land-Book o/ Mythology. BERENS ENGLISH CLASSICS, one^half the price'of ottu EFFINGHAM MAYNARD & Co,, Publishers, New York, ENGLISH CLASSIC SERIES, Classes in English Literature, Reading, Grammar, etc. EDITED BY EMINENT ENGLISH AND AMERICAN SCHOLARS. Each Volume contains a Sketch of the Author's Life, Prefatory and Explanatory Notes, etc., etc. 1 Byron's Prophecy of Dante. (Cantos I. and II.) 2 Milton's L' Allegro and II Pense- roso. 3 Lord Bacon's Essays, Civil and Moral. (Selected.) 4 Byron's Prisoner of Chillon. 5 Moore's Fire-Worshipers. (Lalla Rookh. Selected from Parts I. and II.) 6 Goldsmith's Deserted Village. 7 Scott's Marmion. (Selections from Canto VI.) 8 Scott's Lay of the Last Minstrel. (Introduction and Canto I.) 9 Burns' Cotter's Saturday Night, and Other Poems. 10 Crabbe's The Village. 11 Campbell's Pleasures of Hope. (Abridgment of Part I.) 12 Macaulay's Essays on Banyan's Pilgrim's Progress. 13 Macaulay's Armada, and other Poems. 14 Shakespeare's Merchant of Ven- ice. (Selections from Acts I., III. and IV.) 15 Goldsmith's Traveler. 16 Hogg's Queen's "Wake. 17 Coleridge's Ancient Mariner. 18 Addison'sSirRogerdeCoverley. 19 Gray's Elegy in a Country Churchyard. 20 Scott's Lady of the Lake. (Canto I.) 21 Shakespeare's As You Like It, etc. (Selections.) 22 Shakespeare's King John and King Richard II. (Selections.) 23 Shakespeare's King Henry IV., King Henry V., King Henry VI. (Selections.) 24 Shakespeare's Henry VIII. and Julius Caesar. (Selections.) 25 Wordsworth's Excursion. (Book I.) 26 Pope's Essay on Criticism. 27 Spenser's Faerie Ojueene. (Cantos I. and II.) 28 Cowper's Task. (Book I.) 29 Milton's Comus. 30 Tennyson's Enoch Arden. 31 Irving's Sketch Book. (Selections.) 32 Dickens' Christmas Carol. (Condensed.) 33 Carlyle's Hero as a Prophet. 34 Macaulay's Warren Hastings. (Condensed.) 35 Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefleld. (Condensed.) 36 Tennyson's The Two Voices and A Dream of Fair Women. 37 Memory Quotations. For use in High Schools and upper classes of Grammar Schools. 38 Cavalier Poets. 39 Dryden's Alexander's Feast and MacFleknoe. 40 Keats' The Eve of St. Agnes. 41 Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow. 42 Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare 43 Le Bow's How to Teach Read- ing. The author of this manual has had long and successful ex- perience in teaching this subject 44 Webster's Bunker Hill Orations. 45 The Academy Orthoepist. A Manual of Pronunciation for se in the School-room, includ- ing a special list of proper names of frequent occurrence in litera- ture, science and art. 46 Milton's Lycidas, and Hymn on the Nativity. 47 Bryant's Thanatopsis, and other Poems. 48 Buskin's Modern Painters. (Selections.) 49 The Shakespeare Speaker. Selections from Shakespeare for declamation. 60 Thackeray's Roundabout Papers. 51 Webster's Oration on Adams and Jefferson. 62 Brown's Rab and His Friends. 53 Morris'sLifeandDeathofJasoii. 54 Burke's Speech on American Taxation. 55 Pope's Rape of the Lock. 56 Tennyson's Elaine. 57 Tennyson's In Memoriam. Front, 32 to 64 page* each, 16mo. Others in Preparation. Sent by mail on receipt of 12 Cents. EFFINGHAM MAYNARD & CO., Publishers, New York. A HAND-BOOK OF MYTHOLOGY. THE MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. BT E. M. BEEE^S. ILLUSTRATED FROX ANTIQUE SCULPTURES, NEW YOKK: CLARK & MAYNARD, PUBLISHERS, 771 BROADWAY AND 67 & 69 NINTH ST. A COMPLETE COURSE IN THE STUDY OF ENGLISH. Spelling, Language, Grammar, Composition, Literature. Reed's Word Lessons A Complete Speller. Reed & Kellogg's Graded Lessons in English. Reed & Kellogg's Higher Lessons in English. Kellogg's Text-Book on Rhetoric. Kellogg's Text-Book on English Literature. In the preparation of this series the authors have had one object clearly in view to so develop the study of the English language as to present a complete, progressive course, from the Spelling- Book to the study of English Literature. The troublesome contradictions which arise in using books arranged by different authors on these subjects, and which require much time for explanation in the school-room, will be avoided by the use of the above " Complete Course." Teachers are earnestly invited to examine these books. CLARK & MAYNARD, Publishers, 771 Broadway, New York. PREFACE. THE want of an interesting work on Greek and Roman mytho- logy, suitable for the requirements of both boys and girls, has long been recognized by the principals of our advanced schools. The study of the classics themselves, even where the attain- ments of the pupil have rendered this feasible, has not been found altogether successful in giving to the student a clear and succinct idea of the religious beliefs of the ancients, and it has been suggested that a work which would so deal with the subject as to render it at once interesting and instructive would be hailed as a valuable introduction to the study of classic authors, and would be found to assist materially the labours of both master and pupil. In endeavouring to supply this want I have sought to place before the reader a lifelike picture of the deities of classical times as they were conceived and worshipped by the ancients themselves, and thereby to awaken in the minds of young students a desire to become more intimately acquainted with the noble productions of classical antiquity. It has been my aim to render the Legends, which form the second portion of the work, a picture, as it were, of old Greek life ; its customs, its superstitions, and its princely hospitalities, for which reason they are given at somewhat greater length than is usual in works of the kind. In a chapter devoted to the purpose some interesting par- ticulars have been collected respecting the public worship of the ancient Greeks and Romans (more especially of the former), to which is subjoined an account of their principal festivals. I may add that no pains have been spared in order that, without passing over details the omission of which would have 5 marred the completeness of the work, not a single passage should be found which could possibly offend the most scrupu- lous delicacy ; and also that I have purposely treated the subject with that reverence which 1 consider due to every religious system, however erroneous. It is hardly necessary to dwell upon the importance of the study of Mythology : our poems, our novels, and even our daily journals teem with classical allusions ; nor can a visit to our art galleries and museums be fully enjoyed without some- thing more than a mere superficial knowledge of a subject which has in all ages inspired painters, sculptors, and poets. It therefore only remains for me to express a hope that my little work may prove useful, not only to teachers and scholars, but also to a large class of general readers, who, in whiling away a leisare hour, may derive some pleasure and profit from its perusal. E. M. BERENS. CONTENTS. PART I. MYTHS. Page INTRODUCTION, 7 FIRST DYNASTY. ORIGIN OF THE WORLD URANUS AND G^A (Ccelus and Terra), 11 SECOND DYNASTY. CRONUS (Saturn), 14 EHEA (Ops), 18 DIVISION OF THE WORLD, 19 THEORIES AS TO THE ORIGIN OF MAN, 21 THIRD DYNASTY. OLYMPIAN DIVINITIES- ZEUS (Jupiter), 26 HERA (Juno), 38 PALLAS-ATHENE (Minerva), 43 THEMIS, 48 HESTIA (Vesta), 48 DEMETER (Ceres), 50 APHRODITE (Venus), 58 HELIOS (Sol), 61 Eos (Aurora), 67 PH(EBUS-APOLLO, 68 HECATE, 85 SELENE (Luna), 86 ARTEMIS (Diana), 87 HBPILESTUS (Vulcan), 97 POSEIDON (Neptune), 101 IV CONTENTS. Page SEA DIVINITIES OCEANUS, 107 NEREUS, 108 PROTEUS, 108 TRITON AND THE TRITONS, 109 GLAUCUS, ... 109 THETIS, 110 THAUMAS, PHORCYS, AND CETO, Ill LEUCOTHEA, Ill THE SIREXS, 112 ARES (Mare), 112 NIKE (Victoria), 117 HERMES (Mercury), 117 DIONYSUS (Bacchus or Liber), 124 AIDES (Pluto), 130 PLUTUS, 137 MINOR DIVINITIES THE HARPIES, 137 ERINYES, EUMENIDES (Furiae, Dirae), 138 MOIR* OR FATES (Parcae), 139 NEMESIS, 141 NIGHT AND HER CHILDREN NYX(NOX), 142 THANATOS (More), HYPNUS (Somnus), 142 MORPHEUS, 143 THE GORGONS, 144 GrKJEJE, 145 SPHINX, 146 TYCHE (Fortuna) and ANANKE (Xecessitas) 147 KER, 149 ATE, 149 MOMUS, 149 EROS (Cupid, Amor) and PSYCHE, 150 HYMEN, 154 IRIS, 155 HEBE (Juventas), 156 GANYMEDES, 157 CONTENTS. V Page THE MUSES, 157 PEGASUS, 162 THE HESPERIDES, 162 CHARITES OB GRACES, 163 HOR.E (Seasons) 164 THE NYMPHS, 165 THE WINDS, 170 PAN (Faunus), 171 THE SATYRS, 174 PHIAPUS, 175 ASCLEPIAS (^Esculapius), 176 ROMAN DIVINITIES- JANUS, 178 FLORA, 180 KOBIGUS, 180 POMONA, 180 VERTUMNUS, 181 PALES, 181 Picus, 182 PlCUMNUS AND PlLUMNUS, 182 SlLVANUS, ... 182 TERMINUS, 182 CONSUS, 183 LlBITINA, 183 LAVERNA, 184 COMUS, 184 CAMENJE, 184 GENII, ... 185 MANES, 185 PENATES, ... 187 PUBLIC WORSHIP OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS AND ROMANS- TEMPLES 188 STATUES, 190 ALTARS 191 PRIESTS, 191 SACRIFICES, 192 ORACLES, 194 SOOTHSAYERS 195 VI CONTENTS. Page AUGURS, 196 FESTIVALS, 196 GEEEK FESTIVALS ELBUSINIAN MYSTERIES, ... 196 THESMOPHORIA, 197 DIONYSIA, 197 PANATHEN^EA, 199 DAPHNEPHORIA, 200 KOMAN FESTIVALS- SATURNALIA, 200 CEREALIA, 201 VESTALIA, 201 PART II. LEGENDS. CADMUS, 203 PERSEUS, 205 ION, 210 DAEDALUS AND ICARUS, 211 THE ARGONAUTS, 213 PELOPS, 232 HERACLES, 234 BELLEROPHON, 256 THESEUS, 259 CEDIPUS, 269 THE SEVEN AGAINST THEBES, 272 THE EPIGONI, 276 ALCJLEON AND THE NECKLACE, 277 THE HERACLID.E, 280 THE SIEGE OF TROY, 283 RETURN OF THE GREEKS FROM TROY, 304 MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND KOME. PART I. MYTHS. INTRODUCTION. BEFORE entering upon the many strange beliefs of the ancient Greeks, and the extraordinary number of gods they worshipped, we must first consider what kind of beings these divinities were. In appearance, the gods were supposed to resemble mortals, whom, however, they far surpassed in beauty, grandeur, and strength : they were also more command- ing in stature, height being considered by the Greeks an attribute of beauty in man or woman. They resembled human beings in their feelings and habits, intermarrying and having children, and requiring daily nourishment to recruit their strength, and refreshing sleep to restore their energies. Their blood, a bright ethereal fluid called Ichor, never engendered disease, and, when shed, had the power of producing new life. The Greeks believed that the mental qualifications of their gods were of a much higher order than those of men, but nevertheless, as we shall see, they were not considered to be exempt from human passions, and we frequently behold them actuated by revenge, deceit, and jealousy. They, however, always punish the evil-doer, and visit with dire calamities any impious mortal who dares to neglect their worship or despise their rites. We often hear of them visiting mankind and partaking of their hospitality, and not unfrequently both gods and goddesses 8 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. become attached to mortals, with whom they unite them- selves, the offspring of these unions being called heroes or demi-gods, who were usually renowned for their great strength and courage. But although there were so many points of resemblance between gods and men, there re- mained the one great characteristic distinction, viz., that the gods enjoyed immortality. Still, they were not invul- nerable, and we often hear of them being wounded, and suffering in consequence such exquisite torture that they have earnestly prayed to be deprived of their privilege of immortality. The gods knew no limitation of time or space, being able to -transport themselves to incredible distances with the speed of thought. They possessed the power of ren- dering themselves invisible at will, and could assume the forms of men or animals as it suited their convenience. They could also transform human beings into trees, stones, animals, &c., either as a punishment for their misdeeds, or as a means of protecting the individual, thus trans- formed, from impending danger. Their robes were like those worn by mortals, but were perfect in form and much finer in texture. Their weapons also resembled those used by mankind; we hear of spears, shields, hel- mets, bows and arrows, &c., being employed by the gods. Each deity possessed a beautiful chariot, which, drawn by horses or other animals of celestial breed, conveyed them rapidly over land and sea according to their pleasure. Most of these divinities lived on the summit of Mount Olympus, each possessing his or her individual habitation, and all meeting together on festive occasions in the council-chamber of the gods, where their banquets were enlivened by the sweet strains of Apollo's lyre, whilst the beautiful voices of the Muses poured forth their rich melodies to his harmonious accompaniment. Magnificent temples were erected to their honour, where they were worshipped with the greatest solemnity; rich gifts were presented to them, and animals, and indeed sometimes human beings, were sacrificed on their altars. In the study of Grecian mythology we meet with some INTRODUCTION. 9 curious, and what may at first sight appear unaccount- able notions. Thus we hear of terrible giants hurling rocks, upheaving mountains, and raising earthquakes which engulf whole armies; these ideas, however, may be accounted for by the awful convulsions of nature, which were in operation in pre-historic times. Again, the daily recurring phenomena, which to us, who know them to be the result of certain well-ascertained laws of nature, are so familiar as to excite no remark, were, to the early Greeks, matter of grave speculation, and not unfrequently of alarm. For instance, when they heard the awful roar of thunder, and saw vivid flashes of lightning, accompa- nied by black clouds and torrents of rain, they .believed that the great god of heaven was angry, and they trembled at his wrath. If the calm and tranquil sea became sud- denly agitated, and the crested billows rose mountains high, dashing furiously against the rocks, and threatening destruction to all within their reach, the sea-god was supposed to be in a furious rage. When they beheld the sky glowing with the hues of coming day they thought that the goddess of the dawn, with rosy fingers, was draw- ing aside the dark veil of night, to allow her brother, the sun-god, to enter upon his brilliant career. Thus personifying all the powers of nature, this very imagi- native and highly poetical nation beheld a divinity in every tree that grew, in every stream that flowed, in the bright beams of the glorious sun, and the clear, cold rays of the silvery moon; for them the whole universe lived and breathed, peopled by a thousand forms of grace and beauty. The most important of these divinities may have been something more than the mere creations of an active and poetical imagination. They were possibly human beings who had so distinguished themselves in life by their pre- eminence over their fellow-mortals that after death they were deified by the people among whom they lived, and the poets touched with their magic wand the details of lives, which, in more prosaic times, would simply have been recorded as illustrious. 10 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. It is highly probable that the reputed actions of these deified beings were commemorated by bards, who, tra- velling from one state to another, celebrated their praise in song; it therefore becomes exceedingly difficult, nay almost impossible, to separate bare facts from the exag- gerations which never fail to accompany oral traditions. In order to exemplify this, let us suppose that Orpheus, the son of Apollo, so renowned for his extraordinary musical powers, had existed at the present day. We should no doubt have ranked him among the greatest of our musicians, and honoured him as such; but the Greeks, with their vivid imagination and poetic license, exagger- ated his remarkable gifts, and attributed to his music supernatural influence over animate and inanimate nature. Thus we hear of wild beasts tamed, of mighty rivers arrested in their course, and of mountains being moved by the sweet tones of his voice. The theory here ad- vanced may possibly prove useful in the future, in sug- gesting to the reader the probable basis of many of the extraordinary accounts we meet with in the study of classical mythology. And now a few words will be necessary concerning the religious beliefs of the Romans. When the Greeks first settled in Italy they found in the country they col- onized a mythology belonging to the Celtic inhabitants, which, according to the Greek, custom of paying reverence to all gods, known or unknown, they readily adopted, selecting and appropriating those divinities which had the greatest affinity to their own, and thus they formed a religious belief which naturally bore the impress of its ancient Greek source. As the primitive Celts, however, were a less civilized people than the Greeks, their my- thology was of a more barbarous character, and this cir- cumstance, combined with the fact that the Romans were not gifted with the vivid imagination of their Greek neighbours, leaves its mark on the Roman mythology, which is far less fertile in fanciful conceits, and deficient in all those fairy-like stories and wonderfully poetic ideas which so strongly characterize that of the Greeks. URANUS AND G^A. 11 OKIGIN OF THE WOKLD. FIRST DYNASTY. URANUS AND (CCELUS AND TERRA.) The ancient Greeks had several different theories with regard to the origin of the world, but the generally accepted notion was that before this world came into existence, there was in its place a confused mass of shapeless elements called Chaos. These elements be- coming at length consolidated (by what means does not appear), resolved themselves into two widely different substances, the lighter portion of which, soaring on high, formed the sky or firmament, and constituted itself into a vast, overarching vault, which protected the firm and solid mass beneath. Thus came into being the two first great primeval deities of the Greeks, Uranus and Ge or Gsea. Uranus, the more refined deity, represented the light and air of heaven, possessing the distinguishing qualities of light, heat, purity ; and omnipresence, whilst Gsea, the firm, flat, 1 life-sustaining earth, was worshipped as the great all-nourishing mother. Her many titles refer to 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 Gsea was held in such veneration that her name was always invoked when- ever the gods took a solemn oath, made an emphatic declaration, or implored assistance. Uranus, the heaven, was believed to have united him- self in marriage with Gsea, the earth; and a moment's reflection will show what a truly poetical, and also what a logical idea this was; for, taken in a figurative sense, 1 The early Greeks supposed the earth to be a flat circle, in the centre of which was Greece. Oceanus, the ocean stream, enci encircled it ; the n being suosed to flow into this river and the Euxi Mediterranean being supposed to flow into this river on the one side, ine, or Black Sea, on the other. 