Thomas Bulfinch ......................................................................................................................................1

Chapter XVI. MONSTERS. GIANTS, SPHINX, PEGASUS, AND CHIMAERA, CENTAURS, GRIFFIN,

THE religions of ancient Greece and Rome are extinct. The socalled divinities of Olympus have not a single

worshipper among living men. They belong now not to the department of theology, but to those of literature

and taste. There they still hold their place, and will continue to hold it, for they are too closely connected with

the finest productions of poetry and art, both ancient and modern, to pass into oblivion.

We propose to tell the stories relating to them which have come down to us from the ancients, and which are

alluded to by modern poets, essayists, and orators. Our readers may thus at the same time be entertained by

the most charming fictions which fancy has ever created, and put in possession of information indispensable

to every one who would read with intelligence the elegant literature of his own day.

In order to understand these stories, it will be necessary to acquaint ourselves with the ideas of the structure

of the universe which prevailed among the Greeks the people from whom the Romans, and other nations

The Greeks believed the earth to be flat and circular, their own country occupying the middle of it, the central

point being either Mount Olympus, the abode of the gods, or Delphi, so famous for its oracle.

The circular disk of the earth was crossed from west to east and divided into two equal parts by the Sea, as

they called the Mediterranean, and its continuation the Euxine, the only seas with which they were acquainted.

Around the earth flowed the River Ocean, its course being from south to north on the western side of the

earth, and in a contrary direction on the eastern side. It flowed in a steady, equable current, unvexed by storm

or tempest. The sea, and all the rivers on earth, received their waters from it.

The northern portion of the earth was supposed to be inhabited by a happy race named the Hyperboreans,

dwelling in everlasting bliss and spring beyond the lofty mountains whose caverns were supposed to send

forth the piercing blasts of the north wind, which chilled the people of Hellas (Greece). Their country was

inaccessible by land or sea. They lived exempt from disease or old age, from toils and warfare. Moore has

On the south side of the earth, close to the stream of Ocean, dwelt a people happy and virtuous as the

Hyperboreans. They were named the AEthiopians. The gods favoured them so highly that they were wont to

leave at times their Olympian abodes and go to share their sacrifices and banquets.

On the western margin of the earth, by the stream of Ocean, lay a happy place named the Elysian Plain,

whither mortals favoured by the gods were transported without tasting of death, to enjoy an immortality of

bliss. This happy region was also called the "Fortunate Fields," and the "Isles of the Blessed."

We thus see that the Greeks of the early ages knew little of any real people except those to the east and south

of their own country, or near the coast of the Mediterranean. Their imagination meantime peopled the

western portion of this sea with giants, monsters, and enchantresses, while they placed around the disk of the

earth, which they probably regarded as of no great width, nations enjoying the peculiar favour of the gods,

The Dawn, the Sun, and the Moon were supposed to rise out of the Ocean, on the eastern side, and to drive

through the air, giving light to gods and men. The stars, also, except those forming the Wain or Bear, and

others near them, rose the stream of Ocean. There the sungod embarked in a winged boat, which conveyed

him round by the northern part of the earth, back to his place of rising in the east. Milton alludes to this in his

The abode of the gods was on the summit of Mount Olympus, in Thessaly. A gate of clouds, kept by the

godesses named the Seasons, opened to permit the passage of the Celestials to earth, and to receive them on

their return. The gods had their separate dwellings; but all, when summoned, repaired to the palace of Jupiter,

as did also those deities whose usual abode was the earth, the waters, or the underworld. It was also in the

great hall of the palace of the Olympian king that the gods feasted each day on ambrosia and nectar, their

food and drink, the latter being handed round by the lovely goddess Hebe. Here they conversed of the affairs

of heaven and earth; and as they quaffed their nectar, Apollo, the god of music, delighted them with the tones

of his lyre, to which the Muses sang in responsive strains. When the sun was set, the gods retired to sleep in

The following lines from the "Odyssey" will show how Homer conceived of Olympus:

The robes and other parts of the dress of the goddesses were woven by Minerva and the Graces, and

everything of a more solid nature was formed of the various metals. Vulcan was architect, smith, armourer,

chariot builder, and artist of all work in Olympus. He built of brass the houses of the gods; he made for them

the golden shoes with which they trod the air or the water, and moved from place to place with the speed of

the wind, or even of thought. He also shod with brass the celestial steeds, which whirled the chariots of the

gods through the air, or along the surface of the sea. He was able to bestow on his workmanship selfmotion,

so that the tripods (chairs and tables) could move of themselves in and out of the celestial hall. He even

endowed with intelligence the golden handmaidens whom he made to wait on himself.

Jupiter, or Jove (Zeus*), though called the father of gods and men, had himself a beginning. Saturn (Cronos)

was his father, and Rhea (Ops) his mother. Saturn and Rhea were of the race of Titans, who were the children

of Earth and Heaven, which sprang from Chaos, of which we shall give a further account in our next chapter.

The names in parentheses are the Greek, the others being the Roman or Latin names.

There is another cosmogony, or account of the creation, according to which Earth, Erebus, and Love were the

first of beings. Love (Eros) issued from the egg of Night, which floated on Chaos. By his arrows and torch he

Saturn and Rhea were not the only Titans. There were others, whose names were Oceanus, Hyperion, Iapetus,

and Ophion, males; and Themis, Mnemosyne, Eurynome, females. They are spoken of as the elder gods,

whose dominion was afterwards transferred to others. Saturn yielded to Jupiter, Oceanus to Neptune,

Hyperion to Apollo. Hyperion was the father of the Sun, Moon, and Dawn. He is therefore the original

sungod, and is painted with the splendour and beauty which were afterwards bestowed on Apollo.

Ophion and Eurynome ruled over Olympus till they were dethroned by Saturn and Rhea. Milton alludes to

them in "Paradise Lost." He says the heathens seem to have had some knowledge of the temptation and fall of

The representations given of Saturn are not very consistent; for on the one hand his reign is said to have been

the golden age of innocence and purity, and on the other he is described as a monster who devoured his

children.* Jupiter, however, escaped this fate, and when grown up espoused Metis (Prudence), who

administered a draught to Saturn which caused him to disgorge his children. Jupiter, with his brothers and

sisters, now rebelled against their father Saturn and his brothers the Titans; vanquished them, and imprisoned

some of them in Tartarus, inflicting other penalties on others. Atlas was condemned to bear up the heavens on

This inconsistency arises from considering the Saturn of the Romans the same with the Grecian deity Cronos

(Time), which, as it brings an end to all things which have had a beginning, may be said to devour its own

On the dethronement of Saturn, Jupiter with his brothers Neptune (Poseidon) and Pluto (Dis) divided his

dominions. Jupiter's portion was the heavens, Neptune's the ocean, and Pluto's the realms of the dead. Earth

and Olympus were common property. Jupiter was king of gods and men. The thunder was his weapon, and he

bore a shield called AEgis, made for him by Vulcan. The eagle was his favourite bird, and bore his

Juno (Hera) was the wife of Jupiter, and queen of the gods. Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, was her attendant

Vulcan (Hephaestos), the celestial artist, was the son of Jupiter and Juno. He was born lame, and his mother

was so displeased at the sight of him that she flung him out of heaven. Other accounts say that Jupiter kicked

him out for taking part with his mother in a quarrel which occurred between them. Vulcan's lameness,

according to this account, was the consequence of his fall. He was a whole day falling, and at last alighted in

the Island of Lemnos, which was thenceforth sacred to him. Milton alludes to this story in "Paradise Lost,"

Phoebus Apollo, the god of archery, prophecy, and music, was the son of Jupiter and Latona, and brother of

Diana (Artemis). He was god of the sun, as Diana, his sister, was the goddess of the moon.

Venus (Aphrodite), the goddess of love and beauty, was the daughter of Jupiter and Dione. Others say that

Venus sprang from the foam of the sea. The zephyr wafted her along the waves to the Isle of Cyprus, where

she was received and attired by the Seasons, and then led to the assembly of the gods. All were charmed with

her beauty, and each one demanded her for his wife. Jupiter gave her to Vulcan, in gratitude for the service he

had rendered in forging thunderbolts. So the most beautiful of the goddesses became the wife of the most

illfavoured of gods. Venus possessed an embroidered girdle called Cestus, which had the power of inspiring

love. Her favourite birds were swans and doves, and the plants sacred to her were the rose and the myrtle.

Cupid (Eros), the god of love, was the son of Venus. He was her constant companion; and, armed with bow

and arrows, he shot the darts of desire into the bosoms of both gods and men. There was a deity named

Anteros, who was sometimes represented as the avenger of slighted love, and sometimes as the symbol of

Venus, complaining to Themis that her son Eros continued always a child, was told by her that it was because

he was solitary, and that if he had a brother he would grow apace. Anteros was soon afterwards born, and

Minerva (Pallas, Athene, the goddess of wisdom,) was the offspring of Jupiter, without a mother. She sprang

forth from his head completely armed. Her favourite bird was the owl, and the plant sacred to her the olive.

Mercury (Hermes) was the son of Jupiter and Maia. He presided over commerce, wrestling, and other

gymnastic exercises, even over thieving, and everything, in short, which required skill and dexterity. He was

the messenger of Jupiter, and wore a winged cap and winged shoes. He bore in his hand a rod entwined with

Mercury is said to have invented the lyre. He found, one day, a tortoise, of which he took the shell, made

holes in the opposite edges of it, and drew cords of linen through them, and the instrument was complete. The

cords were nine, in honour of the nine Muses. Mercury gave the lyre to Apollo, and received from him in

From this origin of the instrument, the word "shell" is often used as synonymous with "lyre," and figuratively

Ceres (Demeter) was the daughter of Saturn and Rhea. She had a daughter named Proserpine (Persephone),

who became the wife of Pluto, and queen of the realms of the dead. Ceres presided over agriculture.

Bacchus (Dionysus), the god of wine, was the son of Jupiter and Semele. He represents not only the

intoxicating power of wine, but its social and beneficent influences likewise, so that he is viewed as the

The Muses were the daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne (Memory). They presided over song, and prompted

the memory. They were nine in number, to each of whom was assigned the presidence over some particular

department of literature, art, or science. Calliope was the muse of epic poetry, Clio of history, Euterpe of lyric

poetry, Melpomene of tragedy, Terpsichore of choral dance and song, Erato of love poetry, Polyhymnia of

The Graces were goddesses presiding over the banquet, the dance, and all social enjoyments and elegant arts.

The Fates were also three Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. Their office was to spin the thread of human

destiny, and they were armed with shears, with which they cut it off when they pleased. They were the

The Erinnyes, or Furies, were three goddesses who punished by their secret stings the crimes of those who

escaped or defied public justice. The heads of the Furies were wreathed with serpents, and their whole

appearance was terrific and appalling. Their names were Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megaera. They were also

Nemesis was also an avenging goddess. She represents the righteous anger of the gods, particularly towards

Pan was the god of flocks and shepherds. His favourite residence was in Arcadia.

The Satyrs were deities of the woods and fields. They were conceived to be covered with bristly hair, their

The preceding are Grecian divinities, though received also by the Romans. Those which follow are peculiar

Saturn was an ancient Italian deity. It was attempted to identify him with the Grecian god Cronos, and fabled

that after his dethronement by Jupiter he fled to Italy, where he reigned during what was called the Golden

Age. In memory of his beneficent dominion, the feast of Saturnalia was held every year in the winter season.

Then all public business was suspended, declarations of war and criminal executions were postponed, friends

made presents to one another, and the slaves were indulged with great liberties. A feast was given them at

which they sat at table, while their masters served them, to show the natural equality of men, and that all

Faunus,* the grandson of Saturn, was worshipped as the god of fields and shepherds, and also as a prophetic

god. His name in the plural, Fauns, expressed a class of gamesome deities, like the Satyrs of the Greeks.

Quirinus was a war god, said to be no other than Romulus, the founder of Rome, exalted after his death to a

Terminus, the god of landmarks. His statue was a rude stone or post, set in the ground to mark the boundaries

Vesta (the Hestia of the Greeks) was a deity presiding over the public and private hearth. A sacred fire,

tended by six virgin priestesses called Vestals, flamed in her temple. As the safety of the city was held to be

connected with its conservation, the neglect of the virgins, if they let it go out, was severely punished, and the

Janus was the porter of heaven. He opens the year, the first month being named after him. He is the guardian

deity of gates, on which account he is commonly represented with two heads, because every door looks two

ways. His temples at Rome were numerous. In war time the gates of the principal one were always open. In

peace they were closed; but they were shut only once between the reign of Numa and that of Augustus.

The Penates were the gods who were supposed to attend to the welfare and prosperity of the family. Their

name is derived from Penus, the pantry, which was sacred to them. Every master of a family was the priest of

The Lares, or Lars, were also household gods, but differed from the Penates in being regarded as the deified

spirits of mortals. The family Lars were held to be the souls of the ancestors, who watched over and protected

their descendants. The words Lemur and Larva more nearly correspond to our word Ghost.

The Romans believed that every man had his Genius, and every woman her Juno: that is, a spirit who had

given them being, and was regarded as their protector through life. On their birthdays men made offerings to

N.B. It is to be observed that in proper names the final e and es are to be sounded. Thus Cybele and Penates

are words of three syllables. But Proserpine and Thebes are exceptions and to be pronounced as English

THE creation of the world is a problem naturally fitted to excite the liveliest interest of man, its inhabitant.

The ancient pagans, not having the information on the subject which we derive from the pages of Scripture,

Before earth and sea and heaven were created, all things wore one aspect, to which we give the name of

Chaos a confused and shapeless mass, nothing but dead weight, in which, however, slumbered the seeds of

things. Earth, sea, and air were all mixed up together; so the earth was not solid, the sea was not fluid, and the

air was not transparent. God and Nature at last interposed, and put an end to this discord, separating earth

from sea, and heaven from both. The fiery part, being the lightest, sprang up, and formed the skies; the air

was next in weight and place. The earth, being heavier, sank below; and the water took the lowest place, and

Here some god it is not known which gave his good offices in arranging and disposing the earth. He

appointed rivers and bays their places, raised mountains, scooped out valleys, distributed woods, fountains,

fertile fields. and stony plains. The air being cleared, the stars began to appear, fishes took possession of the

But a nobler animal was wanted, and Man was made. It is not known whether the creator made him of divine

materials, or whether in the earth, so lately separated from heaven, there lurked still some heavenly seeds.

Prometheus took some of this earth, and kneading it up with water, made man in the image of the gods. He

gave him an upright stature, so that while all other animals turn their faces downward, and look to the earth,

Prometheus was one of the Titans, a gigantic race, who inhabited the earth before the creation of man. To him

and his brother Epimetheus was committed the office of making man, and providing him and all other

animals with the faculties necessary for their preservation. Epimetheus undertook to do this, and Prometheus

was to overlook his work, when it was done. Epimetheus accordingly proceeded to bestow upon the different

animals the various gifts of courage, strength, swiftness, sagacity; wings to one, claws to another, a shelly

covering to a third, etc. But when man came to be provided for, who was to be superior to all other animals,

Epimetheus had been so prodigal of his resources that he had nothing left to bestow upon him. In his

perplexity he resorted to his brother Prometheus, who, with the aid of Minerva, went up to heaven, and

lighted his torch at the chariot of the sun. and brought down fire to man. With this gift man was more than a

match for all other animals. It enabled him to make weapons wherewith to subdue them; tools with which to

cultivate the earth; to warm his dwelling, so as to be comparatively independent of climate; and finally to

Woman was not yet made. The story (absurd enough!) is that Jupiter made her, and sent her to Prometheus

and his brother, to punish them for their presumption in stealing fire from heaven; and man, for accepting the

gift. The first woman was named Pandora. She was made in heaven, every god contributing something to

perfect her. Venus gave her beauty, Mercury persuasion, Apollo music, etc. Thus equipped, she was

conveyed to earth, and presented to Epimetheus, who gladly accepted her, though cautioned by his brother to

beware of Jupiter and his gifts. Epimetheus had in his house a jar, in which were kept certain noxious articles

for which, in fitting man for his new abode, he had had no occasion. Pandora was seized with an eager

curiosity to know what this jar contained; and one day she slipped off the cover and looked in. Forthwith

there escaped a multitude of plagues for hapless man, such as gout, rheumatism, and colic for his body, and

envy, spite, and revenge for his mind, and scattered themselves far and wide. Pandora hastened to replace

the lid! but, alas! the whole contents of the jar had escaped, one thing only excepted, which lay at the bottom,

and that was hope. So we see at this day, whatever evils are abroad, hope never entirely leaves us; and while

Another story is that Pandora was sent in good faith, by Jupiter, to bless man; that she was furnished with a

box containing her marriage presents, into which every god had put some blessing, She opened the box

incautiously, and the blessings all escaped, hope only excepted. This story seems more probable than the

former; for how could hope, so precious a jewel as it is, have been kept in a jar full of all manner of evils, as

The world being thus furnished with inhabitants, the first age was an age of innocence and happiness, called

the Golden Age. Truth and right prevailed, though not enforced by law, nor was there any magistrate to

threaten or punish. The forest had not yet been robbed of its trees to furnish timbers for vessels, nor had men

built fortifications round their towns. There were no such things as swords, spears, or helmets. The earth

brought forth all things necessary for man, without his labour in ploughing or sowing, Perpetual spring

reigned, flowers sprang up without seed, the rivers flowed with milk and wine, and yellow honey distilled

Then succeeded the Silver Age, inferior to the golden, but better than that of brass. Jupiter shortened the

spring, and divided the year into seasons. Then, first, men had to endure the extremes of heat and cold, and

houses became necessary. Caves were the first dwellings, and leafy coverts of the woods, and huts woven of

twigs. Crops would no longer grow without planting. The farmer was obliged to sow the seed, and the toiling

Next came the Brazen Age, more savage of temper, and readier to the strife of arms, yet not altogether

wicked. The hardest and worst was the Iron Age. Crime burst in like a flood; modesty, truth, and honour fled.

In their places came fraud and cunning, violence, and the wicked love of gain. Then seamen spread sails to

the wind, and the trees were torn from the mountains to serve for keels to ships, and vex the face of the ocean.

The earth, which till now had been cultivated in common, began to be divided off into possessions. Men were

not satisfied with what the surface produced, but must dig into its bowels, and draw forth from thence the

ores of metals. Mischievous iron, and more mischievous gold, were produced. War sprang up, using both as

weapons; the guest was not safe in his friend's house; and sonsinlaw and fathersinlaw, brothers and

sisters, husbands and wives, could not trust one another. Sons wished their fathers dead, that they might come

to the inheritance; family love lay prostrate. The earth was wet with slaughter, and the gods abandoned it, one

The goddess of innocence and purity. After leaving earth, she was placed among the stars, where she became

the constellation Virgo the Virgin. Themis (Justice) was the mother of Astraea. She is represented as

holding aloft a pair of scales, in which she weighs the claims of opposing parties.

It was a favourite idea of the old poets that these goddesses would one day return, and bring back the Golden

Jupiter, seeing this state of things, burned with anger. He summoned the gods to council. They obeyed the

call, and took the road to the palace of heaven. The road, which any one may see in a clear night, stretches

across the face of the sky, and is called the Milky Way. Along the road stand the palaces of the illustrious

gods; the common people of the skies live apart, on either side. Jupiter addressed the assembly. He set forth

the frightful condition of things on the earth, and closed by announcing his intention to destroy the whole of

its inhabitants, and provide a new race, unlike the first, who would be more worthy of life, and much better

worshippers of the gods. So saying he took a thunderbolt, and was about to launch it at the world, and destroy

it by burning; but recollecting the danger that such a conflagration might set heaven itself on fire, he changed

his plan, and resolved to drown it. The north wind, which scatters the clouds, was chained up; the south was

sent out, and soon covered all the face of heaven with a cloak of pitchy darkness. The clouds, driven together,

resound with a crash; torrents of rain fall; the crops are laid low; the year's labour of the husbandman perishes

in an hour. Jupiter, not satisfied with his own waters, calls on his brother Neptune to aid him with his. He lets

loose the rivers, and pours them over the land. At the same time, he heaves the land with an earthquake, and

brings in the reflux of the ocean over the shores. Flocks, herds, men, and houses are swept away, and temples,

with their sacred enclosures, profaned. If any edifice remained standing, it was overwhelmed, and its turrets

lay hid beneath the waves. Now all was sea, sea without shore. Here and there an individual remained on a

projecting hilltop, and a few, in boats, pulled the oar where they had lately driven the plough. The fishes

swim among the treetops; the anchor is let down into a garden. Where the graceful lambs played but now.

unwieldy sea calves gambol. The wolf swims among the sheep, the yellow lions and tigers struggle in the

water. The strength of the wild boar serves him not, nor his swiftness the stag. The birds fall with weary win,

into the water, having found no land for a restingplace. Those living beings whom the water spared fell a

Parnassus alone, of all the mountains, overtopped the waves; and there Deucalion, and his wife Pyrrha, of the

race of Prometheus, found refuge he a just man, and she a faithful worshipper of the gods. Jupiter, when he

saw none left alive but this pair, and remembered their harmless lives and pious demeanour, ordered the north

winds to drive away the clouds, and disclose the skies to earth, and earth to the skies. Neptune also directed

Triton to blow on his shell, and sound a retreat to the waters. The waters obeyed, and the sea returned to its

shores, and the rivers to their channels. Then Deucalion thus addressed Pyrrha: "O wife, only surviving

woman, joined to me first by the ties of kindred and marriage, and now by a common danger, would that we

possessed the power of our ancestor Prometheus, and could renew the race as he at first made it! But as we

cannot, let us seek yonder temple, and inquire of the gods what remains for us to do." They entered the

temple, deformed as it was with slime, and approached the altar, where no fire burned. There they fell

prostrate on the earth, and prayed the goddess to inform them how they might retrieve their miserable affairs.

The oracle answered, "Depart from the temple with head veiled and garments unbound, and cast behind you

the bones of your mother." They heard the words with astonishment. Pyrrha first broke silence: "We cannot

obey; we dare not profane the remains of our parents." They sought the thickest shades of the wood, and

revolved the oracle in their minds. At length Deucalion spoke: "Either my sagacity deceives me, or the

command is one we may obey without impiety. The earth is the great parent of all; the stones are her bones;

these we may cast behind us; and I think this is what the oracle means. At least, it will do no harm to try."

They veiled their faces, unbound their garments, and picked up stones, and cast them behind them. The stones

(wonderful to relate) began to grow soft, and assume shape. By degrees, they put on a rude resemblance to

the human form, like a block half finished in the hands of the sculptor. The moisture and slime that were

about them became flesh; the stony part became bones; the veins remained veins, retaining their name, only

changing their use. Those thrown by the hand of the man became men, and those by the woman became

women. It was a hard race, and well adapted to labour, as we find ourselves to be at this day, giving plain

The comparison of Eve to Pandora is too obvious to have escaped Milton, who introduces it in Book IV. of

Prometheus has been a favourite subject with the poets. He is represented as the friend of mankind, who

interposed in their behalf when Jove was incensed against them, and who taught them civilization and the

arts. But as, in so doing, he transgressed the will of Jupiter, he drew down on himself the anger of the ruler of

gods and men. Jupiter had him chained to a rock on Mount Caucasus, where a vulture preyed on his liver,

which was renewed as fast as devoured. This state of torment might have been brought to an end at any time

by Prometheus, if he had been willing, to submit to his oppressor; for he possessed a secret which involved

the stability of Jove's throne, and if he would have revealed it, he might have been at once taken into favour.

But that he disdained to do. He has therefore become the symbol of magnanimous endurance of unmerited

Byron and Shelley have both treated this theme. The following are Byron's lines:

THE slime with which the earth was covered by the waters of the flood produced an excessive fertility, which

called forth every variety of production, both bad and good. Among the rest, Python, an enormous serpent,

crept forth, the terror of the people, and lurked in the caves of Mount Parnassus. Apollo slew him with his

arrows weapons which he had not before used against any but feeble animals, hares, wild goats, and such

game. In commemoration of this illustrious conquest he instituted the Pythian games, in which the victor in

feats of strength, swiftness of foot, or in the chariot race was crowned with a wreath of beech leaves; for the

The famous statue of Apollo called the Belvedere represents the god after this victory over the serpent

Daphne was Apollo's first love. It was not brought about by accident, but by the malice of Cupid. Apollo saw

the boy playing with his bow and arrows; and being himself elated with his recent victory over Python, he

said to him, "What have you to do with warlike weapons, saucy boy? Leave them for hands worthy of them,

Behold the conquest I have won by means of them over the vast serpent who stretched his poisonous body

over acres of the plain! Be content with your torch, child, and kindle up your flames, as you call them, where

you will, but presume not to meddle with my weapons." Venus's boy heard these words, and rejoined, "Your

arrows may strike all things else, Apollo, but mine shall strike you." So saying, he took his stand on a rock of

Parnassus, and drew from his quiver two arrows of different workmanship, one to excite love, the other to

repel it. The former was of gold and ship pointed, the latter blunt and tipped with lead. With the leaden shaft

he struck the nymph Daphne, the daughter of the river god Peneus, and with the golden one Apollo, through

the heart. Forthwith the god was seized with love for the maiden, and she abhorred the thought of loving. Her

delight was in woodland sports and in the spoils of the chase. lovers sought her, but she spurned them all,

ranging the woods, and taking no thought of Cupid nor of Hymen. Her father often said to her, "Daughter,

you owe me a soninlaw; you owe me grandchildren." She, hating the thought of marriage as a crime, with

her beautiful face tinged all over with blushes, threw her arms around her father's neck, and said, "Dearest

father, grant me this favour, that I may always remain unmarried, like Diana." He consented, but at the same

Apollo loved her, and longed to obtain her; and he who gives oracles to all the world was not wise enough to

look into his own fortunes. He saw her hair flung loose over her shoulders, and said, "If so charming, in

disorder, what would it be if arranged?" He saw her eyes bright as stars; he saw her lips, and was not satisfied

with only seeing them. He admired her hands and arms, naked to the shoulder, and whatever was hidden from

view he imagined more beautiful still. He followed her; she fled, swifter than the wind, and delayed not a

moment at his entreaties. "Stay," said he, "daughter of Peneus; I am not a foe. Do not fly me as a lamb flies

the wolf, or a dove the hawk. It is for love I pursue you. You make me miserable, for fear you should fall and

hurt yourself on these stones, and I should be the cause. Pray run slower, and I will follow slower. I am no

clown, no rude peasant. Jupiter is my father, and I am lord of Delphos and Tenedos, and know all things,

present and future. I am the god of song and the lyre. My arrows fly true to the mark; but, alas! an arrow

more fatal than mine has pierced my heart! I am the god of medicine, and know the virtues of all healing

The nymph continued her flight, and left his plea half uttered. And even as she fled she charmed him. The

wind blew her garments, and her unbound hair streamed loose behind her. The god grew impatient to find his

wooings thrown away, and, sped by Cupid, gained upon her in the race. It was like a hound pursuing a hare,

with open jaws ready to seize, while the feebler animal darts forward, slipping from the very grasp. So flew

the god and the virgin he on the wings of love, and she on those of fear. The pursuer is the more rapid,

however, and gains upon her, and his panting breath blows upon her hair. Her strength begins to fail, and,

ready to sink, she calls upon her father, the river god: "Help me, Peneus! open the earth to enclose me, or

change my form, which has brought me into this danger!" Scarcely had she spoken, when a stiffness seized

all her limbs; her bosom began to be enclosed in a tender bark; her hair became leaves; her arms became

branches; her foot stuck fast in the ground, as a root; her face became a treetop, retaining nothing of its

former self but its beauty, Apollo stood amazed. He touched the stem, and felt the flesh tremble under the

new bark. He embraced the branches, and lavished kisses on the wood. The branches shrank from his lips.

"Since you cannot be my wife," said he, "you shall assuredly be my tree. I will wear you for my crown; I will

decorate with you my harp and my quiver; and when the great Roman conquerors lead up the triumphal pomp

to the Capitol, you shall be woven into wreaths for their brows. And, as eternal youth is mine, you also shall

be always green, and your leaf know no decay." The nymph, now changed into a Laurel tree, bowed its head

That Apollo should be the god both of music and poetry will not appear strange, but that medicine should

also be assigned to his province, may. The poet Armstrong, himself a physician, thus accounts for it:

The story of Apollo and Daphne is of ten alluded to by the poets. Waller applies it to the case of one whose

amatory verses, though they did not soften the heart of his mistress, yet won for the poet widespread fame:

The following stanza from Shelley's "Adonais" alludes to Byron's early quarrel with the reviewers:

Pyramus was the handsomest youth, and Thisbe the fairest maiden, in all Babylonia, where Semiramis

reigned. Their parents occupied adjoining houses; and neighbourhood brought the young people together, and

acquaintance ripened into love. They would gladly have married, but their parents forbade. One thing,

however, they could not forbid that love should glow with equal ardour in the bosoms of both. They

conversed by signs and glances, and the fire burned more intensely for being covered up. In the wall that

parted the two houses there was a crack, caused by some fault in the structure. No one had remarked it before,

but the lovers discovered it. What will not love discover! It afforded a passage to the voice; and tender

messages used to pass backward and forward through the gap. As they stood, Pyramus on this side, Thisbe on

that, their breaths would mingle. "Cruel wall," they said, "why do you keep two lovers apart? But we will not

be ungrateful. We owe you, we confess, the privilege of transmitting loving words to willing, ears." Such

words they uttered on different sides of the wall; and when night came and they must say farewell, they

pressed their lips upon the wall, she on her side, he on his, as they could come no nearer.

Next morning, when Aurora had put out the stars, and the sun had melted the frost from the grass, they met at

the accustomed spot. Then, after lamenting their hard fate, they agreed that next night, when all was still, they

would slip away from the watchful eyes, leave their dwellings and walk out into the fields; and to insure a

meeting, repair to a wellknown edifice standing without the city's bounds, called the Tomb of Ninus, and

that the one who came first should await the other at the foot of a certain tree. It was a white mulberry tree,

and stood near a cool spring. All was agreed on, and they waited impatiently for the sun to go down beneath

the waters and night to rise up from them. Then cautiously Thisbe stole forth, unobserved by the family, her

head covered with a veil, made her way to the monument and sat down under the tree. As she sat alone in the

dim light of the evening she descried a lioness, her jaws reeking with recent slaughter, approaching the

fountain to slake her thirst. Thisbe fled at the sight, and sought refuge in the hollow of a rock. As she fled she

dropped her veil. The lioness after drinking at the spring turned to retreat to the woods, and seeing the veil on

Pyramus, having been delayed, now approached the place of meeting. He saw in the sand the footsteps of the

lion, and the colour fled from his cheeks at the sight. Presently he found the veil all rent and bloody. "O

hapless girl," said he, "I have been the cause of thy death! Thou, more worthy of life than I, hast fallen the

first victim. I will follow. I am the guilty cause, in tempting thee forth to a place of such peril, and not being

myself on the spot to guard thee. Come forth, ye lions, from the rocks, and tear this guilty body with your

teeth." He took up the veil, carried it with him to the appointed tree, and covered it with kisses and with tears.

"My blood also shall stain your texture," said he, and drawing his sword plunged it into his heart. The blood

spurted from the wound, and tinged the white mulberries of the tree all red; and sinking into the earth reached

By this time Thisbe, still trembling with fear, yet wishing not to disappoint her lover, stepped cautiously

forth, looking anxiously for the youth, eager to tell him the danger she had escaped. When she came to the

spot and saw the changed colour of the mulberries she doubted whether it was the same place. While she

hesitated she saw the form of one struggling in the agonies of death. She started back, a shudder ran through

her frame as a ripple on the face of the still water when a sudden breeze sweeps over it. But as soon as she

recognized her lover, she screamed and beat her breast, embracing the lifeless body, pouring tears into its

wounds, and imprinting kisses on the cold lips. "O Pyramus," she cried, "what has done this? Answer me,

Pyramus; it is your own Thisbe that speaks. Hear me, dearest, and lift that drooping head!" At the name of

Thisbe Pyramus opened his eyes, then closed them again. She saw her veil stained blood and the scabbard

empty of its sword. "Thy own hand has slain thee, and for my sake," she said. "I too can be brave for once,

and my love is as strong as thine. I will follow thee in death, for I have been the cause; and death which alone

could part us shall not prevent my joining thee. And ye, unhappy parents of us both, deny us not our united

request. As love and death have joined us, let one tomb contain us. And thou, tree, retain the marks of

slaughter. Let thy berries still serve for memorials of our blood." So saying she plunged the sword into her

breast. Her parents ratified her wish, the gods also ratified it. The two bodies were buried in one sepulchre,

Moore, in the "Sylph's Ball," speaking of Davy's Safety Lamp, is reminded of the wall that separated Thisbe

In Mickle's translation of the "Lusiad" occurs the following allusion to the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, and

If any of our young readers can be so hardhearted as to enjoy a laugh at the expense of poor Pyramus and

Thisbe, they may find an opportunity by turning to Shakespeare's play of the "Midsummer Night's Dream,"

Cephalus was a beautiful youth and fond of manly sports. He would rise before the dawn to pursue the chase.

Aurora saw him when she first looked forth, fell in love with him, and stole him away But Cephalus was just

married to a charming wife whom he devotedly loved. Her name was Procris. She was a favourite of Diana,

the goddess of hunting, who had given her a dog which could outrun every rival, and a javelin which would

never fail of its mark; and Procris gave these presents to her husband. Cephalus was so happy in his wife that

he resisted all the entreaties of Aurora, and she finally dismissed him in displeasure, saying, "Go, ungrateful

mortal, keep your wife, whom, if I am not much mistaken, you will one day be very sorry you ever saw

Cephalus returned, and was as happy as ever in his wife and his woodland sports. Now it happened some

angry deity had sent a ravenous fox to annoy the country; and the hunters turned out in great strength to

capture it. Their efforts were all in vain; no dog could run it down; and at last they came to Cephalus to

borrow his famous dog, whose name was Lelaps. No sooner was the dog let loose than he darted off, quicker

than their eye could allow him. If they had not seen his footprints in the sand they would have thought he

flew. Cephalus and others stood on a hill and saw the race. The fox tried every art; he ran in a circle and

turned on his track, the dog close upon him, with open jaws, snapping at his heels, but biting only the air.

Cephalus was about to use his javelin, when suddenly he saw both dog and game stop instantly, The heavenly

powers who had given both were not willing that either should conquer. In the very attitude of life and action

they were turned into stone. So lifelike and natural did they look, you would have thought, as you looked at

Cephalus, though he had lost his dog, still continued to take delight in the chase. He would go out at early

morning, ranging the woods and hills unaccompanied by any one needing no help, for his javelin was a sure

weapon in all cases. Fatigued with hunting, when the sun got high he would seek a shady nook where a cool

stream flowed, and, stretched on the grass, with his garments thrown aside, would enjoy the breeze.

Sometimes he would say aloud, "Come, sweet breeze, come and fan my breast, come and, lily the heat that

burns me." Some one passing by one day heard him talking in this way to the air, and, foolishly believing,

that he was talking to some maiden, went and told the secret to Procris, Cephalus's wife. Love is credulous.

Procris, at the sudden shock, fainted away. Presently recovering, she said, "It cannot be true; I will not

believe it unless I myself am a witness to it." So she waited, with anxious heart, till the next morning, when

Cephalus went to hunt as usual. Then she stole out after him, and concealed herself in the place where the

informer directed her. Cephalus came as he was wont when tired with sport, and stretched himself on the

green bank, saying, "Come, sweet breeze, come and fan me; you know how I love you! you make the groves

and my solitary rambles delightful." He was running on in this way when he heard, or thought he heard, a

sound as of a sob in the bushes. Supposing it some wild animal, he threw his javelin at the spot. A cry from

his beloved Procris told him that the weapon had too surely met its mark. He rushed to the place, and found

her bleeding, and with sinking strength endeavouring to draw forth from the wound the javelin, her own gift.

Cephalus raised her from the earth, strove to stanch the blood, and called her to revive and not to leave him

miserable, to reproach himself with her death. She opened her feeble eyes, and forced herself to utter these

few words: "I implore you, if you have ever loved me, if I have ever deserved kindness at your hands, my

husband, grant me this last request; do not marry that odious Breeze!" This disclosed the whole mystery: but

alas! what advantage to disclose it now? She died; but her face wore a calm expression, and she looked

Moore, in his "Legendary Ballads," has one on Cephalus and Procris, beginning thus:

JUNO one day perceived it suddenly grow dark, and immediately suspected that her husband had raised a

cloud to hide some of his doings that would not bear the light. She brushed away the cloud, and saw her

husband on the banks of a glassy river, with a beautiful heifer standing near him. Juno suspected the heifer's

form concealed some fair nymph of mortal mould as was, indeed, the case; for it was Io, the daughter of the

river god Inachus, whom Jupiter had been flirting with, and, when he became aware of the approach of his

Juno joined her husband, and noticing the heifer praised its beauty, and asked whose it was, and of what herd.

Jupiter, to stop questions, replied that it was a fresh creation from the earth. Juno asked to have it as a gift.

What could Jupiter do? He was loath to give his mistress to his wife; yet how refuse so trifling a present as a

simple heifer? He could not, without exciting suspicion; so he consented. The goddess was not yet relieved of

Now Argus bad a hundred eyes in his head, and never went to sleep with more than two at a time, so that he

kept watch of Io constantly He suffered her to feed through the day, and at night tied her up with a vile rope

round her neck. She would have stretched out her arms to implore freedom of Argus, but she had no arms to

stretch out, and her voice was a bellow that frightened even herself. She saw her father and her sisters, went

near them, and suffered them to pat her back, and heard them admire her beauty. Her father reached her a tuft

of grass, and she licked the outstretched hand. She longed to make herself known to him and would have

uttered her wish; but, alas! words were wanting At length she bethought herself of writing, and inscribed her

name it was a short one with her hoof on the sand. Inachus recognized it, and discovering that his

daughter, whom he had long sought in vain, was hidden under this disguise, mourned over her, and,

embracing her white neck, exclaimed, "Alas! my daughter, it would have been a less grief to have lost you

altogether!" While he thus lamented, Argus, observing, came and drove her away, and took his seat on a high

Jupiter was troubled at beholding the sufferings of his mistress, and calling, Mercury told him to go and

despatch Argus. Mercury made haste, put his winged slippers on his feet, and cap on his head, took his

sleepproducing wand, and leaped down from the heavenly towers to the earth. There he laid aside his wings,

and kept only his wand, with which he presented himself as a shepherd driving his flock. As he strolled on he

blew upon his pipes. These were what are called the Syrinx or Pandean pipes. Argus listened with delight, for

he had never seen the instrument before. "Young man," said he, "come and take a seat by me on this stone.

There is no better place for your flocks to graze in than hereabouts, and here is a pleasant shade such as

shepherds love." Mercury sat down, talked, and told stories till it grew late, and played upon his pipes his

most soothing strains, hoping to lull the watchful eyes to sleep, but all in vain; for Argus still contrived to

Among other stories, Mercury told him how the instrument on which he played was invented. "There was a

certain nymph, whose name was Syrinx, who was much beloved by the satyrs and spirits of the wood; but she

would have none of them, but was a faithful worshipper of Diana, and followed the chase. You would have

thought it was Diana herself, had you seen her in her hunting dress, only that her bow was of horn and

Diana's of silver. One day, as she was returning from the chase, Pan met her, told her just this, and added

more of the same sort. She ran away, without stopping to hear his compliments, and he pursued till she came

to the bank of the river, where be overtook her, and she had only time to call for help on her friends the water

nymphs. They heard and consented. Pan threw his arms around what he supposed to be the form of the

nymph and found he embraced only a tuft of reeds! As he breathed a sigh, the air sounded through the reeds,

and produced a plaintive melody. The god, charmed with the novelty and with the sweetness of the music,

said, 'Thus, then, at least, you shall be mine.' And he took some of the reeds, and placing them together of

unequal lengths, side by side, made an instrument which he called Syrinx, in honour of the nymph." Before

Mercury had finished his story he saw Argus's eyes all asleep. As his head nodded forward on his breast,

Mercury with one stroke cut his neck through, and tumbled his head down the rocks. O hapless Argus! the

light of your hundred eyes is quenched at once! Juno took them and put them as ornaments on the tail of her

But the vengeance of Juno was not yet satiated. She sent a gadfly to torment Io, who fled over the whole

world from its pursuit. She swam through the Ionian sea, which derived its name from her, then roamed over

the plains of Illyria, ascended Mount Haemus, and crossed the Thracian strait, thence named the Bosphorus

(cowford), rambled on through Scythia, and the country of the Cimmerians, and arrived at last on the banks

of the Nile. At length Jupiter interceded for her, and upon his promising not to pay her any more attentions

Juno consented to restore her to her form. It was curious to see her gradually recover her former self. The

coarse hairs fell from her body, her horns shrank up, her eyes grew narrower, her mouth shorter; hands and

fingers came instead of hoofs to her forefeet; in fine there was nothing left of the heifer, except her beauty. At

first she was afraid to speak, for fear she should low, but gradually she recovered her confidence and was

In a poem dedicated to Leigh Hunt, by Keats, the following allusion to the story of Pan and Syrinx occurs:

Callisto was another maiden who excited the jealousy of Juno, and the goddess changed her into a bear. "I

will take away," said she, "that beauty with which you have captivated my husband." Down fell Callisto on

her hands and knees; she tried to stretch out her arms in supplication they were already beginning to be

covered with black hair. Her hands grew rounded, became armed with crooked claws, and served for feet; her

mouth, which Jove used to praise for its beauty, became a horrid pair of jaws; her voice, which if unchanged

would have moved the heart to pity, became a growl, more fit to inspire terror. Yet her former disposition

remained, and with continual groaning, she bemoaned her fate, and stood upright as well as she could, lifting

up her paws to be, for mercy, and felt that Jove was unkind, though she could not tell him so. Ah, how often,

afraid to stay in the woods all night alone, she wandered about the neighbourhood of her former haunts; how

often, frightened by the dogs, did she, so lately a huntress, fly in terror from the hunters! Often she fled from

the wild beasts, forgetting that she was now a wild beast herself; and, bear as she was, was afraid of the bears.

One day a youth espied her as he was hunting. She saw him and recognized him as her own son, now grown a

young man. She stopped and felt inclined to embrace him. As she was about to approach, he, alarmed, raised

his hunting spear, and was on the point of transfixing her, when Jupiter, beholding, arrested the crime, and

snatching, away both of them, placed them in the heavens as the Great and Little Bear.

Juno was in a rage to see her rival so set in honour, and hastened to ancient Tethys and Oceanus, the powers

of ocean, and in answer to their inquiries thus told the cause of her coming: "Do you ask why I, the queen of

the gods, have left the heavenly plains and sought your depths? Learn that I am supplanted in heaven my

place is given to another. You will hardly believe me; but look when night darkens the world, and you shall

see the two of whom I have so much reason to complain exalted to the heavens, in that part where the circle is

the smallest, in the neighborbood of the pole. Why should any one hereafter tremble at the thought of

offending Juno when such rewards are the consequence of my displeasure? See what I have been able to

effect! I forbade her to wear the human form she is placed among the stars! So do my punishments result

such is the extent of my power! Better that she should have resumed her former shape, as I permitted Io to do.

Perhaps he means to marry her, and put me away! But you, my fosterparents, if you feel for me, and see

with displeasure this unworthy treatment of me, show it, I beseech you, by forbidding this couple from

coming into your waters." The powers of the ocean assented and consequently the two constellations of the

Great and Little Bear move round and round in heaven, but never sink, as the other stars do, beneath the

Milton alludes to the fact that the constellation of the Bear never sets, when he says:

The last star in the tail of the Little Bear is the Polestar, called also the Cynosure. Milton says:

The reference here is both to the Polestar as the guide of mariners, and to the magnetic attraction of the

North. He calls it also the "Star of Arcady," because Callisto's boy was named Arcas, and they lived in

Thus in two instances we have seen Juno's severity to her rivals; now let us learn how a virgin goddess

It was midday, and the sun stood equally distant from either goal, when young Actaeon, son of King Cadmus,

"Friends, our nets and our weapons are wet with the blood of our victims; we have had sport enough for one

day, and tomorrow we can renew our labours. Now, while Phoebus parches the earth, let us put by our

There was a valley thick enclosed with cypresses and pines, sacred to the huntress queen, Diana. In the

extremity of the valley was a cave, not adorned with art, but nature had counterfeited art in its construction,

for she had turned the arch of its roof with stones, as delicately fitted as if by the hand of man. A fountain

burst out from one side, whose open basin was bounded by a grassy rim. Here the goddess of the woods used

to come when weary with hunting and lave her virgin limbs in the sparkling water.

One day, having repaired thither with her nymphs, she handed her javelin, her quiver, and her bow to one, her

robe to another, while a third unbound the sandals from her feet. Then Crocale, the most skilful of them,

arranged her hair, and Nephele, Hyale, and the rest drew water in capacious urns. While the goddess was thus

employed in the labours of the toilet, behold Actaeon, having quitted his companions, and rambling without

any especial object, came to the place, led thither by his destiny. As he presented himself at the entrance of

the cave, the nymphs, seeing a man, screamed and rushed towards the goddess to hide her with their bodies,

but she was taller than the rest and overtopped them all by a head. Such a colour as tinges the clouds at sunset

or at dawn came over the countenance of Diana thus taken by surprise. Surrounded as she was by her

nymphs, she yet turned half away, and sought with a sudden impulse for her arrows. As they were not at

hand, she dashed the water into the face of the intruder, adding these words: "Now go and tell, if you can, that

you have seen Diana unapparelled." Immediately a pair of branching stag's horns grew out of his head, his

neck gained in length, his ears grew sharppointed, his hands became feet, his arms long legs, his body was

covered with a hairy spotted hide. Fear took the place of his former boldness, and the hero fled. He could not

but admire his own speed; but when he saw his horns in the water, "Ah, wretched me!" he would have said,

but no sound followed the effort. He groaned, and tears flowed down the face which had taken the place of

his own. Yet his consciousness remained. What shall he do? go home to seek the palace, or lie hid in the

woods? The latter he was afraid, the former he was ashamed to do. While he hesitated the dogs saw him. First

Melampus, a Spartan dog, gave the signal with his bark, then Pamphagus, Dorceus, Lelaps, Theron, Nape,

Tigris, and all the rest, rushed after him swifter than the wind. Over rocks cliffs, through mountain gorges

seemed impracticable, he fled and they followed. Where he had often chased the stag and cheered on his

pack, his pack now chased him, cheered on by his huntsmen. He longed to cry out, "I am Actaeon; recognize

your master!" but the words came not at his will. The air resounded with the bark of the dogs. Presently one

fastened on his back, another seized his shoulder. While they held their master, the rest of the pack came up

and buried their teeth in his flesh. He groaned, not in a human voice, yet certainly not in a stag's, and

falling on his knees, raised his eyes, and would have raised his arms in supplication, if he had had them. His

friends and fellowhuntsmen cheered on the dogs, and looked everywhere for Actaeon calling on him to join

the sport. At the sound of his name he turned his head, and heard them regret that he should be away. He

earnestly wished he was. He would have been well pleased to see the exploits of his dogs, but to feel them

was too much. They were all around him, rending and tearing; and it was not till they had torn his life out that

Some thought the goddess in this instance more severe than was just, while others praised her conduct as

strictly consistent with her virgin dignity. As usual, the recent event brought older ones to mind, and one of

the bystanders told this story: "Some countrymen of Lycia once insulted the goddess Latona, but not with

impunity. When I was young, my father, who had grown too old for active labours, sent me to Lycia to drive

thence some choice oxen, and there I saw the very pond and marsh where the wonder happened. Near by

stood an ancient altar, black with the smoke of sacrifice and almost buried among the reeds. I inquired whose

altar it might be, whether of Faunus or the Naiads, or some god of the neighbouring mountain, and one of the

country people replied, 'No mountain or river god possesses this altar, but she whom royal Juno in her

jealousy drove from land to land, denying her any spot of earth whereon to rear her twins. Bearing in her

arms the infant deities, Latona reached this land, weary with her burden and parched with thirst. By chance

she espied in the bottom of the valley this pond of clear water, where the country people were at work

gathering willows and osiers. The goddess approached, and kneeling on the bank would have slaked her thirst

in the cool stream, but the rustics forbade her. "Why do you refuse me water?" said she; "water is free to all.

Nature allows no one to claim as property the sunshine, the air, or the water. I come to take my share of the

common blessing. Yet I ask it of you as a favour. I have no intention of washing my limbs in it, weary though

they be, but only to quench my thirst. My mouth is so dry that I can hardly speak. A draught of water would

be nectar to me; it would revive me, and I would own myself indebted to you for life itself. Let these infants

move your pity, who stretch out their little arms as if to plead for me;" and the children, as it happened, were

"'Who would not have been moved with these gentle words of the goddess? But these clowns persisted in

their rudeness; they even added jeers and threats of violence if she did not leave the place. Nor was this all.

They waded into the pond and stirred up the mud with their feet, so as to make the water unfit to drink.

Latona was so angry that she ceased to mind her thirst. She no longer supplicated the clowns, but lifting her

hands to heaven exclaimed, "May they never quit that pool, but pass their lives there!" And it came to pass

accordingly. They now live in the water, sometimes totally submerged, then raising their heads above the

surface or swimming upon it. Sometimes they come out upon the bank, but soon leap back again into the

water. They still use their base voices in railing, and though they have the water all to themselves, are not

ashamed to croak in the midst of it. Their voices are harsh, their throats bloated, their mouths have become

stretched by constant railing, their necks have shrunk up and disappeared, and their heads are joined to their

bodies. Their backs are green, their disproportioned bellies white, and in short they are now frogs, and dwell

This story explains the allusion in one of Milton's sonnets, "On the detraction which followed upon his

The persecution which Latona experienced from Juno is alluded to in the story. The tradition was that the

future mother of Apollo and Diana, flying from the wrath of Juno, besought all the islands of the AEgean to

afford her a place of rest, but all feared too much the potent queen of heaven to assist her rival. Delos alone

consented to become the birthplace of the future deities. Delos was then a floating island; but when Latona

arrived there, Jupiter fastened it with adamantine chains to the bottom of the sea, that it might be a secure

PHAETON was the son of Apollo and the nymph Clymene. One day a schoolfellow laughed at the idea of his

being the son of the god, and Phaeton went in rage and shame and reported it to his mother. "If," said he, "I

am indeed of heavenly birth, give me, mother, some proof of it, and establish my claim to the honour."

Clymene stretched forth her hands towards the skies, and said, "I call to witness the Sun which looks down

upon us, that I have told you the truth. If I speak falsely, let this be the last time I behold his light. But it

needs not much labour to go and inquire for yourself; the land whence the Sun rises lies next to ours. Go and

demand of him whether he will own you as a son." Phaeton heard with delight. He travelled to India, which

lies directly in the regions of sunrise; and, full of hope and pride, approached the goal whence his parent

The palace of the Sun stood reared aloft on columns, glittering with gold and precious stones, while polished

ivory formed the ceilings, and silver the doors. The workmanship surpassed the material;* for upon the walls

Vulcan had represented earth, sea, and skies, with their inhabitants. In the sea were the nymphs, some

sporting in the waves, some riding on the backs of fishes, while others sat upon the rocks and dried their

seagreen hair. Their faces were not all alike, nor yet unlike, but such as sisters' ought to be.*(2) The earth

had its towns and forests and rivers and rustic divinities. Over all was carved the likeness of the glorious

heaven; and on the silver doors the twelve signs of the zodiac, six on each side.

Clymene's son advanced up the steep ascent, and entered the halls of his disputed father. He approached the

paternal presence, but stopped at a distance, for the light was more than he could bear. Phoebus, arrayed in a

purple vesture, sat on a throne, which glittered as with diamonds. On his right hand and his left stood the

Day, the Month, and the Year, and, at regular intervals, the Hours. Spring stood with her head crowned with

flowers, and Summer, with garment cast aside, and a garland formed of spears of ripened grain, and Autumn,

with his feet stained with grapejuice, and icy Winter, with his hair stiffened with hoar frost. Surrounded by

these attendants, the Sun, with the eye that sees everything, beheld the youth dazzled with the novelty and

splendour of the scene, and inquired the purpose of his errand. The youth replied, "O light of the boundless

world, Phoebus, my father, if you permit me to use that name, give me some proof, I beseech you, by

which I may be known as yours." He ceased; and his father, laying aside the beams that shone all around his

head, bade him approach, and embracing him, said, "My son, you deserve not to be disowned, and I confirm

what your mother has told you. To put an end to your doubts, ask what you will, the gift shall be yours. I call

to witness that dreadful lake, which I never saw, but which we gods swear by in our most solemn

engagements." Phaeton immediately asked to be permitted for one day to drive the chariot of the sun. The

father repented of his promise; thrice and four times he shook his radiant head in warning. "I have spoken

rashly," said he; "this only request I would fain deny. I beg you to withdraw it. It is not a safe boon, nor one,

my Phaeton, suited to your youth and strength, Your lot is mortal, and you ask what is beyond a mortal's

power. In your ignorance you aspire to do that which not even the gods themselves may do. None but myself

may drive the flaming car of day. Not even Jupiter, whose terrible right arm hurls the thunderbolts. The first

part of the way is steep, and such as the horses when fresh in the morning can hardly climb; the middle is

high up in the heavens, whence I myself can scarcely, without alarm, look down and behold the earth and sea

stretched beneath me. The last part of the road descends rapidly, and requires most careful driving. Tethys,

who is waiting to receive me, often trembles for me lest I should fall headlong. Add to all this, the heaven is

all the time turning round and carrying the stars with it. I have to be perpetually on my guard lest that

movement, which sweeps everything else along, should hurry me also away. Suppose I should lend you the

chariot, what would you do? Could you keep your course while the sphere was revolving under you? Perhaps

you think that there are forests and cities, the abodes of gods, and palaces and temples on the way. On the

contrary, the road is through the midst of frightful monsters. You pass by the horns of the Bull, in front of the

Archer, and near the Lion's jaws, and where the Scorpion stretches its arms in one direction and the Crab in

another. Nor will you find it easy to guide those horses, with their breasts full of fire that they breathe forth

from their mouths and nostrils. I can scarcely govern them myself, when they are unruly and resist the reins.

Beware, my son, lest I be the donor of a fatal gift; recall your request while yet you may. Do you ask me for a

proof that you are sprung from my blood? I give you a proof in my fears for you. Look at my face I would

that you could look into my breast, you would there see all a father's anxiety. Finally," he continued, "look

round the world and choose whatever you will of what earth or sea contains most precious ask it and fear no

refusal. This only I pray you not to urge. It is not honour, but destruction you seek. Why do you hang round

my neck and still entreat me? You shall have it if you persist, the oath is sworn and must be kept, but I beg

He ended; but the youth rejected all admonition and held to his demand. So, having resisted as long as he

It was of gold, the gift of Vulcan; the axle was of gold, the pole and wheels of gold, the spokes of silver.

Along the seat were rows of chrysolites and diamonds which reflected all around the brightness of the sun.

While the daring youth gazed in admiration, the early Dawn threw open the purple doors of the east, and

showed the pathway strewn with roses. The stars withdrew, marshalled by the Daystar, which last of all

retired also. The father, when he saw the earth beginning to glow, and the Moon preparing to retire, ordered

the Hours to harness up the horses. They obeyed, and led forth from the lofty stalls the Steeds full fed with

ambrosia, and attached the reins. Then the father bathed the face of his son with a powerful unguent, and

made him capable of enduring the brightness of the flame. He set the rays on his head, and, with a foreboding

sigh, said, "If, my son, you will in this at least heed my advice, spare the whip and hold tight the reins. They

go fast enough of their own accord; the labour is to hold them in. You are not to take the straight road directly

between the five circles, but turn off to the left. Keep within the limit of the middle zone, and avoid the

northern and the southern alike. You will see the marks of the northern and the southern alike. You will see

the marks of the wheels, and they will serve to guide you. And, that the skies and the earth may each receive

their due share of heat, go not too high, or you will burn the heavenly dwellings, nor too low, or you will set

the earth on fire; the middle course is safest and best.* And now I leave you to your chance, which I hope

will plan better for you than you have done for yourself. Night is passing out of the western gates and we can

delay no longer. Take the reins; but if at last your heart fails you, and you will benefit by my advice, stay

where you are in safety, and suffer me to light and warm the earth." The agile youth, sprang into the chariot,

stood erect, and grasped the reins with delight pouring out thanks to his reluctant parent.

Meanwhile the horses fill the air with their snortings and fiery breath, and stamp the ground impatient. Now

the bars are let down, and the boundless plain of the universe lies open before them. They dart forward and

cleave the opposing clouds, and outrun the morning breezes which started from the same eastern goal. The

steeds soon perceived that the load they drew was lighter than usual; and as a ship without ballast is tossed

hither and thither on the sea, so the chariot, without its accustomed weight, was dashed about as if empty.

They rush headlong and leave the travelled road. He is alarmed, and knows not how to guide them; nor, if he

knew, has he the power. Then, for the first time, the Great and Little Bear were scorched with heat, and

would fain, if it were possible, have plunged into the water; and the Serpent which lies coiled up round the

north pole, torpid and harmless, grew warm, and with warmth felt its rage revive. Bootes, they say, fled away,

When hapless Phaeton looked down upon the earth, now spreading in vast extent beneath him, he grew pale

and his knees shook with terror. In spite of the glare all around him, the sight of his eyes grew dim. He

wished he had never touched his father's horses, never learned his parentage, never prevailed in his request.

He is borne along like a vessel that flies before a tempest, when the pilot can do no more and betakes himself

to his prayers. What shall he do? Much of the heavenly road is left behind, but more remains before. He turns

his eyes from one direction to the other; now to the goal whence he began his course, now to the realms of

sunset which he is not destined to reach. He loses his selfcommand, and knows not what to do, whether to

draw tight the reins or throw them loose; he forgets the names of the horses. He sees with terror the

monstrous forms scattered over the surface of heaven. Here the Scorpion extended his two great arms, with

his tail and crooked claws stretching over two signs of the zodiac. When the boy beheld him, reeking with

poison and menacing with his fangs, his course failed, and the reins fell from his hands. The horses, when

they felt them loose on their backs, dashed headlong, and unrestrained went off into unknown regions of the

sky, in among the stars, hurling the chariot over pathless places, now up in high heaven, now down almost to

the earth. The moon saw with astonishment her brother's chariot running beneath her own. The clouds begin

to smoke, and the mountain tops take fire; the fields are parched with heat, the plants wither, the trees with

their leafy branches burn, the harvest is ablaze! But these are small things. Great cities perished, with their

walls and towers; whole nations with their people were consumed to ashes! The forestclad mountains

burned, Athos and Taurus and Tmolus and OEte; Ida, once celebrated for fountains, but now all dry; the

Muses' mountain Helicon, and Haemus; AEtna, with fires within and without, and Parnassus, with his two

peaks, and Rhodope, forced at last to part with his snowy crown. Her cold climate was no protection to

Scythia, Caucasus burned, and Ossa and Pindus, and, greater than both, Olympus; the Alps high in air, and

Then Phaeton beheld the world on fire, and felt the heat intolerable. The air he breathed was like the air of a

furnace and full of burning ashes, and the smoke was of a pitchy darkness. He dashed forward he knew not

whither. Then, it is believed, the people of AEthiopia became black by the blood being forced so suddenly to

the surface, and the Libyan desert was dried up to the condition in which it remains to this day. The Nymphs

of the fountains, with dishevelled hair, mourned their waters, nor were the rivers safe beneath their banks:

Tanais smoked, and Caicus, Xanthus, and Meander; Babylonian Euphrates and Ganges, Tagus with golden

sands, and Cayster where the swans resort. Nile fled away and hid his head in the desert, and there it still

remains concealed. Where he used to discharge his waters through seven mouths into the sea, there seven dry

channels alone remained. The earth cracked open, and through the chinks light broke into Tartarus, and

frightened the king of shadows and his queen. The sea shrank up. Where here before was water, it became a

dry plain; and the mountains that lie beneath the waves lifted up their heads and became islands. The fishes

sought the lowest depths, and the dolphins no longer ventured as usual to sport on the surface. Even Nereus,

and his wife Doris, with the Nereids, their daughters, sought the deepest caves for refuge. Thrice Neptune

essayed to raise his head above the surface, and thrice was driven back by the heat. Earth, surrounded as she

was by waters, yet with head and shoulders bare, screening her face with her hand, looked up to heaven, and

"O ruler of the gods, if I have deserved this treatment, and it is your will that I perish with fire, why withhold

your thunderbolts? Let me at least fall by your hand. Is this the reward of my fertility, of my obedient

service? Is it for this that I have supplied herbage for cattle, and fruits for men, and frankincense for your

altars? But if I am unworthy of regard, what has my brother Ocean done to deserve such a fate? If neither of

us can excite your pity, think, I pray you, of your own heaven, and behold how both the poles are smoking

which sustain your palace, which must fall if they be destroyed. Atlas faints, and scarce holds up his burden.

