Chapter III: Part 3

=Nemesis= (Nemʹesis), the goddess of vengeance or justice, was one of the infernal deities. Her mother was Nox. She was supposed to be constantly traveling about the earth in search of wickedness, which she punished with the greatest severity. She is referred to by some writers under the name of Adrasteia. The Romans always sacrificed to this goddess before they went to war, because they wished to signify that they never took up arms but in the cause of justice.

"Forbear, said Nemesis, my loss to moan,
The fainting, trembling hand was mine alone."
Dr. J. Wharton.

=Nephalia= (Nephaʹlia). Grecian festivals in honor of Mnemosyne, the mother of the Muses.

=Neptune= (Nepʹtune), god of the sea, was a son of Saturn and Cybele, and brother to Jupiter and Pluto. He quarreled with Jupiter because he did not consider that the dominion of the sea was equal to Jupiter's empire of heaven and earth; and he was banished from the celestial regions, after having conspired with Pluto to dethrone Jupiter. Neptune was married to Amphitrite, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, by whom he had a son named Triton. He was also father of Polyphemus (one of the Cyclopes), Phoreus, and Proteus. Neptune is represented as being seated in a shell chariot, drawn by dolphins or sea-horses, and surrounded by Tritons and sea-nymphs. He holds in his hand a trident, with which he rules the waves. Though a marine deity, he was reputed to have presided over horse-training and horse-races; but he is principally known as the god of the ocean; and the two functions of the god are portrayed in the sea horses with which his chariot is drawn, the fore-half of the animal being a horse, and the hind-half a dolphin. Ships were also under his protection, and whenever he appeared on the ocean there was a dead calm.

=Nereides, The= (Nereʹides), were aquatic nymphs. They were daughters of Nereus and Doris, and were fifty in number. They are generally represented as beautiful girls riding on dolphins, and carrying tridents in the right hand or garlands of flowers.

=Nereus= (Nereʹus). A sea deity, husband of Doris. He had the gift of prophecy, and foretold fates; but he had also the power of assuming various shapes, which enabled him to escape from the importunities of those who were anxious to consult him.

=Nessus= (Nesʹsus). The name of the Centaur that was destroyed by Hercules for insulting his wife Deianira. Nessus's blood-smeared robe proved fatal to Hercules.

=Nestor= (Nesʹtor). A grandson of Neptune, his father being Neleus, and his mother Chloris. Homer makes him one of the greatest of the Greek heroes. He was present at the famous battle between the Lapithae and the Centaurs, and took a leading part in the Trojan war.

"... Here's Nestor
Instructed by the antiquary times,
He must, he is, he cannot but be wise."
Shakespeare.

=Nicephorus= (Nicephʹorus). A name of Jupiter, meaning the bearer of victory.

=Nidhogg= (Nidʹhogg). In Scandinavian mythology the dragon who dwells in Nastrond.

=Niflheim= (Niflʹheim). The Scandinavian hell. It was supposed to consist of nine vast regions of ice beneath the North Pole, where darkness reigns eternally. See Nastrond.

=Night=, see Nox.

=Nightingale=, see Philomela.

=Nightmare=, see Incubus.

=Nilus= (Niʹlus), a king of Thebes, who gave his name to the Nile, the great Egyptian river.

=Nine, The=, see Muses.

=Niobe= (Niʹobe) was a daughter of Tantalus, and is the personification of grief. By her husband Amphion she had seven sons and seven daughters. By the orders of Latona the father and sons were killed by Apollo, and the daughters (except Chloris) by Diana. Niobe, being overwhelmed with grief, escaped further trouble by being turned into a stone.

=Nomius= (Noʹmius). A law-giver; one of the names of Apollo. This title was also given to Mercury for the part he took in inventing beneficent laws.

=Norns.= Three Scandinavian goddesses, who wove the woof of human destiny. The three witches in Shakespeare's "Macbeth" have their origin in the Scandinavian Norns.

=Notus= (Noʹtus). Another name for Auster, the south wind.

=Nox= was the daughter of Chaos, and sister of Erebus and Mors. She personified night, and was the mother of Nemesis and the Fates.

=Nundina= (Nundiʹna). The goddess who took charge of children when they were nine days old--the day (_Nona dies_) on which the Romans named their children.

=Nuptialis= (Nuptiaʹlis). A title of Juno. When the goddess was invoked under this name the gall of the victim was taken out and thrown behind the altar, signifying that there should be no gall (bitterness) or anger between married people.

=Nuriel= (Nuʹriel). In Hebrew mythology the god of hailstorms.

=Nyctelius= (Nycteʹlius). A name given to Bacchus, because his festivals were celebrated by torchlight.

=Nymphs.= This was a general name for a class of inferior female deities who were attendants of the gods. Some of them presided over springs, fountains, wells, woods, and the sea. They are spoken of as land-nymphs or Naiads, and sea-nymphs or Nereids, though the former are associated also with fountains and rivers. The Dryads were forest-nymphs, and the Hamadryads were nymphs who lived among the oak-trees--the oak being always specially venerated by the ancients. The mountain-nymphs were called Oreads.

"With flower-inwoven tresses torn,
The nymphs in twilight shade
Of tangled thickets mourn."
Milton.

=Nysae= (Nyʹsae). The names of the nymphs by whom Bacchus was nursed. See Dionysius.

=Nysaeus= (Nyʹsaeus). A name of Bacchus, because he was worshiped at Nysa, a town of Aethiopia.

=Nysus= (Nyʹsus). A king of Megara who was invisible by virtue of a particular lock of hair. This lock his daughter Scylla cut off, and so betrayed her father to his enemies. She was changed into a lark, and the king into a hawk, and he still pursues his daughter, intending to punish her for her treachery.

=Oannes= (Oanʹnes). An Eastern (Babylonian) god, represented as a monster, half-man, half-fish. He was said to have taught men the use of letters in the day-time, and at night to have retired to the depth of the ocean.

=Oath=, see Lapis.

=Obambou= (Obamʹbou). A devil of African mythology.

=Ocean=, see Neptune.

=Oceanides= (Oceanʹides). Sea-nymphs, daughters of Oceanus and Tethys. Their numbers are variously estimated by different poets; some saying there were as many as 3,000, while others say they were as few as sixteen. The principal of them are mentioned under their respective names, as Amphitrite, Doris, Metis, etc.

=Oceanus= (Oceʹanus), son of Coelus and Terra, and husband of Tethys. Several mythological rivers were called his sons, as Alpheus, Peneus, etc., and his daughters were called the Oceanides. Some of the ancients worshiped him as the god of the seas, and invariably invoked his aid when they were about to start on a voyage. He was also thought to personify the immense stream which it was supposed surrounded the earth, and into which the sun and moon and other heavenly bodies sank every day.

=Ocridion= (Ocridʹion). A king of Rhodes, who was deified after his death.

=Ocypete= (Ocyʹpete). One of the Harpies, who infected everything she touched. The word means swift of flight.

