Part 3

“Flushed with resistless charms he fired to love Each nymph and little Dryad of the grove.”

TICKNELL.

DUMB′NESS, see Atys.

DWEUR′GAR. Scandinavian god of the Echo--a pigmy.

E′ACUS, son of Jupiter and Egina, one of the judges of the infernal regions, who was appointed to judge the Europeans. See Æacus.

EARTH, see Antæas.

EB′LIS, the Mohammedan evil genius.

ECHID′NA. A woman having a serpent’s tail. She was the reputed mother of Chimera, and also of the many-headed dog Orthos, of the three hundred headed dragon, of the Hesperides, of the Colchian dragon, of the Sphinx, of Cerberus, of Scylla, of the Gorgons, of the Lernæan Hydra, of the vulture that gnawed away the liver of Prometheus, and also of the Nemean lion; in fact, the mother of all adversity and tribulation.

ECHNO′BAS, one of Actæon’s hounds.

ECH′O was a nymph who fell in love with Narcissus. But when he languished and died she pined away from grief and died also, preserving nothing but her voice, which repeats every sound that reaches her. Another fable makes Echo a daughter of Air and Tellus. She was partly deprived of speech by Juno, being allowed only to reply to questions.

“Sweet Echo, sweetest nymph, that liv’st unseen Within thy airy shell. . . . . . . . Sweet queen of parley, daughter of the sphere, So may’st thou be translated to the skies, And give resounding grace to all heaven’s harmonies.”

MILTON.

“Oft by Echo’s tedious tales misled.”

OVID.

EGEON. A giant sea-god, who assisted the Titans against Jupiter.

EGE′RIA. A nymph who is said to have suggested to Numa all his wise laws. She became his wife, and at his death was so disconsolate, and shed so many tears, that Diana changed her into a fountain.

E′GIL. The Vulcan of northern mythology.

EGIP′ANS were rural deities who inhabited the forests and mountains, the upper half of the body being like that of a man, and the lower half like a goat.

E′GIS was the shield of Minerva. It obtained its name because it was covered with the skin of the goat Amalthæa, which nourished Jupiter. See Ægis.

ELEUSIN′IAN MYSTERIES. Religious rites in honour of Ceres, performed at Eleusis in Attica.

ELYS′IUM, or the ELYSIAN FIELDS. The temporary abode of the just in the infernal regions.

EMPYRE′AN, THE. The fifth heaven, the seat of the heathen deity.

ENDYM′ION. A shepherd, who acquired from Jupiter the faculty of being always young. One of the lovers of Diana.

ENTERTAINMENTS, see Comus.

ENVY, see Furies.

ENYO was the Grecian name of Bellona, the goddess of war and cruelty.

E′OLUS, see Æolus.

E′OS. The Grecian name of Aurora.

E′OUS. One of the four horses which drew the chariot of Sol, the sun. The word is Greek, and means red.

EPH′IAL′TES. A giant who lost his right eye in an encounter with Hercules, and the left eye was destroyed by Apollo.

ER′ATO. One of the Muses, the patroness of light poetry; she presided over the triumphs and complaints of lovers, and is generally represented as crowned with roses and myrtle, and holding a lyre in her hand.

ER′EBUS, son of Chaos, one of the gods of Hades, sometimes alluded to as representing the infernal regions.

ERGA′TIS. A name given to Minerva. It means the work-woman, and was given to the goddess because she was credited with having invented spinning and weaving.

ERIC′THEUS, fourth King of Athens, was the son of Vulcan.

ERIN′NYS. A Greek name of the Furies. It means Disturber of the Mind.

ERISICH′THON was punished with perpetual hunger because he defiled the groves of Ceres, and cut down one of the sacred oaks.

ER′OS. The Greek god of love.

EROS′TRATUS. The rascal who burnt the temple of Diana at Ephesus, thereby hoping to make his name immortal.

ERYC′INA. A name of Venus, from Mount Eryx in Sicily.

ERYTHRE′OS. The Grecian name of one of the horses of Sol’s chariot.

ESCULA′PIUS, see Æsculapius.

E′TA, see Æta.

