 section I of Myths and Legends. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Barons. Preface. The want of an interesting work on Greek and Roman mythology, suitable for the requirements of both boys and girls, has long been recognized by the principles of our advanced schools. The study of the classics themselves, even where the attainments of the pupil have rendered this feasible, has not been found altogether successful in giving to the student a clear and succinct idea of the religious beliefs of the ancients. And it has been suggested that a work which would so deal with the subject as to render it at once interesting and instructive would be hailed as a valuable introduction to the study of classic authors, and would be found to assist materially the labors of both master and pupil. In endeavouring to supply this want I have sought to place before the reader a life-like picture of the deities of classical times, as they were conceived and worshipped by the ancients themselves, and thereby to awaken in the minds of young students a desire to become more intimately acquainted with the noble productions of classical antiquity. It has been my aim to render the legends which formed the second portion of the work, a picture, as it were, of old Greek life, its customs, its superstitions, and its princely hospitalities, for which reason they are given at somewhat greater length than is usual in works of the kind. In a chapter devoted to the purpose some interesting particulars have been collected respecting the public worship of the ancient Greeks and Romans, more especially of the former, to which is subjoined in account of their principal festivals. I may add that no pains have been spared in order that, without passing over the details the omission of which would have marred the completeness of the work, not a single passage should be found which could possibly offend the most scrupulous delicacy, and also that I have purposefully treated the subject with that reverence which I consider due to every religious system, however erroneous. It is hardly necessary to dwell upon the importance of the study of mythology. Our poems, our novels, and even our daily journals team with classical illusions, nor can a visit to our art galleries and museums be fully enjoyed without something more than a mere superficial knowledge of a subject which has, in all ages, inspired painters, sculptors, and poets. It therefore only remains for me to express a hope that my little work may prove useful, not only to teachers and scholars, but also to a large class of general readers, who, in wiling away a leisure hour, may derive some pleasure and profit from its perusal. Before entering upon the many strange beliefs of the ancient Greeks and the extraordinary number of gods they worshipped, we must first consider what kind of beings these divinities were. In appearance the gods were supposed to resemble mortals, whom, however, they far surpassed in beauty, grandeur, and strength. They were also more commanding in stature, height being considered by the Greeks an attribute of beauty in man or woman. They resembled human beings in their feelings and habits, intermarrying and having children, and requiring daily nourishment to recruit their strength, and refreshing sleep to restore their energies. Their blood, a bright ethereal fluid called Ilkor, never engendered disease, and when shed had the power of producing new life. The Greeks believed that the mental qualifications of their gods were of a much higher order than those of men, but nevertheless, as we shall see, they were not considered to be exempt from human passions, and we frequently behold them actuated by revenge, deceit, and jealousy. They, however, always punish their evildoer, and visit with dire calamities any impious mortal who dares to neglect their worship or despise their rights. We often hear of them visiting mankind and partaking of their hospitality, and not unfrequently both gods and goddesses become attached to mortals with whom they unite themselves, the offspring of these unions being called heroes or demigods, who are usually renowned for their great strength and courage. But although there were so many points of resemblance between gods and men, there remained the one great characteristic distinction, viz, that the gods enjoyed immortality. Still they were not invulnerable, and we often hear of them being wounded and suffering in consequence such exquisite torture that they have earnestly prayed to be deprived of their privilege of immortality. The gods knew no limitation of time or space, being able to transport themselves to incredible distances with the speed of thought. They possessed the power of rendering themselves invisible at will, and could assume the forms of men or animals as it suited their convenience. They could also transform human beings into trees, stones, animals, etc., either as a punishment for their misdeeds, or as a means of protecting the individual, thus transformed from impending danger. Their robes were like those worn by mortals, but were perfect in form and much finer in texture. Their weapons also resembled those used by mankind, we hear of spears, shields, helmets, bows and arrows, etc., being employed by the gods. Each deity possessed a beautiful chariot, which, drawn by horses or other animals of celestial breed, conveyed them rapidly over land and sea according to their pleasure. Most of these divinities lived on the summit of Mount Olympus, each possessing his or her individual habitation, and all meeting together on festive occasions in the council chamber of the gods, where their banquets were enlivened by the sweet strains of Apollo's lyre, whilst the beautiful voices of the muses poured forth their rich melodies to his harmonious accompaniment. Magnificent temples were erected to their honor, where they were worshiped with the greatest solemnity. Rich gifts were presented to them, and animals, and indeed sometimes human beings, were sacrificed on their altars. In the study of Grecian mythology we meet with some curious and what may at first sight appear unaccountable notions. Thus we hear of terrible giants hurling rocks, upheaving mountains, and raising earthquakes which engulf whole armies. These ideas, however, may be accounted for by the awful convulsions of nature, which were in operation in prehistoric times. Again, the daily recurring phenomena, which to us, who know them to be the result of certain well-acertained laws of nature, are so familiar as to excite no remark, were to the early Greeks, matter of grave speculation, and not unfrequently have alarm. For instance, when they heard the awful roar of thunder, and saw livid flashes of lightning, accompanied by black clouds and torrents of rain, they believed that the great God of Heaven was angry, and they trembled at his wrath. If the calm and tranquil sea became suddenly agitated, and the crested billows rose mountains high, dashing furiously against the rocks, and threatening destruction to all within their reach, the sea-god was supposed to be in a furious rage. When they beheld the sky glowing with the hues of coming day, they thought that the goddess of the dawn, with rosy fingers, was drawing aside the dark veil of night, to allow her brother, the sun-god, to enter upon his brilliant career. Thus personifying all the powers of nature, this very imaginative and highly poetical nation beheld a divinity in every tree that grew, in every stream that flowed, in the bright beams of the glorious sun, and the clear cold rays of the silvery moon. For them the whole universe lived and breathed, peopled by a thousand forms of grace and beauty. The most important of these divinities may have been something more than mere creations of an active and poetical imagination. They were possibly human beings who had so distinguished themselves in life by their preeminence over their fellow mortals, that after death they were deified by the people among whom they lived, and the poets touched with their magic wand the details of lives, which in more prosaic times would simply have been recorded as illustrious. It is highly probable that the reputed actions of these deified beings were commemorated by bards, who traveling from one state to another celebrated their praise in song. It therefore becomes exceedingly difficult, nay almost impossible, to separate bare facts from the exaggerations which never fail to accompany oral traditions. In order to exemplify this, let us suppose that Orpheus, the son of Apollo, so renowned for his extraordinary musical powers, had existed at the present day. We should no doubt have ranked him among the greatest of our musicians and honoured him as such, but the Greeks, with their vivid imagination and poetic license, exaggerated his remarkable gifts, and attributed to his music supernatural influence over animate and inanimate nature. Thus we hear of wild beasts tamed, of mighty rivers arrested in their course, and of the mountains being moved by the sweet tones of his voice. The theory here advanced may possibly prove useful in the future in suggesting to the reader the probable basis of many of the extraordinary accounts we meet with in the study of classical mythology. And now a few words will be necessary concerning the religious beliefs of the Romans. When the Greeks first settled in Italy they found in the country they colonised a mythology belonging to the Celtic inhabitants, which, according to the Greek custom of paying reverence to all gods, known or unknown, they readily adopted, selecting and appropriating those divinities which had the greatest affinity to their own, and thus they formed a religious belief which naturally bore the impress of its ancient Greek source. As the primitive Celts, however, were less civilised people than the Greeks, their mythology was of a more barbarous character, and this circumstance, combined with the fact that the Romans were not gifted with the vivid imagination of their Greek neighbours, leaves its mark on the Roman mythology, which is far less fertile and fanciful conceits, and efficient in all those fairy-like stories and wonderful poetic ideas which so strongly characterised that of the Greeks. The ancient Greeks had several different theories with regard to the origin of the world, but the generally accepted notion was that, before this world came into existence, it was in its place a confused mass of shapeless elements called chaos. These elements, becoming at length consolidated by what means does not appear, resolved themselves into two widely different substances, the lighter portion of which, soaring on high, formed the sky or firmament, and consisted itself into a vast, overarching vault which protected the firm and solid mass beneath. Thus came into being the two first great primeval deities of the Greeks, Uranus and Gea or Gaia. Uranus, the more refined deity, represented the light and air of heaven, possessing the distinguishing qualities of light, heat, purity, and omnipresence, whilst Gaia, the firm, flat, life-sustaining earth, was worshipped as the great, all-nourishing mother. Her many titles refer to her more or less in this character, as she appears to have been universally revered among the Greeks, there being scarcely a city in Greece which did not contain a temple erected in her honour, indeed Gaia was held in such veneration that her name was always invoked whenever the gods took a solemn oath, made an emphatic declaration, or implored assistance. Uranus, the heaven, was believed to have united himself in marriage with Gaia, the earth, and a moment's reflection will show what a truly poetical, and also what a logical idea this was. For taken in a figurative sense, this union actually does exist. The smiles of heaven produced the flowers of earth, whereas his long-continued frowns exercised so depressing an influence upon his loving partner that she no longer decks herself in bright and festive robes, but responds with ready sympathy to his melancholy mood. The first-born child of Uranus and Gaia was Oceanus, the ocean's stream, that vast expanse of ever-flowing water which encircled the earth. Here we meet with another logical, though fanciful, conclusion which a very slight knowledge of the workings of nature proves to have been just and true. The ocean is formed from the rains which descend from heaven and the streams which flow from earth. By making Oceanus, therefore, the offspring of Uranus and Gaia, the ancients, if we take this notion in its literal sense, merely assert that the ocean is produced by the combined influence of heaven and earth, whilst at the same time their fervid and poetical imagination led them to see in all this, as in all manifestations of the powers of nature, an actual, tangible divinity. But Uranus, the heaven, the embodiment of light, heat, and the breath of life, produced offspring who were of a much less material nature than his son Oceanus. These other children of his were supposed to occupy the intermediate space which divided him from Gaia. Nearest to Uranus and just beneath him came Ether, a bright creation representing that highly rarefied atmosphere which immortals alone could breathe. Then followed Eir, which was in close proximity to Gaia and represented, as its name implies, the grosser atmosphere surrounding the earth, which mortals could freely breathe and without which they would perish. Ether and Eir were separated from each other by divinities called Nephilae. These were their restless and wandering sisters who existed in the form of clouds, ever floating between Ether and Eir. Gaia also produced the mountains and Pontus the sea. She united herself with the latter and their offspring were the sea deities Nereus, Thomas, Horses, Ceto, and Eurybia. Coexistent with Uranus and Gaia were two mighty powers who were also the offspring of chaos. These were Erebus, Darkness, and Nyx, Night, who formed a striking contrast to the cheerful light of heaven and the bright smiles of earth. Erebus reigned in that mysterious world below where no ray of sunshine, no gleam of daylight, nor vestige of health giving terrestrial life ever appeared. Nyx, the sister of Erebus, represented Night, and was worshiped by the ancients with the greatest solemnity. Uranus was also supposed to have been united to Nyx, but only in his capacity as God of Light, he being considered the source and fountain of fall light, and their children were Eus, Aurora, the Dawn, and Hmerra, the daylight. Nyx, again, on her side, was also doubly united, having been married at some indefinite period to Erebus. In addition to those children of heaven and earth already enumerated, Uranus and Gaia produced two distinctly different races of beings called giants and titans. The giants personified brute strength alone, but the titans united to their great physical power intellectual qualifications variously developed. There were three giants, Beraeus, Cotus, and Digius, who each possessed a hundred hands and fifty heads, and were known collectively by the name of Hecatun Cherus, which signified hundred-handed. These mighty giants could shake the universe and produce earthquakes. It is therefore evident that they represented those active subterranean forces to which illusion has been made in the opening chapter. The titans were twelve in number, their names were Oceanus, Pseos, Creus, Hyperion, Yapidus, Cronus, Thea, Rea, Themus, Menemocene, Phoebe, and Tethys. Now, Uranus, the chaste light of heaven, the essence of all that is bright and pleasing, held in emphorance his crude, rough, and turbulent offspring, the giants, and moreover feared that their great power might eventually prove hurtful to himself. He therefore hurled them into Tartaris, that portion of the lower world which served as the subterranean dungeon of the gods. In order to avenge the oppression of her children, the giants, Gaia instigated a conspiracy on the part of the titans against Uranus, which was carried to a successful issue by her son Cronus. He wounded his father, and from the blood of the wound which fell upon the earth sprang a race of monstrous beings also called giants. Assisted by his brother, Titans, Cronus succeeded in dethroning his father, who enraged at his defeat, cursed his rebellious son, and foretold to him a similar fate. Cronus now became invested with supreme power and assigned to his brother's offices of distinction, subordinate only to himself. Subsequently, however, when secure of his position he no longer needed their assistance, he basically repaid their former services with treachery, made war upon his brothers and faithful allies, and assisted by the giants, completely defeated them, ascending such as resisted to his all-conquering arm down to the lowest depths of Tartarus. End of Section 1. Section 2 of Myths and Legends. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Barons. Second Dynasty. Cronus, Saturn. Cronus was the god of time in its sense of eternal duration. He married Rhea, daughter of Yurnus, and Gaia, a very important divinity to whom a special chapter will be devoted hereafter. Their children were three sons, Aedes, Pluto, Poseidon, Neptune, Zeus, Jupiter, and three daughters, Hestia, Vesta, Demeter, Ceres, and Hera, Juno. Cronus, having an uneasy conscience, was afraid that his children might one day rise up against his authority and thus verify the prediction of his father, Yurnus. In order, therefore, to render the prophecy impossible of fulfillment, Cronus swallowed each child as soon as it was born, greatly to the sorrow and indignation of his wife, Rhea. When it came to Zeus, the sixth and last, Rhea resolved to try and save this one child at least, to love and cherish and appeal to her parents, Yurnus and Gaia, for counsel and assistance. By their advice, she wrapped a stone in baby clothes, and Cronus in eager haste swallowed it without noticing the deception. The child thus saved eventually, as we shall see, dethroned his father, Cronus, became supreme god in his stead, and was universally venerated as the great national god of the Greeks. Anxious to preserve the secret of his existence from Cronus, Rhea sent the infant Zeus secretly to Crete, where he was nourished, protected, and educated. A sacred goat called Amothea supplied the place of his mother by providing him with milk. Nymphs called Melissae fed him with honey, and eagles and doves brought him nectar and ambrosia. See footnote four. He was kept concealed in a cave in the heart of Mount Ida, and the curates, or priests of Rhea, by beating their shields together, kept up a constant noise at the entrance, which drowned the cries of the child, and frightened away all intruders. Under the watchful care of the nymphs, the infant Zeus drove rapidly, developing great physical powers, combined with extraordinary wisdom and intelligence. Grown to manhood, he determined to compel his father to restore his brothers and sisters to the light of day, and is said to have been assisted in this difficult task by the goddess Metis, who artfully persuaded Cronus to drink a potion which caused him to give back the children he had swallowed. The stone which had counterfeited Zeus was placed at Delphi, where it was long exhibited as a sacred relic. Cronus was so enraged at being circumvented that war between the father and son became inevitable. The rival forces ranged themselves on two separate high mountains in Thessaly. Zeus, with his brothers and sisters, took his stand on Mount Olympus, where he was joined by Oceanus and others of the Titans, who had forsaken Cronus on account of his oppressions. Cronus and his brother Titans took possession of Mount Othrus and prepared for battle. The struggle was long and fierce, and at length Zeus, finding that he was no nearer victory than before, bethought himself of the existence of the imprisoned giants, and knowing that they would be able to render him most powerful assistance, he hastened to liberate them. He also called to his aid the Cyclops, sons of Poseidon and Amphitrite, who had only one eye each in the middle of their foreheads, and were called Brontus, Sterops, Lightning, and Pyrochmon, Fire Anvil. They promptly responded to his summons for help, and brought with them tremendous thunderbolts, which the Hecatonqueries, with their hundred hands, hurled down upon the enemy, at the same time raising mighty earthquakes which swallowed up and destroyed all who opposed them. Aided by these new and powerful allies, Zeus now made a furious onslaught on his enemies, and so tremendous was the encounter that all nature is said to have throbbed in accord with this mighty effort of the celestial deities. The sea rose mountains high, and its angry billows hissed and foamed, the earth shook to its foundations, the heavens sent forth rolling thunder, and flash after flash of death bringing lightning, whilst a blinding mist enveloped Cronus and his allies. And now the fortunes of war began to turn, and victory smiled on Zeus. Cronus and his army were completely overthrown, his brothers dispatched to the gloomy depths of the lower world, and Cronus himself was banished from his kingdom and deprived forever of the supreme power, which now became vested in his son, Zeus. This war was called the Titanomachia, and is most graphically described by the old classic poets. With the defeat of Cronus and his banishment from his dominions, his career as a ruling Greek divinity entirely ceases. But being like all the gods, immortal, he was supposed to be still in existence, though possessing no longer either influence or authority, his place being filled to a certain extent by his descendant and successor, Zeus. Cronus is often represented as an old man leaning on a scythe with an hourglass in his hand. The hourglass symbolizes the fast- fleeting moments as they succeed each other unceasingly. The scythe is emblematical of time, which mows down all before it. Saturn. The Romans, according to their custom of identifying their deities, with those of the Greek gods whose attributes were similar to their own, declared Cronus to be identical with their old agricultural divinity, Saturn. They believed that after his defeat in the Titanomachia and his banishment from his dominions by Zeus, he took refuge with Janus, King of Italy, who received the exile deity with great kindness and even shared his throne with him. Their united reign became so thoroughly peaceful and happy, and was distinguished by such uninterrupted prosperity that it was called the Golden Age. Saturn is usually represented bearing a sickle in the one hand and a wheat sheaf in the other. A temple was erected to him at the foot of the capital-line hill in which were deposited the public treasury and the laws of the state. Rhea. Ops. Rhea, the wife of Cronus and mother of Zeus and the other great gods of Olympus, personified the earth and was regarded as the great mother and unceasing producer of all plant life. She was also believed to exercise unbounded sway over the animal creation, more especially over the lion, the noble king of beasts. Rhea's sonority represented wearing a crown of turrets or towers and seated on a throne with lions crouching at her feet. She is sometimes depicted sitting in a chariot drawn by lions. The principal seat of her worship, which was always of a very riotous character, was at Crete. At her festivals, which took place at night, the wildest music of flutes, cymbals, and drums resounded, whilst joyful shouts and cries accompanied by dancing and loud stamping of feet filled the air. This divinity was introduced into Crete by its first colonists from Phrygia, in Asia Minor, in which country she was worshipped under the name of Sibili. The people of Crete adored her as the great mother, more especially in her signification as the sustainer of the vegetable world. Seeing, however, that year by year, as winter appears, all her glory vanishes, her flowers fade and her trees become leafless, they poetically express this process of nature under the figure of a lost love. She was said to have been tenderly attached to a youth of remarkable beauty, named Aetis, who, to her grief and indignation, proved faithless to her. He was about to unite himself to a nymph called Sagaris, when, in the midst of the wedding feast, the rage of the incensed goddess suddenly burst forth upon all present. They panicked, seized the assembled guest, and Aetis, becoming afflicted with temporary madness, fled to the mountains and destroyed himself. Sibili, moved with sorrow and regret, instituted a yearly mourning for his loss, when her priests, the Corabantas, with their usual noisy accompaniments, marched into the mountains to seek the lost youth. Having discovered him, they gave full vent to their ecstatic delight by indulging in the most violent gesticulations, dancing, shouting, and, at the same time, wounding and gashing themselves in a frightful manner. See footnote 6. Ops. In Rome the Greek Rhea was identified with Ops, the goddess of Plenty, the wife of Saturn, who had a variety of appellations. She was called Magna Mater, Mater di Orum, Beresentia idea, and also Dindimene. This latter title she acquired from three high mountains in Phrygia, whence she was brought to Rome as Sibili during the Second Punic War, B.C. 205, in obedience to an injunction contained in the Sibilene books. She was represented as a matron crowned with towers seated in a chariot drawn by lions. Division of the world. We will now return to Zeus and his brothers, who have ingained a complete victory over their enemies, began to consider how the world which they had conquered should be divided between them. At last it was settled by Lot that Zeus should reign supreme in heaven, whilst the 80s governed the lower world, and Poseidon had full command over the sea, but the supremacy of Zeus was recognized in all three kingdoms, in heaven, on earth, in which of course the sea was included, and under the earth. Zeus held his court on the top of Mount Olympus, whose summit was beyond the clouds. The dominions of Aedus were the gloomy unknown regions below the earth, and Poseidon reigned over the sea. It will be seen that the realm of each of these gods was enveloped in mystery. Olympus was shrouded in mists, Hades was wrapped in gloomy darkness, and the sea was, and indeed still is, a source of wonder and deep interest. Hence we see that what two other nations were merely strange phenomena served as poetical and imaginative people as a foundation upon which to build the wonderful stories of their mythology. The division of the world being now satisfactorily arranged, it would seem that all things ought to have gone on smoothly, but such was not the case. Trouble arose in an unlooked-for quarter. The giants, those hideous monsters, some with legs formed of serpents, who had sprung from the earth and the blood of Uranus, declared war against the triumphant deities of Olympus, and a struggle ensued, which in consequence of Gaia having made these children of hers invincible, as long as they kept their feet on the ground, was wearisome and protracted. Their mother's precaution however, was rendered unavailing by pieces of rock being hurled upon them, which threw them down, and their feet being no longer placed firmly on their mother earth, they were overcome, and this tedious war, which was called the Gigantomachia, at last came to an end. Among the most daring of these earth-born giants were Enceladus, Rhetus, and the Valiant Mimas, who, with youthful fire and energy, hurled against heaven great masses of rock and burning oak trees, and defied the lightnings of Zeus. One of the most powerful monsters who opposed Zeus in this war was called Typhon, or Typhus. He was the youngest son of Tartarus and Gaia, and had a hundred heads with eyes which struck terror to the beholders, and awe-inspiring voices frightful to hear. This dreadful monster resolved to conquer both gods and men, but his plans were at length defeated by Zeus, who, after a violent encounter, succeeded in destroying him with a thunderbolt, but not before he had so terrified the gods that they had fled to refuge to Egypt, where they metamorphosed themselves into different animals and thus escaped. Theories as to the origin of man. Just as there were several theories concerning the origin of the world, so there were various accounts of the creation of man. The first natural belief of the Greek people was that man had sprung from the earth. They saw the tender plants and flowers force their way through the ground in the early spring of the year, after the frost of winter had disappeared, and so they naturally concluded that man must also have issued from the earth in a similar manner. Like the wild plants and flowers, he was supposed to have had no cultivation and resembled in his habits of the field, having no habitation except that which nature had provided in the holes of the rocks, and in the dense forest whose overarching boughs protected him from the inclemancy of the weather. In the course of time, these primitive human beings became tamed and civilized by the gods and heroes who taught them to work in metals to build houses and other useful arts of civilization. But the human race became in the course of time so degenerate that the gods resolved to destroy all mankind by means of a flood. Ducalion, son of Prometheus, and his wife Pyrra, being on account of their peity, the only mortals saved. By the command of his father, Ducalion built a ship in which he and his wife took refuge during the Deluge, which lasted for nine days. When the waters abated, the ship rested on Mount Atheris in Thessaly, or according to some, on Mount Parnassus. Ducalion and his wife now consulted the oracle of Themis as to how the human race might be restored. The answer was that they were to cover their heads and throw the bones of their mother behind them. For some time they were perplexed as to the meaning of their oracular command, but at length both agreed that, by the bones of their mother, were meant the stones of the earth. They accordingly took up stones from the mountainside and cast them over their shoulders. From those thrown by Ducalion, they're praying up men, and from those thrown by Pyrrha, women. After the lapse of time, the theory of autokhthani, from autos, self, and khthan, earth, was laid aside. When this belief existed, there were no religious teachers, whatever. But in course of time, temples were raised in honor of the different gods, and priests appointed to offer sacrifices to them and conduct their worship. These priests were looked upon as authorities in all religious matters, and the doctrine they taught was that men had been created by the gods and that there had been several successive ages of men, which were called the golden, silver, brazen and iron ages. Life in the golden age was one unceasing round of ever recurring pleasures