=Ocyroe= (Ocyʹroe). A daughter of Chiron, who had the gift of prophecy. She was metamorphosed into a mare.

=Odin= (Oʹdin). In Scandinavian mythology the god of the universe, and reputed father of all the Scandinavian kings. His wife's name was Friga, and his two sons were Thor and Balder. The _Wodin_ of the early German tribes.

=Oeagrus= (Oeʹagrus). King of Thrace, and father of Orpheus.

=Oedipus= (Oedʹipus). A son of Laius, King of Thebes, best known as the solver of the famous enigma propounded by the Sphinx. In solving the riddle Oedipus unwittingly killed his father, and, discovering the fact, he destroyed his own eyesight, and wandered away from Thebes, attended by his daughter Antigone. Oedipus is the subject of two famous tragedies by Sophocles.

=Oenone= (Oenoʹne). Wife of Paris, a nymph of Mount Ida, who had the gift of prophecy.

=Ogygia= (Ogygʹia). An island, the abode of Calypso, in the Mediterranean Sea, on which Ulysses was shipwrecked. It was so beautiful in sylvan scenery that even Mercury (who dwelt on Olympus) was charmed with the spot.

=Ointment=, see Phaon.

=Olenus= (Oleʹnus). A son of Vulcan, who married Lathaea, a woman who thought herself more beautiful than the goddesses, and as a punishment she and her husband were turned into stone statues.

=Olives=, see Aristaeus.

=Olympius= (Olymʹpius). A name of Jupiter, from Olympia, where the god had a splendid temple, which was considered to be one of the seven wonders of the world.

=Olympus= (Olymʹpus) was the magnificent mountain on the coast of Thessaly, 9,000 feet high, where the gods were supposed to reside. There were several other smaller mountains of the same name.

"High heaven with trembling the dread signal took,
And all Olympus to the center shook."
Pope.

=Olyras= (Olyʹras). A river near Thermopylae, which, it is said, attempted to extinguish the funeral pile on which Hercules was consumed.

=Omophagia= (Omophaʹgia). A Bacchanalian festival at which some uncooked meats were served.

=Omphale= (Omʹphale). The Queen of Lydia, to whom Hercules was sold as a bondsman for three years for the murder of Iphitus. Hercules fell in love with her, and led an effeminate life in her society, wearing female apparel, while Omphale wore the lion's skin.

=Onarus= (Onaʹrus). A priest of Bacchus, said to have married Ariadne after she had been abandoned by Theseus.

=Onuva= (Onuʹva). The Venus of the ancient Gauls.

=Opalia= (Opaʹlia). Roman festivals in honor of Ops, held on 14th of the calends of January.

=Opiate-rod=, see Caduceus.

"Eyes ... more wakeful than to drowse,
Charmed with Arcadian pipe--the pastoral reed
Of Hermes or his opiate-rod."
Milton.

=Ops.= Mother of the gods, a daughter of Coelus and Terra. She was known by the several names of Bona Dea, Rhea, Cybele, Magna Mater, Proserpine, Tellus, and Thya; and occasionally she is spoken of as Juno and Minerva. She personified labor, and is represented as a comely matron, distributing gifts with her right hand, and holding in her left hand a loaf of bread. Her festival was the 14th day of the January calends.

=Oracles=, see Themis.

=Oraea= (Oraeʹa). Certain sacrifices offered to the goddesses of the seasons to invoke fair weather for the ripening of the fruits of the earth.

=Orbona= (Orboʹna). Roman goddess of children, invoked by mothers when they lost or were in danger of losing their offspring.

=Orchards=, see Feronia.

=Oreades= (Oʹreades) were mountain nymphs, attendants on Diana.

=Orgies.= Drunken revels. The riotous feasts of Bacchus were so designated.

=Orion= (Oriʹon). A handsome hunter, of great stature, who was blinded by Oenopion for a grievous wrong done to Merope, and was therefore expelled from Chios. The sound of the Cyclops' hammers led him to the abode of Vulcan, who gave him a guide. He then consulted an oracle, and had his sight restored, as Longfellow says, by fixing

"His blank eyes upon the sun."

He was afterward slain by Diana and placed amongst the stars, where his constellation is one of the most splendid.

=Orithyia= (Oriʹthyʹia). A daughter of Erechtheus, whose lover, Boreas, carried her off while she was wandering by the river Ilissus. Her children were Zetus and Calais, two winged warriors who accompanied the Argonauts.

=Ormuzd= (Orʹmuzd). In Persian mythology the creator of all things.

=Oros= (Oʹros). The Egyptian Apollo.

=Orphans=, see Orbona.

=Orpheus= (Orʹpheus) was son of Apollo and the Muse Calliope. He was married to Eurydice; but she was stung by a serpent, and died. Orpheus went down to Hades to claim her, and played so sweetly with his lute that Pluto allowed Eurydice to return to the earth with Orpheus, but on condition that he did not look behind him until he had reached the terrestrial regions. Orpheus, however, in his anxiety to see if she were following him, looked round, and Eurydice disappeared from his sight, instantly and forever.

"Orpheus' lute was strung with poets' sinews."
Shakespeare.

=Osiris= (Osiʹris). The Egyptian god of the sun, the source of warmth, life, and fruitfulness; he was worshiped under the form of a sacred bull, named Apis.

"... After these appeared
A crew who, under names of old renown,
Osiris, Isis, Orus, and their train,
With monstrous shapes and sorceries abused
Fanatic Egypt and her priests to seek
Their wandering gods, disguised in brutish forms
Rather than human."
Milton.

=Ossa= (Osʹsa). One of the mountains of Thessaly (once the residence of the centaurs) which the giants piled on the top of Mount Pelion to enable them to ascend to heaven and attack the gods.

=Ox=, see Apis.

=Owl=, see Aesculapius and Itys.

=Pactolus= (Pactoʹlus). The river in Lydia where Midas washed himself by order of Bacchus, and the sands were turned to gold.

=Paean= (Paeʹan). A name given Apollo, from _paean_, the hymn which was sung in his honor after he had killed the serpent Python. Paeans were solemn songs, praying either for the averting of evil and for rescue, or giving thanks for help vouchsafed.

"With hymns divine the joyous banquet ends,
The Paeans lengthened till the sun descends."
Pope.

=Palaemon= (Palaeʹmon), or Melicerta, a sea-god, son of Athamas and Ino.

=Pales= (Paʹles). The goddess of shepherds and sheepfolds and protectress of flocks; her festivals were called by the Romans Palilia.

"Pomona loves the orchard,
And Liber loves the wine,
And Pales loves the straw-built shed,
Warm with the breath of kine."
Macaulay.

"Great Pales help, the pastoral rites I sing,
With humble duty mentioning each thing."
Pope.