12 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. this union actually does exist The smiles of heaven produce the flowers of earth, whereas his long-continued frowns exercise so depressing an influence upon his loving partner, that she no longer decks herself in bright and festive robes, but responds with ready sympathy to his melancholy mood. The first-born child of Uranus and Goea was Oceanus, 1 the ocean stream, that vast expanse of ever-flowing water which encircled the earth. Here we meet with another logical though fanciful conclusion, which a very slight knowledge of the workings of nature proves to have been just and true. The ocean is formed from the rains which descend from heaven and the streams which flow from earth. By making Oceanus therefore the offspring of Uranus and Gaea, the ancients, if we take this notion in its literal sense, merely assert that the ocean is produced by the combined influence of heaven and earth, whilst at the same time their fervid and poetical imagination led them to see in this, as in all manifestations of the powers of nature, an actual, tangible divinity. But Uranus, the heaven, the embodiment of light, heat, and the breath of life, produced offspring who were of a much less material nature than his son Oceanus. These other children of his were supposed to occupy the inter- mediate space which divided him from Gaea. Nearest to Uranus, and just beneath him, came Aether (Ether), a bright creation representing that highly rarified atmo- sphere which immortals alone could breathe. Then fol- lowed Aer (Air), which was in close proximity to Gaea, and represented, as its name implies, the grosser atmo- sphere surrounding the earth which mortals could freely breathe, and without which they would perish. Aether and Aer were separated from each other by divinities called Nephelae. These were their restless and wander- ing sisters, who existed in the form of clouds, ever float- 1 Giving to the vagueness of the various accounts of creation, the origin of the primeval gods is variously accounted for. Thus, for in- stance, Oceanus, with some, becomes the younger brother of Uranus and Gaea. URANUS AND GJEA. 13 ing between Aether and Aer. Gaea also produced the mountains, and Pontus (the sea). She united herself with the latter, and their offspring were the sea-deities Nereus, Thaumas, Phorcys, Ceto, and Eurybia. Co-existent with Uranus and Gaea were two mighty powers who were also the offspring of Chaos. These were Erebus (Darkness) and Nyx (Night), who formed a striking contrast to the cheerful light of heaven and the bright smiles of earth. Erebus reigned in that mys- terious world below where no ray of sunshine, no gleam of daylight, nor vestige of health-giving terrestrial life ever appeared. Nyx, the sister of Erebus, represented Night, and was worshipped by the ancients with the greatest solemnity. Uranus was also supposed to have been united to Nyx, but only in his capacity as god of light, he being considered the source and fountain of all light, and their children were Eos (Aurora), the Dawn, and Hemera, the Daylight. Nyx again, on her side was also doubly united, having been married at some indefinite period to Erebus. In addition to those children of heaven and earth already enumerated, Uranus and Gaea produced two dis- tinctly different races of beings called Giants and Titans. The Giants personified brute 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 hundred hands and fifty heads, and were known col- lectively by the name of the Hecatoncheires, which signified hundred-handed. These mighty Giants could shake the universe and produce earthquakes; it is there- fore evident that they represented those active subter- ranean forces to which allusion has been made in the opening chapter. The Titans were twelve in number; their names were : Oceanus, Ceos, Crios, Hyperion, lapetus, Cronus, Theia, Ehea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, and Tethys. Now Uranus, the chaste light of heaven, the essence of all that is bright and pleasing, held in abhorrence his 14 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROMK crude, rough, and turbulent offspring, the Giants, and moreover feared that their great power might even- tually prove hurtful to himself. He therefore hurled them into Tartarus, that portion of the lower world which served as the subterranean dungeon of the gods. In order to avenge the oppression of her children, the Giants, Gsea instigated a conspiracy on the part of the Titans against Uranus, which was carried to a success- ful issue by her son Cronus. He wounded his father, and from the blood of the wound which fell upon the earth sprang a race of monstrous beings also called Giants. Assisted by his brother-Titans, Cronus succeeded in dethroning his father, who, enraged at his defeat, cursed his rebellious son, and foretold to him a similar fate. Cronus now became invested with supreme power, and assigned to his brothers offices of distinction, subor- dinate only to himself. Subsequently, however, when, secure of his position, he no longer needed their assist- ance, he basely repaid their former services with treachery, made war upon his brothers and faithful allies, and, as- sisted by the Giants, completely defeated them, sending such as resisted his all-conquering arm down into the lowest depths of Tartarus. SECOND DYNASTY. CRONUS (SATURN). Cronus was the god of time in its sense of eternal duration. He married Rhea, daughter of Uranus and Gasa, a very important divinity, to whom a special chapter will be devoted hereafter. Their children were, three sons: Aides (Pluto), Poseidon (Neptune), Zeus (Jupiter), and three daughters: Hestia (Vesta), Demeter (Ceres), and Hera (Juno). Cronus, having an uneasy conscience, was afraid that his children might one day rise up against his authority, and thus verify the prediction of his father (73) CRONUS (SATURN). 15 Uranus. In order, therefore, to render the prophecy im- possible of fulfilment, Cronus swallowed each child as soon as it was born, 1 greatly to the sorrow and indigna- tion of his wife Ehea. When it came to Zeus, the sixth and last, Rhea resolved to try and save this one child at least, to love and cherish, and appealed to her parents, Uranus and Geea, for counsel and assistance. By their advice she wrapped a stone in baby-clothes, and Cronus, in eager haste, swallowed it, without noticing the decep- tion. The child thus saved, eventually, as we shall see, dethroned his father Cronus, became supreme god in his stead, and was universally venerated as the great national god of the Greeks. Anxious to preserve the secret of his existence from Cronus, Rhea sent the infant Zeus secretly to Crete, where he was nourished, protected, and educated. A sacred goat, called Amalthea, supplied the place of his mother, by provid- ing him with milk; nymphs, called Melissae, fed him with honey, and eagles and doves brought him nectar and am- brosia. 2 He was kept concealed in a cave in the heart of Mount Ida, and the Curetes, or priests of Rhea, by beating their shields together, kept up a con- stant noise at the entrance, which drowned the cries of the child and frightened away all intruders. Under the watchful care of the Nymphs the infant Zeus throve rapidly, developing great physical powers, combined with extra- 1 The myth of Cronus swallowing his children is evidently intended by the poets to express the melancholy truth that time destroys all things. J Nectar was the drink, and ambrosia the food of the gods. 16 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. ordinary wisdom and intelligence. Grown to manhood, he determined to compel his father to restore his brothers and sisters^to the light of day, and is said to have been assisted in this difficult task by the goddess Metis, who artfully persuaded Cronus to drink a potion, which caused him to give back the children he had swallowed. The stone which had counterfeited Zeus was placed at Delphi, where it was long exhibited as a sacred relic. Cronus was so enraged at being circumvented that war between the father and son became inevitable. The rival forces ranged themselves on two separate high mountains in Thessaly; Zeus, with his brothers and sisters, took his stand on Mount Olympus, where he was joined by Oceanus, and others of the Titans, who had forsaken Cronus on account of his oppressions. Cronus and his brother-Titans took possession of Mount Othrys, and pre- pared for battle. The struggle was long and fierce, and at length Zeus, finding that he was no nearer victory than before, bethought himself of the existence of the imprisoned Giants, and knowing that they would be able to render him most powerful assistance, he hastened to liberate them. He also called to his aid the Cyclops (sons of Poseidon and Amphitrite), 1 who had only one eye each in the middle of their foreheads, and were called Brontes (Thunder), Steropes (Lightning), and Pyracmon (Fire-anvil). They promptly responded to his summons for help, and brought with them tre- mendous thunderbolts which the Hecatoncheires, with their hundred hands, hurled down upon the enemy, at the same time raising mighty earthquakes, which swallowed up and destroyed all who opposed them. Aided by these new and powerful allies, Zeus now made a furious onslaught 011 his enemies, and so tremendous was the encounter that all nature is said to have throbbed in accord with this mighty effort of the celestial deities. The sea rose mountains high, and its angry billows 1 The Cyclops are generally mentioned as the sons of Uranus and Gaea, but "Homer speaks of Polyphemus, the chief of the Cyclops, as the son of Poseidon, and states the Cyclops to be his brothers. (73) CRONTJS (SATURN). 17 hissed and foamed; the earth shook to its foundations, the heavens sent forth rolling thunder, and flash after flash of death-bringing lightning, whilst a blinding mist enveloped Cronus and his allies. And now the fortunes of war began to turn, and victory smiled on Zeus. Cronus and his army were completely overthrown, his brothers despatched to the gloomy depths of the lower world, and Cronus himself was banished from his kingdom and deprived for ever of the supreme power, which now became vested in his son Zeus. This war was called the Titanomachia, and is most graphically described by the old classic poets. With the defeat of Cronus and his banishment from his dominions, his career as a ruling Greek divinity entirely ceases. But being, like all the gods, immortal, he was supposed to be still in existence, though pos- sessing no longer either influence or authority, his place being filled to a certain extent by his descendant and successor, Zeus. Cronus is often repre- sented as an old man lean- ing on a scythe, with an hour-glass in his hand. The hour-glass symbolizes the fast-fleeting moments as they succeed each other un- ceasingly; the scythe is em- blematical of time, which mows down all before it. SATURN. The Romans, according to their custom of identi- fying their deities with those of the Greek gods whose attributes were simi- lar to their own, declared Cronus to be identical with their old agricultural divinity Saturn. They believed that after his defeat in the (73) B 18 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. Titanomachia and his banishment from his dominions by Zeus, he took refuge with Janus, king of Italy, who received the exiled deity with great kindness, and even shared his throne with him. Their united reign became so thoroughly peaceful and happy, and was distinguished by such uninterrupted prosperity, that it was called the Golden Age. Saturn is usually represented bearing a sickle in the one hand and a wheat-sheaf in the other. A temple was erected to him at the foot of the Capito- line Hill, in which were deposited the public treasury and the laws of the state. RHEA (Ops). Rhea, the wife of Cronus, and mother of Zeus and the other great gods of Olympus, personified the earth, and was regarded as the Great Mother and unceasing pro- ducer of all plant-life. She was also believed to exercise unbounded sway over the animal creation, more especially over the lion, the noble king of beasts. Rhea is generally represented wearing a crown of turrets or towers and seated on a throne, with lions crouching at her feet. She is sometimes depicted sitting in a chariot, drawn by lions. The principal seat of her worship, which was always of a very riotous character, was at Crete. At her festivals, which took place at night, the wildest music of flutes, cymbals, and drums resounded, whilst joyful shouts and cries, accompanied by dancing and loud stamping of feet, filled the air. " This divinity was introduced into Crete by its first colonists from Phrygia, in Asia Minor, in which country she was worshipped under the name of Cybele. The people of Crete adored her as the Great Mother, more especially in her signification as the sustainer of the vegetable world. Seeing, however, that year by year, as winter appears, all her glory vanishes, her flowers fade, and her trees become leafless, they poetically expressed this process of nature under the figure of a lost love. She DIVISION OF THE WORLD. 19 was said to have been tenderly attached to a youth of remarkable beauty, named Atys, who, to her grief and indignation, proved faithless to her. He was about to unite himself to a nymph called Sagaris, when, in the midst of the wedding feast, the rage of the incensed goddess suddenly burst forth upon all present. A panic seized the assembled guests, and Atys, becoming afflicted with temporary madness, fled to the mountains and de- stroyed himself. Cybele, moved with sorrow and regret, instituted a yearly mourning for his loss, when her priests, the Corybantes, with their usual noisy accompaniments, marched into the mountains to seek the lost youth. Having discovered him 1 they gave full vent to their ecstatic delight by indulging in the most violent gesticula- tions, dancing, shouting, and, at the same time, wounding and gashing themselves in a frightful manner. OPS. In Eome the Greek Ehea was identified with Ops, the goddess of plenty, the wife of Saturn, who had a variety of appellations. She was called Magna- Mater, Mater- Deorum, Berecynthia-Idea, and also Dindymene. This latter title she acquired from three high mountains in Phrygia, whence she was brought to Eome as Cybele during the second Punic war, B.c. 205, in obedience to an injunction contained in the Sybilline books. She was represented as a matron crowned with towers, seated in a chariot drawn by lions. DIVISION OF THE WOELD. We will now return to Zeus and his brothers, who, having gained a complete victory over their enemies, began to consider how the world, which they had con- 1 Possibly an image of him placed in readiness. 