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Bulfinch’s Mythology: The Age of Fable

<h1 id="id01476" style="margin-top: 5em">CHAPTER XLI</h1> <h5 id="id01477">THE DRUIDS—IONA</h5> <h5 id="id01478">DRUIDS</h5> The Druids were the priests or ministers of religion among the ancient Celtic nations in Gaul, Britain, and Germany. Our information respecting them is borrowed from notices in the Greek and Roman writers, compared with the remains of Welsh and Gaelic poetry still extant. The Druids combined the functions of the priest, the magistrate, the scholar, and the physician. They stood to the people of the Celtic tribes in a relation closely analogous to that in which the Brahmans of India, the Magi of Persia, and the priests of the Egyptians stood to the people respectively by whom they were revered. The Druids taught the existence of one god, to whom they gave a name "Be' al," which Celtic antiquaries tell us means "the life of everything," or "the source of all beings," and which seems to have affinity with the Phoenician Baal. What renders this affinity more striking is that the Druids as well as the Phoenicians identified this, their supreme deity, with the Sun. Fire was regarded as a symbol of the divinity. The Latin writers assert that the Druids also worshipped numerous inferior gods. They used no images to represent the object of their worship, nor did they meet in temples or buildings of any kind for the performance of their sacred rites. A circle of stones (each stone generally of vast size), enclosing an area of from twenty feet to thirty yards in diameter, constituted their sacred place. The most celebrated of these now remaining is Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain, England. These sacred circles were generally situated near some stream, or under the shadow of a grove or wide-spreading oak. In the centre of the circle stood the Cromlech or altar, which was a large stone, placed in the manner of a table upon other stones set up on end. The Druids had also their high places, which were large stones or piles of stones on the summits of hills. These were called Cairns, and were used in the worship of the deity under the symbol of the sun. That the Druids offered sacrifices to their deity there can be no doubt. But there is some uncertainty as to what they offered, and of the ceremonies connected with their religious services we know almost nothing. The classical (Roman) writers affirm that they offered on great occasions human sacrifices; as for success in war or for relief from dangerous diseases. Caesar has given a detailed account of the manner in which this was done. "They have images of immense size, the limbs of which are framed with twisted twigs and filled with living persons. These being set on fire, those within are encompassed by the flames." Many attempts have been made by Celtic writers to shake the testimony of the Roman historians to this fact, but without success. The Druids observed two festivals in each year. The former took place in the beginning of May, and was called Beltane or "fire of God." On this occasion a large fire was kindled on some elevated spot, in honor of the sun, whose returning beneficence they thus welcomed after the gloom and desolation of winter. Of this custom a trace remains in the name given to Whitsunday in parts of Scotland to this day. Sir Walter Scott uses the word in the "Boat Song" in the "Lady of the Lake": "Ours is no sapling, chance sown by the fountain, Blooming at Beltane in winter to fade;" etc. The other great festival of the Druids was called "Samh'in," or "fire of peace," and was held on Halloweve (first of November), which still retains this designation in the Highlands of Scotland. On this occasion the Druids assembled in solemn conclave, in the most central part of the district, to discharge the judicial functions of their order. All questions, whether public or private, all crimes against person or property, were at this time brought before them for adjudication. With these judicial acts were combined certain superstitious usages, especially the kindling of the sacred fire, from which all the fires in the district, which had been beforehand scrupulously extinguished, might be relighted. This usage of kindling fires on Hallow-eve lingered in the British islands long after the establishment of Christianity. Besides these two great annual festivals, the Druids were in the habit of observing the full moon, and especially the sixth day of the moon. On the latter they sought the Mistletoe, which grew on their favorite oaks, and to which, as well as to the oak itself, they ascribed a peculiar virtue and sacredness. The discovery of it was an occasion of rejoicing and solemn worship. "They call it," says Pliny, "by a word in their language, which means 'heal- all,' and having made solemn preparation for feasting and sacrifice under the tree, they drive thither two milk-white bulls, whose horns are then for the first time bound. The priest then, robed in white, ascends the tree, and cuts off the mistletoe with a golden sickle. It is caught in a white mantle, after which they proceed to slay the victims, at the same time praying that God would render his gift prosperous to those to whom he had given it." They drink the water in which it has been infused, and think it a remedy for all diseases. The mistletoe is a parasitic plant, and is not always nor often found on the oak, so that when it is found it is the more precious. The Druids were the teachers of morality as well as of religion. Of their ethical teaching a valuable specimen is preserved in the Triads of the Welsh Bards, and from this we may gather that their views of moral rectitude were on the whole just, and that they held and inculcated many very noble and valuable principles of conduct. They were also the men of science and learning of their age and people. Whether they were acquainted with letters or not has been disputed, though the probability is strong that they were, to some extent. But it is certain that they committed nothing of their doctrine, their history, or their poetry to writing. Their teaching was oral, and their literature (if such a word may be used in such a case) was preserved solely by tradition. But the Roman writers admit that "they paid much attention to the order and laws of nature, and investigated and taught to the youth under their charge many things concerning the stars and their motions, the size of the world and the lands, and concerning the might and power of the immortal gods." Their history consisted in traditional tales, in which the heroic deeds of their forefathers were celebrated. These were apparently in verse, and thus constituted part of the poetry as well as the history of the Druids. In the poems of Ossian we have, if not the actual productions of Druidical times, what may be considered faithful representations of the songs of the Bards. The Bards were an essential part of the Druidical hierarchy. One author, Pennant, says, "The Bards were supposed to be endowed with powers equal to inspiration. They were the oral historians of all past transactions, public and private. They were also accomplished genealogists," etc. Pennant gives a minute account of the Eisteddfods or sessions of the Bards and minstrels, which were held in Wales for many centuries, long after the Druidical priesthood in its other departments became extinct. At these meetings none but Bards of merit were suffered to rehearse their pieces, and minstrels of skill to perform. Judges were appointed to decide on their respective abilities, and suitable degrees were conferred. In the earlier period the judges were appointed by the Welsh princes, and after the conquest of Wales, by commission from the kings of England. Yet the tradition is that Edward I., in revenge for the influence of the Bards in animating the resistance of the people to his sway, persecuted them with great cruelty. This tradition has furnished the poet Gray with the subject of his celebrated ode, the "Bard." There are still occasional meetings of the lovers of Welsh poetry and music, held under the ancient name. Among Mrs. Hemans' poems is one written for an Eisteddfod, or meeting of Welsh Bards, held in London, May 22, 1822. It begins with a description of the ancient meeting, of which the following lines are a part: "… midst the eternal cliffs, whose strength defied The crested Roman in his hour of pride; And where the Druid's ancient cromlech frowned, And the oaks breathed mysterious murmurs round, There thronged the inspired of yore! on plain or height, In the sun's face, beneath the eye of light, And baring unto heaven each noble head, Stood in the circle, where none else might tread." The Druidical system was at its height at the time of the Roman invasion under Julius Caesar. Against the Druids, as their chief enemies, these conquerors of the world directed their unsparing fury. The Druids, harassed at all points on the mainland, retreated to Anglesey and Iona, where for a season they found shelter and continued their now dishonored rites. The Druids retained their predominance in Iona and over the adjacent islands and mainland until they were supplanted and their superstitions overturned by the arrival of St. Columba, the apostle of the Highlands, by whom the inhabitants of that district were first led to profess Christianity. <h5 id="id01497">IONA</h5> One of the smallest of the British Isles, situated near a rugged and barren coast, surrounded by dangerous seas, and possessing no sources of internal wealth, Iona has obtained an imperishable place in history as the seat of civilization and religion at a time when the darkness of heathenism hung over almost the whole of Northern Europe. lona or Icolmkill is situated at the extremity of the island of Mull, from which it is separated by a strait of half a mile in breadth, its distance from the mainland of Scotland being thirty-six miles. Columba was a native of Ireland, and connected by birth with the princes of the land. Ireland was at that time a land of gospel light, while the western and northern parts of Scotland were still immersed in the darkness of heathenism. Columba with twelve friends landed on the island of lona in the year of our Lord 563, having made the passage in a wicker boat covered with hides. The Druids who occupied the island endeavored to prevent his settling there, and the savage nations on the adjoining shores incommoded him with their hostility, and on several occasions endangered his life by their attacks. Yet by his perseverance and zeal he surmounted all opposition, procured from the king a gift of the island, and established there a monastery of which he was the abbot. He was unwearied in his labors to disseminate a knowledge of the Scriptures throughout the Highlands and islands of Scotland, and such was the reverence paid him that though not a bishop, but merely a presbyter and monk, the entire province with its bishops was subject to him and his successors. The Pictish monarch was so impressed with a sense of his wisdom and worth that he held him in the highest honor, and the neighboring chiefs and princes sought his counsel and availed themselves of his judgment in settling their disputes. When Columba landed on lona he was attended by twelve followers whom he had formed into a religious body of which he was the head. To these, as occasion required, others were from time to time added, so that the original number was always kept up. Their institution was called a monastery and the superior an abbot, but the system had little in common with the monastic institutions of later times. The name by which those who submitted to the rule were known was that of Culdees, probably from the Latin "cultores Dei"—worshippers of God. They were a body of religious persons associated together for the purpose of aiding each other in the common work of preaching the gospel and teaching youth, as well as maintaining in themselves the fervor of devotion by united exercises of worship. On entering the order certain vows were taken by the members, but they were not those which were usually imposed by monastic orders, for of these, which are three,— celibacy, poverty, and obedience.