Other Works by the Author of this Volume. THE AGE OF FABLE ; or, Beauties of Mythology . $3.00 THE AGE OF CHIVALRY ; or, Legends of King Ar- thur and the Knights of the Round Table . 3.00 LEGENDS OF CHARLEMAGNE; or, Romance of the Middle Ages 3.00 SHAKSPEARE: Adapted for Reading Classes and the Family Circle 2.00 OREGON AND ELDORADO; or, The Romance of the Rivers ....... 2.50 . 1-5 Sent by mail, post-paid, on receipt of price by publishers. THE COUNCIL OF THE GODS. 1 11 K AGE OF FABLE; BEAUTIES OF MYTHOLOGY. THOMAS BULFINCH. O, ye dellciom tablet! where the wave And wood were peopled, and the lr, with thing* So lovely 1 why, ahl why haiicience grave Scattered afar your wect imaginings t" BABKT COKKWAII BOSTON : S. W. TILTON & CO. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by THOMAS BULFINCII, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Vlstrtct of Massachusetts. TO HEXRY WADSWORTII LONGFELLOW, H POET ALIKE OF TH MANY AND OF THE FJtW * THIS ATTEMPT TO POPULARIZE MYTHOLOGY, Uti KXTEND THE ENJOYMENT OF ELEGANT LJTEHATURE . FKCTI'ULLY ISBCB1BBD. 2234599 PREFACE. Ir no other knowledge deserves to be called useful but that wnich helps to enlarge our possessions or to raise our station in society, then Mythology has no claim to the appellation. But if that which tends to make us happier and better can be called use- ful, then we claim that epithet for our subject For Mythology is the handmaid of literature ; and literature is one of the beat allies of virtue and promoters of happiness. Without a knowledge of mythology much of the elegant litera- ture of our own language cannot be understood and appreciated. When Byron calls Rome the Niobe of nations," or says of Venice, " She looks a Sea-Cybele fresh from ocean," he calls up to the mind of one familiar with our subject illustrations more vivid and striking than the pencil could furnish, but which are lost to the reader ignorant of mythology. Milton abounds in similar allusions. The short poem' " Cornus " contains more than thirty such, and the ode " On the Morning of the Nativity " half as many. Through " Paradise Lost " they are scattered profusely. This it one reason why we often hear persons by no means illiterate say that they cannot enjoy Milton. But were these persona to ad 1 to their more solid acquirements the easy learning of this little volume, much of the poetry of Milton which has appeared to them "harsh and crabbed" would be found "musical as is Apol- lo's lute." Our citations, taken from more than twenty-five poets, from Spenser to Longfellow, will show how general has ben tht practice of borrowing illustrations from mythology. The prose writers also avail themselves of the same souroe d 4 PREFACE. elegant and suggestive illustration. One can hardly take lip t number of the Edinburgh or Quarterly Review without meeting with instances. In Macaulay's article on Milton there are twenty such. But how is mythology to be taught to one who does not learn it through the medium of the languages of Greece and Rome P To devote study to a species of learning which relates wholly to false marvels and obsolete faiths, is not to be expected of the general leader in a practical age like this. The time even of the young is claimed by so many sciences of facts and tilings, that little can be spared for set treatises on a science of mere fancy. But may not the requisite knowledge of the subject be acquired by reading the ancient poets in translations ? We reply, the field is too extensive for a preparatory course ; and these very transla- tions require some previous knowledge of the subject to make them intelligible. Let any one who doubts it read the first page of the " ^Eneid," and see what he can make of " the hatred of Juno," the "decree of the Parcse," the "judgment of Paris," and the " honors of Ganymede," without this knowledge. Shall we be told that answers to such queries may be found in notes, or by a reference to the Classical Dictionary ? We reply, the interruption of one's reading by either process is so annoying that most readers prefer to let an allusion pass unapprehended rather than submit to it. Moreover, such sources give us only the dry facts without any of the charm of the original narrative ; and what is a poetical myth when stripped of its poetry ? The story of Ceyx and Halcyone, which fills a chapter in our book, occupies but eight lines in the best (Smith's) Classical Dictionary ; and so of others. Our book is an attempt to solve this problem, by telling the stories of mythology in such a manner as to make them a source of amusement. We have endeavored to tell them correctly, accord- ing to the ancient authorities, so that when the reader finds them referred to he may not be at a loss to recrgnize the reference. Thus we hope to teach mythology not as a study, but as a relaxa- tion from study ; to give our work the charm of a story-book, yel by means of it to impart a knowledge of an important branch of PREFACE. 