20 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. quered, should be divided between them. At last it was settled by lot that Zeus should reign supreme in Heaven, whilst Aides governed the Lower World, and Poseidon had full command over the Sea, but the supremacy of Zeus was recognized in all three kingdoms, in heaven, on earth (in which of course the sea was included), and under the earth. Zeus held his court on the top of Mount Olympus, whose summit was beyond the clouds; the dominions of Aides were the gloomy unknown regions below the earth; and Poseidon reigned over the sea. It will be seen that the realm of each of these gods was enveloped in mystery. Olympus was shrouded in mists, Hades was wrapt in gloomy darkness, and the sea was, and indeed still is, a source of wonder and deep interest. Hence we see that what to other nations were merely strange phenomena, served this poetical and im- aginative people as a foundation upon which to build the wonderful stories of their mythology. The division of the world being now satisfactorily arranged, it would seem that all things ought to have gone on smoothly, but such was not the case. Trouble arose in an unlooked-for quarter. The Giants, those hideous monsters (some with legs formed of serpents) who had sprung from the earth and the blood of Uranus, declared war against the triumphant deities of Olympus, and a struggle ensued, which, in consequence of Gasa hav- ing made these children of hers invincible as long as they kept their feet on the ground, was wearisome and protracted. Their mother's precaution, however, was rendered unavailing by pieces of rock being hurled upon them, which threw them down, and their feet being no longer placed firmly on their mother-earth, they were overcome, and this tedious war (which was called the Gigantomacliia) at last came to an end. Among the most daring of these earth-born giants were Enceladus, Ehoetus, and the valiant Mimas, who, with youthful fire and energy, hurled against heaven great masses of rock and burning oak-trees, and defied the lightnings of Zeus. One of the most powerful monsters who opposed Zeus in this THEORIES AS TO THE ORIGIN OF MAN. 21 war was called Typhon or Typhoeus. He was the young- est son of Tartarus and Gsea, and had a hundred heads, with eyes which struck terror to the beholders, and awe- inspiring voices frightful to hear. This dreadful monster resolved to conquer both gods and men, but his plans were at length defeated by Zeus, who, after a violent encounter, succeeded in destroying him with a thunder- bolt, but not before he had so terrified the gods that they had fled for refuge to Egypt, where they metamorphosed themselves into different animals and thus escaped. THEOEIES AS TO THE OKIGIN OF MAN. Just as there were several theories concerning the origin of the world, so there were various accounts of the creation of man. The first natural belief of the Greek people was that man had sprung from the earth. They saw the tender plants and flowers force their way through the ground in the early spring of the year after the frost of winter had disappeared, and so they naturally concluded that man must also have issued from the earth in a similar manner. Like the wild plants and flowers, he was sup- posed to have had no cultivation, and resembled in his habits the untamed beasts of the field, having no habita- tion except that which nature had provided in the holes of the rocks, and in the dense forests whose overarching boughs protected him from the inclemency of the weather. In the course of time these primitive human beings became tamed and civilized by the gods and heroes, who taught them to work in metals, to build houses, and other useful arts of civilization. But the human race became in the course of time so degenerate that the gods resolved to destroy all mankind by means of a flood; Deucalion 22 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. (son of Prometheus) and his wife Pyrrha, being, on ac- count of their piety, the only mortals saved By the command of his father, Deucalion built a ship, in which he and his wife took refuge during the deluge, which lasted for nine days. When the waters abated the ship rested on Mount Othrys in Thessaly, or according to some on Mount Parnassus. Deucalion and his wife now consulted the oracle of Themis as to how the human race might be restored. The answer was, that they were to cover their heads, and tlirow the bones of their mother behind them. For some time they were perplexed as to the meaning of the oracular command, but at length both agreed that by the bones of their mother were meant the stones of the earth. They accordingly took up stones from the mountain side and cast them over their shoulders. From those thrown by Deucalion there sprang up men, and from those thrown by Pyrrha, women. After the lapse of time the theory of Autochthony (from autos, self, and chthon, earth) was laid aside. When this belief existed there were no religious teachers what- ever; but in course of time temples were raised in hon- our of the different gods, and priests appointed to offer sacrifices to them and conduct their worship. These priests were looked upon as authorities in all religious matters, and the doctrine they taught was, that man had been created by the gods, and that there had been several successive ages of men, which were called the Golden, Silver, Brazen, and Iron Ages. Life in the Golden Age was one unceasing round of ever-recurring pleasures unmarred by sorrow or care. The favoured mortals living at this happy time led pure and joyous lives, thinking no evil, and doing no wrong. The earth brought forth fruits and flowers without toil or labour in plentiful luxuriance, and war was unknown. This delightful and god-like existence lasted for hundreds of years, and when at length life on earth was ended, death laid his hand so gently upon them that they passed pain- lessly away in a happy dream, and continued their exist- ence as ministering spirits in Hades, watching over and THEORIES AS TO THE ORIGIN OF MAN. 23 protecting those they had loved and left behind on earth. The men of the Silver Age 1 were a long time growing up, and during their childhood, which lasted a hundred years, they suffered from ill-health and extreme debilhy. When they at last became men they lived but a short time, for they would not abstain from mutual injury, nor pay the service due to the gods, and were therefore banished to Hades. There, unlike the beings of the Golden Age, they exercised no beneficent supervision over the dear ones left behind, but wandered about as restless spirits, always sighing for the lost pleasures they had enjoyed in life. The men of the Brazen Age were quite a different race of beings, being as strong and powerful as those of the Silver Age were weak and enervated. Everything which surrounded them was of brass; their arms, their tools, their dwellings, and all that they made. Their characters seem to have resembled the metal in which they delighted; their minds and hearts were hard, obdurate, and cruel. They led a life of strife and contention, introduced, into the world, which had hitherto known nothing but peace and tranquillity, the scourge of war, and were in fact only happy when fighting and quarrelling with each other. Hitherto Themis, the goddess of Justice, had been living among mankind, but becoming disheartened at their evil doings, she abandoned the earth, and winged her flight back to heaven. At last the gods became so tired of their evil deeds and continual dissensions, that they re- moved them from the face of the earth, and sent them down to Hades to share the fate of their predecessors. We now come to the men of the Iron Age. The earth, no longer teeming with fruitfulness, only yielded her increase after much toil and labour. The goddess of Justice having abandoned mankind, no influence remained sufficiently powerful to preserve them from every kind of wickedness and sin. This condition grew worse as time went on, until at last Zeus in his anger let loose the water-courses from above, and drowned every 1 This age was contemporary with the commencement of the dynasty of Zeus. 24 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. individual of this evil race, except Deucalion and Pyrrha. The theory of Hesiod, 1 the oldest of all the Greek poets, was that the Titan Prometheus, the son of lapetus, had formed man out of clay, and that Athene had breathed a soul into him. Full of love for the beings he had called into existence, Prometheus determined to elevate their minds and improve their condition in every way; he therefore taught them astronomy, mathematics, the alpha- bet, how to cure diseases, and the art of divination. He created this race in such great numbers that the gods began to see the necessity of instituting certain fixed laws with regard to the sacrifices due to them, and the worship to which they considered themselves entitled from mankind in return for the protection which they accorded them. An assembly was therefore convened at Mecone in order to settle these points. It was decided that Prometheus, as the advocate of man, should slay an ox, which should be divided into two equal parts, and that the gods should select one portion which should henceforth, in all future sacrifices, be set apart for them. Prometheus so divided the ox that one part consisted of the bones (which formed of course the least valuable por- tion of the animal), artfully concealed by the white fat; whilst the other contained all the edible parts, which he covered, with the skin, and on the top of all he laid the stomach, Zeus, pretending to be deceived, chose the heap of bones, but he saw through the stratagem, and was so angry at the deception practised on him by Prometheus that he avenged himself by refusing to mortals the gift of fire. 1 Hesiod is said to have lived 850 years before the Christian era, con- sequently about -200 years after King David. He Jived in Boestia, where his tomb is still shown at Orchomenus. This ancient writer left behind him two great poems, one entitled "The Works and Days," in which he gives us some of the earliest Greek legends, and the other, "The Theogony," containing the genealogies of the gods; but, unfor- tunately, both these poems have been so interpolated by the writers of the Alexandrian school that they have lost their value as reliable pources of information with regard to the early beliefs of the Greek ration. THEORIES AS TO THE ORIGIN OF MAN. 25 Prometheus, however, resolved to brave the anger of the great ruler of Olympus, and to obtain from heaven the vital spark so necessary for the further progress and comfort of the human race. He accordingly contrived to steal some sparks from the chariot of the sun, which he conveyed to earth hidden in a hollow tube. Furious at being again outwitted, Zeus determined to be revenged first on mankind, and then on Prometheus. To punish the former he commanded Hephaestus (Vulcan) to mould a beautiful woman out of clay, and determined that through her instrumentality trouble and misery should be brought into the world. The gods were so charmed with the graceful and artistic creation of Hephaestus, that they all determined to endow her with some special gift. Hermes (Mercury) bestowed on her a smooth persuasive tongue, Aphrodite gave her beauty and the art of pleasing; the Graces made her fascinating, and Athene (Minerva) gifted her with the possession of feminine accomplishments. She was called Pandora, which means all-gifted, having received every attribute necessary to make her charming and irresistible. Thus beautifully formed and endowed, this exquisite creature, attired by the Graces, and crowned with flowers by the Seasons, was conducted to the house of Epimetheus 1 by Hermes the messenger of the gods. Now Epimetheus had been warned by his brother not to accept any gift whatever from the gods; but he was so fascinated by the beautiful being who suddenly appeared before him, that he welcomed her to his home, and made her his wife. It was not long, however, before he had cause to regret his weakness. He had in his possession a jar of rare workmanship, containing all the blessings reserved by the gods for man- kind, which he had been expressly forbidden to open. But woman's proverbial curiosity could not withstand so great a temptation, and Pandora determined to solve the mystery at any cost. Watching her opportunity she raised the lid, and immediately all the blessings which 1 Epimetheus signifies after-thought, Prometheus fore-thought. 26 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME, the gods had thus reserved for mankind took wing and flew away. But all was not lost. Just as Hope (which lay at the bottom) was about to escape, Pandora hastily closed the lid of the jar, and thus preserved to man that never-failing solace which helps him to bear with courage the many ills which assail him. 1 Having punished mankind, Zeus determined to exe- cute vengeance on Prometheus. He accordingly chained him to a rock in Mount Caucasus, and sent an eagle every day to gnaw away his liver, which grew again every night ready for fresh torments. For thirty years Prometheus endured this fearful punishment; but at length Zeus relented, and permitted his son Heracles (Hercules) to kill the eagle, and the sufferer was released. THIRD DYNASTY OLYMPIAN DIVINITIES. ZEUS 2 (JUPITER). Zeus, the great presiding deity of the universe, the ruler of heaven and earth, was regarded by the Greeks, first, as the god of all aerial phenomena; secondly, as the personification of the laws of nature; thirdly, as lord of state-life; and fourthly, as the father of gods and men. As the god of aerial phenomena he could, by shaking his ffigis, 3 produce storms, tempests, and intense dark- ness. At his command the mighty thunder rolls, the lightning flashes, and the clouds open and pour forth their refreshing streams to fructify the earth. As the personification of the operations of nature, he represents those grand laws of unchanging and harmo- nious order, by which not only the physical but also 1 There are various versions of this myth. According to some the jar or vase was full of all "the ills which flesh is heir to." J From Diaus, the sky. 3 A sacred shield made for Zeus by Hephaestus, which derived its name from being covered by the skin of the goat Amalthea, the word gis signifying goafs-skin. ZEUS (JUPITER). 27 the moral world is governed. Hence he is the god of regulated time as marked by the changing seasons, and by the regular succession of day and night, in contradis- tinction to his father Cronus, who represents time ab- solutely, i.e. eternity. As the lord of state-life, he is the founder of kingly power, the upholder of all institutions connected with the state, and the special friend and patron of princes, whom he guards and assists with his advice and counsel. He protects the assembly of the people, and, in fact, watches over the welfare of the whole community. As the father of the gods, Zeus sees that each deity performs his or her individual duty, punishes their mis- deeds, settles their disputes, and acts towards them on all occasions as their all-knowing counsellor and mighty friend. As the father of men, he takes a paternal interest in the actions and well-being of mortals. He watches over them with tender solicitude, rewarding truth, charity, and uprightness, but severely punishing perjury, cruelty, and want of hospitality. Even the poorest and most forlorn wanderer finds in him a powerful advocate, for he, by a wise and merciful dispensation, ordains that the mighty ones of the earth should succour their distressed and needy brethren. The Greeks believed that the home of this their mighty and all-powerful deity was on the top of Mount Olympus, that high and lofty mountain between Thessaly and Macedon, whose summit, wrapt in clouds and mist, was hidden from mortal view. It was supposed that this mysterious region, which even a bird could not reach, extended beyond the clouds right into Aether, the realm of the immortal gods. The poets describe this ethereal atmosphere as bright, glistening, and refreshing, exercising a peculiar, gladdening influence over the minds and hearts of those privileged beings permitted to share its delights. Here youth never ages, and the passing years leave no traces on its favoured inhabitants. On the cloud-capped summit of Olympus was the palace of MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. Zeus and Hera, of burnished gold, chased silver, and gleaming ivory. Lower down were the homes of the other gods, which, though less commanding in position and size, were yet similar to that of Zeus in design and workmanship, all being the work of the divine artist Hephaestus. Below these were other palaces of silver, ebony, ivory, or burnished brass, where the Heroes, or Demi-gods, resided. As the worship of Zeus formed so important a feature in the religion of the Greeks, his statues were necessarily both numerous and magnificent. He is usually repre- sented as a man of noble and imposing mien, his coun- tenance expressing all the lofty majesty of the omnipotent ruler of the universe, combined with the gracious, yet serious, benignity of the father and friend of mankind. He may be recognized by his rich flow- ing beard, and the thick masses of hair, which rise straight from the high and in- tellectual forehead and fall to his shoulders in clustering locks. The nose is large and finely formed, and the slightly- opened lips impart an air of sympathetic kindliness which invites confidence. He is always accompanied by an eagle, which either surmounts his sceptre, or sits at his feet; he generally bears in his up- lifted hand a sheaf of thunder-bolts, just ready to be hurled, whilst in the other he holds the lightning. The head is frequently encircled with a wreath of oak-leaves. The most celebrated statue t>f the Olympian Zeus was that by the famous Athenian sculptor Phidias, which was forty feet high, and stood in the temple of Zeus at Olympia. It was formed of ivory and gold, and was m > '.-.*., ~ ---> ZEUS (JUPITER). 