E′THON, one of the horses who drew the chariot of Sol--the sun. The word is Greek, and signifies hot.

ET′NA. A volcanic mountain, beneath which, according to Virgil, there is buried the giant Typhon, who breathes forth devouring flames.

EU′DROMOS. The name of one of Actæon’s hounds.

EU′LALON, one of the names of Apollo.

EUMEN′IDES, a name of the Furies, meaning mild, and referring to the time when they were approved by Minerva.

EUPHRO′SYNE, one of the three Graces, see Graces.

“Come thou goddess fair and free, In heaven ycleped Euphrosyne.”

MILTON.

EU′RUS. The east wind. A son of Æolus.

EURY′ALE was one of the Gorgons, daughter of Phorcus and Ceto.

EURYD′ICE, wife of Orpheus, who was killed by a serpent on her wedding night.

“Nor yet the golden verge of day begun, When Orpheus (her unhappy lord), Eurydice to life restored, At once beheld, and lost, and was undone.”

F. LEWIS.

EURYTH′ION. A seven-headed dragon. See Geryon.

EU′TERPE, one of the Muses, the patroness of instrumental music. The word means agreeable.

EU′VYHE, an expression meaning “Well done, son.” Jupiter so frequently addressed his son Bacchus by those words that the phrase at last became one of his names.

EVENING STAR, see Hesperus.

EVIL, see Cacodæmon.

EVILS, see Pandora.

EYE, see Cyclops and Glaukopis.

FAME was a poetical deity, represented as having wings and blowing a trumpet. A temple was dedicated to her by the Romans.

FATE, see Nereus.

FATES, or PARCÆ, were the three daughters of Necessity. Their names were Clotho, who held the distaff; Lachesis, who turned the spindle; and Atropos, who cut the thread with the fatal shears.

FAUN. A rural divinity, half man and half goat. They were very similar to the Satyrs. The Fauns attended the god Pan, and the Satyrs attended Bacchus.

FAVO′NIUS. The wind favourable to vegetation, that is, Zephyr--the west wind.

“... Time will run On smoother, till Favonius re-inspire The frozen earth, and clothe in fresh attire The lily and the rose, that neither sowed nor spun.”

MILTON.

FAYS.

“The yellow-skirted Fays Fly after the night-steeds, Leaving their moon-loved maze.”

MILTON.

FEASTS, see Comus.

FE′BRIS (fever), one of the evil deities, was worshipped that she might not do harm.

FEB′RUUS. A name of Plato, from the part of the funeral rites which consisted of purifications.

FERO′NIA, the Roman goddess of orchards, was patroness of enfranchised slaves. Some authors think Feronia is the same as Juno.

FERTILITY, see Lupercus.

FESTIVALS, see Thalia.

FIDELITY, see Iolaus.

FI′DES, the goddess of faith and honesty, had a temple in the Capitol of Rome.

FINE ARTS, see Minerva.

FIRE, see Salamander, Vesta, and Vulcan.

FIRE INSURANCE, see Canopus.

FISHERMAN, see Glaucus.

FLATH′-IN′NIS, in Celtic mythology, is Paradise.

FLEECE, GOLDEN, see Golden Fleece, Argonauts, and Jason.

FLIES, see Muscarius.

FLOCKS, see Pales.

FLO′RA, goddess of flowers and gardens, was wife of Zephyrus. She enjoyed perpetual youth. Her Grecian name was Chloris.

FLORA′LIA were licentious games instituted in honour of the goddess Flora.

FLOWERS, see Flora, Chloris, Hortensis, and Zephyrus.

FLUTE, see Marsyas.

FORTU′NA, the goddess of fortune, had a temple erected to her by Servius Tullius. She was supposed to be able to bestow riches or poverty on mankind, and was esteemed one of the most potent of the ancient goddesses. She is usually represented as standing on a wheel, with a bandage over her eyes, and holding a cornucopia.

FRAUD, one of the evil deities, was represented as a goddess with a human face and a serpent’s body, and in the end of her tail was a scorpion’s sting. She lived in the river Cocytus, and nothing but her head was ever seen.