5 education. The index at the end will adapt it to the purposes of reference, and make it a Classical Dictionary for the parlor. Most of the classical legends in this book are derived from Ovid nd VirgiL They are not literally translated, for, in the author 1 ! opinion, poetry translated into literal prose is very unattractive reading. Neither are they in verse, as well for other reasons ai from a conviction that to translate faithfully under all the embar- rassments of rhyme and measure is impossible. The attempt hu been made to tell the stories in prose, preserving so much of the poetry as resides in the thoughts and is separable from the lan- guage itself, and omitting those amplifications which are not suited to the altered form. The Northern mythological stories are copied with some abridg- ment from Mallet's Northern Antiquities. These chapters, with those on Oriental and Egyptian mythology, seemed necessary to complete the subject, though it is believed these topics Lave not usually been presented in the same volume with the classical febles. The poetical citations so freely introduced are expected to answer several valuable purposes. They will tend to fix in mem- ory the leading feet of each story, they will help to the attainment of a correct pronunciation of the proper names, and they will enrich the memory with many gems of poetry, some of them such as are most frequently quoted or alluded to in reading and conver- sation. Having chosen mythology as connected teilh literature for out province, we have endeavored to omit nothing which the reader of elegant literature is likely to find occasion for. Such starie* and parts of stories as are offensive to pure taste and good morals ore not given. But such stories are not often referred to, and if they occasionally should be, the English reader need feel no mor- tification in confessing his ignorance of them. Our book is not for the learned, nor for the theologian, nor for Jie philosopher, but for the reader of English literature, of either ex, who wishes to comprehend the allusions no frequently made by public speakers, lecturers, essayists, and poets, and those which wcur in polite conversation. 1* 6 PREFA CE. We trust our young readers will find it a source of entertain ment ; those more advanced a useful companion in their reading those who travel, and visit museums and galleries of art, an interpreter of paintings and sculptures ; those who mingle in cultivated society, a key to allusions which are occasionally made 5 and last of all, those in advanced life, pleasure in retracing a path of literature which leads them back to the dap of their childhood, and revives at every step the associations of the morning of life. The permanency of those associations is beautifully expressed in the well-known lines of Coleridge, in "The Piccolomini," Act ti. Scene 4 "The intelligible forms of ancient poets, The fair humanities of old religion, The Power, the Beauty, and the Majesty That had their haunts in dale or piny mountain, Or forest, by slow stream, or pebbly spring, Or chasms and watery depths; all these hare ranldted* They live no longer in the faith of reason ; , But still the heart doth need a language ; still Doth the old instinct bring back the old name*; Spirits or gods that used to share this earth With man as with their friend; and at this day TU Jupiter who brings whate'er is great, And Veuuj who bring* every thing that's Mr." CONTENTS. L Introduction ..., 11 IL Prometheus and Pandora. 34 HI. Apollo and Daphne Pyramus and Thisbe Cephalus and Prodis. . 34 IT. Juno and her Rivals, lo and Callisto Diana and Actaeon Latona and the Rustics. . . . 46 V. Phaeton. 69 VI. Midas Baucis and Philemon. ...... 69 VH. Proserpine Qlaucus and Scylla. 71 VJLLL Pygmalion Dryope Venus and Adonis Apollo and Hyacinthus. 91 IX. Ceyx and Halcyone 100 X. Vertumnus and Pomona Iphis and Anax- arete. 109 XL Cupid and Psyche. 115 XH. Cadmus The Myrmidons. 129 XITT. Nifius and Scylla Echo and NardMus Clyti* Hero and Leander 138 XIV. Minerva and Arachne Niobe. 