
, ,

pression which it produced upon the spi ri t of a people

whose intellect w as stil l in its infancy and who beli ev e d , ,

with chi ld li ke simplicity th at every p o wer o f nature

-

was a di vinity whic h according as its character was bal e

, ,

ful or be n e fice n t worked for the destruction o r benefit of

,

the hum an race .

Heli os who was the son o f the Titans Hyperion and

,

Theia is desc ri bed as rising every morning in t h e east

, ,

preceded by hi s si ster E o s ( the Dawn ) who with her rosy , ,

fin ge rs paints the tips O f the mount ai ns and draws aside

, ,

that misty veil thro ugh which her brother is about t o

a ppear t e n he h as bur st fo rt h i n all t h e glo ri o u s light
.

o f day E o s di sappears and Heli os now dri ves h i s fl am e

, ,

darting chari o t al o ng the accustomed track This ch ari ot .

,

whi ch is O f b u rnished gold is drawn by fo u r fire breath ,

-

ing steeds behind whic h the y oun g god s t a nds erect with
,

flashing eyes hi s head surroun ded with rays hol di ng in

, ,

o n e hand the rein s of those fiery c o ursers which in all

hands save h i s are un manageable \Vhen to wards even .

"
ing he descends the cur ve in order t o cool his burning
forehead in the waters of the deep sea he is follow e d ,

closely by his sister Selene ( the Moon ) who is now pre ,

pared t o take charge o f the world and illum ine with her ,

silver crescent the dusky ni ght Heli os meanwhi le rests .

from hi s labours an d recli ni ng softly o n the cool fragrant

, ,

couch prepared fo r hi m by the sea nymphs recrui ts him —

,

self for another life giving jo y inspiring and bea uteous -

,
-

da
It m ay appear st range that alth o ugh the Greeks ,

considered the earth t o be a flat circle no explanation ,

is given of the fact that Helios sinks down in the far

1 Th e co ur e s wh i ch t h e su n ra n w as co n si d e re d by t h e a n c ie n t s to be
a ri s i n g an d de s c e n di n g cu r v e the ce n t re o f whi c h w as su p
s
po e d t o be re a c h e d by He li s
o at m id d a y .
-
 H E L I O S ( SO L ) . 63

west regularly every evening and yet reappear s as ,

regularly eve ry m o rning in the east Whether he was .

supposed t o pass through Tartarus an d thus regai n the ,

opposite extremi ty thro ugh the bowels o f the earth or ,

whether they thought he possessed an y other means o f

maki ng this transit there is n o t a line in either Homer o r
,

Hesiod t o pro ve In later times however the poets in

.
, ,

vente d the graceful fiction that when Heli os had finished ,

his cour se and reached the western side o f the cur ve a

, ,

wi nged bo at o r cup which had been made fo r hi m by

, ,

Hep h aestus awaite d him there and conveyed him rapidl y

, , ,

wit h his glorious equipage to the east where he r e co m , ,

m e n ce d his bright and glowing career .

This divinity was invoked as a w itness when a solemn

oath was taken as it was believed that noth ing escaped
,

his al l seein g eye and it was this fact which enabled him
-

t o inform Demeter o f the fate o f her daughter as already ,

relate d He was supp o sed t o p o ssess flocks and herds in

various localities w h ich may possibly be in t end e d t o re
,

present the days and nights of the year or the stars o f ,

heaven .

Helios is sai d t o have loved Clytie a daughter o f O cea ,

nus who ardently returned his affe cti o n ; but in the cours e
,

Of time the fickle sun go d transferred his devoti o n t o L e u -

co t h e a the daughter of O rchamus king of the eastern

, ,

countries which so angered the forsaken Clytie that

,
’
Sh e info rmed O rchamus o f his daughter s attachment and ,

he punished her by inhumanly burying her alive Helios .

,

overcome with gri ef endeavour ed by every means in hi s , ,

po w er t o recall her to life At last finding all his efforts

,
.
,

unavailing he sprinkled her grave with heavenl y nectar

, ,

and immediately there sprang fo rth from the spot a shoot

o f franki ncense which spread aroun d its aromatic per
,

fum e .

The je al ous Clytie gai ned nothing by her cruel conduct ,

fo r the su n go d came t o her no more

-
Inconsolable at .

hi s loss she thr ew herself u pon the ground and refused

, ,

all suste nance F or ni ne long days she turn ed her face

.

towards the glorious god o f day as he moved along the ,

64 M YTHS or AN C I EN T G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

heavens till at len gth her lim bs became roote d in t h e

,

ground and she w as transfo rmed into a flower whi ch

, ,

ever tur ns towards the sun .

Helios married Perse daughte r o f O ceanus and their , ,

childr en were Ast es ki ng o f Colchi s ( celebrate d in the

, ,

legend O f the Argonauts as the possessor of the Golden

F l e ece ) and Circe the renowned sorceress
, , .

Heli os had another so n named Phaethon whose mother ,

was Clymene one o f the O ceanides The youth w as very

,
.

beautiful and a great favouri te with Aphrodi te who

, ,

intruste d him wi th the care o f one of her temples which ,

fl a tte ring proof o f her re ard caused h im t o become v ai n g

and presum ptuous His friend E paphus son o f Zeus and

.
,

I0 endeavour ed t o check hi s youthful v a nity by pretend

,

ing t o di sbe lieve his ass ertion that the sun god was h i s -

father Ph a ethon fu l l o f resentment and eager t o be

.
, ,

able t o refute the calumn y has ten e d t o hi s mother Cly ,

mene and be soug ht her to te l l hi m whether Heli os was

,

really hi s father Moved by h i s entreaties and at the

.
,

s a me time angry at the reproach Of E paphus Clymene ,

pointed t o the glorious sun then shinin g down upon them ,

and assured her son that ii i that bright o rb he beheld the

,

author o f hi s being addi ng that if he had sti ll any doubt

, ,

he might visit the radi ant dwellin g o f the great god of

’
light and i nquire for him self O verj oyed at h i s mother s .

r e assuri ng words and fo llowing the di recti o ns she gave

,
’
h i m Phaethon qui ckl y wended hi s way t o hi s father s
,

palace .

As he ente red the palace O f the sun god the dazzlin g rays -

almost bli nded hi m and prevented hi m from approac h ,

ing the thr o ne on w h ich hi s father was seate d sur rounded ,

by the Hours Days Months Years an d Seasons Helios

, , , ,
.
,

who with hi s all seeing eye h ad watched him from afar

-

removed his cro wn O f glitte ri n g rays an d b ad e him n o t ,

t o be af raid but t o draw near t o hi s father

,
E n co urag e d .

by this kind rece ption Phae thon entreated him t o be ,

stow upon him such a pro of o f his love that all the world ,

might be convin ced t h at he was in de e d hi s so n ; where

upon He lios des ired h im t o ask any favour he pleased ,
 H E L I O S ( SO L ) . 65

and swore by the Styx that it should be granted The .

impetuous youth immediate ly reques t ed permission to

drive the ch ari o t of the sun for one whole day Hi s .

father li stened h o rror struck t o th is presum ptuous demand

—
,

and by representing the many dan ge rs which would beset

his path endeavoured t o di ssuade h im from so peri lous
,

an undertaki ng ; but his son deaf to all a dvice pressed , ,

his poin t with such pertinacity that Helios was reluctantly ,

compelled t o lead him to the chariot Phaethon paused .

fo r a moment to admire the beauty o f the litteri n g

equipage the gift of the god of fire who had ormed it
,
g ,
f

o f gold and ornamented it with precious st ones which

, ,

reflected the rays of the s un And now Helios see ing

.
,

his sist er the Dawn openi n g her doors in the rosy east
, , ,

ordered the Hours t o y o ke the h o rses The goddesses .

speedily ob e yed the command and t h e father then an ,

ointed the face Of his son with a sacred balm to enable ,

him t o endure the bur ning flames which issued from

t h e nostrils o f the steeds and s orrowfull y placing hi s
,

cro w n o f rays upon his head des ired h i m to ascend the ,

chari ot
The eager youth jo yqy took hi s place a n d grasped
.

the covete d reins but no sooner di d t h e fiery coursers

,

o f the sun feel t h e inexp erienced hand which attempted

t o guide them than they became restive and u n m an ag e

,

able l Vild ly they rushed out o f the ir accustomed track

.
,

now s o ari ng so h igh as t o threaten the heavens with

destruction now descendi ng so low as nearly t o set the
,

earth o n fire At last the unfortunate chari ote er blinded

.
,

wi th the glare and terri fi e d at the awful devastation he

,

had ca used dropped the rein s from hi s trembling hands

, .

Moun tains and forests were in flames rivers and streams ,

were d ri ed u p and a general co n fl agrat io n was imm inent

, .

The scorched earth now called o n Zeus for help who ,

h u rled hi s thunderbolt at P haethon and with a flash Of ,

lightning bro u ght the fiery steeds to a standstill The .

lifeless body of the youth fell headl ong i nto the river
E ridanus 1
where it was rec eived and b u ried by the
,

1 Th e ri v e r Po
.
66 M YT IIS o r A N CI E N T G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

nymphs o f the stream His sisters mourned so long for

.

him that they were transformed by Zeus into poplars ,

and the tears they shed falling into the waters became
, ,

d rops o f clear transparent amber

,
Cycnus the faithful .
,

friend of the un happy Phaethon felt such overwhelming ,

grief at his terri ble fate that he pined and wasted away
, .

The gods moved with compassion transformed him in t o

, ,

a swan which for ever brooded over the fatal spot where
,

the waters had closed over the head Of his un fortun ate
friend.

The chief seat Of th e worship of Helios was the island of

Rhodes whic h according to the foll o wing myth was his
,

especial territory At t h e time O f the Titanomachi a when

.
,

the gods were dividing the world by lot Helios happened ,

to be absent and consequently received no share He

,
.
,

therefore complained to Zeus who propos e d to have a

, ,

new allotment but this Helios woul d not all o w saying

, , ,

that as he pursued hi s daily j ourney his penetrating eye ,

had beheld a lovely fertile island lying ben e ath the waves
,

o f the ocean and that if the im morta ls woul d swear t o

,

give h i m the undi sturbed possession of this spot h e woul d ,

be content to accept it as his share of the universe The .

gods took the oath whereupon ,

t h e island o f Rhodes imme

diately raised itself above the
sur face o f the waters .

The famous Colossus o f

Rhodes which was one o f the ,

seven wonders o f the world ,

was erecte d in honour o f

Heli os This wonderful sta tue
.

was 1 05 feet hi gh an d was ,

formed entirely o f brass ; it

for med the entrance to the
harb o ur at Rhodes and the ,

l argest vessel could easily sail

between the legs which stood ,

o n m oles each side of the harbour

,
Though so gigantic .
,

it was perfectly pr o portioned in every part So m e idea o f .

 Ro s ( A URORA) . 67

its siz e may be gain ed from the fact that very few people
were able t o span the thum b of this sta tue with their
arms In the inte ri or of the Colossu s was a win di ng stair
.

case lead in g t o the top from the summit o f whi ch by , ,

means o f a telescope the coast of Syri a and also the , ,

shores O f E gypt are s ai d t o have been visible

,
1
.

E O S (A URO RA) .

E o s, the Dawn li ke her brother Helios whose advent

, ,

she always an nounced was also deified by the early Greeks

,
.

Sh e t o o had her o w n char iot which she dr ove across the ,

vast horizon both mornin g and nig ht before and afte r ,

the sun go d Hen ce she is not merely the pe rso n ifica

-

tion o f t h e rosy morn but also of twili ght for which , ,

reason her palace is placed in the west on the island ,

Z E aea The abode of E o s is a magnificent structure s ur ,

roun ded by flowery meads and velvety lawn s where ,

nymphs and other immortal beings wind in and o u t in ,

the mazy fi gu res o f the dance whi lst the music o f a ,

sweetly tuned melody accompani es their graceful gli ding

-

movements .

E o s is described by the poets as a beautiful m aiden with

rosy arms and fi ngers and l arge wi ngs whose plumage is
, ,

o f an ever changing hue ; she bears a st ar o n her forehead

-

and a torch in her han d l Vra ppin g round her the ri ch

folds Of her viole t tinged mantle she leaves her couch
-

before the break of day and herself yokes her two horses , ,

L arn pe t u s and Phaethon t o her glorious chariot Sh e , .

then hastens with active cheerfulness to Open the gate s

o f heaven in order t o heral d the approach o f her brother
, ,

the god o f day whilst the tender plants and flowers re

, ,

vi v e d by the morni ng dew lift the i r heads to w e l co m r

,

her as she pass es .

1
s k qy s y
Th i g rea t w o r o f a n t i u i t w as d e t ro e d by a n e a rt h u a e fift y qk
si x y s
e a r af t e r i t s e re c t io n R C 256 f
Th e ragm e n t re m a i n e d o n t h e
. . s
q
,

y s s
g ro u n d f o r m an ce n t uri e , u n t il Rh o d e w as c o n u e re d by t h e Tu r , ks
and t h e y
w e re e e n t u a v ll y s
o l d by o n e o f t h e g e n e ra l o f C a ip h O t h m a n s l
I V. t o a m e rc h an t of E m e a f o r s A D 6 72. . .
68 M YT HS or A N CI E NT G RE E C E A ND ROM E .

1
Eosfirst marri ed the Tit As t raeus an d their chi ldren an ,

were He o sph o ru s ( Hesperus ) the evenin g star and the , ,

winds Sh e af terwards became united to Tithonus s o n of

.
,

L aom e don king o f Troy who had won her affection by hi s

, ,

unri valled be auty ; and E o s un happy at the thought of ,

their being ever separated by death obtain ed for h i m ,

from Zeus the gift o f immort ali ty forgetting however to , , ,

add t o it that of eternal youth Th e c o nsequence was .

that when in the course o f time Tithonus grew Old and

, ,

decrepid and lost all the beauty which had won her
,

admir ation E o s became disgusted with his in firm i t ie s

, ,

and at last shut hi m up in a chamber where soon little ,

else was left o f him but his v o ice which h ad now sunk ,

i nto a weak feeble quaver ,

Acc o rdin g t o some of the .

later poets he bec ame so weary o f his cheerless and mi ser

,

able existence that he entreated t o be all owed t o die

, .

This was however im possible ; but E o s pitying his u n

, , ,

happ y condition exerted her di vin e power and changed

, ,

him into a grasshopper which is as it were all voi ce , , , ,

and whose monotonous ceaseless ch i rp in gs may n o t in ,

aptly be compared t o the m e ani ngless babble o f ext reme

o ld a g e .

P H CE B US APO L -
L O .

P hoebus Apollo the god of L ight Prophecy Music

-

, , , ,

P oetry and the Arts and Sciences is by far the noblest

, ,

conception wi thin the whole range Of Greek myt hology ,

and hi s worship whi ch not o nl y ex tended to all t h e

,

states o f Greece but al so to Asia Minor and t o every

,

Greek colony throughout the world stands o u t among ,

the most an c ient and strongly marked featur es Of Grecian -

histo ry and exe rted a more decided i nfluence over the

,

Greek nation than that o f any other deity n o t excepti ng

, ,

Zeus himself .

Apo llo was the son o f Zeus and L eto and was born ,

beneath the shade of a palm tree which grew at the fo ot -

1 A c co rdi n g to s o m e au t h o ri t i e s , y
St r m o n .
 r rrcE B Us -
AP OLLO . 69

of Mount C yn t h u s o n the barren and rocky island of

,

Delos . The poets tell us that the earth smiled wh en t h e

youn g god fir st beheld the
light o f day and that ,

Delos became so proud

and exu ltan t at the honour
thus conf erred upon her ,

that she covered herse lf

with golden flowers; swans
surrounded the island ,

and the Deli an nymphs

celebrated hi s birth with
songs of jo y .

The un h appy L eto ,

driven to Delos by the

relentless persecutions o f
Hera was not long per ,

m i t t e d t o enj oy her haven

of refuge Being still .

tormented by her enemy ,

the youn g mother was once more obliged t o fly ; she

th erefore resign e d the charge o f her new born babe —

t o the go ddess Themi s w h o careful ly wrapped the help

,

less i nfant in swaddli ng clothes and fed hi m wi th nectar

-

and ambrosia ; but he had no sooner partaken o f the

heavenl y food than t o t h e amazement O f the goddes s
, ,

he burst asunder t h e bands which co n fined his in fant

limbs and springing t o his feet appeared before her as
, ,

a full grown youth o f di vi ne strength and beauty He

-
.

now demanded a lyre and a bow declari n g that hence ,

forth he would announce to m an kind the will o f his

!
father Zeus .The golden lyre s ai d he sh al l be my
“
, ,
“

friend the bent bo w my deli ght and in oracles will I

, ,

f o retell the dark future l Vi t h these words he asc end e d

.
!

t o O lympus where he w as received with j o yf u l acclam a

,

tions into the assembly o f the celesti al gods w h o ackn o w ,

l ed ged him as the most beautiful and gl o ri o us Of all the

sons of Zeus .

P hoebus Apollo was the god o f light in a twofo ld si gu i

-
70 M Y T HS or A N CI E N T G R E E C E A ND RO M E .

ficat i o n : fi rst, as representing the great orb of day

ill umi nes the world ; and secon dl y, as the heavenly light
which animates t h e soul of m an He i nh eri t ed hi s func .

tion as sun god from Helios with whom in later times

-

, , ,

he was so completely identifi e d that the personali ty o f ,

the one became graduall y merge d in that Of the other .

We ac cordingly find Heli os frequently confounded with

, ,

Apollo myths belonging t o the former attributed t o the

,

latte r ; and with so me tribes the Ionic fo r insta nce so —

,
—

complete is th is identification that Apollo is call e d by ,

them Heli os Apollo -

.

A s the divini ty whose power is developed in the

broad light of day he brings j oy and deli ght t o nature
, ,

and health and prosperity t o man By the infl uence o f his .

warm and gentle rays he di sperses the noxi ous vapours

o f the ni ght assists the gr ai n t o ripe n and the flowers to
,

bloom .

B u t although as god o f the s un he is a life giving

, ,

and life pre s e rvin g power who by hi s genial influence , , ,

dispels the cold o f winter he is at the same time the , , ,

god who by means o f hi s fiercely darting rays could

, ,

spread di sease and send sudden death t o men and an i

mals ; and it is t o this phas e O f hi s chara c t er that we
must look for the explanation of hi s be ing considered ,

in conj unction with hi s twin sister Ar temi s ( as moon -

goddess ) a divin ity o f death The brother and sister

,
.

share thi s fu nction between them he taking man and she ,

woman as her ai m and those especially who died in the

,

bloom o f youth or at an advanced a e were believed t o

,
g
,

have b e en kil led by their gentle arrows But Apollo did .

not al ways send an e a sy death We see in the I lie d how .

,

when angry with the Greeks the go d Of the si lver bo w ,

“ !

strode do w n from O ly m pus with his quiver fu ll of death ,

bringing darts and sent a raging pestilence in t o their

,

ca mp F or ni ne days he let fly hi s fatal arrows first on

.
,

ani mals and then on men till the a ir became darken e d ,

with the smoke from the fun eral pyres .

In his character as g o d o f light Phoebus Apo ll o is the ,

-

protecting deity o f shepherds be cause it is he who warms ,

 PH ( E B U S APOLLO -
. 71

the fi elds and meadows and gives rich pastures to the

flocks thereby glad d e n irig the heart Of the herdsman
,

.
,

As the temperate heat Of the sun exercises so i n vig o r a t

in g an effect o n m an and animals and promotes the ,

growth of those medi cin al herbs and vegetable productions

necessary for the cure o f diseases Ph oebus Apollo was ,
-

supposed to possess the power o f restori ng life and health ;

hence he was regarded as the god Of heal ing ; but this
feature in his character we shall find more particul arly
developed In his son Asclepius (E s cu l apiu s) the veritable ,

o d o f the healing art

g .

Pursuing o u r analysis of the various phases In th e cha

ra ct e r o f P h oebus Apollo we find that with the fir st beams
,

O f h i s geni al light all nature awakens to renewed life and

, ,

the woods re echo with the jubilant sound o f the untaught

-

lays warbled by thousands o f feathered choriste rs Hence

,
.
,

by a natural inference he is the god of music and as

, , ,

ac cording to the belief of the ancients the inspirations o f ,

genius were inseparably connected with the glorious light

o f heaven he is al so the god Of poetry and acts as the
, ,

special patron Of the arts and sciences Apollo is himself .

the heavenly musician among the O lympic gods whose ,

banquets are gladdened by the wondrous strains which he

produces from his favourite instrument the seven stringed ,
-

lyre In the cultus o f Apollo music formed a distinguish

.
,

ing featur e All sacred dances and even the sacrifices in

.
,

his honour were performed to the sound Of musical in

,

s t ru m e n t s ; and it i s in a great measure o w ing to t h e

, ,

influence which t h e music i n his worship exercised o n

the Greek nati o n that Apollo came to be regarded as the
,

leader of the nine Muses the legi timate divinities o fp oetry

,

and song In this character he 1 3 called Musagetes

.
b
and ,

is always represented robed in a long flo w in g garme nt ;

his lyr e t o the tones o f which he appears t o be si n i ng i s
,
g
,

suspend e d by a band across the ch est ; his head is e n

circled by a wreath of laurel and his long hair stream , ,

ing down over his shoulders gives him a somewhat ,

effeminate appearance .

And now we must view the glorious g od o f light under

72 M YTHS or AN CI E NT G R E E CE A ND RO M E .

another an d ( as far as regar ds his influen ce over t h e

Gr e ek riat i o n ) a much more i mportant as pect ; for in his
,

t o ri ca l times all the other functions and attribute s of

,

Apoll o sink i nto comparative in signi fican ce before the

great po wer whi ch he exercised as god of proph ec y It Is .

true that all Greek gods were endowed to a certain ext ent , ,

with t h e faculty o f foretellin g futur e events ; but Apollo ,

as sun god was the concentration o f al l propheti c power

-

, ,

as it w as supposed that nothi ng esca ed hi s all seein g eye

p
—
,

whi ch penetrate d the most hidden recesses an d l ai d ba re ,

the secrets which lay con cealed behi nd the dark veil o f
the futu re .

We have seen that when Apoll o as su m e d hi s god li ke -

form he took his place among the immortals ; but he had

,

n o t long enjoyed the rapturous deli ghts O f O lympus before ,

he felt with in him an ardent desire t o fulfil his great m is

sion o f interpreting t o manki nd the wil l o f hi s mi ghty
father He accordingly descended to earth and tr avell e d
.
,

through many co u ntri es seekin g a fittin g si t e upo n whi ch

,

t o esta blish an oracle At length he reach e d the southern

.

side o f the rocky heights of Parnas sus beneath which lay ,

the harbo ur of Crissa Here under the overhanging cliff

.
, ,

he found a secluded spot where from the most ancient , ,

times there h ad exi sted an oracle in whi ch Gae a herself

, ,
’
h ad revealed the futur e t o man an d whi ch in Deucalion 3 , ,

time Sh e had resigned t o Themis It was guarded by

,
.

the hug e serpent Python the scourge O f the surroun di ng ,

neighbourhood and the te rror alike of men and cattle .

The young g o d full o f confidence in hi s unerri ng aim

,

, ,

attacked and sle w the monste r wi th his arrows thus free ,

ing land and people from their mighty enemy .

The grateful inhabitants anxi ous t o do honour t o their ,

de liverer flocked round Apollo who proceed ed t o mark

, ,

o u t a plan for a temple and with the assistan ce of numbers

, ,

of ea er volunte ers a sui table ed i fice was soon erecte d It

g
,

now beca me necessa ry t o choose ministers w h o woul d offer ,

up sacrifi ces in t erpret his prophecies to the people and

, ,

take charge o f the temple L o o king round he saw in the .

,

far d i stance a vessel bound from Crete t o t h e Pe lo po n

 PHGEB U S -
AP OLLO . 73

n e su s , and dete rmin e d t o avail himself o f her crew fo r his

service Assumin g the shape o f an enormous dolphin
.
,

he agita ted the waters t o such a degree that the ship was ,

tossed violently t o and fro t o the great alarm o f the ,

mari ners ; at the same time he raised a mighty win d ,

whi ch dro ve the ship into the harbour of Crissa where ,

s h e ran aground The terrified sail o rs dared n o t set

.

foot on shore ; but Apollo under the form of a vi gorous ,

youth stepped do w n t o the vessel revealed him self in

, ,

his true character and informed them th at it was he

,

who had driven them to Crissa in order that they '

,

might become his pri e st s an d serve him in his temple ,

.

Arri ved at the sacred fane he instructed them h o w t o ,

perform the services in his hono u r and d e sire d them to ,

worship him under the name o f Apollo De lphin i o s be -

cause h e had first appeared to them under the form o f

a dolphin Thus was established the far famed oracle Of
.
-

Delphi the only instituti o n o f the ki nd whi ch was not

,

exclusively national for it was consulted by L ydi ans

, ,

Phr ygians E truscans Romans & c and in fac t was held

, , ,
.
, , ,

in the hi ghest repute all over the worl d In Ob e di ence

t o its decrees the laws o f L ycurgus were introduced and
, ,

the e arliest Greek colonies founded No cities were built .

without first consulting the Delphi c o racle for it was be ,

li e v e d that Apo llo took special delight in the founding

o f cities the first stone o f which he l ai d in person ; n o r
,

was any enterprise ever undertaken without inquiri ng at ,

thi s sacred fane as to its probable success .

But that which brought Apollo more closely home to

the hearts O f the p eople and raised the whole moral ,

t o ne of the Greek nation was the belief gradual ly de , ,

v e IO e d with the intelligence o f the people that he w as

p ,

t h e god who accepted repentance as an atonement fo r

sin wh o pardoned the contrite sinner and w h o acte d as
, ,

t h e special protector O f th ose who like O restes h ad com , , ,

mitted a cri me which required long years of expiation

,
.

Apollo is represented by the poets as being eternally

young ; his countenance gl o wing with j oyous li fe i s t h e
, ,

em bodi ment o f immortal beauty ; hi s eyes are of a deep

74 MYT HS or AN CI E N T G REE C E A N D ROM E .

blue ; his forehead lo w but broad and intellectual ; his ,

hair which fall s over hi s shoulders in long waving locks

, ,

is of a golden o r warm chestnut hue He is crowned

, .

with lau rel and wears a purple robe ; in his hand he

,

bears his silver bo w w hi ch is unbent when he smiles , ,

but re ad y for use when he mena ce s evil d oers -

.

But Apollo the eternally beautif ul youth the pe rfe c

, ,

tion o f all that is graceful and refined rarely seems t o ,

have been happy in his love ; either his advances met

with a repulse o r his un ion with the obj ect of hi s afi s c
,

tion was attended with fatal consequen ces .

Hi s first love was Daphne ( daugh t e r o f Peneus the ,

river god ) who was so averse to marria e that she e n

-

,
g

tr eated her father t o allow her t o lead a life o f celibacy ,

and devote herse lf t o the chase which she loved t o the ,

exclusion of all other pursui ts But one day soon after .

,

his victory over the Python Apo ll o happened t o see E ros ,

bending his bo w and proud of his o wn supe rior strength

,

and skil l he laughed at the efforts o f the little ar cher

, ,

saying that such a weapon was more suited t o the o n e

who had just killed the terrible serpent E ros angrily r e .

plied that his arrow should pierce the heart o f the mocker
himself and flyi ng o ff to the summit o f Moun t Parnas
,

sus he dr ew from his quiver two darts o f different work

,

manshi p o n e of gold which had the e ffect o f inspiring

—
,

love ; the other of le ad whi ch created aversion ,

.

aim at Apollo he pierced his breast with the golden

,

shaft whil st the leaden o n e h e di scharged into t h e

,

bosom of the beautiful Daphne The son o f L eto in .

s t an t ly felt the most ardent affection for the nymph ,

w h o o n her part evinced the greatest dislike towards

, ,

her di vine lover and at his approach fled from him , , ,

li ke a hun ted deer He call ed upon her in the most .

endeari n g accents t o sta y but she stil l sped on until at , ,

length becoming faint with fatigue and feari ng that she

, ,

was about t o s u ccumb she called upon the gods t o come ,

t o her aid Hardly had she uttered her prayer before a

heavy torpor seized her limbs and just as Apollo threw ,

out h i s arms t o embrace her she became transformed ,

 P H CE B US -
APOLLO . 75

into a laur e l bush He sorrowfully crown ed hi s head

-
.

with its leaves and declared that in memory of his love

, , ,

it shoul d henceforth remain evergreen and be held sacred ,

to him .
4;
1

He next sought the love of Marpessa the daughter ,

o f E venus ; but though her father approved hi s su i t the ,

mai den preferred a youth nam e d Idas wh o contri ved t o ,

carry her o ff in a win ged chariot which he had procured

from Poseidon Apollo pursued the fugitives whom he
.
,

qu ickl y overtook and forcibly seizing the bride refused

, ,

t o resign her Zeus then inte rfered and decl ared that
.
,

Marpessa herse lf must decide which o f her lovers should

claim h e r as his wife A f te r due reflection she accepte d
.

Idas as her husband judiciously concluding that although

,

the attractions o f the di vin e Apo llo were supe ri or t o those

of her lover it woul d be wi ser t o uni te herself t o a
,

mortal who growing o ld with herself woul d be less

, , ,

likely t o forsake her when advancing years should rob

,

her o f her charms .

C as sandra daughte r o f Priam , king o f Troy was an

, ,

other object o f the love of Apollo Sh e feigned t o retur n .

hi s affection and promised t o marry him provi ded he

, ,

woul d confer upo n her the gif t o f prophecy ; but havin g

received the boon sh e desired the treacherous maiden ,

refused to comply with the conditions upon which it had

been grante d Incensed at her breach o f faith Apo ll o
.
, ,

unable t o recall the gift he h ad besto w ed rendered it ,

useless by causin g her predicti o ns t o fail in obtai n i ng

credence Cassandra became famous in histo ry fo r her
.

prophetic powers but her prophecies were never believe d

,
.

F or i nstance she warned her brother Paris that if he

,

brought bac k a wife from Greece he woul d cause the

’
destruction of his father s house and kingdom ; she also
warned the Trojans n o t to admit the wooden horse
wi thi n the walls o f the city and foretold t o Agamemn on
,

all the disasters whi ch afterwards be fell him .

Apo llo afterwards m ar ri ed Coroni s a n ym ph o f L arissa , ,

and thought himself happy in the p o ssessi o n o f her

faithful love ; but once more he was d o omed t o dis a p
76 M YT HS or A NC I E N T G REE C E A ND RO M E .

pointment for o n e day his favour ite bird the crow flew
, , ,

t o h im with the inte lli gence that his wi fe had tran s

ferred her affections t o a youth of Hae m o n i a Apoll o ,

burn i ng with rage instantly destroyed her with o n e of

,

hi s death bri ngi ng darts Too late he repented o f his

-
.

rashness for she h ad been tenderly beloved by h im and

, ,

he woul d fai n have recalled her to life ; but although he ,

exerted all hi s healin g powers h is efforts were in vain , .

He puni shed the crow for its garrulity by changin g the

colour o f its plumage from pur e white t o inte nse black ,

and forbade it to fly any longer among the other birds .

Coro n is left an infant son named Asclepius who afte r ,

wards became god o f medicine His powers were so .

ext rao rd inary that he could not only cure the sick but ,

could even restore the dead t o lif e At las t Ai des com .

plained t o Zeus that the number of shades conducted t o

his domi ni ons was daily decreasing and the great rul er ,

o f O lympus feari ng that mankind thus protected against

, ,

sickn ess an d death would be able t o defy the gods them

,

s elves ki ll ed Asclepius with one of h i s thunderbolts

,
The .

loss of his highly gifted s o n so exasperated Apoll o that

‘

being unable to vent his anger o n Zeus he destroyed the ,

Cyclops who had fo rged the fatal thunderbolts F or this

,
.

offence Apollo woul d have been banished by Zeus t o

,

Tartarus but at the earnest intercession o f L eto he par

,

t ia lly relented and contented himself with dep ri ving him

,

o f all power and di gnity and imposing on him a tem ,

po rary servitude in the house o f Admetus king o f Thes ,

saly Apollo fai thf ully served his royal master for ni ne
.

years in the hum ble capacity of a shepherd and was ,

treated by hi m with every kindness and consideration .

Duri ng the peri od o f his service the ki ng sought t h e hand

of Al cestis the bea utiful daughter of Pelias so n of Posei
, ,

don ; but her father declared that he woul d only resign her
to the suitor who shoul d succeed in yoking a lion and a
wil d boar to hi s chariot By the aid of hi s divine herds
man Admetus accompli shed this difficult tas k and gained
, ,

h i s bride No r was this t h e onl y favour which the king

.

received from the exil e d god for Apollo obtain e d from ,

 P H CE B U S -
APOLLO . 77

the F ates the gift of immortality fo r hi s benefac t or o n ,

condition that when his last h our approached some mem ,

be r o f his o wn famil y should be wil lin g to di e i n h i s ste ad .

Wh en the fatal hour arrived and Admetus felt that h e ,

was at the point o f death he implored his aged parents ,

t o yield to him the ir few rem ai n ing days But life is “

.

’
sweet even t o old age and they b o th refused t o make
,

the sacri fice demanded of them Al cestis however who .

, ,

had secretly dev o ted herself t o death for her husband ,

was seized with a mort a l sickness whi ch kept pace with ,

hi s rapid recovery The devoted w ife brea thed her last

.

i n the arms o f Adm etus and he had just consign e d her

,

t o the tomb when He racles chanced to come t o the palac e

, .

Admetus held the rites o f hospital ity so sacred that he ,

at first kept sil ence with regard t o his great bereavement ;

but as soon as hi s friend heard what h ad occurred he ,

bravely descended into the tomb an d when death came ,

t o claim his prey he exerted his marvell o us strength and

, ,

held him in hi s ar ms until he promised t o resto re the

,

beautif ul and heroic queen t o the bosom of her family .

pursuing the peaceful l ife o f a shepherd Apoll o ,

form e d a strong friendship with two youths n amed Hya

cin t h u s a n d Cypariss u s but the great favour shown to
,

them by the g od di d not suffice to shi eld them fr om mi s

fo rtune The former was o n e day throwing the di scus
.

w ith Apollo when running t o o eagerly t o take up the

, ,

o n e thrown by the
go d he was struck o n the head with
,

it and kill ed o n the spo t Apollo was overcome wi th

gri ef at the sad end of his youn g favourite but bein g ,

un able t o restore hi m t o life he changed him into the

flower call e d af te r h im t h e Hyacinth Cyparissus had
,

’
the mi sfortune t o kill by accident o n e o f Apoll o s favouri te
stags which so preyed o n his mind that he gradually
,

pined away and di ed of a broken heart He was trans

, .

formed by the god into a cypress tree which owes its -

name t o this story 4? .

A fte r these sad oc currences Apollo quitte d Thessa ly

and repaired t o Phrygia in Asia Min or where h e met , ,

Poseidon wh o like him s elf was in exile and cond emned

, , , ,
78 M YTHS OF A N CI E N T G RE E C E A ND ROM E .

to a temporary servitude o n earth The two gods now .

entered the servi ce of L aom e don king o f Troy Apoll o , ,

undertaki ng t o te nd hi s flocks and Poseidon t o build the ,

walls o f the city But Apollo also contri buted his assist
.

ance in the erection of those wonderful walls and by the , ,

ai d o f his marvellous musical powers the labo u rs o f hi s ,

fell ow worker Poseidon were rende 1 ed so light and easy

-

, ,

that hi s other wise arduous task advanced with astonish

i n g celerity ; for as the master hand o f the god o f music
,

grasped the chords o f hi s lyre the huge blocks o f stone ,

mov e d o f their o wn accord adjusting themselves with ,

t h e utmost nicety into the plac es designed fo r them .

But though Apollo was so renowned in the art o f

music there were two individu al s who had the effrontery
,

t o consider themselves equal t o him in thi s respect an d , ,

accordin gly each challenged him to compete with them

,

in a m u sical contest These were Marsyas and Pan . .

Marsyas was a satyr who havin g picked up the flute , ,

which Athene had thrown away in disgust discovered to , ,

hi s great deli ght and astonishment that in consequence , ,

o f its having touched the lips o f a goddess it played o f

.
,

itself in the most charming manner Marsyas who was a .

,

great lover o f music and much belove d o n this accoun t ,

by all the elf li ke denizens o f the woods and gle ns

-

was so in toxi cated with j oy at thi s di scovery that he ,

foolishly challenged Apollo to compete with him in a

musical conte st The challenge being accepted the
.
,

Muses were chosen umpires and it was decided that the ,

unsuccessful candidate should suffer the punishment o f

being flayed ali ve F or a long time t h e merits o f both
.

claimants remained so equally balanced that it was ,

i mpossible to award the palm of vic t ory to either s e eing ,

which Apoll o res o lved t o conquer ad ded the sw e et

, , ,

tones o f hi s melodi o u s voice t o the strain s o f his lyre ,

1 f y
Th is w o n d e r u l l r e , w h ic h h a d b e e n g i e n t o A po ll o by He rm e v s
y
( M e rc u r ) i n e xc h a n g e fo r t h e C a d u c e u o r ro d o f w ea lt h , is a id t os s
v ss ss s y
h a e po e e d u c h e x t rao rd i n a r po w e r , t h a t i t ca u e d a. t o n e , u po n s s s
l s
w h i c h i t w as la id , t o be c o m e so m e o d i o u , t h at e e r a t e r war d , o n be i n g v f s
s s
t o u c h e d , i t e m i t t e d a m u i ca l o u n d w h ic h re e m bl e d t h a t p ro d u c e d by s
t h e lyre i t e ls f .
 P HQ‘J B US -
AP OLLO .
79

and this at once turned the scal e in hi s favour The .

unh appy Marsyas being defeated h ad t o un dergo the ,

terrible penalty and his untimely fate was univers ally

,

lamented ; in deed the Satyrs and Dryads his co m ,

pani ons wept so i ncessantly at his fa te that the ir tears

, , ,

uniting together formed a river in Ph rygi a which is still

,

kn own by the name o f Marsyas .

Th e result o f the con t est with Pan was by n o me a ns

of so seri o us a character The god o f shepherds havin g .

affirmed that he could play more ski lfully o n his flute

’
o f seven reeds ( the syrinx o r Pan s pipe ) than Apollo ,

o n hi s world renowned lyre a c o ntest ensue d in whi ch

-

, ,

Apollo was pronounced the victor by all the j udges ap

poin ted t o decide between the ri val candidates Midas .
,

k ing o f Ph rygi a al one demurred at this decision havi ng

, ,

the bad t as t e t o prefer the un couth tones o f the Pan s ’

’
pipe t o the refined m e l odi es of Apoll o s lyre Incensed .

at the obstin ac y and stupidity o f the Ph rygian ki ng ,

Apollo puni sh e d him by giving h im the ears o f a n a ss .

Midas horri fied at be ing thus disfigured deter mined t o

, ,

hide his di sgrace from his subj ects by means of a cap ;

hi s barber however coul d not be kept in ignoran ce o f
, ,

the fact and was therefore bribed with ri ch gifts never

,

t o reveal it F indin g however that he could not keep

.
, ,

the secret any longer he dug a hole in the ground in to

,

which he whi spered it ; then closin g u p the aperture he

returned home feeli ng greatly relieved at having thus
,

eased his mind o f its burden But aft er all this ve ry .

,

hum iliatin g secret was revealed to the world for some ,

reeds whi ch sprun g up from the spot murmured in c e s

s an t l
y as they waved t o and fro in the wind : K i ng “
,
!
Midas has the ears o f an ass .

In the sad and beautiful story o f Niobe daughter o f ,

Tantalus and wife of Amphion king o f Thebes we have

, , ,

another instance of the severe puni shments meted o u t by

Apo llo t o those wh o in any way incurred his displeasure .

Niobe was the proud mother o f seven sons and seven

daughters and exulting in the number o f h e r ch ildren
, ,

she upon one oc casion ridiculed the worshi p of L eto,

, ,
80 M Y THS or A N CI ENT G R E E C E AN D RO M E .

because she h ad but o n e son and daughter an d desired ,

the Thebans for the future t o give t o her the honour s

, ,

and sacri fices which they had hithert o offered to the

mother of Apollo and A r te mi s The sacrilegious words .

had scarcely p as sed her lips

before Ap o llo called upon his
sis t er Artemis to assist hi m in
avenging the insul t offered t o
their mother and soon their in ,

visible arr o ws sped through the

ai r Apollo slew all t h e sons
’

.
,

and Artemis h ad already slain

all the daughters save o n e the ,

youn gest and best beloved whom ,

Niobe clasped in her arms when ,

the agoni zed mother i mplored

the enraged deities t o leave her ,

at least one out of all her beau ,

tiful children ; but even as she ,

prayed the deadly arro w re ached ,

the heart o f this ch ild also .

Meanwhi l e the un happy father unable t o bear the loss ,

o f his C hildren had destroyed himself and his de ad bod y

, ,

lay beside the lifeless corpse o f hi s favourite son .

Widowed and childless the heart broken mother sat ,

among her dead and t h e go ds in pity for her unutte rable

, ,

woe turned her into a stone which th e y transferre d

, ,

t o Siph y lu s her native Phrygi an mountain where it sti ll

, ,

continues t o shed tears .

The p u nishment of Niobe forms the subj ect o f a m ag

n ifice n t marble group which w as fo und at Rome in the
,

year 1 553 and is now in the gallery of Uffizi at Florence

, ,
.

The renowned singer O rpheus was t h e son o f Apoll o

and Calliope the muse of epic poetry and as might be
, , ,

expected with paren t s so hi ghly gift ed was en d owed ,

wi th most distinguished inte llectu al qualifications He .

was a poet a teac h er of the religi ous doctri nes known as

,

the Orphic myste ri es and a great musician havin g i n

, ,

h e ri t e d from his father an extraordinary genius fo r musi c .

 P H CE B US -
APOLLO . 81

When he sang t o the sweet tones o f his lyre he charmed ,

all nature and sum moned roun d him the wild beasts o f
,

the forests who under the influence of his music beca me

, , ,

ta me and gentle as lambs The m ad ly rushin g torrents .

stopped their rapid course and t h e very moun tai ns and ,

tree s move d from their places at t h e soun d o f hi s entrano

i n g melodies .

Orpheus beca me un ited t o a lovely nym ph named

E ur ydice the daughter o f the sea god N ereus whom h e
' '

, ,

fondly loved Sh e was no less attached t o him and t h eir

.
,

married life was ful l o f j oy an d happ iness But it was .

1
only short lived ; for Ari st aeus the half brother o f O r
-

,
-

ph e u s having fallen in love with the beautiful E ur ydi ce

, ,

forcibly endeavour e d to take her from her husband and ,

as she fl ed acro ss s o me fields to elude his pur suit she was ,

bitten in the foot by a venomous snake whi ch lay con ,

cealed i n the long grass E urydice di ed o f the woun d .

,

d her sorrowing husband filled the groves and v a lle ys

t h hi s piteous and unceasing lamentations .

His longi ng t o beh o ld her once m o re became at last

so un conquerable that he determined t o brave the hor
,

ro rs o f the lower world in order to entreat A i d e s to

,

restore t o him hi s beloved wife Armed only with his .

golden lyre the gi ft of Apollo h e descended into the

, ,

gloomy depths o f Hades where his heavenl y music ar ,

e

rested for a whil e the torments of the un h appy su fferers .

The stone of Sisyphus remained motionl ess ; T a ntalus for

got his perpetual th irst ; t h e wheel o i Ixion ceas ed to
revolve ; and even the F uri es shed tears and withheld ,

for a time their persecutions Undismayed at the scenes .

o f horror and suffe ri ng which met hi s view o n every side ,

he pursued his way until he arrived at the palace of

"

Ai des Presentin g hi mself before the throne o n w h ich

.

sat the stony heart ed king and hi s consort Persephone

-

O rpheus reco u nted hi s woes t o the sound o f his lyr e .

Moved t o pity by hi s sweet strains they listen e d t o hi s ,

1 s
A ris t aau s w as w o r h i p pe d as a ru ra l d i in i ty i n ari o u par t s o f v v s
s v
G re e c e , a n d w as S u ppo e d t o h a e t a u g h t m an i n d h o w t o ca t c h be e , k s
an d t o u t ili z e h o n e a n d wax. y
( 73 )
82 M YT HS or ANCIE NT G R EE CE AN D ROX E .

melancholy sto ry an d con sente d t o release E ur ydi ce o n

,

co ndition that he shoul d not look upon her until they

reach ed the up per world Orpheus gladl y promis ed t o .

comply with thi s injunction an d followed by E urydi ce , , ,

as ce nded the ste ep and gloo my path wh ich le d t o the

realms of lif e and li gh t A ll went well until he was jus t
.

about t o pass the ex t reme limits of Hades when forget , ,

ting fo r t h e moment t h e h ard condi ti on he turned to ,

convi nce hi mself that his belov e d wife was rea lly behind
hi m . The gla nce w as fata l and destroyed all hi s h 0 pes ,

o f happ i ness ; for as he yea rningly stretc hed out h is arm s

,

t o embrac e her she was caught bac k and vanished from

, ,

hi s sight for ever The grief o f O rpheus at thi s second

.

loss was even more i nte nse than before and he n o w ,

avoided all human society In vain di d the nymphs his .

,

once chosen companion endeavour t o “i n hi m bac k t o

s
,

hi s accusto med haunts ; their power t o charm was gone ,

and music was now hi s sole consolation He wande re d .

'

forth alone choosing the w ildest and most seclud e d paths

, ,

and the hi lls and vales resound e d with hi s pa theti c mel o

dies At last he happen e d t o cross the pa th o f some
.

Thraci an wo men who were perfor ming the wi ld rites o f

,

Di onysus ( B acchus ) and in their m ad fury at h i s

,

fusing t o j oin them they fu riously attacked him and

!
, ,

to re h i m in p i ece s In pity fo r his unhappy fate the ,

Muses co ll ected h i s r mai ns whi ch they buri e d at the

e
,

foot of Mount O lympus and the n ightingale warbled a ,

funeral di rge over hi s grave His head w as thro w n i nto .

the ri ver B e h rns and as it floate d do wn the strea m t h e

, ,

lips stil l continued t o murmur the beloved n ame o f

E urydi ce.

The chief seat of the worship of Apoll o was at Delphi ,

and here w as the most magnificent of all his temples the ,

foundation o f whi ch rea ches far beyond al l hi sto ri cal

knowledge and whi ch contai n e d i mmense ri ches the
, ,

offerings of ki n gs and private persons w h o h ad received ,

favourable replies from the o racle Th e Greeks believed .

Delphi t o be the ce ntral point o f the earth beca us e two ,

eagl e s sent forth by Zeus one from the east the other , ,
 RO M A N APOLLO . 83

from the west were said to have arrive d there at the

,
‘

sa me moment .

The Pythi an games celebrate d in honour of the victory

,

o f Apoll o over the Python took plac e at Delphi every,

four years At the first celebration o f these games gods

.
, ,

goddesses and heroes con t ended fo r the p ri zes whi ch

, ,

were at first o f gold o r silver but consisted in later tim e s

, , ,

o f sim ple laurel wreaths .

O n accoun t of its bein g the place of his birt h the whole ,

island o f Delos was consecrated t o Apollo where he was ,

worshi pped with g reat solemnity ; the greatest care was

taken to preserv e the sanctity of the spot fo r which ,

reason no o n e was suffered to be buried there At the .

foo t o f Mount C yn t h u s was a splendid temple o f Apollo

whi ch possess e d an oracle and was enri ched with magni
,

fice n t offe ri n gs from all parts o f Greece E ven forei g n .

nations held thi s island sacred fo r when the Persians ,

passed it o n their way t o attack Greece they not only ,

s ai led by leaving it un injured but sent rich present s to

, ,

the temple Games called Deli a institute d by Theseus

.
, , ,

were celebrate d at Delos every four years .

A festival termed the G ym n o pe d ae a was held at Sparta

in honour o f Apollo in which bo ys sang the prai ses o f
,

t h e gods and o f the thr e e hundr e d L aced aemoni an s who

,

fell at the battle o f T h e rm o pylae

l Vo lve s and hawks were sacrificed t o Apollo and the ,

birds s acr e d t o him were the hawk raven and sw an , , .

ROM A N A P OL L O .

Th e worshi p o f Apollo never occupied the all important -

position in Rome which it held in Greece nor was it in ,

t ro d u ce d till a comparatively late pe ri o d There was no .

sanctuary erected to this divinity until R C 430 when the .

,

Romans in order t o avert a plague built a te mple in his

, ,

honour ; but we do n o t find the w orship Of Apoll o be

coming in any way prominent u ntil t h e time o f Augu s
t us who having call ed u po n this god fo r aid before the
, ,

famous battle o f Actium ascri bed the victory whi ch h e

,
84 M YT HS or AN C IEN T G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

gained t o his influence and accordingly erected a templ e

, ,

there which he enriched with a porti on of the spoi l

, .

Augustus afterwards built anoth er temple in honour

o f Apoll o on the Palatine Hill in whi ch at the foot o f
, ,

hi s statue were deposited two gilt chests containing the

, ,

Sibylline oracles These oracles were collected to replace

.

the Sibylline bo oks o ri ginally preserved in the temple o f

Jupiter which were destroyed when that e di fi ce was
,

burne d
The Sibyls were maidens who had received the gift of
prophecy and the privilege o f living to an incredible age
, .

O ne o f these Sibyls (kn own as the Cum aean ) appeared to

Tarq u in i u s Superbus the last ,

king of Rome offering fo r ,

sale nine books which she in ,

formed him had been w ri tten

by herself No t knowing .

who she was Tarquin refused ,

to buy them upon which she ,

burned three and returned ,

with six demanding the same ,

pri ce as before Being agai n .

dri ven away as an impostor ,

she again retired and burned

three m o re returni ng with ,

the remaining three for which ,

she still asked the same p ri ce

as at first Tarquin amazed .
,

at her inconsistency now con ,

su lt e d th e Augurs who blamed him fo r not having bought

,

the nine books when they were first offered to him an d ,

desired h im to secure the remaining three at whate ver ,

price they were to be had He accordingly purchased .

, ,

the volumes which were found to contain predictions o f

,

great importance t o the Romans After the disposal o f .

t h e books the Sibyl vanis h ed and was seen no more

, ,
.

Th e most beautiful and renowned o f all th e statues o f

Apoll o now in exi stence is that known as the Apollo
Belvedere, which was fo rin d in 1 503 among the rui ns of
,
 H E CATE . 85

ancient A n t iu m It was pur ch ased by Pope Julius 1 1

.
,

who removed it to the Belvedere of the Vatican fr o m ,

whence it takes its name and where it has been fo r more , ,

than three hundred years the admi ration o f the world , .

Wh en Rome was taken and plundered by the F rench , ,

this celebrated statue was transporte d t o Paris and placed ,

in the museum t h ere but in 1 81 5 it was resto red to its

,

fo rmer place in the Vatican The attitude of the figure .

,

which is more than seven feet high is inimit able in its ,

freedom grace and maj esty The forehead is noble and

, ,
.

intell ectual and the wh o le countenance so e x qui site in its

,

beauty tha t o n e pauses spell boun d to gaze o n so perfe ct

,
-

a conception Th e go d h as a very youthful appearance

.
,

as is usual in all his representations and with the e xce p ,

tion of a short mantle which falls from his shoulders is ,

un clothed He stands a ainst the trunk o f a tree up

.
g
,

whi ch a serp ent is creepin g and his left arm is o u t ,

stretched as though about t o punish

,
.

HE C A TE .

Hecate woul d appear to have been originally a moon

goddess worshipped by the T h racian s Sh e became con .

founded and eventually identified with Selene and Per

,

s e ph o n e and is o n e of those divinities o f whom the

,

ancients had various confli ctin g accounts .

Hecate was the daughter of Perses and gold wreathed “ —

Astrae a ( the starry and her sway e x tended over

eart h heaven and hell for which reason she is re pre
, , ,

sented in works o f art as a triple divini ty having three ,

femal e bodies all youn g and beautifu l and uni t ed to

, ,

gether .

In later times when this di vinity becomes identi fi ed

,

with Persephone she is s upposed to inhabit the lower,

world as a malignant deity and henceforward it is the ,

gloomy awe insp i ri ng side of her character whi ch al one

,
-

lA s t rwa w as t h e d a u g h t e r o f t h e Th t a ns C oe u s an d Ph oe be . Pe rse s
s
w as so n o f t h e Ti t a n C r io an d E u r bia s y .
86 MYTHS OF A N C I E NT GREE C E A ND ROM E .

develops itself Sh e now presides over all practices con

. .

n e ct e d with witchcraft and ench antments haunts s e u L

p ,

chres and the point where two roads cross and lonely
, ,

spots where mu rders have been committed Sh e was .

supposed t o be connected wi th the appearance of ghosts

and spectres to possess unlimited influence over the
,

powers of the lower world and t o be able t o lay t o ,

rest unearthly apparitions by her magic spells and in

can t at i o n s.

Hecate appears as a gigantic woman bearing a torch ,

and a sword Her feet and hair are formed Of snakes

.
,

and her passage is accompan ied by voices o f thunder ,

weird shri eks and yells and the deep bayin g and bowl ,

ing of dogs .

Her favour was propitiated by Offeri ngs and sacrifices ,

p ri ncipally consisting of black lambs Her festivals were .

celebrated at night by torchlight when these ani mal s

, ,

were offered t o her accompanied by many peculiar cere

,

monies These ceremonies were carried o u t with the

.

minutest at t ention to details as it was believed that the,

omission of the slightest part i cular woul d afford t o her

ministers the evi l spirits of the lower world w h o hovered
, ,

r o rm d the worshippers an opportunity for ente ri ng among

,

them and exerting their baneful influence At the end

,
.

of every month food was placed wherever two roads met ,

in read iness for her and other malignant divinities .

In studying the peculi ar characteri stics which Hecate

assumes when she usurps the place o f Perseph one the ,

rightful mistress of the lower world we are reminded o f ,

the vari o u s superstitions with regard t o spectres witch ,

craf t & c which have even down to o ur own times

,
.
, , ,

exer t ed so powerful an influence over the minds o f t h e

ignorant and which would appear to owe their origin t o
,

a remote pagan source .

S E L E NE ( L UNA) .

Just as Heli os personifi ed the sun so his sister Selen e ,

r epresented the moon and was supposed to drive her,

 A R CAD IA N A RTE M I s . 87

chari ot ac ross the sky whil st her broth er was reposing

after the toils of the d ay .

When the shades o f evening be gan t o enfold the earth ,

the two milk white stee ds o f Selene rose o u t o f the mys

-

t e ri o u s depths of O ceanus Seated in a sil very chari ot

.
,

and accompanied by her daughter Herse the goddess o f ,

the dew appeared the mil d and gentle queen o f the night
, ,

with a crescent o n her fair brow a gauzy veil flowin g ,

behind and a lighted to rch in her hand

,
.

Selene greatly admired a beautiful young shepherd

named E ndymion to whom Zeus had accorded the p ri vi
,

lege o f eternal youth combin ed with the faculty o f sleep

,

ing whenever he desired and as long as he wished Seeing

, .

this lovely youth fast as leep o n M o unt L at m u s Selene ,

was so struck with his beauty that she came down every ,

n ight from heaven t o watch over and prote ct him .

I S (D IANA)
A RTE M .

A rt emi s was worshipped by the Greeks un der various

appellations t o each o f which belonged speci al charac
,

t e ri s t i c s
. Thus she is kn o w n as the Arcadian E phesian ,

and Brau ronian Artemis and also as Selene Artemis and

,
-

in order fully to comprehend the worship of this divinity ,

we must consider her under each aspect .

A R C A D I A N A R TE M I S .

Th e Arcadian A rtemi s (the real Ar te m is o f the Greeks)

was the daugh ter o f Zeus and L eto and t w in sister of ,
-

Ap o llo Sh e was the goddess o f Hunting and Chastity

.
,

and havin g Obtained from her father pe rmission to lead

a li fe o f celibacy she ever rem ai ned a m ai d e n d i vini t y
,
.

Artemis is the feminine counterpart o f her brother the ,

glo ri ous god o f L ight and like him though she deal s
, ,
‘
,

o u t des truction and sudden d e a t h t o men and an imal s ,

she is also able t o alleviate su ffering and cure di seases .

L ike Apoll o als o she 1 s ski lled In the use o f the h o w but
, ,

in a far more eminent degree for in the character o f ,

Artemis who devo t ed hers elf t o the chase with pass ionate
,
88 MYT H S or A N CI E NT GREE C E A ND RO M E .

ardour thi s becomes an all distin guis hi ng feature A r m esd

,
-
.

with her bo w and qui ver and attend e d by her tr ai n o f,

h u ntresses who were nymphs of the woods and sp ri ngs

, ,

she roamed over the mount ai ns in pursui t o f her favouri te

exercise destroyin g in her cour se the wi ld anim als of the
,

forest “Then the chas e was ended Artemi s and her

.
,

mai dens loved t o as semble in a shady grove or on the ,

ban ks Of a favouri te stream where they j oined in the ,

merry song or graceful dance and made the hi lls res ound
, ,

with their j oyo u s shouts .

As the type o f puri ty and chastity Ar temi s was e s ,

pe cially venerated by y o un g maidens who be fore marry , ,

ing sac ri ficed their h ai r t o her

,
Sh e was also the .

patroness o f those vowed t o celibacy and p un ished ,

severely an y i nfri ngement of their obli gation .

The hun tress goddess is represented as being a head

-

tal ler than her attendant nymphs and al ways appears as ,

a y o uthful and slender maiden Her features are bea uti .

ful but wanting i n gentleness o f expression ; her hai r

,

is gathered negligently into a knot at the back of h e r

well shaped head ; and her figure thou h somewhat ,
g

mas culi ne i s most graceful i n its attitude and propor

,

tions The sho rt ro be she wears leaves her limbs free

.
,

fo r the exercise of the chas e her devotion t o which is ,

indicate d by the qui ver which is sl u ng over her shoul der ,

and the bo w which she bears in her han d

There are many famous sta tues o f this divinity ; but
the most celebrate d is that kn own as the Diana of Ver
sai lles now in the L ouvre whi ch forms a not un wort hy
, ,

compani on t o the A po ll c e lv e d e re O f the Vatic an In .

thi s sta tue the goddess appears in the act of rescuing a

,

hun ted deer from i t s pursuers o n whom she is turning ,

with angry mien O ne hand is l ai d pro tectingly on the

.

head o f the stag whil st with the other she draws an

,

arrow from the quiver which hangs o ver her shoul der .

Her attri butes are the bo w quiver and spear The , , .

an im al s sacred t o her are the hind d o g bear an d wi ld , , ,

Arte mis p romptly resented any disregard or negl e ct Of

 A R CA D IAN A RTE M Is . 89

her worshi p ; a remarkable instance o f this is shown in

b
the story of the Calydonian oar hunt which is as fol -

ows :
O ene u s king of C aly ,

don in Z E t o lia had in ,

curred the displeasure o f

Art emis by neglecting t o
i nclude her in a general
sacrifice t o the gods which
he had offered up o u t o f ,

gratitude fo r a boun tiful

harvest The goddess e u .
,

raged a t this neglect sent ,

a wild boar o f e x t rao rd i

nary size and prodigious
strengt h which destroyed ,

the sprouting grain laid ,

waste the fields and t h reat ,

ened the inhabitants with

famine and death At this .

juncture Meleager the , ,

brave s o n Of O eneus re ,

turned from the Argonautic expedition and finding ,

his country ravaged by this dreadful scourge entreated ,

the assistance o f all the celebrated h eroes o f the age

t o join him in hunting the ferocious m o nster Among .

t h e most famous o f t h ose who responded to his call were

Jas o n Castor and P o llux Idas an d L yn ceus Peleus
, , , ,

Telamon Admetus Pe rit h o u s and Theseus

, ,
The
, .

brothers o f Althea wife o f O eneus j oined t h e hunters

, ,

and Melea er also enlisted into hi s service the fl e e t

g

footed h u ntress Atalanta .

The father o f this maiden was Sch o e n e u s an Ar cadian , ,

who disappointed at the birth o f a daughter when he

,

had particularly desired a son had e xposed her on the ,

Parthenian Hil l where he left her t o perish Here sh e

,
.

was nursed by a she bear and at l a st fo und by some

-

hunters who reared her and gave her the name o f

, ,

Atalant a As the mai den grew up she became an ardent ,

90 MY TH S o r A NC IE NT GREE C E A ND ROM E .

lover of the chase and was alike di stingui shed for her ,

bea uty an d cour a e Though often woo ed she I g .

,

of stri ct ce libacy an oracle havi n g predicted that in e vi t

,

able misfortun e awaited her shoul d she give herself in ,

marri a e t o any O f her numerous su ito rs

g
.

Many of the heroes obj ecte d t o hunt in company with

a maiden ; but Meleager who loved Atalanta overcame , ,

their Oppo sition and the valiant band set out on their
,

expedition Atalanta w as the first t o woun d the be ar

.

with her spear but not before t w o of the heroes h ad m e t

,

their death from his fierce t u sks Aft er a long and .

desperate encounte r Melea er succeed e d in kil li ng the ,

g

monster and presente d the head and hide t o Atal anta as

, ,

tr ophies o f the vi ctory The uncles Of Melea er h o w .

g
,

ever forcibly to o k the hi de from the maiden claiming

, ,

their right t o the spoil as next of kin if Melea er re ,

g

sig ned i t Artemi s whose anger w as still un appe as ed

.
, ,

caused a vi olent qu arrel t o arise between un cles and

nephew an d in the stru ggle which ensu e d Meleag er
, , ,
’
killed hi s mother s brothers and then resto red the hide ,

t o Atalanta t e n Al thea beheld the d e ad bodies o f

.

the slain heroes her gri ef and an ger knew no bounds

,
.

Sh e swore to revenge the death of her brothers o n her

o wn so n and unfortunate ly fo r hi m the in strum ent o f
, ,

vengeance lay ready t o her han d

At the birth o f Meleager the Moir ae o r F ate s ente red , , ,

the house of O eneus, an d pointing t o a piece of wood

then burn in g on the hearth declar e d that as soon as it ,

was consumed the babe would surely di e O n hearing .

thi s Althea seiz ed the brand l ai d it up carefull y in a

, ,

chest and henceforth preserved it as her most precious

,

p o ssess ion But n e w love for her son giving place t o

.
,

the resentm ent she felt again st the mur derer o f her
brothers she threw the fatal brand into the devouri ng
,

flames As it consum ed the vigour o f Meleager wasted

.
,

away and when it w as reduce d t o ashes he ex pir e d Re

, , .

penting t o o late the terrible effects of h e r ras h de e d ,

A l thea in remo rse and despair took away her o wn life

, , .

The news o f the courage and i ntrepidity dis played by .

 A RCA D IA N A RTE M IS .
91
f‘

Atalanta in the famous bo ar hunt being carri ed t o the ,

ears Of her father caused him t o acknowledge his long

,

lost chil d Urged by him t o choose one o f her numerous

.

s ui tors she consented t o do s o but made it a condi tion

, ,

that he al one w h o could outstrip her in the race should

, ,

become her husband whilst those she defeate d shoul d be,

put t o death by her with the lance which she bore in her
,

hand Thus many suitors had pe ri shed fo r the maiden

.
,

was unequalled for swiftness Of fe e t but at last a be autiful ,

youth named Hippomenes who had vainly endeavoured

, ,

t o win her love by hi s assiduous attentions in the chase ,

ventured t o enter the fatal lists K nowing that onl y by .

strata em could he h O pe to be successful he obtained by

g
, ,

the help o f Aphrodite three golden apples from the ,

garden o f the Hesperi des which h e threw down at in ,

t e rva ls duri ng his course Atalanta secure o f vi ctory .

, ,

s t e e pe d to pick up the tempting fru it and in the mean , ,

time Hippomenes arrived at the goal He became the

,
.

husband of the lovely Atalanta but fo rg e t in his newly , ,

found happiness the gratitude which he owed to A ph ro

,

dite and the goddess withdrew h e r favour from the pair

, .

No t long after the prediction which foretold misfortune

,

t o Atalanta in the event o f her marri age was ve ri fied

, , ,

for she and her husband having strayed unsanctioned into ,

a sacred grove of Zeus were both transformed into lions , .

The trophies o f the ever memorable boar hun t had -

been c arried by Atalanta into Arc adia and for many ,

centuri es the identical hide and enormous t irsk s o f the

,

Calydonian boar hung In the templ e o f Athene at Tege a .

The tusks were afte rwards conveyed to Rome and shown ,

there among other curiosities

A forcible instance Of the manner in which Arte m
.

is
resented any intrusion o n h e r retirement is seen in the ,

fat e which befell the famous hunter Actaeon w h o

happening one day t o see Artemi s and her a tt e hd an t s
,

bathing irn pru d e n t ly ventured t o approach the spot

,
.

Th e goddess incens e d at h is audacity sprinkled h i m with

, ,

water and transformed h im in t o a stag whereupon he was

, ,

torn in pieces and devoured by his o wn d o gs .

92 MY THS or AN CI ENT GREE C E A ND RO M E .

E PHE SI A N A RTE M IS .

The E phesian Artemis known to us as Diana o f ,

“

the E phesians was a very ancient Asiatic divin ity o f

,
!

1
Persian origin c al led Metra whose worship the Greek ,

colonists foun d already establi shed when they first settled ,

in As ia Minor and whom they identified with their own

,

Greek Ar temi s though she reall y possessed bu t o n e single

,

attribute in common with their home deity .

Metra was a twofold divini ty and represented in o n e , ,

phase o f her chara cter al l pervading love ; in the other

,
-

she was the light of heaven ; and as Artemi s in her char ,

acter as Selene was the onl y Greek female divinity who

,

represen t ed celestial light the Greek settlers according

, ,

t o their custom o f fus in g foreign deities into their o wn ,

seized at once upon this point of resemblance and decided ,

that Metra should henceforth be regarded as identical

with Artemis .

In her character as the love whi ch pervades all natu re ,

and penetrates everywhere they believed her also t o be ,

present in t h e mysterious Re al m Of Shades where sh e ,

exercised her benign sway repl acing t o a certain ext ent

,

that ancient divinity Hecate and partly usurping also ,

the place o f Persephone as mi stress o f the lower world

, .

Thus they believed that it w a S sh e who permi tted the ‘

spi ri ts o f the departed t o revisi t the earth in order t o ,

commun icate with those they loved and to give them ,

timely warning o f comi ng evil In fact this great .

, ,

m i ghty and omnipresent power of love as embodied in

, ,

the E phesian Artemis was believed by the great thinkers

,

o f Old t o be the r ul ing spirit of the un iverse and it was

, ,

t o her i nfluence that all the myste ri ous and be n e fice n t

workings o f nature were ascribed .

There was a magnificent te mple erected to this divi ni ty

at E phesus ( a city o f Asia M i nor) which was ranked ,

among the seven wonders of the world and was u n ,

equalled in beauty and grandeur The interior of t hi s .

1
C all e d al os s
A n a i t i A ph ro d i t is.
-
 B RA URO N IA N AR TE M IS . 93
/
edi fi ce was adorned with s t a t rre s an d paintin gs and con ,

t a in e d o n e hundred an d twenty seven colum ns sixty feet -

in height each column having been placed there by a

,

different ki ng Th e wealth deposite d in this te mple was

.

enormous an d the goddess was here worshipped with

,

part icul ar awe and solemnity In the in terior o f the .

e d ifice stood a sta t ue of her formed o f eb o ny wi th lions , ,

o n her arms and turrets o n her head whil st a number o f ,

breasts i n di cated the fr ui tfuln ess o f the earth and o f na

ture Ct e siphon was the principal architect o f thi s world
.

renowned structure whi ch however was not entirely , , ,

complete d til l two hun dred an d twenty years after t h e

foundation sto n e was laid But the labour of centuries
-
.

was destroyed in a single night ; for a man called Hero

stratus seized with the insane desire of makin g his n am e
,

famous t o all succee di n g generations set fire t o it and ,

completely destroyed it ‘
So great was the indi gnation .

and sorrow of the E phes ians at this calami ty that they ,

’
enacted a law forbiddi ng the incendiary s name t o be
,

mentioned thereby however defeatin g their own obj ect

, , ,

fo r thus the name o f He ro s t rat u s has been handed down

t o poste ri ty and will live as long as the memory o f the
,

famous temple o f E ph e

B RA U RO NI A N A RTE M I S .

In ancient times the country which we n o w call the ,

Crimea was known by the name o f the Tauri ca Cherson

,

n e su s It was colonized by Greek settlers who finding

. .
, ,

t h at the Scythian inhabitants had a native divin ity some

what resembli ng their o w n Artemis identified her wi th ,

the huntress goddess o f the mother co untry The worship

— -
.

o f this Tau ri an Artemis was attended with the most

barbarous practices fo r in accordance wi th a law which , ,

she h ad enacted all strangers whether male o r female

, , ,

landing o r shi pwr ecked o n her s h o res were sacrificed

, ,

upon her altars It is supposed that this decree w as

.

1 Th i s oc c u rre d d urin g t h e ni gh t Al e xa n d e r th e G re a t w as bo rn .
94 MYT H S OF A NCI ENT GREE C E A ND ROM E .

issue d by the Taurian goddess of Chastity t o protect the ,

purity of her followers by keeping them apart fr om foreign ,

influences .

The interesti ng sto ry O f Iphigeni a a prieste ss In the ,

temple o f Artemis at Tauri s forms the subj ect o f one of ,

’
Schiller s most beautiful plays The circumstances o c .

curred at the commencement o f the Troj an war and are ,

as follows The fleet collected by the Greeks for the

—
,

siege of Troy had assembled at Aulis in Boeoti a, and

, ,

was about t o set sail when Agamemn on th e commander , ,

in chief h ad the misfo rtune t o kill accidentally a stag

-

, ,

whi ch was grazing in a grove sacred to Art e mis The ,

.

offended goddess sent continuous calms which delayed

the departure o f the fleet and C alchas the soothsayer , , ,

who had accompani ed the expedition declare d that ,

’
nothing less than the sacrifice o f Agamemnon s favouri te
daughter Iphi genia woul d appease the wrath o f the god
, ,

dess At these wo rds the heroic heart o f the brave leader

.
,

sank withi n hi m and he declared that rather than consent

,

t o so fearful an alternative he would give up his share in ,

th e e xpedition and return t o Argos In thi s dil emma .

O dysseus and the other great generals called a council to

discuss the matter and after much deliberation it was , , ,

decided that private fee ling must yi eld to the we lfare O f

the state Fo r a long time the un happy Agamemnon
.

turn e d a deaf ear t o their argum ents but at last they ,

succeeded in persu a ding him that it was his duty to make

t h e sacrifice He accordingly despatched a messenger t o
.
, ,

hi s wife C lyt e m n ae s t ra begging her t o send Iphigenia

, ,

to him alleging as a pretext that the great h e re Achi ll es

,

desired to make her his wife Rej oicing at the brilli ant .

destiny whi ch awaited her beautiful daughter the fond ,

mother at once obeyed the command and sent her to ,

Aul is t e n the maiden arri ved at her desti nation an d

.
,

di scovered to her horror the dreadful fate which awaited

, ,
’
her she threw herself in an agony o f gri ef at her father s
,

feet and with sobs and tears entreat e d him t o have

,

mercy o n her and t o spare her you ng lif e But al as !

, .

her doom was sealed and her now repentant and heart ,
 B RA URON IAN A R TE M IS . 95
?
broken father was powerless t ) avert it Th e un fortunate .

victim was bound to the altar and alr ead y the fatal ,

knife was raised t o de al the death blow when suddenl y —

,

Iphigeni a disappeared from view and in her place o n ,

the altar lay a beautiful deer ready t o be sacri ficed It

,
.

was Artemi s herself who pityi ng the youth an d beauty

, ,

o f her victim caused her t o be conveyed in a cloud to

,

Tauri ca where she became one o f her priestesses and

, ,

intrus ted with the charge of her te mple ; a digni ty how ,

ever which necessitated the Offerin g o f those human

,

sacri fices presented t o Artemi s X .