unmarred by sorrow or care. The favored mortals living at this happy time led pure and joyous lives thinking no evil and doing no wrong. The earth brought forth fruits and flowers without toil or labor in plentiful exurience, and war was unknown. This delightful and godlike existence lasted for hundreds of years, and when at length life on earth was ended, death laid his hand so gently upon them that they passed painlessly away in a happy dream, and continued their existence as ministering spirits in Hades, watching over and protecting those they had loved and left behind on earth. The silver age were a long time growing up and during their childhood which lasted a hundred years they suffered from ill health and extreme debility. Seafoot Note 7 When they at last became men they lived but a short time for they would not abstain from mutual injury nor pay the service due to the gods and were therefore banished to Hades. There, unlike the beings of the golden age they exercised no beneficent supervision over the dear ones left behind, but wandered about as restless spirits always sighing for the lost pleasures they had enjoyed in life. The men of the brazen age were quite a different race of beings, being as strong and powerful as those of the silver age were weak and innervated. Everything which surrounded them was of brass, their arms, their tools their dwellings, and all that they made. Their characters seem to have resembled the metal in which they delighted, their minds and hearts were in awe, obdurate, and cruel. They led a life of strife and contention, introduced into the world which had hitherto known nothing but peace and tranquility, the scourge of war, and were in fact only happy when fighting and quarreling with each other. Hitherto, Themis, the goddess of justice, had been living among mankind but, becoming disheartened at their evil doings, she abandoned the earth and winged her flight back to heaven. At last the gods became so tired of their evil deeds and continual dissensions that they removed them from the face of the earth and sent them down to Hades to share the fate of their predecessors. We now come to the men of the Iron Age. The earth no longer teeming with fruitfulness only yielded her increase after much toil and labour. The goddess of justice, having abandoned mankind no influence remained sufficiently powerful to preserve them from every kind of wickedness and sin. This condition grew worse as time went on until at last Zeus in his anger let loose the water courses from above and drowned every individual of this evil race except Ducalian and Pyrrha. The theory of Hesiod, the oldest of all Greek poets, was that the titan Prometheus, the son of Yeopetus, had formed man out of clay and that Athene had breathed the soul into him. See footnote 8. Full of love for the beings he had called into existence, Prometheus determined to elevate their minds and improve their condition in every way. He therefore taught them astronomy, mathematics, the alphabet, how to cure diseases and the art of divination. He created this race in such great numbers that the gods began to see the necessity of instituting certain fixed laws with regard to the sacrifices due to them and the worship to which they considered themselves entitled from mankind in return for the protection which they accorded them. An assembly was therefore convened at Nessone in order to settle these points. It was decided that Prometheus as the advocate of man should slay an ox which should be divided into two equal parts and that the gods should select one portion which should henceforth in all future sacrifices be set apart for them. Prometheus so divided the ox that one part consisted of the bones which formed of course the least valuable portion of the animal, artfully concealed by the white fat, whilst the other contained all the edible parts which he covered with the skin and on the top of it all he laid the stomach. Zeus pretending to be deceived chose the heap of bones but he saw through the stratagem and was so angry at the deception practiced on him by Prometheus that he avenged himself by refusing to mortals the gift of fire. Prometheus however resolved to brave the anger of the great ruler of Olympus and to obtain from heaven the vital spark so necessary for the further progress and comfort of the human race. He accordingly contrived to steal some sparks from the chariot of the sun which he conveyed to earth hidden in a hollow tube. Furious at being again outwitted Zeus determined to be revenged first on mankind and then on Prometheus. To punish the former he commanded Zeus, Vulcan, to mold a beautiful woman out of clay and determined that through her instrumentality trouble and misery should be brought into the world. The gods were so charmed with the graceful and artistic creation of Hephaistus that they all determined to endow her with some special gift. Hermes, Mercury bestowed on her a smooth persuasive tongue. Aphrodite gave her beauty and the art of pleasing. The graces made her fascinating and Athene, Minerva gifted her with the possession of feminine accomplishments. She was called Pandara which means all gifted having received every attribute necessary to make her charming and irresistible. Thus beautifully formed and endowed this exquisite creature attired by the graces and crowned with flowers by the seasons was conducted to the house of Epimetheus by Hermes the messenger of the gods. Seafoot note 9 Now Epimetheus had been warned by his brother not to accept any gift whatever from the gods but he was so fascinated by the beautiful being who suddenly appeared before him that he welcomed her to his home and made her his wife. It was not long, however, before he had caused to regret his weakness. He had in his possession a jar of rare workmanship containing all the blessings reserved by the gods for mankind which he had been expressly forbidden to open but woman's proverbial curiosity could not withstand so great a temptation and Pandara determined to solve the mystery at any cost. Watching her opportunity she raised the lid and immediately all the blessings which the gods had thus reserved for mankind took wing and flew away but all was not lost just as hope which lay at the bottom was about to escape Pandara hastily closed the lid of the jar and thus preserved to man that never failing solace which helps him to bear with courage the many ills which assail him See footnote 10 Having punished mankind Zeus determined to execute vengeance on Prometheus. He accordingly chained him to Iraq in Mount Caucasus and sent an eagle every day to gnaw away his liver which grew again every night ready for fresh torments. For thirty years Prometheus endured this fearful punishment but at length Zeus relented and permitted his son Heracles Hercules to kill the eagle and the sufferer was released Section 3 of Myths and Legends This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Lucy LeFarro New South Wales, Australia Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Barons Section 3 Third Dynasty Olympian Divinities Zeus Jupiter Zeus, the great presiding deity of the universe the ruler of heaven and earth was regarded by the Greeks first as the god of all aerial phenomena secondly as the personification of the laws of nature thirdly as lord of state life and fourthly as the father of gods and men as the god of aerial phenomena he could by shaking his aegis produce storms tempests and intense darkness at his command the mighty thunder rolls the lightning flashes and the clouds open and pour forth their refreshing streams to fructify the earth as the personification of the operations of nature he represents those grand laws of unchanging and harmonious order by which not only the physical but also the moral world is governed hence he is the god of regulated time as marked by the changing seasons and by the regular succession of day and night in contradistinction to his father Cronus he represents time absolutely for example eternity as the lord of state life he is the founder of kingly power the upholder of all institutions connected with the state and the special friend and patron of princes whom he guards and assists with his advice and counsel he protects the assembly of the people and in fact watches over the welfare of the whole community as the father of the gods Zeus sees that each deity performs his or her individual duty punishes their misdeeds settles their disputes and acts towards them on all occasions as their all-knowing counsellor and mighty friend as the father of men he takes a paternal interest in the actions and wellbeing of the mortals he watches over them with tender solicitude rewarding truth charity and uprightness but severely punishing perjury, cruelty and want of hospitality even the poorest and most forlorn wanderer finds in him a powerful advocate for he by a wise and merciful dispensation ordains that the mighty ones of the earth should succour their distressed and needy brethren the Greeks believed that the home of this their mighty and all-powerful deity was on the top of Mount Olympus that high and lofty mountain between Thessaly and Macedon whose summit wrapped in clouds and mist was hidden from mortal view it was supposed that this mysterious region even a bird could not reach extended beyond the clouds right into Aether the realm of the immortal gods the poets describe this ethereal atmosphere as bright glistening and refreshing exercising a peculiar gladdening influence over the minds and hearts of those privileged beings permitted to share its delights here youth never ages and the passing years would leave no traces on its favoured inhabitants on the cloud capped summit of Olympus was the palace of Zeus and Hera of burnished gold chased silver and gleaming ivory lower down were the homes of the other gods which though less commanding in position and size were yet similar to that of Zeus in design and workmanship all being the work and artist Hephaestus below these were other palaces of silver, ebony, ivory or burnished brass where their heroes or demigods resided as the worship of Zeus formed so important a feature in the religion of the Greeks his statues were necessarily both numerous and magnificent he is usually represented as a man of noble and imposing main his countenance expressing all the lofty majesty of the omnipotent ruler of the universe combined with the gracious yet serious benignity of the father and friend of mankind he may be recognised by his rich flowing beard and the thick masses of hair which rise straight from the high and intellectual forehead and fall to his shoulders in clustering locks the nose is large and finally formed and the slightly opened lips impart an air of sympathetic kindliness which invites confidence he is always accompanied by an eagle which either surmounts his scepter or sits at his feet he generally bears in his uplifted hand a sheaf of thunderbolts just ready to be hurled whilst in the other he holds the lightning the head is frequently encircled with a wreath of oak leaves the most celebrated statue of the Olympian Zeus was that by the famous Athenian sculptor Phidius which was 40 feet high and stood in the temple of Zeus at Olympia it was formed of ivory and gold and was a masterpiece of art that it was reckoned among the seven wonders of the world it represented the god seated on a throne holding in his right hand the goddess of victory and in his left a royal scepter surmounted by an eagle it is said that the great sculptor had concentrated all the marvellous powers of his genius on this sublime conception and earnestly entreat a Zeus to give him a decided proof that his labours were approved an answer to his prayer came through the open roof of the temple in the shape of a flash of lightning which Phidius interpreted as a sign that the god of heaven was pleased with his work Zeus was first worshipped at Dodona and Epirus where at the foot of Mount Tamaris on the woody shore of Lake Joannina was his famous oracle the most ancient in Greece he the voice of the eternal and invisible god was supposed to be heard in the rustling leaves of a giant oak announcing to mankind the will of heaven and the destiny of mortals these revelations being interpreted to the people by the priests of Zeus who were called celli recent excavations which have been made at this spot have brought to light the ruins of the ancient temple of Zeus and also among other interesting relics some plates of lead on which are engraved in quarries which were evidently made by certain individuals who consulted the oracle these little leadon plates speak to us as it were in a curiously homely manner of a bygone time in the buried past one person inquires what god he should apply to for health and fortune another asks for advice concerning his child and a third evidently a shepherd promises a gift to the oracle but a speculation in sheep turn out successfully had these little memorials been of gold instead of lead they would doubtless have shared the fate of the numerous treasures which adorned this and other temples in the universal pillage which took place when Greece fell into the hands of barbarians though Dodona was the most ancient of his shrines the great national seat of the worship of Zeus was at Olympia in Ellis where there was a magnificent temple dedicated to him containing the famous colossal statue of Phidias above described crowds of devout worshippers flocked to this world renowned fame from all parts of Greece not only to pay homage to their supreme deity but also to join in the celebrated games which were held there at intervals of four years the Olympic games were such a thoroughly national institution that even Greeks who had left their native country made a point of returning on these occasions if possible in order to contend with their fellow countrymen in their various athletic sports which took place at these festivals it will be seen on reflection that in a country like Greece which contained so many petty states often at variance with each other these national gatherings must have been most valuable as a means of uniting the Greeks in one great bond of brotherhood on these festive occasions the whole nation met together forgetting for the moment all past differences and uniting in the enjoyment of the same festivities it will doubtless have been remarked that in the representations of Zeus he is always accompanied by an eagle this royal bird was sacred to him probably from the fact of it's being the only creature capable of gazing at the sun without being dazzled which may have suggested the idea that it was able to contemplate the splendour of divine majesty unstrinkingly the oak tree and also the summits of mountains were sacred to Zeus his sacrifices consisted of white bulls cows and goats Zeus had seven immortal wives whose names were Metis, Themis Uranome Demeter, Nemesine Leto and Hera End of Section 3 Section 4 of Myths and Legends this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Lucy LeFarro New South Wales, Australia Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Behrens Section 4 Third Dynasty Olympian Divinities Hera Palace Athene Themis and Hestia Hera being the principal wife of Zeus and Queen of Heaven a detailed account will be given of her in a special chapter in the union of Zeus with most of his immortal wives which are found that an allegorical meaning is conveyed his marriage with Metis who is said to have surpassed both gods and men in knowledge represents supreme power a light to wisdom and prudence his union with Themis typifies the bond which exists between divine majesty and justice, law and order Uranum as the mother of the Charities or Graces supplied the refining and harmonising influences of grace and beauty whilst the marriage of Zeus with Nemesene typifies the union of genius with memory in addition to the seven immortal wives of Zeus he was also allied to a number of mortal maidens whom he visited under various disguises as it was supposed that if he revealed himself in his true form as King of Heaven the splendour of his glory would cause instant destruction to mortals the mortal consorts of Zeus have been such a favourite theme with poets, painters and sculptors that it is necessary to give some account of their individual history those best known are Antiope, Lida, Europa Callisto Alchemyne Simele Io and Denay Pallas Athene Minova Pallas Athene, goddess of wisdom and armed resistance was a purely Greek divinity that is to say no other nation possessed a corresponding conception she was supposed, as already related to have issued from the head of Zeus himself from head to foot the miraculous advent of this maiden goddess is beautifully described by Homer in one of his hymns Snow Captain Limpus shook to its foundation the glad earth re-echoed her marshal shout the billowy sea became agitated and hallowees the sun god arrested his fiery steeds in their headlong course to welcome this wonderful from the god head Athene was at once admitted into the assembly of the gods and henceforth took her place as the most faithful and sagacious of all her fathers counsellors this brave dauntless maiden so exactly the essence of all that is noble in the character of the father of gods and men remained throughout chaste in word and deed and kind at heart without exhibiting any of those failings which somewhat ma the nobler features in the character of Zeus this direct emanation from his own self justly his favourite child his better and purer counterpart received from him several important prerogatives she was permitted to hurl the thunderbolts to prolong the life of man and to bestow the gift of his prophecy in fact Athene was the only divinity whose authority was equal to that of Zeus himself and when he had ceased to visit the earth in person she was empowered by him to act as his deputy it was her special duty to protect the state and all peaceful associations of mankind which she possessed the power to encourage the maintenance of law and order and defended the right on all occasions for each reason in the Trojan war she espouses the cause of the Greeks and exerts all her influence on their behalf the Aeropagus a court of justice where religious causes and murders were tried was believed to have been instituted by her and when both sides happened to have an equal number of votes she gave the casting vote in favour of the accused she was the patroness of learning science and art more particularly where these contributed directly towards the welfare of nations she presided over all inventions connected with agriculture invented the plough and taught mankind how to use oxen for farming purposes she also instructed mankind the use of numbers trumpets, chariots and sea and presided over the building of the Argo thereby encouraging the useful art of navigation she also taught the Greeks how to build the wooden horse by means of which the destruction of Troy was affected the safety of cities depended on her care for which reason her temples were generally built on the citadels and she was supposed to watch over the defence of the walls fortification, harbours and sea a divinity who so faithfully guarded the best interests of the state but not only protecting it from the attacks of enemies but also by developing its chief resources of wealth and prosperity was worthily chosen as the presiding deity of the state was an essentially political goddess she was called Athene Palaeus the fact of Athene having been born clad in armour which merely signified that her virtue and purity were unassailable has given rise to the erroneous supposition that she was the presiding goddess of war but a deeper study of her character in all its bearing proves that in contradiction to her brother Aris, the god of war who loves strife for its own sake she only takes up arms to protect the innocent and deserving against her tyrannical oppression it is true that in the Iliad we frequently see her on the battlefield fighting valiantly and protecting her favourite heroes but this is always at the command of Zeus who even supplies her with arms for the purpose that she possessed none of her own a marked feature in the representations of this deity is the Aegis that wonderful shield given to her by her father as a further means of defence which when in danger she swung so swiftly round and round that it kept at a distance all antagonistic influences hence her name Pallas from Palo I swing in the centre of this shield which was covered with dragon scales bordered with serpents and which she sometimes wore as a breastplate was the awe-inspiring head of the Medusa which had the effect of turning to stone all beholders in addition to the many functions which she exercised in connection with the state Athene presided over the two chief departments of feminine industry spinning and weaving in the latter art she herself displayed unrivaled ability and exquisite taste she wove her own robe and that of Hera which last she is said to have embroidered very richly she also gave Jason a cloak wrought by herself when he set forth in the quest of the golden fleece being on one occasion challenged to a contest in this accomplishment by a mortal maiden named Arachne whom she had instructed in the art of weaving she accepted the challenge and was completely vanquished by her pupil angry at her defeat she struck the unfortunate maiden on the forehead with the shuttle which she held in her hand and Arachne being of a sensitive nature was so hurt by this indignity that she hung herself in despair and was changed by Athene into a spider this goddess is said to have invented the flute upon which she played with considerable talent until one day being laughed at by the assembled gods and goddesses for the contortions which her countenance assumed during these musical efforts she hastily ran to a fountain in order to convince herself whether she deserved their ridicule finding to her intense disgust that such was indeed the fact she threw the flute away and never raised it to her lips again Athene is usually represented fully draped she has a serious and thoughtful aspect as though replete with earnestness and wisdom the beautiful over contour of her countenance is adorned by the luxuriance of her wealth of hair which is drawn back from the temples and hangs down in careless grace she looks the embodiment of strength grandeur and majesty whilst her broad shoulders and small hips give her slightly masculine appearance when she represented as the war goddess she appears clad in armour with a helmet on her head from which waves a large plume she carries the agus on her arm and in her hand a golden staff which possesses the property of endowing her chosen favourites with youth and dignity Athene was universally worshipped throughout Greece but was regarded with special veneration by the Athenians she being the guardian deity of Athens her most celebrated temple was the Parthenon which stood on the Acropolis at Athens and contained her world-renowned statue by Phidias which ranks second only to that of Zeus by the same great artist this colossal statue was 39 feet high and was composed of ivory and gold its majestic beauty formed the chief attraction of the temple it represented her standing erect bearing her spear and shield in her hand she held an image of Nike and at her feet there lay a serpent the tree sacred to her was the olive which she herself produced in a contest with Poseidon the olive tree thus called into existence was preserved in the temple of Erechtheus on the Acropolis and is said to have possessed such marvellous vitality that when the Persians burned it after sacking the town it immediately burst forth into new shoots the principal festival held in honour of this divinity was the Panathenea the owl, cock and serpent were the animal sacred to her and her sacrifices were rams and cows Themis Themis who has already been alluded to as the wife of Zeus was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea and personified those divine laws of justice and order by means of which the well-being and morality of communities are regulated she presided over the assemblies of the people and the laws of hospitality to her was instructed the office of convoking of the gods and she was also mistress of ritual and ceremony on account of her great wisdom Zeus himself frequently sought her council and acted upon her advice Themis was a prophetic divinity and had an oracle near the river Cephasus in Boesha she is usually represented as being in the full maturity of womanhood of fair aspect and wearing a flowing garment of noble majestic form in her right hand she holds the sword of justice and in her left the scales which indicate the impartiality with which every cause is carefully weighed by her her eyes being bandaged so that the personality of the individual should carry no weight with respect to the verdict this divinity is sometimes identified with Taishi sometimes with an anki Themis like so many other god divinities takes the place of a more ancient deity of the same name who was a daughter of Uranus and Gaia this elder Themis inherited from her mother the gift of prophecy and when she became merged into her younger representative she transmitted to her this prophetic power Hestia Vesta Hestia was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea she was the goddess of fire in its first application to the wants of mankind hence she was essentially the presiding deity of domestic earth and the guardian spirit of man and it was her pure and benign influence which was supposed to protect the sanctity of domestic life now in these early ages the earth was regarded as the most important and most sacred portion of the dwelling probably because the protection of the fire was an important consideration for if once permitted it became extinct re-ignition was attended with extreme difficulty in fact the earth was held so sacred that it constituted the sanctum of the family for which reason it was always erected in the centre of the house it was a few feet in height and was built of stone the fire was placed on the top of it and served the double purpose of preparing the daily meals and consuming the family sacrifices round this domestic earth or altar were gathered the various members of the family the head of the house occupying the place of honour nearest the earth here prayers were said and the sacrifices offered and here also every kind and loving feeling was fostered which even extended to the hunted and guilty stranger who if he once succeeded in touching the sacred altar was safe from pursuit and punishment and was henceforth placed under the protection of the family any crime committed within the sacred precincts was invariably visited by death in Grecian cities there was a common hall called the Pritanium in which the members of the government had their meals at the expense of the state and here too was the Hestia or public earth with its fire by means of which those meals were prepared it was customary for immigrants to take with them a portion of this sacred fire was regarded and brought with them to their new home where it served as a connecting link between the young greek colony and the mother country Hestia is generally represented standing and in accordance with the dignity and sanctity of her character always appears fully draped her countenance is distinguished by a serene gravity of expression End of section 4 section 5 of myths and legends this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Lucy LaFaro New South Wales, Australia myths and legends of ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Behrens section 5 Third Dynasty Olympian Divinities Demeter and Aphrodite Demeter Ceres Demeter from Jemita, Earth mother was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea she represented that portion of Gaia the whole solid Earth which we call the Earth's crust and which produces all vegetation as goddess of agriculture filled fruits, plenty and productiveness Gaia was the sustainer of material life and was therefore a divinity of great importance when ancient Gaia lost when Uranus, her position as a ruling divinity she abdicated her sway in favour of her daughter Rhea who henceforth inherited the powers which her mother had previously possessed receiving in her place the honour and worship of mankind in a very old poem Gaia is accordingly described as retiring to a cavern in the bough of the Earth where she sits in the lap of her daughter slumbering, moaning and nodding forever and ever It is necessary to keep clearly in view the distinctive difference between the three great Earth goddesses Gaia, Rhea and Demeter Gaia represents the Earth as a whole with its mighty subterranean forces Rhea is that productive power which causes vegetation to spring forth thus sustaining men and animals Demeter by presiding over agriculture directs and utilises Rhea's productive powers But in later times when Rhea like other ancient divinity loses her importance as a ruling deity Demeter assumes all her functions and attributes and then becomes the goddess of the life producing and life maintaining Earth crust We must bear in mind the fact that men in his primitive state do neither how to sow nor how to till the ground When therefore he had exhausted the pastures which surrounded him he was compelled to seek others which were as yet unreaped thus roaming constantly settled habitations and consequently civilising influences were possible Demeter however by introducing a knowledge of agriculture put an end at once and forever to that nomadic life which was now no longer necessary The favour of Demeter was believed to bring mankind rich harvests and fruitful crops whereas her displeasure caused blight, drought and famine The island of Sicily was supposed to be under her special protection and there she was regarded with particular veneration the Sicilians are naturally attributing the wonderful fertility of their country to the partiality of the goddess Demeter is usually represented as a woman of noble bearing and majesty appearance tall, matronly and dignified with beautiful golden hair which falls in rippling curls on her stately shoulders the yellow locks being emblematical of the ripened ears of corn sometimes she appears seated in a chariot drawn by winged dragons at others she stands erect her figure drawn up to its full height and always fully draped she bears a sheaf of white ears in one hand and a lighter torch in the other the wheat ears are not unfrequently replaced by a bunch of poppies in which her brows are also garlanded though sometimes she merely wears a simple riband in her hair Demeter as the wife of Zeus became the mother of Persephone Prosopine to whom she was so tenderly attached that her whole life was bound up in her and she knew no happiness except in her society however whilst Persephone