=Palladium= (Pallaʹdium). A famous statue of the goddess Pallas (Minerva). She is sitting with a spear in her right hand, and in her left a distaff and spindle. Various accounts are given of the origin of the statue. Some writers say that it fell from the skies. It was supposed that the preservation of the statue would be the preservation of Troy; and during the Trojan War the Greeks were greatly encouraged when they became the possessors of it.

=Pallas= (Palʹlas), or Minerva. The name was given to Minerva when she destroyed a famous giant named Pallas. The Greeks called their goddess of wisdom Pallas Athene. See Minerva.

"Apollo, Pallas, Jove, or Mercury,
Inspire me that I may this treason find."
Shakespeare.

=Pan.= The Arcadian god of shepherds, huntsmen, and country folk, and chief of the inferior deities, is usually considered to have been the son of Mercury and Penelope. After his birth he was metamorphosed into the mythical form in which we find him depicted, namely, a horned, long-eared man, with the lower half of the body like a goat. He is generally seen playing a pipe made of reeds of various lengths, which he invented himself, and from which he could produce music which charmed even the gods. These are the Pan-pipes, or _Syrinx_. Pan's terrific appearance once so frightened the Gauls when they invaded Greece that they ran away though no one pursued them; and the word _panic_ is said to have been derived from this episode. The Fauns, who greatly resembled Pan, were his attendants.

"Piping on their reeds the shepherds go,
Nor fear an ambush, nor suspect a foe."
Pope.

=Pandora= (Pandoʹra), according to Hesiod, was the first mortal female. Vulcan made her of clay, and gave her life. Venus gave her beauty; and the art of captivating was bestowed upon her by the Graces. She was taught singing by Apollo, and Mercury taught her oratory. Jupiter gave her a box, the famous "Pandora's Box," which she was told to give to her husband, Epimetheus, brother of Prometheus. As soon as he opened it there issued from it numberless diseases and evils which were soon spread all over the world, and from that moment they have afflicted the human race. It is said that Hope alone remained in the box. Pandora means "the all-gifted."

"More lovely than Pandora, whom the gods
Endowed with all their gifts."
Milton.

=Pantheon= (Pantheʹon) (lit. "the all-divine place"). The temple of all the gods, built by Agrippa at Rome, in the reign of Augustus (B.C. 27). It was 144 feet in diameter, and 144 feet high; and was built in the Corinthian style of architecture, mostly of marble; while its walls were covered with engraved brass and silver. Its magnificence induced Pliny to give it rank among the wonders of the world.

=Paphia= (Paʹphia), a name of Venus.

=Papremis= (Papʹremis). The Egyptian Mars.

=Parcae, The= (Parʹcae), were goddesses who presided over the destiny of human beings. They were also called the Fates, and were three in number, Atropos, Clotho, and Lachesis. See Fates.

=Paris= (Parʹis), the son of Priam, king of Troy, and of his mother Hecuba. It had been predicted that he would be the cause of the destruction of Troy, and his father therefore ordered him to be strangled as soon as he was born; but the slave who had been entrusted with this mission took the child to Mount Ida, and left it there. Some shepherds, however, found the infant and took care of him. He lived among them till he had grown to man's estate, and he then married Oenone, a nymph of Ida. At the famous nuptial feast of Peleus and Thetis, Discordia, who had not been invited, attended secretly; and when all were assembled, she threw among the goddesses a golden apple, on which was inscribed "Let the fairest take it." This occasioned a great contention, for each thought herself the fairest. Ultimately, the contestants were reduced to three, Juno, Pallas (Minerva), and Venus; but Jove himself could not make these three agree, and it was decided that Paris should be the umpire. He was sent for, and each of the goddesses courted his favor by offering all sorts of bribes. Juno offered him power, Pallas wisdom, and Venus promised him the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris gave the golden apple to Venus. Soon after this episode Priam owned Paris as his son, and sent him to Greece to fetch Helen, who was renowned as being the most beautiful woman in the world. She was the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta; but during his absence Paris carried Helen away to Troy, and this gave rise to the celebrated war between the Greeks and the Trojans, which ended in the destruction of Troy. Paris was among the 676,000 Trojans who fell during or after the siege.

=Parnassides= (Parnasʹsides), a name common to the Muses, from Mount Parnassus.

=Parnassus= (Parnasʹsus). The mountain of the Muses in Phocis, and sacred to Apollo and Bacchus. Any one who slept on this mountain became a poet. It was named after one of the sons of Bacchus.

=Parthenon= (Parʹthenon). The temple of Minerva (or Pallas) on the Acropolis at Athens. It was destroyed by the Persians, and rebuilt by Pericles.

=Parthenos= (Parʹthenos) was a name of Juno, and also of Minerva. See Pallas.

=Pasiphae= (Pasiphʹae) was the reputed mother of the Minotaur killed by Theseus. She was said to be the daughter of Sol and Perseis, and her husband was Minos, king of Crete.

=Pasithea= (Pasithʹea). Sometimes there are _four_ Graces spoken of; when this is so, the name of the fourth is Pasithea. Also called Aglaia.

=Pavan= (Pavʹan), the Hindoo god of the winds.

=Peace=, see Concordia.

=Peacock=, see Argus.

=Pegasus= (Pegʹasus). The famous winged horse which was said to have sprung from the blood of Medusa when her head was cut off by Perseus. His abode was on Mount Helicon, where, by striking the ground with his hoof, he caused water to spring forth, which formed the fountain afterward called Hippocrene.

"Each spurs his faded
Pegasus apace."
Byron.

"Thy stumbling founder'd jade can trot as high
As any other Pegasus can fly."
Earl of Dorset.

"To turn and wind a fiery Pegasus,
And witch the world with noble horsemanship."
Shakespeare.

=Peleus= (Peʹleus). A king of Thessaly, who married Thetis, one of the Nereides. It is said that he was the only mortal who married an immortal.

=Pelias= (Peʹlias). A son of Neptune and Tyro. He usurped the throne of Cretheus, which Jason was persuaded to relinquish and take the command of the Argonautic expedition. On the return of Jason, Medea, the sorceress, undertook to restore Pelias to youth, but required that the body should first be cut up and put in a caldron of boiling water. When this had been done, Medea refused to fulfil her promise. Pelias had four daughters, who were called the Peliades.

=Pelias= (Peʹlias) was the name of the spear of Achilles, which was so large that none could wield it but the hero himself.

=Pelion= (Peʹlion). A well-wooded mountain, famous for the wars between the giants and the gods, and as the abode of the Centaurs, who were expelled by the Lapithae. See Ossa, a mount, which the giants piled upon Pelion, to enable them to scale the heavens.

"The gods they challenge, and affect the skies,
Heaved on Olympus tottering Ossa stood;
On Ossa, Pelion nods with all his wood."
Pope.

=Pelops= (Peʹlops), son of Tantalus, king of Phrygia. His father killed him, and served him up to be eaten at a feast given to the gods, who, when they found out what the father of Pelops had done, restored the son to life, and he afterward became the husband of Hippodamia.