FREY′R. The Scandinavian god of fertility and peace. The patron god of Sweden and Iceland.

FREY′JA. The Scandinavian Venus. The goddess of love.

FRI′GA. The Saxon goddess of earthly enjoyments. The name Friday is derived from her. In Scandinavian mythology she is the goddess of marriage.

FRO. The Scandinavian god of tempests and winds.

FROGS, see Clowns of Lycia.

FRUITS, see Ceres and Pomona.

FUNERALS, see Libitina and Manes.

FURIES, THE, were the three daughters of Acheron and Nox. They were the punishers of evildoers. Their names were Tisiphone, Megæra, and Alecto, and were supposed to personify rage, slaughter, and envy.

FUTURITY, see Cassandra.

GA′BRIEL, in Jewish mythology is the prince of fire and thunder, and the angel of death to the favoured people of God.

GALATÆ′A. A sea nymph. Polyphemus, one of the Cyclops, loved her, but she disdained his attentions and became the lover of Acis, a Sicilian shepherd.

GALLAN′TES, madmen, from Galli (which see).

GAL′LI were priests of Cybele who used to cut their arms with knives when they sacrificed, and acted so like madmen that demented people got the name of Gallantes.

GAN′ESA. The Indian Mercury. The god of wisdom and prudence.

GANGA. One of the three Indian river goddesses.

GANYMEDE, a beautiful Phrygian youth, son of Tros, King of Troy. He succeeded Hebe in the office of cup-bearer to Jupiter. He is generally represented sitting on the back of a flying eagle.

GARDENS, see Pomona.

GATES, see Janus.

GAUTA′MA. The chief deity of Burmah.

GENII were domestic divinities. Every man was supposed to have two of these genii accompanying him; one brought him happiness, the other misery.

GEN′ITOR. A Lycian name of Jupiter.

GEOMETRY, see Mercury.

GE′RYON was a triple-bodied monster who lived at Gades, where his numerous flocks were guarded by Orthos, a two-headed dog, and by Eurythion, a seven-headed dragon. These guardians were destroyed by Hercules, and the cattle taken away.

GIMLET, see Dædalus.

GIRDLE, see Cestus.

GLAU′CUS was a fisherman who became a sea-god through eating a sea-weed, which he thought invigorated the fishes and might strengthen him.

GLAUKO′PIS. A name given to Minerva, because she had blue eyes.

GNO′MES, a name given by Plato to the invisible deities who were supposed to inhabit the earth.

GNOS′SIS, a name given to Ariadne, from the city of Gnossus in Crete.

GOAT, see Iphigenia, Mendes, and Venus.

GOAT’S FEET, see Capripedes.

GOLDEN APPLE, see Atalanta.

GOLDEN FLEECE, THE, was a ram’s hide, sometimes described as white, and at other times as purple and golden. It was given to Phryxus, who carried it to Colchis, where King Æta entertained Phryxus, and the hide was hung up in the grove of Mars. Jason and forty-nine companions fetched back the golden fleece. See Argonauts.

GOPY′A. Indian mythological nymphs.

GOR′GONS, THE, were three sisters, named Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa. They petrified every one they looked at. Instead of hair their heads were covered with vipers. Perseus conquered them, and cut off the head of Medusa, which was placed on the shield of Minerva, and all who fixed their eyes thereon were turned into stone.

GRACES, THE, were the attendants of Venus. Their names were, Aglaia, so called from her beauty and goodness; Thalia, from her perpetual freshness; and Euphrosyne, from her cheerfulness. They are generally depicted as three cheerful maidens with hands joined, and either nude or only wearing transparent robes,--the idea being that kindnesses, as personified by the Graces, should be done with sincerity and candour, and without disguise. They were supposed to teach the duties of gratitude and friendship, and they promoted love and harmony among mankind.

GRACES (fourth), see Pasithea.

GRAD′IVUS. A name given to Mars by the Romans. It meant the warrior who defended the city against all external enemies.

GRA′GUS. The name by which Jupiter was worshipped in Lycia.

GRANARIES, see Tutelina.

GRAP′SIOS. A Lycian name of Jupiter.