was gathering flowers in a meadow attended by the ocean nymphs she saw to her surprise a beautiful narcissist from the stem of which sprang forth a hundred blossoms drawing near to examine this lovely flower whose exquisite scent perfumed the air she stooped down to gather it suspecting no evil when a yawning abyss opened at her feet the grim ruler of the lower world appeared from its depths seated in his dazzling chariot drawn by four black horses regardless of her tears and the shrieks of her female attendants Aida seized the terrified maiden and brought her away to the gloomy realms over which she reigned in melancholy grandeur Helios the all-seeing sun god and Hecate a mysterious and very ancient divinity alone heard her cries for aid but were powerless to help her when Demeter became conscious of her loss her grief was intense and she refused to be comforted she knew not where to seek for her child but feeling that repose and inaction were impossible she set out on her weary search taking with her two torches which she lighted in the flames of Mount Etna to guide her on her way for nine long days and nights she wandered on inquiring of everyone she met for tidings of her child but all was in vain neither gods nor men could give her the comfort which her soul so hungered for at last on the tenth day the disconsolate mother met Hecate who informed her that she had heard her daughter's cries but knew not who it was that had borne her away by Hecate's advice Demeter consulted Helios who's all seeing eye nothing escapes and from him she learnt that it was Zeus himself who had permitted Aedes to seize Persephone and transport her to the lower world in order that she might become his wife indignant with Zeus for having given his sanction to the abduction of his daughter and filled with the bitter sorrow she abandoned her home in Olympus only food disguising herself as an old woman she descended upon earth and commenced a weary pilgrimage among mankind one evening she arrived at a place called Ellusis in Attica and sat down to rest herself near a well beneath the shade of an olive tree the youthful daughters of Celius the king of the country came with their pales of brass to draw water from this well seeing that the tired waferer appeared faint and dispirited they spoke kindly to her asking who she was and whence she came Demeter replied that she had made her escape from pirates who had captured her and added that she would feel grateful for a home with any worthy family whom she would be willing to serve in a menial capacity the princesses on hearing this begged Demeter to have a moment's patience while they returned home and consulted with their mother Matanera they soon brought the joyful intelligence that she was the desirous of securing her services as nurse to her infant son Demephune when Demeter arrived at the house a radiant light suddenly illuminated her which circumstance so overawed Matanera that she treated the unknown stranger with the greatest respect and hospitality offered her food and drink but Demeter still grief-worn and dejected refused her kindly offers and held herself apart from the social board at length however the maid servant EMB succeeded by means of playful jests and merriment in somewhat dispelling the grief of the sorrowing mother causing her at times to smile in spite of herself and even inducing her to partake of a mixture of barley meal mint and water which was prepared according to the directions of the goddess herself time passed on and the young child throwed amazingly under the care of his kind and judicious nurse who however gave him no food but anointed him daily with ambrosia and every night laid him secretly in the fire in order to render him immortal and exempt from old age but unfortunately this benevolent design on the part of Demeter was frustrated by Mettanyera herself whose curiosity one night impelled her to watch the proceedings of the mysterious being who nursed her child when to her horror she beheld her son placed in the flames she shrieked aloud Demeter incensed at this untimely interruption instantly withdrew the child and throwing him on the ground revealed herself in her true character the bent and aged form had vanished and in its place there stood a bright and beauteous being whose golden locks streamed over her shoulders in richest luxuriance her whole aspect bespeaking dignity and majesty she told the awestruck Mettanyera that she was the goddess Demeter and had intended to make her son immortal but that her fatal curiosity had rendered this impossible adding however that the child having slept in her arms and being nursed on her lap should ever command the respect and esteem of mankind she then desired that a temple and altar should be erected to her on a neighbouring hill by the people of Eleusis promising that she herself would direct them how to perform the sacred rites and ceremonies which should be observed in her honour with these words she took her departure never to return obedient to her commands Selyas called together a meeting of his people and built the temple on the spot which the goddess had indicated it was soon completed and Demeter took up her abode in it but was still sad for the loss of her daughter and the whole world felt the influence of her grief and ejection this was indeed a terrible year for mankind Demeter no longer smiled on the earth she was want to bless and though the husbandmen soared the grain and the groaning oxen plowed the fields no harvest rewarded their labour all was barren dreary desolation the world was threatened with famine and the gods with the loss of their accustomed honours and sacrifices it became evident therefore to Zeus himself that some measures must be adopted to appease the anger of the goddess he accordingly dispatched Iris and many of the other gods and goddesses to implore Demeter to return to Olympus but all their prayers were fruitless the incensed goddess swore that until her daughter was restored to her she would not allow the grain to spring forth from the earth at length Zeus sent Hermes his faithful messenger to the lower world with a petition to Aedes urgently entreating him to restore Persephone to the arms of her disconsolate mother when he arrived in the gloomy realms of Aedes Hermes found him seated on a throne with the beautiful Persephone of him sorrowfully bewailing her unhappy fate unlearning his errand Aedes consented to resign Persephone who joyfully prepared to follow the messenger of the gods to the abode of life and light before taking leave of her husband he presented to her a few seeds of pomegranate which in her excitement she thoughtlessly swallowed and this simple act as the sequel will show materially affected her whole future life the meeting between mother and child was one of unmixed rapture and for the moment all the past was forgotten the loving mother's happiness would now have been complete had not Aedes asserted his rights these were that if any mortal had tasted food in his realms they were bound to remain there forever of course the ruler of the lower world had to prove this assertion this however he found no difficulty in doing as a Scalophus the son of Acheron and Orphani was his witness to the fact Zeus pitting the disappointment of Demeter at finding her hopes thus blighted succeeded in affecting a compromise by inducing his brother Aedes to allow Persephone six months of the year with the gods above whilst during the other six she was to be the joyless companion of her grim lord below accompanied by her daughter the beautiful Persephone Demeter now resumed her long abandoned dwelling in Olympus the sympathetic earth responded galley to her bright smiles the corn at once sprang forth from the ground in fall as plenty the trees which late were said and bare now donned their brightest emerald robes and the flowers so long imprisoned in the hard dry soil filled the whole air with their fragrant perfume thus ends this charming story which was a favourite theme with all the classic authors it is very possible that the poets who first created this graceful myth merely intended it as an allegory to illustrate the change of seasons in the course of time however a literal meaning became attached to this and similar poetical fancies and thus the people of grace came to regard as an article of religious belief what in the first instance was nothing more than a poetic simile in the temple erected to Demeter at Eleusis the famous Eleusinian mysteries were instituted by the goddess herself it is exceedingly difficult as in the case of all secret societies to discover anything with certainty concerning these sacred rites the most plausible supposition is that the doctrines taught by the priests to the favoured few whom they initiated were religious truths which were deemed unfit for the uninstructed mind of the multitude for instance it is supposed that the birth of Demeter and Persephone was explained by the teachers of the mysteries to signify the temporary loss which Mother Earth sustains every year when the icy breath of winter robs her of her flowers and fruits and grain it is believed that in later times a still deeper meaning was conveyed by this beautiful myth vis the doctrine of the immortality of the soul the grain which it were remains dead for a time in the dark earth only to rise one day dressed in a newer and lovelier garb was supposed to symbolise the soul which after death frees itself from corruption to live again under a better and purer form when Demeter instituted the Eleusinian mysteries Solius and his family were the first to be initiated Solius himself being appointed High Priest his son, Cryptolimus and his daughters who acted as priestesses assisted him in the duties of his sacred office the mysteries were celebrated by the Athenians every 5 years and were for a long time their exclusive privilege they took place by torchlight and were conducted with the greatest solemnity in order to spread abroad the blessings which agriculture confers Demeter presented Cryptolimus with her chariot drawn by winged dragons and giving him some grains of corn desired him to journey through the world teaching mankind the arts of agriculture and husbandry Demeter exercised great severity towards those who incurred her displeasure we find examples of this in the stories of Stelio and Eresycthon Stelio was a youth who ridiculed the goddess for the eagerness with which she was eating a bowl of porridge when weary and faint in the vain search for her daughter resolved that he should never again have an opportunity of thus offending she angrily threw into his face the remainder of the food and changed him into a spotted lizard Eresycthon son of Triapus had drawn upon himself the anger of Demeter by cutting down her sacred groves for which she punished him with a constant and insatiable hunger he sold all his possessions in order to satisfy his cravings and was forced at last to devour his own limbs his daughter Metra who was devotedly attached to him possessed the power of transforming herself into a variety of different animals by this means she contrived to support her father who sold her again and again each time she assumed a different form and thus he dragged on a pitiful existence Ceres the Roman Ceres is actually the Greek Demeter under another name her attributes, worship festivals etc being precisely identical the Romans were indebted to Sicily for this divinity her worship having been introduced by the Greek colonists who settled there the Cerelia or festivals in honour of Ceres commenced on the 12th of April and lasted several days Aphrodite Venus Aphrodite from Aphros Seafoam and Diety issued the daughter of Zeus and Acenymph called Dione was the goddess of love and beauty Dione being Acenymph gave birth to her daughter beneath the waves but the child of the heaven inhabiting Zeus was forced to ascend from the ocean depths and mount to the snow-capped summits of Olympus in order to breathe that ethereal and most refined atmosphere which pertains to the celestial gods Aphrodite was the mother of Eros Cupid the god of love also of Anais the great Trojan hero and the head of that Greek colony which settled in Italy and from which arose the city of Rome as a mother Aphrodite claims our sympathy for the tenderness she exhibits towards her children Homer tells us in his Iliad how when Anais was wounded in battle she came to his assistance regardless of personal danger and was herself severely wounded in attempting to save his life Aphrodite was tenderly attached to a lovely youth called Adonis whose exquisite beauty has become proverbial he was a motherless babe and Aphrodite taking pity on him placed him in a chest and entrusted him to Persephone who became so fond of the beautiful youth that she refused to part with him Zeus being appealed to by the rival foster mothers decided that Adonis should spend four months of every year with Persephone four with Aphrodite whilst during the remaining four months he should be left to his own devices he became however so attached to Aphrodite that he voluntarily devoted to her the time at his own disposal Adonis was killed during the chase by a wild boar to the great grief of Aphrodite who bemoaned his loss so persistently that Ades moved with pity permitted him to pass six months of every year with her whilst the remaining half of the year was spent by him in the lower world Aphrodite possessed a magic girdle the famous Cestus which she frequently lent to unhappy maidens suffering from the pangs of unrequited love as it was endowed with the power of inspiring affection for the wearer who made invested with every attribute of grace beauty and fascination her usual attendants are the charities or graces Euphrosony Aglaya and Thalia who are represented undraped and intertwined in a loving embrace In Hesiod's theogony she is supposed to belong to the more ancient divinities and whilst those of later date are represented as having descended one from another and all more or less from Zeus Aphrodite has a variously accounted for yet independent origin the most poetical version of her birth is that when Uranus was wounded by his son Cronus his blood mingled with the foam of the sea whereupon the bubbling waters at once assumed a rosy tint and from their depths arose in all the surpassing glory of her loveliness Aphrodite goddess of love and beauty shaking her long fair tresses the water drops rolled down into the beautiful seashell and became transformed into pure glistening pearls wafted by the soft and barmy breezes she floated on to Scythera and was then transported to the island of Cyprus lightly she stepped on shore and under the gentle pressure of her delicate foot the dry and rigid sand became transformed into a verdant meadow where every varied shade of colour and every sweet odour charmed the senses the whole island of Cyprus became clothed in verdure and greeted this fairest of all created beings with a glad smile of friendly welcome here she was received by the seasons who decked her with garments of immortal fabric encircling her fair brow with a wreath of purest gold whilst from her ears depended cost sleeve rings and a glittering chain embraced her swan-like throat and now, arrayed in awe her pinnacle of her irresistible charms the nymphs escort her to the dazzling halls of Olympus where she is received with ecstatic enthusiasm by the admiring gods and goddesses the gods all vied with each other owing to the honour of her hand but her fastness became the envied possessor of this lovely being who however proved as faithless as she was beautiful and caused her husband much unhappiness owing to the preference she showed at various times for some of the other gods and also for mortal men the celebrated venus of Milo now in the Louvre is an exquisite statue of this divinity the head is beautifully formed the rich waves of hair descend on her rather low but broad forehead and are caught up gracefully in a small knot at the back of the head the expression of the face is most bewitching and bespeaks the perfect joyousness of a happy nature combined with the dignity of a goddess she falls in careless folds from the waist downwards and her whole attitude is the embodiment of all that is graceful and lovely in womanhood she is of medium height and the form is perfect in its symmetry and faultless proportions Aphrodite is also frequently represented in the act of confining her dripping locks in a knot whilst her attendant nymphs envelop her in a gauzy veil the animals sacred to her were the dove swan, swallow and sparrow her favourite plants were the myrtle apple tree, rose and poppy the worship of Aphrodite is supposed to have been introduced into Greece from Central Asia there is no doubt that she was originally identical with the famous Astarte the ashtoreth of the bible against whose idolatrous worship and infamous rites the prophets of old hurled forth their sublime and powerful anathemas end of section 5 section 6 of myths and legends this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Lucy LaFaro New South Wales, Australia myths and legends of ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Behrens section 6 third dynasty Olympian divinities Phoebus Apollo Phoebus Apollo the god of light prophecy, music, poetry and the arts and sciences is by far the noblest conception within the whole range of Greek mythology and his worship which not only extended to all the states of Greece but also to Asia Minor and to every Greek colony throughout the world stands out among the most ancient and strongly marked features of greekian history and exerted a more decided influence over the greek nation than that of any other deity not accepting Zeus himself Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto and was born beneath the shade of a palm tree which grew at the foot of Mount Synthes but on the barren and rocky island of Delos the poet tells us that the earth smiled when the young god first beheld the light of day and that Delos became so proud and exultant at the honour thus conferred upon her that she covered herself with golden flowers swans surrounded the island and the delian nymphs celebrated his birth with songs of joy the unhappy Leto driven to Delos by the relentless persecutions of Hera was not long permitted to enjoy her haven of refuge being still tormented by her enemy the young mother was once more obliged to fly she therefore resigned the charge of her newborn babe to the goddess Themis who carefully wrapped the helpless infant in swaddling clothes and fed him with nectar and ambrosia but he had no sooner partaken of the heavenly food than to the amazement of the goddess he burst asunder the bands which confined his infant limbs and springing to his feet appeared before her as a full grown youth of divine strength and beauty he now demanded a liar and a bow declaring that henceforth he would announce to mankind the will of his father Zeus the golden liar said he shall be my friend the bent bow my delight and in oracles I will foretell the dark future with these words he ascended to Olympus where he was received with joyful acclamations into the assembly of the celestial gods who acknowledged him as the most beautiful and glorious of all the sons of Zeus Phoebus Apollo was the god of light in a twofold signification first as representing the great orb of day which illumines the world and secondly as the heavenly light which animates the soul of man he inherited his function as sun god from Helios with whom in later times he was so completely identified that the personality of the one became gradually merged in that of the other we accordingly find Helios frequently confounded with Apollo myths belonging to the former attributed to the latter the tribes the ionic for instance so complete is this identification that Apollo is called by them Helios Apollo as the divinity whose power is developed in the broad light of day he brings joy and delight to nature and health and prosperity to man by the influence of his warm and gentle rays he disperses the noxious vapours of light assists the grain to ripen and the flowers to bloom but although as god of the sun he is a life giving and life preserving power who by his genial influence dispels the cold of winter he is at the same time the god who by means of his fiercely darting rays could spread disease and send sudden death to men and animals is to this phase of his character that we must look for the explanation of his being considered in conjunction with his twin sister Artemis as moon goddess a divinity of death the brother and sister share this function between them he taking man and she woman as her aim and those especially who died in the bloom of youth or at an advanced age were believed to have been cured by their gentle arrows but Apollo did not always send an easy death we see in the Iliad how when angry with the Greeks the god of the silver bow strode down from Olympus with his quiver full of death bringing darks and sent a raging pestilence into their camp for nine days he let fly his fatal arrows first on animals and then on men to the air became darkened with the smoke from the funeral pyres in his character as god of light Phoebus Apollo is the protecting deity of shepherds because it is he who warms the fields and meadows and gives rich pastures to the flocks thereby gladdening the heart of the herdsmen as the temperate heat of the sun exercises so invigorating an effect on man and animals and promotes the growth of those medicinal herbs and vegetable productions necessary for the cure of diseases Phoebus Apollo was supposed to possess the power of restoring life and health hence he was regarded as the god of healing but this feature in his character we shall find more particularly developed in his son Asclepius the god of the healing art pursuing our analysis of the various phases in the character of Phoebus Apollo we find that with the first beams of his genial light all nature awakens to renewed life and the woods re-echo with the jubilant sound of the untaught laze warbled by thousands of feathered choristers hence by a natural inference he is the god of music and as according to the belief of the ancients the inspirations of genius were inseparately connected with the glorious light of heaven he is also the god of poetry and acts as the special patron of the arts and sciences Apollo is himself the heavenly musician among the Olympic gods whose banquets are gladdened by the wondrous strains which he produces from his favorite instrument the seven-stringed lyre in the cultists of Apollo music formed a distinguishing feature all sacred dances and even the sacrifices in his honour were performed to the sound of musical instruments and it is in a great measure owing to the influence which the music in his worship exercised on the greek nation that Apollo came to be regarded as the leader of the nine muses the legitimate divinities of poetry and song in this character he is called Musa Geetis and is always represented robed in a long flowing garment his lyre to the tones of which he appears to be singing is suspended by a band across the chest his head is encircled by a wreath of laurel and his long hair streaming down over his shoulders gives him a somewhat effeminate appearance and now we must view the glorious God of Light under another and as far as regards his influence over the Greek nation a much more important aspect for in historical times all the other functions and attributes of Apollo sink into comparative insignificance before the great power exercised as God of prophecy it is true that all greek gods were endowed to a certain extent with the faculty of foretelling future events but Apollo as sun god was the concentration of all prophetic power as it was supposed that nothing escaped his all seeing eye which penetrated the most hidden recesses and laid bare the secrets which lay concealed behind the dark veil of the future we have seen that when Apollo assumed his godlike form he took his place among the immortals but he had not long enjoyed the rapturous delights of Olympus before he felt within him an ardent desire to fulfil his great mission of interpreting to mankind the will of his mighty father and accordingly descended to earth and travelled through many countries seeking a fitting sight upon which to establish an oracle at length he reached the southern side of the rocky heights of Parnassus beneath which lay the harbour of Crissa here under the overhanging cliff he found a secluded spot where from the most ancient times there had existed an oracle in which Gaia herself had revealed the future to man and which in Ducalian's time she had resigned to Themis it was guarded by the huge serpent Python the scourge of the surrounding neighbourhood and the terror alike of men and cattle the young god full of confidence in his unerring aim attacked and slew the monster with his arrows thus freeing land and people from their mighty enemy the grateful inhabitants anxious to do honour to their deliverer flocked around Apollo proceeded to mark out a plan for a temple and with the assistance of numbers of eager volunteers a suitable edifice was soon erected it now became necessary to choose ministers who would offer up sacrifices interpret his prophecies to the people and take charge of the temple looking round he saw in the far distance a vessel bound from Crete to the Peloponnesus and determined to avow himself of her crew for his service assuming the shape of an enormous dolphin he agitated the waters to such a degree that the ship was tossed violently to and fro to the great alarm of the mariners at the same time he raised a mighty wind which drove the ship into the harbour of Crissa where she ran aground the terrified sailors dead fought on shore but Apollo under the form of a vigorous youth stepped down to the vessel revealed himself in his true character and informed them that it was he who had driven them to Crissa in order that they might become his priests to serve him in his temple arrived at the sacred feign he instructed them how to perform the services in his honour and desired them to worship him under the name of Apollo Delphinius because he had first appeared to them under the form of a dolphin thus was established the far famed oracle of Delphi the only institution of the kind which was not exclusively national for it was consulted by Lydians Phrygians Etruscans, Romans etc and in fact was held in the highest repute all over the world in obedience to its decrees the laws of Lycurgus were introduced and the earliest Greek colonies founded no cities were built without first consulting the Delphic Oracle for it was believed that Apollo took special delight in the founding of cities the first stone of which he laid the person nor was any enterprise ever undertaken without inquiring at this sacred fame as to its probable success but that which brought Apollo more closely home to the hearts of the people and raised the whole moral tone of the Greek nation was the belief gradually developed with the intelligence of the people that he was the god who accepted repentance as an atonement for sin who pardoned the contrite sinner and who acted as the special protector of those who like arrestees had committed a crime which required long years of expiation Apollo is represented by the poets as being eternally young his countenance glowing with joyous life is the embodiment of immortal beauty his eyes are of a deep blue his forehead low but broad and intellectual his hair which falls over his shoulders in long waving locks is of a golden or warm chestnut hue he is crowned with laurel and wears a purple robe in his hand he bears his silver bow which is unbent when he smiles but ready for use when he menaces evil doers but Apollo the eternally beautiful youth the perfection of all that is graceful and refined to have been happy in his love either his advances met with a repulse or his union with the object of his affection was attended with fatal consequences his first love was Daphne daughter of Peneas the river god who was so averse to marriage that she entreated her father to allow her to lead a life of celibacy and devote herself to the chase which she loved to the exclusion of all other pursuits but one day soon after his victory over the python Apollo happened to see Eros bending his bow and proud of his own superior strength and skill he laughed at the efforts of the little archer saying that such a weapon was more suited to the one who had just killed the terrible serpent Eros angrily replied that his arrow should pierce the heart of the mocha himself and flying off to the summit of Mount Parnasus he drew from his quiver two darts of different workmanship one of gold which had the effect of inspiring love the other of lead which created aversion taking aim at Apollo he pierced his breast with the golden shaft whilst the lead on one he discharged into the bosom of the beautiful Daphne the son of Leto instantly felt the most ardent affection for the nymph who on her part events the greatest dislike towards her divine lover and at his approach fled from him like a hunted deer he called upon her in the most endearing accents to stay but she still sped on until at length becoming faint with fatigue and fearing that she was about to succumb she called upon the gods hardly had she uttered her prayer before a heavy torpor seized her limbs and just as Apollo threw out his arms to embrace her she became transformed into a laurel bush he sorrowfully crowned his head with its leaves and declared that in memory of his love it should henceforth remain evergreen and beheld sacred to him he next sought the love of my Pessa the daughter of Evernus but though her father approved his suit, the maiden preferred a youth named Idus who contrived to carry her off in a winged chariot which she had procured from Poseidon Apollo pursued the fugitives whom he quickly overtook and forcibly seizing the bride refused to resign her Zeus then interfered and declared that my Pessa herself must decide which of her lovers should claim her as his wife after due reflection she accepted Idus as her husband judiciously concluding that although the attractions of the divine Apollo were superior to those of her lover it would be wiser to unite herself to a mortal who growing old with herself would be less likely to forsake her when advancing years should rob her of her charms Cassandra, daughter of Priam King of Troy was another object of the love of Apollo she feigned to return his affection and promised to marry him provided he would confer upon her the gift of prophecy but having received the boon she desired the treacherous maiden refused to comply with the conditions upon which it had been granted in sense at her breach of faith Apollo unable to recall the gift he had bestowed rendered it useless by causing