A HANDY
DICTIONARY OF MYTHOLOGY

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A HANDY

DICTIONARY

OF

MYTHOLOGY

FOR EVERYDAY READERS

BY THE AUTHOR OF

‘A DICTIONARY OF DAILY BLUNDERS’
‘A DICTIONARY OF ENGLISH PROVERBS’
‘A HANDY BOOK OF SYNONYMS’
ETC. ETC.

LONDON: WHITTAKER & CO.

Printed by R. & R. Clark, Edinburgh.

PREFACE.

This Handy Dictionary of Mythology is intended to supply the everyday reader with concise accounts of the gods and goddesses of the ancients in an accessible form.

Besides confronting us at every turn in the museums and picture galleries, these deities and heroes are constantly mentioned by poets and portrayed by painters and sculptors, and they are used for the purpose of illustration in the literature of the day. Nothing is more common than to find the comic newspapers resorting to Mythology for subjects for their pictures; and quite recently Punch has given us some delightful cartoons by Tenniel, which, apart from the admirable drawing, are intensely amusing to people who know enough of Mythology to see the drift of the artist. For example, there is a cartoon representing Æacus, Minos, and Rhadamanthus sitting in judgment on the unlucky electioneering bribers, and underneath is the word “Nemesis.” Again, there was a capital cartoon representing the “Judgment of Paris,” in which the Duke of Richmond, Earl Cairns, and Lord Salisbury figure as Juno, Minerva, and Venus. This had reference to the selection of a Conservative Leader for the House of Lords, and was very popular. In order fully to enjoy similar works, and to appreciate the allusions, it is necessary that we should be able to find out readily something about these mythological beings. But to ascertain this “something” we do not want to waste time in wading through such a number of volumes as the compiler has used in making this Dictionary, even if it were possible to get access to them.

It has been a matter of astonishment to him to find how many different versions there are of the same fable, and to see how often various writers attribute the same actions to different gods or heroes. In fact, it has frequently been a difficult task to decide which version should be adopted,—which authority accepted. It may therefore be desirable to state that where doubts have arisen, either the various versions are given, or else Lempriere’s Classical Dictionary has been referred to, to decide the questions. Besides Lempriere, the following works, with many others of less authority, have been consulted in compiling this Dictionary:—

Poetical Histories. “Written originally in French by the learned Jesuit, P. Galtruchius.” Translated into English by Marius d’Assigny, B.D. Second edition, 1672.

The Pantheon. Representing the fabulous histories of the Heathen Gods in a plain and familiar method. By Andrew Tooke, A.M. 1713.

A New Pantheon; or, Fabulous History of Heathen Gods, Heroes, and Goddesses. By Samuel Boyse, A.M. 1753.

Mythological, Etymological, and Historical Dictionary. By W. Howell, B.D. 1793.

Rowden’s Pagan Deities. 1820.

Now, supposing that all these books were accessible to the general reader, it would still be in many instances impossible for him, without considerable labour, to find therein much of the information contained in this Dictionary, for some of the best of them have no index, but this book is an index to them all.

The proper pronunciation of the names being important, the accent is always marked; and the illustrative quotations from the poets have been specially selected with the intention of assisting the reader in finding out the number of syllables in a name, and by this means fixing the pronunciation.

It will be seen that the compiler has not confined himself to Greek and Roman Mythology, but has included the more important of the Egyptian, Scandinavian, and Hindoo deities, references to which often occur in modern literature.

The limited space at command has made it necessary to be as concise as possible, but every name connected with Mythology, of any note at all, has, it is hoped, been included, and care has been taken to avoid repetitions as much as possible. Where two or three names occur in connection with one fable, the tale is told once, and reference is made to it under the name of the other deities concerned therein.

There are a few names inserted which, though not strictly mythological, are mentioned because it frequently happens that in the history of ancient heroes there is something fabulous in the tales told concerning them.

As to some of the gods and heroes, the Handy Classical Dictionary and Plutarch’s Lives (part of this Series of Handy Books) may be consulted with advantage for fuller information; and it is hoped that the popularity of those two books will be at least equalled by the Dictionary of Mythology.