GRASSHOPPER, see Tithonus.

GRIEF, see Niobe.

HA′DA. The Babylonian Juno.

HA′DES. The Greek name of Pluto, the god of hell, the word signifying hidden, dark, and gloomy; the infernal regions; sometimes written, _Ades_.

HAILSTORMS, see Nuriel.

HALCY′ONE, one of the Pleiades, was a daughter of Atlas and Pelione.

HALCY′ONS were sea-birds, supposed to be the Greek king-fishers. They made their nests on the waves, and during the period of incubation the sea was always calm. Hence the modern term Halcyon Days.

HAMADRY′ADES were wood-nymphs, who presided over trees.

HAPPINESS, see Genii.

HAROE′RIS. The Egyptian god, whose eyes are the sun and moon.

HAR′PIES were animals with the heads and breasts of women, the bodies of birds, and the claws of lions. Their names were Aello, Ocypete, and Celeno. They were loathsome creatures, living in filth, and poisoning everything they came in contact with.

“Such fiends to scourge mankind, so fierce, so fell, Heaven never summoned from the depth of hell. A virgin face, with wings and hookëd claws, Death in their eyes, and famine in their jaws, While proof to steel their hides and plumes remain We strike the impenetrable fiends in vain.”

HARPI′KRUTI. The Egyptian name of the god Harpocrates.

HARPOC′RATES, son of Isis, was the god of silence and meditation. He is usually represented as a young man, holding a finger of one hand to his lips, while in the other hand he holds a cornucopia.

HARVEST, see Segesta.

HAWK, see Nysus.

HA′ZIS. The Syrian war-god.

HEALTH, see Hygeia and Salus.

HEA′VEN, QUEEN OF, see Belisama. God of, see Cœlus.

HE′BE was the goddess of youth. She was cup-bearer to Jupiter and the gods, until she had an awkward fall at a festival, and so displeased Jupiter that she was deprived of her office, and Ganymede was appointed in her stead.

“Wreathed smiles, Such as hung on Hebe’s cheek, And love to live in dimples sleek.”

MILTON.

“Bright Hebe waits; by Hebe ever young The whirling wheels are to the chariot hung.”

POPE.

HEC′ATE. There were two goddesses known by this name, but the one generally referred to in modern literature is Hecate, or Prosperine, the name by which Diana was known in the infernal regions. In heaven her name was Luna, and her terrestrial name was Diana.

HEC′UBA. The mother of Paris, was allotted to Ulysses after the destruction of Troy, and was afterwards changed into a hound.

“What’s Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba?”

SHAKESPEARE.

HEIFER, see Ino.

HEL′ENA when a child was so beautiful that Theseus and Perithous stole her, but she was restored by Castor and Pollux. She became the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta, but eloped with Paris, and thus caused the Trojan War. After the death of Paris she married Deiphobus, his brother, and then betrayed him to Menelaus. She was strangled by order of Polyxo, king of Rhodes.

HE′LIADES were the daughters of Sol, and the sisters of Phaeton, at whose death they were so sad that they stood mourning till they became metamorphosed into poplar trees, and their tears were turned into amber.

HEL′ICON. A mountain in Bœotia sacred to the Muses, from which place the fountain Hippocrene flowed.

“Yet still the doating rhymer dreams, And sings of Helicon’s bright streams; But Helicon for all his clatter Yields only uninspiring water.”

BROOM, 1720.

HELICO′NIDES. A name of the Muses, from Mount Helicon.

HELIOP′OLIS, in Elysium, was the city of the sun.

HE′LIOS. The Grecian sun-god, who went home every evening in a golden boat which had wings.

HEL′IOTROPE. Clytie was turned into this flower by Apollo. See Clytie.

HEL′LE was drowned in the sea, into which she fell from off the back of the golden ram, on which she and Phryxus were escaping from the oppression of their stepmother Ino. The episode gave the name of the Hellespont to the part of the sea where Helle was drowned, and it is now called the Dardanelles.

HELLESPONTIA′CUS. A title of Priapus.

HEMPH′TA. The Egyptian god Jupiter.

HEPHÆS′TOS. The Greek Vulcan.

