Chapter Xxii. The Rural Deities Erisichth : CHAPTER XXII. THE RURAL DEITIES- ERISICHTHON- RHOECUS- THE WATER DEITIES- THE CAMENAE- THE WINDS. THE RURAL DEITIES. PAN, the god of woods and fields, of flocks and shepherds, dwelt in grottos, wandered on the mountains and in valleys, and amused himself with the chase or in leading the dances...
Chapter Xvii. The Golden Fleece Medea : CHAPTER XVII. THE GOLDEN FLEECE- MEDEA THE GOLDEN FLEECE IN very ancient times there lived in Thessaly a king and queen name Athamas and Nephele. They had two children, a boy and a girl. After a time Athamas grew indifferent to his wife, put her away, and took another. Nephele suspected danger...
Chapter X. Vertumnus And Pomona : CHAPTER X. VERTUMNUS AND POMONA. THE Hamadryads were Wood-nymphs. Pomona was of this class. and no one excelled her in love of the garden and the culture of fruit. She cared not for forests and rivers, but loved the cultivated country, and trees that bear delicious apples. Her right hand bore...
Proverbial Expressions : PROVERBIAL EXPRESSIONS No. 1 MATERIEM superabat opus.- Ovid. The workmanship surpassed the material. No. 2. Facies non omnibus una, Nec diversa tamen, qualem decet esse sororum.- Ovid. Their faces were not all alike, nor yet unlike, but such as those of sisters ought to be. No. 3. Medio tutissimus...
Chapter Xl. The Death Of Baldur The Elves : CHAPTER XL. THE DEATH OF BALDUR- THE ELVES- RUNIC LETTERS- SKALDS- ICELAND. THE DEATH OF BALDUR. BALDUR the Good, having been tormented with terrible dreams indicating that his life was in peril, told them to the assembled gods, who resolved to conjure all things to avert from him the threatened...
Chapter Xv. The Graeae And Gorgons Perseus : CHAPTER XV. THE GRAEAE AND GORGONS- PERSEUS- MEDUSA- ATLAS- ANDROMEDA. THE GRAEAE AND GORGONS. THE Graeae were three sisters who were gray-haired from their birth, whence their name. The Gorgons were monstrous females with huge teeth like those of swine, brazen claws, and snaky hair. None of these...
Chapter V. Phaeton : CHAPTER V. PHAETON. PHAETON was the son of Apollo and the nymph Clymene. One day a schoolfellow laughed at the idea of his being the son of the god, and Phaeton went in rage and shame and reported it to his mother. "If," said he, "I am indeed of heavenly birth, give me, mother, some proof of it...
Chapter Xxiv. Orpheus And Eurydice Aristaeus : CHAPTER XXIV. ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE- ARISTAEUS- AMPHION- LINUS- THAMYRIS- MARSYAS- MELAMPUS- MUSAEUS. ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE. ORPHEUS was the son of Apollo and the Muse Calliope. He was presented by his father with a lyre and taught to play upon it, which he did to such perfection that nothing could...
Chapter Xxi. Bacchus Ariadne : CHAPTER XXI. BACCHUS- ARIADNE. BACCHUS. BACCHUS was the son of Jupiter and Semele. Juno, to gratify her resentment against Semele, contrived a plan for her destruction. Assuming the form of Beroe, her aged nurse, she insinuated doubts whether it was indeed Jove himself who came as a lover. Heaving...
Chapter I. Introduction : CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. THE religions of ancient Greece and Rome are extinct. The so-called divinities of Olympus have not a single worshipper among living men. They belong now not to the department of theology, but to those of literature and taste. There they still hold their place, and will...
Chapter Xx. Theseus Daedalus Castor And Pollux : CHAPTER XX. THESEUS- DAEDALUS- CASTOR AND POLLUX. THESEUS THESEUS was the son of AEgeus, king of Athens, and of AEthra, daughter of the king of Troezen. He was brought up at Troezen, and when arrived at manhood was to proceed to Athens and present himself to his father. AEgeus on parting...