=Penates= (Penaʹtes). Roman domestic gods. The hearth of the house was their altar. See Lares.

=Perpetual Punishment=, see Sisyphus.

=Persephone= (Persephʹone). The Greek name of Proserpine.

=Perseus= (Perʹseus) was a son of Jupiter and Danae, the daughter of Acrisius. His first famous exploit was against the Gorgon, Medusa. He was assisted in this enterprise by Pluto, who lent him a helmet which would make him invisible. Pallas lent him her shield, and Mercury supplied him with wings. He made a speedy conquest of the Gorgons, and cut off Medusa's head, with which he flew through the air, and from the blood sprang the winged horse Pegasus. As he flew along he saw Andromeda chained to the rock, and a sea-monster ready to devour her. He killed the monster, and married Andromeda. When he got back, he showed the Gorgon's head to King Polydectes, and the monarch was immediately turned into stone.

"Now on Daedalian waxen pinions stray,
Or those which wafted Perseus on his way."
F. Lewis.

=Persuasion=, goddess of, see Pitho.

=Phaeton= (Phaʹeton). A son of Sol, or, according to many mythologists, of Phoebus and Clymene. Anxious to display his skill in horsemanship, he was allowed to drive the chariot of the sun for one day. The horses soon found out the incapacity of the charioteer, became unmanageable, and overturned the chariot. There was such great fear of injury to heaven and earth, that Jove, to stop the destruction, killed Phaeton with a thunderbolt.

"Now Phaeton, by lofty hopes possessed,
The burning seat with youthful vigor pressed."

"The breathless Phaeton, with flaming hair,
Shot from the chariot like a falling star
That in a summer's evening from the top
Of heaven drops down, or seems at least to drop."
Addison.

=Phaon= (Phaʹon). A boatman of Mitylene, in Lesbos, who received from Venus a box of ointment, with which, when he anointed himself, he grew so beautiful that Sappho became enamored of him; but when the ointment had all been used Phaon returned to his former condition, and Sappho, in despair, drowned herself.

=Pheasant=, see Itys.

=Philoctetes= (Philoctʹetes) was son of Poeas, and one of the companions of Jason on his Argonautic expedition. He was present at the death of Hercules, and received from him the poisoned arrows which had been dipped in the blood of Hydra. These arrows, an oracle declared, were necessary to be used in the destruction of Troy, and Philoctetes was persuaded by Ulysses to go and assist at the siege. He appears to have used the weapons with great dexterity and with wonderful effect, for Paris was among the heroes whom he killed. The story of Philoctetes was dramatized by the Greek tragedians Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles.

=Philomela= (Philomeʹla) was a daughter of Pandion, king of Athens, who was transformed into a nightingale. She was sister to Procne, who married Tereus, King of Thrace. The latter having offered violence to Philomela, her sister, Procne, came to her rescue, and to punish her husband slew her son Itylus, and at a feast Philomela threw Itylus's head on the banquet table.

"Forth like a fury Philomela flew,
And at his face the head of Itys threw."
Pope.

"And thou, melodious Philomel,
Again thy plaintive story tell."
Sir Thomas Lyttleton.

=Phlegethon= (Phlegʹethon). A river of fire in the infernal regions. It was the picture of desolation, for nothing could grow on its parched and withered banks. Also called Pyriphlegethon.

"... Infernal rivers ...
... Fierce Phlegethon,
Whose waves of torrent fire inflame with rage."
Milton.

=Phlegon= (Phleʹgon) (burning), one of the four chariot horses of Sol.

=Phlegyas= (Phleʹgyas). Son of Mars and father of Ixion and Coronis. For his impiety in desecrating and plundering the temple of Apollo at Delphi, he was sent to Hades, and there was made to sit with a huge stone suspended over his head, ready to be dropped on him at any moment.

=Phoebus= (Phoeʹbus). A name of Apollo, signifying light and life.

"Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds,
Toward Phoebus' lodging."
Shakespeare.

=Phorcus= (Phorʹcus), or =Porcys=. A son of Neptune, father of the Gorgons. The same as Oceanus.

=Phryxus= (Phryxʹus), see Golden Fleece.

=Picumnus= (Picumʹnus). A rural divinity, who presided over the manuring of lands, also called Sterentius.

=Picus= (Piʹcus). A son of Saturn, father of Faunus, was turned into a woodpecker by Circe, whose love he had not requited.

=Pierides= (Pierʹides). A name of the Muses, derived from Pieria, a fountain in Thessaly, near Mount Olympus, where they were supposed to have been born. Also, the daughters of Pierus, a king of Macedonia, who settled in Boeotia. They challenged the Muses to sing, and were changed into magpies.

=Pietas= (Pieʹtas). The Roman goddess of domestic affection.

=Pillar=, see Calpe.

=Pilumnus= (Pilumʹnus). A rural divinity that presided over the corn while it was being ground. At Rome he was hence called the god of bakers.

=Pine-Tree=, see Atys.

=Pirithous= (Pirithʹous). A son of Ixion and great friend of Theseus, king of Athens. The marriage of Pirithous and Hippodamia became famous for the quarrel between the drunken Centaurs and the Lapithae, who, with the help of Theseus, Pirithous, and Hercules, attacked and overcame the Centaurs, many of whom were killed, and the remainder took to flight.

=Pitho= (Piʹtho), the goddess of Persuasion, daughter of Mercury and Venus. She is sometimes referred to under the name of Suada.

=Plants=, see Demogorgon.

=Pleasure=, see Rembha.

=Pleiades, The= (Pleiʹades). Seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Their names were Electra, Alcyone, Celaeno, Maia, Sterope, Taygete, and Merope. They were made a constellation, but as there are only six stars to be seen, the ancients believed that one of the sisters, Merope, married a mortal, and was ashamed to show herself among her sisters, who had all been married to gods.

"... The gray
Dawn and the Pleiades before him danced.
Shedding sweet influence."
Milton.

=Pluto= (Pluʹto). King of the infernal regions. He was a son of Saturn and Ops, and husband of Proserpine, daughter of Ceres. He is sometimes referred to under the name Dis, and he personifies hell. His principal attendant was the three-headed dog Cerberus, and about his throne were the Eumenides, the Harpies, and the Furies.

"With equal foot, rich friend, impartial fate
Knocks at the cottage and the palace gate.
. . . . .
Night soon will seize, and you must go below,
To story'd ghosts and Pluto's house below."
Creech.

=Plutus= (Pluʹtus), the god of riches, was son of Jasion or Iasius and Ceres (Demeter), the goddess of corn. He is described as being blind and lame; blind because he so often injudiciously bestows his riches, and lame because fortunes come so slowly.

=Pluvius= (Pluʹvius). A name of Jupiter, because he had the rain in his control.

=Podalirius= (Podalirʹius). A famous surgeon, a son of Aesculapius and Epione. His skill in medicine made him very serviceable among the soldiers in the Trojan war.