A HANDY

DICTIONARY OF MYTHOLOGY.

A′bas, a son of Meganira, was turned into a newt, or water-lizard, for deriding the ceremonies of the Sacrifice.

Absy′rtus, brother of Medea.

Achelo′us was a son of Oceanus and Terra. He had the power of assuming all shapes, and in a conflict with Hercules he turned himself into a serpent, and then into a bull, but he was finally defeated, and he then turned himself into a river, which has since been called Achelous.

Ach′eron. One of the rivers of the infernal regions to which the spirits of the dead resorted, and waited there till Charon the ferryman took them over.

“Infernal rivers that disgorge

Into the burning lake their baleful streams.

... Sad Acheron, of sorrow black and deep.”

Milton.

Achil′les was the most valiant of the Greek heroes in the Trojan War. He was the son of Peleus, King of Thessaly. His mother, Thetis, plunged him, when an infant, into the Stygian pool, which made him invulnerable wherever the waters had washed him; but the heel by which he was held was not wetted, and that part remained vulnerable. He was shot with an arrow in the heel by Paris, at the siege of Troy, and died of his wound.

Acida′lia, a name given to Venus from a fountain in Bœotia.

A′cis. A Sicilian shepherd, loved by the nymph Galatea. One of the Cyclops who was jealous of him crushed him by hurling a rock on him. Galatea turned his blood into a river—the Acis at the foot of Mount Etna.

Actæ′on was the son of Aristæus, a famous huntsman. He intruded himself on Diana while she was bathing, and was changed by her into a deer, in which form he was hunted by his own dogs and torn in pieces.

A′des, see Hades.

Ado′nis, the beautiful attendant of Venus, who held her train. He was killed by a boar, and turned by Venus into an anemone.

“Even as the sun with purple-coloured face

Had ta’en his last leave of the weeping morn,

Rose-cheeked Adonis hied him to the chase;

Hunting he loved, but love he laughed to scorn.”

Shakespeare.

Adrastæ′a, another name of Nemesis, one of the goddesses of justice.

Adscripti′tii Dii were the gods of the second grade.

Adversity, see Echidna.

Æ′acus, one of the judges of hell, with Minos and Rhadamanthus. See Eacus.

Æcas′tor, an oath used only by women, referring to the Temple of Castor.

Æd′epol, an oath used by both men and women, referring to the Temple of Pollux.

Æge′on, a giant with fifty heads and one hundred hands, who was imprisoned by Jupiter under Mount Etna. See Briareus.

Æ′gis, the shield of Jupiter, so called because it was made of goat skin.

“Where was thine Ægis Pallas that appall’d?”

Byron.

“Tremendous, Gorgon frowned upon its field,

And circling terrors filled the expressive shield.”

“Full on the crest the Gorgon’s head they place,

With eyes that roll in death, and with distorted face.”

Pope.

Æ′gle. The fairest of the Naiads.

Ael′lo, the name of one of the Harpies.

Æne′as was the son of Anchises and Venus. He was one of the few great captains who escaped the destruction of Troy. He behaved with great valour during the siege, encountering Diomed, and even Achilles himself. When the Grecians had set the city on fire Æneas took his aged father, Anchises, on his shoulders, whilst his son, Ascanius, and his wife, Creusa, clung to his garments. He saved them all from the flames. After wandering about during several years, encountering numerous difficulties, he at length arrived in Italy, where he was hospitably received by Latinus, king of the Latins. After the death of Latinus Æneas became king.

“His back, or rather burthen, showed

As if it stoopëd with its load;

For as Æneas bore his sire

Upon his shoulders through the fire,

Our knight did bear no less a pack

Of his own buttocks on his back.”

Butler.

Æo′lus was the god of the winds. Jupiter was his reputed father, and his mother is said to have been a daughter of Hippotus. Æolus is represented as having the power of holding the winds confined in a cavern, and occasionally giving them liberty to blow over the world. So much command was he supposed to have over them that when Ulysses visited him on his return from Troy he gave him, tied up in a bag, all the winds that could prevent his voyage from being prosperous. The companions of Ulysses, fancying that the bag contained treasure, cut it open just as they came in sight of Ithaca, the port they were making for, and the contrary winds rushing out drove back the ship many leagues. The residence of Æolus was at Strongyle, now called Strombolo.