Many years p as sed away dur ing which time the long ,

and weari some siege o f Troy had come t o an end and the ,

brave Agamemnon had retu rned home t o meet death at

the hands o f hi s wife and Aegisthus But hi s daughte r .
,

Ip hi genia was still an e xile from her native country and

, ,

continued to pe rform the terri ble duties which her o fli ce

involved Sh e had long given up all hopes O f ever bein g
.

restore d to her friends w hen o n e day two Greek strangers

,
’
landed o n Tau rica s inho spitable shores These were .

O reste s and Pyla des whose romantic attachment to each

,

other has m ade their names synonymous for devoted

’
self s acri ficin g fri endshi p Orestes w a s Iphigenia s brother
-
.
,

and Pylades her cousin and their object in un dertakin g

,

an expedition fraught with so much peril was to obtain ,

the statue o f the T a uri an Artemis O restes having in .

,

curred the anger O f the F uries for avengi ng the murder

o f his father Agamemnon was p u rsued by them where ,

ever he went until at last he was inf ormed by the oracle

,

o f Delp hi that in order to pacify them he must convey

, ,
,

the image o f the Taurian Artemis from Tauris to Attic a .

This he at once resolved to do and accompani ed by his ,

fait h ful friend Pylades who insisted o n shari ng the

,

dangers Of t h e undertaking h e set o u t fo r T a urrca But ,

.

the unfortu nate youths had hardly stepped o n shore

before they w ere seized by the natives who as usual , , ,

co nveyed them for sacrifice t o the te mple o f Artemi s

. .

Iphigenia di scoveri n g that they were Greeks th ough

, ,

unaware o f their n e ar relationship t o herse lf thought t h e ,

96 MYT H S or AN CI ENT GREE C E A ND ROM E .

opportu nity a favourable o n e for sen di ng tidi ngs Of her

e xistence to her native coun try an d ac cordin gly requeste d , , ,

o n e Of the strangers to be the be arer o f a letter from her t o

her family A magnani mous dispute n o w arose between the

.

fri ends and each besought the other to accept the preci o us
,

privilege of life and freedom Pylades at length over .

,

come by the ur gent entreaties of O reste s agreed t o be ,

the bearer o f the mi ssive but o n looking more closely at ,

the superscrip t ion he Observed to hi s in tense sur prise

, , ,

that it was addressed to O restes Hereupon an explana .

tion followed ; the brother and siste r recogn ized each

other amid j oyful tears and loving embraces and assisted
, ,

by her fri ends and ki nsmen Iphigeni a escaped with them ,

from a country where s h e had spent so many unhappy

days an d witnessed so many s cenes o f h o rr o r and angui sh
, .

The fugitives havi ng contrived to Obtain the image of

,

the Tauri an Artemis carri ed it with them t o B rau r o n in

,

Attic a This divi nity was henceforth known as the

Braur oni an Artemis and the rites which h ad rendered ,

her worship so infamous in Tau ric a were n o w introduc e d

into Greece and human victims bled freely under t h e
,

sacrificial kni fe both in Athens and Sparta The revolt

, .

in g practice of offering human sacrifices t o h e r was co n ,

t in u e d un til the time of L ycurgus the great Spartan law ,

giver who put an end to it by substituting in its plac e

,

one whi ch was hardly less barbarous namely the s co u rg

, , ,

i n g o f youths who were whipped on the altars o f the

,

Braur onian Artemis in the most cruel manner; sometimes

indeed they expired un der the lash in which case their ,

mothers far from lamenting their fate are said t o have

, ,

rejoiced considering this an honourable death for their

,

sons .

SE L E N E A RTE M I S
-
.

Hitherto we have seen Arte m is only in the various

phases of her terrestrial characte r ; but just as her brother
Apollo drew into himself by degrees the attri butes of
that m o re ancient divinity Helios the sun god so in ,
-

, ,

li ke manner she cam e t o be identi fi ed in later times

,
 V ULCAN )
H E PHE S TUS
( . 97

with Se lene the moon godde ss in which character she is

,
-

always represented as wearing o n her forehead a glitte ri ng

crescent whilst a fl o wi ng veil bespangled with stars
, , ,

reaches to her feet and a long robe completely envelops ,

her .

D IA NA .

The Diana o f the Romans w as identified wi th the

Greek Artemis with whom s h e shares that peculi ar t ri
,

partite character which so strongly marks the individu

,

ality o f the Greek go ddess In heaven she w as L una .

( the moon ) on earth Diana (the huntress goddess) and

,
—
,

in the lower world Proserpine ; but un l i ke the E phesian ,

Ar te mis Diana in her character as Proserpin e carries

, , ,

with her into the lower world no element of love o r sym

pathy ; she is o n the contrary characterized by practices
, ,

altogether hostile to man such as the exercise of witch ,

craft evil charms and other anta onistic influences and

, ,
g
,

is in fact the Greek Hecate in her later devel o pment

, , .

The sta tues o f Diana were generally erected at a point

where three roads met for which reason she is called ,

T ri vi a (from tr i th ree and t ie way) , , ,

.

A temple was dedicated to her o n the A ventine bi ll by

Servius Tul lius who is said to have first introduced the
,

worship Of this divinity into Rome .

The Ne m o ra lia o r Grove F estivals were celebrated in

, ,

her honour o n the 1 3th of August o n the L a cu s Nemor ,

ensis o r fo rest buri ed lake near A Ii cia The p ri est who

,
—
, .

o fli ci at e d in her te mple o n this spot was always a fugitive ,

s l ave w h o had gained his office by murdering his prede

'

cessor and hence was constantly armed in order that he

, ,

might thus be prepar e d t o encounter a new

H E P H E S T U S ( VUL CAN ) .

Heph aestus the son of Zeus and Hera was the god o f
, ,

fir e in its beneficial aspect and the presiding deity over ,

all workmanship accompli shed by mean s O f this useful

element He was un iversall y honoured not onl y as t h e
.
,

( 73 ) G
98 MYTH S or A N CI ENT GR E EC E A ND RO M E .

god o f all mechani cal arts but al so as a house and hearth ,

d ivinity who exer c ised a beneficial influence o n civili zed

,

society in general U nlike the other Greek divi nities .

,

he w a s ugly and deformed bein g awkward in his move ,

ments an d limping in hi s gait T h i s latter defect o ri

,
.

gi nate d as we have already seen in the wrath o f hi s

, ,

fath er Ze u s who hurled him down from heaven in con

,
1

sequence o f h i s taking the part o f Hera in o n e of the ,

domestic di sagreem e nts which so frequently arose betw e en ,

th is ro yal pair He ph azs t u s w as a w h o le day fa llin g fro m

.

O lympus t o t h e ea rth wh ere h e at length al igh ted 0 11 t h e ,

island of L em nos The inhabi t a nts o f the country seein g

.
,

h i m descending through the air received hi m in their ,

arms but in spi t e of their care hi s leg was broken by t h e ,

fall and he remai n e d ever afterwards lame in one foot

,
.

Grate ful for the kindness o f the L e rn n i an s he hen c e ,

forth took u p his abode in their island and there bui lt ,

for him self a supe rb palace and forges for the pursuit o f ,

his avocation He instructe d the people h o w t o work in

.

metal s and al so taught them other valuable and us e ful

,

arts
It is said that the first work o f Heph aestus w as a most
ingenious thr one O f gold with secret springs which he , ,

presented t o Hera It was arranged in such a man

.

ner that once seated she found herse lf un able t o move

, , ,

and though all the gods endeavour ed t o extrica te her ,

the ir efforts were unavailing Heph aestus thus revenge d .

hi mself o n hi s mother for the cruelty she had al ways

displayed towards him o n account o f hi s want o f ,

comeli ness and grace Dionysus the wine god contri ve d .

,
-

, ,

however t o intoxicate Heph ae stus and then induced hi m

, ,

t o retu rn t o O lympus where after b ari ng release d t h e , ,

1
A n t h e r v e rsi
o wi t h re g ard t on, th i gi f t h is d e f t i o e or n o ec , s
b i g b
e n gly
o rn ud d f m d h i m th an H ra d i sg u s t d t h i
e or e , s o er e , e a s un
s ig h t li s h s lf t h w h im vi l t l y f m h l p d i t w t h
n es ,
er e re o en ro er a ,
an as e n
t h a t h i le w s b k g p d as in t h l m
ro en ,
s f m w h i h h s ffe d
ro uc g e a ene
s ro c e u re
e v a ft e O t h i s
er r. si h f l l i t t h
n o c ca d w
on s v d by t h
e e n o e se a , a n as a e e
se a n y m ph s Th t i s
-
d E y m w h o k pt h im f i y s i a
e an ur no e , e or n ne ear n
ca v be
e rn th th n ea wh e h em ad fo t h m in g t i t d f
oc ea n ,
er e e r e , ra u e or
t h ir kin d n e ss se v e ra l be a t ifu l o rn a m n t s a n d t i k e t s f rare w k
e ,
u e , r n o or
 HE PHE S T US ( VULCA N ) . 99

queen of heaven from her very u n di gn i fie d position he ,

became reconc iled to his parents .

He now built for himself a glorious palace o n O lympus ,

o f shin ing gold and made fo r the other deiti e s those

,

ma gni ficent edifices which they inhabi t ed He was as .

siste d in his vari o us and exquisitely skilfu l works of art ,

by two female statues o f p u re gold formed by h i s own ,

hand which possessed the power o f moti o n and always

, ,

accompani e d him wherever he wen t With the assis

tance of the Cyclops he forged fo r Zeus his wonderful
,

thunderbolts thus investin g his m ighty father with a

,

new po wer of terrible import Zeus testified his appre .

cia t i o n o f this precious gi ft by bestowing up o n He ph,

aestus the beautiful Aphrodite in marriage but this was

1
,

a questionable boon ; for the lovely Aphr odite who was ,

the personificati o n o f all grace and beauty felt no a ffe c ,

tion for her un gainly and unattractive spouse and ,

amus e d herself by ridiculing his awkward movements

and unsightly person O n one occasion especially when
.
,

Heph aestus go od naturedly took upon himself the office

-

o f cup bearer t o the gods his hobb ling gait and extreme
—
,

awkwardness created the greatest mirth amongst th e

celestials in which his disloyal partner was the first t o
,

j oin with unconcealed merriment

,
.

Aphrodite greatly preferred Ares t o her husband and ,

thi s preference naturally gave ri se t o much j eal o usy o n

the p art of Heph aestus and caused them great unhappi
,

ness .

Heph aestus ap pears to have bee n an indi spensable

member of the O lympic Assembly where he plays the ,

part o f smith armourer chariot builder & c As already

, ,
—
,
.

mentioned be constructed the palaces where the gods r e

,

sided fashioned the golden shoes with which they trod

,

the air or water built for them their wonderful chariots

, ,

and shod with brass the horses of celestial breed which ,

conveyed these glitte ri ng equipa es over land and sea g .

He also made the tri pods which moved o f themselves in

an d o u t of the celestial halls fo rm ed fo r Zeus the far ,

rdi n g t o so m e ac c t s Ch s was t h e wi f f H ph ae s t u s
1 A cc o e o e
o un ar e .
1 00 M YT HS or A N CI ENT G RE E C E A N D HO M E .

famed aegis and erected the magni ficent p alace of the

,

sun . He also created the brazen footed bulls of A e t e s —

,

whi ch breathed flames from their nostrils s e nt forth clouds ,

of smoke and fill ed the air with their roaring

,
.

Among his m o st renown e d works o f art for the use o f

mortals were : t h e armour of Achilles and E neas the ,

beautiful necklace o f Harmonia and the crown of A ri ad ne; ,

but h i s m aste rpiece was Pan dora o f whom a detai led ac ,

coun t has already been given .

There was a temple o n Mount E tna erected in his

honour which none but the p u re and virtuous were per
,

m it t e d t o enter Th e entrance t o this temple was guarded

.

by dogs which possessed the extraordinary faculty o f

,

bein g able t o discrim inate between the righteous and the

unrighte o u s faw ni ng upon and caressing the good whilst
, ,

they rushed upon all evil doers and drove them away
-
.

Heph aestus is usually represente d as a powerful brawny , ,

and very muscular man o f middle heigh t and mat ure age ;
his strong uplifted arm is rais e d in the act of stri king the
anvil with a hammer which he holds in on e h an d whil st
, ,

with t h e other he is t u rni ng a thunderbolt whi ch an ,

eagle beside him is waitin g to

carry to Zeus The p ri ncipal .

seat of his worship was the

island of L emnos where he was ,

regarded with pecu li ar venera

tron .

The Roman Vulcan was mere

ly an importation from Greece ,

which never at any time took

firm root in Ro me nor entered ,

largely in to the actual life and

sympathies of the nation his ,

worship being unatte nded by ‘

t h e devotional feeling and e n

t h u s i as m which characte ri z e d the religi o u s rites o f the
o ther deities He still however retai n e d in Rome hi s
.
, ,
 PO S E I DON ( N E PT UN E ) . 1 01

Greek attri butes as god o f fir e and unrivalled master o f

,

the art o f working i n meta ls and was ran ked among ,

t h e twelve great g o ds o f O lym pus whose gilded sta tues ,

were arranged consecutively along the F orum Hi s .

Roman name Vulcan woul d seem to indicate a connec

, ,

ti o n with the first great metal workin g art ifice r o f Biblical

-

history Tubal Cai n

,
-
.

PO SE I D O N (N m m ) .

Poseidon w as the son of K ronos and Rhea and the ,

brother o f Zeus He was god of the sea more partien

.
,

larly o f the M e diterranean and li ke the element over

, ,

which he presided was o f a ,

vari able disposition now vi o ,

l e n t ly agi tated and n o w cal m ,

an d placid fo r whi ch reason ,

he is sometimes represented
by the poets as qui et and
comp o sed and at others as ,

distur bed and angry .

In the earliest ages o f Greek

mythology be merely sym ,

bo li z e d t h e wate ry element ;
but in later times as naviga ,

tion and intercourse with

other nations engendered
greater traffic by sea Poseidon ,

gain ed in importance and ,

came t o be regarded as a
distinct divinity holdi ng m ,

disputable dominion over the sea and over all sea ,

divi nities who ackn owledged him as their sovereign

,

ruler He possessed the power o f caus ing at wi ll mighty

.
,

and destructive tempests in which the billows ri se moun

,

tains high the wind becomes a hurricane lan d and sea

, ,

being enveloped in thick mists wh ilst destruction assail s

,

the unfortunate mariners e x po sed t o their fu ry On the .

other han d h i s alone was the power of still ing t h e an gry

,
1 02 M YTHS or ANCI EN T GREE C E A ND R O ME .

waves of soothing the troubled waters and granti

, ,

voyages to mariners Fo r this reason Poseidon was .

,

invoked and propitiated by a libation before a voy age

was undertaken and sacrifices and thanksgivings W ere
,

grateful ly offered to him after a safe and prospe ro us

j ourney by sea .
’
The symbol of his powe r was the fish e rm an s fork o r
trident l by means of which he produced earthquakes
, ,

raised up islands from t h e bottom o f the sea an d caus e d ,

wells to Spring forth o u t o f the earth .

Poseidon was essentially t h e presiding deity over fish e r

men and was o n that account more particularly wor
, ,

shipped and revered in coun tries borderi ng on the sea

coast where fish naturally formed a staple commodity
,

o f trade He was supposed to vent his displeasure by

.

sending di sastrous inundations which completely de ,

stroyed whole countries and were usuall y accompani ed ,

by terrible mari ne m o nsters who swallowed up and ,

devoured those whom the floods had spared It is pro .

bable that these sea monsters are the poetical figur es which
-

represent the demons of hunger and famine necessarily ,

accompanying a general inundation .

Posei don is generally represented as resembling his

brother Zeus in features heigh t and general aspect ; but , ,

we miss in the countenance of the sea god the kin dness -

and benignity which so pleasingly distinguish his mighty

brother Th e eyes are bri ght and piercing and the
.
,

contour of the face somewhat sharper in its outline than

that of Zeus thus corresponding as it were with his
, , ,

m o re angry and violent nature His hair waves in dark .

,

disorderly masses over his shoulders ; his chest is broad '

,

and his frame powerful and stalwart ; he wears a short ,

curling beard and a band round his head He usually

, .

appears standing erect in a graceful shell chari o t drawn -

by hi ppo cam ps o r sea horses with golden manes and

,
-

brazen hoofs who bound over t h e dancing waves with

,

such wonderful swiftness that the chariot scarcely touches ,

1
s
Th e t ri d e n t re e m bl e d t h e a rro w h e a d e d pro n g e d
-
f k u se d
or , by t h e
fis h e rm e n o f t h e M e d i t e rra n e an Se a in t h e e e l fish e ry . -
 PO S E I D O N ( N E PT UN E ) . 1 03
r

the water The monsters o f the d eep acknowledging

.
,

their mighty lord gambo l playfully around h im whilst

, ,

the sea j o y fully smooth s

a path fo r the passage o f
its all powerful ruler -

He inhabited a beauti
ful palace at the bottom
o f the sea at E gea in
E ub oea and also posses s ,

ed a royal residence o n
Mount O lympus which , ,

however he only visited ,

when his presence was required at the council o f the gods .

His wonderful palace beneath the waters was o f vast

extent ; in its l o fty and capacious halls t h ousands o f his
followers could assemble The exterior o f the building
.

was of bright gold which the continual wash o f t h e

,

waters preserved untarni shed ; in the interior lofty and ,

graceful columns supported the gleaming d o me E very .

where fountains o i glistening silvery water played ; ,

everywh ere groves and arbours of feathery leaved sea -

plants appeared whilst rocks of pure crystal glistened

,

with all the varied colours o f the rainbow Some o f t h e .

paths were strewn with white sparkling sand interspersed ,

with j ewels pearls and amber This delightful abode

, ,
.

was surrounded on all sides by wide fields W here there ,

were whole groves of dark purple coralline and tufts of ,

beautiful s carle t le ave d plants and sea anemones of every

,
-

tint Here grew bright pinky sea weeds mosses o f al l

.
,
-

hues and shades and tall grasses which growing u p

, , ,

wards formed emerald caves and grottoes such as the

,

Nereides love whilst fish of vari o us kinds playfully darted

,

in and out in t h e full enjoyment o f their native element

,
.

No r was illuminati o n wanting in this fairy like region -

which at night was lit up by the glow worms o f the deep —

.

But al though Poseid o n ruled with absolute power over

the ocean and its i nhabitants h e neverth eless b o wed sub
,

m i s s iv e ly to the will o f the great ru ler o f O lympus and ,

appe ared at all times desirous of conciliating him We .

1 04 M YTHS or A N CI ENT GREE C E A ND R O ME .

find him coming to his aid when emergency demande d ,

and frequently renderi ng him valuable assistance against

his opponents At t h e time wh en Zeus was harassed by
.

t h e attacks of the Giants he proved himself a m o s t ,

powerful ally engaging in single combat with a hideous

,

giant named Polybotes whom he followed over the sea , ,

and at last succeeded in destroying by hurli ng upon him ,

the island o f Cos .

Th ese amicable relations betwe en the brothers were ,

however sometimes interrupted

,
Thus fo r instance .
, ,

upon one occasion Poseidon j oined Hera and Athene in

a secret conspiracy to seize upon the ruler of heaven ,

place him in fetters and depri ve him o f the sovereign

,

power Th e conspiracy being discovered Hera as the

.
, ,

ch ief i nstigator of this sacri legious attempt on the divine

person of Zeus was severely chastised and even be aten
, , ,

by her en raged sp o use as a p unishment for her rebellion

,

and treachery whilst Poseidon was condemned for the

, ,

space o f a whole year to forego h is dominion over the sea

, ,

and it was at this time that in conjunction with Apollo , ,

he built fo r L aomedon the walls o f Troy .

Poseidon married a sea nymph named Amphitri te -

whom he wooed under the form of a dolphin Sh e af ter .

wards became j eal o us o f a beautiful maiden ( all e d Scylla ,

who was beloved by Poseidon and in order t o revenge ,

herself she threw some herbs into a well where Scylla

was bathing whi c h had the effect of metamorphosing her
,

into a monster o f terrible aspect having twelve feet Six , ,

heads wit h six long necks and a voice which resem bled ,

t h e bark o f a dog This awful monste r is said t o have

.

inhabited a cave at a very great height in the famous

rock which still bears her name ! and was supposed to
rocky eminence upon every ship
with each o f her six heads t o secure a

is oft en represented assisting Poseidon in

sea horses to his chariot
-
.

1
yl
Sc l a i s a d an g e r o u s ro c k ,
m u c h d re a d e d by m arin e r s , in t h e Stra i t s
of M e ss
in a.
 PO S E I DON ( NE PT UNE) . 1 05

The Cyclops who have been already alluded t o in the

,

history o f Cronus were the sons o f Poseidon and A m

,

ph it ri t e Th ey were a wild race o f gigantic growth

.
,

similar in their nature to the earth born G iants and had —

,

o nly o n e eye each in the middle o f their foreheads They .

led a lawless life p o ssessing neither social manners nor

,

fear o f the gods and we re the workmen of Heph aestus

, ,

whose workshop was supposed to be in the heart o f the -

volcanic mounta in fE t n a .

Here we have another stri king instance of th e manner

in whi ch the Greeks personified the powers o f nature ,

which they saw in active operation around them They .

beheld with awe m ingled with astonishment the fire

, , ,

stones and ashes which poured forth from the summit o f

,

this and o ther volcanic mountains and with their vivacity , ,

o f imagination found a solution of the mystery in the sup

,

p o siti o n that the go d o f F ire must be busy at work with

,

his men in the depths of the earth and that the mighty ,

flames which they b e h eld issued in this manner from his ,

subterranean forge .

The chief representative o f the Cyclops was the man

eating monster Polyp h emus described by Homer as having ,

been blinded and outwitted at last by O dysseus This .

monster fell in love with a beautiful nymph called Gala

tea ; but as may be supposed h i s addresses were not
, ,

acceptabl e to the fair maiden who rej ected them in ,

favour of a youth named Acis upon which Polyphemus , ,

with his usual barbarity destroyed the life o f his rival ,

by throwing up o n h im a gigantic rock The blood o f .

the murdered Acis gushing o u t o f the rock formed a , ,

stream which still bears his name .

Triton Rhoda and B e n t h e sicym e were also children

1
, ,

o f Poseidon and Amphitrite .

The sea go d was the fa ther o f two giant sons called

-

O tus and E phialtes 2

When only nine years o ld they
.

1 s
Th e is l a n d o f Rh o d e o w e i t s n a m e t o h e rs .

2 y s s
It is w o r t h o f n o t i c e t h a t t h e o n o f P o e id o n w e re , fo r t h e m o t s s
s s f
par t , d i t i n g u i h e d by g re a t o rc e a n d t u r bu e n ce o f c h ara c t e r , i n l
v
ke e pi n g W i t h t h e e le m e n t o e r w h i c h t h e ir a t h e r was t h e p re i d in g f s
1 06 MYT H S or A N CI ENT GREE C E AND RO M E .

l
were sai d t o be twenty seven cu bit s in height and nine-

in breadth These yo uth ful gi ants were as rebell ious as

.

t h ey were powerful even presumi ng to t hreate n the gods

,

themselves with hostilities Duri n g t h e war of the Gig an .

t o m a ch ia they endeavoured t o scale heaven by p iling

,

mighty mountains one upon another Alread y had they .

succeeded in placing Mount O ssa on O lympus and Pelion

o u O ssa w hen this impious proj ect was frustrate d by
,

Apollo who destro yed t h em with his arrows

,
It was .

suppo sed that had not their lives been thus cut o ff before
reaching maturi ty their sacrilegi ous design s woul d have
,

been carried into effect .

Peli as and Neleus were also sons of Poseidon Their .

mother Tyro was attac hed t o t h e ri ver god E n i pe u s -

wh ose form Poseidon assumed and thus w o n her love ,

.

Pelias became afterwards famous in the sto ry of the

Argo nauts and Neleus was the father o f Nesto r who
, ,

was distinguished in the Troj an “f ar .

The Greeks believed that it was to Poseidon they

were indebte d for the ex istence of the horse which he is ,

said t o have produced in the foll owing mann er : Athene

and Poseidon both claiming t h e ri ght t o name Cecropia
( the an cient name of Athens ) a violent dispute arose , ,

which was fin ally settled by an assembly of the O lympian

gods who decided th at whichever o f the contending
,

parties presented manki nd with the most useful gi ft ,

should obtain the privil ege o f naming the city U pon .

this Poseidon struck the groun d with his tri dent and ,

the horse sprang forth in all hi s untamed strength and

graceful beauty F rom the spot which Athene touch e d
.

wi th her wand issued the olive tree whereupon the gods

,
-

unanimously awarded t o her the victory declari n g her ,

gift to be the emblem of peace and plenty whilst that o f

'

Poseidon was thought to be the symbol of war and blood

d e it y . y l fi y
Th e w e re g ia n t s i n po w e r , an d i n t ra c t a b e , e r , an d i m pa t i e n t
s f s s s
by n a t u re , pu rn i n g a ll e f o rt t o c o n t ro l t h e m ; i n a ll re pe c t , t h e re o re f ,

fi s vs
t t i n g re pre e n t a t i e o f t h e i r p ro g e n i t o r , t h e m i g h t y l
ru e r o f t h e se a .

1 A c u bi t i s t h e e n t h
g l f
ro m t h e e lbo w t o t h e e xt re m i t y
o f t h e m i d d le
fi f fi s
n g e r , an d t h e re o re a n i n d e n i t e m e as u re , bu t m o d e rn u a g e t a es i t k
s sv
as re p re e n t i n g a l e n g t h o f e e n t e e n t o e ig h t e e n in c h e s .
 O CE A NU S . 1 07

shed Athene accordingly called the city Athens after

.
,

herself and it has ever since retained thi s name

, .

Poseidon tamed t h e horse fo r the use of mankind and ,

was beli eved t o have taught men the art of managing horses
by the bridle The Isthmian games ( so named because
.

they were held o n t h e Isthmus o f C orinth ) in which ,

horse and chariot races were a di stinguishing featu re ,

were instituted in hon o ur o f Poseidon .

He was more especially w ors h ipped in the Pe lo po n

n e s u s though un iversally revered throughout Greece and
,

in the so u th of Italy His sacrifices were generally.

black and white bulls also wild boars and rams Hi s

,
.

usual attributes are the trident horse and dolph in , ,

.

In some parts of Greece this divinity w a s id e n t ifie d with

the sea god Ne re u s for which reason the Nereides o r
-

, ,

daughters of Ne re u s are represented as accompanying h i m

, .

The Romans worshipped Poseidon un der the name of

Neptune and invested h im with all the attri butes which
,

belong t o the Greek divinity .

The Roman commanders never undert ook any naval

expediti o n without propitiating Neptun e by a sacrifice .

His te mple at Ro me was in the Campus Mar tius and ,

the festivals co m memorated in his honour were c alled

Ne pt u n alia
K
.

SE A D I V I NI T I E S .

O CE ANUS .

was the son o f Uranus and G aea He w as .

the personification of the ever flo win g stream whi ch -

, ,

according t o the primitive notions o f the early Gree ks ,

encircled the world and from which sprang all the rivers
,

and streams that wate red the earth He was marri ed t o .

Tethys o n e o f the Titans and was the father o f a numer

, ,
1 08 MYT H S o r A N C IE N T GREE C E A ND ROM E .

ous progeny call ed the O cean ides who are s aid t o have ,

been t h r ee thousand in number He alone of al l t h e . ,

Titans refrain ed from ta ki ng part against Zeus in the

,

Titanomachia and was o n t h at account the onl y one of

, , ,

the primeval divi nities permi tted t o retain his domi nion
under the new dynasty .

N E RE U S .

Nereus appears to have been the personi fi cation o f the

sea i n i t s calm and placid moods and was after Po s ei
'

, ,

don the most importa nt o f the sea deities He is re pre

,
-
.

sented as a kind and benevolent old man possessing the ,

gift of prophecy and presidi ng more particul arly over

,

the Z E ge an Se a o f which he w as considered t o be the

,

protecting spiri t There he dwelt with his wife Doris

.

and the ir fifty bloomi ng daughters the Nereides beneath , ,

the waves in a beautiful grotto palac e and was ever —

,

ready t o assist di stressed mariners in the hour of danger .

PRO TE US .

Proteus more familiarly kno w n as The O ld M an o f

,
“

!
the Se a was a son of Poseidon and gifte d with pro
, ,

p h e t i c power But he had. an invincible obj ection t o

bein g c o n s ulted in his capacity as seer and those who ,

wish ed him t o fo rete ll events watched for the h o ur o f ,

~~

noon when he was in the habit of coming up t o the

,
‘ ’
island of Pharos with Poseidon s flock of seals which he
, ,

tended at the bot t om o f the se a Surrounded by these

creatures o f the deep he used to sl u mber beneath the ,

grateful shade of the ro cks T h is was the favourable .

moment t o seize the prophet w h o in order to avoid , ,

i mportunities would change himself into an infinite variety

,
'

o f forms But patien ce gained the day ; for if he were

.

only held long enough he became weari ed at last and , , ,

resumi n g hi s true form gave the info rmation desired , ,

after w h ich he dived down agai n t o the bo tt o m of the

se a ac companied by the animals he tende d
,

1
O t h e E g yp t ian co as t
n .
 G L A U C US -

L [ 1 09

TRITO N an d t h e TRITO N S .

Triton was the onlyPoseidon and Amphitri te

so n of ,

but he possessed little in fl u

ence being altogether a minor ,

divinity He is usu ally re .

presented as preceding his

father and acting as his trum
peter using a conch shell ,
-

for this purpose He lived .

with his parents in their

beautiful golden palace be
neath the sea at n e a and ,

hi s favouri te pastime was to ride over the bil lows o n horses

o r sea monsters
-
Triton is always represented as half
.

man half fish the body below the waist terminating in

, ,

the tail o f a dolphin We frequently find menti o n of

.

Tritons wh o are either the o ffspring or kindred o f Trito n .

G L A UC US .

Glaucus is said to have become a sea divin i ty in the -

following manner While angling one day he observed

.
,

that the fish he caught and threw o n the bank at once ,

nibbled at the grass and then leaped back into the water .

His curiosity was natur ally excited and he proceeded to ,

ra t ify it by taking u p a few blades and tasting them

gl 0 sooner was this done than obeying an irresistible
.

impulse he precipitated himself i nto the deep and

, ,

becam e a sea god -

.

L ike most sea divi ni ties he was gifted with prophetic

—

power and each year visited all the islands and coasts
,

with a train of marine monsters foretelling all kinds of ,

evil Hence fishermen dreaded his approach and endea

.
,

vo u re d by prayer and fasting to avert the misfortunes

, ,

which he prophesied He is often represented floating

.

o n the billows his body covered with mussels sea weed

, ,
-

an d shell s wearing a ful l beard and long fl owing hai r

, ,

an d bitterly bewailing his immortality

X?
.
1 10 MYTH S or ANCI ENT GR EEC E A ND RO M E .

TH E TIS .

e silver footed fair h aire d Thetis who plays

-

,
~
,

i mportant part in t h e myth ology of Greece w as the ,

daughter o f Ncreus o r as some asse rt o f Poseid o n Her

, , ,
.

grace and beauty were so remarkable that Zeus and

P o seidon both sought an all iance wi th her ; but as it had ,

been foretold that a son of hers woul d gain supre m acy

over his fath er they relinqui shed their intentions and
, ,

s h e became the wif e of Peleus son o f B acus L ike Pro ,

.

teus T h etis p o ssessed the power o f transformin g herself

,

into a variety o f di fferent shapes and when wooed by ,

Peleus she exerted thi s power in order t o elude h im .

But kn owing that persistence would eventually su cce e d

, ,

he held her fast un til she assumed her t ru e fo rm Their

'

nuptials were celebrated with the utmost pomp an d

magnificence and were honoured by the presence of all
,

the gods and go ddesses with the exception of E ri s Ho w

,
.

t h e goddess o f discord resente d her exclusion from t h e

marriage festivities has already been sho wn .

Thetis ever retained great influence over the mi hty g

lord of heaven which as we shall see hereafter she us ed

.

, , ,

in favour o f her reno w ned son Achilles in the Troj an , ,

\Var .

When Halcyone plunged into the sea in despair after

the shipwreck and death o f her husband K i ng Ceyx ,

Thetis transformed both husband and wife into the birds

called kin g fis h e rs ( halcyones) which w ith the tender , ,

affection which characterized the unfortunate couple ,

always fly in pairs The idea o f the ancients w as that

.

th ese birds brought forth their young in nests which ,

float o n the surf ace o f the sea in calm weather before ,

and after the shortest day when Thetis was said t o k e ep ,

the waters smooth and tranqui l for their especial be nefit ;

hence the term h alcy o n d ays which signi fies a per iod
“
,

o f rest and untroubled feli city .

 L E UC O T H
m A . 111

THA UM A S , P H O RC Y S ,
an d CE TO .

The early Greeks wi th their e x traordinary power o f

,

personifying all and every att ri bute o f Nature gave a dis ,

tinct personality to those mighty wonders o f the deep ,

which in all ages have afforded matter of speculation to

, ,

educated and uneducated alike Among these pe rso n i fica .

tions we find Thaumas Phorcys and their sister Cet o , , ,

who were the offspring o f Pontus .

Thaum as ( whose name signifies Wonder) typi fi es that

pecul iar translucent condition o f the surface of the sea
,

when it reflects mirror like various images and appears

,
-

, ,

t o hold in its transparent embrace the flaming stars and

i lluminated cities which are so frequently reflected on i t s
,

glassy bosom .

Thaumas marri ed the lovely E lectra (whose name

sign ifies t h e sparkling light produced by electricity) ,

daughter o f O ceanus Her amber coloured hair was o f

.
—

such rare beauty that none of her fair haired S isters could -

compare with her and when she wept her te ars being
, , ,

t o o precious t o be lost formed drops o f shining amber

, .

Phorcys and Ceto personified more especially the

hidden perils and terrors o f the ocean They were the .

parents of the Gorgons the G rae a and the Dragon which, ,

guarded the golden apples o f the Hesperi des .

L E UC O THE A .

L eucothea was origi nally a mortal named In o d au gh ,

ter of Cadmus king of Thebes Sh e married Athamas

,
.
,

king o f O rch o m e n u s who incensed at her unnatural

, ,

conduct to her step ch ild re n pursued her and her son

I -

to the sea shore when seeing no hope o f escape she

-

, , ,

flung herself with h e r child into the deep T h ey were .

kindly received by the Nereides and became sea ,

~

divinities u nder the name o f L eucothea and Pal aemon .

1
See L e g e n d o f t h e A rg o n a u t s .
 OF A N CI E N T GREE C E A ND ROM E .

TH E S IRE NS .

The Sirens would appear

to have been pe rso n ifica
tions of those numerous
rocks and unseen dangers ,

which abound o n the S W .

coast o f Italy They were .

sea nymphs wi th t h e upper

-

part o f the body th a t o f

a maiden and the low e r that
of a sea bird having wing s -

attached to their shoulders ,

and were endowed with such

wonderful voices that their sweet songs are said to have
,

lured mariners to destructio n .

A R E S (M A Rs ) .

Ares the son o f Zeus and Hera was the god o f war
, , ,

who gloried in strife for its o w n sake ; he loved the

tumult a n d havoc o f t h e battlefield and delighted in ,

slaughter and extermination ; in fact he presents no

benevolent aspect which could possibly react favourably
upon human life .

E pic poets in particular represent t h e go d o f battles as

, ,

a wild ungovernable warri o r w h o passes through the

,

armies like a whirl w ind hurling t o t h e ground the brave

,

and cowardly alike ; destroying c h ariots and helmets and ,

triumphing over the terrible desolation wh ich he produces .

In all t h e myths concerning A r es h i s sister Athene ,

ever ap pears in opposition to him endeavouring by every ,

means i n her power to defeat his bl oodthirsty designs .

Thus she assists the divine her o Diomedes at the siege

o f Troy to overcome Ares in battle and so we ll does he
, ,

profit by her timely aid that he succeeds in woundin g

,

the sangu inary war go d who makes his exit from t h e

—
,

field roaring like ten thousand bulls

, .
 A RE S ( M A R S) . 1 13

Ares appears to have been an obj ect o f aversion to

al l the g o ds o f O lympus Aphrodite alone excepted As , .

the son o f Hera he h a d inheri ted from his mother the

,

strongest feelings o f independence and contradiction and ,

as he took delight in upsetting that peaceful course o f

state life which it was pre eminently the care of Zeus to
- -

establish he was naturally di sliked and even hated by

,

him .

When wounded by Diomedes as above related he com , ,

plains to his father but receives no sympathy from the ,

otherwise kindly and be n e fice n t ruler o f O lympus who ,

thus angrily addresses him : Do n o t trouble me with “

thy complaints thou who art of all the gods o f O lympus

,

most hateful to me for thou delightest in nought save ,

war and strife The very spi ri t o f thy mother lives in

.

thee and wert thou not my son long ago wouldst thou
, ,

have lain deeper down in the bowels of the earth than

!
the son o f Uranus .

Ares upon o n e occasion incurred the anger of Poseidon

, ,

by slaying his son Halirrh o t h io s who h ad insulted A l ,

cippe the daughter of the war god Fo r this deed Posei

,
-

.
,

don summoned Ar es to appear befo re t h e tribunal of

the O lympic gods which was held upon a hill in Athens
,
.

Ares was acquitted and this event is supposed t o have ,

o f Ares
g iven rise to the name Areopagus ( o r Hill
) ,

which afterwards became s o famous as a court of justice .

In the Giganto machia Ares was defeat ed by the Aloid ae , ,

t h e two giant sons of Poseidon who put him in chains

—
, ,

and kept h im in prison for thirteen months .

Ares is represented as a man o f youthful appearance ;

his tall muscular form combines great strength with won
d e rfu l agility In his right h and he bears a sword o r a
.

mighty lance while o n t h e left arm he carries hi s round

,

shield ( see nex t page ) His demoniacal surroundings are .

Terror and F ear ; E nyo the goddess o f the war cry ;

‘
,
-

K e i d o m o s the demon of the noise o f battles ; and E ris

,

( Contention ) his twin sister

,
and compani on who al w ay s -

1 His t wo so ns De i m o s an d Ph o b o s .
114 MY T H S or A N CI ENT GREE C E A ND ROM E .

precedes his chariot when he rushes t o the fight the latt er ,

being evidently a simi le of the poet s t o express the fact

that war fol lows co n
tention .

E ris is represented
as a woman o f florid
complexion with dis ,

bevelled hair and her ,

whole appearance angry

and menacing In o n e .

hand she brandishes a

poniard and a hissing
adder whi lst in the ,

other she carries a bur n

ing torch Her dress is .

torn and disorderly and ,

her hair intertwined

with veno mous snakes .

T h is di vinity w as never
invoked by mortals ex ,

cept when they desired

h e r assistance for the accomplishment o f evi l pur pose

M A RS .

The Ro man divinity most closely resembling the Greek

Ar es an d i d e n t i fie d with him w as called Mars Mamers
, , , ,

and Marspiter o r F ather Mars .

The earliest Italian tribes who were mostly engaged

,

in the pur sui t o f husbandry regarded this deity more

,

especially as the god o f spring w h o vanquished the

,

powers o f winter and enco u raged the peaceful arts o f

,

agricul ture But with the Rom a ns who were an essen

.
,

t i ally warlike nati o n Mars gr a dually l o ses his peaceful

,

ch aracter and as god o f war attains after Jupiter the

, , , , ,

h ighest positi o n among the O lympic gods The Romans .

looked up o n h im as t h eir special protector and declared ,

h i m to have been t h e fath er of Ro mul us and Remus the ,

founders of their city But although he was especi ally

.
 MA RS . 1 15

worshipped in Ro me as go d o f war he stil l continued t o ,

preside over ag riculture and was also the prote cting deity ,

who watched over the welfare o f the state .

As the god who strode with warlike step t o the battle

field he was called G rad iv u s ( from gra d us a ste p ) it
, , ,

being popul arly believed by the Romans that he himself

mar ch ed befo re them t o battle and acted as their invisible ,

protecto r As the presiding deity o ver agri cultu re he

.
,

was styled Sylvanus whilst in his characte r as guardian

,

o f the state he bore the name,

o f ri
Qui nus 1
.

The pri ests of Mars were twelve in num ber and were ,

ca ll ed Salii o r the dancers from the fact that sacred

, ,

d an c e s in full armour formed an im portant item in their

, ,

peculiar cerem o n ial This religious o rder the members

.
,

o f which were always chosen from the noblest families in

Rome was first institute d by Numa Pompil ius who in

, ,

trusted to t h eir special charge the A n ci liae o r sacred ,

shields It is said that o n e mornin g when Numa was

.
,

impl o ri n g the protection o f Jupiter for the newly founded -

city o f Ro me the go d of heaven as though in an swer to

, ,

his prayer sent down an oblong brazen shield and as it

, , ,

fell at the feet o f the king a voice w as heard announcing ,

that o n its preservation depended the future saf ety and

prosperity o f Rome In ord er th e refore t o lessen the
.
, ,

chance s o f this sacred treasure bein g abstracted Numa ,

caused eleven more t o be made exactly like it which ,

were then given into the care o f the Sa lii .

The assist a nce and pr o tection o f the god o f w ar was

al ways sole m nly invoked before the departure of a Rom an

arm y fo r the field of battle and any reverses o f for t une ,

were invari ably asc ri bed t o his anger which was ac co r ,

dingly propitiated bv means of extraordinary sin o fferings —

and prayers .

In Ro me a field called the Campus Martius was d e di

, ,

c a t e d to Mars It was a l arge open sp ace in which

.
, ,

armi es were coll ected and reviewed general assemblies of ,

l
Ro m u l us was d e i fie d by t h e Ro m a n s a ft er d e at h , and
w as w o r
sh i pp e d by t h e m u n d e r t h e n am e o f Qu ir i n u s ,
an l
a ppe l a t i o n w h i c h h e
i n co m m o n wi t h h is f at h e r M ar s .
116 MY TH S or A N C I EN T G REE C E A ND ROM E .

the people held and the youn g nobility train ed t o marti al

,

e x e rcrse s.
The most celebrated and magni fi cent o f the numerous
temples built by t h e Romans in honour o f this deity was
t h e one erected by Augustus in the F orum to comme ,

mora t e the overthrow o f the murderers o f C aes ar .

O f al l ex isting statues o f Mars the most ren o wned is

that in the Villa L u d o v isi at Rome in which h e is r e pre ,

sented as a powerful muscular man in the ful l vi gour of ,

youth The attitude is that o f thoughtful repose but

. ,

t h e sh ort curly hair dilated nostrils and strongly marked

, , ,

featur es leave no doubt as to the fo rce and tur bulence o f

his character At his feet the sculpt o r has placed the
.
,
-

little god o f love who looks up all undaunted at the

,

mighty war god as th ough misch ievously conscious that

-

t h is un usually qui et mood is attributable to his influence .

Religious festivals in honour of Mars were general ly

held in the month o f March ; but he had also a festival
o n the Ides o f O ctober when chariot races t o ok pl ace ,
—
,

after which the righ t hand horse o f t h e team which h ad

,

drawn the victorious chariot was sac rificed to him In ,

.

ancient times human sacrifices more especially prisoners

, ,

o f war,were off ered t o him ; but at a later period this , ,

cruel practice was discontinued .

The attribute s o f this divinity are the helmet shield , ,

and spear The animals consecrated to him were the

.

w o lf horse vulture and woodpecker

, , ,
.

Intimately associated with Mars in his character as go d

o f war was a goddess called B E L L O N A w h o was evidently
, ,

the female divinity o f battle with o n e o r other of the

primitive nations o f Italy (m o st pro bably the Sabines ) ,

and is usually seen acc o mpanying Mars whose war chari o t ,

—

s h e g u ides Bellona appears o n t h e battl e field inspired

.
,

wit h mad rage cruelty and the love o f extermination

, , .

Sh e is in full armour her hair is dis h evelled and s h e , ,

bears a scourge in o n e hand and a lance in the other , .

A temple was erected t o her o n the Campus M a rt in s .

Before t h e entrance to this edifice stood a pillar over ,

which a spear was thrown when war was publicly dec lar e d .
 H ERMES ( M E R C URY) .

N IK E ( VICTORIA ) .

Nike , the goddess of victo ry, was the dau ghter of the
Tita n Pall as an d o f Styx the presidi ng nymph o f
, ,
the
ri ver o f that name in the lower worl d
In her statues Nike somewhat resembles A t hene but
, ,

may easil y be recognized by her large graceful wi ngs and ,

flowing drapery which is negligently fastened o n the

,

right shoulder and onl y partially conceal s her lovely

,

form In her left hand she holds aloft a crown of laurel

.
, ,

and in the ri ght a palm branch In an cient scul p t ur e

,
—
.
,

Nike is usually represented in connection with col o ssal

statues of Zeus or Pallas Athene in whi ch case she i s ,

life siz ed and stands o n a ball held in the open palm

, ,

o f the deity she accomp anies So metimes she is re pre .

sented engaged in inscribin g the victory o f a conqueror

o n h i s shield her right fo ot be i ng slightly raised and
,

laced o n a bal l
p .

A celebrated temple w as erected to this divin i ty o n the

Acropo li s at Athens whi ch 1 s still t o be seen and is in
, ,

excellent preservation .

V I C T O RI A .

U nder the name of Victoria Nike was highly honoured ,

by the Romans with whom love o f conquest was an all

,

absorbing characteristic There were several sanctuaries.

in Rome dedicated to her the p rincipal o f which was on

-

the Capitol where it was the custom o f generals after

, ,

su ccess had attended the ir arms to erect statues o f the ,

goddess in c o mmemoration o f their victo ri es The most .

magnificent o f these statues was that raised by Augustus ,

after the battle o f Actium A festival was celebrated .

in honour of Nike o n the 1 2th of April .

H E R M E S ( M E RCURY) .

Hermes was the s wift fo o t e d messenger and trusted ,

ambassad or o f all the gods and conductor o f shad es t o ,

H ad e s He preside d over the reari ng and educatio n o f

1 18 M YTHS or ANCI ENT GREE CE A ND RO M E .

the youn g and encour aged gymnastic exercises and athl etic
,

pursuits fo r wh i c h reas o n all gym n as iurn s and wrestlin g

, ,

schools throughout Gre e ce were adorned with his sta tues .

He is sai d t o have invente d the alphabet and t o have ,

taught the art of interpretin g fo reign langu ages and his ,

versatility S agacity and cunning were so extraordin ary

, , ,

that Zeus invariably chose him as his attendant when , ,

di sguised as a m o rtal he j o urneyed o n earth

,
.

Hermes w as wo rshipped as god of eloquence most pro ,

bably from the fact th at in his office as ambas sa dor th is

, ,

faculty was indispensable to the successful issue of the

negotiations with which he was intrusted He was re .

garded as the g o d w h o grante d increas e an d prosperity

t o flocks and herds and o n this ac coun t was wors h ipped
, , ,

t h Special venerati o n by herdsmen .

In an cient times trade was c o nducted chiefly by mea ns

,

of t h e exchange o f cattle Hermes therefore as god o f .

, ,

h erdsmen came t o be regarded as the protecto r o f mer

,

chants and as ready wit and adroitness are valuable

, ,

qu ali ties both in buying and selli ng he w as ,

also looked upon as the patron o f artifi ce

and cunning Indeed so deeply w as thi s
.
,

noti o n roote d in the mi nds o f the Greek

people that he was popularly be lieved t o be
,

al so go d o f thi eves and o f all perso ns who ,

live by their wits .

A S the p a tro n o f commerce Herm es w as ,

natur ally supposed t o be the prom o ter o f i n

t e rco u rse am o ng n ati o ns ; hence he is essen ,

t ia ll y the g o d o f travellers over whose safety ,

he presided and he severely punis h ed th o se

,

w h o refused assistan ce to the lost o r weary

w a yfarer He was also guardian of str e ets
.

and road s and hi s statues called Hermae

“

, ,

( which were pillars o f st o ne surmounte d by

a head of Hermes ) were placed at cross roads ,
-

,
and frequently in streets and public S quares .

Bein g the god o f a ll un dertakings in whi ch gain was a

feature he was worshippe d as t h e giver o f w e a lth and
,
 H E RM E S ( M E R C URY) . 1 19

good luck and any un e xpected stroke o f fortun e was

,

attributed t o his influenc e He also presided over t h e .

game o f di ce in whi ch he is said to have been instructed

,

by Apollo .

Hermes was the so n o f Zeus and Mai a the eldest and ,

most beautiful o f t h e seven Pleiades ( daughters o f Atlas ) ,

and was b o rn in a cave o f Moun t Cyllene in Arc adia .

As a mere babe h e exhibited an extraordinary faculty

,

for cunning and dissimul ation ; in fact he was a thief ,

from his cradle for not many hours after h is birth W e

, , ,

find him creeping ste al thily o u t o f the cave in which he

was b o rn in order t o steal s o me oxen belonging to his
,

brother Apollo w h o was at this time feeding the flocks

,

o f Admetus But he had not proceeded ve ry far o n his

.

expedition be fore he fo und a tort o ise which he ki ll ed and , , ,

stretching seven strings across the empty shell invented ,

a lyre upon which he at o nce began t o play with e x q

,
ui

site ski ll Wh en he h ad sufficiently amused himself with

.

the instrument he placed it in his cradle and then resumed

, ,

h is j our ney t o Pieria where the cattle of Admetus were ,

grazin g Arriving at s u nset at hi s destinati o n he suc

.
,
’
ce e d e d in separatin g fifty oxen from his brother s herd ,

which he n o w drove before him ta king the precaution to ,

cover his feet with s andals made of twigs of myrtle in ,

order t o escape de t ection But the little rogue was n o t

'

un observed fo r the theft had been wi tnessed by an o ld

,

shepherd named Battus who was tending the flocks ,

o f Neleus king o f Pylos (father o f Nestor )

, Hermes .
,

frighte ned at being discovered bribed hi m wi th t h e finest ,

co w in t h e herd not t o betray h im

. and Battus promised ,

to keep the secret But Hermes astute as he was dis .

,
’
honest determined t o test the shepherd s integrity
, .

F eigning t o go away he assumed the fo rm o f Admetus , ,

and then retur ning t o the spot offered the o ld m an two

o f h is best oxen if he woul d discl o se the aut h o r o f the

theft The ruse succeeded fo r t h e ava ricious shepherd

.
, ,

unable t o resist t h e tempting bait gave the desired in fo r ,

mati o n upon which Hermes exerting his divin e power

, , ,

changed him into a lump o f touchstone as a puni sh ,

~
1 20 M YTHS or ANCI E NT GRE E C E A ND RO M E .

ment for hi s treachery and avarice Hermes n o w killed .

two o f the oxe n w h ich he sacrificed t o himself and the

,

o t h er gods c o ncealing the remainder in t h e cave

,
He .

then carefully e x tinguis h ed t h e fire and after t h ro wm g , ,

his twig s h o es into t h e river Alpheus returned t o Cyllene ,

.

Apo llo by means o f his a ll seein g power soon di s

,
-

covered who it was that had r o bbed him and hastening ,

t o Cyllene demanded restitution o f hi s property

,
On .

’
hi s complaining to Maia of h e r son s conduct she pointed ,

t o the inn o cent babe t h en lying apparently fast asleep in , ,

his cra dle whereupon Apollo angrily aroused the pre

, ,

tended sleeper and charged him with the theft ; but the
,

c h il d stoutly denied all kn o wledge of it and so cleverly ,

did he play his part that he even inquired in the most ,

nai ve manner wh a t s o rt of animals cows were Apollo

’ '

threatened to thro w him int o Tartarus if he woul d not

c o nf ess the truth but all to n o purpose At last he
,
.
,

seized the babe in his arms and brought him into t h e ,

presence of h i s august fath er who was seated in the ,

co u ncil chamber o f t h e go ds Zeus listened t o the charge .

made by Apollo and t h en sternly desired Hermes t o say

,

where he had h idden t h e cattle The child who w as .

,

still in s waddling clothes l o o ked up bravely in to his

-

father s face and s a id No w do I lo o k capable of drivi ng

’

,
“
,

away a herd o f c attle ; I w h o was only born yesterday , ,

and wh ose feet are much too s o ft an d tender to tre a d in

r o ugh places ? Until this moment I lay in sweet sleep ,
’
o n my mot h er s b o s o m and have never even cr o ssed the ,

t h resh o ld o f o u r dwelling Yo u know well that I am .

n ot guilty ; but if you wis h I will affirm it by the

, ,

m o st solemn oaths As t h e child stood before him

.
,

lo o king t h e picture o f innocence Zeus could not refrain ,

from smiling at h is cleverness and cunn i ng but being , ,

perfectly aware of hi s gui lt he commanded him t o ,

c o nduct Apollo t o the cave where he h ad conceal e d the

herd and Herm es see ing th at further subterfuge w as
, ,

useless unh esitatingly o beyed

, But when t h e divine .

s h epherd was about t o drive h i s c attle back into Pieria ,

Hermes as though by chance touched the chords o f hi s

, ,
 HE RM E S ( M E RC URY) . 1 21

lyre . Hitherto Apollo had heard nothing but the music

o f hi s o wn three stringed lyre and the syrinx o r Pan s ,

pipe an d as he liste ned entranced t o the delightful

, ,

strains o f thi s new instrument his l o nging to possess i t ,

beca me so great that he gladly offered t h e o x en in ex

,

chan ge promising at the same time to give Hermes full

, ,

do m inion over flocks and herds as well as over horses , ,

and all the wild animals o f the woods an d forests The .

offer was accepted and a reco nciliation being thus effecte d

, ,

between the brothers Hermes became henceforth go d o f

,

herdsmen whi lst Apollo devoted himself enthusiastic a lly

,

to the art o f music .

They now proceeded to gether to O lym pus where ,

Ap o llo introduced Hermes as hi s ch osen fri end and c o m

p an ion and having m a de h im swear by the Styx that he
, , ,

w o uld never steal his lyre o r h o w n o r invad e his sanctu ar y ,

at Delphi he presented him with the C aduceus o r golden

, ,

wand This wand w as surmoun ted by wi ngs

.
,

and o n presenting it t o Hermes Apoll o in ,

formed him that i t possessed the facul ty o f

uniting in love all beings divided by hate , .

\Vi s h in g t o prov e the truth o f this asserti o n ,

Hermes threw it down between two snakes

which were fighting whereupon the angry co m ,

bat an t s clasped each o ther in a loving embrace ,

and curli ng r o und t h e staff remained ever after ,

permanently attached t o it The wand itself .

t y pified power ; t h e serpents wisdom ; and the ,

win gs desp a tch all quali ties charac t eristic o f

,
—

a trustworth y ambassador .

The youn g god was now presente d by his father with

a winged silver cap ( Petasus ) and also with s ilver w ings ,

for his feet ( Talari a ) and was forthwith appointe d herald

,

o f t h e g o ds and conductor of shades t o H ades which

, ,

office had hitherto been filled by Ai des .

As messenger o f the gods we find him employed on ,

all occasions requiring special skill tact o r despa t c h , ,

.

Thus he conducts Hera Athene and A phr o di te t o Paris

, , ,

leads P ri am t o Achi lles t o de m and the bod y of Hector ,

1 22 M YTHS or A N CI ENT G RE EC E A ND RO M E .

binds Prometheus t o Mount Caucasus secures Ixion t o ,

the eternally revolving wheel destroys Argus the , ,

hun dred e yed guardian o f Io & c &c

-

,
. .

As conductor of shades Hermes was always invoked ,

by t h e dying to grant t h em a safe and speedy passage

across the Styx He also possessed the power o f bri n ging
.

back departed spirits t o t h e upper world and was there , ,

f o re the mediat o r between the livin g and the de ad

,
.

The poets relate many amusing sto ri es Of the youthful

tricks played by this mi schi ef loving god upon the other -

immortals F or instance he had t h e audacity t o extract

.
,

the Medusa s head from the s h ield o f Athene whi ch he

’
,

playfully attached t o the back o f Heph aestus ; h e also

stole the girdle o f Aphrodite ; deprived Ar temis o f her
arrows and Ares o f his spear but these acts were al ways
, ,

performed with such graceful de x te ri ty combined with ,

such pe rfect good humour that even the gods and go d ,

desses he th us provoked were fain t o pardon h i m and he , ,

became a universal favourite with them all .

It is said that Hermes was one day flying over Athens ,

w h en looking down into the city he beheld a number o f

, ,

maidens returning in solemn procession from t h e temple

o f Pallas Athene F orem o st among t h em was Herse the
-

.
,

beautiful daugh ter o f ki ng Cecro ps and Hermes was so ,

struck with her e x ceeding loveliness that he determined

t o seek an interview with her He accordingly presented .

h imse lf at the royal palace and begged her sister Agraul os ,

t o favour his suit ; but being o f an avaricious turn of ,

mind she refused t o d o so without the payment o f an

,

en o rmous sum o f m o ney It did n o t take t h e messenger .

o f the gods long t o obt a in the means of fulfilling this con

dition and h e so o n returned with a well fille d pur se

,
—
.

But mean w hile Athene to p u nish the cupidity of A grau ,

los had caused the demon o f envy t o take possession of

,

her and the c o nsequence was that being unable to con

, , ,

template the happiness o f her sister she sat down before ,

the door and resolutely refused t o allow Hermes t o enter

, .

He tried every persuasion and blandishment in hi s power ,

but she still remained obstinate At last hi s patience . .

,
 M E R C URY . l 23

bein g exhausted he changed her in t o a mass o f bl ack

,

stone an d the Obstacle t o hi s wishes be i ng removed he

, , ,

succeeded in persu ading Herse to become hi s wife .

In hi s statues Hermes is represented as a bear d less

,

youth with broad chest and ,

graceful but muscular li mbs ;

the face is handsome and in
t e llig e n t and a geni al smile ,

o f kindly benevolence plays

roun d the delicately chisell ed
lips .

As messenger Of the gods

he wears the Petasus and
Talaria and bears in his ,
’
hand the Caduceus o r herald s

As god o f eloquence he is ,

often represented with chains

o f gold han ging from his lips ,

whilst as the patro n of mer

,

chants he bears a purse in ,

hi s hand .

The wonderful e x cavations

in O lympia t o which all usion has already been mad e
, ,

have brought t o light an ex quisite marble g roup of

Hermes and the infant Bacchus by Praxiteles In this ,
.

great work o f art Hermes is represented as a youn g and

,

handsome man w h o is looking d o w n kindly and affection

,

ately at the chil d resting o n h i s arm but unfo rtunately ,

nothing remains of the infant save the right hand which ,

is laid lovi ngly on the sh o ulder Of his protector .

The sac rifices t o Hermes c o nsisted of incense hone y , ,

cakes pigs and especially lambs and youn g goats As

, ,
.

god of eloquence the tongues of animals were sacrificed to

,

hi m
.

M E RC U RY .

Mercu ry was the Roman god of commerce and gain .

We find mention o f a temple havin g been erecte d t o h i m

 1 24 M YT HS or A N CI ENT GREEC E A ND RO M E .

n ear the Circus Maxim us as early as E C 49 5; and h e .

had als o a temple and a sacred fo unt near the Porta

Cape Magic powers were ascri bed t o the latter and ,

o n the festival o f Mercur y w hi c h took place on the 25t h

,

o f May it was the custo m fo r merch an t s t o sp ri nkl e

O

themse lves and th eir merchandise with this holy wate r ,

in order t o insure large profits from their w ares .

Th e Fe t ia le s ( Roman priests whose duty i t w as o act

t
as guardians of the public fai th ) re fu sed t o recogni ze the
identity o f Mercur y wi th Hermes and ordered li i m t o be
,

represented wi th a sacred branch as the emblem o f peace ,

ins t ead o f the Cad uceus In later tim es however he

.
, ,

was complete ly identified w ith the Greek Hermes .

D I O N Y S U S ( B ACCHUS ) .

Dionysus also call ed Bacchus ( from bacon berry) was

, , ,

the go d o f wine and t h e pers o ni ,

fica t i o n of the blessings o f Nature

in general .

The worship of this di vin ity ,

which is supposed t o have been

introduced int o Greece fro m
A s ia (in all probability from
Indi a ) first to o k root in Thrace
, ,

whence it grad ually spread i nto

other parts of Greece .

Dionysus w as the s o n o f Zeus

and Semele and was snatc hed ,

by Zeus from the devouring

flames in whi ch his mother
pe ri shed when he appeared t o
,

her in all the splend o u r o f his

di vi ne glory The motherless.

chil d was in trusted t o the char ge

o f Hermes who c o nveyed him
,

t o Se m e l e s s i ste r Ino B u t Hera

’
.
, ,

still implacable in her vengeance ,

vis ite d Atha mas the husband of 111 0 wi th m ad ness

, , ,
 D I ONY S U S ( B A c c n us ) . 1 25

’
and the child s life being n o longer safe he was transferred ,

t o the fostering c ar e Of the nymphs o f Moun t Ny s a An

aged satyr named Sil en u s the son of Pan took upon , ,

himse lf the Office of guardi an and precept o r t o the young

g od ,
who in hi s turn became much attached to his kind
, ,

tut or ; hence we see Silenus always fig u ring as on e of

the chi ef personages in the vari ous e xpeditions o f the
wi ne god-
.

Dionysus passed an innocent and uneventful chil dh ood ,

roami ng through the woods a nd forests surrounded by ,

nymphs satyrs and shepherds During one o f these

, ,
.

rambles he fo und a fru it growing wild O f a most refresh

, ,
'

ing and cooling nature This was the vin e fro m w h i ch .

,

he subsequently learnt t o extract a juice which form e d a

most e x hilarating beverage After his companions had .

partaken freely of it they felt their wh o le being pervaded

,

by an unwonted sense o f pleasurable excitement and ,

gave full vent t o the ir overflowing exuberance by shout ,

ing singin g and dancin g

, ,
Their numbers were soon .

swelled by a crowd eager to taste a beverage productive

,

o f such extrao rdin ary resul ts an d an x ious to j o in in the ,

worship o f a divi n ity to w h om th ey were indebted fo r

this new enjoyment Dionysus on hi s part seeing how
.
, ,

a reeably his dis c overy h a d affected his immedi ate f o l

g

lowers resolved t o e x tend the boon to mankind in general

,
.

He saw that wine used in moderation woul d enable man

, ,

t o enj oy a happier and more sociable existence and t h at

, , ,

under its invigorating influence the sorro wful might fo r , ,

a w h ile fo rget their grief and the sick their pain He

, .

accordingly gathered round him his zeal o us followers and ,

they set forth o n their travels planting the vine and ,

teaching its cul ti vation w herever t h ey went .

We now beh o ld Di o nysus at the head o f a large army

composed Of men women faun s and satyrs all bearing
, , , ,

i n their hands the Thyrsus ( a staff entwined with vine

branches sur mounted by a fir cone ) and clashing togeth er -

cymbals and other mus i cal instruments Se a te d in a .

chari ot dra wn by pant h ers and accompanied by t h o usands ,

o f enthusiastic followers Dionysus made a tri umphal ,

1 26 M YTHS OF A N CI E N T G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

progress through Syria E gypt Ar abia India ,

co n , , ,

quering all before h im founding cit l e s and e s t abli sh m g

, ,

o n every side a more civilized and s o ciable mode o f life

among the inhabitants o f t h e various cou ntri es through
which he passed .

When Dionysus returned to Greece from h is E astern

expedition he enc o untered great o pp o sition from L y cur
,

gus king o f Thrace and Pentheus king of Thebes

, , ,
.

The former highly disapproving o f the wild re vels which

,

attended t h e worship Of the wine god drove away his -

attendants the nymphs o f Nysa from that sacred moun

, ,

tain and so effectually intimidated Di o nysus th at he

, ,

precipitated himself into the sea w here he was r e ceived ,

into the arms of t h e ocean nymp h Thetis But the im -

,
.

pious king bitterly expiated his s acrilegious c onduct .

He was punished wi th the loss o f his re ason a n d during , ,

o n e of his mad paro x ysms d his own son Dryas , ,

w h om he misto ok for a vine .

Pentheus king o f Thebes ,

his subj ects so com ,

pletely infatuated by the riotous worship o f this new

divinity and fearing t h e demoralizin g e ff ects o f the u m
,

seemly nocturnal o rgies held i n h o nour of the wi ne god -

s t ri ct ly
pro h ibi t e d his people from taking any part in the
'

wild Bacchanalian revels Anxious to save h i m fr o m the .

c o nsequences o f his impiety Di o nysus appeared to him ,

’
under the fo rm o f a youth in the king s train and ear ,

n e s t ly w a rned h i m t o desist fro m h i s denunciations But .

t h e well m e an t a d m o n i t i o n f a iled in its purpose for Pen

-

t h eus only became more incensed at this interference ,

and commanding Di o nysus to be cast into prison caused

, ,

the most cruel prep a rati o ns t o be made for his immediate

execution But the g o d soon freed himself from his
.

ignoble confinement fo r scarcely had his j ailers departed

, ,

ere the pris o n doors Opened o f themselves and bursting

-

, ,

asunder his iron chains he escaped t o rej oin his devoted ,

followers .

Meanwhile the mother o f the king and her sisters in

, ,

spired with Bacchanalian fu ry had repaired to Mount ,

Cith aeron in order to j oin the worshippers o f the wine

,
 D IO NYs u s ( EA C C HU S
) . 1 27

gOd in those d readful orgies which were s o le n m i ze d ex

elusi vely by women and at whi ch no man was all o wed
,

t o be present E nraged at finding his commands thus

.

openl y di sregarded by the members o f his o w n family ,

Pentheus resolved t o witness for himself the e x cesses o f

whi ch he had heard su ch terrible reports and for this ,

purpose concealed himself behind a tree on Mount C i t h ae

,

ro n ; but his hiding place being discovered he was -

dragged o u t by the half maddened crew of Bacchantes -

and horrible t o relate he was torn in pieces by hi s own

, ,

mother Agave and her two sisters .

An incident which occurred to Dio nysus on o n e o f h i s

travels has been a favourite subj ect with the classic poets .

O ne day as some Tyrrhenian pirate s approached the

,

shores O f Greece they beheld Dionysus in the form o f a

, ,

beautiful youth attired in radiant garments Thinking

,
.

to secure a ri ch p ri ze they seized him bound him and

, , ,

conveyed him o n b o ard t h eir vessel resolved t o carry ,

h i m with them to Asia and there sell him as a slave .

B u t the fetters dropped from his limbs and the pilot , ,

who was the first to perceive the m iracle called upon hi s ,

companions t o restore the youth carefully to the spot

whence they had taken him assuring them that he was a ,

god and that adverse winds and st o rms woul d in al l pro

, ,

babi li t y result from their impious conduct

,
But refusing .
,

to part wit h their prisoner t h ey set sail for the open sea ,
.

Suddenly to the alarm o f all o n board the ship stood

, ,

still masts and sails were covered with clustering vines

,

and wreaths o f ivy leaves streams o f fragrant wine inun

-

dated the vessel and heavenly strains o f music were

,

heard around The terrified crew too late repentant

.
, ,

crowded round the pil o t fo r pr o tection and entreated ,

h im to steer fo r the s h ore But t h e h o ur o f retribution .

had arrived Dionysus assumed the form of a li o n whilst

.
,

beside him appeared a bear which with a te rrific r o ar , , ,

rushed upon t h e capt a in and tore him in pieces ; the

sailors in an ago ny of terror leaped overboard and were
, , ,

changed into dolphins The discreet and pious steersman

.

was alone perm itted to escape the fate of his c o mpanions ,

1 28 M YTHS or A N CI ENT GREE C E A ND RO M E .

and to h i m Dionysus who had resumed his true form , ,

addressed words o f kind and affectionate encouragement ,

and announced his n ame and dignity They n o w set .

sail and Di o nysus desired the pi lo t to land him at the

,

island of Nax o s where he found the l o vely Ari adne

, ,

daughter Of M i n e s king o f Crete Sh e had been aban

. .

do med by Theseus o n t h is l o nely spot and when Dio n y , ,

sus n o w beheld her was lying fast asleep on a r o ck worn

, ,

out with sorrow and wee p ing V Vra t

p in admiration the .
,

g o d stood gazing at the be a utiful vision before him and ,

when Sh e at length uncl o sed h e r eyes he revealed himself ,

to her and in gentle tones sough t to banish her grief

, , ,
.

Grateful for his kind sympath y c o ming as it did at a ,

m o ment when she had deemed herself forsaken and friend

less she gradually regained h e r former serenity and
, , ,

yielding to his entreaties consented t o become his wife ,

.

Dionysus having established his worsh ip in various

,
‘

parts of t h e w o rld descended to the realm of shades in

,

search o f his ill fated mother who m he conducted to

-

O lympus where under the name o f T h yone Sh e was

, , ,

admitted into the assembly o f the immortal gods .

Among the most noted worshippers of Dionysus was

M id a s the wealthy king o f Phrygia the same who as
I
‘

, , ,

already related gave judgment against Apollo Up o n

,
.

o n e occasion Silenus t h e precept o r and f riend o f Di o n y

,

sus being in an into x icated conditi o n strayed into the

, ,

r o se gardens o f th is monarch where he was found by

-

,
’
s o me of t h e king s a ttendants w h o bound him with roses ,

and c o nducted h im t o the presence o f t h eir royal master .

Midas treated t h e aged satyr wi th the greatest c o nsidera

tion and after entertaining him h o spitably fo r ten days
, , ,

led him back to Dionysus w h o was so grateful fo r the ,

kind attention shown to his Old friend that he Off ered to ,

grant Midas any favour he ch o se to demand ; whereupon

the avaricious monarch not content with his boundless ,

wealth and still thirsting for more desired that every

, ,

thing h e touch ed might turn to gold The request was .

1
M id s w ath asf C y be l a d G o d i s t h
e so n o ki g wh o t i d t h e
e n r u , e n e
l b te d
ce e ra d i t i at k t
an n r c e no .
 D I ONY S U S ( EA C C E US) . 1 29

compli ed with in so lite ral a sense that the n o w wretch ed ,

Midas bitterly repented his fo lly and cupi di ty fo r when , ,

the pangs o f hunge r assailed him and he essayed to ap ,

pease hi s cravings the f o od became gold ere he could

,

swallow it ; as he rai sed the cup o f wine to his parch ed

li ps the Sparkling dr aught was changed into t h e metal he
,

had so coveted and when at length wearied and faint

, , ,

he stretched his aching frame o n his hitherto luxuri o us

couch this also was transformed into the substance which
,

had n o w become the curse o f his exi stence The despair .

ing king at last implored the god to take back the fatal
gift an d Dionysus p i tyi ng his unhappy plight desired
, , ,

h im t o bathe in t h e r i ver Pactolus a small stream in ,

L yd ia i n order to lose the power which had becom e

,

the bane o f his life Midas j o yfully obeying the i n

.

junction was a t once freed fro m the c o nsequences o f h i s

,

avari ci o us demand and fro m this time forth the sands o f

,

the river Pactolus have ever contained gr ains Of gold .

Representati o ns o f Dionysus are Of two kinds Ac .

cordi ng t o the earliest conceptions he appears as a grave ,

and dignified man in the pri me o f life ; his countenance

is earnest thoughtful and benevolent ; he wears a ful l
, ,

beard and is draped from head to foo t in the garb o f an

,

E astern monarch But the sculptors o f a later period

.

represent him as a youth o f singular beauty though o f ,

somewhat effeminate appearance ; the expression o f the

countenance is gentle and winning ; the limbs are supple
and graceful ly moul ded ; and the hai r which is adorned ,

by a wreath of vi ne or ivy leaves falls over the shoul ders ,

in long curls In one hand he bears the Thyrsus and in

.
,

the o th er a drinki ng cup with two handles these being his

-

distingui shing attributes He is Often represented riding .

o n a panther o r seated in a c h ariot drawn by lions tigers

, , ,

panth ers o r lynxes

,
.

Being the god o f wine which is calculated to prom o te ,

sociability he rarely appears alone but is usually aecom

, ,

an i e d by Bacchantes satyrs and mountain nymphs

p
-
.
, ,

The finest modern representation o f Ari a dne is t h at by

Dan n e ke r at F rankfort o u the Maine
,
In t h is statue she
- — -
.