=Poet=, see Parnassus.

=Poetry=, see Apollo, Calliope, The Muses.

=Poisonous Herbs=, see Circe.

=Poisonous Lake=, see Avernus.

=Pollear= (Pollʹear). Son of Siva, the Hindoo god of wisdom.

=Pollux= (Polʹlux). Twin brother of Castor. Their father was Jupiter and their mother Leda. He and his brother form the constellation Gemini. His Greek name was Polydeuces. Castor and Pollux are also known under the name of Dioscuri, the presiding deities of public games in Rome, Castor being the god of equestrian exercise, and Pollux the god of boxing. See Aedepol.

=Polybotes= (Polyboʹtes). One of the giants who made war against Jupiter. He was killed by Neptune.

=Polydectes= (Polydecʹtes) was turned into stone when Perseus showed him Medusa's head. See Perseus.

=Polydeuces= (Polydeuʹces). The Greek name of Pollux.

=Polyhymnia= (Polyhymʹnia). Daughter of Jupiter and Mnemosyne. One of the Muses who presided over singing and rhetoric.

=Polyphemus= (Polypheʹmus), one of the most celebrated of the Cyclops, a son of the nymph Thoosa and Neptune, or Poseidon, as the Greeks called the god of the sea. He captured Ulysses and twelve of his companions, and it is said that six of them were eaten. The remainder escaped by the ingenuity of Ulysses, who destroyed Polyphemus's one eye with a fire-brand.

"Charybdis barks and Polyphemus roars."
Francis.

=Polyxena= (Polyxʹena). Daughter of Hecuba and Priam, king of Troy. It was by her treachery that Achilles was shot in the heel.

=Pomona= (Pomoʹna). The Roman goddess of fruit-trees and gardens.

"So to the sylvan lodge
They came, that like Pomona's arbor smiled
With flowerets decked and fragrant smells."
Milton.

=Poplar-Tree=, see Heliades.

=Portunus= (Portuʹnus) (Palaemon), son of Ino, was the Roman god of harbors.

=Poseidon= (Poseiʹdon). The Greek name of Neptune, god of the sea.

=Pracriti= (Pracʹriti). The Hindoo goddess of nature.

=Predictions=, see Cassandra.

=Priam= (Priʹam). The last king of Troy. See Paris.

=Priapus= (Priaʹpus), the guardian of gardens and god of natural reproduction, was the son of Venus and Bacchus.

"Priapus could not half describe the grace
(Though god of gardens) of this charming place."
Pope.

=Prisca= (Prisʹca). Another name of Vesta.

=Procris= (Proʹcris). Daughter of Erechtheus, king of Athens. See Cephalus, her husband.

=Progne= (Progʹne), wife of Tereus. Commonly called Procne, whose sister was Philomela. See Itys and Tereus.

"Complaining oft gives respite to our grief,
From hence the wretched Progne sought relief."
F. Lewis.

=Prometheus= (Promeʹtheus), the son of Japetus and father of Deucalion. He presumed to make clay men, and animate them with fire which he had stolen from heaven. This so displeased Jupiter that he sent him a box full of evils, which Prometheus refused; but his brother Epimetheus, not so cautious, opened it, and the evils spread over all the earth. Jupiter then punished Prometheus by commanding Mercury to bind him to Mount Caucasus, where a vulture daily preyed upon his liver, which grew in the night as much as it had been reduced in the day, so that the punishment was a prolonged torture. Hercules at last killed the vulture and set Prometheus free.

=Prophecy=, see Nereus.

=Proserpine= (Proserʹpine). A daughter of Jupiter and Ceres. Pluto carried her off to the infernal regions and made her his wife. She was known by the names of "the Queen of Hell," Hecate, Juno Inferna, and Libitina. She was called by the Greeks Persephone.

"He sung, and hell consented
To hear the poet's prayer,
Stern Proserpine relented,
And gave him back the fair."
F. Lewis.

=Proteus= (Proʹteus). A marine deity, who could foretell events and convert himself at will into all sorts of shapes. According to later legends, Proteus was a son of Poseidon.

"The changeful Proteus, whose prophetic mind,
The secret cause of Bacchus' rage divined."
The Lusiad.

"What chain can hold this varying Proteus fast?"
Budgell.

=Psyche= (Psyʹche). The wife of Cupid. The name is Greek, signifying the soul or spirit.

=Pygmalion= (Pygmaʹlion). A famous sculptor who had resolved to remain unmarried, but he made such a beautiful statue of a goddess that he begged Venus to give it life. His request being granted, Pygmalion married the animated statue.

"Few, like Pygmalion, doat on lifeless charms,
Or care to clasp a statue in their arms."

=Pylades= (Pyʹlades). The son of Strophius, King of Phanote, and husband of Electra; famous on account of his faithful friendship with Orestes.

"His wine
Was better, Pylades, than thine.
... If you please
To choose me for your Pylades."
F. Lewis.

=Pylotis= (Pyloʹtis). A Greek name of Minerva.

=Pyracmon= (Pyrʹacmon), one of the chiefs of the Cyclopes.

=Pyramus and Thisbe= (Pyrʹamus and Thisʹbe). Two Babylonian lovers, the children of hostile neighbors. See Shakespeare's burlesque of the story of their loves, in "Midsummer Night's Dream."

=Pyrois= (Pyʹrois) (luminous). One of the four chariot horses of Sol, the Sun.

=Pythia= (Pyʹthia). The priestess of Apollo at Delphi, who delivered the answers of the oracle. Also the name of the Pythian games celebrated in honor of Apollo's victory over the dragon Python.

=Python= (Pyʹthon). A famous serpent killed by Apollo, which haunted the caves of Parnassus. See Septerion.

=Quadratus= (Quadraʹtus). A surname given to Mercury, because some of his statues were four-sided.

=Quadrifrons= (Quadʹrifrons). Janus was sometimes depicted with four faces instead of the usual two, and he was then called Janus Quadrifrons.

=Quies= (Quiʹes). The Roman goddess of rest; she had a temple just outside the Colline gate of Rome.

=Quietus= (Quieʹtus). One of the names of Pluto.

=Quirinus= (Quiriʹnus). A name given to Mars during wartime; Virgil refers to Jupiter under the same name.

=Quoit=, see Hyacinthus.

=Race=, see Atalanta.

=Radamanthus= (Radamanʹthus), see Rhadamanthus.

=Rage=, see Furies.

=Rainbow=, see Iris.

=Rama= (Raʹma). A Hindoo god, who was the terrestrial representative of Vishnu.

=Ram's Hide=, see Golden Fleece.

=Reeds=, see Pan, also Syrinx.

=Rembha= (Remʹbha). The Hindoo goddess of pleasure.

=Reproduction=, see Priapus.

=Rest=, see Quies.

=Revenge=, see Ate.

=Rhadamanthus= (Rhadamanʹthus), a son of Jupiter and Europa, was the ruler of the Greeks in the Asiatic islands, and judge of the dead in the infernal regions.