Chapter Ix. Ceyx And Halcyone. Or, The Halcy : CHAPTER IX. CEYX AND HALCYONE: OR, THE HALCYON BIRDS. CEYX was king of Thessaly, where he reigned in peace, without violence or wrong. He was son of Hesperus, the Day-star, and the glow of his beauty reminded one of his father. Halcyone, the daughter of AEolus, was his wife, and devotedly attached...
Chapter Xxx. The Phaeacians Fate Of The Suitors : CHAPTER XXX. THE PHAEACIANS- FATE OF THE SUITORS. THE PHAEACIANS. ULYSSES clung to the raft while any of its timbers kept together, and when it no longer yielded him support, binding the girdle around him, he swam. Minerva smoothed the billows before him and sent him a wind that rolled the waves...
Chapter Xiii. Nisus And Scylla Echo And Narcissus : CHAPTER XIII. NISUS AND SCYLLA- ECHO AND NARCISSUS- CLYTIE- HERO AND LEANDER. NISUS AND SCYLLA. MINOS, king of Crete, made war upon Megara. Nisus was king of Megara, and Scylla was his daughter. The siege had now lasted six months and the city still held out, for it was decreed by fate that it...
Chapter Xxxiv. Pythagoras Egyptian Deities Oracles : CHAPTER XXXIV. PYTHAGORAS- EGYPTIAN DEITIES- ORACLES. PYTHAGORAS. THE teachings of Anchises to AEneas, respecting the nature of the human soul, were in conformity with the doctrines of the Pythagoreans. Pythagoras (born five hundred and forty years B.C.) was a native of the island of Samos, but...
Chapter Xxxviii. Northern Mythology Valhall : CHAPTER XXXVIII. NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY- VALHALLA- THE VALKYRIOR. NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY. THE stories which have engaged our attention thus far relate to the mythology of southern regions. But there is another branch of ancient superstitions which ought not to be entirely overlooked, especially as it...
Chapter Iv. Juno And Her Rivals, Io And Callis : CHAPTER IV. JUNO AND HER RIVALS, IO AND CALLISTO- DIANA AND ACTAEON- LATONA AND THE RUSTICS. JUNO one day perceived it suddenly grow dark, and immediately suspected that her husband had raised a cloud to hide some of his doings that would not bear the light. She brushed away the cloud, and saw her...
Chapter Vii. Proserpine Glaucus And Scylla : CHAPTER VII. PROSERPINE- GLAUCUS AND SCYLLA. WHEN Jupiter and his brothers had defeated the Titars and banished them to Tartarus, a new enemy rose up against the gods. They were the giants Typhon, Briareus, Enceladus, and others. Some of them had a hundred arms, others breathed out fire. They were...
Chapter Xxviii. The Fall Of Troy Return : CHAPTER XXVIII. THE FALL OF TROY- RETURN OF THE GREEKS- AGAMEMNON, ORESTES AND ELECTRA. THE FALL OF TROY. THE story of the Iliad ends with the death of Hector, and it is from the Odyssey and later poems that we learn the fate of the other heroes. After the death of Hector, Troy did not immediately...
Chapter Xxiii. Achelous And Hercules Admetus : CHAPTER XXIII. ACHELOUS AND HERCULES- ADMETUS AND ALCESTIS- ANTIGONE- PENELOPE. ACHELOUS AND HERCULES. THE river-god Achelous told the story of Erisichthon to Theseus and his companions, whom he was entertaining at his hospitable board, while they were delayed on their journey by the overflow...
Chapter Xxxvii. Eastern Mythology Zoroaster : CHAPTER XXXVII. EASTERN MYTHOLOGY- ZOROASTER- HINDU MYTHOLOGY- CASTES- BUDDHA- GRAND LAMA. ZOROASTER. OUR knowledge of the religion of the ancient Persians is principally derived from the Zendavesta, or sacred books of that people. Zoroaster was the founder of their religion, or rather the reformer...