HE′RA. The Greek name of Juno.

HER′ACLES, is the same as Hercules.

HER′CULES was the son of Jupiter and Alcmena. The goddess Juno hated him from his birth, and sent two serpents to kill him, but though only eight months old he strangled the snakes. As he got older he was set by his master Eurystheus what were thought to be twelve impossible tasks, which have long been known as the “Twelve Labours of Hercules.” They were:--

_First_, To slay the Nemean Lion.

_Second_, To destroy the Hydra which infested the marshes of Lerna.

_Third_, To bring to Eurystheus the Arcadian Stag with the golden horns and brazen hoofs.

_Fourth_, To bring to his master the Boar of Erymanthus.

_Fifth_, To cleanse the stable of King Augeas, in which 3000 oxen had been kept for thirty years, but had never been cleaned out.

_Sixth_, To destroy the Stymphalides, terrible carnivorous birds.

_Seventh_, To capture the Bull which was desolating Crete.

_Eighth_, To capture the mares of Diomedes, which breathed fire from their nostrils, and ate human flesh.

_Ninth_, To procure the girdle of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons.

_Tenth_, To bring to Eurystheus the flesh-eating oxen of Geryon, the monster king of Gades.

_Eleventh_, To bring away some of the golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides.

_Twelfth_, To bring up from Hades the three-headed dog, Cerberus.

All these tasks he successfully accomplished, and, besides, he assisted the gods in their wars with the giants. Several other wonderful feats are mentioned under other headings, as Antæus, Cacus, etc. His death was brought about through his endeavours to preserve Deianira from the attacks of Nessus, the centaur, whom he killed. The centaur, before he expired, gave his mystic tunic to Deianira, who in turn gave it to Hercules, and he put it on, but his doing so brought on an illness of which he could not be cured. In a fit of desperation he cast himself into a funeral pile on Mount Æta; but Jupiter had him taken to heaven in a four-horse chariot, and only the mortal part of Hercules was consumed.

“Let Hercules himself do what he may, The cat will mew, and dog will have his day.”

SHAKESPEARE.

HERDSMEN, see Bubona.

HER′MÆ were statues of Hermes (Mercury), which were set up in Athens for boundaries, and as direction marks for travellers.

HER′MANU′BIS, see Anubis.

HERMATHE′NAE were statues of Mercury and Minerva placed together.

HER′MES. A Greek name of the god Mercury.

“Hermes obeys. With golden pinions binds His flying feet, and mounts the western winds.”

VIRGIL.

HERMI′ONE, daughter of Mars and Venus, who was turned into a serpent, and allowed to live in the Elysian fields. There was another Hermione, daughter of Menelaus; she was betrothed to Orestes, but was carried away by Pyrrhus, the son of Achilles.

HE′RO. A priestess of Venus, with whom Leander was so enamoured that he swam across the Hellespont every night to visit her, but at last was drowned; when Hero threw herself into the sea and was drowned also.

HEROES, see Valhalla.

HESPER′IDES. Three daughters of Hesperus, King of Italy. They kept in their garden the golden apples which Juno gave Jupiter on their wedding day. See Hercules.

HES′PERUS, brother of Atlas, was changed into the evening star.

“To the ocean now I fly, And those happy climes that lie Where day never shuts his eye, Upon the broad fields of the sky; There I suck the liquid air, All amidst the gardens fair Of Hesperus and his daughters three, That sing about the golden tree.”

MILTON.

HES′TIA. The Greek name of Vesta.

HIEROGLY′PHICS, see Mercury.

HIGHWAYS, see Janus.

HIL′DUR. The Scandinavian Mars.

HIP′PIA. A name of Minerva.

HIP′PIUS. A name of Neptune.

HIPPOCAM′PUS. The name of Neptune’s favourite horse.

HIPPOCRE′NIDES, a name of the Muses, from the fountain of Hippocrene (the horse fountain), which was formed by a kick of the winged horse Pegasus.

HIPPOLY′TE, queen of the Amazons, daughter of Mars. Her father gave her a famous girdle, which Hercules was required to procure (see Hercules). She was conquered by Hercules, and given by him in marriage to Theseus.