"These are the realms of unrelenting fate:
And awful Rhadamanthus rules the state.
He hears and judges each committed crime,
Inquires into the manner, place, and time;
The conscious wretch must all his acts reveal,
Loth to confess, unable to conceal;
From the first moment of his vital breath,
To the last hour of unrepenting death."
Dryden.

=Rhamnusia= (Rhamnuʹsia). A name of Nemesis, from Rhamnus, a town in Attica, where she had a temple in which was her statue, made of one stone ten cubits high.

=Rhea= (Rheʹa). The Greek name of Cybele. She was a daughter of Uranus and Gaea, and was called Mother of the gods.

=Rhetoric=, see Calliope, also Polyhymnia.

=Riches=, see Plutus.

=Riddle=, see Sphinx.

=Rimmon= (Rimʹmon). A Phrygian god of whom Milton says--

"... Rimmon, whose delightful seat
Was fair Damascus, on the fertile banks
Of Abana and Pharpar, lucid streams."

=Riot=, see Saturnalia.

=River of Fire=, see Phlegethon.

=Roads=, see Vialis.

=Robber=, see Cacus, Coeculus.

=Romulus= (Romʹulus). The traditional founder of Rome. He was a son of Mars and Ilia, and twin brother of Remus. The infants were thrown into the Tiber, but were miraculously saved and suckled by a she-wolf, till they were found by Faustulus, a shepherd, who brought them up. Remus was killed in a quarrel with his brother, and Romulus became the first King of Rome.

=Rumia Dea= (Rumiʹa Dea). The Roman goddess of babes in arms.

=Rumina= (Ruʹmina). Roman pastoral deities, who protected suckling cattle.

=Runcina= (Runciʹna). The goddess of weeding or cleansing the ground.

=Sacrifices= were ceremonious offerings made to the gods. To every deity a distinct victim was allotted, and the greatest care was always taken in the selection of them. Anything in any way blemished was considered as an insult to the god. At the time of the sacrifice the people were called together by heralds led by a procession of musicians. The priest, clothed in white, was crowned with a wreath made of the leaves of the tree which was sacred to the particular god to whom the sacrifice was offered. The victim had its horns gilt, and was adorned with a chaplet similar to that of the priest, and was decorated with bright-colored ribbons. The priest then said, "Who is here?" to which the spectators replied, "Many good people." "Begone all ye who are profane," said the priest; and he then began a prayer addressed to all the gods. The sacrifice was begun by putting corn, frankincense, flour, salt, cakes, and fruit on the head of the victim. This was called the Immolation. The priest then took a cup of wine, tasted it, and handed it to the bystanders to taste also; some of it was then poured between the horns of the victim, and a few of the saturated hairs were pulled off and put in the fire which was burning on the altar. Then, turning to the east, the priest drew with his knife a crooked line along the back of the beast from the head to the tail, and told the assistants to kill the animal. This was done directly, and the entrails of the victim taken out and carefully examined by the Haruspices to find out what was prognosticated. The carcase was then divided, and the thighs, covered with fat, were put in the fire, and the rest of the animal was cut up, cooked, and eaten. This feast was celebrated with dancing, music, and hymns, in praise of the god in whose honor the sacrifice was made. On great occasions as many as a hundred bullocks were offered at one time; and it is said that Pythagoras made this offering when he found out the demonstration of the forty-seventh proposition of the book of Euclid.

=Saga= (Saʹga). The Scandinavian goddess of history. The word means a _saw_ or saying; hence Sagas, which embody Scandinavian legends, and heroic or mythical traditions.

=Sagittarius= (Sagittaʹrius), see Chiron.

=Sails=, see Daedalus.

=Salamanders= (Salʹamanʹders). The genii who, according to Plato, lived in fire.

"The spirits of fiery termagants in flame,
Mount up and take a Salamander's name."
Pope.

=Salatia= (Salaʹtia), or Salacia, a Roman goddess of the salt water. See Amphitrite.

=Salii= (Salʹii). The priests of Mars who had charge of the sacred shields.

=Salmoneus= (Salmoʹneus). A king of Elis who, for trying to imitate Jupiter's thunders, was sent by the god straight to the infernal regions.

=Salus= (Saʹlus). The Roman goddess of health.

=Sappho= (Sapʹpho), a celebrated poetess, a native of Lesbos, who flourished in the seventh century B.C. Her only connection with the goddesses of the time is that the Greeks called her "The tenth Muse."

=Sarcasm=, see Momus.

=Saron= (Saʹron), a sea-god.

=Sarpedon= (Sarpeʹdon), son of Jupiter by Europa. He accompanied Glaucus, when the latter set out to assist Priam against the Greeks in the Trojan War. He was slain by Patroclus.

=Saturn= (Satʹurn), king of the Universe, was father of Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto. These gods quarreled amongst themselves as to the division of their father's kingdom, which ended in Jupiter having heaven and earth, Neptune the sea, and Pluto the infernal regions.

=Saturnalia= (Saturnaʹlia). Festivals held in honor of Saturn about the 16th or 18th of December. Principally famous for the riotous disorder which generally attended them.

=Saturnius= (Saturʹnius). A name given to Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto, as sons of Saturn.

=Satyavrata= (Satyaʹvraʹta). The Hindoo god of law. The same as Menu.

=Satyrs= (Satʹyrs). Spirits of the woodland, half men, half goats, and fond of wine and women. They were the attendants of Dionysus, and were similar in most respects to the fauns who attended Pan. See Silenus.

"Five satyrs of the woodland sort.
. . . . . .
With asses' hoofs, great goggle eyes,
And double chins of monstrous size."
Yalden.

=Scylla= (Scylʹla). A beautiful nymph who excited the jealousy of Neptune's wife, Amphitrite, and was changed by the goddess into a frightful sea-monster, which had six fearfully ugly heads and necks, and which, rising unexpectedly from the deep, used to take off as many as six sailors from a vessel, and carry them to the bottom of the sea. An alternative danger with the whirlpool, Charybdis, which threatened destruction to all mariners.

"There on the right her dogs foul Scylla hides,
Charybdis roaring on the left presides."
Virgil.

=Scylla= (Scylʹla). A daughter of Nysus, who was changed into a lark for cutting off a charmed lock of her father's hair. See Nysus.

=Sea=, see Neptune.

=Seasons=, see Vertumnus.

=Sea-Weed=, see Glaucus.

=Segetia= (Segeʹtia). A rural divinity who protected corn during harvest-time.

=Sem.= The Egyptian Hercules.

=Semele= (Semʹele), daughter of Cadmus and the mother of Bacchus (Dionysus), who was born in a miraculous manner after Jupiter had visited her, at her special request, in all his terrible splendor. She was deified after her death, and named Thyone.

=Semi-Dei= were the demi-gods.

