Part 7

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

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

TRITERI′CA. Bacchanalian festivals.

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

TRI′VIA. A name of Diana.

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

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

TRUMPETERS, see Tritons.

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

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

TWO FACES, see Janus.

TYPHŒ′US, see Typhon.

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

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

MILTON.

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

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

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

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

FRANCIS.

UN′DINE. A water nymph, or sylph.

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

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

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

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

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

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

UR′SA MA′JOR, see Calistro.

UR′SA MI′NOR, see Arcas.

USUR′ERS, see Jani.

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

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

VA′LI. The Scandinavian god of archery.

VALLEYS, see Vallonia.

VALLO′NIA. The goddess of valleys.

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

VE′DIUS. The same as Vejovis.

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

VEJU′PITER, see Vejovis.

VENGEANCE, see Nemesis.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

VIRTUOUS WOMEN, see Juno.

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

VOLU′PIA, see Angeronia.

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

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

MILTON.

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

WAR, see Bellona, Chemos, Mars.

WATER, see Canopus.

WATER-NYMPHS, see Doris.

WAX TABLETS, see Calliope.

WEALTH, see Cuvera.

WEAVING, see Ergatos.

WEEDING, see Runcina.

WEIGHTS and MEASURES, see Mercury.

WELL, see Truth.

WEST WIND, see Favonius.

WINDS, see Aurora, Auster, Boreas, Zephyr.

WINE, see Bacchus, Suradevi.

WISDOM, see Pollear, Minerva.

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

WOMEN’S SAFEGUARD, see Sospita.

WOODPECKER, see Picus.

WOODS, see Dryads.

WORLD, see Chaos.

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

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

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

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

YOUTH (perpetual), see Tithonus.

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

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

JOHN HUGHES, 1700.

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

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

ZEU′S. The Greek name of Jupiter.

THE END.

Transcriber's Notes:

Italics are shown thus: _sloping_.

Variations in spelling and hyphenation are retained.

Perceived typographical errors have been changed.