149 XT. The Grate and Oorgons Perseus and Me- dusa. 161 5 CONTENTS. CXATTBB PAO XVI. Monsters ; Giants Sphinx Pegasus and Chimsera Centaurs Griffin Pygmies. 171 XVII. The Golden Fleece Medea 180 XVHL Meleager and Atalanta 191 XIX. Hercules Hebe and Ganymede 199 XX. Theseus and Daedalus Castor and Pollux Festivals and Games 208 XXI. Bacchus and Ariadne 220 XXIL The Rural Deities The Dryads and Erisich- thon Rhcecus The Water Deities The Camense The Winds 229 XXUI. Achelous and Hercules Admetus and Al- cestis Antigone, Penelope 243 XXIV. Orpheus and Eurydice Aristseus Amphion Linus Thamyris Marsyas Melam- pus Musaeus 254 XXV. Arion Tbycus Simonides Sappho. . . 266 XXVI. Endymion Orion Aurora and Tithonus Acis and Galatea 278 XXVIL The Trojan War 288 IXVm. The Fall of Troy Return of the Greeks Orestes and Electra. 308 XXIX. Adventures of Ulysses The Lotus-eaters The Cyclopes Circe Sirens Scylla and Charybdis Calypso 319 XXX. The Phseacians Fate of the Suitors. ... 333 XXXI. Adventures of JEneta The Harpies Dido Palinurus 340 XXXII. The Infernal Regions The Sibyl 36fl XXXIII. -JEneas in Italy Camilla Evander Nisus and Euryalus Mezentius Tumns. 8BI CONTEXTS. S CHAPTER f AOi XXXTY. Pythagoras Egyptian Deities Oracles. 384 XXXV. Origin of Mythology Statues of Gods and Goddesses Poets of Mythology. . . . 400 XXXVI. Monsters (modem) The Phoenix Basi- lisk Unicorn Salamander 413 XXXVII. Eastern Mythology Zoroaster Hindu Mythology Castes Buddha The Grand Lama Prester John 429 XXXVm. Northern Mythology Valhalla The Val- kyrior. 436 XXXTX. Thor's Visit to Jotunheim 447 XL. The Death of Baldur The Elve Runic Letters Skalds Iceland. . ... 458 XLL The Druids lona. 46fl PBOTUBIAL EXPRESSIONS, ..........* 477 IBX . .WO STORIES OF GODS AND HEROES CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. THE religions of ancient Greece and Rome are extinct The so-called divinities of Olympus have not a single wor- shipper 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 through them, received their science and religion. (ID 12 STORIES OF GODS AND HEROES. The Greeks believed the earth to be flat and circulai 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 given us the u Song of a Hyperborean," beginning " I come from a land in the sun-bright deep, Where golden gardens glow, Where the winds of the north, becalmed in sleep. Their conch shells never blow." On the south side of the earth, close to the stream of Ocean, dwelt a people happy and virtuous as the Hyper- boreans. They were named the ^Ethiopians. The gods favored them ao highly that they were wont to leave at times their Olympian abodes, and go to share their sacri- fices and banquets STORIES OF GORS AND HEROES. 13 On the western margin of the earth, by the stream of Ocean, lay a happy place named the Elysian Plain, whithei mortals favored by the gods were transported without tasting of death, to enjoy an immortality of bliss. This happy region was also called the M Fortunate Fields," and the " Isles of the Blessed." We thus see that the Greeks of the early age? knew little of any real people except those to the east and south of their own country, or near the coast of the Mediterra- nean. 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 favor of the gods, and blessed with happiness and longevity. 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 out of and sank into the stream of Ocean. There the sun-god embarked in a winged boat, which con- veyed him round by the northern part of the earth, back to his place of rising in the east. Milton alludes to thia in bis " Comus." " Now the gilded car of day His golden axle doth allay In the steep Atlantic stream, And the slope Sun his upward beam Shoots against the dusky pole, Pacing towards the other goal Of his chamber in the east." The abode of the gods was on the summit of Mount Olym pus, in Thessaly. A gate of clouds, kept by the goddessei 2 14 STORIES Ot GODS AND HEROES. named the Seasons, opened to permit the passage of ilw Celestials to earth, and to receive them on their ret am, The gods had their separate dwellings ; but all, when sum- moned, 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 their respective dwellings. The following lines from the Odyssey will show how Homer conceived of Olympus : " So saying, Minerva, goddess azure-eyed, Rose to Olympus, the reputed seat Eternal of the gods, which never storms Disturb, rains drench, or snow invades, but calm The expanse and cloudless shines with purest day. There the inhabitants divine rejoice Forever." Cowper. The robes and other parts of the dress of the goddesses were woven by Minerva and the Graces, and every thing of a more solid nature was formed of the various metals. Vulcan was architect, smith, armorer, chariot builder, and artist of all work in Olympus. He built of brass the uo<**es n 4 .he ~ xls ; he made for them the golden shoes with wuich u ney trod the air or the water, and moved fiom 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 STORIES OF GODS AND HEROES. 