29 such a masterpiece of art, that it was reckoned among the seven wonders of the world. It represented the god, seated on a throne, holding in his right hand a life-sized image of Nike (the goddess of Victory), and in his left a royal sceptre, surmounted by an eagle. It is said that the great sculptor had concentrated all the marvellous powers of his genius on this sublime conception, and earnestly en- treated Zeus to give him a decided proof that his labours were approved. An answer to his prayer came through the open roof of the temple in the shape of a flash of lightning, which Phidias interpreted as a sign that the god of heaven was pleased with his work. Zeus was first worshipped at Dodona in Epirus, where, at the foot of Mount Tomarus, on the woody shore of Lake Joanina, was his famous oracle, the most ancient in Greece. Here the voice of the eternal and invisible god was supposed to be heard in the rustling leaves of a giant oak, announcing to mankind the will of heaven and the destiny of mortals; these revelations being interpreted to the people by the priests of Zeus, who were called Selli. Recent excavations which have been made at this spot have brought to light the ruins of the ancient temple of Zeus, and also, among other interesting relics, some plates of lead, on which are engraved inquiries which were evi- dently made by certain individuals who consulted the oracle. These little leaden plates speak to us, as it were, in a curiously homely manner of a by-gone time in the buried past. One person inquires what god he should apply to for health and fortune; another asks for advice concerning his child; and a third, evidently a shepherd, promises a gift to the oracle should a speculation in sheep turn out successfully. Had these little memorials been of gold instead of lead, they would doubtless have shared the fate of the numerous treasures which adorned this and ether temples, in the universal pillage which took place when Greece fell into the hands of barbarians. Though Dodona was the most ancient of his shrines, the great national seat of the worship of Zeus was at Olympia in Elis, where there was a magnificent temple 30 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. dedicated to him, containing the famous colossal statue by Phidias above described. Crowds of devout worship- pers flocked to this world-renowned fane from all parts of Greece, not only to pay homage to their supreme deity, but also to join in the celebrated games which were held there at intervals of four years. The Olympic games were such a thoroughly national institution, that even Greeks who had left their native country made a point of returning on these occasions, if possible, in order to contend with their fellow-countrymen in the various athletic sports which took place at these festivals. It will be seen on reflection that in a country like Greece, which contained so many petty states, often at variance with each other, these national gatherings must have been most valuable as a means of uniting the Greeks in one great bond of brotherhood. On these festive occasions the whole nation met together, forgetting for the moment all past differences, and uniting in the enjoyment of the same festivities. It will doubtless have been remarked that in the representations of Zeus he is always accompanied by an eagle. This royal bird was sacred to him, probably from the fact of its being the only creature capable of gazing at the sun without being dazzled, which may have sug- gested the idea that it was able to contemplate the splendour of divine majesty unshrinkingly. The oak-tree, and also the summits of mountains, were sacred to Zeus. His sacrifices consisted of white bulls, cows, and goats. Zeus had seven immortal wives, whose names were Metis, Themis, Eurynome, Demeter, Mnemosyne, Leto, and Hera. METIS, his first wife, was one of the Oceanides or sea nymphs. She was the personification of prudence and wisdom, a convincing proof of which she displayed in her successful administration of the potion which caused Cronus to yield up his children. She was en- dowed with the gift of prophecy, and foretold to Zeus that one of their children would gain ascendency over ZEUS (JUPITER). 31 him. In order, therefore, to avert the possibility of the prediction being fulfilled he swallowed her before any children were born to them. Feeling afterwards violent pains in his head, he sent for Hephaestus, and ordered him to open it with an axe. His command was obeyed, and out sprang, with a loud and martial shout, a beautiful being, clad in armour from head to foot. This was Athene (Minerva), goddess of Armed Resistance and Wisdom. THEMIS was the goddess of Justice, Law, and Order. EURYNOME was one of the Oceanides, and the mother of the Charites or Graces. DEMETER, 1 the daughter of Cronus and Ehea, was the goddess of Agriculture. MNEMOSYNE, the daughter of Uranus and Ga?a, was the goddess of Memory and the mother of the nine Muses. LETO (Latona) was the daughter of Coeus and Phoebe. She was gifted with wonderful beauty, and was tenderly loved by Zeus, but her lot was far from being a happy one, for Hera, being extremely jealous of her, persecuted her with inveterate cruelty, and sent the dreadful serpent Python 2 to terrify and torment her wherever she went But Zeus, who had observed with the deepest compassion her weary wanderings and agonized fears, resolved to create for her some place of refuge, 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 ^Egean Sea, which he made stationary by attaching it with chains of adamant to the bottom of the sea. Here she gave birth to her twin-children, Apollo and Artemis (Diana), two of the most beautiful of the immortals. According to some versions of the story of Leto, Zeus transformed her into a quail, in order that she might thus elude the vigilance of Hera, and she is said to have 1 See Demeter. 3 This frightful monster had sprung from the slimy and stagnant waters which remained on the surface of the earth after the deluge of Deucalion, 32 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. resumed her true form when she arrived at the island of Delos. HERA, being the principal wife of Zeus and queen of heaven, a detailed account will be given of her in a special chapter. In the union of Zeus with most of his immortal wives we shall find that an allegorical meaning is conveyed. His marriage with Metis, who is said to have surpassed both gods and men in knowledge, represents supreme power allied to wisdom and prudence. His union with Themis typifies the bond which exists between divine majesty and justice, law, and order. Eurynome, as the mother of the Charites or Graces, supplied the refining and har- monizing influences of grace and beauty, whilst the marriage of Zeus with Mnemosyne typifies the union of genius with memory. In addition to the seven immortal wives of Zeus, he was also allied to a number of mortal maidens whom he visited under various disguises, as it was supposed that if he revealed himself in his true form as king of heaven the splendour of his glory would cause instant destruc- tion to mortals. The mortal consorts of Zeus have been such a favourite theme with poets, painters, and sculp- tors, that it is necessary to give some account of their individual history. Those best known are Antiope, Leda, Europa, Callisto, Alcmene, Semele, lo, and Danae. ANTIOPE, to whom Zeus appeared under the form of a satyr, was the daughter of Xicteus, king of Thebes. To escape the anger of her father she fled to Sicyon, where king Epopeus, enraptured with her wonderful beauty, made her his wife without asking her father's consent. This so enraged Xicteus that he declared war against Epopeus, in order to compel him to restore Antiope. At his death, which took place before he could succeed in his purpose, Xicteus left his kingdom to his brother Lycus, commanding him, at the same time, to carry on the war, and execute his vengeance. Lycus invaded Sicyon, defeated and killed Epopeus, and brought back ZEUS (JUPITER). 33 Antiope as a prisoner. On the way to Thebes she gave birth to her twin-sons, Amphion and Zethus, who, by the orders of Lycus, were at once exposed on Mount Cith- aeron, and would have perished but for the kindness of a shepherd, who took pity on them and preserved their lives. Antiope was, for many years, held captive by her uncle Lycus, and compelled to suffer the utmost cruelty at the hands of his wife Dirce. But one day her bonds were miraculously loosened, and she flew for shelter and protection to the humble dwelling of her sons on Mount Cithaeron. During the long period of their mother's captivity the babes had grown into sturdy youths, and, as they listened angrily to the story of her wrongs, they became all impatience to avenge them. Setting off at once to Thebes they succeeded in possessing themselves of the town, and after slaying the cruel Lycus they bound Dirce by the hair to the horns of a wild bull, which dragged her hither and thither until she expired. Her mangled body was cast into the fount near Thebes, Avhich still bears her name. Amphion became king of Thebes in his uncle's stead. He was a friend of the Muses, and devoted to music and poetry. His brother, Zethus, was famous for his skill in archery, and was passionately fond of the chase. It is said that when Amphion wished to inclose the town of Thebes with walls and towers, he had but to play a sweet melody on the lyre, given to him by Hermes, and the huge stones began to move, and obediently fitted themselves together. The punishment of Dirce at the hands of Amphion and Zethus forms the subject of the world-renowned marble group in the museum at Naples, known by the name of the Farnese Bull. In sculpture Amphion is always represented with a lyre; Zethus with a club. LED A, whose affections Zeus won under the form of a swan, was the daughter of Thestius, king of ^Etolia. Her twin-sons, Castor and (Poly deuces or) Pollux, 1 were 1 Castor and Pollux were known by the name of the Dioscuri, from diot, gods, and htroi, youths. (781 C 34 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROM!,. renowned for their tender attachment to each other. They were also famous for their physical accomplish- ments, Castor being the most expert charioteer of his day, and Pollux the first of pugilists; Their names ap- pear both among the hunters of the Calydonian boar- hunt and the heroes of the Argonautic expedition. The brothers became attached to the daughters of Leucippus, prince of the Messenians, who had been betrothed by their father to Idas and Lynceus, sons of Aphareus. Having persuaded Leucippus to break his promise, the twins carried off the maidens as their brides. Idas and Lynceus, naturally furious at this proceeding, challenged the Dioscuri to mortal combat, in which Castor perished by the hand of Idas, and Lynceus by that of Pollux. Zeus wished to confer the gift of immortality upon Pollux, but he refused to accept it unless allowed to share it with Castor. Zeus gave the desired permission, and the faith- ful brothers were both allowed to live, but only on alternate days. The Dioscuri received divine honours throughout Greece, and were worshipped with special reverence at Sparta. EUROPA was the beautiful daughter of Agenor, king of Phoenicia. She was one day gathering flowers with her companions in a meadow near the sea-shore, when Zeus, charmed with her great beauty, and wishing to win her love, transformed himself into a beautiful white bull, and trotted quietly up to the princess, so as not to alarm her. Surprised at the gentleness of the animal, and admiring its beauty, as it lay placidly on the grass, she caressed it, crowned it with flowers, and, at last, playfully seated herself on its back Hardly had she done so than the disguised god bounded away with his lovely burden, and swam across the sea with her to the island of Crete. Europa was the mother of Minos, Aeacus, and Khada- manthus. Minos, who became king of Crete, was cele- brated for his justice and moderation, and after death he was created one of the judges of the lower world, which office he held in conjunction with his brothers. ZEUS (JUPITER). 35 CALLISTO, the daughter of Lycaon, king of Arcadia, was a huntress in the train of Artemis, devoted to the pleasures of the chase, who had made a vow never to marry; but Zeus, under the form of the huntress-goddess, succeeded in obtaining her affections. Hera, being ex- tremely jealous of her, changed her into a bear, and caused Artemis (who failed to recognize her attendant under this form) to hunt her in the chase, and put an end to her existence. After her death she was placed by Zeus among the stars as a constellation, under the name of Arctos, or the bear. ALCMENE, the daughter of Electryon, king of Mycenae, was betrothed to her cousin Amphytrion; but, during his absence on a perilous undertaking, Zeus assumed his form, and obtained her affections. Heracles (whose world- renowned exploits will be related among the legends) was the son of Alcmene and Zeus. SEMELE, a beautiful princess, the daughter of Cadmus, king of Phoenicia, was greatly beloved by Zeus. Like the unfortunate Callisto, she was hated by Hera with jealous malignity, and the haughty queen of heaven determined to effect her destruction. Disguising herself, therefore, as Berce, Semele's faithful old nurse, she art- fully persuaded her to insist upon Zeus visiting her, as he appeared to Hera, in all his power and glory, well knowing that this would cause her instant death. Semele, suspecting no treachery, followed the advice of her sup- posed nurse; and the next time Zeus came to her, she earnestly entreated him to grant the favour she was about to ask Zeus swore by the Styx (which was to the gods an irrevocable oath) to accede to her request what- soever it might be. Semele, therefore, secure of gaining her petition, begged of Zeus to appear to her in all the glory of his divine power and majesty. As he had sworn to grant whatever she asked of him, he was compelled to comply with her wish; he therefore revealed himself as the mighty lord of the universe, accompanied by thunder and lightning, and she was instantly consumed in the 36 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. IO, daughter of Inachus, king of Argos, was a prnstess of Hera. She was very beautiful, and Zeus, who was much attached to her, transformed her into a white cow, in order to defeat the jealous intrigues of Hera, who, however, was not to be deceived. Aware of the stratagem, she con- trived to obtain the animal from Zeus, and placed her under the watchful care of a man called Argus-Panoptes, who fastened her to an olive-tree in the grove of Hera. He had a hundred eyes, of which, when asleep, he never closed more than two at a time; being thus always on the watch, Hera found him extremely useful in keeping guard over lo. Hermes, however, by the command of Zeus, succeeded in putting all his eyes to sleep with the sound of his magic lyre, and then, taking advantage of his helpless condition, slew him. The story goes, that in commemoration of the services which Argus had rendered her, Hera placed his eyes on the tail of a peacock, as a lasting memorial of her gratitude. Ever fertile in resource, Hera now sent a gadfly to worry and torment the unfor- tunate lo incessantly, and she wandered all over the world in hopes of escaping from her tormentor. At length she reached Egypt, where she found rest and freedom from the persecutions of her enemy. On the banks of the Nile she resumed her original form and gave birth to a son called Epaphus, who afterwards became king of Egypt, and built the famous city of Memphis. DANAE. Zeus appeared to Danae under the form of a shower of gold. (Further details concerning her will be found in the legend of Perseus.) The Greeks supposed that the divine ruler of the Universe occasionally assumed a human form, and de- scended from his celestial abode, in order to visit man- kind and observe their proceedings, his aim being generally either to punish the guilty, or to reward the deserving. On one occasion Zeus, accompanied by Hermes, made a journey through Phrygia, seeking hospitality and shelter wherever they went But nowhere did they receive a ZEUS (JUPITER). 37 kindly welcome till they came to the humble cottage of an old man and his wife called Philemon and Baucis, who entertained them with the greatest kindness, setting before them what frugal fare their humble means per- mitted, and bidding them welcome with unaffected cordiality. Observing in the course of their simple repast that the wine bowl was miraculously replenished, the aged couple became convinced of the divine nature of their guests. The gods now informed them that on account of its wickedness their native place was doomed to destruction, and told them to climb the neighbouring hill with them, which overlooked the village where they dwelt. What was their dismay on beholding at their feet, in place of the spot where they had passed so many happy years together, nothing but a watery plain, the only house to be seen being their own little cottage, which suddenly changed itself into a temple before their eyes. Zeus now asked the worthy pair to name any wish they particularly desired and it should be granted. They accordingly begged that they might serve the gods in the temple below, and end life together. Their wish was granted, for, after spending the re- mainder of their lives in the worship of the gods, they both died at the same instant, and were transformed by Zeus into trees, remaining for ever side by side. Upon another occasion Zeus, wishing to ascertain for himself the truth of the reports concerning the atrocious wickedness of mankind, made a journey through Arcadia. Being recognized by the Arcadians as king of heaven, he was received by them with becoming respect and veneration; but Lycaon, their king, who had rendered himself infamous by the gross impiety of himself and his sons, doubted the divinity of Zeus, ridiculed his people for being so easily duped, and, according to his custom of killing all strangers who ventured to trust his hospi- tality, resolved to murder him. Before executing this wicked design, however, he decided to put Zeus to the test, and having killed a boy for the purpose, placed be- fore hi MI a dish containing human flesh. But Zeus was 38 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. not to be deceived. He beheld the revolting dish with horror and loathing, and angrily upsetting the table upon which it was placed, turned Lycaon into a wolf, and de- stroyed all his fifty sons by lightning, except Jsyctimus, who was saved by the intervention of Gaea. JUPITER The Roman Jupiter, who is so frequently confounded with the Greek Zeus, is identical with him only as being the head of the Olympic gods, and the presiding deity over Life, Light, and Aerial Phenomena. Jupiter is lord of life in its widest and most comprehensive significa- tion, having absolute power over life and death, in which respect he differed from the Greek Zeus, who was to a certain extent controlled by the all-potent sway of the Moirae or Fates. Zeus, as we have seen, often conde- scends to visit mankind, either as a mortal, or under various disguises, whereas Jupiter always remains essen- tially the supreme god of heaven, and never appears upon earth. The most celebrated temple of Jupiter was that on the Capitoline Hill in the city of Rome, where he was wor- shipped under the names of Jupiter-Optimus-Maximus, Capitolinus, and Tarpeius. The Romans represented him seated on a throne of ivory, holding in his right hand a sheaf of thunderbolts, and in his left a sceptre, whilst an eagle stands beside his throne. HERA (JCNO). Hera, the eldest daughter of Cronus and Rhea, was born at Samos, or, according to some accounts, at Argos, and was reared by the sea-divinities Oceanus and Tethys, who were models of conjugal fidelity. 