=Semones= (Semoʹnes). Roman gods of a class between the "immortal" and the "mortal," such as the Satyrs and Fauns.

=Septerion= (Septeʹrion). A festival held every nine years at Delphi in honor of Apollo, at which the victory of that god over the Python was grandly represented.

=Serapis= (Seraʹpis). The Egyptian Jupiter, and generally considered to be the same as Osiris. See Apis.

=Serpent.= The Greeks and Romans considered the serpent as symbolical of guardian spirits, and as such were often engraved on their altars. See Aesculapius, Apollo, Chimaera, Eurydice, and Medusa.

"Pleasing was his shape,
And lovely; never since of serpent kind,
Lovelier; not those that in Illyria changed
Hermione and Cadmus, or the god
In Epidaurus, nor to which transformed
Ammonian Jove, or Capitoline, was seen."
Milton.

=Seshanaga= (Seshʹanagʹa). The Egyptian Pluto.

=Sewers=, see Cloacina.

=Sharp-sightedness=, see Lynceus.

=Shepherds=, see Pan.

=Shields=, see Ancilia.

=Ships=, see Neptune.

=Silence=, see Harpocrates and Tacita.

=Silenus= (Sileʹnus). A Bacchanalian demi-god, the chief of the Satyrs. He is generally represented as a fat, drunken old man, riding on an ass, and crowned with flowers.

"And there two Satyrs on the ground,
Stretched at his ease, their sire Silenus found."

=Singing=, see Polyhymnia, Thamyris.

=Sirens, The= (Siʹrens). Sea nymphs, who by their music allured mariners to destruction. To avoid the snare when nearing their abode, Ulysses had the ears of his companions stopped with wax, and had himself tied to the mast of his ship. They thus sailed past in safety; but the Sirens, thinking that their charms had lost their powers, drowned themselves.

=Sisyphus= (Sisʹyphus), son of Aeolus and Enaretta. He was condemned to roll a stone to the top of a hill in the infernal regions, and as it rolled down again when he reached the summit, his punishment was perpetual.

"I turned my eye, and as I turned, surveyed
A mournful vision! The Sisyphian shade.
With many a weary step and many a groan,
Up the high hill he leaves a huge round stone,
The huge round stone, resulting with a bound
Thunders impetuous down, and smokes along the ground."
Pope.

"Thy stone, O Sisyphus, stands still
Ixion rests upon his wheel,
And the pale specters dance."
F. Lewis.

=Siva= (Siʹva). In Hindoo mythology the "changer of form." He is usually spoken of as the "Destroyer and Regenerator."

=Slaughter=, see Furies.

=Slaves=, see Feronia.

=Sleep=, see Caduceus, Morpheus, and Somnus.

=Sleipner= (Sleipʹner). The eight-legged horse of Odin, the chief of the Scandinavian gods.

=Sol.= The sun. The worship of the god Sol is the oldest on record, and though he is sometimes referred to as being the same as the god Apollo, there is no doubt he was worshiped by the Egyptians, Persians, and other nations long before the Apollo of the Greeks was heard of. See Surya.

"Sol through white curtains shot a timorous ray,
And oped those eyes that must eclipse the day."
Pope.

=Somnus= (Somʹnus). The Roman god of sleep, son of Erebus and Nox (Night). He was one of the infernal deities, and resided in a gloomy cave, void of light and air.

=Sospita= (Sosʹpita). A name of Juno, as the safeguard of women. She is called the "saving goddess."

=Soter= (Soʹter). A Greek name of Jupiter, meaning Savior or deliverer.

=Soul=, see Psyche.

=South Wind=, see Auster.

=Spear=, see Pelias.

=Sphinx, The.= A monster having the head and breast of a woman, the body of a dog, the tail of a serpent, the wings of a bird, the paws of a lion, and a human voice. She lived in the country near Thebes, and proposed to every passer-by the following enigma: "What animal is that which walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening." Oedipus solved the riddle thus: Man is the animal; for, when an infant he crawls on his hands and feet, in the noontide of life he walks erect, and as the evening of his existence sets in, he supports himself with a stick. When the Sphinx found her riddle solved she destroyed herself.

=Spider=, see Arachne.

=Spindle=, see Pallas.

=Spinning=, see Arachne, Ergatis.

=Spring=, see Vertumnus.

=Stable=, see Augaeas.

=Stars=, see Aurora.

=Sterentius= (Sterenʹtius). The Roman god who invented the art of manuring lands. See also Picumnus.

=Steropes= (Sterʹopes). One of the Cyclopes.

=Stone=, see Medusa and Phlegyas.

=Stone= (rolling), see Sisyphus.

=Streets=, see Apollo.

=Stymphalides= (Stymʹphaliʹdes). The carnivorous birds destroyed in the sixth labor of Hercules.

=Styx.= A noted river of hell, which was held in such high esteem by the gods that they always swore "By the Styx," and such an oath was never violated. The river has to be crossed in passing to the regions of the dead. See Achilles and Thetis.

"To seal his sacred vow by Styx he swore:--
The lake with liquid pitch,--the dreary shore."
Dryden.

"... Infernal rivers that disgorge
Into the burning lake their baleful streams,
Abhorrèd Styx, the flood of deadly hate."

=Suada= (Suaʹda), the goddess of Persuasion. See Pitho.

=Success=, see Bonus Eventus.

=Sun=, see Aurora, Belus, Sol, and Surya.

=Sunflower=, see Clytie.

=Suradevi= (Suraʹdeʹvi). The Hindoo goddess of wine.

=Surgeon= (Surʹgeon), see Podalirius.

=Surya= (Suʹryʹa). The Hindoo god corresponding to the Roman Sol, the sun.

=Swallow=, see Itys.

=Swan=, see Cygnus and Leda.

=Swiftness=, see Atalanta.

=Swine=, see Circe.

=Sylphs.= Genii who, according to Plato, lived in the air.

"The light coquettes as Sylphs aloft repair,
And sport and flutter in the fields of air."
Pope.

=Sylvester= (Sylvesʹter). The name of Mars when he was invoked to protect cultivated land from the ravages of war.

=Syrinx.= The name of the nymph who, to escape from the importunities of Pan, was by Diana changed into reeds, out of which he made his celebrated pipes, and named them "The Syrinx."

=Tacita= (Tacʹita). The goddess of Silence. See Harpocrates, also Horus.

=Tantalus= (Tanʹtalus). Father of Niobe and Pelops, who, as a punishment for serving up his son Pelops as meat at a feast given to the gods, was placed in a pool of water in the infernal regions; but the waters receded from him whenever he attempted to quench his burning thirst. Hence the word "tantalizing".

Speaking of this god, Homer's Ulysses says: "I saw the severe punishment of Tantalus. In a lake, whose waters approached to his lips, he stood burning with thirst, without the power to drink. Whenever he inclined his head to the stream, some deity commanded it to be dry, and the dark earth appeared at his feet. Around him lofty trees spread their fruits to view; the pear, the pomegranate, and the apple, the green olive, and the luscious fig quivered before him, which, whenever he extended his hand to seize them, were snatched by the winds into clouds and obscurity."