( 73 ) I
1 30 M YTHS or A N C I ENT GREE C E A ND ROM E .

appears riding o n a panther ; the beautiful upturned face

inclines sligh tly over the left sh o ulder ; the features are
regular and finely cut and a wreath of ivy leaves encircles
,
-

t h e well shaped h ead With her right hand she grace

.

ful ly clasps the fo lds o f drapery which fall away negl i

gently from her rounded form whilst t h e other rests ,

lightly and caressingly o n the head of the animal .

Dionysus was regarded as the patron o f the drama ,

and at the state festival o f the Dionysia which was cele ,

bra t e d with great pomp in the city o f Athens dramatic ,

entertainments to o k place in his honour for which all ,

the reno w ned Greek drama tists o f antiquity comp osed

their immortal tragedies and comedies .

He was also a prophetic divinity and possessed oracles , ,

the principal of which was that o n Mount Rhodope in

Thrace .

The tiger lynx panther dolphin serpent and ass

, , , , ,

were sacred to this god Hi s favourite plants were the .

vine ivy laurel and asphodel His sacrifices consisted

, , ,
.

o f goats probably o n account o f their being destructive

,

t o vineyards .

B A C C H US OR L IB E R .

The Romans had a divinity c al led L iber who presided

over vegetation and was o n this account identified with
, , ,

the Greek Dionysus and worshipped under the name of

,

Bacchus .

The festival of L iber called the L iberalia was cele , ,

brat e d on the 1 7 th o f March .

A TD E S ( P LUTO ) .

Aides A i d o _e u s o r Hades was the son o f Cronus and

, , ,

Rhea and the youngest brother o f Zeus and P o seidon

, .

He was the ruler O f that subterranean region called E re

bus which was inhabited by the shades O r spirits o f the
,

dead and also by those dethroned and exiled deities who

,

had been vanquished by Zeus and his allies A i des the .

,

grim and gloomy monarch o f this lower world was the ,

 AIDE S ( PLU T O)
‘

. 1 31

successor of E rebus that ancient primeval d i vm i t y after

,

whom these realms were c a ll ed .

The early Greeks regarded Aides in the li oght of their

grea t est fo e and Homer tells us that he was o f a ll the
,
“

gods the most detested be ing in their eyes the grim

,

robber who s t ole from them their nearest and dearest

and eventuall y deprived each Of them o f their share iri
,

terrestrial exi ste nce His name was so feared that it was
.

never mentioned by mortals who when they inv o ked , ,

him struck the earth wi th their hands and in sacri ficing

, ,

t o him tur ned away their faces .

The beli ef o f the people with regard to a futur e sta te

was in the Homeri c age a sad and cheerless o n e It was
, ,
.

supposed that when a mortal ceased to exi st his spirit ,

tenanted the shad owy outli ne of the human form it had

qui tted These shad ows o r shades as they were called
.
, ,

were dri ven by Ai des into his domini ons where they
'‘

passed their time some in broodi ng over the vicissitudes

,

Of fortun e whi ch the y h ad exp eri enced o n earth others ,

in regretting the lost pleasur es they had enj o yed In li fe ,

but all in a condition o f semi c onsciousness from which ,

the intell ect could only be re u s e d to ful l activi t y by

dri nking Of the blood o f the sac rifices offered t o their
Shades by li vin g friends which fo r a time endowed them
, , ,

with their former mental vigo u r The onl y beings sup .

pose d to enj oy any happiness in a future state were the

heroes whose acts of daring and deeds o f prowess had
, ,

duri ng their life reflected honour on the land o f their

,

bir th ; an d even these according t o Homer pined after

, ,

their career of earthly activity He tells us that when .

O dysseus visite d the lower world at the command Of

Circe and held communion with the shades of the heroes
,

o f the Troj an war Achilles assured him that he woul d

,

rather be the poorest day labourer on earth than reign -

supreme over the realm o f sh ades .

The early Greek poets offer but scanty allusions t o

E rebus Homer appears purposely t o envelop these
.

re alms in vagueness and mystery in order prob ably to , , ,

heighte n the sensation o f awe inseparably conne cted with

1 32 M YTHS or A NC IE N T GRE EC E A ND RO M E .

the lower world In the O dyssey he describes the e n

.

trance to E rebus as being beyond the furthermost e dge o f

O ce anus in the far west where dwelt the C im rn e ri an s
, , ,

envelo ped in eternal m ists and darkness .

In la te r times however in consequence o f extended

, ,

intercourse with foreign nati o ns new ideas became gradu ,

a lly introduced and we find E gyptian theories w

,
ith re
gard to a future state taking root in Greece whi ch be ,

come eventuall y the religio u s beli ef o f the whole nation .

It is now that the poets and phi losophers and more e spe ,

ci ally the tea c hers of the E leusin i an Mysteries be gin t o ,

incul cate the doctri ne o f the future reward and pun is h

ment of go od and bad deeds Ai des who had hithe rto .
,

been regarded as the dread enemy o f mankin d who de ,

lights in hi s gri m office and keeps the shad es i mpri soned

,

in hi s dominions after withdrawing them from the j oys

o f exi stence ,
now receives them with hospitality and
fri endship and Hermes repl aces him as conductor of
,

shades to Hades U nder this new as pect Ai des usurps

.

the fun ctions o f a totally d ifferent divinity call ed Plutus

( the g o d o f ri ches ) and is hencefo rth regarded as the giver
,

of wealt h to mankind in the shape o f those precious

,

metals which li e concealed in the bowels o f the ear t h .

The later poets mention v arious entranc e s t o E rebu s ,

whi ch were for the most part caves and fi ssures There .

was one in the mountain o f Tae n aru m another in Th e s ,

pro t ia and a thi rd the most celebrate d of all in Italy

, , , ,

near the pestif erous L ake Avernus over which it i s said ,

no bird coul d fly so noxi o us were its exhalations

, .

In the dominions o f A i des there were fo u r great ri vers ,

three of which had t o be crossed by all the shades These .

t h ree were Acheron ( sorrow) Cocytus ( lamentation ) and , ,

Styx ( intense darkness ) the sacred stream which flow ed

,

ni ne times round these realms .

The shades were ferried over the Styx by the grim ,

unshaven o ld boatman Charon who h o wever onl y took , , ,

those whose bodies had rece ived fu nereal rites on earth and ,

who had brought wi th them his indi spensable t e ll which ,

was a sma ll coin or obolus us ually plac ed under the ,

 A i DE s ( E L UTO ) . 1 33

tongue of a dead person fo r thi s pur pose If th e se con .

d it i o n s had not b e en fulfill ed the unhappy S hades w ere ,

left behind t o wander up and down t h e bank s for a

hun dre d y e ars as restle s s spirits .

On the opposi t e ban k of the Styx was the tribunal Of

Minos th e supreme judge before whom all shades h ad
, ,

to appear and w h o after hearing full co nf ession Of their

, ,

actions wh ilst o n earth pronounced the sentence o f h ap ,

pin e s s o r mi sery t o which their deeds had entitled them .

Thi s tri bunal w as guard e d by the terri ble t ri ple headed -

dog Cerberus w h o with his three necks bristli n g wi th

, ,

snakes lay at fu ll length on the ground a formidable

,
—

senti nel who permi tted all S had es t o ente r but none to
, ,

return .

The happy spirits destin ed t o enjoy the delights o f ,

E lysium passed out on the right and pro ceeded t o the

, ,

go lden palace where A i des and Persephone held their

royal court from whom they received a kindly gr e et
,

in g ere they set out for the E lysian F ields which la y be

,
1
yond . Thi s blissful region was replete with all that
co u ld charm the senses or pl e a se the i ma ination ; the air g

was balmy and fr agrant rippling brooks flowed peacefull y ,

th rough the smili ng mead ows which gl owed with the ,

vari e d hues o f a thousand flowers whi lst the groves re ,

sound e d with the j oyous songs o f birds The occupations .

and amus ements o f the happy shades were o f the same

natur e as those which they had delighted in whils t on earth .

Here the warrior foun d hi s horses chariots and arm s the , , ,

musician hi s lyre and the hunter hi s quiver and bo w, .

In a secluded val e o f E lysium there flow e d a gentle ,

S ilent stream call ed L ethe ( obliv ion ) who s e waters had

, ,

the effect o f dispelling care and producing utter forgetful ,

ness o f former events Accordi ng t o the Pytha orean .

g

doct ri ne o f the transmi gration o f soul s it was supposed ,

that af ter the Sh ades had inhabited E lysium for a thousand

years they were destin e d to ani mate other bodi es on
1
s s s s
Th e h a d e o f t h o e m o rt a l w h o e li e h a d n e i t h e r be e n di t i n s v s s
v v
g u is h e d by ir t u e n o r i ce w e re co n d e m n e d to a m o n o t o n o u , j o le ss
, s y
s s
e xi t e n ce i n t h e A p h o d e l m e a d o w o f Ha d e s s .
1 34 M YTHS OF A N CI ENT GRE E C E A ND RO M E .

earth and before leavi n g E lysium they drank o f the

,

river L ethe in order that they might e n t e r u po n their

,

new career without any remembrance o f the past .

The gui lty soul s after leaving the presence O f Minos

, ,

were conducted t o the great ju d gm e n t h all of Had es ,

whose massive walls o f s o lid adamant were sur r o un ded

by the river Phl egeth o n t h e waves o f which rolled flames
,

o f fire and lit up with their lurid glare these awful

, , ,

realms In the interi or sat t h e dread judge Rh a d am an

.

th us who decl ared to each comer t h e precise torments

,

which awaited him in Tartarus The wretched s inners .

were then seized by the F uries who scourged them with ,

the ir whips and dragged them along t o the great gate

, ,

whi ch cl o sed the o pening t o Tartarus into whose awful ,

depths they were hurled to suff er endless tortu re

,
.

Tartarus was a vast and gloomy expanse as far below ,

Hades as the earth is di stant from the skies The re the .

Titans fallen from their h igh estate dragged o u t a dreary

, ,

and monotonous exi stence ; there also were O tus and B phi
altes those giant sons of Poseidon who with im pious
, , ,

hands had attempted to scale O lympus and dethrone its

,

mighty rul er Principal among the sufferers in this abode

.

o f glo o m were Tityus Tantalus Sisyphus Ixion and the

, , , ,

Dan ai des
'

TITYUS o n e of the earth born giants had insulte d

,
-

Hera o n her way t o Peitho for which offence Zeus flun g,

h i m into Tartarus where he suffered dre adf ul torture

, ,

infli cte d by two vu l tur es which perpetually gnawed his

,

liver .

TANTAL US was a wise and weal thy king o f L ydia ,

wi t h whom t h e gods themselves condescended to associ

ate ; he was even perm itted t o sit at table with Zeus who ,

delighted in his conversation and listened with interest ,

to the wisdom o f his observations Tantalus however .

, ,

elated at these distin guish ed marks of divine favour pre ,

sumed upon his positi o n and used unbecoming language

,

to Zeus himself ; he also sto le nectar and ambrosia from

the table of the gods wi th which he regaled his fri ends;
,

but hi s greatest crime consisted in killing hi s o wn so n ,

 1 35
‘ ‘

A i DE s

P elops and serving him up at

,
Of the banquets t o th e o ne

gods in order t o test their o m ni science Fo r these hein

,
.

o u s o ff ences he w as condemned by Zeus t o etern al punish

ment in Tartarus where to rtured with an ever burning
, ,
-

thir st he was plunged up to the chin in water which as

, , ,

he st e e pe d t o d ri nk always receded from his parched lips

,
.

Tall tre e s with spreading branches laden with delicious

fruits burig temptingly over his head; but no sooner did
,

he raise himself to g rasp them than a wind arose and , ,

carried them beyon d his reach .

SI SYPHU S was a great tyrant who according t o some ,

accoun ts b arbarously murdered all travellers who came

,

into his dominions by hurling u pon them enorm o us ,

pie ces of rock In pun i shment fo r his c l i mes he was co n

.

d e m n e d t o ro ll i ncessantly a huge block o f stone up

a steep hill which as so o n as i t re a ch e d xt h e summit
, , ,

always rolled back again t o the plain below .

I X I O N was a king of Thessaly t o whom Zeu s accorded

the p ri v ilege of joining the festive banquets o f the gods ;
but taking ad vant a e o f his ex al ted position be pre
,
g
,

sumed to aspire t o the favour of Hera which so greatly ,

incensed Zeus that he struck him with his thunderbo lts

,
-

and command e d Hermes t o throw him i nto Tar tarus and ,

bind him to an ever revolving wheel -

.

The DA NAID E S were the fifty daughters of Danaus ,

king o f Ar gos who h ad marri ed their fifty c o usins t h e

, ,

so n s o f Z E gyp t u s By the command o f their father wh o

.
,

had been warned by an oracle that his son in law woul d - -

cause his death they all killed their husbands in o n e

,

ni ght Hypermnestra alone excepte d

, Their pun ish
ment in the lower world was to fill with water a vessel
full O f holes a never endi ng and useless task
— -
.

Ai des i s i isu ally represente d a s a m an o f mature years

,

and stern maj esti c mien bearing a stri king resemblance ,

t o his brother Zeus ; but the gloomy and inexorable ex

pression o f the face contrasts forcibly with that peculiar
benignity which so characterizes the countenance o f the
mighty ruler of heaven He is seated o n a throne of .

ebony with h is que en the grave and sad Persephone

, , ,
1 36 M YTHS O F A N C IE NT GREE C E A ND ROM E .

beside him and wears a ful l beard and long flowing bl ack
, ,

hair which hangs straight down over his forehead ; in his

,
hand he either bears a ,

two pronged fork o r the -

keys o f the lower world ,

and at his feet sits Cer

berus He is sometimes .

seen in a chariot o f gold ,

drawn by four black horses ,

and wearing on h is head

a helmet mad e for him by
the Cyclops which ren ,

dered the wearer invisible .

This helmet be frequently

lent to mortals and irn
mortals .

Ai des who was un iver ,

sally worshipped through

o ut Greece had temple? ,

erected to hi s honour in E lis O lympia and al so at Athens

, ,
.

His sacrifices which took place at night consisted of

, ,

black sheep and the blood instead o f being Sprinkled o n

, ,

the altars o r received in vessels as at other sacrifices was , ,

permitted to run down into a trench dug for this purpose ,

.

The officiating priests w e re black robes and were crowned ,

with cypress .

The narcissus maiden hair and cypress were sacred to

,
-

thi s di vinity .

P L U TO .

Before the introduction into Rome o f the religion and

literature o f Greece the Romans had no belief in a realm
,

o f future happiness o r misery corresponding t o the Greek ,

Hades ; hence they had no god o f the lower world i d e n t i

cal with Ai des They supposed that there was in the
.
,

centre o f the earth a vast gloomy and impenetrably dark

, , ,

cavity called O rcus which formed a place of eternal rest

,

for the dead But with the introduction of Greek myth

.

ology the Roman O rcus became the Greek Hades and

, ,
 TH E HA R PI E S . 1 37

all the Greek notions with regard to a future state now

obtai ned with the Romans w h o worshi pped A i des under ,

the name of Pl u to his o ther appellations being Dis (from

,

dives rich ) and O rcus from the dominions over which he

,

rul ed In Rome there were no temples erected to this

.

d ivinity .

PL UTUS .

P lutus the son o f Demeter and a mortal called Iasion

, ,

was the god o f wealth and is represented as being lame

,

when he makes his appearance and winged when he ,

takes hi s departure He was supposed to be both blind

.

and foolish because he bestows his gifts without discrim

,

i n at i o n an d frequently upon the most unworthy obj ects

, .

Plutus was believed t o have his abode in the bowels

o f the earth which was probably the reason why in
, ,

later times Aides became conf ounded with thi s

,

MINOR D IVINI TIE S .

THE H A RP I E S .

The Harpies who like the F uries were employed by

, , ,

the gods as instruments for the puni shment o f the guilty ,

were three female divi n ities ,

daughters of Thaumas and

E lectra called Aello O cypete , , ,

and Cel aeno .

They were represented with

the head o f a fair haired -

maiden and the body of a

vulture and were pe rpe t u ,

ally devoured by the pangs

o i insatiable hunger which ,

caused them to torment their victims by robbing them

o f their fo o d ; this they either devo u red with great glu t
1 38 M YTHS OF AN CI E N T G RE E C E A ND R M E O .

tony or d e fil e d in such a mann er as t o render it un fi t t o

,

be eaten .

Their wonderfully rapid fli ght far surpassed that o f

birds or even o f t h e winds themselves
,
If any mortal .

suddenl y and unacc o untably di sappeared t h e Harpies ,

were believed t o have car ri ed him o ff Thus they were .

supposed t o h ave b o rne away the daughters of K i ng Pan

dare e s to act as servants to the E rinyes .

The Harpies would appe ar t o be pe rs o n i ficat io n s o f

sudden tempes t s which with ruthless violence swee p
, , ,

over whole distric ts carryi ng o ff or in juring all before

,

them .

E R I NY E S , E U M E N I D E S ( FURI E , D I RE ) .

The E ri nyes o r F ur ies were female divinities who per

s o n i fie d the torturi ng pangs of an evil conscience , and the

remorse which in evitably follows wrong doing -

.

Their names were A l ecto , Megaera, and Tisiphone , and

their o ri gi n was vari ously acco un ted for Acco rdin g t o .

Hesiod , t h ey sprang from the blood o f U ranus , when

wo u n d ed by Cronus an d were hence supposed t o be t h e
,

emb o d iment of all the terrible imprecati o ns whi ch the ,

defeate d deity called down upon the he ad of hi s rebe ll ious

so n . Accordi ng t o o t her accounts they were the d au gh
ters o f Nigh t .

Their place of abo de w as the lower world where they ,

were employed by Ai des and Persephone to chastis e and

torment those sh ades w h o duri ng their earthly career , ,

had committed crimes and had n o t been reconciled t o

,

the gods before descen di ng to Hades .

B u t their sphere of action was not confined t o the

realm o f shades for they appeared upon earth as the
,

avengi ng deities who relentlessly pursued and punished

mur derers perjurers those who had failed in duty
, ,

t o the i r parents in hospitality t o strangers or in the

, ,

respect due t o old age Nothin g escaped the pierci ng

.

glance o f these te rri ble di vinities from whom fli ght was ,

un availing for no corner of the eart h was so remote as

,
 O I RE : FATE S ( PA RCE )
'

M OR . 1 39

to be beyond their reach nor di d any morta l dare t o ,

o ffer t o their victims an asylum from their persecutions .

The F uri es are frequently represen ted with wi ngs ;

their bodies are black blood d ri ps from the ir eyes and
, ,

snakes twine in their hair In their hands they bear .

either a dagger scourge torch o r serpent

, , , .

When they pursued Or estes they constantly h eld up a ,

mirror t o his horrified gaz e in whi ch he beheld the face ,

o f h i s murdered mother .

These divinities were also call e d E umenides which ,

!
sign ifies the well mean ing o r soothed goddesses ;
“ -

Thi s appellation was given t o them because they were so

feared and dreaded that people dared not call them by
their proper title and hoped by this means t o propitiate
,

their wra th
In later times the F uries came t o be regarded as salu
tary agencies who by se verely pun ishin g sin upheld the
, , ,

cause o f m o rality and social order and thus contri buted ,

t o the welfare o f manki nd They n o w lose their aw e .

inspiring aspect and are represented more especi al ly In

, ,

Athens as earnest maidens dressed like Artemis in

, , , ,

short tunics suitable for the chase but still re t a in in g 1n , ,

their hands the wand o f office in the form of a snake

, .

Their sacri fice s consi sted o f black sheep and a libation

composed o f a mixture o f honey and wate r call e d Neph ,

ali a A celebrated te mpl e was erecte d to the E um enides

.

at Athens near the Areopagus

,
.

M O IRE or FA T E S ( PARCE ) .

ancients beli eved that the duration of human e xi s

Th e
tence and the destinies o f morta ls were regulated by
three sis t er goddesses called C lo t h e L achesis and A t rO
-

,
~

pos who were the daughters o f Zeus and Th e ini s

, ,

.
,

The power which they wielded over the fate of man

was S igni ficantly indicated under the figure of a thread ,

which they spun out fo r the life o f each hum an being

from his birth t o t h e grave This oc cupation they di vided .

between them C lo t h e wound the flax round t h e distaff

.
,
1 40 M YTHS or AN C I ENT G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

read y for her Siste r L achesis who span out the t h read ,

of life which Atro pos with her scissors relentlessly sn apt

, , ,

as u nder when t h e career of an in divi dual was about to

,

terminate .

Homer spea ks o f one Mo ira only the d aughter o f ,

Night who re presents t h e m o r al force by which the

,

universe is govern e d and t o whom both mortals and i m

,

mortals were fo rced to submit Zeus hi mse lf being power ,

less t o avert her decrees ; but in later times thi s c o n ce p ~

tion o f one inexo rable all conqueri ng fate became amplified

,
-

by the poets in to t h at above described and the Moirae ,

are henceforth the special presi di ng deities over the life

and deat h of mortals .

The Moirae are represented by the poets as stern in ,

exorable female di vinities aged h ideous and also lame , , , ,

wh ich is evidently meant t o indicate t h e slow and halt

ing march of destiny which they controlled Painters ,
.

and sculptors o n the other hand depicted them as be au

, ,

tiful maidens o f a grave but kindly aspect .

There is a ch arming representation o f L achesis which ,

depic t s her in all the grace o f youth and beauty Sh e is .

sitting spinning and at her feet lie two masks o n e comic

, , ,

the other tragic as though to c o nvey t h e idea th at t o a

, , ,

divinity of fate the bri ghtest and saddest scenes o f eart h ly

,

ex istence are alike indifferent and that she quietly an d ,

stead ily pursues h e r occupation regardless o f human weal ,

or woe .

IVh e n represented at the feet of A i des in the lower

w o rld they are clad in dark robes ; but when they appe ar
in O lympus they wear bright garments bespangled with ,

stars and are seate d on radiant th rones with cro wns on

, ,

their heads .

It was considered the function o f the Moir a t o indica te .

to the F uri es the precise tortu re which t h e wicke d should

undergo for their crimes .

They W ere regarded as prophetic divini ties and h ad ,

sanctua ries in many parts of Gree c e .

The Moirae are menti o ned as assistin g the Cha ri te s t o

conduct Perseph o ne to the upper world at her pe ri odical
 NE M E SIS .

reunion wi th her m o ther Demeter They also appear . in

company with E ileithyia goddess of birth
, .

NE M E S IS .

Nemesis , the daughter of Nyx ,

represents that power
which adjusts the balance of human affairs by awarding ,

to each individual the fate which his actions deserve .

Sh e rewards humble unacknowledged merit punishes

, ,

crime deprives the worthless of undeserved good fort u ne

, ,

humiliates the proud and overbearing 0

and v i sits all evil ,

o n the wrong d e er ; thus maintaining that proper balance

—

o f thi n gs which the Greeks recognized as a necessary

,

condition o f all civilized l ife But though Nemesis in

.
,

her original char acter was the distri butor of rewards as

,

well as p u nishments the world was so full o f sin that

, ,

she found but little occupation in her first capacity and ,

hence became finally regarded as t h e avenging goddess

only.

We have seen a striking instance o f the manner in

whi ch this divinity puni shes the proud and arrogant in
the history o f Niobe Apollo and Artemis were merely
.

the instruments for avenging the insult offered to th eir

mother ; but it was Nemesis who prompted the deed and ,

presided over its execution .

Homer makes no mention of Nemesis ; it is therefore

evident that she was a conception O f later times when ,

higher views o f morality had obtained am o n g the Greek ,

nation .

Nemesis is represented as a beautiful woman o f

thoughtful and benign aspect and regal bearing ; a diadem
crowns her maj estic bro w and she bears in her hand a
,

rudder balance and cubit ; fit t in g emblems of the man

, ,
—

ner in which she guides weighs and measures all human

, ,

events .Sh e is also sometimes seen with a wheel t o ,

symboli ze the rapidity with which she executes justice .

A S the avenger o f evil she appears winged bearin in

g ,

her hand either a scourge o r a sword and seated in a ,

chariot drawn by grifli n s .

1 42 M YTHS or A NC I E NT G RE E CE A ND ROM E .

Nemesis is frequently called A d ras t ia and also Rham ,

nusia from Rh a mnus in Attica the chief seat of her

, ,

worship whi ch contained a celebrated statue o f t h e god

,

dess .

Nemesis was worshipped by the Romans (who invoked ,

her o n the Capitol ) as a divinity who possessed the power

,

of averting t h e pernicious consequences of envy .

N I G HT A N D H E R C H I L D RE N .

DE ATH ,
S L E E P, A ND D RE AM S .

NYX ( No x) .

Nyx, the daughter o f Chaos being the personi fi cation ,

o f Nigh t was , according

,
t o t h e poetic ideas o f the Greeks ,

considered to be the mother of everythi ng mysterious

and inexplicable such as death sleep dreams 850 Sh e
, , , ,
.

became un ited to E rebus and their children were Aether ,

and Hemera ( Air and Daylight) evidently a simil e o f ,

the poets to indicate that darkness always precedes light

,
.

Nyx inhabited a palace in the dark regions of the

lower world and is represented as a beautiful woman
, ,

seated in a chariot drawn by two black horses Sh e is

,
.

clothed in dark robes wears a long veil and is aecom , ,

a n i e d by the stars which fo llo w in her trai n

p , .

TH A N A T O S (M oss ) A N D H Y P N U S ( SO M NUS ) .

Th anatos (Death ) and his twi n brother Hypnus ( Sleep) -

were the chil d ren of Ny x .

Their dwelling was in the realm of shades and wh e n ,

they appear among mortals Thanatos is fear ed and hated ,

as the enemy o f mankind whose hard heart knows no ,

pity whilst his brother Hypnus is universally loved and

,

welcomed as their kindest and most be n e fice n t fri end .

But th o ugh the ancients regarded Thanatos as a gloomy

and mournful divi nity they did not repr esent him with ,

any exterior repul siveness O n the c o ntrary he appears .

,

as a beautiful v e nth w h o holds in hi s hand an inverted

,
 M OR PH E U S . 1 43

torch emblematical of the light o f life being e x tinguished

, ,

whilst his disengaged arm is thrown l o vingly round t h e

shoulder o f his brother Hypnus .

Hypnus is sometimes depicted standing erect with

closed eyes ; at others he is in a recumbent positi o n beside
his broth er Thanatos and us u ally bears a poppy stalk in
,
-

h i s hand .

A most interesting descri ption O f the abode of Hypnus

is given by O vid in his Metam o rphoses He tells us .

how the go d o f Sleep dwelt in a moun tain cave near the -

realm o f t h e Cimmerians which the sun never pierced

'

with hi s rays N0 sound disturbed the stillness no song

.
,

o f birds not a branch moved and n o human voice broke

, ,

t h e profo und S ilence whi c h reigned everyw here F rom .

the lowermost rocks o f the cave issu e d the river L ethe ,

and one might alm o st have supposed t h at its c o urse was

arrested were it n o t fo r the low m o notonous hum o f the
, ,

w ater which invited slumber

,
Th e entrance was partially
.

hidden by num berless white and re d poppies which ,

Mother Night had gath ered and planted there and fr o m ,

the juice o f w h i c h sh e extracts dro wsiness which she ,

scatters in liquid d ro ps all over the earth as soon as ,

the sun go d has sunk to rest In the centre o f the cave

-
.

stands a c o uch of blackest ebony with a bed o f down , ,

over which is laid a coverlet o f sable hue Here the god .

himself reposes surr o unded by innumerable f o rms

, .

These are idle dreams m o re n umerous than t h e sands o f

,

the sea C h ief among them is Morpheus that changeful

.
,

g o d who may assume any shape or form he pleases

, .

No r can the god o f Sleep resist his o w n power ; for

though he may rouse h imself for a while he soon suc ,

cu m bs to the drowsy influences whi ch surround him .

M O RPHE US .

Morpheus the son of Hypnus was the go d o f Dreams

, , .

He is always represented W inged and appears some ,

times as a youth s o metimes as an o ld man In his hand

,
.

he h e ars a cluster Of p e ppies an d as h e steps with nois e ,

-
1 44 M YTHS or A N CI ENT G R E E C E A ND RO M E .

less footsteps over the earth he gently scatters t h e seeds ,

o f this sleep producing plant o ver the eyes o f weary mor

-

tals .

Homer describe s the House o f Dreams as having two

gates : o n e whence issue all deceptive and flattering
,

Vi si ons being formed o f ivory ; the o ther through which

, ,

proceed those dreams which are fulfilled of horn ,

.

TH E G O RG O N S .

The Gorgons Stheno E uryale and Medusa were the

, , , ,

three daughters o f Ph o rcys and Ceto and were the per ,

s o n ifica t i o n o f t h ose benumbing and as it were petrify , , ,

ing sensations which result from sudden and extreme

,

fear .

They were frightful winged monsters whose bodies ,

were covered wit h scal es ; hissing wriggling snakes clus ,

t e re d round their heads instead o f hair ; their hands

were o f brass ; their teeth resembled the tusks o f a wild
be ar ; and t h eir whole aspect was s o appalling that they ,

are said to have turned into stone all who beheld them .

These terrible sisters were supposed t o dwe ll in that

remote an d mysterious regi on in the far West beyond ,

the sacred stream of O ceanus ,

.

The Gorgons were the servants o f Aides who made ,

e of them t o terrify and overawe th e se shades doomed ,

to be kept in a constant state o f unrest as a punishment

for their misdeeds wh ilst the F ur ies o n their part
, , ,

scourged them with their whips and tortured them

incessantly .

Th e m o st celebrated o f the three sisters was Medusa ,

w h o al o ne was m o rtal Sh e was originally a golden

.

haired and very beautiful maiden w h o as a priestess o f , ,

Athene was devoted to a life o f celibacy ; but being

, ,

wooed by Poseidon whom she loved in return she forge t

, ,

her vows and became united to him in marri age F o r

, .

this o ffence she was punis h ed by the goddess in a most

t e rrible manner E ach wavy lo ck of t h e beautiful hair
.

which had so charmed her husband was changed into a ,

 G RZ E zE . 1 45

venomous snake ; her once gentle love inspiri ng eyes now ,

-

became blood shot furious orbs which excited fear and

-

, ,

di sgust in the mind o f the beholder ; w h ilst her former

roseate hue and milk white Skin assumed a loath s o me —

greenish tinge Seeing herself thus transformed into s o

.

repulsive an o bject Medusa fled from her home never , ,

to retur n Wandering about abhorred dreaded and

.
, , ,

shunned by all the world Sh e n o w developed int o a ,

character worthy o f her outward appearance

,
In her .

despair she fled to Africa where as sh e passed restlessly , ,

from place to place infant snakes dropped from her hair

,
-

and thus according to the belief of the ancients that

, ,

country became the hotbed o f these venomous reptiles .

With the curse o f Athene upon her Sh e turned in to ,

stone whomsoever she gazed upon till at last after a life , ,

o f nameless misery deliverance came t o her in the shape

,

o f death at the h ands of Perseu s

,
.

It is well t o observe that when the Gorgons are spoken

Of in the S ingular it is Medusa w h o is alluded to
, .

Medusa was the moth er o f Pegasus and Chrysaor ,

father o f the three headed winged giant Geryones who

—
, ,

was slain by Heracles .

G RE E .

The Graeae who acted as servants to their sisters the

,

Gorgons were also three in number ; their names were

,

Pephredo E nyo and Din e

, ,
.

In their original conception th ey were merely personi

fica t io n s o f kindly and venerable o ld age possessing all ,

its benevolent attributes without its natural i n firm i t ie s .

They were o ld a n d gray from their birth and so they ever ,

remained In later ti mes however they came to be

.
, ,

regarded as misshapen females decrepid and hideously , ,

ugly having only o n e eye o n e tooth and o n e gray wig

, , ,

between them which they lent to each other when o n e

, ,

o f them wished to appear before the worl d .

When Perseus entered upon his expediti o n to slay the

Medusa he repaired to the abode o f t h e Grae ae in the far
, ,

( 73 ) K
1 46 M YTHS or AN CIE NT G R E E CE A ND ROM E .

west t o in quir e the way t o the Gorgons an d o n their re

, ,

fusing t o give any i nf ormation he depri ved them o f their ,

o n e eye tooth and wig and did not restore them un ti l

, , ,

he receiv e d the necessary directions .

S PH IN X .

The Sphi nx was an an cient E gypti an divi nity who per ,

s o n i fie d wisdom and the fertility o f natu re ,

Sh e is re .

presented as a li on couchant with the head and b u st o f a -

woman and wear s a peculi ar sort o f hood which co m

,
-

le t l envelops her head an d fall s down o n either side

p e y ,

o f t h e fac e .

Tra nsplanted into Greece thi s subli me an d mysterious ,

E gyp tian deity degenerate s in to an insignificant and yet ,

malignant power and though she also deal s in myste ries , ,

they are as we s h all see of a totally di fferent character

, , ,

and al to gether inimical t o hum an life .

The Sphinx is represented accordi ng t o Greek genea l ,

1
ogy as the off spring o f Typhon and E chidn a
,
He ra .
,

being up o n o n e o ccasion displeased with the Thebans ,

sent them this awful monster as a pun i shment for their ,

o ffences: Taking her seat on a rocky em i nence ne ar the

city of Thebes commandi ng a pas s which the Thebans
,

were compelled to traverse in the ir usual way o f business ,

Sh e propo u nded to all comers a riddl e and if they fail ed ,

t o solve it she tore them in pieces

, .

Duri ng the reign o f K ing Creon so many people h ad ,

fallen a sacrifice t o thi s monster that he dete rm ined t o ,

use every effort t o rid the co unt ry Of so terrible a scourge .

O n consu lting the oracle of Delp h i he was inf ormed that ,

the onl y way t o destro y t h e Sphinx was t o solve one of

her riddl es when Sh e would immedi ately precipitate her
,

self from the rock o n which Sh e was seat ed .

Creon accordi ngly made a public declaration t o the

, ,

effect that whoever could give the true in t e rpre t a t i o n o f

,

a riddl e propounded by the monster should obtain the ,

crown and the hand of hi s sister J o cas t e ( E di pu s offered

, .

1
E c h id a was a bl oo d t h i rst y m o ns te r h a l f m ai d e n h a lf se rpe n t
n , , .
 T YCH E ( FORTUN A) . 1 47

himself as a candidate an d proceeding t o the spot where

,
-

Sh e kept guard received from her the following riddl e

,

for solution : What creatur e goes in the m o rning o n

“

four legs a t noon on two , ,

and in the evening on three 1

(E d ipu s replied that it must ,

be man w h o du ri ng his in ,

fancy creeps o n all fours in -

his prime walks erect o n two

legs an d when o ld age has
,

enf eebled hi s powers calls a ,

staff t o hi s assistance and ,

thus has as it were thr ee legs

, ,
.

The Sphinx no sooner heard this reply which was the ,

correct solution of her riddl e than she flung herself Over

,

the precipice and perished in the abyss below

,
.

Th e Greek Sphinx may be recogni zed by having wi ngs

and by being o f small er di mensi o ns than the E gypti

TYC H E ( FORTUNA) AND A N A NK E (NE CE SSI TAS) .

TYC HE ( F O RTUNA) .

Tych e personi fied that pecul iar combination o f circum

stances whi ch we call luck o r fo rtun e and was considered ,

t o be the source o f a ll un exp ec ted even t s in hum an life ,

whether good o r evil If a person succeeded in a ll he

.

underto o k w ithout possessing an y speci al merit of his

o w n Ty c he w a s supposed t o have s mi led o n his birth
,
If .
,

on the other hand undeserved ill luck followed him

,
-

through life and all h i s effo rts resulted in fail ur e it was

, ,

ascribed t o her adverse influence .

Thi s goddess of F ortune is variously represented Some .

times she is depicted bearing in her h a nd two rudders ,

with one Of wh ich s h e ste ers t h e bark o f the f o rt u nate ,

and with the o ther that o f the unfo rtun ate among mortals .

In later times Sh e appears blindfolded and stands o n a ,

ball o r wheel indicative of the fickle n e ss and ever revolving

,
-
1 48 M YTHS or A N C I EN T G RE E C E A ND ROM E .

changes o f fortun e Sh e frequently bears the sceptre

.

and cornucopia o r horn o f plenty and i s usually wi nge d

‘
,

In her temple at Thebes Sh e is represen t ed holding the ,

inf ant Plutus i n her ar ms to symboli ze her power over ,

ri ches and prosperity .

Tyche was worshipped in various parts o f Greece but ,

more particul arly by the Atheni ans who b e lieved in her ,

special pre d ilection for their city .

FO RTU N A .

Tyche was worshipped in Rome under the name o f

F ortuna and held a position o f much g reater importance
,

among the Romans than the Greeks .

In later times F o rt u n a is never represented either

winged or standing o n a ball ; she merely bears the co r
n u c o pi a . It is evident therefore that she had come to
, ,

be regarded as the goddess o f good luck only who brings ,

blessings to man and n o t as with the Greek s as the per , ,

s o n i fic at i o n o f the fluctuations o f fortun e .

In addi tion to F ortuna the Romans worshi pp e d F eli ,

citas as the giver o f positive good fortun e .

A NA N K E ( N E C E SSI TAS) .

As Ananke Tyche assumes quite another charac t er and

, ,

becomes t h e embodiment of those immutable laws of

nature by whi ch cert ai n causes produce certain inevitable
,

results .

In a statue o f this divi nity at Athens she was re pre

sented with hands o f br o nze a n d surrounded with nails ,

and hammers Th e hands o f bronze probably indicated

.

t h e irresistible power o f the inevita ble and the hammer ,

and chains the fetters which she fo rged fo r man .

Ananke w as worshipped in Rome under the name o f

Necess i tas .

1
One of t h e h o rn s of t h e go at A l
m a t h e a , bro e n o ff by Z e u , an d k s
ed t o po ss ss t h fil s f
p o we r o f l i n g i t e l W i t h wh a t oe e r i t s o wn e r s v
s
o
p
s
up e e
e s rre i
 OM US 1 49
‘

K E R— A TE — M .

K E R .

In addition to the Moir ae who presided over the life ,

o f mortals there was another divinity

,
called K e r ap , ,

pointed fo r eac h human being at the m o ment o f h is bi rth .

The K e r belonging t o an in dividual was be liev e d to

develop with his growth either for good o r evil ; and,

when the u ltimate fate of a mortal was about t o be de

cided hi s K e r was weighed i n the balance and according
, , ,

to the preponderance of its worth o r worthlessness life ,

o r death was awarded to the human being in question It .

becomes evi d ent therefore that according to the belief o f

, ,

the early Greeks each individual had it in his power to

, ,

a cert ai n extent to Shorten o r prolong his o wn existence

, .

The K ere s who are frequently mentioned by Homer

, ,

were the goddesses wh o delighte d in the slaughter of t h e

battle fie ld
-
.

A TE .

Ate the daughter o f Zeus and E ris was a divin i t y

, ,

who delighted in evil .

Having instigated Hera to deprive Heracles of his

birthright her father seized her by the hair of her head
, ,

and hur l e d her from O lympus forbidding her under t h e , ,

most solemn imprecations ever t o return Henceforth ,

.

she wandered am o n g mankind sowing dissension work , ,

ing mischief and lur ing men to all actions inimical to

,

their welfare and happiness Hence when a reconcili a .

,

tion took place between friends who had quarrelled Ate ,

was blamed as the o ri ginal ca us e o f disagreement .

M O M US .

Momus the s o n o f Ny x was the god o f raillery and

, ,

ri dicule who delighted t o criticise with bitter sarcasm

, , ,

the ac tions o f gods and men and contrived to discover ,

in all thi n gs some defect o r blemish Thus when Prome .

~

theus create d the first man Momus considered his work ,

inc o mplete because there was no aperture in the breast

through which his i nmost thoughts might be rea d He .
'
1 50 M YTHS or A N CI EN T G RE E CE A ND ROM E .

also found faul t with a ho u s e bui lt by Athene because ,

being unprovided with t h e means o f locomotion it could ,

never be removed from an unhealthy locality Aphrodi te .

alone defied his criticism fo r to his great chagrin he , , ,

1
coul d find no fault with her perfect form .

In wh at manner the ancients represented this god is

’
unknown In modern art he is depicted like a ki n g s
.

’
j ester with a fool s cap and bells
,
.

E R O S (C UP I D A M OR) A N D PS Y C H E
, .

’
According to Hesiod s Theogony E ros th e divine , ,

Spirit o f L ove sprang forth from Ch ao s while all was

, ,

still in confusion and by his b e n e fice n t power reduced

,

to order and harmony the shapeless conflicting elements , ,

which under his influence began to a ssume distinct

, ,

forms This ancient E ros i s represented as a full grown

.
-

and very beautiful youth cro w ned with flowers and , ,

’
leaning o n a shepherd s crook
In the cour se o f tim e this beautiful conception gradu , '

ally faded away and though occasional mention still

,

continues to be made o f the E ros o f Chaos he is repl ac ed ,

by the son o f Aphrodite the popular mi schief loving , ,

-

little god o f L ove s o famil iar t o us all , .

In o n e of the myths co ncerning E ros Aphrodite is de ,

scribed as complaining t o Them is that her son th o ugh , ,

so beautiful did not appear to increase in stature ; where

,

upon Themis sug ested that his small proporti o n s were

g

probably attributable to the fa ct o f hi s being always

alone and advised h i s m o ther to let him have a com
,

panion .Aphrodite accordingly gave him as a play ,

fell o w his younger brother An teros ( requi te d love ) and

, ,

soon had the gratification o f seeing t h e littl e E ro s begin

to grow and t h rive ; but curious to relate th is desirable , ,

resul t only continued as long as the broth ers remain e d

together fo r the moment they were separated E ros
,
,

sh rank once more t o his o riginal size .

1 A c di g t
co r th
n t M m s d i sc o v e d t h a t A h o di te
o an o e r a cco u n o u er r
p ,
m a d e a o i s wh e
n h w lk d
e n s e a e .
 E ROS ( C U PI D AM OR)
,
A ND PS Y CHE . 1 51

By degrees the conc e ption Of E ros became multipli ed ,

and we hear o f little love gods ( A i n o rs ) who appe ar

-

under the most charmi n g and diversified forms T h ese .

love gods who afforded to artists inexhaustible subj ects

-

for the exercise o f t h eir imagination are represented ,

as being engaged in vari ous occupations such as hunting , ,

fishing rowing dri v ing ch aript s an d even busying them

, , ,

lves in mechanical labour

(
.

Perhaps no myth is m e charming and interesting -

han that o f E ros and Psyche which is as follows ,

Psyche the youngest o f three ,

prin cesses was so transcendently ,

beautiful that Aphro di te herself

became jealous o f her and n o ,

mortal dared t o asp ire to the

honour o f her h an d As her .

sisters who were by no means ,

equal to her in attractions were ,

mar ri ed and Psyche still re ,

mained un w edded her father ,

consul ted the oracle o f Delphi ,

and in o be d ie n ce _
t o the di vine
,

response caused her t o be ,

dressed as th o ugh fo r the grave ,

and conducted t o the e dge o f a

yawning precipice No sooner .

was she al one than she felt hers elf l ift up and w ai t e d ,

away by the gentle west wi nd Zephyrus w h o transp o rted ,

her t o a verdant meadow in the midst o f which stood a

'
,

state ly pal ace su rro un ded by groves and fountains

, .

Here dwelt E ros the go d o f L ove in whose arms

, ,

Zephyrus deposited his lovely burden E ros himself u n .

,

seen wooed her in the softest accents of affection ; but

,

warned her as she valued his l o ve not t o endeavour t o

, ,

behold his form F or some time Psych e was obedient

.

to the injunction o f her immortal sp o use and mad e no ,

effort t o gratify her natural curiosity ; but u n f o rt u

, ,

n a t e ly in the m idst o f her happiness she was seized

,

with an un conquerable l o nging fo r the society O i her sis .

1 52 M YT HS or ANCI E NT G RE E CE A ND ROM E .

ters an d in acco rdance with her desire they were co n

, , ,

ducte d by Zephyrus t o her fairy lik e abode Fi ll ed with -

.

en vy at the sight of her feli city they poison e d her mind ,

ag ainst her husband and tellin g her that her un seen ,

lover was a fri ghtfu l monster they gave her a Sh arp ,

dag er which they persuad ed her t o use for t h e purpose

g
,

of delivering herself fro m his power .

After the depar ture o f her Sisters Psyche resolv e d to ,

take the first o pportunity o f fo llo wi n g thei r malicious

co u nsel Sh e accordingly ro se in the d e ad of night and
. ,

taki ng a lamp in one hand and a dagger in the othe r ,

stealthily approach e d the couch whe re E ros w as re

posin g when instead o i the frightful monster Sh e h ad
, ,

expec t ed t o see the bea u t eous form of the god o f L ove

,

greeted her view O vercome with s u rprise and admi ra

.
'

tion Psyche stooped down t o gaze m o re closely on h is

,

lovely features when from the lamp whi ch Sh e held in

, ,

her trembling hand there fell a drop of burni ng oil upon t h e

,

shoul der o f the sleeping god w h o in stantly awoke and see , ,

in g Psyche s t a n di n g over hi m w ith the inst ru ment of d e ath

in h e r hand sorrowfull y reproac hed her fo r her tr es c h
,

e ro u s designs and spreading o u t his wings flew away

, , ,
.

In despair at having lost her lover the unhappy Psyche ,

endeavo ured to put an end t o her existence by throwing ’

herself into t h e nearest river ; but instead o f clo s in g o v e r

her t h e waters bore her gently t o the Opposite ban k
, ,

where Pan ( the god o f S hepherds) r eceive d her and co n ,

soled her with the hope O f becoming even t ua lly re con

ciled t o her husband .

Mea nwhile her wi cked siste rs in ex pecta tion Of meeting ,

with the same go od fortun e which had befallen Psyche ,

placed themselves on the edge o f the rock but were both ,

precipita te d into the chasm below .

Psyche herself filled wi th a restless yearning fo r her

,

lost love wandered a ll over the world in sear ch of h i m

, .

A t length she appe al ed to Aphrodite t o t a ke compas si on

on her ; but the goddess of Be auty still jealous of h er ,

charms impos e d upon her t h e hardest tasks the ae com

, ,

plis h m e n t of which ofte n appear e d impos sible In th ese .

 s a cs ( cu m n , A n on ) A N D rs r crm . 1 53

she w as always as si sted by inv i sible be n efice n t beings , ,

se nt t o her by E ros who still loved her and conti nu e d t o

, ,

watch over her welfare .

P syche h a d t o undergo a l ong an d severe pen an ce

before she beca me worthy t o regain the ha ppin e ss which ,

she had so foo lis hly t rifle d aw ay At last Aphrodi te .

commanded her t o descend in to t h e un der world an d o h ,

tai n from Per sephone a bo x co ntai n i ng all the cha rms o f

’
be auty P syche s courag e now fail e d her fo r she co n
.
,

clude d that death mus t of nece ssity pre ce d e her entra nce
i nto the rea lm of shad e s About t o aban don herself t o.

d e spai r she h eard a voice which w ar n e d her o f every

,

dang er t o be avoided on her peril o us j ourney and in ,

structed her with regard t o c ertain prec autio n s to be

observ e d These were as follows not to omit t o pro
.
—

’
vide herself with the ferryman s toll fo r Cha ro n and the ,

cak e t o pacify Cerberu s al so t o refrain from takin g any,

art in the banquets o f A i des and P ersepho n e and

p , ,

above all things t o bri ng the bo x o f

,

opene d t o Aphrodite In conclusion the voi ce assure d

.
,

h er tha t compli an ce with the above condi tions woul d

,

i nsure fo r her a safe re t urn t o the realms of l ight But .

,

al as P syche who h ad implicitly follow ed all in j lm ct i o n s

, , ,

c oul d not withstand the tem pta tion o f the las t c ondi t ion ;

and hardly h ad she quitted the lower world when u n

, , ,

able to resist the curio sity which devoured her sh e rai se d ,

the lid o f the bo x with ea er expe ctation But in g

.
,

stead o f the wondro us cha rms of be auty which she ex

pe ct e d t o behold there issu e d from th e casket a dense
,

black vapour whi ch h ad the effect o f throwin g her into

, c
a death li ke sleep out o f which E ros who had long
, ,

hovere d round her un se en at length aw oke her wi th t h e ,

po in t o f o n e o f his golden ar rows H e gen tly reproach e d .

her with this second proof o f her curiosity and fo ll y and ,

then having persu ad e d Aphrodi te t o be re c o ncil e d t o hi s

,

beloved he induce d Zeus t o adm i t her among t h e

,

mort al gods .

Their reu n i on w as celebrate d ami dst the r ej oicings o f

all the O lympi an deiti es The Grace s sh ed perfum e o n.
1 54 M YTHS OF A N C I ENT G RE E C E A ND R M E . O
their path the Hours sprinkl ed roses over the sky
,
,

Apollo added the mus ic O f his lyre and the Muses ,

un i ted their voices in a gl ad chorus Of delight .

Th i s myth woul d appear to be an all egory whi ch sig ,

n i fie s that the s o ul before it can ,

be reun ited t o its o ri gi nal di vine

essence must be puri fied by t h e ,

ch a stening sorrows and su fferings

!
O f its earthly career

E ros is represented as a l o vely

bo y with roun ded limbs and a , ,

merry roguish expression He h a s ,

.

golden wings and a qui ver slun g ,

over his shoulder whi ch contained ,

his magical and u nerri n g arrows ;

in o n e han d he bear s hi s golden
bow and in the other a torch ,
.

He i s also frequently depicte d

ridi ng o n a lion dolphi n or eagle , , ,

o r s eated in a chariot drawn by

stags o r wil d boars undoubte dl y ,

emblematical O f the power o f love

as the subduer O f all nature even o f the wild anim als ,
.

In Rome E ros was worshippe d un der the nam e Of

,

A mor o r Cupid .

HYM E N .

Hymen o r Hymen aeus the son Of Apoll o and t h e ,

muse Urania was the god who presided o ver marria e

,
g

and nuptial sole m nities and was hence invoked at all ,

marriage festivities .

There is a myth concern ing this divi nity which te lls us ,

that Hym en w as a beautifu l youth of very poor parents ,

w h o fell i n love with a wealthy maiden so far above hi m ,

in rank that he dared not ch eri sh the hope Of ever be

,

coming un ited t o her Still he missed no Opportunity of .

seeing her and upon o n e o ccasion di sgui sed hi m sel f as

, , ,

1
h e w rd P sy c h e sig n i fi s b t t fl y m bl m o f t h e s u l i n
“

T o t h e u er ,
e e e o

an ci e n t art .
 I R IS ( TH E RAI N B OW ) . 1 55

a girl and j oin ed a troop Of maidens who in company

, , ,

with his beloved were proceedin g from Athens t o

,

E leusis in order to attend a festival O f Demete r

,
On .

their way thither they were surprised by pirates who ,

carried them O ff to a desert island where the ru fii an s , ,

after drinkin g deeply fell in to a heavy sleep H ymen

,
.
,

seizing the Opportunity slew them all and then set sail , ,

fo r Athens where he found the p arents Of the maidens

,

in the greatest di stress at their unaccountable dis

appearance He comforted th em with the assurance
.

that their chil d re n s h ould be resto re d to them provided ,

they would promise to give him in marriage the maiden

he loved The condition being gladly complied with he
.
,

at o n c e returned t o the island and brought back the ,

maidens in safety t o Athens whereu pon he became ,

uni t ed t o the Obj ect Of his love ; and their un i on prov e d

s o remarkably happy that hencefo rth the name of Hymen
,

became syn o nymous with conjugal felicity .

I R I S ( THE RA I N B OW ) .

Ir is the daughter Of Thaumas an d E lectra personified

, ,

the rainbow and was the special at t endant and messenger

,

Of the queen O f heaven wh o se c o mmands she executed ,

with singular tact intelli gence and swiftness

, ,
.

Most p ri mi tive nations have regarded the rainbow as a

bridge O f communi cation between heaven and earth and ,

this is doubtl e ss th e reas on why Iris who represented ,

that beautiful phenomenon of nature should have been ,

invested by the Greeks with the Office of communicating

between gods and men .

Iris is usually represented seated behind the chari ot

Of Hera read y to do the bidding O f her royal mistress
, .

Sh e appears under the form Of a slender maiden o f great

beauty robed in an airy fabric of vari egate d hues resem
, ,

bling mother O i pearl ; her sandals are bright as burnished

- -

silver she has golden w in gs and wherever she appears a

, , ,

radiance O f light and a sweet Odour as O f delicate spring

, ,

flowers perv ades the air

,
.
1 56 M YT HS O F A NC I E N T G RE E C E A ND ROM E .

HE B E (J UV ENTAS )
Hebe w as t h e personification of eternal youth under
i t s most attractive and j oyous aspect .

Sh e was the daughter o f Zeus and Hera and though ,

Of such distinguis h ed rank is nevertheless rep re sented as

,

cup bearer to the go ds ; a forcible e x e m plifica t io n Of the

-

Old patriarchal custom in acc o rdance w ith wh ich the

,

daughters o f the house even when ,

O f the highest lineage personally ,

assisted in serving the guests .

Hebe is represented as a comely ,

modest maiden small Of a beauti , ,

fully rounded c o ntour W ith nut ,

bro wn tresses a n d sparkling eyes .

Sh e is Often depicted pouring out

nectar fro m an upraised vessel or ,

bearing in her hand a shallo w dish ,

supp o sed to contain ambrosi a the ,

ever youth renewing food Of the -

immortals .

In consequence O f an act Of awk

w ard n e s s w hi ch caused her to slip
,

w h ile serving the go ds Hebe was ,

deprived of her Office which was henceforth delegated to

,

Ganymedes s o n o f Tros
, .

Hebe afterwards became the bride Of Heracl es when , ,

after his apotheosis he was received among the i m m o r

,

t al s
.

J U V E NTA S .

J u v e n t as
was the Ro man divinity identified with
Hebe wh ose attributes however were regarded by the
, , ,

Romans as applyi ng more particul arly to the imperishable

vigour and immortal glory o f the state .

In Rome several temples were erected in honour O i this

,

g oddess .
 G A NYM E D E S — THE M U SE S . 1 57

G A NYM E DE S .

Ganym edes the youngest son o f Tro s _kin g Of Troy

, , ,

was o n e day dr awing water from a well o n Mount Ida ,

when he was Observed by Zeus who struck with his , ,

w o nde rful beauty sent his eagle to transport h i m to

,

O lympus where he was endowed with immortality and

, ,

appointed cup bearer to t h e gods -

.

Ganymedes Is rep resented as a youth Of exqui site beauty ,

with short golden locks deli cately chiselled features , ,

beaming blue eyes and pouting lips ,

.

TH E M US E S .

O f all O lympic deities n o ne occupy a more distin

the ,

g ui sh e d position than the Muses the nine beautiful ,

daughters O f Zeus and Mnemosyne .

In their origin a l signification they presided merely over ,

music song and dance ; but with the progress Of civiliza

, ,

tion the art s and sciences claimed their special presidi n g

di vinities and we see these graceful creations in later
, ,

times sharing among them various functions such as

, ,

poetry astronomy &c

, ,
.

The Muses were honoured alike by mortals and i m

mortals In O lympus where Apollo acted as their leader
.
, ,

no banquet O r festivity was considered complete without

their joy inspiring presence and o n earth no social gather
-

ing was celebrated with o ut libations being po u red o u t to

t h em ; n or was any task In v O lvin g intellectual effort ever
undertaken W ithout earnestly supplicating their assist
,

ance They endowed their ch o sen fav o urites with know

.

ledge wisd om and understan d ing ; they bestowed up o n

, ,

the orator the gift Of eloquence inspired the poet with ,

his noblest thoughts and the musician with his sweetest

,

harmonies .

L ike so many Of the Greek divinities however t h e re , ,

fi ned conception O f the Muses is s o mewhat marred by the

acerbity with which they punished any effort o n the part
1 58 M YTHS OF AN CI ENT G R E E CE A ND ROM E .

of mortals t o rival them in their di vine powers A n in .

stance O i this is seen in t h e case o f Thamyri s a Thracian ,

b ard w h o presumed t o invite them to a t ri al O f skill in

,

music Having vanquished h im t h ey not onl y affli cted

. ,

him with blindness but deprived hi m also Of t h e p o wer

,

Of song .

An other example O f the manner in which the gods

p uni shed presumption and van ity is seen in the sto ry o f
t h e daughters O f K ing Pi e ru s Pr o ud o f t h e perfecti o n .

t o which they had br o ught their skill in music t h ey pre ,

sumed to challenge the Muses themselves in t h e art over

wh ich they specially presided T h e contest took place .

o n Moun t He licon and it is said that when the mortal

,

maidens commenced their song the sky became dark and ,

mi sty wh ereas w hen t h e Mus e s raised their heavenl y

,

voices a ll nature seemed t o rej o ice and Mount Helicon

, ,

its elf moved with e x ultation The Pierides were signally .

defeat e d and were transfo rmed by the Muses into sing

,

in g birds as a punis h ment for having dared t o chal l enge

,

comparis o n w ith the imm o rtals .

Undeterred by the above e x ample the Sirens also ,

entered into a similar contest Th e songs Of the Muses .

were loyal and true wh ilst th o se o f t h e Sirens were t h e

,

fa lse and deceptive strains with wh ich so many u n fo rt u

nate mariners had been lured t o the ir death The Sirens .

were defeated by t h e Mu s es and as a mark O f humilia ,

tion were depri v ed O f the feathers with which their

,

bo dies were ad o rne d .

The Oldest seat o f t h e wo rship O f the Muses w as Pieria

in T h race where they were supp o sed t o have fir st seen
,

the light Of day Pieri a is a district o n one O f t h e sloping

.

decli vi ties O f Mount O lympus wh ence a number Of ri va ,

lets as they flow towards t h e pl ai n s be neath produce

, ,

those sweet soothin g sounds which may p o ssibly have

, ,

suggested this sp o t as a fittin g home for the p resi d ing

divin ities Of s o ng .

They dwelt o n the summits Of Mo unts Helicon ,

Parn assus and Pin dus and loved t o haunt the springs
, ,

an d fo u ntai ns which gus hed forth amidst these rocky

 T HE M USE S . 1 59

heights all O f which were s a cred to them and t o p o etic

,

i nspiration Agani ppe and Hipp o crene o n Mount Heli

.

con and the Castalian spring o n M o un t Parnassus were

, ,

sacred t o the Muses Th e latter flowed between two .

lofty rocks above the city Of

Delphi and in ancient times its ,

waters were introduced into a

square stone basin where they ,

were retained for the use o f the

Pythia and the priests O f Apollo .

The libations to these divini

ties consisted O f water milk , ,

and h o ney but never Of wine , .

The ir names and functions

are as foll o ws
CAL L I O P E the most hon ,

o u r e d O f t h e Muses presided ,

over heroic song and epic poetry ,

and is represented wi th a pencil

i n her h an d and a slate upon
CALLI OPE .
,

her knee .

C L I O the muse O f History holds in her hand a roll Of

, ,

parchment and wears a wreath Of laurel

,
.

M E L P OM E NE the m u se of Tragedy bears a t r agic

, ,

mask .

THAL IA the muse Of Comedy carri es in her ri ght

, ,
’
hand a shepherd s cr o o k and h a s a com ic mask beside her
, .

P O L YHYM NIA the muse O f Sacred Hymns is crowned

, ,

with a wreath Of laur el Sh e is always represented in a

.

thoughtful attitude and entirely enveloped in rich folds

,

o f drapery .

T E RP SICH O RE the muse Of Dance and Roun delay is

, ,

represented in the act Of playing o n a seven stringed lyr e -

.

URAN IA the muse Of Astron o my stands erect an d

, , ,

bears in her left hand a celestial globe .

E U T E RP E the muse O f Harmony is represented bear

, ,

ing a musical instrument usually a flute ,

.

E RAT O the muse Of L ove and hymeneal s o ngs wears

, ,

a wrea th O f laurel and is striking the chords o f a lyre

,
.

x
1 60 M Y THS OF A N CI ENT G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

E UTE RPE . E RA TO .

With regard t o the origin O f the Muses it is said that

they were created by Zeus in answer to a req
,

uest on t h e
p art of the victorious deities after the war with the
,
 T HE M USE S . 1 61

U RANIA . M E LPOM E NE .

T HALIA . POLYHYM N I A .

Titans that some special divinities should be called into

,

existence in order to commemorate in song the g lorious

,

d e ed s of the O lympian gods .

( 73 )
1 62 M YTHS or A N CIE N T G RE E CE A ND ROM E .

P E G A S US .

Pegas us was a beautiful wi nged horse w h o sprang from

the body Of Medusa wh en s h e was slain by the hero
Perseus t h e son O f Zeus and Dana e Spreading o u t his
,
.

wi ngs he immediately flew to the t o p O f Mount O lympus ,

where he was received with deli ght and admiration by all

the immortals A place in his palace was assigned t o him
.

by Zeus who employed him to carry his thun der and

,

li ghtni ng Pegasus permitted none but the gods to mount

.

him except in the case O f Bellerophon w hom at the

, , ,

command Of Ath ene he carried aloft in order that he

, ,

might slay the Chimaera with his arrows .

The later poets represent Pegasus as be ing at the ser

vi ce O f the Muses and for this reason he is more cele
,

brat e d in modern times than in antiquity He woul d .

appear to represent that poetical inspiration whi ch tends ,

’
to develop man s higher nature and causes the m ind to ,

soar heavenwards The only mention by the ancients Of

.

Pegasus in connection with the Muses is the story Of his ,

having produced with his hoofs the famous fountain Hip ,

cre n e .
p o

It is said that during their contest with the Pierides ,

Muses played and sang o n the summit Of Moun t

Helicon with such extraordinary power and sweetness ,

that heaven and earth stood still to listen whilst the ,

mountain raised itself in joyous ecstasy towards the abode

of the celestial gods Poseidon seeing his special func
.
,

tion thus interfered with sent Pegasus to check the bold ,

ness Of t h e moun tain in daring to move without hi s per

,

mission When Pegasus reached the summit he stamped

.
,

the ground with his ho o fs and o u t gushed the waters Of ,

Hippocrene afterwards so renowned as the sacred fount

,

whence the Muses q

,

u afl e d their richest draughts Of i n

spiration .

TH E H E S P E RI D E S .

The Hesperides the daughters Of Atlas dwelt in an

, ,

I sland in the far west whence they derived their nam e

, .
 C HA RI TE s — G RA C E s . 1 63

They were appointed by Hera to act as guardians t o a

tree bearing golden apples which had been presented t o ,

her by G aea on the Occasi on Of her marri a e with Zeus g

.

It is said that the Hespe ri des bein g unable to wi th ,

sta nd the temptation of ta sting the golden fruit c onfided

t o their care were deprived O f their Office which was
, ,

henceforth delegated t o the terri ble dragon L adon who ,

now became the ever watchful sentinel Of these precious

-

treasures .

The names Of the Hesperides were Aegle Ar ethusa , ,

an d Hesperia .

C HA R IT E S ( G RA TDE ) G R A C E S .

A ll those gentler attributes whi ch beautify and refine

hum an exi stence were personi fied by the Greeks under
the form Of three lovely sisters E uphr osyne Aglaia and , , ,

Thalia the daughters Of Zeus and E ur yn ome ( or accord

, ,

i n g t o later writers Of Dionysus and Aphrodite )

,
.

They are represented as beautiful slender maidens in ,

the ful l bloom Of youth wi th hands and arms lovin gly,

intertwi ned and are either undraped o r wear a fl e e cy

, , ,

tr ansparent garment O f an ethereal fabric .

They portray every gentle emotion Of the heart which ,

vents itself in friendship and be nevolence and were be ,

li e v e d t o preside over th o se qualities whi ch constitute

grace modesty unconscious beauty gentleness k indliness
, , , , ,

innocent j o y purity Of mind and body and etern al

, ,

youth .

They not onl y possessed the most perfect beauty

themselves but also conferred this gift upon others
,
.

All the enj oyments O f life were enh anced by the ir pres
ence and were deemed incomplete without them ; and
,

wherever jo y o r pleasure grace and gai ety reigned there

, ,

they were s uppos e d to be present .

Temples and alta rs were everywhere erected in their

honour and people Of al l ages and o f every 1 ank in life
,

entreated their favour Incense was bur nt daily upon

.

their altars and at every banquet they were invoked

, ,
1 64 M YTHS or A N CI ENT G RE E CE A ND ROM E .

and a libation pour ed o u t to them as they not o nly ,

heightened all enj oyment but also by thei r re fini ng ,

influen ce moderated t h e exciting e ffects o f w m e .

Music eloquence poetry and art though the direct

, , , ,

w o rk o f the Muses received at the hands Of the Graces ,

an additional touch o f refinement and beauty ; fo r which

reason they are always regarded as the fri ends Of the
Muses with wh om they lived o n Mount O lympus
,
.

Th eir special function was to act in conj unction with ,

the Seasons as attendants upon Aphrodite whom they

, ,

adorned wit h wreath s o f flowers and she emerges from ,

their ban d s like t h e Queen Of Spring perfumed with the ,

Od o ur O f r o ses and vi o lets and all swee t scented blossoms ,

.

The Graces are frequently seen in attendance o n other

divinities ; thus they carry music fo r Apollo myrtles ,

fo r Aphrodite & c an d frequently acco mpany the Muses

,
.
, ,

E ros o r Dionysus
,
.

RE ( SE AS ON S ) .

Closely allied to the Graces were t h e Ho rse or Seasons , ,

who were also represented as three beautiful maidens ,

daughters of Zeus and Themis Their names were .

E unomia Dice and Irene, ,

.

It may appe ar strange that these divinities presiding ,

over the seasons should be but three in number but thi s

, ,

is quite in accordance with the notions Of the ancient

Greeks w h o only recognized spring summer and autum n
, , ,

as seasons ; nature being supposed to be wrapt in death

o r slumber during that cheerless and unproductive por
,

ti o n Of the year w h ich we call winter In some parts Of .

Greece there were but t w o Ho ras Thallo goddess Of the , ,

bloom and Carpo of the corn and frui t beari ng season

, , .

Th e Ho rse are always regarded as friendly towards

mankind and totally devoid O f guile o r subtlety ; they
,

are represented as j oyous but gentle maidens cro w ned , ,

with flowers and holding each other by the hand in

,

a round dance When t h ey are depicte d separately as

.

pe rso n ificat i o n s Of the d ifl e re n t seasons the Hora re pre ,

 THE NYM PHS . 1 65

s enting sp ring appears laden with flowers that O f sum ,

mer bears a sheaf Of corn whilst the personification Of ,

autu m n has her hands fil led with clusters Of grapes and

oth er fruits They also a ppear in company with the
.

Graces in the train Of Aphrodite and ar e seen with ,

Apollo and the Muses .

They are in separably connected with all that is good

and beautifu l in nature and as the regular alternation Of
,

the seasons like all h e r oth e r Operations demands the

, ,

most perfect o rder and regu larity the Ho rse being the , ,

daughters Of T h emis came to be regarded as the re pre

,

s e n t at i v e s of order and the just ad m inistrati o n o f human

,

affairs in civilized communities E ach O f these grace fu l .

maidens took upon herself a separate function : E unomia

presided more especially over state life Dice guarded the ,

interests Of individuals whilst Irene the gayest and , ,

brightest Of the three sist e rs was the ligh t hear ted co m ,

panion O f Dionysus .

The Ho ras were also the deities o f th e fa st fl e e t in g

hours and thus presided over the small er as well as the
, ,

larger divisions Of time In this capacity they assist .

every morning in yoking the celestial horses to the

glorious chariot Of the sun which they again help to n u ,

yoke when he sinks to rest .

In their original conception they were pe rs o n ificat io n s

O f the clouds and are desc ri bed as Opening and closing
,

t h e gates Of heaven and causing fruits and flowers to

,

spring forth when they pour do w n upon them their re

,

freshing and life giving streams —

.

TH E N YM PH S .

The graceful beings called the Nym phs were the pre
siding deities O f the woods grottoes streams mead ows , , , ,

850 .

These divinities were supposed to be beautiful mai dens

Of fairy like fo rm and robed in more o r less shad o wy
-

garments They were held i n the greatest veneration

.
,

though being mi nor divinities they had no temples

, ,
1 66 M YTHS OF A N CI ENT G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

dedicated to them but were worshipped in caves ,

or

grottoes w ith libations Of milk honey Oil & c

, , , , .

T h ey may be divided into three d i st

water mountain and tree o r wood n ym p
, ,

W ATE R N YM P H S .

O C E A N ID E S , NE R E ID E S , A ND NA I A DE S .

The worship Of water deities is common to most -

primitive nations The streams springs and fountain s

.
, ,

Of a country bear the same relation t o it which the blood ,

coursing t h rough t h e numberless arteries O f a human

being bears to the body ; both represent the living
, ,

moving life awakening element witho u t which existence

,
-

wo uld be impossible Hence we find among m ost nations .

a deep feeling O f attachment to the streams and waters

o f t h eir native land the remembrance Of w h ich when, ,

absent in foreign climes is always treasured with peculiar ,

fondness Thus among the early Greeks each tribe came

.
,

t o regard the rivers and springs Of its individual state as

be n e fice n t powers wh ich brought blessing and prosperity
,

to the country It is probable also that the charm wh ich

.

ever accompanies t h e sound O f running water exercised

its power O ver their imagination They heard with de .

light t h e gentle whisper O f the fountain lulling the senses ,

with its low rippling tones ; the s o ft purling Of the brook

,

as it rushes over the pebbles o r the mighty voice Of the ,

waterfall as it dashes o n in its headlong course ; and the

bein s which they pictured to themselves as presiding
g

o ver all th ese c h arming sights and sounds o f nature ,

corresp o nded in their graceful appearance with the scenes

, ,

with which they were associated .

O C E A N ID E S .

The O C E A N IDE S o r O cean Nym phs were the d au gh

, ,

ters Of O ceanus and Teth ys and like most sea divinities , , ,

were endowed with the gift o f prophecy .

They are pe rs o n ifica t i o n s of those delicate vapour like -

 N E R E I DE S NAIAD E S —
. 1 67

e xhalations which in warm climates are emitted from

, , ,

the surface Of the sea more especially at sunset and are

, ,

impelled forwards by the evening breeze They are .

accordingly represented as misty shadowy beings with , ,

graceful swayin g forms and robed in pale blue gauze , ,

like fabri cs .

TH E N E R E ID E S .

The NE RE IDE S were the daughters of Nereus and

Doris and were nymphs O f the Mediterranean Se a
,
.

They are similar in appearance to the O ceanides but ,

their beauty is Of a less shadowy order and is more like ,

that Of mortals They wear a flowing pal e gr e en robe ;

.
,

their liquid eyes resemble in the ir clear depths the lucid , ,

waters Of the sea they inhabit ; their hair floats carelessly

over their shoulders and assumes the greeni sh tint Of the
,

water itself which far from deteriorating from their

, ,

beauty greatly adds to its effect The Ne re id e s either

,
.

accompany the chariot o f the mighty ruler o f the sea o r ,

follow in his train .

We are told by the poets th at th e lonely mariner

watches the Ne re i d e s with silent awe and wondering
delight as they rise from their gr o tto palaces in the deep
,
-

and dance in j oyful gro ups over the sleeping waves

, , .

Some with arms entwined foll o w w ith their move

, ,

ments the melodies which seem to hover over the sea ,

whilst others scatter liquid gems around these being ,

emblematical O f the phosphorescent light so frequently ,

Observed at night by the traveller in southern waters .

The best known Of the Nereides were Thetis the wife ,

Of Peleus Amphitrite the spouse Of Poseidon and

, , ,

Galatea the belov e d O f Acis

,
.

THE N A IA D E S .

Th e NA I A D E S
were the nymphs O f fresh water sp ri ngs -

lakes brooks rivers 850

, , ,
.