If sea, earth, and heaven perish, we fall into ancient Chaos. Save what yet remains to us from the devouring

Thus spoke Earth, and overcome with heat and thirst, could say no more. Then Jupiter omnipotent, calling to

witness all the gods, including him who had lent the chariot, and showing them that all was lost unless some

speedy remedy were applied, mounted the lofty tower from whence he diffuses clouds over the earth, and

hurls the forked lightnings. But at that time not a cloud was to be found to interpose for a screen to earth, nor

was a shower remaining unexhausted. He thundered, and brandishing a lightning bolt in his right hand

launched it against the charioteer, and struck him at the same moment from his seat and from existence!

Phaeton, with his hair on fire, fell headlong, like a shooting star which marks the heavens with its brightness

as it falls, and Eridanus, the great river, received him and cooled his burning frame.* The Italian Naiads

His sisters, the Heliades, as they lamented his fate, were turned into poplar trees, on the banks of the river,

and their tears, which continued to flow, became amber as they dropped into the stream.

Milman, in his poem of "Samor," makes the following allusion to Phaeton's story:

In the beautiful lines of Walter Savage Landor, descriptive of the Seashell, there is an allusion to the Sun's

BACCHUS, on a certain occasion, found his old schoolmaster and fosterfather, Silenus, missing. The old

man had been drinking, and in that state wandered away, and was found by some peasants, who carried him

to their king, Midas. Midas recognized him, and treated him hospitably, entertaining him for ten days and

nights with an unceasing round of jollity. On the eleventh day he brought Silenus back, and restored him in

safety to his pupil. Whereupon Bacchus offered Midas his choice of a reward, whatever he might wish. He

asked that whatever he might touch should be changed into gold. Bacchus consented, though sorry that he

had not made a better choice. Midas went his way, rejoicing in his newacquired power, which he hastened

to put to the test. He could scarce believe his eyes when he found a twig of an oak, which he plucked from the

branch, become gold in his hand. He took up a stone; it changed to gold. He touched a sod; it did the same.

He took up an apple from the tree; you would have thought he had robbed the garden of the Hesperides. His

joy knew no bounds, and as soon as he got home, he ordered the servants to set a splendid repast on the table.

Then he found to his dismay that whether he touched bread, it hardened in his hand; or put a morsel to his lip,

it defied his teeth. He took a glass of wine, but it flowed down his throat like melted gold.

In consternation at the unprecedented affliction, he strove to divest himself of his power; he hated the gift he

had lately coveted. But all in vain; starvation seemed to await him. He raised his arms, all shining with gold,

in prayer to Bacchus, begging to be delivered from his glittering destruction. Bacchus, merciful deity, herd

and consented. "Go," said he, "to River Pactolus, trace its fountainhead, there plunge yourself and body in,

and wash away your fault and its punishment." He did so, and scarce had he touched the waters before the

goldcreating power passed into them, and the river sands became changed into gold, as they remain to this

Thenceforth Midas, hating wealth and splendour, dwelt in the country, and became a worshipper of Pan, the

god of the fields. On a certain occasion Pan had the temerity to compare his music with that of Apollo, and to

challenge the god of the lyre to a trial of skill. The challenge was accepted, and Tmolus, the mountain god,

was chosen umpire. The senior took his seat, and cleared away the trees from his ears to listen. At a given

signal Pan blew on his pipes, and with his rustic melody gave great satisfaction to himself and his faithful

follower Midas, who happened to be present. Then Tmolus turned his head toward the Sungod, and all his

trees turned with him. Apollo rose, his brow wreathed with Parnassian laurel, while his robe of Tyrian purple

swept the ground. In his left hand he held the lyre, and with his right hand struck the strings. Ravished with

the harmony, Tmolus at once awarded the victory to the god of the lyre, and all but Midas acquiesced in the

judgment. He dissented, and questioned the justice of the award. Apollo would not suffer such a depraved

pair of ears any longer to wear the human form, but caused them to increase in length, grow hairy, within and

without, and movable on their roots; in short, to be on the perfect pattern of those of an ass.

Mortified enough was King Midas at this mishap: but he consoled himself with the thought that it was

possible to hide his misfortune, which he attempted to do by means of an ample turban or headdress. But his

hairdresser of course knew the secret. He was charged not to mention it, and threatened with dire

punishment if he presumed to disobey. But he found it too much for his discretion to keep such a secret; so he

went out into the meadow, dug a hole in the ground, and stooping down, whispered the story, and covered it

up. Before long a thick bed of reeds sprang up in the meadow, and as soon as it had gained its growth, began

whispering the story, and has continued to do so, from that day to this, every time a breeze passes over the

The story of King Midas has been told by others with some variations. Dryden, in the "Wife of Bath's Tale,"

Midas was king of Phrygia. He was the son of Gordius, a poor countryman, who was taken by the people and

made king, in obedience to the command of the oracle, which had said that their future king should come in a

wagon. While the people were deliberating, Gordius with his wife and son came driving his wagon into the

Gordius, being made king, dedicated his wagon to the deity of the oracle, and tied it up in its place with a fast

knot. This was the celebrated Gordian knot, which, in after times it was said, whoever should untie should

become lord of all Asia. Many tried to untie it, but none succeeded, till Alexander the Great, in his career of

conquest, came to Phrygia. He tried his skill with as ill success as others, till growing impatient he drew his

sword and cut the knot. When he afterwards succeeded in subjecting all Asia to his sway, people began to

think that he had complied with the terms of the oracle according to its true meaning.

On a certain hill in Phrygia stands a linden tree and an oak, enclosed by a low wall. Not far from the spot is a

marsh, formerly good habitable land, but now indented with pools, the resort of fenbirds and cormorants.

Once on a time Jupiter, in human shape, visited this country, and with him his son Mercury (he of the

caduceus), without his wings. They presented themselves, as weary travellers, at many a door, seeking rest

and shelter, but found all closed, for it was late, and the inhospitable inhabitants would not rouse themselves

to open for their reception. At last a humble mansion received them, a small thatched cottage, where Baucis,

a pious old dame, and her husband Philemon, united when young, had grown old together. Not ashamed of

their poverty, they made it endurable by moderate desires and kind dispositions. One need not look there for

master or for servant; they two were the whole household, master and servant alike. When the two heavenly

guests crossed the humble threshold, and bowed their heads to pass under the low door, the old man placed a

seat, on which Baucis, bustling and attentive, spread a cloth, and begged them to sit down. Then she raked

out the coals from the ashes, and kindled up a fire, fed it with leaves and dry bark, and with her scanty breath

blew it into a flame. She brought out of a corner split sticks and dry branches, broke them up, and placed

them under the small kettle. Her husband collected some potherbs in the garden, and she shred them from

the stalks, and prepared them for the pot. He reached down with a forked stick a flitch of bacon hanging in

the chimney, cut a small piece, and put it in the pot to boil with the herbs, setting away the rest for another

time. A beechen bowl was filled with warm water, that their guests might wash. While all was doing, they

On the bench designed for the guests was laid a cushion stuffed with seaweed; and a cloth, only produced

on great occasions, but ancient and coarse enough, was spread over that. The old lady, with her apron on,

with trembling hand set the table. One leg was shorter than the rest, but a piece of slate put under restored the

level. When fixed, she rubbed the table down with some sweetsmelling herbs. Upon it she set some of

chaste Minerva's olives, some cornel berries preserved in vinegar, and added radishes and cheese, with eggs

lightly cooked in the ashes. All were served in earthen dishes, and an earthenware pitcher, with wooden cups,

stood beside them. When all was ready, the stew, smoking hot, was set on the table. Some wine, not of the

oldest, was added; and for dessert, apples and wild honey; and over and above all, friendly faces, and simple

Now while the repast proceeded, the old folks were astonished to see that the wine, as fast as it was poured

out, renewed itself in the pitcher, of its own accord. Struck with terror, Baucis and Philemon recognized their

heavenly guests, fell on their knees, and with clasped hands implored forgiveness for their poor

entertainment. There was an old goose, which they kept as the guardian of their humble cottage; and they

bethought them to make this a sacrifice in honour of their guests. But the goose, too nimble, with the aid of

feet and wings, for the old folks, eluded their pursuit, and at last took shelter between the gods themselves.

They forbade it to be slain; and spoke in these words: "We are gods. This inhospitable village shall pay the

penalty of its impiety; you alone shall go free from the chastisement. Quit your house, and come with us to

the top of yonder hill." They hastened to obey, and, staff in hand, laboured up the steep ascent. They had

reached to within an arrow's flight of the top, when, turning their eyes below, they beheld all the country sunk

in a lake, only their own house left standing. While they gazed with wonder at the sight, and lamented the fate

of their neighbours, that old house of theirs was changed into a temple. Columns took the place of the corner

posts, the thatch grew yellow and appeared a gilded roof, the floors became marble, the doors were enriched

with carving and ornaments of old. Then spoke Jupiter in benignant accents: "Excellent old man, and woman

worthy of such a husband, speak, tell us your wishes; what favour have you to ask of us?" Philemon took

counsel with Baucis a few moments; then declared to the gods their united wish, "We ask to be priests and

guardians of this your temple; and since here we have passed our lives in love and concord, we wish that one

and the same hour may take us both from life, that I may not live to see her grave, nor be laid in my own by

her." Their prayer was granted. They were the keepers of the temple as long as they lived. When grown very

old, as they stood one day before the steps of the sacred edifice, and were telling the story of the place,

Baucis saw Philemon begin to put forth leaves, and old Philemon saw Baucis changing in like manner. And

now a leafy crown had grown over their heads, while exchanging parting words, as long as they could speak.

"Farewell, dear spouse," they said, together, and at the same moment the bark closed over their mouths. The

Tyanean shepherd still shows the two trees, standing side by side, made out of the two good old people.

The story of Baucis and Philemon has been imitated by Swift, in a burlesque style, the actors in the change

being two wandering saints, and the house being changed into a church, of which Philemon is made the

WHEN Jupiter and his brothers had defeated the Titars and banished them to Tartarus, a new enemy rose up

against the gods. They were the giants Typhon, Briareus, Enceladus, and others. Some of them had a hundred

arms, others breathed out fire. They were finally subdued and buried alive under Mount AEtna, where they

still sometimes struggle to get loose, and shake the whole island with earthquakes. Their breath comes up

The fall of these monsters shook the earth, so that Pluto was alarmed, and feared that his kingdom would be

laid open to the light of day. Under this apprehension, he mounted his chariot, drawn by black horses, and

took a circuit of inspection to satisfy himself of the extent of the damage. While he was thus engaged, Venus,

who was sitting on Mount Eryx playing with her boy Cupid, espied him, and said, "My son, take your darts

with which you conquer all, even Jove himself, and send one into the breast of yonder dark monarch, who

rules the realm of Tartarus. Why should he alone escape? Seize the opportunity to extend your empire and

mine. Do you not see that even in heaven some despise our power? Minerva the wise, and Diana the huntress,

defy us; and there is that daughter of Ceres, who threatens to follow their example. Now do you, if you have

any regard for your own interest or mine, join these two in one." The boy unbound his quiver, and selected

his sharpest and truest arrow; then straining the bow against his knee, he attached the string, and, having

In the vale of Enna there is a lake embowered in woods, which screen it from the fervid rays of the sun, while

the moist ground is covered with flowers, and Spring reigns perpetual. Here Proserpine was playing with her

companions, gathering lilies and violets, and filling her basket and her apron with them, when Pluto saw her,

loved her, and carried her off. She screamed for help to her mother and companions; and when in her fright

she dropped the corners of her apron and let the flowers fall, childlike she felt the loss of them as an addition

to her grief. The ravisher urged on his steeds, calling them each by name, and throwing loose over their heads

and necks his ironcoloured reins. When he reached the River Cyane, and it opposed his passage, he struck

the riverbank with his trident, and the earth opened and gave him a passage to Tartarus.

Ceres sought her daughter all the world over. Brighthaired Aurora, when she came forth in the morning, and

Hesperus when he led out the stars in the evening, found her still busy in the search. But it was all unavailing.

At length, weary and sad, she sat down upon a stone, and continued sitting nine days and nights, in the open

air, under the sunlight and moonlight and falling showers. It was where now stands the city of Eleusis, then

the home of an old man named Celeus. He was out on the field, gathering acorns and blackberries, and sticks

for his fire. His little girl was driving home their two goats, and as she passed the goddess, who appeared in

the guise of an old woman, she said to her, "Mother," and the name was sweet to the ears of Ceres, "why

do you sit here alone upon the rocks?" The old man also stopped, though his load was heavy, and begged her

to come into his cottage, such as it was. She declined, and he urged her. "Go in peace," she replied, "and be

happy in your daughter; I have lost mine." As she spoke, tears or something like tears, for the gods never

weep fell down her cheeks upon her bosom. The compassionate old man and his child wept with her. Then

said he, "Come with us, and despise not our humble roof; so may your daughter be restored to you in safety."

"Lead on," said she, "I cannot resist that appeal!" So she rose from the stone and went with them. As they

walked he told her that his only son, a little boy, lay very sick, feverish, and sleepless. She stooped and

gathered some poppies. As they entered the cottage, they found all in great distress, for the boy seemed past

hope of recovery. Metanira, his mother, received her kindly, and the goddess stooped and kissed the lips of

the sick child. Instantly the paleness left his face, and healthy vigour returned to his body. The whole family

were delighted that is, the father, mother, and little girl, for they were all; they had no servants. They spread

the table, and put upon it curds and cream, apples, and honey in the comb. While they ate, Ceres mingled

poppy juice in the milk of the boy. When night came and all was still, she arose, and taking the sleeping boy,

moulded his limbs with her hands, and uttered over him three times a solemn charm, then went and laid him

in the ashes. His mother, who had been watching what her guest was doing, sprang forward with a cry and

snatched the child from the fire. Then Ceres assumed her own form, and a divine splendour shone all around.

While they were overcome with astonishment, she said, "Mother, you have been cruel in your fondness to

your son. I would have made him immortal, but you have frustrated my attempt. Nevertheless, he shall be

great and useful. He shall teach men the use of the plough, and the rewards which labour can win from the

cultivated soil." So saying, she wrapped a cloud about her, and mounting her chariot rode away.

Ceres continued her search for her daughter, passing from land to land, and across seas and rivers, till at

length she returned to Sicily, whence she at first set out, and stood by the banks of the River Cyane, where

Pluto made himself a passage with his prize to his own dominions. The river nymph would have told the

goddess all she had witnessed, but dared not, for fear of Pluto; so she only ventured to take up the girdle

which Proserpine had dropped in her flight, and waft it to the feet of the mother. Ceres, seeing this, was no

longer in doubt of her loss, but she did not yet know the cause, and laid the blame on the innocent land.

"Ungrateful soil," said she, "which I have endowed with fertility and clothed with herbage and nourishing

grain, no more shall you enjoy my favours." Then the cattle died, the plough broke in the furrow, the seed

failed to come up; there was too much sun, there was too much rain; the birds stole the seeds thistles and

brambles were the only growth. Seeing this, the fountain Arethusa interceded for the land. "Goddess," said

she, "blame not the land; it opened unwillingly to yield a passage to your daughter. I can tell you of her fate,

for I have seen her. This is not my native country; I came hither from Elis. I was a woodland nymph, and

delighted in the chase. They praised my beauty, but I cared nothing for it, and rather boasted of my hunting

exploits. One day I was returning from the wood, heated with exercise, when I came to a stream silently

flowing, so clear that you might count the pebbles on the bottom. The willows shaded it, and the grassy bank

sloped down to the water's edge. I approached, I touched the water with my foot. I stepped in kneedeep, and

not content with that, I laid my garments on the willows and went in. While I sported in the water, I heard an

indistinct murmur coming up as out of the depths of the stream; and made haste to escape to the nearest bank.

The voice said, 'Why do you fly, Arethusa? I am Alpheus, the god of this stream.' I ran, he pursued; he was

not more swift than I, but he was stronger, and gained upon me, as my strength failed. At last, exhausted, I

cried for help to Diana. 'Help me, goddess! help your votary!' The goddess heard, and wrapped me suddenly

in a thick cloud. The river god looked now this way and now that, and twice came close to me, but could not

find me. 'Arethusa! Arethusa!' he cried. Oh, how I trembled, like a lamb that hears the wolf growling

outside the fold. A cold sweat came over me, my hair flowed down in streams; where my foot stood there

was a pool. In short, in less time than it takes to tell it, I became a fountain. But in this form Alpheus knew

me and attempted to mingle his stream with mine. Diana cleft the ground, and I, endeavouring to escape him,

plunged into the cavern, and through the bowels of the earth came out here in Sicily. While I passed through

the lower parts of the earth, I saw your Proserpine. She was sad, but no longer showing alarm in her

countenance. Her look was such as became a queen the queen of Erebus; the powerful bride of the monarch

When Ceres heard this, she stood for a while like one stupefied; then turned her chariot towards heaven, and

hastened to present herself before the throne of Jove. She told the story of her bereavement, and implored

Jupiter to interfere to procure the restitution of her daughter. Jupiter consented on one condition, namely, that

Proserpine should not during her stay in the lower world have taken any food; otherwise, the Fates forbade

her release. Accordingly, Mercury was sent, accompanied by Spring, to demand Proserpine of Pluto. The

wily monarch consented; but, alas! the maiden had taken a pomegranate which Pluto offered her, and had

sucked the sweet pulp from a few of the seeds. This was enough to prevent her complete release; but a

compromise was made, by which she was to pass half the time with her mother, and the rest with her husband

Ceres allowed herself to be pacified with this arrangement, and restored the earth to her favour. Now she

remembered Celeus and his family, and her promise to his infant son Triptolemus. When the boy grew up,

she taught him the use of the plough, and how to sow the seed. She took him in her chariot, drawn by winged

dragons, through all the countries of the earth, imparting to mankind valuable grains, and the knowledge of

agriculture. After his return, Triptolemus built a magnificent temple to Ceres in Eleusis, and established the

worship of the goddess, under the name of the Eleusinian mysteries, which, in the splendour and solemnity of

There can be little doubt of this story of Ceres and Proserpine being an allegory. Proserpine signifies the

seedcorn which when cast into the ground lies there concealed that is, she is carried off by the god of the

underworld. It reappears that is, Proserpine is restored to her mother. Spring leads her back to the light of

The River Alpheus does in fact disappear underground, in part of its course, finding its way through

subterranean channels till it again appears on the surface. It was said that the Sicilian fountain Arethusa was

the same stream, which, after passing under the sea, came up again in Sicily. Hence the story ran that a cup

thrown into the Alpheus appeared again in Arethusa. It is this fable of the underground course of Alpheus that

In one of Moore's juvenile poems he thus alludes to the same story, and to the practice of throwing garlands

or other light objects on his stream to be carried downward by it, and afterwards reproduced at its emerging:

The following extract from Moore's "Rhymes on the Road" gives an account of a celebrated picture by

Glaucus was a fisherman. One day he had drawn his nets to land, and had taken a great many fishes of

various kinds. So he emptied his net, and. proceeded to sort the fishes on the grass. The place where he stood

was a beautiful island in the river, a solitary spot, uninhabited, and not used for pasturage of cattle, not ever

visited by any but himself. On a sudden, the fishes, which had been laid on the grass, began to revive and

move their fins as if they were in the water; and while he looked on astonished, they one and all moved off to

the water, plunged in, and swam away. He did not know what to make of this, whether some god had done it

or some secret power in the herbage. "What herb has such a power?" he exclaimed; and gathering some of it,

he tasted it. Scarce had the juices of the plant reached his palate when he found himself agitated with a

longing desire for the water. He could no longer restrain himself, but bidding farewell to earth, he plunged

into the stream. The gods of the water received him graciously, and admitted him to the honour of their

society. They obtained the consent of Oceanus and Tethys, the sovereigns of the sea, that all that was mortal

in him should be washed away. A hundred rivers poured their waters over him. Then he lost all sense of his

former nature and all consciousness. When he recovered, he found himself changed in form and mind. His

hair was seagreen, and trailed behind him on the water; his shoulders grew broad, and what had been thighs

and legs assumed the form of a fish's tail. The seagods complimented him on the change of his appearance,

One day Glaucus saw the beautiful maiden Scylla, the favourite of the waternymphs, rambling on the shore,

and when she had found a sheltered nook, laving her limbs in the clear water. He fell in love with her, and

showing himself on the surface, spoke to her, saying such things as he thought most likely to win her to stay;

for she turned to run immediately on the sight of him, and ran till she had gained a cliff overlooking the sea.

Here she stopped and turned round to see whether it was a god or a sea animal, and observed with wonder his

shape and colour. Glaucus partly emerging from the water, and supporting himself against a rock, said,

"Maiden, I am no monster, nor a sea animal, but a god: and neither Proteus nor Triton ranks higher than I.

Once I was a mortal, and followed the sea for a living; but now I belong wholly to it." Then he told the story

of his metamorphosis, and how he had been promoted to his present dignity, and added, "But what avails all

this if it fails to move your heart?" He was going on in this strain, but Scylla turned and hastened away.

Glaucus was in despair, but it occurred to him to consult the enchantress Circe. Accordingly he repaired to

her island the same where afterwards Ulysses landed, as we shall see in one of our later stories. After

mutual salutations, he said, "Goddess, I entreat your pity; you alone can relieve the pain I suffer. The power

of herbs I know as well as any one, for it is to them I owe my change of form. I love Scylla. I am ashamed to

tell you how I have sued and promised to her, and how scornfully she has treated me. I beseech you to use

your incantations, or potent herbs, if they are more prevailing, not to cure me of my love, for that I do not

wish, but to make her share it and yield me a like return." To which Circe replied, for she was not insensible

to the attractions of the seagreen deity, "You had better pursue a willing object; you are worthy to be sought,

instead of having to seek in vain. Be not diffident, know your own worth. I protest to you that even I, goddess

though I be, and learned in the virtues of plants and spells, should not know how to refuse you. If she scorns

you scorn her; meet one who is ready to meet you half way, and thus make a due return to both at once." To

these words Glaucus replied, "Sooner shall trees grow at the bottom of the ocean, and seaweed on the top of

The goddess was indignant, but she could not punish him, neither did she wish to do so, for she liked him too

well; so she turned all her wrath against her rival, poor Scylla. She took plants of poisonous powers and

mixed them together, with incantations and charms. Then she passed through the crowd of gambolling beasts,

the victims of her art, and proceeded to the coast of Sicily, where Scylla lived. There was a little bay on the

shore to which Scylla used to resort, in the heat of the day, to breathe the air of the sea, and to bathe in its

waters. Here the goddess poured her poisonous mixture, and muttered over it incantations of mighty power.

Scylla came as usual and plunged into the water up to her waist. What was her horror to perceive a brood of

serpents and barking monsters surrounding her! At first she could not imagine they were a part of herself, and

tried to run from them, and to drive them away; but as she ran she carried them with her, and when she tried

to touch her limbs, she found her hands touch only the yawning jaws of monsters. Scylla remained rooted to

the spot. Her temper grew as ugly as her form, and she took pleasure in devouring hapless mariners who

came within her grasp. Thus she destroyed six of the companions of Ulysses, and tried to wreck the ships of

AEneas, till at last she was turned into a rock, and as such still continues to be a terror to mariners.

Keats, in his "Endymion," has given a new version of the ending of "Glaucus and Scylla." Glaucus consents

to Circe's blandishments, till he by chance is witness to her transactions with her beasts. Disgusted with her

treachery and cruelty, he tries to escape from her, but is taken and brought back, when with reproaches she

banishes him, sentencing him to pass a thousand years in decrepitude and pain. He returns to the sea, and

there finds the body of Scylla, whom the goddess has not transformed but drowned. Glaucus learns that his

destiny is that, if he passes his thousand years in collecting all the bodies of drowned lovers, a youth beloved

of the gods will appear and help him. Endymion fulfils this prophecy, and aids in restoring Glaucus to youth,

PYGMALION saw so much to blame in women that he came at last to abhor the sex, and resolved to live

unmarried. He was a sculptor, and had made with wonderful skill a statue of ivory, so beautiful that no living

woman came anywhere near it. It was indeed the perfect semblance of a maiden that seemed to be alive, and

only prevented from moving by modesty. His art was so perfect that it concealed itself and its product looked

like the workmanship of nature. Pygmalion admired his own work, and at last fell in love with the counterfeit

creation. Oftentimes he laid his hand upon it as if to assure himself whether it were living or not, and could

not even then believe that it was only ivory. He caressed it, and gave it presents such as young girls love,

bright shells and polished stones, little birds and flowers of various hues, beads and amber. He put raiment on

its limbs, and jewels on its fingers, and a necklace about its neck. To the ears he hung earrings, and strings of

pearls upon the breast. Her dress became her, and she looked not less charming than when unattired. He laid

her on a couch spread with cloths of Tyrian dye, and called her his wife, and put her head upon a pillow of

The festival of Venus was at hand a festival celebrated with great pomp at Cyprus. Victims were offered,

the altars smoked, and the odour of incense filled the air. When Pygmalion had performed his part in the

solemnities, he stood before the altar and timidly said, "Ye gods, who can do all things, give me, I pray you,

for my wife" he dared not say "my ivory virgin," but said instead "one like my ivory virgin." Venus, who

was present at the festival, heard him and knew the thought he would have uttered; and as an omen of her

favour, caused the flame on the altar to shoot up thrice in a fiery point into the air. When he returned home,

he went to see his statue, and leaning over the couch, gave a kiss to the mouth. It seemed to be warm. He

pressed its lips again, he laid his hand upon the limbs; the ivory felt soft to his touch and yielded to his

fingers like the wax of Hymettus. While he stands astonished and glad, though doubting, and fears he may be

mistaken, again and again with a lover's ardour he touches the object of his hopes. It was indeed alive! The

veins when pressed yielded to the finger and again resumed their roundness. Then at last the votary of Venus

found words to thank the goddess, and pressed his lips upon lips as real as his own. The virgin felt the kisses

and blushed, and opening her timid eyes to the light, fixed them at the same moment on her lover. Venus

blessed the nuptials she had formed, and from this union Paphos was born, from whom the city, sacred to

Schiller, in his poem the "Ideals," applies this tale of Pygmalion to the love of nature in a youthful heart. The

Dryope and Iole were sisters. The former was the wife of Andraemon, beloved by her husband, and happy in

the birth of her first child. One day the sisters strolled to the bank of a stream that sloped gradually down to

the water's edge, while the upland was overgrown with myrtles. They were intending to gather flowers for

forming garlands for the altars of the nymphs, and Dryope carried her child at her bosom, precious burden,

and nursed him as she walked. Near the water grew a lotus plant, full of purple flowers. Dryope gathered

some and offered them to the baby, and Iole was about to do the same, when she perceived blood dropping

from the places where her sister had broken them off the stem. The plant was no other than the nymph Lotis,

who, running from a base pursuer, had been changed into this form. This they learned from the country

Dryope, horrorstruck when she perceived what she had done, would gladly have hastened from the spot, but

found her feet rooted to the ground. She tried to pull them away, but moved nothing but her upper limbs. The

woodiness crept upward and by degrees invested her body. In anguish she attempted to tear her hair, but

found her hands filled with leaves. The infant felt his mother's bosom begin to harden, and the milk cease to

flow. Iole looked on at the sad fate of her sister, and could render no assistance. She embraced the growing

trunk, as if she would hold back the advancing wood, and would gladly have been enveloped in the same

bark. At this moment Andraemon, the husband of Dryope, with her father, approached; and when they asked

for Dryope, Iole pointed them to the newformed lotus. They embraced the trunk of the yet warm tree, and

Now there was nothing left of Dryope but her face. Her tears still flowed and fell on her leaves, and while she

could she spoke. "I am not guilty. I deserve not this fate. I have injured no one. If I speak falsely, may my

foliage perish with drought and my trunk be cut down and burned. Take this infant and give it to a nurse. Let

it often be brought and nursed under my branches, and play in my shade; and when he is old enough to talk,

let him be taught to call me mother, and to say with sadness, 'My mother lies hid under this bark.' But bid him

be careful of river banks, and beware how he plucks flowers, remembering that every bush he sees may be a

goddess in disguise. Farewell, dear husband, and sister, and father. If you retain any love for me, let not the

axe wound me, nor the flocks bite and tear my branches. Since I cannot stoop to you, climb up hither and kiss

me; and while my lips continue to feel, lift up my child that I may kiss him. I can speak no more, for already

the bark advances up my neck, and will soon shoot over me. You need not close my eyes, the bark will close

them without your aid." Then the lips ceased to move, and life was extinct: but the branches retained for

Venus, playing one day with her boy Cupid, wounded her bosom with one of his arrows. She pushed him

away, but the wound was deeper than she thought. Before it healed she beheld Adonis, and was captivated

with him. She no longer took any interest in her favourite resorts Paphos, and Cnidos, and Amathos, rich in

metals. She absented herself even from heaven, for Adonis was dearer to her than heaven. Him she followed

and bore him company. She who used to love to recline in the shade, with no care but to cultivate her charms,

now rambles through the woods and over the hills, dressed like the huntress Diana; and calls her dogs, and

chases hares and stags, or other game that it is safe to hunt, but keeps clear of the wolves and bears, reeking

with the slaughter of the herd. She charged Adonis, too, to beware of such dangerous animals. "Be brave

towards the timid," said she; "courage against the courageous is not safe. Beware how you expose yourself to

danger and put my happiness to risk. Attack not the beasts that Nature has armed with weapons. I do not

value your glory so high as to consent to purchase it by such exposure. Your youth, and the beauty that

charms Venus, will not touch the hearts of lions and bristly boars. Think of their terrible claws and prodigious

strength! I hate the whole race of them. Do you ask me why?" Then she told him the story of Atalanta and

Having given him this warning, she mounted her chariot drawn by swans, and drove away through the air.

But Adonis was too noble to heed such counsels. The dogs had roused a wild boar from his lair, and the

youth threw his spear and wounded the animal with sidelong stroke. The beast drew out the weapon with his

jaws, and rushed after Adonis, who turned and ran; but the boar overtook him, and buried his tusks in his

Venus, in her swandrawn chariot, had not yet reached Cyprus, when she heard coming up through midair

the groans of her beloved, and turned her whitewinged coursers back to earth. As she drew near and saw

from on high his lifeless body bathed in blood, she alighted and, bending over it, beat her breast and tore her

hair. Reproaching the Fates, she said, "Yet theirs shall be but a partial triumph; memorials of my grief shall

endure, and the spectacle of your death, my Adonis, and of my lamentation shall be annually renewed. Your

blood shall be changed into a flower; that consolation none can envy me." Thus speaking, she sprinkled

nectar on the blood; and as they mingled, bubbles rose as in a pool on which raindrops fall, and in an hour's

time there sprang up a flower of bloody hue like that of the pomegranate. But it is shortlived. It is said the

wind blows the blossoms open, and afterwards blows the petals away; so it is called Anemone, or Wind

Apollo was passionately fond of a youth named Hyacinthus. He. accompanied him in his sports, carried the

nets when he went fishing, led the dogs when he went to hunt, followed him in his excursions in the

mountains, and neglected for him his lyre and his arrows. One day they played a game of quoits together, and

Apollo, heaving aloft the discus, with strength mingled with skill, sent it high and far. Hyacinthus watched it

as it flew, and excited with the sport ran forward to seize it, eager to make his throw, when the quoit bounded

from the earth and struck him in the forehead. He fainted and fell. The god, as pale as himself, raised him and

tried all his art to stanch the wound and retain the flitting life, but all in vain; the hurt was past the power of

medicine. As when one has broken the stem of a lily in the garden it hangs its head and turns its flowers to

the earth, so the head of the dying boy, as if too heavy for his neck, fell over on his shoulder. "Thou diest,

Hyacinth," so spoke Phoebus, "robbed of thy youth by me. Thine is the suffering, mine the crime. Would that

I could die for thee! But since that may not be, thou shalt live with me in memory and in song. My lyre shall

celebrate thee, my song shall tell thy fate, and thou shalt become a flower inscribed with my regrets." While

Apollo spoke, behold the blood which had flowed on the ground and stained the herbage ceased to be blood;

but a flower of hue more beautiful than the Tyrian sprang up, resembling the lily, if it were not that this is

purple and that silvery white.* And this was not enough for Phoebus; but to confer still greater honour, he

marked the petals with his sorrow, and inscribed "Ah! ah!" upon them, as we see to this day. The flower bears

the name of Hyacinthus, and with every returning spring revives the memory of his fate.

It is evidently not our modern hyacinth that is here described. It is perhaps some species of iris, or perhaps of

It was said that Zephyrus (the West wind), who was also fond of Hyacinthus and jealous of his preference of

Apollo, blew the quoit out of its course to make it strike Hyacinthus. Keats alludes to this in his "Endymion,"

CEYX was king of Thessaly, where he reigned in peace, without violence or wrong. He was son of Hesperus,

the Daystar, and the glow of his beauty reminded one of his father. Halcyone, the daughter of AEolus, was

his wife, and devotedly attached to him. Now Ceyx was in deep affliction for the loss of his brother, and

direful prodigies following his brother's death made him feel as if the gods were hostile to him. He thought

best, therefore, to make a voyage to Carlos in Ionia, to consult the oracle of Apollo. But as soon as he

disclosed his intention to his wife Halcyone, a shudder ran through her frame, and her face grew deadly pale.

"What fault of mine, dearest husband, has turned your affection from me? Where is that love of me that used

to be uppermost in your thoughts? Have you learned to feel easy in the absence of Halcyone? Would you

rather have me away;" She also endeavoured to discourage him, by describing the violence of the winds,

which she had known familiarly when she lived at home in her father's house, AEolus being the god of the

winds, and having as much as he could do to restrain them. "They rush together," said she, "with such fury

that fire flashes from the conflict. But if you must go," she added, "dear husband, let me go with you,

otherwise I shall suffer not only the real evils which you must encounter, but those also which my fears

These words weighed heavily on the mind of King Ceyx, and it was no less his own wish than hers to take

her with him, but he could not bear to expose her to the dangers of the sea. He answered. therefore, consoling

her as well as he could, and finished with these words: "I promise, by the rays of my father the Daystar, that

if fate permits I will return before the moon shall have twice rounded her orb." When he had thus spoken, he

ordered the vessel to be drawn out of the shiphouse, and the oars and sails to be put aboard When Halcyone

saw these preparations she shuddered, as if with a presentiment of evil. With tears and sobs she said farewell,

Ceyx would still have lingered, but now the young men grasped their oars and pulled vigorously through the

waves, with long and measured strokes. Halcyone raised her streaming eyes, and saw her husband standing

on the deck, waving his hand to her. She answered his signal till the vessel had receded so far that she could

no longer distinguish his form from the rest. When the vessel itself could no more be seen, she strained her

eyes to catch the last glimmer of the sail, till that too disappeared. Then, retiring to her chamber, she threw

Meanwhile they glide out of the harbour, and the breeze plays among the ropes. The seamen draw in their

oars, and hoist their sails. When half or less of their course was passed, as night drew on, the sea began to

whiten with swelling waves, and the east wind to blow a gale. The master gave the word to take in sail, but

the storm forbade obedience, for such is the roar of the winds and waves his orders are unheard. The men, of

their own accord, busy themselves to secure the oars, to strengthen the ship, to reef the sail. While they thus

do what to each one seems best, the storm increases. The shouting of the men, the rattling of the shrouds, and

the dashing of the waves, mingle with the roar of the thunder. The swelling sea seems lifted up to the

heavens, to scatter its foam among the clouds; then sinking away to the bottom assumes the colour of the

The vessel shares all these changes. It seems like a wild beast that rushes on the spears of the hunters. Rain

falls in torrents, as if the skies were coming down to unite with the sea. When the lightning ceases for a

moment, the night seems to add its own darkness to that of the storm; then comes the flash, rending the

darkness asunder, and lighting up all with a glare. Skill fails, courage sinks, and death seems to come on

every wave. The men are stupefied with terror. The thought of parents, and kindred, and pledges left at home,

comes over their minds. Ceyx thinks of Halcyone. No name but hers is on his lips, and while he yearns for

her, he yet rejoices in her absence. Presently the mast is shattered by a stroke of lightning, the rudder broken,

and the triumphant surge curling over looks down upon the wreck, then falls, and crushes it to fragments.

Some of the seamen, stunned by the stroke, sink, and rise no more; others cling to fragments of the wreck.

Ceyx, with the hand that used to grasp the sceptre, holds fast to a plank, calling for help, alas, in vain,upon

his father and his fatherinlaw. But oftenest on his lips was the name of Halcyone. To her his thoughts

cling. He prays that the waves may bear his body to her sight, and that it may receive burial at her hands. At

length the waters overwhelm him, and he sinks. The Daystar looked dim that night. Since it could not leave

In the meanwhile Halcyone, ignorant of all these horrors, counted the days till her husband's promised return.

Now she gets ready the garments which he shall put on, and now what she shall wear when he arrives. To all

the gods she offers frequent incense, but more than all to Juno. For her husband, who was no more, she

prayed incessantly: that be might be safe; that he might come home; that he might not, in his absence, see any

one that he would love better than her. But of all these prayers, the last was the only one destined to be

granted. The goddess, at length, could not bear any longer to be pleaded with for one already dead, and to

have hands raised to her altars that ought rather to be offering funeral rites. So, calling Iris, she said, "Iris, my

faithful messenger, go to the drowsy dwelling of Somnus, and tell him to send a vision to Halcyone in the

Iris puts on her robe of many colours, and tinging the sky with her bow, seeks the palace of the King of Sleep.

Near the Cimmerian country, a mountain cave is the abode of the dull god Somnus. Here Phoebus dares not

come, either rising, at midday, or setting. Clouds and shadows are exhaled from the ground, and the light

glimmers faintly. The bird of dawning, with crested head, never there calls aloud to Aurora, nor watchful

dog, nor more sagacious goose disturbs the silence. No wild beast, nor cattle, nor branch moved with the

wind, nor sound of human conversation, breaks the stillness. Silence reigns there; but from the bottom of the

rock the River Lethe flows, and by its murmur invites to sleep. Poppies grow abundantly before the door of

the cave, and other herbs, from whose juices Night collects slumbers, which she scatters over the darkened

earth. There is no gate to the mansion, to creak on its hinges, nor any watchman; but in the midst a couch of

black ebony, adorned with black plumes and black curtains. There the god reclines, his limbs relaxed with

sleep. Around him lie dreams, resembling all various forms, as many as the harvest bears stalks, or the forest

As soon as the goddess entered and brushed away the dreams that hovered around her, her brightness lit up

all the cave. The god, scarce opening his eyes, and ever and anon dropping his beard upon his breast, at last

shook himself free from himself, leaning on his arm, inquired her errand, for he knew who she was. She

answered, "Somnus, gentlest of the gods, tranquillizer of minds and soother of careworn hearts, Juno sends

you her commands that you despatch a dream to Halcyone, in the city of Trachine, representing her lost

Having delivered her message, Iris hasted away, for she could not longer endure the stagnant air, and as she

felt drowsiness creep. ing over her, she made her escape, and returned by her bow the way she came. Then

Somnus called one of his numerous sons, Morpheus, the most expert in counterfeiting forms, and in

imitating the walk, the countenance, and mode of speaking, even the clothes and attitudes most characteristic

of each. But he only imitates men, leaving it to another to personate birds, beasts, and serpents. Him they call

Icelos; and Phantasos is a third, who turns himself into rocks, waters, woods, and other things without life.

These wait upon kings and great personages in their sleeping hours, while others move among the common

people. Somnus chose, from all the brothers, Morpheus, to perform the command of Iris; then laid his head

Morpheus flew, making no noise with his wings, and soon came to the Haemonian city, where, laying aside

his wings, he assumed the form of Ceyx. Under that form, but pale like a dead man, naked, he stood before

the couch of the wretched wife. His beard seemed soaked with water, and water trickled from his drowned

locks. Leaning over the bed, tears streaming from his eyes, he said, "Do you recognize your Ceyx, unhappy

wife, or has death too much changed my visage? Behold me, know me, your husband's shade, instead of

himself. Your prayers, Halcyone, availed me nothing. I am dead. No more deceive yourself with vain hopes

of my return. The stormy winds sunk my ship in the AEgean Sea, waves filled my mouth while it called

aloud on you. No uncertain messenger tells you this, no vague rumour brings it to your ears. I come in

person, a shipwrecked man, to tell you my fate. Arise! give me tears, give me lamentations, let me not go

down to Tartarus unwept." To these words Morpheus added the voice, which seemed to be that of her

husband; he seemed to pour forth genuine tears; his hands had the gestures of Ceyx.

Halcyone, weeping, groaned, and stretched out her arms in her sleep, striving to embrace his body, but

grasping only the air. "Stay!" she cried; "whither do you fly? let us go together." Her own voice awakened

her. Starting up, she gazed eagerly around, to see if he was still present, for the servants, alarmed by her cries,

had brought a light. When she found him not, she smote her breast and rent her garments. She cares not to

unbind her hair, but tears it wildly. Her nurse asks what is the cause of her grief. "Halcyone is no more," she

answers, "she perished with her Ceyx. Utter not words of comfort, he is shipwrecked and dead. I have seen

him, I have recognized him. I stretched out my hands to seize him and detain him. His shade vanished, but it

was the true shade of my husband. Not with the accustomed features, not with the beauty that was his, but

pale, naked, and with his hair wet with sea water, he appeared to wretched me. Here, in this very spot, the sad

vision stood," and she looked to find the mark of his footsteps. "This it was, this that my presaging mind

foreboded, when I implored him not to leave me, to trust himself to the waves. Oh, how I wish, since thou

wouldst go, thou hadst taken me with thee! It would have been far better. Then I should have had no remnant

of life to spend without thee, nor a separate death to die. If I could bear to live and struggle to endure, I

should be more cruel to myself than the sea has been to me. But I will not struggle, I will not be separated

from thee, unhappy husband. This time, at least, I will keep thee company. In death, if one tomb may not

include us, one epitaph shall; if I may not lay my ashes with thine, my name, at least, shall not be separated."

It was now morning. She went to the seashore, and sought the spot where she last saw him, on his departure.

"While he lingered here, and cast off his tacklings, he gave me his last kiss." While she reviews every object,

and strives to recall every incident, looking out over the sea, she descries an indistinct object floating in the

water. At first she was in doubt what it was, but by degrees the waves bore it nearer, and it was plainly the

body of a man. Though unknowing of whom, yet, as it was of some shipwrecked one, she was deeply moved,

and gave it her tears, saying, "Alas! unhappy one, and unhappy, if such there be, thy wife!" Borne by the

waves, it came nearer. As she more and more nearly views it, she trembles more and more. Now, now it

approaches the shore. Now marks that she recognizes appear. it is her husband! Stretching out her trembling

hands towards it, she exclaims, "O dearest husband, is it thus you return to me?"

There was built out from the shore a mole, constructed to break the assaults of the sea, and stem its violent

ingress. She leaped upon this barrier and (it was wonderful she could do so) she flew, and striking the air with

wings produced on the instant, skimmed along the surface of the water, an unhappy bird. As she flew, her

throat poured forth sounds full of grief, and like the voice of one lamenting. When she touched the mute and

bloodless body, she enfolded its beloved limbs with her newformed wings, and tried to give kisses with her

horny beak. Whether Ceyx felt it, or whether it was only the action of the waves, those who looked on

doubted, but the body seemed to raise its head. But indeed he did feel it, and by the pitying gods both of them

were changed into birds. They mate and have their young ones. For seven placid days, in winter time,

Halcyone broods over her nest, which floats upon the sea. Then the way is safe to seamen. AEolus guards the

winds and keeps them from disturbing the deep. The sea is given up, for the time, to his grandchildren.

The following lines from Byron's "Bride of Abydos" might seem borrowed from the concluding part of this

description, if it were not stated that the author derived the suggestion from observing the motion of a

Milton, in his "Hymn on the Nativity," thus alludes to the fable of the Halcyon:

THE Hamadryads were Woodnymphs. Pomona was of this class. and no one excelled her in love of the

garden and the culture of fruit. She cared not for forests and rivers, but loved the cultivated country, and trees

that bear delicious apples. Her right hand bore for its weapon not a javelin, but a pruningknife. Armed with

this, she busied herself at one time to repress the too luxuriant growths: and curtail the branches that straggled

out of place; at another, to split the twig and insert therein a graft, making the branch adopt a nursling not its

own. She took care, too, that her favourites should not suffer from drought, and led streams of water by them,

that the thirsty roots might drink. This occupation was her pursuit, her passion; and she was free from that

which Venus inspires. She was not without fear of the country people, and kept her orchard locked, and

allowed not men to enter. The Fauns and Satyrs would have given all they possessed to win her, and so would

old Sylvanus, who looks young for his years, and Pan, who wears a garland of pine leaves around his head.

But Vertumnus loved her best of all; yet he sped no better than the rest. O how often, in the disguise of a

reaper, did he bring her corn in a basket, and looked the very image of a reaper! With a hay band tied round

him, one would think he had just come from turning over the grass. Sometimes he would have an oxgoad in

his hand, and you would have said he had just unyoked his weary oxen. Now he bore a pruninghook, and

personated a vinedresser; and again, with a ladder on his shoulder, he seemed as if he was going to gather

apples. Sometimes he trudged along as a discharged soldier, and again he bore a fishingrod, as if going to

fish. In this way he gained admission to her again and again, and fed his passion with the sight of her.

One day he came in the guise of an old woman, her grey hair surmounted with a cap, and a staff in her hand.

She entered the garden and admired the fruit. "It does you credit, my dear," she said, and kissed her not

exactly with an old woman's kiss. She sat down on a bank, and looked up at the branches laden with fruit

which hung over her. Opposite was an elm entwined with a vine loaded with swelling grapes. She praised the

tree and its associated vine, equally. "But," said she, "if the tree stood alone, and had no vine clinging to it, it

would have nothing to attract or offer us but its useless leaves. And equally the vine, if it were not twined

round the elm, would lie prostrate on the ground. Why will you not take a lesson from the tree and the vine,

and consent to unite yourself with some one? I wish you would. Helen herself had not more numerous

suitors, nor Penelope, the wife of shrewd Ulysses. Even while you spurn them, they court you, rural deities

and others of every kind that frequent these mountains. But if you are prudent and want to make a good

alliance, and will let an old woman advise you, who loves you better than you have any idea of, dismiss all

the rest and accept Vertumnus, on my recommendation. I know him as well as he knows himself. He is not a

wandering deity, but belongs to these mountains. Nor is he like too many of the lovers nowadays, who love

any one they happen to see; he loves you, and you only. Add to this, he is young and handsome, and has the

art of assuming any shape he pleases, and can make himself just what you command him. Moreover, he loves

the same things that you do, delights in gardening, and handles your apples with admiration. But now he

cares nothing for fruits nor flowers, nor anything else, but only yourself. Take pity on him, and fancy him

speaking now with my mouth. Remember that the gods punish cruelty, and that Venus hates a hard heart, and

will visit such offences sooner or later. To prove this, let me tell you a story, which is well known in Cyprus

"Iphis was a young man of humble parentage, who saw and loved Anaxarete, a noble lady of the ancient

family of Teucer. He struggled long with his passion, but when he found he could not subdue it, he came a

suppliant to her mansion. First he told his passion to her nurse, and begged her as she loved her fosterchild

to favour his suit. And then he tried to win her domestics to his side. Sometimes he committed his vows to

written tablets, and often hung at her door garlands which he had moistened with his tears. He stretched

himself on her threshold, and uttered his complaints to the cruel bolts and bars. She was deafer than the

surges which rise in the November gale; harder than steel from the German forges, or a rock that still clings

to its native cliff. She mocked and laughed at him, adding cruel words to her ungentle treatment, and gave not

"Iphis could not any longer endure the torments of hopeless love, and, standing before her doors, he spake

these last words: 'Anaxarete, you have conquered, and shall no longer have to bear my importunities. Enjoy

your triumph! Sing songs of joy, and bind your forehead with laurel, you have conquered! I die; stony heart,

rejoice! This at least I can do to gratify you, and force you to praise me; and thus shall I prove that the love of

you left me but with life. Nor will I leave it to rumour to tell you of my death. I will come myself, and you

shall see me die, and feast your eyes on the spectacle. Yet, O ye Gods, who look down on mortal woes,

observe my fate! I ask but this: let me be remembered in coming ages, and add those years to my fame which

you have reft from my life.' Thus he said, and, turning his pale face and weeping eyes towards her mansion,

he fastened a rope to the gatepost, on which he had often hung garlands, and putting his head into the noose,

he murmured, 'This garland at least will please you, cruel girl!' and falling hung suspended with his neck

broken. As he fell he struck against the gate, and the sound was as the sound of a groan. The servants opened

the door and found him dead, and with exclamations of pity raised him and carried him home to his mother,

for his father was not living. She received the dead body of her son, and folded the cold form to her bosom,

while she poured forth the sad words which bereaved mothers utter. The mournful funeral passed through the

town, and the pale corpse was borne on a bier to the place of the funeral pile. By chance the home of

Anaxarete was on the street where the procession passed, and the lamentations of the mourners met the ears

"'Let us see this sad procession,' said she, and mounted to a turret, whence through an open window she

looked upon the funeral. Scarce had her eyes rested upon the form of Iphis stretched on the bier, when they

began to stiffen, and the warm blood in her body to become cold. Endeavouring to step back, she found she

could not move her feet; trying to turn away her face, she tried in vain; and by degrees all her limbs became

stony like her heart. That you may not doubt the fact, the statue still remains, and stands in the temple of

Venus at Salamis, in the exact form of the lady. Now think of these things, my dear, and lay aside your scorn

and your delays, and accept a lover. So may neither the vernal frosts blight your young fruits, nor furious

When Vertumnus had spoken thus, be dropped the disguise of an old woman, and stood before her in his

proper person, as a comely youth. It appeared to her like the sun bursting through a cloud. He would have

renewed his entreaties, but there was no need; his arguments and the sight of his true form prevailed, and the

Pomona was the especial patroness of the Appleorchard, and as such she was invoked by Phillips, the author

But Pomona was also regarded as presiding over other fruits, and as such is invoked by Thomson:

A CERTAIN king and queen had three daughters. The charms of the two elder were more than common, but

the beauty of the youngest was so wonderful that the poverty of language is unable to express its due praise.

The fame of her beauty was so great that strangers from neighbouring countries came in crowds to enjoy the

sight, and looked on her with amazement, paying her that homage which is due only to Venus herself. In fact

Venus found her altars deserted, while men turned their devotion to this young virgin. As she passed along,

This perversion of homage due only to the immortal powers to the exaltation of a mortal gave great offence to

the real Venus. Shaking her ambrosial locks with indignation, she exclaimed, "Am I then to be eclipsed in my

honours by a mortal girl? In vain then did that royal shepherd, whose judgment was approved by Jove

himself, give me the palm of beauty over my illustrious rivals, Pallas and Juno. But she shall not so quietly

Thereupon she calls her winged son Cupid, mischievous enough in his own nature, and rouses and provokes

him yet more by her complaints. She points out Psyche to him and says, "My dear son, punish that

contumacious beauty; give thy mother a revenge as sweet as her injuries are great; infuse into the bosom of

that haughty girl a passion for some low, mean, unworthy being, so that she may reap a mortification as great

Cupid prepared to obey the commands of his mother. There are two fountains in Venus's garden, one of sweet

waters, the other of bitter. Cupid filled two amber vases, one from each fountain, and suspending them from

the top of his quiver, hastened to the chamber of Psyche, whom he found asleep. He shed a few drops from

the bitter fountain over her lips, though the sight of her almost moved him to pity; then touched her side with

the point of his arrow. At the touch she awoke, and opened eyes upon Cupid (himself invisible), which so

startled him that in his confusion he wounded himself with his own arrow. Heedless of his wound, his whole

thought now was to repair the mischief he had done, and he poured the balmy drops of joy over all her silken

Psyche, henceforth frowned upon by Venus, derived no benefit from all her charms. True, all eyes were cast

eagerly upon her, and every mouth spoke her praises; but neither king, royal youth, nor plebeian presented

himself to demand her in marriage. Her two elder sisters of moderate charms had now long been married to

two royal princes; but Psyche, in her lonely apartment, deplored her solitude, sick of that beauty which, while

Her parents, afraid that they had unwittingly incurred the anger of the gods, consulted the oracle of Apollo,

and received this answer: "The virgin is destined for the bride of no mortal lover. Her future husband awaits

her on the top of the mountain. He is a monster whom neither gods nor men can resist."

This dreadful decree of the oracle filled all the people with dismay, and her parents abandoned themselves to

grief. But Psyche said, "Why, my dear parents, do you now lament me? You should rather have grieved when

the people showered upon me undeserved honours, and with one voice called me a Venus. I now perceive

that I am a victim to that name. I submit. Lead me to that rock to which my unhappy fate has destined me."

Accordingly, all things being prepared, the royal maid took her place in the procession, which more

resembled a funeral than a nuptial pomp, and with her parents, amid the lamentations of the people, ascended

the mountain, on the summit of which they left her alone, and with sorrowful hearts returned home.

While Psyche stood on the ridge of the mountain, panting with fear and with eyes full of tears, the gentle

Zephyr raised her from the earth and bore her with an easy motion into a flowery dale. By degrees her mind

became composed, and she laid herself down on the grassy bank to sleep. When she awoke refreshed with

sleep, she looked round and beheld near by a pleasant grove of tall and stately trees. She entered it, and in the

midst discovered a fountain, sending forth clear and crystal waters, and fast by, a magnificent palace whose

august front impressed the spectator that it was not the work of mortal hands, but the happy retreat of some

god. Drawn by admiration and wonder, she approached the building and ventured to enter. Every object she

met filled her with pleasure and amazement. Golden pillars supported the vaulted roof, and the walls were

enriched with carvings and paintings representing beasts of the chase and rural scenes, adapted to delight the

eye of the beholder. Proceeding onward, she perceived that besides the apartments of state there were others

filled with all manner of treasures, and beautiful and precious productions of nature and art.

While her eyes were thus occupied, a voice addressed her, though she saw no one, uttering these words:

"Sovereign lady, all that you see is yours. We whose voices you hear are your servants and shall obey all your

commands with our utmost care and diligence. Retire, therefore, to your chamber and repose on your bed of

down, and when you see fit repair to the bath. Supper awaits you in the adjoining alcove when it pleases you

Psyche gave ear to the admonitions of her vocal attendants, and after repose and the refreshment of the bath,

seated herself in the alcove, where a table immediately presented itself, without any visible aid from waiters

or servants, and covered with the greatest delicacies of food and the most nectareous wines. Her ears too were

feasted with music from invisible performers; of whom one sang, another played on the lute, and all closed in

She had not yet seen her destined husband. He came only in the hours of darkness and fled before the dawn

of morning, but his accents were full of love, and inspired a like passion in her. She often begged him to stay

and let her behold him, but he would not consent. On the contrary he charged her to make no attempt to see

him, for it was his pleasure, for the best of reasons, to keep concealed. "Why should you wish to behold me?"

he said; "have you any doubt of my love? have you any wish ungratified? If you saw me, perhaps you would

fear me, perhaps adore me, but all I ask of you is to love me. I would rather you would love me as an equal

This reasoning somewhat quieted Psyche for a time, and while the novelty lasted she felt quite happy. But at

length the thought of her parents, left in ignorance of her fate, and of her sisters, precluded from sharing with

her the delights of her situation, preyed on her mind and made her begin to feel her palace as but a splendid

prison, When her husband came one night, she told him her distress, and at last drew from him an unwilling

So, calling Zephyr, she acquainted him with her husband's commands, and he, promptly obedient, soon

brought them across the mountain down to their sister's valley. They embraced her and she returned their

caresses. "Come," said Psyche, "enter with me my house and refresh yourselves with whatever your sister has

to offer." Then taking their hands she led them into her golden palace, and committed them to the care of her

numerous train of attendant voices, to refresh them in her baths and at her table, and to show them all her

treasures. The view of these celestial delights caused envy to enter their bosoms, at seeing their young sister

They asked her numberless questions, among others what sort of a person her husband was. Psyche replied

that he was a beautiful youth, who generally spent the daytime in hunting upon the mountains. The sisters,

not satisfied with this reply, soon made her confess that she had never seen him. Then they proceeded to fill

her bosom with dark suspicions. "Call to mind," they said, "the Pythian oracle that declared you destined to

marry a direful and tremendous monster. The inhabitants of this valley say that your husband is a terrible and

monstrous serpent, who nourishes you for a while with dainties that he may by and by devour you. Take our

advice. Provide yourself with a lamp and a sharp knife; put them in concealment that your husband may not

discover them, and when he is sound asleep, slip out of bed, bring forth your lamp, and see for yourself

whether what they say is true or not. If it is, hesitate not to cut off the monster's head, and thereby recover

Psyche resisted these persuasions as well as she could, but they did not fail to have their effect on her mind,

and when her sisters were gone, their words and her own curiosity were too strong for her to resist. So she

prepared her lamp and a sharp knife, and hid them out of sight of her husband. When he had fallen into his

first sleep, she silently rose and uncovering her lamp beheld not a hideous monster, but the most beautiful and

charming of the gods, with his golden ringlets wandering over his snowy neck and crimson cheek, with two

dewy wings on his shoulders, whiter than snow, and with shining feathers like the tender blossoms of spring.

As she leaned the lamp over to have a nearer view of his face a drop of burning oil fell on the shoulder of the

god, startled with which he opened his eyes and fixed them full upon her; then, without saying one word, he

spread his white wings and flew out of the window. Psyche, in vain endeavouring to follow him, fell from the

window to the ground. Cupid, beholding her as she lay in the dust, stopped his flight for an instant and said,

"O foolish Psyche, is it thus you repay my love? After having disobeyed my mother's commands and made

you my wife, will you think me a monster and cut off my head? But go; return to your sisters, whose advice

you seem to think preferable to mine. I inflict no other punishment on you than to leave you for ever. Love

cannot dwell with suspicion." So saying, he fled away, leaving poor Psyche prostrate on the ground, filling

When she had recovered some degree of composure she looked around her, but the palace and gardens had

vanished, and she found herself in the open field not far from the city where her sisters dwelt. She repaired

thither and told them the whole story of her misfortunes, at which, pretending to grieve, those spiteful

creatures inwardly rejoiced. "For now," said they, "he will perhaps choose one of us." With this idea, without

saying a word of her intentions, each of them rose early the next morning and ascended the mountain, and

having reached the top, called upon Zephyr to receive her and bear her to his lord; then leaping up, and not

Psyche meanwhile wandered day and night, without food or repose, in search of her husband. Casting her

eyes on a lofty mountain having on its brow a magnificent temple, she sighed and said to herself, "Perhaps

She had no sooner entered than she saw heaps of corn, some in loose ears and some in sheaves, with mingled

ears of barley. Scattered about, lay sickles and rakes, and all the instruments of harvest, without order, as if

thrown carelessly out of the weary reapers' hands in the sultry hours of the day.

This unseemly confusion the pious Psyche put an end to, by separating and sorting everything to its proper

place and kind, believing that she ought to neglect none of the gods, but endeavour by her piety to engage

them all in her behalf. The holy Ceres, whose temple it was, finding her so religiously employed, thus spoke

to her: "O Psyche, truly worthy of our pity, though I cannot shield you from the frowns of Venus, yet I can

teach you how best to allay her displeasure. Go, then, and voluntarily surrender yourself to your lady and

sovereign, and try by modesty and submission to win her forgiveness, and perhaps her favour will restore you

Psyche obeyed the commands of Ceres and took her way to the temple of Venus, endeavouring to fortify her

mind and ruminating on what she should say and how best propitiate the angry goddess, feeling that the issue

Venus received her with angry countenance. "Most undutiful and faithless of servants," said she, "do you at

last remember that you really have a mistress? Or have you rather come to see your sick husband, yet laid up

of the wound given him by his loving wife? You are so illfavoured and disagreeable that the only way you

can merit your lover must be by dint of industry and diligence. I will make trial of your housewifery." Then

she ordered Psyche to be led to the storehouse of her temple, where was laid up a great quantity of wheat,

barley, millet, vetches, beans, and lentils prepared for food for her pigeons, and said, "Take and separate all

these grains, putting all of the same kind in a parcel by themselves, and see that you get it done before

But Psyche, in a perfect consternation at the enormous work, sat stupid and silent, without moving a finger to

While she sat despairing, Cupid stirred up the little ant, a native of the fields, to take compassion on her. The

leader of the anthill, followed by whole hosts of his sixlegged subjects, approached the heap, and with the

utmost diligence taking grain by grain, they separated the pile, sorting each kind to its parcel; and when it was

Venus at the approach of twilight returned from the banquet of the gods. breathing odours and crowned with

roses. Seeing the task done, she exclaimed, "This is no work of yours, wicked one, but his, whom to your

own and his misfortune you have enticed." So saying, she threw her a piece of black bread for her supper and

Next morning Venus ordered Psyche to be called and said to her, "Behold yonder grove which stretches along

the margin of the water. There you will find sheep feeding without a shepherd, with goldenshining fleeces

on their backs. Go, fetch me a sample of that precious wool gathered from every one of their fleeces."