“Æolus from his airy throne

With power imperial curbs the struggling winds,

And sounding tempests in dark prisons binds.”

Dryden.

Æscula′pius, the god of physic, was a son of Apollo. He was physician to the Argonauts in their famous expedition to Colchis. He became so noted for his cures that Pluto became jealous of him, and he requested Jupiter to kill him with a thunderbolt. To revenge his son’s death Apollo slew the Cyclops who had forged the thunderbolt. By his marriage with Epione he had two sons, Machaon and Podalirus, both famous physicians, and four daughters, of whom Hygeia, the goddess of health, is the most renowned. Many temples were erected in honour of Æsculapius, and votive tablets were hung therein by people who had been healed by him; but his most famous shrine was at Epidaurus, where, every five years, games were held in his honour. This god is variously represented, but the most famous statue shows him seated on a throne of gold and ivory. His head is crowned with rays, and he wears a long beard. A knotty stick is in one hand, and a staff entwined with a serpent is in the other, while a dog lies at his feet.

“Thou that dost Æsculapius deride,

And o’er his gallipots in triumph ride.”

Fenton.

Æ′son was father of Jason, and was restored to youth by Medea.

Æ′ta, a king of Colchis, was father of Medea.

Agamem′non was the son of Plisthenes and brother of Menelaus. He was king of the Argives. His brother’s wife was the famous Helen, daughter of Tyndarus, king of Sparta; and when she eloped with Paris, Agamemnon was appointed leader of the Greeks in their expedition against Troy.

Aganip′pides, a name of the Muses, derived from the fountain of Aganippe.

Agine′us, see Apollo.

Agla′ia was one of the Three Graces.

Ag′ni. The Hindoo god of lightning.

A′jax was one of the bravest of the Greek warriors in the Trojan war. His father was Telamon, and his mother Eribœa. Some writers say that he was killed by Ulysses; others aver that he was slain by Paris; while others again assert that he went mad after being defeated by Ulysses, and killed himself. Another Ajax, son of Oileus, also took a prominent part in the Trojan War.

Alces′tis, wife of Admetus, who, to save her husband’s life, died in his stead, and was restored to life by Hercules.

Alci′des, one of the names of Hercules.

Alcme′na, the mother of Hercules, was daughter of Electrion, a king of Argos.

Alec′to was one of the Furies. She is depicted as having serpents instead of hair on her head, and was supposed to breed pestilence wherever she went.

Alec′tryon, a servant of Mars, who was changed by him into a cock because he did not warn his master of the rising of the sun.

Al′fadur, in Scandinavian Mythology the Supreme Being—Father of all.

Al′ma Mammo′sa, a name of Ceres.

Alphe′us, a river god. See Arethusa.

Altar. A structure on which a sacrifice was offered. The earliest altars were merely heaps of earth or turf or rough unhewn stone; but as the mode of sacrificing became more ceremonious grander altars were built. Some were of marble and brass, ornamented with carvings and bas-reliefs, and the corners with models of the heads of animals. They varied in height from two feet to four, and some were built solid; others were made hollow to retain the blood of the victims. Some were provided with a kind of dish, into which frankincense was thrown to overpower the smell of burning fat. This probably was the origin of the custom of burning incense at the altar.

Amal’thæ’a the goat which nourished Jupiter.

Am’azons were a nation of women-soldiers who lived in Scythia. Hercules totally defeated them, and gave Hippolyte, their queen, to Theseus for a wife. The race seems to have been exterminated after this battle.

Ambarva’lia were festivals in honour of Ceres, instituted by Roman husbandmen to purge their fields. At the spring festival the head of each family led an animal, usually a pig or ram, decked with oak boughs, round his grounds, and offered milk and new wine. After harvest there was another festival, at which Ceres was presented with the first-fruits of the season. See Ceres.