15 along the surface of the sea. He was able to bestow on his workmanship self-motion, 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. There is another cosmogony, or account of the creation, according to which Earth, Erebus, and Love were the first of being-s. Love (Eros) issued from the egg of Night, which floated on Chaos. J$y his arrows and torch he pierced and vivified all things, producing life and joy. Saturn and Rhea were not the only Titans. There were others, whose names were Oceanus, Hyperion, lapetus, and Ophion, males ; and Themis, Mnemos3'ne, 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 sun-god, and is painted with the splendor and beauty which were afterwards bestowed on Apollo. " Hyperion's curls, the front of Jove himself." S/iakspeare. 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 man, * The names included in parentheses are the Greek, the other* being the Roman or Latin names. 16 STORIES OF GODS AKU HEKOKS. " And fabled how the serpent, whom they called Ophiou, with Eurynome, (the wide- Encroaching Eve perhaps,) had first the rule Of high Olympus, thence by Saturn driven. The representations given of Saturn are not very con- sistent ; for on the one hand his reign is said to have been the golden age of innocence and purity, and on the othei he is described as a monster who devoured his own chil- dren.* Jupiter, however, escaped this fate, and whei. 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 ; van- quished them, and imprisoned some of them in Tartarus, inflicting other penalties on others. Atlas was condemned to bear up the heavens on his shoulders. On the dethronement of Saturn, Jupiter with his broth- ers Neptune (Poseidon) and Pluto (Dis) divided his do- minions. 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 -n of Jupiter and Juno. He was born lame, and his mother This inconsistency arises from considering tne tiatun. 01 IL- iu mans the same with the Grecian deity Cronos. (Tune,) wtici*, a* n brings an end to all things which have bail n beginning. m Of *ifl tp devout its own offspring. STORIES OF GODS AND HEROES. 1? was so displeased at the sight of him that she flung him out of heaven. Other accounts say that Jupiter ki:ked him out for taking part with his mother, in a quarrel which occurred between them. Vulcan's lameness, ac- cording 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 liirn. 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 ^Egeun isle." Mars, (Ares,) the god of war, was the son of Jupiter and Juno. Phoebus Apollo, the god of archery, prophecy, and mu- sic, 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, *as 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 f 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 plant? sacred to her were the rose and the myrtle. I* 18 STORIES OF GODS AND HEROES. Cupid, (Eros,) the god of love, was the son of Venas He was her constant companion ; and, armed with DON 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 con- tinued 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 Mi- nerva, 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 undefined ? 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 gymnas- tic exercises, even over thieving, and every thing, in short, which required skill and dexterity. He was the messen- ger of Jupiter, and wore a winged cap and winged shoes STORIES OF GODS AND HEROES. 15 He 1x>re 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 ex- change the caduceus.