Psyche obediently went to the riverside, prepared to do her best to execute the command. But the river god

inspired the reeds with harmonious murmurs, which seemed to say, "O maiden, severely tried, tempt not the

dangerous flood, nor venture among the formidable rams on the other side, for as long as they are under the

influence of the rising sun, they burn with a cruel rage to destroy mortals with their sharp horns or rude teeth.

But when the noontide sun has driven the cattle to the shade, and the serene spirit of the flood has lulled them

to rest, you may then cross in safety, and you will find the woolly gold sticking to the bushes and the trunks

Thus the compassionate river god gave Psyche instructions how to accomplish her task, and by observing his

directions she soon returned to Venus with her arms full of the golden fleece; but she received not the

approbation of her implacable mistress, who said, "I know very well it is by none of your own doings that

you have succeeded in this task, and I am not satisfied yet that you have any capacity to make yourself useful.

But I have another task for you. Here, take this box and go your way to the infernal shades, and give this box

to Proserpine and say, 'My mistress Venus desires you to send her a little of your beauty, for in tending her

sick son she has lost some of her own.' Be not too long on your errand, for I must paint myself with it to

Psyche was now satisfied that her destruction was at hand, being obliged to go with her own feet directly

down to Erebus. Wherefore, to make no delay of what was not to be avoided, she goes to the top of a high

tower to precipitate herself headlong, thus to descend the shortest way to the shades below. But a voice from

the tower said to her, "Why, poor unlucky girl, dost thou design to put an end to thy days in so dreadful a

manner? And what cowardice makes thee sink under this last danger who hast been so miraculously

supported in all thy former?" Then the voice told her how by a certain cave she might reach the realms of

Pluto, and how to avoid all the dangers of the road, to pass by Cerberus, the threeheaded dog, and prevail on

Charon, the ferryman, to take her across the black river and bring her back again. But the voice added, "When

Proserpine has given you the box filled with her beauty, of all things this is chiefly to be observed by you,

that you never once open or look into the box nor allow your curiosity to pry into the treasure of the beauty of

Psyche, encouraged by this advice, obeyed it in all things, and taking heed to her ways travelled safely to the

kingdom of Pluto. She was admitted to the palace of Proserpine, and without accepting the delicate seat or

delicious banquet that was offered her, but contented with coarse bread for her food, she delivered her

message from Venus. Presently the box was returned to her, shut and filled with the precious commodity.

Then she returned the way she came, and glad was she to come out once more into the light of day.

But having got so far successfully through her dangerous task a longing desire seized her to examine the

contents of the box, "What," said she, "shall I, the carrier of this divine beauty, not take the least bit to put on

my cheeks to appear to more advantage in the eyes of my beloved husband!" So she carefully opened the box,

but found nothing there of any beauty at all, but an infernal and truly Stygian sleep, which being thus set free

from its prison, took possession of her, and she fell down in the midst of the road, a sleepy corpse without

But Cupid, being now recovered from his wound, and not able longer to bear the absence of his beloved

Psyche, slipping through the smallest crack of the window of his chamber which happened to be left open,

flew to the spot where Psyche lay, and gathering up the sleep from her body closed it again in the box, and

waked Psyche with a light touch of one of his arrows. "Again," said he, "hast thou almost perished by the

same curiosity. But now perform exactly the task imposed on you by my mother, and I will take care of the

Then Cupid, as swift as lightning penetrating the heights of heaven, presented himself before Jupiter with his

supplication. Jupiter lent a favouring ear, and pleaded the cause of the lovers so earnestly with Venus that he

won her consent. On this he sent Mercury to bring Psyche up to the heavenly assembly, and when she

arrived, handing her a cup of ambrosia, he said, "Drink this, Psyche, and be immortal; nor shall Cupid ever

break away from the knot in which he is tied, but these nuptials shall be perpetual."

Thus Psyche became at last united to Cupid, and in due time they had a daughter born to them whose name

The fable of Cupid and Psyche is usually considered allegorical. The Greek name for a butterfly is Psyche,

and the same word means the soul. There is no illustration of the immortality of the soul so striking and

beautiful as the butterfly, bursting on brilliant wings from the tomb in which it has lain, after a dull,

grovelling, caterpillar existence, to flutter in the blaze of day and feed on the most fragrant and delicate

productions of the spring. Psyche, then, is the human soul, which is purified by sufferings and misfortunes,

In works of art Psyche is represented as a maiden with the wings of a butterfly, along with Cupid, in the

Milton alludes to the story of Cupid and Psyche in the conclusion of his "Comus":

The allegory of the story of Cupid and Psyche is well presented in the beautiful lines of T. K. Harvey:

The story of Cupid and Psyche first appears in the works of Apuleius, a writer of the second century of our

era. It is therefore of much more recent date than most of the legends of the Age of Fable. It is this that Keats

In Moore's "Summer Fete" a fancy ball is described, in which one of the characters personated is Psyche

JUPITER, under the disguise of a bull, had carried away Europa, the daughter of Agenor, king of Phoenicia.

Agenor commanded his son Cadmus to go in search of his sister, and not to return without her. Cadmus went

and sought long and far for his sister, but could not find her, and not daring to return unsuccessful, consulted

the oracle of Apollo to know what country he should settle in. The oracle informed him that he should find a

cow in the field, and should follow her wherever she might wander, and where she stopped, should build a

city and call it Thebes. Cadmus had hardly left the Castalian cave, from which the oracle was delivered, when

he saw a young cow slowly walking before him. He followed her close, offering at the same time his prayers

to Phoebus. The cow went on till she passed the shallow channel of Cephisus and came out into the plain of

Panope. There she stood still, raising her broad forehead to the sky filled the air with her lowings. Cadmus

gave thanks, and stooping down kissed the foreign soil, then lifting his eyes, greeted the surrounding

mountains. Wishing to offer a sacrifice to Jupiter, he sent his servants to seek pure water for a libation. Near

by there stood an ancient grove which had never been profaned by the axe, in the midst of which there was a

cave, thick covered with the growth of bushes, its roof forming a low arch, from beneath which burst forth a

fountain of purest water. In the cave lurked a horrid serpent with a crested head and scales glittering like gold.

His eyes shone like fire, his body was swollen with venom, he vibrated a triple tongue, and showed a triple

row of teeth. No sooner had the Tyrians dipped their pitchers in the fountain, and the ingushing waters made

a sound, than the glittering serpent raised his head out of the cave and uttered a fearful hiss. The vessels fell

from their hands, the blood left their cheeks, they trembled in every limb. The serpent, twisting his scaly body

in a huge coil, raised his head so as to overtop the tallest trees, and while the Tyrians from terror could neither

fight nor fly, slew some with his fangs, others in his folds, and others with his poisonous breath.

Cadmus, having waited for the return of his men till midday, went in search of them. His covering was a

lion's hide, and besides his Javelin he carried in his hand a lance, and in his breast a bold heart, a surer

reliance than either. When he entered the wood and saw the lifeless bodies of his men, and the monster with

his bloody jaws, he exclaimed, "O faithful friends, I will avenge you, or share your death." So saying he lifted

a huge stone and threw it with all his force at the serpent. Such a block would have shaken the wall of a

fortress, but it made no impression on the monster. Cadmus next threw his javelin, which met with better

success, for it penetrated the serpent's scales, and pierced through to his entrails. Fierce with pain, the

monster turned back his head to view the wound, and attempted to draw out the weapon with his mouth, but

broke it off, leaving the iron point rankling in his flesh. His neck swelled with rage, bloody foam covered his

jaws, and the breath of his nostrils poisoned the air around. Now he twisted himself into a circle, then

stretched himself out on the ground like the trunk of a fallen tree. As he moved onward, Cadmus retreated

before him, holding his spear opposite to the monster's opened jaws. The serpent snapped at the weapon and

attempted to bite its iron point. At last Cadmus, watching his chance, thrust the spear at a moment when the

animal's head thrown back came against the trunk of a tree, and so succeeded in pinning him to its side. His

While Cadmus stood over his conquered foe, contemplating its vast size, a voice was heard (from whence he

knew not, but he heard it distinctly) commanding him to take the dragon's teeth and sow them in the earth. He

obeyed. He made a furrow in the ground, and planted the teeth, destined to produce a crop of men. Scarce had

he done so when the clods began to move, and the points of spears to appear above the surface. Next helmets

with their nodding plumes came up, and next the shoulders and breasts and limbs of men with weapons, and

in time a harvest of armed warriors. Cadmus, alarmed, prepared to encounter a new enemy, but one of them

said to him, "Meddle not with our civil war." With that he who had spoken smote one of his earthborn

brothers with a sword, and he himself fell pierced with an arrow from another. The latter fell victim to a

fourth, and in like manner the whole crowd dealt with each other till all fell, slain with mutual wounds,

except five survivors. One of these cast away his weapons and said, "Brothers, let us live in peace!" These

five joined with Cadmus in building his city, to which they gave the name of Thebes.

Cadmus obtained in marriage Harmonia, the daughter of Venus. The gods left Olympus to honour the

occasion with their presence, and Vulcan presented the bride with a necklace of surpassing brilliancy, his

own workmanship. But a fatality hung over the family of Cadmus in consequence of his killing the serpent

sacred to Mars. Semele and Ino, his daughters, and Actaeon and Pentheus, his grandchildren, all perished

unhappily, and Cadmus and Harmonia quitted Thebes, now grown odious to them, and emigrated to the

country of the Enchelians, who received them with honour and made Cadmus their king. But the misfortunes

of their children still weighed upon their minds; and one day Cadmus exclaimed, "If a serpent's life is so dear

to the gods, I would I were myself a serpent." No sooner had he uttered the words than he began to change his

form. Harmonia beheld it and prayed to the gods to let her share his fate. Both became serpents. They live in

the woods, but mindful of their origin, they neither avoid the presence of man nor do they ever injure any

There is a tradition that Cadmus introduced into Greece the letters of the alphabet which were invented by the

Phoenicians. This is alluded to by Byron, where, addressing the modern Greeks, he says:

Milton, describing the serpent which tempted Eve, is reminded of the serpents of the classical stories and

The Myrmidons were the solders of Achilles, in the Trojan war. From them all zealous and unscrupulous

followers of a political chief are called by that name, down to this day. But the origin of the Myrmidons

would not give one the idea of a fierce and bloody race, but rather of a laborious and peaceful one.

Cephalus, king of Athens, arrived in the island of AEgina to seek assistance of his old friend and ally

AEacus, the king, in his war with Minos, king of Crete. Cephalus was most kindly received, and the desired

assistance readily promised. "I have people enough," said AEacus, "to protect myself and spare you such a

force as you need." "I rejoice to see it," replied Cephalus, "and my wonder has been raised, I confess, to find

such a host of youths as I see around me, all apparently of about the same age. Yet there are many individuals

whom I previously knew, that I look for now in vain. What has become of them?" AEacus groaned, and

replied with a voice of sadness, "I have been intending to tell you, and will now do so, without more delay,

that you may see how from the saddest beginning a happy result sometimes flows. Those whom you formerly

knew are now dust and ashes! A plague sent by angry Juno devastated the land. She hated it because it bore

the name of one of her husband's female favourites. While the disease appeared to spring from natural causes

we resisted it as we best might, by natural remedies; but it soon appeared that the pestilence was too powerful

for our efforts, and we yielded. At the beginning the sky seemed to settle down upon the earth, and thick

clouds shut in the heated air. For four months together a deadly south wind prevailed. The disorder affected

the wells and springs; thousands of snakes crept over the land and shed their poison in the fountains. The

force of the disease was first spent on the lower animals dogs, cattle, sheep, and birds. The luckless

ploughman wondered to see his oxen fall in the midst of their work, and lie helpless in the unfinished furrow.

The wool fell from the bleating sheep, and their bodies pined away. The horse, once foremost in the race,

contested the palm no more, but groaned at his stall and died an inglorious death. The wild boar forgot his

rage, the stag his swiftness, the bears no longer attacked the herds. Everything languished; dead bodies lay in

the roads, the fields, and the woods; the air was poisoned by them. I tell you what is hardly credible, but

neither dogs nor birds would touch them, nor starving wolves. Their decay spread the infection. Next the

disease attacked the country people, and then the dwellers in the city. At first the cheek was flushed, and the

breath drawn with difficulty. The tongue grew rough and swelled, and the dry mouth stood open with its

veins enlarged and gasped for the air. Men could not bear the heat of their clothes or their beds, but preferred

to lie on the bare ground; and the ground did not cool them, but, on the contrary, they heated the spot where

they lay. Nor could the physicians help, for the disease attacked them also, and the contact of the sick gave

them infection, so that the most faithful were the first victims. At last all hope of relief vanished, and men

learned to look upon death as the only deliverer from disease. Then they gave way to every inclination, and

cared not to ask what was expedient, for nothing was expedient. All restraint laid aside, they crowded around

the wells and fountains and drank till they died, without quenching thirst. Many had not strength to get away

from the water, but died in the midst of the stream, and others would drink of it notwithstanding. Such was

their weariness of their sick beds that some would creep forth, and if not strong enough to stand, would die on

the ground. They seemed to hate their friends, and got away from their homes, as if, not knowing the cause of

their sickness, they charged it on the place of their abode. Some were seen tottering along the road, as long as

they could stand, while others sank on the earth, and turned their dying eyes around to take a last look, then

"What heart had I left me, during all this, or what ought I to have had, except to hate life and wish to be with

my dead subjects? On all sides lay my people strewn like overripened apples beneath the tree, or acorns

under the stormshaken oak. You see yonder a temple on the height. It is sacred to Jupiter. O how many

offered prayers there, husbands for wives, fathers for sons, and died in the very act of supplication! How

often, while the priest made ready for sacrifice, the victim fell, struck down by disease without waiting for the

blow. At length all reverence for sacred things was lost. Bodies were thrown: out unburied, wood was

wanting for funeral piles, men fought with one another for the possession of them. Finally there were none

left to mourn; sons and husbands, old men and youths, Perished alike unlamented.

"Standing before the altar I raised my eyes to heaven. 'O Jupiter,' I said, 'if thou art indeed my father, and art

not ashamed of thy offspring, give me back my people, or take me also away!' At these words a clap of

thunder was heard. 'I accept the omen,' I cried; 'O may it be a sign of a favourable disposition towards me!'

By chance there grew by the place where I stood an oak with widespreading branches, sacred to Jupiter. I

observed a troop of ants busy with their labour, carrying minute grains in their mouths and following one

another in a line up the trunk of the tree. Observing their numbers with admiration, I said, 'Give me, O father,

citizens as numerous as these, and replenish my empty city.' The tree shook and gave a rustling sound with its

branches, though no wind agitated them. I trembled in every limb, yet I kissed the earth and the tree. I would

not confess to myself that I hoped, yet I did hope. Night came on and sleep took possession of my frame

oppressed with cares. The tree stood before me in my dreams, with its numerous branches all covered with

living, moving creatures. It seemed to shake its limbs and throw down over the ground a multitude of those

industrious graingathering animals, which appeared to gain in size, and grow larger and larger, and by and

by to stand erect, lay aside their superfluous legs and their black colour, and finally to assume the human

form. Then I awoke, and my first impulse was to chide the gods who had robbed me of a sweet vision and

given me no reality in its place. Being still in the temple, my attention was caught by the sound of many

voices without; a sound of late unusual to my ears. While I began to think I was yet dreaming, Telamon, my

son, throwing open the temple gates, exclaimed: 'Father, approach, and behold things surpassing even your

hopes!' I went forth; I saw a multitude of men such as I had seen in my dream, and they were passing in

procession in the same manner. While I gazed with wonder and delight they approached, and kneeling hailed

me as their king. I paid my vows to Jove, and proceeded to allot the vacant city to the newborn race, and to

parcel out the fields among them. I called them Myrmidons, from the ant (myrmex) from which they sprang.

You have seen these persons; their dispositions resemble those which they had in their former shape. They

are a diligent and industrious race, eager to gain, and tenacious of their gains. Among them you may recruit

your forces. They will follow you to the war, young in years and bold in heart."

This description of the plague is coped by Ovid from the account which Thucydides, the Greek historian,

gives of the plague of Athens. The historian drew from life, and all the poets and writers of fiction since his

day, when they have had occasion to describe a similar scene, have borrowed their details from him.

MINOS, king of Crete, made war upon Megara. Nisus was king of Megara, and Scylla was his daughter. The

siege had now lasted six months and the city still held out, for it was decreed by fate that it should not be

taken so long as a certain purple lock, which glittered among the hair of King Nisus, remained on his head.

There was a tower on the city walls, which overlooked the plain where Minos and his army were encamped.

To this tower Scylla used to repair, and look abroad over the tents of the hostile army. The siege had lasted so

long that she had learned to distinguish the persons of the leaders. Minos, in particular, excited her

admiration. Arrayed in his helmet, and bearing his shield, she admired his graceful deportment; if he threw

his javelin skill seemed combined with force in the discharge; if he drew his bow Apollo himself could not

have done it more gracefully. But when he laid aside his helmet, and in his purple robes bestrode his white

horse with its gay caparisons, and reined in its foaming mouth, the daughter of Nisus was hardly mistress of

herself; she was almost frantic with admiration. She envied the weapon that he grasped, the reins that he held.

She felt as if she could, if it were possible, go to him through the hostile ranks; she felt an impulse to cast

herself down from the tower into the midst of his camp, or to open the gates to him, or to do anything else, so

only it might gratify Minos. As she sat in the tower, she talked thus with herself: "I know not whether to

rejoice or grieve at this sad war. I grieve that Minos is our enemy; but I rejoice at any cause that brings him to

my sight. Perhaps he would be willing to grant us peace, and receive me as a hostage. I would fly down, if I

could, and alight in his camp, and tell him that we yield ourselves to his mercy. But then, to betray my father!

No! rather would I never see Minos again. And yet no doubt it is sometimes the best thing for a city to be

conquered, when the conqueror is clement and generous. Minos certainly has right on his side. I think we

shall be conquered; and if that must be the end of it, why should not love unbar the gates to him, instead of

leaving it to be done by war? Better spare delay and slaughter if we can. And O if any one should wound or

kill Minos! No one surely would have the heart to do it; yet ignorantly, not knowing him, one might. I will, I

will surrender myself to him, with my country as a dowry, and so put an end to the war. But how? The gates

are guarded, and my father keeps the keys; he only stands in my way. O that it might please the gods to take

him away! But why ask the gods to do it? Another woman, loving as I do, would remove with her own hands

whatever stood in the way of her love. And can any other woman dare more than I? I would encounter fire

and sword to gain my object; but here there is no need of fire and sword. I only need my father's purple lock.

While she thus reasoned night came on, and soon the whole palace was buried in sleep. She entered her

father's bedchamber and cut off the fatal lock; then passed out of the city and entered the enemy's camp. She

demanded to be led to the king, and thus addressed him: "I am Scylla, the daughter of Nisus. I surrender to

you my country and my father's house. I ask no reward but yourself: for love of you I have done it. See here

the purple lock! With this I give you my father and his kingdom." She held out her hand with the fatal spoil.

Minos shrunk back and refused to touch it. "The gods destroy thee, infamous woman," he exclaimed;

"disgrace of our time! May neither earth nor sea yield thee a restingplace! Surely, my Crete, where Jove

himself was cradled, shall not be polluted with such a monster!" Thus he said, and gave orders that equitable

terms should be allowed to the conquered city, and that the fleet should immediately sail from the island.

Scylla was frantic. "Ungrateful man," she exclaimed, "is it thus you leave me? me who have given you

victory, who have sacrificed for you parent and country! I am guilty, I confess, and deserve to die, but not

by your hand." As the ships left the shore, she leaped into the water, and seizing the rudder of the one which

carried Minos, she was borne along an unwelcome companion of their course. A seaeagle soaring aloft, it

was her father who had been changed into that form, seeing her, pounced down upon her, and struck her

with his beak and claws. In terror she let go the ship and would have fallen into the water, but some pitying

deity changed her into a bird. The seaeagle still cherishes the old animosity; and whenever he espies her in

his lofty flight you may see him dart down upon her, with beak and claws, to take vengeance for the ancient

Echo was a beautiful nymph, fond of the woods and hills, where she devoted herself to woodland sports. She

was a favourite of Diana, and attended her in the chase. But Echo had one failing; she was fond of talking,

and whether in chat or argument, would have the last word. One day Juno was seeking her husband, who, she

had reason to fear, was amusing himself among the nymphs. Echo by her talk contrived to detain the goddess

till the nymphs made their escape. When Juno discovered it, she passed sentence upon Echo in these words:

"You shall forfeit the use of that tongue with which you have cheated me, except for that one purpose you are

so fond of reply. You shall still have the last word, but no power to speak first."

This nymph saw Narcissus, a beautiful youth, as he pursued the chase upon the mountains. She loved him

and followed his footsteps. O how she longed to address him in the softest accents, and win him to converse!

but it was not in her power. She waited with impatience for him to speak first, and had her answer ready. One

day the youth, being separated from his companions, shouted aloud, "Who's here?" Echo replied, "Here."

Narcissus looked around, but seeing no one, called out, "Come." Echo answered, "Come." As no one came,

Narcissus called again, "Why do you shun me?" Echo asked the same question. "Let us join one another,"

said the youth. The maid answered with all her heart in the same words, and hastened to the spot, ready to

throw her arms about his neck. He started back, exclaiming, "Hands off! I would rather die than you should

have me!" "Have me," said she; but it was all in vain. He left her, and she went to hide her blushes in the

recesses of the woods. From that time forth she lived in caves and among mountain cliffs. Her form faded

with grief, till at last all her flesh shrank away. Her bones were changed into rocks and there was nothing left

of her but her voice. With that she is still ready to reply to any one who calls her, and keeps up her old habit

Narcissus's cruelty in this case was not the only instance. He shunned all the rest of the nymphs, as he had

done poor Echo. One day a maiden who had in vain endeavoured to attract him uttered a prayer that he might

some time or other feel what it was to love and meet no return of affection. The avenging goddess heard and

There was a clear fountain, with water like silver, to which the shepherds never drove their flocks, nor the

mountain goats resorted, nor any of the beasts of the forests; neither was it defaced with fallen leaves or

branches; but the grass grew fresh around it, and the rocks sheltered it from the sun. Hither came one day the

youth, fatigued with hunting, heated and thirsty. He stooped down to drink, and saw his own image in the

water; he thought it was some beautiful waterspirit living in the fountain. He stood gazing with admiration

at those bright eyes, those locks curled like the locks of Bacchus or Apollo, the rounded cheeks, the ivory

neck, the parted lips, and the glow of health and exercise over all. He fell in love with himself. He brought his

lips near to take a kiss; he plunged his arms in to embrace the beloved object. It fled at the touch, but returned

again after a moment and renewed the fascination. He could not tear himself away; he lost all thought of food

or rest. while he hovered over the brink of the fountain gazing upon his own image. He talked with the

supposed spirit: "Why, beautiful being, do you shun me? Surely my face is not one to repel you. The nymphs

love me, and you yourself look not indifferent upon me. When I stretch forth my arms you do the same; and

you smile upon me and answer my beckonings with the like." His tears fell into the water and disturbed the

image. As he saw it depart, he exclaimed, "Stay, I entreat you! Let me at least gaze upon you, if I may not

touch you." With this, and much more of the same kind, he cherished the flame that consumed him, so that by

degrees be lost his colour, his vigour, and the beauty which formerly had so charmed the nymph Echo. She

kept near him, however, and when he exclaimed, "Alas! alas! she answered him with the same words. He

pined away and died; and when his shade passed the Stygian river, it leaned over the boat to catch a look of

itself in the waters. The nymphs mourned for him, especially the waternymphs; and when they smote their

breasts Echo smote hers also. They prepared a funeral pile and would have burned the body, but it was

nowhere to be found; but in its place a flower, purple within, and surrounded with white leaves, which bears

Milton alludes to the story of Echo and Narcissus in the Lady's song in "Comus." She is seeking her brothers

Milton has imitated the story of Narcissus in the account which he makes Eve give of the first sight of herself

No one of the fables of antiquity has been oftener alluded to by the poets than that of Narcissus. Here are two

Clytie was a waternymph and in love with Apollo, who made her no return. So she pined away, sitting all

day long upon the cold ground, with her unbound tresses streaming over her shoulders. Nine days she sat and

tasted neither food nor drink, her own tears, and the chilly dew her only food. She gazed on the sun when he

rose, and as he passed through his daily course to his setting; she saw no other object, her face turned

constantly on him. At last, they say, her limbs rooted in the ground, her face became a flower,* which turns

on its stem so as always to face the sun throughout its daily course; for it retains to that extent the feeling of

Leander was a youth of Abydos, a town of the Asian side of the strait which separates Asia and Europe. On

the opposite shore, in the town of Sestos, lived the maiden Hero, a priestess of Venus. Leander loved her, and

used to swim the strait nightly to enjoy the company of his mistress, guided by a torch which she reared upon

the tower for the purpose. But one night a tempest arose and the sea was rough; his strength failed, and he

was drowned. The waves bore his body to the European shore, where Hero became aware of his death, and in

The story of Leander's swimming the Hellespont was looked upon as fabulous, and the feat considered

impossible, till Lord Byron proved its possibility by performing it himself. In the "Bride of Abydos" he says,

The distance in the narrowest part is almost a mile, and there is a constant current setting out from the Sea of

Marmora into the Archipelago. Since Byron's time the feat has been achieved by others; but it yet remains a

test of strength and skill in the art of swimming sufficient. to give a wide and lasting celebrity to any one of

In the beginning, of the second canto of the same poem, Byron thus alludes to this story:

MINERVA, the goddess of wisdom, was the daughter of Jupiter. She was said to have leaped forth from his

brain, mature, and in complete armour. She presided over the useful and ornamental arts, both those of men

such as agriculture and navigation and those of women, spinning, weaving, and needlework. She was also

a warlike divinity; but it was defensive war only that she patronized, and she had no sympathy with Mars's

savage love of violence and bloodshed. Athens was her chosen seat, her own city, awarded to her as the prize

of a contest with Neptune, who also aspired to it, The tale ran that in the reign of Cecrops, the first king of

Athens, the two deities contended for the possession of the city. The gods decreed that it should be awarded

to that one who produced the gift most useful to mortals. Neptune gave the horse; Minerva produced the

olive. The gods gave judgment that the olive was the more useful of the two, and awarded the city to the

There was another contest, in which a mortal dared to come in competition with Minerva. That mortal was

Arachne, a maiden who had attained such skill in the arts of weaving and embroidery that the nymphs

themselves would leave their groves and fountains to come and gaze upon her work. It was not only beautiful

when it was done, but beautiful also in the doing. To watch her, as she took the wool in its rude state and

formed it into rolls, or separated it with her fingers and carded it till it looked as light and soft as a cloud, or

twirled the spindle with skilful touch, or wove the web, or, after it was woven, adorned it with her needle, one

would have said that Minerva herself had taught her. But this she denied, and could not bear to be thought a

pupil even of a goddess. "Let Minerva try her skill with mine," said she; "if beaten I will pay the penalty."

Minerva heard this and was displeased. She assumed the form of an old woman and went and gave Arachne

some friendly advice. "I have had much experience," said she, "and I hope you will not despise my counsel.

Challenge your fellowmortals as you will, but do not compete with a goddess. On the contrary, I advise you

to ask her forgiveness for what you have said, and as she is merciful perhaps she will pardon you." Arachne

stopped her spinning and looked at the old dame with anger in her countenance. "Keep your counsel," said

she, "for your daughters or handmaids; for my part I know what I say, and I stand to it. I am not afraid of the

goddess; let her try her skill, if she dare venture." "She comes," said Minerva; and dropping her disguise

stood confessed. The nymphs bent low in homage, and all the bystanders paid reverence. Arachne alone was

unterrified. She blushed, indeed; a sudden colour dyed her cheek, and then she grew pale. But she stood to

her resolve, and with a foolish conceit of her own skill rushed on her fate. Minerva forbore no longer nor

interposed any further advice. They proceed to the contest. Each takes her station and attaches the web to the

beam. Then the slender shuttle is passed in and out among the threads. The reed with its fine teeth strikes the

woof into its place and compacts the web. Both work with speed; their skilful hands move rapidly, and the

excitement of the contest makes the labour light. Wool of Tyrian dye is contrasted with that of other colours,

shaded off into one another so adroitly that the joining deceives the eye. Like the bow, whose long arch tinges

the heavens, formed by sunbeams reflected from the shower,* in which, where the colours meet they seem as

Minerva wrought on her web the scene of her contest with Neptune. Twelve of the heavenly powers are

represented, Jupiter, with august gravity, sitting in the midst. Neptune, the ruler of the sea, holds his trident,

and appears to have just smitten the earth, from which a horse has leaped forth. Minerva depicted herself with

helmed head, her AEgis covering her breast. Such was the central circle; and in the four corners were

represented incidents illustrating the displeasure of the gods at such presumptuous mortals as had dared to

contend with them. These were meant as warnings to her rival to give up the contest before it was too late.

Arachne filled her web with subjects designedly chosen to exhibit the failings and errors of the gods. One

scene represented Leda caressing the swan, under which form Jupiter had disguised himself; and another,

Danae, in the brazen tower in which her father had imprisoned her, but where the god effected his entrance in

the form of a golden shower. Still another depicted Europa deceived by Jupiter under the disguise of a bull.

Encouraged by the tameness of the animal Europa ventured to mount his back, whereupon Jupiter advanced

into the sea and swam with her to Crete, You would have thought it was a real bull, so naturally was it

wrought, and so natural the water in which it swam. She seemed to look with longing eyes back upon the

shore she was leaving, and to call to her companions for help. She appeared to shudder with terror at the sight

Arachne filled her canvas with similar subjects, wonderfully well done, but strongly marking her presumption

and impiety. Minerva could not forbear to admire, yet felt indignant at the insult. She struck the web with her

shuttle and rent it in pieces; she then touched the forehead of Arachne and made her feel her guilt and shame.

She could not endure it and went and hanged herself. Minerva pitied her as she saw her suspended by a rope.

"Live," she said, "guilty woman! and that you may preserve the memory of this lesson, continue to hang, both

you and your descendants, to all future times." She sprinkled her with the juices of aconite, and immediately

her hair came off, and her nose and ears likewise. Her form shrank up, and her head grew smaller yet; her

fingers cleaved to her side and served for legs. All the rest of her is body, out of which she spins her thread,

often hanging suspended by it, in the same attitude as when Minerva touched her and transformed her into a

Spenser tells the story of Arachne in his "Muiopotmos," adhering very closely to his master Ovid, but

improving upon him in the conclusion of the story. The two stanzas which follow tell what was done after the

Sir James Mackintosh says of this, "Do you think that even a Chinese could paint the gay colours of a

butterfly with more minute exactness than the following lines: 'The velvet nap,' etc.?" Life, Vol. II. 246.

And so the metamorphosis is caused by Arachne's own mortification and vexation, and not by any direct act

Tennyson, in his "Palace of Art," describing the works of art with which the palace was adorned, thus alludes

The fate of Arachne was noised abroad through all the country, and served as a warning to all presumptuous

mortals not to compare themselves with the divinities. But one, and she a matron too, failed to learn the

lesson of humility. It was Niobe, the queen of Thebes. She had indeed much to be proud of; but it was not her

husband's fame, nor her own beauty, nor their great descent, nor the power of their kingdom that elated her. It

was her children; and truly the happiest of mothers would Niobe have been if only she had not claimed to be

so. It was on occasion of the annual celebration in honour of Latona and her offspring, Apollo and Diana,

when the people of Thebes were assembled, their brows crowned with laurel, bearing frankincense to the

altars and paying their vows, that Niobe appeared among the crowd. Her attire was splendid with gold and

gems, and her aspect beautiful as the face of an angry woman can be. She stood and surveyed the people with

haughty looks. "What folly," said she, "is this! to prefer beings whom you never saw to those who stand

before your eyes! Why should Latona be honoured with worship, and none be paid to me? My father was

Tantalus, who was received as a guest at the table of the gods; my mother was a goddess. My husband built

and rules this city, Thebes, and Phrygia is my paternal inheritance. Wherever I turn my eyes I survey the

elements of my power; nor is my form and presence unworthy of a goddess. To all this let me add I have

seven sons and seven daughters, and look for sonsinlaw and daughtersinlaw of pretensions worthy of

my alliance. Have I not cause for pride? Will you prefer to me this Latona, the Titan's daughter, with her two

children? I have seven times as many. Fortunate indeed am I, and fortunate I shall remain! Will any one deny

this? My abundance is my security. I feel myself too strong for Fortune to subdue. She may take from me

much; I shall still have much left. Were I to lose some of my children, I should hardly be left as poor as

Latona with her two only. Away with you from these solemnities, put off the laurel from your brows, have

done with this worship!" The people obeyed, and left the sacred services uncompleted.

The goddess was indignant. On the Cynthian mountain top where she dwelt she thus addressed her son and

daughter: "My children, I who have been so proud of you both, and have been used to hold myself second to

none of the goddesses except Juno alone, begin now to doubt whether I am indeed a goddess. I shall be

deprived of my worship altogether unless you protect me." She was proceeding in this strain, but Apollo

interrupted her. "Say no more," said he; "speech only delays punishment." So said Diana also. Darting

through the air, veiled in clouds, they alighted on the towers of the city. Spread out before the gates was a

broad plain, where the youth of the city pursued their warlike sports. The sons of Niobe were there with the

rest, some mounted on spirited horses richly caparisoned, some driving gay chariots, Ismenos, the

firstborn, as he guided his foaming steeds, struck with an arrow from above, cried out, "Ah me!" dropped

the reins, and fell lifeless. Another, hearing the sound of the bow, like the boatman who sees the storm

gathering and makes all sail for the port, gave the reins to his horses and attempted to escape. The inevitable

arrow overtook him, as he fled. Two others, younger boys, just from their tasks, had gone to the playground

to have a game of wrestling. As they stood breast to breast, one arrow pierced them both. They uttered a cry

together, together cast a parting look around them, and together breathed their last. Alphenor, an elder

brother, seeing them fall, hastened to the spot to render assistance, and fell stricken in the act of brotherly

duty. One only was left, Ilioneus. He raised his arms to heaven to try whether prayer might not avail. "Spare

me, ye gods!" he cried, addressing all, in his ignorance that all needed not his intercessions; and Apollo

would have spared him, but the arrow had already left the string, and it was too late.

The terror of the people and grief of the attendants soon made Niobe acquainted with what had taken place.

She could hardly think it possible; she was indignant that the gods had dared, and amazed that they had been

able to do it. Her husband, Amphion, overwhelmed with the blow, destroyed himself. Alas! how different

was this Niobe from her who had so lately driven away the people from the sacred rites, and held her stately

course through the city, the envy of her friends, now the pity even of her foes! She knelt over the lifeless

bodies, and kissed now one, now another of her dead sons. Raising her pallid arms to heaven, "Cruel Latona,"

said she, "feed full your rage with my anguish! Satiate your hard heart, while I follow to the grave my seven

sons. Yet where is your triumph? Bereaved as I am, I am still richer than you, my conqueror." Scarce had she

spoken, when the bow sounded and struck terror into all hearts except Niobe's alone. She was brave from

excess of grief, The sisters stood in garments of mourning over the biers of their dead brothers. One fell,

struck by an arrow, and died on the corpse she was bewailing. Another, attempting to console her mother,

suddenly ceased to speak, and sank lifeless to the earth. A third tried to escape by flight, a fourth by

concealment, another stood trembling, uncertain what course to take. Six were now dead, and only one

remained, whom the mother held clasped in her arms, and covered as it were with her whole body. "Spare me

one, and that the youngest! O spare me one of so many!" she cried; and while she spoke, that one fell dead.

Desolate she sat, among sons, daughters, husband, all dead, and seemed torpid with grief. The breeze moved

not her hair, no colour was on her cheek, her eyes glared fixed and immovable, there was no sign of life about

her. Her very tongue cleaved to the roof of her mouth, and her veins ceased to convey the tide of life. Her

neck bent not, her arms made no gesture, her foot no step. She was changed to stone, within and without. Yet

tears continued to flow; and borne on a whirlwind to her native mountain, she still remains, a mass of rock,

The story of Niobe has furnished Byron with a fine illustration of the fallen condition of modern Rome:

As an illustration of this story there is a celebrated statue in the imperial gallery of Florence. It is the principal

figure of a group supposed to have been originally arranged in the pediment of a temple. The figure of the

mother clasped by the arm of her terrified child is one of the most admired of the ancient statues. It ranks

with the Laocoon and the Apollo among the masterpieces of art. The following is a translation of a Greek

Tragic as is the Story of Niobe, we cannot forbear to smile at the use Moore has made of it in "Rhymes on the

Sir Richard Blackmore was a physician, and at same time a very prolific and very tasteless poet, whose works

are now forgotten, unless when recalled to mind by some wit like Moore for the sake of a joke.

THE Graeae were three sisters who were grayhaired from their birth, whence their name. The Gorgons were

monstrous females with huge teeth like those of swine, brazen claws, and snaky hair. None of these beings

make much figure in mythology except Medusa, the Gorgon, whose story we shall next advert to. We

mention them chiefly to introduce an ingenious theory of some modern writers, namely, that the Gorgons and

Graeae were only personifications of the terrors of the sea, the former denoting the strong billows of the wide

open main, and the latter the whitecrested waves that dash against the rocks of the coast. Their names in

Perseus was the son of Jupiter and Danae. His grandfather Acrisius, alarmed by an oracle which had told him

that his daughter's child would be the instrument of his death, caused the mother and child to be shut up in a

chest and set adrift on the sea. The chest floated towards Seriphus, where it was found by a fisherman who

conveyed the mother and infant to Polydectes, the king of the country, by whom they were treated with

kindness. When Perseus was grown up Polydectes sent him to attempt the conquest of Medusa, a terrible

monster who had laid waste the country. She was once a beautiful maiden whose hair was her chief glory but

as she dared to vie in beauty with Minerva, the goddess deprived her of her charms and changed her beautiful

ringlets into hissing serpents. She became a cruel monster of so frightful an aspect that no living thing could

behold her without being turned into stone. All around the cavern where she dwelt might be seen the stony

figures of men and animals which had chanced to catch a glimpse of her and had been petrified with the sight.

Perseus, favoured by Minerva and Mercury, the former of whom lent him her shield and the latter his winged

shoes, approached Medusa while she slept and taking care not to look directly at her, but guided by her image

reflected in the bright shield which he bore, he cut off her head and gave it to Minerva, who fixed it in the

Armstrong, the poet of the "Art of Preserving Health," thus describes the effect of frost upon the waters:

After the slaughter of Medusa, Perseus, bearing with him the head of the Gorgon, flew far and wide, over

land and sea. As night came on, he reached the western limit of the earth, where the sun goes down. Here he

would gladly have rested till morning. It was the realm of King Atlas, whose bulk surpassed that of all other

men. He was rich iii flocks and herds and had no neighbour or rival to dispute his state. But his chief pride

was in his gardens whose fruit was of gold, hanging from golden branches, half hid with golden leaves.

Perseus said to him, "I come as a guest. If you honour illustrious descent, I claim Jupiter for my father; if

mighty deeds, I plead the conquest of the Gorgon. I seek rest and food." But Atlas remembered that an

ancient prophecy had warned him that a son of Jove should one day rob him of His golden apples. So he

answered, "Begone! or neither your false claims of glory nor parentage shall protect you;" and he attempted

to thrust him out. Perseus, finding the giant too strong for him, said, "Since you value my friendship so little,

deign to accept a present;" and turning his face away, he held up the Gorgon's head. Atlas, with all his bulk,

was changed into stone. His beard and hair became forests, his arms and shoulders cliffs, his head a summit,

and his bones rocks. Each part increased in bulk till be became a mountain, and (such was the pleasure of the

Perseus, continuing his flight, arrived at the country of the AEthiopians, of which Cepheus was king.

Cassiopeia his queen, proud of her beauty, had dared to compare herself to the Seanymphs, which roused

their indignation to such a degree that they sent a prodigious seamonster to ravage the coast. To appease the

deities, Cepheus was directed by the oracle to expose his daughter Andromeda to be devoured by the

monster. As Perseus looked down from his aerial height he beheld the virgin chained to a rock, and waiting

the approach of the serpent. She was so pale and motionless that if it had not been for her flowing tears and

her hair that moved in the breeze, he would have taken her for a marble statue. He was so startled at the sight

that he almost forgot to wave his wings. As he hovered over her he said, "O virgin, undeserving of those

chains, but rather of such as bind fond lovers together, tell me, I beseech you, your name, and the name of

your country, and why you are thus bound." At first she was silent from modesty, and, if she could, would

have hid her face with her hands; but when he repeated his questions, for fear she might be thought guilty of

some fault which she dared not tell, she disclosed her name And that of her country, and her mother's pride of

beauty. Before she had done speaking, a sound was heard off upon the water, and the seamonster appeared,

with his head raised above the surface, cleaving the waves with his broad breast. The virgin shrieked, the

father and mother who had now arrived at the scene, wretched both, but the mother more justly so, stood by,

not able to afford protection, but only to pour forth lamentations and to embrace the victim. Then spoke

Perseus; "There will be time enough for tears; this hour is all we have for rescue. My rank as the son of Jove

and my renown as the slayer of the Gorgon might make me acceptable as a suitor; but I will try to win her by

services rendered, if the gods will only be propitious. If she be rescued by my valour, I demand that she be

my reward." The parents consent (how could they hesitate?) and promise a royal dowry with her.

And now the monster was within the range of a stone thrown by a skilful slinger, when with a sudden bound

the youth soared into the air. As an eagle, when from his lofty flight he sees a serpent basking in the sun,

pounces upon him and seizes him by the neck to prevent him from turning his head round and using his

fangs, so the youth darted down upon the back of the monster and plunged his sword into its shoulder.

Irritated by the wound, the monster raised himself into the air, then plunged into the depth; then, like a wild

boar surrounded by a pack of barking dogs, turned swiftly from side to side, while the youth eluded its attacks

by means of his wings. Wherever he can find a passage for his sword between the scales he makes a wound,

piercing now the side, now the flank, as it slopes towards the tail. The brute spouts from his nostrils water

mixed with blood. The wings of the hero are wet with it, and he dares no longer trust to them. Alighting on a

rock which rose above the waves, and holding on by a projecting fragment, as the monster floated near he

gave him a death stroke. The people who had gathered on the shore shouted so that the hills reechoed with the

sound. The parents, transported with joy, embraced their future soninlaw, calling him their deliverer and

the saviour of their house, and the virgin, both cause and reward of the contest, descended from the rock.

Cassiopeia was an AEthiopian, and consequently, in spite of her boasted beauty, black; at least so Milton

seems to have thought, who alludes to this story in his "Penseroso," where he addresses Melancholy as the

Cassiopeia is called "the starred AEthiop, queen" because after her death she was placed among the stars,

forming the constellation of that name. Though she attained this honour, yet the SeaNymphs, her old

enemies, prevailed so far as to cause her to be placed in that part of the heaven near the pole, where every

night she is half the time held with her head downward, to give her a lesson of humility.

The joyful parents, with Perseus and Andromeda, repaired to the palace, where a banquet was spread for

them, and all was joy and festivity. But suddenly a noise was heard of warlike clamour, and Phineus, the

betrothed of the virgin, with a party of his adherents, burst in, demanding the maiden as his own. It was in

vain that Cepheus remonstrated "You should have claimed her when she lay bound to the rock, the

monster's victim. The sentence of the gods dooming her to such a fate dissolved all engagements, as death

itself would have done." Phineus made no reply, but hurled his javelin at Perseus, but it missed its mark and

fell harmless. Perseus would have thrown his in turn, but the cowardly assailant ran and took shelter behind

the altar. But his act was a signal for an onset by his hand upon the guests of Cepheus. They defended

themselves and a general conflict ensued, the old king retreating from the scene after fruitless expostulations,

calling the gods to witness that he was guiltless of this outrage on the rights of hospitality.

Perseus and his friends maintained for some time the unequal contest; but the numbers of the assailants were

too great for them, and destruction seemed inevitable, when a sudden thought struck Perseus, "I will make

my enemy defend me." Then with a loud voice he exclaimed, "If I have any friend here let him turn away his

eyes!" and held aloft the Gorgon's head. "Seek not to frighten us with your jugglery," said Thescelus, and

raised his javelin in the act to throw, and became stone in the very attitude. Ampyx was about to plunge his

sword into the body of a prostrate foe, but his arm stiffened and he could neither thrust forward nor withdraw

it. Another, in the midst of a vociferous challenge, stopped, his mouth open, but no sound issuing. One of

Perseus's friends, Aconteus, caught sight of the Gorgon and stiffened like the rest. Astyages struck him with

Phineus beheld this dreadful result of his unjust aggression, and felt confounded. He called aloud to his

friends, but got no answer; he touched them and found them stone. Falling on his knees and stretching out his

hands to Perseus, but turning his head away, he begged for mercy. "Take all," said he, "give me but my life."

"Base coward," said Perseus, "thus much I will grant you; no weapon shall touch you; moreover, you shall be

preserved in my house as a memorial of these events." So saying, he held the Gorgon's head to the side where

Phineus was looking, and in the very form which he knelt, with his hands outstretched and face averted, he

Chapter XVI. MONSTERS. GIANTS, SPHINX, PEGASUS, AND CHIMAERA, CENTAURS, GRIFFIN,

MONSTERS, in the language of mythology, were beings of unnatural proportions or parts, usually regarded

with terror, as possessing immense strength and ferocity, which they employed for the injury and annoyance

of men. Some of them were supposed to combine the members of different animals; such were the Sphinx

and Chimaera and to these all the terrible qualities of wild beasts were attributed, together with human

sagacity and faculties. Others, as the giants, differed from men chiefly in their size; and in this particular we

must recognize a wide distinction among them. The human giants, if so they may be called, such as the

Cyclops, Antaeus, Orion, and others, must be supposed not to be altogether disproportioned to human beings,

for they mingled in love and strife with them. But the superhuman giants, who warred with the gods, were

of vastly larger dimensions. Tityus, we are told, when stretched on the plain, covered nine acres, and

Enceladus required the whole of Mount AEtna to be laid upon him to keep him down.

We have already spoken of the war which the giants waged against the gods, and of its result. While this war

lasted the giants proved a formidable enemy. Some of them, like Briareus, had a hundred arms; others, like

Typhon, breathed out fire. At one time they put the gods to such fear that they fled into Egypt and hid

themselves under various forms. Jupiter took the form of a ram, whence he was afterwards worshipped in

Egypt as the god Ammon, with curved horns. Apollo became a crow, Bacchus a goat, Diana a cat, Juno a

cow, Venus a fish, Mercury a bird. At another time the giants attempted to climb up into heaven, and for that

purpose took up the mountain Ossa and piled it on Pelion.* They were at last subdued by thunderbolts, which

Laius, king of Thebes, was warned by an oracle that there was danger to his throne and life if his newborn

son should be suffered to grow up. He therefore committed the child to the care of a herdsman with orders to

destroy him; but the herdsman, moved with pity, yet not daring entirely to disobey, tied up the child by the

feet and left him hanging to the branch of a tree. In this condition the infant was found by a peasant, who

carried him to his master and mistress, by whom he was adopted and called OEdipus, or Swollenfoot.

Many years afterwards Laius being on his way to Delphi, accompanied only by one attendant, met in a

narrow road a young man also driving in a chariot. On his refusal to leave the way at their command the

attendant killed one of his horses, and the stranger, filled with rage, slew both Laius and his attendant. The

Shortly after this event the city of Thebes was afflicted with a monster which infested the highroad. It was

called the Sphinx. It had the body of a lion and the upper part of a woman. It lay crouched on the top of a

rock, and arrested all travellers who came that way, proposing to them a riddle, with the condition that those

who could solve it should pass safe, but those who failed should be killed. Not one had yet succeeded in

solving it, and all had been slain. OEdipus was not daunted by these alarming accounts, but boldly advanced

to the trial. The Sphinx asked him, "What animal is that which in the morning goes on feet, at noon on two,

and in the evening upon three?" Oedipus replied, "Man, who in childhood creeps on hands and knees, in

manhood walks erect, and in old age with the aid of a staff." The Sphinx was so mortified at the solving of

The gratitude of the people for their deliverance was so great that they made OEdipus their king, giving him

in marriage their queen Jocasta. OEdipus, ignorant of his parentage, had already become the slayer of his

father; in marrying the queen he became the husband of his mother. These horrors remained undiscovered, till

at length Thebes was afflicted with famine and pestilence, and the oracle being consulted, the double crime of

Oedipus came to light. Jocasta put an end to her own life, and Oedipus, seized with madness, tore out his eyes

and wandered away from Thebes, dreaded and abandoned by all except his daughters, who faithfully adhered

to him, till after a tedious period of miserable wandering he found the termination of his wretched life.

When Perseus cut off Medusa's head, the blood sinking into the earth produced the winged horse Pegasus.

Minerva caught and tamed him and presented him to the Muses. The fountain Hippocrene, on the Muse's

The Chimaera was a fearful monster, breathing fire. The fore part of its body was a compound of the lion and

the goat, and the hind part a dragon's. It made great havoc in Lycia, so that the king, Iobates, sought for some

hero to destroy it. At that time there arrived at his court a gallant young warrior, whose name was

Bellerophon. He brought letters from Proetus, the soninlaw of Iobates, recommending Bellerophon in the

warmest terms as an unconquerable hero, but added at the close a request to his fatherinlaw to put him to

death. The reason was that Proetus was jealous of him, suspecting that his wife Antea looked with too much

admiration on the young warrior. From this instance of Bellerophon being unconsciously the bearer of his

own death warrant, the expression "Bellerophontic letters" arose, to describe any species of communication

Iobates, on perusing the letters, was puzzled what to do, not willing to violate the claims of hospitality, yet

wishing to oblige his soninlaw. A lucky thought occurred to him, to send Bellerophon to combat with the

Chimaera. Bellerophon accepted the proposal, but before proceeding to the combat consulted the soothsayer

Polyidus, who advised him to procure if possible the horse Pegasus for the conflict. For this purpose he

directed him to pass the night in the temple of Minerva. He did so, and as he slept Minerva came to him and

gave him a golden bridle. When he awoke the bridle remained in his hand. Minerva also showed him Pegasus

drinking at the well of Pirene, and at sight of the bridle the winged steed came willingly and suffered himself

to be taken. Bellerophon mounted him, rose with him into the air, soon found the Chimaera, and gained an

After the conquest of the Chimaera Bellerophon was exposed to further trials and labours by his unfriendly

host, but by the aid of Pegasus he triumphed in them all, till at length Iobates, seeing that the hero was a

special favourite of the gods, gave him his daughter in marriage and made him his successor on the throne. At

last Bellerophon by his pride and presumption drew upon himself the anger of the gods; it is said he even

attempted to fly up into heaven on his winged steed, but Jupiter sent a gadfly which stung Pegasus and made

him throw his rider, who became lame and blind in consequence. After this Bellerophon wandered lonely

Milton alludes to Bellerophon in the beginning of the seventh book of "Paradise Lost":

Pegasus, being the horse of the Muses, has always been at the service of the poets. Schiller tells a pretty story

of his having been sold by a needy poet and put to the cart and the plough. He was not fit for such service,

and his clownish master could make nothing of him. But a youth stepped forth and asked leave to try him. As

soon as he was seated on his back the horse, which had appeared at first vicious, and afterwards

spiritbroken, rose kingly, a spirit, a god, unfolded the splendour of his wings, and soared towards heaven.

Our own poet Longfellow also records adventure of this famous steed in his "Pegasus in Pound."

Shakespeare alludes to Pegasus in "Henry IV.," where Vernon describes Prince Henry:

These monsters were represented as men from the head to the loins, while the remainder of the body was that

of a horse. The ancients were too fond of a horse to consider the union of his nature with man's as forming a

very degraded compound, and accordingly the Centaur is the only one of the fancied monsters of antiquity to

which any good traits are assigned. The Centaurs were admitted to the companionship of man, and at the

marriage of Pirithous with Hippodamia they were among the guests. At the feast Eurytion, one of the

Centaurs, becoming intoxicated with the wine, attempted to offer violence to the bride; the other Centaurs

followed his example, and a dreadful conflict arose in which several of them were slain. This is the celebrated

battle of the Lapithae and Centaurs, a favourite subject with the sculptors and poets of antiquity.

But not all the Centaurs were like the rude guests of Pirithous. Chiron was instructed by Apollo and Diana,

and was renowned for his skill in hunting, medicine, music, and the art of prophecy. The most distinguished

heroes of Grecian story were his pupils. Among the rest the infant AEsculapius was intrusted to his charge by

Apollo, his father. When the sage returned to his home bearing the infant, his daughter Ocyrhoe came forth to

meet him, and at sight of the child burst forth into a prophetic strain (for she was a prophetess), foretelling the

glory that he was to achieve. AEsculapius when grown up became a renowned physician, and even in one

instance succeeded in restoring the dead to life. Pluto resented this, and Jupiter, at his request, struck the bold

physician with lightning, and killed him, but after his death received him into the number of the gods.

Chiron was the wisest and justest of all the Centaurs, and at his death Jupiter placed him among the stars as

The Pygmies were a nation of dwarfs, so called from a Greek word which means the cubit or measure of

about thirteen inches, which was said to be the height of these people. They lived near the sources of the Nile,

or according to others, in India. Homer tells us that the cranes used to migrate every winter to the Pygmies'

country, and their appearance was the signal of bloody warfare to the puny inhabitants, who had to take up

arms to defend their cornfields against the rapacious strangers. The Pygmies and their enemies the Cranes

Later writers tell of an army of Pygmies which finding Hercules asleep, made preparations to attack him, as if

they were about to attack a city. But the hero, awaking, laughed at the little warriors, wrapped some of them

The Griffin is a monster with the body of a lion, the head and wings of an eagle, and back covered with

feathers. Like birds it builds its nest, and instead of an egg lays an agate therein. It has long claws and talons

of such a size that the people of that country make them into drinkingcups. India was assigned as the native

country of the Griffins. They found gold in the mountains and built their nests of it, for which reason their

nests were very tempting to the hunters, and they were forced to keep vigilant guard over them. Their instinct

led them to know where buried treasures lay, and they did their best to keep plunderers at a distance. The

Arimaspians, among whom the Griffins flourished, were a oneeyed people of Scythia.

IN very ancient times there lived in Thessaly a king and queen name Athamas and Nephele. They had two

children, a boy and a girl. After a time Athamas grew indifferent to his wife, put her away, and took another.

Nephele suspected danger to her children from the influence of the stepmother, and took measures to send

them out of her reach. Mercury assisted her, and gave her a ram with a golden fleece, on which she set the

two children, trusting that the ram would convey them to a place of safety. The ram vaulted into the air with

the children on his back, taking his course to the East, till when crossing the strait that divides Europe and

Asia, the girl, whose name was Helle, fell from his back into the sea, which from her was called the

Hellespont, now the Dardanelles. The ram continued his career till he reached the kingdom of Colchis, on

the eastern shore of the Black Sea, where he safely landed the boy Phryxus, who was hospitably received by

AEetes, king of the country. Phryxus sacrificed the ram to Jupiter, and gave the Golden Fleece to AEetes,

There was another kingdom in Thessaly near to that of Athamas, and ruled over by a relative of his. The king

AEson, being tired of the cares of government, surrendered his crown to his brother Pelias on condition that

he should hold it only during the minority of Jason, the son of AEson. When Jason was grown up and came

to demand the crown from his uncle, Pelias pretended to be willing to yield it, but at the same time suggested

to the young man the glorious adventure of going in quest of the Golden Fleece, which it was well known

was in the kingdom of Colchis, and was, as Pelias pretended, the rightful property of their family. Jason was

pleased, with the thought and forthwith made preparations for the expedition. At that time the only species of

navigation known to the Greeks consisted of small boats or canoes hollowed out from trunks of trees, so that

when Jason employed Argus to build him a vessel capable of containing fifty men, it was considered a

gigantic undertaking. It was accomplished, however, and the vessel named "Argo," from the name of the

builder. Jason sent his invitation to all the adventurous young men of Greece, and soon found himself at the

head of a band of bold youths, many of whom afterwards were renowned among the heroes and demigods of

Greece. Hercules, Theseus, Orpheus, and Nestor were among them. They are called the Argonauts, from the

The "Argo" with her crew of heroes of Thessaly and having touched at the Island of Lemnos, thence crossed

to Mysia and thence to Thrace. Here they found the sage Phineus, and from him received instruction as to

their future course. It seems the entrance of the Euxine Sea was impeded by two small rocky islands, which

floated on the surface, and in their tossings and heavings occasionally came together, crushing and grinding

to atoms any object that might be caught between them. They were called the Symplegades, or Clashing

Islands. Phineus instructed the Argonauts how to pass this dangerous strait. When they reached the islands

they let go a dove, which took her way between the rocks, and passed in safety, only losing some feathers of

her tail. Jason and his men seized the favourable moment of the rebound, plied their oars with vigour, and

passed safe through, though the islands closed behind them, and actually grazed their stern. They now rowed

along the shore till they arrived at the eastern end of the sea, and landed at the kingdom of Colchis.

Jason made known his message to the Colchian king, AEetes, who consented to give tip the golden fleece if

Jason would yoke to the plough two firebreathing bulls with brazen feet, and sow the teeth of the dragon

which Cadmus had slain, and from which it was well known that a crop of armed men would spring up, who

would turn their weapons against their producer. Jason accepted the conditions, and a time was set for making

the experiment. Previously, however, he found means to plead his cause to Medea, daughter of the king. He

promised her marriage, and as they stood before the altar of Hecate, called the goddess to witness his oath.

Medea yielded, and by her aid, for she was a potent sorceress, he was furnished with a charm, by which he

could encounter safely the breath of the firebreathing bulls and the weapons of the armed men.

At the time appointed, the people assembled at the grove of Mars, and the king assumed his royal seat, while

the multitude covered the hillsides. The brazenfooted bulls rushed in, breathing fire from their nostrils that

burned up the herbage as they passed. The sound was like the roar of a furnace, and the smoke like that of

water upon quicklime. Jason advanced boldly to meet them. His friends, the chosen heroes of Greece,

trembled to behold him. Regardless of the burning breath, he soothed their rage with his voice, patted their

necks with fearless hand, and adroitly slipped over them the yoke, and compelled them to drag the plough.

The Colchians were amazed; the Greeks shouted for joy. Jason next proceeded to sow the dragon's teeth and

plough them in. And soon the crop of armed men sprang up, and, wonderful to relate! no sooner had they

reached the surface than they began to brandish their weapons and rush upon Jason. The Greeks trembled for

their hero, and even she who had provided him a way of safety and taught him how to use it, Medea herself,

grew pale with fear. Jason for a time kept his assailants at bay with his sword and shield, till, finding their

numbers overwhelming, he resorted to the charm which Medea had taught him, seized a stone and threw it in

the midst of his foes. They immediately turned their arms against one another, and soon there was not one of

the dragon's brood left alive. The Greeks embraced their hero, and Medea, if she dared, would have embraced

It remained to lull to sleep the dragon that guarded the fleece, and this was done by scattering over him a few

drops of a preparation which Medea had supplied. At the smell he relaxed his rage, stood for a moment

motionless, then shut those great round eyes, that had never been known to shut before, and turned over on

his side, fast asleep. Jason seized the fleece and with his friends and Medea accompanying, hastened to their

vessel before AEetes the king could arrest their departure, and made the best of their way back to Thessaly,

where they arrived safe, and Jason delivered the fleece to Pelias, and dedicated the "Argo" to Neptune. What

became of the fleece afterwards we do not know, but perhaps it was found after all, like many other golden

This is one of those mythological tales, says a late writer, in which there is reason to believe that a substratum

of truth exists, though overlaid by a mass of fiction. It probably was the first important maritime expedition,

and like the first attempts of the kind of all nations, as we know from history, was probably of a halfpiratical

character. If rich spoils were the result it was enough to give rise to the idea of the golden fleece.

Another suggestion of a learned mythologist, Bryant, is that it is a corrupt tradition of the story of Noah and

the ark. The name "Argo" seems to countenance this, and the incident of the dove is another confirmation.