—the Culdees were bound to none except the third. To poverty they did not bind themselves; on the contrary they seem to have labored diligently to procure for themselves and those dependent on them the comforts of life. Marriage also was allowed them, and most of them seem to have entered into that state. True, their wives were not permitted to reside with them at the institution, but they had a residence assigned to them in an adjacent locality. Near lona there is an island which still bears the name of "Eilen nam ban," women's island, where their husbands seem to have resided with them, except when duty required their presence in the school or the sanctuary. Campbell, in his poem of "Reullura," alludes to the married monks of Iona: "… The pure Culdees Were Albyn's earliest priests of God, Ere yet an island of her seas By foot of Saxon monk was trod, Long ere her churchmen by bigotry Were barred from holy wedlock's tie. 'Twas then that Aodh, famed afar, In lona preached the word with power, And Reullura, beauty's star, Was the partner of his bower." In one of his "Irish Melodies," Moore gives the legend of St. Senanus and the lady who sought shelter on the island, but was repulsed: "O, haste and leave this sacred isle, Unholy bark, ere morning smile; For on thy deck, though dark it be, A female form I see; And I have sworn this sainted sod Shall ne'er by woman's foot be trod." In these respects and in others the Culdees departed from the established rules of the Romish church, and consequently were deemed heretical. The consequence was that as the power of the latter advanced that of the Culdees was enfeebled. It was not, however, till the thirteenth centurv that the communities of the Culdees were suppressed and the members dispersed. They still continued to labor as individuals, and resisted the inroads of Papal usurpation as they best might till the light of the Reformation dawned on the world. Iona, from its position in the western seas, was exposed to the assaults of the Norwegian and Danish rovers by whom those seas were infested, and by them it was repeatedly pillaged, its dwellings burned, and its peaceful inhabitants put to the sword. These unfavorable circumstances led to its gradual decline, which was expedited by the subversion of the Culdees throughout Scotland. Under the reign of Popery the island became the seat of a nunnery, the ruins of which are still seen. At the Reformation, the nuns were allowed to remain, living in community, when the abbey was dismantled. Iona is now chiefly resorted to by travellers on account of the numerous ecclesiastical and sepulchral remains which are found upon it. The principal of these are the Cathedral or Abbey Church and the Chapel of the Nunnery. Besides these remains of ecclesiastical antiquity, there are some of an earlier date, and pointing to the existence on the island of forms of worship and belief different from those of Christianity. These are the circular Cairns which are found in various parts, and which seem to have been of Druidical origin. It is in reference to all these remains of ancient religion that Johnson exclaims, "That man is little to be envied whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plains of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow warmer amid the ruins of lona." In the "Lord of the Isles" Scott beautifully contrasts the church on lona with the cave of Staffa, opposite: "Nature herself, it seemed, would raise A minister to her Maker's praise! Not for a meaner use ascend Her columns, or her arches bend; Nor of a theme less solemn tells That mighty surge that ebbs and swells, And still between each awful pause, From the high vault an answer draws, In varied tone, prolonged and high, That mocks the organ's melody; Nor doth its entrance front in vain To old Iona's holy fane, That Nature's voice might seem to say, Well hast thou done, frail child of clay! Thy humble powers that stately shrine Tasked high and hard—but witness mine!" <h1 id="id01510" style="margin-top: 6em">GLOSSARY</h1> Abdalrahman, founder of the independent Ommiad (Saracenic) power in Spain, conquered at Tours by Charles Martel Aberfraw, scene of nuptials of Branwen and Matholch Absyrtus, younger brother of Medea Abydos, a town on the Hellespont, nearly opposite to Sestos Abyla, Mount, or Columna, a mountain in Morocco, near Ceuta, now called Jebel Musa or Ape's Hill, forming the Northwestern extremity of the African coast opposite Gibraltar (See Pillars of Hercules) Acestes, son of a Trojan woman who was sent by her father to Sicily, that she might not be devoured by the monsters which infested the territory of Troy Acetes, Bacchanal captured by Pentheus Achates, faithful friend and companion of Aeneas Achelous, river-god of the largest river in Greece—his Horn of Plenty Achilles, the hero of the Iliad, son of Peleus and of the Nereid Thetis, slain by Paris Acis, youth loved by Galatea and slain by Polyphemus Acontius, a beautiful youth, who fell in love with Cydippe, the daughter of a noble Athenian. Acrisius, son of Abas, king of Argos, grandson of Lynceus, the great-grandson of Danaus. Actaeon, a celebrated huntsman, son of Aristaeus and Autonoe, who, having seen Diana bathing, was changed by her to a stag and killed by his own dogs. Admeta, daughter of Eurystheus, covets Hippolyta's girdle. Admetus, king of Thessaly, saved from death by Alcestis Adonis, a youth beloved by Aphrodite (Venus), and Proserpine; killed by a boar. Adrastus, a king of Argos. Aeacus, son of Zeus (Jupiter) and Aegina, renowned in all Greece for his justice and piety. Aeaea, Circe's island, visited by Ulysses. Aeetes, or Aeeta, son of Helios (the Sun) and Perseis, and father of Medea and Absyrtus. Aegeus, king of Athens. Aegina, a rocky island in the middle of the Saronic gulf. Aegis, shield or breastplate of Jupiter and Minerva. Aegisthus, murderer of Agamemnon, slain by Orestes. Aeneas, Trojan hero, son of Anchises and Aphrodite (Venus), and born on Mount Ida, reputed first settler of Rome, Aeneid, poem by Virgil, relating the wanderings of Aeneas from Troy to Italy, Ae'olus, son of Hellen and the nymph Orseis, represented in Homer as the happy ruler of the Aeolian Islands, to whom Zeus had given dominion over the winds, Aesculapius, god of the medical art, Aeson, father of Jason, made young again by Medea, Aethiopians, inhabitants of the country south of Egypt, Aethra, mother of Theseus by Aegeus, Aetna, volcano in Sicily, Agamedes, brother of Trophonius, distinguished as an architect, Agamemnon, son of Plisthenis and grandson of Atreus, king of Mycenae, although the chief commander of the Greeks, is not the hero of the Iliad, and in chivalrous spirit altogether inferior to Achilles, Agave, daughter of Cadmus, wife of Echion, and mother of Pentheus, Agenor, father of Europa, Cadmus, Cilix, and Phoenix, Aglaia, one of the Graces, Agni, Hindu god of fire, Agramant, a king in Africa, Agrican, fabled king of Tartary, pursuing Angelica, finally killed by Orlando, Agrivain, one of Arthur's knights, Ahriman, the Evil Spirit in the dual system of Zoroaster, See Ormuzd Ajax, son of Telamon, king of Salamis, and grandson of Aeacus, represented in the Iliad as second only to Achilles in bravery, Alba, the river where King Arthur fought the Romans, Alba Longa, city in Italy founded by son of Aeneas, Alberich, dwarf guardian of Rhine gold treasure of the Nibelungs Albracca, siege of, Alcestis, wife of Admetus, offered hersell as sacrifice to spare her husband, but rescued by Hercules, Alcides (Hercules), Alcina, enchantress, Alcinous, Phaeacian king, Alcippe, daughter of Mars, carried off by Halirrhothrus, Alcmena, wife of Jupiter, and mother of Hercules, Alcuin, English prelate and scholar, Aldrovandus, dwarf guardian of treasure, Alecto, one of the Furies, Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia, conqueror of Greece, Egypt, Persia, Babylonia, and India, Alfadur, a name for Odin, Alfheim, abode of the elves of light, Alice, mother of Huon and Girard, sons of Duke Sevinus, Alphenor, son of Niobe, Alpheus, river god pursuing Arethusa, who escaped by being changed to a fountain, Althaea, mother of Meleager, whom she slew because he had in a quarrel killed her brothers, thus disgracing "the house of Thestius," her father, Amalthea, nurse of the infant Jupiter in Crete, Amata, wife of Latinus, driven mad by Alecto, Amaury of Hauteville, false hearted Knight of Charlemagne, Amazons, mythical race of warlike women, Ambrosia, celestial food used by the gods, Ammon, Egyptian god of life identified by Romans with phases of Jupiter, the father of gods, Amphiaraus, a great prophet and hero at Argos, Amphion, a musician, son of Jupiter and Antiope (See Dirce), Amphitrite, wife of Neptune, Amphyrsos, a small river in Thessaly, Ampyx, assailant of Perseus, turned to stone by seeing Gorgon's head, Amrita, nectar giving immortality, Amun, See Ammon Amymone, one of the fifty daughters of Danaus, and mother by Poseidon (Neptune) of Nauplius, the father of Palamedes, Anaxarete, a maiden of Cyprus, who treated her lover Iphis with such haughtiness that he hanged himself at her door, Anbessa, Saracenic governor of Spain (725 AD), Anceus, one of the Argonauts, Anchises, beloved by Aphrodite (Venus), by whom he became the father of Aeneas, Andraemon, husband of Dryope, saw her changed into a tree, Andret, a cowardly knight, spy upon Tristram, Andromache, wife of Hector Andromeda, daughter of King Cephas, delivered from monster by Perseus Aneurin, Welsh bard Angelica, Princess of Cathay Anemone, short lived wind flower, created by Venus from the blood of the slain Adonis Angerbode, giant prophetess, mother of Fenris, Hela and the Midgard Serpent Anglesey, a Northern British island, refuge of Druids fleeing from Romans Antaeus, giant wrestler of Libya, killed by Hercules, who, finding him stronger when thrown to the earth, lifted him into the air and strangled him Antea, wife of jealous Proetus Antenor, descendants of, in Italy Anteros, deity avenging unrequited love, brother of Eros (Cupid) Anthor, a Greek Antigone, daughter of Aedipus, Greek ideal of filial and sisterly fidelity Antilochus, son of Nestor Antiope, Amazonian queen. See Dirce Anubis, Egyptian god, conductor of the dead to judgment Apennines Aphrodite See Venus, Dione, etc. Apis, Egyptian bull god of Memphis Apollo, god of music and song Apollo Belvedere, famous antique statue in Vatican at Rome Apples of the Hesperides, wedding gifts to Juno, guarded by daughters of Atlas and Hesperis, stolen by Atlas for Hercules, Aquilo, or Boreas, the North Wind, Aquitaine, ancient province of Southwestern France, Arachne, a maiden skilled in weaving, changed to a spider by Minerva for daring to compete with her, Arcadia, a country in the middle of Peloponnesus, surrounded on all sides by mountains, Arcady, star of, the Pole star, Arcas, son of Jupiter and Callisto, Archer, constellation of the, Areopagus, court of the, at Athens, Ares, called Mars by the Romans, the Greek god of war, and one of the