Amber, see Heliades.

Ambro’sia were Bacchanalian festivals.

Ami’ca, a name of Venus.

Amphi’on was the son of Jupiter and Antiope. He was greatly skilled in music; and it is said that, at the sound of his lute, the stones arranged themselves so regularly as to make the walls of the city of Thebes.

“Amphion, too, as story goes, could call

Obedient stones to make the Theban wall.”

Horace.

“New walls to Thebes, Amphion thus began.”

William King.

“Such strains I sing as once Amphion played,

When list’ning flocks the powerful call obeyed.”

Elphinston.

Amphitri′te (or Salatia), the wife of Neptune, was a daughter of Oceanus and Terra. She was the mother of Triton, a sea god.

“His weary chariot sought the bowers

Of Amphitrite and her tending nymphs.”

Thomson.

Amy′cus was king of Babrycia. He was a son of Neptune, and was killed by Pollux.

Ancæ′us. A son of Neptune, who left a cup of wine to hunt a wild boar which killed him, and the wine was untasted. This was the origin of the proverb—“There’s many a slip ’twixt cup and lip.”

Ancil′ia, the twelve sacred shields. The first Ancile was supposed to have fallen from heaven in answer to the prayer of Numa Pompilius. It was kept with the greatest care, as it was prophesied that the fate of the Roman people would depend upon its preservation. An order of priesthood was established to take care of the Ancilia, and on 1st March each year the shields were carried in procession, and in the evening there was a great feast called Cœna Saliaris.

Androm′eda, the daughter of Cepheus, king of the Ethiopians, was wife of Perseus, by whom she was rescued when she was chained to a rock and was about to be devoured by a sea-monster.

Anem′one. Venus changed Adonis into this flower.

Angero′nia, otherwise Volupia, was the goddess who had the power of dispelling anguish of mind.

Anna Peren′na, one of the rural divinities.

Antæ′us, a giant who was vanquished by Hercules. Each time that Hercules threw him the giant gained fresh strength from touching the earth, so Hercules lifted him off the ground and squeezed him to death.

An′teros, one of the two Cupids, sons of Venus.

Antic′lea, the mother of Ulysses.

Anti′ope was wife of Lycus, King of Thebes. Jupiter, disguised as a satyr, led her astray and corrupted her.

Anu′bis (or Herman′ubis). “A god half a dog, a dog half a man.” Called Barker by Virgil and other poets.

Aon′ides, a name of the Muses, from the country Aonia.

Aph′rodi′te, a Greek name of Venus.

Apis, a name given to Jupiter by the inhabitants of the Lower Nile. Also the miraculous ox, worshipped in Egypt.

A′pis, King of Argivia. Afterwards called Serapis, the greatest god of the Egyptians.

Apol′lo. This famous god, sometime King of Arcadia, was the son of Jupiter and Latona. He was known by several names, but principally by the following:—Sol (the sun); Cynthius, from the mountain called Cynthus in the Isle of Delos, and this same island being his native place obtained for him the name of Delius; Delphinius, from his occasionally assuming the shape of a dolphin. His name of Delphicus was derived from his connection with the splendid Temple at Delphi, where he uttered the famous oracles. Some writers record that this oracle became dumb when Jesus Christ was born. Other common names of Apollo were Didymæus, Nomius, Pæan, and Phœbus. The Greeks called him Agineus because the streets were under his guardianship, and he was called Pythius from having killed the serpent Python. Apollo is usually represented as a handsome young man without beard, crowned with laurel, and having in one hand a bow, and in the other a lyre. The favourite residence of Apollo was on Mount Parnassus, a mountain of Phocis, in Greece, where he presided over the Muses. Apollo was the accredited father of several children, but the two most renowned were Æsculapius and Phæton.

“Apollo there with aim so clever,

Stretches his leaden bow for ever.”

Lloyd, 1750.

“Wilt thou have music? Hark! Apollo plays,

And twenty cagëd nightingales do sing.”

Shakespeare.

Apothe′osis. The consecration of a god. The ceremony of deification.

Apple, see Atalanta.