1 She was the prin- 1 The ancient Greeks attributed much of the subsequent character of an individual to early influences ; hence Hera, the future queen and mistress of heaven, is represented as being brought up in a domes- ticated and orderly household, where home virtues are carefully inculcated. HERA (JUNO). 39 cipal wife of Zeus, and, as queen of heaven, participated in the honours paid to him, but her dominion only ex- tended over the air (the lower aerial regions). Hera appears to be the sublime embodiment of strict matronly virtue, and is on that account the protectress of purity and married women. Faultless herself in her fidelity as a wife, she is essentially the type of the sanctity of the marriage tie, and holds in abhorrence any violation of its obligations. So strongly was she imbued with this hatred of any immorality, that, finding herself so often called upon to punish the failings of both gods and men in this respect, she became jealous, harsh, and vindictive. Her exalted position as the wife of the supreme deity, combined with her extreme beauty, caused her to become exceedingly vain, and she consequently resented with great severity any infringement on her rights as queen of heaven, or any apparent slight on her personal appearance. The following story will signally illustrate how ready she was to resent any slight offered to her. At the marriage of the sea-nymph Thetis with a mortal called Peleus, all the gods and goddesses were present, except Eris (the goddess of Discord). Indignant at not being invited, she determined to cause dissension in the assembly, and for this purpose threw into the midst of the guests a golden apple with the inscription on it "For the Fairest." Now, as all the goddesses were extremely beautiful, each claimed the apple; but at length, the rest having relinquished their pretensions, the number of candidates was reduced to three, Hera, Athene, and Aphrodite, who agreed to appeal to Paris for a settlement of this delicate question, he being noted for the wisdom he had displayed in his judgment upon several occa- sions. Paris was the son of Priam, king of Troy, who, ignorant of his noble birth, was at this time feeding his flocks on Mount Ida, in Phrygia. Hermes, as mes- senger of the gods, conducted the three rival beauties to the young shepherd, and with breathless anxiety they awaited his decision. Each fair candidate endeavoured 40 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. to secure his favour by the most tempting offers. Hera promised him extensive dominions; Athene, martial fame and glory; and Aphrodite, the loveliest woman in the world. But whether he really considered Aphrodite the fairest of the three, or preferred a beautiful wife to fame and power, we cannot tell; all we know is that to her he awarded the golden apple, and she became ever after universally acknowledged as the goddess of beauty. Hera, having fully expected that Paris would give her the preference, was so indignant that she never forgave him, and not only persecuted him, but all the family of Priam, whose dreadful sufferings and misfortunes during the Trojan war were attributed 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, who espoused the cause of the Trojans. Among the many stories of these frequent quarrels there is one connected with Heracles, the favourite son of Zeus, which is as follows : Hera having raised a storm at sea in order to drive him out of his course, Zeus became so angry that he hung her in the clouds by a golden chain, and attached heavy anvils to her feet. Her son Hephsestus tried to release his mother from her humiliating position, for which Zeus threw him out of heaven, and his leg was broken by the fall. Hera, being deeply offended with Zeus, determined to separate herself from him for ever, and she accordingly left him and took up her abode in Euboea. Surprised and grieved at this unlooked-for desertion, Zeus resolved to leave no means untried to win her back agaia In this emergency he consulted Cithaeron, king of Platea, who was famed for his great wisdom and subtlety. Cithaeron advised him to dress up an image in bridal attire and place it in a chariot, announcing that this was Platea, his future wife. The artifice succeeded. Hera, incensed at the idea of a rival, flew to meet the procession in great anger, and seizing the supposed bride, she furiously attacked her and dragged off her nuptial attire. Her delight on discovering the deception was so great that a HKRA (JUNO). 41 reconciliation took place, and, committing the image to the flames, with joyful laughter she seated herself in its place and returned to Olympus. Hera was the mother of Ares (Mars), Hephaestus, Hebe, and Eileithyia. Ares was the god of War; Hephaestus, of Fire; Hebe, of Youth; and Eileithyia presided over the birth of mortals. Hera dearly loved Greece, and indeed always watched over and protected Greek interests, her beloved and favourite cities being Argos, Samos, Sparta, and Mycenae. Her principal temples were at Argos and Samos. From a remote period she was greatly venerated at Olympia, and her temple there, which stood in the Altis or sacred grove, was five hundred years older than that of Zeus on the same spot. Some interesting excavations which are now going on there have brought to light the remains of the ancient edifice, wh'ich contains among other treasures of antiquity several beautiful statues, the work of the famous sculptors of ancient Greece. At first this temple was built of wood, then of stone, and the one lately dis- covered was formed of con- glomerate of shells. In the Altis races were run by young maidens in honour of Hera, and the fleetest of foot received in token of her victory an olive- wreath and a piece of the flesh of the sacrifices. These races, like the Olympic Games, were celebrated at intervals of four years, and were called Herae. A beau- tiful robe, woven by sixteen women chosen from the six- teen cities of Elis, was always ottered to Hera on these 42 MYTHS OF ASC1KXT GREECE AM> ROME. occasions, and choral songs and sacred dances formed part of the ceremonies. Hera is usually represented seated on a throne, holding a pomegranate in one hand and a sctfptre surmounted by a cuckoo in the other. She appears as a calm, dignified matron of majestic beauty, robed in a tunic and mantle, her forehead is broad and intellectual, her eyes large and fully opened, and her arms dazzlingly white and finely moulded. The finest statue of this divinity was that by Polycletus at Argos. Her attributes are the diadem, veil, sceptre, and pea- cock The first day of every month a ewe-lamb and sow were sacrificed to Hera. The hawk, goose, and more particularly the peacock 1 were sacred to her. Flocks of these beautiful birds generally surround her throne and draw her chariot, Ins, the Rainbow, being seated behind her. Her favourite flowers were the dittany, poppy, and Ifly. JUXO. Juno, the Roman divinity supposed to be identical with the Greek Hera, differed from her in the most salient points, for whereas Hera invariably appears as the haughty, unbending queen of heaven, Juno, on the other hand, is revered and beloved is the type of a matron and housewife. She was worshij ped in Rome under various titles, most of which point to her vocation as the protect- ress of married women. Juno was believed to watch over and guard the life of every woman from her birth to her death. The principal temples dedicated to her were in Rome, one being erected on the Aventine, and the other on the Capitoline HilL She had also a temple on the Arx, in which she was worshipped as Juno Moneta, or the warn- In the Homeric age peacocks were unknown; it is therefore the later poets who describe Hen surrounded with peacocks, which wet* hroagfat to Greece from India. PALLAS-ATHENE (MINKRVA). 43 ing goddess. Adjacent to this shrine was the public mint 1 On the 1st of March a grand annual festival, called the Matronalia, was celebrated in her honour by all the mar- ried women of Rome, and this religious institution was accompanied with much solemnity. 2 PALLAS-ATHENE (MINERVA). Pallas-Athene, goddess of Wisdom and Armed Resist- ance, was a purely Greek divinity: that is to say, no other nation possessed a corresponding conception. She was supposed, as already related, to have issued from the head of Zeus himself, clad in armour from head to foot. The miraculous advent of this maiden goddess is beauti- fully described by Homer in one of his hymns: snow- capped Olympus shook to its foundation; the glad earth re-echoed her martial shout; the billowy sea became agi- tated ; and Helios, the sun-god, arrested his fiery steeds in their headlong course to welcome this wonderful emanation from the godhead. Athene was at once admitted into the assembly of the gods, and henceforth took her place as the most faithful and sagacious of all her father's coun- sellors. This brave, dauntless maiden, so exactly the essence of all that is noble in the character of " the father of gods and men," remained throughout chaste in word and deed, and kind at heart, without exhibiting any of those failings which somewhat mar the nobler features in the character of Zeus. This direct emanation from his own self, justly his favourite child, his better and purer counterpart, received from him several import- ant prerogatives. She was permitted to hurl the thun- derbolts, to prolong the life of man, and to bestow the gift of prophecy; in fact Athene was the only divinity whose authority was equal to that of Zeus him- self, and when he had ceased to visit the earth in person 1 This circumstance has given rise to the erroneous conclusion that Juno presided over the finances of the state, but the word motteta is derived from the Latin monere, which means to warn or admonish. 1 See Roman Festivals. 44 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. she was empowered by him to act as his deputy. It was her especial duty to protect the state and all peaceful associations of mankind, which she possessed the power of defending when occasion required. She encouraged the maintenance of law and order, and defended the right on all occasions, for which reason, in the Trojan war she espouses the cause of the Greeks and exerts all her influ- ence on their behalf. The Areopagus, a court of justice where religious causes and murders were tried, was be- lieved to have been instituted by her, and when both sides happened to have an equal number of votes she gave the casting-vote in favour of the accused. She was the patroness of learning, science, and art, more particularly where these contributed directly towards the welfare of nations. She presided over all inventions connected with agriculture, invented the plough, and taught mankind how to use oxen for farming purposes. She also in- structed mankind in the use of numbers, trumpets, chariots, &c., and presided over the building of the Argo, 1 thereby encouraging the useful art of navigation. She also taught the Greeks how to build the wooden horse by means of which the destruction of Troy was effected. The safety of cities depended on her care, for which reason her temples were generally built on the citadels, and she was supposed to watch over the defence of the walls, fortifications, harbours, &c. A divinity who so faithfully guarded the best interests of the state, by not only pro- tecting it from the attacks of enemies, but also by devel- oping its chief resources of wealth and prosperity, was worthily chosen as the presiding deity of the state, and in this character as an essentially political goddess she was called Athene-Polias. The fact of Athene having been born clad in armour, which merely signified that her -virtue and purity were unassailable, has given rise to the erroneous supposition that she was the presiding goddess of war; but a deeper 1 The first large ship possessed by the Greeks fit for more than coast navigation. PALLAS-ATHENE (MINERVA). 45 study of her character in all its bearings proves that, in contradistinction to her brother Ares, the god of war, who loved strife for its own sake, she only takes up arms to protect the innocent and deserving against tyran- nical oppression. It is true that in the Iliad we frequently see her on the battlefield fighting valiantly, and protecting her favourite heroes; but this is always at the command of Zeus, who even supplies her with arms for the purpose, as it is supposed that she possessed none of her own. A marked feature in the representations of this deity is the aegis, that wonderful shield given to her by her father as a further means of defence, which, when in danger, she swung so swiftly round and round that it kept at a dis- tance all antagonistic influences; hence her name Pallas, from pallo, I swing. In the centre of this shield, which was covered with dragon's scales, bordered with serpents, and which she sometimes wore as a breastplate, was the awe-inspiring head of the Medusa, which had the effect of turning to stone all beholders. In addition to the many functions which she ex- ercised in connection Avith the state, Athene presided over the two chief departments of feminine industry, spinning and weaving. In the latter art she herself dis- played unrivalled ability and exquisite taste. She wove her own robe and that of 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 of the Golden Fleece. Being on one occasion challenged to a contest in this accomplishment by a mortal maiden named Arachne, whom she had instructed in the art of weaving, she accepted the challenge and was completely vanquished by her pupil. Angry at her defeat, she struck the unfortunate maiden on the forehead with the shuttle which she held in her hand; and Arachne, being of a sen- sitive nature, was so hurt by this indignity that she hung herself in despair, and was changed by Athene into a spider. This goddess is said to have invented the flute, 1 upon 1 When Perseus, with the help of Athene, had cut off the head of the Medusa, the two sisters caused a sad dirge-like song to issue from the MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE ANU ROME. which she played with considerable talent, until one day, being laughed at by the assembled gods and goddesses for the contortions which her countenance assumed dur- ing these musical efforts, she hastily ran to a fountain in order to convince herself Avh ether she deserved their ridicule. Finding to her intense disgust that such was indeed the 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 wisdom ; the beautiful oval contour of her countenance is adorned by the luxuriance of her wealth of hair, which is drawn back from the temples and hangs down in careless grace; she looks the embodiment of strength, grandeur, and majesty; whilst her broad shoulders and small hips give her a slightly mascu- line appearance. When represented as the war-goddess she ap- pears clad in armour, with a helmet on her head, from which waves a large plume; she carries the aegis on her arm, and in her hand a golden staff, which possessed the property of endowing her chosen favourites with youth and dignity. Athene was universally worshipped throughout Greece, but was regarded with special veneration by the Athenians, she being the guardian deity of Athens. Her most cele- brated temple was the Parthenon, which stood on the mouths of the many snakes of which their hair was composed, where- upon Athene, pleased with the sound, imitated the melody on a reed, and thus invented the flute. 