Pope, in his "Ode on St. Cecilia's Day," thus celebrates the launching of the ship "Argo," and the power of the

In Dyer's poem of "The Fleece" there is an account of the ship "Argo" and her crew, which gives a good

Hercules left the expedition at Mysia, for Hylas, a youth beloved by him, having gone for water, was laid

hold of and kept by the nymphs of the spring, who were fascinated by his beauty. Hercules went in quest of

the lad, and while he was absent the "Argo" put to sea and left him. Moore, in one of his songs, makes a

Amid the rejoicings for the recovery of the Golden Fleece, Jason felt that one thing was wanting, the presence

of AEson, his father, who was prevented by his age and infirmities from taking part in them. Jason said to

Medea, "My spouse, would that your arts, whose power I have seen so mighty for my aid, could do me one

further service, take some years from my life and add them to my father's." Medea replied, "Not at such a cost

shall it be done, but if my art avails me, his life shall be lengthened without abridging yours." The next full

moon she issued forth alone, while all creatures slept; not a breath stirred the foliage, and all was still, To the

stars she addressed her incantations, and to the moon; to Hecate,* the goddess of the underworld, and to

Tellus the goddess of the earth, by whose power plants potent for enchantment are produced. She invoked the

gods of the woods and caverns, of mountains and valleys, of lakes and rivers, of winds and vapours. While

she spoke the stars shone brighter, and presently a chariot descended through the air, drawn by flying

serpents. She ascended it, and borne aloft made her way to distant regions, where potent plants grew which

she knew how to select for her purpose. Nine nights she employed in her search, and during that time came

not within the doors of her palace nor under any roof, and shunned all intercourse with mortals.

Hecate was a mysterious divinity sometimes identified with Diana and sometimes with Proserpine. As Diana

represents the moonlight splendour of night, so Hecate represents its darkness and terrors. She was the

goddess of sorcery and witchcraft, and was believed to wander by night along the earth, seen only by the

She next erected two altars, the one to Hecate, the other to Hebe, the goddess of youth, and sacrificed a black

sheep, pouring libations of milk and wine. She implored Pluto and his stolen bride that they would not hasten

to take the old man's life. Then she directed that AEson should be led forth, and having thrown him into a

deep sleep by a charm, had him laid on a bed of herbs, like one dead. Jason and all others were kept away

from the place, that no profane eyes might look upon her mysteries. Then, with streaming hair, she thrice

moved round the altars, dipped flaming twigs in the blood, and laid them thereon to burn. Meanwhile the

cauldron with its contents was got ready. In it she put magic herbs, with seeds and flowers of acrid juice,

stones from the distant east, and sand from the shore of allsurrounding ocean; hoar frost, gathered by

moonlight, a screech owl's head and wings, and the entrails of a wolf. She added fragments of the shells of

tortoises, and the liver of stags animals tenacious of life and the head and beak of a crow, that outlives nine

generations of men. These with many other things "without a name" she boiled together for her purposed

work, stirring them up with a dry olive branch; and behold! the branch when taken out instantly became

green, and before long was covered with leaves and a plentiful growth of young olives; and as the liquor

boiled and bubbled, and sometimes ran over, the grass wherever the sprinklings fell shot forth with a verdure

Seeing that all was ready, Medea cut the throat of the old man and let out all his blood, and poured into his

mouth and into his wound the juices of her cauldron. As soon as he had completely imbibed them, his hair

and beard laid by their whiteness and assumed the blackness of youth; his paleness and emaciation were

gone; his veins were full of blood, his limbs of vigour and robustness. AEson is amazed at himself, and

remembers that such as he now is, he was in his youthful days, forty years before.

Medea used her arts here for a good purpose, but not so in another instance, where she made them the

instruments of revenge. Pelias, our readers will recollect, was the usurping uncle of Jason, and had kept him

out of his kingdom. Yet he must have had some good qualities, for his daughters loved him, and when they

saw what Medea had done for AEson, they wished her to do the same for their father. Medea pretended to

consent, and prepared her cauldron as before. At her request an old sheep was brought and plunged into the

cauldron. Very soon a bleating was heard in the kettle, and when the cover was removed, a lamb jumped

forth and ran frisking away into the meadow. The daughters of Pelias saw the experiment with delight, and

appointed a time for their father to undergo the same operation. But Medea prepared her cauldron for him in a

very different way. She put in only water and a few simple herbs. In the night she with the sisters entered the

bed chamber of the old king, while he and his guards slept soundly under the influence of a spell cast upon

them by Medea. The daughters stood by the bedside with their weapons drawn, but hesitated to strike, till

Medea chid their irresolution. Then turning away their faces, and giving random blows they smote him with

their weapons. He, starting from his sleep, cried out, "My daughters, what are you doing? Will you kill your

father?" Their hearts failed them and their weapons fell from their hands, but Medea struck him a fatal blow,

Then they placed him in the cauldron, and Medea hastened to depart in her serpentdrawn chariot before they

discovered her treachery or their vengeance would have been terrible. She escaped, however, but had little

enjoyment of the fruits of her crime. Jason, for whom she had done so much, wishing to marry Creusa,

princess of Corinth, put away Medea. She, enraged at his ingratitude, called on the gods for vengeance, sent a

poisoned robe as a gift to the bride, and then killing her own children, and setting fire to the palace, mounted

her serpentdrawn chariot and fled to Athens, where she married King AEgeus, the father of Theseus, and we

The incantations of Medea will remind the reader of those of the witches in "Macbeth." The following lines

There is another story of Medea almost too revolting for record even of a sorceress, a class of persons to

whom both ancient and modern poets have been accustomed to attribute every degree of atrocity. In her flight

from Colchis she had taken her young brother Absyrtus with her. Finding the pursuing vessels of AEetes

gaining upon the Argonauts, she caused the lad to be killed and his limbs to be strewn over the sea. AEetes on

reaching the place found these sorrowful traces of his murdered son; but while he tarried to collect the

scattered fragments and bestow upon them an honourable interment, the Argonauts escaped.

In the poems of Campbell will be found a translation of one of the choruses of the tragedy of "Medea," where

the poet Euripides has taken advantage of the occasion to pay a glowing tribute to Athens, his native city. It

ONE of the heroes of the Argonautic expedition was Meleager, son of OEneus and Althea, king and queen of

Calydon. Althea, when her son was born, beheld the three destinies, who as they spun their fatal thread,

foretold that the life of the child should last no longer than a brand then burning upon the hearth. Althea

seized and quenched the brand, and carefully preserved it for years, while Meleager grew to boyhood, youth

and manhood. It chanced, then, that OEneus, as he offered sacrifices to the gods, omitted to pay due honours

to Diana; and she, indignant at the neglect, sent a wild boar of enormous size to lay waste the fields of

Calydon. Its eyes shone with blood and fire, its bristles stood like threatening spears, its tusks were like those

of Indian elephants. The growing corn was trampled, the vines and olive trees laid waste, the flocks and herds

were driven in wild confusion by the slaughtering foe. All common aid seemed vain; but Meleager called on

the heroes of Greece to join in a bold hunt for the ravenous monster. Theseus and his friend Pirithous, Jason,

Peleus, afterwards the father of Achilles, Telamon the father of Ajax, Nestor, then a youth, but who in his age

bore arms with Achilles and Ajax in the Trojan war these and many more joined in the enterprise. With

them came Atalanta, the daughter of Iasius, king of Arcadia. A buckle of polished gold confined her vest, an

ivory quiver hung on her left shoulder, and her left hand bore the bow. Her face blent feminine beauty with

But now already they were near the monster's lair. They stretched strong nets from tree to tree; they

uncoupled their dogs, they tried to find the footprints of their quarry in the grass. From the wood was a

descent to marshy grounds. Here the boar, as he lay among the reeds, heard the shouts of his pursuers, and

rushed forth against them. One and another is thrown down and slain. Jason throws his spear, with a prayer to

Diana for success; and the favouring goddess allows the weapon to touch, but not to wound, removing the

steel point of the spear in its flight. Nestor, assailed, seeks and finds safety in the branches of a tree. Telamon

rushes on, but stumbling at a projecting root, falls prone. But an arrow from Atalanta at length for the first

time tastes the monster's blood. It is a slight wound, but Meleager sees and joyfully proclaims it. Anceus,

excited to envy by the praise given to a female, loudly Proclaims his own valour, and defies alike the boar

and the goddess who had sent it; but as he rushes on, the infuriated beast lays him low with a mortal wound.

Theseus throws his lance, but it is turned aside by a projecting bough. The dart of Jason misses its object, and

kills instead one of their own dogs. But Meleager, after one unsuccessful stroke, drives his spear into the

Then rose a shout from those around; they congratulated the conqueror, crowding to touch his hand. He,

placing his foot upon the head of the slain boar, turned to Atalanta and bestowed on her the head and the

rough hide which were the trophies of his success. But at this, envy excited the rest to strife. Plexippus and

Toxeus, the brothers of Meleager's mother, beyond the rest opposed the gift, and snatched from the maiden

the trophy she had received. Meleager, kindling with rage at the wrong done to himself, and still more at the

insult offered to her whom he loved, forgot the claims of kindred, and plunged his sword into the offenders'

As Althea bore gifts of thankfulness to the temples for the victory of her son, the bodies of her murdered

brothers met her sight. She shrieks, and beats her breast, and hastens to change the garments of rejoicing for

those of mourning. But when the author of the deed is known, grief gives way to the stern desire of

vengeance on her son. The fatal brand, which once she rescued from the flames, the brand which the destinies

had linked with Meleager's life, she brings forth, and commands a fire to be prepared. Then four times she

essays to place the brand upon the pile; four times draws back, shuddering at the thought of bringing

destruction on her son. The feelings of the mother and the sister contend within her. Now she is pale at the

thought of the proposed deed, now flushed again with anger at the act of her son. As a vessel, driven in one

direction by the wind, and in the opposite by the tide, the mind of Althea hangs suspended in uncertainty. But

now the sister prevails above the mother, and she begins as she holds the fatal wood: "Turn, ye Furies,

goddesses of punishment! turn to behold the sacrifice I bring! Crime must atone for crime. Shall OEneus

rejoice in his victor son, while the house of Thestius is desolate? But, alas! to what deed am I borne along?

Brothers, forgive a mother's weakness! my hand fails me. He deserves death, but not that I should destroy

him. But shall he then live, and triumph, and reign over Calydon, while you, my brothers, wander unavenged

among the shades? No! thou hast lived by my gift; die, now, for thine own crime. Return the life which twice

I gave thee, first at thy birth, again when I snatched this brand from the flames. O that thou hadst then died!

Alas! evil is the conquest; but, brothers, ye have conquered." And, turning away her face, she threw the fatal

It gave, or seemed to give, a deadly groan. Meleager, absent and unknowing of the cause, felt a sudden pang.

He burns, and only by courageous pride conquers the pain which destroys him. He mourns only that he

perishes by a bloodless and unhonoured death. With his last breath he calls upon his aged father, his brother,

and his fond sisters, upon his beloved Atalanta, and upon his mother, the unknown cause of his fate. The

flames increase, and with them the pain of the hero. Now both subside; now both are quenched. The brand is

Althea, when the deed was done, laid violent hands upon herself. The sisters of Meleager mourned their

brother with uncontrollable grief; till Diana, pitying the sorrows of the house that once had aroused her anger,

The innocent cause of so much sorrow was a maiden whose face you might truly say was boyish for a girl,

yet too girlish for a boy. Her fortune had been told, and it was to this effect: "Atalanta, do not marry;

marriage will be your ruin." Terrified by this oracle, she fled the society of men, and devoted herself to the

sports of the chase. To all suitors (for she had many) she imposed a condition which was generally effectual

in relieving her of their persecutions "I will be the prize of him who shall conquer me in the race; but death

must be the penalty of all who try and fail." In spite of this hard condition some would try. Hippomenes was

to be judge of the race. "Can it be possible that any will be so rash as to risk so much for a wife?" said he. But

when he saw her lay aside her robe for the race, he changed his mind, and said, "Pardon me, youths, I knew

not the prize you were competing for." As he surveyed them he wished them all to be beaten, and swelled

with envy of any one that seemed at all likely to win. While such were his thoughts, the virgin darted

forward. As she ran she looked more beautiful than ever. The breezes seemed to give wings to her feet; her

hair flew over her shoulders, and the gay fringe of her garment fluttered behind her. A ruddy hue tinged the

whiteness of her skin, such as a crimson curtain casts on a marble wall. All her competitors were distanced,

and were put to death without mercy. Hippomenes, not daunted by this result, fixing his eyes on the virgin,

said, "Why boast of beating those laggards? I offer myself for the contest." Atalanta looked at him with a

pitying countenance, and hardly knew whether she would rather conquer him or not. "What god can tempt

one so young and handsome to throw himself away? I pity him, not for his beauty (yet he is beautiful), but for

his youth. I wish he would give up the race, or if he will be so mad, I hope he may outrun me." While she

hesitates, revolving these thoughts, the spectators grow impatient for the race, and her father prompts her to

prepare. Then Hippomenes addressed a prayer to Venus: "Help me, Venus, for you have led me on." Venus

In the garden of her temple, in her own island of Cyprus, is a tree with yellow leaves and yellow branches and

golden fruit. Hence she gathered three golden apples, and unseen by any one else, gave them to Hippomenes,

and told him how to use them. The signal is given; each starts from the goal and skims over the sand. So light

their tread, you would almost have thought they might run over the river surface or over the waving grain

without sinking. The cries of the spectators cheered Hippomenes, "Now, now, do your best! haste, haste!

you gain on her! relax not! one more effort!" It was doubtful whether the youth or the maiden heard these

cries with the greater pleasure. But his breath began to fail him, his throat was dry, the goal yet far off. At that

moment be threw down one of the golden apples. The virgin was all amazement. She stopped to pick it up.

Hippomenes shot ahead. Shouts burst forth from all sides. She redoubled her efforts, and soon overtook him.

Again he threw an apple. She stopped again, but again came up with him. The goal was near; one chance only

remained. "Now, goddess," said he, "prosper your gift!" and threw the last apple off at one side. She looked at

it, and hesitated; Venus impelled her to turn aside for it. She did so, and was vanquished. The youth carried

But the lovers were so full of their own happiness that they forgot to pay due honour to Venus; and the

goddess was provoked at their ingratitude. She caused them to give offence to Cybele. That powerful goddess

was not to be insulted with impunity. She took from them their human form and turned them into animals of

characters resembling their own: of the huntressheroine, triumphing in the blood of her lovers, she made a

lioness, and of her lord and master a lion, and yoked them to her car, where they are still to be seen in all

Cybele is the Latin name of the goddess called by the Greeks Rhea and Ops. She was the wife of Cronos and

mother of Zeus. In works of art she exhibits the matronly air which distinguishes Juno and Ceres. Sometimes

she is veiled, and seated on a throne with lions at her side, at other times riding in a chariot drawn by lions.

She wears a mural crown, that is, a crown whose rim is carved in the form of towers and battlements. Her

Byron, in describing the city of Venice, which is built on a low island in the Adriatic Sea, borrows an

In Moore's "Rhymes on the Road," the poet, speaking of Alpine scenery, alludes to the story of Atalanta and

HERCULES was the son of Jupiter and Alcmena. As Juno was always hostile to the offspring of her husband

by mortal mothers, she declared war against Hercules from his birth. She sent two serpents to destroy him as

he lay in his cradle, but the precocious infant strangled them with his own hands. He was, however, by the

arts of Juno rendered subject to Eurystheus and compelled to perform all his commands. Eurystheus enjoined

upon him a succession of desperate adventures, which are called the "Twelve Labours of Hercules." The first

was the fight with the Nemean lion. The valley of Nemea was infested by a terrible lion. Eurystheus ordered

Hercules to bring him the skin of this monster. After using in vain his club and arrows against the lion,

Hercules strangled the animal with his hands. He returned carrying the dead lion on his shoulders; but

Eurystheus was so frightened at the sight of it and at this proof of the prodigious strength of the hero, that he

His next labour was the slaughter of the Hydra. This monster ravaged the country of Argos, and dwelt in a

swamp near the well of Amymone. This well had been discovered by Amymone when the country was

suffering from drought, and the story was that Neptune, who loved her, had permitted her to touch the rock

with his trident, and a spring of three outlets burst forth. Here the Hydra took up his position, and Hercules

was sent to destroy him. The Hydra had nine heads, of which the middle one was immortal. Hercules struck

off its heads with his club, but in the place of the head knocked off, two new ones grew forth each time. At

length with the assistance of his faithful servant Iolaus, he burned away the heads of the Hydra, and buried

Another labour was the cleaning of the Augean stables. Augeas, king of Elis, had a herd of three thousand

oxen, whose stalls had not been cleansed for thirty years. Hercules brought the rivers Alpheus and Peneus

His next labour was of a more delicate kind. Admeta, the daughter of Eurystheus, longed to obtain the girdle

of the queen of the Amazons, and Eurystheus ordered Hercules to go and get it. The Amazons were a nation

of women. They were very warlike and held several flourishing cities. It was their custom to bring up only

the female children; the boys were either sent away to the neighbouring nations or put to death. Hercules was

accompanied by a number of volunteers, and after various adventures at last reached the country of the

Amazons. Hippolyta, the queen, received him kindly, and consented to yield him her girdle, but Juno, taking

the form of an Amazon, went and persuaded the rest that the strangers were carrying off their queen. They

instantly armed and came in great numbers down to the ship. Hercules, thinking that Hippolyta, had acted

Another task enjoined him was to bring to Eurystheus the oxen of Geryon, a monster with three bodies, who

dwelt in the island of Erytheia (the red), so called because it lay at the west, under the rays of the setting sun.

This description is thought to apply to Spain, of which Geryon was king. After traversing various countries,

Hercules reached at length the frontiers of Libya and Europe, where he raised the two mountains of Calpe and

Abyla, as monuments of his progress, or, according to another account, rent one mountain into two and left

half on each side, forming the straits of Gibraltar, the two mountains being called the Pillars of Hercules. The

oxen were guarded by the giant Eurytion and his twoheaded dog, but Hercules killed the giant and his dog

The most difficult labour of all was getting the golden apples of the Hesperides, for Hercules did not know

where to find them. These were the apples which Juno had received at her wedding from the goddess of the

Earth, and which she had intrusted to the keeping of the daughters of Hesperus, assisted by a watchful

dragon. After various adventures Hercules arrived at Mount Atlas in Africa. Atlas was one of the Titans who

had warred against the gods, and after they were subdued, Atlas was condemned to bear on his shoulders the

weight of the heavens. He was the father of the Hesperides, and Hercules thought might, if any one could,

find the apples and bring them to him. But how to send Atlas away from his post, or bear up the heavens

while he was gone? Hercules took the burden on his own shoulders, and sent Atlas to seek the apples. He

returned with them, and though somewhat reluctantly, took his burden upon his shoulders again, and let

Milton, in his "Comus," makes the Hesperides the daughters of Hesperus and niece of Atlas:

The poets, led by the analogy of the lovely appearance of the western sky at sunset, viewed the west as a

region of brightness and glory. Hence they placed in it the Isles of the Blest, the ruddy Isle Erytheia, on which

the bright oxen of Geryon were pastured, and the Isle of the Hesperides. The apples are supposed by some to

A celebrated exploit of Hercules was his victory over Antaeus. Antaeus, the son of Terra, the Earth, was a

mighty giant and wrestler, whose strength was invincible so long as he remained in contact with his mother

Earth. He compelled all strangers who came to his country to wrestle with him, on condition that if conquered

(as they all were) they should be put to death. Hercules encountered him, and finding that it was of no avail to

throw him, for he always rose with renewed strength from every fall, he lifted him up from the earth and

Cacus was a huge giant, who inhabited a cave on Mount Aventine, and plundered the surrounding country.

When Hercules was driving home the oxen of Geryon, Cacus stole part of the cattle, while the hero slept.

That their footprints might not serve to show where they had been driven, be dragged them backward by their

tails to his cave; so their tracks all seemed to show that they had gone in the opposite direction. Hercules was

deceived by this stratagem, and would have failed to find his oxen, if it had not happened that in driving the

remainder of the herd past the cave where the stolen ones were concealed, those within began to low, and

The last exploit we shall record was bringing Cerberus from the lower world. Hercules descended into Hades,

accompanied by Mercury and Minerva. He obtained permission from Pluto to carry Cerberus to the upper air,

provided he could do it without the use of weapons; and in spite of the monster's struggling, he seized him,

held him fast, and carried him to Eurystheus, and afterwards brought him back again. When he was in Hades

he obtained the liberty of Theseus, his admirer and imitator, who had been detained a prisoner there for an

Hercules in a fit of madness killed his friend Iphitus, and was condemned for this offence to become the slave

of Queen Omphale for three years. While in this service the hero's nature seemed changed. He lived

effeminately, wearing at times the dress of a woman, and spinning wool with the handmaidens of Omphale,

while the queen wore his lion's skin. When this service was ended he married Dejanira and lived in peace

with her three years. On one occasion as he was travelling with his wife, they came to a river, across which

the Centaur Nessus carried travellers for a stated fee. Hercules himself forded the river, but gave Dejanira to

Nessus to be carried across. Nessus attempted to run away with her, but Hercules heard her cries and shot an

arrow into the heart of Nessus. The dying Centaur told Dejanira to take a portion of his blood and keep it, as

Dejanira did so, and before long fancied she had occasion to use it. Hercules in one of his conquests had

taken prisoner a fair maiden, named Iole, of whom he seemed more fond than Dejanira approved. When

Hercules was about to offer sacrifices to the gods in honour of his victory, he sent to his wife for a white robe

to use on the occasion. Dejanira, thinking it a good opportunity to try her lovespell, steeped the garment in

the blood of Nessus. We are to suppose she took care to wash out all traces of it, but the magic power

remained, and as soon as the garment became warm on the body of Hercules the poison penetrated into all his

limbs and caused him the most intense agony. In his frenzy he seized Lichas, who had brought him the fatal

robe, and hurled him into the sea. He wrenched off the garment, but it stuck to his flesh, and with it he tore

away whole pieces of his body. In this state he embarked on board a ship and was conveyed home. Dejanira,

on seeing what she had unwittingly done, hung herself. Hercules, prepared to die, ascended Mount OEta,

where he built a funeral pile of trees, gave his bow and arrows to Philoctetes, and laid himself down on the

pile, his head resting on his club, and his lion's skin spread over him. With a countenance as serene as if he

were taking his place at a festal board he commanded Philoctetes to apply the torch. The flames spread apace

The gods themselves felt troubled at seeing the champion of the earth so brought to his end. But Jupiter with

cheerful countenance thus addressed them: "I am pleased to see your concern, my princes, and am gratified to

perceive that I am the ruler of a loyal people, and that my son enjoys your favour. For although your interest

in him arises from his noble deeds, yet it is not the less gratifying to me. But now I say to you, Fear not. He

who conquered all else is not to be conquered by those flames which you see blazing on Mount OEta. Only

his mother's share in him can perish; what he derived from me is immortal. I shall take him, dead to earth, to

the heavenly shores, and I require of you all to receive him kindly. If any of you feel grieved at his attaining

this honour, yet no one can deny that he has deserved it." The gods all gave their assent; Juno only heard the

closing words with some displeasure that she should be so particularly pointed at, yet not enough to make her

regret the determination of her husband. So when the flames had consumed the mother's share of Hercules,

the diviner part, instead of being injured thereby, seemed to start forth with new vigour, to assume a more

lofty port and a more awful dignity. Jupiter enveloped him in a cloud, and took him up in a fourhorse

chariot to dwell among the stars. As he took his place in heaven, Atlas felt the added weight.

The poet Schiller, in one of his pieces called the "Ideal and Life," illustrates the contrast between the practical

and the imaginative in some beautiful stanzas, of which the last two may be thus translated:

Hebe, the daughter of Juno, and goddess of youth, was cupbearer to the gods. The usual story is that she

resigned her office on becoming the wife of Hercules. But there is another statement which our countryman

Crawford, the sculptor, has adopted in his group of Hebe and Ganymede, now in the Athenaeum gallery.

According to this, Hebe was dismissed from her office in consequence of a fall which she met with one day

when in attendance on the gods. Her successor was Ganymede, a Trojan boy, whom Jupiter, in the disguise of

an eagle, seized and carried off from the midst of his playfellows on Mount Ida, bore up to heaven, and

Tennyson, in his "Palace of Art," describes among the decorations on the walls a picture representing this

The beautiful legend of the "Choice of Hercules" may be found in the "Tatler," No. 97.

THESEUS was the son of AEgeus, king of Athens, and of AEthra, daughter of the king of Troezen. He was

brought up at Troezen, and when arrived at manhood was to proceed to Athens and present himself to his

father. AEgeus on parting from AEthra, before the birth of his son, placed his sword and shoes under a large

stone and directed her to send his son to him when he became strong enough to roll away the stone and take

them from under it. When she thought the time had come, his mother led Theseus to the stone, and he

removed it with ease and took the sword and shoes. As the roads were infested with robbers, his grandfather

pressed him earnestly to take the shorter and safer way to his father's country by sea; but the youth, feeling

in himself the spirit and the soul of a hero, and eager to signalize himself like Hercules, with whose fame all

Greece then rang, by destroying the evildoers and monsters that oppressed the country, determined on the

His first day's journey brought him to Epidaurus, where dwelt a man named Periphetes, a son of Vulcan. This

ferocious savage always went armed with a club of iron, and all travellers stood in terror of his violence.

When he saw Theseus approach he assailed him, but speedily fell beneath the blows of the young hero, who

took possession of his club and bore it ever afterwards as a memorial of his first victory.

Several similar contests with the petty tyrants and marauders of the country followed, in all of which Theseus

was victorious. One of these evildoers was called Procrustes, or the Stretcher. He had an iron bedstead, on

which he used to tie all travellers who fell into his hands. If they were shorter than the bed, he stretched their

limbs to make them fit it; if they were longer than the bed, he lopped off a portion. Theseus served him as he

Having overcome all the perils of the road, Theseus at length reached Athens, where new dangers awaited

him. Medea, the sorceress, who had fled from Corinth after her separation from Jason, had become the wife

of AEgeus, the father of Theseus. Knowing by her arts who he was, and fearing the loss of her influence with

her husband if Theseus should be acknowledged as his son, she filled the mind of AEgeus with suspicions of

the young stranger, and induced him to present him a cup of poison; but at the moment when Theseus stepped

forward to take it, the sight of the sword which he wore discovered to his father who he was, and prevented

the fatal draught. Medea, detected in her arts, fled once more from deserved punishment, and arrived in Asia,

where the country afterwards called Media, received its name from her. Theseus was acknowledged by his

The Athenians were at that time in deep affliction, on account of the tribute which they were forced to pay to

Minos, king of Crete. This tribute consisted of seven youths and seven maidens, who were sent every year to

be devoured by the Minotaur, a monster with a bull's body and a human head. It was exceedingly strong and

fierce, and was kept in a labyrinth constructed by Daedalus, so artfully contrived that whoever was enclosed

in it could by no means find his way out unassisted. Here the Minotaur roamed, and was fed with human

Theseus resolved to deliver his countrymen from this calamity, or to die in the attempt. Accordingly, when

the time of sending off the tribute came, and the youths and maidens were, according to custom, drawn by lot

to be sent, he offered himself as one of the victims, in spite of the entreaties of his father. The ship departed

under black sails, as usual, which Theseus promised his father to change for white, in case of his returning

victorious. When they arrived in Crete, the youths and maidens were exhibited before Minos; and Ariadne,

the daughter of the king, being present, became deeply enamoured of Theseus, by whom her love was readily

returned. She furnished him with a sword, with which to encounter the Minotaur, and with a clue of thread by

which he might find his way out of the labyrinth. He was successful, slew the Minotaur, escaped from the

labyrinth, and taking Ariadne as the companion of his way, with his rescued companions sailed for Athens.

On their way they stopped at the island of Naxos, where Theseus abandoned Ariadne, leaving her asleep.*

His excuse for this ungrateful treatment of his benefactress was that Minerva appeared to him in a dream and

One of the finest pieces of sculpture in Italy, the recumbent Ariadne of the Vatican, represents this incident.

On approaching the coast of Attica, Theseus forgot the signal appointed by his father, and neglected to raise

the white sails, and the old king, thinking his son had perished, put an end to his own life. Theseus thus

One of the most celebrated of the adventures of Theseus is his expedition against the Amazons. He assailed

them before they had recovered from the attack of Hercules, and carried off their queen Antiope. The

Amazons in their turn invaded the country of Athens and penetrated into the city itself; and the final battle in

which Theseus overcame them was fought in the very midst of the city. This battle was one of the favourite

subjects of the ancient sculptors, and is commemorated in several works of art that are still extant.

The friendship between Theseus and Pirithous was of a most intimate nature, yet it originated in the midst of

arms. Pirithous had made an irruption into the plain of Marathon, and carried off the herds of the king of

Athens. Theseus went to repel the plunderers. The moment Pirithous beheld him, he was seized with

admiration; he stretched out his hand as a token of peace, and cried, "Be judge thyself what satisfaction dost

thou require?" "Thy friendship," replied the Athenian, and they swore inviolable fidelity. Their deeds

corresponded to their professions, and they ever continued true brothers in arms. Each of them aspired to

espouse a daughter of Jupiter. Theseus fixed his choice on Helen, then but a child, afterwards so celebrated as

the cause of the Trojan war, and with the aid of his friend he carried her off. Pirithous aspired to the wife of

the monarch of Erebus; and Theseus, though aware of the danger, accompanied the ambitious lover in his

descent to the underworld. But Pluto seized and set them on an enchanted rock at his palace gate, where they

remained till Hercules arrived and liberated Theseus, leaving Pirithous to his fate.

After the death of Antiope, Theseus married Phaedra, daughter of Minos, king of Crete. Phaedra saw in

Hippolytus, the son of Theseus, a youth endowed with all the graces and virtues of his father, and of an age

corresponding to her own. She loved him, but he repulsed her advances, and her love was changed to hate.

She used her influence over her infatuated husband to cause him to be jealous of his son, and he imprecated

the vengeance of Neptune upon him. As Hippolytus was one day driving his chariot along the shore, a

seamonster raised himself above the waters, and frightened the horses so that they ran away and dashed the

chariot to pieces. Hippolytus was killed, but by Diana's assistance AEsculapius restored him to life. Diana

removed Hippolytus from the power of his deluded father and false stepmother, and placed him in Italy under

Theseus at length lost the favour of his people, and retired to the court of Lycomedes, king of Scyros, who at

first received him kindly, but afterwards treacherously slew him. In a later age the Athenian general Cimon

discovered the place where his remains were laid, and caused them to be removed to Athens, where they were

The queen of the Amazons whom Theseus espoused is by some called Hippolyta. That is the name she bears

in Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream," the subject of which is the festivities attending the nuptials

Mrs. Hemans has a poem on the ancient Greek tradition that the "Shade of Theseus" appeared strengthening

Theseus is a semihistorical personage. It is recorded of him that he united the several tribes by whom the

territory of Attica was then possessed into one state, of which Athens was the capital. In commemoration of

this important event, he instituted the festival of Panathenaea, in honour of Minerva, the patron deity of

Athens. This festival differed from the other Grecian games chiefly in two particulars. It was peculiar to the

Athenians, and its chief feature was a solemn procession in which the Peplus, or sacred robe of Minerva, was

carried to the Parthenon, and suspended be, fore the statue of the goddess. The Peplus was covered with

embroidery, worked by select virgins of the noblest families in Athens. The procession consisted of persons

of all ages and both sexes. The old men carried olive branches in their hands, and the young men bore arms.

The young women carried baskets on their heads, containing the sacred utensils, cakes, and all things

necessary for the sacrifices. The procession formed the subject of the basreliefs which embellished the

outside of the temple of the Parthenon. A considerable portion of these sculptures is now in the British

It seems not inappropriate to mention here the other celebrated national games of the Greeks. The first and

most distinguished were the Olympic, founded, it was said, by Jupiter himself. They were celebrated at

Olympia in Elis. Vast numbers of spectators flocked to them from every part of Greece, and from Asia,

Africa and Sicily. They were repeated every fifth year in midsummer, and continued five days. They gave

rise to the custom of reckoning time and dating events by Olympiads. The first Olympiad is generally

considered as corresponding with the year 776 B.C. The Pythian games were celebrated in the vicinity of

Delphi, the Isthmian on the Corinthian Isthmus, the Nemean at Nemea, a city of Argolis.

The exercises in these games were of five sorts: running, leaping, wrestling, throwing the quoit, and hurling

the javelin, or boxing. Besides these exercises of bodily strength and agility there were contests in music,

poetry and eloquence. Thus these games furnished poets, musicians and authors the best opportunities to

present their productions to the public, and the fame of the victors was diffused far and wide.

The labyrinth from which Theseus escaped by means of the clew of Ariadne was built by Daedalus, a most

skilful artificer. It was an edifice with numberless winding passages and turnings opening into one another,

and seeming to have neither beginning nor end, like the river Maeander, which returns on itself, and flows

now onward, now backward, in its course to the sea. Daedalus built the labyrinth for King Minos, but

afterwards lost the favour of the king, and was shut up in a tower. He contrived to make his escape from his

prison, but could not leave the island by sea, as the king kept strict watch on all the vessels, and permitted

none to sail without being carefully searched. "Minos may control the land and sea," said Daedalus, "but not

the regions of the air. I will try that way." So he set to work to fabricate wings for himself and his young son

Icarus. He wrought feathers together, beginning with the smallest and adding larger, so as to form an

increasing surface. The larger ones he secured with thread and the smaller with wax, and gave the whole a

gentle curvature like the wings of a bird. Icarus, the boy, stood and looked on, sometimes running to gather

up the feathers which the wind had blown away, and then handling the wax and working it over with his

fingers, by his play impeding his father in his labours. When at last the work was done, the artist, waving his

wings, found himself buoyed upward, and hung suspended, poising himself on the beaten air. He next

equipped his son in the same manner and taught him how to fly, as a bird tempts her young ones from the

lofty nest into the air. When all was prepared for flight he said, "Icarus, my son, I charge you to keep at a

moderate height, for if you fly too low the damp will clog your wings, and if too high the heat will melt them.

Keep near me and you will be safe." While he gave him these instructions and fitted the wings to his

shoulders, the face of the father was wet with tears, and his hands trembled. He kissed the boy, not knowing

that it was for the last time. Then rising on his wings, he flew off, encouraging him to follow, and looked

back from his own flight to see how his son managed his wings. As they flew the ploughman stopped his

work to gaze, aid the shepherd leaned on his staff and watched them, astonished at the sight, and thinking

They passed Samos and Delos on the left and Lebynthos on the right, when the boy, exulting in his career,

began to leave the guidance of his companion and soar upward as if to reach heaven. The nearness of the

blazing sun softened the wax which held the feathers together, and they came off. He fluttered with his arms,

but no feathers remained to hold the air. While his mouth uttered cries to his father it was submerged in the

blue waters of the sea which thenceforth was called by his name. His father cried, "Icarus, Icarus, where are

you?" At last he saw the feathers floating on the water, and bitterly lamenting his own arts, he buried the

body and called the land Icaria in memory of his child. Daedalus arrived safe in Sicily, where he built a

Daedalus was so proud of his achievements that he could not bear the idea of a rival. His sister had placed her

son Perdix under his charge to be taught the mechanical arts. He was an apt scholar and gave striking

evidences of ingenuity. Walking on the seashore he picked up the spine of a fish. Imitating it, he took a piece

of iron and notched it on the edge, and thus invented the saw. He, put two pieces of iron together, connecting

them at one end with a rivet, and sharpening the other ends, and made a pair of compasses. Daedalus was so

envious of his nephew's performances that he took an opportunity, when they were together one day on the

top of a high tower to push him off. But Minerva, who favours ingenuity, saw him falling, and arrested his

fate by changing him into a bird called after his name, the Partridge. This bird does not build his nest in the

trees, nor take lofty flights, but nestles in the hedges, and mindful of his fall, avoids high places.

Castor and Pollux were the offspring of Leda and the Swan, under which disguise Jupiter had concealed

himself. Leda gave, birth to an egg from which sprang the twins. Helen, so famous afterwards as the cause of

When Theseus and his friend Pirithous had carried off Helen from Sparta, the youthful heroes, Castor and

Pollux, with their followers, hastened to her rescue. Theseus was absent from Attica and the brothers were

Castor was famous for taming and managing horses, and Pollux for skill in boxing. They were united by the

warmest affection and inseparable in all their enterprises. They accompanied the Argonautic expedition.

During the voyage a storm arose, and Orpheus prayed to the Samothracian gods, and played on his harp,

whereupon the storm ceased and stars appeared on the heads of the brothers. From this incident, Castor and

Pollux came afterwards to be considered the patron deities of seamen and voyagers, and the lambent flames,

which in certain states of the atmosphere play round the sails and masts of vessels, were called by their

After the Argonautic expedition, we find Castor and Pollux engaged in a war with Idas and Lynceus. Castor

was slain, and Pollux, inconsolable for the loss of his brother, besought Jupiter to be permitted to give his

own life as a ransom for him. Jupiter so far consented as to allow the two brothers to enjoy the boon of life

alternately, passing one day under the earth and the next in the heavenly abodes. According to another form

of the story, Jupiter rewarded the attachment of the brothers by placing them among the stars as Gemini the

They received divine honours under the name of Dioscuri (sons of Jove). They were believed to have

appeared occasionally in later times, taking part with one side or the other, in hardfought fields, and were

said on such occasions to be mounted on magnificent white steeds. Thus in the early history of Rome they are

said to have assisted the Romans at the battle of Lake Regillus, and after the victory a temple was erected in

BACCHUS was the son of Jupiter and Semele. Juno, to gratify her resentment against Semele, contrived a

plan for her destruction. Assuming the form of Beroe, her aged nurse, she insinuated doubts whether it was

indeed Jove himself who came as a lover. Heaving a sigh, she said, "I hope it will turn out so, but I can't help

being afraid. People are not always what they pretend to be. If he is indeed Jove, make him give some proof

of it. Ask him to come arrayed in all his splendours, such as he wears in heaven. That will put the matter

beyond a doubt." Semele was persuaded to try the experiment. She asks a favour, without naming what it is.

Jove gives his promise, and confirms it with the irrevocable oath, attesting the river Styx, terrible to the gods

themselves. Then she made known her request. The god would have stopped her as she spake, but she was

too quick for him. The words escaped, and he could neither unsay his promise nor her request. In deep

distress he left her and returned to the upper regions. There he clothed himself in his splendours, not putting

on all his terrors, as when he overthrew the giants, but what is known among the gods as his lesser panoply.

Arrayed in this, he entered the chamber of Semele. Her mortal frame could not endure the splendours of the

Jove took the infant Bacchus and gave him in charge to the Nysaean nymphs, who nourished his infancy and

childhood, and for their care were rewarded by Jupiter by being placed, as the Hyades, among the stars.

When Bacchus grew up he discovered the culture of the vine and the mode of extracting its precious juice;

but Juno struck him with madness, and drove him forth a wanderer through various parts of the earth. In

Phrygia the goddess Rhea cured him and taught him her religious rites, and he set out on a progress through

Asia, teaching the people the cultivation of the vine. The most famous part of his wanderings is his

expedition to India, which is said to have lasted several years. Returning in triumph, he undertook to

introduce his worship into Greece, but was opposed by some princes, who dreaded its introduction on

As he approached his native city Thebes, Pentheus the king, who had no respect for the new worship, forbade

its rites to be performed. But when it was known that Bacchus was advancing, men and women, but chiefly

the latter, young and old, poured forth to meet him and to join his triumphal march.

It was in vain Pentheus remonstrated, commanded and threatened. "Go," said he to his attendants, "seize this

vagabond leader of the rout and bring him to me. I will soon make him confess his false claim of heavenly

parentage and renounce his counterfeit worship." It was in vain his nearest friends and wisest counsellors

remonstrated and begged him not to oppose the god. Their remonstrances only made him more violent.

But now the attendants returned whom he had despatched to seize Bacchus. They had been driven away by

the Bacchanals, but had succeeded in taking one of them prisoner, whom, with his hands tied behind him,

they brought before the king. Pentheus, beholding him with wrathful countenance, said "Fellow! you shall

speedily be put to death, that your fate may be a warning to others; but though I grudge the delay of your

punishment, speak, tell us who you are, and what are these new rites you presume to celebrate."

The prisoner, unterrified, responded, "My name is Acetes; my country is Maeonia; my parents were poor

people, who had no fields or flocks to leave me, but they left me their fishing rods and nets and their

fisherman's trade. This I followed for some time, till growing weary of remaining in one place, I learned the

pilot's art and how to guide my course by the stars. It happened as I was sailing for Delos we touched at the

island of Dia and went ashore. Next morning I sent the men for fresh water, and myself mounted the hill to

observe the wind; when my men returned bringing with them a prize, as they thought, a boy of delicate

appearance, whom they had found asleep. They judged he was a noble youth, perhaps a king's son, and they

might get a liberal ransom for him. I observed his dress, his walk, his face, There was something in them

which I felt sure was more than mortal. I said to my men, 'What god there is concealed in that form I know

not, but some one there certainly is. Pardon us, gentle deity, for the violence we have done you, and give

success to our undertakings.' Dictys, one of my best hands for climbing the mast and coming down by the

ropes, and Melanthus, my steersman, and Epopeus, the leader of the sailor's cry, one and all exclaimed, 'Spare

your prayers for us.' So blind is the lust of gain! When they proceeded to put him on board I resisted them.

'This ship shall not be profaned by such impiety,' said I. 'I have a greater share in her than any of you.' But

Lycabas, a turbulent fellow, seized me by the throat and attempted to throw my overboard, and I scarcely

"Then Bacchus (for it was indeed he), as if shaking off his drowsiness, exclaimed, 'What are you doing with

me? What is this fighting about? Who brought me here? Where are you going to carry me?' One of them

replied, 'Fear nothing; tell us where you wish to go and we will take you there.' 'Naxos is my home,' said

Bacchus; 'take me there and you shall be well rewarded.' They promised so to do, and told me to pilot the

ship to Naxos. Naxos lay to the right, and I was trimming the sails to carry us there, when some by signs and

others by whispers signified to me their will that I should sail in the opposite direction, and take the boy to

Egypt to sell him for a slave, I was confounded and said, 'Let some one else pilot the ship;' withdrawing

myself from any further agency in their wickedness. They cursed me, and one of them, exclaiming, 'Don't

flatter yourself that we depend on you for our safety,' took my place as pilot, and bore away from Naxos.

"Then the god, pretending that he had just become aware of their treachery, looked out over the sea and said

in a voice of weeping, 'Sailors, these are not the shores you promised to take me to; yonder island is not my

home. What have I done that you should treat me so? It is small glory you will gain by cheating a poor boy.' I

wept to hear him, but the crew laughed at both of us, and sped the vessel fast over the sea. All at once

strange as it may seem, it is true, the vessel stopped, in the mid sea, as fast as if it was fixed on the ground.

The men, astonished, pulled at their oars, and spread more sail, trying to make progress by the aid of both, but

all in vain. Ivy twined round the oars and hindered their motion, and clung to the sails, with heavy clusters of

berries. A vine, laden with grapes, ran up the mast, and along the sides of the vessel. The sound of flutes was

heard and the odour of fragrant wine spread all around. The god himself had a chaplet of vine leaves, and

bore in his hand a spear wreathed with ivy. Tigers crouched at his feet, and forms of lynxes and spotted

panthers played around him. The men were seized with terror or madness; some leaped overboard; others

preparing to do the same beheld their companions in the water undergoing a change, their bodies becoming

flattened and ending in a crooked tail. One exclaimed, 'What miracle is this!' and as he spoke his mouth

widened, his nostrils expanded, and scales covered all his body. Another, endeavouring to pull the oar, felt

his hands shrink up and presently to be no longer hands but fins; another, trying to raise his arms to a rope,

found he had no arms, and curving his mutilated body jumped into the sea. What had been his legs became

the two ends of a crescentshaped tail. The whole crew became dolphins and swam about the ship, now upon

the surface, now under it, scattering the spray, and spouting the water from their broad nostrils. Of twenty

men I alone was left. Trembling with fear, the god cheered me. 'Fear not,' said he; 'steer towards Naxos.' I

obeyed, and when we arrived there, I kindled the altars and celebrated the sacred rites of Bacchus."

Pentheus here exclaimed, "We have wasted time enough on this silly story. Take him away and have him

executed without delay." Acetes was led away by the attendants and shut up fast in prison; but while they

were getting ready the instruments of execution the prison doors came open of their own accord and the

chains fell from his limbs, and when they looked for him he was nowhere to be found.

Pentheus would take no warning, but instead of sending others, determined to go himself to the scene of the

solemnities. The mountain Citheron was all alive with worshippers, and the cries of the Bacchanals

resounded on every side. The noise roused the anger of Pentheus as the sound of a trumpet does the fire of a

warhorse. He penetrated through the wood and reached an open space where the chief scene of the orgies

met his eyes. At the same moment the women saw him; and first among them his own mother, Agave,

blinded by the god, cried out, "See there the wild boar, the hugest monster that prowls in these woods! Come

on, sisters! I will be the first to strike the wild boar." The whole band rushed upon him, and while he now

talks less arrogantly, now excuses himself, and now confesses his crime and implores pardon, they press upon

him and wound him. In vain he cries to his aunts to protect him from his mother. Autonoe seized one arm,

Ino the other, and between them he was torn to pieces, while his mother shouted, "Victory! Victory! we have

There is an allusion to the story of Bacchus and the mariners in Milton's "Comus," at line 46. The story of

We have seen in the story of Theseus how Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos, after helping Theseus to

escape from the labyrinth, was carried by him to the island of Naxos and was left there asleep, while the

ungrateful Theseus pursued his way home without her. Ariadne, on waking and finding herself deserted,

abandoned herself to grief. But Venus took pity on her, and consoled her with the promise that she should

The island where Ariadne was left was the favourite island of Bacchus, the same that he wished the

Tyrrhenian mariners to carry him to, when they so treacherously attempted to make prize of him. As Ariadne

sat lamenting her fate, Bacchus found her, consoled her, and made her his wife. As a marriage present he

gave her a golden crown, enriched with gems, and when she died, he took her crown and threw it up into the

sky. As it mounted the gems grew brighter and were turned into stars, and preserving its form Ariadne's

crown remains fixed in the heavens as a constellation, between the kneeling Hercules and the man who holds

Spenser alludes to Ariadne's crown, though he has made some mistakes in his mythology. It was at the

wedding of Pirithous, and not Theseus, that the Centaurs and Lapithae quarrelled.

PAN, the god of woods and fields, of flocks and shepherds, dwelt in grottos, wandered on the mountains and

in valleys, and amused himself with the chase or in leading the dances of the nymphs. He was fond of music,

and was, as we have seen, the inventor of the syrinx, or shepherd's pipe, which he himself played in a

masterly manner. Pan, like other gods who dwelt in forests, was dreaded by those whose occupations caused

them to pass through the woods by night, for the gloom and loneliness of such scenes dispose the mind to

superstitious fears. Hence sudden fright without any visible cause was ascribed to Pan, and called a Panic

As the name of the god signifies all, Pan came to be considered a symbol of the universe and personification

of Nature; and later still to be regarded as a representative of all the gods and of heathenism itself.

Sylvanus and Faunus were Latin divinities, whose characteristics are so nearly the same as those of Pan that

The woodnymphs, Pan's partners in the dance, were but one class of nymphs. There were besides them the

Naiads, who presided over brooks and fountains, the Oreads, nymphs of mountains and grottos, and the

Nereids, seanymphs. The three last named were immortal, but the woodnymphs, called Dryads or

Hamadryads, were believed to perish with the trees which had been their abode and with which they had

come into existence. It was therefore an impious act wantonly to destroy a tree, and in some aggravated cases

was severely punished, as in the instance of Erisichthon, which we are about to record.

Milton in his glowing description of the early creation, thus alludes to Pan as the personification of Nature:

It was a pleasing trait in the old Paganism that it loved to trace in every operation of nature the agency of

deity. The imagination nation of the Greeks peopled all the regions of earth and sea with divinities, to whose

agency it attributed those phenomena which our philosophy ascribes to the operation of the laws of nature.

Sometimes in our poetical moods we feel disposed to regret the change, and to think that the heart has lost as

much as the head has gained by the substitution. The poet Wordsworth thus strongly expresses this sentiment:

Schiller, in his poem "Die Gotter Griechenlands," expresses his regret for the overthrow of the beautiful

mythology of ancient times in a way which has called forth an answer from a Christian poet, Mrs. E. Barrett

Browning, in her poem called "The Dead Pan." The two following verses are a specimen:

These lines are founded on an early Christian tradition that when the heavenly host told the shepherds at

Bethlehem of the birth of Christ, a deep groan, heard through all the isles of Greece, told that the great Pan

was dead, and that all the royalty of Olympus was dethroned and the several deities were sent wandering in

Erisichthon was a profane person and a despiser of the gods, On one occasion he presumed to violate with the

axe a grove sacred to Ceres. There stood in this grove a venerable oak, so large that it seemed a wood in

itself, its ancient trunk towering aloft, whereon votive garlands were often hung and inscriptions carved

expressing the gratitude of suppliants to the nymph of the tree. Often had the Dryads danced round it hand in

hand. Its trunk measured fifteen cubits round, and it overtopped the other trees as they overtopped the

shrubbery. But for all that, Erisichthon saw no reason why he should spare it and he ordered his servants to

cut it down. When he saw them hesitate he snatched an axe from one, and thus impiously exclaimed: "I care

not whether it be a tree beloved of the goddess or not; were it the goddess herself it should come down if it

stood in my way." So saying, he lifted the axe and the oak seemed to shudder and utter a groan. When the

first blow fell upon the trunk blood flowed from the wound. All the bystanders were horrorstruck, and one

of them ventured to remonstrate and hold back the fatal axe. Erisichthon, with a scornful look, said to him,

"Receive the reward of your piety;" and turned against him the weapon which he had held aside from the tree,

gashed his body with many wounds, and cut off his head. Then from the midst of the oak came a voice, "I

who dwell in this tree am a nymph beloved of Ceres, and dying by your hands forewarn you that punishment

awaits you." He desisted not from his crime, and at last the tree, sundered by repeated blows and drawn by

The Dryads, in dismay at the loss of their companion and at seeing the pride of the forest laid low, went in a

body to Ceres, all clad in garments of mourning, and invoked punishment upon Erisichthon. She nodded her

assent, and as she bowed her head the grain ripe for harvest in the laden fields bowed also. She planned a

punishment so dire that one would pity him, if such a culprit as he could be pitiedto deliver him over to

Famine. As Ceres herself could not approach Famine, for the Fates have ordained that these two goddesses

shall never come together, she called an Oread from her mountain and spoke to her in these words: "There is

a place in the farthest part of iceclad Scythia, a sad and sterile region without trees and without crops. Cold

dwells there, and Fear and Shuddering, and Famine. Go and tell the last to take possession of the bowels of

Erisichthon. Let not abundance subdue her, nor the power of my gifts drive her away. Be not alarmed at the

distance" (for Famine dwells very far from Ceres), "but take my chariot. The dragons are fleet and obey the

rein, and will take you through the air in a short time." So she gave her the reins, and she drove away and

soon reached Scythia. On arriving at Mount Caucasus she stopped the dragons and found Famine in a stony

field, pulling up with teeth and claws the scanty herbage. Her hair was rough, her eyes sunk, her face pale,

her lips blanched, her jaws covered with dust, and her skin drawn tight, so as to show all her bones. As the

Oread saw her afar off (for she did not dare to come near), she delivered the commands of Ceres; and, though

she stopped as short a time as possible, and kept her distance as well as she could, yet she began to feel

Famine obeyed the commands of Ceres and sped through the air to the dwelling of Erisichthon, entered the

bedchamber of the guilty man, and found him asleep. She enfolded him with her wings and breathed herself

into him, infusing her poison into his veins. Having discharged her task, she hastened to leave the land of

plenty and returned to her accustomed haunts. Erisichthon still slept, and in his dreams craved food, and

moved his jaws as if eating. When he awoke, his hunger was raging. Without a moment's delay he would

have food set before him, of whatever kind earth, sea, or air produces; and complained of hunger even while

he ate. What would have sufficed for a city or a nation, was not enough for him. The more he ate the more he

craved. His hunger was like the sea, which receives all the rivers, yet is never filled; or like fire, that burns all

His property rapidly diminished under the unceasing demands of his appetite, but his hunger continued

unabated. At length he had spent all and had only his daughter left, a daughter worthy of a better parent. Her

too he sold. She scorned to be a slave of a purchaser and as she stood by the seaside raised her hands in

prayer to Neptune. He heard her prayer, and though her new master was not far off and had his eye upon her

a moment before, Neptune changed her form and made her assume that of a fisherman busy at his occupation.

Her master, looking for her and seeing her in her altered form, addressed her and said, "Good fisherman,

whither went the maiden whom I saw just now, with hair dishevelled and in humble garb, standing about

where you stand? Tell me truly; so may your luck be good and not a fish nibble at your hook and get away."

She perceived that her prayer was answered and rejoiced inwardly at hearing herself inquired of about

herself. She replied, "Pardon me, stranger, but I have been so intent upon my line that I have seen nothing

else; but I wish I may never catch another fish if I believe any woman or other person except myself to have

been hereabouts for some time." He was deceived and went his way, thinking his slave had escaped. Then she

resumed her own form. Her father was well pleased to find her still with him, and the money too that he got

by the sale of her; so he sold her again. But she was changed by the favour of Neptune as often as she was

sold, now into a horse, now a bird, now an ox, and now a stag got away from her purchasers and came

home. By this base method the starving father procured food; but not enough for his wants, and at last hunger

compelled him to devour his limbs, and he strove to nourish his body by eating his body, till death relieved

The Hamadryads could appreciate services as well as punish injuries. The story of Rhoecus proves this.

Rhoecus, happening to see an oak just ready to fall, ordered his servants to prop it up. The nymph, who had

been on the point of perishing with the tree, came and expressed her gratitude to him for having saved her life

and bade him ask what reward he would. Rhoecus boldly asked her love and the nymph yielded to his desire.

She at the same time charged him to be constant and told him that a bee should be her messenger and let him

know when she would admit his society. One time the bee came to Rhoecus when he was playing at draughts

and he carelessly brushed it away. This so incensed the nymph that she deprived him of sight.

Our countryman, J. R. Lowell, has taken this story for the subject of one of his shorter poems. He introduces

Oceanus and Tethys were the Titans who ruled over the watery elements. When Jove and his brothers

overthrew the Titans and assumed their power, Neptune and Amphitrite succeeded to the dominion of the

Neptune was the chief of the water deities. The symbol of his power was the trident, or spear with three

points, with which he used to shatter rocks, to call forth or subdue storms, to shake the shores and the like. He

created the horse and was the patron of horse races. His own horses had brazen hoofs and golden manes.

They drew his chariot over the sea, which became smooth before him, while the monsters of the deep

Amphitrite was the wife of Neptune. She was the daughter of Nereus and Doris, and the mother of Triton.

Neptune, to pay his court to Amphitrite, came riding on a dolphin. Having won her he rewarded the dolphin

Nereus and Doris were the parents of the Nereids, the most celebrated of whom were Amphitrite, Thetis, the

mother of Achilles, and Galatea, who was loved by the Cyclops Polyphemus: Nereus was distinguished for

his knowledge and his love of truth and justice, whence he was termed an elder; the gift of prophecy was also

Triton was the son of Neptune and Amphitrite, and the poets made him his father's trumpeter. Proteus was

also a son of Neptune. He, like Nereus, is styled a seaelder for his wisdom and knowledge of future events.

Thetis, the daughter of Nereus and Doris, was so beautiful that Jupiter himself sought her in marriage; but

having learned from Prometheus the Titan that Thetis should bear a son who should be greater than his father,

Jupiter desisted from his suit and decreed that Thetis should be the wife of a mortal. By the aid of Chiron the

Centaur, Peleus succeeded in winning the goddess for his bride and their son was the renowned Achilles. In

our chapter on the Trojan war it will appear that Thetis was a faithful mother to him, aiding him in all

Ino, the daughter of Cadmus and wife of Athamas, flying from her frantic husband with her little son

Melicertes in her arms, sprang from a cliff into the sea. The gods, out of compassion, make her a goddess of

the sea, under the name of Leucothea, and him a god, under that of Palaemon. Both were held powerful to

save from shipwreck and were invoked by sailors. Palaemon was usually represented riding on a dolphin. The

Isthmian games were celebrated in his honour. He was called Portunus by the Romans, and believed to have

Armstrong, the poet of the "Art of Preserving Health," under the inspiration of Hygeia, the goddess of health,

By this name the Latins designated the Muses, but included under it also some other deities, principally

nymphs of fountains. Egeria was one of them, whose fountain and grotto are still shown. It was said that

Numa, the second king of Rome, was favoured by this nymph with secret interviews, in which she taught him

those lessons of wisdom and of law which he embodied in the institutions of his rising nation. After the death

Tennyson, also, in his "Palace of Art," gives us a glimpse of the royal lover expecting the interview:

When so many less active agencies were personified, it is not to be supposed that the winds failed to be so.

They were Boreas or Aquilo, the north wind; Zephyrus or Favonius, the west; Notus or Auster, the south; and

Eurus, the east. The first two have been chiefly celebrated by the poets, the former as the type of rudeness,

the latter of gentleness. Boreas loved the nymph Orithyia, and tried to play the lover's part, but met with poor

success. It was hard for him to breathe gently, and sighing was out of the question. Weary at last of fruitless

endeavours, he acted out his true character, seized the maiden and carried her off. Their children were Zetes

and Calais, winged warriors, who accompanied the Argonautic expedition, and did good service in an

Zephyrus was the lover of Flora. Milton alludes to them in "Paradise Lost," where he describes Adam waking

Dr. Young, the poet of the "Night Thoughts," addressing the idle and luxurious, says:

THE rivergod Achelous told the story of Erisichthon to Theseus and his companions, whom he was

entertaining at his hospitable board, while they were delayed on their journey by the overflow of his waters.

Having finished his story, he added, "But why should I tell of other persons' transformations when I myself

am an instance of the possession of this power? Sometimes I become a serpent, and sometimes a bull, with

horns on my head. Or I should say I once could do so; but now I have but one horn, having lost one." And

Theseus asked him the cause of his grief, and how he lost his horn. To which question the rivergod replied

as follows: "Who likes to tell of his defeats? Yet I will not hesitate to relate mine, comforting myself with the

thought of the greatness of my conqueror, for it was Hercules. Perhaps you have heard of the fame of

Dejanira, the fairest of maidens, whom a host of suitors strove to win. Hercules and myself were of the

number, and the rest yielded to us two. He urged in his behalf his descent from Jove and his labours by which

he had exceeded the exactions of Juno, his stepmother. I, on the other hand, said to the father of the maiden,

'Behold me, the king of the waters that flow through your land. I am no stranger from a foreign shore, but

belong to the country, a part of your realm. Let it not stand in my way that royal Juno owes me no enmity nor

punishes me with heavy tasks. As for this man, who boasts himself the son of Jove, it is either a false

pretence, or disgraceful to him if true, for it cannot be true except by his mother's shame.' As I said this

Hercules scowled upon me, and with difficulty restrained his rage. 'My hand will answer better than my

tongue,' said he. 'I yield to you the victory in words, but trust my cause to the strife of deeds.' With that he

advanced towards me, and I was ashamed, after what I had said, to yield. I threw off my green vesture and

presented myself for the struggle. He tried to throw me, now attacking my head, now my body. My bulk was

my protection, and he assailed me in vain. For a time we stopped, then returned to the conflict. We each kept

our position, determined not to yield, foot to foot, I bending over him, clenching his hand in mine, with my

forehead almost touching his. Thrice Hercules tried to throw me off, and the fourth time he succeeded,

brought me to the ground, and himself upon my back. I tell you the truth, it was as if a mountain had fallen on

me. I struggled to get my arms at liberty, panting and reeking with perspiration. He gave me no chance to

recover, but seized my throat. My knees were on the earth and my mouth in the dust.

"Finding that I was no match for him in the warrior's art, I resorted to others and glided away in the form of a

serpent. I curled my body in a coil and hissed at him with my forked tongue. He smiled scornfully at this, and

said, 'It was the labour of my infancy to conquer snakes.' So saying he clasped my neck with his hands. I was

almost choked, and struggled to get my neck out of his grasp. Vanquished in this form, I tried what alone

remained to me and assumed the form of a bull. He grasped my neck with his arm, and dragging my head

down to the ground, overthrew me on the sand. Nor was this enough. His ruthless hand rent my horn from my

head. The Naiads took it, consecrated it, and filled it with fragrant flowers. Plenty adopted my horn and made

The ancients were fond of finding a hidden meaning in their mythological tales. They explain this fight of

Achelous with Hercules by saying Achelous was a river that in seasons of rain overflowed its banks. When

the fable says that Achelous loved Dejanira, and sought a union with her, the meaning is that the river in its

windings flowed through part of Dejanira's kingdom. It was said to take the form of a snake because of its

winding, and of a bull because it made a brawling or roaring in its course. When the river swelled, it made

itself another channel. Thus its head was horned. Hercules prevented the return of these periodical overflows

by embankments and canals; and therefore he was said to have vanquished the rivergod and cut off his horn.

