Age of Fable or Beauties of Mythology Read online

  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 his shoulders.

  [Footnote *: This inconsistency arises from considering the Saturn of the Romans

  the same with the Grecian deity Cronos. (Time,) which brings an end to all things which

  have had a beginning may be said to devour its own offspring.]

  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 favorite bird, and bore his

  thunderbolts.

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

  the rainbow, was her attendant and messenger. The peacock was her favorite bird

  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, Book I.

  "From morn

  To noon he fell, from noon to dewy eve,

  A summer's day; and with the setting sun

  Dropped from the zenith, like a falling star,

  On Lemnos, the Aegean isle."

  Mars, (Ares,) the god of war, was the son of Jupiter and Juno.

  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 ill-favored of the gods. Venus possessed an embroidered

  girdle called Cestus, which had the power of inspiring love. Her favorite 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 reciprocal

  affection. The following legend is told of him: -

  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 Eros immediately was seen to

  increase rapidly in size and strength.

  Minerva, (Pallas, Athene,) the goddess of wisdom, was the offspring of Jupiter,

  without a mother. She sprang forth from his head, completely armed. Her favorite bird

  was the owl, and the plant sacred to her the olive.

  Byron, in "Childe Harold," alludes to the birth of Minerva, thus: -

  "Can tyrants but by tyrants conquered be,

  And Freedom find no champion and no child,

  Such as Columbia saw arise, when she

  Sprang forth a Pallas, armed and undefiled?

  Or must such minds be nourished in the wild,

  Deep in the unpruned forest, 'midst the roar

  Of cataracts, where nursing Nature smiled

  On infant Washington? Has earth no more

  Such seeds within her breast, or Europe no such shore?"

  Mercury (Hermes) was the son of Jupiter and Maia. He presided over

  commerce, wrestling, and other gymnastic exercises, even over thieving, and every

  thing, 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 two

  serpents, called the Caduceus.

  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 honor of the nine

  Muses. Mercury gave the lyre to Apollo, and received from him in exchange the

  caduceus. ^*

  [Footnote *: From this origin of the instrument, the word "shell" is often used as

  synonymous with "lyre," and figuratively for music and poetry. Thus Gray, in his ode on

  the "Progress of Poesy," says. -

  "O Sovereign of the willing soul,

  Parent of sweet and solemn-breathing airs,

  Enchanting shell! the sullen Cares

  And frantic Passions hear thy soft control']

  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 promoter of civilization, and a lawgiver

  and lover of peace.

  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 sacred poetry, Urania of astronomy, Thalia of comedy.

  The Graces were goddesses presiding over the banquet, the dance, and all

  social enjoyments and elegant arts. They were three in number. Their names were

  Euphrosyne, Aglaia, and Thalia.

  Spenser describes the office of the Graces thus: -

  "These three on men all gracious gifts bestow

  Which deck the body or adorn the mind,

  To make them lovely or well-favored show;

  As comely carriage, entertainment kind,

  Sweet semblance, friendly offices that bind,

  And all the complements of courtesy;

  They teach us how to each degree and kind

  We should ourselves demean, to low, to high,

  To friends, to foes; which skill men call Civility."

  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 d
aughters of Themis, (Law,) who sits by Jove

  on his throne to give him counsel.

  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 called Eumenides.

  Nemesis was also an avenging goddess. She represents the righteous anger of

  the gods, particularly towards the proud and insolent.

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

  The Satyrs were deities of the woods and fields. They were conceived to be

  covered with bristly hair, their heads decorated with short, sprouting horns, and their feet

  like goats' feet.

  Momus was the god of laughter, and Plutus the god of wealth.

  Roman Divinities.

  The preceding are Grecian divinities, though received also by the Romans.

  Those which follow are peculiar to Roman mythology.

  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 things belonged equally to

  all, in the reign of Saturn.

  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.

  [Footnote *: There was also a goddess called Fauna, or Bona Dea.]

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

  exalted after his death to a place among the gods.

  Bellona, a war goddess.

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

  ground to mark the boundaries of fields.

  Pales, the goddess presiding over cattle and pastures.

  Pomona presided over fruit trees.

  Flora, the goddess of flowers.

  Lucina, the goddess of childbirth.

  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 fire was

  rekindled from the rays of the sun.

  Liber is the Latin name of Bacchus; and Mulciber of Vulcan.

  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 to the Penates of his own

  house.

  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 their Genius, women to their

  Juno.

  A modern poet thus alludes to some of the Roman gods: -

  "Pomona loves the orchard,

  And Liber loves the vine,

  And Pales loves the straw-built shed

  Warm with the breath of kine;

  And Venus loves the whisper

  Of plighted youth and maid,

  In April's ivory moonlight,

  Beneath the chestnut shade."

  Macaulay, "Prophecy of Capys."

  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 words. In the In lex at the

  close of the volume, we shall mark the accented syllable, in all words which appear to

  require it.

  Chapter II: Prometheus And Pandora

  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, had their own way of telling the

  story, which is as follows: -

  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 buoyed up the

  earth.

  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 sea, birds

  of the air, and four-footed beasts of the land.

  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, he raises his to heaven, and gazes on the stars.

  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 accordingl
y 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 introduce the arts and to coin money, the means of trade and commerce.

  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