A s the trees pl a nts and flowers owed their nou ri sh

, ,

ment to their genial fostering care these divinities were

, ,
1 68 M YTHS or ANCI ENT G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

regarded by the Gre eks as special benefactors t o man

ki n d L ike all the nymphs they posse ssed the gif t O f ,

prophecy for which reason many o f the S p ri ngs and

,

fo u ntains over which they presided were believed t o

inspire mortals who drank O f their waters w ith the power
Of foretell ing future events The Naiades are inti mately .

conn ected in idea wit h th o se flowers whic h are called

after them Nymp h ae o r w a ter lilies whose broad green
,
-

, ,

leaves and yellow cups flo a t upon the surf ace Of the

water as though proudly cons cious O f their own grace
,

and beauty .

We Often hear Of the Naiades formi ng alliances with

mortals and also O f their
,
wooed by the sylvan
deiti es Of the woods and dales .

DRYA D E s , O R TRE E NYM P HS .

The tree nymphs parto ok O f the di stinguishing charac

t e ri st i cs Of the particul ar tree t o whose lif e they were
wedded and were kno wn co ll e ctively by the na me of th e
,

Dryades .

The _HA MA DRYA D E S or o ak nymphs represent in

, ,

their pec u liar individuality the q u iet se lf re liant po wer ,

-

which appears t o belong es s en t iall y to the grand and

lordly lon g o f the forest .

The B I RC H NY M PH i s a m elancholy maiden with

floating hair resemb ling the bran ches o f t h e pale an d
,

fragile l o oking tree which she inhabits

—
.

The B E E C H NYM PH is strong and st u rdy full o f lif e ,

and joyousness and appe a rs t o give promi se Of faithful

,

love and undisturbed r e p o se wh ilst her rosy ch e eks deep , ,

brown eyes and grace ful form bespeak health vigour

, , ,

and vitality .

The nymph Of t h e L I ND E N T RE E is represente d as a .

little coy m a iden whose s h ort silver gray dress reaches

,
-

a li ttle be low the knee and displays t o advantag e her

,

delicately formed limbs The sweet fac e whi ch is partly

.
,

ave rted reve al s a pair Of large blue eyes which appear t o

, ,

look at you wi t h wondering surprise and sh y mi str u st ;

 NA PJ E / E A ND OR E ADE S . 1 69

her pale golden hair is bound b y the faintest streak Of

,

ro se c o l o ured ribbon
-
.

The tree nymph being wedded t o the lif e O f the tre

,
e

she in h abited ce a sed t o exist when it was either fell e d

, ,

or s o i n j ur e d as to wither away and di e .

N YM P H S O F TH E V A L L E YS A N D M O U N TA I N S .

N A PE E A ND O RE A D E S .

The Nap ae ae were the kind and gentle nymphs O f the

valleys and glens who appear in the train Of A rt e mis .

They are represented as lovely maidens w ith short tunics ,

which reaching only t o the knee do not impede the ir

, ,

swift and graceful movements in the exercise Of the chase .

Their pale brown tresses ar e fastened in a knot at the

back Of the head whence a few stray curls esca pe over
,

the ir shoul ders The Napae ae are shy as the fawns and
.
,

qu ite as frolicsome .

The O R E AD E S o r mountain nym phs who are the

, ,

principal and constant companions Of Artemis are tal l , ,

graceful maidens attired as h un tresses They are ardent

,
.

followers O f the chase and spare neither the gentle deer

,

nor the tim id h are n o r indeed an y animal they meet

,

with in their rapid course “l h e re v e r their wil d hun t .

goes the shy Nap aeae are represented as hiding behind

t h e leaves W hilst their favourites
,
the fawns kneel , ,

tremblin gly beside them looking up beseechingly for ,

protection from the wild huntresses ; and eve n the

bold Satyrs dart away at their approach and seek safety ,

in fligh t .

T h ere is a myth connected with o n e Of these mountain

nymphs the unf ortunate E cho Sh e became enamoured
, .

Of a b e autiful youth named Narcissus son O f the ri ver ,

god C e ph i ssu s who however failed t o return her love

, , , ,

which so g ri eved her that she gra dually pined away be ,

coming a mere shadow O f her former self till at length , , ,

nothing remained Of her except her voice which hence ,

forth gave back w ith unerring fidelity every s o und that

, ,

was utte red in the hil ls an d dales Narcissus hi mself .

1 70 M Y THS or A NC I E N T G RE E CE A ND ROM E .

also met with an unhappy fate for Aphrodite punished ,

him by causing him to fall in love with his own image ,

wh ich he beh eld in a neighbouring fountain whereupon , ,

consumed with unrequ ited love h e wasted away and was , ,

c h anged into the flower which bears his name .

The L I M O NIA D E S o r meadow nymphs resemble the

, ,

Naiades and are usually represented dancing h and in

,

hand in a circle .

The H YA D E S w h o in appearance are somewhat similar

,

to the O ceanides are cloudy divinities and from the

, , ,

fact of their being invariably accompanied by rain are ,

represented as incessantly weeping .

The M E L IA DE S were t h e nymphs who presided over

fru i t t re e s .

Before concluding thi s subject attention should be ,

drawn to the fact that in more modern times this , ,

beautifu l idea Of animating all nature in detail reappears

under the vari ous local t rad itions extant in different
countries Thus do the O ceanides and Ne re id e s live
.

again in the mermaids whose existence is still believed

,

in by mariners whilst the flower and meadow nymphs

,

assume the shape O f those tiny elves and fai ries who ,

were formerly believed to hold their midnight revels in

'

every wood and o n e v e ry common ; indeed even at the ,

present day the Irish peasantry especially in the west

, , ,

firmly believe in the exi stence o f the fairies o r good ,

“

people as they are called

, .

TH E W IND S .

According to the Oldest accounts Z E O lu s was a ki ng Of ,

the zEO lran Islands to whom Zeus gave the command Of

,

the wrn d s which he kept shut up in a deep cave and

, ,

w h i ch he freed at his pleasure o r at the command Of the ,

go d s .

In later times the above beli ef underwent a change ,

and the winds cam e to be regarded as distinct di vinities ,

"
whose aspect accorded with the respective w in d s w it h
whi ch they were identified They were depicted as .
 PA N ( FA UNU S) . 1 71

wi nged youths in fu ll vigour in! e act Of flying through

the air.

The p ri ncipal winds were : B oreas ( the north wind) ,

E urus ( the east wind ) Zephyrus ( the west wind ) and

, ,

Notus ( the south wind) who were said to be the children

,

Of E o s and Astraeus .

There are no myt hs Of interest connected with thes e

divinities Zephyrus w as united to Chloris ( F lora ) the
.
,

goddess Of flowers O f Boreas it is relat e d that while

.

flying ov er the river Ilissus he beheld o n the banks O r

,

e i t h yi a
,
the charming daughter Of E rechtheus king Of ,

Athens whom he carried O ff to h i s n at iv e Thrace and

‘

, ,

there made her his bride Boreas and O re it h yi a were the

.

parents O f Zetes and Calais afterwards famous in t h e

,

expedition O f the Argonauts .

There was an altar erected at Athens in honour o f

Boreas in commemorati o n O f his having destroyed the
,

Persian fleet sent to attack the Greeks .

O n the Acropolis at Athens there was a celebrated

octagonal temple built by Peri cles which was dedicated
, ,

to the winds an d on its sides were their vari ous re pre se n

,

t at io n s
. The rui ns O f this temple are still to be seen .

P A N ( FAUNUS ) .

Pan was the god Of fertility ,

and the special patron Of shep

herds and huntsmen ; he pre
sided O Ver all rural occupa
tions was chief Of the Satyrs , ,

and head o f all rural divi ni

ties .

According to the common

belief he was the son Of Her ,

mes and a wood nymph and ,

came into the world with h o rns

sprouting from his forehead a ,
’
goat s beard and a cro o ked
nose pointed ears and the tail, ,

a goat and presented alto geth er so repulsiv e

,
1 72 M YT HS o r A N C IE NT G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

appearan ce that at the sight Of ,

h im , h is mother fle d
m
Hermes however took up hi s cur ious little Offsp ring
, , ,

wrapt him in a hare ski n and carried hi m in h is arm s t o ,

O lympus The gr o tesque fo rm and merry anti cs o f the

.

littl e stranger made hi m a g reat favo u ri te wi th all the

immortal s especiall y Dionysus ; and they be stow e d upon
,

him the name O f Pan ( all ) because he had deli ghted them ,

all.

Hi s favouri te haunts were grottoes and hi s delight was ,

to wander in un controlled freedom over rocks and moun

tai ns foll o w ing hi s various p u rsuits ever cheerful and
, , ,

usu al ly very noisy He was a great lover O f music sing . ,

i n g dancing and all pu rs ui s whi ch en hance the pleasures

, ,

Of lif e ; and hence in spite O f hi s repul sive appearance we, ,

see hi m surrounded w ith nymphs O f the forests and dales ,

who love t o dance round hi m t o the cheerfu l musi c O f hi s

pipe the syrinx The myth concerning the origin Of
,
.

Pan s pipe is as fo llo w s z Pan became enamo u red O f a

’
—

beautiful nymph called Syrin x who appalled at hi s ter , , ,

rible appearance fled from the pertinacious attentions of ,

her unwelcome suitor He pursued her t o the banks O f .

t h e ri ver L adon when seeing hi s near approach and feel

, , ,

ing escape impossible she call ed o n the gods for assis t ,

.

ance w h o in answer t o her prayer transformed her into

, , ,

a reed just as Pan was about to seize her W hilst the

, .

l o ve sick Pan was sighi n g and lamenting h is un f ortunate

-

fate t h e winds gently s w ayed the reeds and produ ced a

, ,

m u rmur i ng sou nd as o f o n e complaining Charmed with .

the soothing tones he endeavoured to reproduce them ,

himself and after cutti ng seven Of the reeds O f uneq

, ual
length he j oined them together and succe e ded in produc
, ,

ing the pipe, whi ch he called the syrin x in memory o f hi s

‘

q
,

lost love N .

Pan was regarded by shepherds as their most valiant

’

protector who defended th eir flocks from the attacks O f

,

wolves The shepherds O f these early times havi ng no

.
,

penf olds were in t h e h a bit O f gathe ri n g together their

,

floc ks in mo u ntai n ca ves t o protect them aga in st t h e in ,

 PA N ( FA UNU S) . 1 73

clemency O f the weather and also to secure them at night

,

agai nst the attacks Of wild animals ; these caves there ,

fore which were very numerous in the moun tain districts

,

O f Arca dia B oeotia &c

, ,
were all c o nsecrated t o Pan
.
, .

As it is custo mary in all tropical c limates t o repose

duri ng the heat Of the day Pan is represented as greatly
,

enj oy ing h i s afternoon sleep I n the c o ol shelter Of a tree

o r cave and also as being hi ghly di spleased at any s o un d
,

whi ch distu rbed his slum be rs fo r which reason the shep ,

herds were always particularly careful to keep unbroken

silence d u ring these hours whilst they themselves i n ,

d ul g e d in a qui et siesta .

Pan was equally beloved by huntsmen be ing himself ,

a great lover o f the woods which afforded t o h i s ch eer

,

ful an d active di sposition ful l scope and in which he ,

loved to range at will He was regarded as the patron

.

Of the chase and the rural sportsmen returning from an

, ,
’
unsuccessful day s sport beat in token Of their disple s
, ,

su re the wooden im age O f Pan which always occupied a

, ,

prominent place in their dwelli ngs .

A l l sudden and unaccountable sounds which startle

travellers in lonely spots were attributed to Pan who
, ,

possessed a frightfu l and most discordant voice ; hence the

term pa n ic terro r t o indicate sudden fear Th e Athenians
,
.

ascri bed their victory at Marathon t o t h e alarm whi ch he

created among the Persians by his terrible voice .

Pan was gifted w ith the power Of prophecy which he ,

is s ai d to have imparted to Apollo and he possessed a ,

well known and very ancient oracle in Arcadi a, in whi ch

-

state he was more especially worshippe d

Th e artists Of later times have somewhat toned down
the original very un attractive conception Of Pan as abo ve ,

desc ri bed and merely represent him as a youn g man

, ,

hardened by the exposure t o all weathers which a rur al

’
life in volves and h e ari n g In his hand the shepherd cr o o k
, o
s

d syri nx these be in g h is usual attributes whilst small

— —

ho rns proj ect from his forehe ad He rs either undraped .

,

o r wears merely the light cloak called t h e c h l a mys .

The usual offering st o Pan were mil k and honey in

1 74 M YTHS or AN CI E N T G RE E CE A ND ROM E .

shepherds bowls Cows lambs and rams were also

’
.
, ,

sacrificed t o him .

Aft er t h e introducti o n Of Pan into the worship o f Dio n y

sus we h ear of a number O f little Pans (Pan isci) who are
, ,

sometim e s conf ound e d with the Satyrs .

FA U NU S .

The Romans had an Old Italian divini ty called F aun us ,

who as the go d o f shepherds was identified with

, ,

the Greek Pan and represented in a si m ilar manner

,
.

F aunus is frequently called In u u s o r the ferti lizer and ,

L upercus or the o n e who wards Off wolves L ike Pan .

,

he possessed the gift o f prophecy and was the presiding ,

spirit Of the woods and fields ; he also shar e d with

hi s Greek prototyp e the faculty Of alarmin g travellers
in solitary places Bad dreams and evil appari tions were
.

attri buted t o F aunus and h e was believed t o enter hous es

,

stealthily at nigh t for this pur pose .

F auna was the wif e Of F aunus and participated in his ,

fu nctions .

TH E S A T YR S .

The were a race Of woodl and spirits wh o evi

Satyrs ,

d e n t ly personified the free w ild and untrammell e d li fe , ,

Of the forest The ir appearance was both g o t esque and

. r

repul sive ; they h ad flat broad noses pointed ears and , ,

little horn s spro uting from the ir foreheads a rough shaggy ,

skin and small goat s tails They led a lif e Of pl e asure

,
’
.

and self indu lgence followed the chas e revell ed in every

-

, ,

description Of wild music and dancin g were terrible wine ,

bibbers and ad di cted to the deep slumbers whi ch follow

,

h eavy potati o ns They were no less dreaded by mortals

.

than by the gentle woodland nymphs who always avoided ,

their coarse rough sports .

The Satyrs were conspicuous figures in the tr ain Of

Dionysus and as we have seen Silenus t h e ir chief w as
, , ,

tutor to t h e wine go d The o lder Sa tyrs were call ed

Silens and are represente d in an tique scul pture as more
, ,

nearly appro aching the hum an form .

 PR IAP U S . 1 75

In addi tion t o the ordinary S atyrs artists deli ghted in ,

depicting little Satyr s youn g imps frolicki ng ab out the

, ,

woods in a marvellous vari ety

Of droll attitudes These .

little fellows greatly resemble

their friends and companions ,

the Parris ci .

In rural distri cts it was

customary for the shepherds
and peasants who attended t h e
festivals O f Dionysus t o dress ,

themselves in the skins o f goats

and o ther anim al s and under , ,

this disguise they permitted ,

themselves all ki nds Of play

fu l tricks and excesse s t o ,

which circumstance the con

ce pt i o n o f the Satyrs is by some auth o ri ties attribute d
In Rome t h e Old Itali a n w o o d d i vi n it ie s the F AU NS , ,
’
who had goats feet a n d a ll o t h er c h aracteristics Of the
Satyr s greatly exaggerate d were ident i fied with them, .

P R IA P U S .

Priapus the son Of Dionysus and Aphrodite was re

, ,

gard e d as the god Of fruitful ness the pr o tector Of flocks , ,

sheep goats bees the frui t Of the vine and all garden
, , , ,

produce .

His statues which were set up in gardens and v i ne

,

yards acted n o t only as Obj ects O f worsh ip but also

, ,

as sca recrows the appearance O f this god being especially

,

repulsive and un sigh tly These statues were formed O f

.

wo o d or stone and from the hips do w nwards were

,

merely rude co lun m s They represent him as hav ing

.

a red and very ugly face ; he bears in hi s hand a prun

in g knif e and his head is cr o wn ed with a wreath O f vine
,

and lau rel He usually carri es fruit in hi s garments o r a

.

cornucopia in his hand al ways however retaining hi s

, , ,

singul a rly revoltin g aspec t It is said that Hera wi sh i ng

. ,
1 76 M Y THS or A N CI E N T G R E E C E A ND ROM E .

to punish Aphrodite sent her th is missh apen and unsightly

,

son and that when he was born his mother was so hor
,
,

ri fie d at the sight O f him that she ordered him to be ex ,

posed o n the mountains where he was fo u n d by some ,

sheph erds wh o taking pity o n h i m saved h rs lrfe

‘

.
, ,
,

This divinity was ch iefly worsh i pped at L ampsacus, h rs

birthplac e Asses were sacrificed to h i m and he rece i ved
. ,

t h e firs t fruits o f the fields and gardens with a libation

-
,

Of milk and honey .

The worship Of Priapus was I ntroduced i nto Ho m e at

the same time as that O f Aphrodite and was identified ,

with a native Italian divinity named Mutunus .

A S C L E P I A S ( JE S C UL A PI US ) .

Asclepias the go d Of the healing art was the son Of

, ,

Ap o llo and the nymph Coronis He was educated by t he .

noble Centaur Chiron who instructed h im in all know ,

ledge but more especially i n that O f the properties Of

,

herbs Asclepias searched o u t the hidden powers Of

.

plants and discovered cures fo r the various diseases

,

which afflict t h e human body He brought his art t o .

such perfection that he not only succeeded in warding O ff

,

death but also restored the dead to life It was po pu

,
.

larly believed that he was materially assisted in his w o n

d e rfu l cures by the blood of the Medusa given to him by ,

Pallas Athene -
.

It is well to Observe that the shrines of this divinity ,

which were usually built in healthy places o n h ills outside ,

the town or near wells wh ich w e re believed to have heal

.

ing p o wers O ffered at the same time means O f cure for

,

t h e sick and suffering thus c o mbining religious with sani

,

tary infl u ences It was t h e custom fo r t h e sufferer to

.

sleep in the temple when if he had been earnest in h is

, ,

devotions Asclepias appeared to him in a dream and re

, ,

vealed the means to be employed for the cure Of his ma

lady O n the walls O i these temples were hung tablets
.
,

in scribed by the di fferent pilgrims with the particulars Of

their maladies the remedies practised and t h e cures
, ,
 ASC L E PIAS ( E SC U L A P I u s ) . 1 77

worked by the god a cust o m undoubtedly productive

—

o f most beneficial resul ts .

Groves temples , and altars were dedicate d to Asele

,

pias in many parts o f Greece but E pidaurus the chief , ,

seat o f hi s worship where indeed it is said t o have

,
—
, ,

o riginated contained his principal temple which served

—
, ,

at the s ame time as a h ospital .

The statue of Asclepias in the temple at E pidaurus

was f o rmed o f ivory and gold and represented h im as an ,

o ld man with a full beard leaning on a staff round which

,

a serpent is climbing The serpent was the distinguish

.

ing symbol o f this divinity partly because these reptiles

,

were greatly used by the ancients in the cure o f d iseases ,

and partly also because all the prudence and wisdom o f

the serpent were deemed indispensable to the judicious
physician .

His usual attributes are a staff ,

a bowl a bunch o f herbs a pine , ,

apple a dog and a serpent , ,

.

His children inhe rited fo r the ,

most part the distinguished ,

talents o f their father Two o f .

his sons Machaon and Podalirius , ,

accompanied Agamemnon to the

Troj an war in which expedition ,

they became renowned not o nly ,

a s military heroes but also as ,

ski lful physicians .

Their sisters HY G E I A (h ealth ) , ,

and P A N A C E A ( all healing) had -

temples dedicated to them and ,

received divine honours The .

function o f Hygeia was to maintain th e health o f th e co m

munity which great blessing was supposed to be brought
,

by her as a di rect and be n e fic e n t gift from the gods .

E SC U L A P I U S .

The worship o i Z E s cu lapiu s was introduced into Rome

-

from E pidaurus whence the statue o f the god of heali ng

,

( 73 ) M
1 78 M YTHS or AN CI E N T G R E E C E A ND ROM E .

was brought at the time o f a great pestilence Grate fu l .

for their deliverance from this plague the Romans erected ,

a temple in his honour o n an island near the mouth o f ,

the Ti ber .

RO MAN DIVI NITI E S .

J A N US .

F rom the earliest ages Janus was regarded by t h e

Romans with the utmost affection and veneration as a ,

divinity who ranked only second to Jupiter himself and ,

t h rough whom all prayers and petitions were transm itted

to the other gods .

He was believed to preside over the beginnings of all

things hence it was he who inaugurated the years
, ,

months and seasons and in course o f time came to be

, ,

considered as specially protecting the beginnings o f all

human enterprises Th e great importance whi ch the .

Ro mans attac h ed to an auspicious commencement as con ,

tributing to the ultimate success of an enterprise accounts ,

for the h igh estimation in which Janus was held as the

god of beginnings .

This divinity would appear to have been the ancient

sun god o f the Italian tribes in which capacity he opens
-

and closes the gates o f heaven every mornin g and even

ing Hence he was regarded as the door keeper o f
.
-

heaven and also as t h e presiding deity over all gates

, ,

entrances &C o n earth ,

.
, .

The fact o f his being t h e go d o f city gates which were ,

called J ani after him is ascribed however to the follow , , ,

ing m yt h z After the abduction o f their women by the

—

Romans the Sabines in revenge invaded the Roman

, , ,

state and were already about t o enter the gates of the

,

city when suddenly a h o t sulphur spring which was be

, ,

li e ve d to have been sent by Janus for their special preser

vation g ushed forth from the earth and arrested the pro
, ,

gress o f the enemy .

 J ANU S . 1 79

In hi s character as guar di an of gates and doors he was ,

also regar ded as a protecting deity of the home fo r ,

w h ich reason little shrines were erected to him over the

doors of houses whi ch contai ned an ima e o f the go d
,
g
,

having t w o faces .

Janus possessed no temples in the ordinary acceptation

o f the word but all the gates o f cities were dedicat ed to
,

h im Close to the F orum o f Rome st o od the so c alled

temple of Janus which however was merely an arched
, , ,

passage C losed by massive gates This temple was open

,
.

only in time of war as it was s u pposed that the god h ad

,

then taken h i s departure with the Roman a rmy over ,

whose welfare he personall y presided It is worthy of .

notice as an evidence of the many wars in which the

,

Romans were engaged that the gates o f this sanctuary

,

were onl y closed three times during 7 00 years .

As the g o d w h o ushers in the new year the first month ,

was called after him and o n the 1 s t of January his m o st

,

important festival was celebrated o n which occasion all ,

entrances o f publi c and private buildings were decorated

with laurel branches and garlands o f flowers .

His sacrifices consisting o f cakes wine and barley

, , , ,

were offered to him at the beginning of every month ; and

befo re sacrificing to the other gods hi s name was always
invoked and a libation poured o u t to h im
,

Janus is usually represented with two faces ; in his

special f u ncti o n as door keeper o f heaven he stands erect
-

bearing a key in o n e hand and a rod o r sceptre in the ,

other .

It is supposed that Janus was the most ancient king o f

Italy w h o during his life governed his subj ects with such
, , ,

wisdom and moderation that in gratitude fo r the benefits ,

conferred u pon them his people deified him after death

,

and placed him in the foremost rank am o ng their di vini

ties We have already seen i n the history o f Cronus
.

that Saturn who was identified with the Greek Cronus

,

(g o d o f time
) was the
,
friend and colleague of Janus .

A n xious t o prove his gratitude to his benefac t or Cronus ,

endowed him with the knowledge of past and futur e

 1 80 m as or AN CI E N T G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

events whi ch enabled him t o adopt the wi sest measures

,

fo r the welfare O f hi s subj ects and it is o n thi s account ,

th a t Janus is represented with two faces loo k ing in Oppo

ns t h e one t o the past the othe r t o the
, ,

futur e .

FL O R A .

lora was the goddess Of flowers and was regarded as ,

a be n e fice n t power who watched over and protected the

,

e ar ly blossoms .

Sh e was h eld in the highest estimation by the Ro man s ,

and a festiva l called the F loralia was celebrated in her

, ,

honour from the 28t h Of April t o the 1 s t o f May T hi s .

festival was a season o f univers a l merriment in which ,

flowers were u sed profusely in adorning hous es streets , ,

&c and were worn by young girls in the ir h air

.
,
.

F lora who t ypified the season of Spri ng is generall y

, ,

r e presented as a lovely maiden garl and e d with flowers , .

RO B IG US .

In opposition t o F lora we find an antagoni stic divinity ,

c al led Robigus a worker Of evil who de lighted in t h e

, ,

destruction o f the tender herbs by mi ldew and whose ,

wrath coul d only be averted by prayers and sacri fices ,

when he was in voked under the title of A v e ru n cu s or ,

t he A v e rt o r.

The festiv al of Robigus ( the Robigalia) was celebrat ed

on the 25t h O f April .

PO M ONA .

P omona was the goddess of orchards and frui t trees -

who according t o O vid cares n o t for wo o ds o r streams

, , ,

but loves her gardens and the boughs that bear the
thrivi ng fru i t .

Pomona who typ i fi es Autumn is represented as a

, , ,

lovely mai den laden with branches o f frui t trees

,
-
.
 VE RTU M NU S— PA LE S . 1 81

VE RT UM N U S .

Vertumnus was the god o f garden and fi eld produce .

He pe rso n i fie s the change o f seasons and that process of ,

t ran s fo rfn a t io n i n nature by means o f w hi ch t h e leaf

buds become develop ed into blossoms and the blossoms ,

into fruit .

The change O f seasons is symbolized in a myth whi ch

r epresents Vertumnus as metamorphosing himself into a

variety o f di fl e re n t forms in order t o gain the aff ection

o f Pomona who so loved her vocation that she abj ured
,

all thoughts of marriage He firs t appears t o her as a

.

ploughman typifying Spring ; then as a reaper t o re pre

, ,

sent Sum mer ; afterwards as a vine gatherer t o in di cate -

Autumn ; and finally as a gray haired o ld woman sym —

,

bo li ca l o f the snows of Winter ; but it w a s not until he

assumed his true form that o f a beautiful youth that he
, ,

succ e eded in his suit .

Vertumn us is generally represented crowned with

wheat shea ves and be arin g in his hand a cornucopi a
, .

P AL E S .

Pales a very ancient Italian divinity is represent e d

, ,

sometimes as a male sometimes as a female power

,
.

A s a mal e di vinity he is more par ticularly the god o f

shepherds and flocks .

As a female deity Pales presides over husbandry and

,

the fruitfulness O f herds Her festiv als the Palilia were

.
, ,

celebrated o n the 21 st o f April the day o n which t h e

,

city of Rome was founded Dur ing this festival it was

.

customary for shepherds t o ignite a m a ss O f straw ,

through which they rushed wi th their flocks beli eving ,

that thi s ordeal wo ul d purify them from sin .

The name Palatine which originally signified a pas

,

toral colony is derived from thi s divini ty Her Offerings

, .

were cakes and mi lk .

 M YTHS OF AN CI E N T G R E E CE A ND RO M E .

P IC US .

P icus the Of Saturn and father o f Faunus was a

,
so n , .

woodland divinity gifted with prophetic powers

,
.

An ancient myth relates that Picus was a beautiful

youth un ited to a nymph called C anens
,
The sorceress .

C irce in fatuated by hi s beauty endeavoured t o secure

, ,

hi s love but he rej ected her advances and she i n r evenge

, , , ,

ch anged hi m into a woodpecker under whi ch form he ,

still retained hi s powers o f pro p h ecy .

Picus is represented as a youth with a wo o dpe cker ,

perch e d upon h i s head which bird became henceforth,

regard e d as possessed o f the power o f prophecy .

P I C UM N U S A N D P IL UM N U S .

Picumnus and Pilumnus were two hous ehold diviniti es

o f the Romans who were the special presiding deities o f
,

new born infants

—
.

S I L VA N U S .

Silvanus was a woodland divi n ity w h o like F aunus , , ,

greatly resembled the Greek Pan He was the pres idi ng

deity of plantations and forests and specially protec ted ,

the b o und ari es o f fields .

Silvanus is represented as a hale Old man carryi ng a ,

cypress tree for according to Roman myt hology the

-

, , ,

transformation o f the youth Cyparissus into the tr e e

which bears hi s nam e was attribute d to him .

His sacrifices consisted o f milk m e at wine grapes , , , ,

wheat e ars and pigs

-

, .

T E RM I N U S .

Termin us was the god who presided over all bound aries
and landmarks .

He was originally represented by a simple block o f

stone which in later times became surmounted by a
,
 C ON S U S —
L LB I TI NA . 1 83

hea d o f thi s di vini ty Numa Pompilius t h e great bene

.
,

facto r o f his people an xi o us to i nculcate respect fo r the

,

rights of property specially enjoined the erection of these

,

blocks o f stone as a durable monument t o mark the line

,

dividi ng o n e property fro m a n o ther He also caused .

altars to be raised t o Terminus and i nstituted h i s festival ,

the T i li whi ch was celebrated n the 23r d o f

( e rm n a a
)
,
o

F ebruary .

Upon o n e occasion when Tarquin wish e d to remove

,

the altars of several deities in order t o bui ld a new ,

t emple it is said that Terminus and Juventas alone

,

obj ecte d to being displaced This obstinate refusal on .

their part was interpreted as a good omen signifying that ,

the city o f Rome woul d never lose her boundaries and ,

woul d remain ever young and vigorous .

C ON S U S .

Consus was the god o f secret cou nsel .

The Ro mans beli eved th at when an idea developed

itse lf spontaneously within the mind of an individual it ,

was Consus w h o had prompted the suggestion This :

appli e d however more particularly t o plans which

, ,

resulted satisfactorily .

An altar was erected to this di vinity on the Circus

Maximus which was kept always c o vered except during
, ,

hi s festival the C o n su alia whi ch was celebrated o n the

, ,

1 8t h o f August .

L I B IT IN A .

L ibitina was the goddess who presided over funerals .

This divinity was identified wi th Venus possibly because , .

the ancients considered that the power of love extended

even t o the realms o f death .

Her temple in Ro me which was erected by Servius

,

Tull ius contained all the requi sites for funerals and these
, ,

could either be bought o r hired there A register o f all .

deaths whi ch occurred in the city o f Rome was kept in

1 84 M YT HS OF AN CI E NT G RE E CE A ND ROM E .

this temple and in order ,

to ascertai n the rate Of m O r
tality a piece of
,
Of Se rvm s
T u ll i u s o n the demis
,
perso n

L A V E RN A .

a was th e presiding goddess o f thi eves and of ,

all artifice and fraud There w as an altar erected t o her

.

near the Porta L av e rn alis w hich was call e d after her and
, ,

she possessed a sacred grove o n the Via Sa lavi a .

C O M US .

Comus was the presidin g genius o f banquets festive ,

scenes revelry and all j oyous pleasures and reckless

, ,

gaiety .

He is represented as a young man crowned with

flowers his face heated and fl u s h ed with wine leaning
, ,

against a post in a half sle epy and drunken attitud e -

wi th a torc h fall in g from bis h an d

'

TH E C A M E NE .

The Camen ae were prophetic nym phs held in high

veneration by the ancient Italians They we re four in .

number t h e be st known Of whom are Carmenta and

,

E geria .

Carmenta was celebrated as being the mother of E van

der who led an Arcadi an colony in to Italy and founded
, ,

a town o n the river Tiber whi ch became after war ds ih ,

c o r o r a t e d with t h e city o f Ro me E vander is said t o

'

p .

have been the first w h o in troduced Greek art and civil

i z at i o n i nto Italy and als o t h e worship o f Greek di v initi es
, .

A temple was erected t o Carmenta o n the Capitolin e

Hill and a festival called t h e C arm e n t ali a was celebrated
, , ,

in her h onour on t h e 1 1 t h O f January .

E ge ri a is s ai d t o have initiated Numa Pompili u s in

the forms of religious wo rship which he intr oduced ,

among h is people Sh e was regard e d as the giver of

.
 G E Nrr— MA NE s . 1 85

lif e and was therefore inv o ked by W omen before the

,

birth of their children .

The Camen ae ar e frequently identi fi ed by Ro m an

writers with the Muses .

G E N II .

A comforting and assur ing beli ef existe d among t h e

Romans that e ach indi v idual was accompan ied through
,

life from the hour o f his birth to that of his death by

, ,

a prote cting spirit called hi s genius who prompte d him

, ,

to go od and noble deeds an d acted towards him as a ,

guardian angel comforting him in sorrow and gui di ng

, ,

him throughout his earthly career

In the co urse Of ti me a second genius w as believed t o
exist of an evil nature who as the instigator of all
, , ,

wr ong d o m g was ever at war with the be n e fice n t genius ;

—
,

and on t h e issue of t h e conflict between these anta gonistic

influences depended the fate o f the in d ivi d u a L The
,

geni i were depicted as winged beings greatly resembling ,

o u r modern representations Of guardi an angels .

E very state town or c i ty ( as we ll as eve 1 y man ) pos

, , , ,

sessed its special genius The sacrifices to t h e geni i .

consisted of wine cakes and incense which were offered

, , ,

t o them o n birthday s
The ge ni us whi ch guided a woman was called after the ,

qu een of heaven Juno ,

.

Among the Greeks beings called D aemons were re ,

garded as e x ercising simil a r functi o ns to those o f the

Roman genii T h ey were believed t o be the sp irits of
.

the righte ous race which existed in the Golden Age w h o ,

watc h ed over m anki nd carrying their t o the ,

gods and the gifts o f the gods to them

,

M A NE S .

L E M U RE S ( L A RVA E) A ND L A RE S
‘

The Manes were the spirits of the depar ted and were ,

o f two kin ds vi z L emures ( or L arv ae) an d L ares

,
. .
1 86 M YT HS O F A NCIE NT G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

The L emu res were those Manes who ha unte d their

former abodes o n earth as evil spirits appe aring at night ,

under awful forms and hideous shapes greatly t o the ,

alarm of their friends an d relatives They were so feare d .

that a festival call ed the L em u ralia w as celebra t ed in

, ,

order t o propitiate them

It appears extremely probable that the superstitions
with regard to ghosts haun ted houses & c whi ch exi st , , .
,

even at the present day owe their origin t o thi s very ,

ancient pagan s o urce .

The L ares Fa m ili ar e s were a much more pleasing co n

ception They were the spirits o f the ancestors o f e ach
.

fami ly w h o exercised aft er death a protectin g power

,

o ver the well bein g and prosperity o f the fami ly t o which

-

th ey had in life belonge d The place Of h o nour be side

the hearth was occupied by the statue o f the L ar O f the
house who was supposed t o have been the founder Of
,

the fam ily This statue was the object o f profound

.

veneration and was honoured on all Occasions by every

,

member Of t h e family ; a portion of each meal was laid

before it and it was believed t o take an active part in all
,

fami ly affai rs and domestic events whether of a sa d o r ,

joyful nature Before starting on any expedi tion the

.

m aster O f the house sal u te d the statue o f the L ar and , ,

on his return a solemn t h anks giving was o ffered t o thi s

, ,

t h e presiding deity of hi s hearth and home in grateful ,

acknowledgment of hi s protection ; whereupon the sta tue

was crowned with garlands o f flowers these being the ,

favouri te Offerings t o the L ares o n all oc cas ions of espec ial

family r ej oicin g .

The first act of a bride on ente ring her new abode was
to do homage t o the L ar in the belief that he would e xe r ,

cise over her a pro t ecting influence and shield her from evi l .

In additi o n t o th o se above enumerated there were

also public L ares w h o were guardians o f the sta te high
, ,

roads co untry an d sea

, T h eir temples were always
, .

Open for any pious wo rshi pper t o enter and on their ,

altars public sacrifices were offered fo r the welfare of t h e

state or city .
 s [ 87
‘

PE NA TE .

PE NA TE S .

Th e P enates were deities selected by each family and ,

frequently by its individual members as a special pro ,

tector Various causes led to th is selection If for in

. .
,

stance a child were born o n the festival o f Vesta it was

, ,

thought that that deity woul d henceforward act as its

special guardian If a youth possessed great business
.

tal ents he adopted Mercury as his tutelary deity ; shoul d

he o n the other hand develop a passion for music
, , ,

Apollo was selected as his patron god and s o forth ,

.

T h ese became re garded as the special divinities Of the

household s 1i1 all i mages of them adorned the surround
,

in gs of the hearth and honours similar to those pai d to

,

the L ares were accorded to them .

Just as th e re were public L ares so there were public

Penates which were worshipped by the Roman people
,

under the form o f two youthful warri ors wh o in later , ,

times were regarded as identical with Castor and Poll u x

, .

They are generally represented o n horseback with coni ,

cal caps o n their heads and beari ng long spears in th e ir

,

hand s.
P UB L IC W ORSHI P O F THE ANCI E NT G RE E K s
A ND RO MANS .

TE MPL E S .

In very remote times the Greeks had no shrines o r

sanctuaries devoted t o public w orship but performed ,

their devotions beneath the vast and boundless canopy

of heaven in the great temple of nature itself B e
,
.

l ieving that their divinities throned above the clouds ,

pi o us worshippers naturally sought the highest available

points in order to place themselves in the closest com
,

munion possible with their go ds ; h ence the summits o f

high mountains were selected fo r devotional purp o ses and ,

the m o re exalted the rank and importance of the divinity

invoked t h e more elevated was t h e site selected for his
,

o r her worship . But the inconveni ence attending this

mode O f worsh ip gradually suggested the idea O f erect
in g edifices which would afford means of shel t er from the
inclemency of the weath er .

These structur es were in the first inst ance o f the

, ,

most simple form and with o ut decorati o n ; but when

, ,

with the pr o gress o f civilization the Greeks became a

,
 TE M PL E S .

wealthy and powerful people temples were built and ,

adorned with the greatest splendour and magnificence ,

talent labour and wealth being lavished un spari ngly o n

, ,

their erection and decoration ; indeed so massively were

they constructed that some of them have t o a certai n
, ,

extent with stood the rava es o f time

,
The city o f g .

Ath ens especially contains numerous remains o f these

buildings of antiquity O n the Acro polis we may still
.

behold among other monuments o f ancient art the

, ,

temple of Athene Polias and that o f Theseus the latter

-

, ,

o f which is t h e most entire ancient edific e in the world .

In the island of Delos also are to be seen the ru ins Of

, ,

the temples of Apollo and Artemis both Of which are ,

in a wonderful state o f preservati o n These ruins are .

most valuable being sufficiently complete to enable us to

,

study by their aid the plan and character o f the o ri ginal

, , .

structure .

Among the L aced aemonians howev e r we find no ves , ,

tiges of these stately temples fo r th ey were specially ,

enjoined by a law of L ycurgus to serve the go ds with as

little outlay as possible When the great lawgi ver was .

asked the reason Of this injunction he replied that the ,

L aced aemonians being a poor nation m ight otherwise

, ,

abstain alt o gether from the observance o f their religious

duties and wisely added that magnificent edifices and
,

costly sacrifices were not s o pleasing to the gods as the ,

true piety and unfeigned devoti o n of their worshippers .

The most ancient temples known to us served a double

purpose : they were n o t only consecrated t o the service o f
the gods but were at the same time venerabl e monu
,

ments in honour o f the dead Thus fo r instance the .

, ,

temple of Pallas Athene in the tower o f the city Of L ar

,

i ssa served as the sepulchre o f Acri sius and the Acropolis

, ,

at Athens received the ashes of Cecrops founder o f the ,

city.

A temple was frequently dedicated to two o r more

gods and was always built after the manner considered
,

most ac ceptable t o the particular divinities t o whom it

was consecrate d ; for just as trees birds and anim al s of , ,
19 0 M YTHS OF A N CI E N T G R E E C E A ND ROM E .

every description were held to be sacred t o certain deities ,

so almost every g o d h a d a form of building pecul iar t o

hi mself which was de e med more acceptable to him than
,

any other Thus t h e Doric style o f archite cture was

.

sacred to Zeus Ares and Heracles ; t h e Ionic to Apollo

, , ,

Ar temis and Dionysus ; and t h e Corinthian to Hesti a

,
.

In the porch of t h e temple stood a vessel o f s t one o r

brass containing holy water ( which had been consecrated
,

by putting into it a burning t o rch taken from the altar) , ,

with whic h all those admitted to take part in the sacri

fice s were besprinkled In t h e inmost recess of the .

sanctuary w a s t h e m o st holy place into which none but ,

the priests were suffered to enter .

Temples in t h e c o untry were usually surrounded with

gro ves of trees Th e solitude o f these shady retreats
.

naturally tended to inspire the wors h ipper with awe and

reverence added to which the delightful shade and cool
,

ness afforded by tall leafy trees is peculiarly grateful in

h o t countries Indeed s o general did this custom Of
.

building temples in groves become that all places devoted ,

to sacred purposes even where no trees existed were , ,

called groves That this practice must be o f very remote

.

antiquity is proved by the Biblical injunction having for ,

its Object the separation o f the Jews from all idolatrous

practices : Thou s h alt not plant thee a
“
Of trees
near unto the altar of the L ord thy G o d .
!

S TA T U E S .

The Greeks w orshipped their gods without any visible

representations o f them until th e time of Cecrops The .

most ancient o f these representati o ns consisted Of square

blocks o f st o ne upon which the name of the deity
, ,

intended t o be represented was engraved The first .

attempts at sculpture were rude stocks with a he ad at ,

o n e end and a shapeless trunk at the other tapering ,

slightly down to the feet which however were not , , ,

divided the limbs being in no way defined But the

, .

artists o f lat er times devoted all their genius t o the su e

 AL TA R S — TRI E S TS . 19 1

c e s s ful
production o f the h ighest ideals o f their gods ,

some Of which are preserved t o this day and are re ,

garded as examples of purest art .

O n a pedestal i n the centre o f the edifice stood the

statue o f the di vi nity t o wh o m the temple was dedicated ,

surrounded by images Of other gods all o f which were ,

fenc e d o ff by r ails .

A L TA RS .

The altar in a Greek temple which stood in the centre ,

o f the building and in front of the statue of the presi di ng

deity was generally o f a circular form and constructed

, ,

o f stone It was customary to en grave upon it the name

.

or distinguishing symbol o f the divinity to whom it was

dedi cated ; and it was held so sacred that if any malefactor
fled t o it his life was safe from his pursuers and it was ,

considered one of the greatest acts o f sacri lege t o force

hi m from this asylum .

Th e most ancient al tars were adorned with horns ,

which in former times were emblems of power and dig

n i t y as wealth and consequently importance consisted
, , ,

among most primitive nations in flocks and herds .

In addition to those erected in places Of public worship ,

altar s were frequently raised in groves o n highways o r , ,

in the marke t places of cities-

.

The gods of the lower world had n o altars whatever ,

ditches o r trenches being dug for the re ception o f the

blood o f the sacrifices offered to them .

PRIE S TS .

In ancient times the priests were recognized as a special

s o cial caste and were distinguished n o t onl y by th eir
,

sacerdotal vestments but also by their piety wisdom and

, , ,

blameless life They were the chosen mediators between

.

gods and men and o ffered prayers and sacrifices in the

,

name of the pe o ple whom t h ey al so instructed as t o what

,

vows gifts and offeri ng s would be most acceptabl e t o the

, ,

gods .
19 2 M YTHS OF A N CI E N T G R E E C E A ND ROM E .

E very deity had a different order of priests consecrated

to his worsh ip and in every place a high prre st was
,
-

appointed who se duty it was to su pe rm t e n d the rest o f

,

his o rder an d also to carry o u t t h e more sacred rites and

,

reli gious Observances .

Pri ests and priestesses were permi tted to marry but ,

not a second time ; some however volun tarily adopted , ,

a life o f celibacy .

S A C R I FI C E S .

There is no doubt that a feeling O f gratitude to the

gods for their protecting care and the abundance with ,

wh ich t h ey were believed t o bless mankind has induced ,

m e n o f all nations and in all countries t o feel a desire t o

sacrifice to their divinities some portion of the gifts so
generously lavi shed upon them .

Among the Greeks sacrifices were Of various kinds ,

' '
.

They consisted o f f ree will ofiem n gs projm ti a tory oflemn gs &c

’

.
, ,

Free will afiem n gs were grateful acknowledgments fo r

'

benefits received and usually consisted o f t h e firs t fru i t s

,

of the field or t h e finest Of the flocks and herds which

, ,

were required to be without sp o t o r blemish .

Prop i t ia to ry afie ri n gs were brought with the obj ect o f

appeasing the anger of the gods .

In addition to those above enumerated sacrifices were ,

made either with a V iew of obtaini ng success in an enter

,

prise about to be undertaken o r in fulfilment of a vow , ,

or at the c o mmand of a n oracle .

E very sacri fice was acc o mpanied by sal t and also by a

libati o n wh ich usually consisted o f wine t h e cup being
, ,

always filled to t h e brim indicating that the Offering was ,

made without stint Wh en sacrificing to t h e infernal

.

gods the cup containing the libation was filled with

blo o d.

The animals offered to the O lympian divinities were

white whilst those to the gods o f the lower world were
,

black t e n a man o ffered a special sacrifice fo r him

.

s elf o r hi s fami ly it pa rt o o k o f the natur e Of his o ccu

 SAC R I FICE S . 193

p i
at o n ; thus a shepherd brought a sheep a vine grower ,
-

his grapes and so forth But in the case Of public sacri

,
.

fice s the supposed indi viduali ty O f the deity was always

,

consulted F or instance t o Demeter a sow was Offered

.
, ,

because that animal is apt t o root up the seed co m ; to -

Dionysus a goat o n accoun t Of its being destructive to

,

vineyards &c ,
.

The value of Offeri ngs depended greatly upon the posi

tion o f the in di vidual it being regarded as a contempt ,

o f the gods fo r a ri ch man to bri ng a sordid o ffering ,

whilst from a poor man the smallest oblation was con

s id e r e d acceptable X .

Hecato mbs consisted o f a hundred animals and were ,

offered by enti e communities or by we al thy i ndividuals

r
,

who either desired or had obtain ed some speci al favour ,

from the gods .

When a sacrifice was to be offered a fire was kindled ,

on the altar into wh ich w i ne and fr an kincense were

,

poured in order to increase the flame In very ancient

, .

times the victim was l ai d upon the altar and burned

,

whole ; but aft er the time of Prometheus port ions only

o f the shoulders th ighs entrails & c were sacrificed
, , ,
.
, ,

the remainder becoming the perquisite s of the priests .

The officiating priests wore a crown composed o f the

leaves o f the tree sacred to the deity they inv o ked .

Thus when sacrificing t o Apo llo the crowns were o f laurel ;

when to Heracles of poplar This practice o f weari ng ,
.

crowns was at a later pe ri od adop t ed by the general

, ,

public at banquets and o ther festivities .

O n occasions o f special solemnity the horns of the

victim were overlaid with gold and the altar s decked ,

with flowers and sacred herbs .

The mode Of conducting the sacrifices was as follows

—
All thi ngs being prepared a salt cake the sacrificial , ,

knife and the crowns were placed in a small basket and

, , ,

carried to the sanctuary by a young maiden whereupon ,

the victi m was conducted into the temple frequently t o ,

the accompaniment o f music If a small an imal it was .

,

driven l o o se t o the altar ; if a large o n e it was led by a ,

.

( 73 )
194 M YTHS OF AN CI E N T G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

long trailing rope in order to indicate that it was not an

,

unwilling sacrifice .

Wh en all were assembled the priest af t e r walki ng in , ,

solemn state round the altar besprinkled it with a mix ,

ture o f meal and holy water after which he also be ,

sprinkled t h e assembled worshippers and exhorted them ,

t o j oin with him in prayer The service being ended .

,

the priest first tasted the libation and after causing the ,

congregation to do t h e like poured the remainder between ,

the horns Of the victim after which f rankincense was ,

strewn up o n the altar an d a portion o f the meal and

,

water poured upon the animal which was then ki lled ,

.

If by any chance t h e victim escaped the stroke o r ,

beca m e in any way restless it was regarded as an evil ,

omen ; if o n t h e contrary it e xpired without a struggle

, , ,

it was c o nsidered auspicious .

At t h e sacrifices t o the aerial divinities music was

added whilst dances were performed rou nd the altar
, ,

and sacred hymns sung These hymns were generally .

composed in honour of the gods and contained an ,

account of their famous actions their clemency and ben e ,

fice n ce and the gifts conferred by them o n mankind

,
In .

conclusion the gods were invoked for a continuan ce o f

,

their favour and when the service was ended a feast was
,

held .

O RA C L E S .

The desire to penetrate the dark veil O f futurity an d ,

thereby to avert if p o ssible threatened danger has ani

, , ,

mated mankind in all ages o f the world Prophetic .

knowledge was sought by the Greeks at the mouth o f

oracles whose predictions were interpreted to the people
,

by priests specially appointed for the purpos e

, .

The most fa mo u s o f these institutions was the oracle

of Apollo at Delphi which was held in general repute all
,

over the world People flocked from far and near to

.

consult this wonderful mouth piece o f the gods one -

month in the year being specially set apart for the pur
 S OO THSA Y E R S ( A U G U Rs ) . 195

The priestess who delivered the oracles w as called th e

Pyt hia afte r the serpent Pyth o n which was killed by
, ,

Apollo Having first bathed in the waters o f the Cas

.
o

talian spring she was conducted into the te mple by the

,

p ri ests and was seated o n a sort o f three legged stool o r

,
-

table called a tripod w h ich was placed over the mouth

, ,

o f a cave whence issued sulphurous vapours Here sh e .

gradually became affected in a remarkable manner and ,

fell i nto an ecstatic condition in which she uttered wild ,

and extraordinary phrases which were held to be the ,

utterance o f Apollo himself ; these the priests interpreted

to the people but in most cases in so ambiguous a mann er
,

that the fulfilment o f the prediction c o ul d not easily be

di sputed During the ceremony clouds o f incense filled
.
,

the temple and hid the priestess from the view o f the
,

un initiated and at its conclus i o n she was reconducted in

, ,

a faintin g condition t o her cell ,

.

The fo llowing is a striking instance o f the ambiguity

o f oracular predi ctions Cr oesus the rich king O f L ydi a
—
, ,

before going to war with Cyrus king o f Persia con , ,

s u lt e d an oracle as to the probable success Of the e x pedi

tion The reply he received was that if he crossed a cer

.
,

tain river he would destroy a great empire Interpreting .

the response as being favour able t o his d e sign Croesus ,

crossed the river and encountered the Persian king by

, ,

wh om he was entirely defeated ; and his own empire

being destroyed the prediction Of the oracle was said t o
,

have been ful fill ed .

S O O THS A Y E RS ( A u G URs ) .

In addition to the man ifestation o f the will o f the gods

by means Of oracles t h e Greeks also believed that certain
,

men call e d s o othsayers were gifted with the p o wer o f

, ,

foretell ing future events from dreams from Observing t h e ,

flight of birds the entrails Of s a crificed animals and even

, ,

the direction of the flames and smoke from t h e altar &C ,

.
1 96 M YTHS or A N CI E NT G RE E C E A ND ROM E .

A U G U RS .

The Ro man soothsayers were called augurs and playe d ,

an important part in the hist o ry O f the Romans as no ,

“

enterprise was ever undertaken without first consu lti ng

them with regard to its ul timate success .

FE S TIV A L S .

F estivals were instituted as seasons o f rest rejoicing , ,

and thanksgiving and also as an niversari es t o Co m m e m o

,

rate events of national importan ce The most ancient .

festivals were those held af t er the i ngathering of the bar

vest O r vin tage and were celebrated with rej oicings and
,

merry makings whi ch laste d many days duri ng which

-

, ,

time the firs t fru it s o f the fields were Offered t o the gods ,

accompanied by prayers and thanksgiving .

The festivals held in cities in hon o ur Of special divini

ties o r in commem o ration o f particular events were con
, ,

ducted with an elaborate ceremoni al Gorgeous pro ce s .

sions games chariot races &c were conspicuous fea tures

, , ,
.
,

o n these occasions a n d dramatic performances represent

, ,

ing particular episodes in the lives Of the gods and heroes ,

frequently took place .

We subj oin a few Of the most interestin g o f t h e Greek

and Roman festivals .

G RE E K F E STI VAL S .

EL E U S I N IA N M Y S T E RI E S .

O ne o f the most ancient and important among the fes

t ival s observed by the Greeks was that of the E leusin ian
Mysteries which was celebrated in h o nour o f Demeter
,

and Perseph o ne The name was derived from E leusis a

.
,

town in Attica where the Mysteries were first introd uce d

,

by the go ddess hers elf They were divided into the .

 T HE S M OPH OR IA —
D I ONY SIA . 197

Greater and L esser Myste ri es and acc o rding t o the gene , ,

ral account were held every five years The Greater

,
.
,

whi c h were celebrated in h o n o ur of Demeter and lasted ,

nine days were held in autumn ; the L esser dedicated

,

t o Perseph o ne ( w h o at these festivals w a s affectionately

,

called Cora o r the maiden ) Were held In spring

, , .

It is supposed that the secrets taugh t t o t h e initiated

by the p ri ests the e x poun ders Of the Mysteri es were
— —

moral mean in gs elucidated from the myth s c o ncernin g

,

Demeter and Persephone ; but the most importa nt belief

incul cated was the doctrine of the immorta lity o f t h e
soul That t h e lessons taught were Of the highest moral
.

Charac t er is universally admitted The souls o f those .

“

who participated in them were filled with the sweetest

hopes both as t o th is and the future world and it was a '

common saying among the Athenians : In the Mysteries “

no o n e is s ad .
!

The initiation into these solemn rites (which was ori gin
ally the exclusive privilege o f the Athe n ians ) was aecom
pan ie d with awe inspiring ceremonies ; and secrecy was
-

so strictly enj oined that its violation was p u nished by

death At the c o nclusi o n o f the initiation great rej o icings
.

took place ch ario t race s w restling matches & c were

, , ,
.
,

held and solemn sacrifices offere d

,

The initiati o n into the L esser Myste ri es served as a

preparation for the Greater .

T H E S M O P H O RIA .

The Th e sm o ph o ria was an o ther festiv al held in honour

o f Demeter in her chara c ter as presiding over marri age
,

and so cial institutions resulting from the spread o f agri

c u lture
This festival was celebrate d exclusively by w

D I O N YS IA .

A j oy o us spring festival was held In hon o ur o f Dionysu s ,

in the month of March and lasted s everal days ,

.
198 M YTHS OF A N CI E N T G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

Thi s festival whi ch was called the Greater Dionysi a

, ,

was celebrated with particular splendour at Athens when ,

strangers flocked from all parts o f t h e world to take part

in the ceremonies The city was gaily decorated the
.
,

h o uses were garlanded with ivy

leaves crowds perambulated the
,

streets everything wore its holiday

,

garb and wine was fr eely indulged

,

In .
In the processions which took
place during these festivities the
‘

statue of Dionysus was carried and ,

men and women crowned with ivy ,

and bearing the thyrsus were dr es sed ,

in every descri ption of grotesque

costume and played on drums pipes
, , ,

flutes cymbals & c Some represent

, , .

ing Silenus rode on asses others ,

wearing fawn Skins appeared as Pan -

or the Satyrs and the whol e multi ,

~

tude sang p aeans in hon o ur o f the wine god Pub lic -

.

Shows games and sports took place and the e ntire city
, , ,

was full o f revelry .

What le nt additional interest to these festivals was the

custom O f introducing n e w comedies and tragedies to the
public representations of which were given and prizes
, ,

awarded to those which elicited the

greatest admiration .

The L esser Dionysia were vintage

festivals celebrated in rural districts
,

in t h e month o f November and were ,

characterized by drinking feas ting , ,

and joviality o f all kinds .

In connection with s o me of the fes

t iv als in h o nour of Dionysus were
certain mystic Observances into which ,

only w o men c alled Menades o r Bac ,

c h antes were in i tiated Clad in fawn

, .

s kins they assembled by night on the mountain sides

, ,
 P A NA THE NE A . 199

some carryin g blazing torches others thyrsi an d all , ,

ani mated with reli gious enthusiasm and frenzy They .

shouted clapped their hands danced wildly and worked

,
‘

, ,

themselves up to such a pitch o f excitement and fury that

in their mad frenzy they tore in pieces the animal brought
as a sacrifice t o Dionysus .

U nder the name o f Bacchanalia these mystic rites ,

were introduced into Rome where men also were allowed ,

t o participate in them ; but they were attended with

such frightful excesses that the state authorities at length
i nterfered and prohibited them

PA N A TH E N E A .

The P anathen ae a was a famous festival celebrate d in

Athens in honour o f Athene Polias the guardian o f the -

state There were two festivals of this name the L esser

.
,

and the Greater Pan at h e n ma The former was held an .

nually and the latter which lasted several days was

, , ,

celebrated every fourth year .

Fo r the Greater Panathen aea a garment embroidered ,

with gold called the Peplus was specially woven by

, ,

Athenian maidens o n which was represented the v ictory

,

gained by Athene over the Gi a nts This garm ent was .

suspended t o the mast o f a ship which stood outside the

city ; and during the f e stival which was characterized by ,

a grand procession the ship (with the Peplus o n its mast)

,

was impelled forward by means o f invisible machinery ,

and form e d the most conspicuous feature of the pageant .

The whole population bearing olive branches in their

,

hands took part in the procession and amidst music and

,

rejoicings this imposing pageant wended its way to the

temple o f A t h e n e Po lias where the Peplus was deposited
,

o n t h e statue of the goddess .

’
At this festival Homer s poems were declaimed aloud
, ,

and poets also introduced their o wn works to the publi c .

Musical contests foot and horse races and wrestling

, ,

m atches were held and dances were performed by boy s

,

in armour .
200 M YTHS OF AN CI E NT G R E E C E A ND RO M E .

Men who had deserved well Of their country were pre

sented at the festival with a crown o f gold and the name ,

o f the person so distinguished was announced publi cly by

a herald .

The vi ctors in the races and athletic games received ,

as a prize a vase O f Oil supposed to have been extracte d

, ,

from the fr u it of the sacred Oli ve tree of Athene -

D A P H N E P H O R IA .

The Daphnephoria was celebrated at Thebes in hon

o ur o f Apollo every nint h year .

The distinguishing feature of this festival was a pro

cessi o n to the temple o f Apollo in which a youn g priest ,

( the D aph n e h o r u s
p ) Of n o ble descent splendidly attired ,

and wearing a cro wn o f g o ld was preceded by a youth , ,

carrying an emblematical representation o f the sun ,

moon stars and days of the year and followed by

, , ,

beautif u l maidens bearing laurel branches and singi ng ,

hymns in honour of the god .

RO M A N FE ST IVAL S .

S AT U R N A L IA .

The Satu rnalia a national festival held in December

,

in honour of Saturn was celebrated after the ingathering

,
i

of the harvest and lasted several days, .

It was a time o f universal rej oicing cessation from ,

labour and merry making School children had holi

,
-
.

days friends sent presents to each other the law c our ts

, ,
-

were closed and no business was transacted

, .

Crowds of people fro m the surrounding country flocked

to Rome fo r this festival attired in every variety o f mas
q u e ra d e dress ; pr a ctical j o kes were given and receiv e d

with the utmost good humour shouts o f exultation fil led ,

 C E R E A L I A VE S TA L IA
—
. 201

the air all classes abandoned themselves t o enjoyment

, ,

and un restrained hilari ty reigned supreme Social di s .

t in c t io n s were fo r a time suspended o r even reversed ; ,

and s o heartil y was t h e spirit o f this festival entered

into that masters wai ted upon their slaves at ban
,

q u e t s w h ich t h ey provided for them ; th e slaves being

dr ess e d up o n these occasions in the garments o f their

m asters .

There appears little doubt that the modern Carnival is

a survival o f the ancient Saturnali a .

C E RE A L IA .

This festival was celebrated in h o nour of Ceres It .

was solemni zed e x clusively by w o men who dressed in , ,

white garments wandered about with torches in their

,

hands t o represent the search o f the goddess for her

,

daughter Pr o serpine .

During this festival games were celebrated in the

,

C ircus Maxi mus to which none were ad mitted unl ess

,

clothed in whi t e .

V E S TA L I A . .

The Vestalia was a festival held in honour o f Vesta o n

the 9 t h Of June and was celebrated exclusively by
,

women who walked barefooted in procession t o the

,

temple o f the goddess .

Th e priestesses of Vesta called Vestales o r Vestal

,

Virgins played a conspicuous part in these festiv al s

,
.

They were six in number and were ch o s e n be t w e e n

,
fl

the ages o f six and ten from the noblest families in

—

Rome . Their term o f office was thirty years During .

the first ten years they were initiated in their religious

,

duties during t h e second ten they performed them and

, ,

during the t h ird they instructed novi ces Their chi ef .

duty was to wat ch and feed the ever burni ng flame o n -

the altar of Vesta the extin c tion Of whi ch was regarded

,

as a na tional calamity o f ominous import .

202 M Y THS OF A N CI E NT G RE E C E
'

A ND RO M E .

Great honours and privil eges were accorded t o

the best seats were reserved fo r the ir use at all public
spectacles and even the consuls and praetors made way
,

for them t o pass If they met a criminal o n his way t o

.

execution they h ad the power t o pardon hi m provided ,

it coul d be proved that the meeting was accidental .

The Vesta les were vow e d t o c h as tity a violation o f ,

which was visite d by the frightful puni shment Of bein g

buri ed ali v e .
 P A RT I I .
—
L E G E NDS .

C A DM US .

The foll owi ng is the legendary account O f the foun d -

in g of Thebes
Af ter the abduction o f his daughter E uropa by Zeus ,

Agenor king o f Ph oenici a un able t o reconcil e hi mself to

, ,

her loss despatched his son Cadmus in search of her

, ,

desi ri ng him not to return without his sister .

F or many years Cadmus pursued his search th r ough

v ari ous count ri es but W ithout success No t dari ng t o
, .

return hom e without her he consulted the oracle o f

,

Apollo at Delphi ; and the reply was that he must desist

from his task and take upon himself a new duty i s
, ,
.

that Of founding a city t h e site o f which woul d be in

,

di cat e d t o him by a heifer which had never borne the

yoke and which woul d lie down on the spot whereon the
,

city was t o be built .

Scarcely had Cadmus left the sacred fane when he o h ,

served a heifer who bore no marks o f servitude on her

neck walking slowly i n front o f him He followed the
, .

animal for a considerable distance until at length o n the, ,

site where Thebes afterwards stood she looked towar ds ,

heaven and gently lowing lay down in the long grass

, ,
.

Grateful for this mark of divine favour Cadmus resolved ,

to offer up the animal as a sacrifice an d accordingly sent ,

his foll owers t o fe t ch water for the libation from a neigh

bo urin g spring Thi s spring which was sacred t o Ar es
.
, ,

was situated in a w o od and guarded by a fierce dragon

, ,

who at the approach o f the retainers o f Cadmus sud

, ,

d e n l y pounced upon them an d killed th em

After waiting some time for the return o f h i s serv ants
204 M YTHS or AN CI E NT G R E E CE A ND ROM E .

Cadmus grew impatient and hastily arming hi mself wi th ,

hi s lance and spear set o u t t o seek them O n reach i ng

,
.

the sp o t t h e mangled remains o f hi s unfortun ate foll owers

,

met his view and near them he beheld the fri ghtful mon
,

ster dripping with the blood o f his victims Seizing a

,
.

huge rock the hero hurled it with all his might upon
,

the dragon ; but protected by hi s tough black skin and

steely scales as by a coat o f mail he remained unhurt ,
.

Cadm us now tri ed his lance and with more success fo r , ,

it pierced the side of the beast who furi ous with pain , , ,

sprang at his adversary when Cadmus leapin g aside , , ,

suc ceeded in fixin g the poin t o f his spear within h is

j aws whic h final stroke put an end t o the encoun ter
,
.

TVh ile Cadmu s stood surveying his vanquish e d foe

Pall aS A t h e n e appeared to him and commanded him t o ,

s o w the teeth of the dead dragon in the groun d He .

obeyed ; and out o f the fu rrows there arose a band o f

armed men who at once commenced t o fight with each
,

other until al l except five were killed These last sur

,
.

g warriors made peace with each other and it was ,

with t h eir assist nce that Cad mus n o w built the famous
a

city of Thebes In la t er times the noblest Theb a n

.

families proudl y claimed their descent from these mi ghty

earth b o rn warriors
-
.

Ares was furi ous with r a e when he di sco ver e d that g

Cadmus h ad sl ai n hi s dragon and would have kil led him ,

had not Zeus inte rfered and induced him t o mi tigate ,

his punishment t o that o f servitude fo r the term o f

eight years At the end O f that time the god of war
.

be came recon ciled t o Cadmus and in token Of his for , ,

giv e n e s s bestowed upon him the hand o f his daughter

,

Harmonia in marri age T h eir nuptials were almost as .

celebrated as th o se of Peleus and Thetis A ll the gods .

honoured them with t h eir presence and offered rich ,

gifts and con gratulations Cadmus hi m s elf presented .

his lovely bri de wi th a splendid necklace fas h ioned by

Heph aestus whi ch however after the death o f Har
, , ,

monia always proved fatal t o it s possessor

, .

The chi ldren o f Cadmus and Harmoni a were o n e so n ,

 P E RS E U S . 205

P olydoru s and four daughte rs A u t ono e

, , ,
Ino ,
Semele ,
and Agav e .

Fo r many years the founder Of Thebes reigned hap

pily but at lengt h a consp irac y was form e d again st h im
, ,

and he was deprived Of his throne by his grandson

Pentheus Acco mp an ied by his fai thfu l wife Harm o ni a
.
,

he re t ired into Illyria and after death they were b o th

,

change d by Zeus i nto serpen t s and trans ferr e d t o E ly ,

Sl um .

P E RS E US .

Perseus o n e Of the most renowned Of the legendary

,

heroes o f antiquity was the son o f Zeus and Danae daugh t er

, ,

o f Acrisius king o f Argos ,

.

A n oracle having foretold to Acrisius that a s o n o f

Danae woul d be the cause o f his death he impri so ned ,

her in a tower o f brass in order t o keep her secluded

from the world Zeus h owever descended through the
.
, ,

roof o f the tower in the form of a shower o f gold and ,

the lovely Danae became his bride .

F or four years Acri sius remained in ignorance o f this

un i on but o n e eveni ng as he chanced to pass by the
,

brazen chamber he heard the cry of a yo ung chil d pro

,

ce e di n g from within which led to the discove ry of his

,
’
daughter s marriage with Zeus E nra ged at finding al l .

h i s precautions unavai lin g Acri sius c o mmanded the ,

mother and child t o be placed in a chest and thro w n in t o

the sea .

But it was not the will o f Zeus that they should

perish He directe d Poseidon to calm the troubled
.

waters and caused the chest to float saf ely to the island
,

o f Seriphus Dictys brother o f Po ly d e ct e s kin g o f the

.
, ,

island was fishin g on the sea shore when he saw t h e

,
-

chest stranded o n the beach ; and pitying the helpless

condition of its unhappy occupants h e c o nducted th em ,

t o the pal ace of the king w h ere they were treated with
,

the greatest kindness .

Po ly d e ct e s eventually became united t o Danae and ,

206 M YT HS OF AN CIE N T G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

bestowe d upon Perseus an education befitting a hero .

When he saw his steps o n develop into a n o ble and

manly youth he endeavoured to instil i nto hi s mind a
desire t o signalize hi mself by the achievement o f some
great and heroic deed and a fter mature deliberati o n it
,

was decided that the slayin g Of the Gorgon Medusa , ,

woul d bri ng hi m the greatest ren o

Fo r t h e successful accomp lishment o f hi s Object it
was necessary for h im t o be provided wit h a pair o f
win ged sandals a magi c wallet and the helmet of A i de
, ,
s
,

which rendered t h e wearer invisible all o f which were in ,

t h e keeping Of t h e Nymphs the place of whose abode w as ,

k nown only to t h e Graeae Perseus starte d o n hi s exp e di

.

ti o n and guided by Hermes an d Pall as Athene arrive d

, ,
“
-

, ,

after a long j ourney in t h e farc fl region o n the borders

, ,

o f O ceanus w h ere dwelt the Gr ae ae daughters Of Phorcys

, ,

and Ceto He at once applied t o them for the necessary

.

info rmation and o n thei refu s ing t o grant it he deprived

,
r

them o f their single eye and tooth which he only re ,

sto red t o them when t h ey gave hi m ful l directions with

regard to his r o ute He t h en proceeded to the abode Of
.

the Nymphs from whom he Obtained the obj ects in di s

,

pensable for his purpose .

E qui pped with t h e magic helmet and w allet and armed ,

with a sickle the gift of Hermes he attach e d t o his feet

, ,

the winged sandals and flew t o the abode of the Gorgons

, ,

whom he found fast asleep No w as P e rseus had been .

warned by his celestial guides that whoever looked upon

these weird S isters would be transfo rmed into stone he ,

stood with averted face before the sleepers and caught ,

o n h i s bright metal shi eld their t ri ple ima e Then g

.
,

gui ded by Pallas Athene he cut O ff the head o f the

-

Med u sa which he pl aced in his w all et No sooner had

, .

he done so than from the headless trunk there sprang

forth the win ged steed Pegasus and Chrysao r the father , ,

o f the winged giant Geryon He n o w hasten e d t o elude .

the pursuit o f the two sur viving sist ers who aroused , ,

from their slum bers eagerly rushed t o avenge the death

,

o f th eir sister .
 PE RS E U S . 207

His i nvi sible helmet and win n sa ndals here stood

hi m in good stead ; for the former concealed hi m from
the view Of the Gorgons whi lst the latter bore hi m ,

swiftly over land and sea far beyond t h e reach o f pursuit , .

In pas si ng over the burning p l ai ns of L ibya the drops o f

blood from the head of the Medusa oozed through the
wallet and falling o n the h o t sands below pr o duced a
,

brood of man y coloured snakes whi ch spre ad all over the

-

country .

Perseus continued hi s flight until he reached t h e king

dom o f Atlas O f wh o m he begged rest and shelte r But
, .

as thi s kin g possessed a valuable orchard in whi ch every ,

tree bore golden fruit he was fearful lest the slayer of,

the Med u sa might destroy the drago n which guarded it ,

and then rob h i m o f hi s tre as u res He therefore refused .

t o grant the hospitality which the hero demanded where ,

upon Perseus ex a sperated at the churli sh repul se pro

, ,

d u ce d fro m hi s wallet the head o f the Medusa an d hold ,

ing it towards the king transformed h im into a sto ny ,

mountain Beard and hair erecte d themselves into fo rests ;

.

shoul ders hands and limbs became huge ro c ks and the

, , ,

head grew up into a craggy peak which reac hed into the
clouds .

Pers eus then resumed his travels His winged s an dals .

bore h im over deserts and mo u nta ins until he arri ved at ,

r E t lri o
pia the kingdom of K in g Cepheus Here he found
,
.

the country inundated with disastrous floods towns and ,

v illages destroyed and everywhere signs o f desolation

,

and ruin O n a projecting c liff close t o the shore he

.

beheld a lovely maiden chained t o a rock This was

’
Andromeda the king s daughter Her mother C as siopea
,
.
,

having boasted that her beauty surpassed that of the

Nereides the angry sea nymphs appealed to Poseidon to
,
-

avenge their wro ngs whereupon the sea god devastate d

,

the country with a terrible inundation which brought ,

w ith i t a huge monster who devour e d al l that came in

s the u nf o rtun ate Z E t h i O pian s appli ed

to the oracle of J u pit e r Ammon i n the L ibyan d e s ert -

, ,
208 M YT HS OF AN CIE NT G RE E C E A ND Ro m a .

an d obtai n e d the response that only by the s a c ri fice o f

,

t h e kin g s daughte r t o the monster could the countr y

’

a n d people be saved .

Cepheus who was te nderly attached t o his c hild at

, ,

first refus ed t o li sten t o this dre adful prop o sal ; but over
come at length by the prayers and so li c i t a tions o f hi s
un h appy subj ects the heart broken father gave up his
,
-

child for the welfare o f h i s c o un try An drom e da was .

accordingly chained t o a rock o n t h e sea shore t o serv e -

as a prey t o the monster whilst her unh appy parents ,

bewailed her sad fate o n t h e beach bel o w .

O n being inf ormed O f the meani n g of this tragic scene ,

Perseus prop o sed to Cepheus t o slay the dra o n o n co n g

,

di tion that t h e lovely victim should be co me his bride .