Finally, the lands formerly subject to overflow, but now redeemed, became very fertile, and this is meant by

There is another account of the origin of the Cornucopia. Jupiter at his birth was committed by his mother

Rhea to the care of the daughters of Melisseus, a Cretan king. They fed the infant deity with the milk of the

goat Amalthea. Jupiter broke off one of the horns of the goat and gave it to his nurses, and endowed it with

The name of Amalthea is also given by some writers to the mother of Bacchus. It is thus used by Milton,

AEsculapius, the son of Apollo, was endowed by his father with such skill in the healing art that he even

restored the dead to life. At this Pluto took alarm, and prevailed on Jupiter to launch a thunderbolt at

AEsculapius. Apollo was indignant at the destruction of his son, and wreaked his vengeance on the innocent

workmen who had made the thunderbolt. These were the Cyclopses, who have their workshop under Mount

AEtna, from which the smoke and flames of their furnaces are constantly issuing. Apollo shot his arrows at

the Cyclopses, which so incensed Jupiter that he condemned him as a punishment to become the servant of a

mortal for the space of one year. Accordingly Apollo went into the service of Admetus, king of Thessaly, and

Admetus was a suitor, with others, for the hand of Alcestis, the daughter of Pelias, who promised her to him

who should come for her in a chariot drawn by lions and boars. This task Admetus performed by the

assistance of his divine herdsman, and was made happy in the possession of Alcestis. But Admetus fell ill,

and being near to death, Apollo prevailed on the Fates to spare him on condition that some one would consent

to die in his stead. Admetus, in his joy at this reprieve, thought little of the ransom, and perhaps remembering

the declarations of attachment which he had often heard from his courtiers and dependents fancied that it

would be easy to find a substitute. But it was not so. Brave warriors, who would willingly have perilled their

lives for their prince, shrunk from the thought of dying for him on the bed of sickness; and old servants who

had experienced his bounty and that of his house from their childhood up, were not willing to lay down the

scanty remnant of their days to show their gratitude. Men asked, "Why does not one of his parents do it?

They cannot in the course of nature live much longer, and who can feel like them the call to rescue the life

they gave from an untimely end?" But the parents, distressed though they were at the thought of losing him,

shrunk from the call. Then Alcestis, with a generous selfdevotion, proffered herself as the substitute.

Admetus, fond as he was of life, would not have submitted to receive it at such a cost; Lut there was no

remedy. The condition imposed by the Fates had been met, and the decree was irrevocable. Alcestis sickened

Just at this time Hercules arrived at the Palace of Admetus, and found all the inmates in great distress for the

impending loss of the devoted wife and beloved mistress. Hercules, to whom no labour was too arduous,

resolved to attempt her rescue. He went and lay in wait at the door of the chamber of the dying queen, and

when Death came for his prey, he seized him and forced him to resign his victim. Alcestis recovered, and was

J. R. Lowell has chosen the "Shepherd of King Admetus" for the subject of a short poem. He makes that

A large proportion both of the interesting persons and of the exalted acts of legendary Greece belongs to the

female sex. Antigone was as bright an example of filial and sisterly fidelity as was Alcestis of connubial

devotion. She was the daughter of OEdipus and Jocasta, who with all their descendants were the victims of an

unrelenting fate, dooming them to destruction. OEdipus in his madness had torn out his eyes, and was driven

forth from his kingdom Thebes, dreaded and abandoned by all men, as an object of divine vengeance.

Antigone, his daughter, alone shared his wanderings and remained with him till he died, and then returned to

Her brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, had agreed to share the kingdom between them, and reign alternately

year by year. The first year fell to the lot of Eteocles, who, when his time expired, refused to surrender the

kingdom to his brother. Polynices fled to Adrastus, king of Argos, who gave him his daughter in marriage,

and aided him with an army to enforce his claim to the kingdom. This led to the celebrated expedition of the

"Seven against Thebes," which furnished ample materials for the epic and tragic poets of Greece.

Amphiaraus, the brotherinlaw of Adrastus, opposed the enterprise, for he was a soothsayer, and knew by

his art that no one of the leaders except Adrastus would live to return. But Amphiaraus, on his marriage to

Eriphyle, the king's sister, had agreed that whenever he and Adrastus should differ in opinion, the decision

should be left to Eriphyle. Polynices, knowing this, gave Eriphyle the collar of Harmonia, and thereby gained

her to his interest. This collar or necklace was a present which Vulcan had given to Harmonia on her

marriage with Cadmus, and Polynices had taken it with him on his flight from Thebes. Eriphyle could not

resist so tempting a bribe, and by her decision the war was resolved on, and Amphiaraus went to his certain

fate. He bore his part bravely in the contest, but could not avert his destiny. Pursued by the enemy, he fled

along the river, when a thunderbolt launched by Jupiter opened the ground, and he, his chariot, and his

It would not be in place here to detail all the acts of heroism or atrocity which marked the contest; but we

must not omit to record the fidelity of Evadne as an offset to the weakness of Eriphyle. Capaneus, the

husband of Evadne, in the ardour of the fight declared that he would force his way into the city in spite of

Jove himself. Placing a ladder against the wall he mounted, but Jupiter, offended at his impious language,

struck him with a thunderbolt. When his obsequies were celebrated, Evadne cast herself on his funeral pile

Early in the contest Eteocles consulted the soothsayer Tiresias as to the issue. Tiresias in his youth had by

chance seen Minerva bathing. The goddess in her wrath deprived him of his sight, but afterwards relenting

gave him in compensation the knowledge of future events. When consulted by Eteocles, he declared that

victory should fall to Thebes if Menoeceus, the son of Creon, gave himself a voluntary victim. The heroic

The siege continued long, with various success. At length both hosts agreed that the brothers should decide

their quarrel by single combat. They fought and fell by each other's hands. The armies then renewed the fight,

and at last the invaders were forced to yield, and fled, leaving their dead unburied. Creon, the uncle of the

fallen princes, now become king, caused Eteocles to be buried with distinguished honour, but suffered the

body of Polynices to lie where it fell, forbidding every one on pain of death to give it burial.

Antigone, the sister of Polynices, heard with indignation the revolting edict which consigned her brother's

body to the dogs and vultures, depriving it of those rites which were considered essential to the repose of the

dead. Unmoved by the dissuading counsel of an affectionate but timid sister, and unable to procure

assistance, she determined to brave the hazard, and to bury the body with her own hands. She was detected in

the act, and Creon gave orders that she should be buried alive, as having deliberately set at naught the solemn

edict of the city. Her lover, Haemon, the son of Creon, unable to avert her fate, would not survive her, and

Antigone forms the subject of two fine tragedies of the Grecian poet Sophocles. Mrs. Jameson, in her

"Characteristics of Women," has compared her character with that of Cordelia, in Shakspeare's "King Lear."

The following is the lamentation of Antigone over OEdipus, when death has at last relieved him from his

Penelope is another of those mythic heroines whose beauties were rather those of character and conduct than

of person. She was the daughter of Icarius, a Spartan prince. Ulysses, king of Ithaca, sought her in marriage,

and won her, over all competitors. When the moment came for the bride to leave her father's house, Icarius,

unable to bear the thoughts of parting with his daughter, tried to persuade her to remain with him, and not

accompany her husband to Ithaca. Ulysses gave Penelope her choice, to stay or go with him. Penelope made

no reply, but dropped her veil over her face. Icarius urged her no further, but when she was gone erected a

Ulysses and Penelope had not enjoyed their union more than a year when it was interrupted by the events

which called Ulysses to the Trojan war. During his long absence, and when it was doubtful whether he still

lived, and highly improbable that he would ever return, Penelope was importuned by numerous suitors, from

whom there seemed no refuge but in choosing one of them for her husband. Penelope, however, employed

every art to gain time, still hoping for Ulysses' return. One of her arts of delay was engaging in the

preparation of a robe for the funeral canopy of Laertes, her husband's father. She pledged herself to make her

choice among the suitors when the robe was finished. During the day she worked at the robe, but in the night

she undid the work of the day. This is the famous Penelope's web, which is used as a proverbial expression

for anything which is perpetually doing but never done. The rest of Penelope's history will be told when we

ORPHEUS was the son of Apollo and the Muse Calliope. He was presented by his father with a lyre and

taught to play upon it, which he did to such perfection that nothing could withstand the charm of his music.

Not only his fellowmortals, but wild beasts were softened by his strains, and gathering round him laid by

their fierceness, and stood entranced with his lay. Nay, the very trees and rocks were sensible to the charm.

The former crowded round him and the latter relaxed somewhat of their hardness, softened by his notes.

Hymen had been called to bless with his presence the nuptials of Orpheus with Eurydice; but though he

attended, he brought no happy omens with him. His very torch smoked and brought tears into their eyes. In

coincidence with such prognostics, Eurydice, shortly after her marriage, while wandering with the nymphs,

her companions, was seen by the shepherd Aristaeus, who was struck by her beauty and made advances to

her. She fled, and in flying trod upon a snake in the grass, was bitten in the foot, and died. Orpheus sang his

grief to all who breathed the upper air, both gods and men, and finding it all unavailing resolved to seek his

wife in the regions of the dead. He descended by a cave situated on the side of the promontory of Taenarus

and arrived at the Stygian realm. He passed through crowds of ghosts and presented himself before the throne

of Pluto and Proserpine. Accompanying the words with the lyre, he sung, "O deities of the underworld, to

whom all we who live must come, hear my words, for they are true. I come not to spy out the secrets of

Tartarus, nor to try my strength against the threeheaded dog with snaky hair who guards the entrance. I

come to seek my wife, whose opening years the poisonous viper's fang has brought to an untimely end. Love

has led me here, Love, a god all powerful with us who dwell on the earth, and, if old traditions say true, not

less so here. I implore you by these abodes full of terror, these realms of silence and uncreated things, unite

again the thread of Eurydice's life. We all are destined to you, and sooner or later must pass to your domain.

She too, when she shall have filled her term of life, will rightly be yours. But till then grant her to me, I

beseech you. If you deny me, I cannot return alone; you shall triumph in the death of us both."

As he sang these tender strains, the very ghosts shed tears. Tantalus, in spite of his thirst, stopped for a

moment his efforts for water, Ixion's wheel stood still, the vulture ceased to tear the giant's liver, the

daughters of Danaus rested from their task of drawing water in a sieve, and Sisyphus sat on his rock to listen.

Then for the first time, it is said, the cheeks of the Furies were wet with tears. Proserpine could not resist, and

Pluto himself gave way. Eurydice was called. She came from among the newarrived ghosts, limping with

her wounded foot. Orpheus was permitted to take her away with him on one condition, that he should not turn

around to look at her till they should have reached the upper air. Under this condition they proceeded on their

way, he leading, she following, through passages dark and steep, in total silence, till they had nearly reached

the outlet into the cheerful upper world, when Orpheus, in a moment of forgetfulness, to assure himself that

she was still following, cast a glance behind him, when instantly she was borne away. Stretching out their

arms to embrace each other, they grasped only the air! Dying now a second time, she yet cannot reproach her

husband, for how can she blame his impatience to behold her? "Farewell," she said, "a last farewell," and

Orpheus endeavoured to follow her, and besought permission to return and try once more for her release; but

the stern ferryman repulsed him and refused passage. Seven days he lingered about the brink, without food or

sleep; then bitterly accusing of cruelty the powers of Erebus, he sang his complaints to the rocks and

mountains, melting the hearts of tigers and moving the oaks from their stations. He held himself aloof from

womankind, dwelling constantly on the recollection of his sad mischance. The Thracian maidens tried their

best to captivate him, but he repulsed their advances. They bore with him as long as they could; but finding

him insensible one day, excited by the rites of Bacchus, one of them exclaimed, "See yonder our despiser!"

and threw at him her javelin. The weapon, as soon as it came within the sound of his lyre, fell harmless at his

feet. So did also the stones that they threw at him. But the women raised a scream and drowned the voice of

the music, and then the missiles reached him and soon were stained with his blood. The maniacs tore him

limb from limb, and threw his head and his lyre into the river Hebrus, down which they floated, murmuring

sad music, to which the shores responded a plaintive symphony. The Muses gathered up the fragments of his

body and buried them at Libethra, where the nightingale is said to sing over his grave more sweetly than in

any other part of Greece. His lyre was placed by Jupiter among the stars. His shade passed a second time to

Tartarus. where he sought out his Eurydice and embraced her with eager arms. They roam the happy fields

together now, sometimes he leading, sometimes she; and Orpheus gazes as much as he will upon her, no

The story of Orpheus has furnished Pope with an illustration of the power of music, for his "Ode for St.

The superior melody of the nightingale's song over the grave of Orpheus is alluded to by Southey in his

Man avails himself of the instincts of the inferior animals for his own advantage. Hence sprang the art of

keeping bees. Honey must first have been known as a wild product, the bees building their structures in

hollow trees or holes in the rocks, or any similar cavity that chance offered. Thus occasionally the carcass of

a dead animal would be occupied by the bees for that purpose. It was no doubt from some such incident that

the superstition arose that the bees were engendered by the decaying flesh of the animal; and Virgil, in the

following story, shows how this supposed fact may be turned to account for renewing the swarm when it has

Aristaeus, who first taught the management of bees, was the son of the waternymph Cyrene. His bees had

perished, and he resorted for aid to his mother. He stood at the river side and thus addressed her: "O mother,

the pride of my life is taken from me! I have lost my precious bees. My care and skill have availed me

nothing, and you, my mother, have not warded off from me the blow of misfortune." His mother heard these

complaints as she sat in her palace at the bottom of the river, with her attendant nymphs around her. They

were engaged in female occupations, spinning and weaving, while one told stories to amuse the rest. The sad

voice of Aristaeus interrupting their occupation, one of them put her head above the water and seeing him,

returned and gave information to his mother, who ordered that he should be brought into her presence. The

river at her command opened itself and let him pass in, while it stood curled like a mountain on either side.

He descended to the region where the fountains of the great rivers lie; he saw the enormous receptacles of

waters and was almost deafened with the roar, while he surveyed them hurrying off in various directions to

water the face of the earth. Arriving at his mother's apartment, he was hospitably received by Cyrene and her

nymphs, who spread their table with the richest dainties. They first poured out libations to Neptune, then

regaled themselves with the feast, and after that Cyrene thus addressed him: "There is an old prophet named

Proteus, who dwells in the sea and is a favourite of Neptune, whose herd of seacalves he pastures. We

nymphs hold him in great respect, for he is a learned sage and knows all things, past, present, and to come.

He can tell you, my son, the cause of the mortality among your bees and how you may remedy it. But he will

not do it voluntarily, however you may entreat him. You must compel him by force. If you seize him and

chain him, he will answer your questions in order to get released, for he cannot by all his arts get away if you

hold fast the chains. I will carry you to his cave, where he comes at noon to take his midday repose. Then you

may easily secure him. But when he finds himself captured, his resort is to a power he possesses of changing

himself into various forms. He will become a wild boar or a fierce tiger, a scaly dragon or lion with yellow

mane. Or be will make a noise like the crackling of flames or the rush of water, so as to tempt you to let go

the chain, when he will make his escape. But you have only to keep him fast bound, and at last when he finds

all his arts unavailing, he will return to his own figure and obey your commands." So saying she sprinkled her

son with fragrant nectar, the beverage of the gods, and immediately an unusual vigour filled his frame, and

The nymph led her son to the prophet's cave and concealed him among the recesses of the rocks, while she

herself took her place behind the clouds. When noon came and the hour when men and herds retreat from the

glaring sun to indulge in quiet slumber, Proteus issued from the water, followed by his herd of seacalves

which spread themselves along the shore. He sat on the rock and counted his herd; then stretched himself on

the floor of the cave and went to sleep. Aristaeus hardly allowed him to get fairly asleep before he fixed the

fetters on him and shouted aloud. Proteus, waking and finding himself captured, immediately resorted to his

arts, becoming first a fire, then a flood, then a horrible wild beast, in rapid succession. But finding all would

not do, he at last resumed his own form and addressed the youth in angry accents: "Who are you, bold youth,

who thus invade my abode, and what do you want with me?" Aristaeus replied, "Proteus, you know already,

for it is needless for any one to attempt to deceive you. And do you also cease your efforts to elude me. I am

led hither by divine assistance, to know from you the cause of my misfortune and how to remedy it." At these

words the prophet, fixing on him his grey eyes with a piercing look, thus spoke: "You receive the merited

reward of your deeds, by which Eurydice met her death, for in flying from you she trod upon a serpent, of

whose bite she died. To avenge her death, the nymphs, her companions, have sent this destruction to your

bees. You have to appease their anger, and thus it must be done: Select four bulls, of perfect form and size,

and four cows of equal beauty, build four altars to the nymphs, and sacrifice the animals, leaving their

carcasses in the leafy grove. To Orpheus and Eurydice you shall pay such funeral honours as may allay their

resentment. Returning after nine days, you will examine the bodies of the cattle slain and see what will

befall." Aristaeus faithfully obeyed these directions. He sacrificed the cattle, he left their bodies in the grove,

he offered funeral honours to the shades of Orpheus and Eurydice; then returning on the ninth day he

examined the bodies of the animals, and, wonderful to relate! a swarm of bees had taken possession of one of

In "The Task," Cowper alludes to the story of Aristaeus, when speaking of the icepalace built by the

Empress Anne of Russia. He has been describing the fantastic forms which ice assumes in connection with

Milton also appears to have had Cyrene and her domestic scene in his mind when he describes to us Sabrina,

The following are other celebrated mythical poets and musicians, some of whom were hardly inferior to

Amphion was the son of Jupiter and Antiope, queen of Thebes. With his twin brother Zethus, he was exposed

at birth on Mount Cithaeron, where they grew up among the shepherds, not knowing their parentage. Mercury

gave Amphion a lyre and taught him to play upon it, and his brother occupied himself in hunting and tending

the flocks. Meanwhile Antiope, their mother, who had been treated with great cruelty by Lycus, the usurping

king of Thebes, and by Dirce, his wife, found means to inform her children of their rights and to summon

them to her assistance. With a band of their fellowherdsmen they attacked and slew Lycus, and tying Dirce

by the hair of her head to a bull, let him drag her till she was dead.* Amphion, having become king of

Thebes, fortified the city with a wall. It is said that when he played on his lyre the stones moved of their own

The punishment of Dirce is the subject of a celebrated group of statuary now in the Museum at Naples.

Linus was the instructor of Hercules in music, but having one day reproved his pupil rather harshly, he roused

An ancient Thracian bard, who in his presumption challenged the Muses to a trial of skill, and being

overcome in the contest, was deprived by them of his sight. Milton alludes to him with other blind bards,

Minerva invented the flute, and played upon it to the delight of all the celestial auditors; but the mischievous

urchin Cupid having dared to laugh at the queer face which the goddess made while playing, Minerva threw

the instrument indignantly away, and it fell down to earth and was found by Marsyas. He blew upon it, and

drew from it such ravishing sounds that he was tempted to challenge Apollo himself to a musical contest. The

Melampus was the first mortal endowed with prophetic powers. Before his house there stood an oak tree

containing a serpent's nest. The old serpents were killed by the servants, but Melampus took care of the

young ones and fed them carefully. One day when he was asleep under the oak the serpents licked his ears

with their tongues. On awaking he was astonished to find that he now understood the language of birds and

creeping things. This knowledge enabled him to foretell future events, and he became a renowned soothsayer.

At one time his enemies took him captive and kept him strictly imprisoned. Melampus in the silence of the

night heard the woodworms in the timbers talking together, and found out by what they said that the timbers

were nearly eaten through and the roof would soon fall in. He told his captors and demanded to be let out,

warning them also. They took his warning, and thus escaped destruction, and regarded Melampus and held

A semimythological personage who was represented by one tradition to be the son of Orpheus. He is said to

have written sacred poems and oracles. Milton couples his name with that of Orpheus in his "Il Penseroso":

THE poets whose adventures compose this chapter were real persons some of whose works yet remain, and

their influence on poets who succeeded them is yet more important than their poetical remains. The

adventures recorded of them in the following stories rest on the same authority as other narratives of the "Age

of Fable," that is, of the poets who have told them. In their present form, the first two are translated from the

Arion was a famous musician, and dwelt at the court of Periander, king of Corinth, with whom he was a great

favourite. There was to be a musical contest in Sicily, and Arion longed to compete for the prize, He told his

wish to Periander, who besought him like a brother to give up the thought. "Pray stay with me," he said, "and

be contented. He who strives to win may lose." Arion answered, "A wandering life best suits the free heart of

a poet. The talent which a god bestowed on me, I would fain make a source of pleasure to others. And if I win

the prize, how will the enjoyment of it be increased by the consciousness of my widespread fame!" He went,

won the prize, and embarked with his wealth in a Corinthian ship for home. On the second morning after

setting sail, the wind breathed mild and fair. "O Periander," he exclaimed, "dismiss your fears! Soon shall

you forget them in my embrace. With what lavish offerings will we display our gratitude to the gods, and

how merry will we be at the festal board!" The wind and sea continued propitious. Not a cloud dimmed the

firmament. He had not trusted too much to the ocean but he had to man. He overheard the seamen

exchanging hints with one another, and found they were plotting to possess themselves of his treasure.

Presently they surrounded him loud and mutinous, and said, "Arion, you must die! If you would have a grave

on shore, yield yourself to die on this spot; but if otherwise, cast yourself into the sea." "Will nothing satisfy

you but my life?" said he. "Take my gold, and welcome, I willingly buy my life at that price." "No, no; we

cannot spare you. Your life would be too dangerous to us. Where could we go to escape from Periander, if he

should know that you had been robbed by us? Your gold would be of little use to us, if, on returning home,

we could never more be free from fear." "Grant me, then," said he, "a last request, since nought will avail to

save my life, that I may die, as I have lived, as becomes a bard. When I shall have sung my death song, and

my harpstrings shall have ceased to vibrate, then I will bid farewell to life, and yield uncomplaining to my

fate." This prayer, like the others, would have been unheeded, they thought only of their booty, but to hear

so famous a musician, that moved their rude hearts. "Suffer me," he added, "to arrange my dress. Apollo will

He clothed his wellproportioned limbs in gold and purple fair to see, his tunic fell around him in graceful

folds, jewels adorned his arms, his brow was crowned with a golden wreath, and over his neck and shoulders

flowed his hair perfumed with odours. His left hand held the lyre, his right the ivory wand with which he

struck its chords. Like one inspired, he seemed to drink the morning air and glitter in the morning ray. The

seamen gazed with admiration. He strode forward to the vessel's side and looked down into the deep blue sea.

Addressing his lyre, he sang, "Companion of my voice, come with me to the realm of shades. Though

Cerberus may growl, we know the power of song can tame his rage. Ye heroes of Elysium, who have passed

the darkling flood, ye happy souls, soon shall I join your band. Yet can ye relieve my grief? Alas, I leave

my friend behind me. Thou, who didst find thy Eurydice, and lose her again as soon as found; when she had

vanished like a dream, how didst thou hate the cheerful light! I must away, but I will not fear. The gods look

down upon us. Ye who slay me unoffending, when I am no more, your time of trembling shall come. Ye

Nereids, receive your guest, who throws himself upon your mercy!" So saying, he sprang into the deep sea.

The waves covered him, and the seamen held on their way, fancying themselves safe from all danger of

But the strains of his music had drawn round him the inhabitants of the deep to listen, and Dolphins followed

the ship as if chained by a spell. While he struggled in the waves, a Dolphin offered him his back, and carried

him mounted thereon safe to shore. At the spot where he landed, a monument of brass was afterwards erected

When Arion and the dolphin parted, each to his own element, Arion thus poured forth his thanks: "Farewell,

thou faithful, friendly fish! Would that I could reward thee; but thou canst not wend with me, nor I with thee.

Companionship we may not have. May Galatea, queen of the deep, accord thee her favour, and thou, proud of

Arion hastened from the shore, and soon saw before him the towers of Corinth. He journeyed on, harp in

hand, singing as he went, full of love and happiness, forgetting his losses, and mindful only of what

remained, his friend and his lyre. He entered the hospitable halls, and was soon clasped in the embrace of

Periander. "I come back to thee, my friend," he said. "The talent which a god bestowed has been the delight

of thousands, but false knaves have stripped me of my wellearned treasure; yet I retain the consciousness of

widespread fame." Then he told Periander all the wonderful events that had befallen him, who heard him with

amazement. "Shall such wickedness triumph?" said he. "Then in vain is power lodged in my hands. That we

may discover the criminals, you must remain here in concealment, and so they will approach without

suspicion." When the ship. arrived in the harbour, he summoned the mariners before him. "Have you heard

anything of Arion?" he inquired. "I anxiously look for his return." They replied, "We left him well and

prosperous in Tarentum." As they said these words, Arion stepped forth and faced them. His

wellproportioned limbs were arrayed in gold and purple fair to see, his tunic fell around him in graceful

folds, jewels adorned his arms, his brow was crowned with a golden wreath, and over his neck and shoulders

flowed his hair perfumed with odours; his left hand held the lyre, his right the ivory wand with which he

struck its chords. They fell prostrate at his feet, as if a lightning bolt had struck them. "We meant to murder

him, and he has become a god. O Earth, open and receive us!" Then Periander spoke. "He lives, the master of

the lay! Kind Heaven protects the poet's life. As for you, I invoke not the spirit of vengeance; Arion wishes

not your blood. Ye slaves of avarice, begone! Seek some barbarous land, and never may aught beautiful

Spenser represents Arion, mounted on his dolphin, accompanying the train of Neptune and Amphitrite:

Byron, in his "Childe Harold," Canto II., alludes to the story of Arion, when, describing his voyage, he

In order to understand the story of Ibycus which follows it is necessary to remember, first, that the theatres of

the ancients were immense fabrics capable of containing from ten to thirty thousand spectators, and as they

were used only on festal occasions, and admission was free to all, they were usually filled. They were without

roofs and open to the sky, and the performances were in the daytime. Secondly, the appalling representation

of the Furies is not exaggerated in the story. It is recorded that AEschylus, the tragic poet, having on one

occasion represented the Furies in a chorus of fifty performers, the terror of the spectators was such that many

fainted and were thrown into convulsions, and the magistrates forbade a like representation for the future.

Ibycus, the pious poet, was on his way to the chariot races and musical competitions held at the Isthmus of

Corinth, which attracted all of Grecian lineage. Apollo had bestowed on him the gift of song, the honeyed lips

of the poet, and he pursued his way with lightsome step, full of the god. Already the towers of Corinth

crowning the height appeared in view, and he had entered with pious awe the sacred grove of Neptune. No

living object was in sight, only a flock of cranes flew overhead taking the same course as himself in their

migration to a southern clime. "Good luck to you, ye friendly squadrons," he exclaimed, "my companions

from across the sea. I take your company for a good omen. We come from far and fly in search of hospitality.

May both of us meet that kind reception which shields the stranger guest from harm!"

He paced briskly on, and soon was in the middle of the wood. There suddenly, at a narrow pass, two robbers

stepped forth and barred his way. He must yield or fight. But his hand, accustomed to the lyre, and not to the

strife of arms, sank powerless. He called for help on men and gods, but his cry reached no defender's ear.

"Then here must I die," said he, "in a strange land, unlamented, cut off by the hand of outlaws, and see none

to avenge my, cause." Sore wounded, he sank to the earth, when hoarse screamed the cranes overhead. "Take

up my cause, ye cranes," he said, "since no voice but yours answers to my cry." So saying he closed his eyes

The body, despoiled and mangled, was found, and though disfigured with wounds, was recognized by the

friend in Corinth who had expected him as a guest. "Is it thus I find you restored to me?" he exclaimed. "I

who hoped to entwine your temples with the wreath of triumph in the strife of song!"

The guests assembled at the festival heard the tidings with dismay. All Greece felt the wound, every heart

owned its loss. They crowded round the tribunal of the magistrates, and demanded vengeance on the

But what trace or mark shall point out the perpetrator from amidst the vast multitude attracted by the

splendour of the feast? Did he fall by the hands of robbers or did some private enemy slay him? The

alldiscerning sun alone can tell, for no other eye beheld it. Yet not improbably the murderer even now walks

in the midst of the throng, and enjoys the fruits of his crime, while vengeance seeks for him in vain. Perhaps

in their own temple's enclosure he defies the gods, mingling freely in this throng of men that now presses into

For now crowded together, row on row, the multitude fills the seats till it seems as if the very fabric would

give way. The murmur of voices sounds like the roar of the sea, while the circles widening in their ascent rise

And now the vast assemblage listens to the awful voice of the chorus personating the Furies, which in solemn

guise advances with measured step, and moves around the circuit of the theatre. Can they be mortal women

who compose that awful group, and can that vast concourse of silent forms be living beings?

The choristers, clad in black, bore in their fleshless hands torches blazing with a pitchy flame. Their cheeks

were bloodless, and in place of hair writhing and swelling serpents curled around their brows. Forming a

circle, these awful beings sang their hymns, rending the hearts of the guilty, and enchaining all their faculties.

It rose and swelled, overpowering the sound of the instruments, stealing the judgment, palsying the heart,

"Happy the man who keeps his heart pure from guilt and crime! Him we avengers touch not; he treads the

path of life secure from us. But woe! woe! to him who has done the deed of secret murder. We, the fearful

family of Night, fasten ourselves upon his whole being. Thinks he by flight to escape us? We fly still faster in

pursuit, twine our snakes around his feet, and bring him to the ground. Unwearied we pursue; no pity checks

our course; still on and on, to the end of life, we give him no peace nor rest." Thus the Eumenides sang, and

moved in solemn cadence, while stillness like the stillness of death sat over the whole assembly as if in the

presence of superhuman beings; and then in solemn march completing the circuit of the theatre, they passed

Every heart fluttered between illusion and reality, and every breast panted with undefined terror, quailing

before the awful power that watches secret crimes and winds unseen the skein of destiny. At that moment a

cry burst forth from one of the uppermost benches "Look! look! comrade, yonder are the cranes of Ibycus!"

And suddenly there appeared sailing across the sky a dark object which a moment's inspection showed to be a

flock of cranes flying directly over the theatre. "Of Ibycus! did he say?" The beloved name revived the

sorrow in every breast. As wave follows wave over the face of the sea, so ran from mouth to mouth the

words, "Of Ibycus! him whom we all lament, whom some murderer's hand laid low! What have the cranes to

do with him?" And louder grew the swell of voices, while like a lightning's flash the thought sped through

every heart, "Observe the power of the Eumenides! The pious poet shall be avenged! the murderer has

informed against himself. Seize the man who uttered that cry and the other to whom he spoke!"

The culprit would gladly have recalled his words, but it was too late. The faces of the murderers, pale with

terror, betrayed their guilt. The people took them before the judge, they confessed their crime, and suffered

Simonides was one of the most prolific of the early poets of Greece, but only a few fragments of his

compositions have descended to us. He wrote hymns, triumphal odes, and elegies. In the last species of

composition he particularly excelled. His genius was inclined to the pathetic, and none could touch with truer

effect the chords of human sympathy. The "Lamentation of Danae," the most important of the fragments

which remain of his poetry, is based upon the tradition that Danae and her infant son were confined by order

of her father, Acrisius, in a chest and set adrift on the sea. The chest floated towards the island of Seriphus,

where both were rescued by Dictys, a fisherman, and carried to Polydectes, king of the country, who received

and protected them. The child, Perseus, when grown up became a famous hero, whose adventures have been

Simonides passed much of his life at the courts of princes, and often employed his talents in panegyric and

festal odes, receiving his reward from the munificence of those whose exploits he celebrated. This

employment was not derogatory, but closely resembles that of the earliest bards, such as Demodocus,

On one occasion, when residing at the court of Scopas, king of Thessaly, the prince desired him to prepare a

poem in celebration of his exploits, to be recited at a banquet. In order to diversify his theme, Simonides, who

was celebrated for his piety, introduced into his poem the exploits of Castor and Pollux. Such digressions

were not unusual with the poets on similar occasions, and one might suppose an ordinary mortal might have

been content to share the praises of the sons of Leda. But vanity is exacting; and as Scopas sat at his festal

board among his courtiers and sycophants, he grudged every verse that did not rehearse his own praises.

When Simonides approached to receive the promised reward Scopas bestowed but half the expected sum,

saying, "Here is payment for my portion of thy performance; Castor and Pollux will doubtless compensate

thee for so much as relates to them." The disconcerted poet returned to his seat amidst the laughter which

followed the great man's jest. In a little time he received a message that two young men on horseback were

waiting without and anxious to see him. Simonides hastened to the door, but looked in vain for the visitors.

Scarcely, however, had he left the banqueting hall when the roof fell in with a loud crash, burying Scopas and

all his guests beneath the ruins. On inquiring as to the appearance of the young men who had sent for him,

Simonides was satisfied that they were no other than Castor and Pollux themselves.

Sappho was a poetess who flourished in a very early age of Greek literature. Of her works few fragments

remain, but they are enough to establish her claim to eminent poetical genius. The story of Sappho commonly

alluded to is that she was passionately in love with a beautiful youth named Phaon, and failing to obtain a

return of affection she threw herself from the promontory of Leucadia into the sea, under a superstition that

those who should take that "Lover'sleap" would, if not destroyed, be cured of their love.

Those who wish to know more of Sappho and her "leap" are referred to the "Spectator," Nos. 223 and 229.

ENDYMION was a beautiful youth who fed his flock on Mount Latmos. One calm, clear night Diana, the

moon, looked down and saw him sleeping. The cold heart of the virgin goddess was warmed by his

surpassing beauty, and she came down to him, kissed him, and watched over him while he slept.

Another story was that Jupiter bestowed on him the gift of perpetual youth united with perpetual sleep. Of

one so gifted we can have but few adventures to record. Diana, it was said, took care that his fortunes should

not suffer by his inactive life, for she made his flock increase, and guarded his sheep and lambs from the wild

The story of Endymion has a peculiar charm from the human meaning which it so thinly veils. We see in

Endymion the young poet, his fancy and his heart seeking in vain for that which can satisfy them, finding his

favourite hour in the quiet moonlight, and nursing there beneath the beams of the bright and silent witness the

melancholy and the ardour which consume him. The story suggests aspiring and poetic love, a life spent more

The "Endymion" of Keats is a wild and fanciful poem, containing some exquisite poetry, as this, to the moon:

Orion was the son of Neptune. He was a handsome giant and a mighty hunter. His father gave him the power

of wading through the depths of the sea, or, as others say, of walking on its surface.

Orion loved Merope, the daughter of OEnopion, king of Chios, and sought her in marriage. He cleared the

island of wild beasts, and brought the spoils of the chase as presents to his beloved; but as OEnopion

constantly deferred his consent, Orion attempted to gain possession of the maiden by violence. Her father,

incensed at this conduct, having made Orion drunk, deprived him of his sight and cast him out on the

seashore. The blinded hero followed the sound, of a Cyclops' hammer till he reached Lemnos, and came to

the forge of Vulcan, who, taking pity on him, gave him Kedalion, one of his men, to be his guide to the abode

of the sun. Placing Kedalion on his shoulders, Orion proceeded to the east, and there meeting the sungod,

After this he dwelt as a hunter with Diana, with whom he was a favourite, and it is even said she was about to

marry him. Her brother was highly displeased and often chid her, but to no purpose. One day, observing

Orion wading through the sea with his head just above the water, Apollo pointed it out to his sister and

maintained that she could not hit that black thing on the sea. The archergoddess discharged a shaft with fatal

aim. The waves rolled the dead body of Orion to the land, and bewailing her fatal error with many tears,

Diana placed him among the stars, where he appears as a giant, with a girdle, sword, lion's skin, and club.

The Pleiads were daughters of Atlas, and nymphs of Diana's train. One day Orion saw them and became

enamoured and pursued them. In their distress they prayed to the gods to change their form, and Jupiter in

pity turned them into pigeons, and then made them a constellation in the sky. Though their number was

seven, only six stars are visible, for Electra, one of them, it is said left her place that she might not behold the

ruin of Troy, for that city was founded by her son Dardanus. The sight had such an effect on her sisters that

Mr. Longfellow has a poem on the "Occultation of Orion." The following lines are those in which he alludes

to the mythic story. We must premise that on the celestial globe Orion is represented as robed in a lion's skin

and wielding a club. At the moment the stars of the constellation, one by one, were quenched in the light of

The goddess of the Dawn, like her sister the Moon, was at times inspired with the love of mortals. Her

greatest favourite was Tithonus son of Laomedon, king of Troy. She stole him away, and prevailed on Jupiter

to grant him immortality; but, forgetting to have youth joined in the gift, after some time she began to

discern, to her great mortification, that he was growing old. When his hair was quite white she left his

society; but he still had the range of her palace, lived on ambrosial food, and was clad in celestial raiment. At

length he lost the power of using his limbs, and then she shut him up in his chamber, whence his feeble voice

Memnon was the son of Aurora and Tithonus. He was king of the AEthiopians, and dwelt in the extreme east,

on the shore of Ocean. He came with his warriors to assist the kindred of his father in the war of Troy. King

Priam received him with great honours, and listened with admiration to his narrative of the wonders of the

The very day after his arrival, Memnon, impatient of repose, led his troops to the field. Antilochus, the brave

son of Nestor, fell by his hand, and the Greeks were put to flight, when Achilles appeared and restored the

battle. A long and doubtful contest ensued between him and the son of Aurora; at length victory declared for

Aurora, who from her station in the sky had viewed with apprehension the danger of her son, when she saw

him fall, directed his brothers, the Winds, to convey his body to the banks of the river Esepus in Paphlagonia.

In the evening Aurora came, accompanied by the Hours and the Pleiads, and wept and lamented over her son.

Night, in sympathy with her grief, spread the heaven with clouds; all nature mourned for the offspring of the

Dawn. The AEthiopians raised his tomb on the banks of the stream in the grove of the Nymphs, and Jupiter

caused the sparks and cinders of his funeral pile to be turned into birds, which, dividing into two flocks,

fought over the pile till they fell into the flames. Every year at the anniversary of his death they return and

celebrate his obsequies in like manner. Aurora remains inconsolable for the loss of her son. Her tears still

Unlike most of the marvels of ancient mythology, there still exist some memorials of this. On the banks of

the river Nile, in Egypt, are two colossal statues, one of which is said to be the statue of Memnon. Ancient

writers record that when the first rays of the rising sun fall upon this statue a sound is heard to issue from it,

which they compare to the snapping of a harpstring. There is some doubt about the identification of the

existing statue with the one described by the ancients, and the mysterious sounds are still more doubtful. Yet

there are not wanting some modern testimonies to their being still audible. It has been suggested that sounds

produced by confined air making its escape from crevices or caverns in the rocks may have given some

ground for the story. Sir Gardner Wilkinson, a late traveller, of the highest authority, examined the statue

itself, and discovered that it was hollow, and that "in the lap of the statue is a stone, which on being struck

emits a metallic sound, that might still be made use of to deceive a visitor who was predisposed to believe its

The vocal statue of Memnon is a favourite subject of allusion with the poets. Darwin, in his "Botanic

Scylla was a fair virgin of Sicily, a favourite of the SeaNymphs. She had many suitors, but repelled them

all, and would go to the grotto of Galatea, and tell her how she was persecuted. One day the goddess, while

Scylla dressed her hair, listened to the story, and then replied, "Yet, maiden, your persecutors are of the not

ungentle race of men, whom, if you will, you can repel; but I, the daughter of Nereus, and protected by such a

band of sisters, found no escape from the passion of the Cyclops but in the depths of the sea;" and tears

stopped her utterance, which when the pitying maiden had wiped away with her delicate finger, and soothed

the goddess, "Tell me, dearest," said she, "the cause of your grief." Galatea then said, "Acis was the son of

Faunus, and a Naiad. His father and mother loved him dearly, but their love was not equal to mine. For the

beautiful youth attached himself to me alone, and he was just sixteen years old, the down just beginning to

darken his cheeks. As much as I sought his society, so much did the Cyclops seek mine; and if you ask me

whether my love for Acis or my hatred of Polyphemus was the stronger, I cannot tell you; they were in equal

measure. O Venus, how great is thy power! this fierce giant, the terror of the woods, whom no hapless

stranger escaped unharmed, who defied even Jove himself, learned to feel what love was, and, touched with a

passion for me, forgot his flocks and his wellstored caverns. Then for the first time he began to take some

care of his appearance, and to try to make himself agreeable; he harrowed those coarse locks of his with a

comb, and mowed his beard with a sickle, looked at his harsh features in the water, and composed his

countenance. His love of slaughter, his fierceness and thirst of blood prevailed no more, and ships that

touched at his island went away in safety. He paced up and down the seashore, imprinting huge tracks with

"There is a cliff which projects into the sea, which washes it on either side. Thither one day the huge Cyclops

ascended, and sat down while his flocks spread themselves around. Laying down his staff, which would have

served for a mast to hold a vessel's sail, and taking his instrument compacted of numerous pipes, he made the

hills and the waters echo the music of his song. I lay hid under a rock by the side of my beloved Acis, and

listened to the distant strain. It was full of extravagant praises of my beauty, mingled with passionate

"When he had finished he rose up, and, like a raging bull that cannot stand still, wandered off into the woods.

Acis and I thought no more of him, till on a sudden he came to a spot which gave him a view of us as we sat.

'I see you,' he exclaimed, 'and I will make this the last of your lovemeetings.' His voice was a roar such as

an angry Cyclops alone could utter. AEtna trembled at the sound. I, overcome with terror, plunged into the

water. Acis turned and fled, crying, 'Save me, Galatea, save me, my parents!' The Cyclops pursued him, and

tearing a rock from the side of the mountain hurled it at him. Though only a corner of it touched him, it

"All that fate left in my power I did for Acis. I endowed him with the honours of his grandfather, the

rivergod. The purple blood flowed out from under the rock, but by degrees grew paler and looked like the

stream of a river rendered turbid by rains, and in time it became clear. The rock cleaved open, and the water,

Dryden, in his "Cymon and Iphigenia," has told the story of a clown converted into a gentleman by the power

of love, in a way that shows traces of kindred to the old story of Galatea and the Cyclops.

MINERVA was the goddess of wisdom, but on one occasion she did a very foolish thing; she entered into

competition with Juno and Venus for the prize of beauty. It happened thus: At the nuptials of Peleus and

Thetis all the gods were invited with the exception of Eris, or Discord. Enraged at her exclusion, the goddess

threw a golden apple among the guests, with the inscription, "For the fairest." Thereupon Juno, Venus, and

Minerva each claimed the apple. Jupiter, not willing to decide in so delicate a matter, sent the goddesses to

Mount Ida, where the beautiful shepherd Paris was tending his flocks, and to him was committed the

decision. The goddesses accordingly appeared before him. Juno promised him power and riches, Minerva

glory and renown in war, and Venus the fairest of women for his wife, each attempting to bias his decision in

her own favour. Paris decided in favour of Venus and gave her the golden apple, thus making the two other

goddesses his enemies. Under the protection of Venus, Paris sailed to Greece, and was hospitably received by

Menelaus, king of Sparta. Now Helen, the wife of Menelaus, was the very woman whom Venus had destined

for Paris, the fairest of her sex. She had been sought as a bride by numerous suitors, and before her decision

was made known, they all, at the suggestion of Ulysses, one of their number, took an oath that they would

defend her from all injury and avenge her cause if necessary. She chose Menelaus, and was living with him

happily when Paris became their guest. Paris, aided by Venus, persuaded her to elope with him, and carried

her to Troy, whence arose the famous Trojan war, the theme of the greatest poems of antiquity, those of

Menelaus called upon his brother chieftains of Greece to fulfil their pledge, and join him in his efforts to

recover his wife. They generally came forward, but Ulysses, who had married Penelope, and was very happy

in his wife and child, had no disposition to embark in such a troublesome affair. He therefore hung back and

Palamedes was sent to urge him. When Palamedes arrived at Ithaca Ulysses pretended to be mad. He yoked

an ass and an ox together to the plough and began to sow salt. Palamedes, to try him, placed the infant

Telemachus before the plough, whereupon the father turned the plough aside, showing plainly that he was no

madman, and after that could no longer refuse to fulfil his promise. Being now himself gained for the

undertaking, he lent his aid to bring in other reluctant chiefs, especially Achilles. This hero was the son of

that Thetis at whose marriage the apple of Discord had been thrown among the goddesses. Thetis was herself

one of the immortals, a seanymph, and knowing that her son was fated to perish before Troy if he went on

the expedition, she endeavoured to prevent his going. She sent him away to the court of King Lycomedes,

and induced him to conceal himself in the disguise of a maiden among the daughters of the king. Ulysses,

hearing he was there, went disguised as a merchant to the palace and offered for sale female ornaments,

among which he had placed some arms. While the king's daughters were engrossed with the other contents of

the merchant's pack, Achilles handled the weapons and thereby betrayed himself to the keen eye of Ulysses,

who found no great difficulty in persuading him to disregard his mother's prudent counsels and join his

Priam was king of Troy, and Paris, the shepherd and seducer of Helen, was his son. Paris had been brought

up in obscurity, because there were certain ominous forebodings connected with him from his infancy that he

would be the ruin of the state. These forebodings seemed at length likely to be realized, for the Grecian

armament now in preparation was the greatest that had ever been fitted out. Agamemnon, king of Mycenae,

and brother of the injured Menelaus, was chosen commanderinchief. Achilles was their most illustrious

warrior. After him ranked Ajax, gigantic in size and of great courage, but dull of intellect; Diomede, second

only to Achilles in all the qualities of a hero; Ulysses, famous for his sagacity; and Nestor, the oldest of the

Grecian chiefs, and one to whom they all looked up for counsel. But Troy was no feeble enemy. Priam, the

king, was now old, but he had been a wise prince and had strengthened his state by good government at home

and numerous alliances with his neighbours. But the principal stay and support of his throne was his own

Hector, one of the noblest characters painted by heathen antiquity. He felt, from the first, a presentiment of

the fall of his country, but still persevered in his heroic resistance, yet by no means justified the wrong which

brought this danger upon her. He was united in marriage with Andromache, and as a husband and father his

character was not less admirable than as a warrior. The principal leaders on the side of the Trojans, besides

After two years of preparation the Greek fleet and army assembled in the port of Aulis in Boeotia. Here

Agamemnon in hunting killed a stag which was sacred to Diana, and the goddess in return visited the army

with pestilence, and produced a calm which prevented the ships from leaving the port. Calchas, the

soothsayer, thereupon announced that the wrath of the virgin goddess could only be appeased by the sacrifice

of a virgin on her altar, and that none other but the daughter of the offender would be acceptable.

Agamemnon, however reluctant, yielded his consent, and the maiden Iphigenia was sent for under the

pretence that she was to be married to Achilles. When she was about to be sacrificed the goddess relented and

snatched her away, leaving a hind in her place, and Iphigenia, enveloped in a cloud, was carried to Tauris,

Tennyson, in his "Dream of Fair Women," makes Iphigenia thus describe her feelings at the moment of

The wind now proving fair the fleet made sail and brought the forces to the coast of Troy. The Trojans came

to oppose their landing, and at the first onset Protesilaus fell by the hand of Hector. Protesilaus had left at

home his wife, Laodamia, who was most tenderly attached to him. When the news of his death reached her

she implored the gods to be allowed to converse with him only three hours. The request was granted.

Mercury led Protesilaus back to the upper world, and when he died a second time Laodamia died with him.

There was a story that the nymphs planted elm trees round his grave which grew very well till they were high

enough to command a view of Troy, and then withered away, while fresh branches sprang from the roots.

Wordsworth has taken the story of Protesilaus and Laodamia for the subject of a poem. It seems the oracle

had declared that victory should be the lot of that party from which should fall the first victim to the war. The

poet represents Protesilaus, on his brief return to earth, as relating to Laodamia the story of his fate:

The war continued without decisive results for nine years. Then an event occurred which seemed likely to be

fatal to the cause of the Greeks, and that was a quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon. It is at this point

that the great poem of Homer, "The Iliad," begins. The Greeks, though unsuccessful against Troy, had taken

the neighbouring and allied cities, and in the division of the spoil a female captive, by name Chryseis,

daughter of Chryses, priest of Apollo, had fallen to the share of Agamemnon. Chryses came bearing the

sacred emblems of his office, and begged the release of his daughter. Agamemnon refused. Thereupon

Chryses implored Apollo to afflict the Greeks till they should be forced to yield their prey. Apollo granted the

prayer of his priest, and sent pestilence into the Grecian camp. Then a council was called to deliberate how to

allay the wrath of the gods and avert the plague. Achilles boldly charged their misfortunes upon Agamemnon

as caused by his withholding Chryseis. Agamemnon, enraged, consented to relinquish his captive, but

demanded that Achilles should yield to him in her stead Briseis, a maiden who had fallen to Achilles' share in

the division of the spoil. Achilles submitted, but forthwith declared that he would take no further part in the

war. He withdrew his forces from the general camp and openly avowed his intention of returning home to

The gods and goddesses interested themselves as much in this famous war as the parties themselves. It was

well known to them that fate had decreed that Troy should fall, at last, if her enemies should persevere and

not voluntarily abandon the enterprise. Yet there was room enough left for chance to excite by turns the hopes

and fears of the powers above who took part with either side. Juno and Minerva, in consequence of the slight

put upon their charms by Paris, were hostile to the Trojans; Venus for the opposite cause favoured them.

Venus enlisted her admirer Mars on the same side, but Neptune favoured the Greeks. Apollo was neutral,

sometimes taking one side, sometimes the other, and Jove himself, though he loved the good King Priam, yet

Thetis, the mother of Achilles, warmly resented the injury done to her son. She repaired immediately to

Jove's palace and besought him to make the Greeks repent of their injustice to Achilles by granting success to

the Trojan arms. Jupiter consented, and in the battle which ensued the Trojans were completely successful.

Then Agamemnon called a council of his wisest and bravest chiefs. Nestor advised that an embassy should be

sent to Achilles to persuade him to return to the field; that Agamemnon should yield the maiden, the cause of

the dispute, with ample gifts to atone for the wrong he had done. Agamemnon consented, and Ulysses, Ajax

and Phoenix were sent to carry to Achilles the penitent message. They performed that duty, but Achilles was

deaf to their entreaties. He positively refused to return to the field, and persisted in his resolution to embark

The Greeks had constructed a rampart around their ships, and now instead of besieging Troy they were in a

manner besieged themselves, within their rampart. The next day after the unsuccessful embassy to Achilles, a

battle was fought, and the Trojans, favoured by Jove, were successful, and succeeded in forcing a passage

through the Grecian rampart, and were about to set fire to the ships. Neptune, seeing the Greeks so pressed,

came to their rescue. He appeared in the form of Calchas the prophet, encouraged the warriors with his

shouts, and appealed to each individually till he raised their ardour to such a pitch that they forced the Trojans

to give way. Ajax performed prodigies of valour, and at length encountered Hector. Ajax shouted defiance, to

which Hector replied, and hurled his lance at the huge warrior. It was well aimed and struck Ajax, where the

belts that bore his sword and shield crossed each other on the breast. The double guard prevented its

penetrating and it fell harmless. Then Ajax, seizing a huge stone, one of those that served to prop the ships,

hurled it at Hector. It struck him in the neck and stretched him on the plain. His followers instantly seized

While Neptune was thus aiding the Greeks and driving back the Trojans, Jupiter saw nothing of what was

going on, for his attention had been drawn from the field by the wiles of Juno. That goddess had arrayed

herself in all her charms, and to crown all had borrowed of Venus her girdle, called "Cestus," which had the

effect to heighten the wearer's charms to such a degree that they were quite irresistible. So prepared, Juno

went to Join her husband, who sat on Olympus watching the battle. When he beheld her she looked so

charming that the fondness of his early love revived, and, forgetting the contending armies and all other

But this absorption did not continue long, and when, upon turning his eyes downward, he beheld Hector

stretched on the plain almost lifeless from pain and bruises, he dismissed Juno in a rage, commanding her to

send Iris and Apollo to him. When Iris came he sent her with a stern message to Neptune, ordering him

instantly to quit the field. Apollo was despatched to heal Hector's bruises and to inspirit his heart. These

orders were obeyed with such speed that, while the battle still raged, Hector returned to the field and Neptune

An arrow from Paris's bow wounded Machaon, son of AEsculapius, who inherited his father's art of healing,

and was therefore of great value to the Greeks as their surgeon, besides being one of their bravest warriors.

Nestor took Machaon in his chariot and conveyed him from the field. As they passed the ships of Achilles,

that hero, looking out over the field, saw the chariot of Nestor and recognized the old chief, but could not

discern who the wounded chief was. So calling Patroclus, his companion and dearest friend, he sent him to

Patroclus, arriving at Nestor's tent, saw Machaon wounded, and having told the cause of his coming would

have hastened away, but Nestor detained him, to tell him the extent of the Grecian calamities. He reminded

him also how, at the time of departing for Troy, Achilles and himself had been charged by their respective

fathers with different advice: Achilles to aspire to the highest pitch of glory, Patroclus, as the elder, to keep

watch over his friend, and to guide his inexperience. "Now," said Nestor, "is the time for such influence. If

the gods so please, thou mayest win him back to the common cause; but if not let him at least send his

soldiers to the field, and come thou, Patroclus, clad in his armour, and perhaps the very sight of it may drive

Patroclus was strongly moved with this address, and hastened back to Achilles, revolving in his mind all he

had seen and heard. He told the prince the sad condition of affairs at the camp of their late associates:

Diomede, Ulysses, Agamemnon, Machaon, all wounded, the rampart broken down, the enemy among the

ships preparing to burn them, and thus to cut off all means of return to Greece. While they spoke the flames

burst forth from one of the ships. Achilles, at the sight, relented so far as to grant Patroclus his request to lead

the Myrmidons (for so were Achilles' soldiers called) to the field, and to lend him his armour, that he might

thereby strike more terror into the minds of the Trojans. Without delay the soldiers were marshalled,

Patroclus put on the radiant armour and mounted the chariot of Achilles, and led forth the men ardent for

battle. But before he went, Achilles strictly charged him that he should be content with repelling the foe.

"Seek not," said he, "to press the Trojans without me, lest thou add still more to the disgrace already mine."

Then exhorting the troops to do their best he dismissed them full of ardour to the fight.

Patroclus and his Myrmidons at once plunged into the contest where it raged hottest; at the sight of which the

joyful Grecians shouted and the ships reechoed the acclaim. The Trojans, at the sight of the wellknown

armour, struck with terror, looked everywhere for refuge. First those who had got possession of the ship and

set it on fire left and allowed the Grecians to retake it and extinguish the flames. Then the rest of the Trojans

fled in dismay. Ajax, Menelaus, and the two sons of Nestor performed prodigies of valour. Hector was forced

to turn his horses' heads and retire from the enclosure, leaving his men entangled in the fosse to escape as

they could. Patroclus drove them before him, slaying many, none daring to make a stand against him.

At last Sarpedon, son of Jove, ventured to oppose himself in fight to Patroclus. Jupiter looked down upon him

and would have snatched him from the fate which awaited him, but Juno hinted that if he did so it would

induce all others of the inhabitants of heaven to interpose in like manner whenever any of their offspring

were endangered; to which reason Jove yielded. Sarpedon threw his spear, but missed Patroclus, but

Patroclus threw his with better success. It pierced Sarpedon's breast and he fell, and, calling to his friends to

save his body from the foe, expired. Then a furious contest arose for the possession of the corpse. The Greeks

succeeded and stripped Sarpedon of his armour; but Jove would not allow the remains of his son to be

dishonoured, and by his command Apollo snatched from the midst of the combatants the body of Sarpedon

and committed it to the care of the twin brothers Death and Sleep, by whom it was transported to Lycia, the

Thus far Patroclus had succeeded to his utmost wish in repelling the Trojans and relieving his countrymen,

but now came a change of fortune. Hector, borne in his chariot, confronted him. Patroclus threw a vast stone

at Hector, which missed its aim, but smote Cebriones, the charioteer, and knocked him from the car. Hector

leaped from the chariot to rescue his friend, and Patroclus also descended to complete his victory. Thus the

two heroes met face to face. At this decisive moment the poet, as if reluctant to give Hector the glory, records

that Phoebus took part against Patroclus. He struck the helmet from his head and the lance from his hand. At

the same moment an obscure Trojan wounded him in the back, and Hector, pressing forward, pierced him

Then arose a tremendous conflict for the body of Patroclus, but his armour was at once taken possession of

by Hector, who retiring a short distance divested himself of his own armour and put on that of Achilles, then

returned to the fight. Ajax and Menelaus defended the body, and Hector and his bravest warriors struggled to

capture it. The battle raged with equal fortunes, when Jove enveloped the whole face of heaven with a dark

cloud. The lightning flashed, the thunder roared, and Ajax, looking round for some one whom he might

despatch to Achilles to tell him of the death of his friend, and of the imminent danger that his remains would

fall into the hands of the enemy, could see no suitable messenger. It was then that he exclaimed in those

Jupiter heard the prayer and dispersed the clouds. Then Ajax sent Antilochus to Achilles with the intelligence

of Patroclus's death, and of the conflict raging for his remains. The Greeks at last succeeded in bearing off the

body to the ships, closely pursued by Hector and AEneas and the rest of the Trojans.

Achilles heard the fate of his friend with such distress that Antilochus feared for a while that he would

destroy himself. His groans reached the ears of his mother, Thetis, far down in the deeps of ocean where she

abode, and she hastened to him to inquire the cause. She found him overwhelmed with selfreproach that he

had indulged his resentment so far, and suffered his friend to fall a victim to it. But his only consolation was

the hope of revenge. He would fly instantly in search of Hector. But his mother reminded him that he was

now without armour, and promised him, if he would but wait till the morrow, she would procure for him a

suit of armour from Vulcan more than equal to that he had lost. He consented, and Thetis immediately

repaired to Vulcan's palace. She found him busy at his forge making tripods for his own use, so artfully

constructed that they moved forward of their own accord when wanted, and retired again when dismissed. On

hearing the request of Thetis, Vulcan immediately laid aside his work and hastened to comply with her

wishes. He fabricated a splendid suit of armour for Achilles, first a shield adorned with elaborate devices,

then a helmet crested with gold, then a corselet and greaves of impenetrable temper, all perfectly adapted to

his form, and of consummate workmanship. It was all done in one night, and Thetis, receiving it, descended

The first glow of pleasure that Achilles had felt since the death of Patroclus was at the sight of this splendid

armour. And now, arrayed in it, he went forth into the camp, calling all the chiefs to council. When they were

all assembled he addressed them. Renouncing his displeasure against Agamemnon and bitterly lamenting the

miseries that had resulted from it, he called on them to proceed at once to the field. Agamemnon made a

suitable reply, laying all the blame on Ate, the goddess of discord; and thereupon complete reconcilement

Then Achilles went forth to battle inspired with a rage and thirst for vengeance that made him irresistible.

The bravest warriors fled before him or fell by his lance. Hector, cautioned by Apollo, kept aloof; but the

god, assuming the form of one of Priam's sons, Lycaon, urged AEneas to encounter the terrible warrior.

AEneas, though he felt himself unequal, did not decline the combat. He hurled his spear with all his force

against the shield, the work of Vulcan. It was formed of five metal plates; two were of brass, two of tin, and

one of gold. The spear pierced two thicknesses, but was stopped in the third. Achilles threw his with better

success. It pierced through the shield of AEneas, but glanced near his shoulder and made no wound. Then

AEneas seized a stone, such as two men of modern times could hardly lift, and was about to throw it, and

Achilles, with sword drawn, was about to rush upon him, when Neptune, who looked out upon the contest,

moved with pity for AEneas, who he saw would surely fall a victim if not speedily rescued, spread a cloud

between the combatants, and lifting AEneas from the ground, bore him over the heads of warriors and steeds

to the rear of the battle. Achilles, when the mist cleared away, looked round in vain for his adversary, and

acknowledging the prodigy, turned his arms against other champions. But none dared stand before him, and

Priam looking down from the city walls beheld his whole army in full flight towards the city. He gave

command to open wide the gates to receive the fugitives, and to shut them as soon as the Trojans should have

passed, lest the enemy should enter likewise. But Achilles was so close in pursuit that that would have been

impossible if Apollo had not, in the form of Agenor, Priam's son, encountered Achilles for a while, then

turned to fly, and taken the way apart from the city. Achilles pursued and had chased his supposed victim far

from the walls, when Apollo disclosed himself, and Achilles, perceiving how he had been deluded, gave up

But when the rest had escaped into the town Hector stood without determined to await the combat. His old

father called to him from the walls and begged him to retire nor tempt the encounter. His mother, Hecuba,

also besought him to the same effect, but all in vain. "How can I," said he to himself, "by whose command

the people went to this day's contest, where so many have fallen, seek safety for myself against a single foe?