Arach′ne, a Lybian Princess, who challenged Minerva to a spinning contest, but Minerva struck her on the head with a spindle, and turned her into a spider.

“... So her disembowelled web,

Arachne, in a hall or kitchen spreads,

Obvious to vagrant flies.”

John Phillips.

Arca′dia, a delightful country in the centre of Peloponnessus, a favourite place of the gods. Apollo was reputed to have been King of Arcadia.

Ar′cas, a son of Calistro, was turned into a he-bear; and afterwards into the constellation called Ursa Minor.

Archer, see Chiron.

Areop′agi′tæ, the judges who sat at the Areopagus.

Areop′agus, the hill at Athens where Mars was tried for murder before twelve of the gods.

A′res. The same as Mars, the god of war.

Arethu′sa was one of the nymphs of Diana. She fled from Alpheus, a river god, and was enabled to escape by being turned by Diana into a rivulet which ran underground. She was as virtuous as she was beautiful.

Ar′gonauts. This name was given to the fifty heroes who sailed to Colchis in the ship Argo under the command of Jason, to fetch the Golden Fleece.

Ar′gus was a god who had a hundred eyes which slept and watched by turns. He was charged by Juno to watch Io, but, being slain by Mercury, was changed by Juno into a peacock.

Ariad′ne, daughter of Minos, King of Crete. After enabling Theseus to get out of the Labyrinth by means of a clew of thread, she fled with him to Naxos, where he ungratefully deserted her; but Bacchus wooed her and married her, and the crown of seven stars which he gave her was turned into a constellation.

Ari′on was a famous lyric poet of Methymna, in the Island of Lesbos, where he gained great riches by his art. There is a pretty fable which has made the name of Arion famous. Once when travelling from Lesbos his companions robbed him, and proposed to throw him into the sea. He entreated the seamen to let him play upon his harp before they threw him overboard, and he played so sweetly that the dolphins flocked round the vessel. He then threw himself into the sea, and one of the dolphins took him up and carried him to Taenarus, near Corinth. For this act the dolphin was raised to heaven as a constellation.

Aristæ′us, son of Apollo and Cyrene, was the god of trees; he also taught mankind the use of honey, and how to get oil from olives. He was a celebrated hunter. His most famous son was Actæon.

Arma′ta, one of the names of Venus, given to her by Spartan women.

Ar′temis. This was the Grecian name of Diana, and the festivals at Delphi were called Artemesia.

Arts and Sciences, see Muses.

Arus′pices, sacrificial priests.

Ascal′aphus was changed into an owl, the harbinger of misfortune, by Ceres, because he informed Pluto that Proserpine had partaken of food in the infernal regions, and thus prevented her return to earth.

Asca′nius, the son of Æneas.

Ascol′ia, Bacchanalian feasts, from a Greek word meaning a leather bottle. The bottles were used in the games to jump on.

Aso′pus. A son of Jupiter, who was killed by one of his father’s thunderbolts.

Assabi′nus, the Ethiopian name of Jupiter.

Asses-ears, see Midas.

Astar′te, one of the Eastern names of Venus.

Aste′ria, daughter of Cæus, was carried away by Jupiter, who assumed the shape of an eagle.

Astre′a, mother of Nemesis, was the goddess of justice; she returned to heaven when the earth became corrupt.

“... Chaste Astrea fled,

And sought protection in her native sky.”

John Hughes.

Atalan′ta was daughter of Cæneus. The oracle told her that marriage would be fatal to her, but, being very beautiful, she had many suitors. She was a very swift runner, and, to get rid of her admirers, she promised to marry any one of them who should outstrip her in a race, but that all who were defeated should be slain. Hippomenes, however, with the aid of Venus, was successful. That goddess gave him three golden apples, one of which he dropped whenever Atalanta caught up to him in the race. She stopped to pick them up, and he was victorious and married her. They were both afterwards turned into lions by Cybele, for profaning her temple.

A′te. The goddess of revenge, also called the goddess of discord and all evil. She was banished from heaven by her father Jupiter.

“With Ate by his side come hot from hell.”

Shakespeare.