Chapter Xxix. Adventures Of Ulysses The Lotus : CHAPTER XXIX. ADVENTURES OF ULYSSES- THE LOTUS-EATERS- CYCLOPSE- CIRCE -SIRENS- SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS- CALYPSO. RETURN OF ULYSSES. THE romantic poem of the Odyssey is now to engage our attention. It narrates the wanderings of Ulysses (Odysseus in the Greek language) in his return from Troy to his...
Chapter Xlii. Beowulf : CHAPTER XLII. BEOWULF. ALTHOUGH the manuscript which contains the epic of Beowulf was written about 1000 A.D., the poem itself was known and had been elaborated upon for centuries by minstrels who recited the heroic exploits of the son of Ecgtheow and nephew of Hygelac, King of the Geats, whose...
Chapter Xxv. Arion Ibycus Simonides Sappho : CHAPTER XXV. ARION- IBYCUS- SIMONIDES- SAPPHO. THE poets whose adventures compose this chapter were real persons some of whose works yet remain, and their influence on poets who succeeded them is yet more important than their poetical remains. The adventures recorded of them in the following...
Chapter Vi. Midas Baucis And Philemon : CHAPTER VI. MIDAS- BAUCIS AND PHILEMON. BACCHUS, on a certain occasion, found his old schoolmaster and foster-father, Silenus, missing. The old man had been drinking, and in that state wandered away, and was found by some peasants, who carried him to their king, Midas. Midas recognized him...
Chapter Xvi. Monsters. Giants, Sphinx, Pegasus : CHAPTER XVI. MONSTERS. GIANTS, SPHINX, PEGASUS, AND CHIMAERA, CENTAURS, GRIFFIN, AND PYGMIES. MONSTERS, in the language of mythology, were beings of unnatural proportions or parts, usually regarded with terror, as possessing immense strength and ferocity, which they employed for the injury...
Chapter Xiv. Minerva Niobe : CHAPTER XIV. MINERVA- NIOBE. MINERVA. MINERVA, the goddess of wisdom, was the daughter of Jupiter. She was said to have leaped forth from his brain, mature, and in complete armour. She presided over the useful and ornamental arts, both those of men- such as agriculture and navigation- and those...
Chapter Xxxi. Adventures Of Aeneas The Harpies : CHAPTER XXXI. ADVENTURES OF AENEAS- THE HARPIES- DIDO- PALINURIUS. ADVENTURES OF AENEAS. WE have followed one of the Grecian heroes, Ulysses, in his wanderings on his return home from Troy, and now we propose to share the fortunes of the remnant of the conquered people, under their chief AEne...
Chapter Xii. Cadmus The Myrmidons : CHAPTER XII. CADMUS- THE MYRMIDONS. JUPITER, under the disguise of a bull, had carried away Europa, the daughter of Agenor, king of Phoenicia. Agenor commanded his son Cadmus to go in search of his sister, and not to return without her. Cadmus went and sought long and far for his sister, but could...
Chapter Xli. The Druids Iona : CHAPTER XLI. THE DRUIDS- IONA. THE DRUIDS. THE Druids were the priests or ministers of religion among the ancient Celtic nations in Gaul, Britain, and Germany. Our information respecting them is borrowed from notices in the Greek and Roman writers; compared with the remains of Welsh and Gaelic...
Chapter Iii. Apollo And Daphne Pyramus : CHAPTER III. APOLLO AND DAPHNE- PYRAMUS AND THISBE- CEPHALUS AND PROCRIS. THE slime with which the earth was covered by the waters of the flood produced an excessive fertility, which called forth every variety of production, both bad and good. Among the rest, Python, an enormous serpent, crept...
Chapter Xxxvi. Modern Monsters The Phoenix : CHAPTER XXXVI. MODERN MONSTERS- THE PHOENIX- BASILISK- UNICORN- -SALAMANDER. MODERN MONSTERS. THERE is a set of imaginary beings which seem to have been the successors of the "Gorgons, Hydras, and Chimeras dire" of the old superstitions, and, having no connection with the false gods of Paganism...