her predictions to fail in obtaining credence Cassandra became famous in history for her prophetic powers but her prophecies were never believed for instance she warned her brother Paris that if he brought back a wife from Greece he would cause the destruction of his father's house and kingdom she also warned the Trojans not to admit the wooden horse within the walls of the city and foretold to Agamemnon the disasters which afterwards befell him Apollo afterwards married Coronas a nymph of Larissa and thought himself happy in the possession of her faithful love but once more he was doomed to disappointment for one day his favourite bird the crow flew to him with the intelligence that his wife had transferred her affections to a youth of hermonia Apollo burning with rage destroyed her with one of his death bringing darts too late he repented of his rashness for she had been tenderly beloved by him and he would feign have recalled her to life but although he exerted all his healing powers his efforts were in vain he punished the crow for its garulity by changing the colour of its plumage from pure white to intense black and forbade it to fly any longer among the other birds Coronas left an infant son named Asclepius who afterwards became God of Medicine his powers were so extraordinary that he could not only cure the sick but could even restore the dead to life at last Aedes complained to Zeus that the number of shades conducted to his dominions was daily increasing and the great ruler of Olympus fearing that mankind thus protected against sickness and death would be able to defy the gods themselves cured Asclepius with one of his thunderbolts the loss of his highly gifted son so exasperated Apollo that being unable to vent his anger on Zeus he destroyed the cyclops who had forged the fatal thunderbolts for this offence Apollo would have been banished by Zeus but at the earnest intercession of Leto he partially relented and contended himself with depriving him of all power and dignity and imposing on him a temporary servitude in the house of Admitus King of Thessaly Apollo faithfully served his royal master for nine years in the humble capacity of a shepherd and was treated by him with every kindness and consideration during the period of his service the king sought the hand of Alcestus the beautiful daughter of Pelius son of Poseidon but her father declared that he would only resign her to the suitor who should succeed in yoking a lion and a wild boar to his chariot by the aid of his divine herdsmen Admitus accomplished this difficult task and gained his bride nor was this the only favour which the king received from the exiled god for Apollo obtained from the faith the gift of immortality for his benefactor on condition that when his last hour approached some member of his own family should be willing to die in his stead when the fatal hour arrived and Admitus felt that he was at the point of death he implored his aged parents to yield to him their few remaining days but life is sweet even to old age and they both refused to make the sacrifice demanded of them Alcestus however who had secretly devoted herself to death for her husband was seized with a mortal sickness which kept pace with his rapid recovery the devoted wife breathed her last in the arms of Admitus and he had just consigned her to the tomb when Heracles' chance to come to the palace Admitus held the rights of hospitality so sacred that he at first kept silence with regard to his great bereavement but as soon as his friend heard what had occurred he bravely descended into the tomb and when death came to claim his prey he exerted his marvellous strength and held him in his arms until he promised to restore the beautiful and heroic queen to the bosom of her family whilst pursuing the peaceful life of a shepherd Apollo formed a strong friendship with two youths named Hyacinthus and Soparisus but the great favour shown to them by the god did not suffice to shield them from misfortune the former was one day throwing a basket with Apollo when running too eagerly to take up the one thrown by the god he was struck on the head with it and killed on the spot Apollo was overcome with grief at the sad end of his young favourite but being unable to restore him to life he changed him into the flower called after him the Hyacinth Soparisus had the misfortune to kill by accident one of Apollo's favourite hyacinths which so prayed on his mind that he gradually pined away and died of a broken heart he was transformed by the god into a cypress tree which owes its name to this story after these sad occurrences Apollo quitted Thessaly and repaired to Phrygia in Asia Minor where he met Poseidon who like himself was in exile and condemned to a temporary servitude on earth and now entered the service of Leo Meaden King of Troy Apollo undertaking to tend his flocks and Poseidon to build the walls of the city but Apollo also contributed his assistance in the erection of those wonderful walls and by the aid of his marvellous musical powers the labours of his fellow worker Poseidon were rendered so light and easy that his otherwise arduous task advanced with astonishing celerity for as the master hand of the god of music grasped the cords of his lyre the huge blocks of stone moved of their own accord adjusting themselves with the utmost nicety into the places designed for them but though Apollo was so renowned in the art of music there were two individuals who had the effron tree considered themselves equal to him in disrespect and accordingly each challenged him to compete with them in a musical contest these were Marcius and Pan Marcius was a satire who having picked up the flute which Athena had thrown away in disgust discovered to his great delight and astonishment that in consequence of its having touched the lips of a goddess it played of itself in a most charming manner Marcius who was a great lover of music and much beloved on this account by all the elf-like denizens of the woods and glens was so intoxicated with joy at this discovery that he foolishly challenged Apollo to compete with him in a musical contest the challenge being accepted and umpires and it was decided that the unsuccessful candidate should suffer the punishment of being flayed alive for a long time the merits of both claimants remained so equally balanced that it was impossible to award the palm of victory to either seeing which Apollo resolved to conquer added the sweet tones of his melodious voice to the strains of his liar and this at once turned the scale in his favour the unhappy Marcius being defeated had to undergo the terrible penalty and his untimely fate was universally lamented indeed the satires and dryads his companions wept so incessantly at his fate that their tears uniting together formed a river in Phrygia which is still known by the name of Marcius the result of the contest with Pan was by no means of so serious a character the guard of shepherds having affirmed that he could play more skillfully on his flute of seven reeds the sirens or panzers pipe then Apollo on his world-renowned liar a contest ensued in which Apollo was pronounced the victor by all the judges appointed to decide between the rival candidates Midas King of Phrygia alone demurred at this decision having the bad taste to prefer the uncouth tones of the panzers pipe to the refined melodies of Apollo's liar incensed at the obstinacy and stupidity of the Phrygian king Apollo punished him by giving him the ears of an ass Midas horrified at being thus disfigured determined to hide his disgrace from his subjects by means of a cap his barber however could not be kept in ignorance of the fact and was therefore bribed with rich gifts never to reveal it finding however that he could not keep the secret any longer he dug a hole in the ground into which he whispered it then closing up the aperture he returned home feeling greatly relieved eased his mind of its burden but after all this very humiliating secret was revealed to the world for some reeds which sprung up from the spot murmured incessantly as they waved to and fro in the wind King Midas has the ears of an ass in the sad and beautiful story of Naobie daughter of Tantalus and wife of Amphion King of Thebes in the absence of the severe punishments meted out by Apollo to those who in any way incurred his displeasure Naobie was the proud mother of seven sons and seven daughters and exulting in the number of her children she upon one occasion ridiculed the worship of Leto because she had but one son and daughter and desired the Thebans for the future to give to her daughters and sacrifices which they had here thereto offered to the mother of Apollo and Artemis the sacrilegious words has scarcely passed her lips before Apollo called upon his sister Artemis to assist him in avenging the insult offered to their mother and soon their invisible arrows sped through the air Apollo slew all the sons and Artemis having already slain all the daughters save one the youngest and best beloved whom Naobie clasped in her arms when the agonised mother implored the enraged deities to leave her at least one out of all her beautiful children but even as she prayed the deadly arrow reached the heart of this child also meanwhile the unhappy father unable to bear the loss of his children had destroyed himself and his dead body lay beside the lifeless corpse of his favourite son widowed and childless the heartbroken mother sat among her dead and the gods in pity for her unutterable woe turned her into a stone which they transferred to syphilis her native frigid mountain where it still continues to shed tears the punishment of Naobie forms the project of a magnificent marble group which was found at Rome in the year 1553 and is now in the gallery of Uffizi at Florence the renowned singer Orpheus was the son of Apollo and Calliope the muse of epic poetry and as might be expected with parents so highly gifted was endowed with most distinguished intellectual qualifications he was a poet a teacher of the religious doctrines known as the Orphic Mysteries and a great musician having inherited from his father an extraordinary genius for music when he sang to the sweet tones of his lyre he charmed all nature and summoned around him the wild beasts of the forests who under the influence of his music became tame and gentle as lambs the madly rushing torrents stopped their rapid course and the very mountains and trees moved from their places at the sound of his entrancing melodies Orpheus became united with to a lovely nymph named Eurydice the daughter of the sea god Narius whom he fondly loved she was no less attached to him and their married life was full of joy and happiness but it was only short lived for Orpheus the half brother of Orpheus having fallen in love with the beautiful Eurydice forcibly endeavored to take her from her husband and as she fled across some fields to elude his pursuit she was bitten on the foot by a venomous snake which lay concealed in the long grass Eurydice died of the wound and her sorrowing husband filled the groves and valleys with his piteous and unceasing lamentations his longing to behold her once more became at last so unconquerable that he determined to brave the horrors of the lower world in order to entreat Aedes to restore to him his beloved wife armed only with his golden lyre the gift of Apollo he descended into the gloomy depths of Aedes where his heavenly music arrested for a while the torments of the unhappy sufferers the stone of Sisyphus remained motionless Tantalus forgot his perpetual thirst the wheel of Ixion ceased to revolve and even the fury shed tears and withheld for a time their persecutions undismayed at the scenes of horror and suffering which met his view on every side he pursued his way until he arrived at the palace of Aedes presenting himself before the throne on which sat the stony hearted king and his consort Persephone Orpheus recounted his woes to the sound of his lyre now moved to pity by his sweet strains they listened to his melancholy story and consented to release Eurydice on condition that he should not look upon her until they reached the upper world Orpheus gladly promised to comply with this injunction and followed by Eurydice ascended the steep and gloomy path which led to the realms of life and light all went well until he was just about to pass the extreme limits of Aedes when forgetting for the moment the hard condition he turned to convince himself that his beloved wife was really behind him the glance was fatal and destroyed all his hopes of happiness for as he yearningly stretched out his arms to embrace her she was caught back and vanished from his sight forever the grief of Orpheus at this second loss was even more intense than before and he now avoided all human society invading the nymphs his once chosen companions endeavoured to win him back to his accustomed haunts their power to charm was gone and music was now his soul consolation he wandered forth alone choosing the wildest and most secluded paths and the hills and veils resounded with his pathetic melodies at last he happened to cross the path of some Thracian women who were performing the wild rites of Dionysus Bacchus and in their mad fury at his refusing to join them they furiously attacked him and tore him in pieces in pity for his unhappy fate the muses collected his remains which they buried at the foot of Mount Olympus and the nightingale war would a funeral dirge over his grave his head was thrown into the river Hebrus and as it floated down the stream the lips still continued to murmur the beloved name of Eurydice the chief seat of the worship of Apollo was at Delphi and here was the most magnificent of all his temples the station of which reaches far beyond all historical knowledge and which contained immense riches the offerings of kings and private persons who had received favourable replies from the oracle the Greeks believed Delphi to be the central point of the earth because two eagles sent forth by Zeus one from the east the other from the west we said to have arrived here for a moment the python games celebrated in honour of the victory of Apollo over the python took place at Delphi every four years at the first celebration of these games gods, goddesses and heroes contended for the prizes which were at first of gold or silver but consisted in later times of simple laurel wreaths on account of its being the place of his birth the whole island of Delos was consecrated to Apollo where he was worshipped with great solemnity the greatest care was taken to preserve the sanctity of the spot for which reason no one was suffered to be buried there at the foot of Mount Synthesis was a splendid temple of Apollo which possessed an oracle and was enriched with magnificent offerings from all parts of Greece even foreign nations held this island sacred for when the Persians passed it on their way to attack Greece they not only sailed by leaving it uninjured but sent rich presents to the temple games called Delia instituted by theses were celebrated at Delos every four years a festival termed the gymnopedia was held at Sparta in honour of Apollo in which boys sang the praises of the gods and of the 300 lacedemonians who fell at the battle of the Moppoli wolves and hawks were sacrificed to Apollo and the birds sacred to him were the hawk, raven and swan end of section 6 section 7 of Myths and Legends this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Lucy LaFaro New South Wales, Australia Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Behrens section 7 3rd Dynasty Olympian Divinities Hecate and Selene Hecate Hecate would appear to have been originally a moon goddess worshipped by the Thracians she became confounded and eventually identified with Selene and Persephone and is one of those Divinities of whom the ancients had various conflicting accounts Hecate was the daughter of Perses and gold-wraithed Estria the starry night and her sway extended over earth, heaven and hell for each reason she is represented in works of art as a triple Divinity having three female bodies all young and beautiful and united together in later times when this Divinity becomes identified with Persephone she is supposed to inhabit the lower world as a malignant deity and henceforward it is the gloomy or inspiring side of her character which alone develops itself she now presides over all practices connected with witchcraft and enchantments haunts, sepulchres and the point where two roads cross and lonely spots where murders have been committed she was supposed to be connected with the appearance of ghosts and spectres with unlimited influence over the powers of the lower world and to be able to lay to rest unearthly apparitions by her magic spells and enchantments Hecate appears as a gigantic woman bearing a torch and a sword her feet and hair are formed of snakes and her passage is accompanied by voices of thunder weird shrieks and yells and howling of dogs her favour was propitiated by offerings and sacrifices principally consisting of black lambs her festivals were celebrated at night by torchlight when these animals were offered to her accompanied by many peculiar ceremonies these ceremonies were carried out with the minutest attention to details as it was believed that the emission of the slightest particular would afford to her ministers the evil spirits of the lower world who hovered round the worshippers an opportunity for entering among them and exerting their baneful influence at the end of every month food was placed wherever two roads met in readiness for her and other malignant divinities in studying the peculiar characteristics which Hecate assumes the place of Persephone the rightful mistress of the lower world we are reminded of the various superstitions with regard to spectres witchcraft etc which have even down to our own times exerted so powerful an influence over the minds of the ignorant and which would appear to owe their origin to a remote pagan source Selene, Luna just as Helios personified the sun so his sister Selene represented the moon and was supposed to drive her chariot across the sky whilst her brother was reposing after the toils of the day when the shades of evening began to unfold the earth the two milk white steeds of Selene rose out of the mysterious depths of Oceanus seated in a silvery chariot accompanied by her daughter Hirst the goddess of the Jew appeared the mild and gentle queen of the night with a crescent on her fair brow a gauzy veil flowing behind and a lighted torch in her hand Selene greatly admired a beautiful young shepherd named Endymion to whom Zeus had accorded the privilege of eternal youth combined with the faculty of sleeping whenever he desired and as long as he wished seeing this lovely youth fast asleep on Mount Latmos Selene was so struck with his beauty that she came down every night from heaven to watch over and protect him End of section 7 Recording by Lucy Lofaro New South Wales, Australia Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Barons Section 8 Third Dynasty Olympian Divinities Artemis Artemis Diana Artemis was worshiped by the Greeks under various appellations to each of which belonged special characteristics thus she is known as the Akkadian Ephesian and Breronian Artemis and also as Selene Artemis and in order fully to comprehend the worship of this Divinity we must consider her under each aspect Akkadian Artemis The Akkadian Artemis the real Artemis of the Greeks was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin sister of Apollo she was the goddess of hunting and chastity and having obtained from her father permission to lead a life of celibacy she ever remained a maiden Divinity Artemis is the feminine counterpart of her brother the glorious god of light and like him though she deals out destruction and sudden death to men and animals she is also able to alleviate suffering and cure diseases like Apollo also she is skilled in the use of the bow but in a far more eminent degree for in the character of Artemis who devoted herself to the chase and passionate Adol this becomes an all distinguishing feature armed with her bow and quiver and attended by her train of huntresses who were nymphs of the woods and springs she roamed over the mountains in pursuit of her favourite exercise destroying in her course the wild animals of the forest when the chase was ended Artemis and her maidens loved to assemble in a shady grove or on the banks of a favourite stream where they joined in the merry song or graceful dance and made the heels resound with their joyous shouts as the type of purity and chastity Artemis was especially venerated by young maidens who before marrying sacrificed their hair to her she was also the patroness of those vowed to celibacy and punished severely any infringement of their obligation the huntress goddess is represented as being a head taller than her attendant nymphs and always appears as a youthful and slender maiden her features are beautiful but wanting in gentleness of expression her hair is gathered negligently into a knot at the back of her well shaped head and her figure though somewhat masculine is most graceful in its attitude and proportions the short robe she wears leaves her limbs free for the exercise of her chase her devotion to which is indicated by the quiver which is slung over her shoulder and the bow which she bears in her hand there are many famous statues of this divinity but the most celebrated is that known as the Diana of Versailles in the Louvre which forms a not unworthy companion to the Apollo Belvedere of the Vatican in this statue the goddess appears in the act of rescuing a hunted deer from its pursuers on whom she is turning with angry mane one hand is laid protectingly on the head of the stag lost with the other she draws an arrow from the quiver which hangs over her shoulder her attributes are the bow quiver and spear the animal sacred to her are the hind, dog bear and wild boar Artemis promptly resented any disregard or neglect of her worship a remarkable instance of this is shown in the story of the Caledonian boar hunt which is as follows Enius king of Caledonian Aetalia had incurred the displeasure of Artemis by neglecting to include her in a general sacrifice to the gods which she had offered up out of gratitude for a bounty full harvest the goddess enraged at this neglect sent a wild boar of extraordinary size and prodigious strength which destroyed the sprouting grain laid waste the fields and threatened the inhabitants with famine and death at this juncture Meliagia the brave son of Enius returned from the Argonautic expedition and finding his country ravaged by this dreadful scourge entreated the assistance of all the celebrated heroes of the age to join him in hunting the ferocious monster among the most famous of those who responded to his call were Jason Castor Pollux Idus Pelius Telamon Perithus Joseph Althea wife of Enius joined the hunters and Meliagia also enlisted into his service the Fleetfooted Huntress Atlanta the father of this maiden was Skeenas an Akkadian who disappointed at the birth of a daughter when he had particularly desired a son had exposed her on the Parthenian hill where he left her to perish here she was nursed by a she-bear and at last found by some hunters who reared her and gave her the name of Atlanta as the maiden grew up she became an arded lover of the chase and was alike distinguished for her beauty and courage though often wooed she led a life of strict celibacy an oracle having predicted that inevitable misfortune awaited her should she give herself in marriage to any of her numerous suitors many of the heroes objected to hunt in company with a maiden but Meliagia who loved Atlanta overcame their opposition and the valiant band set out on their expedition Atlanta was the first to wound the ball with her spear but not before two of the heroes had met their death from his fierce tusks after a long and desperate encounter Meliagia succeeded in killing the monster and presented the head and hide to Atlanta as trophies of the victory the uncles of Meliagia however forcibly took the hide from the maiden claiming their right to the spoil as next of kin if Meliagia resigned it Artemis whose anger was still unappeased caused a violent quarrel to arise between uncles and nephew and in the struggle which ensued Meliagia killed his mother's brothers and then restored the hide to Atlanta when Althea beheld the dead bodies of the slain heroes her grief and anger knew no bounds she swore to revenge the death of her brothers and her own son and unfortunately for him the instrument of vengeance lay ready to her hand at the birth of Meliagia the Moiri all fates entered the house of Enius and pointed into a piece of wood then burning on the half declared that as soon as it was consumed the babe would surely die on hearing this Althea seized a brand laid it up carefully in a chest and henceforth preserved it as her most precious possession but now love for her son giving place to the resentment she felt against the murder of her brothers and took the brand into the devouring flames as it consumed the vigor of Meliagia wasted away and when it was reduced to ashes he expired repenting too late the terrible effects of her rash deed Althea in remorse and despair took away her own life the news of the courage and the intrepidity displayed by Atlanta in the famous bore hunt of her father caused him to acknowledge his long lost child urged by him to choose one of her numerous suitors she consented to do so but made it a condition that he alone who could outstrip her in a race should become her husband whilst those she defeated should be put to death by her with the lance which she bore in her hand thus many suitors had perished for the maiden was unequalled for swiftness of foot but at last a beautiful youth named Hippomanes who had vainly endeavoured to win her love by his assiduous attentions in the chase ventured to enter the fatal lists knowing that only by stratagem could he hope to be successful he obtained by the help of Aphrodite three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides which he threw down at intervals during his course Atlanta secure a victory stooped to pick up the tempting fruit and in the meantime Hippomanes arrived at the goal he became the husband of the lovely Atlanta but forgot in his newly found happiness the gratitude which he owed to Aphrodite and the goddess withdrew her favour from the pair not long after the prediction the couple told misfortune to Atlanta in the event of her marriage was verified for she and her husband having strayed unsanctioned into a sacred grove of Zeus were both transformed into lions the trophies of the ever memorable boar hunt had been carried by Atlanta into Arcadia and for many centuries the identical hide and enormous tusks of the Caledonian boar of Athena at Tagaea the tusks were afterwards conveyed to Rome and shown there among other curiosities a forcible instance of the manner in which Artemis resented any intrusion on her retirement is seen in the fate which befell the famous hunter Action who happening one day to see Artemis and her attendants bathing imprudently ventured to approach the spot the goddess incensed at his audacity sprinkled him with water and transformed him into a stag whereupon he was torn in pieces and devoured by his own dogs Ephesian Artemis the Ephesian Artemis known to us as Diana of the Ephesians was a very ancient Asiatic divinity of Persian origin called Metra whose worship the Greek colonists found already established when they first settled in Asia Minor and whom they identified with their own Greek Artemis though she really possessed but one single attribute in common with their home deity Metra was a two fold divinity and represented in one phase of her character all pervading love in the other she was the light of heaven in her character as Celine was the only Greek female divinity who represented celestial light the Greek settlers according to their customer fusing foreign deities into their own seized at once upon this point of resemblance and decided that Metra should henceforth be regarded as identical with Artemis in her character as the love which pervades all nature and penetrates everywhere but her also to be present in the mysterious realm of shades where she exercised her benign sway replacing to a certain extent that ancient divinity Hecate and partly usurping also the place of Persephone as mistress of the lower world thus they believed that it was she who permitted the spirits of the departed to revisit the earth in order to communicate those they loved and to give them timely warning of coming evil in fact this great mighty and omnipresent power of love as embodied in the Ephesian Artemis was believed by the great thinkers of old to be the ruling spirit of the universe and it was to her influence that all the mysterious and beneficent workings of nature were ascribed by the magnificent temple erected to this divinity at Ephesus a city of Asia Minor which was ranked among the seven wonders of the world and was unequalled in beauty and grandeur the interior of this edifice was adorned with statues and paintings and contained 127 columns 60 feet in height each column having been placed there including the wealth deposited in this temple was enormous and the goddess was he worshipped with particular awe and solemnity in the interior of the edifice stood a statue of her formed of ebony with lines on her arms and turrets on her head whilst a number of breasts indicated the fruitfulness of the earth and of nature one was the principal architect of this world-renowned structure which however was not entirely completed till 220 years after the foundation stone was laid but the labour of centuries was destroyed in a single night for a man called Herostratus seized with the insane desire of making his name famous to all succeeding generations set fire to it completely destroyed it so great was the indignation and sorrow of the Ephesians at this calamity that they enacted a law forbidding the incendiary's name to be mentioned thereby however defeating their own object for thus the name of Herostratus has been handed down to posterity and will live as long as the memory of the famous temple Ephesus Broronian Artemis in ancient times the country which we now call the Crimea was known by the name of the Torica Cusinesis it was colonised by Greek settlers who finding that the Scythian inhabitants had a native divinity somewhat resembling their own Artemis identified her with the huntress goddess of the mother country the worship of this Torian Artemis was attended with the most barbarous practices for in accordance with the law which she had enacted all strangers whether male or female landing or shipwrecked on her shores were sacrificed upon her alters it