’
O verj oyed at the prospect o f A n dromeda s release the ,

kin g gladly acceded to the stipulation and Perseus ,

has t ened t o t h e rock to breathe w o rds of h o pe and com

,

fo rt t o t h e trembling maiden T h en assuming once more .

the helmet o f Ai des he m o un ted into the air and awai t ed

, ,

the approac h o f the m o nster .

’
Presently the sea opened and the shark s head o f t h e,

g igantic beast Of the deep r ai sed itself above the waves .

L ashing h i s tail furi ously fro m side t o side he lea ped ,

fo rward t o seize his victim ; but the gallant hero wa t c hing ,

h i s o pport u nity suddenly d art ed do wn and producing

, ,

the head of the Medus a from his wallet held it before ,

.

t h e eyes o f the dra go n wh o se hi deous bod y be came

,

gradu ally tran sformed int o a huge black rock which ,

remai n e d fo r ever a silent witness of t h e mi r acul ous de

liverance o f An dromeda Perse u s then led the m ai den
.

to her now h appy parent w h o anxious t o evince their

s
, ,

gratitude to her deliverer ordered immediate prepara ,

tions to be made fo r the nuptial fe as t But the young .

hero was not t o bear away h i s lovely bride unco nte sted ;
’
for in the midst o f t h e banquet Phineus the king s , ,

brother t o whom Andromeda h a d previously been be

,

trothed returned to claim h i s b ri de F ollowed by a

, . .

band o f armed warriors h e forced h is way into the hall ,

an d a. desperate encoun ter took place between the rival s

,
 PE RS E U S . 209

whi ch might have terminat ed fatall y for P erseus had he ,

’
not suddenly bethought himself o f the Medus a s head .

Calling to his friends to avert their faces he drew it ,

from h is wallet and held it befo re Phineus and his for

,

m id a ble body guard whereupon they all stiffen e d i nto

-

s t one.

Perseus now took leave Of the E thiopian king and , ,

accompanied by his beautiful bride returned to Seriphus , ,

where a j oyful meeting took place between Dana e and

her son He then sent a messenger to his grandfather
.
,

informing him that he intended returning to A rgos but ,

Acrisius fearing the fulfilment o f t h e oracular prediction

, ,

fled fo r protecti o n to h is friend Te u t e m ia s king of L arissa ,

.

Anxious t o induce the aged monarch to return to Argos ,

Perseus followed him thither But here a strange.

fatali ty occurred Whilst taking part in some funereal

.

’
games celebrated in honour Of the king s father Perseus
, , ,

by an unf o rtunate throw of the discus accide n tally struck ,

his grandfather and thereby was the i nnocent cause o f

.

hi s death .

Af ter celebrating the funereal rit e s o f Acrisius with

due solemnity Perseus returned ,

to Ar gos ; but feeling loath to

occupy the throne o f one whose
death he had caused he exchanged ,

kingdoms with Megapenthes ki ng ,

o f Tiryns and i n course Of time ,

f o unded the cities Of Mycenae and

M id e a .

The head of the Medusa he

presented t o his divine patroness ,

Pallas Athene who placed it in

-

the centre o f her Shield .

Many great heroes were de

scended from Perseus and A h
d ro m e d a fo remost among wh o m ,

was Heracles whose mother A l c , ,

m ene was their granddau ghter

, .

Heroic honour s were paid t o Perseus not only thr ough ,

( 73 ) o
21 0 M YTHS or A N CI E N T G R E E CE A ND ROM E .

ou t Argos but also at Athens and in the islan d of

,

Seri phus a ! .

IO N .

Ion was the s o n o f Creusa (the be a uteous daughter o f

E rechtheus king o f Athens ) and the sun god Phoebus
,
-

Apo ll o t O whom she was un i ted without the kn owledge

,

o f her father .

F eari n g the anger o f E rechtheus Creusa placed her ,

new born babe in a little wicker basket and han gi n g some

-

golden charms round his neck invoked for him the pro ,

t e ct i o n o f the gods and concealed him in a lonely cave

, .

Apollo pitying his deserted child sent Hermes t o con

, ,

vey him to Delphi where he deposited his charge on the ,

steps of the temple Next morning the Delphic priestess .

discovered the infant and was so charmed by his s ugag ,

ing appearance that she adop t ed him as her o wn son .

The young chil d was carefully tended and reared by his

‘

kind foster mother and was brought u p in the service o f

-

the temple W here he was intrusted with some o f the

,

minor duties of the holy edifice .

And now to return to Cr eusa During a war wi th t h e .

E ub oeans in which the latter were si g nally defeated

, ,

X uthus son o f E olus greatly distinguished himself o n

, ,

the side O f the Athenians and as a reward fo r his valu ,

’
able services t h e hand o f Creusa the king s daughter
, , ,

was bestowed upon h i m in marri age Their union how .

,

ever was not blest with children and as this was a sou rce
, ,

o f great grief to both Of them they repaired to Delphi ,

in order to consult the oracle The response was that .

,

Xuthus should regard the first person who met him o n

leaving the sanctuary as his so n No w it happened that .

Ion the youn g guardian o f the temple was the first to

, ,

greet his vie w and when X uth us beheld t h e beautiful

,

youth he gladly welc o med him as his son declaring that

, ,

the gods had sent him to be a blessing and comfo rt to his

o ld age Creusa h o wever w h o con cluded that the youth
.
, ,

was the Offspring o f a secret marriage o n the part o f

her husband was filled with suspicion an d j e alousy ;
,
 D zE D A L U S A N D I C A RU S . 21 1

when an Old servant observing her gri ef begged her t o

, ,

be com forted assuring her that the cause o f her distress

,

should be speedily removed .

When up o n t h e occasion of the public adoption o f his

,

son X uthus gave a grand banquet the Old servant o f

, ,

Creusa contri ved to mix a strong poison in the wine o f

t h e u nsuspecting Ion But the youth according to the
.
—

pious custom of the ancients o f Offeri ng a libation to the ,

gods before partaking of any repast poured upon t h e —

“

ground a portion o f t h e wine before putting it to his lips ,

when sudde n ly as if by a miracle a dove flew into t h e

, ,

banquet hall and sipped o f the wine o f th e libation ;

-

whereupon the poor little creature began to quiver In

every limb and in a few moments e x pire d
,
.

’
Ion s suspicions at once fell upon the obsequious servant
o f Cr eusa w h o with such O ffici o us attention had filled
,

hi s cup .He violently seized the Old m an and accused ,

him o f his murderous intentions Unprepared for this .

sudden attack he admitted his gui lt but poi nted to the ,

wife o f X uthus as the instigator Of the cri me Ion was .

about to avenge himself upon Creusa when by means o f , ,

the divine intervention o f Apollo his foster m o t h e f the ,

-

Delph ic priestess appeared on the scene and expl ai ned the ,

true relationship which existed between Creusa and Io n .

In order to set all d o ubts at rest sh e produced the charms ,

which she had found round th e neck o f the infant and also ,

the wicker basket in which he had been conveyed t o Delphi .

Mother and son n o w became reconciled to each other ,

and Creusa reveal ed to Io n the secret o f his divi ne o rigin .

The priestess o f Delphi foretold that he would become

the father o f a great nation called after him the Ioni ans
, ,

and also that Xuthus and Creusa would have a son called
Dorus who would be the progenitor of t h e Dorian people
, ,

both of which predictions were in due time verified .

D E DA L US an d I C A RU S .

D aedalus a descendant Of E rechtheus w as an Athenian

, ,

architect sculptor and mechanician He was the fi rst

, , .
21 2 M YT HS or A N CIE NT G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

to intr oduce the art Of scul pture in it s higher d e v el o

ment for before his time sta tues were merely ru e
,

representations havin g the limbs al t ogether undefin e d

,
.

But great as was his geni us sti ll greater was his ,

vanity and he could brook no ri val No w his nephew

,
.

and pupil Talus e xhibite d great talent having inve nte d

, , ,

both the saw and t h e compass and D aedalus fearing lest , ,

he might overshad o w his o wn fame secretly killed him ,

by throwing him down from t h e citadel of Pall as Athene -

.

The murder being discovered D aedalus was summoned ,

before the court o f the Areopag u s and condemned t o

death ; but he made his escape t o the island o f Crete ,

where h e was received by king M in e s in a ma nner

wo rthy of his great reputa tion .

D aedal u s constructed for the king the world reno w n e d -

labyrinth which was an immense buil din g full o f in t ri

, ,

cate p as sages intersecting each other in such a manner

, ,

that even D aed al us himself is said upon o n e occas ion , ,

t o have nearly lost his way in it ; a u d i t w as in t h is

building the king placed the Minotaur a monster with ,

the head and shoulders o f a bull and the body o f a ma n .

In the course o f time the great artist became weary

of his long exil e more especially as the king un der
, ,

the guise Of fri endshi p kept him almost a priso ner He

,
.

therefo re reso lved t o make hi s escape and fo r this pur ,

pose ingeni ously c o ntrived wings for him self and hi s

y o ung so n Icarus whom he diligently trai ned how t o us e
,

them Having awaited a favourable Oppo rtu ni ty father

.
,

and son commenced t h eir flight and were well on their ,

way w hen Icar u s pleased w ith the novel sensation for

, ,
’
got altogether his father s o ft repeated injunction not t o -

approach t o o near the si m The consequence w as that .

the w a x by means o f which his wings were attached

, ,

melted and he fe ll into the sea and was dr owned The

, .

body o f t h e unf o rtunate Icarus was washed up by the

tide and was buried by the bereaved father o n an island
,

whi ch he call ed afte r h i s so n Icaria , .

After thi s s ad event D aedalus winged hi s flight t o the

,

i sland of Sicily where he met wi t h a ki nd welcome from

,
 THE A R G ON AU TS . 21 8

king Cocalus fo r whom he constructed several impor

,

tant public works But no sooner did M in e s receive the

.

intelli gence that his great archi tect had found an asylum
with Cocalus than he sa iled over t o Sicily with a large
army and sent messengers t o t h e Sicilian king demand
,

in g the surrender of his guest Cocalus feigned com .

pli an ce an d invited M in e s t o hi s p alace where he was ,

treacherously put t o death in a warm bath The body of .

their k ing was brought t o Agrigent by the Cretans ,

where it was buri ed with gr eat pomp and over his to mb ,

a temple t o Aphrodite was erected .

D aedalus p assed the remainder of his life tranquill y in

the island o f Sicily where he occupied h i mself in the
,

constr uction o f vario u s beautiful works o f art .

TH E A RG O N A U TS .

A ki ng O f Iolcus was forced t o fly from hi s

e so n , ,

do m in ions which h ad been usurp ed by h i s youn ger

,

brother Pelias and with difficul ty succeeded in savin g

, ,

the life o f his young son Jas o n who was at that t irn e , ,

only ten years of age He intrusted him to the care of

.

the Centa ur Chiron by whom h e was carefully tr ai ned

,

in comp an y with o ther noble youths w h o like h imself , , ,

afte rwards signalized themselves by their bravery and

hero ic exploits Fo r ten years Jaso n remai n ed in the
.

cave of the Centaur by w hom he was instructe d in all

,

useful and w ar like arts But as he approached manhoo d

.

he became filled with an unconquerable desire t o regain

his paternal inh eritance He therefore took leave o f his
.

kind friend and preceptor and set o u t for Iolcus to ,

demand fr o m his un cle Pelias the kingdom which he had

so u nj ustly us u r e d
p
In the course Of his j ourney he came t o a broad an d
foaming ri ver on the banks o f which he perceived
,

o l d wo man who implored him to help her acro ss

,
At .

first he hesitated knowing that even alone he woul d

,

find some diffi cul ty in stemmin g the fierce torrent ; but ,

21 4 M YT HS or A N CI E N T G R E E C E A ND ROM E .

pitying her forlorn condition he rai sed her in his arms , ,

and succeed e d wit h a great effort in reaching the Oppo

, ,

site shore But as soon as h e r feet had touched the

.

earth she became transformed into a beautiful wo man ,

who looking kindly at t h e be wi ldered youth in formed

, ,

him that she was the goddess Hera and th at she would ,

h enceforth guide and protect him through o ut hi s career .

Sh e th en di sappeare d and full o f h o pe and cou r age at

, ,

t hi s divine manifestation Jason pursued hi s j o urney ,

.

He now perceived that in crossing t h e river he h ad lost

o n e of hi s sandals but as it coul d not be recovered h e
,

was o bliged t o pro ce e d with out it .

O n hi s arri val at Iolcus he foun d his un cle in the

market place offering up a public sacrifi c e t o Poseid o n
,
.

Wh en the king had concluded his offering his eye fell ,

up o n the distin guished stranger whose manly beauty

~
,

and her o ic bearing h ad alread y attracted t h e attenti o n o f

his pe ople O bserving that o n e fo ot was un sh o d he
.
,

was remin ded Of an o racul ar prediction whi ch fo retold t o

h im the loss o f hi s ki ngdom by a man weari ng o nl y o n e
sandal He however disguised his fears convers e d
.
, , , '

k indl y with the y o uth and drew from h im his n am e an d

,

erran d Then pretending to be hi ghly pleased with hi s

nephew, Pelias entertained him sumptuously fo r five
days during w h ich time all was festivity an d rej oicing
,
.

On the si xt h Jas o n appeared before hi s uncle and with

, ,

man ly firmness demand e d from hi m t h e throne and

kin gd o m which were his by right Pelias dissembli ng .
,

hi s true feelin gs smil in gly cons ented to grant his re

,

qu e st provided th at in return J ason woul d undertake an

, , ,

exp edition for h im which hi s advanced age prevented

,

him from accomplish ing himself He inf ormed h i s .

nephew th at t h e shade o f Ph ry xu s had appeared t o him

in h i s d reams and entreated hi m t o b ri ng ba ck from
,

Colchis his mortal remain s and the G o lden Fleece ; and

added that if Jas o n succeeded in obtaining for him
these sacred relics th rone kin gd o m and sceptre shoul d
, , ,

be hi s .
 TH E A R G ONA UT S . 21 5

S T O RY O F T HE G O L DE N FL E E CE .

Athamas king o f B oeotia had married Nephele a

, , ,
.

cloud nymph and their children were Helle and Ph ry xu s

-

,
.

The restless and wandering nature o f Nephele however , ,

soon wearied her husband who being a mortal had , , ,

little sym pathy with his ethereal consort ; so he divorced

her and married the beautiful but wicked Ino ( S ister o f
,

Semele ) wh o hated her step children and even planned

,
—
,

their destruction But the watchful Nephele cont rived

.
-

t o circumvent her cruel designs and su c ceeded in get ,

ting the children o u t of the palace Sh e then placed .

them both o n the back o f a winged ram with a fleece ,

o f pure gold wh ich had been given to her by Her

,

mes ; and o n this wonderf u l animal brother and sister

rode through the air over land and sea ; but on the
way Helle becoming seized with giddiness fell into
, ,

the sea ( called after her the Hellespont ) and w as

drowned .

Ph ryxu s arrived safely at Colchis where he was h o s ,

i bl received by king A tes h gave h iin on e of

'

p t a y c w o ,

his daughters in marriage In gratitude to Zeus fo r the.

protection accorded him during his flight Ph ry x u s sacri ,

fic e d to him the golden ram whilst the fleece he pre ,

sented to A é t e s who nai led it up in the Grove o f Ares

, ,

an d ded icated it to the god of War An o racle having .

declared that the life of A é t e s depended o n the safe

keeping o f the fleece he carefully guarded t h e entrance
,

to the grove by placing before it an immense dragon ,

which never slept .

B u il d i n g an d L au n ch o f th e A r go —
We w ill
now return to Jason who eagerly underto o k the perilous
,

exp edition proposed to him by his uncle w h o w ell a w are , ,

of the dangers a t t e n d in g su ch an enterprise hoped by

j
,

this means to ri d himself for ever Of the un welcome

intru der .

Jason accordingly began to arrange his plans without

delay and invited the young heroes whose friendship h e
,
21 6 M Y THS or A N CI E N T G R E E C E A ND ROM E .

had form e d whil st under the care of Chiron t o j oin him ,

i n the perilous expedition None refused the invitation.

,

all feel ing honoured at being all owed the pri vil ege o f
taking p art in so noble and heroic an undertaking .

Jas on now appli ed to A rgos one of the cleverest Ship ,

builders of his time who under t h e guidance o f Pall as

, ,

Athene built fo r him a splendi d fift y o ared gall ey which

,
-

was called the Argo after the builder In the upper

,
.

deck of the vessel the goddess had imbedded a board

from the speaking o ak of the oracle Of Ze u s at Dodona ,

which ever retained its powers of prophecy The exte rior .

o f the s h ip w as o rnamented with ma ni ficent carvings

g
,

and the w h ole vessel was so strongly built that it defied

t h e power O f the win ds and waves and was neve rtheless , , ,

so light that the heroes when necessary were able t o , ,

carry it o n their shoulders “h e n the vessel was co m .

ple t e d the Argonauts ( so called after their ship ) as

,

sembled and their places were distributed by lot

,
.

Jason was appointe d commander i n chief of the ex - —

edition Tiph y s acte d as steersman L ynceus as pilot

, , .

n t h e bo w o f the vessel sat t h e renowned hero Her a cles ;

in the stern Peleus ( fath er o f Achill es ) and Telamon

,

( the fath er o f Ajax the Great ) In the i n ner space were .

Castor and P o llu x Neleus ( the father o f Nesto r ) A d

,
.

metus ( the husband o f A lce s t e s ) Meleager ( the slayer o f ,

the C al ydonian boar ) O rpheus ( the re n ifw n e d singer )

, ,

Menoetius ( the father o f Patroclus ) Theseus ( aft erwards ,

king o f Athens ) and his friend Pirith ous ( the son of

Ixion ) Hyl as ( t h e adopted son O f Herac les ) E uphemus
, ,

( the son O f Poseid o n ) Oileus ( father of Ajax the L esser )

, ,

Zetes and Calais ( the w inged sons Of Boreas ) Idmon the ,

Seer ( the son Of Apollo ) Mopsus ( the Thessali an prophet)

, ,

850 .

Before their departure Jason off ered a solemn s acri fi ce

t o Poseidon an d a ll t h e other sea deities ; he also invoked —

the protection of Zeus and the F ates an d then Mopsus , ,

having taken t h e auguries and found them auspicious , ,

the heroes stepped o n board And now a favourable

breeze having sprun g up they take their allotte d places ,
 THE A RG O NA IITS . 21 7

the anchor is weighed and the ship gli des lik e a bird
, out
harbour into the waters o f the great sea .

LThe Argo with her brave

em n o s —
.
,

crew o f fifty heroes was soon o u t o f sight and the sea

, ,

breeze only wafted t o the shore a faint echo of the sweet

strain s o f O rpheus .

F or a time all went smo o thly but the vessel was soon ,

driven by stress O f weather t o take re fuge in a harbour

, ,

in the island O f L emnos This island was inhabited by .

women onl y w h o the year before in a fit of mad

, , ,

jealousy had killed all the male population o f the i sland

, ,

with the exception o f the father o f their queen Hyp si ,

pyle As the protection of their island now devol ved

.

upon themselves they were always o n the look o u t for -

danger When therefore they sighted the Argo from

.
, ,

afar they armed themselves and rushed t o the shore ,

determined t o repel any invasion of their territory .

O n arriving in port t h e Argonauts astonished at behold ,

ing an armed crowd of women despatc h ed a herald in o n e ,

o f their boats bearing the staff o f pea c e and friendship

,
.

Hypsipyle the queen proposed that food and p resents

, ,

should be sent to the strangers in order to prevent their ,

landi ng ; but her old nurse who stood beside her sug , ,

gested that this would be a good opportunity to pr o vide

themselves with noble husbands w h o would act as thei r ,

defenders and thus put an end to their constant fears

, .

Hypsipyle listened at t entively to the advice of her nurse ,

and after some consultation decided t o invite the ,

stran gers into the city Robed in his purple mantle .

,

the gift of Pallas Athene Jason accompanied by s o me

-

, ,

of his companions s t e pped on shore where he was met

, ,

by a deputation consisting o f the most beautif ul Of t h e

L emnian women and as c o mmander o f the expedition
, , ,

was invite d into the palace of the queen .

When he appeared before Hypsipyle she was so struck ,

with his godlike and heroic presence that s h e presente d

’
him with her father s sceptre and invited h i m to seat ,

hi ms elf o n the throne beside her Jason thereupo n .

21 8 M YTHS or A N CI E N T G R E E C E A ND ROM E .

took up his residence in the royal cas tle whilst his ,

companions scattered themselves through the town ,

spending their time in feasting and pleasur e Heracles .

,

with a few chosen comrades alone remained o n board ,

.

F rom day to day their departure was delayed and the ,

Argonauts in their new life of di ssipation h ad almost

, ,

forgotten the obj ect o f the expediti o n when Heracles ,

suddenly appeared amongst them and at l a st ecalled ,

r

them t o a sense o f their duty .

G i a n t s a n d D o li o n e s The Argonauts now pur sued

—

their voyage till contrary winds dro ve them towards an

,

island inhabited by t h e Do li o n e s whose ki ng Cyzicus

, ,

received them with great kindness and hospita lity Th e .

Do li o n e s were descendants o f Poseidon who protected ,

them against the frequent attacks o f their fierce and

formi dable neighbours the earth born G i an t s m o n s t e rs
,
- fl

with six arms .

Whilst his companions were attending a banquet

given by king Cyzicus Heracles who as usual h ad
, , , ,

remained behind to guard the ship observed that these ,

Giants were busy blocking up the harbour with huge rocks .

He at once realized the danger and att a cking them , ,

with hi s arrows succeeded in considerably thinning their

,

numbers ; then assisted by the heroes who at length

, ,

came to his aid he effectually destroyed the remainder

, .

The Argo now steered o u t o f the harbour and set sail ;

but in consequence o f a severe storm which arose at ni gh t ,

was driven back once more to the shores o f the kindl y

Do li o n e s
. Unf ortunately however owing t o the dark
, ,

ness o f the night t h e inhabitants failed t o recognize

,

their former guests and mi staking them for enemies

, , ,

co mm enced to attack them Those who had so recently .

parted as friends were now engaged in mortal combat ,

and in the battle wh ich ensued Jason himself pierced ,

to the heart his friend king Cyzicus ; whereup on t h e

Do lio n e s being deprived of their leader fled t o their
, ,

city and closed the gate s When morni ng dawned and

.
,

both sides perceived their error th ey were filled with ,

 THE A R G ONAU TS . 21 9

the deepe st sorrow and remorse ; and for thr ee days the
heroes remai ned with the Do lio n e s celebrating the ,

funereal rites o f the slain with every demonstration o f

,

mournin g and solemni ty .

H e ra c l e s l e ft b e h in d The Argonauts once more

—

set sail and after a stormy voya e ar rived at Mysia

,
g
,

where they were hospitably received by the inhabitants ,

who spread before them plentiful banquets and sump

t u o u sly regaled the m
Wh ile his friends were fe a sting Heracles wh o h ad , ,

decli ned to join them went in t o the forest to seek a fir

,

tree whi ch be requir e d for an e ar and was missed by his ,

adopted s o n Hylas who set out t o seek h im When the

,

youth arrive d at a spring in the most secluded part Of

,

the forest the nymph Of the foun tain was so struck

,

by hi s beauty that she drew him down beneath the

waters and he was seen no more Polyphemus o n e o f
,
.
,

the heroes w h o happened t o be also in the forest heard

, ,

his cry for help and on meeting Heracles i nf ormed h im

,

o f the circ u mstance They at once set o u t in search o f

.

the m issing youth no traces O f whom were to be foun d

, ,

and whilst t h ey were engag ed looking for h im the Argo ,

set sail and left them behind .

Th e ship had proceeded some distance before the

absence o f Heracles was observe d Some o f the heroes
were in favour of ret u rning for him others wished to ,

proceed o n their journey when in the midst of the di s

, ,

pute the sea god Glaucus arose from the waves and
,
-

info rmed them that it w as the wi ll of Zeus that Hera

cles h a ving an o ther mission to perform sho u ld remain
, ,

behin d Th e Argonauts continued their voyage without

their companions ; Heracles returned t o Ar gos whilst ,

Polyphemus remained with the Mysians where he ,

founded a city and became its king .

i t h A m y c u s Next morning the Argo

C o n t est W .
—

touched at the country o f the B e bry ci an s wh o se king ,

A m ycus was a famous pugil ist and permi tted no ,

strangers to leave hi s shores without matchi ng their

220 M YT HS or AN CI E N T G RE E CE A N D HO M E .

t e gth with hi s
s r n When th e heroes therefore de
.
, ,

m an d e d permission t o lan d they were in f ormed that ,

they co ul d only do so provided th at one o f their numbe r

shoul d enga e in a boxin g matc h with t h e kin g Pollux
g -
.
,

who was the best pugi list In Greece was selecte d as the ir ,

champion and a contest took place which after a t re

, , ,

mendon s struggle proved fatal t o Amycus who had

, ,

hitherto been v i ctori o us in all similar encounters .

Ph i n e u s d t h e H a rp i e s
an They now proc eeded —

towards Bithyni a, w here reigned the blind Old prophet

kin g Phi neus, son Of Agenor Phi neus had be en pun .

i sh e d by the gods with prematur e old a g e and blindness

fo r having abused the gi ft o f prophecy He was also .

tormented by the Harpies who swooped down 11 n his ,

food whi ch they eith er devoured o r so d e fil

,
as t o
render it un fit to be eaten This p oor Old man trem .
,

bl ing with the weakness of age and faint with hunger , ,

appeared before the Argonauts and implored their as ,

s i ste nce agains t hi s fiendish tormentors whereupon Zete s ,

and Calai s the win ged sons Of Boreas reco gn i zing in

, ,

him the husband o f their sister Cleopatra affectionately ,

embraced him and promi sed t o resc u e him from hi s

,

painful position .

The heroes prepared a ban quet o n the sea shore t o -

which they invited Phi neus ; but no sooner had he ta ken

hi s place than t h e Harpies appe ared and devo ur ed all
,

the viands Zetes and Calais now rose up into the air
.
,

drove the Harpies away and were pursuing th em with ,

drawn swords when Iris the swift—footed messenger of

, ,

the gods appeared and desired them to desist from their

, ,

work of vengeance promising that Phin eus shoul d be no

,

longer moleste d
Freed at length from his tormentors the O ld man sat
down and enj oyed a plentiful repast with hi s kind
fri ends the Ar gonauts who now in f ormed him o f the
,

Obj ect o f their voyage In gratitude fo r his deliverance

.

Phi neus gave them much useful in formation concerning

their j ourney and not onl y w a rn e d them o f the manif old
,
 T HE A RG ONA UTS . 221

dangers awai ting them but also instructed them how ,

they might be overcome .

’
Pa s s a g e o f th Sy m p le g a d e s
Aft er a fortnight s
e -

sojourn in Bithyni a the Argonauts once more set sail ,

but had not proceeded far on t h eir course when they ,

heard a fearful and tremendous crash This was .

caused by the meeting o f two great rocky islands c al led ,

the Symplegades which floated about in the sea and

, ,

constantly met and separated .

Before leavi ng Bithynia the blind o ld seer Phineus , , ,

had informed them that they would be compelled to

pass between these terrible rocks and he instructed ,

them h o w to do so with safety As they now ap .

ro a ch e d the scene o f danger they remembered his a d

p
vice and act e d upon it Typhus the steersman sto od
,
.
, ,

at the helm whilst E uphemus held in his hand a dove

,

ready to be let loose ; for Phineus had told them that if

the dove ventured to fly through they might safely fol ,

low E uphemus now despatched the bird w hich passed

.
,

swiftly through the islands yet n o t w ithout losing some ,

o f the feathers o f her tail so speedily did they reunite ,

.

Seizing the moment when the rocks once more separated ,

the Ar gonauts worked at their e ars with all their might ,

and achieved the perilous passage in safety .

Af ter the miraculous passage Of the Argo t h e Sym ple ,

gades became permanently united and attached to the ,

bottom o f the sea .

Th e S t y m p h al i d e s
The Argo pursued her course.
-

along the southern coast o f the Pontus and arri ved at ,

the island Of Arctias which was inhabi t ed by birds who

, , ,

as they flew through the air disch arged from their wi ngs ,

feathers sharp as arrows .

As the ship was gliding along O ileus was wounded by ,

o n e o f these birds whereupon the Ar gonauts held a

,

coun cil and by the advice o f Amphidamas an experi enced

, ,

h e re al l put on their helmets and held up t h eir glit t ering

, ,

s hields uttering at the same time such fearful crie s tha t

, , ,
222 M YTHS OF A N CI E N T G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

the birds flew away in terror and the Argonauts were ,

en bled to land wi t h safe t y on the islan d

a

Here they found four ship wrecked youths who proved ,

to be t h e so ns o f Ph ryx u s and were greeted by Jason as

,

his co u sins O n ascert aining the Obj ect o f the expedition

.

they volun teered to acco mpany the Argo and to show ,

the heroes t h e way to Colch is T h ey also inf ormed them .

that the Golden F leece was guarded by a fearful drag on ,

that king A et e s was extremely cruel and as the son o f , ,

Apollo was possessed of superhuman strength

,
.

A i l a t C o lc h is
rr va Taking with them t h e four
.
—

n e w comers t h ey j ourneyed o n
-
and soon Came in sight ,

o f the snow capped pe a ks o f the Caucasus when towards

-

, ,

eveni ng the loud flapping o f wings was heard overhead

,

It was the giant eagle o f Prometheus o n his way to tor

ture the n o ble and long suffering Titan wh o se fearful
-

gr o ans soon afterwards fell upon their ears That night .

’
they reached t h eir j ourney s end and anch ored in the ,

smooth w aters o f the river Phases O n t h e left bank of .

this ri ver they beheld Ceuta the capital o f Colchis ; and ,

o n their right a wide field and the sacred grove Of Ares , ,

wh ere the Golden F leece suspended from a magnificent

,

oak tree was gli ttering in the sun J a son n o w filled a

-

,
.

go lden cup with wine and O ff ered a libation o moth er

,
t

earth the gods of t h e country and the shades o f those of

, ,

t h e heroes wh o had died o n the voyage .

Next morning a c o uncil was held in which it was ,

decided that before res o rting t o f o rc ible measures ki nd

,

and c o nciliat o ry overt u res s h ould first be made t o ki ng

Act es in order to induce him to resign the Golden F leece .

It was arranged that Jason with a few chosen companions , ,

should proceed t o the royal castle leaving t h e remainder ,

Of the crew to guard the Argo Accompanied therefo re .

, ,

by T e lam o n and Augeas and the four sons of Ph ryx u s

, ,

he set o u t fo r the pal a ce .

When th ey arri ved in sigh t o f the castle they were

struck by t h e vastness and massiveness o f the buil ding .
,

at the entrance to which sparkling foun tains played in

 TH E A RG O NA U’I‘S . 223

the midst o f luxuriant and park like gar dens Her e the -
.

’
king s daughters Chalciope and Medea who were walk
, ,

ing in the grounds o f the palace met them The former ,

.
,

to her great j oy recogniz ed in the youth s w h o a cco m pa

,

nied the hero her o wn long lost sons whom she had -

mo u rned as dead whilst the young and lovely Medea

,

was struck with t h e noble and manly form o f Jason .

The news o f the retur n o f the sons o f Ph ryxu s soon

spread through the palace and brought A ctes himself to ,

the scene whereup o n the strangers were presented to

,

him and were invited t o a banquet which the king

,

ordered to be prepared in their h o nour All the most .

be autiful ladies of the c o urt were present at this enter

t ain m e n t ; but in the eyes o f Jason none could compare
’
with the king s daughter the young and lovely Medea , .

When the banquet was ended Jason related t o the ,

king hi s vari o us adventu res and also the object o f hi s ,

expedition with the circumstances which had led t o hi s

,

u ndertaking it A e t e s li ste ned in silent in di gnation to

.
, ,

this recital and th en burst out into a t o rrent o f invectives

,

against the Argonauts and h is grand children declari n g -

that the F leece was his rightful property and that o n no ,

consideration would he consent to relinqui sh it Jason .

,

however with mild and persuasive words contrived so

,
‘

far to conciliate him that he was induced t o pr o mi

,

if the heroes could succeed i n demonstrating their di v ine

ori gin by the performance o f some task requi ring super
hum an power the F leece should be theirs
, .

The task proposed by A et e s to Jason was that he

sho uld yoke the two brazen fo oted fire brea hing oxen of ,
—

the king (which had been made for him by Heph aestus )
to his ponderous 1 ro n plough Having done this he must .

till with them the stony field o f Ares and then s o w in ,

the furrows t h e poison o us teeth o f a dragon from which ,

armed men would arise These he must destroy t o a .

man o r he himself wo ul d perish at their h ands

,
.

When Jason heard what was e x pected o f him his hear t ,

fo r a moment sank within him ; but he determined never ,

t h e l e ss not to flinch from his task but to trust t o t h e

, ,
224 M YT HS or AN CI E NT G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

as si stance of the gods ,

and to his own courage and

J as o n p l o u g h s t h e Fi e l d o f A r e s .

by hi s two friends Telamon and Auge,

Ar gus the s o n o f Chalciope Jason returned t o the v essel

, ,

for the pur pose of holding a consultation as t o the best

means of accompli shi ng these perilous feats .

Argus explain ed t o Jason a ll the di fficulties o f the

superhuman task wh ich lay before hi m and pronoun ced ,

it as h i s opinion that the only means by which success

was possible was to enlist the assistance o f the Pl i n ce ss
Medea who was a priestess of Hecate and a great e u
, ,

chantress His suggestion meeting with approval he

.
,

returned t o the pal ace and by the aid of his mother an

,

interview was arranged between Jason and Medea, whi ch

to ok pl a ce at an early hour next morning in the templ e
, ,

o f Hecate .

A conf ession o f mutual atta chment to ok place and ,

’
Medea trembling for her lover s saf ety presented h im
, ,

with a magic salve whi ch po ssess e d the property of

.
,

deri n g any pers o n an o in t ed wi th it i n v ul nerable for the

space o f one day again st fire and steel and i nvincible ,

again st any adversary however powerful With this .

salve she in structed hi m t o anoint hi s spear and shield o n

the day of his great undertaking Sh e further ad d e d .

that when after havi ng ploughed the field and sown the
,

teeth armed men should arise from the fur rows he must
, ,

on no account lose heart but remember t o t h r ow among

,

them a huge rock over the possession of whi ch they

,

w o uld fight among themselves and thei r attention be ing ,

thus di verted h e would find it an easy task t o destroy

them O verwhelmed with gratitude Jason thanked her
.
, ,

in the most earnest manner for her wise co u n s e l an d ,

'

tim ely aid ; at the same time h e offered her hi s hand and ,

promi sed her he woul d n o t return to Greece without

taking her with him as hi s wife .

Next m o rn ing A et e s in all the pomp o f state sur

, ,

ro u nded by his famil y and the m embe r s o f h i s co ur t ,

 TH E A RG O NA UTs. 225

repair ed to a spot whence a ful l view o f the a ppro aching

spectacle coul d be obtained Soon Jason appeared in the
.

field o f A res lo o kin g as noble and maj estic as the go d o f

,

war himself In a di stant p art o f the field the brazen

.

yokes and the massive plough met his view but as yet ,

t h e dr e ad anim als themselves were nowhere to be seen .

He was about to go in quest o f them when they sudde n ly ,

rushed o u t from a subterranean cave breath ing flames of ,

fire and envel o ped in a thick smoke

, .

The fri ends o f Jason trembled ; but the un daunted

hero relying o n the ma ic powers with which he was
,
g

imbued by Medea seized the oxen o n e after the other by

, , ,

the ho rns and forced th em t o the yoke Near the pl o ugh

,
.

’
was a helmet full o f dra on s t e e t h w h icl1 he sowed as he
g
,

ploughed the field whilst with sharp pri cks from his lance
,

he compelled the monstrous creatures to draw the plough

over the stony groun d which was thus s peedily tilled
,
.

’
While Jason was enga ed sowing the drago n s teeth in
g

the deep furrows o f the field he kept a cautious look o u t ,

-

lest the germinating giant brood might grow t o o quickly

for him and as soon as the fo ur acres o f land had been
,

tilled he unyoked the oxen and succeeded in frightening

,

them so effec tually with his weapons that they rushed ,

back in terror t o their subterranean st ables Meanwhile .

armed men had sprung up out of the fur rows and the ,

whole field now bristled with lances ; but Jason remem ,

bering t h e instructions of Mede a seized an immense rock ,

and hurled it into the midst o f these earth born warri ors -

who immediately began t o attack each o ther Jas on then .

rushed furi ously upon them and after a te rrible struggle

,

not o n e o f the giants remained alive .

F u ri ous at seeing his murderous schemes thus defeate d ,

A et e s not only p e rfid i o u sly refused t o give Jason the

F leece which he had so bravely earned but in his anger , , ,

determi ned to destroy all the Argonauts and t o bur n ,

their vessel .

J as o n r e s t h e G o l d e n Fl e e c e
s e cu Becoming —

aware o f the treachero u s des igns o f her father Medea at ,

( 78 ) P
226 M YT HS or A N CI E N T G R E E C E A ND ROM E .

once took measure s t o baffl e them In the darkness o f .

night she went on board t h e A r go and warned t h e heroes ,

o f their approaching danger Sh e then ad vised Jason t o .

acco mpany her witho ut loss of time to the sacred grove ,

i n order to possess himse lf o f the long coveted treasure -

.

They set out togeth er and Mede a followed by Jason , , ,

led the way and advanced bol d ly int o the grove The
,
.

tall oak tree was s o on discovered from t h e topmost

-

boughs o f which hung the beautiful G o lden F leece At .

t h e foot of this tree keeping his ever wakeful wat ch lay

,
-

t h e dreadf ul sleepless dragon who at sight o f them

, ,

bo u nded fo rward opening hi s huge jaws

,
.

Medea now called into play her magi c powers and ,

quietly approaching the monster thr ew over him a few ,

drops of a poti o n whi ch soon took effe ct and sent him

, ,

into a deep sleep ; whereu pon Jason seizing the o ppo r ,

t un it y climbed the tree and secur ed the F leece

,
Their .
~

perilous t ask being now accom pli shed Jason and Medea ,

qui tted the grove and haste n e d on board the Argo

, ,

whi ch immedi ately put to sea .

M u r d e r o f A b s y rt u s Meanwhile Actes havi ng —

,

di scov e red t h e loss o f his daughter and the G olden F l e ece ,

despatched a l a rge fleet under the command o f hi s so n ,

’
Absyrtus in p u rsuit o f the fugitives After some days
,
.

sail they arrived at an island at the mouth of the river

Ister where th ey fou nd the A r go at anchor and surroun ded
, ,

her wi th their numerous ships They then despatched a .

heral d o n board of her demanding the surrender o f ,

Medea and the F leece .

Medea now consulted Jason and with his consent , , ,

carried out the fo llowing stratagem Sh e sent a messa e .

g

to her brother Absyr tus to t h e effect that she h ad be e n ,

carried o ff against her will and prom i sed that if he would ,

meet her in t h e darkness o f night in the temple of

, ,

Ar temi s she woul d assist him in regaining posses sion of

,

the Golden F leece Relyin g on the go od faith of hi s

.

sister Absyrtus fell into t h e snare and duly ap peared at

, ,

t h e appointed trysting pl ace ; and whil st Medea kept her

-
 THE A R G ON A UTS . 227

brother engaged in conversation Jason rus hed forw ar d ,

and slew him Then according t o a preconcerted signal

.
, ,

he held aloft a li ghted torch whereupo n the Ar gonauts ,

attacked the Colchians put them t o flight an d entirely

, ,

defeated them .

The Argonauts n o w returned t o their ship when the ,

pro phetic bo ard fro m the D odonean oak thus addr essed
them : The cruel m u rder of Absyrtus w as witnessed by
“

the E ri nyes and you will not escape the wrath of Zeus
,

until the goddess Circe has p u rifi ed you fro m your cri me .

L e t Casto r and Pollux pray to the gods that you may be

enabled t o find the abode o f the sorceress In obed ien ce .
!

to the voice the twin brothers invoked di vine assistance

,
—
,

and the heroe s set o u t i n search of the isle of Circ e .

Th e y a rr i v e a t t h e I s l a n d o f C i r c a The good —

shi p A r go sped on her way and after passing sa fely , ,

through the foaming waters o f t h e river E ridanus at ,

length arri ved in the harbour o f the isl and o f Circe where ,

she cast anchor .

Comman di ng hi s companions to remain o n board Jason ,

landed with Medea and conducted her to the pal ace o f t h e

,

sorceress Th e goddess o f charms and magi c arts received

.

them kin dl y and invite d them t o be seated ; but instead

,

o f doing so they assumed a supplicating attitude and ,

humbly besought her protection They then informed .

her of the dreadf ul cri me which they h ad committed and ,

i mplored her t o purify them from it Thi s Circe promi sed .

to do Sh e forthwith comm anded her attendant Naiads

.

to kindl e the fire on the al tar and t o prepare everythin g ,

necessary fo r the pe rform ance o f the mystic ri tes after ,

which a d o g was sac ri ficed and the sacred cakes were ,

burned Hav ing thus dul y p u ri fied the crim inal s she
.
,

severely reprimanded them for the horri ble murder o f

whi ch they had been gu il ty ; whereupon Medea with ,

veil e d head and weeping bitterly was reconduc t ed by

, ,

t o the Ar go .

A d v e n t u re s o f t h e A r g o n a u t s Having —

they were wafted by gentle

228 M YTH3 - or A N CI E N T G RE E CE A ND ROM E .

zep h yrs towards t h e abo de o f the Sirens whose enticing ,

strains s o o n fell up o n their ears The Argo nauts po w .

,

erft affected by the melody were maki ng ready t o ,

land when Orpheus perceived the danger and t o the

, , ,

accomp an im ent of his magic lyre commenc e d o n e o f his ,

enchanting songs which so complete ly absorbed his

,

listeners th at they pass e d the isl an d in safety ; but not

before B u tes o n e of their number lur ed by the seductive
, ,

music of the Sirens had sprun g from the vessel into the
,

waves below Aphro dite h owever in pity for hi s youth

.
, , ,

landed hi m gently o n the island of L i bibao n befo re the

Sirens c o uld reach him and there he rem ai ned fo r many ,

y ears .

And no w the Argonauts approached new dangers for ,

o n o n e side o f them s e ethed and foamed the w h ir lpoo l o f

C h arybdis whilst on the o ther t o wered the mighty rock

,

whence t h e monster Scylla swooped down u pon un f o r

t u n a t e mariners ; but here the goddess Hera came t o
their assistance and sent to them t h e sea nymph Thetis
,
-

wh o gui ded them safely through these dangerous straits .

The A r go next arrived at the island o f the Ph ae ace s ,

where they were hospitably entertained by K ing Al ci

nous and h is queen Arete But the banquet prepar e d .

fo r them by their kind host was un expecte dl y inter

r u pt e d by the appearance o f a large army o f C O L
chians sent by A ctes to demand the restoration of his
,

daughter .

Medea threw herself at the feet of th e queen and im ,

\

plo r e d her to save her from the anger of her father and ,

Are t e in her kindn ess o f h eart pro mised her her pro t e c
, ,
'

tion Ne x t morning in an assembly o f the people at

.
,

which the Colchians were invi ted t o be present the latter ,

were i nf o rmed th at as Medea was the lawf ul wife of

Jason they could not consent to deliver her up ; where ‘

upon the Colchians seeing that the resolution of the ki ng

,

was not t o be sh aken and fearing to face the anger o f ,

A et e s shoul d they return t o Colchis without her s o ught ,

permission o f Al cinous t o settle i n his kingdom which ,

request was ac cord e d them .

 THE A RG O NA
s . 229

After these events the Ar gonauts once more set s ail ,

and steered for Iolcus ; but in the cour se o f a terrible

,

and fearful night a mi ghty storm aro se and in the

, ,

morning they found themselves stranded o n t h e treacher

ous quicksands o f Syrtes o n t h e shores o f L iby a Here
,
.

all was a waste and barren desert untenanted by any ,

living creatur e save the venom o us snakes w h ich had

,

sprung from t h e blood of the Medusa when borne by

Perseus over these arid plains .

They had al ready passed several days in thi s abode o f

desolati o n beneath t h e rays o f the sc o rching sun and
, ,

had aband o ned themselves to the deepest despair when ,

the L iby an queen who was a prophetess o f divi ne origin

, ,

appeared to Jason and informed him that a sea horse

,
-

woul d be sent by the gods to act as his guide .

Scarcely had she departe d when a gigantic hippocamp

was seen in the di s tance making its way towards t h e
,

Argo Jason now related to his companions the par

.

t i cu lars of his interview with the L ibyan prophetess an d ,

after some deliberation it was decided to carry the Argo

o n their shoul ders and to follow wherever the sea horse
,
—

should lead them They then commenced a long and

.

weary journey through the desert and at last after , ,

twelve days of severe toil an d terrible suffering the wel ,

come sight o f the sea greeted their view In gratitude .

for having been saved from their manifold dangers they

offered up sacrifices to the gods and launched their ship ,

once more into the deep waters o f the ocean .

A i l a t G r e t a With heartfelt joy and gladness

rr v a —

they proceeded o n their homeward voyage and after ,

s o me days arrived at the island o f Crete where they ,

purposed to furn ish themselves with fresh provi sions and

water Their landing however was Opposed by a ter
.
, ,

ri ble giant who guarded the island against all intruders .

This giant whose name was Talus was the last o f t h e

, ,

Brazen race and being fo rmed o f brass was i n v u ln e r

, ,

able except in his right ankl e where there was a sinew

, ,

o f flesh and a vein o f blood As he saw the Argo .

230 M Y THS OF A N CI E N T G R E E CE A ND ROM E .

neari ng the coast he hurled huge rocks at her which

, ,

woul d inevitably have sunk the vessel had not the crew
beat a hasty retreat Although sadly in want of
.

food and water the Argo nauts had decided to pro

,

c e e d on the i r j o ur ney rather th an face so powerful an

opponent when Medea came fo rward and assured them

,

t h at if they woul d trust to her she would destroy the

'

gl ant .

E n v e IO pe d in the folds o f a ri ch pur ple mantle she ,

stepped on deck and after inv o k ing the aid of t h e

,

F ates uttered a magic incantati o n which had the e fl ect

, ,

o f thr owi ng Talus into a deep sleep He stretched him .

self at full length upon the groun d and in doing s o ,

“

grazed his vulnerable ankle against the point o f a sharp

rock whereup o n a mighty stream of blood gushed forth
,

from the wound Awakened by the pain he tried to

.
,

rise but in vain and with a mi ghty groan o f angui sh

, ,

the giant fell dead and his enormous body rolled heavily
,

over into the deep Th e heroes be ing now able to land

.
,

provisioned their vessel after whi ch they resumed their,

homeward voyage .

A rriv a l a t I o l c u s After a terrible night o f storm

—

and darkness they passed the island o f Z E gin a and at ,

length reached in s afety the port o f Iolcus where the ,

recital of their numerous advent ures and hair breadth -

escapes was listened to with wondering admiration by

their fellow c o untrymen
-
.

The Ar go was consecrated to Poseid o n and was care ,

fully preserved fo r many generations till no vestige o f

it remained when it was placed in the heavens as a bril
,

liant c o nstellation .

O n h i s arrival at Iolcus Jason c o nducted his beautiful

,

bride to the palace o f hi s un cle Pelias taki ng wi th h i m ,

the Golden F leece for the sake o f which this perilous

,

expedition had been undertaken But the O ld king who .

,
,

had never expected that Jason woul d return alive basely ,

refused to ful fil his part o f the compact and declin ed to ,

abdi cate the throne .

 THE A R G ON A U TS . 231

Indi gnant at the wrongs of her husband Medea ,

avenged them in a most shocki ng manner Sh e mad e .

fri ends with the daughters o f the k in g and feigned great ,

in te rest in al l their concerns Having gained their con .

fid e n ce she informed them that among her num erous

, ,

magic arts she possessed the power o f restoring to the

,

aged all the vigour and strength o f y o uth and in order ,

t o give them a convi ncing proof o f the truth of her as ser

tion she cut up an o ld ram whi ch she boiled in a cauld
, ,

ron whereupon afte r uttering vari ous mystic incantations

, , ,

there came forth from the vessel a beautif ul young lamb .

Sh e then assur ed them th at in a similar mann er they ,

could restore to the ir o ld father his former youthf ul fram e

and vigour The fond and credul ous daughters
. o f Peli as
D
lent an all t o o willi n g ear t o the wi ck e d sorceress and ,

thus the o ld kin g perished at the hands o f hi s innoce nt

chil dren .

D e a th o f J
Medea and Jason now fled to
as o n .
—

Corinth where at length they found for a time peace

, , ,

and tranquillity th eir happiness being completed by the

,

birth o f three chi ldren .

A s time passed o n however and Medea began to lose , ,

the beauty which had won the love o f her husband he ,

grew weary of her an d became attracted by the youthf ul ,

charms o f Glauce the beautiful daughter o f Creon king

, ,
’
o f Corinth Jason had obtained her father s consent t o
.

their union and the wedding d ay was alre ad y fixed be

,
-

fore he disclosed t o Medea the treache ry which he medi

t at e d a ainst her He used all his persuasive powers in
g
.

order to induce her to consent t o his union with Glauce ,

as suring her that his aff ection had in no way dimini s h ed ,

but that for the sake of the advantages whic h would

thereby ac crue to their children he had decided o n form ,

in g thi s alliance with the royal house T h o ugh justly .

enr aged at his deceitful conduct Medea dissembled her ,

wrath and feignin g t o be satisfied with this explanation

, , ,

sent as a wedding gift t o her rival a magnificent

D
robe o f
-

cloth o f gold
, ,

-
Thi s robe was imbued wi t h a deadly
-
.
23 2 M YTHS or A N C IE NT G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

poison which penetrated to the flesh and bone o f the

wearer an d burn e d them as though wi th a cons um i ng fire
,
.

Pleased with the beauty and costliness of the garment ,

the unsuspectin g Glauce lost no time in donn ing it ; but

no sooner had she done so than the fell poison began t o
take e ffect In vain she tried t o tear the robe away ; it
.

defied all e ff orts t o be removed and after horrible and ,

protracted sufferings she expired ,

.

’
Maddened at t h e loss o f her husband s love Medea
next put t o death h e r t hree sons an d when Jason , ,

thir stin g for revenge left t h e chamber of hi s dead bride

, ,

and flew to his o wn house in search of Medea the ghas t ,

ly spectacle o f hi s murdered chil dr en met his vi ew He .

rushed fr antica ll y t o seek t h e murderess but nowhere ,

coul d she be fo und At length hearing a sound above

.
,

hi s head he looked up and beheld Mede a glidi ng t h rough

, ,

the air in a golden chariot dr aw n by dragon s

In a fit o f despair Jason t h rew himself on hi s o wn
sword and pe ri sh e d on the t h reshold of his desolate and
,

deserte d home .

OPS PE L .

Pelops the son o f the cruel T an t alu s was a pious and

, ,

virtuous prince After his father was bani sh e d into Tar

.

tar u s a war ensued between Pelops and the k ing o f Troy

, ,

in whi ch the former was vanquished and forced t o fly

from his dominions in Phr ygia He emigrated into .

Greece where at the court of ( E n o m au s ki n g o f E lis

, , , ,

he beheld Hippodami a the kin g s daughter wh o se beauty

, ,

won hi s heart But an orac le having foretold t O CE n o

.
'

’
m aus that he w o ul d die on the day of hi s daughte r s
marria e he threw every o bstac le in the way o f her
g
,

sui tors and declared that he would only give her t o hi m

,

who succeeded in vanqui sh ing h i m in a chari ot race but ,

that all un s uccessful competitors shoul d suffer death at

his hands .

The conditions of the contest were as foll ows Th e —

race w as t o be run fro m a given point at Pisa t o the al tar

o f Poseidon at Corin t h
; the sui tor was al lowed t o star t
 PE LO PS . A
233

on his cours e whil st ( E n o m au s performed hi s sacri fi ce t o

Zeus and only o n its completion did the ki ng mo u nt hi s
,

ch ari ot guided by the ski lful Myrt ilus and drawn by hi s

, ,

two famous horses Ph yll a and Har pinn a who surp assed , ,

in swiftness the winds thems elves In thi s man n er many .

a gall ant youn g prince had perished ; for although a con

s id e rable start was given t o al l competitors still ( E n o ,

maus with hi s swi ft team always overtook them before

, ,

they reached the g o al and killed them with his spear ,

.

But the love o f Pelops for Hippodamia overcam e all

fears and undeterred by the terrible fate o f his prede
, ,

c e s s o rs he announced himself to (E n o m au s as a sui tor

,

for the hand o f his daughter .

O n the eve o f the race Pelops repaired to the sea shore ,

-

and earnestly implored Poseidon to assist h im in hi s

peril ous undertaking The sea god heard his prayer and .
-

sent him out o f the deep a chariot drawn by two win ged
horses .

When Pelops appeared on the course the king at once ,

recognized the horses of Poseidon ; but noth ing daun ted , ,

he relied o n hi s o w n supernatural team an d the contest ,

was allowed t o procee d

Whilst the ki ng was offering his sacrifice t o Zeus
Pelops set out o n the race and had nearly re ached the ,

go al when turning round he beheld ( E n o m aus spear

, , , ,

in hand who with his magic steeds h ad nearly over

, , ,

taken him But in this emergency Poseidon cam e to the

.

aid o f the son o f Tantal u s He caused the wheels o f the .

royal chariot t o fly o ff whereupon the king was thr own ,

o u t violently and ki lled on the spot j ust as Pelops

, ,

a rrived at the altar of Poseidon .

As the hero was about t o return to Pisa to claim his

bride he beheld in the di stance flam es issui ng from the
, , ,

royal cas tle which at that instant h ad been struck by

,

lightning With his winged h o rses he flew to rescue hi s

.

lovely bride and succeeded in extricating her uninj ured

,

fro m the burning buil d ing They soon afterwards be cam e .

un i t ed and Pe10ps reig ed in Pisa fo r many years in

, n

great splendo u r .
234 M YT HS or AN CIE N T G RE E C E A ND ROM E .

H E RA C L E S ( HE RCULE S ) .

Heracles the most renown ed hero of antiquity was

, ,

the s o n of Zeus an d A l cmene and the great grands on of ,

Perseus .

At t h e time of his bir th Al cmene was livi ng at Thebes

with her husband Am phitryon and thus the infant Her ,

acles was born in the palace o f hi s stepfather .

Aware o f the anim o sity with which Hera persecuted

all those who ri valled her in the a fl e ct i o n s o f Zeus A l c ,

mene fearful lest thi s h atred shoul d be visited o n her

,

in nocent chil d intrusted h im soon afte r his birt h to the

, , ,

care o f a fai thful servant with instructions t o expose ,

him in a cert a in field and there leave him feelin g ass ur ed

, ,

that the divine offspri ng o f Zeus woul d not long re m ai n

without the prote ction o f the gods .

So o n after the chil d had been thus ab an doned Hera ,

and Pall as Athene happened t o pass by the field and

-

were attracte d by its cries Athene pityi ngly took up .

the i n fant in her arm s and prevai led upon the queen o f
,

heaven t o put it t o her breast ; but no soone r h ad she

done so , than the child causing her pain she ang ri ly , ,

threw hi m t o the groun d and left the spot A t hene ,

.
,

moved with compas sion carri ed h i m t o Al cmene and , ,

entreate d her kind offices o n behalf o f the poor little

foun d ling Alcmene at once re cogni zed her chil d an d
jo yqy accepted the charge
.
,

Soon afterwards Hera to her extreme annoyance dis , ,

covered whom she had nursed and became fil led wi th ,

j ealous ra e Sh e now sent two venomous snakes into

g
.

the chamber of Al cmene which crept unperceiv e d by t h e

, ,

mus es to the cradl e o f the sleeping child He awoke

, .

with a cry and grasping a snake in each hand s t rangled

, ,

them both Alcmene and her atte ndan ts whom the cry
.
,

o f the child h ad awakened rushed to the crad l e where , , ,

t o their astoni shment and terror they beheld the two ,

reptiles dead in the hands of the i nfant Heracles A m

ph i t ry o n was al so attracted t o the chamber by the co m
 H E RA C L E s ( H E R C UL E S) . 235

motion an d when he beheld this astoun d ing proof o f

,

supernatur al strengt h he declared that the ch ild must

,

have been sent t o hi m as a special gift from Zeus He .

accordingly consul ted the famous seer Tiresias who now ,

in formed him of the divine origin o f his stepson and ,

prognosticated for him a great and distinguis h ed future .

When Amphitryon heard the noble destiny w h ich

awaited the ch ild intrusted t o his care he resolved t o ,

educate him in a manner worthy o f his future career At .

a suitable age he himself ta ught him how to guide a

chariot ; E u rytus how to h an dl e the bow ; Autolycus dex
, ,

t e ri t y in wrestl ing and b o x ing ; and Castor the art o f ,

armed warfare ; whilst L inus t h e son o f Apollo i nstr u cted

, ,

him in music and letters .

Heracles was an apt pupil ; but undue harshness was

in t olerable to his hig h spirit and o ld L inus w h o was not, ,

the gentlest o f teachers one day c o rrected him with ,

blows whereupon the boy angrily took up his lyre and

, , ,

wi th o n e stroke o f hi s powerfu l arm killed his tutor o n ,

the spot .

Apprehensive lest the ungovernable temper o f t h e

yout h migh t again involve him in similar acts o f violence ,

Amphitryon sent him into t h e country where he placed ,

him un der the charge of o n e o f his most trusted herds

men Here as h e grew up to manhood ,his extraordinary
.
,

stature and strengt h became the wonder and admirati o n

of all b eholders His aim whether with spear lance o r
.
, , ,

bow was unerring and at the age of eighteen he w a s

, ,

considered to be t h e strongest as well as the most beauti

fu l youth in all Greece .

Th C h o i c e o f H e r a c l e s Heracles felt that th e

e .
—

time had now arrived when it became necessary to decide

for himself how to make use o f t h e ex traordinary powers
with which he had been endowed by the gods ; and in
order t o meditate in solitude o n thi s all important subject -

he repaired t o a lonely and secluded spot in the heart o f

the forest .

Here two femal es o f great beauty appeared t o him .

236 M YT HS or A NC I E NT G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

One was Vice the other Virtue Th e former was full of

,
.

artificial wiles and fascinatin g ar t s her fac e painted and ,

h e r dress gaudy and attractive ; whilst t h e latte r was of

noble bearing and modest m ien her robes of spotless ,

Vice stepped forward and thus addressed him : If “

you wi ll walk in my paths and make me your fri end , ,

y o ur li fe shall be o n e round of ple a sure and enj oyment .

Yo u shall taste of every delight which can be procur e d

o n earth ; the ch o icest viands the most delicious wines , ,

the most luxuriant of couches shall be ever at y o ur d i s

posal ; and all this without any exerti o n o n your part ,

either physical o r mental .

!

Virtue now sp o ke in h e r turn : If you will follow “

'

me and be my friend I promise y o u the reward o f a good

,

conscience and the love and respect of your fe llo wrn e n

,
.

I cannot undertake to smooth your path with ro ses o r ,

t o give you a life of idleness and pleasure ; for y o u must

kn o w that the gods grant no goo d and desirable thing
that is n o t earned by labour ; and as you sow so must ,
!
you reap .

Heracles listened patiently and attentively t o both

speakers and then after mature deliberation decided
, , ,

to follow in the pat h s o f virtue and henceforth t o honour ,

the gods and t o devote hi s life to the service o f his

,

country .

F ull o f these noble resolves he sought once mor e h is

rural home where he was informed that o n Mount
,

Cith aeron at the fo ot o f which the herds o f A mphitryon

,

were grazing a ferocious lion had fi x ed his lair an d was

, ,

committing such frightful ravages a mong the flocks and

herds that he had become the scourge and terror o f the
whole neighbourhood Herac les at once arm e d himself
.

and ascended the mountain where h e soon caught sight ,

o f the lion and rushing at him wi th his sword succeeded

,

in killing him The hide of the animal h e wore ever

.

afterwards over his shoulders and the head served him ,

as a helme t
A s he was r e turni ng fr om this his fir st exploit h e met , ,
 H E RA C L E s ( H E RC IIQE S) . 237

the heralds o f E rginus king o f the Minyans who were , ,

proceeding to Thebes to demand their annual tribute o f

1 00 oxen Indign ant at this humiliation o f his native
.

city Heracles mutilated t h e heralds and sent them back

, , ,

with ropes roun d t h eir necks to their royal master , .

E rginus was s o incensed at the ill treatment of his

messen gers that he collected an army and appeared be
fore the gates o f T h ebes demanding t h e surrender o f ,
“

Heracles Creon who was at this time king of Th ebes

.
, ,

fearing the consequences o f a refu sal was about to ,

y ield when the hero with the assistance o f Amphitryon

, ,

and a band o f brave youths advanced against t h e Min ,

yans .

Heracles took possession o f a narrow defile through

wh ich the enemy were compelled to pass and as they ,

entered the pass the Thebans fell upon th em killed their ,

king E rginus and c o mpletely routed them

,
In this e n .

g age m e n t Amp h itryon the kind friend and foster father

-

o f Heracles lost h i s life

,
Th e hero n o w advanced up o n .

O rch o m e n u s the capital of the Minyans where he burned

, ,

the r o yal castle and sacked t h e t o wn .

After this signal victory all Greece rang with t h e fame

o f t h e young hero and Cre o n in gratitude fo r h i s great
, ,

services bestowed upon him h i s daughter Megara in

,

m arri age The O lympian gods testified their appreciation

.

o f h i s valour by sending h i m presents ; Hermes gave him

a sw o rd Phoebus Apollo a bundle o f arro ws Heph aestus

a go ld e ri quiver and Athene a coat of leather
, ,

.
,

H e ra c l e s an d E
ry s t h e u s And now it will be
u .
—

necessary to retrace o u r steps Just before the birth o f .

Heracles Zeus in an assembly o f the go ds e x ultingly

, , ,

declared that the child who should be born o n that d ay

to the house of Perseus should rul e over all his r ace .

’
When Hera heard her lord s boastful announcement sh e
knew well that it was for the child o f the hated Alcmene
that this b ri lliant destiny was desi g ned and in o rder to ,

r o b the s o n o f her riv a l o f his righ ts she called to her ,

aid the goddess E ili t h yia who retarded the birth o f ,

238 M YTHS OF AN CI E N T G R E E C E A ND HO M E .

Heracles and caused h i s cousin E urystheus ( another

,

grandson o f Perseus ) to precede him into the w o rld And .

thus as the w o rd o f the mighty Zeus was irrevocable

, ,

Heracles became the subj ect and servant o f his cousin

E urystheus .

When after his splendid victo ry over E rginus the

, ,

fame of Heracles spre ad through o ut Greece E urystheus ,

who ad become king of Mycen ae ) j eal o us o f the

( h ,

reputati o n of the young hero a sserted his rights and , ,

c o mmanded him to underta ke fo r h im various di fficul t

tasks B u t t h e proud spirit o f t h e hero rebelled against
.

t h is humi liation and h e w a s about to refuse compliance

, ,

when Zeus appeared t o him and desired him n o t t o rebel

a ains t the F ates Heracles n o w repaired t o Delphi in
g .

order t o cons u lt the oracle and received the answer that ,

af t er perfo r m ing ten tasks for his cousin E urystheus hi s

servit u de wo u ld be at an e n d
So on aft er w ards Heracles fell into a state o f th e deepest
melancholy and thr o ugh the influence o f his inveterate
,

enemy the go ddess Hera this des pondency developed

, ,

into raving madness in which condition he ki ll e d his own

,

ch ildren t e n he at length regained his reason he

.

was so ho rrified and grieved at what he had done that ,

he shut hi m self up i n h is chamber and avoided a ll inter

course w ith m e n B u t in his loneliness and seclusion the
.

convicti o n that work would h e the be st mea n s of pro cur

ing o bli vion o f the past decided him t o enter wi thout ,

delay upon the tasks app o inted him by E urystheus

, .

1 . Th io n Ne m L
His fi rs t task was to bring
e ean —

to E urystheus the skin of t h e much dread e d Ne m e an li o n —

,

which ravaged the terri tory between Cleone and Nemea ,

and whose hide was invulnerable a ainst any mortal g

weapon .

Herac les proceed e d to the forest o f Nemea where , ,

’
having discovered the lion s lair he attempte d t o pierce ,

him with his arrows ; but finding these of no avail he

fell ed h im t o the ground with his club and before the ,

animal had time t o re cover from the te rrible blow Hersh ,

 H E RAC L E S ( H E RC QDE S) . 239

cles seized him by the neck and with a mighty effort , ,

succe e ded in strangling h im He then made himself a .

coat o f mail o f the skin and a new helmet o f the head o f

,

the animal Thus attired he so alarmed E urystheus by

.
,

appearing suddenly before him that the king concealed ,

h imself in his palace and henceforth forbade Heracles to

,

enter his presence but commanded h im t o receive his h e

,

hests for the future through his messenger Copreus

, , .

2 . Th e Hy d r a
His sec o nd task was to slay the
—

Hydra a monster serpent ( the offspring o f Typhon and

,

E chidna ) bristling with ,

ni ne h eads one of which ,

was immortal Thi s m o n .

ster inf ested the neigh

bo u rh o o d o f L erna where ,

she committed great de

predations among the
herds .

Heracles accompanied ,

by his nephew Iolaus set ,

o u t in a chariot fo r t h e

m ar sh o f L erna in the ,

slimy waters o f which he

found her He com .

m e n ce d the attack by
as sailing her with his fi erce arrows in order t o force her ,

to leave her lair from which she at length emerged and

, ,

sought refuge in a wood o n a n e igh bd u rin g hill Hera .

cles now rushed forward and endeavoured to crush her

heads by means of well directed blows from his treme m
-

dous club ; but no sooner was one he ad destroyed than

it was immediately replaced by two others He next .

seized the monster in his powerful grasp ; but at thi s

juncture a giant crab came to the assistance o f the
Hydra and commenced biting the feet o f her assailant .

Heracles destroyed this new adversary with h i s club and ,

now called upon his nephew to come t o his aid At .

his command Iolaus set fire t o the neighbouring trees ,

240 M YTHS or AN CI E N T G R E E CE A ND RO M E .

and with a burni ng branch seared the necks o f the mon

, ,

ster as Heracles cut them o ff thus e ffectua lly preve nting ,

the grt o f m o re Heracles next struck o ff the

.

im mortal head which he buri e d by the r o ad side and

,
~ -

placed over it a h eavy st o ne Into the poisonous blood o f .

the monster he then dipped his arrows which ever after ,

wards rendered wounds inflicted by them incur able .

3 . Th e H o rn e d H i n d
The third labour of Hera —

cles was to bring the horned hind C e ru n i t is alive t o

Mycen ae This animal which was s acred t o A r t e mis
.
, ,

h ad golden antlers and hoofs o f bras s .

No t wi shing to woun d the hind Heracles patiently

pursued her t h rough many countri es for a whole year ,

and overt o ok her at last on the banks Of the ri ver L adon ;

but even there he was compelled in order t o sec ure h e r , ,

t o woun d her with o n e o f his arrows after whi ch he ,

li fted her o n hi s shoulders and carried her thr ough

Arcadi a O n his way he met Artemis with her brother
.

Phoebus Apollo when the goddess angrily reproved

-

for woundi ng her favouri te hind ; but Heracles

succeeded in appeasing her dis
pleasure whereupon she pe rmitted ,

him t o take the ani mal alive t o

Mycen ae .

4 Th e E ry m a n t i a n B o a r
. .

The fo urth tas k impo se d u pon

Heracles by E urystheus w as to
bri ng alive t o Mycen ae the E ry
mantian boar which h ad l ai d was te ,

the region o f E rym an t i a and was ,

the scourge o f the surrounding

neighbourhood .

O n his way thither he crav e d

food an d shelter o f a Centaur
named Ph o lu s who rece iv e d him ,

with generous hospita lity setting ,

before him a good and plent iful repast When Heracles .

e xpressed his s u rp rise that at such a w e ll f u rnis h e d board -

 H E RAC L E S ( H E RC ULE S ) . 241

wine should be wantin g his h o st explained that the win e

,

ce llar was the common property o f all the Centaurs and ,

that it was against the rules for a cask to be broac hed ex ,

ce pt all were present t o partake of it By d int o f pe rsu a .

si o n however Heracles prevailed o n his kind host to make

, ,

an exception in h i s favour; but the powerfu l luscious odour ,

o f the good o ld wine soon spread over the mount a ins and ,

brought large n u mbers o f Centaurs to the spot all armed ,

wi th huge rocks and fir trees Heracles dr ove them back

—
.

with fire brands and then following up his victory pur sued
-

, , ,

th em with his arrows as far as Malea where they took ,

refuge in the cave o f the kind o ld Centaur Chiron Un .

fortun ately however as Heracles was shooting a t them

, ,

with hi s poisoned darts o n e o f these pierced the kn ee

,

o f Chiron When Heracles discovered that it was the

.

friend o f his early days that h e had woun ded he was ,

overcome with sorrow and regret He at once extracted .

the arrow and an ointed the wound with a salve t h e vi rtue

, ,

o f which had been taught him by Chiron himself But .

all hi s efforts were unavail ing Th e w o un d im bued with .

,

the deadly poison o f the Hydra was incurable and so great , ,

was the agony o f Chi ron that at the intercession o f Hera ,

cles death was sent him by the gods ; fo r o therwise being

, ,

immo rtal h e would have been doomed t o endless suffering

, .

Ph o l u s who h ad so ki ndly entertained Heracles also

, ,

perished by means o f o n e of these arrows which he had ,

extracted from the body of a de a d Centaur While he .

was quietly examining it astonished t hat so small and ,

i nsignificant an obj ect shoul d be productive o f such

serious results the arrow fell upon his fo o t and fatally
,

woun ded hi m F ull o f gri ef at this untoward event

.
,

Heracles buried him with due honours and t hen set out ,

t o chase the boar .

With loud shouts and terrible cries he first drove him

o u t o f the thi ckets into the deep snowd rifts which

cover e d the summit o f the mountain and then having , ,

at len gth weari ed him wi th his incessant pur suit he ,

captured the exhausted animal bou nd him with a rope , ,

and brought h im alive to Mycenae . .

( 73 )
242 M YT HS or A N CI E N T G RE E C E A ND ROM E .

5 C l e a n s i ng t h e S t a b l e s o f A u g e a s
. Af te r slay — .

i n g the E ry m an t ia n boar E urystheus commanded Hera

cles t o cleanse in one day the stables o f Augeas '
.

Augeas w as a ln n g o f E li s who was very ri ch in herds .

Three thou sand of his cattle he kept near the royal

palac e in an inclosure where the refuse had a ccumulated
for many years When Heracles presented hi mself
.

before the ki ng and offered t o cleanse bis stables in o n e

,

day provided he should receive in return a tenth part

,

o f the herds Augeas thinki ng the feat impo ssible

, , ,

a ccepte d his offer in the presence of his son Phyleus .

Near the pal a ce were the two rivers Peneus and

Alpheus the streams of w h ich Heracles conducted into
,

the stables by means o f a trench which he d ug for this

purpose and as t h e waters rushed through the shed they
, ,

swept away with them the whole mass o f accumul ate d

fil th .

But when Augeas heard that thi s was o n e of t h e

labours imposed by E urystheus he refused the promi sed ,

guerdon Heracles brought the matter before a cour t

.
,

and called Phyleu s as a witness t o the j us ti ce of hi s

claim whereupon Augeas without waiting for the d e
, ,

livery o f the verdi ct angrily bani shed Heracles and his ,

son from his dominions .

6 . Th id e s e St y m ph
The sixth task was t o al .
—

chase away the Stymphalides which were immense birds ,

of prey who as we have seen ( in the legend of the

,

Argonauts) shot from their wi ngs feathers sharp as

,

arrows Th e home o f these birds was on the shore o f

.

the lake St ym ph alis in Arcadi a ( after which they were ,

called ) where they caus ed great destruction among men

,

and cattle .