But what if I offer him to yield up Helen and all her treasures and ample of our own beside? Ah, no! it is too

late. He would not even hear me through, but slay me while I spoke." While he thus ruminated, Achilles

approached, terrible as Mars, his armour flashing lightning as he moved. At that sight Hector's heart failed

him and he fled. Achilles swiftly pursued. They ran, still keeping near the walls, till they had thrice encircled

the city. As often as Hector approached the walls Achilles intercepted him and forced him to keep out in a

wider circle. But Apollo sustained Hector's strength and would not let him sink in weariness. Then Pallas,

assuming the form of Deiphobus, Hector's bravest brother, appeared suddenly at his side. Hector saw him

with delight, and thus strengthened stopped his flight and turned to meet Achilles. Hector threw his spear,

which struck the shield of Achilles and bounded back. He. turned to receive another from the hand of

Deiphobus, but Deiphobus was gone. Then Hector understood his doom and said, "Alas! it is plain this is my

hour to die! I thought Deiphobus at hand, but Pallas deceived me, and he is still in Troy. But I will not fall

inglorious." So saying he drew his falchion from his side and rushed at once to combat. Achilles, secure

behind his shield, waited the approach of Hector. When he came within reach of his spear, Achilles choosing

with his eye a vulnerable part where the armour leaves the neck uncovered, aimed his spear at that part and

Hector fell, deathwounded, and feebly said, "Spare my body! Let my parents ransom it, and let me receive

funeral rites from the sons and daughters of Troy." To which Achilles replied, "Dog, name not ransom nor

pity to me, on whom you have brought such dire distress. No! trust me, nought shall save thy carcass from

the dogs. Though twenty ransoms and thy weight in gold were offered, I would refuse it all."

So saying he stripped the body of its armour, and fastening cords to the feet tied them behind his chariot,

leaving the body to trail along the ground. Then mounting the chariot he lashed the steeds and so dragged the

body to and fro before the city. What words can tell the grief of King Priam and Queen Hecuba at this sight!

His people could scarce restrain the old king from rushing forth. He threw himself in the dust and besought

them each by name to give him way. Hecuba's distress was not less violent. The citizens stood round them

weeping. The sound of the mourning reached the ears of Andromache, the wife of Hector, as she sat among

her maidens at work, and anticipating evil she went forth to the wall. When she saw the sight there presented,

she would have thrown herself headlong from the wall, but fainted and fell into the arms of her maidens.

Recovering, she bewailed her fate, picturing to herself her country ruined, herself a captive, and her son

When Achilles and the Greeks had taken their revenge on the killer of Patroclus they busied themselves in

paying due funeral rites to their friend. A pile was erected, and the body burned with due solemnity; and then

ensued games of strength and skill, chariot races, wrestling, boxing and archery. Then the chiefs sat down to

the funeral banquet and after that retired to rest. But Achilles neither partook of the feast nor of sleep. The

recollection of his lost friend kept him awake, remembering their companionship in toil and dangers, in battle

or on the perilous deep. Before the earliest dawn he left his tent, and joining to his chariot his swift steeds, he

fastened Hector's body to be dragged behind. Twice he dragged him round the tomb of Patroclus, leaving him

at length stretched in the dust. But Apollo would not permit the body to be torn or disfigured with all this

While Achilles indulged his wrath in thus disgracing brave Hector, Jupiter in pity summoned Thetis to his

presence. He told her to go to her son and prevail on him to restore the body of Hector to his friends. Then

Jupiter sent Iris to King Priam to encourage him to go to Achilles and beg the body of his son. Iris delivered

her message, and Priam immediately prepared to obey. He opened his treasuries and took out rich garments

and cloths, with ten talents in gold and two splendid tripods and a golden cup of matchless workmanship.

Then he called to his sons and bade them draw forth his litter and place in it the various articles designed for

a ransom to Achilles. When all was ready, the old king with a single companion as aged as himself, the herald

Idaeus, drove forth from the gates, parting there with Hecuba, his queen, and all his friends, who lamented

But Jupiter, beholding with compassion the venerable king, sent Mercury to be his guide and protector.

Mercury, assuming the form of a young warrior, presented himself to the aged couple, and while at the sight

of him they hesitated whether to fly or yield, the god approached, and grasping Priam's hand offered to be

their guide to Achilles' tent. Priam gladly accepted his offered service, and he, mounting the carriage,

assumed the reins and soon conveyed them to the tent of Achilles. Mercury's wand put to sleep all the guards,

and without hindrance he introduced Priam into the tent where Achilles sat, attended by two of his warriors.

The old king threw himself at the feet of Achilles, and kissed those terrible hands which had destroyed so

many of his sons. "Think, O Achilles," he said, "of thy own father, full of days like me, and trembling on the

gloomy verge of life. Perhaps even now some neighbour chief oppresses him and there is none at hand to

succour him in his distress. Yet doubtless knowing that Achilles lives he still rejoices, hoping that one day he

shall see thy face again. But no comfort cheers me, whose bravest sons, so late the flower of Ilium, all have

fallen. Yet one I had, one more than all the rest the strength of my age, whom, fighting for his country, thou

hast slain. I come to redeem his body, bringing inestimable ransom with me. Achilles! reverence the gods!

recollect thy father! for his sake show compassion to me!" These words moved Achilles, and he wept

remembering by turns his absent father and his lost friend. Moved with pity of Priam's silver locks and beard,

he raised him from the earth, and thus spake: "Priam, I know that thou hast reached this place conducted by

some god, for without aid divine no mortal even in his prime of youth had dared the attempt. I grant thy

request, moved thereto by the evident will of Jove." So saying he arose, and went forth with his two friends,

and unloaded of its charge the litter, leaving two mantles and a robe for the covering of the body, which they

placed on the litter, and spread the garments over it, that not unveiled it should be borne back to Troy. Then

Achilles dismissed the old king with his attendants, having first pledged himself to allow a truce of twelve

As the litter approached the city and was descried from the walls, the people poured forth to gaze once more

on the face of their hero. Foremost of all, the mother and the wife of Hector came, and at the sight of the

lifeless body renewed their lamentations. The people all wept with them, and to the going down of the sun

The next day preparations were made for the funeral solemnities. For nine days the people brought wood and

built the pile, and on the tenth they placed the body on the summit and applied the torch; while all Troy

thronging forth encompassed the pile. When it had completely burned, they quenched the cinders with wine,

collected the bones and placed them in a golden urn, which they buried in the earth, and reared a pile of

THE story of the Iliad ends with the death of Hector, and it is from the Odyssey and later poems that we learn

the fate of the other heroes. After the death of Hector, Troy did not immediately fall, but receiving aid from

new allies still continued its resistance. One of these allies was Memnon, the AEthiopian prince, whose story

we have already told. Another was Penthesilea, queen of the Amazons, who came with a band of female

warriors. All the authorities attest their valour and the fearful effect of their war cry. Penthesilea slew many

of the bravest warriors, but was at last slain by Achilles. But when the hero bent over his fallen foe, and

contemplated her beauty, youth and valour, he bitterly regretted his victory. Thersites, an insolent brawler and

Achilles by chance had seen Polyxena, daughter of King Priam, perhaps on occasion of the truce which was

allowed the Trojans for the burial of Hector. He was captivated with her charms, and to win her in marriage

agreed to use his influence with the Greeks to grant peace to Troy. While in the temple of Apollo, negotiating

the marriage, Paris discharged at him a poisoned arrow, which, guided by Apollo, wounded Achilles in the

heel, the only vulnerable part about him. For Thetis his mother had dipped him when an infant in the river

Styx, which made every part of him invulnerable except the heel by which she held him.*

The story of the invulnerability of Achilles is not found in Homer, and is inconsistent with his account. For

The body of Achilles so treacherously slain was rescued by Ajax and Ulysses. Thetis directed the Greeks to

bestow her son's armour on the hero who of all the survivors should be judged most deserving of it. Ajax and

Ulysses were the only claimants; a select number of the other chiefs were appointed to award the prize. It was

awarded to Ulysses, thus placing wisdom before valour, whereupon Ajax slew himself. On the spot where his

blood sank into the earth a flower sprang up, called the hyacinth, bearing on its leaves the first two letters of

the name of Ajax, Ai, the Greek for "woe." Thus Ajax is a claimant with the boy Hyacinthus for the honour

of giving birth to this flower. There is a species of Larkspur which represents the hyacinth of the poets in

It was now discovered that Troy could not be taken but by the aid of the arrows of Hercules. They were in

possession of Philoctetes, the friend who had been with Hercules at the last and lighted his funeral pyre.

Philoctetes had joined the Grecian expedition against Troy, but had accidentally wounded his foot with one of

the poisoned arrows, and the smell from his wound proved so offensive that his companions carried him to

the isle of Lemnos and left him there. Diomed was now sent to induce him to rejoin the army. He succeeded.

Philoctetes was cured of his wound by Machaon, and Paris was the first victim of the fatal arrows. In his

distress Paris bethought him of one whom in his prosperity he had forgotten. This was the nymph OEnone,

whom he had married when a youth, and had abandoned for the fatal beauty Helen. OEnone remembering the

wrongs she had suffered, refused to heal the wound, and Paris went back to Troy and died. OEnone quickly

repented, and hastened after him with remedies, but came too late, and in her grief hung herself.*

Tennyson has chosen OEnone as the subject of a short poem; but he has omitted the most poetical part of the

There was in Troy a celebrated statue of Minerva called the Palladium. It was said to have fallen from

heaven, and the belief was that the city could not be taken so long as this statue remained within it. Ulysses

and Diomed entered the city in disguise and succeeded in obtaining the Palladium, which they carried off to

But Troy still held out, and the Greeks began to despair of ever subduing it by force, and by advice of Ulysses

resolved to resort to stratagem. They pretended to be making preparations to abandon the siege, and a portion

of the ships were withdrawn and lay hid behind a neighbouring island. The Greeks then constructed an

immense wooden horse, which they gave out was intended as a propitiatory offering to Minerva, but in fact

was filled with armed men. The remaining Greeks then betook themselves to their ships and sailed away, as if

for a final departure. The Trojans, seeing the encampment broken up and the fleet gone, concluded the enemy

to have abandoned the siege. The gates were thrown open, and the whole population issued forth rejoicing at

the longprohibited liberty of passing freely over the scene of the late encampment. The great horse was the

chief object of curiosity. All wondered what it could be for. Some recommended to take it into the city as a

While they hesitate, Laocoon, the priest of Neptune, exclaims, "What madness, citizens, is this? Have you not

learned enough of Grecian fraud to be on your guard against it? For my part, I fear the Greeks even when

they offer gifts."* So saying he threw his lance at the horse's side. It struck, and a hollow sound reverberated

like a groan. Then perhaps the people might have taken his advice and destroyed the fatal horse and all its

contents; but just at that moment a group of people appeared, dragging forward one who seemed a prisoner

and a Greek. Stupefied with terror, he was brought before the chiefs, who reassured him, promising that his

life should be spared on condition of his returning true answers to the questions asked him. He informed them

that he was a Greek, Sinon by name, and that in consequence of the malice of Ulysses he had been left behind

by his countrymen at their departure. With regard to the wooden horse, he told them that it was a propitiatory

offering to Minerva, and made so huge for the express purpose of preventing its being carried within the city;

for Calchas the prophet had told them that if the Trojans took possession of it they would assuredly triumph

over the Greeks. This language turned the tide of the people's feelings and they began to think how they

might best secure the monstrous horse and the favourable auguries connected with it, when suddenly a

prodigy occurred which left no room to doubt. There appeared, advancing over the sea, two immense

serpents. They came upon the land, and the crowd fled in all directions. The serpents advanced directly to the

spot where Laocoon stood with his two sons. They first attacked the children, winding round their bodies and

breathing their pestilential breath in their faces. The father, attempting to rescue them, is next seized and

involved in the serpents' coils. He struggles to tear them away, but they overpower all his efforts and strangle

him and the children in their poisonous folds. This event was regarded as a clear indication of the displeasure

of the gods at Laocoon's irreverent treatment of the wooden horse, which they no longer hesitated to regard as

a sacred object, and prepared to introduce with due solemnity into the city. This was done with songs and

triumphal acclamations, and the day closed with festivity. In the night the armed men who were enclosed in

the body of the horse, being let out by the traitor Sinon, opened the gates of the city to their friends, who had

returned under cover of the night. The city was set on fire; the people, overcome with feasting and sleep, put

One of the most celebrated groups of statuary in existence is that of Laocoon and his children in the embrace

of the serpents. The original is in the Vatican at Rome. The following lines are from the "Childe Harold" of

The comic poets will also occasionally borrow a classical allusion. The following is from Swift's

King Priam lived to see the downfall of his kingdom and was slain at last on the fatal night when the Greeks

took the city. He had armed himself and was about to mingle with the combatants, but was prevailed on by

Hecuba, his aged queen, to take refuge with herself and his daughters as a suppliant at the altar of Jupiter.

While there, his youngest son Polites, pursued by Pyrrhus, the son of Achilles, rushed in wounded, and

expired at the feet of his father; whereupon Priam, overcome with indignation, hurled his spear with feeble

Pyrrhus's exclamation, "Not such aid nor such defenders does the time require," has become proverbial. See

Queen Hecuba and her daughter Cassandra were carried captives to Greece. Cassandra had been loved by

Apollo, and he gave her the gift of prophecy; but afterwards offended with her, he rendered the gift

unavailing by ordaining that her predictions should never be believed. Polyxena, another daughter, who had

been loved by Achilles, was demanded by the ghost of that warrior, and was sacrificed by the Greeks upon

Our readers will be anxious to know the fate of Helen, the fair but guilty occasion of so much slaughter. On

the fall of Troy Menelaus recovered possession of his wife, who had not ceased to love him, though she had

yielded to the might of Venus and deserted him for another. After the death of Paris she aided the Greeks

secretly on several occasions, and in particular when Ulysses and Diomed entered the city in disguise to carry

off the Palladium. She saw and recognized Ulysses, but kept the secret and even assisted them in obtaining

the image. Thus she became reconciled to her husband, and they were among the first to leave the shores of

Troy for their native land. But having incurred the displeasure of the gods they were driven by storms from

shore to shore of the Mediterranean, visiting Cyprus, Phoenicia and Egypt. In Egypt they were kindly treated

and presented with rich gifts, of which Helen's share was a golden spindle and a basket on wheels. The basket

Milton also alludes to a famous recipe for an invigorating draught, called Nepenthe, which the Egyptian

Menelaus and Helen at length arrived in safety at Sparta, resumed their royal dignity, and lived and reigned in

splendour; and when Telemachus, the son of Ulysses, in search of his father, arrived at Sparta, he found

Menelaus and Helen celebrating the marriage of their daughter Hermione to Neoptolemus, son of Achilles.

Agamemnon, the generalinchief of the Greeks, the brother of Menelaus, and who had been drawn into the

quarrel to avenge his brother's wrongs, not his own, was not so fortunate in the issue. During his absence his

wife Clytemnestra had been false to him, and when his return was expected, she with her paramour,

AEgisthus, laid a plan for his destruction, and at the banquet given to celebrate his return, murdered him.

It was intended by the conspirators to slay his son Orestes also, a lad not yet old enough to be an object of

apprehension, but from whom, if he should be suffered to grow up, there might be danger. Electra, the sister

of Orestes, saved her brother's life by sending him secretly away to his uncle Strophius, King of Phocis. In

the palace of Strophius Orestes grew up with the king's son Pylades, and formed with him that ardent

friendship which bas become proverbial. Electra frequently reminded her brother by messengers of the duty

of avenging his father's death, and when grown up he consulted the oracle of Delphi, which confirmed him in

his design. He therefore repaired in disguise to Argos, pretending to be a messenger from Strophius, who had

come to announce the death of Orestes, and brought the ashes of the deceased in a funeral urn. After visiting

his father's tomb and. sacrificing upon it, according to the rites of the ancients he made himself known to his

This revolting act, the slaughter of a mother by her son, though alleviated by the guilt of the victim and the

express command of the gods, did not fail to awaken in the breasts of the ancients the same abhorrence that it

does in ours. The Eumenides, avenging deities, seized upon Orestes, and drove him frantic from land to land.

Pylades accompanied him in his wanderings and watched over him. At length, in answer to a second appeal

to the oracle, he was directed to go to Tauris in Scythia, and to bring thence a statue of Diana which was

believed to have fallen from heaven. Accordingly Orestes and Pylades went to Tauris, where the barbarous

people were accustomed to sacrifice to the goddess all strangers who fell into their hands. The two friends

were seized and carried bound to the temple to be made victims. But the priestess of Diana was no other than

Iphigenia, the sister of Orestes, who, our readers will remember, was snatched away by Diana at the moment

when she was about to be sacrificed. Ascertaining from the prisoners who they were, Iphigenia disclosed

herself to them, and the three made their escape with the statue of the goddess, and returned to Mycenae.

But Orestes was not yet relieved from the vengeance of the Erinyes. At length he took refuge with Minerva at

Athens. The goddess afforded him protection, and appointed the court of Areopagus to decide his fate. The

Erinyes brought forward their accusation, and Orestes made the command of the Delphic oracle his excuse.

When the court voted and the voices were equally divided, Orestes was acquitted by the command of

One of the most pathetic scenes in the ancient drama is that in which Sophocles represents the meeting of

Orestes and Electra, on his return from Phocis. Orestes, mistaking Electra for one of the domestics, and

desirous of keeping his arrival a secret till the hour of vengeance should arrive, produces the urn in which his

ashes are supposed to rest. Electra, believing him to be really dead, takes the urn and, embracing it, pours

This alludes to the story that when, on one occasion, the city of Athens was at the mercy of her Spartan foes,

and it was proposed to destroy it, the thought was rejected upon the accidental quotation, by some one, of a

After hearing so much about the city of Troy and its heroes, the reader will perhaps be surprised to learn that

the exact site of that famous city is still a matter of dispute. There are some vestiges of tombs on the plain

which most nearly answers to the description given by Homer and the ancient geographers, but no other

evidence of the former existence of a great city. Byron thus describes the present appearance of the scene:

THE romantic poem of the Odyssey is now to engage our attention. It narrates the wanderings of Ulysses

(Odysseus in the Greek language) in his return from Troy to his own kingdom Ithaca.

From Troy the vessels first made land at Ismarus, city of the Ciconians, where, in a skirmish with the

inhabitants, Ulysses lost six men from each ship. Sailing thence, they were overtaken by a storm which drove

them for nine days along the sea till they reached the country of the Lotuseaters. Here, after watering,

Ulysses sent three of his men to discover who the inhabitants were. These men on coming among the

Lotuseaters were kindly entertained by them, and were given some of their own food, the lotusplant, to eat.

The effect of this food was such that those who partook of it lost all thoughts of home and wished to remain

in that country. It was by main force that Ulysses dragged these men away, and he was even obliged to tie

Tennyson in the "Lotoseaters," has charmingly expressed the dreamy languid feeling which the lotus food is

They next arrived at the country of the Cyclopses. The Cyclopses were giants, who inhabited an island of

which they were the only possessors. The name means "round eye," and these giants were so called because

they had but one eye, and that placed in the middle of the forehead. They dwelt in caves and fed on the wild

productions of the island and on what their flocks yielded, for they were shepherds. Ulysses left the main

body of his ships at anchor, and with one vessel went to the Cyclopses' island to explore for supplies. He

landed with his companions, carrying with them a jar of wine for a present, and coming to a large cave they

entered it, and finding no one within examined its contents. They found it stored with the richest of the flock,

quantities of cheese, pails and bowls of milk, lambs and kids in their pens, all in nice order. Presently arrived

the master of the cave, Polyphemus, bearing an immense bundle of firewood, which he threw down before

the cavern's mouth. He then drove into the cave the sheep and goats to be milked, and, entering, rolled to the

cave's mouth an enormous rock, that twenty oxen could not draw. Next he sat down and milked his ewes,

preparing a part for cheese, and setting the rest aside for his customary drink. Then, turning round his great

eye, he discerned the strangers, and growled out to them, demanding who they were, and where from.

Ulysses replied most humbly, stating that they were Greeks, from the great expedition that had lately won so

much glory in the conquest of Troy; that they were now on their way home, and finished by imploring his

hospitality in the name of the gods. Polyphemus deigned no answer, but reaching out his hand seized two of

the Greeks, whom he hurled against the side of the cave, and dashed out their brains. He proceeded to devour

them with great relish, and having made a hearty meal, stretched himself out on the floor to sleep. Ulysses

was tempted to seize the opportunity and plunge his sword into him as be slept, but recollected that it would

only expose them all to certain destruction, as the rock with which the giant had closed up the door was far

beyond their power to remove, and they would therefore be in hopeless imprisonment. Next morning the

giant seized two more of the Greeks, and despatched them in the same manner as their companions, feasting

on their flesh till no fragment was left. He then moved away the rock from the door, drove out his flocks, and

went out, carefully replacing the barrier after him. When he was gone Ulysses planned how he might take

vengeance for his murdered friends, and effect his escape with his surviving companions. He made his men

prepare a massive bar of wood cut by the Cyclops for a staff, which they found in the cave. They sharpened

the end of it, and seasoned it in the fire, and hid it under the straw on the cavern floor. Then four of the

boldest were selected, with whom Ulysses joined himself as a fifth. The Cyclops came home at evening,

rolled away the stone and drove in his flock as usual. After milking them and making his arrangements as

before, he seized two more of Ulysses' companions and dashed their brains out, and made his evening meal

upon them as he had on the others. After he had supped, Ulysses approaching him handed him a bowl of

wine, saying, "Cyclops, this is wine; taste and drink after thy meal of men's flesh." He took and drank it, and

was hugely delighted with it, and called for more. Ulysses supplied him once again, which pleased the giant

so much that he promised him as a favour that he should be the last of the party devoured. He asked his name,

After his supper the giant lay down to repose, and was soon found asleep. Then Ulysses with his four select

friends thrust the end of the stake into the fire till it was all one burning coal, then poising it exactly above the

giant's only eye, they buried it deeply into the socket, twirling it round as a carpenter does his auger. The

howling monster with his outcry filled the cavern, and Ulysses with his aids nimbly got out of his way and

concealed themselves in the cave. He, bellowing, called aloud on all the Cyclopses dwelling in the caves

around him, far and near. They on his cry flocked round the den, and inquired what grievous hurt had caused

him to sound such an alarm and break their slumbers. He replied, "O friends, I die, and Noman gives the

blow." They answered, "If no man hurts thee it is the stroke of Jove, and thou must bear it." So saying, they

Next morning the Cyclops rolled away the stone to let his flock out to pasture, but planted himself in the door

of the cave to feel of all as they went out, that Ulysses and his men should not escape with them. But Ulysses

had made his men harness the rams of the flock three abreast, with osiers which they found on the floor of the

cave. To the middle ram of the three one of the Greeks suspended himself, so protected by the exterior rams

on either side. As they passed, the giant felt of the animals' backs and sides, but never thought of their bellies;

so the men all passed safe, Ulysses himself being on the last one that passed. When they had got a few paces

from the cavern, Ulysses and his friends released themselves from their rams, and drove a good part of the

flock down to the shore to their boat. They put them aboard with all haste, then pushed off from the shore,

and when at a safe distance Ulysses shouted out, "Cyclops, the gods have well requited thee for thy atrocious

deeds. Know it is Ulysses to whom thou owest thy shameful loss of sight." The Cyclops, hearing this, seized

a rock that projected from the side of the mountain, and rending it from its bed he lifted it high in the air, then

exerting all his force, hurled it in the direction of the voice. Down came the mass, just clearing the vessel's

stern. The ocean, at the plunge of the huge rock, heaved the ship towards the land, so that it barely escaped

being swamped by the waves. When they had with the utmost difficulty pulled off shore, Ulysses was about

to hail the giant again, but his friends besought him not to do so. He could not forbear, however, letting the

giant know that they had escaped his missile, but waited till they had reached a safer distance than before.

The giant answered them with curses, but Ulysses and his friends plied their oars vigorously, and soon

Ulysses next arrived at the island of AEolus. To this monarch Jupiter had intrusted the government of the

winds, to send them forth or retain them at his will. He treated Ulysses hospitably, and at his departure gave

him, tied up in a leathern bag with a silver string, such winds as might be hurtful and dangerous, commanding

fair winds to blow the barks towards their country. Nine days they sped before the wind, and all that time

Ulysses had stood at the helm, without sleep. At last quite exhausted he lay down to sleep. While he slept, the

crew conferred together about the mysterious bag, and concluded it must contain treasures given by the

hospitable King AEolus to their commander. Tempted to secure some portion for themselves, they loosed the

string, when immediately the winds rushed forth. The ships were driven far from their course, and back again

to the island they had just left. AEolus was so indignant at their folly that he refused to assist them further,

and they were obliged to labour over their course once more by means of their oars.

Their next adventure was with the barbarous tribe of Laestrygonians. The vessels all pushed into the harbour,

tempted by the secure appearance of the cove, completely landlocked; only Ulysses moored his vessel

without. As soon as the Laestrygonians found the ships completely in their power they attacked them,

heaving huge stones which broke and overturned them, and with their spears despatched the seamen as they

struggled in the water. All the vessels with their crews were destroyed, except Ulysses' own ship, which had

remained outside, and finding no safety but in flight, he exhorted his men to ply their oars vigorously, and

With grief for their slain companions mixed with joy at their own escape, they pursued their way till they

arrived at the AEaean isle, where Circe dwelt, the daughter of the sun. Landing here, Ulysses climbed a hill,

and gazing round saw no signs of habitation except in one spot at the centre of the island, where he perceived

a palace embowered with trees. He sent forward onehalf of his crew, under the command of Eurylochus, to

see what prospect of hospitality they might find. As they approached the palace, they found themselves

surrounded by lions, tigers, and wolves, not fierce, but tamed by Circe's art, for she was a powerful magician.

All these animals had once been men, but had been changed by Circe's enchantments into the forms of beasts.

The sounds of soft music were heard from within, and a sweet female voice singing. Eurylochus called aloud

and the goddess came forth and invited them in; they all gladly entered except Eurylochus, who suspected

danger. The goddess conducted her guests to a seat, and had them served with wine and other delicacies.

When they had feasted heartily, she touched them one by one with her wand, and they became immediately

changed into swine, in "head, body, voice, and bristles," yet with their intellects as before. She shut them in

Eurylochus hurried back to the ship and told the tale. Ulysses thereupon determined to go himself, and try if

by any means he might deliver his companions. As he strode onward alone, he met a youth who addressed

him familiarly, appearing to be acquainted with his adventures. He announced himself as Mercury, and

informed Ulysses of the arts of Circe, and of the danger of approaching her. As Ulysses was not to be

dissuaded from his attempt, Mercury provided him with a sprig of the plant Moly, of wonderful power to

resist sorceries, and instructed him how to act. Ulysses proceeded, and reaching the palace was courteously

received by Circe, who entertained him as she had done his companions, and after he had eaten and drank,

touched him with her wand, saying, "Hence, seek the sty and wallow with thy friends." But he, instead of

obeying, drew his sword and rushed upon her with fury in his countenance. She fell on her knees and begged

for mercy. He dictated a solemn oath that she would release his companions and practise no further harm

against him or them; and she repeated it, at the same time promising to dismiss them all in safety after

hospitably entertaining them. She was as good as her word. The men were restored to their shapes, the rest of

the crew summoned from the shore, and the whole magnificently entertained day after day, till Ulysses

seemed to have forgotten his native land, and to have reconciled himself to an inglorious life of ease and

At length his companions recalled him to nobler sentiments, and he received their admonition gratefully.

Circe aided their departure, and instructed them how to pass safely by the coast of the Sirens. The Sirens were

seanymphs who had the power of charming by their song all who heard them, so that the unhappy mariners

were irresistibly impelled to cast themselves into the sea to their destruction. Circe directed Ulysses to fill the

ears of his seamen with wax, so that they should not hear the strain; and to cause himself to be bound to the

mast, and his people to be strictly enjoined, whatever he might say or do, by no means to release him till they

should have passed the Sirens' island. Ulysses obeyed these directions. He filled the ears of his people with

wax, and suffered them to bind him with cords firmly to the mast. As they approached the Sirens' island, the

sea was calm, and over the waters came the notes of music so ravishing and attractive that Ulysses struggled

to get loose, and by cries and signs to his people begged to be released; but they, obedient to his previous

orders, sprang forward and bound him still faster. They held on their course, and the music grew fainter till it

ceased to be heard, when with joy Ulysses gave his companions the signal to unseal their ears, and they

The imagination of a modern poet, Keats, has discovered for us the thoughts that passed through the brains of

the victims of Circe, after their transformation. In his "Endymion" he represents one of them, a monarch in

Ulysses had been warned by Circe of the two monsters Scylla and Charybdis. We have already met with

Scylla in the story of Glaucus, and remember that she was once a beautiful maiden and was changed into a

snaky monster by Circe. She dwelt in a cave high up on the cliff, from whence she was accustomed to thrust

forth her long necks (for she had six heads), and in each of her mouths seize one of the crew of every vessel

passing within reach. The other terror, Charybdis, was a gulf, nearly on a level with the water. Thrice each

day the water rushed into a frightful chasm, and thrice was disgorged. Any vessel coming near the whirlpool

when the tide was rushing in must inevitably be ingulfed; not Neptune himself could save it.

On approaching the haunt of the dread monsters, Ulysses kept strict watch to discover them. The roar of the

waters as Charybdis ingulfed them, gave warning at a distance, but Scylla could nowhere be discerned. While

Ulysses and his men watched with anxious eyes the dreadful whirlpool, they were not equally on their guard

from the attack of Scylla, and the monster, darting forth her snaky heads, caught six of his men, and bore

them away, shrieking, to her den. It was the saddest sight Ulysses had yet seen; to behold his friends thus

Circe had warned him of another danger. After passing Scylla and Charybdis the next land he would make

was Thrinakia, an island whereon were pastured the cattle of Hyperion, the Sun, tended by his daughters

Lampetia and Phaethusa. These flocks must not be violated, whatever the wants of the voyagers might be. If

this injunction were transgressed destruction was sure to fall on the offenders.

Ulysses would willingly have passed the island of the Sun without stopping, but his companions so urgently

pleaded for the rest and refreshment that would be derived from anchoring and passing the night on shore,

that Ulysses yielded. He bound them, however, with an oath that they would not touch one of the animals of

the sacred flocks and herds, but content themselves with what provision they yet had left of the supply which

Circe had put on board. So long as this supply lasted the people kept their oath, but contrary winds detained

them at the island for a month, and after consuming all their stock of provisions, they were forced to rely

upon the birds and fishes they could catch. Famine pressed them, and at length one day, in the absence of

Ulysses, they slew some of the cattle, vainly attempting to make amends for the deed by offering from them a

portion to the offended powers. Ulysses, on his return to the shore, was horrorstruck at perceiving what they

had done, and the more so on account of the portentous signs which followed. The skins crept on the ground,

The wind becoming fair they sailed from the island. They had not gone far when the weather changed, and a

storm of thunder and lightning ensued. A stroke of lightning shattered their mast, which in its fall killed the

pilot. At last the vessel itself came to pieces. The keel and mast floating side by side, Ulysses formed of them

a raft, to which he clung, and, the wind changing, the waves bore him to Calypso's island. All the rest of the

The following allusion to the topics we have just been considering is from Milton's "Comus," line 252:

Scylla and Charybdis have become proverbial, to denote opposite dangers which beset one's course. See

Calypso was a seanymph, which name denotes a numerous class of female divinities of lower rank, yet

sharing many of the attributes of the gods. Calypso received Ulysses hospitably, entertained him

magnificently, became enamoured of him, and wished to retain him for ever, conferring on him immortality.

But be persisted in his resolution to return to his country and his wife and son. Calypso at last received the

command of Jove to dismiss him. Mercury brought the message to her, and found her in her grotto, which is

Calypso with much reluctance proceeded to obey the commands of Jupiter. She supplied Ulysses with the

means of constructing a raft, provisioned it well for him, and gave him a favouring gale. He sped on his

course prosperously for many days, till at length, when in sight of land, a storm arose that broke his mast, and

threatened to rend the raft asunder. In this crisis he was seen by a compassionate seanymph, who in the form

of a cormorant alighted on the raft, and presented him a girdle, directing him to bind it beneath his breast, and

if he should be compelled to trust himself to the waves, it would buoy him up and enable him by swimming

Fenelon, in his romance of "Telemachus," has given us the adventures of the son of Ulysses in search of his

father. Among other places at which he arrived, following on his father's footsteps, was Calypso's isle, and, as

in the former case, the goddess tried every art to keep him with her, and offered to share her immortality with

him. But Minerva, who in the shape of Mentor accompanied him and governed all his movements, made him

repel her allurements, and when no other means of escape could be found, the two friends leaped from a cliff

into the sea, and swam to a vessel which lay becalmed off shore. Byron alludes to this leap of Telemachus

ULYSSES clung to the raft while any of its timbers kept together, and when it no longer yielded him support,

binding the girdle around him, he swam. Minerva smoothed the billows before him and sent him a wind that

rolled the waves towards the shore. The surf beat high on the rocks and seemed to forbid approach; but at

length finding calm water at the mouth of a gentle stream, he landed, spent with toil, breathless and

speechless and almost dead. After some time, reviving, he kissed the soil, rejoicing, yet at a loss what course

to take. At a short distance he perceived a wood to which he turned his steps. There, finding a covert

sheltered by intermingling branches alike from the sun and the rain, he collected a pile of leaves and formed a

bed, on which he stretched himself, and heaping the leaves over him, fell asleep.

The land where he was thrown was Scheria, the country of the Phaeacians. These people dwelt originally near

the Cyclopses; but being oppressed by that savage race, they migrated to the isle of Scheria, under the

conduct of Nausithous, their king. They were, the poet tells us, a people akin to the gods, who appeared

manifestly and feasted among them when they offered sacrifices and did not conceal themselves from solitary

wayfarers when they met them. They had abundance of wealth and lived in the enjoyment of it undisturbed

by the alarms of war, for as they dwelt remote from gainseeking men, no enemy ever approached their

shores, and they did not even require to make use of bows and quivers. Their chief employment was

navigation. Their ships, which went with the velocity of birds, were endued with intelligence; they knew

every port and needed no pilot. Alcinous, the son of Nausithous, was now their king, a wise and just

Now it happened that the very night on which Ulysses was cast ashore on the Phaeacian island, and while he

lay sleeping on his bed of leaves, Nausicaa, the daughter of the king, had a dream sent by Minerva, reminding

her that her weddingday was not far distant, and that it would be but a prudent preparation for that event to

have a general washing of the clothes of the family. This was no slight affair, for the fountains were at some

distance, and the garments must be carried thither. On awaking, the princess hastened to her parents to tell

them what was on her mind; not alluding to her weddingday, but finding other reasons equally good. Her

father readily assented and ordered the grooms to furnish forth a wagon for the purpose. The clothes were put

therein, and the queen mother placed in the wagon, likewise, an abundant supply of food and wine. The

princess took her seat and plied the lash, her attendant virgins following her on foot. Arrived at the river side,

they turned out the mules to graze, and unlading the carriage, bore the garments down to the water, and

working with cheerfulness and alacrity, soon despatched their labour. Then having spread the garments on the

shore to dry, and having themselves bathed, they sat down to enjoy their meal; after which they rose and

amused themselves with a game of ball, the princess singing to them while they played. But when they had

refolded the apparel and were about to resume their way to the town, Minerva caused the ball thrown by the

princess to fall into the water, whereat they all screamed and Ulysses awaked at the sound.

Now we must picture to ourselves Ulysses, a shipwrecked mariner, but a few hours escaped from the waves,

and utterly destitute of clothing, awaking and discovering that only a few bushes were interposed between

him and a group of young maidens whom, by their deportment and attire, he discovered to be not mere

peasant girls, but of a higher class. Sadly needing help, how could he yet venture, naked as he was, to

discover himself and make his wants known? It certainly was a case worthy of the interposition of his patron

goddess Minerva, who never failed him at a crisis. Breaking off a leafy branch from a tree, he held it before

him and stepped out from the thicket. The virgins at sight of him fled in all directions, Nausicaa alone

excepted, for her Minerva aided and endowed with courage and discernment. Ulysses, standing respectfully

aloof, told his sad case, and besought the fair object (whether queen or goddess he professed he knew not) for

food and clothing. The princess replied courteously, promising present relief and her father's hospitality when

he should become acquainted with the facts. She called back her scattered maidens, chiding their alarm, and

reminding them that the Phaeacians had no enemies to fear. This man, she told them, was an unhappy

wanderer, whom it was a duty to cherish, for the poor and stranger are from Jove. She bade them bring food

and clothing, for some of her brothers' garments were among the contents of the wagon. When this was done,

and Ulysses, retiring to a sheltered place, had washed his body free from the seafoam, clothed and refreshed

himself with food, Pallas dilated his form and diffused grace over his ample chest and manly brows.

The princess, seeing him, was filled with admiration, and scrupled not to say to her damsels that she wished

the gods would send her such a husband. To Ulysses she recommended that he should repair to the city,

following herself and train so far as the way lay through the fields; but when they should approach the city

she desired that he would no longer be seen in her company, for she feared the remarks which rude and

vulgar people might make on seeing her return accompanied by such a gallant stranger. To avoid which she

directed him to stop at a grove adjoining the city, in which were a farm and garden belonging to the king.

After allowing time for the princess and her companions to reach the city, he was then to pursue his way

Ulysses obeyed the directions and in due time proceeded to the city, on approaching which he met a young

woman bearing a pitcher forth for water. It was Minerva, who had assumed that form. Ulysses accosted her

and desired to be directed to the palace of Alcinous the king. The maiden replied respectfully, offering to be

his guide; for the palace, she informed him, stood near her father's dwelling. Under the guidance of the

goddess, and by her power enveloped in a cloud which shielded him from observation, Ulysses passed among

the busy crowd, and with wonder observed their harbour, their ships, their forum (the resort of heroes), and

their battlements, till they came to the palace, where the goddess, having first given him some information of

the country, king, and people he was about to meet, left him. Ulysses, before entering the courtyard of the

palace, stood and surveyed the scene. Its splendour astonished him. Brazen walls stretched from the entrance

to the interior house, of which the doors were gold, the doorposts silver, the lintels silver ornamented with

gold. On either side were figures of mastiffs wrought in gold and silver, standing in rows as if to guard the

approach. Along the walls were seats spread through all their length with mantles of finest texture, the work

of Phaeacian maidens. On these seats the princes sat and feasted, while golden statues of graceful youths held

in their hands lighted torches which shed radiance over the scene. Full fifty female menials served in

household offices, some employed to grind the corn, others to wind off the purple wool or ply the loom. For

the Phaeacian women as far exceeded all other women in household arts as the mariners of that country did

the rest of mankind in the management of ships. Without the court a spacious garden lay, four acres in extent.

In it grew many a lofty tree, pomegranate, pear, apple, fig, and olive. Neither winter's cold nor summer's

drought arrested their growth, but they flourished in constant succession, some budding while others were

maturing. The vineyard was equally prolific. In one quarter you might see the vines, some in blossom, some

loaded with ripe grapes, and in another observe the vintagers treading the wine press. On the garden's borders

flowers of all hues bloomed all the year round, arranged with neatest art. In the midst two fountains poured

forth their waters, one flowing by artificial channels over all the garden, the other conducted through the

Ulysses stood gazing in admiration, unobserved himself, for the cloud which Minerva spread around him still

shielded him. At length, having sufficiently observed the scene, he advanced with rapid step into the hall

where the chiefs and senators were assembled, pouring libation to Mercury, whose worship followed the

evening meal. Just then Minerva dissolved the cloud and disclosed him to the assembled chiefs. Advancing to

the place where the queen sat, he knelt at her feet and implored her favour and assistance to enable him to

return to his native country. Then withdrawing, he seated himself in the manner of suppliants, at the hearth

For a time none spoke. At last an aged statesman, addressing the king, said, "It is not fit that a stranger who

asks our hospitality should be kept waiting in suppliant guise, none welcoming him. Let him therefore be led

to a seat among us and supplied with food and wine." At these words the king rising gave his hand to Ulysses

and led him to a seat, displacing thence his own son to make room for the stranger. Food and wine were set

The king then dismissed his guests, notifying them that the next day he would call them to council to consider

When the guests had departed and Ulysses was left alone with the king and queen, the queen asked him who

he was and whence he came, and (recognizing the clothes which he wore as those which her maidens and

herself had made) from whom he received those garments. He told them of his residence in Calypso's isle and

his departure thence; of the wreck of his raft, his escape by swimming, and of the relief afforded by the

princess. The parents heard approvingly, and the king promised to furnish a ship in which his guest might

The next day the assembled chiefs confirmed the promise of the king. A bark was prepared and a crew of

stout rowers selected, and all betook themselves to the palace, where a bounteous repast was provided. After

the feast the king proposed that the young men should show their guest their proficiency in manly sports, and

all went forth to the arena for games of running, wrestling, and other exercises. After all had done their best,

Ulysses being challenged to show what he could do, at first declined, but being taunted by one of the youths,

seized a quoit of weight far heavier than any of the Phaeacians had thrown, and sent it farther than the utmost

throw of theirs. All were astonished, and viewed their guest with greatly increased respect.

After the games they returned to the hall, and the herald led in Demodocus, the blind bard,

He took for his theme the "Wooden Horse," by means of which the Greeks found entrance into Troy. Apollo

inspired him, and he sang so feelingly the terrors and the exploits of that eventful time that all were delighted,

but Ulysses was moved to tears. Observing which, Alcinous, when the song was done, demanded of him why

at the mention of Troy his sorrows awaked. Had he lost there a father, or brother, or any dear friend? Ulysses

replied by announcing himself by his true name, and at their request, recounted the adventures which had

befallen him since his departure from Troy. This narrative raised the sympathy and admiration of the

Phaeacians for their guest to the highest pitch. The king proposed that all the chiefs should present him with a

gift, himself setting the example. They obeyed, and vied with one another in loading the illustrious stranger

The next day Ulysses set sail in the Phaeacian vessel, and in a short time arrived safe at Ithaca, his own

island. When the vessel touched the strand he was asleep. The mariners, without waking him, carried him on

shore, and landed with him the chest containing his presents, and then sailed away.

Neptune was so displeased at the conduct of the Phaeacians in thus rescuing Ulysses from his hands that on

the return of the vessel to port he transformed it into a rock, right opposite the mouth of the harbour.

Homer's description of the ships of the Phaeacians has been thought to look like an anticipation of the

Lord Carlisle, in his "Diary in the Turkish and Greek Waters," thus speaks of Corfu, which he considers to be

"The sites explain the 'Odyssey.' The temple of the seagod could not have been more fitly placed, upon a

grassy platform of the most elastic turf, on the brow of a crag commanding the harbour, and channel, and

ocean. Just at the entrance of the inner harbour there is a picturesque rock with a small convent perched upon

"Almost the only river in the island is just at the proper distance from the probable site of the city and palace

of the king, to justify the princess Nausicaa having had resort to her chariot and to luncheon when she went

Ulysses had now been away from Ithaca for twenty years, and when he awoke he did not recognize his native

land. Minerva appeared to him in the form of a young shepherd, informed him where he was, and told him

the state of things at his palace. More than a hundred nobles of Ithaca and of the neighbouring islands had

been for years suing for the hand of Penelope, his wife, imagining him dead, and lording it over his palace

and people, as if they were owners of both. That he might be able to take vengeance upon them, it was

important that he should not be recognized. Minerva accordingly metamorphosed him into an unsightly

beggar, and as such he was kindly received by Eumaeus, the swineherd, a faithful servant of his house.

Telemachus, his son, was absent in quest of his father. He had gone to the courts of the other kings, who had

returned from the Trojan expedition. While on the search, he received counsel from Minerva to return home.

He arrived and sought Eumaeus to learn something of the state of affairs at the palace before presenting

himself among the suitors. Finding a stranger with Eumaeus, he treated him courteously, though in the garb

of a beggar, and promised him assistance. Eumaeus was sent to the palace to inform Penelope privately of her

son's arrival, for caution was necessary with regard to the suitors, who, as Telemachus had learned, were

plotting to intercept and kill him. When Eumaeus was gone, Minerva presented herself to Ulysses, and

directed him to make himself known to his son. At the same time she touched him, removed at once from him

the appearance of age and penury, and gave him the aspect of vigorous manhood that belonged to him.

Telemachus viewed him with astonishment, and at first thought he must be more than mortal. But Ulysses

announced himself as his father, and accounted for the change of appearance by explaining that it was

The father and son took counsel together how they should get the better of the suitors and punish them for

their outrages. It was arranged that Telemachus should proceed to the palace and mingle with the suitors as

formerly; that Ulysses should also go as a beggar, a character which in the rude old times had different

privileges from what we concede to it now. As traveller and storyteller, the beggar was admitted in the halls

of chieftains, and often treated like a guest; though sometimes, also, no doubt, with contumely. Ulysses

charged his son not to betray, by any display of unusual interest in him, that he knew him to be other than he

seemed, and even if he saw him insulted, or beaten, not to interpose otherwise than he might do for any

stranger. At the palace they found the usual scene of feasting and riot going on. The suitors pretended to

receive Telemachus with joy at his return, though secretly mortified at the failure of their plots to take his life.

The old beggar was permitted to enter, and provided with a portion from the table. A touching incident

occurred as Ulysses entered the courtyard of the palace. An old dog lay in the yard almost dead with age, and

seeing a stranger enter, raised his head, with ears erect. It was Argus, Ulysses' own dog, that he had in other

As Ulysses sat eating his portion in the hall, the suitors began to exhibit their insolence to him. When he

mildly remonstrated, one of them raised a stool and with it gave him a blow. Telemachus had hard work to

restrain his indignation at seeing his father so treated in his own hall, but remembering his father's

injunctions, said no more than what became him as master of the house, though young, and protector of his

Penelope had protracted her decision in favour of either of her suitors so long that there seemed to be no

further pretence for delay. The continued absence of her husband seemed to prove that his return was no

longer to be expected. Meanwhile her son had grown up, and was able to manage his own affairs. She

therefore consented to submit the question of her choice to a trial of skill among the suitors. The test selected

was shooting with the bow. Twelve rings were arranged in a line, and he whose arrow was sent through the

whole twelve was to have the queen for his prize. A bow that one of his brother heroes had given to Ulysses

in former times was brought from the armoury, and with its quiver full of arrows was laid in the hall.

Telemachus had taken care that all other weapons should be removed, under pretence that in the heat of

competition there was danger, in some rash moment, of putting them to an improper use.

All things being prepared for the trial, the first thing to be done was to bend the bow in order to attach the

string. Telemachus endeavoured to do it, but found all his efforts fruitless; and modestly confessing that he

had attempted a task beyond his strength, he yielded the bow to another. He tried it with no better success,

and, amidst the laughter and jeers of his companions, gave it up. Another tried it and another; they rubbed the

bow with tallow, but all to no purpose; it would not bend. Then spoke Ulysses, humbly suggesting that he

should be permitted to try; for, said he, "beggar as I am, I was once a soldier, and there is still some strength

in these old limbs of mine." The suitors hooted with derision, and commanded to turn him out of the hall for

his insolence. But Telemachus spoke up for him, and, merely to gratify the old man, bade him try. Ulysses

took the bow, and handled it with the hand of a master. With ease he adjusted the cord to its notch, then

fitting an arrow to the bow be drew the string and sped the arrow unerring through the rings.

Without allowing them time to express their astonishment, he said, "Now for another mark!" and aimed direct

at the most insolent one of the suitors. The arrow pierced through his throat and he fell dead. Telemachus,

Eumaeus, and another faithful follower, well armed, now sprang to the side of Ulysses. The suitors, in

amazement, looked round for arms, but found none, neither was there any way of escape, for Eumaeus had

secured the door. Ulysses left them not long in uncertainty; he announced himself as the longlost chief,

whose house they had invaded, whose substance they had squandered, whose wife and son they had

persecuted for ten long years; and told them he meant to have ample vengeance. All were slain, and Ulysses

Tennyson's poem of "Ulysses" represents the old hero, after his dangers past and nothing left but to stay at

home and be happy, growing tired of inaction and resolving to set forth again in quest of new adventures:

WE have followed one of the Grecian heroes, Ulysses, in his wanderings on his return home from Troy, and

now we propose to share the fortunes of the remnant of the conquered people, under their chief AEneas, in

their search for a new home, after the ruin of their native city. On that fatal night when the wooden horse

disgorged its contents of armed men, and the capture and conflagration of the city were the result, AEneas

made his escape from the scene of destruction, with his father, and his wife, and young son. The father,

Anchises, was too old to walk with the speed required, and AEneas took him upon his shoulders.* Thus

burdened, leading his son and followed by his wife, he made the best of his way out of the burning city; but,

On arriving at the place of rendezvous, numerous fugitives, of both sexes, were found, who put themselves

under the guidance of AEneas. Some months were spent in preparation, and at length they embarked. They

first landed on the neighboring shores of Thrace, and were preparing to build a city, but AEneas was deterred

by a prodigy. Preparing to offer sacrifice, he tore some twigs from one of the bushes. To his dismay the

wounded part dropped blood. When he repeated the act a voice from the ground cried out to him, "Spare me,

AEneas; I am your kinsman, Polydore, here murdered with many arrows, from which a bush has grown,

nourished with my blood." These words recalled to the recollection of AEneas that Polydore was a young

prince of Troy, whom his father had sent with ample treasures to the neighbouring land of Thrace, to be there

brought up, at a distance from the horrors of war. The king to whom he was sent had murdered him and

seized his treasures. AEneas and his companions, considering the land accursed by the stain of such a crime,

They next landed on the island of Delos, which was once a floating island, till Jupiter fastened it by

adamantine chains to the bottom of the sea. Apollo and Diana were born there, and the island was sacred to

Apollo. Here AEneas consulted the oracle of Apollo, and received an answer, ambiguous as usual, "Seek

your ancient mother; there the race of AEneas shall dwell, and reduce all other nations to their sway." The

Trojans heard with joy and immediately began to ask one another, "Where is the spot intended by the

oracle?" Anchises remembered that there was a tradition that their forefathers came from Crete and thither

they resolved to steer. They arrived at Crete and began to build their city, but sickness broke out among them,

and the fields that they had planted failed to yield a crop. In this gloomy aspect of affairs AEneas was warned

in a dream to leave the country and seek a western land, called Hesperia, whence Dardanus, the true founder

of the Trojan race, had originally migrated. To Hesperia, now called Italy, therefore, they directed their future

course, and not till after many adventures and the lapse of time sufficient to carry a modern navigator several

Their first landing was at the island of the Harpies. These were disgusting birds with the heads of maidens,

with long claws and faces pale with hunger. They were sent by the gods to torment a certain Phineus, whom

Jupiter had deprived of his sight, in punishment of his cruelty; and whenever a meal was placed before him

the Harpies darted down from the air and carried it off. They were driven away from Phineus by the heroes of

the Argonautic expedition, and took refuge in the island where AEneas now found them.

When they entered the port the Trojans saw herds of cattle roaming over the plain. They slew as many as they

wished and prepared for a feast. But no sooner had they seated themselves at the table than a horrible clamour

was heard in the air, and a flock of these odious harpies came rushing down upon them, seizing in their talons

the meat from the dishes and flying away with it. AEneas and his companions drew their swords and dealt

vigorous blows among the monsters, but to no purpose, for they were so nimble it was almost impossible to

hit them, and their feathers were like armour impenetrable to steel. One of them, perched on a neighbouring

cliff, screamed out, "Is it thus, Trojans, you treat us innocent birds, first slaughter our cattle and then make

war on ourselves?" She then predicted dire sufferings to them in their future course, and having vented her

wrath flew away. The Trojans made haste to leave the country, and next found themselves coasting along the

shore of Epirus. Here they landed, and to their astonishment learned that certain Trojan exiles, who had been

carried there as prisoners, had become rulers of the country. Andromache, the widow of Hector, became the

wife of one of the victorious Grecian chiefs, to whom she bore a son. Her husband dying, she was left regent

of the country, as guardian of her son, and had married a fellowcaptive, Helenus, of the royal race of Troy.

Helenus and Andromache treated the exiles with the utmost hospitality, and dismissed them loaded with gifts.

From hence AEneas coasted along the shore of Sicily and passed the country of the Cyclopses. Here they

were hailed from the shore by a miserable object, whom by his garments, tattered as they were, they

perceived to be a Greek. He told them he was one of Ulysses' companions, left behind by that chief in his

hurried departure. He related the story of Ulysses' adventure with Polyphemus, and besought them to take

him off with them as he had no means of sustaining his existence where he was but wild berries and roots,

and lived in constant fear of the Cyclopses, While he spoke Polyphemus made his appearance; "a terrible

monster, shapeless, vast, whose only eye had been put out."* He walked with cautious steps, feeling his way

with a staff, down to the seaside, to wash his eyesocket in the waves. When he reached the water, he waded

out towards them, and his immense height enabled him to advance far into the sea, so that the Trojans, in

terror, took to their oars to get out of his way. Hearing the oars, Polyphemus shouted after them, so that the

shores resounded, and at the noise the other Cyclopses came forth from their caves and woods and lined the

shore, like a row of lofty pine trees. The Trojans plied their oars and soon left them out of sight.

AEneas had been cautioned by Helenus to avoid the strait guarded by the monsters Scylla and Charybdis.

There Ulysses, the reader will remember, had lost six of his men, seized by Scylla while the navigators were

wholly intent upon avoiding Charybdis. AEneas, following the advice of Helenus, shunned the dangerous

Juno, seeing the Trojans speeding their way prosperously towards their destined shore, felt her old grudge

against them revive, for she could not forget the slight that Paris had put upon her, in awarding the prize of

beauty to another. "In heavenly minds can such resentments dwell!"* Accordingly she hastened to AEolus,

the ruler of the winds, the same who supplied Ulysses with favouring gales, giving him the contrary ones

tied up in a bag AEolus obeyed the goddess and sent forth his sons, Boreas, Typhon, and the other winds, to

toss the ocean. A terrible storm ensued and the Trojan ships were driven out of their course towards the coast

of Africa. They were in imminent danger of being wrecked, and were separated, so that AEneas thought that

At this crisis, Neptune, hearing the storm raging, and knowing that he had given no orders for one. raised his

head above the waves, and saw the fleet of AEneas driving before the gale. Knowing the hostility of Juno, he

was at no loss to account for it, but his anger was not the less at this interference in his province. He called

the winds and dismissed them with a severe reprimand. He then soothed the waves, and brushed away the

clouds from before the face of the sun. Some of the ships which had got on the rocks he prised off with his

own trident, while Triton and a seanymph, putting their shoulders under others, set them afloat again. The

Trojans, when the sea became calm, sought the nearest shore, which was the coast of Carthage, where

AEneas was so happy as to find that one by one the ships all arrived safe, though badly shaken.

Waller, in his "Panegyric to the Lord Protector" (Cromwell), alludes to this stilling of the storm by Neptune:

Carthage, where the exiles had now arrived, was a spot on the coast of Africa opposite Sicily, where at that

time a Tyrian colony under Dido, their queen, were laying the foundations of a state destined in later ages to

be the rival of Rome itself. Dido was the daughter of Belus, king of Tyre, and sister of Pygmalion, who

succeeded his father on the throne. Her husband was Sichaeus, a man of immense wealth, but Pygmalion,

who coveted his treasures, caused him to be put to death. Dido, with a numerous body of friends and

followers, both men and women, succeeded in effecting their escape from Tyre, in several vessels, carrying

with them the treasures of Sichaeus. On arriving at the spot which they selected as the seat of their future

home, they asked of the natives only so much land as they could enclose with a bull's hide. When this was

readily granted, she caused the hide to be cut into strips, and with them enclosed a spot on which she built a

citadel, and called it Byrsa (a hide). Around this fort the city of Carthage rose, and soon became a powerful

Such was the state of affairs when AEneas with his Trojans arrived there. Dido received the illustrious exiles

with friendliness and hospitality. "Not unacquainted with distress," she said, "I have learned to succour the

unfortunate."* The queen's hospitality displayed itself in festivities at which games of strength and skill were

exhibited. The strangers contended for the palm with her own subjects, on equal terms, the queen declaring

that whether the victor were "Trojan or Tyrian should make no difference to her."*(2) At the feast which

followed the games, AEneas gave at her request a recital of the closing events of the Trojan history and his

own adventures after the fall of the city. Dido was charmed with his discourse and filled with admiration of

his exploits. She conceived an ardent passion for him, and he for his part seemed well content to accept the

fortunate chance which appeared to offer him at once a happy termination of his wanderings, a home, a

kingdom, and a bride. Months rolled away in the enjoyment of pleasant intercourse, and it seemed as if Italy

and the empire destined to be founded on its shores were alike forgotten. Seeing which, Jupiter despatched

Mercury with a message to AEneas recalling him to a sense of his high destiny, and commanding him to

AEneas parted from Dido, though she tried every allurement and persuasion to detain him. The blow to her

affection and her pride was too much for her to endure, and when she found that he was gone, she mounted a

funeral pile which she had caused to be erected, and having stabbed herself was consumed with the pile. The

flames rising over the city were seen by the departing Trojans, and, though the cause was unknown, gave to

After touching at the island of Sicily, where Acestes, a prince of Trojan lineage, bore sway, who gave them a

hospitable reception, the Trojans reembarked, and held on their course for Italy. Venus now interceded with

Neptune to allow her son at last to attain the wishedfor goal and find an end of his perils on the deep.

Neptune consented, stipulating only for one life as a ransom for the rest. The victim was Palinurus, the pilot.

As he sat watching the stars, with his hand on the helm, Somnus sent by Neptune approached in the guise of

Phorbas and said: "Palinurus, the breeze is fair, the water smooth, and the ship sails steadily on her course.

Lie down awhile and take needful rest. I will stand at the helm in your place." Palinurus replied, "Tell me not

of smooth seas or favouring winds, me who have seen so much of their treachery. Shall I trust AEneas to the

chances of the weather and the winds?" And he continued to grasp the helm and to keep his eyes fixed on the

stars. But Somnus waved over him a branch moistened with Lethaean dew, and his eyes closed in spite of all

his efforts. Then Somnus pushed him overboard and he fell: but keeping his hold upon the helm, it came

away with him. Neptune was mindful of his promise and kept the ship on her track without helm or pilot, till

AEneas discovered his loss, and, sorrowing deeply for his faithful steersman, took charge of the ship himself.

There is a beautiful allusion to the story of Palinurus in Scott's "Marmion," Introduction to Canto I., where

The ships at last reached the shores of Italy, and joyfully did the adventurers leap to land. While his people

were employed in making their encampment AEneas sought the abode of the Sibyl. It was a cave connected

with a temple and grove, sacred to Apollo and Diana. While AEneas contemplated the scene, the Sibyl

accosted him. She seemed to know his errand, and under the influence of the deity of the place, burst forth in

a prophetic strain, giving dark intimations of labours and perils through which he was destined to make his

way to final success. She closed with the encouraging words which have become proverbial: "Yield not to

disasters, but press onward the more bravely."* AEneas replied that he had prepared himself for whatever

might await him. He had but one request to make. Having been directed in a dream to seek the abode of the

dead in order to confer with his father, Anchises, to receive from him a revelation of his future fortunes and

those of his race, he asked her assistance to enable him to accomplish the task. The Sibyl replied, "The

descent to Avernus is easy: the gate of Pluto stands open night and day; but to retrace one's steps and return

to the upper air, that is the toil, that the difficulty."*(2) She instructed him to seek in the forest a tree on

which grew a golden branch. This branch was to be plucked off and borne as a gift to Proserpine, and if fate

was propitious it would yield to the hand and quit its parent trunk, but otherwise no force could rend it away.