Athe′na, a name obtained by Minerva as the tutelary goddess of Athens.

Atlas, was King of Mauritania, now Morocco, in Africa. He was also a great astronomer. He is depicted with the globe on his back, his name signifying great toil or labour. For his inhospitality to Perseus that king changed him into the mountain which bears his name of Atlas. A chain of mountains in Africa is called after him, and so is the Atlantic Ocean. He had seven daughters by his wife Pleione, they were called by one common name, Pleiades; and by his wife Æthra he had seven more, who were, in the same manner, called Hyades. Both the Pleiades and the Hyades are celestial constellations.

At′reus, the type of fraternal hatred. His dislike of his brother Thyestes went to the extent of killing and roasting his nephews, and inviting their father to a feast, which Thyestes thought was a sign of reconciliation, but he was the victim of his brother’s detestable cruelty.

“Medea must not draw her murdering knife,

Nor Atreus there his horrid feast prepare.”

Lord Roscommon.

At′ropos, one of the three sisters called The Fates, who held the shears ready to cut the thread of life.

A′tys, son of Crœsus, was born dumb, but when in a fight he saw a soldier about to kill the king, he gained speech, and cried out, “Save the king!” and the string that held his tongue was broken.

A′tys was a youth beloved by Aurora, and was slain by her father, but, according to Ovid, was afterwards turned into a pine-tree.

Aug′æas, a king of Elis, the owner of the stable which Hercules cleansed after three thousand oxen had been kept in it for thirty years. It was cleansed by turning the river Alpheus through it. Augæas promised to give Hercules a tenth part of his cattle for his trouble, but, for neglecting to keep his promise, Hercules shot him.

Au′gury. This was a means adopted by the Romans of forming a judgment of futurity by the flight of birds, and the officiating priest was called an augur.

Auro′ra, the goddess of the morning,

“Whose rosy fingers ope the gates of day.”

She was daughter of Sol, the sun, and was the mother of the stars and winds. She is represented as riding in a splendid golden chariot drawn by white horses. The goddess loved Tithonus, and begged the gods to grant him immortality, but forgot to ask at the same time that he should not get old and decrepit. See Tithonus.

“... So soon as the all-cheering sun

Should, in the farthest east, begin to draw

The shady curtains of Aurora’s bed.”

Shakespeare.

Aus′ter, the south wind, a son of Jupiter.

Aver′nus, a poisonous lake, referred to by poets as being at the entrance of the infernal regions, but it was really a lake in Campania in Italy.

Averrun′cus Deus, a Roman god, who could divert people from evil doing.

Axe, see Dædalus.

Ba′al, a god of the Phœnicians.

Ba′al-Pe′or, a Moabitish god, associated with licentiousness and obscenity. The modern name is Belphegor.

Babes, see Rumina Dea.

Bac′chantes. The priestesses of Bacchus.

Bac′chus, the god of wine, was the son of Jupiter and Semele. He is said to have married Ariadne, daughter of Minos, King of Crete, after she was deserted by Theseus. The most distinguished of his children is Hymen, the god of marriage. Bacchus is sometimes referred to under the names of Dionysius, Biformis, Brisœus, Iacchus, Lenæus, Lyceus, Liber, and Liber Pater, the symbol of liberty. The god of wine is usually represented as crowned with vine and ivy leaves. In his left hand is a thyrsus, a kind of javelin, having a fir cone for the head, and being encircled with ivy or vine. His chariot is drawn by lions, tigers, or panthers.

“Jolly Bacchus, god of pleasure,

Charmed the world with drink and dances.”

T. Parnell, 1700.

Ba′lios. A famous horse given by Neptune to Peleus as a wedding present, and was afterwards given to Achilles.

Barker, see Anubis.

Bassar′ides. The priestesses of Bacchus were sometimes so called.

Battle, see Valhalla.

Bear, see Calistro.

Beauty, see Venus.

Bees, see Mellona.

Belisa′ma, a goddess of the Gauls. The name means the Queen of Heaven.

Beller′ophon, a hero who destroyed a monster called the Chimæra.