great Olympian gods, Arethusa, nymph of Diana, changed to a fountain, Argius king of Ireland, father of Isoude the Fair, Argo, builder of the vessel of Jason for the Argonautic expedition, Argolis, city of the Nemean games, Argonauts, Jason's crew seeking the Golden Fleece, Argos, a kingdom in Greece, Argus, of the hundred eyes, guardian of Io, Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, who helped Theseus slay the Minotaur, Arimanes SEE Ahriman. Arimaspians, one-eyed people of Syria, Arion, famous musician, whom sailors cast into the sea to rob him, but whose lyric song charmed the dolphins, one of which bore him safely to land, Aristaeus, the bee keeper, in love with Eurydice, Armorica, another name for Britain, Arridano, a magical ruffian, slain by Orlando, Artemis SEE Diana Arthgallo, brother of Elidure, British king, Arthur, king in Britain about the 6th century, Aruns, an Etruscan who killed Camilla, Asgard, home of the Northern gods, Ashtaroth, a cruel spirit, called by enchantment to bring Rinaldo to death, Aske, the first man, made from an ash tree, Astolpho of England, one of Charlemagne's knights, Astraea, goddess of justice, daughter of Astraeus and Eos, Astyages, an assailant of Perseus, Astyanax, son of Hector of Troy, established kingdom of Messina in Italy, Asuias, opponents of the Braminical gods, Atalanta, beautiful daughter of King of Icaria, loved and won in a foot race by Hippomenes, Ate, the goddess of infatuation, mischief and guilt, Athamas, son of Aeolus and Enarete, and king of Orchomenus, in Boeotia, SEE Ino Athene, tutelary goddess of Athens, the same as Minerva, Athens, the capital of Attica, about four miles from the sea, between the small rivers Cephissus and Ilissus, Athor, Egyptian deity, progenitor of Isis and Osiris, Athos, the mountainous peninsula, also called Acte, which projects from Chalcidice in Macedonia, Atlantes, foster father of Rogero, a powerful magician, Atlantis, according to an ancient tradition, a great island west of the Pillars of Hercules, in the ocean, opposite Mount Atlas, Atlas, a Titan, who bore the heavens on his shoulders, as punishment for opposing the gods, one of the sons of Iapetus, Atlas, Mount, general name for range in northern Africa, Atropos, one of the Fates Attica, a state in ancient Greece, Audhumbla, the cow from which the giant Ymir was nursed. Her milk was frost melted into raindrops, Augean stables, cleansed by Hercules, Augeas, king of Elis, Augustan age, reign of Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar, famed for many great authors, Augustus, the first imperial Caesar, who ruled the Roman Empire 31 BC—14 AD, Aulis, port in Boeotia, meeting place of Greek expedition against Troy, Aurora, identical with Eos, goddess of the dawn, Aurora Borealis, splendid nocturnal luminosity in northern sky, called Northern Lights, probably electrical, Autumn, attendant of Phoebus, the Sun, Avalon, land of the Blessed, an earthly paradise in the Western Seas, burial place of King Arthur, Avatar, name for any of the earthly incarnations of Vishnu, the Preserver (Hindu god), Aventine, Mount, one of the Seven Hills of Rome, Avernus, a miasmatic lake close to the promontory between Cumae and Puteoli, filling the crater of an extinct volcano, by the ancients thought to be the entrance to the infernal regions, Avicenna, celebrated Arabian physician and philosopher, Aya, mother of Rinaldo, Aymon, Duke, father of Rinaldo and Bradamante, <h5 id="id01681">B</h5> Baal, king of Tyre, Babylonian River, dried up when Phaeton drove the sun chariot, Bacchanali a, a feast to Bacchus that was permitted to occur but once in three years, attended by most shameless orgies, Bacchanals, devotees and festal dancers of Bacchus, Bacchus (Dionysus), god of wine and revelry, Badon, battle of, Arthur's final victory over the Saxons, Bagdemagus, King, a knight of Arthur's time, Baldur, son of Odin, and representing in Norse mythology the sun god, Balisardo, Orlando's sword, Ban, King of Brittany, ally of Arthur, father of Launcelot, Bards, minstrels of Welsh Druids, Basilisk SEE Cockatrice Baucis, wife of Philemon, visited by Jupiter and Mercury, Bayard, wild horse subdued by Rinaldo, Beal, Druids' god of life, Bedivere, Arthur's knight, Bedver, King Arthur's butler, made governor of Normandy, Bedwyr, knightly comrade of Geraint, Belisarda, Rogero's sword, Bellerophon, demigod, conqueror of the Chimaera, Bellona, the Roman goddess of war, represented as the sister or wife of Mars, Beltane, Druidical fire festival, Belus, son of Poseidon (Neptune) and Libya or Eurynome, twin brother of Agenor, Bendigeid Vran, King of Britain, Beowulf, hero and king of the Swedish Geats, Beroe, nurse of Semele, Bertha, mother of Orlando, Bifrost, rainbow bridge between the earth and Asgard Bladud, inventor, builder of the city of Bath, Blamor, a knight of Arthur, Bleoberis, a knight of Arthur, Boeotia, state in ancient Greece, capital city Thebes, Bohort, King, a knight of Arthur, Bona Dea, a Roman divinity of fertility, Bootes, also called Areas, son of Jupiter and Calisto, changed to constellation of Ursa Major, Boreas, North wind, son of Aeolus and Aurora, Bosporus (Bosphorus), the Cow-ford, named for Io, when as a heifer she crossed that strait, Bradamante, sister to Rinaldo, a female warrior, Brademagus, King, father of Sir Maleagans, Bragi, Norse god of poetry, Brahma, the Creator, chief god of Hindu religion, Branwen, daughter of Llyr, King of Britain, wife of Mathclch, Breciliande, forest of, where Vivian enticed Merlin, Brengwain, maid of Isoude the Fair Brennus, son of Molmutius, went to Gaul, became King of the Allobroges, Breuse, the Pitiless, a caitiff knight, Briareus, hundred armed giant, Brice, Bishop, sustainer of Arthur when elected king, Brigliadoro, Orlando's horse, Briseis, captive maid belonging to Achilles, Britto, reputed ancestor of British people, Bruhier, Sultan of Arabia, Brunello, dwarf, thief, and king Brunhild, leader of the Valkyrie, Brutus, great grandson of Aeneas, and founder of city of New Troy (London), SEE Pandrasus Bryan, Sir, a knight of Arthur, Buddha, called The Enlightened, reformer of Brahmanism, deified teacher of self abnegation, virtue, reincarnation, Karma (inevitable sequence of every act), and Nirvana (beatific absorption into the Divine), lived about Byblos, in Egypt, Byrsa, original site of Carthage, <h5 id="id01741">C</h5> Cacus, gigantic son of Vulcan, slain by Hercules, whose captured cattle he stole, Cadmus, son of Agenor, king of Phoenicia, and of Telephassa, and brother of Europa, who, seeking his sister, carried off by Jupiter, had strange adventures—sowing in the ground teeth of a dragon he had killed, which sprang up armed men who slew each other, all but five, who helped Cadmus to found the city of Thebes, Caduceus, Mercury's staff, Cadwallo, King of Venedotia (North Wales), Caerleon, traditional seat of Arthur's court, Caesar, Julius, Roman lawyer, general, statesman and author, conquered and consolidated Roman territory, making possible the Empire, Caicus, a Greek river, Cairns, Druidical store piles, Calais, French town facing England, Calchas, wisest soothsayer among the Greeks at Troy, Caliburn, a sword of Arthur, Calliope, one of the nine Muses Callisto, an Arcadian nymph, mother of Arcas (SEE Bootes), changed by Jupiter to constellation Ursa Minor, Calpe, a mountain in the south of Spain, on the strait between the Atlantic and Mediterranean, now Rock of Gibraltar, Calydon, home of Meleager, Calypso, queen of Island of Ogyia, where Ulysses was wrecked and held seven years, Camber, son of Brutus, governor of West Albion (Wales), Camelot, legendary place in England where Arthur's court and palace were located, Camenae, prophetic nymphs, belonging to the religion of ancient Italy, Camilla, Volscian maiden, huntress and Amazonian warrior, favorite of Diana, Camlan, battle of, where Arthur was mortally wounded, Canterbury, English city, Capaneus, husband of Evadne, slain by Jupiter for disobedience, Capet, Hugh, King of France (987-996 AD), Caradoc Briefbras, Sir, great nephew of King Arthur, Carahue, King of Mauretania, Carthage, African city, home of Dido Cassandra, daughter of Priam and Hecuba, and twin sister of Helenus, a prophetess, who foretold the coming of the Greeks but was not believed, Cassibellaunus, British chieftain, fought but not conquered by Caesar, Cassiopeia, mother of Andromeda, Castalia, fountain of Parnassus, giving inspiration to Oracular priestess named Pythia, Castalian Cave, oracle of Apollo, Castes (India), Castor and Pollux—the Dioscuri, sons of Jupiter and Leda,— Castor a horseman, Pollux a boxer (SEE Gemini), Caucasus, Mount Cavall, Arthur's favorite dog, Cayster, ancient river, Cebriones, Hector's charioteer, Cecrops, first king of Athens, Celestials, gods of classic mythology, Celeus, shepherd who sheltered Ceres, seeking Proserpine, and whose infant son Triptolemus was in gratitude made great by Ceres, Cellini, Benvenuto, famous Italian sculptor and artificer in metals, Celtic nations, ancient Gauls and Britons, modern Bretons, Welsh, Irish and Gaelic Scotch, Centaurs, originally an ancient race, inhabiting Mount Pelion in Thessaly, in later accounts represented as half horses and half men, and said to have been the offspring of Ixion and a cloud, Cephalus, husband of beautiful but jealous Procris, Cephe us, King of Ethiopians, father of Andromeda, Cephisus, a Grecian stream, Cerberus, three-headed dog that guarded the entrance to Hades, called a son of Typhaon and Echidna CERES (See Demeter) CESTUS, the girdle of Venus CEYX, King of Thessaly (See Halcyone) CHAOS, original Confusion, personified by Greeks as most ancient of the gods CHARLEMAGNE, king of the Franks and emperor of the Romans CHARLES MARTEL', king of the Franks, grandfather of Charlemagne, called Martel (the Hammer) from his defeat of the Saracens at Tours CHARLOT, son of Charlemagne CHARON, son of Erebos, conveyed in his boat the shades of the dead across the rivers of the lower world CHARYB'DIS, whirlpool near the coast of Sicily, See Scylla CHIMAERA, a fire breathing monster, the fore part of whose body was that of a lion, the hind part that of a dragon, and the middle that of a goat, slain by Bellerophon CHINA, Lamas (priests) of CHOS, island in the Grecian archipelago CHIRON, wisest of all the Centaurs, son of Cronos (Saturn) and Philyra, lived on Mount Pelion, instructor of Grecian heroes CHRYSEIS, Trojan maid, taken by Agamemnon CHRYSES, priest of Apollo, father of Chryseis CICONIANS, inhabitants of Ismarus, visited by Ulysses CIMBRI, an ancient people of Central Europe Cimmeria, a land of darkness Cimon, Athenian general Circe, sorceress, sister of Aeetes Cithaeron, Mount, scene of Bacchic worship Clarimunda, wife of Huon Clio, one of the Muses Cloridan, a Moor Clotho, one of the Fates Clymene, an ocean nymph Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon, killed by Orestes Clytie, a water nymph, in love with Apollo Cnidos, ancient city of Asia Minor, seat of worship of Aphrodite (Venus) Cockatrice (or Basilisk), called King of Serpents, supposed to kill with its look Cocytus, a river of Hades Colchis, a kingdom east of the Black Sea Colophon, one of the seven cities claiming the birth of Homer Columba, St, an Irish Christian missionary to Druidical parts of Scotland Conan, Welsh king Constantine, Greek emperor Cordeilla, daughter of the mythical King Leir Corineus, a Trojan warrior in Albion Cornwall, southwest part of Britain Cortana, Ogier's sword Corybantes, priests of Cybele, or Rhea, in Phrygia, who celebrated her worship with dances, to the sound of the