is supposed that this decree was issued by the Torian goddess of Chastity to protect the purity of her followers by keeping them apart from foreign influences the interesting story of Ephegenia a priestess in the temple of Artemis at Taurus forms the subject of one of Shilla's most beautiful plays the circumstances occurred at the commencement of the Trojan War and Aris follows the fleet, collected by the Greeks for the siege of Troy had assembled at Aulis in Boatia and was about to set sail when Agamemnon the commander in chief had the misfortune to kill accidentally a stag which was grazing in a grove sacred to Artemis the offended goddess sent continuous calms that delayed the departure of the fleet and Kalkas the soothsayer who had accompanied the expedition declared that nothing less than the sacrifice of Agamemnon's favourite daughter Ephegenia would appease the wrath of the goddess at these words the heroic heart of the brave leader to work within him and he declared that rather than consent to so fearful an alternative he would give up his share of the expedition and return to Argos in this dilemma Odysseus and other great generals called a council to discuss the matter and after much deliberation it was decided that private feeling must yield to the welfare of the state for a long time the unhappy Agamemnon turned a deaf ear to their arguments but at last they succeeded in persuading him that it was his duty to make the sacrifice he accordingly dispatched a messenger to his wife Clitimnestra begging her to send Ephegenia to him alleging as a pretext that the great hero Achilles desired to make her his wife rejoicing at the brilliant destiny which awaited her beautiful daughter the fond mother at once obeyed the command and sent her to Aulis when the maiden arrived at her destination and discovered to her horror the dreadful fate which awaited her she threw herself in an agony of grief at her father's feet and with sobs and tears entreated him to have mercy on her and to spare her young life but alas her doom was sealed and her now repentant heartbroken father was powerless to avert it the unfortunate victim was bound to the altar and already the fatal knife was raised to deal the death blow when suddenly Ephegenia disappeared from view and in her place on the altar lay a beautiful deer ready to be sacrificed it was Artemis herself who pitying the youth and beauty of her victim caused her to be conveyed to Torica where she became one of her priestesses and entrusted with the charge of her temple a dignity however which necessitated the offering of those human sacrifices presented to Artemis many years passed away during which time the long and wearisome siege of Troy had come to an end and the brave Argumemnon had returned home to meet death Aegisthus but his daughter Ephegenia was still in exile from her native country and continued to perform the terrible duties which her office involved she had long given up all hopes have ever been restored to her friends when one day two Greek strangers landed on Torica's inhospitable shores these were Orestes and Pelades whose romantic attachment to each other has made their names synonymous for devoted self-sacrificing friendship Orestes was Ephegenia's brother and Pelades her cousin and their object in undertaking an expedition fraught with so much peril was to obtain the statue of the Torian Artemis Orestes having incurred the anger of the Furies for avenging the murder of his father Argumemnon was pursued by them wherever he went until at last he was informed by the Oracle of Delphi that in order to pacify them he must convey the image of the Torian Artemis from Taurus to Attica this he at once resolved to do and accompanied by his faithful friend Pelades who insisted on sharing the dangers of the undertaking he set out for Torica but the unfortunate youths had hardly stepped on shore before they were seized by the natives their usual conveyed them for sacrifice to the temple of Artemis Ephegenia discovering that they were Greeks though unaware of their near relationship to herself thought the opportunity a favourable one for sending tidings of her existence to her native country and accordingly requested one of the strangers to be the bearer of a letter from her to her family a magnanimous dispute now arose between the friends and each be sought the other to accept the precious privilege of life and freedom Pelades at length overcome by the urgent entreaties of Orestes agreed to be the bearer of the missive but on looking more closely at the superscription he observed to his intense surprise that it was addressed to Orestes here upon an explanation followed the brother and sister recognised each other amid joyful tears and loving embraces and assisted by her friends and kinsmen Ephegenia escaped with them from a country where she had spent so many unhappy days and witnessed so many scenes of horror and anguish the fugitives having contrived to obtain the image of the taurian Artemis carried it with them to Brauron in Attica this divinity was hence forth known as the Brauronian Artemis and the rites which had rendered her worship so infamous in Taureica were now introduced into Greece and human victims bled freely under the sacrificial knife both in Athens and Sparta the revolting practice of offering human sacrifices to her was continued until the time of Lycurgus the great Spartan lawgiver who put an end to it by substituting in its place one which was hardly less barbarous namely the scourging of youths who were whipped on the altars of the Brauronian Artemis in the most cruel manner sometimes indeed they expired under the lash in which case their mothers far from lamenting their fate are said to have rejoiced considering this an honourable death for their sons Selene Artemis here there too we have seen Selene Artemis only in the various phases of her terrestrial character but just as her brother Apollo drew into himself by degrees the attributes of that more ancient divinity Helios the sun god so in like manner she came to be identified in later times with Selene the moon goddess in which character she is always represented as wearing on her forehead a glittering crescent whilst a flowing veil of flowers reaches to her feet and a long robe completely envelops her end of section 8 section 9 of myths and legends this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Lucy LaFaro New South Wales Australia myths and legends of ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Behrens section 9 3rd dynasty Olympian divinities Hephaestus and Poseidon Hephaestus Vulcan Hephaestus the son of Zeus and Hera was the god of fire in its beneficial aspect and the presiding deity over all workmanship accomplished by means of this useful element he was universally honoured not only as the god of all mechanical arts but also as a house and half divinity who exercised a beneficial influence on civilised society in general unlike the other Greek divinities he was ugly and deformed being awkward in his movements and limping in his gate this latter defect originated as we have already seen in the wrath of his father Zeus who hurled him down from heaven the inhabitants of his taking the part of Hera in one of the domestic disagreements which so frequently arose between this royal pair Hephaestus was a whole day falling from Olympus to the earth where he at length alighted on the island of Lemnos the inhabitants of the country seeing him descending through the air received him in their arms but in spite of their care his leg was broken by the fall and he remained ever afterwards lame in one foot Grateful for the kindness of the Lemnians he henceforth took up his abode on their island and there built for himself a superb palace and forges for the pursuit of his avocation he instructed the people how to work in metals and also taught them other valuable and useful arts it is said that the first work of Hephaestus was a most ingenious throne of gold with secret rings which he presented to Hera it was arranged in such a manner that once seated she found herself unable to move and though all the gods endeavoured to extricate her their efforts were unavailing. Hephaestus thus revenged himself on his mother for the cruelty she had always displayed towards him on account of his want of comeliness and grace Dionysus the wine god contrived however to intoxicate Hephaestus and then induced him to return to Olympus where after having released the queen of heaven from her very undignified position he became a consult to his parents he now built for himself a glorious palace on Olympus of shining gold and made for the other deities those magnificent edifices which they inhabited he was assisted in his various and exquisitely skillful works of art by two female statues of pure gold formed by his own hand which possessed the power of motion and always accompanied him wherever he went with the assistance of the Cyclops he forged for Zeus his wonderful thunderbolts thus investing his mighty father with a new power of terrible import Zeus testified his appreciation of this precious gift by bestowing upon Hephaestus the beautiful Aphrodite in marriage but this was a questionable boon for the lovely Aphrodite who was the personification of all grace and beauty felt no affection for her ungainly and unattractive spouse and amused herself by ridiculing his awkward movements and unsightly person on one occasion especially when Hephaestus good naturedly took upon himself the office of cupbearer to the gods the open gate and extreme awkwardness created the greatest mirth among the celestials in which his disloyal partner was the first to join with unconcealed merriment Aphrodite greatly preferred Ares to her husband and this preference naturally gave rise to much jealousy on the part of Hephaestus and caused them great unhappiness Hephaestus appears to have been an indispensable member of the Olympic assembly where he plays Smith, Armourer, chariot builder etc As already mentioned he constructed the palaces where the gods resided, fashioned the golden shoes with which they trod the air or water, built for them their wonderful chariots and shod with brass the horses of Celestial breed which conveyed these glittering equipages over land and sea he also made the tripods which moved of themselves in out of the Celestial halls formed for Zeus the far famed Aegis and directed the magnificent palace of the sun he also created the bronze footed bulls of 80s which breathed flames from their nostrils, sent forth clouds of smoke and filled the air with their roaring Among his most renowned works of art for the use of mortals were the armour of Achilles and Enius the beautiful necklace of Harmonia and the crown of Raryadne but his masterpiece was Pandora of whom a detailed account has already been given There was a temple on Mount Etna erected in his honour which none but the pure and virtuous were permitted to enter The entrance to this temple was guarded by dogs which possessed the extraordinary faculty of being able to discriminate between the righteous and the unrighteous and caressing the good whilst they rushed upon all evil doers and drove them away Hephaestus is usually represented as a powerful, brawny and very muscular man of middle height and mature age His strong uplifted arm is raised in the act of striking the anvil with a hammer which he holds in one hand whilst with the other he is turning a thunderbolt which an eagle beside him The principal seat of his worship was the island of Lemnos where he was regarded with peculiar veneration Poseidon was the son of Cronos and Rhea and the brother of Zeus He was god of the sea more particularly of the Mediterranean and like the element over which he presided was of a variable disposition now violently agitated and now calm and placid for which reason he is sometimes represented by the poets as quiet and composed and at others as disturbed and angry In the earliest ages of Greek mythology he merely symbolised the watery element but in later times as navigation and intercourse with other nations engendered greater traffic by sea Poseidon gained in importance and came to be regarded as a distinct divinity holding indisputable dominion over the sea and over all divinities who acknowledged him as their sovereign ruler He possessed the power of causing it will mighty and destructive tempests in which the billows rise mountains high and the wind becomes a hurricane land and sea being enveloped in thick mists whilst destruction assails the unfortunate mariners exposed to their fury On the other hand Poseidon alone was the power of stilling the angry waves of soothing the troubled waters and granting safe voyage to mariners For this reason Poseidon was always invoked and propitiated by a libation before a voyage was undertaken and sacrifices and thanksgivings were gratefully offered to him after a safe and prosperous journey by sea The symbol of his power was the fisherman's fork or trident by means of which he produced earthquakes raised up islands from the bottom of the sea and caused wells to spring forth out of the earth Poseidon was essentially a presiding deity over fishermen and was on that account more particularly worshipped and revered in countries bordering on the sea coast where fish naturally formed a stable commodity of trade He was supposed to vent his displeasure by sending disastrous inundations which completely destroyed whole countries and were usually accompanied by terrible marine monsters who swallowed up and devoured those whom the floods had spared It is probable that these sea monsters are the poetical figures which represent the demons of hunger and famine necessarily accompanying a general inundation Poseidon is generally represented as resembling his brother Zeus in features, height and general aspect but we miss in the countenance of the sea god the kindness and benignity which so pleasingly distinguish his mighty brother The eyes are bright and piercing and the contour of the face somewhat sharper in its outline than that of Zeus thus corresponding, as it were with his more angry and violent nature His hair waves in dark disorderly masses over his shoulders his chest is broad and his frame powerful and stalwart He wears a short curling beard and a band round his head He usually appears standing erect in a graceful shell chariot drawn by hippocamps or sea horses with golden mains and brazen hoofs who bound over the dancing waves with such wonderful swiftness that the chariot scarcely touches the water The monsters of the deep acknowledging their mighty lord gamble playfully around him whilst the sea joyfully smooths a path for the passage of its all powerful ruler He inhabited a beautiful palace at the bottom of the sea at Aegea in Yubia and also possessed a royal residence on Mount Olympus which, however, he only visited when his presence was required by the council of the gods His wonderful palace beneath the waters was of vast extent In its lofty and capacious halls thousands of his followers could assemble The exterior of the building was of bright gold which the continual wash of the waters preserved untarnished In the interior lofty and graceful columns supported the gleaming dome Everywhere fountains of glistening silvery water played Everywhere, groves and arbours of feathery, leaved sea plants appeared whilst rocks of pure crystal listened with all the varied colours of the rainbow Some of the paths were strewn with white sparkling sand interspersed with jewels, pearls and amber This delightful abode was surrounded on all sides by wide fields all groves of dark purple coraline and tufts of beautiful scarlet-leaved plants and sea anemones of every tint Here grew bright pink seaweeds, mosses of all hues and shades and tall grasses which, growing upwards formed emerald caves and crottos such as the Nereides love whilst fish of various kinds playfully darted in and out in the full enjoyment of their native element Nor was illumination wanting in this fairy-like region which at night was lit up by the glow worms of the deep But although Poseidon ruled with absolute power over the ocean and its inhabitants he nevertheless bowed submissively to the will of the great ruler of Olympus and appeared at all times desirous of conciliating him We find him coming to his aid when emergency demanded and frequently rendering him valuable assistance against his opponents At the time when Zeus was harassed by the attacks of the giants he proved himself a most powerful ally engaging in single combat with a hideous giant named Hollibotis whom he followed over the sea and at last succeeded in destroying by hurling upon him the island of Kos These amicable relations between the brothers were however sometimes interrupted Thus for instance upon one occasion Poseidon joined Hera and Athene in a secret conspiracy to seize upon the ruler of heaven place him in fetters and deprive him of the sovereign power The conspiracy being discovered Hera as the chief instigator of this sacrilegious attempt on the divine person of Zeus was severely chastised and even beaten by her enraged spouse as a punishment for her rebellion and treachery Whilst Poseidon was condemned for the space of a whole year to forego his dominion over the sea and it was at this time that in conjunction with Apollo he built for Leomedon the walls of Troy Poseidon married a sea nymph named Amphitrite whom he wooed under the form of a dolphin She afterwards became jealous of a beautiful maiden called Scylla who was beloved by Poseidon and in order to revenge herself she threw some herbs into a well where Scylla was bathing which had the effect of metamorphising her into a monster of terrible aspect having 12 feet 6 heads long necks and a voice which resembled the bark of a dog This awful monster is said to have inhabited a cave at a very great height in the famous rock which still bears her name and was supposed to swoop down from her rocky eminence upon every ship that passed and with each of her 6 heads to secure a victim Amphitrite is often represented assisting Poseidon to see horses to his chariot The Cyclops who have been already alluded to in the history of Cronus were the sons of Poseidon and Amphitrite They were a wild race of gigantic growth similar in their nature to the earth-born giants and had only one eye each in the middle of their foreheads They led a lawless life possessing neither social manners nor fear of the gods nor of the craftsmen of Hephaestus whose workshop was supposed to be in the heart of the volcanic mountain Etna Here we have another striking instance of the manner in which the Greeks personified the powers of nature which they saw in active operation around them They beheld with awe mingled with astonishment the fire, stones and ashes which poured forth volcanic mountains and with their vivacity of imagination found a solution of the mystery in the supposition that the god of fire must be busy at work with his men in the depths of the earth and that the mighty flames which they beheld issued in this manner from his subterranean forge The chief representative of the Cyclops was the man-eating monster Polyphemus as having been blinded and outwitted at last by Odysseus This monster fell in love with a beautiful nymph called Galataea but as may be supposed his addresses were not acceptable to the fair maiden who rejected them in favour of a youth named Assas upon which Polyphemus with his usual barbarity destroyed the life of his rival by throwing upon him a gigantic rock The blood of the murdered Assas gushing out of the rock formed a stream which still bears his name Triton, Rhoda and Benthecissime were also children of Poseidon and Amphitrite The seagod was the father of two giant sons called Otis and Ephialtes When only nine years old they were said to be 27 cubits in height and nine in breadth These youthful giants were as rebellious as they were powerful even presuming to threaten the gods themselves with hostilities During the War of the Gigantum Machia they endeavoured to scale heaven by piling mighty mountains one upon another Already they had succeeded in placing Mount Ossar on Olympus and Pelion on Ossar This project was frustrated by Apollo who destroyed them with his arrows It was supposed that had not their lives been thus cut off before reaching maturity their sacrilegious designs would have been carried into effect Helius and Nellus were also sons of Poseidon Their mother Tyro was attached to the river god Anepius whose form Poseidon assumed and thus won her love Helius became afterwards famous in the story of the Argonauts and Nellius was the father of Nestor who was distinguished in the Trojan War The Greeks believed that it was to Poseidon they were indebted for the existence of the horse which he is said to have produced in the following manner Athene and Poseidon both claiming the right to name Sacropia a violent dispute arose which was finally settled by an assembly of the Olympian gods who decided that whichever of the contending parties presented mankind with the most useful gift should obtain the privilege of naming the city Upon this Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and the horse sprang forth in all its untamed strength and graceful beauty From the spot which Athene touched with her wand issued the olive tree whereupon the gods unanimously awarded to her the victory declaring her gift to be the emblem of peace and plenty whilst that of Poseidon was thought to be the symbol of war and bloodshed Athene accordingly called the city Athens after herself and it has ever since retained Poseidon tamed the horse for the use of mankind and was believed to have taught men the art of managing horses by the bridle The Isthymian games so named because they were held on the Isthymus of Corinth in which horse and chariot races were a distinguishing feature were instituted in honour of Poseidon He was more especially worshiped in the Peloponnesus though universally revered throughout Greece and in the south of Italy His sacrifices were generally black and white bulls also wild boars and rams His usual attributes are the trident, horse and dolphin In some parts of Greece this divinity was identified with the Seigod Nereus for which reason Nereus or daughters of Nereus are represented as accompanying him End of section 9 Oceanus Oceanus was the son of Uranus and Jea He was the personification of the ever-flowing stream which, according to the primitive notions of the early Greeks encircled the world and from which sprang all the reverent streams that watered the earth He was married to Tethys one of the Titans and was the father of a numerous progeny called the Oceanites who are said to have been 1,000 in number He alone of all the Titans refrained from taking part against Zeus and the Titan Machia and was, on that account the only one of the primeval divinities permitted to retain his dominion under the new dynasty Nereus Nereus appears to be in the personification of the sea in its calm and placid moods and was, after Poseidon the most important of the sea deities He is represented as a kind and benevolent old man possessing the gift of prophecy and presiding more particularly over the Aegean sea of which he was considered to be the protecting spirit There he dwelt with his wife Doris and their fifty blooming daughters Banneriaids Beneath the waves in a beautiful grotto palace and was ever ready to assist a stressed mariners in the hour of danger Proteus Proteus, more formally known as the old man of the sea was a son of Poseidon and gifted with prophetic power But he had an invincible objection to being consulted in his capacity as seer and those who wished him to foretell events watched for the hour of noon when he was in the habit of coming up to the island of Pharos with Poseidon's flock of seals which he tended at the bottom of the sea Surrounded by these creatures of the deep he used to slumber beneath the grateful shade of the rocks This was the favourable moment to seize the prophet who, in order to avoid opportunities, would change himself into an infinite variety of forms But patience gained the day for, if you were only held long enough you became worried at last and, resuming his true form gave the information desired after which he dived down again at the bottom of the sea accompanied by the animals he tended Triton and the Tritons Triton was the only son of Poseidon and Amphyrity but he possessed little influence being altogether a minor divinity He is usually represented as preceding his father and acting as his trumpeteer using a conch shell for this purpose He lived with his parents in their beautiful golden palace beneath the sea at Ajir His favourite pastime was to ride over the billows on horses or sea monsters Triton is always represented as half-man, half-fish the body below the waist terminating in the tail of a dolphin We frequently find mention of Tritons who were either the offspring or kindred of Triton Glorcus Glorcus is said to have become a sea divinity in the following manner While angling one day he observed that the fish he caught and threw on the bank at once nibbled at the grass and then leaped back into the water His curiosity was naturally excited and he proceeded to gratify it by taking up a few blades and testing them No sooner was this done obeying an irresistible impulse he precipitated himself into the deep and became a sea god Like most sea divinities he was gifted with prophetic power and each year visited all the islands and coasts with a train of marine monsters for telling all kinds of evil Hence Fisherman dreaded his approach and endeavoured by prayer and fasting to avert the misfortunes which he prophesied He is often represented floating on the billows his body covered with mussels, seaweed and shells wearing a full beard and long-flowing hair and bitterly bewailing his immortality Thetis a silver-footed fair-haired Thetis who plays an important part in the mythology of Greece Was the daughter of Narius or a Somerset of Poseidon? Her grace and beauty was so remarkable that Zeus and Poseidon both sought an alliance with her but, as it had been foretold that a son of hers would gain supremacy over his father they relinquished their intentions and she became the wife of Pellius son of Aeacus Like Proteus Thetis possessed the power of transforming herself into a variety of different shapes and when wooed by Pellius she exerted this power in order to elude him but, knowing that persistence would eventually succeed he held her fast until she assumed her true form Their nuptials were celebrated with the utmost pomp and magnificence and were honoured by the presence of all the gods and goddesses with the exception of Ares Hal, the goddess of discord, resented her exclusion from the marriage festivities has already been shown Thetis ever retained great influence over the mighty Lord of Heaven which, as we shall see her after she used in favour of a renowned son Achilles in the Trojan War When Halcone plunged into the sea in despair after the shipwreck and death of her husband King Sykes Thetis transformed both husband and wife into the birds called Kingfishers Halcone's which, with the tender affection which characterised the unfortunate couple always fly in pairs The idea of the ancients was that these birds brought forth their young in nests which float on the surface of the sea in calm weather before and after the shortest day when Thetis was said to keep the water smooth and tranquil for their special benefit hence the term Halcyon days which signifies a period of rest and untroubled felicity Thomas, Forkis and Ceto The early Greeks, with their extraordinary power of personifying all and every attribute of nature gave a distinct personality to those mighty wonders of the deep which, in all ages, have afforded a matter of speculation to educated and uneducated alike Among these personifications we find Thomas, Forkis and their sister Ceto who are the offspring of Pontus Thomas, whose name signifies wonder typifies that peculiar translucent condition of the surface of the sea when it reflects mirror-like, various images and appears to hold in its transparent embrace the flaming stars in illuminated cities which also frequently reflected on its glassy bosom Thomas married the lovely Electra whose name signifies a sparkling light produced by electricity daughter of Oceanus her amber-coloured hair was of such rare beauty that none of her fair-haired sisters could compare with her and when she wept, her tears, being too precious to be lost formed drops of shining amber Forkis and Ceto personified more especially the hidden perils and terrors of the ocean they were parents of the Gorgons, the Greer and the Dragon which guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides Leocethie Leocethie was originally a mortal named Aino daughter of Cadmus, king of Thebes she married Athamas, king of Orcomenus who, incensed at her unnatural conduct to her step-children persuaded her and her son to the seashore when, seeing no hope of escape she flung herself with the child into the deep they were kindly received by the Nerides and became sea divinities under the name of Leocethie and Palamon the Sirens the Sirens would appear to have been personifications of those numerous rocks and unseen dangers which were bound on the south-west coast of Italy they were sea-nymphs with the upper part of the body that of a maiden and the lower that of a sea-bird having wings attached to their shoulders and were endowed with such wonderful voices that their sweet songs are said to have lured mariners to destruction Ares, Mars Ares, the son of Zeus and Hera, was the god of war who gloried in strife for its own sake he loved the tumult and havoc of the battlefield and delighted in slaughter and extermination in fact he presents no benevolent aspect which could possibly react favourably upon human life epic poets in particular represent the god of battles as a wild and governable warrior who passes through the armies like a whirlwind hurling to the ground the brave and cowardly alike destroying chariots and helmets and triumphing over the terrible desolation which he produces in all the myths concerning Ares his sister Athena ever appears in opposition to him endeavouring by every means in her power to defeat his bloodthirsty designs thus she assists the divine hero Diomedes at the siege of Troy to overcome Ares in battle and so well does he profit by a timely aid that he succeeds in wounding the Sanguero ward god who makes his exit from the field roving like ten thousand balls Ares appears to have been an object of aversion to all the gods of Olympus Aphrodite alone accepted as the son of Hera he had inherited from his mother the strongest feelings of independence and contradiction and as he took delight in upsetting that peaceful course of state life which was