O n approaching the lake Heracles observed great ,

numbers o f them ; and while hesitatin g how t o com ,

mence the attack he suddenly felt a hand o n hi s shoul ,

der . L ooking round he be h eld the maj estic form o f

Pallas Athene who held in her h and a giganti c pair of
-

braz en clappers made by Heph aes tus, with whi ch sh e

 HE RAC LE S ( HE RC ULES ) . 243

presented h im ; whereupo n he ascended t o the sum mi t

o f a neighbouring hill an d commenced t o rattle them ,

violently The shrill noise o f these instruments was so

.

into lerable t o the birds that they rose in to the air in

te rror upon w hi ch he ai med at them with his arrows
, ,

destroyi ng them in great numbers whi lst such as es caped ,

h i s darts flew away never t o return , .

7 . Th t a n B u ll
e The seventh labour o f Hera
C re —

cles was t o capture the Cretan bull .

Min os king o f Crete having vowed to sacri fi ce to

, ,

Poseidon any animal which should first appear o u t o f

the sea the god caused a magnificent bul l to emerge
,

from the waves in order to test the sincerity o f the

Cretan ki ng who in maki ng this vow h ad alleged that
, , ,

he possessed no an imal among his o wn herds worthy the , ,

acceptance of the mighty sea god Charmed w ith the -

.

splendid animal sent by Poseidon and eager to p o ssess ,

it Minos pla ed it among hi s herds and substituted as a

,
c
,

sacrifice o n e of his own bull s Hereupon Poseidon in .

,

order t o punish the cupi dity of Mi nos caused the an imal ,

t o become m ad and comm i t such great havoc in t h e

,

island as to endanger the safety o f the i n habitants .

When Heracles therefore arri ved in Crete for the pur

, ,

pose o f capturing the bull Minos far from opposin g hi s , ,

design gladly gave h im permission t o do so

, .

The hero n o t only succeeded in seem i ng the animal ,

but tamed him so effectually that he rode o n hi s back

right across the sea as far as the Peloponnesus He n o w .

delivere d him up t o E u rystheus who at once set h im at ,

liberty after which he became as ferocious and wil d as

,

before roamed all over Greece into Arca dia and was
, ,

e ventually kil led by Theseus o n the pl ai ns of Marathon .

8 . Th e M
r e s o f D i o m e d e s The eighth labo
a .
-

o f Heracles was t o bring t o E urystheus the mares o f

Diomedes a son of Ares and king o f the B is t o n ia n s a

, , ,

warlike Thracian tri be Th is king possessed a breed o f .

wild horses of tremend o us size and strengt h whose fo o d ,

consiste d of hum an flesh and all stran gers who had the ,
-
244 M YTHS or AN CIE N T G RE E C E A ND ROM E .

misfortune t o enter the country were made priso ners

and flung before the horses who devo u red them ,
.

W hen Heracles arrived he first capture d the cruel

Diomedes hi mself and then threw him before h i s o wn
,

mares who afte r devouring th eir mas t er became per

, , ,

fe ct ly tame and tractable They were then led by .

Herac les t o the sea shore when the B i st o n i an s enraged

-

, ,

at the loss o f their king rushed after the hero and a t ,

tacked him He n o w gave the animals in charge o f h is

.

friend Abderus and made such a furi o u s onslaught o n

,

his assai lants that they turn ed and fle d

But o n his return from this encounter he foun d t o his ,

great grief that the mares had to rn his fri end in pie
,

and devo ured h i m After celebrating due fun e real rites

.

t o the unfortunate Abderus Heracles built a city in his ,

h o nour which he named after him He then returned t o

,
.

Tiryns where he de livered up the mares t o E urystheus

, ,

who set them loose o n Mo u nt O lympus where they ,

became the prey of wild beasts .

It was after the performance o f this tas k that Heracl es

j o ined the Argonauts in their expedition t o gain po sses
sion o f the G o lden F leece and was left behind at Chi os , ,

as al ready narrate d During his wanderings he under

took h i s ninth labour which was t o bring t o E urysthe u s
,

the girdle of Hippolyte queen o f the Amazons , .

9 . Th ir dl e o f H i p p o l y t e
e G The Amazons who .
—
,

d w elt o n the sh o res o f the Black Se a near the river ,

Th e rm o d o n were a nation o f war like women renowned

, ,

fo r their strengt h courage and great skill in horsemanship

, ,
.

Their queen Hippolyte h ad received from her father

, , ,

Ares a beautiful girdle which she always w e re as a si g n

, ,

o f her r o yal p o wer and authority and it was this girdle ,

which Heracles was required t o pl ace in the hands o f

E urystheus who design e d it as a gift for his daughter
,

Admete .

F oreseeing that this wo u ld be a task of no ordin ary

difficulty the hero called t o his aid a select band o f brave
co mpanion s with whom he embarked for the A mazonian
,
 H E RA C L E s ( H E R C UL E S) : 245

t own Themiscyra Here they were met by queen Hip

.

polyte who was so impressed by the extraordinary stature

,

and noble bearing o f Heracles that o n learning his ,

errand she at once consented t o present h im with the

‘

coveted girdle But Hera his implacable enemy assum

.
, ,

ing t h e fo r m o f an Amaz o n spread t h e report in the

,

town that a stranger was about t o carry o ff their queen .

The Amazons at once fl ew to arms and mounted their

horses whereupon a battle ensued in which many o f
, ,

their bravest warriors were killed o r wounded Among .

the latter was their most skilful leader Melanippe wh o m , ,

Heracles afterwards restored to Hippolyte receivin g the ,

girdle in exchange .

O n his voyage home the hero stopped at Troy where ,

a new ad venture awaited him .

During the time that Apollo and Poseidon were con

d e m n e d by Zeus to a te mporary servitude o n earth they ,

built for king L aomedon t h e famous walls o f Troy ,

afterwards so renowned in history ; but when their work

“

was completed the king treacherously refused to give

them the reward due to them The incensed deities .

n e w c o mbined to punish the offender Apollo sent a .

pestilence which decimated the people and Poseidon a ,

flood which bore with it a marine monster who

‘

, ,

swallowed in his huge j aws all that came within his

reach .

In his distress L aomedon consulted an oracle and was ,

informed th at only by the sacrifice of his o w n daughter

Hesione could the anger o f the gods be appeased Yield .

ing at length to the urgent appeals o f his pe o ple he

consented to make the sacrifice and o n the arrival of,

Heracles the m aiden was already chained to a rock in

readiness to be devoured by the monster .

When L aomedon beheld the renowned hero whose ,

marvellous feats of strength and courage h a d become the

wonder and admiration of all mankind he earnestly im ,

p l o r ed him to save his daughter from her impending fate ,

and to rid the country o f the monster holding o u t t o ,

hi m as a rewar d the horses which Zeus had presented to

246 M YTHS or AN CI E NT G R E E C E A ND ROM E .

his grandfather Tros in compensation for robbin g him o f

his son Ganymede .
'

Heracles un h e sit a t in gly ac ce pt e d the offer and when ,

the monste r appeared opening his te rrible j aws to re

,

c e i v e hi s prey the hero sword in hand attacked and

, , ,

slew h im But the pe rfid i o u s monarch once more broke

.

fai th and Heracles vowing future vengeance departed

, , ,

for Mycen ae where he presented the girdle t o E ur ystheu s

,
.

10 . O x e n o f G e ry o n e s The tenth labour o f

Th e .
—

Heracles was the capt u re o f t h e magnificent oxen belong

ing t o the giant Geryon or Geryones w h o dwelt o n the ,

island of E ry t h i a in the bay of G ad ri a ( Cadiz ) Thi s .

giant w h o was the son o f Chrysaor h ad thr ee bodies

, ,

with th ree heads six hands and six feet He possessed a

, ,
.

herd of splendid cattle which were famous for their size

, ,

beauty and rich red colour Th ey were gu arded by

,
.

another giant named E urytion and a two headed dog ,

~

called O rth r u s the offsp ri ng of Typhon and E chidn a

,
.

In choosing for him a task so replete with danger ,

E u rystheus was i n hopes that he might rid hi m se lf for

ever of hi s hated cous in B u t the indomitable courage .

o f the hero rose with the prospect o f this diffi cul t and

dangerous un dertaki ng .

After a long and we arisome j ourney he at last arri ved

at the western coast o f Af rica where as a monument , ,

of his perilous expedition he erec t ed the famous Pillars ,

“

!
of Hercules one o f which he plac e d on each side of the
,

Straits o f Gibraltar Here he found th e intense heat so

.

in sufferable that he angrily raised hi s bo w towards

heaven and threatened t o shoot the sun go d
,
But -

Heli os far from being incensed at his audacity was so

, ,

struck with admiration at his daring that he lent t o

h i m the golden boat with whi ch he acco mpli shed his
nocturnal transit from West t o E ast and thus Herac les ,

crossed over safely t o the islan d of E ryt hi a .

No so o ner had he landed th an E urytion accomp an i e d ,

by hi s savage dog O rth r u s fiercely attacked hi m ; but ,

Heracles with a superhuman effort sl ew the dog and

, ,
 H E RAC L E S ( H E R C UL E S) . 247

then hi s master Hereupon he collecte d the herd and

.
,

was proceeding to the sea shore when Geryones himself -

met him and a desperate encounter took place in which

, ,

the giant perished .

Heracles then drove the cattle into the sea and seizing ‘

o n e o f the oxen by the horns swam with them over to ,

the opposite coast o f Iberia ( Spain ) Then driving his .

magnificent prize before him through Gaul Italy Illyria , , ,

and Thrace he at length arri ved after many perilous

, ,

adventures an d hair breadth escapes at Mycen ae where

—
, ,

he delivered them up to E urystheus who sacrificed them ,

t o Her a
Heracles had n o w executed his ten tasks which h ad ,

been accomplished in the Space o f eight years ; but

E urystheus refused to include the slaying o f the Hydra
and the cleansing of the stables o f Augeas among the
number alleging as a reason that the o n e had been per
,

form ed by the assistance o f Iolaus and that the other ,

had been executed fo r hire He therefore insisted on .

Heracles substituting two more labours in their place .

1 1 . Th e A p p le s The eleventh
o f th e H e s p e ri d e s .
—

task imposed by E urystheus was t o b ri ng him the golden

apples o f the Hesperides which grew o n a tree presented ,

by G aea to Hera o n the occasion of her marri age with

,

Zeus This sacred tree was guarded by fo ur maidens

.
,

daughters of Night called the Hesperi des who were

, ,

assisted in their task by a terrible hun dred headed -

drago n This dragon never slept and o u t of its hundred

.
,

throats came a constant hissing sound which e ffectually ,

warned o ff all intruders But what rendered the under .

taking still more di ffi cult was the complete ignorance of

the hero as to the locality o f the garden and he was ,

forced in consequence to make many fru itless j ourneys

, ,

and to undergo many trials before he could find it .

He first travelled through Thessaly and arrived at the

river E ch e d o ru s where he met the giant Cycnus the so n
, ,

o f Ares and Pyrene who challenged him to single co m

,

bat In this encounter Heracles completely vanqui shed

.
248 M YT HS or AN CI E N T G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

his opponent who was kill ed in the c o ntest ; but n o w a

,

mightier adversary appeare d on the scene fo r the war ,

o d h imse lf came t o aven e hi s so n A terrible

g struggle
g .

ensue d whi ch had lasted some tim e when Zeus inter

, ,

fe r e d between the bro thers and put an end t o the ,

stri fe by hurli ng a thun derbolt between them Heracles .

proceeded on hi s jo u rney and reached the bank s o f the

,

river E ridanus where dwelt the Nymphs daughters of

, ,

Zeus and Themi s O n see kin g advice from them as to his

.

route they d irecte d him t o _the old sea go d Nereus who

,
-

alone kn ew the way t o the Garden o f the Hespe ri des .

Heracles foun d him asleep and seizing the opportunity , ,

held hi m so firml y in his powerful gras p that he co uld

not possibly escape s o that notwithsta n di ng hi s vari o u s
,

metamorphoses he was at last compelled t o give the in

formation require d The hero then crossed over t o
L ibya where h e enga ed in a wrest li ng match with ki ng
,
g -

A n t e o s son of Poseidon and G aea which termin ated

, ,

fatally for his antagonist .

F rom thence he pro ceeded t o E gypt where reign e d ,

Busi ris another son o f Poseidon who ( acti ng o n the

, ,

ad vice given by an oracle duri ng a tim e o f great scarcity)

sacrifice d all strangers t o Zeus When Heracles a rri v e d .

he was seized and dragg ed t o the al tar ; but the powerful

demi god burs t as under hi s bond s and then slew Busiri s
—
,

an d hi s son .

Resum i ng hi s j ourney he now wande red o n through

A rabia until he arrived at Moun t Caucasus where Pro ,

m e t h e u s groaned in un ceasin g a ony It was at this g .

time that Heracles ( as already relate d) shot the eagle

whi ch had so l o ng to rtur e d the noble and devote d fri end
o f mankin d F ull o f gratitude fo r hi s deliverance Pro ,

m e t h e us instructed him how t o find hi s way t o t h at

remote region i n the far l Ve st wh ere Atlas supporte d
the h e avens o n hi s shoul ders near whi ch lay the Garden,

o f the Hesperides He also warned Herac les not t o

.

atte mpt t o secure the precious fr ui t himse lf but to ,

ass u me for a tim e t h e duties o f Atlas and t o des patch ,

hi m for the apple s .

 H E RAC LE S ( H E RC UL E S) . 24 9

O n arri vin g at his destination Heracles f ollowed the

advice of Prometheus Atlas who willingly entered into
.
,

the arrangement contrived t o put the dragon t o sleep

, ,

and then having cunningly o utwitted the Hesperides

, ,

carri ed o ff three o f the g o lden apples w hich he now ,

brought to Heracles B u t when the latte r was prepared

.

to relinqu ish his burden Atl as having once tasted the

, ,

delights of freedom declined to resume his post and

, ,

announced his intention o f being himself the bearer o f

the apples t o E urystheus leaving Heracles to fill hi s
,

place To thi s proposal the hero feigned assent merely

.
,

beggi ng that Atl as would be kind enough t o support

the heavens for a few moments whilst he contrived a pad
fo r his head . Atlas goo d natur edly threw down the
apples and once more resum ed his load u pon which ,

Heracles bad e him adieu and departed ,

.

When Heracles conveyed the go lden apples to E u ry s

theus the latter presente d them t o the hero whereupo n ,

Heracles placed t h e sacred fruit o n the altar o f Pallas

Athene who restored them to the garden o f the Hesperides
,
.

C e r b e ru s —
The twelfth and last labour which
E urystheus imposed o n Heracles
was to bring up Cerberus from the
lower world believing that all his
,

heroic powers would be unavailing

in the Realm o f Shades and that ,

in this his last and most pe ri lous

,

undertaking the hero must at

,

length succumb and perish .

Cerberus was a monste r d o g

wi th three heads o u t o f wh o se
,

awful j aws dripped poison ; the

hai r o f h i s head and back was
formed of venomous snakes and ,

his bo dy terminated in the tail o f

a dragon .

Af t er being initiated into the

E leusinian Myste ri es and obtain ,
250 M YT HS o r A N C I E NT G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

ing from the priests certain i nformation necess ary for

the accomplishment of his task Herac les set o u t fo r ,

Tae n aru m in L ac o li a where there w as an o pe ,

which led t o the Im d e r world Conducted by Hermes -

.
,

he commenced hi s descent into the awful gul f where ,

myri ads of shades soon began t o appe ar all o f whom ,

fled in te rror at his approac h Meleager and Med usa ,

al one excepted About t o strike the latter with hi s

.

sword Hermes i nterfered and sta yed h is hand remi nd

, ,

i n g hi m that she was but a shadow and that consequently ,

no weapon could avail against her .

Arrived before the gates o f Hades he foun d Theseus

and Piri th ou s who had been fixed t o an ench ante d roc k
,

by Ai des for the ir presumption in endeavouri n g t o carry

o ff Persephone When they saw Hera cles they implored
.

h i m t o set them fr e e The hero succeeded in delivering

.

Th e seus but when he endeavoured t o liberate Piri th ou s

, ,

the earth shook so violently beneath hi m that he was

compell e d t o relinqui sh hi s task .

Proceedi ng further Heracles recogni zed Ascalaphus ,

who as we have seen in the hi story o f Demete r had

, ,

revealed the fact that Persephone had swall owed t h e

seeds o f a pomegranate offered t o her by her husband ,

which bound her t o A i des for ever Ascalaph us w as .

groani ng beneath a huge rock whi ch Demete r i n her

anger h ad hurled upon h im and which Heracles now ,

removed releasing the suff erer

,
.

Before the gates o f his pal ace stood Ai des the mighty
rul er of the l o wer world and barred hi s entrance ; but ,

Heracles aimi ng at hi m with o n e of hi s un erring dart s

, ,

shot hi m in the shoul der so that for the first time the ,

god e xperienced the agony of mort al s u ffering Heracles .

then demanded o f h im perm ission t o tak e Cerberu s t o

the upper world and t o thi s A i des consente d o n co n
-

diti on that he shoul d secure him unarmed Prote c te d

by hi s breastplate and li o n s skin Heracles went in
’

search of the monster whom he found at the mouth of ,

the river Acheron U ndismayed by the hid e ous barkin g

.

which proce eded from h i s three hea ds be sei ze d the ,

 H E RAC L E S ( H E R C UL E S ) . 251

throat with o n e hand and the legs with the other and -

although the dragon which served him as a tail bit him

severely he d id not relinquish his grasp In this man
,
.

ner he conducted him t o the upper world thr ough an -

Opening near Tro e ze n in A rg o lia

When E urystheus beheld Cerberus he sto od ag hast,
and despairing o f ever getting rid o f hi s hated rival he ,

returned t h e hell hound t o the hero w h o restored him

-

to Ai des and with t hi s last task the subj ection of Hera

,

cles to E urystheus terminate d

M u r d e r o f I p h i t u s F ree at l ast Heracles now re

-

turned to Thebes ; and it bein g impossible for h im to

live happily with Megara in consequence o f his having
murdered her children he with her o wn consent gave , ,

h e 1 in marri age t o his nephew Iolaus Heracles himself .

sought the hand of Iole daughter o f E ur ytus king o f

, ,

( E ch ali a who had instruc t e d him when a bo y m the use

,

o f the bow Hearing that this king h ad promised t o

.

give his daughter to him who could sur pass h imself and
his three sons in shooting with the bow Heracles lost no ,

time in presenting him self as a competitor He soon .

proved th at he was no unworth y pup i l o f E urytus fo r ,

he signally def eated all his opponents But although .

the king treate d him with marked respect and honour

he ref u sed nevertheless to give him the hand o f his
, ,

daughter fearing for her a similar fate to that whi ch had

,

befallen Megara Iphi tus the eldest son o f E urytus

.
, ,

alone espous ed the cause o f Heracles and essayed to ,

induce hi s father t o give his consent t o the marri age ;

but all to no purpose and at length stung t o the quick
, ,

at his rej ection the hero angrily took hi s depar

,

ture .

Soon afterwards the oxen o f the king were stolen by

the notorious thi ef Autolycus and Heracles was suspected ,

by E urytus o f having committed the theft But Iphitus .

loyally defended his absent friend and proposed to seek ,

o u t Heracles and wi th his assistance t o go in search o f

,

the mi ssin g cattle .

252 M YT HS or AN CI E NT G R E E CE A ND RO M E .

The h ero warml y welcomed his staunch youn g friend ,

an d ente red cordi ally i nto his pl an They at on ce set .

o u t on the ir expe diti on ; but their search prov e d al to

gether unsuccessful When they approached the city of
.

Tiryns they mounted a tower in hopes of di scoveri ng t h e

mi ssing herd in the surrounding country ; but as they
stood o n the topmost summit of the buildin g Her acles ,

became suddenly seized w ith one of his former attacks

o f madness and mistaking hi s fri end Iphi tus for an
,

enemy hurled him down into the pl ai n below an d he

, ,

was ki lled o n the spot .

Heracles now set forth on a weary p ilgrimage beggi ng

’

in vain that some one wo ul d purify him from the murder

o f Iphitus It was during these wanderi ngs that he
.

arrived at the p al ace of hi s fri end Admetus whose beau ,

tiful and heroic wife ( A l e e s te s) he resto red t o her h u s

band afte r a terrible struggle with Dea th as al read y ,

relate d 0

Soon after this event He racles was struck with a

fearful di seas e and be t ook himse lf t o the temple o f
,

Delphi hoping to obtai n from the orac le t h e means o f

,

reli ef The prieste ss however refused him a response

.
, ,

on the groun d o f his havin g murdered Iphi tus where ,

upon th e angry hero seiz e d upon the t ri pod which h e

‘

carri ed o ff declaring that he w o ul d construct an orac le

,

for h imself Apo llo who witnessed the sac rilege came
.
, ,

do w n t o defend hi s sa nctuary and a violent strug le ,

g

ensue d Zeus once more in te rfered and flash i ng his , ,

lightni ngs between hi s two favouri t e sons end e d t h e ,

combat The Pythi a n o w vouchsafed an answer to the

.

prayer of the hero and commanded h im in exp iation of

, ,

his crime t o allow h i ms elf t o be sold by Hermes for

,

three years as a slave the purchase m o ney t o be given t o

,
-

E urytus in compe nsation for the loss of his son .

H e ra c l e s b e c o m O m p h a l e Her
es th e S la v e o f —
.

acles bowed in submission t o the divin e will and was ,

conducted by Hermes t o O mphale quee n o f L ydia ,

.

Th e three talents whi ch she paid fo r hi m were given

 H E RAC L E S ( H E RC UL E S) . 253

to E urytus , who , however declined to accept t h e

,

money, whi ch was handed over to the chil dren o f

Iphitus .

Heracles now regained his former vigour He ri d the .

territory o f O mphale o f the robbers w h ich infeste d it ,

and performed for her various other services requir ing

strength and courage It was about this time that he .

took part in the Calydoni an boar hunt detail s o f which -

have already been given .

Wh en O mphale learned that her slave was none other

than the renowned Heracles himse lf she at once gave
him his liberty and o fl e re d him her hand and king
,

dom . In her palace Heracles abandoned himself to all

the enervating luxuries o f an oriental life and s o co m ,

p le t e ly was the great hero enthralled by the fascination

which his mistress exercised over him that w h ilst sh e ,
’
playf ul ly donned his lion s ski n and helmet he attired , ,

in female garments sat at her feet spinning wool and , ,

be guiling the time by the relation o f his past adventur es .

But when at length hi s term o f bondage having ex ,

pir e d he became master o f his o w n actions the manly

, ,

and energetic spirit o f the hero reasserted itself an d tear ,

i n g himself away from the palace o f the M aeonian queen ,

he determined to carry out t h e revenge he had so long

meditated against the trea cherous L aomedon and t h e
faithless Augeas .

H e ra c l e s e xe c u tes ven gean ce o n L aom e d o n an d

A u g Gathering roun d him some of his
e as —
o ld brave
companions i n arms Heracles collected a fleet of vessels
- -

and set sail fo r Troy where h e landed took the city by , ,

storm and killed L aomedon who thus met at length the

, ,

retribution he had so richl y deserve d

To Telamon one o f hi s bravest followers he gave
, ,

Hesione the daugh ter o f the king in marriage When

, ,
.

Heracles gave her permission t o release o n e o f t h e

p ri soners o f war she chose her o w n broth er Podarces ,

whereupon she was i n fo rmed that as he was alre ady a

prisoner o f war Sh e would be compelled to ransom h i m .
254 M Y THS OF AN CI E N T G RE E C E A ND ROM E .

O n hearing th is Hesione took o ff h e r golden diad em ,

which she j oyfully handed to t h e hero O wing t o this .

circumstance Podarces h enceforth bore the name of

!
P ri amus (o r Priam ) which signifies the ransomed o n e
,
“
.

Heracles n o w marched against Augeas t o execute his

vengeance o n him also for his pe rfid io u s conduct He .

stormed the city o f E lis and put to death Augeas and h i s

sons sparing only hi s brave advocat e and staunch de
,

fender Ph yleus o n whom he bestowed the vacant throne

,

o f h i s father .

H e ra c l e s d D e i a n e ir a
an Herac les now proceeded .
—

to Calydon , where h e wooed t h e beautiful Deianeira,

daughter o f ( E n e u s , king o f Z E t o lia ; but he e n co u n
t e re d a formidable ri val in Achelous , the river god , and -

it was agreed that their claims should be decided by

single combat Trusting t o his power of assum ing vari o u s
.

forms at will Achelous felt confident o f success ; but this

,

availed him nothing for having at last transformed him ,

self into a bul l his mighty adversary broke o ff o ne of his

,

horns and compelled him t o acknowledge hi m self d e

,

feate d
After passing three happy years with Deianeira an
unfort un ate accident occurred which for a tim e marred ,

their felicity Heracles was one day present at a banquet

.

g iven by (E n e u s when by a sudden swing of his hand

, , ,

he had the misfortune to strike on the head a youth o f

noble birth who according t o the custom o f the ancients
, , ,

was serving the guests at table and so violent was t h e ,

blow that it caused his death The father of the u n fo r .

t un at e youth who had wi tnessed the occu rrence saw

, ,

that it was the resul t of accident and therefore absolved ,

’
t h e hero from b ame But Heracles re solved to act
.

ac cording to the law o f the land banished himself from ,

t h e country and bidding farewell t o his father i n la w

,
- -

set out for Tra e h in to visit his friend K ing Ceyx taking ,

with h i m his wi fe Deianeira and his young so n Hyllus ,

.

In the co u rse o f the ir j o urney they arrived at the river

E venus over which the Centaur Nes sus was in the habit
,
 H E RAC LE S ( H E R C ULE S ) . 255

of carrying travellers fo r hire H e racles with his littl e .

,

son in his arms forded the stream unaided intrusting

, ,

his wife to the care o f the Centaur who charmed with , ,

the beauty o f hi s fair burden attempted to carry her o ff , .

But her c ri es were heard by h e r husband wh o without ,

hesitation shot Ne s su s through the heart with o n e O f his

poisoned arrows No w the dying Cen t aur was thirsting
.

for revenge He called Deianeira to his side and directed

.
,

her to secure some o f the blood which flowed fro m his

wound assuring her that if when in dan ger o f losing her
, ,
’
husband s aff ection sh e used it in the manner indicated by
,

him it wou ld act as a charm and prevent her from being

, ,

supplanted by a rival Heracles and Deianeira n o w pur

.

sued their j ourney and after several adventures at length

,

arrived at their destination .

De a t h o f He ra c l e s
The l ast expedition undertaken
—

by the great hero was against E urytus kin g of ( E ch alia , ,

t o revenge himself upon t h is king and hi s sons fo r havi n g

refused t o besto w up o n him the hand o f Iole after having ,

fairly won the maiden Having collected a large army.

Heracles set o u t fo r E uboea in order to besiege ( E ch a lia ,

its capital Success crowned his arms He stormed the

. .

citadel slew the king and his three sons reduced the
, ,

town to ashes and c arried away captive the young and

,

beautiful Iole .

Returning from h i s victori o us expedition Heracles ,

halted at C e n oe u s in order to o ffer a sacrifice to Zeus ,

and sent to Deianeira to Tra ch in for a sacri ficial robe .

Deianeira h aving been info rmed that the fair Iole was
in the train o f Heracles w a s fearful lest her youthful
charms might supplant her in the affection o f her hus
band and calling to mind the advice o f t h e dying Cen
,

taur she determined to test the e fficacy o f the love ch arm

,
-

which he had given to her Taking out the phial which .

she had carefully preserved she imbued the robe with a ,

portion of the liquid which it contained and then sent ,

it t o Heracles .

The victorious hero cl o thed himself with the garment ,

256 M YT HS or AN CI E NT G R E E CE A ND ROM E .

and was abo ut t o pe rf orm the sacrifice when the hot fla mes ,

ri sing from the altar heated the poison with which it was

im bued and s o o n every fibre o f his body was penetrated

,

by the deadly venom The unfo rtunate hero suffering .

,

t h e most fearful tortures endeav o ured to tear o ff the ,

robe but it ad hered so closely t o the skin that all his

,

efforts t o remove it only increas ed his agonies .

In this pitiable condi t ion he was conveyed t o Trach in ,

where Deianeira on beholding the terrible suffe ri ng of

,

which she was the inn ocent cause w as overcome with ,

gri ef and remorse and hanged herself in despai r Th e

,
.

dying hero called his s o n Hyllus t o his side and desired ,

h i m t o make Iole his wi fe and then ordering his followers ,

t o erect a funeral pyre he mounted it and implored t h e ,

by standers t o set fire t o it and thus in mercy t o t e r

-

minate his insufferable tormen t s But n o o n e had the .

courage to obey him u ntil at last his friend and co m

,

panion Philoctete s yielding t o hi s pite ous appeal lighted

, ,

the pile and received in return t h e bo w and arrows of

,

the hero .

Soon flames o n flames ascended and amidst vivid ,

flashes of lightning accompanied by awful peals o f ,

thunder Pallas Athene descended in a cloud and bore

,
—
,

her favou rite hero in a chari ot t o O lympus .

Hera cles became adm it t ed among the immortals ; and

Hera in token o f her reconciliation bestowed upon him
, ,

the hand o f her beautif ul daughter Hebe the goddess ,

of eternal youth .

B E L L E ROPH ON .

Bellerophon or Bellerophontes was the son of Glaucu s

, , ,

king of Corinth and grandson o f Sisyphus In couse

q
.
,

u e n ce o f an unpremedita t ed murder Bell er o phon fled t o

Tiryns where he was kindly received by K ing Pr oetus

, ,

who purified him from hi s cri me Antea the wife of .

,

Proetus w as so charmed with t h e comely y outh that she

,

fell in love with him ; but Bellero p h on did not retur n

her affecti o n and s h e in revenge slandered him t o t h e
, , ,

kin g by a gross misrepresentation of the fact s .

 BE LL E RO PH ON . 257

The fi rst impulse o f Proetus wh e n inf ormed of the ,

conduct o f Belleropho n w as to kill him ; but the youth

, ,

with his gentle and winn i n g manners h ad so endeared ,

himself t o his h ost that he felt it im possible t o ta ke his

life with his own hands He therefo re sent hi m t o hi s
.

father in law Iobates king o f L ycia with a kind o f letter

- —
, , ,

o r tablet w hich conta ined mys t erious signs indicatin g his ,

desire t h at t h e bearer o f the missive should be put t o

death But the gods watched over the tr ue an d loyal
.

youth and inclined the heart o f Iobates w h o was an ami

, ,

able pri nce to wards his guest Judgin g by his appear ance
,
.

t h at h e was o f noble birt h he en t ertained him accordi n g

, ,

to the hospitable custom o f t h e Greeks i n the most ,

pri ncely manner for nine days and n o t until the morn ,

ing of the te nth did he inquire his name and erran d

Belleroph o n now presented t o him the letter intrusted
to him by Proetus Iobates w h o had be c o me greatl y
.
,

attached t o the youth w as horror struck at its contents

,
-
.

Nevertheless h e concluded that Proetus must have g o od

reasons for his c o nduct an d that probably Belleroph on
,

h ad committe d a crime which deserved death But as he .

could not make up his mind to murder the guest he had

gro w n t o esteem he ,

decided to despatch hi m
upon dangerous enter
p ri ses in which he ,

would in all probability

l o se h is life .

He first sent him to

ki ll the Chi m aera a ,

monster w hich was at this time devastating the country .

The fo re part of its body w a s that o f a li o n t h e centre ,

o f a goat and t h e hind p a rt of a dragon ; whilst o u t o f

,

o f fire .

this di ffi t task Bellerophon i n

o f the gods an d in answer t o h i s ,

prayer they despatched t o his aid the imm o rtal winged —

horse Pegasus the o fl sprin g of Poseidon and Medusa

,
.

But the di v in e ani mal w o uld n o t suffer h im s e lf t o

'

( 73 ) R
258 M YTHS or AN CI E N T G R E E CE A ND ROM E .

caught and at last worn o u t with his fruitless exertion s

, , ,

Bellerophon fe ll into a deep sleep beside the sacre d spri ng

Pirene Here Pall as At h ene appeared t o him in a dream
.
-
,

and presented him with a magi c bri dl e for the pur pose
of capturing the divine stee d On awakin g Bellerop ho n
instinctively put out his h and to gras p it when t o hi s , ,

ama zement t h ere lay beside him the bridl e of his dream
, ,

whil st Pegasus was quietly drin k ing at the fo un tain

close by Seizin g hi m by the mane Bellerophon threw
.

the bridle over hi s head ,

and succeed e d in moun t

ing him wi th out further
di fficul ty ; then risin g with
him into t h e air h e slew
the Chi m aera with his
arrows .

Iobate s next sent him on

an expedition agai nst the
Solymans a fierce neigh ,

bo u ri n g t ri be with whom
he was at enmi ty Bel .

le ro ph o n succ eeded in van

q u i s h i n
g them and was then ,
despatched a ainst the g

much dre ad ed Am azons ; but greatly t o the asto ni shment

-

o f Iobates the hero a ain returned victo ri ous g .

F inally Iobates placed a num be r of the bravest L yci an s

,

in ambush for the purpose o f destroying hi m but not o n e ,

returned alive fo r Bellerophon bravely defend e d himself

,

and slew them all Convin ced at length that Bellerophon

.
,

far from deserving death was the special favou ri te o f t h e,

gods who had evidently prote cted him throughout his

,

peril o us exploits the king now ceased his persecutio n s

,
.

Iobates admitted hi m t o a sh are in the governm ent ,

an d gave him hi s daughter in mar ri a e But Bellerophon g .

having attained the summit o f earthly pro spe ri t y be cam e

i ntoxi cated wi th p ri de and vanity and in cu rred the di s ,

pleasur e o f the go ds by ende a vouri n g to mount t o hea ven

on his winged horse fo r the purpose o f gratifyi ng his i dl e
,

curi osity Ze us punish e d hi m for his i mpiety by se ndin g

.
 THE SE US . 259

a gad fly t o sting the horse who bec am e so restive that

,

he threw his ri der who was precipitated to the earth

, .

F ill ed wi t h remorse at havin g offended the gods B e ll e ro

phon fell a prey t o the deepest melancholy and wandered ,

about fo r the remainder of his life in the loneliest and

most desolate places .

Af te r death he was honour ed in Co ri nth as a hero an d ,

an altar was ere cted t o hi m in the grove o f Poseidon .

TH E S E US .

Aegeus ki ng o f Athens be ing twice m arried and

, , ,

havin g no children was so desirous o f an he ir t o his

,

throne that he m ade a pil gri mage t o Delphi in order t o

consul t the oracle But the response being ambiguous
.
,

he repaired t o Tro e ze n to consult his wise friend Pittheus ,

who reigned over that city by whose advice he contracted

,
’
a se cret marri age with his friend s daughter Aethr a .

After p assing s o me time with his bri de Aegeus pre ,

pared to take his departure for his o wn domi nions ; but

be fo re doing so he led Aethra t o the sea shore where -

, ,

af ter depositing h is sword an d sandals under a h u ge rock ,

h e thus addressed her : Shoul d the gods bless o u r union

“

with a son do not reveal t o him the name and rank of

,

his father un til he i s o ld enough t o possess the strength

requisite for moving this stone Then send him to my .

pal ace at Athens bearing these to kens o f his identity .

!

A so n was born to Aethra whom she called Theseus , ,

and who was carefully trained and educate d by his

grandfather Pittheus \Vh en h e had developed into a
.

strong and manly youth his mother conducted him to

the spot where the rock h ad been plac ed by Aegeus an d ,

at her command b e rolled away t h e s t one and took ,

posses si o n o f t h e swo rd and sandals which had lain there

fo r sixteen years and which she n o w desired him to con
,

vey t o his fat h er Aegeus king of Athens , .

His mother and grandfather were anxi ous that the

youth should travel by the safe sea route the road ,

between Tro e ze n an d Athens being at thi s time infested

260 m as or AN CIE NT G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

with robbers o f great ferocity and enormous strength .

But feeling within hims elf the spiri t o f a hero Theseus ,

resolved t o emulate the deeds o f Heracles with whose ,

fame all Greece res ounde d and therefore chose the more,

dang erous j ourney by land as calcul ated t o afford hi m ,

an opportunity of di stinguish ing hi ms elf by feats of

valour .

Hi s first adventure occurred at E pidaurus where he ,

met Pe ri phetes a s o n of Heph aestus who w as armed

, ,

with an i ro n club wi th which he kill ed all travellers

,
.

Having received from his grandfather a fu ll desc ri ption

o f thi s sa vage These u s at o nce recognized h im and rush
, ,

ing upon him w ith h is s w ord succ eed e d after a d e spe rate
,

encoun ter in ki lling him He approp ri ated the club as a

.

trophy of his victory and proceeded o n his j ourney with

,

o u t hinderance until he arrived at the Isthmus of Co ri nth .

Here the people warned hi m t o beware o f Sin n i s the

robbe r who for ced all travellers to bend with hi m one
,

o f the branches of a tall pine tr e e Having dragged it -

to the ground the cruel Sin n i s suddenl y released his

,

hold whereupon the bough rebounding hi gh up into the

,

ai r the unfortunate vi ctim was dashed t o t h e g round and

,

kill ed When Theseus beh eld Sin n i s a dvancing towards

him he ste adil y awaite d hi s approach ; then seizin g hi s
he kil led the i nhuman wretch with one

the woody di strict of C ro m m yo n

Theseus next slew a wild and dangerous so w which had
long ravaged the country .

He then continued h is journey an d approac hed the bo r

ders of Megara where o n a narrow path overhangi ng the
, ,

sea dwelt the w icked Scyro n an o ther terror t o travellers

, ,
.

It was his custom t o compel all s t rangers who passe d

his abode t o wash his feet during which ope ration he ,

ki cked them over the rock i nto the sea Theseus boldl y .

attacked the giant overcame hi m and then flung hi s

, ,

body over the cliff where so many o f h i s victi ms had

peri shed .

Theseus n o w j ourneyed o n to E l eusis where he found ,

 T HE SE U S . 261

another adversary 1n the pers o n o f K ing Cercyon wh o ,

forced all comers t o wrestle with h im, and killed those

w h om he vanquished but Theseus overcame the mighty
,

w restler and slew h im .

Near E leusis o n the banks o f the river C e ph i ss u s

, ,

Theseus met with a new adventur e Here lived the .

giant Damastes cal led Procrustes o r the Stretcher who

, ,

had two iron beds o n e be ing long and the other short
, ,

in t o whi ch he fo rced all st rangers In the short o n e he .

placed the t all men whose limbs he cut t o the size o f

,

the be d whi lst to the short ones he assigned the large

,

bed stretching them o u t t o fit it ; and thus he left h i s

,

victims t o expire in the most cruel torments Theseus .

freed the country from this inhuman monster by ser ving

him as he had do ne hi s un f ortunate victims .

The hero now continued his j ourney and at length ,

reached Athens without meeting with any fur ther ad v e n

tures When he arri ved at his destination he foun d his
.

father a helpless tool in the hands o f the sorceress Medea ,

whom he had married afte r her departure from Co ri n th .

K nowing by means o f her supernatural powers that

, ,
’
Theseus was the kin g s son and feari ng that her i n ,

fluence might be weakened by his presence she poisoned ,

the mi nd of the o ld king against the stranger whom she ,

represente d as being a spy It was accordi ngly arr an ged

.

that Theseus should be invited to a banquet an d a strong ,

poi son mi x ed with his wine .

No w Theseus had res o lved t o reveal h imself at this

feast t o the father whom h e yearned t o embrace Before .

tasting the wine he put his plan into execution and drew ,

o u t hi s sword so that the eyes o f the king might rest

upon it When Aegeus beheld once more the well kno w n
.
-

weapon which he h ad so often wielded he knew that it ,

was hi s son w h o stood before hi m He warm ly embraced

hi m presented him as his heir t o hi s cour tiers and sub
,

j e ct s and then no longer able to endure the sight o f

, ,

Medea he banished her for ever from his dominions

, .

When Theseus was ac knowledged as the rightful heir

t o the throne he was oppo sed by t h e fifty sons of P all as ,
26 2 M Y THS O F A N C I E NT GREE C E A ND ROM E .

’
the king s brother who had confidently expected that o n ,

the demise Of the Old king the govern ment O f the country
would devolve upon them They therefore resolved t o .

put Theseus to death ; but their plans becoming known

t o him he surpri sed them as they lay in ambush awaitin g
,

hi s approach and destroyed them all ,

.

F earing however lest the Athenians might entertain a

, ,

prejudice against him on accoun t o f his exte rmin ation o f

their fellow citizens the Pallan t id s Theseus resolved t o
-

, ,

perform some signal service for the stat e which shoul d ,

gain fo r h im the hearts Of the people He accordingly .

decided to rid the country of the famous bul l of Marathon ,

whi ch had become a terror to the cultivators Of the land .

He captured the an im al and brought him in ch ain s to

Athens where after publicly exhibiting h im t o the aston
, ,

i s h e d multitude he solemnly sacrificed him t o Apoll o

, .

The next enterprise undertaken by Theseus far sur

passed all his other feats of heroic daring and secured ,

t o him the universal ad m iration and gratitude Of his

fellow cit izens This was the slayin g O f the Minotaur
-
.
,

which put an end for ever t o the shamef u l tribute of

seven youths and seven maidens whi ch was exacted
from the Athenians every nine y e ars .

The origin of this barbarous tribute was as follows

A n d ro g e o s the yout h ful son Of M i nos ki ng Of Crete
, , ,

having been treacherously murdered by the Athenians ,

his father anxi o us t o avenge the death o f his so n

, ,

declared war against their king Aegeus and conquered ,

Athens and the villages in its vicinity The conqueror .

henceforth compelled the Athenians t o send t o him every

nine years a tri bute of seven youths and seven m ai dens
o f t h e noblest families o f the land who became the prey ,

of the Minotaur a monster h alf man half bull whose , ,

—
,
-

lair was in the wonderful labyrinth constructed by ,

D aedalus for t h e Cretan king .

When Theseus informed his father Of his heroic

determination he was overwhelmed with grief and e n
, ,

d e av o u re d by every means in his power t o shake his son s

’
, ,

resolution but confident Of success Theseus assured hi s

, , ,
 T H E SE U S . 26 3

father that he woul d slay the Minotaur and return home

victorious .

It was customary for the vessel beari ng its unhappy

freight Of human victims to u s e o n this voyage bl ack
sails onl y ; but Theseus promised his father th at shoul d ,

he return in safety he would hoist white ones in their

,

p lace .

Before leaving Athens Theseus by the advice o f an ,

oracle chose Aphrodite as his guardian and protectress

, ,

and accordingly Offered up a sacrifice to her When he .

arrived in the presence o f king Minos the goddess Of ,

L ove inspired Ariadne the beautiful dau ghter Of the

,

king with an ardent attachment for the noble young

,

hero Dur ing a secret interview in which a mutual

.
,

confession Of affection took place Ariadne furn ished him ,

with a sharp sword and a clue of thread the end o f ,

which she desired him to fasten at the entrance to the

l abyrinth and to continue to unwind it till he reached
the lair o f the Minotaur F ull o f hope as to the
.

successful issue Of hi s undertaking Theseus took leave ,

o f the kind maiden after expressing his gratitude for

,

her timely aid .

At the head Of his companions he was now conducte d

by Minos to the entrance o f the labyrinth Strictly .

adhering to the injunctions of the fair Ariadne he suc

ce e d e d in finding the Minotaur whom after a fierce and , ,

violent struggle he defeated and killed ; then carefu lly

,

feeling his way by means o f the clue Of thread he led

, ,

h i s companions safely o u t o f the labyrinth They then .

fled to their ship taking with them the lovely m aid e n t o

, r

wh o se affection fo r their deliverer they owed their safety .

Ar ri ved at the island O f Naxos Theseus h ad a dream , ,

in which Dionysus the wine go d appeared to him and

,
-

, ,

info rmed him that t h e F ates had decreed that Ariadne

should be h is bride at the same time menacing the hero
,

with all kinds o f misfortunes should he refuse to resign

her No w Theseus having been tau ght from h i s youth
.
,

to reverence the gods feared to disobey the wishes Of

,

Dion y sus He accordingly took a s ad farewell Of t h e

.
26 4 M YTHS O F A NC I E NT G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

beautif u l mai den who so tenderly loved hi m and left her ,

o n the lonely island where she was found and woo e d by

,

the wine go d -
.

Theseus and his companions felt keenl y the loss Of

their benefac tress and in the ir gri ef at parting with her
, ,

forgot that the ship still bore the black sail s with whi ch
she had left the Attic coast As she n e ared the port Of .

Athens Aegeus who was anxi ously aw ai ting the return

, ,

of hi s son o n the beach caught sight Of the vessel with ,

its black sails and concluding that his gall ant son h ad
,

perished threw hi ms elf in despai r into the se a

,
.

W ith the un animous approval Of the Athenians ,

Theseus now ascended the vaca nt throne and soo n ,

proved himself t o be not only a valiant hero but al so a

wise prince and prudent legislato r Athens was at thi s .

tim e but a small city surrounded by a number o f vill ages ,

each of whi ch poss e ssed its o wn separate form Of govern

ment ; bu t by m e ans o f kind and conci liatory measures
Th e s e ri s induced the heads of these di fferent commun ities
t o resign their sovereignty and t o intrust the admi ni stra ,

tion of publi c affairs t o a cour t which should sit constantly

at Athens and exercise j uri sdiction over all the in h abi
,

tants O f Attica Th e result o f t h ese judicious measures

.

was that the Athenians became a unite d and powe rful

,

people and t h at numbers o f strangers and foreigners

,

flocked t o Athens which be came a flourishing maritime

,

port and a commercial centre o f great importance .

Theseus renewed the Isthmian Games and als o insti ,

t u t e d numerous festivals the p ri ncipal Of which was the ,

Panathen aea held i n h o nour Of Athene Poli as

,
-
.

It is related that Theseus upo n o n e occasion arri ved

during a vo ya e at the Amazoni an coast Anxious t o
g
.

ascertain t h e o bj ect Of his vi sit the Amazons sent Hippo ,

lyte o n e Of their n u mber with pre sents to the stranger ;

, ,

but no sooner did the fair heral d set foot on board his
vessel than T h eseus set sail and carried her o ff to
Athens where he made her hi s queen E nr aged at thi s
, .

indigni ty the Ama zons determi ned to be revenged .

Some time afte rw ards when the whole aff air woul d ,
 TE E SE Us. 265

appear t o have be en forgo tten t h e y s e ize d the O ppo rt u

,

n i ty when the city of Athens w as in a defenceless co n

d ition and landed an army

i n Attica SO sudden was
.

their attac k that they h ad

penetrate d into the very
heart of the city be fore the
Atheni an s could organi z e
their force s ; but Theseus
expeditiously collected his
troops and commenced such
a furious o nslaught upon
the invaders that, after a
desperate encoun ter th ey ,

were driven fro m the city .

Peace was then c o ncluded ,

whereupon the Amazons

evacuate d the count ry Dur .

in g this engagement Hippolyte forgetful Of her o ri gin

, ,

fought valiantly by the side of her h usband against her

o w n kinsfolk and pe rished on the field O f battle
,
.

It was soon after thi s sad event that Theseus j oined

the world renowned Calydonian Boar hu nt in which he
- —
,

to o k a l eading part He also fo rm e d o n e O f the brave

.

band who shared in the perils o f the Argonautic expedi

tion.

The remarkable friendship which exi sted between T h e

seus and Pirith ous o ri ginated under such pecu liar circum
stances that it is w ort h y o f mention .

Hearing upon o n e occ a si o n that his herds pas t uri ng ,

in the plains o f Marathon had been carried o ff by Pir i

,

t h Ou s Theseus collected together an armed force and

,

sallied forth t o puni sh the plunderer But when the .

,

two heroes met fac e t o face both were seized with

,

an impulse Of sympathetic ad miration fo r each other .

P irith ous holding o u t his hand in to ken of peac e

, ,

exclaimed “ hat sa tisfacti o n shall I render thee Oh

,
7
,

Theseus ? Be thou thyself the judge Theseus seized

.

the proffere d hand and rep lied I ask nought save thy
,
“
26 6 M Y THS O F A N C IE NT G RE E CE A ND ROM E .

fri endshi p ; whereupon the heroes embraced each other

and swore eternal fidelity .

t en soon afterwards Piri thous became uni te d t o

, ,

Hippodamia a Thessali an p ri n cess he invite d Th eseus to

, ,

t h e wedding feast whi ch was also attended among other

-

, ,
.

guests by a large number o f Centaurs who were friends

, ,

O f Piri th ous Towards the end o f the banquet E urytion

.
,

a youn g Centaur heated and flushed with wi ne s eized

, ,

the lovely bri de and sought by force t o carry her O ff .

The other Centaurs following his example each e n d e av

, ,

o u re d t o captur e a maiden Pi ri th o us an d his foll owers

''

.
,

aided by Theseus w h o rendered most val uable assist

,

an ce ,
attacked the Centaurs and after a vi o lent hand ,

t o hand struggle in whi ch many pe ri shed forced them

-

t o relin quish their prey .

After t h e death Of Hippolyte Theseus sought the

hand O f Ph aedra the sister o f hi s former b ri de Ari adne
, ,

t o whom he be came un ited F or some years they liv e d .

happily together and their un i on was bl essed by the

,

bir t h Of two sons During thi s tim e Hippolytus the so n

.
,

Of the A mazonian queen had been abse nt from home , ,

’
havin g been placed under the ca re of the king s uncles
in order to be educa ted When having gro wn t o man .
,
’
hood he now returned t o his father s palace his young
, ,

stepm o ther Ph aedra fell violently i n love with him ; but

, ,

Hippolytus failed t o return her affection and treated her ,

with contempt and indifference F ill ed with ra e and .

g

despair at h i s coldness Ph aedra put an end t o her ex

i s t e n ce ; and when she was di scovered by her husband
she held in her hand a letter accusing Hippolytus Of ,

being the cause Of her death an d Of having consp ire d ,

agai nst the hono u r O f the k ing .

No w Poseidon had upon one occasion prom ise d t o

grant Theseus w h ate ver request he shoul d demand ; h e
therefore called upon the sea god t o destroy Hippolytus -

wh o m he c u rsed in t h e m o st solemn man ner The .

’
father s awful malediction fell but t o o soon upon his
I nno cent so n
; for as the latte r was dri vin g his chari ot
,

along the sea shore be tw e en Tro e ze n and Athen s a

—
, ,
 T HE SE U S . 26 7

monster sent by Poseidon rose o u t o f the deep and so

, , ,

frightened the horses that th ey became altogether u n

manageable As they rushed o n in their mad career
.

the chariot was dashed to pieces and the un fortunate ,

youth whose feet had become entangled in the reins

, ,

was dra ged along until life was nearly extinct

g .

In this condition he was found by the unhappy Theseus ,

who havin g ascertained the true facts Of the case from

,

an Old servant o f Ph aedra h ad hastened t o prevent the

,

cata str ophe But he arrived t o o late and was only able
.
,

t o soothe the last moments Of his dying so n by ackno w

led gin g the sad mista ke which he had committe d and ,

declari ng hi s firm belief in h i s honour and innoce nce .

After these events Theseus was persuaded by hi s

fri end Pi ri th ous who h ad also about this time lost hi s
,

yo u ng wife Hippodamia to j oin him i n a j ourney

, ,

thr ough Greece with the Obj ect Of carrying O ff by force

,

the most beautiful maidens whom they shoul d chance

t o meet .

Arr ived at Sp arta they beheld in the te mple O f ,

Artemis Helen the daughter o f Zeus and L eda who was

, , ,

engaged in performing sacred dances in honour o f t h e

goddess Al though the maiden was only nine years Old
.

the fam e o f her beauty which was destined t o play so

,

important a part in the hi story Of Greece h ad alr eady ,

S pread far and w ide Theseus and Piri th ous forcibly

.

abducted her and then having cast lots for her she fell
, ,

to Theseus who placed her un der the charge Of hi s

,

mother E t h r a .

Piri th ous n o w requeste d Theseus t o assist him in his

ambitious scheme of descending t o the l o wer world and
carrying O ff Persephone the queen o f Hades Though
, .

fully alive t o the perils Of t h e un derta king Theseus

would n o t forsake his fri end and to gether they sought ,

the gloomy realm o f Shades But A i des had been fore .

warned O f their approach and scarcely had the two ,

friends set foot with in his d o mini ons when by h i s orders , ,

they were seized boun d with ch a ins and secur ed t o an

, ,

enchanted rock at t h e entrance of Hades Here t h e two .

268 M YTHS OF A N CI E N T G RE E C E AND ROM E .

friends langui shed for many years until Heracles passed ,

by in hi s search for Cerberus wh en he released Theseus ; ,

but i n Obedience t o an injunction of the gods left Piri ,

th eus t o endur e for ever the punishment Of h i s too daring

ambition .

Whi le Theseus was imprisoned in the under world

Casto r and P o llux the brothers of Helen inv aded , ,

Athens and demanded the restoration Of their young

,

sister Seeing his country threatened wi th the horrors

.

Of warfare an Athenian citizen named Academus who

, ,
’
knew o f Helen s place O f conce alment rep ai red to the ,

camp o f the Dioscuri and informed them where th ey woul d

,

find her [ E t h ra at once resigned her charge where

.
,

upon the brothers took leave O f Athens and accompanied , ,

by Helen returned t o their native country

,
.

But the prolonged absence o f Th eseus gave rise t o

other troubles o f a more serious character Thinking the .

Opportunity favourable fo r a revolt a factio n headed by , ,

Menesthius a descendant Of E rechtheus arrogat ed t o

, ,

themselves supreme power and seiz ed the reins Of govern ,

ment .

Retur ned t o Athens Theseus at once to ok a ct iv e m ea

’

sures to quell the insubordination whi ch existed o n all

sides He expelled Menesthius from office rigorously
.
-

puni shed the ringleaders O f the revolt and placed hi m ,

self once more upon the throne But his hold upon the .

people was gon e His former servi ce s were all forgotten

.
,

and finding at length that di ssensions and revolts were

,

rife he voluntarily abdicated the throne and retired t o hi s

, ,

estates in the island o f Scyros Here L ycomedes king .

,

o f the island feigned t o receive him with the utmost

,

fri endship ; but being as it is supposed in league with , ,

Menesthius he led the o ld king t o t h e summit Of a hi gh

,

rock under pretence o f showing h i m hi s estates and

.
,

treacherously killed him by pushing hi m over the cli ff .

Many centuri es after his death by the co mmand of ,

the oracle of Delphi Cimon t h e father Of Miltiades at , , ,

the conclusion of t h e Persian war brought the rem ai n s ,

o f T h eseus the great benefac t or O f Athens t o that city

. , ,
 ( E D I P US . 269

and in hi s honour a temple was erected which exists , to

the present day and s erves as a museum Of art
, .

CE D I P U S .

L aius king Of Thebe s the so n Of L abdacus and a di rect

, , ,

descendant O f C a dmus was married t o J o cast e t h e daughter

, ,

o f a noble Theban An oracle havi ng foreto ld that he

.

woul d perish by the hand o f his o w n son he determined ,

t o destroy the inf ant t o whom Jocaste had jus t given

birth With the consent o f hi s wife whose affection for
.
,

her husband overcame her love for her ch il d he pierced the ,

feet Of the babe bound them together and handed the

, ,

infant over t o a servant with instr uctions t o expose h im o n

,

Mount Cithaeron to pe ri sh But instead Of obeyi ng this .

cruel command the servant intrus t ed him t o a shepherd

,

who was tending t h e flocks Of Polybus kin g Of Co ri nth , ,

and then returned t o L aius and Jocaste and i nf ormed ,

them that their orders had been obeye d The parents .

were satisfied with the intelligence and qui eted thei r ,

conscience by the reflection that they had thus prevented

their son from c o mmitting the cri me Of parri cide .

Meanwhil e the shepherd o f king Polybus had unboun d

the feet Of the infant and in consequence o f their be in g
much swollen he called him ( Ed ipu s o r Swollen foot
,

-
.
,

He then carried hi m t o the king his master who , , ,

pitying the po or li ttle waif enlisted for h i m the ki nd ,

offices o f hi s wif e Merope ( E di pu s was adopte d by the

,
.

ki ng and queen as thei r o wn son and grew up in t h e ,

belief that they were his parents until one day a Cori nthian ,

noble taunted hi m at a banquet with not being the son O f

the king Stung at th is reproach the y o uth appe a led
.

to Merope but recei ving an equivoc al though ki ndl y

, ,

answer he repaired t o Delphi t o consult the oracle The

,
.

Pythia vouchsafed no reply to his inqui ry but in formed ,

him t o his horror that he was fated to kill his fath er and
, ,

t o marry his o w n mother .

F ill ed with di smay for he was tenderly attached to

,

P olybus and Merope ( E di pu s d et ermi ned not t o retu rn

,
270 M YT HS O F A NC I E N T G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

to Cori nth and to ok inste ad the road lead ing t o Boeoti a

, .

O n h is way a chari o t passed him in whi ch sat an old ,

man with two servants w h o rudely pushed the pe destrian

,

o u t o f the path In the scu ffle whi ch ensued ( Ed ipu s

.

struck t h e O ld man with hi s hea vy stick and he fell back ,

dead on t h e se a t O f the chariot Struck wi t h di smay at .

the unpreme di tate d mur der whi ch he had committ ed the ,

youth fled and left the spot without learning t ha t the

,

O ld man wh om he had kill ed w as his father L ai u s ki ng , ,

of T h ebes .

No t long after thi s occurren ce the Sph i nx ( full detail s

o f whom have already been given ) was sent by the god
dess Hera as a puni shment t o the Thebans Stationed .

o n a rocky height just outside the city she propounded ,

t o the passers by riddl es which she had been taught by

t h e Muses and whoever failed t o solve them was to rn
,

in pieces and devo ured by t h e monster and in thi s ,

manner great numb e rs of t h e inh abitants o f Thebes had

perished .

No w on the death of the old king L ai us Creon the , ,

brother of the widowed queen had seized the reins Of ,

government and mou nted the vacant throne ; and when

at length his o wn so n fell a victim t o the Sphi nx he ,

res o lved at all costs t o ri d the co u ntry O f thi s fearful

sco urge He ac co rdi ngly i ssued a proclamation that the
.
,

kingdom and t h e hand of h is siste r Joc aste should be

awa rded t o hi m who shoul d succeed in solving one of the
ri ddles of the Sphi n x it having been foretold by
,

oracle that onl y then would the country be fr e ed from

the monste r .

Just as this proclamation was being made in the

’
streets of Thebes ( E di pu s wi th his pilgrim s staff i n his
,

hand entered the city Tempte d by t h e prospect Of so

, .

magni ficent a reward he repaired t o the rock and boldly ,

requeste d the Sphin x t o propoun d t o hi m o n e of her

ri ddl es . Sh e pro posed t o him o n e whi ch she deem e d
impossible o f soluti o n but ( E d ipu s at o nce solved it ;
,

whereupon the Sphinx full Of rage and despair pre cipi

, ,

t a t e d herse lf i nto the abyss and perished ( Ed ipu s .

 ( E D IP US . 27 1

received the promised reward He became king of . ,

Thebes and the husband o f Joc a ste the widow Of his ,

father king L aius

,
.

Fo r many years (E d ipu s enj oyed the greatest happiness

and tranqui llity F o ur children were b o rn to him two
.
—

sons E teocles and Polynices and t wo d aughters Antigone

, , ,

and Ismene But at last the gods afflicted t h e country

.

with a grievous pestilence which made terrible hav o c ,

among the people In their distress they entreated t h e

.

help O f the king who was regarded by hi s subj ects as a

,

Special favour i t e o f the gods ( E d ipu s consulted an oracle .

,

and the response was th at the pestilence would continue

t o rage until the land was purified o f t h e blood o f king
L aius whose murderer was living unpunished at Thebes
, .

The king now invoked the most solemn imprecations

o n the head Of the murderer and o ffered a reward fo r ,

any information concerning him He then sent for t h e .

bli nd old seer Tiresias and implored him by means o f , ,

his prophetic powers to reveal to him the author o f the ,

crim e Tiresias at first hesitated but yie ld i n t o the

earnest solicitations of the king the Old prO pIIe t thus
.
,

addressed him : Thou thys e lf art the murderer o f the old

king L aius who was thy father and th o u art wedded
,
'

to his wi dow thine o w n moth er,

In o rder to convi nce .

( E d ipu s o f the truth o f his w o rds he brought forward the ,

o ld servant w h o had exposed him as a babe o n Mount

Cith aeron and the shepherd w h o had conveyed hi m to
,

king Polybus Horri fied at this awful revelation (E d ipu s

.
,

in a fit o f despair dep ri ved himself o f sight and t h e n u

, ,

fortunate J o cas t e unable to survive her di sgrace hanged

, ,

herself .

Accompanied by his faithful and devoted daughter

Antigone (E d ipu s quit t ed Thebes and became a miser
,

able and homeless outcast beggi ng his bread from place ,

t o place At length after a lo n g and painful p ilgri mage

.
, ,

he fo und a place o f refuge in the grove Of the E umenides

( at Col o nus near Athens ) where h i s last moments were
, ,

soothed and tended by the care and devotion Of the faith

ful Antigone .
272 M YT HS or AN CI E NT G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

TH E S E VE N A G AIN S T T H E B E S .

Af ter the voluntary abdication of ( E d ipu s his two sons , ,

E teocles and Polynice s to ok possession of the c rown and

,

reigned over the city Of Thebes But E te ocles being an .

,

ambitious prince soon seized the reins of government hi m

,

se lf and expell ed his brother from the throne

,
.

Pol y nices now repaire d t o Argos where he arrived in ,

the dead o f nigh t O utside the gates Of the royal palace

.

be encountered Tydeus the son o f mucus ki ng of C aly

, ,

don H a ving accidentally killed a relati ve in the chase

.
,

Tydeus was also a fugitive ; but being mistaken by Poly

nices in the dark ness for an enemy a quarrel ensued , ,

which might have ended fatally had not king Adrastus , ,

arous ed by the clamo u r appeared o n the scene and ,

parted the combatants .

By the light O f the to rches borne by his attendants

Adrastu s observed t o hi s surpri se that on the shield o f
, ,

Polynices a lion was depicted and on that o f Tydeus a ,

boar The former bore thi s i nsign ia in honour of the

.

renowned h ero Heracles t h e latter in memory o f t h e

,

fa mous Calydonian boar hunt This circumstance re

-
.

min ded the king O i an extraordinary oracular pre diction

concernin g hi s two beautiful daugh ters Argia and Dei ,

pyle whi ch was to the effect that he woul d give them in

,

marriage to a lion and a boar Hailing with deli ght .

what he regarded as an auspicious solution of the mys

t e ri o u s prophecy he invited t h e strangers into his palace ;
,

and when he he ar d their histo ry and h ad convinced ,

h imself that they were O f noble birth he bestowed upon ,

Polynices his beautiful daughter Argia and u pon Tydeus ,

the fai r Deipyle promising at the same time that he

,

would assist bot h his sons in law to regain the ir ri ghtful - -

patri mony .

The first care o f Adrastus was t o ai d Polyn i ces in

regaining possession Of his la wful share in the govern
ment Of Thebes He ac cordingly in vited the most
.

powerfu l chiefs in h i s kingdom t o j oin in the expe dition ,

 TH E S E VE N A G AI N ST TH E RE S . 27 3

all Of W hom readil y obeyed the call wi th the ex ception

’
of the king s brother i n law A rn ph iarau s t h e s eer As-

, , .

he foresaw a di sastrous terminat i on t o the enterpri se and ,

knew that not one O f t h e heroes save Adrastus himself , ,

would retur n alive h e earnestly dissuaded the king from

,

ca rrying o u t hi s pro j ect and declined t o take any part in,

the undertaking But Adrastus seconded by Polynices

.
,

and Tydeus was obstinately bent o n the ach ievement Of

,

his pu rp ose and Am phiaraus in order to escape from

, ,

their importunities concealed himself in a hiding place

,
-

known onl y t o his wife E riphyle .

NO W o n the occasion o f the marri age of A m phiaraus

it had been agreed that if he ever differed in Opinio n
,

with the kin g his w ife should decide the question

,
.

As the presence O f Amphiaraus was indi spensable to

the success o f the un de rtaking and moreover as A d ras , , ,

tus woul d n o t enter upon i t without the eye of the “

!
army as he called hi s brother in law Polyn ices bent o n
,
-

, ,

se curing his services determ ined t o bribe E riphyle to ,

u s e her influence with her husband and to decide the

question in accordance with hi s wishes He beth o ught .

himself O f the beautiful necklace of Harmonia wife O f ,

Cadmus which he had brought with him in hi s flight

,

from Thebes Without loss of time he presented himself

.

before the wife o f A m phiaraus and held up t o her ad m ir ,

in g gaze the glitte ring bauble promising th at if s h e ,

revealed the hiding place of h e r husband and induced -

him to j oin the e x pediti o n the necklace should be hers ,

.

E riphyle un able to withstand the te mpt i ng bait a c

, ,

ce pt e d the bribe and thus Amphiaraus was compelled t o

,

j oin the army But befo re leaving hi s home he extorted

.

a solemn promise from hi s son Al cm ae o n that should he ,

perish on the field of battle he would avenge his death ,

o n hi s mother the pe rfidi o u s E riphyle

,
.

Seven leaders were now chosen each at the head Of a ,

separate detac hment o f troops These were Adrastus .

the king hi s two brothers Hippomedon and Pa rt h e n o

,

p aeus Capaneus hi s nephew P olyn ices and Tydeus and

, , ,

Amphiarau s .

( 73 )
274 M YT HS OF AN CI E N T G R E E C E A ND RO M E .

W h en the army was collected they set for Nemea ou t ,

which was at th is time governed by king L ycurgus .

Here the Argives being sh ort o f water halted o n the

, ,

outskirts o f a forest in order to search for a spring when ,

they saw a majestic and beautiful woman seated o n the

trun k o f a tree nursing an infant They concluded from
,
.

her noble and queenly appearance that she must be a

goddess but were informed by her that she was Hypsi
,

pile queen of the L emnians who had been carri ed away

, ,

captive by p irates and sold as a slave to king L ycurgus

, ,

and tha t she was now acting as nurse to his infant son .

When t h e warri ors to ld h e r that they were in search o f

water she laid the Child down in the grass and led them
, ,

to a secret spring in t h e forest with which Sh e alone was ,

acquainted But on their return they found to their

.
,
'

grief that the unfortunate babe had been killed duri ng

,

their absence by a serpent They slew the reptile and

,
.
,

then collecting the remains of the infant they buried ,

them with funereal honours and proceeded o n their way .

The warlike host now appeared before the walls o f

Thebes and each leader p laced himself before o n e Of
,

the seven gate s o f the city in readiness for the attack .

E teocles i n conjunction with Creon had made due

, ,

preparations t o repel t h e inv a ders and had stati o ned ,

troops under t h e command o f trusty leaders to guard

, ,

each of the gates Th en according to the practice of the

.
,

ancients O f consul ting soothsayers before entering upon

any undertaking the blind Old seer Tiresias was sent fo r
, ,

who after carefully taking the auguries from the fli ght

,

o f bir ds declared that all e fforts t o defend the city would

,

prove unavailing unl ess t h e yo u ngest descendant of the

,

house of Cadmus w o ul d Offer himself as a voluntary

sacrifice for the good o f t h e state .

Wh en Creon heard the words Of the seer h i s first

thought was of his favourite son Men oeceus the youngest ,

scion o f the royal house who was present at the inter ,

view He therefore earnestly implored him t o leave the

.

city and to repair fo r safety to Delphi But the gallant

, .

youth heroically resolved to sacri fi ce hi s life fo r t h e

 THE S E V E N A G AI N ST T HE RE S . 275

be ne fi t of hi s
cou ntry and after takin g leave of hi s O ld
,

father mou nted the city walls and plunging a d agger

, ,

into h i s h e art peri shed i n the sight O f the contending

,

hosts .

Adrastus n o w gave hi s troops the word of command to

sto rm the city and they r ushed forward t o t h e attack
,
,

with great valour The battle raged long and furi ously
.
,

and aft er heavy losses o n both sides the Argives were

routed and put to fli ght .

After the lapse o f some days they reorgani zed their

forces and again appeared before the gates o f Thebes
, ,

when E te ocles gri eved to think that there shoul d be

,

such a terrible loss of life o n his account sent a herald ,

into the Opposite camp with a proposition that the fate ,

o f the campaign should be decided by single combat

be tween him self an d h is brother Polyn ices The chal .

lenge was re ad ily accep t ed and In t h e duel which took ,

place outside the city walls in the sight o f the ri val ,

forces E t eocles and Polynices were both fatally wounded

,

and expired o n the field o f battle .

Both sides now claimed the day and the resul t was ,

that hostilities recommenced and soon th e battle raged ,

with greater fury than ever But vi ctory at last declared .

itself for the T h ebans In their flight the Argives lost .

all their leaders Adras tus excep t e d who owed hi s safety

, ,

t o the fl e e t n e s s o f his horse Ar ion .

By the death of the brothers Creon became once more ,

king of Thebes and in order t o S how his abh orrence o f

,

the conduct o f Polynices in fighting against h i s country ,

he strictly forbade any one t o bur y either his remains o r

those o f his allies But the faithful Antigone wh o h ad
.
,

returned to Thebes o n the death o f her father coul d not ,

endure that t h e body of her brother should remain n u

buri ed Sh e therefore bravely disregarded the orders
.

o f the king and endeavour ed to give sepul ture to the

,

remains O f Polynices .

Wh en Creon di scovered that his commands had been

set at defiance he i nhum a nly condemned the devo t e d
,

ma iden t o be entombed alive in a subterran e an vault .

276 M YT HS OF AN CI E N T G RE E CE A ND ROM E .

But retribution was at hand His so n H aemon who .

, ,

w as betrothed t o An tigone having cont ri ve d t o eff ect an

,

entrance into the vaul t was h o rri fied t o find that Antigone
,

had hanged herself by her veil F ee ling that li fe wi th .

o u t her woul d be intolerable he threw h imself in despair ,

on his o w n sword and af ter solemnly invoking the mal e

,

di ction O f the gods o n the head o f hi s father expired ,

beside the dead body o f hi s betroth e d

Hardly had the news of the tragic fate o f hi s so n
reached the king be fore a noth er messenger appeared
, ,

beari ng t h e tidings that hi s wi fe E urydi ce o n hearin g o f ,

the death O f Haemon h ad put an end to her existence

, ,

and thus the ki ng found hi mself in hi s O ld age both

widowed and chil dless .

No r did he succ eed in the execution o f hi s vin di ctive

designs ; fo r Adrastus w h o afte r his flight from Thebes
, , ,

had taken refuge at Athens induced Theseus t o lead ,

an army a ai nst the Thebans t o compel them t o restore

g
,

t h e dead bodi es o f the Ar give warri ors to their friends ,

in order that they mi ght perform due funereal rites in

honour Of the sl ai n Thi s underta king was successfull y
.

accomplished and the remains of the fallen heroes were

,

i terred wi th due honours

n .

TH E E PIG O NI .

Ten years after these events the sons o f the slain

heroes who were called E pigoni o r descendants re
, , ,

solved to avenge the death Of t h eir fathers and with this ,

obj ect entered upon a new expedition against the city o f

Thebe s .

By the advice of the Delphic oracle the c o mmand was

intrus ted to Al cm aeon the son o f Amphiaraus ; but re
,

m e m be ri n g the inj u nction o f his fath er h e hesitated t o

accept th is p o st befo re executing vengeance o n hi s
mother E riph yle Thersander however the son o f
.
, ,

Polynices adopting similar tactics t o those o f his father

, ,

bribed E riphyle with the be autiful veil of Harmoni a ,

be a u e at h e d t o h i m by Polynices to induce her so n A l c ,

 TH E E PI G ON I . 27 7

maeon and his brother Amphilochus t o j oi n in this second

war against Thebes .