AEneas followed the directions of the Sibyl. His mother, Venus, sent two of her doves to fly before him and

show him the way, and by their assistance he found the tree, plucked the branch, and hastened back with it to

AS at the commencement of our series we have given the pagan account of the creation of the world, so as

we approach its conclusion we present a view of the regions of the dead, depicted by one of their most

enlightened poets, who drew his doctrines from their most esteemed philosophers. The region where Virgil

locates the entrance to this abode is perhaps the most strikingly adapted to excite ideas of the terrific and

preternatural of any on the face of the earth. It is the volcanic region near Vesuvius, where the whole country

is cleft with chasms, from which sulphurous flames arise, while the ground is shaken with pentup vapours,

and mysterious sounds issue from the bowels of the earth. The lake Avernus is supposed to fill the crater of

an extinct volcano. It is circular, half a mile wide, and very deep, surrounded by high banks, which in Virgil's

time were covered with a gloomy forest. Mephitic vapours rise from its waters, so that no life is found on its

banks: and no birds fly over it. Here, according to the poet, was the cave which afforded access to the infernal

regions, and here AEneas offered sacrifices to the infernal deities, Proserpine, Hecate, and the Furies. Then a

roaring was heard in the earth, the woods on the hilltops were shaken, and the howling of dogs announced

the approach of the deities. "Now," said the Sibyl, "summon up your courage, for you will need it." She

descended into the cave, and AEneas followed. Before the threshold of hell they passed through a group of

beings who are enumerated as Griefs and avenging Cares, pale Diseases and melancholy Age, Fear and

Hunger that tempt to crime, Toil, Poverty, and Death, forms horrible to view. The Furies spread the couches

there, and Discord, whose hair was of vipers tied up with a bloody fillet. Here also were the monsters,

Briareus, with his hundred arms, Hydras hissing, and Chimaeras breathing fire. AEneas shuddered at the

sight, drew his sword and would have struck, but the Sibyl restrained him. They then came to the black river

Cocytus, where they found the ferryman, Charon, old and squalid, but strong and vigorous, who was

receiving passengers of all kinds into his boat, magnanimous heroes, boys and unmarried girls, as numerous

as the leaves that fall at autumn, or the flocks that fly southward at the approach of winter. They stood

pressing for a passage and longing to touch the opposite shore, But the stern ferryman took in only such as he

chose, driving the rest back. AEneas, wondering at the sight, asked the Sibyl, "Why this discrimination?" She

answered, "Those who are taken on board the bark are the souls of those who have received due burial rites;

the host of others who have remained unburied are not permitted to pass the flood but wander a hundred

years, and flit to and fro about the shore, till at last they are taken over." AEneas grieved at recollecting some

of his own companions who had perished in the storm. At that moment he beheld Palinurus, his pilot, who

fell overboard and was drowned. He addressed him and asked him the cause of his misfortune. Palinurus

replied that the rudder was carried away, and he, clinging to it, was swept away with it. He besought AEneas

most urgently to extend to him his hand and take him in company to the opposite shore. But the Sibyl

rebuked him for the wish thus to transgress the laws of Pluto; but consoled him by informing him that the

people of the shore where his body had been wafted by the waves should be stirred up by prodigies to give it

due burial, and that the promontory should bear the name of Cape Palinurus, which it does to this day.

Leaving Palinurus consoled by these words, they approached the boat. Charon, fixing his eyes sternly upon

the advancing warrior, demanded by what right he, living and armed, approached that shore. To which the

Sibyl replied that they would commit no violence, that AEneas's only object was to see his father, and finally

exhibited the golden branch, at sight of which Charon's wrath relaxed, and he made haste to turn his bark to

the shore, and receive them on board. The boat, adapted only to the light freight of bodiless spirits, groaned

under the weight of the hero. They were soon conveyed to the opposite shore. There they were encountered

by the threeheaded dog, Cerberus, with his necks bristling with snakes. He barked with all his three throats

till the Sibyl threw him a medicated cake which he eagerly devoured, and then stretched himself out in his

den and fell asleep. AEneas and the Sibyl sprang to land. The first sound that struck their ears was the wailing

of young children, who had died on the threshold of life, and near to these were they who had perished under

false charges, Minos presides over them as judge, and examines the deeds of each. The next class was of

those who had died by their own hand, hating life and seeking refuge in death. O how willingly would they

now endure poverty, labour, and any other infliction, if they might but return to life! Next were situated the

regions of sadness, divided off into retired paths, leading through groves of myrtle. Here roamed those who

had fallen victims to unrequited love, not freed from pain even by death itself. Among these, AEneas thought

he descried the form of Dido, with a wound still recent. In the dim light he was for a moment uncertain, but

approaching, perceived it was indeed herself. Tears fell from his eyes, and he addressed her in the accents of

love. "Unhappy Dido! was then the rumour true that you had perished? and was I, alas! the cause? I call the

gods to witness that my departure from you was reluctant, and in obedience to the commands of Jove; nor

could I believe that my absence would cost you so dear. Stop, I beseech you, and refuse me not a last

farewell." She stood for a moment with averted countenance, and eyes fixed on the ground, and then silently

passed on, as insensible to his pleadings as a rock. AEneas followed for some distance; then, with a heavy

They next entered the fields where roam the heroes who have fallen in battle. Here they saw many shades of

Grecian and Trojan warriors. The Trojans thronged around him, and could not be satisfied with the sight.

They asked the cause of his coming, and plied him with innumerable questions. But the Greeks, at the sight

of his armour glittering through the murky atmosphere, recognized the hero, and filled with terror turned their

AEneas would have lingered long with his Trojan friends, but the Sibyl hurried him away. They next came to

a place where the road divided, the one leading to Elysium, the other to the regions of the condemned.

AEneas beheld on one side the walls of a mighty city, around which Phlegethon rolled its fiery waters, Before

him was the gate of adamant that neither gods nor men can break through. An iron tower stood by the gate,

on which Tisiphone, the avenging Fury, kept guard. From the city were heard groans, and the sound of the

scourge, the creaking of iron, and the clanking of chains. AEneas, horrorstruck, inquired of his guide what

crimes were those whose punishments produced the sounds he heard? The Sibyl answered, "Here is the

judgment hall of Rhadamanthus, who brings to light crimes done in life, which the perpetrator vainly thought

impenetrably hid. Tisiphone applies her whip of scorpions, and delivers the offender over to her sister

Furies." At this moment with horrid clang the brazen gates unfolded, and AEneas saw within a Hydra with

fifty heads guarding the entrance. The Sibyl told him that the gulf of Tartarus descended deep, so that its

recesses were as far beneath their feet as heaven was high above their heads. In the bottom of this pit, the

Titan race, who warred against the gods, lie prostrate; Salmoneus, also, who presumed to vie with Jupiter,

and built a bridge of brass over which he drove his chariot that the sound might resemble thunder, launching

flaming brands at his people in imitation of lightning, till Jupiter struck him with a real thunderbolt, and

taught him the difference between mortal weapons and divine. Here, also, is Tityus, the giant, whose form is

so immense that as he lies he stretches over nine acres, while a vulture preys upon his liver, which as fast as it

AEneas saw groups seated at tables loaded with dainties, while near by stood a Fury who snatched away the

viands from their lips as fast as they prepared to taste them. Others beheld suspended over their heads huge

rocks, threatening to fall, keeping them in a state of constant alarm. These were they who had hated their

brothers, or struck their parents, or defrauded the friends who trusted them, or who, having grown rich, kept

their money to themselves, and gave no share to others; the last being the most numerous class. Here also

were those who had violated the marriage vow, or fought in a bad cause, or failed in fidelity to their

employers. Here was one who had sold his country for gold, another who perverted the laws, making them

Ixion was there, fastened to the circumference of a wheel ceaselessly revolving; and Sisyphus, whose task

was to roll a huge stone up to a hilltop, but when the steep was wellnigh gained, the rock, repulsed by

some sudden force, rushed againheadlong down to the plain. Again he toiled at it, while the sweat bathed all

his weary limbs, but all to no effect. There was Tantalus, who stood in a pool, his chin level with the water,

yet he was parched with thirst, and found nothing to assuage it; for when he bowed his hoary head, eager to

quaff, the water fled away, leaving the ground at his feet all dry. Tall trees laden with fruit stooped their

heads to him, pears, pomegranates, apples, and luscious figs; but when with a sudden grasp he tried to seize

The Sibyl now warned AEneas it was time to turn from these melancholy regions and seek the city of the

blessed. They passed through a middle tract of darkness, and came upon the Elysian fields, the groves where

the happy reside. They breathed a freer air, and saw all objects clothed in a purple light. The region has a sun

and stars of its own. The inhabitants were enjoying themselves in various ways, some in sports on the grassy

turf, in games of strength or skill, others dancing or singing. Orpheus struck the chords of his lyre, and called

forth ravishing sounds. Here AEneas saw the founders of the Trojan state, magnanimous heroes who lived in

happier times. He gazed with admiration on the war chariots and glittering arms now reposing in disuse.

Spears stood fixed in the ground, and the horses, unharnessed, roamed over the plain. The same pride in

splendid armour and generous steeds which the old heroes felt in life, accompanied them here. He saw

another group feasting and listening to the strains of music. They were in a laurel grove, whence the great

river Po has its origin, and flows out among men. Here dwelt those who fell by wounds received in their

country's cause, holy priests also, and poets who have uttered thoughts worthy of Apollo, and others who

have contributed to cheer and adorn life by their discoveries in the useful arts, and have made their memory

blessed by rendering service to mankind. They wore snowwhite fillets about their brows. The Sibyl

addressed a group of these, and inquired where Anchises was to be found. They were directed where to seek

him, and soon found him in a verdant valley, where he was contemplating the ranks of his posterity, their

destinies and worthy deeds to be achieved in coming times. When he recognized AEneas approaching, he

stretched out both hands to him, while tears flowed freely. "Have you come at last," said he, "long expected,

and do I behold you after such perils past? O my son, how have I trembled for you as I have watched your

career!" To which AEneas replied, "O father! your image was always before me to guide and guard me."

Then he endeavoured to enfold his father in his embrace, but his arms enclosed only an unsubstantial image.

AEneas perceived before him a spacious valley, with trees gently waving to the wind, a tranquil landscape,

through which the river Lethe flowed. Along the banks of the stream wandered a countless multitude,

numerous as insects in the summer air. AEneas, with surprise, inquired who were these. Anchises answered,

"They are souls to which bodies are to be given in due time. Meanwhile they dwell on Lethe's bank, and

drink oblivion of their former lives." "O father!" said AEneas, "is it possible that any can be so in love with

life as to wish to leave these tranquil seats for the upper world?" Anchises replied by explaining the plan of

creation. The Creator, he told him, originally made the material of which souls are composed of the four

elements, fire, air, earth, and water, all which when united took the form of the most excellent part, fire, and

became flame. This material was scattered like seed among the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, and stars. Of

this seed the inferior gods created man and all other animals, mingling it with various proportions of earth, by

which its purity was alloyed and reduced. Thus, the more earth predominates in the composition the less pure

is the individual; and we see men and women with their fullgrown bodies have not the purity of childhood.

So in proportion to the time which the union of body and soul has lasted is the impurity contracted by the

spiritual part. This impurity must be purged away after death, which is done by ventilating the souls in the

current of winds, or merging them in water, or burning out their impurities by fire. Some few, of whom

Anchises intimates that he is one, are admitted at once to Elysium, there to remain. But the rest, after the

impurities of earth are purged away, are sent back to life endowed with new bodies, having had the

remembrance of their former lives effectually washed away by the waters of Lethe. Some, however, there still

are, so thoroughly corrupted, that they are not fit to be intrusted with human bodies, and these are made into

brute animals, lions, tigers, cats, dogs, monkeys, etc. This is what the ancients called Metempsychosis, or the

transmigration of souls; a doctrine which is still held by the natives of India, who scruple to destroy the life

even of the most insignificant animal, not knowing but it may be one of their relations in an altered form.

Anchises, having explained so much, proceeded to point out to AEneas individuals of his race, who were

hereafter to be born, and to relate to him the exploits they should perform in the world. After this he reverted

to the present, and told his son of the events that remained to him to be accomplished before the complete

establishment of himself and his followers in Italy. Wars were to be waged, battles fought, a bride to be won,

and in the result a Trojan state founded, from which should arise the Roman power, to be in time the

AEneas and the Sibyl then took leave of Anchises, and returned by some short cut, which the poet does not

Virgil, we have seen, places his Elysium under the earth, and assigns it for a residence to the spirits of the

blessed. But in Homer Elysium forms no part of the realms of the dead. He places it on the west of the earth,

near Ocean, and describes it as a happy land, where there is neither snow, nor cold, nor rain, and always

fanned by the delightful breezes of Zephyrus. Hither favoured heroes pass without dying and live happy

under the rule of Rhadamanthus. The Elysium of Hesiod and Pindar is in the Isles of the Blessed, or

Fortunate Islands, in the Western Ocean. From these sprang the legend of the happy island Atlantis. This

blissful region may have been wholly imaginary, but possibly may have sprung from the reports of some

J. R. Lowell, in one of his shorter poems, claims for the present age some of the privileges of that happy

And in Book II. he characterizes the rivers of Erebus according to the meaning of their names in the Greek

As AEneas and the Sibyl pursued their way back to earth, he said to her, "Whether thou be a goddess or a

mortal beloved of the gods, by me thou shalt always be held in reverence. When I reach the upper air I will

cause a temple to be built to thy honour, and will myself bring offerings." "I am no goddess," said the Sibyl;

"I have no claim to sacrifice or offering. I am mortal; yet if I could have accepted the love of Apollo I might

have been immortal. He promised me the fulfilment of my wish, if I would consent to be his. I took a handful

of sand, and holding it forth, said, 'Grant me to see as many birthdays as there are sand grains in my hand.'

Unluckily I forgot to ask for enduring youth. This also he would have granted, could I have accepted his love,

but offended at my refusal, he allowed me to grow old. My youth and youthful strength fled long ago. I have

lived seven hundred years, and to equal the number of the sandgrains I have still to see three hundred

springs and three hundred harvests. My body shrinks up as years increase, and in time, I shall be lost to sight,

These concluding words of the Sibyl alluded to her prophetic power. In her cave she was accustomed to

inscribe on leaves gathered from the trees the names and fates of individuals. The leaves thus inscribed were

arranged in order within the cave, and might be consulted by her votaries. But if perchance at the opening of

the door the wind rushed in and dispersed the leaves the Sibyl gave no aid in restoring them again, and the

The following legend of the Sibyl is fixed at a later date. In the reign of one of the Tarquins there appeared

before the king a woman who offered him nine books for sale, The king refused to purchase them, whereupon

the woman went away and burned three of the books, and returning offered the remaining books for the same

price she had asked for the nine. The king again rejected them; but when the woman, after burning three

books more, returned and asked for the three remaining the same price which she had before asked for the

nine, his curiosity was excited, and he purchased the books. They were found to contain the destinies of the

Roman state. They were kept in the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, preserved in a stone chest, and allowed to

be inspected only by special officers appointed for that duty, who, on great occasions, consulted them and

There were various Sibyls; but the Cumaean Sibyl, of whom Ovid and Virgil write, is the most celebrated of

them. Ovid's story of her life protracted to one thousand years may be intended to represent the various Sibyls

Young, in the "Night Thoughts," alludes to the Sibyl. Speaking of Worldly Wisdom, he says:

AENEAS, having parted from the Sibyl and rejoined his fleet, coasted along the shores of Italy and cast

anchor in the mouth of the Tiber. The poet, having brought his hero to this spot, the destined termination of

his wanderings, invokes his Muse to tell him the situation of things at that eventful moment. Latinus, third in

descent from Saturn, ruled the country. He was now old and had no male descendant, but had one charming

daughter, Lavinia, who was sought in marriage by many neighbouring chiefs, one of whom, Turnus, king of

the Rutulians, was favoured by the wishes of her parents. But Latinus had been warned in a dream by his

father Faunus, that the destined husband of Lavinia should come from a foreign land. From that union should

Our readers will remember that in the conflict with the Harpies one of those halfhuman birds had threatened

the Trojans with dire sufferings. In particular she predicted that before their wanderings ceased they should

be pressed by hunger to devour their tables. This portent now came true; for as they took their scanty meal,

seated on the grass, the men placed their hard biscuit on their laps, and put thereon whatever their gleanings

in the woods supplied. Having despatched the latter they finished by eating the crusts. Seeing which, the boy

Iulus said playfully, "See, we are eating our tables." AEneas caught the words and accepted the omen. "All

hail, promised land!" he exclaimed, "this is our home, this our country." He then took measures to find out

who were the present inhabitants of the land, and who their rulers. A hundred chosen men were sent to the

village of Latinus, bearing presents and a request for friendship and alliance. They went and were favourably

received. Latinus immediately concluded that the Trojan hero was no other than the promised soninlaw

announced by the oracle. He cheerfully granted his alliance and sent back the messengers mounted on steeds

Juno, seeing things go thus prosperously for the Trojans, felt her old animosity revive, summoned Alecto

from Erebus, and sent her to stir up discord. The Fury first took possession of the queen, Amata, and roused

her to oppose in every way the new alliance. Alecto then speeded to the city of Turnus, and assuming the

form of an old priestess, informed him of the arrival of the foreigners and of the attempts of their prince to

rob him of his bride. Next she turned her attention to the camp of the Trojans. There she saw the boy Iulus

and his companions amusing themselves with hunting. She sharpened the scent of the dogs, and led them to

rouse up from the thicket a tame stag, the favourite of Silvia, the daughter of Tyrrheus, the king's herdsman.

A javelin from the hand of Iulus wounded the animal, and he had only strength left to run homewards, and

died at his mistress's feet. Her cries and tears roused her brothers and the herdsmen, and they, seizing

whatever weapons came to hand, furiously assaulted the hunting party. These were protected by their friends,

These things were enough to rouse the storm of war, and the queen, Turnus, and the peasants all urged the old

king to drive the strangers from the country. He resisted as long as he could, but, finding his opposition

It was the custom of the country, when war was to be undertaken, for the chief magistrate, clad in his robes of

office, with solemn pomp to open the gates of the temple of Janus, which were kept shut as long as peace

endured. His people now urged the old king to perform that solemn office, but he refused to do so. While they

contested, Juno herself, descending from the skies, smote the doors with irresistible force, and burst them

open. Immediately the whole country was in a flame. The people rushed from every side breathing nothing

Turnus was recognized by all as leader; others joined as allies, chief of whom was Mezentius, a brave and

able soldier, but of detestable cruelty. He had been the chief of one of the neighbouring cities, but his people

drove him out. With him was joined his son Lausus, a generous youth, worthy of a better sire.

Camilla, the favourite of Diana, a huntress and warrior, after the fashion of the Amazons, came with her band

of mounted followers, including a select number of her own sex, and ranged herself on the side of Turnus.

This maiden had never accustomed her fingers to the distaff or the loom, but had learned to endure the toils of

war, and in speed to outstrip the wind. It seemed as if she might run over the standing corn without crushing

it, or over the surface of the water without dipping her feet. Camilla's history had been singular from the

beginning. Her father, Metabus, driven from his city by civil discord, carried with him in his flight his infant

daughter. As he fled through the woods, his enemies in hot pursuit, he reached the bank of the river

Amazenus, which, swelled by rain, seemed to debar a passage. He paused for a moment, then decided what to

do. He tied the infant to his lance with wrappers of bark, and poising the weapon in his upraised hand, thus

addressed Diana: "Goddess of the woods! I consecrate this maid to you"; then hurled the weapon with its

burden to the opposite bank. The spear flew across the roaring water. His pursuers were already upon him,

but he plunged into the river and swam across, and found the spear, with the infant safe on the other side.

Thenceforth he lived among the shepherds, and brought up his daughter in woodland arts. While a child she

was taught to use the bow and throw the javelin. With her sling she could bring down the crane or the wild

swan. Her dress was a tiger's skin. Many mothers sought her for a daughterinlaw, but she continued

Such were the formidable allies that ranged themselves against AEneas. It was night and he lay stretched in

sleep on the bank of the river under the open heavens. The god of the stream, Father Tiber. seemed to raise

his head above the willows and to say, "O goddessborn, destined possessor of the Latin realms, this is the

promised land, here is to be your home, here shall terminate the hostility of the heavenly powers, if only you

faithfully persevere. There are friends not far distant. Prepare your boats and row up my stream; I will lead

you to Evander, the Arcadian chief. He has long been at strife with Turnus and the Rutulians, and is prepared

to become an ally of yours. Rise! offer your vows to Juno, and deprecate her anger. When you have achieved

your victory then think of me." AEneas woke and paid immediate obedience to the friendly vision. He

sacrificed to Juno, and invoked the god of the river and all his tributary fountains to lend their aid. Then for

the first time a vessel filled with armed warriors floated on the stream of the Tiber. The river smoothed its

waves, and bade its current flow gently, while, impelled by the vigorous strokes of the rowers, the vessels

About the middle of the day they came in sight of the scattered buildings of the infant town, where in after

times the proud city of Rome grew, whose glory reached the skies. By chance the old king, Evander, was that

day celebrating annual solemnities in honour of Hercules and all the gods. Pallas, his son, and all the chiefs of

the little commonwealth stood by. When they saw the tall ship gliding onward near the wood, they were

alarmed at the sight, and rose from the tables. But Pallas forbade the solemnities to be interrupted, and seizing

a weapon, stepped forward to the river's bank. He called aloud, demanding who they were, and what their

object. AEneas, holding forth an olivebranch, replied, "We are Trojans, friends to you, and enemies to the

Rutulians. We seek Evander, and offer to join our arms with yours." Pallas, in amaze at the sound of so great

a name, invited them to land, and when AEneas touched the shore he seized his hand, and held it long in

friendly grasp. Proceeding through the wood, they joined the king and his party and were most favourably

When the solemnities were ended all moved towards the city. The king, bending with age, walked between

his son and AEneas, taking the arm of one or the other of them, and with much variety of pleasing talk

shortening the way. AEneas with delight looked and listened, observing all the beauties of the scene, and

learning much of heroes renowned in ancient times. Evander said, "These extensive groves were once

inhabited by fauns and nymphs, and a rude race of men who sprang from the trees themselves, and had

neither laws not social culture. They knew not how to yoke the cattle nor raise a harvest, nor provide from

present abundance for future want; but browsed like beasts upon the leafy boughs, or fed voraciously or their

hunted prey. Such were they when Saturn, expelled from Olympus by his sons, came among them and drew

together the fierce savages, formed them into society and gave them laws. Such peace and plenty ensued that

men ever since have called his reign the golden age; but by degrees far other times succeeded, and the thirst

of gold and the thirst of blood prevailed. The land was a prey to successive tyrants, till fortune and resistless

Having thus said, he showed him the Tarpeian rock, and the rude spot then overgrown with bushes where in

after times the Capitol rose in all its magnificence. He next pointed to some dismantled walls, and said, "Here

stood Janiculum, built by Janus, and there Saturnia, the town of Saturn." Such discourse brought them to the

cottage of poor Evander, whence they saw the lowing herds roaming over the plain where now the proud and

stately Forum stands. They entered, and a couch was spread for AEneas, well stuffed with leaves, and

Next morning, awakened by the dawn and the shrill song of birds beneath the eaves of his low mansion, old

Evander rose. Clad in a tunic, and a panther's skin thrown over his shoulders, with sandals on his feet and his

good sword girded to his side, he went forth to seek his guest. Two mastiffs followed him, his whole retinue

and body guard. He found the hero attended by his faithful Achates, and, Pallas, soon joining them, the old

"Illustrious Trojan, it is but little we can do in so great a cause. Our state is feeble, hemmed in on one side by

the river, on the other by the Rutulians. But I propose to ally you with a people numerous and rich, to whom

fate has brought you at the propitious moment. The Etruscans hold the country beyond the river. Mezentius

was their king, a monster of cruelty, who invented unheardof torments to gratify his vengeance. He would

fasten the dead to the living, hand to hand and face to face, and leave the wretched victims to die in that

dreadful embrace. At length the people cast him out, him and his house. They burned his palace and slew his

friends. He escaped and took refuge with Turnus, who protects him with arms. The Etruscans demand that he

shall be given up to deserved punishment, and would ere now have attempted to enforce their demand; but

the priests restrain them, telling them that it is the will of heaven that no native of the land shall guide them to

victory, and that their destined leader must come from across the sea. They have offered the crown to me, but

I am too old to undertake such great affairs, and my son is nativeborn, which precludes him from the choice.

You, equally by birth and time of life, and fame in arms, pointed out by the gods, have but to appear to be

hailed at once as their leader. With you I will join Pallas, my son, my only hope and comfort. Under you he

Then the king ordered horses to be furnished for the Trojan chiefs, and AEneas, with a chosen band of

followers and Pallas accompanying, mounted and took the way to the Etruscan city,* having sent back the

rest of his party in the ships. AEneas and his band safely arrived at the Etruscan camp and were received with

The poet here inserts a famous line which is thought to imitate in its sound the galloping of horses. It may be

thus translated: "Then struck the hoofs of the steeds on the ground with a fourfooted trampling." See

In the meanwhile Turnus had collected his bands and made all necessary preparations for the war. Juno sent

Iris to him with a message inciting him to take advantage of the absence of AEneas and surprise the Trojan

camp. Accordingly the attempt was made, but the Trojans were found on their guard, and having received

strict orders from AEneas not to fight in his absence, they lay still in their intrenchments, and resisted all the

efforts of the Rutulians to draw them into the field. Night coming on, the army of Turnus, in high spirits at

their fancied superiority, feasted and enjoyed themselves, and finally stretched themselves on the field and

In the camp of the Trojans things were far otherwise. There all was watchfulness and anxiety and impatience

for AEneas's return. Nisus stood guard at the entrance of the camp, and Euryalus, a youth distinguished above

all in the army for graces of person and fine qualities, was with him. These two were friends and brothers in

arms. Nisus said to his friend, "Do you perceive what confidence and carelessness the enemy display? Their

lights are few and dim, and the men seem all oppressed with wine or sleep. You know how anxiously our

chiefs wish to send to AEneas, and to get intelligence from him. Now, I am strongly moved to make my way

through the enemy's camp and to go in search of our chief. If I succeed, the glory of the deed will be reward

enough for me, and if they judge the service deserves anything more, let them pay it to you."

Euryalus, all on fire with the love of adventure, replied, "Would you, then, Nisus, refuse to share your

enterprise with me? And shall I let you go into such danger alone? Not so my brave father brought me up, nor

so have I planned for myself when I joined the standard of AEneas, and resolved to hold my life cheap in

comparison with honour." Nisus replied, "I doubt it not, my friend; but you know the uncertain event of such

an undertaking, and whatever may happen to me, I wish you to be safe. You are younger than I and have

more of life in prospect. Nor can I be the cause of such grief to your mother, who has chosen to be here in the

camp with you rather than stay and live in peace with the other matrons in Acestes' city." Euryalus replied,

"Say no more. In vain you seek arguments to dissuade me. I am fixed in the resolution to go with you. Let us

lose no time." They called the guard, and committing the watch to them, sought the general's tent. They found

the chief officers in consultation, deliberating how they should send notice to AEneas of their situation. The

offer of the two friends was gladly accepted, themselves loaded with praises and promised the most liberal

rewards in case of success. Iulus especially addressed Euryalus, assuring him of his lasting friendship.

Euryalus replied, "I have but one boon to ask. My aged mother is with me in the camp. For me she left the

Trojan soil, and would not stay behind with the other matrons at the city of Acestes. I go now without taking

leave of her. I could not bear her tears nor set at nought her entreaties. But do thou, I beseech you, comfort

her in her distress. Promise me that and I shall go more boldly into whatever dangers may present

themselves." Iulus and the other chiefs were moved to tears, and promised to do all his request. "Your mother

shall be mine," said Iulus, "and all that I have promised to you shall be made good to her, if you do not return

The two friends left the camp and plunged at once into the midst of the enemy. They found no watch, no

sentinels posted, but, all about, the sleeping soldiers strewn on the grass and among the wagons. The laws of

war at that early day did not forbid a brave man to slay a sleeping foe, and the two Trojans slew, as they

passed, such of the enemy as they could without exciting alarm. In one tent Euryalus made prize of a helmet

brilliant with gold and plumes. They had passed through the enemy's ranks without being discovered, but

now suddenly appeared a troop directly in front of them, which, under Volscens, their leader, were

approaching the camp. The glittering helmet of Euryalus caught their attention, and Volscens hailed the two,

and demanded who and whence they were. They made no answer, but plunged into the wood. The horsemen

scattered in all directions to intercept their flight. Nisus had eluded pursuit and was out of danger, but

Euryalus being missing he turned back to seek him. He again entered the wood and soon came within sound

of voices. Looking through the thicket he saw the whole band surrounding Euryalus with noisy questions.

What should he do? how extricate the youth, or would it be better to die with him?

Raising his eyes to the moon, which now shone clear, he said, "Goddess! favour my effort!" and aiming his

javelin at one of the leaders of the troop, struck him in the back and stretched him on the plain with a

deathblow. In the midst of their amazement another weapon flew and another of the party fell dead.

Volscens, the leader, ignorant whence the darts came, rushed sword in hand upon Euryalus. "You shall pay

the penalty of both," he said, and would have plunged the sword into his bosom, when Nisus, who from his

concealment saw the peril of his friend, rushed forward exclaiming, "'Twas I, 'twas I; turn your swords

against me, Rutulians, I did it; he only followed me as a friend." While he spoke the sword fell, and pierced

the comely bosom of Euryalus. His head fell on his shoulder, like a flower cut down by the plough. Nisus

rushed upon Volscens and plunged his sword into his body, and was himself slain on the instant by

AEneas, with his Etrurian allies, arrived on the scene of action in time to rescue his beleaguered camp; and

now the two armies being nearly equal in strength, the war began in good earnest. We cannot find space for

all the details, but must simply record the fate of the principal characters whom we have introduced to our

readers. The tyrant Mezentius, finding himself engaged against his revolting subjects, raged like a wild beast.

He slew all who dared to withstand him, and put the multitude to flight wherever he appeared. At last he

encountered AEneas, and the armies stood still to see the issue. Mezentius threw his spear, which striking

AEneas's shield glanced off and hit Anthor. He was a Grecian by birth, who had left Argos, his native city,

and followed Evander into Italy. The poet says of him with simple pathos which has made the words

proverbial, "He fell, unhappy, by a wound intended for another, looked up to the skies, and dying

remembered sweet Argos."* AEneas now in turn hurled his lance. It pierced the shield of Mezentius, and

wounded him in the thigh. Lausus, his son, could not bear the sight, but rushed forward and interposed

himself, while the followers pressed round Mezentius and bore him away. AEneas held his sword suspended

over Lausus and delayed to strike, but the furious youth pressed on and he was compelled to deal the fatal

blow. Lausus fell, and AEneas bent over him in pity. "Hapless youth," he said, "what can I do for you worthy

of your praise? Keep those arms in which you glory, and fear not but that your body shall be restored to your

friends, and have due funeral honours." So saying, he called the timid followers and delivered the body into

Mezentius meanwhile had been borne to the riverside, and washed his wound. Soon the news reached him

of Lausus's death, and rage and despair supplied the place of strength. He mounted his horse and dashed into

the place of the fight, seeking AEneas. Having found him, he rode round him in a circle, throwing one javelin

after another, while AEneas stood fenced with his shield, turning every way to meet them. At last, after

Mezentius had three times made the circuit, AEneas threw his lance directly at the horse's head. It pierced his

temples and he fell, while a shout from both armies rent the skies. Mezentius asked no mercy, but only that

his body might be spared the insults of his revolted subjects, and be buried in the same grave with his son. He

received the fatal stroke not unprepared, and poured out his life and his blood together.

While these things were doing in one part of the field, in another Turnus encountered the youthful Pallas. The

contest between champions so unequally matched could not be doubtful. Pallas bore himself bravely, but fell

by the lance of Turnus. The victor almost relented when he saw the brave youth lying dead at his feet, and

spared to use the privilege of a Conqueror in despoiling him of his arms. The belt only, adorned with studs

and carvings of gold, he took and clasped round his own body. The rest he remitted to the friends of the slain.

After the battle there was a cessation of arms for some days to allow both armies to bury their dead. In this

interval AEneas challenged Turnus to decide the contest by single combat, but Turnus evaded the challenge.

Another battle ensued, in which Camilla, the virgin warrior, was chiefly conspicuous. Her deeds of valor

surpassed those of the bravest warriors, and many Trojans and Etruscans fell pierced with her darts or struck

down by her battleaxe. At last an Etruscan named Aruns, who had watched her long, seeking for some

advantage, observed her pursuing a flying enemy whose splendid armour offered a tempting prize. Intent on

the chase she observed not her danger, and the javelin of Aruns struck her and inflicted a fatal wound. She

fell and breathed her last in the arms of her attendant maidens. But Diana, who beheld her fate, suffered not

her slaughter to be unavenged. Aruns, as he stole away, glad but frightened, was struck by a secret arrow,

At length the final conflict took place between AEneas and Turnus. Turnus had avoided the contest as long as

he could, but at last, impelled by the ill success of his arms and by the murmurs of his followers, he braced

himself to the conflict. It could not be doubtful. On the side of AEneas were the expressed decree of destiny,

the aid of his goddessmother at every emergency, and impenetrable armour fabricated by Vulcan, at her

request, for her son. Turnus, on the other hand, was deserted by his celestial allies, Juno having been

expressly forbidden by Jupiter to assist him any longer. Turnus threw his lance, but it recoiled harmless from

the shield of AEneas. The Trojan hero then threw his, which penetrated the shield of Turnus, and pierced his

thigh. Then Turnus's fortitude forsook him and he begged for mercy; and AEneas would have given him life,

but at the instant his eye fell on the belt of Pallas, which Turnus had taken from the slaughtered youth.

Instantly his rage revived, and exclaiming, "Pallas immolates thee with this blow," he thrust him through with

Here the poem of the "AEneid" closes, and we are left to infer that AEneas, having triumphed over his foes,

obtained Lavinia for his bride. Tradition adds that he founded his city, and called it after her name, Lavinium.

His son Iulus founded Alba Longa, which was the birthplace of Romulus and Remus and the cradle of Rome

There is an allusion to Camilla in those wellknown lines of Pope, in which, illustrating the rule that "the

THE teachings of Anchises to AEneas, respecting the nature of the human soul, were in conformity with the

doctrines of the Pythagoreans. Pythagoras (born five hundred and forty years B.C.) was a native of the island

of Samos, but passed the chief portion of his life at Crotona in Italy. He is therefore sometimes called "the

Samian," and sometimes "the philosopher of Crotona." When young he travelled extensively, and it is said

visited Egypt, where he was instructed by the priests in all their learning, and afterwards journeyed to the

At Crotona, where he finally established himself, his extraordinary qualities collected round him a great

number of disciples. The inhabitants were notorious for luxury and licentiousness, but the good effects of his

influence were soon visible. Sobriety and temperance succeeded. Six hundred of the inhabitants became his

disciples and enrolled themselves in a society to aid each other in the pursuit of wisdom, uniting their

property in one common stock for the benefit of the whole. They were required to practise the greatest purity

and simplicity of manners. The first lesson they learned was silence; for a time they were required to be only

hearers. "He [Pythagoras] said so" (Ipse dixit), was to be held by them as sufficient, without any proof. It was

only the advanced pupils, after years of patient submission, who were allowed to ask questions and to state

Pythagoras considered numbers as the essence and principle of all things, and attributed to them a real and

distinct existence; so that, in his view, they were the elements out of which the universe was constructed.

How he conceived this process has never been satisfactorily explained. He traced the various forms and

phenomena of the world to numbers as their basis and essence. The "Monad" or unit he regarded as the

source of all numbers. The number Two was imperfect, and the cause of increase and division. Three was

called the number of the whole because it had a beginning, middle, and end. Four, representing the square, is

in the highest degree perfect; and Ten, as it contains the sum of the four prime numbers, comprehends all

As the numbers proceed from the monad, so he regarded the pure and simple essence of the Deity as the

source of all the forms of nature. Gods, demons, and heroes are emanations of the Supreme, and there is a

fourth emanation, the human soul. This is immortal, and when freed from the fetters of the body passes to the

habitation of the dead, where it remains till it returns to the world, to dwell in some other human or animal

body, and at last, when sufficiently purified, it returns to the source from which it proceeded. This doctrine of

the transmigration of souls (metempsychosis), which was originally Egyptian and connected with the doctrine

of reward and punishment of human actions, was the chief cause why the Pythagoreans killed no animals.

Ovid represents Pythagoras addressing his disciples in these words: "Souls never die, but always on quitting

one abode pass to another. I myself can remember that in the time of the Trojan war I was Euphorbus, the son

of Panthus, and fell by the spear of Menelaus. Lately being in the temple of Juno, at Argos, I recognized my

shield hung up there among the trophies. All things change, nothing perishes. The soul passes hither and

thither, occupying now this body, now that, passing from the body of a beast into that of a man, and thence to

a beast's again. As wax is stamped with certain figures, then melted, then stamped anew with others, yet is

always the same wax, so the soul, being always the same, yet wears, at different times, different forms.

Therefore, if the love of kindred is not extinct in your bosoms, forbear, I entreat you, to violate the life of

Shakespeare, in the "Merchant of Venice," makes Gratiano allude to the metempsychosis, where he says to

The relation of the notes of the musical scale to numbers, whereby harmony results from vibrations in equal

times, and discord from the reverse, led Pythagoras to apply the word "harmony" to the visible creation,

meaning by it the just adaptation of parts to each other. This is the idea which Dryden expresses in the

In the centre of the universe (he taught) there was a central fire, the principle of life. The central fire was

surrounded by the earth, the moon, the sun, and the five planets. The distances of the various heavenly bodies

from one another were conceived to correspond to the proportions of the musical scale. The heavenly bodies,

with the gods who inhabited them, were supposed to perform a choral dance round the central fire, "not

without song." It is this doctrine which Shakespeare alludes to when he makes Lorenzo teach astronomy to

The spheres were conceived to be crystalline or glassy fabrics arranged over one another like a nest of bowls

reversed. In the substance of each sphere one or more of the heavenly bodies was supposed to be fixed, so as

to move with it. As the spheres are transparent we look through them and see the heavenly bodies which they

contain and carry round with them. But as these spheres cannot move on one another without friction, a

sound is thereby produced which is of exquisite harmony, too fine for mortal ears to recognize. Milton, in his

Pythagoras is said to have invented the lyre. Our own poet Longfellow, in "Verses to a Child," thus relates

See also the same poet's "Occultation of Orion""The Samian's great AEolian lyre."

Sybaris, a neighbouring city to Crotona, was as celebrated for luxury and effeminacy as Crotona for the

reverse. The name has become proverbial. J. R. Lowell uses it in this sense in his charming little poem "To

A war arose between the two cities, and Sybaris was conquered and destroyed. Milo, the celebrated athlete,

led the army of Crotona. Many stories are told of Milo's vast strength, such as his carrying a heifer of four

years old upon his shoulders and afterwards eating the whole of it in a single day. The mode of his death is

thus related: As he was passing through a forest he saw the trunk of a tree which had been partially split open

by woodcutters, and attempted to rend it further; but the wood closed upon his hands and held him fast, in

The Egyptians acknowledged as the highest deity Amun, afterwards called Zeus, or Jupiter Ammon. Amun

manifested himself in his word or will, which created Kneph and Athor, of different sexes. From Kneph and

Athor proceeded Osiris and Isis. Osiris was worshipped as the god of the sun, the source of warmth, life, and

fruitfulness, in addition to which he was also regarded as the god of the Nile, who annually visited his wife,

Isis (the Earth), by means of an inundation. Serapis or Hermes is sometimes represented as identical with

Osiris, and sometimes as a distinct divinity, the ruler of Tartarus and god of medicine. Anubis is the guardian

god, represented with a dog's head, emblematic of his character of fidelity and watchfulness. Horus or

Harpocrates was the son of Osiris. He is represented seated on a Lotus flower, with his finger on his lips, as

Osiris and Isis were at one time induced to descend to the earth to bestow gifts and blessings on its

inhabitants. Isis showed them first the use of wheat and barley, and Osiris made the instruments of agriculture

and taught men the use of them, as well as how to harness the ox to the plough. He then gave men laws, the

institution of marriage, a civil organization, and taught them how to worship the gods. After he had thus

made the valley of the Nile a happy country, he assembled a host with which he went to bestow his blessings

upon the rest of the world. He conquered the nations everywhere, but not with weapons, only with music and

eloquence. His brother, Typhon saw this, and filled with envy and malice sought during his absence to usurp

his throne. But Isis, who held the reins of government, frustrated his plans. Still more embittered, he now

resolved to kill his brother. This he did in the following manner: Having organized a conspiracy of

seventytwo members, he went with them to the feast which was celebrated in honour of the king's return. He

then caused a box or chest to be brought in, which had been made to fit exactly the size of Osiris, and

declared that he would give that chest of precious wood to whomsoever could get into it. The rest tried in

vain, but no sooner was Osiris in it than Typhon and his companions closed the lid and flung the chest into

the Nile. When Isis heard of the cruel murder she wept and mourned, and then with her hair shorn, clothed in

black and beating her breast, she sought diligently for the body of her husband. In this search she was

materially assisted by Anubis, the son of Osiris and Nephthys. They sought in vain for some time; for when

the chest, carried by the waves to the shores of Byblos, had become entangled in the reeds that grew at the

edge of the water, the divine power that dwelt in the body of Osiris imparted such strength to the shrub that it

grew into a mighty tree, enclosing in its trunk the coffin of the god. This tree with its sacred deposit was

shortly after felled, and erected as a column in the palace of the king of Phoenicia. But at length by the aid of

Anubis and the sacred birds, Isis ascertained these facts, and then went to the royal city. There she offered

herself at the palace as a servant, and being admitted, threw off her disguise and appeared as the goddess,

surrounded with thunder and lightning. Striking the column with her wand she caused it to split open and

give up the sacred coffin. This she seized and returned with it, and concealed it in the depth of a forest, but

Typhon discovered it, and cutting the body into fourteen pieces scattered them hither and thither. After a

tedious search, Isis found thirteen pieces, the fishes of the Nile having eaten the other. This she replaced by

an imitation of sycamore wood, and buried the body at Philoe, which became ever after the great burying

place of the nation, and the spot to which pilgrimages were made from all parts of the country. A temple of

surpassing magnificence was also erected there in honour of the god, and at every place where one of his

limbs had been found minor temples and tombs were built to commemorate the event. Osiris became after

that the tutelar deity of the Egyptians. His soul was supposed always to inhabit the body of the bull Apis, and

Apis, the Bull of Memphis, was worshipped with the greatest reverence by the Egyptians. The individual

animal who was held to be Apis was recognized by certain signs. It was requisite that he should be quite

black, have a white square mark on the forehead, another, in the form of an eagle, on his back, and under his

tongue a lump somewhat in the shape of a scarabaeus or beetle. As soon as a bull thus marked was found by

those sent in search of him, he was placed in a building facing the east, and was fed with milk for four

months. At the expiration of this term the priests repaired at new moon, with great pomp, to his habitation

and saluted him Apis. He was placed in a vessel magnificently decorated and conveyed down the Nile to

Memphis, where a temple, with two chapels and a court for exercise, was assigned to him. Sacrifices were

made to him, and once every year, about the time when the Nile began to rise, a golden cup was thrown into

the river, and a grand festival was held to celebrate his birthday. The people believed that during this festival

the crocodiles forgot their natural ferocity and became harmless. There was, however, one drawback to his

happy lot: he was not permitted to live beyond a certain period, and if, when he had attained the age of

twentyfive years, he still survived, the priests drowned him in the sacred cistern and then buried him in the

temple of Serapis. On the death of this bull, whether it occurred in the course of nature or by violence, the

whole land was filled with sorrow and lamentations, which lasted until his successor was found.

"The Tomb of Apis. The excavations going on at Memphis bid fair to make that buried city as interesting as

Pompeii. The monster tomb of Apis is now open, after having lain unknown for centuries."

Milton, in his "Hymn on the Nativity," alludes to the Egyptian deities, not as imaginary beings, but as real

There being no rain in Egypt, the grass is "unshowered," and the country depends for its fertility upon the

overflowings of the Nile. The ark alluded to in the last line is shown by pictures still remaining on the walk of

the Egyptian temple to have been borne by the priests in their religious processions. It probable represented

Isis was represented in statuary with the head veiled, a symbol of mystery. It is this which Tennyson alludes

Oracle was the name used to denote the place where answers were supposed to be given by any of the

divinities to those who consulted them respecting the future. The word was also used to signify the response

The most ancient Grecian oracle was that of Jupiter at Dodona. According to one account, it was established

in the following manner: Two black doves took their flight from Thebes in Egypt. One flew to Dodona in

Epirus, and alighting in a grove of oaks, it proclaimed in human language to the inhabitants of the district that

they must establish there an oracle of Jupiter. The other dove flew to the temple of Jupiter Ammon in the

Libyan Oasis, and delivered a similar command there. Another account is, that they were not doves, but

priestesses, who were carried off from Thebes in Egypt by the Phoenicians, and set up oracles at the Oasis

and Dodona. The responses of the oracle were given from the trees, by the branches rustling in the wind, the

But the most celebrated of the Grecian oracles was that of Apollo at Delphi, a city built on the slopes of

It had been observed at a very early period that the goats feeding on Parnassus were thrown into convulsions

when they approached a certain long deep cleft in the side of the mountain. This was owing to a peculiar

vapour arising out of the cavern, and one of the goatherds was induced to try its effects upon himself.

Inhaling the intoxicating air, he was affected in the same manner as the cattle had been, and the inhabitants of

the surrounding country, unable to explain the circumstance, imputed the convulsive ravings to which he

gave utterance while under the power of the exhalations to a divine inspiration. The fact was speedily

circulated widely, and a temple was erected on the spot. The prophetic influence was at first variously

attributed to the goddess Earth, to Neptune, Themis, and others, but it was at length assigned to Apollo, and

to him alone. A priestess was appointed whose office it was to inhale the hallowed air, and who was named

the Pythia. She was prepared for this duty by previous ablution at the fountain of Castalia, and being crowned

with laurel was seated upon a tripod similarly adorned, which was placed over the chasm whence the divine

afflatus proceeded. Her inspired words while thus situated were interpreted by the priests.

Besides the oracles of Jupiter and Apollo, at Dodona and Delphi, that of Trophonius in Boeotia was held in

high estimation. Trophonius and Agamedes were brothers. They were distinguished architects, and built the

temple of Apollo at Delphi, and a treasury for King Hyrieus. In the wall of the treasury they placed a stone, in

such a manner that it could be taken out; and by this means, from time to time, purloined the treasure. This

amazed Hyrieus, for his locks and seals were untouched, and yet his wealth continually diminished. At length

Trophonius, unable to extricate him, and fearing that when found he would be compelled by torture to

discover his accomplice, cut off his head. Trophonius himself is said to have been shortly afterwards

The oracle of Trophonius was at Lebadea in Boeotia. During a great drought the Boeotians, it is said, were

directed by the god at Delphi to seek aid of Trophonius at Lebadea. They came thither, but could find no

oracle. One of them, however, happening to see a swarm of bees, followed them to a chasm in the earth,

Peculiar ceremonies were to be performed by the person who came to consult the oracle. After these

preliminaries, he descended into the cave by a narrow passage. This place could be entered only in the night.

The person returned from the cave by the same narrow passage, but walking backwards. He appeared

melancholy and dejected; and hence the proverb which was applied to a person lowspirited and gloomy,

There were numerous oracles of AEsculapius, but the most celebrated one was at Epidaurus. Here the sick

sought responses and the recovery of their health by sleeping in the temple. It has been inferred from the

accounts that have come down to us that the treatment of the sick resembled what is now called Animal

Serpents were sacred to AEsculapius, probably because of a superstition that those animals have a faculty of

The worship of AEsculapius was introduced into Rome in a time of great sickness, and an embassy sent to

the temple of Epidaurus to entreat the aid of the god. AEsculapius was propitious and on the return of the ship

accompanied it in the form of a serpent. Arriving in the river Tiber, the serpent glided from the vessel and

took possession of an island in the river, and a temple was there erected to his honour.

At Memphis the sacred bull Apis gave answer to those who consulted him by the manner in which he

received or rejected what was presented to him. If the bull refused food from the hand of the inquirer it was

It has been a question whether oracular responses ought to be ascribed to mere human contrivance or to the

agency of evil spirits. The latter opinion has been most general in past ages. A third theory has been advanced

since the phenomena of Mesmerism have attracted attention, that something like the mesmeric trance was

induced in the Pythoness, and the faculty of clairvoyance really called into action.

Another question is as to the time when the Pagan oracles ceased to give responses. Ancient Christian writers

assert that they became silent at the birth of Christ, and were heard no more after that date. Milton adopts this

view in his "Hymn on the Nativity," and in lines of solemn and elevated beauty pictures the consternation of

In Cowper's poem of "Yardley Oak" there are some beautiful mythological allusions. The former of the two

following is to the fable of Castor and Pollux; the latter is more appropriate to our present subject.

Byron alludes to the oracle of Delphi where, speaking of Rousseau, whose writings he conceives did much to

HAVING reached the close of our series of stories of Pagan mythology, an inquiry suggests itself. "Whence

came these stories? Have they a foundation in truth, or are they simply dreams of the imagination?"

Philosophers have suggested various theories of the subject; and 1. The Scriptural theory; according to which

all mythological legends are derived from the narratives of Scriptures, though the real facts have been

disguised and altered. Thus Deucalion is only another name for Noah, Hercules for Samson, Arion for Jonah,

etc. Sir Walter Raleigh, in his "History of the World," says, "Jubal, Tubal, and TubalCain were Mercury,

Vulcan, and Apollo, inventors of Pasturage, Smithing, and Music. The Dragon which kept the golden apples

was the serpent that beguiled Eve. Nimrod's tower was the attempt of the Giants against Heaven." There are

doubtless many curious coincidences like these, but the theory cannot without extravagance be pushed so far

2. The Historical theory; according to which all the persons mentioned in mythology were once real human

beings, and the legends and fabulous traditions relating to them are merely the additions and embellishments

of later times. Thus the story of AEolus, the king and god of the winds, is supposed to have risen from the

fact that AEolus was the ruler of some islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, where be reigned as a just and pious

king, and taught the natives the use of sails for or ships, and how to tell from the signs of the atmosphere the

changes of the weather and the winds. Cadmus, who, the legend says, sowed the earth with dragon's teeth,

from which sprang a crop of armed men, was in fact an emigrant from Phoenicia, and brought with him into

Greece the knowledge of the letters of the alphabet, which be taught to the natives. From these rudiments of

learning sprung civilization, which the poets have always been prone to describe as a deterioration of man's

3. The Allegorical theory supposes that all the myths of the ancients were allegorical and symbolical, and

contained some moral, religious, or philosophical truth or historical fact, under the form of an allegory, but

came in process of time to be understood literally. Thus Saturn, who devours his own children, is the same

power whom the Greeks called Cronos (Time), which may truly be said to destroy whatever it has brought

into existence. The story of Io is interpreted in a similar manner. Io is the moon, and Argus the starry sky,

which, as it were, keeps sleepless watch over her. The fabulous wanderings of lo represent the continual

4. The Physical theory; according to which the elements of air, fire, and water were originally the objects of

religious adoration, and the principal deities were personifications of the powers of nature. The transition was

easy from a personification of the elements to the notion of supernatural beings presiding over and governing

the different objects of nature. The Greeks, whose imagination was lively, peopled all nature with invisible

beings, and supposed that every object, from the sun and sea to the smallest fountain and rivulet, was under

the care of some particular divinity. Wordsworth, in his "Excursion," has beautifully developed this view of

All the theories which have been mentioned are true to a certain extent. It would therefore be more correct to

say that the mythology of a nation has sprung from all these sources combined than from any one in

particular. We may add also that there are many myths which have arisen from the desire of man to account

for those natural phenomena which he cannot understand; and not a few have had their rise from a similar

To adequately represent to the eye the ideas intended to be conveyed to the mind under the several names of

deities was a task which called into exercise the highest powers of genius and art. Of to many attempts four

have been most celebrated the first two known to us only by the descriptions of the ancients, the others still

The statue of the Olympian Jupiter by Phidias was considered the highest achievement of this department of

Grecian art. It was of colossal dimensions, and was what the ancients called "chryselephantine"; that is,

composed of ivory and gold; the parts representing flesh being of ivory laid on a core of wood or stone, while

the drapery and other ornaments were of gold. The height of the figure was forty feet, on a pedestal twelve

feet high. The god was represented seated on his throne. His brows were crowned with a wreath of olive, and

he held in his right hand a sceptre, and in his left a statue of Victory. The throne was of cedar, adorned with

The idea which the artist essayed to embody was that of the supreme deity of the Hellenic (Grecian) nation,

enthroned as a conqueror, in perfect majesty and repose, and ruling with a nod the subject world. Phidias

avowed that he took his idea from the representation which Homer gives in the first book of the "Iliad," in the

It may interest our readers to see how this passage appears in another famous version, that which was issued

under the name of Tickell, contemporaneously with Pope's, and which, being by many attributed to Addison,

This was also the work of Phidias. It stood in the Parthenon, or temple of Minerva at Athens. The goddess

was represented standing. In one hand she held a spear, in the other a statue of Victory. Her helmet, highly

decorated, was surmounted by a Sphinx. The statue was forty feet in height, and, like the Jupiter, composed

of ivory and gold. The eyes were of marble, and probably painted to represent the iris and pupil. The

Parthenon, in which this statue stood, was also constructed under the direction and superintendence of

Phidias. Its exterior was enriched with sculptures, many of them from the hand of Phidias. The Elgin marbles,

Both the Jupiter and Minerva of Phidias are lost, but there is good ground to believe that we have, in several

extant statues and busts, the artist's conceptions of the countenances of both. They are characterized by grave

and dignified beauty, and freedom from any transient expression, which in the language of art is called

The Venus of the Medici is so called from its having been in the possession of the princes of that name in

Rome when it first attracted attention, about two hundred years ago. An inscription on the base records it to

be the work of Cleomenes, an Athenian sculptor of 200 B.C., but the authenticity of the inscription is

doubtful. There is a story that the artist was employed by public authority to make a statue exhibiting the

perfection of female beauty, and to aid him in his task the most perfect forms the city could supply were

The most highly esteemed of all the remains of ancient sculpture is the statue of Apollo, called the Belvedere,

from the name of the apartment of the Pope's palace at Rome in which it was placed. The artist is unknown. It

is supposed to be a work of Roman art, of about the first century of our era. It is a standing figure, in marble,

more than seven feet high, naked except for the cloak which is fastened around the neck and hangs over the

extended left arm. It is supposed to represent the god in the moment when he has shot the arrow to destroy

the monster Python. (See Chapter III.) The victorious divinity is in the act of stepping forward. The left arm,

which seems to have held the bow, is outstretched, and the head is turned in the same direction. In attitude

and proportion the graceful majesty of the figure is unsurpassed. The effect is completed by the countenance,

where on the perfection of youthful godlike beauty there dwells the consciousness of triumphant power.

The Diana of the Hind, in the palace of the Louvre, may be considered the counterpart to the Apollo

Belvedere. The attitude much resembles that of the Apollo, the sizes correspond and also the style of

execution. It is a work of the highest order, though by no means equal to the Apollo. The attitude is that of

hurried and eager motion, the face that of a huntress in the excitement of the chase. The left hand is extended

over the forehead of the Hind, which runs by her side, the right arm reaches backward over the shoulder to

Homer, from whose poems of the "Iliad" and "Odyssey" we have taken the chief part of our chapters of the

Trojan war and the return of the Grecians, is almost as mythical a personage as the heroes he celebrates. The

traditionary story is that he was a wandering minstrel, blind and old, who travelled from place to place

singing his lays to the music of his harp, in the courts of princes or the cottages of peasants, and dependent

upon the voluntary offerings of his hearers for support. Byron calls him "The blind old man of Scio's rocky

isle," and a wellknown epigram, alluding to the uncertainty of the fact of his birthplace, says:

Modern scholars have doubted whether the Homeric poems are the work of any single mind. This arises from

the difficulty of believing that poems of such length could have been committed to writing at so early an age

as that usually assigned to these, an age earlier than the date of any remaining inscriptions or coins, and when

no materials capable of containing such long productions were yet introduced into use. On the other hand it is

asked how poems of such length could have been handed down from age to age by means of the memory

alone. This is answered by the statement that there was a professional body of men, called Rhapsodists, who

recited the poems of others, and whose business it was to commit to memory and rehearse for pay the

The prevailing opinion of the learned, at this time, seems to be that the framework and much of the structure

of the poems belongs to Homer, but that there are numerous interpolations and additions by other hands.

Virgil, called also by his surname, Maro, from whose poem of the "AEneid" we have taken the story of

AEneas, was one of the great poets who made the reign of the Roman emperor Augustus so celebrated, under

the name of the Augustan age. Virgil was born in Mantua in the year 70 B.C. His great poem is ranked next

to those of Homer, in the highest class of poetical composition, the Epic. Virgil is far inferior to Homer in

originality and invention, but superior to him in correctness and elegance. To critics of English lineage

Milton alone of modern poets seems worthy to be classed with these illustrious ancients. His poem of

"Paradise Lost," from which we have borrowed so many illustrations, is in many respects equal, in some

superior, to either of the great works of antiquity. The following epigram of Dryden characterizes the three

OVID, often alluded to in poetry by his other name of Naso, was born in the year 43 B.C. He was educated

for public life and held some offices of considerable dignity, but poetry was his delight, and he early resolved

to devote himself to it. He accordingly sought the society of the contemporary poets, and was acquainted with

Horace and saw Virgil, though the latter died when Ovid was yet too young and undistinguished to have

formed his acquaintance. Ovid spent an easy life at Rome in the enjoyment of a competent income. He was

intimate with the family of Augustus, the emperor, and it is supposed that some serious offence given to some

member of that family was the cause of an event which reversed the poet's happy circumstances and clouded

all the latter portion of his life. At the age of fifty he was banished from Rome, and ordered to betake himself

to Tomi, on the borders of the Black Sea. Here, among the barbarous people and in a severe climate, the poet,

who had been accustomed to all the pleasures of a luxurious capital and the society of his most distinguished

contemporaries, spent the last ten years of his life, worn out with grief and anxiety. His only consolation in

exile was to address his wife and absent friends, and his letters were all poetical. Though these poems (the

"Tristia" and "Letters from Pontus") have no other topic than the poet's sorrow's, his exquisite taste and

fruitful invention have redeemed them from the charge of being tedious, and they are read with pleasure and

The two great works of Ovid are his "Metamorphoses" and his "Fasti." They are both mythological poems,

and from the former we have taken most of our stories of Grecian and Roman mythology. A late writer thus

"The rich mythology of Greece furnished Ovid, as it may still furnish the poet, the painter, and the sculptor,

with materials for his art. With exquisite taste, simplicity, and pathos he has narrated the fabulous traditions

of early ages, and given to them that appearance of reality which only a masterhand could impart. His

pictures of nature are striking and true; he selects with care that which is appropriate; he rejects the

superfluous; and when he has completed his work, it is neither defective nor redundant. The 'Metamorphoses'

are read with pleasure by youth, and are reread in more advanced age with still greater delight. The poet

ventured to predict that his poem would survive him, and be read wherever the Roman name was known."

The prediction above alluded to is contained in the closing lines of the "Metamorphoses," of which we give a

THERE is a set of imaginary beings which seem to have been the successors of the "Gorgons, Hydras, and

Chimeras dire" of the old superstitions, and, having no connection with the false gods of Paganism, to have

continued to enjoy an existence in the popular belief after Paganism was superseded by Christianity. They are

mentioned perhaps by the classical writers, but their chief popularity and currency seem to have been in more

modern times. We seek our accounts of them not so much in the poetry of the ancients as in the old natural

history books and narrations of travellers. The accounts which we are about to give are taken chiefly from the

Ovid tells the story of the Phoenix as follows: "Most beings spring from other individuals; but there is a

certain kind which reproduces itself. The Assyrians call it the Phoenix. It does not live on fruit or flowers, but

on frankincense and odoriferous gums. When it has lived five hundred years, it builds itself a nest in the

branches of an oak, or on the top of a palm tree. In this it collects cinnamon, and spikenard, and myrrh, and of

these 'materials builds a pile on which it deposits itself, and dying, breathes out its last breath amidst odours.

From the body of the parent bird, a young Phoenix issues forth, destined to live as long a life as its

predecessor. When this has grown up and gained sufficient strength, it lifts its nest from the tree (its own

cradle and its parent's sepulchre), and carries it to the city of Heliopolis in Egypt, and deposits it in the temple

Such is the account given by a poet. Now let us see that of a philosophic historian. Tacitus says, "in the

consulship of Paulus Fabius (A.D. 34) the miraculous bird known to the world by the name of the Phoenix,

after disappearing for a series of ages, revisited Egypt. It was attended in its flight by a group of various birds,

all attracted by the novelty, and gazing with wonder at so beautiful an appearance." He then gives an account

of the bird, not varying materially from the preceding, but adding some details. "The first care of the young

bird as soon as fledged, and able to trust to his wings, is to perform the obsequies of his father. But this duty

is not undertaken rashly. He collects a quantity of myrrh, and to try his strength makes frequent excursions

with a load on his back. When he has gained sufficient confidence in his own vigour, he takes up the body of

his father and flies with it to the altar of the Sun, where he leaves it to be consumed in flames of fragrance."