drum and the cymbal, 143 Crab, constellation Cranes and their enemies, the Pygmies, of Ibycus Creon, king of Thebes Crete, one of the largest islands of the Mediterranean Sea, lying south of the Cyclades Creusa, daughter of Priam, wife of Aeneas Crocale, a nymph of Diana Cromlech, Druidical altar Cronos, See Saturn Crotona, city of Italy Cuchulain, Irish hero, called the "Hound of Ireland," Culdees', followers of St. Columba, Cumaean Sibyl, seeress of Cumae, consulted by Aeneas, sold Sibylline books to Tarquin Cupid, child of Venus and god of love Curoi of Kerry, wise man Cyane, river, opposed Pluto's passage to Hades Cybele (Rhea) Cyclopes, creatures with circular eyes, of whom Homer speaks as a gigantic and lawless race of shepherds in Sicily, who devoured human beings, they helped Vulcan to forge the thunderbolts of Zeus under Aetna Cymbeline, king of ancient Britain Cynosure (Dog's tail), the Pole star, at tail of Constellation Ursa Minor Cynthian mountain top, birthplace of Artemis (Diana) and Apollo Cyprus, island off the coast of Syria, sacred to Aphrodite Cyrene, a nymph, mother of Aristaeus Daedalus, architect of the Cretan Labyrinth, inventor of sails Daguenet, King Arthur's fool Dalai Lama, chief pontiff of Thibet Danae, mother of Perseus by Jupiter Danaides, the fifty daughters of Danaus, king of Argos, who were betrothed to the fifty sons of Aegyptus, but were commanded by their father to slay each her own husband on the marriage night Danaus (See Danaides) Daphne, maiden loved by Apollo, and changed into a laurel tree Dardanelles, ancient Hellespont Dardanus, progenitor of the Trojan kings Dardinel, prince of Zumara Dawn, See Aurora Day, an attendant on Phoebus, the Sun Day star (Hesperus) Death, See Hela Deiphobus, son of Priam and Hecuba, the bravest brother of Paris Dejanira, wife of Hercules Delos, floating island, birthplace of Apollo and Diana Delphi, shrine of Apollo, famed for its oracles Demeter, Greek goddess of marriage and human fertility, identified by Romans with Ceres Demeha, South Wales Demodocus, bard of Alomous, king of the Phaeaeians Deucalion, king of Thessaly, who with his wife Pyrrha were the only pair surviving a deluge sent by Zeus Dia, island of Diana (Artemis), goddess of the moon and of the chase, daughter of Jupiter and Latona Diana of the Hind, antique sculpture in the Louvre, Paris Diana, temple of Dictys, a sailor Didier, king of the Lombards Dido, queen of Tyre and Carthage, entertained the shipwrecked Aeneas Diomede, Greek hero during Trojan War Dione, female Titan, mother of Zeus, of Aphrodite (Venus) Dionysus See Bacchus Dioscuri, the Twins (See Castor and Pollux) Dirce, wife of Lycus, king of Thebes, who ordered Amphion and Zethus to tie Antiope to a wild bull, but they, learning Antiope to be their mother, so treated Dirce herself Dis See Pluto Discord, apple of, See Eris. Discordia, See Eris. Dodona, site of an oracle of Zeus (Jupiter) Dorceus, a dog of Diana Doris, wife of Nereus Dragon's teeth sown by Cadmus Druids, ancient Celtic priests Dryades (or Dryads), See Wood nymphs Dryope, changed to a lotus plant, for plucking a lotus—enchanted form of the nymph Lotis Dubricius, bishop of Caerleon, Dudon, a knight, comrade of Astolpho, Dunwallo Molmu'tius, British king and lawgiver Durindana, sword of Orlando or Rinaldo Dwarfs in Wagner's Nibelungen Ring <h5 id="id01901">E</h5> Earth (Gaea); goddess of the Ebudians, the Echo, nymph of Diana, shunned by Narcissus, faded to nothing but a voice Ecklenlied, the Eddas, Norse mythological records, Ederyn, son of Nudd Egena, nymph of the Fountain Eisteddfod, session of Welsh bards and minstrels Electra, the lost one of the Pleiades, also, sister of Orestes Eleusian Mysteries, instituted by Ceres, and calculated to awaken feelings of piety and a cheerful hope of better life in the future Eleusis, Grecian city Elgin Marbles, Greek sculptures from the Parthenon of Athens, now in British Museum, London, placed there by Lord Elgin Eliaures, enchanter Elidure, a king of Britain Elis, ancient Greek city Elli, old age; the one successful wrestler against Thor Elphin, son of Gwyddiro Elves, spiritual beings, of many powers and dispositions—some evil, some good Elvidnir, the ball of Hela Elysian Fields, the land of the blest Elysian Plain, whither the favored of the gods were taken without death Elysium, a happy land, where there is neither snow, nor cold, nor ram. Hither favored heroes, like Menelaus, pass without dying, and live happy under the rule of Rhadamanthus. In the Latin poets Elysium is part of the lower world, and the residence of the shades of the blessed Embla, the first woman Enseladus, giant defeated by Jupiter Endymion, a beautiful youth beloved by Diana Enid, wife of Geraint Enna, vale of home of Proserpine Enoch, the patriarch Epidaurus, a town in Argolis, on the Saronic gulf, chief seat of the worship of Aeculapius, whose temple was situated near the town Epimetheus, son of Iapetus, husband of Pandora, with his brother Prometheus took part in creation of man Epirus, country to the west of Thessaly, lying along the Adriatic Sea Epopeus, a sailor Erato, one of the Muses Erbin of Cornwall, father of Geraint Erebus, son of Chaos, region of darkness, entrance to Hades Eridanus, river Erinys, one of the Furies Eriphyle, sister of Polynices, bribed to decide on war, in which her husband was slain Eris (Discordia), goddess of discord. At the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, Eris being uninvited threw into the gathering an apple "For the Fairest," which was claimed by Hera (Juno), Aphrodite (Venus) and Athena (Minerva) Paris, being called upon for judgment, awarded it to Aphrodite Erisichthon, an unbeliever, punished by famine Eros See Cupid Erytheia, island Eryx, a mount, haunt of Venus Esepus, river in Paphlagonia Estrildis, wife of Locrine, supplanting divorced Guendolen Eteocles, son of Oeipus and Jocasta Etruscans, ancient people of Italy, Etzel, king of the Huns Euboic Sea, where Hercules threw Lichas, who brought him the poisoned shirt of Nessus Eude, king of Aquitaine, ally of Charles Martel Eumaeus, swineherd of Aeeas Eumenides, also called Erinnyes, and by the Romans Furiae or Diraae, the Avenging Deities, See Furies Euphorbus, a Trojan, killed by Menelaus Euphros'yne, one of the Graces Europa, daughter of the Phoenician king Agenor, by Zeus the mother of Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Sarpedon Eurus, the East wind Euyalus, a gallant Trojan soldier, who with Nisus entered the Grecian camp, both being slain, Eurydice, wife of Orpheus, who, fleeing from an admirer, was killed by a snake and borne to Tartarus, where Orpheus sought her and was permitted to bring her to earth if he would not look back at her following him, but he did, and she returned to the Shades, Eurylochus, a companion of Ulysses, Eurynome, female Titan, wife of Ophlon Eurystheus, taskmaster of Hercules, Eurytion, a Centaur (See Hippodamia), Euterpe, Muse who presided over music, Evadne, wife of Capaneus, who flung herself upon his funeral pile and perished with him Evander, Arcadian chief, befriending Aeneas in Italy, Evnissyen, quarrelsome brother of Branwen, Excalibar, sword of King Arthur, <h5 id="id01969">F</h5> Fafner, a giant turned dragon, treasure stealer, by the Solar Theory simply the Darkness who steals the day, Falerina, an enchantress, Fasolt, a giant, brother of Fafner, and killed by him, "Fasti," Ovid's, a mythological poetic calendar, FATA MORGANA, a mirage FATES, the three, described as daughters of Night—to indicate the darkness and obscurity of human destiny—or of Zeus and Themis, that is, "daughters of the just heavens" they were Clo'tho, who spun the thread of life, Lach'esis, who held the thread and fixed its length and At'ropos, who cut it off FAUNS, cheerful sylvan deities, represented in human form, with small horns, pointed ears, and sometimes goat's tail FAUNUS, son of Picus, grandson of Saturnus, and father of Latinus, worshipped as the protecting deity of agriculture and of shepherds, and also as a giver of oracles FAVONIUS, the West wind <h5 id="id01979">FEAR</h5> FENRIS, a wolf, the son of Loki the Evil Principle of Scandinavia, supposed to have personated the element of fire, destructive except when chained FENSALIR, Freya's palace, called the Hall of the Sea, where were brought together lovers, husbands, and wives who had been separated by death FERRAGUS, a giant, opponent of Orlando FERRAU, one of Charlemagne's knights FERREX. brother of Porrex, the two sons of Leir FIRE WORSHIPPERS, of ancient Persia, See Parsees FLOLLO, Roman tribune in Gaul FLORA, Roman goddess of flowers and spring FLORDELIS, fair maiden beloved by Florismart FLORISMART, Sir, a brave knight, FLOSSHILDA, one of the Rhine daughters <h5 id="id01990">FORTUNATE FIELDS</h5> FORTUNATE ISLANDS (See Elysian Plain) FORUM, market place and open square for public meetings in Rome, surrounded by court houses, palaces, temples, etc FRANCUS, son of Histion, grandson of Japhet, great grandson of Noah, legendary ancestor of the Franks, or French FREKI, one of Odin's two wolves FREY, or Freyr, god of the sun FREYA, Norse goddess of music, spring, and flowers FRICKA, goddess of marriage FRIGGA, goddess who presided over smiling nature, sending sunshine, rain, and harvest FROH, one of the Norse gods FRONTI'NO, Rogero's horse FURIES (Erinnyes), the three retributive spirits who punished crime, represented as snaky haired old woman, named Alecto, Megaeira, and Tisiphone FUSBERTA, Rinaldo's sword <h5 id="id02003">G</h5> GAEA, or Ge, called Tellus by the Romans, the personification of the earth, described as the first being that sprang fiom Chaos, and gave birth to Uranus (Heaven) and Pontus (Sea) GAHARIET, knight of Arthur's court GAHERIS, knight GALAFRON, King of Cathay, father of Angelica GALAHAD, Sir, the pure knight of Arthur's Round Table, who safely took the Siege Perilous (which See) GALATEA, a Nereid or sea nymph GALATEA, statue carved and beloved by Pygmalion GALEN, Greek physician and philosophical writer GALLEHANT, King of the Marches GAMES, national athletic contests in Greece—Olympian, at Olympia, Pythian, near Delphi, seat of Apollo's oracle, Isthmian, on the Corinthian Isthmus, Nemean, at Nemea in Argolis GAN, treacherous Duke of Maganza GANELON of Mayence, one of Charlemagne's knights GANGES, river in India GANO, a peer of Charlemagne GANYMEDE, the most beautiful of all mortals, carried off to Olympus that he might fill the cup of Zeus and live among the immortal gods GARETH, Arthur's knight GAUDISSO, Sultan GAUL, ancient France GAUTAMA, Prince, the Buddha GAWAIN, Arthur's knight GAWL, son of Clud, suitor for Rhiannon GEMINI (See Castor), constellation created by Jupiter from the twin brothers after death, 158 GENGHIS Khan, Tartar conqueror GENIUS, in Roman belief, the protective Spirit of each individual man, See Juno GEOFFREY OF MON'MOUTH, translator into Latin of the Welsh History of the Kings of Britain (1150) GERAINT, a knight of King Arthur GERDA, wife of Frey GERI, one of Odin's two wolves GERYON, a three bodied monster GESNES, navigator sent for Isoude the Fair GIALLAR HORN, the trumpet that Heimdal will blow at the judgment day GIANTS, beings of monstrous size and of fearful countenances, represented as in constant opposition to the gods, in Wagner's Nibelungen Ring GIBICHUNG RACE, ancestors of Alberich GIBRALTAR, great rock and town at southwest corner of Spain (See Pillars of Hercules) GILDAS, a scholar of Arthur's court GIRARD, son of Duke Sevinus GLASTONBURY, where Arthur died GLAUCUS, a fisherman, loving Scylla GLEIPNIR, magical chain on the wolf Fenris