pre-emptily the care of Zeus to establish he was naturally disliked and even hated by him when wounded by Diomedes as above related he complains to his father but receives no sympathy from the otherwise kindly and beneficent ruler of Olympus who thus angrily addresses him do not trouble me with thy complaints thou who art of all the gods of Olympus most hateful to me for thou delightest in not save war and strife the very spirit of thy mother lives in thee and works thou not to my own son long ago wouldst thou have lain deeper down in the bowels of the earth than the son of Uranus Ares upon one occasion incurred the anger of Poseidon by slaying his son Halleriofius who had insulted Likopee, the daughter of the war god for this deed Poseidon summoned Ares to appear before the tribunal of the Olympic gods which was held upon a hill in Athens Ares was acquitted and this event is supposed to have given rise to the name Arafogus or Hill of Ares which afterwards became so famous as a court of justice in the Gigantamachia Ares was defeated by the Alodi the two giant sons of Poseidon who put him in chains and kept him in prison for thirteen months Ares is represented as a man of youthful appearance his tall muscular form combines great strength with wonderful agility in his right hand he bears a sword or a mighty lance one on the left arm he carries his round shield his demonical surroundings are terror and fear Ennio, the goddess of the war cry Caudamus, the demon of the noise battles and Ares, contention his twin sister and companion who always precedes chariot when he rushes to the fight the latter being evidently a smile of the poets to express the fact that war follows contention Ares is represented as a woman of floored complexion with disheveled hair and a whole appearance angry and menacing in one hand she braggages a poignard and a hissing adder whilst in the other she carries a burning torch her dress is torn and disorderly and her hair entwined with venomous snakes this divinity was never invoked by mortals except when they desired her assistance for the accomplishment of evil purposes Mars the Roman divinity most closely resembling the Greek Ares unidentified with him was called Mars Marmers and Mars-spitter or Father Mars the earliest Italian tribes who were mostly engaged in the pursuit of husbandry regarded this deity more especially as the god of spring who vanquished the powers of winter and encouraged the peaceful arts of agriculture but with the Romans who were in essentially war like nation Mars gradually lost his peaceful character and as god of war attains after Jupiter the highest position among the Olympic gods the Romans looked upon him as a special protector and declared him to have been the father of Romulus and Remus the founders of their city but although he was especially worshipped in Rome as god of war he still continued to preside over agriculture and was also the protecting deity who watched over the welfare of the state as the god who strode with warlike step to the battlefield he was called Gradivus from Gradus a step it being popularly believed by the Romans that he himself marched before them to battle and acted as their invisible protector as a presiding deity over agriculture he was called Silvanus whilst in his character as guardian of the state he bore the name of Quirinus the priests of Mars were twelve in number and were called Salai or the dancers from the fact that sacred dances and full armour formed an important item in their peculiar ceremonial this religious order the members of which were always chosen from the noblest families in Rome was first instituted by Numer Pompulus who entrusted to their special charge the Ancelai or sacred shields it is said that one morning when Numer was imploring the protection of Jupiter for the newly founded city of Rome the god of heaven as though in answer to his prayer sent down an oblong brazen shield and, as it fell at the feet of the king a voice was heard announcing that on its preservation depended the future safety and prosperity of Rome in order therefore to lessen the chances of this sacred treasure being abstracted Numer caused eleven more to be made exactly like it which were then given into the care of the Salai the assistance and protection of the god of war was always solemnly invoked before the departure of a Roman army for the field of battle and any reverses of fortune were invariably ascribed to his anger which was accordingly perpetrated by means of extraordinary sin offerings and prayers in Rome a field called the Campus Martius was dedicated to Mars it was a large open space in which armies were collected and reviewed general assemblies of the people held and the young nobility trained to martial exercises the most celebrated and magnificent of the numerous temples built by the Romans in honour of this deity was the one erected by Augustus in the Forum to commemorate the overthrow of the murderers of Caesar of all the existing statues of Mars the most renowned is that in the Villa Ludvosi at Rome in which he is represented as a powerful muscular man in the full vigor of youth the attitude is that of thoughtful repose but the short curly hair dilated nostrils and strongly marked features leave no doubt as the force and turbulence of his character at his feet the sculptor has placed the little god of love who looks up all undaunted at the mighty war god as though mischievously conscious this unusually quiet mood is attributed to his influence religious festivals in honour of Mars were generally held in the month of March but he had also a festival on the ides of October when chariot races took place after which the right hand horse of the team which had drawn the victorious chariot was sacrificed to him in ancient times human sacrifices more especially prisoners of war were offered to him but at a later period this cruel practice was discontinued the attributes of this divinity are the helmet, shield and spear the animals consecrated to him were the wolf, horse, falter and woodpecker intimately associated with Mars in his character as god of war was a goddess called Volona who was evidently the female divinity of battle with one or other of the primitive nations of Italy most probably the Sabines and is usually seen accompanying Mars whose war chariot she guides Volona appears on the battlefield inspired with mad rage, cruelty and the love of extermination she is in full armour, her hair is dishevelled and she bears a scourge in one hand and a lance in the other a temple was erected to her on the campus Martius before the entrance to the Zedophist stood a pillar over which a spear was thrown when war was publicly declared Nike, Victoria Nike, the goddess of victory was the daughter of the Titans palace and of Styx the presiding nymph of the river of that name in the lower world in her status Nike somewhat resembles Athena but may easily be recognized by her large, graceful wings and flowing drapery which is negligently fastened on her right shoulder and only partially conceals her lovely form in her left hand she holds aloft a crown of laurel and in the right of palm branch in ancient sculpture Nike is usually represented in connection with colossal statues of Zeus or Pellis Athena in which case she is life-sized and stands on a ball held in the open palm of the deities she accompanies sometimes she is represented engaged in inscribing the victory of a conqueror on his shield her right foot being slightly raised and placed on a ball a celebrated temple was erected to this divinity on the Acropolis of Athens which is still to be seen and is in excellent preservation Victoria under the name of Victoria Knight was highly honored by the Romans with whom the love conquest was an all-absorbing characteristic there were several sanctuaries in Rome dedicated to her the principle of which was on the capital where it was the custom of generals after success had attended their arms to erect statues to the goddess in commemoration of their victories the most magnificent of these statues was that raised by Augustus after the Battle of Actium a festival was celebrated in honour of Nike on the 12th of April End of Section 10 Section 11 of Myths and Legends this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Lauren Lazarus Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Barons Hermes, Mercury Hermes was the swift-footed messenger and trusted ambassador of all the gods and conductor of shades to Hades he presided over the rearing and education of the young and encouraged gymnastic exercises and athletic pursuits for which reason all gymnasiums and wrestling schools throughout Greece were adorned with his statues he is said to have invented the alphabet and to have taught the art of interpreting foreign languages and his versatility, sagacity and cunning were so extraordinary that Zeus invariably chose him as his attendant when disguised as a mortal he journeyed on earth Hermes was worshipped as god of eloquence most probably from the fact that in his office as ambassador this faculty was indispensable to the successful issue of the negotiations with which he was entrusted he was regarded as the god who granted increase and prosperity to flocks and herds and on this account was worshipped with special veneration by herdsmen in ancient times trade was conducted chiefly by means of the exchange of cattle Hermes therefore, as god of herdsmen came to be regarded as the protector of merchants and as ready wit and adroitness are valuable qualities both in buying and selling he was also looked upon as the patron of artifice and cunning indeed so deeply was this notion rooted in the minds of the Greek people that he was popularly believed to be also the god of thieves and of all persons who live by their wits as the patron of commerce Hermes was naturally supposed to be the promoter of intercourse among nations hence he is essentially the god of travelers over whose safety he presided and he severely punished those who refused assistance to the lost or weary wayfarer he was also guardian of streets and roads and his statues called hermai which were pillars of stone surrounded by a head of Hermes were placed at crossroads and frequently in streets and public squares being the god of all undertakings in which gain was a feature he was worshipped as the giver of wealth and good luck and any unexpected stroke of fortune was attributed to his influence he also presided over the game of dice in which he is said to have been instructed by Apollo Hermes was the son of Zeus and Maya the eldest and most beautiful of the seven Pleiades daughters of atlas and was born in a cave of Mount Silene in Arcadia as a mere babe he exhibited an extraordinary faculty for cunning and dissimulation in fact, he was a thief from his cradle for not many hours after his birth we find him creeping stealthily out of the cave in which he was born in order to steal some oxen belonging to his brother Apollo who was at this time feeding the flocks of Edmitus but he had not proceeded very far on his expedition before he found a tortoise he killed and stretching seven strings across the empty shell invented a lyre upon which he at once began to play with exquisite skill when he had sufficiently amused himself with the instrument he placed it in his cradle and then resumed his journey to Pieria where the cattle of Edmitus were grazing arriving at sunset at his destination he succeeded in separating 50 oxen from his brother's herd which he now drove before him taking the precaution to cover his feet with sandals made of twigs of myrtle in order to escape detection but the little rogue was not unobserved for the theft had been witnessed by an old shepherd named Batas who was tending the flocks of Nelius king of Pylos, father of Nestor Hermes, frightened at being discovered grabbed him with the finest cow in the herd not to betray him and Batas promised to keep the secret but Hermes, astute as he was dishonest determined to test the shepherd's integrity baining to go away he assumed the form of Edmitus and then returning to the spot offered the old man two of his best oxen if he would disclose the author of the theft the ruse succeeded for the avaricious shepherd unable to resist the tempting bait gave the desired information upon which Hermes exerting his divine power changed him into a lump of touchstone as a punishment for his treachery and avarice Hermes now killed two of the oxen which he sacrificed to himself and the other gods concealing the remainder in the cave he then carefully extinguished the fire and after throwing his twig shoes into the river Alpheus returned to Silony Apollo, by means of his all-seeing power soon discovered who it was that had robbed him and hastening to Silony the restitution of his property on his complaining to Maya of her son's conduct she pointed to the innocent babe then lying apparently fast asleep in his cradle whereupon Apollo angrily aroused the pretended sleeper and charged him with the theft but the child stoutly denied all knowledge of it and so cleverly did he play his part that he even inquired in the most naive manner what sort of animals cows were Apollo threatened to throw him into Tartarus if he would not confess the truth but all to no purpose at last he seized the babe in his arms and brought him into the presence of his august father who was seated in the council chamber of the gods Zeus listened to the charge made by Apollo and then certainly desired Hermes to say where he had hidden the cattle the child who was still in swaddling clothes looked out bravely into his father's face and said, now do I look capable of driving away a herd of cattle I who was only born yesterday and whose feet are much too soft and tender to tread in rough places until this moment I lay in sweet sleep on my mother's bosom and have never even crossed the threshold of our dwelling you know well that I am not guilty but if you wish I will affirm it by the most solemn oaths as the child stood before him looking the picture of innocence Zeus could not refrain from smiling at his cleverness and cunning but being perfectly aware of his guilt he commanded him to conduct Apollo to the cave where he concealed the herd and Hermes seeing that further subterfuge was useless unhesitatingly obeyed but when the divine shepherd was about to drive his cattle back into Pea area Hermes as though by chance touched the cords of his lyre hither too Apollo had heard nothing but the music of his own three-stringed lyre and the shrinks or pans pipe and as he listened and tranced to the delightful strains of this new instrument his longing to possess it became so great that he gladly offered the oxen in exchange promising at the same time to give Hermes full dominion over flocks and herds as well as over horses and all the wild animals of the woods and forests the offer was accepted and a reconciliation being thus affected between the brothers Hermes became henceforth God of herdsmen whilst Apollo devoted himself enthusiastically to the art of music they now proceeded together to Olympus where Apollo introduced Hermes as his chosen friend and companion and having made him swear by the sticks that he would never steal his lyre or bow nor invade his sanctuary at Delphi he presented him with the caducus or golden wand this wand was surmounted by wings and on presenting it to Hermes Apollo informed him that it possessed the faculty of uniting and love all beings divided by hate wishing to prove the truth of this assertion Hermes threw it down between two snakes which were fighting where upon the angry combatants clasped each other in a loving embrace and curling around the staff remained ever after permanently attached to it the wand itself typified power the serpents wisdom wings despatch all qualities characteristic of a trustworthy ambassador the young God was now presented by his father with a winged silver cap peticis and also with silver wings for his feet telaria and was forthwith appointed herald of the gods and conductor of shades to Hades which office had hitherto been filled by Aedes as messenger of the gods we find him employed on all occasions requiring special skill tact or despatch thus he conducts Hera Athenae and Aphrodite to Paris leads Priam to Achilles to demand the body of Hector binds Prometheus to Mount Caucasus secures Ixion to the eternally revolving wheel destroys Argus the hundred-eyed guardian of Eo etc etc as conductor of shades Hermes was always invoked by the dying to grant them a safe and speedy passage across the sticks he also possessed the power of bringing back departed spirits to the upper world and was therefore the mediator between the living and the dead the poets relate many amusing stories of the youthful tricks played by this mischief loving God upon the other immortals for instance he had the audacity to extract the Medusa's head from the shield of Athenae which he playfully attached to the back of Hephaestus he also stole the girdle of Aphrodite deprived Artemis of her arrows and Aries of his spear but these acts were always performed with such graceful dexterity combined with such perfect good humor that even the gods and goddesses he thus provoked were feigned to pardon him and he became a universal favorite with them all it is said that Hermes was one day flying over Athens when looking down into the city he beheld a number of maidens returning in solemn procession from the temple of Pallas Athenae foremost among them was Hersey the beautiful daughter of King Seacrops and Hermes was so struck with her exceeding loveliness that he determined to seek an interview with her he accordingly presented himself at the royal palace and begged her sister Agrolos to favor his suit but being of an avaricious turn of mind she refused to do so without the payment of an enormous sum of money it did not take the messenger of the gods long to obtain the means of fulfilling this condition and he soon returned with a well-filled purse but meanwhile, Athenae to punish the cupidity of Agrolos had caused the demon of envy to take possession of her and the consequence was that being unable to contemplate the happiness of her sister she sat down before the door and resolutely refused to allow Hermes to enter he tried every persuasion of her slandishment in his power but she still remained obstinate at last, his patients being exhausted he changed her into a mess of black stone and the obstacle to his wishes being removed he succeeded in persuading Hersey to become his wife in his statues Hermes is represented as a beardless youth with broad chest and graceful but muscular limbs the face is handsome and intelligent and a genial smile of kindly benevolence plays around the delicately chiseled lips as messenger of the gods he wears the peticis and tellaria and bears in his hand the caduceus or the herald staff as god of eloquence he is often represented with chains of gold hanging from his lips whilst as the patron of merchants he bears a purse in his hand the wonderful excavations in Olympia to which illusion has already been made have brought to light an exquisite marble group of Hermes and the infant Bacchus by Praxiteles in this great work of art Hermes is represented as a young and handsome man who is looking down kindly and affectionately at the child resting on his arm but unfortunately nothing remains of the infant save the right hand which is laid lovingly on the shoulder of his protector the sacrifices to Hermes consisted of incense, honey cakes, pigs and especially Hermes and young goats as god of eloquence the tongues of animals were sacrificed to him Mercury Mercury was the Roman god of commerce and gain we find mention of a temple having been erected to him near the Circus Maximus as early as BC 495 and he also had a temple and a sacred fount near the Porta Capena magic powers were ascribed on the altar and on the festival of Mercury which took place on the 25th of May it was the custom for merchants to sprinkle themselves and their merchandise with this holy water in order to ensure large profits from their wares the Fatalis Roman priests whose duty it was to act as guardians of the public faith refused to recognize the identity of Mercury with Hermes and ordered him to be represented with a sacred branch as the emblem of peace instead of the Caduceus in later times however he was completely identified with the Greek Hermes end of section 11 section 12 of myths and legends this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or how to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org myths and legends of H increase by E. M. Barrens section 12 Dionysus Bacchus Dionysus also called Bacchus from Baca was the god of wine and the personification of the blessings of nature in general the worship of this divinity which is supposed to have been introduced into Greece from Asia in all probability from India first took root in Thrace whence it gradually spread into other parts of Greece Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Semeli and was snatched by Zeus from the devouring flames in which his mother perished when he appeared to her in all the splendor of his divine glory the motherless child was entrusted to the charge of Hermes who conveyed him to Semeli's sister I know but Hera still implacable in her vengeance visited Althamas the husband of I know with madness and the child's life being no longer safe he was transferred to the fostering care of the nymphs of Mount Nysa an aged satyr named Selenus the son of Pan took upon himself the office of guardian and preceptor to the young god who in his turn became much attached to his tutor hence we see Selenus always figuring as one of the chief personages in the various expeditions of the wine god Dionysus passed an innocent and uneventful childhood roaming through the woods and forests surrounded by nymphs satyrs and shepherds during one of these rambles he found a fruit growing wild of a most refreshing and cooling nature this was the vine from which he learned to extract a juice which formed a most exhilarating beverage after his companions had partaken freely of it they felt their whole being pervaded by an unwanted sense of pleasurable excitement and gave full vent to their overflowing exuberance by shouting singing and dancing their numbers were soon swelled by a crowd eager to taste a beverage productive of such extraordinary results anxious to join in the worship of a divinity to whom they were indebted for this new enjoyment Dionysus on his part seeing how agreeably his discovery had affected his immediate followers resolved to extend the boon to mankind in general he saw that wine used in moderation would enable man to enjoy a happier and more sociable existence and that under its radiating influence the sorrowful might for a while forget their grief and the sick their pain he accordingly gathered around him his zealous followers and they set forth on their travels planting the vine and teaching it cultivation wherever they went we now behold Dionysus at the head of a large army composed of men women, fawns and satyrs all bearing in their hands theorists, a staff entwined with vine branches surmounted by a fur cone and clashing together symbols and other musical instruments seated in a chariot drawn by panthers and accompanied by thousands of enthusiastic followers Dionysus made a triumphal progress through Syria Egypt, Arabia, India etc. conquering all before him founding cities and establishing a civilized and sociable mode of life among the inhabitants of the various countries through which he passed when Dionysus returned to Greece from his eastern expedition he encountered great opposition from Lycurgus king of Thrace and Pentheus king of Thebes the former highly disapproving of the wild revels which attended the worship of the wine god drove away his attendance Dionysus from that sacred mountain and so effectually intimidated Dionysus that he precipitated himself into the sea where he was received into the arms of the ocean nymph Thetis but the impious king bitterly expiated his sacrilegious conduct he was punished with the loss of his reason and during one of his mad proxisms killed his own son Darius whom he mistook for a vine Pentheus king of Thebes seeing his subjects so completely infatuated by the riotous worship of this new divinity and fearing the demoralizing effects of the unseemly nocturnal orgies held in honor of the wine god strictly prohibited his people from taking any part in the wild Baknalian revels anxious to save him from the consequences of his impiety Dionysus appeared to him under the form of a youth in the king's train and earnestly warned him to desist from his denunciations but the well meant admonition failed in its purpose for Pentheus only became more incensed at this interference and commanding Dionysus to be cast into prison caused the most cruel preparations to be made for his immediate execution but the god soon freed himself from his ignoble confinements for scarcely had his jailers departed ere the prison doors opened of themselves and bursting asunder his iron chains he escaped to rejoin his devoted followers meanwhile the mother of the king and her sisters inspired with Baknalian fury had repaired to Mount Scythron in order to join the worshipers of the wine god in those dreadful orgies which were solemnized exclusively by women and which no man was allowed to be present enraged at finding his commands thus openly disregarded by the members of his own family Pentheus resolved to witness for himself the excesses of which he had heard such terrible reports and for this purpose concealed himself behind a tree on Mount Scythron but his hiding place being discovered he was dragged out by the half maddened crew of Bakantes and horrible to relate he was torn in pieces by his own mother Agave and her two sisters an incident which occurred to Dionysus on one of his travels has been a favorite subject with the classical poets one day as some typhrenian pirates approached the shores of Greece they beheld Dionysus in the form of a beautiful youth attired in radiant garments thinking to secure a rich prize they seized him, bound him and conveyed him on board their vessel resolved to carry him with them to Asia and there sell him as a slave but the fetters dropped from his limbs and the pilot as the first to perceive the miracle called upon his companions to restore the youth carefully to the spot whence they had taken him assuring them that he was a god and that adverse winds and storms would in all probability result from their impious conduct but refusing to part with their prisoner they set sail for the open sea suddenly to the alarm of all on board the ship stood still masts and sails were covered with clustering vines and wreaths of ivy leaves streams of fragrant wine inundated the vessel and heavenly strains of music were heard around the terrified crew too late repentant crowded round the pilot for protection and entreated him to steer for the shore but the hour of retribution had arrived Dionysus assumed the form of a lion whilst beside him appeared a bear which with a terrific roar rushed upon the captain and tore him in pieces the sailors in an agony of terror leaped overboard and were changed into dolphins the discreet and pious steersman was alone permitted to escape the fate of his companions and to him Dionysus who had resumed his true form addressed words of kind and affectionate encouragement and announced his name and dignity they now set sail and Dionysus desired the pilot to land him at the island of Noxus where he found the lovely Ariadne daughter of Minos king of Crete she had been abandoned by thesius on this lonely spot and when Dionysus now beheld her was lying fast asleep on a rock worn out with sorrow and weeping wrapped in admiration the god stood gazing at the beautiful vision before him and when she had length unclosed her eyes he revealed himself to her and in gentle tones sought to banish her grief grateful for his kind sympathy coming as it did at the moment when she had deemed herself forsaken and friendless she gradually regained her former serenity and yielding to his entreaties consented to become his wife Dionysus having established his worship in various parts of the world descended to the realm of shades in search of his ill-fated mother whom he conducted to Olympus where under the name of Theoni she was admitted into the assembly of the immortal gods among the most noted worshipers of Dionysus was Midas the wealthy king of Frisia the same who as already related gave judgment against Apollo upon one occasion Selenus the preceptor and friend of Dionysus being in an intoxicated condition straight into the rose gardens of this monarch where he was found by some of the king's attendants who bound him with roses and conducted him to the presence of their royal master Midas treated the aged sader with the greatest consideration and after entertaining him hospitably for ten days led him back to Dionysus who was so grateful for the kind attention shown to his old friend that he offered to grant Midas any favor he chose to demand where upon the avaricious monarch not content with his boundless wealth and still thirsting for more desired that everything he touched might turn into gold the request was complied with in so literal a sense that the now wretched Midas bitterly repented his folly and cupidity for when the pangs of hunger assailed him and he essayed to appease his cravings the food became gold air he could swallow it as he raised the cup of wine to his parched lips the sparkling draught was changed into the metal he had so coveted and when at length he stretched his aching frame on his hitherto luxurious couch this also was transformed into the substance which had now become the curse of his existence the despairing king at last implored the god to take back the fatal gift and Dionysus pitying his unhappy plight desired him to bathe in the river Pectolus a small stream in Lydia in order to lose the power of the bane of his life Midas joyfully obeying the injunction was at once freed from the consequences of his avaricious demand and from this time forth the sands of the river Pectolus have ever contained grains of gold representations of Dionysus are of two kinds according to the earliest conceptions he appears as a grave and dignified man in the prime of life the countenance is earnest thoughtful and benevolent he wears a full beard and is draped from head to foot in the garb of an eastern monarch but the sculptors of a later period represent him as a youth of singular beauty though of somewhat effeminate appearance the expression of the countenance is gentle and winning the limbs are supple and gracefully molded and the hair which is adorned by a wreath of vine falls over the shoulders in long curls in one hand he bears the thesis and in the