No w the mo t her o f Alcm aeon was gifte d with that rare

fascin a tion which renders its possessor ir resistible t o all
who may chance t o come within its in fluence ; n o r was
her own son able t o withstand her blandi s h ments Yield .

in g t h erefore t o her wily representati o ns he accepted the

command o f the tro o ps and at the head o f a large and
,

powerful army advanced upon Thebes ;

Before the gates of the city Alcm aeon encoun tered the
Thebans u nder the command o f L aodam a s the son o f ,

E teocles A fierce battle ensued in w hi ch the Theb an

.
,

leader af ter performing prodigies of valour peri shed

, ,

by the hand Of Alcm aeon .

Afte r losing the ir chi ef an d the flower o f their army ,

the Thebans retreated behind the city wa lls and the ,

enemy now pressed th em hard on every side In th eir .

di stress they appealed t o the blind Old seer Tir esias ,

who was over a hundred years o ld l Vit h trembli ng .

lips an d in bro ken accents he inf ormed them that ,

they could only save their lives by a bandonin g their

native city with th eir wives and fami lies Upon thi s .

’
they despatched ambass adors into the enemy s camp and
whilst these were protracting nego tiations duri ng the
night the Thebans with t h eir w ives and children e v acu
, , ,

ated t h e city Nex t m o rning t h e Argives entered Thebes

.

and plundered it placing T h ersander the son Of Poly

, ,

nices ( who w a s a descendant o f Cadmus ) o n t h e thro ne ,

which his father had s o v ai nly conteste d .

.
A L OM E O N A N D TH E NE C K L A CE .

When Alcm aeon returned from his expedition against

t h e Thebans he dete rm ined t o fulfil the last inj un ction
Of his father Amphi a ra us who had desired hi m to be
,

revenged on his mother E riphyle for her pe rfid y in ac ~

ce pt i n g a bribe t o betray him This resolution was .

further strengt hened by t h e discovery that hi s un prin

ciple d mother had urged h i m al so t o j oin the exp edition
27 8 M YT HS OF A N CI E N T G R E E C E AND ROM E .

in return for the much coveted veil o f Harmonia He -

.

therefore put her to death ; and ta king with hi m the ill

fated necklace and veil abandoned for ever the home o f
,

hi s fathers .

But the gods who could not suffer so un natural a

,

crime t o go unpunished afflicted him w ith madness and , ,

sent one o f the F ur ies to pursue h im unceasingly In .

this unhappy condition he wandered about from place to

place until at last having reached PSOph i s in A r cadia
, ,

Phegeus king o f the country not only puri fied him o f

, ,

hi s crime but also besto wed upon him t h e hand O f hi s

,

daughter Arsino e to wh om A l cm aeon presen t ed the neck

,

lace and veil whi ch had al read y been the cause o f so

,

much unh appiness .

Though now released from his mental affliction the ,

curse wh ich hung over him was not entirely removed ,

and on his account the coun try of his adoption was

visited with a severe drough t O n consulting t h e oracle .

o f Delp h i he was informed that any land which o ffered

hi m sh elter woul d be cur sed by t h e gods and that the ,

malediction woul d contin ue t o follow hi m till he came

to a country which was n o t in existence at the time he !

had murdered hi s mother Bereft of hope and resolved .

,

no long er t o cast the shadow of his dark fate over those

he loved A l cm aeon t ook a te n der leave o f his wife and
,

l ittle son and became once more an outcast and wanderer

, .

Arrived after a long and painful pilgrimage at the ri ver

Achelous h e discovered to his unspeakabl e j oy a beauti
, , ,

ful and fertile island whi ch had but lately emerged from
,

beneath t h e water Here he took up his abode ; and in

.

this haven o f rest he was at length freed from his suffer

ings and finally pur ified Of his crime by the river god
,
-

Ach el o us But in h i s new fo und home where prospe ri ty

.
-

Alcm ae on soon forg o t the loving wife and

wooed C alirrh o e t h e beauti ,

who became united to him

and C alirrh o e lived happily

t ogether and two sons were born to the m
, But u nf o r .
 A L CM E O N A ND TH E N E C K L ACE . 27 9

for the peace o f her husb an d the daughter Of

t u n at e ly ,

Achelous had heard of the celebrate d necklace and veil

o f Harmoni a and became seized with a violent desire to
,

be come t h e p ossessor o f these precious treasures .

NO W the necklace and veil w e re in the safe keeping Of -

Ar sinoe ; but as Alcm aeon h ad carefully conce aled the fact

o f hi s former m a rriage from his young wife he info rm ed ,

her when no longer able to combat her importunities

, ,

that he h ad concealed them in a cave in his native

country and promised to hasten th ither and procure
,

them fo r her He acc o rdingly took leave Of C a lirrh o e

.

and his children and pro ceeded to Ps o ph i s where he

, ,

presented himself before his deserted w ife and her father ,

ki ng Phegeus To them he excused his absence by the

.

fact Of his having suffered from a fresh attack o f mad

ness and added that an oracle had foretold to him that
,

his malady wo ul d only be cur ed when he had deposited

the necklace and veil o f Harmonia in the temple of Apollo
at Delphi Arsino e decei ved by his artful representa
.
,

tions unhesitatingly restored t o him his bridal gifts

, ,

whereupon Alcm ae on set out on his homeward j ourney ,

well satisfied with the successful issue o f his expeditio n .

But the fatal neckl ace and veil were doomed t o bring
ruin and disaster to all who possessed them Duri ng
-
.

his sojourn at t h e court o f king P h egeus o n e O f the

'

servants who had acc o mpanied Alcm aeon betrayed the

secret of h i s union with t h e daughter of the river go d ; -

and when t h e king info rmed hi s sons Of his treacherous

conduct th ey determined to avenge the wrongs o f their
,

S ister Arsino e They accordingly concealed themselves

.

at a point Of the road wh i ch Alcm aeon was compel led to

p ass and as he neared the spot they suddenly emerged
,

from their place Of ambush fell upon him and despatched

,

When Arsinoe who still loved her faithless husband

, ,

heard of the mur der she bitterly reproached her brothers

,

for the crime which they h ad perpetrated at which they ,

were so incensed that they placed her in a chest and

, ,

conveyed her to A gape n o r son of Ancaeus at Tegea , , .

280 M YT HS or A N CI E N T G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

Here they accu s ed her Of the murder o f which they

th emselves were gui lty and she suffered a painful death ,
.

C a lirrh o e o n learning the sad fa te O f A l cm aeo n im

, ,

l o re d Zeus that her infant sons migh t grow at once t o

p
manhood and avenge the death Of their father The
,
.

ruler o f O lympus heard the petition of the bereaved

wife and in answer t o her prayer the chil dren of yeste r
, , ,

day became transformed into bearded men fu ll of strength ,

and courage and thi rsti ng for revenge

,
.

Hastening to Tege a they there encounte red the sons

,

o f P h egeus who were about t o repair to Delphi in

, ,

order t o deposit the neckl ace and veil in the sanctuary

o f Apollo ; and befo re the brothers had tim e t o defend

themselves t h e stalwar t sons o f C alirr h o e rushed upon

,

th em and slew th em T h ey then proceeded t o Pso phi s

.
,

where they killed king Phegeus and his wife aft er whi ch ,

they retur ned t o their mother with the necklace and veil ,

which by the c o mm a nd of her father Achelous were de

, ,

posited as sacred offerings in the te mple o f Apollo at

Delphi .

THE H E RA C L I DE .

A f ter the ap o theosis of Heracles his children were so ,

cru e ll y pe rs e cu t e d by E urystheus , that they fled fo r pro

te cti o n t o king Ceyx at Trach in accompan ied by the ,

aged Iolaus, t h e nephew and life long friend o f their -

fa ther who constituted himself their guide and protec tor

, .

But on E ur ystheus demanding the surrender Of the fugi

t iv e s the Heraclid ae k nowing t h a t t h e small force at t h e
, ,

disposal O f ki ng Ceyx would be altog e ther inadequate t o

prote ct them a ainst the powerful king Of Ar gos aban
g
,

doued h is territ o ry and sought re fuge at Athens wh ere

, ,

they were hospita bly received by ki ng Demophoon the ,

son o f the gre a t h ero Theseus He war mly espouse d .

their cause and dete rmined t o prote ct them at all co sts

,

against E urystheus who had despatched a numerous

,

force in pursuit of them .

When t h e Ath enians had made all necessary prepara

tions t o repel the invaders an oracle announced tha t t h e ,
 THE HE RA C L I DE . 281

sac ri fi ce of a maiden of noble birth w a s n e cessary t o e n

sure t o th em victory ; whereupon Macari a the beautiful ,

daughter of Heracles and Deianira magnanim ously Offered ,

herself as a sacrifice and surrounded by t h e noblest ma

, ,

trons and maidens o f Athens volun tarily devoted herself ,

t o death .

While these events were transpiring in Athens Hyll us , ,

t h e eldest son O f Heracles and Dei a nira had adv an ced ,

with a large army to the assista nce of his brothers and ,

havin g sent a messenger to the ki ng ann o uncing hi s

ar ri val Demophoon with his a rmy j oined his forces
, , , .

In the thick o f the battle which ensued Iolaus follow , ,

ing a sudden imp ul se borrowed the ch ar iot o f Hyllus

, ,

and earnestly entreated Zeus and Hebe to restore to him ,

for this one day only the vigour and strength o f his ,

youth His prayer was heard A thi ck cloud descended

.

fr o m h e aven and enveloped the chariot and when it di s ,

appe ar ed Iolaus in the ful l plenitude o f manly vigour

, , ,

stood revealed befo re the astonished gaze Of the com

ba t an t s He then led on his vali ant band o f warri o rs and
.
,

s o o n the enemy was in headl ong flight ; and E ur ystheus ,

who was taken prisoner was put t o death by the com ,

mand of king Demoph oon .

A f ter gratefully acknowledging the timely aid o f the

Athenians Hyllus acc o mpanied by the faithful Iolaus
, ,

a n d his br o thers t o ok leave Of king Demophoon and

, ,

proceeded to inv ad e the Pelop o nnesus which they re ,

as their law ful patrimony ; for a cc o rding t o the

p
g a rd e
l Zeus it sh o uld have been t h e righ tful p o ssession
,
,

of their father the gre a t hero Heracles had n o t Hera

, ,

mali ciously defeated h is plans by c a using hi s cousin

E urystheus t o precede him int o the w o rld .

F or the space of twelve month s the Heraclid ae contrived

t o maintain themselves in the Peloponnesus ; but at th e
expiration O f that time a pestilence broke o u t which ,

spread over the entire peninsula and co mpelled the ,

Heraclid ae t o evacuate the country and retu rn t o Attica ,

where fo r a time they settled .

Aft e r the lapse Of three years Hyllus resolved o n

282 M YT Hs OE AN CI E NT G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

maki ng another effort t o Obtain his pate rn al i nh eri tance

o
.

B e fo re setti ng out o n the expe di tion however he co n , ,

~

s ul t e d the oracle o f Delphi and t h e response w as t h at he , ,

must wait for the thi rd fruit before the ente rprise would
prove successful Inte rpreting this ambiguous reply t o
.

signify the thi rd sum mer Hyllus controlled hi s impatience

,

for th ree years wh en having collected a powerful arm y

, , ,

he once more entered the Peloponnesus .

At the ist h mus O f Corinth he was Opposed by Atreus ,

t h e son of Pelops w h o at the deat h O f E uryst h eus had

,

inherited t h e ki ngd o m In order to sa ve bloodshed ,

Hyllus Offere d t o decide his claim s by single combat the ,

conditions being that if he were victorious he and his

, ,

brothers shoul d obtain un disputed possession o f their

rights ; but if defeate d the Heracli d ae were to desist for
,

fif ty years fr o m attempt i ng t o press their claim

The chall enge was accepte d by E ch e m o n king o f Tegea , ,

and Hyllus lost his life in the encoun ter whereupon the ,

so n s of Heracles in vi rtue Of their agreement abandoned

, ,

t h e Peloponn esus and retired t o Marath on .

Hyllus was suc ceeded by hi s son Cleodaeus who at the , ,

exp i ration O f the appointe d time collected a large army ,

and invaded the Pelopo nn esus ; but he was n o t more suc

ce s s fu l than hi s father had been and peri sh e d there with ,

all hi s forces .

Twenty years late r hi s son Aristo machus consul ted an

oracle w hi c h promi sed him vic t ory if he went by way of
,

t h e defile . The Heracli d ae once m o re set o u t but were ,

a gain defeated and A ri stomachus shared the fate O f hi s

,

father and grandfath er and fell on the field o f battle,

.

“ hen at the expiration o f thi rty years the sons O f

T
, ,

Ari sto machus Temenus Cresphonte s and A ri s todemus

, , ,

agai n consul ted the oracle the answer was still the same ; ,

but thi s time the following explanati o n accompani ed the

response : the thi rd fruit signified the th ird generation ,

t o which they themselves belonged and not the th ird ,

frui t of the earth ; and by the defile was i ndicated not ,

the isthmus O f Cori nth but the strai ts o n the ri ght O f

,
 THE SI E G E or T ROY . 283

Temenus lost no ti me in co lle ct in g ian army and build

ing ships o f war ; but just as all w a s ready and the fleet
about to sail Aristodemus the youn gest o f the brothers
, , ,

was st ruck by lightning To add to their misfortunes .

,

Hippolyt es a descendant o f Heracles who had jo ined in

, ,

the expedition ki lled a soothsayer wh o m he mistook for

,

a spy and the gods in their displeasure sent vi o lent tem

, , ,

pests by means O f w hi ch the entire fleet was destroyed

, ,

whi lst famine and pestilence decimated the ranks o f the

The oracle o n being again consulted advi sed that

, ,

Hippolytes being the offender should be bani shed from

, ,

the country fo r ten years and that the command o f the ,

troops should be delegated to a man having three eyes .

A search was at once instituted by the Heraclid ae for

a man answering t o thi s description w h o was found at ,

length in the person Of O xylus a descend an t of the ,

f E t o lian race o f kings In Obedience to the command Of

.

the oracle Hippolytes was banished an army and fleet

, ,
’
once more equipped and Oxylus elected commander in
,
-

chief .

And now success at length cro w ned the effo rts o f t h e

long sufferi ng descendants o f t h e great hero
-
They .

obtained possession of the Peloponnesus which was ,

divided among them by lo t Argos fell t o Temenus .

,

L aced aemon to Aristodemus and Messene to Cresphontes , .

In gratitude for the services o f thei r able leader O xylus , ,

the kingdom o f E lis was conferred upon hi m by the

,

Heraclid ae .

TH E S IE G E O F TR O Y .

Troy or Il ion was the capi t al o f a ki ngdom i n Asia

Minor situated near t h e He lle spo n t and f o unded by
,
'

Ilu s son o f Tros

,
At the time o f the famous Trojan
.

war this city was under the government Of Priam a ,

direct descendant o f Il u s P ri am was marri ed t o Hecuba

. ,

daughter o f Dymas king o f Thr ace ; and am o ng t h e m o st

,

celebrated of their childr en were t h e reno wned and

284 M Y THS or AN CIE NT G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

v al i ant Hector the prophete ss Cassandra and Paris the

, , ,

caus e of the Trojan w ar .

Before the birth o f her second son P ari s Hecuba dreamt ,

that she had given birth t o a flamin g bran d which was ,

interpreted by E s acu s t h e seer ( a son o f Priam by a .

f o rmer marri age ) to signify th at she woul d bear a son

wh o woul d cause the destruction o f the c ity o f Troy .

Anxi ous t o prevent the fulfilment o f t h e pro phecy ,

Hecuba caused her new born babe t o b e ex posed on

-

Mou nt Ida t o pe ri sh ; but being found by some kind

hearted shepherds the chil d was reared by them and
, ,

grew up unconscious o f hi s noble birth .

As t h e boy approached manhoo d he became re mar k

able not onl y for hi s wonderful beauty of form and
,

feature but also for h is strength and coura e which he

,
g
,

exercised in defen d ing t h e flocks from t h e attac ks of

robbers and wi ld beasts ; hence he was called Alexander ,

o r helper o f men It w as abo ut thi s time that he settled

.

the famous dispute concerning t h e golde n apple t hr own ,

by the goddes s of D i sco rd into t h e assembly Of the gods .

As we have already seen he gave hi s decision in fav o ur

,

of Aphrodi te ; thus creating fo r him self t w o implacable

enemies for Hera and Athene never forgave the S light
, .

Paris be came unite d to a beautiful nymph named

(E none with whom he lived happily i n the seclusion
,

an d tranquillity of a pastoral li fe ; but t o her dee p gri ef

thi s peac eful exi ste nce was not fated t o be o f long dura
tion .

Hearing that some funereal games were abo ut t o be

held in Troy in honour O f a departe d relative o f the king ,

Pari s resolved t o visit the capital and take p ar t in them

hi mself . There he so greatly di stinguished hi mself in a
contest with hi s unkno w n brothers Hector and Deiphobus
, ,

that the proud yo u ng princes enraged that an obsc u re

,

shepherd shoul d snatch from them the prize of victory ,

were about t o create a distur bance when Cassandra , ,

who had been a spectator of the proceedin gs ste pped ,

forward and announ ced to them that the humble peasant

,

wh o had so signally defea ted them w as their o wn

 THE SI E G E or T ROY . 285

bro t h er Paris He was then condu cted t o the presence

o f his parents who j o y q
.

, y acknowledged him as their

ch ild ; and amidst the festi vities and rej o icings in honour
o f the i r new fo u nd son the omi nous pre d iction of the
-

past was forgotten .

A S a proof o f hi s confidence the ki ng now i ntrusted ,

Pari s w ith a somewhat delic a t e mi ssi o n As we have already .

seen in the L egend of Heracles that great hero conquered ,

Troy and after killing king L a o med o n c arried away

, ,

captive his be au t ifu l d au gh t e r Hesione whom he bestowed

‘

in marriage o n his fri end Tel am on But alth ough she .

became princess o f Salamis and lived happily with her ,

hus band her broth er P ri am never ceased t o regret her

,

loss, and the indignity which had been passed upon hi s

house ; and it was now proposed that Pari s should be
equipped with a numerous fleet and proceed to Greece i n ,
’
order t o demand the restorati o n o f t h e ki ng s sister .

Before setting out on thi s expedition Paris was warned ,

by Cassandra against bringing home a wife from Greece ,

and Sh e pre d icted that if he disregarded her injun ction

he would bring inevitable rui n upon the city o f Troy ,

and destruction t o the house of Priam .

U nder the command of Pari s the fleet set sail and ,

arri ved safely in Greece Here the youn g Troj an prince

.

first beheld Helen the daughter o f Zeus and L eda and

, ,

sister o f the Dioscuri who was the wife O f Menelaus

, ,

ki ng of Sparta and the loveli est woman o f her time

,
.

The most reno w ned heroes in Greece had sought the

honour o f her han d ; but her stepfat h er Tyn d areus king , ,

o f Sparta fearing t h at if he bestowed her in marriage on

,

one o f her numerous lovers he would make enemies Of

the rest made it a stip u lation that all sui t ors sh oul d
,

solemnly swear to assist and defend the successful candi

date with all the means at their command in any feud
, ,

which might hereafter a rise in connection with t h e

marriage He at length conferred the hand Of Helen upon
.

Menelaus a war like prince devote d t o martial exercises

, ,

and the pleasur es of the chas e to whom he resigned hi s ,

thr on e and ki ngdom .

286 M YT HS or A N CI E NT G R E E CE A ND RO M E .

When Pari s a rri ve d at Sp ar ta and so ught hospitality,

at the royal palace he was ki n dl y rece ived by kin g

,

Menela us At t h e banquet gi v en in his honour he

.
,

charmed both host and hostes by hi s grace ful manner s

and varied acco mp lishments an d speciall y ingrati ated

,

hi mse lf wi th the fair Helen t o wh om he presente d so me

,

rare and ch aste tri nkets of Asia tic manufacture .

Whils t Paris was stil l a guest at the court of the ki ng

o f Sparta t h e latte r received an invitation from h is friend
,

Idomeneus king Of Crete t o j oin him in a h unting

, ,

expe di tion ; and Menelaus being o f an un suspicious and

,

easy te mperament accepte d the invi ta tion leaving t o

, ,

Helen t h e dut y O f entertaining the dist ingui shed stranger .

Captivate d by her sur pas sing lo v eliness the Troj an ,

prince fo rgo t every sense o f h o n o u r and duty and ,

reso lved t o rob hi s absent host o f his beautiful wife .

He accordi ngly coll e c te d hi s fo llowers and with their ,

as sis tance stormed the royal castle possessed hi mself of ,

the rich treasur es wh ich it contai n e d and succeed e d ,

in carryi ng o ff i t s be autiful a n d not altogether unwi l ling

,

mi stress .

They at once set sail but were dri ven by stress o f

,

weather t o t h e island of Crania where th ey cast anch or ;

,

and it was not unt i l some yea rs h ad elapsed during ,

whi ch time home and c o untry were forgotte n tha t Pari s ,

and Helen proceeded t o Troy .

Pre p a ra t i o n s fo r t h e W
When Menelaus heard
an —

Of the Violation of hi s hearth and home he proce eded t o

Pylos ac comp a nied by hi s bro t her Agamemnon in order
, ,

t o co ns u lt t h e wi se Old kin g Nestor who was renowned ,

for hi s great expe ri ence and state c raf t O n hearing the -

.
t3
facts O f the cas e Nestor expressed it as hi s opinion that
onl y by means o f t h e combined e fl o rt s of a ll the state s o f
Greece co u ld Menelaus h o pe t o regain Helen in defiance
o f SO powerful a kin gdom as that of Troy .

Menelaus and A g a memnon now rai s ed the war c ry —

,

which was unanimously respo nded t o from o n e end o f

Gre e ce to the other Ma ny o f those who volunte ered
.
 TH E SI E G E OF T ROY . 287

their services were former suitors o f _the fair Helen and ’

were therefore boun d by th eir oath to supp o rt the cause

Of Menelaus ; others j oined from pur e love Of adventure ,

but one and all were deeply impressed wi th t h e di sgrace

which woul d attach to their country sh o uld such a crime
be s u fl e re d to go unpunished Thus a powe rful army
’

was collected in which few n am es O f note were missing .

O nl y in the case of two great heroes O dysseus (Ulysses) ,

and Achill es did Menel a us experi ence any difficulty

, .

O dysseus famed for his wi sdom and great astuteness

, ,

w as at this t ime li v ing happily in Ith aca with hi s fair

young wi fe Penelope and his little son Telemachus and ,

was loath t o leave his happy home fo r a peri lous fo reign

expediti on O f un certain d u ration W hen therefore his
’

services were solicited he feigned madness ; but the

shrewd Palamedes a distinguis h ed hero in the suite o f
,

Menelaus detect ed and exp o sed the ruse and thus O dys
, ,
~

seus was forced t o j oin in the war But he never forgave .

the interference Of Palamedes and as we shall see , , ,

eventually revenged himself upon him in a most cruel

mann er .

Achil les was the son Of Peleus and the sea goddess -

Thetis who is s ai d t o have dipped her son when a babe

, , ,

in the river Styx and th ereby rendered h im invulnerable

, ,

except in the right heel by which she held h i m W h en

, .

the boy was n i ne years o ld it was fo retold t o Thetis th at

he woul d either enj oy a long life Of inglorious ease and
i nactivity o r that after a brief career o f victory he would
,

di e the death o f a hero Na turall y desirous O f prolonging

.

the life of her son t h e fond m o ther devoutly hoped that

,

the former fate might be allotted t o him With this view .

she conveyed him to the island o f Scyros in t h e [E ge an ,

Se a where disg u ised as a girl he was bro ugh t up among

, , ,

the daughters o f L ycomedes king o f t h e c o un try ,

.

No w that the presence o f Ach illes was requ i red owin g ,

t o an oracular prediction th a t Troy coul d n o t be ta ken

with out him Menel a us consulte d Cal chas the soothsayer
, ,

who revealed t o hi m the place o f hi s concealment O dys .

s e u s was acco rdin ly d e spatched to Scyros where by

g , ,
288 M Y THS OF AN CI E NT G R E E CE A ND ROM E .

means O f a clever de vi ce he soo n di scovered which among ,

the maidens was the Obj ect Of hi s search Di sgui sin g .

hims e lf as a merch an t O dysseus obtained an introduction

,
’
t o t h e royal palace where he offered t o the king s
,

daughters various trinkets for sal e The girls with o n e .

,

exception all examined his wares with un f eigned interest

,
.

O bser ving thi s circum stance O dysseus shrewdly concluded

that the one who held aloof must be none other than the
youn g Achill es hi m self But in order further t o test the
.

correctness O f his deduction he now exhibite d a beauti ful ,

set o f warlik e accoutrements whilst at a given signal , , ,

stirring strai ns o f martial music were heard outs ide ;

whereupon Achilles fired wi th warlike ard o ur sei ze d the
, ,

weapons and th u s revealed h is identity He now j oined

“

.
,

the caus e o f the Greeks accompanied at the re quest o f ,

h i s father by hi s kinsman Patroclus and contributed t o ,

the expedi tion a large force of Thessalian troops or Myr ,

m id o n s as they were called and also fifty shi ps

, ,
.

F or t e n long ye ar s Agamem n on and the other chi efs

devoted all their energy and mea ns in preparing for the
expedition against Troy But dur ing these warli ke .

preparations an attempt at a peaceful solution Of the diffi

cul ty was not neglected A n embassy consisting of Men e .

laus O dysseus & c was despatched t o king Priam de

, ,
.
,

mandi ng the surrender o f Helen ; but though the embassy

was received wi th the utmost pomp and ceremony the ,

demand was nevertheless rejected ; upon whi ch the

bas sad o rs returned to Greece and t h e order was given ,

fo r the fleet to assemble at A u lis in B oe otia ,

.

Never before in t h e annals o f Greece had S O l a rge an

army been collected A hundred th o usand warri o rs were
.

assembled at Auli s and in its bay floate d over a tho u sand

,

ships ready t o convey them to the Troj an coas t The

, .

command o f th is migh ty host was intruste d t o A gam e m

n o n k ing o f Argos the most powerful of all the Greek
, ,

p ri nces .

Before the fleet set sail solemn s ac rifices were offered

t o the gods on the sea shore w h en suddenly a serpent w as
-

s een t o asce nd a
p la ne tree in which w as a S parro w s -
,
’
 TH E SI E G E or T ROY . 289

nest co nta ini ng ni ne young ones Th e reptile first d e .

v o u r e d the young birds and t h en their mother afte r ,

whi ch it w as turned by Zeus into stone Cal chas the .

soothsayer on being co nsulte d interpreted the miracle

, ,

t o signify that the war with Troy would last for nine years ,

and tha t only in the te nth would the city be taken .

D e p a rt u r e o f t h e G r e e k Fl e e t Th e fleet then set —

sa il ; but mistaking the Mysian coas t for that o f Tro y ,

they landed troops and commenced to ravage the coun try .

Telephus king o f the Mysians who was a son Of t h e

, ,

grea t hero Heracles Opposed them with a large army and

, ,

su cceeded in driving th em back t o t h e ir ships but was ,

himse lf wounded in the engagement by t h e spear o f

Achi lles Patroclus who fought valiantly by t h e side o f
.
,

hi s ki nsman was also woun ded in th is battle ; but

,

Achilles who was a pupil Of Chir o n careful ly bound up

, ,

the w o un d which he succeeded in healing ; and from th is

,

incident dates the celebrated fri endship which ever after

existed be tween the two heroes who even in death re ,

mai ned unite d

The Greeks now returned t o Aul is Meanwhile the .
,

wound o f Telephus proving incurable he consulted an ,

oracle and the response was that h e alone w h o h ad i n

, ,

flict e d the wound possessed the power of curi ng it .

Telephus accordi ngly proceeded t o t h e Greek camp ,

where he was healed by Achi lles and at the solicitation O f , ,

O dysseus consented to act as guide in the voyage t o Troy

,
.

J u st as the expedition was about t o start for the

sec o nd time Agamemnon had the misfortune t o kil l a
,

bin d sacred t o Artemis who in her anger sent co n, , ,

t i n u o u s c al ms which prevented t h e fleet fro m setting

,

sail Calchas o n being consulted announced that the

.

sacrifice of Iphigenia the d aughter o f Agamemn o n

, ,

woul d alone appease t h e incensed goddess Ho w Aga .

memn o n at length overca me hi s feelings as a fath er and ,

how Ip h igenia was saved by Artem is herself has been ,

alread y related in a previous chapter .

A fair wind having at leng th spru ng up the fleet ,

( 73 ) T
29 0 M YT HS O F A NC I E N T G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

once more set sail They fir st stopped at the island Of

.

Tenedos where the famou s archer Phi loctetes who po s

,
— ~

sessed the bow and arrows of Heracles given t o him by ,

the dying hero was bitte n in the foot by a venomous

—

snake So un bearable was the Odour emitted by the

wound that at the suggestion of O dysseus Phi l octetes
, , ,

was co h v e y e d to the island of L esbos where t o his great , ,

chagrin he w as abandoned t o hi s fate and the fl e et pro

, ,

ce e d e d on the ir j ourney to Troy .

Comm t o f H o s tili t i e s
e n cem e n Havin g receiv e d .
—

ear ly intelligence of the impen di ng invasion o f their

country the Troj ans sought the as sistance o f the neigh
,

bo u rin g states w h o all gallantly responded t o their call

,

for help and thus ample preparations were m ade t o

,

receive t h e enemy K ing Priam being himself t o o ad .

v a n ce d i n years for active service the command Of the ,

army devolved upon his eldest so n the brave and valiant ,

Hector .

At the approach Of the Greek fleet the Tr oj ans ap

pe are d o n the coast in order t o prevent their landin g .

But great hesit a tion prevailed am o ng the t roop s as t o

who s h ould be the first to set foot o n the enem y/ s so il it ,

having been predicted that w h oever did so would fall

a sacrifice t o the F ate s ,
Protesil a us of Ph ylac e how .
,

ever nobly disregarding the om inous prediction leaped

, ,

o n shore and fell by the hand O f Hecto r

, .

Th e Greeks then succeeded In effecting a landing and In ,

the enga ement whi ch ensued the Troj ans were signally
g

defeated and driven t o seek saf ety behind the wall s Of

,

th eir city With Achi lles at their head the Greeks n o w

.

made a desperate at t empt to take the city by s t orm but ,

were repul sed with terrible losses After th is defeat the .

invad ers foreseeing a long and wearisome campaign d rew

, ,

up their shi ps on land erected tents huts &c and form e d , , ,

.
,

an intrenched camp o n the coast .

Between t h e Greek camp and the city of Troy was a

p lain watered by the rivers Scamander and S imois and ,

i t was o n th i s plain aft e rwar ds so re nown e d in hi sto ry,

,
 TH E SI E G E OF T ROY . 29 1

that the ever memorable battles between the Greeks and

-

Trojans were fought .

Th e impossibility o f taking the city by storm was now

recognized by the leaders Of the Greek forces Th e .

Troj ans o n their side being less numerous than the

, ,

enemy dared n o t venture o n a great battle in the Open

,

field ; hence the war dragged o n for many weary years

without any decisive eng agement taking place .

It was about this time that O dysseus carried o u t his

long meditated revenge against Palamedes P a lamedes .

was o n e Of the wisest most energetic and m o st upright

, ,

o f all the Greek heroes and it was in consequence of his

,

u n flaggi n g zeal and wonderful eloquence th at most of

the chiefs had been induced to j oin t h e ex pedition But .

the very qualities which endeared h i m to the hearts of

hi s c o untrymen rendered him hateful in the eyes o f his
implacable enemy O dysseus who never fo rgave his
, ,

ha ving detected hi s scheme to av o id j oini ng the army .

In order to effect the ruin o f Palamede s O dysseus con ,

cealed i n his tent a vast sum O f money He ne x t wrote .

a letter purporting to be from king Priam t o Palam e des

, ,

i n which the former thanked the Greek her o effusively

for t h e v al uable inf ormation received from him referring ,

at the same time to a large sum o f money which he had

sent to him as a reward This letter which was found
.
,

upon the person o f a Phrygian prisoner was read aloud ,

in a c o uncil o f the Greek p ri nces Palamedes .

rai gn e d before the chiefs Of the army and accused o f

betraying his country to the enemy whereupon a search ,

w as institute d and a large sum o f money being fo u nd in

,

his tent he was pro no u nced guilty and sentenced t o be

,

stoned t o death Though fully aw a re of t h e base trea

.

chery practised against him Palamedes offered not a ,

word in self defence knowing but too well that in the

-

, ,

face of such damning evidence the attempt to prove his ,

innocence would be vain .

D e fe c t i o n o f A c h i ll e s During the first year of the

—
.

camp ai gn the Greeks ravaged the s u rrounding country ,

29 2 M YTHS OF AN CI E N T G RE E CE A ND ROM E .

and pillaged the neighbo u ring Vi ll ages Upon o n e o f .

these foraging expeditions the city of Pedas us was s a cked ,

and Agamemnon as commander in chief received as hi s

,
- —
,

Sh are o f the sp o il the beautiful Chrys eis daughter of ,

C h ryses t h e priest o f Apoll o ; wh ilst to Achilles was

,

allotte d another captive the fai r Briseis The followi ng

,
.

day Chryses anxious t o ransom hi s daughte r repaired t o

, ,

the Greek camp ; but Agamemnon refused t o ac c e de t o

his proposal and w ith rude and insulting words drove
,

the Old man away F ull O f grief at the loss of hi s ch ild

’

Chryses called upon Apo llo for vengeance o n her captor .

His prayer w as h e a rd and t h e go d sent a dre a dful pes

,

t i le n ce w h i ch rage d fo r ten d a ys in t h e ca mp o f t h e
Greeks A ch illes a t length called togeth er a co un cil and
.
,

inquired O f Cal ch as t h e so o th sayer h o w t o arrest th i s

terrible visitation o f the gods The seer replied tha t .

Apoll o incensed at the insul t Offered t o hi s pri est had

, ,

sent the plague and that only by the surrender of Chry

,

s é i s coul d his anger be appease d

O n hearing this Agamemn on agreed t o resign t h e

maiden ; but being already embitte red agai nst Calchas for
hi s prediction with regard t o h i s own daughter Iphi genia ,

he now heaped insul t s upon the soothsayer and accu sed

him Of plotting against hi s i nterests Ach illes espo used
‘

the cause o f Calchas and a Vi o lent dispute arose in which

, ,

the s o n of Thetis woul d have ki ll ed hi s chief but fo r the

timely interference o f Pallas Athene who suddenl y ap -

pe are d beside hi m unseen by the rest and recall ed h im to

, ,

a sense o f the duty he o wed t o h is commander A gam e m .

non revenged himself on Achilles by depriving h im of

his beaut iful captive t h e fair Bris eis who had become so
'

, ,

atta ched t o her kind and noble captor that she wept bit
t e rly o n being rem o ved from hi s charge Achi lles now .
,

fairly disgusted with t h e u ngene rous conduct O f his chief ,

withdr ew himself t o hi s tent and obstinately declined to ,

take fu rther part in the war .

Heart s o re and dej ected he repaired to the se a shore

-

and there invoked the presence O f hi s divine mother .

In answer t o hi s prayer Thetis emerged fr om benea th

 THE SI E G E OF T ROY . 29 3

the waves and comforted her gallant son with the assur
,
-

an ce that she would entreat t h e mighty Zeus t o avenge

his wrongs by giving victory to the Trojans so that the ,

Greeks might learn t o realize the great loss which they

had sustained by his withdraw al from t h e army The .

Trojans being informed by o n e Of their spies Of the

defecti o n of Achi lles became emboldened by the absence
,

o f this brave and intrepid leader whom they feared ,

above all the other Greek heroes ; they accordi ngly s all ied
forth and made a bold and eminently successful attac k
,

upo n the Greeks w h o although they m o st bravely and O b

, ,

s t i n a t e ly defended their p o sition were completely ro u ted

, ,

an d driven back t o the i r intrenchments Agamemnon ,

and most o f the other Greek leaders being wounded in

the engagement .

E nc o urag ed by thi s marked and signal success the

Troj ans now commenced t o besiege the Greeks in their
o w n camp . At this juncture Agamemnon se eing the ,

danger which threatened the army su n k for the moment ,

all personal grievan ces and despatc hed an embassy t o

,

Achilles consisting o f many noble and distinguished chiefs ,

urgently entreating hi m t o come t o the assista nce Of hi s

countrymen in this their ho u r o f peril ; promisin g that
n o t only S houl d the fai r Bris eis be restored t o him but ,

also that the hand of his own daugh t er should be be

sto wed o n him in marri age with seven towns as her ,

dowry But the obstinate determination o f the proud

.

hero was not t o be moved ; and though he liste ned cour

t e o u s ly t o t h e arguments and representati o ns of the mes
s e n g e rs O f Agamemnon his resolution to take n o further
,

part in the war remained unshaken .

In o n e o f the engagements which t o ok place soon

afterwards the Trojans under the command o f Hector
, , ,

penetrated in t o the heart O f the Greek camp and had ,

already commenced t o burn the ir s h ips wh en P a troclus , ,

seein g the di stress of his countrymen earnestly besought ,

Achi lles to send him t o the rescue at the head o f the

Myrmidons The better nature O f t h e hero prevailed
. ,

and he n o t only intru ste d t o h is friend the co m mand o f

29 4 M Y THS OF A N CI E NT G R E E C E A ND O
R ME.

hi s brave b and of warri ors but lent him al so his own suit
,

o f armo u r .

Patroclus having mounte d the war chari ot o f the hero -

Achi lles lif ted on high a golden goblet and p o ured out a
libation of wine t o the gods accomp anied by an earnest ,

petition for victory and the safe return O f his beloved

,

comrade As a parting inj unction he warn e d Patrocl u s

.

a ai nst advancing t o o far into the territory of the enemy

g
,

and entreated hi m t o be content with rescu ing the

galleys .

At the head o f the Myrmidons Patroclus now made a

desperate attack upon t h e enemy who th inking that the , ,

invincible Achilles was himself in command of h i s bat

tali o ns became disheartened and were put t o flight
, ,
.

Patroclus followed up his victory and u rs u e d t h e

Trojans as far as the walls O f their city toge ther ,

getting in t h e excitement Of battle the injunction o f hi s

fri end Achill es But hi s teme ri ty cost the young hero
.

his life for h e n o w encountered the mi ghty Hecto r him

,

self and fell by hi s hands Hector stripped t h e armour

, .

fr o m his dead fo e and would have drag ed the bod y into

,
g

t h e city had not Menelaus and Aj ax the Greate r rushed

for ward and after a long and fi erce struggle su cceeded in
,

rescuing it from desecration

“

D e a th o f He c t o
r And now came the mournf ul.
—

ta sk Of informing Achil les Of the fate o f hi s fri end He .

wept bitterly over t h e dead body o f his comrade and ,

solemnly vowed that the funereal ri tes sho ul d not be

s o lemniz ed in hi s honour until he had slain Hector with
his own han ds and captured twelve Tro j ans t o be im
,

m o lat e d on hi s funeral pyre A ll other considerations .

vanished before the burning desire to avenge the death

o f his friend ; and Ac hi ll es now th o roughly ar o used from
,

hi s apathy became recon ciled t o Agamemn o n and rej o ined

, ,

the Greek army At t h e request o f the goddess Thetis

.
,

Heph aestus fo rged for h im a new suit o f armour which ,

far sur passed in magnificence that Of a ll the other heroes ’

.

Thus gloriously arrayed he was s oon seen stri din g

 THE SI E G E OF T ROY . 29 5

a long cal ling the Greeks t o

, now led the
troops against the enemy who were defeated and put to ,

fli ght un til ne ar t h e gates of the city Achilles and

,
’

Hecto r encountered each other But here fo r the .

,

first time through out h is wh ole c ar eer the cour age ,

Of the Troj an hero deserted him At the near ap .

proach o f h i s redoubtable antagonist he turned and

fled for hi s life Achilles pur sued him ; and thr ice
.

round the walls Of t h e city was t h e terrible race

ru n ,
in sight o f the Old king and queen who had ,

mounte d the walls t o watch the battle Hector e n .

d e av o u re d during each course to re ach the city gates

, , ,

so that his comrades might Open them to admit h im o r

cover h im with their missiles ; but hi s adversary seeing ,

h i s design forced him into the Open plain at t h e same

, ,

time calling to his friends to hurl no Spear upon his foe ,

but t o leave to him the vengeance he had so long panted

fo r. At length we a ried with the hot pursuit Hector
, ,

made a stand and challenged h s foe to single combat

i
.

A desperate encounter to o k place in which Hecto r suc ,

c u m be d to his powerful adversary at t h e Scaean gate ;

and with his last dying breath the Troj an hero foreto ld
t o his conqueror that he himself wo ul d soon perish on
the same spot .

The infuriate d victor bound the lif eless corse O f his

fallen foe t o his chariot and dragged it three times ,

round the city walls and thence to the Greek camp .

O verwhelmed with horror at this terrible scene the aged

parents o f Hector uttered such hear t rendin g cries o f
anguish that they reached the ears o f Andromache hi s ,

faith ful wife who rushing to the walls beheld the dead
, , ,
’
body o f her husband b o u nd to t h e conqueror s car
,
.

Achilles now solemnized the funereal rites in honour

Of hi s fri end Patroclus The dead body of the hero was
.

borne t o the funeral pil e by the Myrmidons in full

panoply His d o gs and horses w e re then slain to ae com
.

pany him in case he should need th em in the realm o f

,

shades ; after whi ch Ac h illes in fulfilment Of his savage ,

v o w slaughtered twelve brave Troj an captives who were

, ,
29 6 M YT HS OF A N CI E N T G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

laid o n the funeral pyre which was now li ghted Wh en ,

all was consum ed t h e bones o f Patroclus were

collecte d and incl o se d in a golden urn Then foll owed .

the fu nere al games which consisted Of ch ari o t race s

, ,

fighting with t h e cestus ( a sort of bo xin g glove ) -

lin g matches foot races and sin gle combats with shield
,
-

and spear in all of whi ch the most di stingui shed heroes

,

took part and contended for the prizes

,
.

Pe n th il e a Afte r the death Of Hecto r their great

es .
—
,

h O pe and bulwa rk the Trojans di d n o t ventur e beyond

,

the wall s Of their city But soon their hopes were re

.

vi v e d by the appearance O f a powerfu l army O f Amazons

un der the comm and of thei r qu e en Penthesilea a daughte r , .

o f Ar es whose great ambiti o n was t o measure swords

,

wi th the reno w n e d Achill es hi mself and t o avenge the ,

death Of the v aliant Hecto r .

Hostili ties now recommence d in the Open plain Pen .

t h e sile a led the Trojan h ost ; the Greeks o n their side

be ing under the command o f Achilles and Aj ax \Vhils t .

the lat t er succeeded in puttin g the enemy t o fli ght,

Achil les w as challenged by Penthesilea t o sin gle combat .

With heroic courage she went forth t o the fight ; but even
the strongest men fail ed before the power Of the great
Achi lles and though a daughte r o f Ares Penthes ilea
, ,

was but a woman l Vit h generous chiv alr y the hero

.

endeavour ed t o spare the brave and beautiful maiden

warrior and only when his o wn life was in imminent
,

danger did he make a serious effort t o vanquish hi s

enemy when Penthesilea share d the fate o f all who
,

ventured to oppose the spear o f Achi lles and fell by ,

his han d
F eeling herself fatall y wounde d she remembere d the ,

desecration o f the dead bod y o f Hecto r and ea rn es tly ,

entreated t h e fo rbearance o f the hero But the petition .

was h ardly necessary for Achil les full o f co mpassion fo r

, ,

hi s brave but unfortunate adversary li fted her gently ,

from the grou nd and she exp ired i n h i s arms

, .

On behol di ng t h e d e ad body of thei r leader In the pos

 THE SI E G E or TR OY . 29 7

session o f Achilles the Amazons and Troj ans prepar ed

,

for a fresh attack in o rder t o wrest it from hi s hands ;

but Observing their purpose Achilles stepped forward ,

and loudly ca ll ed upon them t o hal t Then in a few well .

chosen words he praised t h e great valour and intrepidity

o f the fallen queen and expressed his willi ngness t o
,

resign the body at once .

Th e chivalr ous conduct Of A chill es was ful ly appre

ci at e d by both Greeks and Trojan s Thersites alone a ,

base and cowardly wretch attri buted unworthy motives ,

to the gracious proceedings Of the hero ; and n o t conte nt ,

with th ese insinuati o ns he savagely pierced with hi s ,

lance the dead body of the Am azonian queen ; whereupon

Achilles with one blo w O f hi s powerful arm felled him
, ,

t o t h e ground and kill ed hi m on the sp o t

, .

The well merited death o f Thersites excite d no co m

—

miseration but his kinsman Diomedes came forward and

,

cl ai med compensation fo r the murder of hi s relative ; and

as Agam e mn o n who as commander in chief might easil y
, ,
- —
,

have settled the difficul ty refrained fr o m inte rfering the, ,

proud nature O f Achi lles resented the implied c o n d e m n a

tion o f h is conduct and he once more aband o ned the
,

Greek army and took ship for L esbos O dysseus how .

,

ever f o ll o wed h im to the island and with his usual ta ct

, , , ,

succeeded in inducin g the hero to return to the camp .

De a th o ill e s A new ally Of the Trojans now

f A ch —

appeared o n the field in t h e pers o n Of Memnon the ,

E thiopian a son o f E o s and Tithonus who brough t

, ,

with him a powerful re inforcement of negroes Memn on .

w as the first Opponent who h a d yet encountered Achill es

o n an equa l fo o ting ; fo r like the great hero himself he

was the s o n o f a goddess and possessed also li ke Achi lles

, , ,

a sui t of arm o ur made fo r h im by Heph aest us .

Before the h eroes encountered each other in single

combat the two goddesses Thetis and E 0 5 hastened t o
, , ,

O lympus t o intercede with its mighty ruler fo r the life

o f th eir sons Res o lved even in t h is instance n o t to act
.

in Opposition to the Moirae Zeus seiz ed the golden scal es ,

29 8 M YT HS or A N CI E NT G RE E CE A ND ROM E .

in whi ch he weighed the lot Of mortal s and plac ed in it ,

the respective fates o f t h e two h eroes whereupon t h at o f ,

Memnon weighed down the balance thus po rtendi ng hi s ,

death .

E o s abandoned O lym pus i n despair Ar ri ved on the .

battle fi eld she beheld t h e lifeles s body o f her so n who , ,

af ter a long and brave defence had at length succumbed ,

t o the all conquering arm Of Achil les

-
At her command .

her children the \Vin d s flew do w n t o the plain and

, , ,

seizing the body of the slai n hero convey e d it th rough

the ai r safe from the desecrati on Of the enemy .

The triumph o f Achilles was not of long duration In .

t o xi ca t e d wi th success he attempted at the head Of the ,

Greek army t o storm the city Of Troy when Paris by

, , ,

the aid of Phoebus Apoll o ai med a well di rected dart at

—
,
-

the hero which pierced hi s vul nerable heel and he fell to

, ,

the ground fata lly wounded before the Scae an gate B u t .

though face t o face with death the intrepid hero raisin g , ,

him self from the ground still performed prodi gies Of ,

valour and n o t unt il hi s totte rin g limbs refused the ir

,

office was the enemy aware that the wound was mortal .

By the combined efforts of Aj ax and O dysseus the

body of Achill es was wreste d from the enemy afte r a
long and terri ble fight and conveyed t o the Greek camp
,
.

Weeping bitterly over t h e untimely fate o f her gallant

son Thetis came t o embrace h i m for the last time and
, ,

mi ngled her regrets and lamenta tions with those o f the

whole Greek army The fu neral pyre was then lighte d
.
,

and the voices Of the Muses were heard chanting hi s

fu neral dirge Wh en according to the custo m o f the
.
,

ancients t h e body had been burned on the pyre the bones

, ,

Of the hero were collecte d inclosed in a golden urn and , ,

deposite d beside the remains Of his be loved fri end

Patroclus .

In the fu nereal games celebrated in honour o f the fallen

hero the pro perty of h e r s o n was Offered by Thetis as
,

the pri z e o f victory But it was un anim ously agre e d tha t

.

the beautif ul suit of armour made by Hephaestus shoul d

be awarde d t o h i m who had contri buted the most t o the
 THE SI E G E or T ROY . 29 9

re scue o f the body from the hands o f the enemy Fopu .

lar Opini on un animously decided in f avo ur o f O dysseus ,

whi ch verdi ct was confirmed by the Trojan p ri soners

who were present at the engagement Unable t o endure .

the sli ght the unfort u nate Ajax lost hi s reason and i n
, ,

this condi tion put an end to hi s existence .

Fi n a l M Thus were the Greeks deprived

e a s u re s —

at o n e and the same time o f their bra vest and most

powerful leader and o f h i m al so who approached the
,

nearest t o th is di stinction Fo r a time Operations were

.

at a standstill until O dysseus at length contrived by

,

means o f a cleverly arranged ambush t o capture Helenus

-

the son o f Priam L ike his sister Cassandr a Helenus

.
,

possessed the gift o f prophecy and the unfortun ate youth,

was now coerced by O dysseus into us ing thi s gift ag ai nst

the welfare Of his n ative city .

The Greeks learned fr om the Trojan p ri nce that three

conditio n s were indispensable t o the conquest Of Troy :
In the firs t place th e so n o f Achilles m u s t figh t in their
ranks ; secondly the arrows of Heracles must be used
,

against the enemy ; and th irdl y they must Obtain posses ,

sion o f the wooden im age of Pallas Athene the famous —

,

P all adi um Of Troy .

The first condition was easily fulfilled E ver ready t o .

serve the interests of the c o mmunity O dysseus rep air ed ,

to the island of Scyros where he found Neopt o lemus

, ,

the son o f Achilles Havi n g succeeded in arousing the

.

ambition O f the fiery youth he generously resigned t o,

him the magnificent a rm o u r Of his father and then c o n ,

v e e d hi m to the Greek camp where he immediately

y ,

distinguished himself in single combat with E urypylus ,

the son o f Telephus who had come to the ai d Of the

,

Trojans .

To procur e the po is o n d ipped arr ows of Hera cles was

—

a matter Of greater difficulty Th ey were stil l in the .

po ssessi o n Of the much aggri eved Ph iloctete s w h o had

-

remained in the island Of L emn o s his wound sti ll

healed suffe ri n g the most abj ect mi sery But the judi
,
.
300 M YT HS o r A N C I E NT G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

cions zeal Of the indefatigable and ever active O dysseus -

who was a c compani ed in th is undertaking by Diomedes ,

at length gained t h e day and he induced Ph il octete s to

,

accomp a ny hi m to t h e camp where t h e skilful leech ,

Machaon t h e s o n o f As clepias healed hi m of his woun d

, ,
.

P h iloctetes became reconciled to Agamemnon and in ,

an engagement which to ok place soon after he m o rtall y ,

wounded Paris t h e s o n o f Priam But though pierced

,
.

by the fatal arrow Of the demi god death di d n o t im -

medi ately ensue ; and Paris calli ng to mind t h e predic

,

ti o n Of an oracle that h i s deserted wife (E none coul d

,

alone cu re h im if wou nded caused himse lf to be trans

,

ported to her abode o n Mount Ida where he implored ,

her by t h e memo ry o f their past l o ve to save hi s l ife .

But mindful o n ly O f her wrongs ( E none crushed out of ,

her heart every womanly feeling o f pity and c o mpassion ,

and sternly bade h im depart Soon however all her .

, ,

former affection for her husband awoke within her .

With frantic haste sh e followed him ; but on her arrival

in the city she foun d the dead body of Paris already l ai d
o n t h e lighted fun eral pile and in her remorse and de
, ,

spair ( E none threw herself on the lif eless form o f her

,

husband and peri shed in the flames .

The Troj ans were now sh ut up within their walls and

closely besieged ; but t h e third and most di fficult condi
tion being still unfulfilled a ll efforts to take the city were
,

unavailing In this emergency the wise and devote d

.

O dysseus came once m o re t o the aid o f hi s comrades .

Having disfigured himself with self i n flict e d w o rm d s he —

,

assumed t h e disguise of a wretched o ld mendicant and ,

then crept s t e a lt h fl y into the city in order t o di scover

where the Palladi um was preserved He succeeded in .

his Object and was recognized by no o n e save the fai r

,

Helen w h o a fter t h e de a th o f Paris had been given in

,

marri a ge t o M E broth er Deiphobus But since death had .

robbed her of her lover t h e heart of the Greek pri ncess

,

had tur ned yearningly t o wards her native co untry and

her husband Menelaus and O dysseus now found in her
,

a most unlooked for ally -

O n his retu rn t o the camp
.
 THE SI E G E or T ROY . 301

O dysseus called t o his aid t h e valiant Diomedes and ,

with hi s assistance the perilous t a sk of a bstracting the ‘

Palladium from its sacred precincts was after some di ffi ,

cul ty effected
, .

The conditions o f conquest being now ful filled a ,

coun cil was called to decide o n final proceedings E peios .

,

a Greek sculptor who had accompanied t h e e xpedition

, ,

was desired to construct a col o ss al wo o den horse large

enough to contai n a num ber o f able and distinguished
heroes O n its completion a band Of warriors concealed
.

themselves within whereupon the Greek army broke up

,

their camp and then set fire t o it as though wearied O f

, , ,
’
the long and tedious ten years siege they had abandoned ,

the enterprise as hopeless .

Accompanied by Agamemnon and the sage Nestor ,

the fleet set sail fo r t h e island of Tenedos where they

-

cast anchor anxiously awaiting the torch signal to hasten

,

back t o the Troj an coast .

D e s t ru c t i o n Tr o y When the Troj ans saw the

o f .
—

e nemy depart and the Greek camp in flames they be

, ,

li e v e d themselves safe at last and streamed in great ,

numbers out Of t h e town in order to V iew t h e site where

the Greeks had SO long encamped Here they found t h e .

gigantic wooden horse which they examined with w o n,

dering curiosity various opinions being expressed with

,

regard to its utility Some supposed it t o be an engi ne

.

o f war and were in favour o f destroying it others re

, ,

garded it as a sacred idol and proposed that it should be ,

brought into the city Two circumstances which now .

occurred induced the Troj ans to incline towards t h e

latt er Opinion .

Chief among those who suspected a treacherous d e srgn

in this huge contrivance was L aocoon a priest of Ap o ll o , ,

who in company with his two young so

,
had issued r

from the city with the Trojans in order t o Offer a sacri

fl e e t o the gods With all the eloquence at his c o mmand
.

he urged his coun trymen not to place confidence in any

g i ft of the Greeks and even went,
s o far as to pierce the
302 M YT HS or A N CI E NT G R E E CE A ND ROM E .

side Of the horse with a spear which he took from a

war ri or beside him wh ereupon the arm s o f the heroes
,

were he ar d t o rattle Th e hearts of the brave men

.

conce aled inside the horse quail ed withi n them and they ,

h ad alread y given themselves up fOr lost when Pallas ,

Athene w h o ever watc hed o ver t h e cause o f the Gre eks

, ,

now came t o t h eir aid and a m i racle o ccurred in order t o

,

blind and deceive the devote d Troj ans for the fall of —

Troy was decre e d by the gods .

Whilst L aocoon with hi s two sons st ood prepared

t o perform the sacrifice two enormous serpents sud
,

d e n l y rose o u t of the sea ,

and made di rect for the

al t ar They entwin ed
.

themselves first round the

te nder limbs O f the help
less youths and then e n ,

circled their father who

rushed to their assistance ,

and thus al l three were

destroyed in sight o f the
horri fied multitude The .

Troj ans naturall y in ter

pre t e d the fate o f L aocoon
and his sons t o be a pun
i sh m e n t sent by Zeus for
his sacrilege against the
wo o den horse and were ,

now fully convinced that

it must be consecrated t o the gods .

The crafty O dysseus had left behind his trusty fri end
Sinon with full instructions as to his course o f action .

Assuming the rule as signed t o hi m he now approached ,

king Pri am with fette red hands and piteous entreaties ,

alleging that the Greeks in obedi ence t o the command

,

of an orac le had attempted to irn m o lat e him as a sacri fice;

,

but that he h ad contri ved t o escape from thei r hands ,

and n o w sou ht protection from the kin g

g
.

Th e kind h e arte d monar ch beh aving hi s story releas e d

-

, ,
 THE SI E G E or T ROY . 303

hi s bo nds assured h i m o f his favour and then begged

, ,

him t o explain the true meanin g o f the wooden horse .

Sinon will ingly complied He informed t h e king that

.

Pallas Athene who had hitherto been the h O pe and stay

-

o f the Greeks throughout the war was so deeply offended ,

at the removal o f her sacred image the Palladium from , ,

her te mple in Troy that she had withdraw n her pro tection
,

from the Greeks and refused all further a id till it w a s

,

restored to its ri ghtful place Hence the Greeks had .

returned home in order t o seek fresh instructions fro m

an oracle But before leaving Calchas the seer had
.
,

ad vised their bui lding th is gigantic wooden h o rse as a

tribute to the offended goddess h O pin g th ereby to appease ,

her j ust anger He fur ther expl ai ned that it had been
.

constructed o f such c oloss al pro portions in order to pre

vent its being brought into the city so that the favour
.
,

o f Pallas Athene might n o t be transferred to t h e Tro jans

-
.

Hardly had the crafty Sinon ceased speaking when the

Troj ans with one accord urged that t h e wooden h orse
, ,

should be brought into th eir city without delay The .

gates being t o o lo w to admit its entrance a breach was ,

made in the walls and the h o rse was conveyed in tri um ph

,

into the very heart o f Troy ; wh ereup o n the Trojans ,

overjoyed at what they deemed the successful issue of the

campaign abandoned themselves to feasting and rioting
,
.

Amidst the un iversal rej o icing the unhappy Cassandra ,

foreseeing the result of the admission o f the wo o den

horse into the city was seen r ushing through the streets
,

with wild gestures and dishevelled hair warning her ,

people against the dangers which awaite d th em But .

her eloquent words fell o n deaf ears ; for it was ever

the fate o f the unfortunate prophetess that her predic
tions should find no credence .

’
\Vhen after t h e d a y s excitement the Trojans had
, ,

retired t o rest and all w a s h ushed and silent Sinon in

, , ,

the dead o f night rele a sed t h e hero es fro m their v o lu n

,

tary imprisonment Th e signal was then given to the

.

Greek fleet lying o ff Tened o s and the wh o le army in ,

unbroken silence once more landed o n the Tro j a n c o ast .

304 M YTHS O F A N c rE N T G R E E CE A ND ROM E .

TO enter the city was n o w an easy matter, and a fear

ful slaughter ensued Aroused from their slumbers , the
.

Troj ans , under the command o f their bravest leaders ,

made a gallant defence, but were easily overcome A l l .

their most valiant heroes fell in the fig0 h t , and soon t h e r

whole city was wrapt in flames .

Priam fell by the hand o f Neopto lemus who killed ,

him as he lay prostrate before the al t a r of Zeus prayi ng ,

fo r di vine as s i stance in this awful hour o f peri l The

unfortunate Andr omache with her young s On Astyanax
had ta ken refuge o n the summit o f a tower where she ,

was discovered by the victors w h o fearing lest the s o n

, ,

o f Hect o r might o n e day rise against them t o a venge the

death O f h is father tore him from her arms and hurled

,

him over the battlements .

Z E n e as alone the son o f Aphr odite the beloved Of

, ,

gods and men esc a ped the universal carnage with his
,

s o n and his o ld father Anchises whom he carried on hi s ,

shoulders out o f the city He first s o u gh t re fu ge o n

. .

Mount Ida and after wards fled t o Italy where he bec ame
, ,

the ancestral hero o f the Ro man people .

Menelaus now sought Helen in t h e royal palace who , ,

being immortal sti ll retained all her former beauty and

,

fasc i nation A reconciliation to o k place and she aecom

.
,

p ani e d her husband on his homeward voyage Andro .

mache the widow o f the brave Hector was given in

, ,

marriage to Ne o pt o le m u s Cassandra fell to the s h are Of

,

Agamemnon and Hecuba the gray haired and widowed

, ,
-

queen was made prisoner by O dysseus

, .

The boundl ess treasures of the wealthy Trojan kin g

fell in t o the hands of the Greek heroes who after having ,

levelled the city o f Troy to the g round prepared for the ir ,

homeward voyage .

RE T URN O F TH E G RE E K S FRO M TRO Y .

During the sacking o f the city of Troy the Greeks in the ,

hour of victory committed many acts O f desecration and

,

cruelty which cal led down u on the m the w rath o f t h e

, p
 RE TURN OF T HE G RE E K S FROM T ROY . 305

gods for which reason their homew ard voyage was bes et
'

with man if old dangers and disasters and many peri shed ,

before they re ac hed their native land .

Nestor Diomedes Philocte tes an d Neoptolemus were

, , ,

among those who arrived safely in Greece after a pros

pe ro u s voyage The vessel whi ch carried Menelaus and
.

Helen was dri ven by violent tem pe sts t o the c o ast of

E gypt and only after many years o f weary wanderin gs
,

and vicissitudes did they succeed in reach ing the ir home

at Sparta .

'

Aj ax the L esser having o fl e n d e d Pallas Athene by -

desecrating her te mple o n the night o f the destruction o f

Troy was shipwrecked o f? Cape C aph are u s He suc
, .

c e e d e d however in clin ing to a rock and hi s li fe m i ght

, g , ,

have been spared but fo r his impious b o ast that he

needed not the help o f the gods NO sooner had he .

uttered the sacrilegious words than Poseidon enraged at ,

his audacity split with hi s trident the rock to whic h the

,

hero was clingi ng and the unfortun ate A j ax w as over

,

whelmed by the waves .

Fa t e Ag a m e m n o n
o fThe home w ard voyage of .
—

Aga memnon was t o lerably uneventful and pro sperous ;

but o n his arrival at Mycen ae misfortune and ruin awaited

Hi s wife Clytemnestra in revenge fo r the sac ri fice Of ,

her beloved daughter Iphigenia had formed a secret ,

alliance during hi s absence w ith Z E gi st h u s the s o n o f ,

Thyestes and o n the return o f Agamemnon they both

,

conspired to compass hi s destruction Clytemnestra .

feigned the greatest j o y o n beholding her husband and ,

in spite o f t h e urgent warnings Of Cassandra who was ,

now a captive in his train he received her protestati o ns ,

o f affection with the most trusting confidence In her .

well assum ed anxiety for t h e comfo rt o f the weary tra

-

vell er she prepared a warm bath for hi s refreshment and

, ,

at a gi ven signal from the treacherous queen E gi st h u s , ,

who w as concealed in an adjoining chambe r rushed upon ,

the defen celess hero and slew h i m .

( 73 )
306 M YT HS O F A N C I E NT G RE E C E A ND ROM E .

D u ri n g the massacre o f the retainers o f Agamemnon

which followed h i s daughte r E lectra with great presence
, ,

o f mind ,
contrived t o save her young brother Orestes .

He fled for refuge to his un cle Strophi us ki ng of ,

who educated hi m with hi s o w n son Pylad es and an ,

ardent friendshi p sprung up between the youths which , ,

from its constancy and disin tereste dn ess has beco me ,

proverbi al .

A s O reste s grew up t o manhood hi s o n e grea t all ,

absorbing desire was t o avenge the death Of his fat her .

Accompanied by h i s faithf ul friend Pylades he rep ai red ,

in disg u ise t o Mycenae where [ E gi s t h u s and Clytemnestra

,

reigned
D
conj ointly over the kingdom of Argos In o rder .

to d i sa rm suspicion he h ad taken the precaution t o

despatc h a messenger t o Cly t emnestra purporting t o be ,

sent by king Strophius t o announce to her the untimely

,

death of her son Oreste s through an accident duri ng a

chari ot race at Delphi
-
.

Arrived at M yce n ze he found his siste r E l ectra so

,
’
over whelmed with gri ef at the news of her brother s
death that t o her he revealed his identity Wh en he .

heard from her lips h o w cruelly she had been treated by .

her mother and how j oyfull y the news o f his demise h ad

,

been received his long pe n t u p pas sion completely over

,

powered him and rushing into the presence o f the king

and q
,

ueen he first pierced Cly t emn estra t o the heart

, ,

and afterwards her gui lty p a rtner .

But the crime o f murdering his o w n mother was not

long unavenged by the gods Hard ly was the fata l act .

c o mmitted when the F u ries appeared and un ce as i ngly

purs ued the unfortunate O restes wherever he went In .

this wretched plight he sou ht refuge in the temple O f

g

Delphi where he earnestly besought Apo llo t o release

,

him fr o m his cruel tormentors The god c o mmanded .

hi m in expiation O f his crime t o repair t o Tau ri c a Cher

, ,
-

s o n n e su s and convey t h e statue O f Artemis from thence

to the kingdom of Attica an expedition fraught with

,

extreme peril We h a ve alre ad y seen in a former chap t er

.

how O restes escaped the fate whi ch be fell all stran gers
 RE T URN O F THE G RE E xs FRO M RO Y
T . 307

who landed o n the Tauri an coast and how with the ai d , ,

O f his siste r Iphigenia the priestess o f the temple he

, ,

succeeded in conveying the statue of the goddess t o hi s

native countr y .

But the F uries did not so easily relinquish thei r prey ,

and onl y by means of the inte rposition Of the just and

powerful go ddess Pallas Athene was Or estes finally -

libe rated from their persecution His peace of mi nd .

being at length restored O restes assumed the govern

,

ment o f t h e kingdom o f Argos and became uni ted t o the ,

beautiful Hermione daughter Of Helen and Menelaus

, .

O n h is faithful friend Pylades he bestowed the hand o f

hi s beloved sister the good and faithf ul E lectra
, .

Ho m e w a rd Vo y ag e O d y s s e u s With his twelve

o f —

shi ps laden with enormous treasures c a ptured duri ng the ,

sacking Of Troy O dysseus set sail with a light heart for

,

his rocky island home of Ithaca At length the happy .

hour had arri ved which fo r ten long years the hero had
so anxiously awaited and he little dream t th at t e n m o re
,

must elapse before he would be permitted by the F ate s

t o clasp t o hi s heart hi s beloved wife an d chi ld .

During h is homeward voyage his little fleet was d ri ven

by stress of weather t o a land whose inhabitants subsisted
entirely on a cu ri ous plant called the lotus which was ,

sweet as honey t o the taste bu t had the effect O f causing

,

utter Oblivion o f home and country and o f creating a n ,

irresistible longing to remain fo r ever in the land o f t h e

lotus eate rs O dysseus and his compani o ns w ere h o spit
-
.

ably received by the inhabitants w h o regaled th em freely ,

with their peculiar and very delicious fo o d ; after part a king

o f wh ich however t h e comrades o f the hero refused t o
, ,

leave the c o untry and it was only by sheer force that he

,

at length succeeded in b ri nging th em back t o their s h ips .

P o ly p h em us Continui ng their journey they next

.
—
,

arrived at the country of the Cyclops a race Of giants ,

remarkable for having only o n e eye w hich w as placed ,

in the centre of their fo reheads Here O dysseus wh o se . ,

l ove o f adventur e overcame more prudent considerations ,

308 M YT HS OF A N C IE NT G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

left his fleet safely anchored in the bay of a neighbourin g

island and with twelve chosen compani ons set o u t t o
,

explore the co u ntry .

Near the shore they found a vast cave into which th e y ,

boldly entered In the interior they saw t o their s u rp ri se

.

huge piles of cheese and great pails of milk ranged r o u nd

the walls After p artaking freely O f these provisions hi s
.

companions endeavoured to persuade O dysseus to return

to the ship ; but the hero bein g curi ous t o make the
acquaintance o f the owner o f this extraordinary abode ,

ordered t h em to remain and await his pleas u re .

Towards evening a fierce giant made his appearance ,

bearing an enormous load of wood upon his shoulders and ,

d riving before him a large flock Of sheep Thi s was .

Polyp h emus the son o f Poseidon the o w ner o f the cave

, ,
.

After all hi s sheep had entered the giant rolled before ,

the entrance t o the cave an enormous rock whi ch the ,

combined strength of a hundred men would have be en

powerless t o move .

Having kindled a fire o f g reat logs o f pine wood he -

was about to prepare his supper when the flames revealed

t o him in a corner o f the cavern its new occupants who
, , ,

now came forward and informed hi m that they were

ship wrecked mariners and claimed h is hospitality in the
,

name of Zeus But the fierce monster railed at the

.

great rul er O f O lympus fo r the lawless Cyclops knew no

—

fear of the gods and hardly vouchsafed a reply t o the

—

demand of t h e hero To the conste rnation Of O dysseus

.

the giant seized t wo of his companions and after dash , ,

ing th em to the ground consumed their remains wash , ,

i n g down the ghastly meal with huge draughts o f m ilk .

He then stretc h ed his gigantic limbs on the ground and ,

soon fell fast asleep beside the fire .

Thinking the opportuni ty a favourable o n e to rid him

self and his companions O f their te rri ble enemy O dysseus ,

drew his sword and creeping stealth ily forwar d was

, , ,

about to slay the giant when he suddenly remembered

that the aperture of the cave was effectually closed by the
i mme n se rock which rendered egress impossible
, He .
 RE TURN OF THE G RE E KS FROM T ROY . 309

therefore wi sely determi ned t o wait until the following

day and set h i s wits to work i n the meantime t o devise
,

a sc h eme by which he and h i s compan ions mi ght make

their escape .

When early next morning the giant awoke two more

, , ,

un f ortunate c o mpanions o f the hero were seized by hi m

and devoured ; after which Polyphemus leisurely drove
o u t h i s fl o ck takin g care t o secure the entrance Of the
,

cave as before .

Next eveni ng the giant devour ed two more o f his

victims and when he had finished hi s revolting meal
,

O dysseus stepped forward and presented hi m wi th a

l arge m easure of wine which he had brought with him
’
from his ship in a goat s skin De lighted with the
.

deli cious beverage the giant inquired the name o f t h e

donor O dysseus rep lied that h is name w as Noman
.
,

whereupon Polyphemus graciously announced that he

woul d evince his gratitude by eating him the last .

The monster th oroughl y overcome with the powerful

,

Old liquor soon fell into a h eavy sleep and O dysseus lost
, ,

no t im e in putting his plans into execution He had ou t .

’
duri ng the day a large piece O f the giant s own olive staff -

wh ich he now heate d in t h e fire and aided by his co m , ,

panions thr ust it into the eye b all of Polyphemus and

,
-

in th is man ner effectuall y blinded hi m .

The giant m ade the cave re soun d with his howls of

pain and rage Hi s c ri es bei ng he ard by his brother
.

Cyclops who lived in caves not far distant from his own
, ,

they soo n came trooping over the hi lls from all sides ,

and as sa iled the door o f t h e cave with inqui ri es concern

ing the cause of hi s cries and gro ans But as hi s o nly .

reply was Noman h as inj u red me

,
“
they c o ncluded ,

that he had been playing them a trick and therefore ,

abandoned h im t o hi s fate .

The blinded giant n o w groped vainly roun d his cave

in hopes o f laying hands o n s o me o f his tormentors ; but
weari e d at length of th ese frui tless exertions he ro ll ed
away the rock which closed the apert u re th inking that ,

h i s victim s would rush o u t with the sh e ep when rt would ,

31 0 M YT HS O F A N C IE N T G R E E CE A N D RO M E .

be an easy matte r t o capture them But in the mean .

time O dysseus had not bee n idl e and the s u btlety Of ,

t h e hero was now brought into play and prove d more ,

’
t h an a matc h for the gi ant s strengt h Th e sheep were
very large and O dysseus with bands O f wil low ta ken
, ,

from t h e bed of P o lyphemus had cleverly linked them ,

together thr ee abreast and un der each centre o n e h ad

,

secured one Of his comrades Afte r providi ng for the .

safety of his compani o ns O dysseus hi mself selecte d t h e ,

finest ram of the flock an d by cl in ging t o the woo l o f, ,

the ani m al made hi s escape As the sheep passed o u t

, .

Of the cave the giant felt carefull y am ong them for hi s

victims but not finding them on t h e backs of the ani m als
,

he let them pass and thus they all escaped

,
.