GLEWLWYD, Arthur's porter GOLDEN FLEECE, of ram used for escape of children of Athamas, named Helle and Phryxus (which See), after sacrifice of ram to Jupiter, fleece was guarded by sleepless dragon and gained by Jason and Argonauts (which See, also Helle) GONERIL, daughter of Leir GORDIAN KNOT, tying up in temple the wagon of Gordius, he who could untie it being destined to be lord of Asia, it was cut by Alexander the Great, 48 Gordius, a countryman who, arriving in Phrygia in a wagon, was made king by the people, thus interpreting an oracle, 48 Gorgons, three monstrous females, with huge teeth, brazen claws and snakes for hair, sight of whom turned beholders to stone, Medusa, the most famous, slain by Perseus Gorlois, Duke of Tintadel Gouvernail, squire of Isabella, queen of Lionesse, protector of her son Tristram while young, and his squire in knighthood Graal, the Holy, cup from which the Saviour drank at Last Supper, taken by Joseph of Arimathea to Europe, and lost, its recovery becoming a sacred quest for Arthur's knights Graces, three goddesses who enhanced the enjoyments of life by refinement and gentleness; they were Aglaia (brilliance), Euphrosyne (joy), and Thalia (bloom) Gradas'so, king of Sericane Graeae, three gray haired female watchers for the Gorgons, with one movable eye and one tooth between the three Grand Lama, Buddhist pontiff in Thibet Grendel, monster slain by Beowulf Gryphon (griffin), a fabulous animal, with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, dwelling in the Rhipaean mountains, between the Hyperboreans and the one eyed Arimaspians, and guarding the gold of the North, Guebers, Persian fire worshippers, Guendolen, wife of Locrine, Guenevere, wife of King Arthur, beloved by Launcelot, Guerin, lord of Vienne, father of Oliver, Guiderius, son of Cymbeline, Guillamurius, king in Ireland, Guimier, betrothed of Caradoc, Gullinbursti, the boar drawing Frey's car, Gulltopp, Heimdell's horse, Gunfasius, King of the Orkneys, Ganther, Burgundian king, brother of Kriemhild, Gutrune, half sister to Hagen, Gwern son of Matholch and Branwen, Gwernach the Giant, Gwiffert Petit, ally of Geraint, Gwyddno, Garanhir, King of Gwaelod, Gwyr, judge in the court of Arthur, Gyoll, river, <h5 id="id02076">H</h5> Hades, originally the god of the nether world—the name later used to designate the gloomy subterranean land of the dead, Haemon, son of Creon of Thebes, and lover of Antigone, Haemonian city, Haemus, Mount, northern boundary of Thrace, Hagan, a principal character in the Nibelungen Lied, slayer of Siegfried, HALCYONE, daughter of Aeneas, and the beloved wife of Ceyx, who, when he was drowned, flew to his floating body, and the pitying gods changed them both to birds (kingfishers), who nest at sea during a certain calm week in winter ("halcyon weather") HAMADRYADS, tree-nymphs or wood-nymphs, See Nymphs HARMONIA, daughter of Mars and Venus, wife of Cadmus HAROUN AL RASCHID, Caliph of Arabia, contemporary of Charlemagne HARPIES, monsters, with head and bust of woman, but wings, legs and tail of birds, seizing souls of the wicked, or punishing evildoers by greedily snatching or defiling their food HARPOCRATES, Egyptian god, Horus HEBE, daughter of Juno, cupbearer to the gods HEBRUS, ancient name of river Maritzka HECATE, a mighty and formidable divinity, supposed to send at night all kinds of demons and terrible phantoms from the lower world HECTOR, son of Priam and champion of Troy HECTOR, one of Arthur's knights HECTOR DE MARYS', a knight HECUBA, wife of Priam, king of Troy, to whom she bore Hector, Paris, and many other children HEGIRA, flight of Mahomet from Mecca to Medina (622 AD), era from which Mahometans reckon time, as we do from the birth of Christ HEIDRUN, she goat, furnishing mead for slain heroes in Valhalla HEIMDALL, watchman of the gods HEL, the lower world of Scandinavia, to which were consigned those who had not died in battle HELA (Death), the daughter of Loki and the mistress of the Scandinavian Hel HELEN, daughter of Jupiter and Leda, wife of Menelaus, carried off by Paris and cause of the Trojan War HELENUS, son of Priam and Hecuba, celebrated for his prophetic powers HELIADES, sisters of Phaeton HELICON, Mount, in Greece, residence of Apollo and the Muses, with fountains of poetic inspiration, Aganippe and Hippocrene HELIOOPOLIS, city of the Sun, in Egypt HELLAS, Gieece HELLE, daughter of Thessalian King Athamas, who, escaping from cruel father with her brother Phryxus, on ram with golden fleece, fell into the sea strait since named for her (See Golden Fleece) HELLESPONt, narrow strait between Europe and Asia Minor, named for Helle HENGIST, Saxon invader of Britain, 449 AD HEPHAESTOS, See VULCAN HERA, called Juno by the Romans, a daughter of Cronos (Saturn) and Rhea, and sister and wife of Jupiter, See JUNO HERCULES, athletic hero, son of Jupiter and Alcmena, achieved twelve vast labors and many famous deeds HEREWARD THE WAKE, hero of the Saxons HERMES (Mercury), messenger of the gods, deity of commerce, science, eloquence, trickery, theft, and skill generally HERMIONE, daughter of Menelaus and Helen HERMOD, the nimble, son of Odin HERO, a priestess of Venus, beloved of Leander HERODOTUS, Greek historian HESIOD, Greek poet HESPERIA, ancient name for Italy HESPERIDES (See Apples of the Hesperides) HESPERUS, the evening star (also called Day Star) HESTIA, cilled Vesta by the Romans, the goddess of the hearth HILDEBRAND, German magician and champion HINDU TRIAD, Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva HIPPOCRENE (See Helicon) HIPPODAMIA, wife of Pirithous, at whose wedding the Centaurs offered violence to the bride, causing a great battle HIPPOGRIFF, winged horse, with eagle's head and claws HIPPOLYTA, Queen of the Amazons Hippolytus, son of Thesus HIPPOMENES, who won Atalanta in foot race, beguiling her with golden apples thrown for her to HISTION, son of Japhet HODUR, blind man, who, fooled by Loki, threw a mistletoe twig at Baldur, killing him HOEL, king of Brittany HOMER, the blind poet of Greece, about 850 B C HOPE (See PANDORA) HORAE See HOURS HORSA, with Hengist, invader of Britain HORUS, Egyptian god of the sun HOUDAIN, Tristram's dog HRINGHAM, Baldur's ship HROTHGAR, king of Denmark HUGI, who beat Thialfi in foot races HUGIN, one of Odin's two ravens HUNDING, husband of Sieglinda HUON, son of Duke Sevinus HYACINTHUS, a youth beloved by Apollo, and accidentally killed by him, changed in death to the flower, hyacinth HYADES, Nysaean nymphs, nurses of infant Bacchus, rewarded by being placed as cluster of stars in the heavens HYALE, a nymph of Diana HYDRA, nine headed monster slain by Hercules HYGEIA, goddess of health, daughter of Aesculapius HYLAS, a youth detained by nymphs of spring where he sought water HYMEN, the god of marriage, imagined as a handsome youth and invoked in bridal songs HYMETTUS, mountain in Attica, near Athens, celebrated for its marble and its honey HYPERBOREANS, people of the far North HYPERION, a Titan, son of Uranus and Ge, and father of Helios, Selene, and Eos, cattle of, Hyrcania, Prince of, betrothed to Clarimunda Hyrieus, king in Greece, <h5 id="id02159">I</h5> Iapetus, a Titan, son of Uranus and Ge, and father of Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius, Iasius, father of Atalanta Ibycus, a poet, story of, and the cranes Icaria, island of the Aegean Sea, one of the Sporades Icarius, Spartan prince, father of Penelope Icarus, son of Daedalus, he flew too near the sun with artificial wings, and, the wax melting, he fell into the sea Icelos, attendant of Morpheus Icolumkill SEE Iona Ida, Mount, a Trojan hill Idaeus, a Trojan herald Idas, son of Aphareus and Arene, and brother of Lynceus Idu'na, wife of Bragi Igerne, wife of Gorlois, and mother, by Uther, of Arthur Iliad, epic poem of the Trojan War, by Homer Ilioheus, a son of Niobe Ilium SEE Troy Illyria, Adriatic countries north of Greece Imogen, daughter of Pandrasus, wife of Trojan Brutus Inachus, son of Oceanus and Tethys, and father of Phoroneus and Io, also first king of Argos, and said to have given his name to the river Inachus INCUBUS, an evil spirit, supposed to lie upon persons in their sleep INDRA, Hindu god of heaven, thunder, lightning, storm and rain INO, wife of Athamas, fleeing from whom with infant son she sprang into the sea and was changed to Leucothea IO, changed to a heifer by Jupiter IOBATES, King of Lycia IOLAUS, servant of Hercules IOLE, sister of Dryope IONA, or Icolmkill, a small northern island near Scotland, where St Columba founded a missionary monastery (563 AD) IONIA, coast of Asia Minor IPHIGENIA, daughter of Agamemnon, offered as a sacrifice but carried away by Diana IPHIS, died for love of Anaxarete, 78 IPHITAS, friend of Hercules, killed by him IRIS, goddess of the rainbow, messenger of Juno and Zeus IRONSIDE, Arthur's knight ISABELLA, daughter of king of Galicia ISIS, wife of Osiris, described as the giver of death <h5 id="id02194">ISLES OF THE BLESSED</h5> ISMARUS, first stop of Ulysses, returning from Trojan War ISME'NOS, a son of Niobe, slain by Apollo ISOLIER, friend of Rinaldo ISOUDE THE FAIR, beloved of Tristram ISOUDE OF THE WHITE HANDS, married to Tristram ISTHMIAN GAMES, See GAMES ITHACA, home of Ulysses and Penelope IULUS, son of Aeneas IVO, Saracen king, befriending Rinaldo IXION, once a sovereign of Thessaly, sentenced in Tartarus to be lashed with serpents to a wheel which a strong wind drove continually around <h5 id="id02204">J</h5> JANICULUM, Roman fortress on the Janiculus, a hill on the other side of the Tiber JANUS, a deity from the earliest times held in high estimation by the Romans, temple of JAPHET (Iapetus) JASON, leader of the Argonauts, seeking the Golden Fleece JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA, who bore the Holy Graal to Europe JOTUNHEIM, home of the giants in Northern mythology JOVE (Zeus), chief god of Roman and Grecian mythology, See JUPITER JOYOUS GARDE, residence of Sir Launcelot of the Lake JUGGERNAUT, Hindu deity JUNO, the particular guardian spirit of each woman (See Genius) JUNO, wife of Jupiter, queen of the gods JUPITER, JOVIS PATER, FATHER JOVE, JUPITER and JOVE used interchangeably, at Dodona, statue of the Olympian JUPITER AMMON (See Ammon) JUPITER CAPITOLINUS, temple of, preserving the Sibylline books JUSTICE, See THEMIS <h5 id="id02220">K</h5> KADYRIATH, advises King Arthur KAI, son of Kyner KALKI, tenth avatar of Vishnu KAY, Arthur's steward and a knight KEDALION, guide of Orion KERMAN, desert of KICVA, daughter of Gwynn Gloy KILWICH, son of Kilydd KILYDD, son of Prince Kelyddon, of Wales KNEPH, spirit or breath KNIGHTS, training and life of KRIEMHILD, wife of Siegfried KRISHNA, eighth avatar of Vishnu, Hindu deity of fertility in nature and mankind KYNER, father of Kav KYNON, son of Clydno <h5 id="id02236">L</h5> LABYRINTH, the enclosed maze of passageways where roamed the Minotaur of Crete, killed by Theseus with aid of Ariadne LACHESIS, one of the Fates (which See) LADY OF THE FOUNTAIN, tale told by Kynon LAERTES, father of Ulysses LAESTRYGONIANS, savages attacking Ulysses LAIUS, King of Thebes LAMA, holy man of Thibet LAMPETIA, daughter of Hyperion LAOC'OON, a priest of Neptune, in Troy, who warned the Trojans against the Wooden Horse (which See), but when two serpents came out of the sea and strangled him and his two sons, the people listened to the Greek spy Sinon, and brought the fatal Horse into the town LAODAMIA, daughter of Acastus and wife of Protesilaus LAODEGAN, King of Carmalide, helped by Arthur and Merlin LAOMEDON, King of Troy LAPITHAE, Thessalonians, whose king had invited the Centaurs to his