Bello′na, the goddess of war, and wife of Mars. The 24th March was called Bellona’s Day, when her votaries cut themselves with knives and drank the blood of the sacrifice.

“In Diræ’s and in Discord’s steps Bellona treads,

And shakes her iron rod above their heads.”

Belphe′gor, see Baal-Peor.

Be′lus. The Chaldean name of the sun.

Berecyn′thia, a name of Cybele, from a mountain where she was worshipped.

Bi′formis, a name of Bacchus, because he was accounted both bearded and beardless.

Birds, see Augury.

Births, see Lucina and Levana.

Blacksmith, see Brontes and Vulcan.

Blind, see Thanyris.

Blue eyes, see Glaukopis.

Bo′na De′a. “The bountiful goddess,” whose festival was celebrated by the Romans with much magnificence. See Ceres.

Bo′nus Even′tus. The god of good success, a rural divinity.

Bo′reas, the north wind, son of Astræus and Aurora.

“... I snatched her from the rigid north,

Her native bed, on which bleak Boreas blew,

And bore her nearer to the sun....”

Young, 1710.

Boundaries, see Terminus.

Boxing, see Pollux.

Brah′ma. The great Indian deity, represented with four heads looking to the four quarters of the globe.

Bri′areus, see Ægeon.

Bris′æus. A name of Bacchus, referring to the use of grapes and honey.

Bront′es, one of the Cyclops. He is the personification of a blacksmith.

Bubo′na, goddess of herdsmen, one of the rural divinities.

Bud′dah. A pagan deity, the Vishnu of the Hindoos.

Byb′lis. A niece of Sol, mentioned by Ovid. She shed so many tears for unrequited love that she was turned into a fountain.

“Thus the Phœbeian Byblis, spent in tears,

Becomes a living fountain, which yet bears

Her name.” Ovid.

Cab′iri. The mysterious rites connected with the worship of these deities were so obscene that most writers refer to them as secrets which it was unlawful to reveal.

Cac′odæ′mon. Greek name of an evil spirit.

Ca′cus, a three-headed monster and robber.

Cad′mus, one of the earliest of the Greek demigods. He was the reputed inventor of letters, and his alphabet consisted of sixteen letters. It was Cadmus who slew the Bœotian dragon, and sowed its teeth in the ground, from each of which sprang up an armed man.

Cadu′ceus. The rod carried by Mercury. It has two winged serpents entwined round the top end. It was supposed to possess the power of producing sleep, and Milton refers to it in Paradise Lost as the “opiate rod.”

Calis′tro, an Arcadian nymph, who was turned into a she-bear by Jupiter. In that form she was hunted by her son Arcas, who would have killed her had not Jupiter turned him into a he-bear. The nymph and her son form the constellations known as the Great Bear and Little Bear.

Calli′ope. The Muse who presided over epic poetry and rhetoric. She is generally depicted using a stylus and wax tablets, the ancient writing materials.

Cal′pe. One of the pillars of Hercules.

Calyp′so was queen of the island of Ogygia, on which Ulysses was wrecked, and where he was persuaded to remain seven years.

Ca′ma. The Indian god of love and marriage.

Camil′lus, a name of Mercury, from his office of minister to the gods.

Can′ache. The name of one of Actæon’s hounds.

Cano′ba. The Indian Apollo.

Cano′pus. The Egyptian god of water, the conqueror of fire.

Cap′is or Cap′ula. A peculiar cup with ears, used in drinking the health of the deities.

Capitoli′nus. A name of Jupiter, from the Capitoline hill, on the top of which a temple was built and dedicated to him.

Cap′ri′pedes. Pan, the Egipans, the Satyrs, and Fauns, were so called from having goats’ feet.

Caproti′na. A name of Juno.

Cassan′dra, a daughter of Priam and Hecuba, who was granted by Apollo the power of seeing into futurity, but having offended that god he prevented people from believing her predictions.

Cassiope′ia. The Ethiopian queen who set her beauty in comparison with that of the Nereides, who thereupon chained her to a rock and left her to be devoured by a sea-monster, but she was delivered by Perseus.