* Ceres (Demeter) was the daughter of Saturn and Rhea. She had a daughter named Proserpine, (Per- sephone,) 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 intoxi- cating power of wine, but its social and beneficent influ- ences 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 Mnemos- yne, (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 sa ired poetry, Urania of astronomy, Thalia of comedy. From this origin of the instrument, the word "shell "is oftet tsed as synonymous with " lyre," and figuratively for music and po rtry. Thus Gray, in his ode on the " Progress of Poesy," says. " Sovereign of the willing soul, Parent of sweet and solemn-breathing airs, Enchanting shell ! the sullen Cares And frantic Pawrion* hear thy of> wntrol 20 STORIKS OF GODS AND HEROES. The Graces were goddesses presiding over the ban quet, the dance, and all social erjoyments 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 Atro- pos. Their office was to spin the thread of human des- tiny, and they were armed with shears, with which they cut it off when they pleased. They were the daughters of Themis, (Law,) who sits by Jove on his throne to give him counsel. The Erinnyes, or Furies, were three goddesses who pun- ished by their secret stings the crimes of those who es- caped 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 Eu- menides. 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 "esidence was in Arcadia. The Satyrs were deities of the woods and fields. They STORIES OF GODS AND HEROES. 21 conceived to be covered with bristly hair, their heads decorated with short, sprouting horns, and their feet like goats' feet. JMomus 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 tabled that after his dethronement by Jupiter, he fled to Italy, vhere he reigned during what was called the Golden Age. In memory of his beneficent dominion, the feast of Sat- urnalia 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 natu- ral 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 game- some deities, like the Satyrs of the Greeks. Quirinus was a war god, said to be no other than Rom- ulus, the founder of Rome, exalted after his death to place among the gods. Bellona, a war goddess. Terminus, the god of landmarks. His statue waa There waa also a goddca* called Fauna, or Bona De*. 22 STORIES OF GODS AND HEROES. rude stone or post, set in the ground to mark the bounda ries 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 tem- ple. 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 re- kindled from the rays of the sun. Liber is the Latin name of Bacchus ; and Mulciber ol Vulcan. Janus was the porter of heaven. He opens the year, the first month being named after him. He is the guar- dian deity of gates, on which account he is commonly rep- resented 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 at- tend 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 dif- fered from the Penates in being regarded as the deified spirits of mortals. The family Lars were held to be the louls of the ancestors, who watched over and protected their descendants. The words Lemur and Larva more nearly corresjon-l to our word Ghost. STORIES OF QOUS AND HEROES. 2& 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 theil 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 Copy*." N. B. It is to be observed that in proper names the final e and es are to be sounded. Thus Cybele and Pena- tes 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 t require it ?4 STORIES OF GODS AND HEROES. Deucalion and Pyrrha. 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 a? follows : Hefore 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 STORIES OF GODS AND HEROES. 24 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 iu weight and place. The earth, being heavier, sank below and the water took the lowest place, and buoyed up th. earth. Here some god it is not known which gave his good offices in arranging and disposing the earth. He appoint- ed rivers and bays their places, raised mountains, scooped out valleys, distributed woods, fountains, fertile fieio^,, .^.J 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, sc lately separated from heaven, there lurked still some heavenly seeds. Prome- theus 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 gig-antic 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 animala with the faculties necessary for their preservation. Epi- metheus undertook to do this, and Prometheus was to overlook his work, when it was done. Epimetheus accord- 'ngly proceeded to bestow upon the different animal? th* 3 26 STORIES OF GODS AND HEROES. various gifts of courage, strength, swiftness, sagacity ; wingi to one, claws to another, a shelly covering to a third, etc. But when man came to be provided for, who was to be su- perior to all other animals, Epimetheus had been so prod- igal 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 steal- ing 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 mu- sic, 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 con- tained ; 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 t<* PANDORA. Pa