daughter's wedding but who attacked them for offering violence to the bride LARES, household deities LARKSPUR, flower from the blood of Ajax LATINUS, ruler of Latium, where Aeneas landed in Italy LATMOS, Mount, where Diana fell in love with Endymion LATONA, mother of Apollo LAUNCELOT, the most famous knight of the Round Table LAUSUS, son of Mezentius, killed by Aeneas LAVINIA, daughter of Latinus and wife of Aeneas LAVINIUM, Italian city named for Lavinia LAW, See THEMIS LEANDER, a youth of Abydos, who, swimming the Hellespont to see Hero, his love, was drowned LEBADEA, site of the oracle of Trophomus LEBYNTHOS, Aegean island LEDA, Queen of Sparta, wooed by Jupiter in the form of a swan LEIR, mythical King of Britain, original of Shakespeare's Lear LELAPS, dog of Cephalus LEMNOS, large island in the Aegean Sea, sacred to Vulcan LEMURES, the spectres or spirits of the dead LEO, Roman emperor, Greek prince LETHE, river of Hades, drinking whose water caused forgetfulness LEUCADIA, a promontory, whence Sappho, disappointed in love, was said to have thrown herself into the sea LEUCOTHEA, a sea goddess, invoked by sailors for protection (See Ino) LEWIS, son of Charlemagne LIBER, ancient god of fruitfulness LIBETHRA, burial place of Orpheus LIBYA, Greek name for continent of Africa in general LIBYAN DESERT, in Africa <h5 id="id02276">LIBYAN OASIS</h5> LICHAS, who brought the shirt of Nessus to Hercules LIMOURS, Earl of LINUS, musical instructor of Hercules LIONEL, knight of the Round Table LLYR, King of Britain LOCRINE, son of Brutus in Albion, king of Central England LOEGRIA, kingdom of (England) LOGESTILLA, a wise lady, who entertained Rogero and his friends LOGI, who vanquished Loki in an eating contest LOKI, the Satan of Norse mythology, son of the giant Farbanti LOT, King, a rebel chief, subdued by King Arthur, then a loyal knight LOTIS, a nymph, changed to a lotus-plant and in that form plucked by Dryope LOTUS EATERS, soothed to indolence, companions of Ulysses landing among them lost all memory of home and had to be dragged away before they would continue their voyage LOVE (Eros) issued from egg of Night, and with arrows and torch produced life and joy LUCAN, one of Arthur's knights Lucius Tiberius, Roman procurator in Britain demanding tribute from Arthur LUD, British king, whose capital was called Lud's Town (London) LUDGATE, city gate where Lud was buried, 387 LUNED, maiden who guided Owain to the Lady of the Fountain LYCAHAS, a turbulent sailor LYCAON, son of Priam LYCIA, a district in Southern Asia Minor LYCOMODES, king of the Dolopians, who treacherously slew Theseus LYCUS, usurping King of Thebes LYNCEUS, one of the sons of Aegyptus <h5 id="id02302">M</h5> MABINOGEON, plural of Mabinogi, fairy tales and romances of the Welsh MABON, son of Modron MACHAON, son of Aesculapius MADAN, son of Guendolen MADOC, a forester of King Arthur MADOR, Scottish knight MAELGAN, king who imprisoned Elphin MAEONIA, ancient Lydia MAGI, Persian priests MAHADEVA, same as Siva MAHOMET, great prophet of Arabia, born in Mecca, 571 AD, proclaimed worship of God instead of idols, spread his religion through disciples and then by force till it prevailed, with Arabian dominion, over vast regions in Asia, Africa, and Spain in Europe MAIA, daughter of Atlas and Pleione, eldest and most beautiful of the Pleiades MALAGIGI the Enchanter, one of Charlemagne's knights MALEAGANS, false knight MALVASIUS, King of Iceland MAMBRINO, with invisible helmet MANAWYD DAN, brother of King Vran, of London MANDRICARDO, son of Agrican MANTUA, in Italy, birthplace of Virgil MANU, ancestor of mankind MARATHON, where Theseus and Pirithous met MARK, King of Cornwall, husband of Isoude the Fair MARO See VIRGIL MARPHISA, sister of Rogero MARSILIUS, Spanish king, treacherous foe of Charlemagne MARSYAS, inventor of the flute, who challenged Apollo to musical competition, and, defeated, was flayed alive MATSYA, the Fish, first avatar of Vishnu MEANDER, Grecian river MEDE, A, princess and sorceress who aided Jason MEDORO, a young Moor, who wins Angelica MEDUSA, one of the Gorgons MEGAERA, one of the Furies MELAMPUS, a Spartan dog, the first mortal endowed with prophetic powers MELANTHUS, steersman for Bacchus MELEAGER, one of the Argonauts (See Althaea) MELIADUS, King of Lionesse, near Cornwall MELICERTES, infant son of Ino. changed to Palaemon (See Ino, Leucothea, and Palasmon) MELISSA, priestess at Merlin's tomb MELISSEUS, a Cretan king MELPOMENE, one of the Muses MEMNON, the beautiful son of Tithonus and Eos (Aurora), and king of the Ethiopians, slain in Trojan War MEMPHIS, Egyptian city MENELAUS, son of King of Sparta, husband of Helen MENOECEUS, son of Creon, voluntary victim in war to gain success for his father MENTOR, son of Alcimus and a faithful friend of Ulysses MERCURY (See HERMES) MERLIN, enchanter MEROPE, daughter of King of Chios, beloved by Orion MESMERISM, likened to curative oracle of Aesculapius at Epidaurus METABUS, father of Camilla METAMORPHOSES, Ovid's poetical legends of mythical transformations, a large source of our knowledge of classic mythology METANIRA, a mother, kind to Ceres seeking Proserpine METEMPSYCHOSIS, transmigration of souls—rebirth of dying men and women in forms of animals or human beings METIS, Prudence, a spouse of Jupiter MEZENTIUS, a brave but cruel soldier, opposing Aeneas in Italy <h5 id="id02358">MIDAS</h5> MIDGARD, the middle world of the Norsemen MIDGARD SERPENT, a sea monster, child of Loki MILKY WAY, starred path across the sky, believed to be road to palace of the gods MILO, a great athlete MLON, father of Orlando MILTON, John, great English poet, whose History of England is here largely used MIME, one of the chief dwarfs of ancient German mythology MINERVA (Athene), daughter of Jupiter, patroness of health, learning, and wisdom MINOS, King of Crete MINO TAUR, monster killed by Theseus MISTLETOE, fatal to Baldur MNEMOSYNE, one of the Muses MODESTY, statue to MODRED, nephew of King Arthur MOLY, plant, powerful against sorcery MOMUS, a deity whose delight was to jeer bitterly at gods and men MONAD, the "unit" of Pythagoras MONSTERS, unnatural beings, evilly disposed to men MONTALBAN, Rinaldo's castle MONTH, the, attendant upon the Sun MOON, goddess of, see DIANA MORAUNT, knight, an Irish champion MORGANA, enchantress, the Lady of the Lake in "Orlando Furioso," same as Morgane Le Fay in tales of Arthur MORGANE LE FAY, Queen of Norway, King Arthur's sister, an enchantress MORGAN TUD, Arthur's chief physician MORPHEUS, son of Sleep and god of dreams MORTE D'ARTHUr, romance, by Sir Thomas Mallory MULCIBER, Latin name of Vulcan MULL, Island of MUNIN, one of Odin's two ravens MUSAEUS, sacred poet, son of Orpheus MUSES, The, nine goddesses presiding over poetry, etc—Calliope, epic poetry, Clio, history, Erato, love poetry, Euterpe, lyric poetry; Melpomene, tragedy, Polyhymnia, oratory and sacred song Terpsichore, choral song and dance, Thalia, comedy and idyls, Urania, astronomy MUSPELHEIM, the fire world of the Norsemen MYCENAS, ancient Grecian city, of which Agamemnon was king MYRDDIN (Merlin) MYRMIDONS, bold soldiers of Achilles MYSIA, Greek district on northwest coast of Asia Minor MYTHOLOGY, origin of, collected myths, describing gods of early peoples <h5 id="id02397">N</h5> NAIADS, water nymphs NAMO, Duke of Bavaria, one of Charlemagne's knights NANNA, wife of Baldur NANTERS, British king NANTES, site of Caradoc's castle NAPE, a dog of Diana NARCISSUS, who died of unsatisfied love for his own image in the water NAUSICAA, daughter of King Alcinous, who befriended Ulysses NAUSITHOUS, king of Phaeacians NAXOS, Island of NEGUS, King of Abyssinia NEMEA, forest devastated by a lion killed by Hercules NEMEAN GAMES, held in honor of Jupiter and Hercules NEMEAN LION, killed by Hercules NEMESIS, goddess of vengeance NENNIUS, British combatant of Caesar NEOPTOLEMUS, son of Achilles NEPENTHE, ancient drug to cause forgetfulness of pain or distress NEPHELE, mother of Phryxus and Helle NEPHTHYS, Egyptian goddess NEPTUNE, identical with Poseidon, god of the sea NEREIDS, sea nymphs, daughters of Nereus and Doris NEREUS, a sea god NESSUS, a centaur killed by Hercules, whose jealous wife sent him a robe or shirt steeped in the blood of Nessus, which poisoned him NESTOR, king of Pylos, renowned for his wisdom, justice, and knowledge of war NIBELUNGEN HOARD, treasure seized by Siegfried from the Nibelungs, buried in the Rhine by Hagan after killing Siegfried, and lost when Hagan was killed by Kriemhild, theme of Wagner's four music dramas, "The Ring of the Nibelungen," NIBELUNGEN LIED, German epic, giving the same nature myth as the Norse Volsunga Saga, concerning the Hoard NIBELUNGEN RING, Wagner's music dramas NIBELUNGS, the, a race of Northern dwarfs NIDHOGGE, a serpent in the lower world that lives on the dead NIFFLEHEIM, mist world of the Norsemen, the Hades of absent spirits NILE, Egyptian river NIOBE, daughter of Tantalus, proud Queen of Thebes, whose seven sons and seven daughters were killed by Apollo and Diana, at which Amphion, her husband, killed himself, and Niobe wept until she was turned to stone NISUS, King of Megara NOAH, as legendary ancestor of French, Roman, German, and British peoples NOMAN, name assumed by Ulysses NORNS, the three Scandinavian Fates, Urdur (the past), Verdandi (the present), and Skuld (the future) NOTHUNG, magic sword NOTUS, southwest wind NOX, daughter of Chaos and sister of Erebus, personification of night Numa, second king of Rome NYMPHS, beautiful maidens, lesser divinities of nature Dryads and Hamadryads, tree nymphs, Naiads, spring, brook, and river nymphs, Nereids, sea nymphs Oreads, mountain nymphs or hill nymphs <h5 id="id02440">O</h5> OCEANUS, a Titan, ruling watery elements OCYROE, a prophetess, daughter of Chiron <h5 id="id02443">ODERIC</h5> ODIN, chief of the Norse gods ODYAR, famous Biscayan hero ODYSSEUS See ULYSSES ODYSSEY, Homer's poem, relating the wanderings of Odysseus (Ulysses) on returning from Trojan War OEDIPUS, Theban hero, who guessed the riddle of the Sphinx (which See), becoming King of Thebes OENEUS, King of Calydon OENONE, nymph, married by Paris in his youth, and abandoned for Helen OENOPION, King of Chios OETA, Mount, scene of Hercules' death OGIER, the Dane, one of the paladins of Charlemagne OLIVER, companion of Orlando OLWEN, wife of Kilwich OLYMPIA, a small plain in Elis, where the Olympic games were celebrated OLYMPIADS, periods between Olympic games (four years) OLYMPIAN GAMES, See GAMES OLYMPUS, dwelling place of the dynasty of gods of which Zeus was the head OMPHALE, queen of Lydia, daughter of Iardanus and wife of Tmolus OPHION, king of the Titans, who ruled Olympus till dethroned by the gods Saturn and Rhea OPS See RHEA ORACLES, answers from the gods to questions from seekers for knowledge or advice for the future, usually in equivocal form, so as to fit any event, also places where such answers were given forth usually by a priest or priestess ORC, a sea monster, foiled by Rogero when about to devour Angelica OREADS, nymphs of mountains and hills ORESTES, son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, because of his crime in killing his mother, he was pursued by the Furies until purified by Minerva ORION, youthful giant, loved by Diana, Constellation ORITHYIA, a nymph, seized by Boreas ORLANDO, a famous knight and nephew of Charlemagne ORMUZD (Greek, Oromasdes), son of Supreme Being, source of good as his brother Ahriman (Arimanes) was of evil, in Persian or Zoroastrian religion ORPHEUS, musician, son of Apollo and Calliope, See EURYDICE OSIRIS, the most beneficent of the Egyptian gods OSSA, mountain of