Other writers add a few particulars. The myrrh is compacted in the form of an egg, in which the dead Phoenix

is enclosed. From the mouldering flesh of the dead bird a worm springs, and this worm, when grown large, is

transformed into a bird. Herodotus describes the bird, though he says, "I have not seen it myself, except in a

picture. Part of his plumage is goldcoloured, and part crimson; and he is for the most part very much like an

The first writer who disclaimed a belief in the existence of the Phoenix was Sir Thomas Browne, in his

"Vulgar Errors," published in 1646. He was replied to a few years later by Alexander Ross, who says, in

answer to the objection of the Phoenix so seldom making his appearance, "His instinct teaches him to keep

out of the way of the tyrant of the creation, man, for if he were to be got at, some wealthy glutton would

Milton, in "Paradise Lost," Book V., compares the angel Raphael descending to earth to a Phoenix:

This animal was called the king of the serpents. In confirmation of his royalty, he was said to be endowed

with a crest, or comb upon the head, constituting a crown. He was supposed to be produced from the egg of a

cock hatched under toads or serpents. There were several species of this animal. One species burned up

whatever they approached; a second were a kind of wandering Medusa's heads, and their look caused an

instant horror which was immediately followed by death. In Shakespeare's play of "Richard the Third," Lady

Anne, in answer to Richard's compliment on her eyes, says "Would they were basilisk's, to strike thee dead!"

The basilisks were called kings of serpents because all other serpents and snakes, behaving like good

subjects, and wisely not wishing to be burned up or struck dead, fled the moment they heard the distant hiss

of their king, although they might be in full feed upon the most delicious prey, leaving the sole enjoyment of

The Roman naturalist Pliny thus describes him. "He does not impel his body, like other serpents, by a

multiplied flexion, but advances lofty and upright. He kills the shrubs, not only by contact, but by breathing

on them, and splits the rocks, such power of evil is there in him." It was formerly believed that if killed by a

spear from on horseback the power of the poison conducted through the weapon killed not only the rider, but

Such a prodigy was not likely to be passed over in the legends of the saints. Accordingly we find it recorded

that a certain holy man, going to a fountain in the desert, suddenly beheld a basilisk. He immediately raised

his eyes to heaven, and with a pious appeal to the Deity laid the monster dead at his feet.

These wonderful powers of the basilisk are attested by a host of learned persons, such as Galen, Avicenna,

Scaliger, and others. Occasionally one would demur to some part of the tale while he admitted the rest.

Jonston, a learned physician, sagely remarks, "I would scarcely believe that it kills with its look, for who

could have seen it and lived to tell the story?" The worthy sage was not aware that those who went to hunt the

basilisk of this sort took with them a mirror, which reflected back the deadly glare upon its author, and by a

But what was to attack this terrible and unapproachable monster? There is an old saying that "everything has

its enemy" and the cockatrice quailed before the weasel. The basilisk might look daggers, the weasel cared

not, but advanced boldly to the conflict. When bitten, the weasel retired for a moment to eat some rue, which

was the only plant the basilisks could not wither, returned with renewed strength and soundness to the charge,

and never left the enemy till he was stretched dead on the plain. The monster, too, as if conscious of the

irregular way in which he came into the world, was supposed to have a great antipathy to a cock; and well he

The basilisk was of some use after death. Thus we read that its carcass was suspended in the temple of

Apollo, and in private houses, as a sovereign remedy against spiders, and that it was also hung up in the

The reader will, we apprehend, by this time have had enough of absurdities, but still we can imagine his

anxiety to know what a cockatrice was like. The following is from Aldrovandus, a celebrated naturalist of the

sixteenth century, whose work on natural history, in thirteen folio volumes, contains with much that is

valuable a large proportion of fables and inutilities. In particular he is so ample on the subject of the cock and

the bull that from his practice, all rambling, gossiping tales of doubtful credibility are called cock and bull

Shelley, in his "Ode to Naples," full of the enthusiasm excited by the intelligence of the proclamation of a

Constitutional Government at Naples, in 1820, thus uses an allusion to the basilisk:

Pliny, the Roman naturalist, out of whose account of the unicorn most of the modern unicorns have been

described and figured, records it as "a very ferocious beast, similar in the rest of its body to a horse, with the

head of a deer, the feet of an elephant, the tail of a boar, a deep, bellowing voice, and a single black horn, two

cubits in length, standing out in the middle of its forehead." He adds that "it cannot be taken alive"; and some

such excuse may have been necessary in those days for not producing the living animal upon the arena of the

The unicorn seems to have been a sad puzzle to the hunters, who hardly knew how to come at so valuable a

piece of game. Some described the horn as movable at the will of the animal, a kind of small sword, in short,

with which no hunter who was not exceedingly cunning in fence could have a chance. Others maintained that

all the animal's strength lay in its horn, and that when hard pressed in pursuit, it would throw itself from the

pinnacle of the highest rocks horn foremost, so as to pitch upon it, and then quietly march off not a whit the

But it seems they found out how to circumvent the poor unicorn at last. They discovered that it was a great

lover of purity and innocence, so they took the field with a young virgin, who was placed in the unsuspecting

admirer's way. When the unicorn spied her, he approached with all reverence, crouched beside her, and

laying his head in her lap, fell asleep. The treacherous virgin then gave a signal, and the hunters made in and

Modern zoologists, disgusted as they well may be with such fables as these, disbelieved generally the

existence of the unicorn. Yet there are animals bearing on their heads a bony protuberance more or less like a

horn, which may have given rise to the story. The rhinoceros horn, as it is called, is such a protuberance,

though it does not exceed a few inches in height, and is far from agreeing with the descriptions of the horn of

the unicorn. The nearest approach to a horn in the middle of the forehead is exhibited in the bony

protuberance on the forehead of the giraffe; but this also is short and blunt, and is not the only horn of the

animal, but a third horn, standing in front of the two others. In fine, though it would be presumptuous to deny

the existence of a onehorned quadruped other than the rhinoceros, it may be safely stated that the insertion

of a long and solid horn in the living forehead of a horselike or deerlike animal is as near an impossibility

The following is from the "Life of Benvenuto Cellini," an Italian artist of the sixteenth century, written by

himself: "When I was about five years of age, my father, happening to be in a little room in which they had

been washing, and where there was a good fire of oak burning, looked into the flames and saw a little animal

resembling a lizard, which could live in the hottest part of that element. Instantly perceiving what it was, he

called for my sister and me, and after he had shown us the creature, he gave me a box on the ear. I fell

acrying, while he, soothing me with caresses, spoke these words: 'My dear child, I do not give you that blow

for any fault you have committed, but that you may recollect that the little creature you see in the fire is a

salamander; such a one as never was beheld before to my knowledge.' So saying he embraced me, and gave

It seems unreasonable to doubt a story of which Signor Cellini was both an eye and ear witness. Add to which

the authority of numerous sage philosophers, at the head of whom are Aristotle and Pliny, affirms this power

of the salamander. According to them, the animal not only resists fire, but extinguishes it, and when he sees

That the skin of an animal which could resist the action of fire should be considered proof against that

element is not to be wondered at. We accordingly find that a cloth made of the skin of salamanders (for there

really is such an animal, a kind of lizard) was incombustible, and very valuable, for wrapping up such articles

as were too precious to be intrusted to any other envelopes. These fireproof cloths were actually produced,

said to be made of salamander's wool, though the knowing ones detected that the substance of which they

were composed was asbestos, a mineral, which is in fine filaments capable of being woven into a flexible

The foundation of the above fables is supposed to be the fact that the salamander really does secrete from the

pores of his body a milky juice, which when he is irritated is produced in considerable quantity, and would

doubtless, for a few moments, defend the body from fire. Then it is a hibernating animal, and in winter retires

to some hollow tree or other cavity, where it coils itself up and remains in a torpid state till the spring again

calls it forth. It may therefore sometimes be carried with the fuel to the fire, and wake up only time enough to

put forth all its faculties for its defence. Its viscous juice would do good service, and all who profess to have

seen it, acknowledge that it got out of the fire as fast as its legs could carry it; indeed, too fast for them ever to

make prize of one, except in one instance, and in that one the animal's feet and some parts of its body were

Dr. Young, in the "Night Thoughts," with more quaintness than good taste, compares the sceptic who can

remain unmoved in the contemplation of the starry heavens to a salamander unwarmed in the fire:

OUR knowledge of the religion of the ancient Persians is principally derived from the Zendavesta, or sacred

books of that people. Zoroaster was the founder of their religion, or rather the reformer of the religion which

preceded him. The time when he lived is doubtful, but it is certain that his system became the dominant

religion of Western Asia from the time of Cyrus (550 B.C.) to the conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great.

Under the Macedonian monarchy the doctrines of Zoroaster appear to have been considerably corrupted by

the introduction of foreign opinions; but they afterwards recovered their ascendency.

Zoroaster taught the existence of a supreme being, who created two other mighty beings and imparted to

them as much of his own nature as seemed good to him. Of these, Ormuzd (called by the Greeks Oromasdes)

remained faithful to his creator, and was regarded as the source of all good, while Ahriman (Arimanes)

rebelled, and became the author of all evil upon the earth. Ormuzd created man and supplied him with all the

materials of happiness; but Ahriman marred this happiness by introducing evil into the world, and creating

savage beasts and poisonous reptiles and plants. In consequence of this, evil and good are now mingled

together in every part of the world, and the followers of good and evil the adherents of Ormuzd and

Ahrimancarry on incessant war. But this state of things will not last for ever. The time will come when the

adherents of Ormuzd shall everywhere be victorious, and Ahriman and his followers be consigned to

The religious rites of the ancient Persians were exceedingly simple. They used neither temples, altars, nor

statues, and performed their sacrifices on the tops of mountains. They adored fire, light, and the sun as

emblems of Ormuzd, the source of all light and purity, but did not regard them as independent deities. The

religious rites and ceremonies were regulated by the priests, who were called Magi. The learning of the Magi

was connected with astrology and enchantment, in which they were so celebrated that their name was applied

The religion of Zoroaster continued to flourish even after the introduction of Christianity, and in the third

century was the dominant faith of the East, till the rise of the Mahometan power and the conquest of Persia by

the Arabs in the seventh century, who compelled the greater number of the Persians to renounce their ancient

faith. Those who refused to abandon the religion of their ancestors fled to the deserts of Kerman and to

Hindustan, where they still exist under the name of Parsees, a name derived from Paris, the ancient name of

Persia. The Arabs call them Guebers, from an Arabic word signifying unbelievers. At Bombay the Parsees

are at this day a very active, intelligent, and wealthy class. For purity of life, honesty, and conciliatory

manners, they are favourably distinguished. They have numerous temples to Fire, which they adore as the

The Persian religion makes the subject of the finest tale in Moore's "Lalla Rookh," the "Fire Worshippers."

The religion of the Hindus is professedly founded on the Vedas. To these books of their scripture they attach

the greatest sanctity, and state that Brahma himself composed them at the creation. But the present

arrangement of the Vedas is attributed to the sage Vyasa, about five thousand years ago.

The Vedas undoubtedly teach the belief of one supreme God. The name of this deity is Brahma. His attributes

are represented by the three personified powers of creation, preservation, and destruction, which under the

respective names of Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva form the Trimurti or triad of principal Hindu gods. Of the

inferior gods the most important are: 1. Indra, the god of heaven, of thunder, lightning, storm, and rain; 2.

Agni, the god of fire; 3. Yama, the god of the infernal regions; 4. Surya, the god of the sun.

Brahma is the creator of the universe, and the source from which all the individual deities have sprung, and

into which all will ultimately be absorbed. "As milk changes to curd, and water to ice, so is Brahma variously

transformed and diversified, without aid of exterior means of any sort." The human soul, according to the

Vishnu occupies the second place in the triad of the Hindus, and is the personification of the preserving

principle. To protect the world in various epochs of danger, Vishnu descended to the earth in different

incarnations, or bodily forms, which descents are called Avatars. They are very numerous, but ten are more

particularly specified. The first Avatar was as Matsya, the Fish, under which form Vishnu preserved Manu,

the ancestor of the human race, during a universal deluge. The second Avatar was in the form of a Tortoise,

which form he assumed to support the earth when the gods were churning the sea for the beverage of

We may omit the other Avatars, which were of the same general character, that is, interpositions to protect

the right or to punish wrongdoers, and come to the ninth, which is the most celebrated of the Avatars of

Vishnu, in which he appeared in the human form of Krishna, an invincible warrior, who by his exploits

Buddha is by the followers of the Brahminical religion regarded as a delusive incarnation of Vishnu, assumed

by him in order to induce the Asuras, opponents of the gods, to abandon the sacred ordinances of the Vedas,

Kalki is the name of the tenth Avatar, in which Vishnu will appear at the end of the present age of the world

to destroy all vice and wickedness, and to restore mankind to virtue and purity.

Siva is the third person of the Hindu triad. He is the personification of the destroying principle. Though the

third name, he is, in respect to the number of his worshippers and the extension of his worship, before either

of the others. In the Puranas (the scriptures of the modern Hindu religion) no allusion is made to the original

power of this god as a destroyer; that power not being to be called into exercise till after the expiration of

twelve millions of years, or when the universe will come to an end; and Mahadeva (another name for Siva) is

The worshippers of Vishnu and Siva form two sects, each of which proclaims the superiority of its favourite

deity, denying the claims of the other, and Brahma, the creator, having finished his work, seems to be

regarded as no longer active, and has now only one temple in India, while Mahadeva and Vishnu have many.

The worshippers of Vishnu are generally distinguished by a greater tenderness for life, and consequent

abstinence from animal food, and a worship less cruel than that of the followers of Siva.

Whether the worshippers of juggernaut are to be reckoned among the followers of Vishnu or Siva, our

authorities differ. The temple stands near the shore, about three hundred miles southwest of Calcutta. The idol

is a carved block of wood, with a hideous face, painted black, and a distended bloodred mouth. On festival

days the throne of the image is placed on a tower sixty feet high, moving on wheels. Six long ropes are

attached to the tower, by which the people draw it along. The priests and their attendants stand round the

throne on the tower, and occasionally turn to the worshippers with songs and gestures. While the tower

moves along numbers of the devout worshippers throw themselves on the ground, in order to be crushed by

the wheels, and the multitude shout in approbation of the act, as a pleasing sacrifice to the idol. Every year,

particularly at two great festivals in March and July, pilgrims flock in crowds to the temple. Not less than

seventy or eighty thousand people are said to visit the place on these occasions, when all castes eat together.

The division of the Hindus into classes or castes, with fixed occupations, existed from the earliest times. It is

supposed by some to have been founded upon conquest, the first three castes being composed of a foreign

race, who subdued the natives of the country and reduced them to an inferior caste. Others trace it to the

fondness of perpetuating, by descent from father to son, certain offices or occupations.

The Hindu tradition gives the following account of the origin of the various castes: At the creation Brahma

resolved to give the earth inhabitants who should be direct emanations from his own body. Accordingly from

his mouth came forth the eldest born, Brahma (the priest), to whom he confided the four Vedas; from his

right arm issued Shatriya (the warrior), and from his left, the warrior's wife. His thighs produced Vaissyas,

male and female (agriculturists and traders), and lastly from his feet sprang Sudras (mechanics and labourers).

The four sons of Brahma, so significantly brought into the world, became the fathers of the human race, and

heads of their respective castes. They were commanded to regard the four Vedas as containing all the rules of

their faith, and all that was necessary to guide them in their religious ceremonies. They were also commanded

to take rank in the order of their birth, the Brahmans uppermost, as having sprung from the head of Brahma.

A strong line of demarcation is drawn between the first three castes and the Sudras. The former are allowed

to receive instruction from the Vedas, which is not permitted to the Sudras. The Brahmans possess the

privilege of teaching the Vedas, and were in former times in exclusive possession of all knowledge. Though

the sovereign of the country was chosen from the Shatriya class, also called Rajputs, the Brahmans possessed

the real power, and were the royal counsellors, the judges and magistrates of the country; their persons and

property were inviolable; and though they committed the greatest crimes, they could only be banished from

the kingdom. They were to be treated by sovereigns with the greatest respect, for "a Brahman, whether

When the Brahman arrives at years of maturity it becomes his duty to marry. He ought to be supported by the

contributions of the rich, and not to be obliged to gain his subsistence by any laborious or productive

occupation. But as all the Brahmans could not be maintained by the working classes of the community, it was

We need say little of the two intermediate classes, whose rank and privileges may be readily inferred from

their occupations. The Sudras or fourth class are bound to servile attendance on the higher classes, especially

the Brahmans, but they may follow mechanical occupations and practical arts, as painting and writing, or

become traders or husbandmen. Consequently they sometimes grow rich, and it will also sometimes happen

that Brahmans become poor. That fact works its usual consequence, and rich Sudras sometimes employ poor

There is another class lower even than the Sudras, for it is not one of the original pure classes, but springs

from an unauthorized union of individuals of different castes. These are the Pariahs, who are employed in the

lowest services and treated with the utmost severity. They are compelled to do what no one else can do

without pollution. They are not only considered unclean themselves, but they render unclean everything they

touch. They are deprived of all civil rights, and stigmatized by particular laws regulating their mode of life,

their houses, and their furniture. They are not allowed to visit the pagodas or temples of the other castes, but

have their own pagodas and religious exercises. They are not suffered to enter the houses of the other castes;

if it is done incautiously or from necessity, the place must be purified by religious ceremonies. They must not

appear at public markets, and are confined to the use of particular wells, which they are obliged to surround

with bones of animals, to warn others against using them. They dwell in miserable hovels, distant from cities

and villages, and are under no restrictions in regard to food, which last is not a privilege, but a mark of

ignominy, as if they were so degraded that nothing could pollute them. The three higher castes are prohibited

entirely the use of flesh. The fourth is allowed to use all kinds except beef, but only the lowest caste is

Buddha, whom the Vedas represent as a delusive incarnation of Vishnu, is said by his followers to have been

a mortal sage, whose name was Gautama, called also by the complimentary epithets of Sakyasinha, the Lion,

By a comparison of the various epochs assigned to his birth, it is inferred that he lived about one thousand

He was the son of a king; and when in conformity to the usage of the country he was, a few days after his

birth, presented before the altar of a deity, the image is said to have inclined its head as a presage of the future

greatness of the newborn prophet. The child soon developed faculties of the first order, and became equally

distinguished by the uncommon beauty of his person. No sooner had he grown to years of maturity than he

began to reflect deeply on the depravity and misery of mankind, and he conceived the idea of retiring from

society and devoting himself to meditation. His father in vain opposed this design. Buddha escaped the

vigilance of his guards, and having found a secure retreat, lived for six years undisturbed in his devout

contemplations. At the expiration of that period he came forward at Benares as a religious teacher. At first

some who heard him doubted of the soundness of his mind; but his doctrines soon gained credit, and were

propagated so rapidly that Buddha himself lived to see them spread all over India. He died at the age of

The Buddhists reject entirely the authority of the Vedas, and the religious observances prescribed in them and

kept by the Hindus. They also reject the distinction of castes, and prohibit all bloody sacrifices, and allow

animal food. Their priests are chosen from all classes; they are expected to procure their maintenance by

perambulation and begging, and among other things it is their duty to endeavour to turn to some use things

thrown aside as useless by others, and to discover the medicinal power of plants. But in Ceylon three orders

of priests are recognized; those of the highest order are usually men of high birth and learning, and are

supported at the principal temples, most of which have been richly endowed by the former monarchs of the

For several centuries after the appearance of buddha, his sect seems to have been tolerated by the Brahmans,

and Buddhism appears to have penetrated the peninsula of Hindustan in every direction, and to have been

carried to Ceylon, and to the eastern peninsula. But afterwards it had to endure in India a longcontinued

persecution, which ultimately had the effect of entirely abolishing it in the country where it had originated,

but to scatter it widely over adjacent countries. Buddhism appears to have been introduced into China about

the year 65 of our era. From China it was subsequently extended to Corea, Japan, and Java.

It is a doctrine alike of the Brahminical Hindus and of the Buddhist sect that the confinement of the human

soul, an emanation of the divine spirit, in a human body, is a state of misery, and the consequence of frailties

and sins committed during former existences. But they hold that some few individuals have appeared on this

earth from time to time, not under the necessity of terrestrial existence, but who voluntarily descended to the

earth to promote the welfare of mankind. These individuals have gradually assumed the character of

reappearances of Buddha himself, in which capacity the line is continued till the present day, in the several

Lamas of Thibet, China, and other countries where Buddhism prevails. In consequence of the victories of

Gengis Khan and his successors, the Lama residing in Thibet was raised to the dignity of chief pontiff of the

sect. A separate province was assigned to him as his own territory, and besides his spiritual dignity he

The first Christian missionaries who proceeded to Thibet were surprised to find there in the heart of Asia a

pontifical court and several other ecclesiastical institutions resembling those of the Roman Catholic church.

They found convents for priests and nuns, also processions and forms of religious worship, attended with

much pomp and splendour; and many were induced by these similarities to consider Lamaism as a sort of

degenerated Christianity. It is not improbable that the Lamas derived some of these practices from the

Nestorian Christians, who were settled in Tartary when Buddhism was introduced into Thibet.

An early account, communicated probably by travelling merchants, of a Lama or spiritual chief among the

Tartars, seems to have occasioned in Europe the report of a Presbyter or Prester John, a Christian pontiff

resident in Upper Asia. The Pope sent a mission in search of him, as did also Louis IX of France, some years

later, but both missions were unsuccessful, though the small communities of Nestorian Christians, which they

did find, served to keep up the belief in Europe that such a personage did exist somewhere in the East. At last

in the fifteenth century, a Portuguese traveller, Pedro Covilham, happening to hear that there was a Christian

prince in the country of the Abessines (Abyssinia), not far from the Red Sea, concluded that this must be the

true Prester John. He accordingly went thither, and penetrated to the court of the king, whom he calls Negus.

Milton alludes to him in "Paradise Lost," Book XI., where, describing Adam's vision of his descendants in

their various nations and cities, scattered over the face of the earth, he says,

THE stories which have engaged our attention thus far relate to the mythology of southern regions. But there

is another branch of ancient superstitions which ought not to be entirely overlooked, especially as it belongs

to the nations from which we, through our English ancestors, derive our origin. It is that of the northern

nations, called Scandinavians, who inhabited the countries now known as Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and

Iceland. These mythological records are contained in two collections called the Eddas, of which the oldest is

in poetry and dates back to the year 1O56, the more modern or prose Edda being of the date of 1640.

According to the Eddas there was once no heaven above nor earth beneath, but only a bottomless deep, and a

world of mist in which flowed a fountain. Twelve rivers issued from this fountain, and when they had flowed

far from their source, they froze into ice, and one layer accumulating over another, the great deep was filled

Southward from the world of mist was the world of light. From this flowed a warm wind upon the ice and

melted it. The vapours rose in the air and formed clouds, from which sprang Ymir, the Frost giant and his

progeny, and the cow Audhumbla, whose milk afforded nourishment and food to the giant. The cow got

nourishment by licking the hoar frost and salt from the ice. While she was one day licking the salt stones

there appeared at first the hair of a man, on the second day the whole head, and on the third the entire form

endowed with beauty, agility, and power. This new being was a god, from whom and his wife, a daughter of

the giant race, sprang the three brothers Odin, Vili, and Ve. They slew the giant Ymir, and out of his body

formed the earth, of his blood the seas, of his bones the mountains, of his hair the trees, of his skull the

heavens, and of his brain clouds, charged with hail and snow. Of Ymir's eyebrows the gods formed Midgard

Odin then regulated the periods of day and night and the seasons by placing in the heavens the sun and moon,

and appointing to them their respective courses. As soon as the sun began to shed its rays upon the earth, it

caused the vegetable world to bud and sprout. Shortly after the gods had created the world they walked by the

side of the sea, pleased with their new work, but found that it was still incomplete, for it was without human

beings. They therefore took an ash tree and made a man out of it, and they made a woman out of an alder, and

called the man Aske and the woman Embla. Odin then gave them life and soul, Vili reason and motion, and

Ve bestowed upon them the senses, expressive features, and speech. Midgard was then given them as their

The mighty ash tree Ygdrasill was supposed to support the whole universe. It sprang from the body of Ymir,

and had three immense roots; extending one into Asgard (the dwelling of the gods), the other into Jotunheim

(the abode of the giants), and the third to Niffleheim (the regions of darkness and cold). By the side of each of

these roots is a spring, from which it is watered. The root that extends into Asgard is carefully tended by the

three Norns, goddesses, who are regarded as the dispensers of fate. They are Urdur (the past), Verdandi (the

present), Skuld (the future). The spring at the Jotunheim side is Ymir's well, in which wisdom and wit lie

hidden, but that of Niffleheim feeds the adder Nidhogge (darkness), which perpetually gnaws at the root.

Four harts run across the branches of the tree and bite the buds; they represent the four winds. Under the tree

Asgard is the name of the abode of the gods, access to which is only gained by crossing the bridge Bifrost

(the rainbow). Asgard consists of golden and silver palaces, the dwellings of the gods, but the most beautiful

of these is Valhalla, the residence of Odin. When seated on his throne he overlooks all heaven and earth.

Upon his shoulders are the ravens Hugin and Munin, who fly every day over the whole world, and on their

return report to him all they have seen and heard. At his feet lie his two wolves, Geri and Freki, to whom

Odin gives all the meat that is set before him, for he himself stands in no need of food. Mead is for him both

food and drink. He invented the Runic characters, and it is the business of the Norns to engrave the runes of

fate upon a metal shield. From Odin's name, spelt Woden, as it sometimes is, came Wednesday, the name of

Odin is frequently called Alfdaur (Allfather), but this name is sometimes used in a way that shows that the

Valhalla is the great hall of Odin, wherein he feasts with his chosen heroes, all those who have fallen bravely

in battle, for all who die a peaceful death are excluded. The flesh of the boar Schrimnir is served up to them,

and is abundant for all. For although this boar is cooked every morning, be becomes whole again every night.

For drink the heroes are supplied abundantly with mead from the shegoat Heidrum. When the heroes are not

feasting they amuse themselves with fighting. Every day they ride out into the court or field and fight until

they cut each other in pieces. This is their pastime; but when meal time comes they recover from their

The Valkyrior are warlike virgins, mounted upon horses and armed with helmets and spears. Odin, who is

desirous to collect a great many heroes in Valhalla, to be able to meet the giants in a day when the final

contest must come, sends down to every battlefield to make choice of those who shall be slain. The Valkyrior

are his messengers, and their name means "Choosers of the slain." When they ride forth on their errand, their

armour sheds a strange flickering light, which flashes up over the northern skies, making what men call the

Thor, the thunderer, Odin's eldest son, is the strongest of gods and men, and possesses three very precious

things. The first is a hammer, which both the Frost and the Mountain giants know to their cost, when they see

it hurled against them in the air, for it has split many a skull of their fathers and kindred. When thrown, it

returns to his hand of its own accord. The second rare thing he possesses is called the belt of strength. When

he girds it about him his divine might is doubled. The third, also very precious, is his iron gloves, which he

puts on whenever he would use his mallet efficiently. From Thor's name is derived our word Thursday.

Frey is one of the most celebrated of the gods. He presides over rain and sunshine and all the fruits of the

earth. His sister Freya is the most propitious of the goddesses. She loves music, spring, and flowers, and is

particularly fond of the Elves (fairies). She is very fond of love ditties, and all lovers would do well to invoke

Bragi is the god of poetry, and his song records the deeds of warriors. His wife, Iduna, keeps in a box the

apples which the gods, when they feel old age approaching, have only to taste of to become young again.

Heimdall is the watchman of the gods, and is therefore placed on the borders of heaven to prevent the giants

from forcing their way over the bridge Bifrost (the rainbow). He requires less sleep than a bird, and sees by

night as well as by day a hundred miles around him. So acute is his ear that no sound escapes him, for he can

There is another deity who is described as the calumniator of the gods and the contriver of all fraud and

mischief. His name is Loki. He is handsome and well made, but of a very fickle mood and most evil

disposition. He is of the giant race, but forced himself into the company of the gods, and seems to take

pleasure in bringing them into difficulties, and in extricating them out of the danger by his cunning, wit and

skill. Loki has three children. The first is the wolf Fenris, the second the Midgard serpent, the third Hela

(Death). The gods were not ignorant that these monsters were growing up, and that they would one day bring

much evil upon gods and men. So Odin deemed it advisable to send one to bring them to him. When they

came he threw the serpent into that deep ocean by which the earth is surrounded. But the monster had grown

to such an enormous size that holding his tail in his mouth he encircles the whole earth. Hela he cast into

Niffleheim, and gave her power over nine worlds or regions, into which she distributes those who are sent to

her; that is, all who die of sickness or old age. Her hall is called Elvidner. Hunger is her table, Starvation her

knife, Delay her man, Slowness her maid, Precipice her threshold, Care her bed, and Burning Anguish forms

the hangings of the apartments. She may easily be recognized, for her body is half flesh colour and half blue,

The wolf Fenris gave the gods a great deal of trouble before they succeeded in chaining him. He broke the

strongest fetters as if they were made of cobwebs. Finally the gods sent a messenger to the mountain spirits,

who made for them the chain called Gleipnir. It is fashioned of six things, viz., the noise made by the footfall

of a cat, the beards of women, the roots of stones, the breath of fishes, the nerves (sensibilities) of bears, and

the spittle of birds. When finished it was as smooth and soft as a silken string. But when the gods asked the

wolf to suffer himself to be bound with this apparently slight ribbon, he suspected their design, fearing that it

was made by enchantment. He therefore only consented to be bound with it upon condition that one of the

gods put his hand in his (Fenris's) mouth as a pledge that the band was to be removed again. Tyr (the god of

battles) alone had courage enough to do this. But when the wolf found that he could not break his fetters, and

that the gods would not release him, he bit off Tyr's hand, and he has ever since remained onehanded.

Once on a time, when the gods were constructing their abodes and had already finished Midgard and

Valhalla, a certain artificer came and offered to build them a residence so well fortified that they should be

perfectly safe from the incursions of the Frost giants and the giants of the mountains. But he demanded for

his reward the goddess Freya, together with the sun and moon. The gods yielded to his terms, provided he

would finish the whole work himself without any one's assistance, and all within the space of one winter. But

if anything remained unfinished on the first day of summer he should forfeit the recompense agreed on. On

being told these terms the artificer stipulated that he should be allowed the use of his horse Svadilfari, and

this by the advice of Loki was granted to him. He accordingly set to work on the first day of winter, and

during the night let his horse draw stone for the building. The enormous size of the stones struck the gods

with astonishment, and they saw clearly that the horse did onehalf more of the toilsome work than his

master. Their bargain, however, had been concluded, and confirmed by solemn oaths, for without these

precautions a giant would not have thought himself safe among the gods, especially when Thor should return

As the winter drew to a close, the building was far advanced, and the bulwarks were sufficiently high and

massive to render the place impregnable. In short, when it wanted but three days to summer, the only part that

remained to be finished was the gateway. Then sat the gods on their seats of justice and entered into

consultation, inquiring of one another who among them could have advised to give Freya away, or to plunge

the heavens in darkness by permitting the giant to carry away the sun and the moon.

They all agreed that no one but Loki, the author of so many evil deeds, could have given such bad counsel,

and that he should be put to a cruel death if he did not contrive some way to prevent the artificer from

completing his task and obtaining the stipulated recompense. They proceeded to lay hands on Loki, who in

his fright promised upon oath that, let it cost him what it would, he would so manage matters that the man

should lose his reward. That very night when the man went with Svadilfari for building stone, a mare

suddenly ran out of a forest and began to neigh. The horse thereat broke loose and ran after the mare into the

forest, which obliged the man also to run after his horse, and thus between one and another the whole night

was lost, so that at dawn the work had not made the usual progress. The man, seeing that he must fail of

completing his task, resumed his own gigantic stature, and the gods now clearly perceived that it was in

reality a mountain giant who had come amongst them. Feeling no longer bound by their oaths, they called on

Thor, who immediately ran to their assistance, and lifting up his mallet, paid the workman his wages, not

with the sun and moon, and not even by sending him back to Jotunheim, for with the first blow he shattered

Once upon a time it happened that Thor's hammer fell into the possession of the giant Thrym, who buried it

eight fathoms deep under the rocks of Jotunheim. Thor sent Loki to negotiate with Thrym, but he could only

prevail so far as to get the giant's promise to restore the weapon if Freya would consent to be his bride. Loki

returned and reported the result of his mission, but the goddess of love was quite horrified at the idea of

bestowing her charms on the king of the Frost giants. In this emergency Loki persuaded Thor to dress himself

in Freya's clothes and accompany him to Jotunheim. Thrym received his veiled bride with due courtesy, but

was greatly surprised at seeing her eat for her supper eight salmons and a full grown ox, besides other

delicacies, washing the whole down with three tuns of mead. Loki, however, assured him that she had not

tasted anything for eight long nights, so great was her desire to see her lover, the renowned ruler of

Jotunheim. Thrym had at length the curiosity to peep under his bride's veil, but started back in affright and

demanded why Freya's eyeballs glistened with fire. Loki repeated the same excuse and the giant was

satisfied. He ordered the hammer to be brought in and laid on the maiden's lap. Thereupon Thor threw off his

disguise, grasped his redoubted weapon, and slaughtered Thrym and all his followers.

Frey also possessed a wonderful weapon, a sword which would of itself spread a field with carnage whenever

the owner desired it. Frey parted with this sword, but was less fortunate than Thor and never recovered it. It

happened in this way: Frey once mounted Odin's throne, from whence one can see over the whole universe,

and looking round saw far off in the giant's kingdom a beautiful maid, at the sight of whom he was struck

with sudden sadness, insomuch that from that moment he could neither sleep, nor drink, nor speak. At last

Skirnir, his messenger, drew his secret from him, and undertook to get him the maiden for his bride, if he

would give him his sword as a reward. Frey consented and gave him the sword, and Skirnir set off on his

journey and obtained the maiden's promise that within nine nights she would come to a certain place and

there wed Frey. Skirnir having reported the success of his errand, Frey exclaimed:

So Frey obtained Gerda, the most beautiful of all women, for his wife, but he lost his sword.

This story, entitled "Skirnir For," and the one immediately preceding it, "Thrym's Quida," will be found

ONE day the god Thor, with his servant Thialfi, and accompanied by Loki, set out on a journey to the giant's

country. Thialfi was of all men the swiftest of foot. He bore Thor's wallet, containing their provisions. When

night came on they found themselves in an immense forest, and searched on all sides for a place where they

might pass the night, and at last came to a very large hall, with an entrance that took the whole breadth of one

end of the building. Here they lay down to sleep, but towards midnight were alarmed by an earthquake which

shook the whole edifice. Thor, rising up, called on his companions to seek with him a place of safety. On the

right they found an adjoining chamber, into which the others entered, but Thor remained at the doorway with

his mallet in his hand, prepared to defend himself, whatever might happen. A terrible groaning was heard

during the night, and at dawn of day Thor went out and found lying near him a huge giant, who slept and

snored in the way that had alarmed them so. It is said that for once Thor was afraid to use his mallet, and as

"My name is Skrymir," said the giant, "but I need not ask thy name, for I know that thou art the god Thor.

But what has become of my glove?" Thor then perceived that what they had taken overnight for a hall was

the giant's glove, and the chamber where his two companions had sought refuge was the thumb. Skrymir then

proposed that they should travel in company, and Thor consenting, they sat down to eat their breakfast, and

when they had done, Skrymir packed all the provisions into one wallet, threw it over his shoulder, and strode

on before them, taking such tremendous strides that they were hard put to it to keep up with him. So they

travelled the whole day, and at dusk Skrymir chose a place for them to pass the night in under a large oak

tree. Skrymir then told them he would lie down to sleep. "But take ye the wallet," he added, "and prepare

Skrymir soon fell asleep and began to snore strongly; but when Thor tried to open the wallet, he found the

giant had tied it up so tight he could not untie a single knot. At last Thor became wroth, and grasping his

mallet with both hands he struck a furious blow on the giant's head. Skrymir, awakening, merely asked

whether a leaf had not fallen on his head, and whether they had supped and were ready to go to sleep. Thor

answered that they were just going to sleep, and so saying went and laid himself down under another tree. But

sleep came not that night to Thor, and when Skrymir snored again so loud that the forest reechoed with the

noise, he arose, and grasping his mallet launched it with such force at the giant's skull that it made a deep dint

in it. Skrymir, awakening, cried out, "What's the matter? Are there any birds perched on this tree? I felt some

moss from the branches fall on my head. How fares it with thee, Thor?" But Thor went away hastily, saying

that he had just then awoke, and that as it was only midnight, there was still time for sleep. He, however,

resolved that if he had an opportunity of striking a third blow, it should settle all matters between them. A

little before daybreak he perceived that Skrymir was again fast asleep, and again grasping his mallet, he

dashed it with such violence that it forced its way into the giant's skull up to the handle. But Skrymir sat up,

and stroking his cheek said, "An acorn fell on my head. What! Art thou awake, Thor? Methinks it is time for

us to get up and dress ourselves; but you have not now a long way before you to the city called Utgard. I have

heard you whispering to one another that I am not a man of small dimensions; but if you come to Utgard you

will see there many men much taller than I. Wherefore I advise you, when you come there, not to make too

much of yourselves, for the followers of UtgardLoki will not brook the boasting of such little fellows as you

are. You must take the road that leads eastward, mine lies northward, so we must part here."

Hereupon he threw his wallet over his shoulders and turned away from them into the forest, and Thor had no

Thor and his companions proceeded on their way, and towards noon descried a city standing in the middle of

a plain. It was so lofty that they were obliged to bend their necks quite back on their shoulders in order to see

to the top of it. On arriving they entered the city, and seeing a large palace before them with the door wide

open, they went in, and found a number of men of prodigious stature, sitting on benches in the hall. Going

further, they came before the king, UtgardLoki, whom they saluted with great respect. The king, regarding

them with a scornful smile, said, "If I do not mistake me, that stripling yonder must be the god Thor." Then

addressing himself to Thor, he said, "Perhaps thou mayst be more than thou appearest to be. What are the

feats that thou and thy fellows deem yourselves skilled in, for no one is permitted to remain here who does

"The feat that I know," said Loki, "is to eat quicker than any one else, and in this I am ready to give a proof

"That will indeed be a feat," said UtgardLoki, "if thou performest what thou promisest, and it shall be tried

He then ordered one of his men who was sitting at the farther end of the bench, and whose name was Logi, to

come forward and try his skill with Loki. A trough filled with meat having been set on the hall floor, Loki

placed himself at one end, and Logi at the other, and each of them began to eat as fast as he could, until they

met in the middle of the trough. But it was found that Loki had only eaten the flesh, while his adversary had

devoured both flesh and bone, and the trough to boot. All the company therefore adjudged that Loki was

UtgardLoki then asked what feat the young man who accompanied Thor could perform. Thialfi answered

that he would run a race with any one who might be matched against him. The king observed that skill in

running was something to boast of, but if the youth would win the match he must display great agility. He

then arose and went with all who were present to a plain where there was good ground for running on, and

calling a young man named Hugi, bade him run a match with Thialfi. In the first course Hugi so much

outstripped his competitor that he turned back and met him not far from the starting place. Then they ran a

UtgardLoki then asked Thor in what feats he would choose to give proofs of that prowess for which he was

so famous. Thor answered that he would try a drinking match with any one. UtgardLoki bade his cupbearer

bring the large horn which his followers were obliged to empty when they had trespassed in any way against

the law of the feast. The cupbearer having presented it to Thor, UtgardLoki said, "Whoever is a good

drinker will empty that horn at a single draught, though most men make two of it, but the most puny drinker

Thor looked at the horn, which seemed of no extraordinary size though somewhat long; however, as he was

very thirsty, he set it to his lips, and without drawing breath, pulled as long and as deeply as he could, that he

might not be obliged to make a second draught of it; but when he set the horn down and looked in, he could

After taking breath, Thor went to it again with all his might, but when he took the horn from his mouth, it

seemed to him that he had drunk rather less than before, although the horn could now be carried without

"How now, Thor?" said UtgardLoki; "thou must not spare thyself; if thou meanest to drain the horn at the

third draught thou must pull deeply; and I must needs say that thou wilt not be called so mighty a man here as

thou art at home if thou showest no greater prowess in other feats than methinks will be shown in this."

Thor, full of wrath, again set the horn to his lips, and did his best to empty it; but on looking in found the

liquor was only a little lower, so he resolved to make no further attempt, but gave back the horn to the

"I now see plainly," said UtgardLoki, "that thou art not quite so stout as we thought thee: but wilt thou try

any other feat, though methinks thou art not likely to bear any prize away with thee hence."

"We have a very trifling game here," answered UtgardLoki, "in which we exercise none but children. It

consists in merely lifting my cat from the ground; nor should I have dared to mention such a feat to the great

Thor if I had not already observed that thou art by no means what we took thee for."

As he finished speaking, a large grey cat sprang on the hall floor. Thor put his hand under the cat's belly and

did his utmost to raise him from the floor, but the cat, bending his back, had, notwithstanding all Thor's

efforts, only one of his feet lifted up, seeing which Thor made no further attempt.

"This trial has turned out," said UtgardLoki, "just as I imagined it would. The cat is large, but Thor is little

"Little as ye call me," answered Thor, "let me see who among you will come hither now I am in wrath and

"I see no one here," said UtgardLoki, looking at the men sitting on the benches, "who would not think it

beneath him to wrestle with thee; let somebody, however, call hither that old crone, my nurse Elli, and let

Thor wrestle with her if he will. She has thrown to the ground many a man not less strong than this Thor is."

A toothless old woman then entered the hall, and was told by UtgardLoki to take hold of Thor. The tale is

shortly told. The more Thor tightened his hold on the crone the firmer she stood. At length after a very

violent struggle Thor began to lose his footing, and was finally brought down upon one knee. UtgardLoki

then told them to desist, adding that Thor had now no occasion to ask any one else in the hall to wrestle with

him, and it was also getting late; so he showed Thor and his companions to their seats, and they passed the

The next morning, at break of day, Thor and his companions dressed themselves and prepared for their

departure. UtgardLoki ordered a table to be set for them, on which there was no lack of victuals or drink.

After the repast UtgardLoki led them to the gate of the city, and on parting asked Thor how he thought his

journey had turned out, and whether he had met with any men stronger than himself. Thor told him that he

could not deny but that he had brought great shame on himself. "And what grieves me most," he added, "is

"Nay," said UtgardLoki, "it behooves me to tell thee the truth, now thou art out of the city, which so long as

I live and have my way thou shalt never enter again. And, by my troth, had I known beforehand that thou

hadst so much strength in thee, and wouldst have brought me so near to a great mishap, I would not have

suffered thee to enter this time. Know then that I have all along deceived thee by my illusions; first in the

forest, where I tied up the wallet with iron wire so that thou couldst not untie it. After this thou gavest me

three blows with thy mallet; the first, though the least, would have ended my days had it fallen on me, but I

slipped aside and thy blows fell on the mountain, where thou wilt find three glens, one of them remarkably

deep. These are the dints made by thy mallet. I have made use of similar illusions in the contests you have

had with my followers. In the first, Loki, like hunger itself, devoured all that was set before him, but Logi

was in reality nothing else than Fire, and therefore consumed not only the meat, but the trough which held it.

Hugi, with whom Thialfi contended in running, was Thought, and it was impossible for Thialfi to keep pace

with that. When thou in thy turn didst attempt to empty the horn, thou didst perform, by my troth, a deed so

marvellous that had I not seen it myself I should never have believed it. For one end of that horn reached the

sea, which thou wast not aware of, but when thou comest to the shore thou wilt perceive how much the sea

has sunk by thy draughts. Thou didst perform a feat no less wonderful by lifting up the cat, and to tell thee the

truth, when we saw that one of his paws was off the floor, we were all of us terrorstricken, for what thou

tookest for a cat was in reality the Midgard serpent that encompasseth the earth, and he was so stretched by

thee that he was barely long enough to enclose it between his head and tail. Thy wrestling with Elli was also a

most astonishing feat, for there was never yet a man, nor ever will be, whom Old Age, for such in fact was

Elli, will not sooner or later lay low. But now, as we are going to part, let me tell thee that it will be better for

both of us if thou never come near me again, for shouldst thou do so, I shall again defend myself by other

illusions, so that thou wilt only lose thy labour and get no fame from the contest with me."

On hearing these words Thor in a rage laid hold of his mallet and would have launched it at him, but

UtgardLoki had disappeared, and when Thor would have returned to the city to destroy it, he found nothing

BALDUR the Good, having been tormented with terrible dreams indicating that his life was in peril, told

them to the assembled gods, who resolved to conjure all things to avert from him the threatened danger. Then

Frigga, the wife of Odin, exacted an oath from fire and water, from iron and all other metals, from stones,

trees, diseases, beasts, birds, poisons, and creeping things, that none of them would do any harm to Baldur.

Odin, not satisfied with all this, and feeling alarmed for the fate of his son, determined to consult the

prophetess Angerbode, a giantess, mother of Fenris, Hela, and the Midgard serpent. She was dead, and Odin

was forced to seek her in Hela's dominions. This Descent of Odin forms the subject of Gray's fine ode

But the other gods, feeling that what Frigga had done was quite sufficient, amused themselves with using

Baldur as a mark, some hurling darts at him, some stones, while others hewed at him with their swords and

battleaxes; for do what they would, none of them could harm him. And this became a favourite pastime with

them and was regarded as an honour shown to Baldur. But when Loki beheld the scene he was sorely vexed

that Baldur was not hurt. Assuming, therefore, the shape of a woman, he went to Fensalir, the mansion of

Frigga. That goddess, when she saw the pretended woman, inquired of her if she knew what the gods were

doing at their meetings. She replied that they were throwing darts and stones at Baldur, without being able to

hurt him. "Ay," said Frigga, "neither stones, nor sticks, nor anything else can hurt Baldur, for I have exacted

an oath from all of them." "What," exclaimed the woman, "have all things sworn to spare Baldur?" "All

things," replied Frigga, "except one little shrub that grows on the eastern side of Valhalla, and is called

As soon as Loki heard this he went away, and resuming his natural shape, cut off the mistletoe, and repaired

to the place where the gods were assembled. There he found Hodur standing apart, without partaking of the

sports, on account of his blindness, and going up to him, said, "Why dost thou not also throw something at

"Because I am blind," answered Hodur, "and see not where Baldur is, and have, moreover, nothing to throw."

"Come, then," said Loki, "do like the rest, and show honour to Baldur by throwing this twig at him, and I will

Hodur then took the mistletoe, and under the guidance of Loki, darted it at Baldur, who, pierced through and

through, fell down lifeless. Surely never was there witnessed, either among gods or men, a more atrocious

deed than this. When Baldur fell, the gods were struck speechless with horror, and then they looked at each

other and all were of one mind to lay hands on him who had done the deed, but they were obliged to delay

their vengeance out of respect for the sacred place where they were assembled. They gave vent to their grief

by loud lamentations. When the gods came to themselves, Frigga asked who among them wished to gain all

her love and good will. "For this," said she, "shall he have who will ride to Hel and offer Hela a ransom if she

will let Baldur return to Asgard." Whereupon Hermod, surnamed the Nimble, the son of Odin, offered to

undertake the journey. Odin's horse, Sleipnir, which has eight legs and can outrun the wind, was then led

forth, on which Hermod mounted and galloped away on his mission. For the space of nine days and as many

nights he rode through deep glens so dark that he could not discern anything, until he arrived at the river

Gyoll, which he passed over on a bridge covered with glittering gold. The maiden who kept the bridge asked

him his name and lineage, telling him that the day before five bands of dead persons had ridden over the

bridge, and did not shake it as much as he alone. "But," she added, "thou hast not death's hue on thee; why

"I ride to Hel," answered Hermod, "to seek Baldur. Hast thou perchance seen him pass this way?"

She replied, "Baldur hath ridden over Gyoll's bridge, and yonder lieth the way he took to the abodes of

Hermod pursued his journey until he came to the barred gates of Hel. Here he alighted, girthed his saddle

tighter, and remounting clapped both spurs to his horse, who cleared the gate by a tremendous leap without

touching it. Hermod then rode on to the palace, where he found his brother Baldur occupying the most

distinguished seat in the hall, and passed the night in his company. The next morning he besought Hela to let

Baldur ride home with him, assuring her that nothing but lamentations were to be heard among the gods. Hela

answered that it should now be tried whether Baldur was so beloved as he was said to be. "If, therefore," she

added, "all things in the world, both living and lifeless, weep for him, then shall he return to life; but if any

Hermod then rode back to Asgard and gave an account of all he had heard and witnessed.

The gods upon this despatched messengers throughout the world to beg everything to weep in order that

Baldur might be delivered from Hel. All things very willingly complied with this request, both men and every

other living being, as well as earths, and stones, and trees, and metals, just as we have all seen these things

weep when they are brought from a cold place into a hot one. As the messengers were returning, they found

an old hag named Thaukt sitting in a cavern, and begged her to weep Baldur out of Hel. But she answered:

It was strongly suspected that this hag was no other than Loki himself, who never ceased to work evil among

In Longfellow's Poems will be found a poem entitled "Tegner's Drapa," upon the subject of Baldur's death.

The gods took up the dead body and bore it to the seashore where stood Baldur's ship "Hringham," which

passed for the largest in the world. Baldur's dead body was put on the funeral pile, on board the ship, and his

wife Nanna was so struck with grief at the sight that she broke her heart, and her body was burned on the

same pile with her husband's. There was a vast concourse of various kinds of people at Baldur's obsequies.

First came Odin accompanied by Frigga, the Valkyrior, and his ravens; then Frey in his car drawn by

Gullinbursti, the boar; Heimdall rode his horse Gulltopp, and Freya drove in her chariot drawn by cats. There

were also a great many Frost giants and giants of the mountain present. Baldur's horse was led to the pile

But Loki did not escape his deserved punishment. When he saw how angry the gods were, he fled to the

mountain, and there built himself a hut with four doors, so that he could see every approaching danger. He

invented a net to catch the fishes, such as fishermen have used since his time. But Odin found out his

hidingplace and the gods assembled to take him. He, seeing this, changed himself into a salmon, and lay hid

among the stones of the brook. But the gods took his net and dragged the brook, and Loki, finding he must be

caught, tried to leap over the net; but Thor caught him by the tail and compressed it, so that salmons ever

since have had that part remarkably fine and thin. They bound him with chains and suspended a serpent over

his head, whose venom falls upon his face drop by drop. His wife Siguna sits by his side and catches the

drops as they fall, in a cup; but when she carries it away to empty it, the venom falls upon Loki, which makes

him howl with horror, and twist his body about so violently that the whole earth shakes, and this produces

The Edda mentions another class of beings, inferior to the gods, but still possessed of great power; these were

called Elves. The white spirits, or Elves of Light, were exceedingly fair, more brilliant than the sun, and clad

in garments of a delicate and transparent texture. They loved the light, were kindly disposed to mankind, and

generally appeared as fair and lovely children. Their country was called Alfheim, and was the domain of

The black or Night Elves were a different kind of creatures. Ugly, longnosed dwarfs, of a dirty brown

colour, they appeared only at night, for they avoided the sun as their most deadly enemy, because whenever

his beams fell upon any of them they changed them immediately into stones. Their language was the echo of

solitudes, and their dwellingplaces subterranean caves and clefts. They were supposed to have come into

existence as maggots produced by the decaying flesh of Ymir's body, and were afterwards endowed by the

gods with a human form and great understanding. They were particularly distinguished for a knowledge of

the mysterious powers of nature, and for the runes which they carved and explained. They were the most

skilful artificers of all created beings, and worked in metals and in wood. Among their most noted works

were Thor's hammer, and the ship "Skidbladnir," which they gave to Freyr, and which was so large that it

could contain all the deities with their war and household implements, but so skilfully was it wrought that

It was a firm belief of the northern nations that a time would come when all the visible creation, the gods of

Valhalla and Niffleheim, the inhabitants of Jotunheim, Alfheim, and Midgard, together with their habitations,

would be destroyed. The fearful day of destruction will not, however, be without its forerunners. First will

come a triple winter, during which snow will fall from the four corners of the heavens, the frost be very

severe, the wind piercing, the weather tempestuous, and the sun impart no gladness. Three such winters will

pass away without being tempered by a single summer. Three other similar winters will then follow, during

which war and discord will spread over the universe. The earth itself will be frightened and begin to tremble,

the sea leave its basin, the heavens tear asunder, and men perish in great numbers, and the eagles of the air

feast upon their still quivering bodies. The wolf Fenris will now break his bands, the Midgard serpent rise out

of her bed in the sea, and Loki, released from his bonds, will join the enemies of the gods. Amidst the general

devastation the sons of Muspelheim will rush forth under their leader Surtur, before and behind whom are

flames and burning fire. Onward they ride over Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, which breaks under the horses'

hoofs. But they, disregarding its fall, direct their course to the battlefield called Vigrid. Thither also repair the

wolf Fenris, the Midgard serpent, Loki with all the followers of Hela, and the Frost giants.

Heimdall now stands up and sounds the Giallar horn to assemble the gods and heroes for the contest. The

gods advance, led on by Odin, who engages the wolf Fenris, but falls a victim to the monster, who is,

however, slain by Vidar, Odin's son. Thor gains great renown by killing the Midgard serpent, but recoils and

falls dead, suffocated with the venom which the dying monster vomits over him. Loki and Heimdall meet and

fight till they are both slain. The gods and their enemies having fallen in battle, Surtur, who has killed Freyr,

darts fire and flames over the world, and the whole universe is burned up. The sun becomes dim, the earth

After this Alfadur (the Almighty) will cause a new heaven and a new earth to arise out of the sea. The new

earth filled with abundant supplies will spontaneously produce its fruits without labour or care. Wickedness

and misery will no more be known, but the gods and men will live happily together.

One cannot travel far in Denmark, Norway, or Sweden without meeting with great stones of different forms,

engraven with characters called Runic, which appear at first sight very different from all we know. The letters

consist almost invariably of straight lines, in the shape of little sticks either singly or put together. Such sticks

were in early times used by the northern nations for the purpose of ascertaining future events. The sticks were

shaken up, and from the figures that they formed a kind of divination was derived.

The Runic characters were of various kinds. They were chiefly used for magical purposes. The noxious, or, as

they called them, the bitter runes, were employed to bring various evils on their enemies; the favourable

averted misfortune. Some were medicinal, others employed to win love, etc. In later times they were

frequently used for inscriptions, of which more than a thousand have been found. The language is a dialect of

the Gothic, called Norse, still in use in Iceland. The inscriptions may therefore be read with certainty, but

hitherto very few have been found which throw the least light on history. They are mostly epitaphs on

Gray's ode on the "Descent of Odin" contains an allusion to the use of Runic letters for incantation:

The Skalds were the bards and poets of the nation, a very important class of men in all communities in an

early stage of civilization. They are the depositaries of whatever historic lore there is, and it is their office to

mingle something of intellectual gratification with the rude feasts of the warriors, by rehearsing, with such

accomplishments of poetry and music as their skill can afford, the exploits of their heroes, living or dead. The

compositions of the Skalds were called Sagas, many of which have come down to us, and contain valuable

materials of history, and a faithful picture of the state of society at the time to which they relate.

The Eddas and Sagas have come to us from Iceland. The following extract from Carlyle's lectures on "Heroes

and Hero Worship" gives an animated account of the region where the strange stories we have been reading

had their origin. Let the reader contrast it for a moment with Greece, the parent of classical mythology:

"In that strange island, Iceland, burst up, the geologists say, by fire from the bottom of the sea, a wild land

of barrenness and lava, swallowed many months of every year in black tempests, yet with a wild, gleaming

beauty in summer time, towering up there stern and grim in the North Ocean, with its snow yokuls

[mountains], roaring geysers [boiling springs], sulphur pools, and horrid volcanic chasms, like the waste,

chaotic battlefield of Frost and Fire, where, of all places, we least looked for literature or written

memorials, the record of these things was written down. On the seaboard of this wild land is a rim of grassy

country, where cattle can subsist, and men by means of them and of what the sea yields; and it seems they

were poetic men these, men who had deep thoughts in them and uttered musically their thoughts. Much

would be lost had Iceland not been burst up from the sea, not been discovered by the Northmen!"

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;

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

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 sacred circles were generally situated near some stream, or under the shadow of a grove or

widespreading 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

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

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 honour 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

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 Halloweve

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 favourite

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 'healall,' and having made solemn preparation for feasting and sacrifice under the

tree, they drive thither two milkwhite 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

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

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

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

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:

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

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

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. Iona 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 thirtysix

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 Iona in the year of our Lord 563, having

made the passage in a wicker boat covered with hides. The Druids who occupied the island endeavoured to

prevent his settling there, and the savage nations on the adjoining shores incommoded him with their

hostility, and on several occasions endangered his rife 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 labours 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 honour, and the neighbouring chiefs and princes sought his counsel and availed themselves of his

When Columba landed on Iona 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 fervour 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 laboured 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 Iona 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

In one of his "Irish Melodies," Moore gives the legend of St. Senanus and the lady who sought shelter on the

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 century that the communities of the Culdees

were suppressed and the members dispersed. They still continued to labour 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 unfavourable 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,

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

In the "Lord of the Isles," Scott beautifully contrasts the church on Iona with the cave of Staffa, opposite:

ALTHOUGH the manuscript which contains the epic of Beowulf was written about 1000 A.D., the poem

itself was known and had been elaborated upon for centuries by minstrels who recited the heroic exploits of

the son of Ecgtheow and nephew of Hygelac, King of the Geats, whose kingdom was what is now Southern

In his boyhood Beowulf gave evidence of the great feats of strength and courage which in manhood made

him the deliverer of Hrothgar, King of Denmark, from the monster, Grendel, and later in his own kingdom

Beowulf's first renown followed his conquest of many seamonsters while he swam for seven days and

nights before he came to the country of the Finns. Helping to defend the land of the Hetware, he killed many

of the enemy and again showed his prowess as a swimmer by bringing to his ship the armor of thirty of his

slain pursuers. Offered the crown of his native land, Beowulf, just entering manhood, refused it in favor of

Heardred, the young son of the queen. Instead, he acted as guardian and counsellor until the boyking grew

For twelve years, Hrothgar, King of Denmark, suffered while his kingdom was being ravaged by a devouring

monster, named Grendel. This Grendel bore a charmed life against all weapons forged by man. He lived in

the wastelands and nightly prowled out to visit the hall of Hrothgar, carrying off and slaughtering many of the

Beowulf, hearing from mariners of Grendel's murderous visits, sailed from Geatland with fourteen stalwart

companions to render Hrothgar the help of his great strength. Landing on the Danish coast, Beowulf was

challenged as a spy. He persuaded the coastguards to let him pass, and he was received and feasted by King

Hrothgar. When the king and his court retired for the night, Beowulf and his companions were left alone in

the hall. All but Beowulf fell asleep. Grendel entered. With a stroke he killed one of Beowulf's sleeping men,

but Beowulf, unarmed, wrestled with the monster and by dint of his great strength managed to tear Grendel's

arm out at the shoulder. Grendel, mortally wounded, retreated, leaving a bloody trail from the hall to his lair.

All fear of another attack by Grendel allayed. the Danes returned to the hall, and Beowulf and his

companions were sheltered elsewhere. Grendel's mother came to avenge the fatal injury to her monster son

and carried off a Danish nobleman and Grendel's tornoff paw. Following the blood trail, Beowulf went forth

to despatch the mother. Armed with his sword, Hrunting, he came to the water's edge. He plunged in and

swam to a chamber under the sea. There he fought with Grendel's mother, killing her with an old sword he

found in the sea cavern. Nearby was Grendel's body. Beowulf cut off its head and brought it back as a trophy

to King Hrothgar. Great was the rejoicing in the hall and greater was Beowulf's welcome when he returned to

Shortly afterward, Heardred, the boyking, was killed in the war with the Swedes. Beowulf succeeded him to

For fifty years Beowulf ruled his people in peace and serenity. Then suddenly a dragon, furious at having his

treasure stolen from his hoard in a burial mound, began to ravage Beowulf's kingdom. Like Grendel, this

Beowulf, now an aged monarch, resolved to do battle, unaided, with the dragon. He approached the entrance

to its den, whence boiling steam issued forth. Undaunted, Beowulf strode forward shouting his defiance. The

dragon came out, sputtering flames from its mouth. The monster rushed upon Beowulf with all its fury and

almost crushed him in its first charge. So fearful grew the struggle that all but one of Beowulf's men deserted

and fled for their lives. Wiglaf remained to help his aged monarch. Another rush of the dragon shattered

Beowulf's sword and the monster's fangs sunk into Beowulf's neck. Wiglaf, rushing into the struggle, helped

Before his death, Beowulf named Wiglaf his successor to the throne of Geatland and ordered that his own

ashes be placed in a memorial shrine at the top of a high cliff commanding the sea. Beowulf's body was

burned on a vast funeral pyre, while twelve Geats rode around the mound singing their sorrow and their

2. BULFINCH'S MYTHOLOGY: THE AGE OF FABLE OR STORIES OF GODS AND HEROES, page = 4