other a drinking cup with two handles these being his distinguishing attributes he is often represented writing on a panther or seated in a chariot drawn by lions tigers panthers or lynxes being the god of wine which is calculated to promote sociability he rarely appears alone but is usually accompanied by bacontes, satyrs, and mountain nymphs the finest modern representation of Ariadne is that by Donnecker at Frankfurt on the main in this statue she appears writing on a panther the beautiful up turned face inclines slightly over the left shoulder the features are regular and finely cut and a wreath of ivy leaves encircles the well-shaped head with her right hand she gracefully clasps the folds of drapery which fall away negligently from her rounded form whilst the other rests lightly and caressingly on the head of the animal Dionysus was regarded as the patron of the drama and at the state festival of the Dionysia which was celebrated with great pomp in the city of Athens dramatic entertainments took place with the honor for which all the renowned Greek dramatists of antiquity composed their immortal tragedies and comedies he was also a prophetic divinity and possessed oracles the principle of which was that on mount Rodope in Thrace the tiger lynx panther, dolphin serpent and ass were sacred to this god his favorite plants were divine, ivy laurel and asphodel his sacrifices consisted of goats probably on account of their being destructive to vineyards Bacchus or Lieber the Romans headed divinity called Lieber who presided over vegetation and was on this account identified with the Greek Dionysus and worshiped under the name of Bacchus the festival of Lieber called the Liberalia was celebrated on the 17th of March end of section 12 this recording by Aaron Elliott, St. Louis, Missouri section 13 of Myths and Legends this is a Libervox recording all Libervox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit Libervox.org Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Barons Aedes, Pluto Aedes, Aedunus or Hades was the son of Cronus and Rhea and the youngest brother of Zeus and Poseidon he was the ruler of that subterranean region called Erebus which was inhabited by the shades or spirits of the dead and also by those dethroned and exiled deities who had been vanquished by Zeus and his allies Aedes, the Grim and Gloomy Monarch of this lower world was the successor of Erebus that ancient primeval divinity after whom these realms were called see footnote 131 the early Greeks regarded Aedes in the light of their greatest foe and Homer tells us that he was of all the gods the most detested being in their eyes the Grim robber who stole from them their nearest and dearest and eventually deprived each of them of their share of their terrestrial existence his name was so feared that it was never mentioned by mortals who when they invoked him struck the earth with their hands and in sacrificing to him turned away their faces the belief of the people with regard to a future state was in the Homeric age a sad and cheerless one it was supposed that when a mortal ceased to exist his spirit tenanted the shadowy outline of the human form it had quitted and all that was called were driven by Aedes into his dominions where they passed their time some in brooding over the vicissitudes of fortune which they had experienced on earth others in regretting the lost pleasures they had enjoyed in life but all in a condition of semi-consciousness from which the intellect could only be roused to full activity by drinking of the blood of the sacrifices offered to their shades by living friends which for time endowed them with their former mental vigor the things supposed to enjoy any happiness in a future state were the heroes whose acts of daring and deeds of prowess had during their life reflected honor on the land of their birth and even these according to Homer pined after their career of earthly activity he tells us that when Odysseus visited the lower world at the command of Cersei and held communion with the shades of the heroes of the Trojan War Achilles assured him that he would rather be the poorest day laborer on earth than reign supreme than the realm of shades the early Greek poets offer but scant the illusions to Arabus Homer appears purposely to envelop these realms in vagueness and mystery in order probably to heighten the sensation of awe inseparably connected with the lower world see footnote 132 in the Odyssey he describes the entrance to Arabus as being beyond the further most edge of Oceanus in the far west where dwelt this Sumerians enveloped in eternal mists and darkness in later times however in consequence of extended intercourse with foreign nations no ideas became gradually introduced and we find Egyptian theories with regard to a future state taking root in Greece which become eventually the religious belief of the whole nation it is now that the poets and philosophers and more especially the teachers of the Ellisonian mysteries begin to inculcate the doctrine of the future reward and punishment of good and bad deeds Hades who had hitherto been regarded as the dread enemy of mankind who delights in his grim office and keeps the shades imprisoned in his dominions after withdrawing them from the joys of existence now receives them with hospitality and friendship and Hermes replaces him as conductor of shades to Hades under this new aspect Hades usurps the functions of a totally different divinity called Plutus the god of riches and is henceforth regarded as the giver of wealth and mankind in the shape of those precious metals which lie concealed in the bowels of the earth the later poets mention various entrances to Erebus which were for the most part caves and fissures there is one in the mountain of Tenerum another in Thesprosia and a third the most celebrated of all in Italy near the Prestiferous Lake Avernus over which it is said no bird could fly so noxious were its exhalations in the dominions of 80s there were great rivers three of which had to be crossed by all the shades these three were Archeron Sorrow, Cositus Lamentation, and Sticks Intense Darkness the sacred stream which flowed nine times round these realms the shades were ferried over the sticks by the grim unshaven old boatman Charon who however only took those whose bodies had received funeral rites on earth and who had brought with them his indispensable toll which was a small coin or obelisk usually placed under the tongue of a dead person for this purpose see footnote 133 if these conditions had not been fulfilled the unhappy shades were left behind to wander up and down the banks for a hundred years as restless spirits on the opposite bank of the sticks was the tribunal of Minos the supreme judge before whom all shades had to appear and who after hearing full confession of their actions whilst on earth pronounced the sentence of happiness or misery to which their deeds had entitled them this tribunal was guarded by the terrible triple headed dog Seribus who with his three necks bristling with snakes lay at full length on the ground a formidable sentinel who permitted all shades to enter but none to return the happy spirits destined to enjoy the delights of Elysium passed out on the right and proceeded to the golden palace where the cities and Persephone held their royal court from whom they receded a kindly greeting ere they set out for the Elysium fields which lay beyond see footnote 47 this blissful region was replete with all that could charm the senses or please the imagination the air was balmy and fragrant rippling brooks flowed peacefully through the smiling meadows which glowed with the varied hues of a thousand flowers whilst the groves of birds the occupations and amusements of the happy shades were of the same nature as those which they had delighted in whilst on earth here the warrior found his horses chariots and arms the musician his liar and the hunter his quiver and bow in a secluded veil of Elysium there flowed a gentle silent stream called Leith oblivion whose waters had the effect of dispelling care and producing utter forgetfulness of former events according to Sagarian doctrine of the transmigration of souls it was supposed that after the shades had inhabited Elysium for a thousand years they were destined to animate other bodies on earth and before leaving Elysium they drank of the river Leith in order that they might enter upon their new career without any remembrance of the past see footnote 134 the guilty souls after leaving the presence of Minos were conducted to the great judgment hall of Hades massive walls of solid adamant were surrounded by the river Flegethon the waves of which rolled flames of fire and lit up with their lurid glare these awful realms in the interior sat the dread judge Radamanthus who declared to each comer the precise torments which awaited him in Tartarus the wretched sinners were then seized by the furies who scourged them with their whips and dragged them along to the great gate which closed the opening to Tartarus into whose awful depths they were hurled to suffer endless torture Tartarus was a vast and gloomy expanse as far below Hades as the earth is distant from the skies there the titans fallen from their high estate dragged out a dreary and monotonous existence there also were Otis and Effialtes those giant sons of Poseidon who with impious hands had attempted to scale Olympus and he thrown its mighty ruler principal among the sufferers in this abode the loom were Titius, Tantalus Sisyphus Ixion and the Denades Titius one of the earth-born giants had insulted Hera on her way to Pitho for which offence Zeus flung him into Tartarus where he suffered dreadful torture inflicted by two vultures which perpetually nod his liver Tantalus was a wise and wealthy king of Lydia with whom the gods themselves condescended to associate he was even permitted to sit at table with Zeus who delighted in his conversation and listened with interest to the wisdom of his observations Tantalus, however, elated at these distinguished marks of divine favor presumed upon his position and used unbecoming language to Zeus himself he also stole nectar and ambrosia from the table of the gods with which he regaled his friends but his greatest crime consisted in killing his own son Pelops and serving him up at one of the banquets to the gods in order to test their omniscience See footnote 135 For these heinous offenses he was condemned by Zeus to eternal punishment in Tartarus where tortured with an ever-burning thirst he was plunged up to the chin in water which as he stooped to drink always receded from his parched lips tall trees with spreading branches laden with delicious fruits hung temptingly over his head but no sooner did he raise himself to grasp them then a wind arose and carried them beyond his reach Sisyphus was a great tyrant who according to some accounts barbarously murdered all travelers who came into his dominions by hurling upon them enormous pieces of rock in punishment for his crimes he was condemned to roll incessantly a huge block of stone up a steep hill which as soon as it reached the summit always rolled back again to the plain below Ixion was a king of Thessaly to whom Zeus accorded the privilege of joining the festive banquets of the gods but taking advantage of his exalted position he presumed to aspire to the favor of Hera which so greatly incensed Zeus that he struck him with his thunderbolts and commanded Hermes to throw him into Tartarus and bind him to an ever-revolving wheel the Denades were the fifty daughters of Danas king of Argos who had married their fifty cousins the son of Egyptus by the command of their father who had been warned by an oracle that his son-in-law would cause his death all killed their husbands in one night Hypermnestra alone accepted their punishment in the lower world was to fill with water a vessel full of holes a never-ending and useless task Aedes is usually represented as a man of mature years and stern majestic mean bearing a striking resemblance to his brother Zeus but the gloomy and inexorable expression of the face contrasts forcibly with that peculiar benignity which so characterizes the countenance of the mighty ruler of heaven he is seated on a throne of ebony with his queen the grave and sad persiphone beside him and wears a full beard and long flowing black hair which hangs straight down over his forehead see footnote 136 in his hand he either bears a two-pronged fork or the keys of the lower world and at his feet sits Cerberus he is sometimes seen in a chariot of gold drawn by four black horses and wearing on his head a helmet made for him by the Cyclops which rendered the wearer invisible his helmet he frequently lent to mortals and immortals Aedes who was universally worshipped throughout Greece had temples erected to his honor in Elis, Olympia and also at Athens his sacrifices which took place at night consisted of black sheep and the blood instead of being sprinkled on the altars or received in vessels as at other sacrifices was permitted to run down into a trench dug for this purpose the officiating priests wore black robes and were crowned with Cyprus the narcissists, maiden-hair and Cyprus were sacred to this divinity Pluto before the introduction into Rome of the religion and literature of Greece the Romans had no belief in a realm of future happiness or misery corresponding to the Greek Hades hence they had no god of the lower world identical with Aedes they supposed that there was in the center of the earth a vast, gloomy and impenetrably dark cavity called Orcus which formed a place of eternal rest for the dead but with the introduction of Greek mythology the Roman Orcus became the Greek Hades and all the Greek notions with regard to a future state now obtained with the Romans who worshiped Aedes under the name of Pluto his other appellations being dis from dives, rich and Orcus from the dominions over which he ruled in Rome there were no temples erected to this divinity Plutus Plutus, the son of Demeter and a mortal called Ayazion was the god of wealth and is represented as being lame when he makes his appearance and winged when he takes his departure he was supposed to be both blind and foolish because he bestows his gifts without discrimination and frequently upon the most unworthy objects Plutus was believed to have his abode in the bowels of the earth which was probably the reason why in later times Aedes became confounded with this divinity End of section 13 Recording by Anthony Wilson Section 14 of Myths and Legends This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Lauren Lazarus Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Barons Minor Divinities The Harpies The Harpies, who, like the Furies, were employed by the gods as instruments for the punishment of the guilty were three female Divinities daughters of Thaumus and Electra called Ailo, Asipiti, and Salino They were represented with the head of a fair-haired maiden and the body of a vulture and were perpetually devoured by the pangs of insatiable hunger which caused them to torment their victims by robbing them of their food Thus they either devoured with great gluttony or defiled in such a manner as to render it unfit to be eaten Their wonderfully rapid flight far surpassed that of birds or even of the winds themselves If any mortal suddenly and unaccountably disappeared the Harpies were believed to have carried him off Thus they were supposed to have borne away the daughters of King Pandarius to act as servants to the Auringes The Harpies would appear to be personifications of sudden tempests which, with ruthless violence sweep over whole districts carrying off or injuring all before them Auringes, Humanities, Fiori, Diori The Auringes, or Furies were female Divinities who personified the torturing pangs of an evil conscience and the remorse which inevitably follows wrongdoing Their names were Electo, Magaera, and Tissifini and their origin was variously accounted for According to Hesiod they sprang from the blood of Uranus when wounded by Cronus and were hence supposed to be the embodiment of all the terrible implications which the defeated deity called down upon the head of his rebellious son According to other accounts they were the daughters of Knight Their place of abode was the lower world where they were employed by Aides and Persephone to chastise and torment those shades who, during their earthly career had committed crimes and had not been reconciled to the gods before descending to Hades But their sphere of action was not confined to the realm of shades for they appeared upon Earth as the avenging deities who relentlessly pursued and punished murderers purgeurs, those who had failed in duty to their parents in hospitality to strangers or in the respect due to old age Nothing escaped the piercing glance of these terrible Divinities prevailing, for no corner of the Earth was so remote as to be beyond their reach nor did any mortal dare to offer to their victims an asylum from their persecutions The fairies are frequently represented with wings, their bodies are black blood drips from their eyes and snakes twine in their hair In their hands they bear either a dagger, scourge, torch or serpent When they pursued orrestes they constantly held up a mirror with a horrified gaze in which he beheld the face of his murdered mother These Divinities were also called Humanities which signifies the well-meaning or soothed goddesses This appellation was given to them because they were so feared and dreaded that people dared not call them by their proper title and hoped by this means to propitiate their wrath In later times the fairies came to be regarded as salutary agencies They now lose their awe-inspiring aspect and are represented more especially in Athens as earnest maidens, dressed like Artemis, in short tunics suitable for the chase but still retaining in their hands the wand of office in the form of a snake Their sacrifices consisted of black sheep and the libation composed of a mixture of honey and water Their sacrifices consisted of black sheep and the libation composed of a mixture of honey and water called nephalia A celebrated temple was erected to the Humanities at Athens near the Areopagus Moirae, or fates Parkae The ancients believed that the duration of human existence and the destinies of mortals were regulated by three sister goddesses called Clotho, Lekesis, and Atropos who were the daughters of Zeus and Themis The power which they wielded over the fate of man was significantly indicated under the figure of a thread which they spun out for the life of each human being from his birth to the grave This occupation they divided between them Clotho wound the flax around the distaff, ready for her sister, Lekesis, who spanned out the thread of life which Atropos, with her scissors relentlessly snapped us under when the career of an individual was made Homer speaks of one Moira only the daughter of Knight who represents the moral force by which the universe is governed and to whom both mortals and immortals were forced to submit Zeus himself being powerless to avert her decrees but in later times this conception of one inexorable, all-conquering fate became amplified by the poets into that above described and the Moirire henceforth over the life and death of mortals The Moirire are represented by the poets as stern, inexorable female divinities aged, hideous, and also lame, which is evidently meant to indicate the slow and halting march of destiny which they controlled painters and sculptors on the other hand depicted them as beautiful maidens of a grave but kindly aspect There is a charming representation of Lekesis which depicts her in all the grace of youth and beauty She is sitting spinning and at her feet lie two masks one comic the other tragic as though to convey the idea that to a divinity of fate the brightest and saddest scenes of earthly existence are alike and different and that she quietly and steadily pursues her occupation regardless of human wheel or woe When represented at the feet of Aedes in the lower world they are clad in dark robes When they appear in Olympus they wear bright garments bespangled with stars and are seated on radiant thrones with crowns on their heads It was considered the function of the Moirire to indicate to the furies the precise torture which the wicked should undergo for their crimes They were regarded as prophetic divinities and had sanctuaries in many parts of Greece The Moirire mentioned as assisting Lekhata taste to conduct a symphony to the upper world at her periodical reunion with her mother Demeter They also appear in company with Eilatia, goddess of birth Nemesis Nemesis, the daughter of Nix represents that power which adjusts the balance of human affairs by awarding to each individual the fate which his actions deserve She rewards humble, unacknowledged merit, punishes crime deprives the worthless of undeserved good fortune humiliates the proud and overbearing and visits all evil on the wrongdoer thus maintaining that proper balance of things which the Greeks recognized as a necessary condition of all civilized life But though Nemesis and her original character was the distributor of rewards as well as punishments, the world was so full of sin that she found but little occupation in her first capacity and hence became finally regarded as the avenging goddess only We have seen a striking instance of the manner in which this divinity punishes the proud and arrogant in the history of Nairobi Apollo and Artemis were merely the instruments for avenging the insult offered to their mother but it was Nemesis who prompted the deed and presided over its execution Homer makes no mention of Nemesis It is therefore evident that she was a conception of later times when higher views of morality had obtained among the Greek nation Nemesis is represented as a beautiful woman of thoughtful and benign aspect and regal bearing a diadem crowns her majestic brow and she bears in her hand a rudder, balance, and cubit fitting emblems of the manner in which she guides, ways, and measures all human events She is also sometimes seen with a wheel to symbolize the rapidity with which she executes justice As the Avenger of Evil she appears winged bearing in her hand either a scourge or a sword and seated in a chariot drawn by griffins Nemesis is frequently called Adrastia and also Remnusia from Remnus in Attica the chief seat of her worship which contained a celebrated statue of the goddess Nemesis was worshiped by the Romans who invoked her on the capital as a divinity who possessed the power of averting the pernicious consequences of envy End of Section 14 Section 15 of Myths and Legends This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Lucy LaFaro New South Wales, Australia Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Barons Section 15 Third Dynasty Knight and her Children Nyx through Eros and Psyche Nyx Nox Nyx the daughter of Chaos being the personification of Knight was according to the poetic ideas of the Greeks considered to be the mother of everything mysterious and inexplicable such as death sleep dreams etc She became united to Erebus and their children were Aether and Hmera Air and Daylight Evidently a simile of the poets to indicate that darkness always precedes light Nyx inhabited a palace in the dark regions of the lower world and is represented as a beautiful woman seated in a chariot drawn by two black horses She is clothed in dark robes wears a long veil and is accompanied by the stars which follow in her train Thanatos Morse and Hypness Somnes Thanatos, Death and his twin brother Hypnes, Sleep were the children of Nyx Their dwelling was in the realm of shades and when they appear among mortals Thanatos is feared and hated as the enemy of mankind whose hard heart knows no pity While his brother Hypnes is universally loved and welcomed as their kindest and most beneficial friend But though the ancients regarded Thanatos as a gloomy and mournful divinity they did not represent him with any exterior repulsiveness On the contrary he appears as a beautiful youth who holds in his hand an inverted torch emblematical of the light of life being extinguished whilst his disengaged arm is thrown lovingly around the shoulder of his brother Hypnes Hypnes is sometimes depicted standing erect with closed eyes At others he is in a recumbent position beside his brother Thanatos and usually bears a poppy stalk and a most interesting description of the abode of Hypnes is given by Ovid in his metamorphosis He tells us how the god of sleep dwelt in a mountain cave near the realm of the Cimmerians which the sun never pierced with his rays No sound disturbed the stillness no song of birds not a branch moved and no human voice broke the profound silence which rained everywhere From the lowermost rocks of the cave issued the river Lethe and one might almost have supposed that its cause was arrested were it not for the low monotonous hum of the water which invited slumber The entrance was partially hidden by a numberless white and red poppies which Mother Knight had gathered and planted there and from the juice of which she extracts drowsiness which she scatters in liquid drops all over the earth as soon as the sun god has sunk to rest In the centre of the cave stands a couch of blackest ebony with a bed of down over which is laid a coverlet of sable hue Here the god himself reposes surrounded by innumerable forms These are idle dreams more numerous than the sands of the sea Chief among them is Morpheus that changed for god who may assume any shape or form nor can the god of sleep resist his own power for though he may rouse himself for a while his soon succumbs to the drowsy influences which surround him Morpheus Morpheus the son of Hypness was the god of dreams He's always represented winged and appears sometimes as a youth sometimes as an old man In his hand he bears a cluster of poppies and as he steps with noiseless footsteps over the earth he gently scatters the seeds of this sleep producing plant over the eyes of weary mortals Homer describes the house of dreams as having two gates One, whence issue all deceptive and flattering visions being formed of ivory The other, through which proceed those dreams which are fulfilled of horn The Gorgons Stheno Urielie and Medusa were the three daughters of forces and Ceto and were the personification of those benumbing and as it were petrifying sensations which result from sudden and extreme fear They were frightful winged monsters whose bodies were covered with scales hissing, wriggling snakes cluttered round their heads their hands were of brass their teeth resembled the tusks of a wild boar and their whole aspect was so appalling that they are said to have turned into stone all who beheld them These terrible sisters were supposed to dwell in that remote and mysterious region in the far west beyond the sacred stream of Oceanus The Gorgons were the servants of 80s who made use of them to purify and overall those shades doomed to be kept in a constant state of unrest as a punishment for their misdeeds whilst the Furies on their part scourged them with their whips and tortured them incessantly The most celebrated of the three sisters was Medusa who alone was mortal She was originally a golden head and very beautiful maiden who as a priestess of Athena was devoted to a life of celibacy But being wooed by Poseidon whom she loved in return she forgot her vows and became united to him in marriage For this offence she was punished by the goddess in a most terrible manner Each wavy lock of the beautiful hair which had so charmed her husband was changed into a venomous snake her once gentle eyes now became bloodshot furious orbs which excited fear and disgust in the mind of the beholder Whilst her former rosette hue and milk white skin assumed a loathsome green tinge Seeing herself thus transformed into so repulsive an object Medusa fled from her home never to return Wandering about aboard, dreaded by all the world she now developed into a character worthy of her outward appearance In her despair she fled to Africa where as she passed restlessly from place to place infant snakes dropped from her hair and thus according to the belief of the ancients that country became the hotbed of these venomous reptiles With the curse of Athena upon her she turned into stone forever she gazed upon to that last after a life of nameless misery deliverance came to her in the shape of death at the hands of Perseus It is well to observe that when the Gorgons are spoken of in the singular it is Medusa who is alluded to Medusa was the mother of Pegasus and Chrysail father of the three-headed winged giant Gerionese slain by Heracles Gree The Gree who acted as servants to their sisters, the Gorgons were also three in number Their names were Befrido, Ennio and Dino In their original conception they were merely personifications of kindly and venerable old age possessing all its benevolent attributes without its natural infirmities They were old and grey from their birth and so they ever remained In later times however they came to be regarded as mis-shape and females decrepit and hideously ugly having only one eye one tooth and one grey wig between them which they lent to each other when one of them wished to appear before the world When Perseus entered upon this expedition to slay the Medusa he repaired to the adobe of the Gree in the far west to inquire the way to the Gorgons and on their refusing to give any information he deprived them of their one eye tooth and wig and did not restore them until he received the necessary directions Sphinx The Sphinx was an ancient Egyptian divinity who personified wisdom and the fertility of nature She is represented as a lion co-chant with the head and bust of a woman and wears a peculiar sort of hood which completely envelops her head and falls down on either side of the face Transplanted into Greece this sublime and mysterious Egyptian deity degenerates into an insignificant and yet malignant power and though she also deals in mysteries they are, as we shall see of a totally different character and altogether inimical to human life this is represented according to greek genealogy as the offspring of typhon and echidna Hera, being upon one occasion displeased with the Thebans sent them this awful monster as a punishment for their offences taking her seat on a rocky evidence near the city of Thebes commanding a pass which the Thebans were compelled to traverse in their usual way of business she propounded to all comers a riddle, and if they failed to solve it, she tore them in pieces during the reign of King Creon so many people had fallen a sacrifice to this monster that he determined to use every effort to rid the country of so terrible a scourge on consulting the Oracle of Delphi he was informed that the