Th ey now h as t ened o n board their vessel and O dys ,

seus thinking him se lf at a safe distance shouted o u t

, ,

hi s re al name and mockingly defied t h e giant ; where

up o n Polyp h emus seized a huge rock and fo llow in g the , ,

direct ion o f the v o ice h u rled it towards the shi p which

, ,

narro wly escaped des truction He then called upon hi s .

father Poseidon t o avenge hi m entreati n g him t o cu rse ,

O dysseus w ith a long and te d ious voyage t o destr oy all ,

h i s ships and all his companions and t o make hi s retur n ,

as late as unhappy and as desolate as possible

, , .

Fu r t h e r A d v e n tu r e s saili ng about over u n '

—
Af te r
known seas for some t im e t h e hero and hi s followers cast
anch o r at the island o f E olus king Of the Winds who , ,

welcomed them cordiall y and sumptuously entertain e d ,

them for a whole m o nth .

“Then they to ok their leave he gave O dysseus the skin

Of an ox int o whi ch he had placed all the contrar y wi nds
,

in order to insure t o them a saf e and speedy voyage an d ,

then having cautioned him on no account t o Open it

, ,

caused the gentle Zephyrus t o blow so that he mi ght

waft them t o the shores of Greece .

O n the evening of the tenth day afte r their departure

they arri ved in sigh t o f t h e watch fir e s o f Ithaca But -
.

here u nfortunately O dysseus being co mpletely weari ed

, , ,
 R E TURN O F TH E G RE E xs FRO M T ROY
. 31 1

ou t, fell asleep and his comrades thinking [B o l u s had

, ,

given him a treasure in the bag which he so sedul o usly

guarded seized this Opportunity o f Opening it where
, ,

upon a ll the adverse winds rushed out and drove them ,

back t o the Z E o lian isla n d This time h o wever A flo lu s .

, ,

di d not welcome them as before but di smissed t h em ,

with bitter reproaches and upbraidi ngs for their disregard

o f his injunctions .

’
After a six days voyage they at length sighted land .

O bserving what appeared to be the sm o ke from a large

to wn O dysseus despatched a herald accompanied by two
, ,

o f hi s comrades in order to procure pr o visi o ns

,
When .

they arrived in the city they discovered to their co n

s t e rn at i o n that they had set foot in the land o f t h e L acs

t rygo n e s a race o f fierce and gigantic cannibals governed

, ,

by their king Antiphates Th e unf o rtunate h erald was .

seized and killed by t h e king ; but his two compan ions '
,

who took t o fligh t succeed ed in re ach i n g their ship in

,

s afety and urgently entreated their chi ef to put to sea

,

without delay .

But Antiphates and his fellow giants pursued the fugi —

t iv e s t o the sea sh ore where they now appeared in large

-

numbers They seized huge rocks which they hurled

.
,

upon the fleet sinking eleven o f the sh ips with all hands
,

o n board ; the vessel under the imme d iate command o f

O dysseus being the only o n e which escaped destruction .

In this ship with h i s few remaining foll o wers O dysseus

, ,

now set sail but was driven by adverse winds to an

,

island called fE ae a .

C ir c e Th e hero and hi s companions were in sore need

—

o f provisions , but warned by previous disasters O dysseus

, ,
’
resolved that only a certai n number o f the sh rp s crew
shou ld be despatched to reconnoitre the country ; and o n
lots being drawn by O dysseus and E u ryloch us It fell t o ,

the share o f the lat t e r t o fill t h e office of conduct or t o

the little band selected for this purp o se .
0

They so on came to a magnificent marble palace whi ch ,

was situated in a charmi ng and fertil e valley Here .

31 2 M YTHS O F A N C I E NT G RE E CE A ND ROM E .

dwelt a be auti ful enchantress called Circe daughter o f ,

the sun god and the sea nymph Perse The entrance t o
- -

her abode was guarded by wolves and lions who how , ,

ever t o the great sur p rise o f the strangers were ta me and

, ,

ha rmless as lambs These were in fac t human be ings who

.
, , ,

by the wicked arts of the sorce re ss h ad been thus trans ,

forme d F rom within they heard the enchanti ng vo ice of

the goddess who was singing a swe et mel ody as she sat at
,

her wo rk weavin g a web such as immortals alone coul d pro

,

duce Sh e gra ci o u sly in vi t e d them t o ente r and all save the

.

prudent and cauti ous E ur ylochus ac cepted the invitation

,

As th ey trod the w ide and spacio u s hall s of tesse lated

marble obj ects of wealth and beauty met their view on
all sides The soft and luxuri ant couches on which she
.

bade them be seated were st u dded w ith sil ver and the ,

banquet wh ich she provided fo r their refreshment was

served in vessels of p u re gol d But whil e her unsus pect
ing guests were abandoning the m selves t o the pleas ures o f
the ta ble the wicked encha ntress was secretly working
their ruin ; fo r the wi n e c u p which was presented t o them
w as dr ugged w ith a potent dr aught af t er partaking of ,

wh ich the sorceress touched th em with her magic wand ,

and they were im medi ate ly transformed into swi ne stil l , ,

however retai ni ng their h u man senses

, .

IVh e n O dysse us heard from E urylochus o f the terri ble

fate which h a d befallen h i s compani o ns he set o u t ,

regardl ess of personal danger resolved t o make an effort

,

to rescue them On hi s way t o the palace of the so r

.

ceress he met a fair youth bearing a wand of gold who ,

revealed him self t o h im as Hermes the di vine mes senger ,

o f the g o ds He gently reproached the hero for his

.

temerity i n venturi ng t o ente r the abode O f Circe u n

provided wi th an antido te against her spells and pre ,

s ented him with a peculi ar herb cal led Moly as surin g ,

him that it woul d ine vitably counteract the baneful arts

of the fell enchantress Hermes warned Od ysseus that
'
.

Circe would o fl e r him a draught O f drugg e d w ine wi t h

0

the intention of transforming hi m as she had done h i s

compan ions He bade him drin k t h e wi n e t h e effect of
.
,
 R URN
ET
-

O F TH E G RE E KS F ROM T ROY . 31 3

which would be completely nu ll ified by the herb which

he had given him and then rush b o ldly at the sorceress
,

as though he woul d take her lif e whereupon her p o wer ,

over him would cease she woul d recognize her master

, ,

d grant h im whatever he might desire .

Ci rce received the hero with all the grace and fascina
tion at her c ommand and presented hi m wi th a draught
,

of wine i n a golden goblet This he readily accepted .

,

trusting t o t h e efficacy o f the antidote Then in .

,

Obedience t o the injunction of Hermes he dr ew his ,

sword from its scabbard and rushed upon the sorceress

as though he wo ul d slay her .

When C i rce foun d t h at her fell purpose was fo r t h e

fi rst time frustrated and that a m o rtal had dared
,

to attack her Sh e k new that it must be the great

,

O dysseus who sto od before her whose visit t o her abode ,

h ad been foreto ld t o her by He rmes At hi s solicita tion

.

she res t ored t o hi s companions their human form ,

promi sing at the same tim e that hencefo rth the hero and
his comrades should be free from her enchantments .

But all warnings and past expe rience were f o rgotte n

by O dysseus when C irce commenced t o exercise upon him
her fascinations and blandi shments At her request hi s .

compani ons took up their abode in the islan d and he ,

himself became the guest and slave o f t h e enchantress

for a whole year ; and it was only at t h e earnest adm o ni
tion of his fri ends that he was at length induced t o free
himself from her toils .

Circe had become so attached t o the gallant hero that

it cost her a great effort to part with h im but h aving ,

vowed not to exercise her m agic spells a gainst h im sh e

w as powerless t o detain hirn further The goddess n o w.

w arned him that his future woul d be beset with many

dangers and c o mmanded him to cons u lt t h e blind o ld
,

seer Tiresias 1 in the realm o f Hades concern ing his

, ,

futur e destiny Sh e then l o aded his ship with pro visions

.

for the voya e an d reluctantly bade him farewell

g
,

1
Tir esias alo n e o f a ll t h e s h a d e s was i f ll p o sse s i
,
. n f h is m n t a l
u s on o e
314 M Y T HS O F A N C I E NT G R E E CE A ND RO M E .

Th e Re a lm o f Sh Though somewhat appall ed

ad e s —

at the pro spect of seeki ng the weird and gloomy r e alm s

i nhabited by the spiri ts o f the dead O dysseus n ever ,

t h e le s s o be yed the comm a nd o f the goddess who gave ,

him full di rections w ith regard t o hi s course and also ,

certain in junctions whi ch it was impo rtant that he should

carry out with strict atte ntion t o detai l .

He accordi n gly set sail with his companions fo r th e

dark and gl o o my land o f the Cimmerians wh ich lay at ,

the furthermost end of t h e world bey o nd the great ,

stream O ceanus F avoured by gentle breezes th ey soon

.

reached th eir destinati on in the far west On arri vi ng at .

the spot indicate d by Circe where the turbid waters of

,

the rivers Acheron and Cocytus mi ngled at the entrance

t o the lower world O dysseus landed unatte nd e d by hi s
, ,

companions .

Havi ng dug a tr ench t o re eive the blood o f the sacri

c

fice s he n o w offered a black ram and ewe t o the powers

o f darkness whereupon crowds of shades rose up from
,

the yaw ning g ulf clustering round him e ag er t o q

'

,
u afl ,

the blood O f the sacrifice which woul d restore t o th em

,

for a time their mental vi gour But mindful of the i n .

junction of Circe O dysseus brandi shed hi s sw o rd and

, ,

suffered n one t o approach until Tiresias had appeare d

Th e great prophet now came slowly forward lean ing o n
hi s golden staff a n d afte r d ri n k ing of the sacrifice pro
,
~

ce e d e d t o impart t o O dysseus the hidden secrets o f hi s

futu re fate Tiresi as also warned him o f the numerous

.

perils whi ch wo u ld assail him not only duri ng his home

,

ward voyage but al so on his return to Ithaca and then ,

i nst ructed him how t o avoid them .

Meanwh ile numbers of other shad es had q

'

u afl e d the

sens e awakening draught o f the sacrifice among whom

D ,

Odysseus recogni zed t o his dismay hi s tenderly loved

mother Anticlea F ro m her he learned that she had died
.

’
of grief at her son s pro tracte d absence and that his aged ,

father L aertes was wearing his lif e away in vain and a n

xi o u s lon gings for his return He also c o nverse d with the
.

ill fate d Agamemnon Patrocl u s and Achilles

-

,
The latter
, .
 R E T URN O F TH E G R E E K S FROM T ROY . 315

be moaned hi s shadowy and unreal existence and plain ,

t i v e ly assured his former comp anion i n arms that rather - -

would he be the poorest day labour er o n earth than reign -

supreme as king over the realm o f shades Ajax al o ne .

,

who still brooded over his wrongs held aloof refusing to , ,

converse with O dysseus and su llenl y retired when the ,

hero addre ss ed him .

But at last so many Shades came swarming round him

that the courage o f O dysseus failed him and he fled in ,

terror back to his ship Having rej oined his companions

.

they once more put t o sea and proceeded on their home ,

ward voyage .

’
Th e S ir e n s
After some days sail their course led
—

them past the island of the Sirens .

No w Circe had warned O dysseus o n no account t o

listen t o the seductive melodies o f these treacherous
nymphs ; for that all who gave ear to their enticing strains
felt an unconquerable desire to leap o verboard and j oin
them when they either perished at their hands or were
, ,

engulf ed by the waves .

In order that his crew sh o uld n o t hear the song of the

Sirens O dysseus had filled their ears with melte d wax ;
,

but the hero hi mself so dearly loved adventure th at he

could not resist the tempt a tion o f braving this new danger .

By hi s o wn desire therefore he was lashed to t h e mast

, , ,

and hi s comrades had stri ct orders on n o account t o

release him until they were o u t o f sight o f the isl a nd no ,

matter how he might implore them to set him free .

A s they neared the fatal sh o re they beheld the Sirens

seated side by side on the verdant slopes Of their island ;
and as their sweet and alluri ng strains fell upon his e a r
the her o became s o powerfully affected by th em that , ,

fo rgetful o f all danger he entreated h i s comrades t o release

,

h im ; but the sailors obedient to their orders refused t o

, ,

u nbind him until the ench anted isl a nd h a d disapp e ared

from view The d a nger past the hero gratefully acknow
. ,

ledged the firmness o f his fo llowers whi ch had been the ,

m eans o f saving his life .

31 6 M YTHS OF A N CI E N T G RE E C E A ND ROM E .

Th I s l a n d o f H e li o s Th ey now approached the

e .
—

terrible dangers of Scyll a and Charybdi s between whi ch ,

Circe had desired them to pass As O dysseus steere d .

the vessel beneath the great rock Scyll a swoo ped do wn ,

and seize d six o f his crew from the deck and the cri es of ,

her wretched vi ctims long rang in hi s ears At length .

they reached the island of Tri nacria ( Sicily ) whereon the ,

sun god pastured his flocks and herds and O dysseus

-

, ,

call ing t o mind the warning of Tiresias t o avoid thi s

sacred island woul d fain have steered the vessel p ast and
,

left the country un explore d But hi s crew be ca me

mutinous and insisted o n landing O dysseus was there
,
.

fore obliged to yield but befo re allowing them t o se t

,

foot o n shore he m ade them take an oath not t o touch the

sacred herds of Helios and t o be ready t o sail ag ai n on
,

the following mornin g .

It happened unfortunate ly however that str ess o f

, , ,

weather compelled them t o remain a wh o le month at

Tri nacri a and the s t ore o f w ine and food given to them
,

by C irce at parting being completely exhaus t ed they were ,

obliged t o subsist on what fish and birds the island af

forde d F requently there was not sufficient to sati sfy their
hu nger and one evening when O dysseus w o rn o ut wi th
, ,

anxiety and fatigue had fallen asleep E uryloc hus per

, ,

su ad e d the hungry m e n t o break their vows and kill

some of the sacred oxen .

Dre ad ful was the anger of Helios w h o caused the hides ,

of the slaughtered anim als t o creep and the j o ints on the

spits t o bellow like living cattle and threate ned that nu ,

less Zeus pun ished the impious crew he woul d with draw
his light from the heavens and shine only in Hades .

An xi ous t o appease the enraged deity Zeus assured him

that h is cause shoul d be avenged IVh e n therefore after
, , ,

feasting for seven d ays O d y s s e u s and hi s compani o ns ~

again set sail the rule r o f O lympus caused a te rri ble

,

sto rm t o over t ake them duri ng which the ship was struck
,

wi th lightnin g and went to pieces A ll the crew were .

dro wned except O dysseus who clinging t o a mast floated , ,

about In t h e O en sea fo r nine da s when, afte r once m o re

,

p y ,
 RE T URN O F TH E G RE E xs FRO M T ROY . 31 7

escaping being sucked in by the whi rlpool o f Charybdi s ,

he was cast ash o re on the island of O gygia .

C a ly p s o O gygia w as an island covered with dense

.
—

forests where in the mids t o f a grove o f cypress and

, ,

poplar stood the charming grotto palace of the nymph

,
-

Cal ypso daughte r of the Tita n Atlas The entra nce t o

, .

the grotto was entwined with a leafy trellis work Of vine —

branches from which depended clusters of purple and

,

golden grapes ; the plashing o f fo untains gave a delici o us

sense o f coolness t o the air which was filled with the ,

songs o f birds and the groun d w as carpeted with violets

,

and mosses .

C al yp so cordi ally welcomed the forlorn and shi p

wrecked hero and hospita bly ministered to his wants
, .

In the course of time she became s o greatly atta ched t o

him that she offered him immortality and eternal youth
if he would consent to rem ai n wi th her fo r ever But .

the he ar t o f O dysseus turned yearningly towards his

beloved wi fe Penelope and his young son He therefore .

refused the boon and e a rnestly entreate d the go ds t o

,

permit him t o revisit his h o me But the curse o f P o seid o n .

stil l followed the un fortunate h ero and fo r seven l o ng ,

years he was detai ned on the island by Calyp so sorely ,

aga inst hi s will .

At length Pallas Athene interceded with her mighty —

father on his behalf and Zeus y ielding t o her request , , ,

forthwith despatched t h e fle e t footed Hermes t o Calyps o -

comman d in g her to permit O dysseus to depart and t o

provide him with the means Of transport .

The goddes s th o ugh l o ath t o part with her guest

, ,

dared not disobey t h e commands o f the mighty Zeus .

Sh e therefore i nstructed the her o h o w t o construct a

raft fo r which she herself wove t h e sails
,
O dysseus .

n o w bade her farewell and al o ne and unaided embarked ,

o n the frail little craft for his native lan d

Na u s ic a a Fo r seventeen days O dysseus c o ntri ved

.
-

t o pil o t the raft ski lfu ll y through all the perils o f t h e .

d eep di recting h s cou rse accordi ng t o t h e d ir ecti on s

i

,
31 8 M YTHS O F A N C IE NT G RE E CE A ND RO M E .

of Calypso and guided by the sta rs o f hea ven O n t h e

,
.

eighte enth day he j oyf u lly h ai led the di stant outline of

the Ph aeacian coast and began t o l o ok fo rward hopefully
,

t o t e mp o rary rest and shelter But Poseidon stil l enrag e d

.
,

with the h ero who had blinded and insulted hi s son caused ,

an awful tempest t o ari se d u ring whi ch the raft w as

,

swamped by the waves and O dysseus only sa ved hi ms elf

,

by clinging fo r bare life t o a portion o f the wreck

Fo r two days and nights he fl o ated about dri f t e d ,

hither and thith er by the angry billows t ill at last after , ,

many a narrow escape o f his life the sea goddess L e u ,

-

co t h e a came t o his aid and he was cast as h ore o n the

,

coast o f Scheria the i sland o f the luxuri ous Ph ae ace s

,
.

Worn o u t with the hardships and dangers he had

passed through he crept into a thicket fo r security and , ,

lying down o n a bed of dried leaves soon fell fast asleep ,

.

It chanced that Nausicaa t h e beautiful d a ughter of

,

king Al cinous and hi s queen Arete had come do wn t o ,

the shore accompan ied by her maidens to wash the lin en

, ,

w h ich was destined to fo rm part o f her marriage portion .

Wh en th ey h a d finish ed their task they bathed and sat

d o wn t o a repas t after which they amused thems elves
,

with singi ng and pl aying at ball .

Their j oyous sh o uts at last awo ke O dysseus who , ,

rising from his h idi n g pla ce suddenly found him se lf in

~

the m idst of the happy group Alarmed at his wild .

aspect the attend a nts o f Na u s icaa fled in te rror ; but t h e

princess pitying the forlorn condition o f the stranger
, ,

addressed him wi th kind and sympathetic words Af ter .

hearing from him the acc o unt of h is ship wreck and the
te rri ble hardships he had undergone Nausicaa called back ,

her a ttendants reproached them fo r their want of co u rtesy

, ,

and bade them supply the wanderer with food drink and , ,

suitable raiment O dysseus then left t h e mai dens t o re

.

sume their games whilst he bathed and clothed himself

,

with the garments with w hi ch they had furnished h im .

Athene n o w appeared t o t h e h ero a n d end o wed h im

wi th a commandi ng and magnificent statur e and ,

more than mortal beauty Wh en he reappeared the yo u n g

.
,
 R E T URN O F TH E G R E E K S FRO M TR OY . 31 9

p ri ncess was struck with admir ation and requested the ,

hero t o visit the palace o f her father Sh e then desired .

her attendants to yoke the mul es t o the wagons and re

par e t o return home .
p
O dysseus was cordi all y received by the k ing and
queen w h o ente rtai ned him wi th magnificent hospitality
, ,

and in return for their kindn ess the hero relate d t o them
the history o f his long and eventfu l voyage and the many ,

extraordinary adventures and miraculous escapes which

h ad befallen hi m since hi s departure from the coast o f
Ilion .

Wh en he at last to o k leave o f his royal enterta in ers

Al cinou s l o aded him with rich gifts and ordered him t o ,

be conveyed in one o f hi s own ships t o Ithaca .

A rr v al
i a t I th a c a The voyage was a short and
.
—

prosperous one By the direction o f king A l cinous rich

.

furs had been laid o n deck fo r the comfort o f his guest ,

o n which the hero leaving the guidance o f the ship t o

,

the P h ae ac ian sailors s o on fell int o a deep sleep When

,
.

nex t morn in g the vessel arri ved in the harb o ur o f Ithaca

the sailors concludin g that so unusu al ly profound a
,

slumbe r must be sent by the g o ds c o nveyed him o n ,

shore w ithout disturbing him where they gently placed

,

h i m beneath the cool sh ade o f an Olive tree —

.

When O dysseus awoke he knew not where he was for ,

his ever watchf ul pro t ectress Pallas Athene had enveloped

- -

him in a thick cloud i n order to conceal hi m from view .

Sh e now appeared t o hi m in the disgui se o f a shepherd ,

and info rmed hi m that he was in hi s native land ; that

his father L ae rtes bent with sorrow and old age h a d
, ,

withdrawn from the cour t ; that his so n Telemach us had

grown t o manhood and was gone to seek fo r tidings o f
,

his fath er ; and that hi s wife Penelope was haras sed by

the importun ities o f numerous suitors who had taken ,

possession o f h i s home and devoured his substance In .

order t o gain time Penelope had promised t o marry one

o f her l o vers as so o n as Sh e had finished weav ing a robe

fo r the aged L aertes but by secretly u n d o rn g at m gh t

320 M YT HS O F A NC I E NT G RE E C E A ND RO M E .

what she had done in the day she effectually retarded

t h e completion o f the work and th us deferred her final ,

reply . Just as O dysseus had set fo o t in Ith a ca the angry

sui tors had di scovered her str ata gem and had become in ,

consequence more clamorous than ever When the hero .

heard that this was indeed his nati ve land which af ter , ,

an absence o f twenty years the gods had at length per ,

'

m i t t e d hi m t o be h o ld once more he threw hi mself o n the ,

ground and ki ssed it in an ecsta cy Of j o y

,
.

The goddess who had meanwhil e reveal ed her identity

,

t o O dysseus now assisted him t o conceal in a neighbo uri ng

,

cave the val u able g ifts of the Ph aeacian kin g Then .

seating herself beside him she consulte d with him as t o

the best means of ri dding his palace of i t s shameless
occup ants .

In order t o prevent hi s being recognized she caused

h i m t o assum e the form o f an aged men di cant His .

li mbs became decrepid hi s brown locks vanis h ed his

, ,

eyes g rew dim and bleared and the regal robes gi ven t o ,

hi m by king Alcinous were replaced by a tattered garb

Of di ngy hue which hung loosely round his shrunken
,

form Athene then desired h i m t o seek shelter in the

.

bu t of E um aeus his o wn swin e herd —

.

E urn ae u s received the O ld beggar hospita bly ki ndl y ,

ministered t o hi s wants and even co n fided t o hi m his

,

di stress at the lo n gc o n t in u e d absence of his beloved Old

master and his re grets at being compell e d by the unru ly
,

invaders o f hi s house to slaughter for their u s e all the

,

finest and fattest o f t h e herd .

It c h anced th at the follo wing morning Telemachus

returned from his long and fruitless search for hi s father ,

a n d g o ing first t o the hut o f E um aeus he a rd from him ,

t h e s t ory of the seeming beggar wh om he promised t o

befriend Athene n o w urged O dysseus t o make h imself
.

’
known to his son ; and at her touch his be g ar s rags di s g

appeared and he sto o d before Telemach us array e d in royal

,

robes and i n the ful l strength and vigour o f manh o od

SO imp o sing was the appearance o f the h ero that at first
the you n g p ri nce though t h e must be a go d ; but wh e n
 R E T URN O F T HE G RE E K S FRO M T ROY . 321

he was convinced that it w as indeed hi s beloved father ,

whose prol o nged absence h ad caused him so much grief ,

he fell upon his neck and embraced him with every ex

pression o f dutiful affection .

O dysseus charged Telemachus to keep h i s r eturn a

secret and conc e rted with h im a plan whereby t h ey
,

mi ght rid themselves o f the detested suitors In order .

to carry it int o effect Telemachus was t o induce his

mother t o promise her hand t o the one w h o co ul d co n
quer in shooting wi th the famous bow o f O dysseus which ,

the hero had left behind when he went to Tr o y deeming ,

it too precious a treas u re to be taken w ith him O dysseus .

’
now resum e d his beggar s dress and appearance and
accompanied hi s son to the palace befo re t h e door o f ,

which lay h i s faith ful dog Argo who though worn and , ,

feeble with age and neglect instantly recognized his ,

master In hi s deligh t t h e poor animal made a l a st effort

.

t o welcome hi m ; but his strength was exhausted and ,

he expired at hi s feet .

When O dysseus ente red his ancestral hall s he was

mocked and reviled by the ri o t ous suitors and Antinous , ,

the most sh ameless o f them all ri dicul ed hi s abject ,

appearance and insolently bade hi m depart ; but Penelope

,

hearing o f th eir cruel conduct was touched with compas ,

sion and desired her maidens t o bring the poor mendicant

,

i nto her presence Sh e sp o ke ki ndly t o hi m i nquiring

. ,

who he was and wh ence he came He told her th at h e .

w as the broth e r of t h e king o f Crete in whose palace he ,

had seen O dysseus w h o was about starting for Ithaca and

, ,

had declared his intenti o n of arri ving th ere befo re t h e

ye a r was o u t Th e queen overj oyed a t the h appy tidings
.
, ,

o rdered her maidens t o prepare a bed fo r t h e stranger ,

and to treat h i m as an honoured guest Sh e th en desired .

the o ld nurse E uryclea to provide hi m w ith suitable

rai ment and t o attend t o all hi s wants .

A s the o ld servant was bath ing hi s feet her eyes fell

upon a scar which O dysseus h a d received in h is youth
from the tusks of a wild bo ar ; and i nsta ntly recognizing
the be loved master whom she had n u rsed as a babe sh e ,

73 ) x
(
322 M YT HS O F A N C IE NT G RE E C E A ND ROM E .

would have cried aloud in her jo y but the hero placing ,

hi s hand upon her mouth implored her not t o betray him ,

.

Th e next day was a festival o f Apoll o and the sui tors ,

in honour of t h e occasion feasted with more than their

accustomed revelry Af ter the banquet was over Penelope
.
,

taking do w n the great bo w of O dysseus from its place ,

en t ered t h e hall and declared that whosoever Of her lovers

c o uld bend it and send an arrow through twelve rings ( a
feat wh ich s h e had often seen O dysseus perform ) sh oul d
be chosen by h e r as her husband .

A ll the suit o rs tried their skill but i n v ai n ; not o n e ,

possessed the stre ngth required to draw the bow O dys .

seus now stepped forward and as ked permi ssion t o be

allowed to try but t h e haughty nobles mock e d at hi s
,

audacity and woul d not have permi tted it had n o t Tele

,

m a ch u s interfered The pretended begg ar to ok up t h e

.

bo w and with the g reatest eas e sent an arrow whiz zing

,

through the ri ngs ; then turning t o Antinous who was j ust ,

raising a goblet of w ine to his lips he pierc e d h im t o the ,

heart At this the suit o rs sprang t o their feet and l ooked

.

ro u nd for their arms ; but in Obedience t o the instructions

o f O dysseus Telemachus had previous ly removed them .

He and hi s father n o w attacked the riotous revellers and

“
,

after a desperate enco u nte r not o n e o f the whole crew ‘

remained a live .

The j oyful intelligence o f t h e retu rn O f O dysseus being

conveyed t o Penelope she desc end e d t o the ball but refused
t o recogniz e in the aged beggar her gall arit husband ;
,

, ,

whereup o n he retired t o the bath from which he emerged ,

in all the vi gour and bea uty with whi ch Athene h ad

o

endowed him at the court of A l cinous But Penelope .

,

sti ll incredul o u s dete rmined t o put hi m t o a sure test

,
.

Sh e therefore c o mmanded in hi s heari n g that his own

bed should be bro ught from his chamber No w the foo t .

o f thi s bed had been fashi oned by O dysseus hi m self o u t

o f the stem o f an o live t ree which was still rooted in the

-

gI Ourrd and round it he h ad built the wall s of the ch am

'
,

be r K nowi ng therefore that the bed coul d n o t be moved

.
,

he exclaimed that the errand was useless fo r that no ,

 RE T URN O F THE G R E E KS FRo M TRO Y . 323

m ort al co ul d stir it from its place Then Penelope knew .

that it must be O dysseus himself who stood before her ,

and a most touching and affectionate meeting took place

between the long separated husband and wif e
-

The following day the hero set out to seek his O ld

father L aertes whom he found o n o n e of his estates in
,

the country engaged in digging up a young olive tre e -

.

The poor old man who was dressed in the h umble garb
,

o f a labourer bore the traces o f deep grief o n his furrowed

,

counte nance a n d so shocked was his son at the change

,

in his appearance that fo r a moment he turned aside to

conceal his tears .

When O dysseus revealed himself to his father as the

son whom he had so long mourned as lost the j oy of the ,

poor Old man was almost greater than he could bear .

With loving care O dysseus led him into the house W here ,

at length fo r the first time since the departure o f his son

, ,

L aertes once more resumed his regal robes and piously ,

thanked the gods for this great and unlooked fo r -

happiness .

But not yet was the hero perm itted to enjoy hi s well
earned repose for the friends and relatives o f the sui tors
,

now rose in rebelli on against him and pursued him to the

abode o f his father The struggle however was but a
.
, ,

short one Af te r a brief contest negotiations o f a peace

.

ful nature were ente red into between O dysseus and his
subj ects Re cogni zing the j ustice of his cause they be
. ,

came reconciled to their chief who for many years con ,

t i n u e d t o reign over them .

 PRO N O U NC IN G IND E X .

[No la — Th e sys t m
p ro n u n c i a t i o n h e re o o w e d i s t h e E n g i h e tem , of f ll l s sys
b e ca u e i t i s s
e o n e a t p re e n t m o t u e d a m o n g E n c’li s h
th pe a i n g pe o p e s s s -
s k l s
l sh v s l ly ls s
.

In it t h e e tt e r a e s u b t an t i a t h e ir E ng i h o u nd U p o n t h e co n t i n e n t
lk
.

o f E u ro pe t h e p ro n u n c i a t i o n o f a t i n a n d G re e Is i n i e m a n n e r m a d e t o L k
co rre
p s
o n d i n e a c h n a t i o n t o t h e p ro n u n c ia t i o n o f i t s o w n a n g u ag e , a n d t h u l s
v s y
t h e re I s m u c h d i e r i t a m o n g t h e c o n t i n e n t a s y ~ t e m s , t h o u g h t h e re e m l y s
b le e ac h o t h e r m o re c o e y t h a n t h e d o t h e E n g i h In E n g an d an d l sl y ls . l
A ls
m e ri c a a o t h e c o n t i n e n t a m e t h o d o f p ro n u n c ia t i o n h a e b e e n e xt e n i e ] l s v sv y
s
u ed . s
T h u E n e a m a y be p ro n o u n c e d A n a ’ a b i d e ah cc d a e
’
s i n ce - -
ss A s - -
z S
t h e t ru e . t h e a n c ie n t p ro n u n c ia t i o n h a s b e e n o t a n d . a s m an c o n t e n d ca n l s . y
v s s ll v f
, ,

n o t be e e n u b t a n t ia re c o e re d , i t i s a m a t t e r o f rn d i vrd u a l p re e re n ce
wh a t sys
te m h a be f o l o we d ] s ll y
'
fE ete s t e e z ) . 21 5, 222
( cc c c - -
.

t h e r ( cc ’ t h e r) , 1 2 -
.

Abd ( h d
e rus ) 244 a -
ee
’-
ru s , . t h i O p ia ( e t h i o
’
pe ah l . 207
- - - -
.

A bsy t s ( h i t ) 226
r u a -
S r
’-
us . E t h ra ( e e ’ t h rah ) , 259 , 26 7 . 288 -

A d m s ( k ad
,
’
E t n a , M o u n t ( e t n a h ) . 100
’
ca e u 268 a - -
ee .
-
.

A h l s( k l
c e ou ) 254 a -
e -
o
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us . Ag a m e m n o n ( ag H 94, 286, -

Ah
,

( k
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.

A h i l l s ( a k il l z ) 1 31
, ,

c e 297 -
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a e -
a
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A i s ( a i ) 105 1 67
, , ,

Ag
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cr u l 1 89 205 209 s
cr s C e us -
. Ag s 22 e
A p l is ( a p
.
,

Ag l i ( g l y y h 1 1 63
, , ,
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c ro o 1 89 -
c ro . a a a -
a a . .

Atc ae o n ( k t ) 91 a -
ee
’ -
on . . Ag l s ( fi ra u o 122 .

A d m t ( d m t ) 244
e e a -
ee
'-
e Ag ig t ( g i j t ) 213
r en a
’
-
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en
A d m t s ( d m t ) 76 1 19 21 6 A d s ( i d ) 52 130 250
, ,
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us i e a -
e cz .

Ad i s ( i d d l 59
.

h l m t f 206 208
, , , , , ,
’
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on ss .
— e e o .

Ai d s ( id
, ,

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ras ti h ) 1 42
a a -
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A d s t s ( a d t ) 272 , . ,
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Aj x ( a j x) t h G t 298
,

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, .

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- -
a an o . .
—
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Al st i s ( l t i ss ) 7 6
,

[E S e a ( c c g e e ’ a n l , 287 .
fr e an - -
ce a -
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.

fi g e u s we fi j u ce ) , 259 , 26 2, 264 Al i s ( i i
,

i 228 31 8
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. .

sl
,

Al i pp ( i i p p ) 1 1 3
.

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[E 2 j rs s ) 26’ ( lk m ) 273 277

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- - -
. .

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h s ) 35 234
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.

Al id ( l i d ) 113
.

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. ,

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f
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. Al ph s ( l f ) 242 eu a
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.

j E ne a s (e e n e e ’ a s s ) 304 - -
Al t s 1 9 1ar . .

l s Al t h ( i t h
, .

{E o u ( c c o l u s) , 1 70, 21 0
’ - -
. ea h (I a i bo t h ) 9 0
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.

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A e r l a e r) , 1 2 -
. Al t is ( i t i ) t h 41 a
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E s a c u s ( e s a c u s ) , 284
’
- -

. Am l t h ( m l t h
a eah l 15 a -
a -
ee
'
-
a . .

[E s c u la p i u s ( e s —c u la ’ p e u s) , 1 7 7 - - -
A m z s ( m z s ) 244 258 264
a o n a
'-
a -
on . ,
.

s
.

A m b s i ( m b z h b ) 15 ,

E o n ( cc ’ s o n ) , 213 -
. ro a a -
ro
’
-
a ,
.

M o st o f t h e wo rd e n d i n g i n s e us m ay a ls o b e pro n o u n ce d t h u s E ly -

ge m s ,
d ’ t re
- -
as , p ro m e
’
t h e as , e t c .
- - -
326 PRONOUNCI NG I NDE X .

Am ( iv m ) 1 50
or -
ar . At h am a s( at h
m a ) , 1 1 1 , 21 5 ’-
a -
ss .

Am ph i s t m t y ) 273
a ra u a
,
' -
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’-
us , . At h e n e t a t h ee
'
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- -
. . .

A m p h id m s ( m fid m ss ) 221 a a a -
’-
a -
a . . A t h e n e P o li as (p o ' l e as s) , 19 9 , - -

A m ph i l h s ( m 277
oc u a .

Am ph i ( m fl ) 3 3 on
'
a -
’
-
ou , . A t h s 264
en O .

A m ph t t n t e ( a m f e t rt t e ) , 1 04, 167 - - -
.

A m p h t t ri o n ( am fit ’ re o u ) , 35, 2 34 - - -
. At s (v t
re u , i -
ru ce ) 282 .

A p s( t
,

A y s
m c u ( a m ’ i c u s ) , 21 9 - -
. t ro o a
' -
ro p o s ) , 1 39
-
.

A s
n ait i A ph ro d i t i s
-
( n u a i
’
tis a - - - -
f ~
ro A t ys ( iv a ) -
ss , 19 .

dl ’ t i s ) , 92 -
. A g s( w
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'
242, 254.
A k (
n an e ah -
an g
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A u rr u rs , 1 96
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1 1 5. A u tsf t aw 11s ) 97 -
.

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s s) A t w
u ro ra h ) 13 67 a -
to -
ra . .

A d m h ( d m
,

n ro ac 29 5 e an -
ro
'
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u oc on a -
o
’ -
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.

A t ly s ( w t l i l 235 251
,
'
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o - -
cus .

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,

n ro e 207 a ah .
t w
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A t ( t
n ea h ) 256
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e rn u a ve- -
nus , .

A t ( t d 248 A ( a ve r 1 80
’
n eos an e . ve rt o r -
.

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n e ro an
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. A ve ru n c u s tav e - -
ru n h c u s ) , 1 80 .

A t ig ( t ig
,

) 27 1 275
’
n o ne an - -
o ne -
. .

A ti
,
'-
n ( t
no u s ) 321 an iu o us -
. .

A t pe ( t i
n io 32 ah -
'-
o .

A t p h t s ( t i t z ) 31 1
n i a e an - -
a -
se ,
.

A ph st f a re u ) 34 a
’-
a ru c e -
, . B a cc h an a li (b a ac c a n a fl le a h - -
) 1 99 .

B t s (b
,
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t e e z ) , 1 98.
-

A p ll ( i
, ,

o o 68 . B ac c h u s (b ar
f
-
e ns), 1 30 .

83 B at t u s (h t t 1 19 a
’
-
us ) .

f D s B s (h w
,

pp l e o d 39 i co r . au c i a s i s ) . 37 -
.

A h s
,
'
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no . B b
e n c ra n s (b e b ri h
’
219 -
.

A di ( B ym p h
,

d h ) 240 h
’
rc a a a r ca e a eec n . 1 68.
~ - -
.

A t s ( k t o i 35
,

rc o ar
’
-
s . lle ro p h o n ( be l le rfi o fo n ) , - -

A p g s(
,
2
re o a p u 1 1 3 21 a re o - -
’-
a , lle ro ph o n t e s ( bc l le r fl m fo n fl te e z ) , -

A s (a
re ) 99 1 12 fi re e z .

v f 215 B ll
,

ro e o . . e o na l Io ' n a h i . 1 16
(h e - -
.

ld f 223 225
o o . . B lv
e e d e re ( be l vi d e e r) , 85
’ - -
.

A t (
,

re e t fl
a re e
-
t ) 228 31 8
’
-
e or a -
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e . , . B e n t h e s t c y tn e , ( b e n t h e :
'
i me) , - -
s ss - -

A th s (
re h
u a h ) 1 63 ar e t - -
u
'-
sa . . 1 05
A t i s (fi
.

re c y n t h i a l d ea ( be H e s i n fi t h e —a h t
'
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’

rc a -
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,
. - - - o

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a . d e e ’ a h i, 19 -
.

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,

e ro e ( be r o e , fi r t e i e e i i n th e i r) ,
’
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A g 215 230 321

r o . . 35 .

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, ,

21 3 i rc h n m p h 168.
’
t (
r o n au s ar .
-

A g s(
,

r u 209 21 6 283
ar
’
. B is t o m a n s ( bw t o 'm e a n z ) 243. - -

A g s 221 B y
, , ,

r u ,
-
. i t h n i a (b i t h t n ’ e a h ) , m - - -
.

A g r Pus~ pt (p .
p tin0 ) 36 es an o -
' -
ee z ,
. B s
o rea ( b o
’
re as s ) 1 7 1 - -
.

Aid (
,

r a d
ne ) 1 28 263 a te n - -
’ -
ne . . B ra u ro n ( b ra w h ro n ) , 96 .

A i ( i h h i 97 ,
r e la a —r s h e a -
. zh
ra e A g e . 23 .

A i ( i ) 275
r on a r -
’
-
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,

. ri a rc u s a i ri a n i ce ) . 1 3
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.

A ist s ( i t
,

r ae u i 81 ar -
ss -

ee
'
-
us . B s s
ri e i ( b ri se e i ss ) . 292.
’ - -

A i t d m s ( i t d m ) 282 B s
.

' '
r s o e u a r s - -
o -
e
’
-
us ro n t e ( b ro n t ee z ) , 1 6 -
.

A i t m h s(
.
,
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r s o t mac 282 u a r i s— o - -
a B u s i n s ( h u s r’ ri s ) 248. - -

A si e (
. ,

r no ) 27 8 a r s nn -
’
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B s
u te ( b u
’
t e ez ) , 228 -

A t m i s ( H t m i ss ) 87
.
,

r e a -
e -

, .

As l ph s (
ca a l f ss) 55 250
u a s s ca -
’
-
a -
u
As l p s ( l p ) 7 1 76 1 7 6 , , .
’
c e ia as s c e e - -
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As h t t h ( h t t h ) 6 1
.
, , ,
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.

Asph d l m d w s ( f d l) 1 33 C s
,

o e ea o as s -
o— e . ad m u , 203.
Ast t ( t t ) 6 1
ar e as s a rfl e , .
,
C ad u ce u s
h e a s) . 121 .
( ca d u s
’ -

A t rfe a ( as s t re e a h ) , 85
s -
’
-
. C a ail s ( ca l ’
a i s s ) , 1 7 1 , 220
- -
.

A s t n e u s ( a ss t re e ’ 68 ~
C l
a c h as ( ca l k as ) , 94 , 2
’
87 , 289 , 292.
-

As y
.

t a n ax ( as s t i ’ 304 -

C a l r rh o é ( cal l i
i r
’
ro e ) , 27 8 - - -
.

A l C ll
,

t a a n t a ( a L a l a n fi ta h ) , 89 . -
a i o pe ( ca l li o pe l 80, 1 59
’ - - -
.

C ll
,

A t e ( i v t e ) , 1 49 .
-
a i s t o ( ca l l i s t o ) , 35
’ - -
.
 Pa o u o u u c nvo m n nx .
327

C al yd o n i an h u n t , 89 . B o ar ’

C ( r: lu s ( se e
’-
lu s l . 1 1
C a ly p s
o ( ca l i p so ) , 31 7
’
- -
. C l s ( l k i ) 21 5 222
o ch i co
’-
s
C a m e nae ( ca m ce fl n e e ) 1 84 , . C l s( l
o onu ) 27 1
co -
o
'-
nus
, , .

C am p u s
M a rt i n s ( m a r’ s h e u s ) , 1 15 - -
. C l ss s f Rh d s ( lé
o o u o ) 66 o e
,

co
.

s
'-
sus
C s
-

C m s ( d m ) 1 84
.
,
an e n ( ca fl n e n z) 182 , . o u C -
us .
C s
.

( p a n u ce ) ', 273
’
ap an e u ca - -
. C o n sua ia l ( 1 83
co n s u a
’ -

C a p h a re u s a pe ( os f a ru c c ) , 305 C - -
. C s s(
on u ) 1 83
co n
'
-
sns
.

C
, .

C p s ( p ) 239
,
'
a rm e n t a ( ca r m e n t a h ) 1 84 - -
. o re u co
’-
ru ce
C 1 97 , .
'
C arm e n t a lia ( ca r m e n t a l o a h ) , 1 84 - - - -
. o ra ,
C vl
.

a rn i a . 201 .
C o rn u co pi ( ap h ) 148 co r n o o c o ' - -
e a
C
- -

C is ( , .

arpo 1 64 . o ro n i ) 75
co t o -
’
-
n s
C ss d t s
, .

C y b t s ( i b t ) 19
,
'-
a an ra d h ) 284 ea -
san ra or an e co r - -
an
'
-
ee z
C ss i p ( , .

i sl ss ) 104
' ,
h) ’-
a o ea p ca s -
se o - -
ee a C os d f (
an o co
C s t l i S p g 159 1 95 , ,

C t s
.
a a an ri n , . o i o 13
C ,
t
as o r, 33 18 268 . 7 , . C i i sl d f ( m
ra n a , an h ) 286 o c nr a -

C a u cas u s ( w i ) M t 222 ca
' -
c. su s -
ou n . C re o n ( ) 237 275
c re e
’
on
, .

C ps
, , . .

C sp h t s
,

ec ro 1 89 . re on e 282 .

C l
e z
e no ( se 1 37 . C t B l l 24 3
re a n u
G l s C t ( t ) 229
.
,
'
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se e ) 53 -
e us -

, . re e e re c
Ce l t s 10
, .

, . Ce s ( y
r u a c reh ) 210 -
u
’
-
sa , .

C ( w
’-
e n se u s ( i 255
se n e e -
us , . C rl o s c 13
C ta s (
.

en ur t w ) 266 se n
’-
a rs , . C s s( d
roe u ) 19 5
c re - sus
C s(
.
,

eo s ee 13 ’
. C mmy
ro ( mon 260 c ro
'

C ph s C s(
.

e eu 207 . ro n u ) 1 4 179
c ro
’
n us . . .

C ph i
e (
ssu s fi ) 1 69 se -
ss
’-
us . C t s i ph ( t i f ) 9 3
e on es
’
- -
on .

C b s ( wb
,

e r e ru ) 1 33 153 249
se -
a rn s . . C mm
u S byl t h ( m d ) 84
an i e a i e -
an .

C y ( , ,

C pid ( pi d l 150
, .

s e rfi s e o n
l 26 1
’
e rc on -
. u cu -

C l (
, , .

e re a i a l h)
se t e a - -
’-
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C t s(
u re e t z) 1 5
c u ree -
’-
oe
C s( z a 58 201
, .

Cy b l ( i b i I ) 18 1 28
,
'- ’-
e re se e t ec . . e e s -
e .

Cy l ps ( i l p s) 105 307
,
'-
C e ru n it i ( s i t i ) 240
se r u - u -
’-
s , . c o s c o .

C s t s ( t ) 59
.

Cy s ( i k
,
’
) 66 24 7
’
e u se s us , . cn u s -
n us . . .

Ct (
e o t l 1 11
Se e
’-
o . Cyll M
e ne , t ( i l i 1 19
o un sn -
ce
’
-
ue . .

C t ( t h ) 222 Cy p i ss s ( s s i T7 182
,
’ ’-
eu a su -
a . ar u si -
a n s -
u . . .

C yx (
,

e i x l 1 10 254 280
see
’
-
. , , . Cy p s i sl
ru . f ( r p s ) 60
an o s -
r u .

Ch l ia c o ( l i p ) ca -
s
’-
o -
c Cy s ( i ) 19 5
ru s
’
-
rn s .
,

Ch s , ,

ao ) 11
’
a —0 s s . Cy t h ( s it h
e ra h ) 60 -
cc
’-
ra . .

Cyz i s ( i ) 218
,

Ch ’-
’-
a rc s( l 99
ca rce z . cu s:z -
cu s . .

C h i t s ( i t l 163
,
’-
ar e ca r -
e cz . .

Ch a ro n ( ) 1 32 153
ca
'
-
ro n . . D .

C h y bd s ( ib d ) 228 316
,

ar i ca r - fi IS .
, ,
'
C h im (k m
ze ra h ) 257 1 62 t -
ee
’-
ra . Die d a n s
l ( ( l e d a l u s) , 21 1 . - -

Ch s
, ,
'
( ki
i ro n ) 289 -
ro n . Dazm o n s ( d d m a n ) 1 85 -
.

Ch l is ( l i ) 171 s s
, ,

or c o
’-
r s . Da m a t e ( d a m as ' t e e z ) . 26 1 - -
.

C h ys ( i s a ) 1 45
,

r ao r cr -
’-
or . Da n a e ( d a n ’ a c ) . 205, 209 -
.

C h ys i ( i s z
,

29 2 Da ai d e <d a 1 d ee ) . 1 35
‘
’
r e s cr . n a n - - -
.

C h ys s ( i
r e l 292
cr
’-
se e z . s
Da n a u ( d a n ’ a u s ) 1 35 - -
.

C im m i s ( m m
, ,

e r an ) 1 32 314 sr -
e
’-
rt an z -
. Da n n e k e r ( d a n ' c k k e r) , 129 - -
.

C m ( i m ) 268
i on s
’
-
on .
, ,
D p
a h n e ( d a f ’

C i ( i l 64 182 227 31 1
,

D a ph n e p h o r ia ( a d f o f o re ah ) . 200
’- ’
rc e s r se . . n - - - -

C th
, , ,
'
i aero n ( i th [h s i bo th ) -
ee -
ro n , as n , D a ph n e p h o ru s ( d a f n e f ’ o ru s - - -

De i a n e i ra ( d e i ’ a u i ra h ) , 254
’
40 .
- - - -

— M oun t
. 23 6 De p bu ( d e
i h o isf ’
o b u s ) , 300 - - -
.

yl
.

Cl s
eod a l —d ee ’
, 282
'
De i p e ( d e i p i le ) . 27 2
g
eu ( c e o -
.
- - -
.

Cl e o pa t ra ( c le o pa t ra
'
220. - - -
l
De t a ( d ee le a h ) . 83
’ - -
.

Cl i o ( c l i ’ o ) . 1 59 .-
l s sl
De o , i an d o f ( d c e lb s l , 69 , 83
’ -
.

C lo a c i n a ( c l o —a- s i’ n a h ) , 6 1 . -
De p lh i ( d e fi) , 82
l ’ -
.

Cl o t h o ( c lo t h o ) . 1 39
’ -
. l O l
D e p h i c ra c e 1 94 , .

C ly me n e 64 . De m e t e r ( d e m ee t e rl , 50, 197
’ - -
.

C ly s
t aem n e t ra ( c i t e m n e s t rah ) , 9 4,
’
l - - -
s
Do rm g o d , 8
-

'
.

305, 306 De m o p o oh n ( d e m o t o o n ) , 53 - - -

Cly t i e ( c l i ’ t i —c l , 63 -
. l
De u ca i on ( d u os
'
i s o n ) , 21 - - - .

C l s
o ca u ( co c a' lu s ) , 21 3.
’
- o
'
Di a n a ( d i a n n a h ) . 87
- -
.

C y s
o c t u ( co s i t u s ) , 1 32, 314. - -
of
-
V s ll s
e r a i e , 88.
 328

Dice 164. s
E ri ( e e ’ ri s ) , 89 -
.

D ie t 3 ( d ic ’ t i ) , 2
'
05 -
ss . E ro s(
ee
'
7 4, 1 50.
D i n y m e n c ( di n d i m e d - o -
ne ) , 19 . E r y m a n t ia n o a r ( e r e m a n ’ B - -

B ( d i n o ) , 145
rn o
’
-
. E ry t h i a ( e r e t h i ’ a h ) , - - -

Dio m e d e ( di o s 1 12, 243, -

l s
E t eo c e ( e tc e o c le e z ) , 272, 27 5.
’ - - -

29 7 , 305. E t h e r ( e e ’ t h c r) . 12.-

Dio n e t d i o ’ n e ) 58 - -
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M u e , 1 57 .
'
O lyrn p i e G am e s , 30
O ly s
.

s
M u t u n u t m u —t u ' n u s) 1 76 -
.
’
m pu M o u n t 27 .

O l
, , ,

M y e e me ( m i se e ’ n e ) , 209 305 m ph a e ( o m fa l e ) , 252

’
- - o -

. . .

y
M rm i d o n s ( m i r’ n u d o n ) , 288, 293 - -
s O ps 1 9 .

O l s
,

ra c e , 1 94 .

M y t il s ( m i t i l u s ) , 233 O re h am u ( o r' ca m u s ) 63
’
r u r -
.
- -
.

M ys i ( m l
,

a ts n
’-
e a h ) , 219
-
. O re li o m e n u s t o r c o m ’ e n u s ) , 237 - - -
.

M ys s 289
i an . O src u t o f e n s ) 1 36 -
.

s
,
,
O re a d e ( '
o r e e
'
a d e t z ) , 1 69 .
- - - -

N O yri t h i a ( o r i t h i
'
a i ) , 17 1. - - -
y l
O s
.
'
re s te ( o re s t ce z i 9 5, 1 39 , 306.
- -
.

N a iad s or N a ia d e s( na i’ O s
rp h e u ( o r
’
a ce ) , 80 21 6 , 228 f . .

O s
-

z
d e e ) . 1 66 227
a -

, .
rt h ru
Os (
( o fl t li rtt s ) , 246
'
-
.

N a pze te ( n a pe e e e ) , 169
’ - -
.
s a o ss -
snh ) 106' ,
.

ss s
N a rc i u ( n a r s i s ’ s u s ) , 169 O th y M r s, o un t, to -
t h r is ) , 1 6 .
Ot s t t
-
-
.

s
N a u i caa ( n aw s ic h a a h ) 317 u o
’
u s) , 105 .

Ox l G s y s
. .

N s
'

a xo ( n a x fi o s s p, 1 28 263 en o e r o ne
y Se e G e r one .

O xyl s (
.

ss s
N ec e i t a ( n e se s s i t a s s ) , 1 48 - - -
.
u 0X
’—
1 M S) , 283 .

N t 15
ec a r, .

N l
e e us( l n ee
’-
u ce ) . 106 , 1 1 9 , 216 .

Ne m e a ( n e e ’m e -
a h ) 27 4 . .

N e m e an L 10 1] Se e i o n . L
ss s ss
N e m e i ( n e m '—e i ) 14 1 -
.
Palse m o n t pn lee ’ m o n ) , 1 1 1 - -
.

N e m o ra l i a l IIC Dl O ra ' le a h ) 97 ' -

.
P l
a am e d e s ( pa l a 287 , 29 1
l s
, -
.
N e o p t o e m u ( ti e o p l o l ' e tu n e ) , 299 . - -

l
Pa a t i n e ( pa l ' a —t i n ) , 1 81 -
.

304 .

P a ie s t
pl z
a
'
e e ) , 1 81
ph l i (
-
.

Ke a r l h ) 1 39
n ne -
afi e a v

.
P ll
a i ia ( pa l t l h e a h i , 1 81 ‘
.

Ne ph l t
e z e nef l ) 12
c ee
’ - -
.
P a ad ull i m l l
t pa a d e u m ) , 299 , 301
’

ph l (
- v -
.

Ne e e ne f l ) 21 5
’
e e - -
.
Pa l la n ’t id s , 262 .

Ne pt u n a l ta t h e p t u n a 'fl e a h ) 1 07 v -
,
.
P ll
a as mew a l ss ) 1 17 -
.

P ll A
,

N e p t u n e m e pt ’ u n e i . 1 4, 107 -
.
a as t h e n e 43. 234, 302
s
N e re id e t n e ree ' t d e e Z ) 1 08. 16 7 ~ -
.
Pa n , 79 , 17 1 1 98
. .

s
N e re u ( n e e '—ru c e ) 108 .
Pa n a c e a t pa n
.

177
.

s s
, .

N e s u . 254 Pa n zu h e n ce a t pa n ' a t h e 1 99 .
s
. -

N e t o r 286 301 305 . . .

n
'—
Pu n d a e o s ( pa d a re o s s ) , 1 38
r
k
, -
.

N i e ( n i’ ke l 1 17
Ni be ( n i ’
. .
Pa n d o ra ( p n n 25 .

o 79 , 1 41 .
P a n ns c n t pn n i s ’ s i ) . 174 - -
.

N o m a n . 309
N o t u s m o ' t u s ) . 1 71
.
P s
a n o pt e tp n n o
'
p t ee z ) 246
- -

, .

Pa re ze ( paw se e ) Se e M o n a
-
. -
.

No x Se e N yx P s
a ri tp a r
’
ri 5) . 39 , 284 . 286
-

Ny s .

c t im u
'
( e t i m u s ) , 38
n t - -
.
Pa m as s n s ( p ar n a
'
s u s ) . 1 58 ~
s -

y s
.

N c t e u t n i e ' t u ce ) , 32 -

Pa rt h e n o n (p ar
'
46 .

y m p h s 1 65 .
H ll
— i 89
ys
.
,

N a M o u n t ( u i ’ sa h ) . 125 Pa rt h e n o pre u s (p a i
'
t h e n o e e
'
u s)
p
, . - - - -
,

N y x ( nut ) , 13. 1 42 .
273 .

P t r
a oc u l s l s
( p:1 ’ r c u ) . 288,
t o
’
- -

Peda u s s {pe d a s u s ) 29 2 - -
.

O .
Peg a u s s m a fi a s u s ) . 145 162 257
,
-
. .

Pe i t h o i p l t h o i 1 34
’
-

s
. .

O c e an id e ( o se - -
an
’
i d ee z i . 108 1 66 . .
Pe e ul s i pce l u ce l 39 287
’ -
.

0 09 12 11 8 ( o se e ‘
n ns ) 1 2 1 07 166 P l s ss'
( pe e J e a u' 106 . 213 230
2
-
a -

, , , e a i -
. .

31
2 P l
e i o n M o u n t ( pe e l e o n ) 1 06 - -

O yp t (
. . .

c e e o si
t e i , 1 37
- -
e ~
. P l s s l
e o po n n e u t pe
’
o po n - -

O d yss s ( i s u ce ) , 1 3 1, 287 , 307 s P l s

' '
eu o e o p t pee lo p s ) 1 35 232
-
. . . .

( E c li a l i a ( e k a f le a h i 255. - - -
, Pe n at e s tpe 1 87 .
 332 PRONOUNCI NG I N DE X .

Pe n e l o pe ( pe v
n el
’
287 , 310 . P s id ( p i d ) 1 01 1 62 266
o e on o s -
’ -
on , . .

P s ,

ene u 7 4, 242 . P u l
ra x ( p x iv I
e es ) 1 23 ra -
-
e -
eez . .

P enthe l (p th -
i ea en
’ -
e - ~|
z 296 P m ( p i m ) 254 283 304
ua r
’
-
u .

P s ( p h ) 1 26 205 P m s (n m ) S P i m
,
’- '
en th eu en t u ce . ri a u u -
a -
us . ee r a .

P i p s ( p i p ) 1 75
,

P ph d ( p f
,

e re d ; 1 45o e -
ree
’-
o . r a u r ah us .

P l st s 1 9 1
, ,
P e pl s ( p upl ) 1 99 ee
’
ug , . i e , .

P en ph t (p f e est ) e r l~ e e -
’-
eez P st s ( p
ro c ru s l z ) 26 1
e ro c ru -
’-
ee
P t s ( m w t ) 257
, .

P er e s ) 64 31 2 er
’-
se roe u e -
us
,

P m t h s ( p m t h ) 24 1 49
. . .

P sp
, ,

ot e (p f m ) 52
one e r se -
’-
o -
e , ,
ro e eu 10 ee
’
-
u ce
P er eu s s ( p w ) 1 45 205 e -
e n ce . . 1 9 3 222 . .
, , ,

P s pi ( p ss p i ) S P s
,
’
) 121 -
a S IIS -
. ro er ne ro -
er -
nc ee er e .

t e a ce s(f s z ) 228 31 8 ee a -
’-
ee
,

,
.
ph o ne .
,

P t s l s (p t i
,

P h d ( f d h ) 266
ae ra ee
’ -
ra . ro e i au 290 ro -
e csfl .

P h et h ( f
,

a h ) 64 67
on a e
’ -
t on ,
. P t ro ( pm t
e u zt ) 1 08
’-
u cc .

P h s i sl f ( t 6 ) 1 08 P yt
, ,

a ro e o , a
’ -
r 8 , . r m ( p it
an e u m ) 49 r -
a n ee
~
’-
u .

P h s s iv ( f
, ,

a e ) 222 r er a
’ -
se e 2 . P Dl h O ( m fi ) 278
lh
’
-
ss .

Psy h ( i k ) 1 50
,

P h g s ( f j ) 278
, ,

s fl
’-
e eu e e u ce . c e e , .

Pyl d s
,

P h d i ( fid i ) 28ae
’—
e as s -
, a e 9 5 306 .

P h i l m ( fl l m ) 37
e on ee
’-
on . 286 .
,

z ) 256
,

Pl l t t n ( fil t
oe e e sl -
oc — ee
’-
ee P y m c m o n ( p i rad m o m) , 1 6 -
.
, ,
Py '
ri h a ( p i r m h ) 22 -
.

Py
,

Ph i s ( fi ne u ) 208 220
' -
n u ce . t h ia ( p i t l l e a ll ) 1 9 5, 269
’ -
.

P h l g t h ( fl j t h ) 1 34 ,

Py s
,

t h ia n G a m e
’-
e e on e e -
on 83 . .

Ph i td
.

Py
,
'

on e 306 . t h o n (p v t h o n ) , 31 , 72, 1 9 5 -
.

Ph b ( f h ) 13
oe e ee
’-
e ,
t h s Ap l l ( f u b ) 68 298-
o o ee
’ -
us , ,
.

Ph l (f l ) 240
o us o
’
-
us ,
.

P h ys W f o rc 13 1 1 1 ol , .

P h ryg | a ( f r1J ' e a h ) , 18

P h ry x u s ( f r l X ’ US ) , 222
-

-
-

.
Q u irin u s (q u e ri -
’-
n ns ) , 1 15 .

P h y la e e ( fil’ a s e ) , 290 - -
.

P yl s l
h e u ( fi’ u ce ) , 242, 254 -
.

P h y lla ( fil’ la h ) , 233 -

.

P s
i c u m n u ( pi 1 82 .

P ic n s ( p i ’—c n s ) , 182
Pl C l la '

re a h ) , 1 1 9 , 1 58
.
s
Re m u ( re e 'm u s ) 114 ,

Rh a d m a n t h u s ( rad a m a n ’ l h u s ) 34,
- -

1i
.

P s z
- ~ -

i e rid e ( i _ e 1 i d ee ) , 1 58 1 62
’ ,

p
- - -
. .
.

P l e ru s ( p r e m s ) . 1 58 -
.
Rh a m n u e ( ra m ’ n u s ) 1 42
Pli umn u q p i l u m ’
s
n u s ) , 1 82 -
.
Ru a m n u s m ( ra m n u ’—z li e a h ) , 142
, .

P s
-

in d u
.

M o u n t , 1 58 , .
Rh e a ( l e e ' a h ) 1 3 18 -
.
,
P iri t h li u s
,
i ri t h ’ o u s ) , 21 6 , 250 26 5 - - -

,
.
Rh o d a ( ro ’ d a h ) , 1 05 -

P i s a ( p i ’ s a L 232 -

P i t t h e n s ( p nl ’ t h n e e ) 259
.
s
Rh o d e ( m ad e ) , 105 .

R h o d o pe . M o u n t ( ro d ’ o p e l , 1 30.
-

Pl
. - -

at e a (
p Ia 40 .
Rh m t u s ( re d t u s ) 20
Pl s
-
.

s
,
e ia d e ( p le e
’
1 19 .
Ro b ig u 1 80
Pl u t o ( p l u l o ) , 1 36
’
-
.
l s
Ro m u u ( ro m ’ u l u s ) , 1 1 4 ~
.

Pl s
-
.

( p In t n s ) , 1 32, 1 37 . 1 48
’
ut u -

Po d a l i n u s ( p o d a h r’ 1 77 - -

Po d zu c e s <p o 253 .

P ll
o u x , 33 . 1 87 . 227 268
, .
S ifi s 1 92
ac r ce
P ly s
o bo t e ( p o l e bo ’ e e ) 1 04 - ~ -
l z .
S g s (s g
a an 19
.

a
’
a
.

P ly s
,
.

o b u ( po l ’ e bn s ) . 26 9
P o ly d e c ue s ( po l e d e c ’ t e e z ) ,
- -

S l m i s i s l m ) 285
a a a
’
-
a -
is .
- - -

S l ii l l i i 1 15
a u sa
'
e
,

s z
- -
.

P o nd e n ce s ( po l e d a ’ e e ) S m s ( m ) 34
.

ix Se e Po l - - - '
.
a o sa -
os .

S t m ( t
,
n
) 1 7 200
.
a u sa u rn
P ly d s ( p l
-
, . .

o o ru o do
-
e -
’
S l m li ( l
a n a l h ) 200
a sa ur n a
'
e a
P ly h ym i ( p
- - v
.

S t y s ( t l 174 198 ,
o n a o l e ln m ' n e a h l 1 59
- - ‘
a r sa
’
u rz
P ly c s p i . .
. .

S m d (
.

o ni e o 27 1 ca an 290
er s ca
Po b ll m ( p S h m ( sk
.

o l e fe e m u s
'

ga
e us
) 1 05, 219 h ) 3 18
’
- ~
c a
-
. e ee -
re a -
.

l
S h ( sk
'
c ) 89
.
ce n e u s ee n u ce
P
-

m
. .

P
o (
t s 1g
m
o na o o
’-
n ah ) , 180 .
S y M d f ( i 6 ) 268 287
c ro s . au o . S
’-
r 8
S yll ( ir l m 1 04 316 , , .
on u ,
c a s -
a
Pe n n L ave m al l s , . .
'
(l av -
e r- n a l i e ) 1 84. , S cy ro n ( s f -
t on), 260 .
 PRONOUNCI NG IN DE X . 333

Se a s ons, 1 64. s
Te rp i c h o re ( t e rn s ie ’ o re ) 1 59 - -

S l ( l lk
, .
’-
e ene ) 86
se ee no . Te rra ( t e r’ t ab t h e 6 i e e i i n t h ei r) , 1 1 .
Se l A t m i s 96 , ,

e ne r e Te t h t t e e fl t h t s s , II: a s i n bo t h ) , 107,
fié
. .

S ll i t s l li ) 29
’-
e e . l
S m l (
,

I ) 35 205 21 5 '
T r mi
’-
e e e s e n1 e o . en a (t t m ) 209
as u -
a e as s -

S i ph s t s i f ) 205 , , , .

Th l i ( t h Ii
,
’-
er u e~r us ,
‘ a b) 1 59 168
a a -
’
a
T l li s (
.

T h ll ( t h l l ) 164
, ,
Se rvnu s u t l u se r
’-
ve a s -
u
’-
le u s) a o a
’
o .

1 84 Th m y s ( t h m
a m ) 1 58
ri a
'
s
S h d s l m f 267 314
.

a e re a o . Th s tt h
an a t o t ) 1 42 an
’-
a -
os
,

S i b yl ( i b
, , , .

m s ( t h w m s ) 18 1 1 1
,

Th
’
s 84
s . au a a -
as 187 .
S l s ( i l z ) 17 4
i en s
’-
en . Th b s ( t he b ) 203
e ee s .
, , ,

Si l s( il ,

) 1 25 198 Th (th i
’ ’
enu s ee -
nu8 , . e ta h ) 13 -
a .

S lv s ( l
, ,

) 1 1 5 1 82 T h m is ( t h m ) 31 48
’ ’-
i an u si -
va -
n us . e ee 1s
S lv A g 23 , , .

T h m is
, ' ,
i er e, . e (th m e h) ra e -
i s s e ra - -

S m is ( s
,

i ) 290 T h m h m d o n ) , 244
’ ’
i o un o —
ss . e r o n ( t e r —
o -
.

S i ( m i ) 260
,

T h e rs an d e r ( t h e r 27 6
’
u nn 5
-
s -
n s . .

s s
,

S m o n ( s i n o n ) 302 Th e r it e ( t h e r s i ’ t e e z ) , 29 7
’
- -
. .

S i p h y l u s ( s i f M u s ) .80
’
. T h e e u s s ( t l i e e
’
250, 259 .

S s
i re n i z
’
( s re n ) 1 1 2, . s
T h e m o p h o ri a ( t h e m o f o ’ re ah ) , 197 . s - - - -

S sy s s s
i p h u ( i ’
i f u s ), 1 35 -
. Th e
’
as s ly , 77 .

S o l t so l l ) H l
Se e . e io s s
T h e s t i u t t h e s t e a s ) , 33
’ - -
.

S ly s
o s
m a n ( s o l ’ i m an ) , 58 -
. T h e t i ( tsh e e
’
t is ) , 39 , 297 -
.

S s
o m n u s ( o ur n u s ) Hy s Se ! pn u
-
. . y
T h o n e ( t h i o ’ n e ) 128. -

S sy s
o o t h a e r , 19 5 i
T p y (h s t i ’
fis s ) , 21 6 -
.

S pa rt a , T i re a (
s n s t i r e e
'
s h e a s s) , 235, 27 1 2
-
7 4, -

S ph i n x ( s fin k s ) 1 4 6 .

S l s A
tab e , u g e a n ( a w j e e ’ a h ) , 242 -
Ti r y s ( t i i ) 209 252
n
' -
r nz . , .

S s
.

T i y t h ( t i i t l ) 209 252
’-
t a t u e , 1 90 i n r n i .

T siph
, ,

S ll
t e i o t s t e l le
’
57 -
. i (ti f ) 138
o ne -
sn
’
p -
ne ,
.

ss z s lk
S t e ro pe ( t e r’ o pe e , t h e fir t 6 i e T t m
i an o h i (ti t m k ac a
’-
an o - ~
a
' -
e ah-

) , 17 .

6 1 m ri m r) 1 6 T t s t t i t z ) 13
i an
'-
an .

s (t i
,

S t h e no no
) 1 44 -
T h it onu 6 8 29 7 ,
.

T it y s
.

S s
t ro p h i u t s t r o
’
f e a s ) 306 -
. u 1 34 .

z
,

T ra c h i n t t ra k m ) , 254
’
S t y l n p h a l i d e s ( s l i m fa l’ i d e e ) , 221 -
-
.

T rac i (h k l s ) , 254
’
242 . s t 1 a -
.

S t y x st i k s) 1 1 7 132 287
( c T rin a c ri a ( r ' t i n a
’
31 6 -
.

l s
. .

z ) 221
, ,

S y pl g d
in t i
e p l gQ d
za es s in ‘
e a -
ee ,
. T ri p t o e m u ( t ri p t o lfl e m u s) , 53. ‘

Sy x (
n u s i
'
T r i t o n t t r i ’
t o n ) , 1 09 -
.

Sy t ( l z) 229
r es si r
’-
ee , . v
T ri ia t t t i v ’e a h ) 97 . .

T ) 0326 1] ( t re e z e n ) 251
’
,

T i o s ( t ubs s ) , 1 57 . 246 .

T.
T ro 283 v ,

— w a ! Is o f 04
, 1 .

T ee n a ru m ( t e n a r um ) , 132, 250. ’~ T u balC a i n ( o o h al c an e ) , 1 01 .

-
i
’
- -

T a l a n a t t a la ' 1 e a h ) 1 21 y
T c h e ( t i k e l . 1 47
’ -
.
-

y s
- -
.

d u ce 272
l s i ’
,

T a u ( t a ’ l u s ) , 229 T d e u ( t -
.

l s
-

Ta n t a u ( t a n t a ln s ) . 1 34
.

y
T nd e s a r u t t i n a
'
t e u sl 2 85 - -
.

y
- -
,

q q i f u c e ) , 21 .
’

T ar u i n i u s u p e r bu S i ’
s Ty ph mu ( t s o - -

( t a r u n e us
y
T p h o n ( i v fo m 21
- - -

s u pe r b u s l 84
’ . .
-

s
T art a ru ( t a i t a ru s ) 14 1 34
’
.

-
.

, .
T yro ( t i ’
ro l 1 06
-

T a u rica C h e rs o n e s n s ( t a w ri —c a h k e r
’
- v

U
9 3 306
'
eu . .

s
T au ri i t a w n s \ 9 3. 306
‘
-
.
Ufii z i G a e ry ( 00 p fid ze ) 80 ll ,
. .

Te g e a ( t e e J e a ll ) 279
l i
T e a m o n ! t e l a m o n i . 216 . 253, 285
’ .
U lyss s
e ( u li s
’
sc e z l Se e d - -
. O yss s eu .

n e a h l 1 59
’
U ra i (
.
u t a
s n a - - -
. .

T e e m ac h u ( e e
l
l s
t l l
Te e p h u ( t e l e t u s ) 289
’
m
'
a c n e ) . 26 7 320
-
.
, .
s
Uran u ( W a s n u s ) , 1 1 -
.

s
T e m e n u t t e m a n u s ) . 282
'
.

T e m p e , 1 88 l s . V .

Te n ed o s
( l e n 'e d o i 290. 301 , 303
' - -
s
s s
. .

Ve n e ra h ( ve n -e t a le ah ) , 61
T e rm i n u t l e r m e n u ) , 1 82 a - - -
.
.

Th at t h e be gi n n i n g of a w o rd h as i t s so ft so un d , a si n bo t /z.
334 P RONO UN CIN G mu n .

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405 Hilg ard A ve n u e , Lo s A n g e le s , CA 90024 1 388
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