47 Acropolis at Athens, and contained her world-renowned statue by Phidias, which ranks second only to that of Zeus by the same great artist. This colossal statue was 39 feet high, and was composed of ivory and gold; its majestic beauty formed the chief attraction of the temple. It represented 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 the temple of Erec- theus, on the Acropolis, and is said to have possessed such marvellous vitality, that when the Persians burned it after sacking the town it immediately burst forth into new shoots. The principal festival held in honour of this divinity was the Panathensea. The owl, cock, and serpent were the animals sacred to her, and her sacrifices were rams, bulls, and cows. MINERVA. The Minerva of the Romans was identified with the Pallas -Athene of the Greeks. Like her she pre- sides over learning and all useful arts, and is the patroness of the feminine accomplishments of sew- ing, spinning, weaving, &c. Schools were under her especial care, and school- boys, therefore, had holi- days during her festivals (the Greater Quinquatria), when they always brought a gift to their master, called the Minerval. It is worthy of notice that the only three divinities 48 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME, worshipped in the Capitol were Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, and in their joint honour the Ludi Maximi or great games were held. THEMIS. Themis, who has already been alluded to as the wife of Zeus, was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and personified those divine laws of justice and order by means of which the well-being and morality of commu- nities are regulated. She presided over the assemblies of the people and the laws of hospitality. To her was in- trusted the office of convoking the assembly of the gods, and she was also mistress of ritual and ceremony. On account of her great wisdom Zeus himself frequently sought her counsel and acted upon her advice. Themis was a prophetic divinity, and had an oracle near the river Cephissus in Bceotia. She is usually represented as being in the full maturity of womanhood, of fair aspect, and wearing a flowing garment, which drapes her noble, majestic form; in her right hand she holds the sword of justice, and in her left the scales, which indicate the impartiality with which every cause is carefully weighed by her, her eyes being bandaged so that the personality of the indi- vidual should carry no weight with respect to the verdict. This divinity is sometimes identified with Tyche, sometimes with Ananke. Themis, like so many other Greek divinities, takes the place of a more ancient deity of the same name who was a daughter of Uranus and Gaea. This elder Themis inherited from her mother the gift of prophecy, and when she became merged into her younger representative she transmitted to her this prophetic power. HESTIA (VESTA). Hestia was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea. She was the goddess of Fire in its first application to the wants of mankind, hence she was essentially the presiding deity HESTIA (VESTA). 49 of the domestic hearth and the guardian spirit of man, and it was her pure and benign influence which was sup- posed to protect the sanctity of domestic life. Now in these early ages the hearth was regarded as the most important and most sacred portion of the dwelling, probably because the protection of the fire was an impor- tant consideration, for if once permitted to become ex- tinct, re-ignition was attended with extreme difficulty. In fact, the hearth was held so sacred that it constituted the sanctum of the family, for which reason it was always erected in the centre of every house. It was a feAv feet in height and was built of stone; the fire was placed OB the top of it, and served the double purpose of pre- paring the daily meals, and consuming the family sacrifices. Kound this domestic hearth or altar were gathered the various members of the family, the head of the house occupying the place of honour nearest the hearth. Here prayers were said and sacrifices offered, and here also every kind and loving feeling was fostered, which even extended to the hunted and guilty stranger, who, if he once succeeded in touching this sacred altar, was safe from pursuit and punishment, and was henceforth placed under the protection of the family. Any crime committed within the sacred precincts of the domestic hearth was invariably visited by death. In Grecian cities there was a common hall, called the Prytaneum, in which the members of the government had their meals at the expense of the state, and here too was the Hestia, or public hearth, with its fire, by means of which those meals were prepared. It was customary for emigrants to take with them a portion of this sacred fire, which they jealously guarded and brought with them to their new home, where it served as a connecting link between the young Greek colony and the mother coun- try. Hestia is generally represented standing, and in accordance with the dignity and sanctity of her character, always appears fully draped. Her counten- ance is distinguished by a serer.e gravity of expres- sion. (73) D 50 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND KOME. VESTA. Vesta occupies a distinguished place among the earlier divini- ties of the Romans. Her temple in Rome, containing as it were the hearthstone of the nation, stood close beside the palace of Numa Pompilius. On her altar burned the never- ceasing fire, which was tended by her priestesses, the Vestal Virgins. 1 The temple of Vesta was cir- cular in form, and contained that sacred and highly prized treasure the Palladium of Troy. 2 The great festival in honour of Vesta, called the Vestalia, was celebrated on the 9th of June. DEMETER (CERES). Demeter (from Ge -meter, earth -mother) was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea. 3 She represented that portion of Gsea (the whole solid earth) which we call the earth's crust, and which produces all vegetation. As goddess of agriculture, field-fruits, plenty, and productive- ness, she was the sustainer of material life, and was there- fore a divinity of great importance. When ancient Gsea lost, with Uranus, her position as a ruling divinity, she abdicated her sway in favour of her daughter Rhea, who henceforth inherited the powers which her mother had previously possessed, receiving in her place the honour and worship of mankind. In a very old poem Gaea is accordingly described as retiring to a cavern in the bowels 1 For details see Roman Festivals. a See Legend of Troy. 3 Some, with but little reason, make Demeter the daughter of Uranus and Gsea. DEMETER (CERES). 51 of the earth, where she sits in the lap of her daughter, slumbering, moaning, and nodding for ever and ever. It is necessary to keep clearly in view the distinctive difference between the three great earth-goddesses G&&, Rhea, and Demeter. Gsea represents the earth as a whole, with its mighty subterranean forces; Rhea is that produc- tive power which causes vegetation to spring forth, thus sustaining men and animals; Demeter, by presiding over agriculture, directs and utilizes Rhea's productive powers. But in later times, when Rhea, like other ancient divinities, loses her importance as a ruling deity, Demeter assumes all her functions and attributes, and then becomes the goddess of the life-producing and life-maintaining earth-crust. We must bear in mind the fact that man in his primitive state knew neither how to sow nor how to till the ground; when, therefore, he had exhausted the pastures which surrounded him he was compelled to seek others which were as yet unreaped; thus, roaming con- stantly from one place to another, settled habitations, and consequently civilizing influences, were impossible. Demeter, how- ever, by introducing a knowledge of agriculture, put an end, at once and for ever, to that nomadic life which was now no longer necessary. The favour of Demeter was be- lieved to bring mankind rich har- vests and fruitful crops, whereas her displeasure caused blight, drought, and famine. The island of Sicily was supposed to be under her especial protection, and there she was regarded with particular veneration, the Sicilians natur- ally attributing the wonderful fertility of their country to the partiality of the goddess. Demeter is usually represented as a woman of noble 52 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. bearing and majestic appearance, tall, matronly, and dignified, with beautiful golden hair, which falls in rippling curls over her stately shoulders, the yellow locks being emblematical of the ripened ears of corn. Some- times she appears seated in a chariot drawn by winged dragons, at others she stands erect, her figure drawn up to its full height, and always fully draped; she bears a sheaf of wheat-ears in one hand and a lighted torch in the other. The wheat-ears are not unfrequently replaced by a bunch of poppies, with which her brows are also garlanded, though sometimes she merely wears a simple riband in her hair. Demeter, as the wife of Zeus, became the mother of Persephone (Proserpine), to whom she was so ten- derly attached that her whole life was bound up in her, and she knew no happiness except in her society. One day, however, whilst Persephone was gathering flowers in a meadow, attended by the ocean-nymphs, she saw to her surprise a beautiful narcissus, from the stem of which sprang forth a hundred blossoms. Drawing near to examine this lovely flower, whose exquisite scent per- fumed the air, she stooped down to gather it, suspecting no evil, when a yawning abyss opened at her feet, and Aides, the grim ruler of the lower world, appeared from its depths, seated in his dazzling chariot drawn by four black horses. Kegardless of her tears and the shrieks of her female attendants, Aides seized the terrified maiden, and bore her away to the gloomy realms over which he reigned in melancholy grandeur. Helios, the all-seeing sun-god, and Hecate, a mysterious and very ancient divi- nity, alone heard her cries for aid, but were powerless to help her. When Demeter became conscious of her loss her grief was intense, and she refused to be comforted. She knew not where to seek for her child, but feeling that repose and inaction were impossible, she set out on her weary search, taking with her two torches which she lighted in the flames of Mount Etna to guide her on her way. For nine long days and nights she wandered on, inquiring of every one she met for tidings of her child. DEMETER (CERES). 53 But all was in vain ! Neither gods nor men could give her the comfort which her soul so hungered for. At last, on the tenth day, the disconsolate mother met Hecate, who informed her that she had heard her daughter's cries, but knew not who it was that had borne her away. By Hecate's advice Demeter consulted Helios, whose all- seeing eye nothing escapes, and from him she learnt that it was Zeus himself who had permitted Aides to seize Persephone, and transport her to the lower world in order that she might become his wife. Indignant with Zeus for having given his sanction to the abduction of his daughter, and filled with the bitterest sorrow, she abandoned her home in Olympus, and refused all heavenly food. Disguising herself as an old woman, she descended upon earth, and commenced a weary pilgrimage among mankind. One evening she arrived at a place called Eleusis, in Attica, and sat down to rest herself near a well beneath the shade of an olive-tree. The youthful daughters of Celeus, the king of the country, came with their pails of brass to draw water from this well, and seeing that the tired wayfarer appeared faint and dis- pirited, they spoke kindly to her, asking who she was, and whence 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 family, whom, she would be willing to serve in a menial capacity. The princesses, on hearing this, begged Demeter to have a moment's patience while they returned home and consulted their mother, Metaneira. They soon brought the joyful intelligence that she was desirous of securing her services as nurse to her infant son Demo- phoon, or Triptolemus. When Demeter arrived at the house a radiant light suddenly illumined her, which cir- cumstance so overawed Metaneira that she treated the unknown stranger with the greatest respect, and hospit- ably offered her food and drink. But Demeter, still grief-worn and dejected, refused her friendly offers, and held herself apart from the social board. At length, however, the maid-servant lambe succeeded, by means 54 MYTHS OF ANCIEXT GREECE AND ROME. of playful jests and merriment, in somewhat dispelling the grief of the sorrowing mother, causing her at times to smile in spite of herself, and even inducing her to partake of a mixture of barley-meal, mint, and water, which was prepared according to the directions of the goddess herself. Time passed on, and the young child throve amazingly under the care of his kind and judicious nurse, who, however, gave him no food, but anointed him daily with ambrosia, and every night laid him secretly in the fire in order to render him immortal and exempt from old age. But, unfortunately, this benevolent design on the part of Demeter was frustrated by Metaneira herself, whose curiosity, one night, impelled her to watch the proceedings of the mysterious being who nursed her child. When to her horror she beheld her son placed in the flames, she shrieked aloud. Demeter, incensed at this untimely interruption, instantly withdrew the child, and throwing him on the ground, revealed herself in her true character. The bent and aged form had vanished, and in its place there stood a bright and beauteous being, whose golden locks streamed over her shoulders in richest luxuriance, her whole aspect bespeaking dignity and majesty. She told the awe-struck Metaneira that she was the goddess Demeter, and had intended to make her son immortal, but that her fatal curiosity had rendered this impossible, add- ing, however, that the child, having slept in her arms, and been nursed on her lap, should ever command the respect and esteem of mankind. She then desired that a temple and altar should be erected to her on a neighbouring hill by the people of Eleusis, promising that she herself would direct them how to perform the sacred rites and ceremonies, which should be observed in her honour. With these words she took her departure never to return. Obedient to her commands, Celeus called together a meeting of his people, and built the temple on the spot which the goddess had indicated. It was soon completed, and Demeter took up her abode in it, but her heart was still sad for the loss of her daughter, and the whole world feit the influence of her grief and dejection. This was DEMETER (CERES). 55 indeed a terrible year for mankind. Demeter no longer smiled on the earth she was wont to bless, and though the husbandman sowed the grain, and the groaning oxen ploughed the fields, no harvest rewarded their labour. All was barren, dreary desolation. The world was threat- ened with famine, and the gods with the loss of their accustomed honours and sacrifices; it became evident, therefore, to Zeus himself that some measures must be adopted to appease the anger of the goddess. He accord- ingly despatched Iris and many of the other gods and god- desses to implore Demeter to return to Olympus; but all their prayers were fruitless. The incensed goddess swore that until her daughter was restored to her she would not allow the grain to spring forth from the earth. At length Zeus sent Hermes, his faithful messenger, to 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 of Aides, Hermes found him seated on a throne with the beautiful Perse- phone beside him, sorrowfully bewailing her unhappy fate. On learning his errand, Aides consented to resign Per- sephone, who joyfully prepared to follow the messenger of the gods to the abode of life and light. Before taking leave of her husband, he presented to her a few seeds of pomegranate, which in her excitement she thoughtlessly swallowed, and this simple act, as the sequel will show, materially affected her whole future life. The meeting between mother and child was one of unmixed rapture, and for the moment all the past was forgotten. The loving mother's happiness would now have been complete had not Aides asserted his rights. These were, that if any immortal had tasted food in his realms they were bound to remain there for ever. Of course the ruler of the lower world had to prove this assertion. This, how- ever, he found no difficulty in doing, as Ascalaphus, the son of Acheron and Orphne, was his witness to the fact. 1 Zeus, pitying the disappointment of Demeter at finding 1 Demeter transformed Ascalaphus into an owl for revealing the secret. 56 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. her hopes thus blighted, succeeded in effecting a compro- mise by inducing his brother A'ides to allow Persephone to spend six months of the year with the gods above, whilst during the other six she was to be the joyless com- panion of her grim lord below. Accompanied by her daughter, the beautiful Persephone, Demeter now resumed her long-abandoned dwelling in Olympus; the sympa- thetic earth responded gaily to her bright smiles, the corn at once sprang forth from the ground in fullest plenty, the trees, which late were sered and bare, now donned their brightest emerald robes, and the flowers, so long imprisoned in the hard, dry soil, filled the whole air with their fragrant perfume. Thus ends this charming story, which was a favourite theme with all the classic authors. It is very possible that the poets who first created this graceful myth merely intended it as an allegory to illus- trate the change of seasons; in the course of time, how- ever, a literal meaning became attached to this and similar poetical fancies, and thus the people of Greece came to regard as an article of religious belief what, in the first instance, was nothing more than a poetic simile. In the temple erected to Demeter at Eleusis, the famous Eleusinian Mysteries were instituted by the god- dess herself. It is exceedingly difficult, as in the case of all secret societies, to discover anything with certainty concerning these sacred rites. The most plausible sup- position is that the doctrines taught by the priests to the favoured few whom they initiated, were religious truths which were deemed unfit for the uninstructed mind of the multitude. For instance, it is supposed that the myth of Demeter and Persephone was explained by the teachers of the Mysteries to signify the temporary loss which mother earth sustains every year when the icy breath of winter robs her of her flowers and fruits and grain. It is believed that in later times a still deeper meaning was conveyed by this beautiful myth, viz., the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. The grain, which, as it were, remains dead for a time in the dark earth, only DEMETER (CERES). 