Thessaly OSSIAN, Celtic poet of the second or third century OVID, Latin poet (See Metamorphoses) OWAIN, knight at King Arthur's court OZANNA, a knight of Arthur <h5 id="id02478">P</h5> PACTOLUS, river whose sands were changed to gold by Midas PAEON, a name for both Apollo and Aesculapius, gods of medicine, PAGANS, heathen PALADINS or peers, knights errant PALAEMON, son of Athamas and Ino PALAMEDES, messenger sent to call Ulysses to the Trojan War PALAMEDES, Saracen prince at Arthur's court PALATINE, one of Rome's Seven Hills PALES, goddess presiding over cattle and pastures PALINURUS, faithful steersman of Aeeas PALLADIUM, properly any image of Pallas Athene, but specially applied to an image at Troy, which was stolen by Ulysses and Diomedes PALLAS, son of Evander PALLAS A THE'NE (Minerva) PAMPHA GUS, a dog of Diana PAN, god of nature and the universe PANATHENAEA, festival in honor of Pallas Athene (Minerva) PANDEAN PIPES, musical instrument of reeds, made by Pan in memory of Syrinx PANDORA (all gifted), first woman, dowered with gifts by every god, yet entrusted with a box she was cautioned not to open, but, curious, she opened it, and out flew all the ills of humanity, leaving behind only Hope, which remained PANDRASUS, a king in Greece, who persecuted Trojan exiles under Brutus, great grandson of Aeneas, until they fought, captured him, and, with his daughter Imogen as Brutus' wife, emigrated to Albion (later called Britain) PANOPE, plain of PANTHUS, alleged earlier incarnation of Pythagoras PAPHLAGNIA, ancient country in Asia Minor, south of Black Sea PAPHOS, daughter of Pygmalion and Galatea (both of which, See) PARCAE See FATES PARIAHS, lowest caste of Hindus PARIS, son of Priam and Hecuba, who eloped with Helen (which. See) PARNASSIAN LAUREl, wreath from Parnassus, crown awarded to successful poets PARNASSUS, mountain near Delphi, sacred to Apollo and the Muses PARSEES, Persian fire worshippers (Zoroastrians), of whom there are still thousands in Persia and India PARTHENON, the temple of Athene Parthenos ("the Virgin") on the Acropolis of Athens PASSEBREUL, Tristram's horse PATROCLUS, friend of Achilles, killed by Hector PECHEUR, King, uncle of Perceval PEERS, the PEG A SUS, winged horse, born from the sea foam and the blood of Medusa PELEUS, king of the Myrmidons, father of Achilles by Thetis PELIAS, usurping uncle of Jason PELION, mountain PELLEAS, knight of Arthur PENATES, protective household deities of the Romans PENDRAGON, King of Britain, elder brother of Uther Pendragon, who succeeded him PENELOPE, wife of Ulysses, who, waiting twenty years for his return from the Trojan War, put off the suitors for her hand by promising to choose one when her weaving was done, but unravelled at night what she had woven by day PENEUS, river god, river PENTHESILEA, queen of Amazons PENTHEUS, king of Thebes, having resisted the introduction of the worship of Bacchus into his kingdom, was driven mad by the god PENUS, Roman house pantry, giving name to the Penates PEPIN, father of Charlemagne PEPLUS, sacred robe of Minerva PERCEVAL, a great knight of Arthur PERDIX, inventor of saw and compasses PERIANDER, King of Corinuh, friend of Arion PERIPHETES, son of Vulcan, killed by Theseus PERSEPHONE, goddess of vegetation, 8 See Pioserpine PERSEUS, son of Jupiter and Danae, slayer of the Gorgon Medusa, deliverer of Andromeda from a sea monster, 116 122, 124, 202 PHAEACIANS, people who entertained Ulysses PHAEDRA, faithless and cruel wife of Theseus PHAETHUSA, sister of Phaeton, 244 PHAETON, son of Phoebus, who dared attempt to drive his father's sun chariot PHANTASOS, a son of Somnus, bringing strange images to sleeping men PHAON, beloved by Sappho PHELOT, knight of Wales PHEREDIN, friend of Tristram, unhappy lover of Isoude PHIDIAS, famous Greek sculptor PHILEMON, husband of Baucis PHILOCTETES, warrior who lighted the fatal pyre of Hercules PHILOE, burial place of Osiris PHINEUS, betrothed to Andromeda PHLEGETHON, fiery river of Hades <h5 id="id02547">PHOCIS</h5> PHOEBE, one of the sisters of Phaeton PHOEBUS (Apollo), god of music, prophecy, and archery, the sun god PHOENIX, a messenger to Achilles, also, a miraculous bird dying in fire by its own act and springing up alive from its own ashes PHORBAS, a companion of Aeneas, whose form was assumed by Neptune in luring Palinuras the helmsman from his roost PHRYXUS, brother of Helle PINABEL, knight PILLARS OF HERCULES, two mountains—Calpe, now the Rock of Gibraltar, southwest corner of Spain in Europe, and Abyla, facing it in Africa across the strait PINDAR, famous Greek poet PINDUS, Grecian mountain PIRENE, celebrated fountain at Corinth PIRITHOUS, king of the Lapithae in Thessaly, and friend of Theseus, husband of Hippodamia PLEASURE, daughter of Cupid and Psyche PLEIADES, seven of Diana's nymphs, changed into stars, one being lost PLENTY, the Horn of PLEXIPPUS, brother of Althea PLINY, Roman naturalist PLUTO, the same as Hades, Dis, etc. god of the Infernal Regions PLUTUS, god of wealth PO, Italian river <h5 id="id02567">POLE STAR</h5> POLITES, youngest son of Priam of Troy POLLUX, Castor and (Dioscuri, the Twins) (See Castor) POLYDECTES, king of Seriphus POLYDORE, slain kinsman of Aeneas, whose blood nourished a bush that bled when broken POLYHYMNIA, Muse of oratory and sacred song POLYIDUS, soothsayer POLYNICES, King of Thebes POLYPHEMUS, giant son of Neptune POLYXENA, daughter of King Priam of Troy POMONA, goddess of fruit trees (See VERTUMNUS) PORREX and FER'REX, sons of Leir, King of Britain PORTUNUS, Roman name for Palaemon POSEIDON (Neptune), ruler of the ocean PRECIPICE, threshold of Helas hall PRESTER JOHN, a rumored priest or presbyter, a Christian pontiff in Upper Asia, believed in but never found PRIAM, king of Troy PRIWEN, Arthur's shield PROCRIS, beloved but jealous wife of Cephalus PROCRUSTES, who seized travellers and bound them on his iron bed, stretching the short ones and cutting short the tall, thus also himself served by Theseus PROETUS, jealous of Bellerophon PROMETHEUS, creator of man, who stole fire from heaven for man's use PROSERPINE, the same as Persephone, goddess of all growing things, daughter of Ceres, carried off by Pluto PROTESILAUS, slain by Hector the Trojan, allowed by the gods to return for three hours' talk with his widow Laodomia PROTEUS, the old man of the sea PRUDENCE (Metis), spouse of Jupiter PRYDERI, son of Pwyll PSYCHE, a beautiful maiden, personification of the human soul, sought by Cupid (Love), to whom she responded, lost him by curiosity to see him (as he came to her only by night), but finally through his prayers was made immortal and restored to him, a symbol of immortality PURANAS, Hindu Scriptures PWYLL, Prince of Dyved PYGMALION, sculptor in love with a statue he had made, brought to life by Venus, brother of Queen Dido PYGMIES, nation of dwarfs, at war with the Cranes PYLADES, son of Straphius, friend of Orestes PYRAMUS, who loved Thisbe, next door neighbor, and, their parents opposing, they talked through cracks in the house wall, agreeing to meet in the near by woods, where Pyramus, finding a bloody veil and thinking Thisbe slain, killed himself, and she, seeing his body, killed herself (Burlesqued in Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream") PYRRHA, wife of Deucalion PYRRHUS (Neoptolemus), son of Achilles PYTHAGORAS, Greek philosopher (540 BC), who thought numbers to be the essence and principle of all things, and taught transmigration of souls of the dead into new life as human or animal beings PYTHIA, priestess of Apollo at Delphi <h5 id="id02605">PYTHIAN GAMES</h5> <h5 id="id02606">PYTHIAN ORACLE</h5> PYTHON, serpent springing from Deluge slum, destroyed by Apollo <h5 id="id02608">Q</h5> QUIRINUS (from quiris, a lance or spear), a war god, said to be Romulus, founder of Rome <h5 id="id02610">R</h5> RABICAN, noted horse RAGNAROK, the twilight (or ending) of the gods RAJPUTS, minor Hindu caste REGAN, daughter of Leir REGILLUS, lake in Latium, noted for battle fought near by between the Romans and the Latins REGGIO, family from which Rogero sprang REMUS, brother of Romulus, founder of Rome RHADAMANTHUS, son of Jupiter and Europa after his death one of the judges in the lower world RHAPSODIST, professional reciter of poems among the Greeks RHEA, female Titan, wife of Saturn (Cronos), mother of the chief gods, worshipped in Greece and Rome RHINE, river RHINE MAIDENS, OR DAUGHTERS, three water nymphs, Flosshilda, Woglinda, and Wellgunda, set to guard the Nibelungen Hoard, buried in the Rhine RHODES, one of the seven cities claiming to be Homer's birthplace RHODOPE, mountain in Thrace RHONGOMYANT, Arthur's lance RHOECUS, a youth, beloved by a Dryad, but who brushed away a bee sent by her to call him to her, and she punished him with blindness RHIANNON, wife of Pwyll RINALDO, one of the bravest knights of Charlemagne RIVER OCEAN, flowing around the earth ROBERT DE BEAUVAIS', Norman poet (1257) ROBIN HOOD, famous outlaw in English legend, about time of Richard Coeur de Lion ROCKINGHAM, forest of RODOMONT, king of Algiers ROGERO, noted Saracen knight ROLAND (Orlando), See Orlando <h5 id="id02636">ROMANCES</h5> ROMANUS, legendary great grandson of Noah <h5 id="id02638">ROME</h5> ROMULUS, founder of Rome RON, Arthur's lance RONCES VALLES', battle of ROUND TABLE King Arthur's instituted by Merlin the Sage for Pendragon, Arthur's father, as a knightly order, continued and made famous by Arthur and his knights RUNIC CHARACTERS, or runes, alphabetic signs used by early Teutonic peoples, written or graved on metal or stone RUTULIANS, an ancient people in Italy, subdued at an early period by the Romans RYENCE, king in Ireland <h5 id="id02646">S</h5> SABRA, maiden for whom Severn River was named, daughter of Locrine and Estrildis thrown into river Severn by Locrine's wife, transformed to a river nymph, poetically named Sabrina SACRIPANT, king of Circassia SAFFIRE, Sir, knight of Arthur SAGAS, Norse tales of heroism, composed by the Skalds SAGRAMOUR, knight of Arthur St. MICHAEL'S MOUNT, precipitous pointed rock hill on the coast of Brittany, opposite Cornwall SAKYASINHA, the Lion, epithet applied to Buddha SALAMANDER, a lizard like animal, fabled to be able to live in fire SALAMIS, Grecian city SALMONEUS, son of Aeolus and Enarete and brother of Sisyphus SALOMON, king of Brittany, at Charlemagne's court SAMHIN, or "fire of peace," a Druidical festival SAMIAN SAGE (Pythagoras) SAMOS, island in the Aegean Sea SAMOTHRACIAN GODS, a group of agricultural divinities, worshipped in Samothrace SAMSON, Hebrew hero, thought by some to be original of Hercules SAN GREAL (See Graal, the Holy) SAPPHO, Greek poetess, who leaped into the sea from promontory of Leucadia in disappointed love for Phaon SARACENS, followers of Mahomet SARPEDON, son of Jupiter and Europa, killed by Patroclus SATURN (Cronos) SATURNALIA, a annual festival held by Romans in honor of Saturn SATURNIA, an ancient name of Italy SATYRS, male divinities of the forest, half man, half goat SCALIGER, famous German scholar of 16th century SCANDINAVIA, mythology of, giving account of Northern gods, heroes, etc SCHERIA, mythical island, abode of the Phaeacians SCHRIMNIR, the boar, cooked nightly for the heroes of Valhalla becoming whole every morning SCIO, one of the island cities claiming to be Homer's birthplace SCOPAS, King of Thessaly SCORPION, constellation SCYLLA, sea nymph beloved by Glaucus, but changed by jealous Circe to a monster and finally to a dangerous rock on the Sicilian coast, facing the whirlpool Charybdis, many mariners being wrecked between the two, also, daughter of King Nisus of Megara, who loved Minos, besieging