Chapter Xix. Hercules Hebe And Ganymede : CHAPTER XIX. HERCULES- HEBE AND GANYMEDE. HERCULES. HERCULES was the son of Jupiter and Alcmena. As Juno was always hostile to the offspring of her husband by mortal mothers, she declared war against Hercules from his birth. She sent two serpents to destroy him as he lay in his cradle, but...
Chapter Xxvi. Endymion Orion Aurora And Tithonus : CHAPTER XXVI. ENDYMION- ORION- AURORA AND TITHONUS- ACIS AND GALATEA. ENDYMION was a beautiful youth who fed his flock on Mount Latmos. One calm, clear night Diana, the moon, looked down and saw him sleeping. The cold heart of the virgin goddess was warmed by his surpassing beauty, and she came...
Chapter Xxxiii. Aeneas In Italy Camilla Evander : CHAPTER XXXIII. AENEAS IN ITALY. CAMILLA- EVANDER- NISUS AND EURYALUS- MEZENTIUS- TURNUS. AENEAS, having parted from the Sibyl and rejoined his fleet, coasted along the shores of Italy and cast anchor in the mouth of the Tiber. The poet, having brought his hero to this spot, the destined...
Chapter Xxvii. The Trojan War : CHAPTER XXVII. THE TROJAN WAR. MINERVA was the goddess of wisdom, but on one occasion she did a very foolish thing; she entered into competition with Juno and Venus for the prize of beauty. It happened thus: At the nuptials of Peleus and Thetis all the gods were invited with the exception of Eris...
Chapter Xxxix. Thor's Visit To Jotunheim : CHAPTER XXXIX. THOR'S VISIT TO JOTUNHEIM. THOR'S VISIT TO JOTUNHEIM, THE GIANT'S COUNTRY. ONE day the god Thor, with his servant Thialfi, and accompanied by Loki, set out on a journey to the giant's country. Thialfi was of all men the swiftest of foot. He bore Thor's wallet, containing their...
Chapter Xi. Cupid And Psyche : CHAPTER XI. CUPID AND PSYCHE. A CERTAIN king and queen had three daughters. The charms of the two elder were more than common, but the beauty of the youngest was so wonderful that the poverty of language is unable to express its due praise. The fame of her beauty was so great that strangers...
Chapter Viii. Pygmalion Dryope Venus : CHAPTER VIII. PYGMALION- DRYOPE- VENUS AND ADONIS- APOLLO AND HYACINTHUS. PYGMALION saw so much to blame in women that he came at last to abhor the sex, and resolved to live unmarried. He was a sculptor, and had made with wonderful skill a statue of ivory, so beautiful that no living woman came...
Chapter Xviii. Meleager And Atalanta : CHAPTER XVIII. MELEAGER AND ATALANTA. ONE of the heroes of the Argonautic expedition was Meleager, son of OEneus and Althea, king and queen of Calydon. Althea, when her son was born, beheld the three destinies, who as they spun their fatal thread, foretold that the life of the child should last no...
Chapter Ii. Prometheus And Pandora : CHAPTER II. PROMETHEUS AND PANDORA. THE creation of the world is a problem naturally fitted to excite the liveliest interest of man, its inhabitant. The ancient pagans, not having the information on the subject which we derive from the pages of Scripture, had their own way of telling the story...
Chapter Xxxii. The Infernal Regions The Sibyl : CHAPTER XXXII. THE INFERNAL REGIONS- THE SIBYL. THE INFERNAL REGIONS. AS at the commencement of our series we have given the pagan account of the creation of the world, so as we approach its conclusion we present a view of the regions of the dead, depicted by one of their most enlightened poets...
Chapter Xxxv. Origin Of Mythology Statues : CHAPTER XXXV. ORIGIN OF MYTHOLOGY- STATUES OF GODS AND GODDESSES- POETS OF MYTHOLOGY. ORIGIN OF MYTHOLOGY. HAVING reached the close of our series of stories of Pagan mythology, an inquiry suggests itself. "Whence came these stories? Have they a foundation in truth, or are they simply dreams...