57 to rise one day dressed in a newer and lovelier garb, was supposed to symbolize the soul, which, after death, frees itself from corruption, to live again under a better and purer form. When Demeter instituted the Eleusinian Mysteries, Celeus and his family were the first to be initiated, Celeus himself being appointed high-priest. His son Triptolemus and his daughters, who acted as priestesses, assisted him in the duties of his sacred office. The Mysteries were celebrated by the Athenians every five years, and were, for a long time, their exclusive privilege. They took place by torchlight, and were conducted with the greatest solemnity. In order to spread abroad the blessings which agricul- ture confers, Demeter presented Triptolemus with her chariot drawn by winged dragons, and, giving him some grains of corn, desired him to journey through the world, teaching mankind the arts of agriculture and hus- bandry. Demeter exercised great severity towards those who incurred her displeasure. We find examples of this in the stories of Stellio and Eresicthon. Stellio was a youth who ridiculed the goddess for the eagerness with which she was eating a bowl of porridge, when weary and faint in the vain search for her daughter. Resolved that he should never again have an opportunity of thus offending, she angrily threw into his face the remainder of the food, and changed him into a spotted lizard. Eresicthon, son of Triopas, had drawn upon himself the anger of Demeter by cutting down her sacred groves, for which she punished him with a constant and insatiable hunger. He sold all his possessions in order to satisfy his cravings, and was forced at last to devour his own limbs. His daughter Metra, who was devotedly attached to him, possessed the power of trans- forming herself into a variety of different animals. By this means she contrived to support her father, who sold her again and again each time she assumed a different form, and thus he dragged on a pitiful existence. 58 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GBEECE AND ROME. CERES. The Roman Ceres is actually the Greek Demeter under another name, her attri- butes, worship, festivals, &c., being precisely identical. The Romans were indebted to Sicily for this divinity, her worship having been introduced by the Greek colonists who settled there. The Cerealia, or festivals in honour of Ceres, commenced on the 12th of April, and lasted several days. APHRODITE (VENUS). Aphrodite (from aphros, sea- foam, and elite, issued), the daugh- ter of Zeus and a sea-nymph called Dione, was the goddess of Love and Beauty. Dione, being a sea-nymph, gave birth to her daughter beneath the waves; but the child of the heaven-inhabiting Zeus was forced to ascend from the ocean-depths and mount to the snow-capped summits of Olympus, in order to breathe that ethereal and most refined atmosphere which pertains to the celestial gods. Aphrodite was the mother of Eros (Cupid), the god of Love, also of ^Eneas, the great Trojan hero and the head of that Greek colony which settled in Italy, and from which arose the city of Rome. As a mother Aphrodite claims our sympathy for the tenderness she exhibits towards her children. Homer tells us in his Iliad, how, when ./Eneas was wounded in battle, she came to his assistance, regardless of personal danger, and was herself severely wounded in attempting to save his life. APHRODITE (VENUS). 59 Aphrodite was tenderly attached to a lovely youth, called Adonis, whose exquisite beauty has become pro- verbial. He was a motherless babe, and Aphrodite, taking pity on him, placed him in a chest and intrusted him to the care of Persephone, who became so fond of the beautiful youth that she refused to part with him. Zeus, being appealed to by the rival foster-mothers, de- cided that Adonis should spend four months of every year with Persephone, four with Aphrodite, whilst during the remaining four months he should be left to his own devices. He became, however, so attached to Aphrodite that he voluntarily devoted to her the time at his own disposal. Adonis was killed, during the chase, by a wild boar, to the great grief of Aphrodite, who bemoaned his loss so persistently that Aides, moved with pity, per- mitted him to pass six months of every year with her, whilst the remaining half of the year was spent by him in the lower world. Aphrodite possessed a magic girdle (the famous cestus) which she frequently lent to unhappy maidens suffering from the pangs of unrequited love, as it was endowed with the power of inspiring affection for the wearer, whom it invested with every attribute of grace, beauty, and fas- cination. Her usual attendants are the Charites or Graces (Euphrosyne, Aglaia, and Thalia), who are represented undraped and intertwined in a loving embrace. In Hesiod's Theogony she is supposed to belong to the more ancient divinities, and, whilst those of later date are represented as having descended one from another, and all more or less from Zeus, Aphrodite has a variously- accounted-for, yet independent origin. The most poetical version of her birth is that when Uranus was wounded by his son Cronus, his blood min- gled with the foam of the sea, whereupon the bubbling waters at once assumed a rosy tint, and from their depths arose, in all the surpassing glory of her loveliness, Aphro- dite, goddess of love and beauty ! Shaking her long, fair tresses, the water-drops rolled down into the beautiful 60 MYTHS OF AXCIEXT GREECE AND ROME. sea-shell in which she stood, and became transformed into pure, glistening pearls. Wafted by the soft and balmy breezes, she floated on to Cythera, and was thence trans- ported to the island of Cyprus. Lightly she stepped on shore, and under the gentle pressure of her delicate foot the dry and rigid sand became transformed into a verdant meadow, where every varied shade of colour and every sweet odour charmed the senses. The whole island of Cyprus be- came clothed with verdure, and greeted this fairest of all created beings with a glad smile of friendly welcome. Here she was received by the Seasons, who decked her with garments of immortal fabric, encircling her fair brow with a wreath of purest gold, whilst from her ears depended costly rings, and a glittering chain em- braced her swan-like throat. And now, arrayed in all the panoply of her irresistible charms, the nymphs escort her to the dazzling halls of Olympus, where she is received with ecstatic enthusiasm by the admiring gods and god- desses. The gods all vied with each other in aspiring to the honour of her hand, but Hephfestus became the envied possessor of this lovely being, who, however, proved as faithless as she was beautiful, and caused her husband much unhappiness, owing to the preference she showed at various times for some of the other gods and also for mortal men. The celebrated Venus of Milo, now in the Louvre, is an exquisite statue of this divinity. The head is beautifully formed; the rich waves of hair descend on her rather low but broad forehead and are caught up gracefully in a small knot at the back of the head; the expression of the face is most bewitching, and bespeaks the perfect HELIOS (SOL). 61 joyousness of a happy nature combined with the dignity of a goddess; the drapery falls in careless folds from the waist downwards, and her whole a titude is the embodi- ment of all that is graceful and lovely jn womanhood. She is of medium height, and the form is perfect in its symmetry and faultless proportions. Aphrodite is also frequently represented in the act of confining her dripping locks in a knot, whilst her attend- ant nymphs envelop her in a gauzy veil. The animals sacred to her were the dove, swan, swallow, and sparrow. Her favourite plants were the myrtle, apple-tree, rose, and poppy. The worship of Aphrodite is supposed to have been introduced into Greece from Central Asia. There is no doubt that she was originally identical with the famous Astarte, the Ashtoreth of the Bible, against whose idola- trous worship and infamous rites the prophets of old hurled forth their sublime and powerful anathemas. ' VENUS. The Venus of the Romano was identified with the Aphrodite of the Greeks. The worship of this divinity was only established in Rome in comparatively later times. Annual festivals, called Veneralia, were held in her honour, and the month of April, when flowers and plants spring forth afresh, was sacred to her. She was Avorshipped as Venus Cloacina (or the Purifier), and as Venus Myrtea (or the myrtle goddess), an epithet derived from the myrtle, the emblem of Love. HELIOS (SOL). The worship of Helios was introduced into Greece from Asia. According to the earliest conceptions of the Greeks he was not only the sun-god, but also the personification of life and all life-giving power, for light is well known to be an indispensable condition of all healthy terrestrial life The worship of the sun was originally very widely spread, 62 MTTHS OP ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. not only among the early Greeks themselves, but also among other primitive nations. To us the sun is simply the orb of light, which, high above our heads, performs each day the functions assigned to it by a mighty and invisible Power; we can, therefore, form but a faint idea of the im- pression which it produced upon the spirit of a people whose intellect was still in its infancy, and who believed, with child-Like simplicity, that every power of nature was a divinity, which, according as its character was bale- ful or beneficent, worked for the destruction or benefit of the human race. Helios, who was the son of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, is described as rising every morning in the east, preceded by his sister Eos (the Dawn), who, with her rosy fingers, paints the tips of the mountains, and draws aside that misty veil through which her brother is about to appear. When he has burst forth in all the glorious Light of day, Eos disappears, and HeLios now drives his flame- darting chariot along the accustomed track This chariot, which is of burnished gold, is drawn by four fire-breath- ing steeds, behind which the young god stands erect with flashing eyes, his head surrounded with rays, holding in one hand the reins of those fiery coursers which in all hands save his are unmanageable. AVhen towards even- ing he descends the curve 1 in order to cool his burning forehead in the waters of the deep sea, he is followed closely by his sister Selene (the Moon), who is now pre- pared to take charge of the world, and illumine with her silver crescent the dusky night. Helios meanwhile rests from his labours, and, reclining softly on the cool fragrant couch prepared for him by the sea-nymphs, recruits him- self for another life-giving, joy-inspiring, and beauteous day. It may appear strange that, although the Greeks considered the earth to be a flat circle, no explanation is given of the fact that HeLios sinks down in the far 1 The course which the sun ran was considered by the ancients to be a rising and descending curve ^ ^ ^, the centre of which was sup- posed to be reached by Helios at mid-day. HELIOS (SOL). 63 west regularly every evening, and yet reappears as regularly every morning in the east. Whether he was supposed to pass through Tartarus, and thus regain the opposite extremity through the bowels of the earth, or whether they thought he possessed any other means of making this transit, there is not a line in either Homer or Hesiod to prove. In later times, however, the poets in- vented the graceful fiction, that when Helios had finished his course, and reached the western side of the curve, a winged boat, or cup, which had been made for him by Hephaestus, awaited him there, and conveyed him rapidly, with his glorious equipage, to the east, where he recom- menced his bright and glowing career. This divinity was invoked as a witness when a solemn oath was taken, as it was believed that nothing escaped his all-seeing eye, and it was this fact which enabled him to inform Demeter of the fate of her daughter, as already related. He was supposed to possess flocks and herds in various localities, which may possibly be intended to re- present the days and nights of the year, or the stars of heaven. Helios is said to have loved Clytie, a daughter of Ocea- nus, who ardently returned his affection; but in the course of time the fickle sun-god transferred his devotion to Leu- cothea, the daughter of Orchamus, king of the eastern countries, Avhich so angered the forsaken Clytie that she informed Orchamus of his daughter's attachment, and he punished her by inhumanly burying her alive. Helios, overcome with grief, endeavoured, by every means in his power, to recall her to life. At last, finding all his efforts unavailing, he sprinkled her grave with heavenly nectar, and immediately there sprang forth from the spot a shoot of frankincense, which spread around its aromatic per- fume. The jealous Clytie gained nothing by her cruel conduct, for the sun-god came to her no more. Inconsolable at Ids loss, she threw herself upon the ground, and refused all sustenance. For nine long days she turned her face towards the glorious god of day, as he moved along the 64 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. heavens, till at length her limbs became rooted in the ground, and she was transformed into a flower, which ever turns towards the sun. Helios married Perse, daughter of Oceanus, and their children were, Ae'tes, king of Colchis (celebrated in the legend of the Argonauts as the possessor of the Golden Fleece), and Circe, the renowned sorceress. Helios had another son named Phaethon, whose mother was Clymene, one of the Oceanides. The youth was very beautiful, and a great favourite with Aphrodite, who intrusted him with the care of one of her temples, which flattering proof of her regard caused him to become vain and presumptuous. His friend Epaphus, son of Zeus and lo, endeavoured to check his youthful vanity by pretend- ing to disbelieve his assertion that the sun-god was his father. Phaethon, full of resentment, and eager to be able to refute the calumny, hastened to his mother Cly- mene, and besought her to tell him whether Helios was really his father. Moved by his entreaties, and at the same time angry at the reproach of Epaphus, Clymene pointed, to the glorious sun, then shining down upon them, and assured her son that in that bright orb he beheld the author of his being, adding that if he had still any doubt, he might visit the radiant dwelling of the great god of light and inquire for himself. Overjoyed at his mother's reassuring words, and following the directions she gave him, Phaethon quickly wended his way to his father's palace. As he entered the palace of the sun-god the dazzling rays almost blinded him, and prevented him from approach- ing the throne on which his father was seated, surrounded by the Hours, Days, Months, Years, and Seasons. Helios, who with his all-seeing eye had watched him from afar, removed his crown of glittering rays, and bade him not to be afraid, but to draw near to his father. Encouraged by this kind reception, Phaethon entreated him to be- stow upon him such a proof of his love, that all the world might be convinced that he was indeed his son; where- upon Helios desired him to ask any favour he pleased, HELIOS (SOL). 65 and swore by the Styx that it should be granted. The impetuous youth immediately requested permission to drive the chariot of the sun for one whole day. His father listened horror-struck to this presumptuous demand, and by representing the many dangers which would beset his path, endeavoured to dissuade him from so perilous an undertaking; but his son, deaf to all advice, pressed his point with such pertinacity, that Helios was reluctantly compelled to lead him to the chariot. Phaethon paused for a moment to admire the beauty of the glittering equipage, the gift of the god of fire, who had formed it of gold, and ornamented it with precious stones, which reflected the rays of the sun. And now Helios, seeing his sister, the Dawn, opening her doors in the rosy east, ordered the Hours to yoke the horses. The goddesses speedily obeyed the command, and the father then an- ointed the face of his son with a sacred balm, to enable him to endure the burning flames which issued from the nostrils of the steeds, and sorrowfully placing his crown of rays upon his head, desired him to ascend the chariot. The eager youth joyfully took his place and grasped the coveted reins, but no sooner did the fiery coursers of the sun feel the inexperienced hand which attempted to guide them, than they became restive and unmanage- able. Wildly they rushed out of their accustomed track, now soaring so high as to threaten the heavens with destruction, now descending so low as nearly to set the earth on fire. At last the unfortunate charioteer, blinded with the glare, and terrified at the awful devastation he had caused, dropped the reins from his trembling hands. Mountains and forests were in flames, rivers and streams were dried up, and a general conflagration was imminent. The scorched earth now called on Zeus for help, who hurled his thunderbolt at Phaethon, and with a flash of lightning brought the fiery steeds to a standstill The lifeless body of the youth fell headlong into the river Eridanus, 1 where it was received and buried by the 1 The river Po. (78) E MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. nymphs of 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 drops of clear, transparent amber. Cycnus, the faithful friend of the unhappy Phaethon, felt such overwhelming grief at his terrible fate, that he pined and wasted away. The gods, moved with compassion, transformed him into a swan, which for ever brooded over the fatal spot where the waters had closed over the head of his unfortunate friend. The chief seat of the worship of Helios was the island of Rhodes, which according to the following myth was his especial territory. At the time of the Titanomachia, 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 proposed to have a new allotment, but this Helios would not allow, saying, that as he pursued his daily journey, his penetrating eye had beheld a lovely, fertile island lying beneath the waves of the ocean, and that if the immortals would swear to give him the undisturbed possession of this spot, he would be content to accept it as his share of the universe. The gods took the oath, whereupon the island of Rhodes imme- diately raised itself above the surface of the waters. The famous Colossus of Rhodes, which was one of the seven wonders of the world, was erected in honour of Helios. This wonderful statue was 105 feet high, and was formed entirely of brass; it formed the entrance to the harbour at Rhodes, and the largest vessel could easily sail between the legs, which stood on moles, each side of the harbour. Though so gigantic, it was perfectly proportioned in every part. Some idea of EOS (AURORA). 