her father's city, but he disliked her disloyalty and drowned her, also, a fair virgin of Sicily, friend of sea nymph Galatea SCYROS, where Theseus was slain SCYTHIA, country lying north of Euxine Sea SEMELE, daughter of Cadmus and, by Jupiter, mother of Bacchus SEMIRAMIS, with Ninus the mythical founder of the Assyrian empire of Nineveh SENAPUS, King of Abyssinia, who entertained Astolpho SERAPIS, or Hermes, Egyptian divinity of Tartarus and of medicine SERFS, slaves of the land SERIPHUS, island in the Aegean Sea, one of the Cyclades SERPENT (Northern constellation) SESTOS, dwelling of Hero (which See also Leander) "SEVEN AGAINST THEBES," famous Greek expedition SEVERN RIVER, in England SEVINUS, Duke of Guienne <h5 id="id02692">SHALOTT, THE LADY OF</h5> SHATRIYA, Hindu warrior caste SHERASMIN, French chevalier SIBYL, prophetess of Cumae SICHAEUS, husband of Dido SEIGE PERILOUS, the chair of purity at Arthur's Round Table, fatal to any but him who was destined to achieve the quest of the Sangreal (See Galahad) SIEGFRIED, young King of the Netherlands, husband of Kriemhild, she boasted to Brunhild that Siegfried had aided Gunther to beat her in athletic contests, thus winning her as wife, and Brunhild, in anger, employed Hagan to murder Siegfried. As hero of Wagner's "Valkyrie," he wins the Nibelungen treasure ring, loves and deserts Brunhild, and is slain by Hagan SIEGLINDA, wife of Hunding, mother of Siegfried by Siegmund SIEGMUND, father of Siegfried SIGTRYG, Prince, betrothed of King Alef's daughter, aided by Hereward SIGUNA, wife of Loki SILENUS, a Satyr, school master of Bacchus SILURES (South Wales) SILVIA, daughter of Latin shepherd SILVIUS, grandson of Aeneas, accidentally killed in the chase by his son Brutus SIMONIDES, an early poet of Greece SINON, a Greek spy, who persuaded the Trojans to take the Wooden Horse into their city SIRENS, sea nymphs, whose singing charmed mariners to leap into the sea, passing their island, Ulysses stopped the ears of his sailors with wax, and had himself bound to the mast so that he could hear but not yield to their music SIRIUS, the dog of Orion, changed to the Dog star SISYPHUS, condemned in Tartarus to perpetually roll up hill a big rock which, when the top was reached, rolled down again SIVA, the Destroyer, third person of the Hindu triad of gods SKALDS, Norse bards and poets SKIDBLADNIR, Freyr's ship SKIRNIR, Frey's messenger, who won the god's magic sword by getting him Gerda for his wife SKRYMIR, a giant, Utgard Loki in disguise, who fooled Thor in athletic feats SKULD, the Norn of the Future SLEEP, twin brother of Death SLEIPNIR, Odin's horse SOBRINO, councillor to Agramant SOMNUS, child of Nox, twin brother of Mors, god of sleep SOPHOCLES, Greek tragic dramatist SOUTH WIND See Notus SPAR'TA, capital of Lacedaemon SPHINX, a monster, waylaying the road to Thebes and propounding riddles to all passers, on pain of death, for wrong guessing, who killed herself in rage when Aedipus guessed aright <h5 id="id02726">SPRING</h5> STONEHENGE, circle of huge upright stones, fabled to be sepulchre of Pendragon STROPHIUS, father of Pylades STYGIAN REALM, Hades STYGIAN SLEEP, escaped from the beauty box sent from Hades to Venus by hand of Psyche, who curiously opened the box and was plunged into unconsciousness STYX, river, bordering Hades, to be crossed by all the dead SUDRAS, Hindu laboring caste SURTUR, leader of giants against the gods in the day of their destruction (Norse mythology) SURYA, Hindu god of the sun, corresponding to the Greek Helios SUTRI, Orlando's birthplace SVADILFARI, giant's horse <h5 id="id02737">SWAN, LEDA AND</h5> SYBARIS, Greek city in Southern Italy, famed for luxury SYLVANUS, Latin divinity identified with Pan SYMPLEGADES, floating rocks passed by the Argonauts SYRINX, nymph, pursued by Pan, but escaping by being changed to a bunch of reeds (See Pandean pipes) <h5 id="id02742">T</h5> TACITUS, Roman historian TAENARUS, Greek entrance to lower regions TAGUS, river in Spain and Portugal TALIESIN, Welsh bard TANAIS, ancient name of river Don TANTALUS, wicked king, punished in Hades by standing in water that retired when he would drink, under fruit trees that withdrew when he would eat TARCHON, Etruscan chief TARENTUM, Italian city TARPEIAN ROCK, in Rome, from which condemned criminals were hurled TARQUINS, a ruling family in early Roman legend TAURIS, Grecian city, site of temple of Diana (See Iphigenia) TAURUS, a mountain TARTARUS, place of confinement of Titans, etc, originally a black abyss below Hades later, represented as place where the wicked were punished, and sometimes the name used as synonymous with Hades TEIRTU, the harp of TELAMON, Greek hero and adventurer, father of Ajax TELEMACHUS, son of Ulysses and Penelope TELLUS, another name for Rhea TENEDOS, an island in Aegean Sea TERMINUS, Roman divinity presiding over boundaries and frontiers TERPSICHORE, Muse of dancing TERRA, goddess of the earth TETHYS, goddess of the sea TEUCER, ancient king of the Trojans THALIA, one of the three Graces THAMYRIS, Thracian bard, who challenged the Muses to competition in singing, and, defeated, was blinded THAUKT, Loki disguised as a hag THEBES, city founded by Cadmus and capital of Boeotia THEMIS, female Titan, law counsellor of Jove THEODORA, sister of Prince Leo THERON, one of Diana's dogs THERSITES, a brawler, killed by Achilles THESCELUS, foe of Perseus, turned to stone by sight of Gorgon's head THESEUM, Athenian temple in honor of Theseus THESEUS, son of Aegeus and Aethra, King of Athens, a great hero of many adventures <h5 id="id02777">THESSALY</h5> THESTIUS, father of Althea THETIS, mother of Achilles THIALFI, Thor's servant THIS'BE, Babylonian maiden beloved by Pyramus THOR, the thunderer, of Norse mythology, most popular of the gods <h5 id="id02783">THRACE</h5> THRINA'KIA, island pasturing Hyperion's cattle, where Ulysses landed, but, his men killing some cattle for food, their ship was wrecked by lightning THRYM, giant, who buried Thor's hammer THUCYDIDES, Greek historian TIBER, river flowing through Rome TIBER, FATHER, god of the river TIGRIS, river TINTADEL, castle of, residence of King Mark of Cornwall TIRESIAS, a Greek soothsayer TISIPHONE, one of the Furies TITANS, the sons and daughters of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaea (Earth), enemies of the gods and overcome by them TITHONUS, Trojan prince TITYUS, giant in Tartarus TMOLUS, a mountain god TORTOISE, second avatar of Vishnu TOURS, battle of (See Abdalrahman and Charles Martel) TOXEUS, brother of Melauger's mother, who snatched from Atalanta her hunting trophy, and was slain by Melauger, who had awarded it to her TRIAD, the Hindu TRIADS, Welsh poems TRIMURTI, Hindu Triad TRIPTOL'EMUS, son of Celeus , and who, made great by Ceres, founded her worship in Eleusis TRISTRAM, one of Arthur's knights, husband of Isoude of the White Hands, lover of Isoude the Fair, TRITON, a demi god of the sea, son of Poseidon (Neptune) and Amphitrite TROEZEN, Greek city of Argolis <h5 id="id02807">TROJAN WAR</h5> TROJANOVA, New Troy, City founded in Britain (See Brutus, and Lud) TROPHONIUS, oracle of, in Boeotia TROUBADOURS, poets and minstrels of Provence, in Southern France TROUVERS', poets and minstrels of Northern France TROY, city in Asia Minor, ruled by King Priam, whose son, Paris, stole away Helen, wife of Menelaus the Greek, resulting in the Trojan War and the destruction of Troy TROY, fall of TURNUS, chief of the Rutulianes in Italy, unsuccessful rival of Aeneas for Lavinia TURPIN, Archbishop of Rheims TURQUINE, Sir, a great knight, foe of Arthur, slain by Sir Launcelot TYPHON, one of the giants who attacked the gods, were defeated, and imprisoned under Mt. Aetna TYR, Norse god of battles TYRE, Phoenician city governed by Dido <h5 id="id02820">TYRIANS</h5> TYRRHEUS, herdsman of King Turnus in Italy, the slaying of whose daughter's stag aroused war upon Aeneas and his companions <h5 id="id02822">U</h5> UBERTO, son of Galafron ULYSSES (Greek, Odysseus), hero of the Odyssey UNICORN, fabled animal with a single horn URANIA, one of the Muses, a daughter of Zeus by Mnemosyne URDUR, one of the Norns or Fates of Scandinavia, representing the Past USK, British river UTGARD, abode of the giant Utgard Loki UTGARD LO'KI, King of the Giants (See Skrymir) UTHER (Uther Pendragon), king of Britain and father of Arthur, UWAINE, knight of Arthur's court <h5 id="id02833">V</h5> VAISSYAS, Hindu caste of agriculturists and traders VALHALLA, hall of Odin, heavenly residence of slain heroes VALKYRIE, armed and mounted warlike virgins, daughters of the gods (Norse), Odin's messengers, who select slain heroes for Valhalla and serve them at their feasts VE, brother of Odin VEDAS, Hindu sacred Scriptures VENEDOTIA, ancient name for North Wales VENUS (Aphrodite), goddess of beauty VENUS DE MEDICI, famous antique statue in Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy VERDANDI, the Present, one of the Norns VERTUMNUS, god of the changing seasons, whose varied appearances won the love of Pomona VESTA, daughter of Cronos and Rhea, goddess of the homefire, or hearth VESTALS, virgin priestesses in temple of Vesta VESUVIUS, Mount, volcano near Naples VILLAINS, peasants in the feudal scheme VIGRID, final battle-field, with destruction of the gods ind their enemies, the sun, the earth, and time itself VILI, brother of Odin and Ve VIRGIL, celebrated Latin poet (See Aeneid) VIRGO, constellation of the Virgin, representing Astraea, goddess of innocence and purity VISHNU, the Preserver, second of the three chief Hindu gods VIVIANE, lady of magical powers, who allured the sage Merlin and imprisoned him in an enchanted wood VOLSCENS, Rutulian troop leader who killed Nisus and Euryalus VOLSUNG, A SAGA, an Icelandic poem, giving about the same legends as the Nibelungen Lied VORTIGERN, usurping King of Britain, defeated by Pendragon 390, 397 VULCAN (Greek, Haephestus), god of fire and metal working, with forges under Aetna, husband of Venus VYA'SA, Hindu sage <h5 id="id02859">W</h5> WAIN, the, constellation WELLGUNDA, one of the Rhine-daughters <h5 id="id02862">WELSH LANGUAGE</h5> <h5 id="id02863">WESTERN OCEAN</h5> <h5 id="id02864">WINDS, THE</h5> <h5 id="id02865">WINTER</h5> WODEN, chief god in the Norse mythology, Anglo Saxon for Odin WOGLINDA, one of the Rhine-daughters WOMAN, creation of WOODEN HORSE, the, filled with armed men, but left outside of Troy as a pretended offering to Minerva when the Greeks feigned to sail away, accepted by the Trojans (See Sinon, and Laocoon), brought into the city, and at night emptied of the hidden Greek soldiers, who destroyed the town <h5 id="id02870">WOOD NYMPHS</h5> WOTAN, Old High German form of Odin <h5 id="id02872">X</h5> XANTHUS, river of Asia Minor <h5 id="id02874">Y</h5> YAMA, Hindu god of the Infernal Regions <h5 id="id02876">YEAR, THE</h5> YGDRASIL, great ash-tree, supposed by Norse mythology to support the universe YMIR, giant, slain by Odin YNYWL, Earl, host of Geraint, father of Enid YORK, Britain YSERONE, niece of Arthur, mother of Caradoc YSPA DA DEN PEN'KAWR, father of Olwen <h5 id="id02883">Z</h5> ZENDAVESTA, Persian sacred Scriptures ZEPHYRUS, god of the South wind, ZERBINO, a knight, son of the king of Scotland ZETES, winged warrior, companion of Theseus ZETHUS, son of Jupiter and Antiope, brother of Amphion. See Dirce ZEUS, See JUPITER ZOROASTER, founder of the Persian religion, which was dominant in Western Asia from about 550 BC to about 650 AD, and is still held by many thousands in Persia and in India <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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