HIPPOLY′TUS was son of Theseus and Hippolyte; he was killed by a fall from a chariot, but was raised to life again by Diana, or, as some say, by Æsculapius.

HIPPO′NA was a rural divinity, the goddess of horses.

HISTORY, see Clio and Saga.

HONEY, see Aristæus and Dryads.

HOPE, see Pandora.

HO′RÆ were the daughters of Sol and Chronis.

HORSE, see Cyllaros.

HORSE RACES, see Neptune.

HORSES, see Hippona.

HORTEN′SIS, a name of Venus, because she looked after plants and flowers in gardens.

HO′RUS. A name of Sol, the Egyptian day god.

HOSTIL′INA. A rural divinity; goddess of growing corn.

HUNGER, see Erisichthon.

HUNTING, see Diana.

HUNTSMEN, see Pan.

HYACIN′THUS was a boy greatly loved by Apollo; but he was accidentally slain by him with a quoit. Apollo caused to spring from his blood the flower Hyacinth.

HY′ADES were seven daughters of Atlas and Æthra, and they form a constellation which, when it rises with the sun, threatens rain.

HY′DRA. A famous monster serpent, which had many heads. It was slain by Hercules. See Hercules.

HYGE′IA, the goddess of health, was a daughter of Æsculapius and Epione. She was represented as a young woman feeding a serpent, which is twined round her arm.

HY′LAS. A beautiful boy beloved by Hercules. The nymphs were jealous of him, and spirited him away while he was drawing water for Hercules.

HY′MEN, the Grecian god of marriage, was either the son of Bacchus and Venus, or, as some say, of Apollo and one of the Muses. He was represented as a handsome youth, holding in his hand a burning torch.

“Some few there are of sordid mould Who barter youth and bloom for gold: But Hymen, gen’rous, just, and kind, Abhors the mercenary mind; Such rebels groan beneath his rod, For Hymen’s a vindictive god.”

Dr. COTTON, 1736.

HYMN, see Pæan.

HYPE′RION. Son of Cœlus and Terra. The model of manly beauty, synonymous with Apollo. The personification of the sun.

“So excellent a king; that was to this Hyperion to a satyr.”

SHAKESPEARE.

HYPERMNES′TRA. One of the fifty daughters of Danaus, who were collectively called the Danaides. She was the one who refused to kill her husband on the wedding night. See Danaus.

IAC′CHUS. A name of Bacchus.

IAP′ETOS. The father of Atlas. See Japetus.

IB′LEES. The Arabian Satan.

IC′ARUS, son of Dædalus, who with his father made themselves wings with which to fly from Crete. They were fixed to the shoulders by wax. Icarus flew too near the sun, and the heat melting the wax, caused the wings to drop off, and he fell into the sea and was drowned.

ICHNOBA′TE. One of Actæon’s hounds; it means tracker.

IDÆ′A. A name of Cybele, from Mount Ida, where she was worshipped.

IDÆ′AN MOTHER. Cybele was sometimes so called.

IDA′LIA. A name of Venus, from Mount Idalus.

IMPERA′TOR was a name of Jupiter, given to him at Præneste.

I′NACHUS was one of the earliest of the demigods or heroes.

INCENDIARY, see Erostratus.

INCENSE, see Venus.

IN′CUBUS. A Roman name of Pan, meaning The Nightmare. See Innus.

INDIG′ETES were deified mortals, gods of the fourth order. They were peculiar to some district.

IN′DRA. The Hindoo Jupiter; his wife was Indrant, who presides over the winds and thunder.

INFANTS, see Natio.

IN′NUS. A name of Pan, the same as Incubus.

I′NO, second wife of Athamas, King of Thebes, father of Phryxus and Helle. Ino had two children, who could not ascend the throne while Phryxus and Helle were alive. Ino therefore persecuted them to such a degree that they determined to escape. They did so on a ram, whose hide became the Golden Fleece (see Phryxus and Helle). Ino destroyed herself, and was changed by Neptune into a sea-goddess.

INO′A were festivals in memory of Ino.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC, see Euterpe.