67 its size may be gained from the fact that very few people were able to span the thumb of this statue with their arms. In the interior of the Colossus was a winding stair- case leading to the top, from the summit of which, by means of a telescope, the coast of Syria, and also the shores of Egypt, are said to have been visible. 1 EOS (ACKOBA). Eos, the Dawn, like her brother Helios, whose advent she always announced, was also deified by the early Greeks. She too had her own chariot, which she drove across the vast horizon both morning and night, before and after the sun-god. Hence she is not merely the personifica- tion of the rosy morn, but also of twilight, for which reason her palace is placed in the west, on the island JEsea. The abode of Eos is a magnificent structure, sur- rounded by flowery meads and velvety lawns, where nymphs and other immortal beings, wind in and out in the mazy figures of the dance, whilst the music of a sweetly-tuned melody accompanies their graceful, gliding movements. Eos is described by the poets as a beautiful maiden with rosy arms and fingers, and large wings, whose plumage is of an ever-changing hue; she bears a star on her forehead, and a torch in her hand. Wrapping round her the rich folds of her violet-tinged mantle, she leaves her couch before the break of day, and herself yokes her two horses, Lampetus and Phaethon, to her glorious chariot She then hastens with active cheerfulness to open the gates of heaven, in order to herald the approach of her brother, the god of day, whilst the tender plants and flowers, re- vived by the morning dew, lift their heads to welconu her as she passes. 1 This great work of antiquity was destroyed by an earthquake fifty- six years after its erection, B.C. 256. The fragments remained on the ground for many centuries, until Rhodes was conquered by the Turks, and they were eventually sold by one of the generals of Caliph Othman IV. to a merchant of Emesa for 36,000, A.D. 672. 68 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. Eos first married the Titan Astrseus, 1 and their children were Heosphorus (Hesperus), the evening star, and the winds. She afterwards became united to Tithonus, son of Laomedon, king of Troy, who had won her affection by his unrivalled beauty; and Eos, unhappy at the thought of their being ever separated by death, obtained for him from Zeus the gift of immortality, forgetting, however, to add to it that of eternal youth. The consequence was that when, in the course of time, Tithonus grew old and decrepid, and lost all the beauty which had won her admiration, Eos became disgusted with his infirmities, and at last shut him up in a chamber, where soon little else was left of him but his voice, which had now sunk into a weak, feeble quaver. According to some of the later poets, he became so weary of his cheerless and miser- able existence, that he entreated to be allowed to die. This was, however, impossible; but Eos, pitying his un- happy condition, exerted her divine power, and changed him into a grasshopper, which is, as it were, all voice, and whose monotonous, ceaseless chirpings may not in- aptly be compared to the meaningless babble of extreme old age. PHCEBUS-APOLLO. Phoebus-Apollo, the god of Light, Prophecy, Music, Poetry, and the Arts and Sciences, is by far the noblest conception within the whole range of Greek mythology, and his worship, which not only extended to all the states of Greece, but also to Asia Minor and to every Greek colony throughout the world, stands out among the most ancient and strongly-marked features of Grecian history, and exerted a more decided influence over the Greek nation, than that of any other deity, not excepting Zeus himself. Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto, and was born beneath the shade of a palm-tree which grew at the foot 1 According to some authorities, Strymon. PHCEBUS- APOLLO. of Mount Cynthus, on the barren and rocky island of Delos. The poets tell us that the earth smiled when the young god first beheld the light of day, and that Delos became so proud and exultant at the honour thus conferred upon her, that she covered herself with golden flowers; swans surrounded the island, and the Delian nymphs celebrated his birth with songs of joy. The unhappy Leto, driven to Delos by the relentless persecutions of Hera, was not long per- mitted to enjoy her haven of refuge. Being still tormented by her enemy, the young mother was once more obliged to fly; she therefore resigned the charge of her new-born babe to the goddess Themis, who carefully wrapped the help- less infant in swaddling-clothes, and fed him with nectar and ambrosia; but he had no sooner partaken of the heavenly food than, to the amazement of the goddess, he burst asunder the bands which confined his infant limbs, and springing to his feet, appeared before her as a full-grown youth of divine strength and beauty. He now demanded a lyre and a bow, declaring that hence- forth he would announce to mankind the will of his father Zeus. " The golden lyre," said he, " shall be my friend, the bent bow my delight, and in oracles will I foretell the dark future." With these words he ascended to Olympus, where he was received with joyful acclama- tions into the assembly of the celestial gods, who acknow- ledged him as the most beautiful and glorious of all the sons of Zeus. Phoebus- Apollo was the god of light in a twofold signi- 70 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. fication : first, as representing the great orb of day which illumines the world; and secondly, as the heavenly light which animates the soul of man. He inherited his func- tion as sun-god from Helios, with whom, in later times, he was so completely identified, that the personality of the one became gradually merged in that of the other. We, accordingly, find Helios frequently confounded with Apollo, myths belonging to the former attributed to the latter; and with some tribes the Ionic, for instance so complete is this identification, that Apollo is called by them Helios- Apollo. As the divinity whose power is developed in the broad light of day, he brings joy and delight to nature, and health and prosperity to man. By the influence of his warm and gentle rays he disperses the noxious vapours of the night, assists the grain to ripen and the flowers to bloom. But although, as god of the sun, he is a life-giving and life-preserving power, who, by his genial influence, dispels the cold of winter, he is, at the same time, the god who, by means of his fiercely darting rays, could spread disease and send sudden death to men and ani- mals; and it is to this phase of his character that we must look for the explanation of his being considered, in conjunction with his twin-sister, Artemis (as moon- goddess), a divinity of death. The brother and sister share this function between them, he taking man and she woman as her aim, and those especially who died in the bloom of youth, or at an advanced age, were believed to have been killed by their gentle arrows. But Apollo did not always send an easy death. We see in the Iliad how, when angry with the Greeks, the "god of the silver bow" strode down from Olympus, with his quiver full of death- bringing darts, and sent a raging pestilence into their camp. For nine days he let fly his fatal arrows, first on animals and then on men, till the air became darkened with the smoke from the funeral pyres. In his character as god of light, Phcebus- Apollo is the protecting deity of shepherds, because it is he who warms PHCEBTJS-APOLLO. 71 the fields and meadows, and gives rich pastures to the flocks, thereby gladdening the heart of the herdsman. As the temperate heat of the sun exercises so invigorat- ing an effect on man and animals, and promotes the growth of those medicinal herbs and vegetable productions necessary for the cure of diseases, Phoebus-Apollo was supposed to possess the power of restoring life and health; hence he was regarded as the god of healing; but this feature in his character we shall find more particularly developed in his son Asclepius (^Esculapius), the veritable god of the healing art. Pursuing our analysis of the various phases in the cha- racter of Phoebus- Apollo, we find that with the first beams of his genial light, all nature awakens to renewed life, and the woods re-echo with the jubilant sound of the untaught lays, warbled by thousands of feathered choristers. Hence, by a natural inference, he is the god of music, and as, according to the belief of the ancients, the inspirations of genius were inseparably connected with the glorious light of heaven, he is also the god of poetry, and acts as the special patron of the arts and sciences. Apollo is himself the heavenly musician among the Olympic gods, whose banquets are gladdened by the wondrous strains which he produces from his favourite instrument, the seven-stringed lyre. In the cultus of Apollo, music formed a distinguish- ing feature. All sacred dances, and even the sacrifices in his honour, were performed to the sound of musical in- struments; and it is, in a great measure, owing to the influence which the music in his worship exercised on the Greek nation, that Apollo came to be regarded as the leader of the nine Muses, the legitimate divinities of j>oetry and song. In tins character he is called Musagetes, and is always represented robed in a long flowing garment; his lyre, to the tones of which he appears to be singing, is suspended by a band across the chest; his head is en- 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 god of light under 72 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. another, and (as far as regards his influence over the Greek nation) a much more important aspect; for, in his- torical times, all the other functions and attributes of Apollo sink into comparative insignificance before the great power which he exercised as god of prophecy. It is true that all Greek gods were endowed, to a certain extent, with the faculty of foretelling future events; but Apollo, as sun-god, was the concentration of all prophetic power, as it was supposed that nothing escaped his all-seeing eye, which penetrated the most hidden recesses, and laid bare the secrets which lay concealed behind the dark veil of the future. We have seen that when Apollo assumed his god-like form, he took his place among the immortals; but he had not long enjoyed the rapturous delights of Olympus, before he felt within him an ardent desire to fulfil his great mis- sion of interpreting to mankind the will of his mighty father. He accordingly descended to earth, and travelled through many countries, seeking a fitting site upon which to establish an oracle. At length he reached the southern side of the rocky heights of Parnassus, beneath which lay the harbour of Crissa. Here, under the overhanging cliff, he found a secluded spot, where, from the most ancient times, there had existed an oracle, in which Gsea herself had revealed the future to man, and which, in Deucalion's time, she had resigned to Themis. It was guarded by the huge serpent Python, the scourge of the surrounding neighbourhood, and the terror alike of men and cattle. The young god, full of confidence in his unerring aim, attacked and slew the monster with his arrows, thus free- ing land and people from their mighty enemy. The grateful inhabitants, anxious to do honour to their deliverer, flocked round Apollo, who proceeded to mark out a plan for a temple, and, with the assistance of numbers of eager volunteers, a suitable edifice was soon erected. It now became necessary to choose ministers, who would offer up sacrifices, interpret his prophecies to the people, and take charge of the temple. Looking round, he saw in the far distance a vessel bound from Crete to the Pelopon- PHCEBUS-APOLLO. 73 nesus, and determined to avail himself of her crew for his service. Assuming the shape of an enormous dolphin, he agitated the waters to such a degree, that the ship was tossed violently to and fro, to the great alarm of the mariners; at the same time he raised a mighty wind, which drove the ship into the harbour of Crissa, where she ran aground. The terrified sailors dared not set foot on shore; but Apollo, under the form of a vigorous youth, stepped down to the vessel, revealed himself in his true character, and informed them that it was he who had driven them to Crissa, in order that they might become his priests, and serve him in his temple. Arrived at the sacred fane, he instructed them how to perform the services in his honour, and desired them to worship him under the name of Apollo-Delphinios, be- cause he had first appeared to them under the form of a dolphin. Thus was established the far-famed oracle of Delphi, the only institution of the kind which was not exclusively national, for it was consulted by Lydians, Phrygians, Etruscans, Romans, &c., and, in fact, was held in the highest repute all over the world. In obedience to its decrees, the laws of Lycurgus were introduced, and the earliest Greek colonies founded. No cities were built without first consulting the Delphic oracle, for it was be- lieved that Apollo took special delight in the founding of cities, the first stone of which he laid in person; nor was any enterprise ever undertaken, without inquiring at this sacred fane as to its probable success. But that which brought Apollo more closely home to the hearts of- the people, and raised the whole moral tone of the Greek nation, was the belief, gradually de- veloped with the intelligence of the people, that he was the god who accepted repentance as an atonement for sin, who pardoned the contrite sinner, and who acted as the special protector of those, who, like Orestes, had com- mitted a crime, which required long years of expiation. Apollo is represented by the poets as being eternally young; his countenance, glowing with joyous life, is the embodiment of immortal beauty; his eyes are of a deep 74 MYTHS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. blue; his forehead low, but broad and intellectual; his hair, which falls over his shoulders in long waving locks, is of a golden, or warm chestnut hue. He is crowned with laurel, and wears a purple robe; in his hand he bears his silver bow, which is unbent when he smiles, but ready for use when he menaces evil-doers. But Apollo, the eternally beautiful youth, the perfec- tion of all that is graceful and refined, rarely seems to have been happy in his love; either his advances met with a repulse, or his union with the object of his affec- tion was attended with fatal consequences. His first love was Daphne (daughter of Peneus, the river-god), who was so averse to marriage that she en- treated her father to allow her to lead a life of celibacy, and devote herself to the chase, which she loved to the exclusion of all other pursuits. But one day, soon after his victory over the Python, Apollo happened to see Eros bending his bow, and proud of his own superior strength and skill, he laughed at the efforts of the little archer, saying that such a weapon was more suited to the one who had just killed the terrible serpent. Eros angrily re- plied that his arrow should pierce the heart of the mocker himself, and flying off to the summit of Mount Parnas- sus, he drew from his quiver two darts of different work- manship one of gold, which had the effect of inspiring love; the other of lead, which created aversion. Taking aim at Apollo, he pierced his breast with the golden shaft, whilst the leaden one he discharged into the bosom of the beautiful Daphne. The son of Leto in- stantly felt the most ardent affection for the nymph, 'who, on her part, evinced the greatest dislike towards her divine lover, and, at his approach, fled from him like a hunted deer. He called upon her in the most endearing accents to stay, but she still sped on, until at length, becoming faint with fatigue, and fearing that she was about to succumb, she called upon the gods to come to her aid. Hardly had she uttered her prayer before a heavy torpor seized her limbs, and just as Apollo threw out his arms to embrace her, she became transformed PH