"There, Tantalus, along the Stygian bound,
Pours out deep groans,--his groans through hell resound.
E'en in the circling flood refreshment craves
And pines with thirst amidst a sea of waves."

"... And of itself the water flies
All taste of living wight, as once it fled
The lip of Tantalus."
Milton.

=Tartarus= (Tarʹtarus). An inner region of hell, to which the gods sent the exceptionally depraved.

=Telchines= (Telchiʹnes). People of Rhodes, who were envious sorcerers and magicians.

=Tellus= (Telʹlus). A name of Cybele, wife of Saturn, and the Roman deity of mother-earth.

=Tempests=, see Fro.

=Temple.= An edifice erected to the honor of a god or goddess in which the sacrifices were offered.

=Tenth Muse.= Sappho was so called.

=Tereus= (Terʹeus) was a son of Mars. He married Procne, daughter of the king of Athens, but became enamored of her sister Philomela, who, however, resented his attentions, which so enraged him that he cut out her tongue. When Procne heard of her husband's unfaithfulness she took a terrible revenge (see Itys). Procne was turned into a swallow, Philomela into a nightingale, Itys into a pheasant, and Tereus into a hoopoe, a kind of vulture, some say an owl.

=Tergemina= (Tergemiʹna). A name of Diana, alluding to her triform divinity as goddess of heaven, earth, and hell.

=Terminus= (Terʹminus). The Roman god of boundaries.

=Terpsichore= (Terpsichʹore). One of the nine Muses; she presided over dancing.

=Terra.= The Earth; one of the most ancient of the Grecian goddesses.

=Thalestris= (Thalesʹtris). A queen of the Amazons.

=Thalia= (Thaliʹa). One of the nine Muses; she presided over festivals, pastoral poetry and comedy.

=Thalia= (Thaliʹa). One of the Graces. (See Charities).

=Thamyris= (Thamʹyris). A skilful singer, who presumed to challenge the Muses to sing, upon condition that if he did not sing best they might inflict any penalty they pleased. He was, of course, defeated, and the Muses made him blind.

=Theia= (Theʹia) or =Thea=. A daughter of Uranus and Terra, wife of Hyperion.

=Themis= (Theʹmis), a daughter of Coelus and Terra, and wife of Jupiter, was the Roman goddess of laws, ceremonies, and oracles.

=Theseus= (Theʹseus). One of the most famous of the Greek heroes. He was a son of Aegeus, king of Athens. He rid Attica of Procrustes and other evil-doers, slew the Minotaur, conquered the Amazons and married their Queen.

"Breasts that with sympathizing ardor glowed,
And holy friendship such as Theseus vowed."
Budgell.

=Thesmorphonis= (Thesmorphoʹnis). A name of Ceres.

=Thetis= (Theʹtis). A sea-goddess, daughter of Nereus and Doris. Her husband was Peleus, king of Thessaly, and she was the mother of the famous Achilles, whom she rendered all but invulnerable by dipping him into the River Styx. See Achilles.

=Thief=, see Laverna, Mercury.

=Thor.= The Scandinavian war-god (son of Odin), who had rule over the aerial regions, and, like Jupiter, hurled thunder against his foes.

=Thor's Belt= is a girdle which doubles his strength whenever the war-god puts it on.

=Thoth.= The Mercury of the Egyptians.

=Thread of Life=, see Fates.

=Thunderbolts=, see Cyclops.

=Thunderer, The=, Jupiter. See Tonitrualis.

"O king of gods and men, whose awful hand
Disperses thunder on the seas and land,
Disposing all with absolute command."
Virgil.

"The eternal Thunderer sat enthroned in gold."
Homer.

"So when thick clouds enwrap the mountain's head,
O'er heaven's expanse like one black ceiling spread;
Sudden the Thunderer, with flashing ray,
Bursts through the darkness and lets down the day."
Pope.

=Thya= (Thyʹa), a name of Ops.

=Thyades= (Thyaʹdes). Priestesses of Bacchus, who ran wild in the hills, wearing tiger-skins and carrying torches.

=Thyrsus= (Thyrʹsus), a kind of javelin or staff carried by Dionysus and his attendants. It was usually wreathed with ivy and topped by a pine-cone. See Bacchus.

=Tides=, see Narayan.

=Time= (or Saturn). The husband of Virtue and father of Truth.

=Tisiphone= (Tis-iphʹone). One of the Furies, daughter of Nox and Acheron, who was the minister of divine vengeance upon mankind.

=Titan= (Tiʹtan). Elder brother of Saturn, who made war against him, and was ultimately vanquished by Jupiter.

=Titans= (Tiʹtans) were the supporters of Titan in his war against Saturn and Jupiter. They were the sons of Uranus and Gaea, men of gigantic stature and of great strength. Hence our English word _Titanic_.

=Tithonus= (Ti-thoʹnus). The husband of Aurora. At the request of his wife the gods granted him immortality, but she forgot at the same time to ask that he should be granted perpetual youth. The consequence was that Tithonus grew old and decrepit, while Aurora remained as fresh as the morning. The gods, however, changed him into a grasshopper, which is supposed to moult as it gets old, and grows young again.

=Tityus= (Titʹyus). A son of Jupiter. A giant who was thrown into the innermost hell for insulting Diana. He, like Prometheus, has a vulture constantly feeding on his ever-growing liver, the liver being supposed to be the seat of the passions.

=Toil=, see Atlas.

=Tombs=, see Manes.

=Tongue=, see Tereus.

=Tonitrualis= (Tonitruaʹlis), or Tonans. The Thunderer; a name of Jupiter.

=Towers=, see Cybele.

=Tragedy=, see Melpomene.

=Trees=, see Aristaeus.

=Tribulation=, see Echidna.

=Triformis= (Triforʹmis), see Tergemina.

=Triptolemus= (Triptolʹemus). A son of Oceanus and Terra. He was a great favorite of the goddess Ceres, who cured him of a dangerous illness when he was young, and afterwards taught him agriculture. She gave him her chariot, which was drawn by dragons, in which he carried seed-corn to all the inhabitants of the earth, and communicated the knowledge given to him by Ceres. Cicero mentions a Triptolemus as the fourth judge of the dead.

"Triptolemus, whose useful cares intend
The common good."
Pope.

=Triterica= (Triteriʹca). Bacchanalian festivals.

=Tritons= (Triʹtons) were sons of Triton, a son of Neptune and Amphitrite. They were the trumpeters of the sea-gods, and were depicted as a sort of mermen--the upper half of the body being like a man, and the lower half like dolphins.

=Trivia= (Triʹvia). A surname given to Diana, because she presided over all places where three roads meet.

=Trophonius= (Trophoʹnius). A legendary hero of architecture, and one of Jupiter's most famous oracles.