only way to destroy the Sphinx was to solve one of her riddles when she would immediately take herself from the rock on which she was seated Creon accordingly made a public declaration to the effect that whoever could give the true interpretation of a riddle propounded by the monster should obtain the crown and the hand of his sister Giochasti Oedipus offered himself as a candidate and proceeding to the spot where she kept guard received from her the following riddle for solution that creature goes in the morning on four legs at noon on two and in the evening on three Oedipus replied that it must be man who during his infancy creeps on all fours in his prime walks erect on two legs and when old age has enfeebled his powers calls a staff to his assistants and thus has as it were three legs the Sphinx no sooner heard this reply which was the correct solution of her riddle then she flung herself over the precipice and perished in the abyss below the Greek Sphinx may be recognised by having wings and by being of smaller dimensions than the Egyptian Sphinx Taiki Fortuna and Ananki Necessitus Taiki Fortuna Taiki personified that peculiar combination of circumstances which we call luck or fortune and was considered to be the source of all unexpected events in human life whether good or evil if a person succeeded in all he undertook without possessing any special merit of his own Taiki was supposed to have smiled on his birth if on the other hand undeserved ill luck followed him through life and all his efforts resulted in failure it was ascribed to her adverse influence this goddess of fortune is variously represented sometimes she is depicted bearing in her hand two rudders with one of which she steers the bark of the fortunate and with the other that of the unfortunate among mortals in later times she appears captured and stands on a ball or wheel indicative of the thickness of ever-revolving changes of fortune she frequently bears the scepter and cornucopia or horn of plenty and is usually winged in her temple at Thebes she is represented holding infant Plutus in her arms to symbolise her power over riches and prosperity Taiki was worshiped in various parts of Greece but more particularly by the Athenians who believed in her special predilection for their city Fortuna Taiki was worshipped in Rome under the name of Fortuna and held a position of much greater importance among the Romans than the Greeks in later times Fortuna is never represented either winged or standing on a ball she merely bears the cornucopia of the river it is evident therefore that she had come to be regarded as the goddess of good luck only who brings blessings to man and not as with the Greeks as the personification of the fluctuations of fortune in addition to Fortuna the Romans worshipped Felicitas as the river of positive good fortune an Anki Necessitus as an Anki assumes quite another character and becomes the embodiment of those immutable laws of nature by which certain causes produce certain inevitable results in a statue of this divinity at Athens she was represented with hands of bronze and surrounded with nails and hammers the hands of bronze probably indicated the irresistible power of the inevitable and the hammer and chains of fetters which she forged for man an Anki was worshipped in Rome under the name of Necessitus Kerr in addition to the Mori who presided over the life of mortals there was another divinity called Kerr appointed for each human being at the moment of his birth the Kerr belonging to an individual was believed to develop with his growth either for good or evil and when the ultimate fate of a mortal was about to be decided his Kerr was weighed in the balance and according to the preponderance of its worth or worthlessness life or death was awarded to the human being in question it becomes evident therefore that according to the belief of the early Greeks each individual had in his power to a certain extent to shorten or prolong his own existence the Kerris who are frequently mentioned by Homer were the goddesses who delighted in the slaughter of the battlefield Aiti Aiti the daughter of Zeus and Eris was the divinity who delighted in evil having instigated Hera to deprive Heracles of his birthright her father seized her by the hair of her head forbidding her under the most solemn implications ever to return henceforth she wandered among mankind sowing dissension working mischief and ewing men to all actions inimical to their welfare and happiness hence when a reconciliation took place between friends who had quarrelled Aiti was blamed as the original cause of disagreement Momus Momus the son of Nix was the god of rivalry and ridicule who delighted to criticise with bitter sarcasm the actions of gods and men and contrived to discover in all things some defect or blemish thus when Prometheus created the first man Momus considered his work incomplete because there was no aperture in the breast through which his inmost thoughts might be read he also found fault with the house built by Athene because being unprovided with the means of locomotion it could never be removed from an unhealthy locality Aphrodite alone defied his criticism fought to his great chagrin he could find no fault with her perfect form in what manner the ancients represented this god is unknown in modern art he is depicted like a king's jester with a fool's cap and bells Eros Cupid Amor and Psyche according to Hesiod's theogony Eros the divine spirit of love sprang forth from chaos while all were still in confusion and by his beneficent power reduced to order and harmony the shapeless conflicting elements which under his influence began to assume distinct forms His ancient eros is represented as a full grown and very beautiful youth crowned with flowers and leaning on a shepherd's crook in the course of time this beautiful conception gradually faded away and though occasional mention still continues to be made of the eros of chaos he is replaced by the son of Aphrodite a loving little god of love so familiar to us all in one of the myths concerning Eros Aphrodite is described as complaining to Themis that her son, though so beautiful did not appear to increase in stature whereupon Themis suggested that his small proportions were probably attributable to the fact of his being always alone and advised his mother to let him have a companion Aphrodite accordingly gave him as a playfellow his younger brother and Pteros, required love and soon had the gratification of seeing the little eros begin to grow and thrive but curious to relate this desirable result only continued as long as the brothers remained together for the moment they were separated eros shrank once more to his original size by degrees the conception of eros became multiplied and we hear of little love gods Amors who appear under the most charming and diversified forms these love gods who afforded to artists inexhaustible subjects for the exercise of their imagination are represented as being engaged in various occupations such as hunting, fishing, rowing driving chariots and even busying themselves in mechanical labour then that of eros and Psyche which is as follows Psyche the youngest of three princesses was so transcendently beautiful that Aphrodite herself became jealous of her and no mortal dared to aspire to the honour of her hand as her sisters who were by no means equal to her in attractions were married and Psyche still remained unwedded her father consulted the oracle of Delphi and in obedience to the divine response caused her to be dressed as though for the grave and conducted to the edge of a yawning precipice no sooner was she alone than she felt herself lifted up and wafted away by the gentle west wind Zephyrus who transported her to a verdant meadow in the midst of which stood a stately palace surrounded by groves and fountains here dwelt eros the god of love in his arms Zephyrus deposited his lovely burden eros himself unseen wooed her in the softest accents of affection but warned her as she valued his love not to endeavour to behold his form for some time Psyche was obedient to the injunction of her immortal spouse and made no effort to gratify her natural curiosity but unfortunately in the midst of her happiness she was seized with an unconquerable longing for the society of her sisters and in accordance with her desire they were conducted by Zephyrus to her fairy-like abode filled with envy at the sight of her felicity they poisoned her mind against her husband and telling her that her unseen lover was a frightful monster they gave her a sharp dagger which they persuaded her to use for the purpose of delivering herself to Zephyrus' power after the departure of her sisters Psyche resolved to take the first opportunity of following their malicious counsel she accordingly rose in the dead of night and taking a lamp in one hand and a dagger in the other stealthily approached the couch where eros was reposing when instead of the frightful monster she had expected to see the beauteous form of the god of love greeted her view with surprise and admiration Psyche stooped down to gaze more closely on his lovely features when from the lamp which she held in her trembling hand there fell a drop of burning oil upon the shoulder of the sleeping god who instantly awoke and seeing Psyche standing over him with the instrument of death in her hand sorrowfully reproached her for her treacherous designs and spreading out his wings flew away in despair at having lost her lover the unhappy Psyche endeavoured to put an end to her existence by throwing herself into the nearest river but instead of closing over her the waters bore her gently to the opposite bank where Pan the god of shepherds received her and consoled her with the hope of becoming eventually reconciled to her husband meanwhile her wicked sisters in expectation of meeting with the same good fortune Psyche placed themselves on the edge of the rock but were both precipitated into the chasm below Psyche herself filled with a restless yearning for her lost love wandered all over the world in search of him at length she appealed to Aphrodite to take compassion on her but the goddess of beauty still jealous of her charms imposed upon her the hardest tasks the accomplishment of which she had no choice in these she was always assisted by invisible beneficent beings sent to her by Eros who still loved her and continued to watch over her welfare Psyche had to undergo a long and severe penance before she became worthy to regain the happiness which she had so foolishly trifled away at last Aphrodite commanded her to descend into the underworld and obtain from Persephone a box containing all the charms of beauty Psyche's courage now failed her for she concluded that death must of necessity precede her entrance into the realm of shades about to abandon herself to despair she heard a voice which warned her of every danger to be avoided on her perilous journey and instructed her with regard to certain precautions to be observed these were as follows she wished to omit to provide herself with the ferryman's toll for Charon and the cake to pacify Seborus also to refrain from taking any part in the banquets of Aedes and Persephone and above all things to bring the box of beauty charms unopened to Aphrodite in conclusion the voice assured her that compliance with the above conditions would ensure for her a safe return to the realms of light but alas Psyche who had implicitly followed all injunctions could not withstand the temptation of the last condition and hardly had she quitted the lower world when unable to resist the curiosity which devoured her she raised the lid of the box with eager expectation but instead of the wondrous charms of beauty which she expected to behold they issued from the casket a dense black vapour which had the effect of throwing her into a death-like sleep out of which Eros who had long hovered round her unseen at length awoke her with the point of one of his golden arrows he gently reproached her with this second proof of her curiosity and folly and then having persuaded Aphrodite to be reconciled to his beloved he induced Zeus to admit her among the immortal gods their reunion was celebrated amidst the rejoicings of all the Olympian deities the graces shed perfume on their path the hours sprinkled roses over the sky Apollo added the music of his lyre and the muses united their voices a glad chorus of delight this myth would appear to be an allegory which signifies that the soul before it can be reunited to its original divine essence must be purified by the chastening sorrows and sufferings of its earthly career Eros is represented as a lovely boy with rounded limbs and a merry roguish expression he has golden wings and a quiver slung over his shoulder which contained his magical and unerring arrows in one hand he bears his golden bow and in the other a torch he is also frequently depicted riding on a lion dolphin or eagle or seated in a chariot drawn by stags or wild boars undoubtedly emblematical of the power of love as the subduer of all nature even of the wild animals in Rome Eros is worshipped under the name of Amor or Cupid End of Section 15 Section 16 of Myths and Legends This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Lucy LaFaro New South Wales, Australia Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Behrens Section 16 Third Dynasty Knight and Her Children Hymen through the Charities or Graces Hymen Hymen or Hymennaeus the son of Apollo and the muse Urania was the god who presided over marriage and nuptial celebrities and was hence invoked at all marriage festivities There is a myth concerning this divinity which tells us that Hymen was a beautiful youth of very poor parents who fell in love with a wealthy maiden so far above him in rank that he did not cherish the hope of ever becoming united to her Still he missed no opportunity of seeing her and upon one occasion disguised himself as a girl and joined a troop of maidens who, in company with his beloved were proceeding from Athens to Eleusis in order to attend a festival of Demeter On their way with her they were surprised by pirates who carried them off to a desert island where the Ruffians after drinking deeply fell into a heavy sleep Hymen seizing the opportunity slew them all and then set sail for Athens where he found the parents of the maidens in the greatest distress of the countable disappearance He comforted them with the assurance that their children should be restored to them provided they would promise to give him in marriage the maiden he loved The condition being gladly complied with he at once returned to the island and brought back the maidens in safety to Athens whereupon he became united to the object of his love and their union proved so remarkably happy that henceforth the name of Hymen became synonymous with conjugal felicity Iris The Rainbow Iris, the daughter of Thormis and Electra personified the rainbow and was the special attendant and messenger of the queen of heaven whose commands she executed with single attack, intelligence and swiftness Most primitive nations have regarded the rainbow as a bridge of communication between heaven and earth and this is doubtless the reason why Iris, who represented that beautiful phenomenon of nature should have been invested by the Greeks with the office of communicating between gods and men Iris is usually represented seated behind the chariot of Hera ready to do the bidding of her royal mistress She appears under the form of a slender maiden of great beauty robed in an airy fabric of variegated hues being mother of pearl Her sandals are bright as burnish silver She has golden wings and wherever she appears a radiance of light and a sweet odour as of delicate spring flowers pervades the air Hebe, Juventus Hebe was the personification of eternal youth under its most attractive and joyous aspect She was the daughter of Zeus and Hera and of such distinguished rank is nevertheless represented as cup bearer to the gods a forcible exemplification of the old patriarchal custom in accordance with which the daughters of the house even when of the highest lineage personally assisted in serving the guests Hebe is represented as a comely modest maiden small of a beautifully rounded contour and dresses and sparkling eyes She is often depicted pouring out nectar from an upraised vessel or bearing in her hand a shallow dish supposed to contain ambrosia the ever youth renewing food of the immortals In consequence of an act of awkwardness which caused her to slit while serving the gods Hebe was deprived of her office which was henceforth delegated to Ganymede's son of Tross Hebe afterwards became the bride of Heracles when after his apotheosis he was received among the immortals Juventus Juventus was the Roman divinity identified with Hebe whose attributes however were regarded by the Romans as applying more particularly to the imperishable vigor and immortal glory of the state several temples were erected in the honour of this goddess Ganymede's Ganymede's the youngest son of Tross, King of Troy was one day drawing water from a well on Mount Ida when he was observed by Zeus who struck with his wonderful beauty sent his equal to transport him to Olympus where he was endowed with immortality and appointed cup bearer to the gods Ganymede's is represented as a youth of exquisite beauty with short golden locks delicately chiseled features beaming blue eyes and pouting lips the muses of all the Olympic diaries none occupy a more distinguished position than the muses the nine beautiful daughters of Zeus and Nemosony in their original signification they presided merely over music song and dance but with the progress of civilisation the arts and sciences claimed their special presiding divinities and we see these graceful creations in later times sharing among them various functions such as poetry astronomy etc the muses were honoured alike by mortals and immortals in Olympus where Apollo acted as their leader but all festivity was considered complete without their joy inspiring presence and on earth no social gathering was celebrated without libations being poured out to them nor was any task involving intellectual effort ever undertaken without earnestly supplicating their assistance they endowed their chosen favourites with knowledge, wisdom and understanding they bestowed upon the orator a gift of eloquence inspired the poet with his noblest thoughts and the musician with his sweetest harmonies like so many of the greek divinities however the refined conception of the muses is somewhat marred by the acerbity with which they punished any effort on the part of mortals to rival them in their divine powers an instance of this is seen in the case of Themaris who presumed to invite them to a trial of skill in music having vanquished him they not only afflicted him with blindness but deprived him also of the power of song another example of the manner in which the gods punished presumption and vanity is seen in the story of the daughters of king pyrus proud of the perfection to which they had brought their skill in music they presumed to challenge the muses themselves in the art over which they especially presided the contest took place on Mount Helicon and it is said that when the mortal maidens commenced their song the sky became dark and misty whereas when the muses raised their heavenly voices all nature seemed to rejoice and Mount Helicon itself moved with exaltation the priorities were signally defeated and were transformed by the muses into singing birds as a punishment for having dared to challenge comparison with the immortals undeterred by the above example the sirens also entered into a similar contest the songs of the muses were loyal and true whilst those of the sirens were the false and deceptive strains with which so many unfortunate marinas had been lured to their death the sirens were defeated by the muses and as a mark of humiliation were deprived of the feathers with which their bodies were adorned the oldest seat of the worship of the muses was Pairia in Thrace where they were supposed to have first seen the light of day Pairia is a district on one of the sloping declivities of Mount Olympus its rivulets as they flow towards the plains beneath produce their sweet soothing sounds which may possibly have suggested this spot as a fitting home for the presiding divinities of song they dwelt on the summits of Mount Helicon Parnassus and Pindus and loved to haunt the springs and fountains which gushed forth amidst these rocky heights all of which were sacred to them and to poetic inspiration Agonipi and Hippocrini on Mount Helicon and the Castilian spring on Mount Parnassus were sacred to the muses the latter flowed between two lofty rocks above the city of Delphi and in ancient times its waters were introduced into a square stone basin where they were retained for the use of Pythia and the priests of Apollo these divinities consisted of water, milk and honey but never of wine their names and functions are as follows Calliope the most honoured of the muses presided over heroic song and epic poetry and is represented with a pencil in her hand and a slate upon her knee Cleo the muse of history holds in her hand and wears a wreath of laurel Melpomene the muse of tragedy bears a tragic mask Thalia the muse of comedy carries in her right hand a shepherd's crook and has a comic mask beside her Polyhymnia the muse of sacred hymns is crowned with a wreath of laurel she is always represented in a thoughtful attitude and entirely enveloped in rich folds of drapery Terpsichore the muse of dance and round delay is represented in the act of playing on a seven stringed lyre Urania the muse of astronomy stands erect and bears in her left hand a celestial globe Utterpi the muse of harmony is represented bearing a musical instrument usually a flute Erato the muse of love and hymnior songs wears a wreath of laurel and is striking the chords of a lyre with regard to the origin of the muses it is said that they were created by Zeus in answer to a request on the part of the victorious deities after the war with the titans that some special divinities should be called into existence in order to commemorate in song the glorious deeds of the Olympian gods Pegasus Pegasus was a beautiful winged horse who sprang from the body of Medusa when she was slain by the hero Perseus the son of Zeus and Dene spreading out his wings he immediately flew to the top of Mount Olympus where he was received with delight and admiration by all the immortals a place in his palace was assigned to him by Zeus who employed him to carry his thunder and lightning Pegasus permitted none but the gods to mount him except in the case of Belerophon whom at the command of Athene he carried a loft in order that he might slay the Chimera with his arrows the later poets represent Pegasus as being at the service of the muses and for this reason he is more celebrated in modern times than in antiquity he would appear to represent that poetical inspiration which tends to develop man's higher nature and causes the mind to soar heavenwards the only mention of the ancients of Pegasus in connection with the muses is the story of his having produced with his hoofs the famous fountain Hippocrine it is said that during their contest with the Parides the muses played and sang on the summit of Mount Helicon with such extraordinary power and sweetness that heaven and earth stood still to listen whilst the mountain raised itself in joyous ecstasy towards the abode of the celestial gods Poseidon seeing his special function thus interfered with sent Pegasus to check the boldness of the mountain endearing to move without his permission when Pegasus reached the summit he stamped the foot with his hoofs and out gushed the waters of Hippocrine afterwards so renowned as the sacred fountain whence the muses quaffed their richest drafts of inspiration the Hesperides the Hesperides the daughters of Atlas dwelt in an island in the far west whence they derived their name they were appointed by Hera to act as guardians to a tree bearing golden apples which had been presented to her by Gaia on the occasion of her marriage with Zeus it is said that the Hesperides being unable to withstand the temptation of tasting the golden fruit confided to their care were deprived of their office which was henceforth delegated to the terrible dragon Leidon who now became the ever-watchful sentinel of these precious treasures the names of the Hesperides were Eagle a Refuser and Hesperia Charities Gracie All those gentler attributes which beautify and refine human existence were personified by the Greeks under the form of three lovely sisters Euphrosony, Aglaea and Thalia the daughters of Zeus and Euronomy or according to later writers of Dionysus and Aphrodite they are represented as beautiful slender maidens in the full bloom of youth with hands and arms lovingly intertwined and are either undraped or wear a fleecy transparent garment of an ethereal fabric they portray every gentle emotion of the heart which vents itself in friendship and benevolence and were believed to preside over those qualities which constitute grace, modesty unconscious beauty, gentleness kindness, innocent joy purity of mind and body and eternal youth they not only possessed the most perfect beauty themselves but also conferred this gift upon others all the enjoyments of life were enhanced by their presence and were deemed incomplete without them and wherever joy or pleasure grace and gayity reigned there they were supposed to be present temples and altars were everywhere erected in their honour and people of all ages and every rank in life and treated their favour insects was burnt daily upon their altars and at every banquet they were invoked and a libation poured out to them as they not only heightened all enjoyment but also by their refining influence moderated the exciting effects of wine music, eloquence poetry and art and work of the muses received at the hands of the graces an additional touch of refinement and beauty for each reason they are always regarded as the friends of the muses with whom they lived on Mount Olympus their special function was to act in conjunction with the seasons as attendance upon Aphrodite whom they adorned with wreaths of flowers and she emerges from their hands like the queen of spring trimmed with the odor of roses and violets and all sweet-scented blossoms the graces are frequently seen in attendance on other divinities thus they carry music for Apollo myrtles for Aphrodite etc and frequently accompany the muses eros or Dionysus end of section 16 section 17 of myths and legends this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Lucy LaFaro New South Wales, Australia myths and legends of ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Behrens section 17 Third Dynasty Night and Her Children Hori through Asclepius Hori Seasons closely allied to the graces were the Hori or Seasons who were also represented as three beautiful maidens daughters of Zeus and Themis their names were Eunomia, Dice and Irene it may appear strange that these divinities presiding over the seasons should be but three in number but this is quite in accordance with the notions of the ancient Greeks who only recognised spring, summer and autumn as Seasons nature being supposed to be wrapped in death or slumber during that cheerless and unproductive portion of the year which we call winter in some parts of Greece there were but two Hori Thalo, Goddess of the Bloom and Carpo of the Corn and Fruit-Bearing Season the Hori are always regarded as friendly towards mankind and totally devoid of guile or subtlety they are represented as joyous but gentle maidens crowned with flowers and holding each other by the hand in a round dance when they are depicted separately as personifications of the different Seasons the Hori representing spring appears laden with flowers that of summer bears the whilst the personification of autumn has her hands filled with clusters of grapes and other fruits they also appear in company with the graces in the train of Aphrodite and are seen with Apollo and the Muses they are inseparably connected with all that is good and beautiful in nature and as the regular alternation of the Seasons like all her other operations demands the most perfect order and regularity the Hori being the daughters of Themis came to be regarded as the representatives of order and the just administration of human affairs in civilised communities each of these graceful maidens took upon herself a separate function Eunomia presided more especially over state life Dice guarded the interests of individuals whilst Irene the gayest and brightest of the three sisters was the lighthearted companion of Dionysus the Hori were also the diities of the fast fleeting hours and thus presided over the smaller as well as the larger divisions of time in this capacity they assist every morning in yoking the celestial horses to the glorious chariot of the sun which they again helped to unyoke when he sinks to rest in their original conception they were personifications of the clouds and are described as opening and closing the gates of heaven and causing fruits and flowers to spring forth when they pour down upon them their refreshing and life-giving streams the nymphs the graceful beings called the nymphs were the presiding diities of the woods, grottoes, streams meadows etc these divinities were supposed to be beautiful maidens of fairy-like form and robed in more or less shadowy garments they were held in the greatest veneration though being minor divinities they had no temples dedicated to them but were worshipped in caves or grottoes with libations of milk, honey, oil etc they may be divided into three distinct classes viz, water mountain and tree nymphs water nymphs oceanides nurides and nayades the worship of water diities is common to most primitive nations the streams, springs and fountains of a country bear the same relation to it which the blood coursing through the numberless arteries of a human being bears to the body both represent the living moving, life-awakening element without which existence would be impossible hence we find among most nations a deep feeling of attachment to the streams and waters of their native land the remembrance of which when absent in foreign climes is always treasured with peculiar fondness thus among the early Greeks each tribe came to regard the rivers and springs of its individual state as beneficent powers which brought blessing and prosperity to the country it is probable also that the charm whichever accompanies the sound of running water exercised its power over their imagination they heard with delight the gentle whisper of the fountain lulling the senses with its low rippling tones the soft purling of the brook as it rushes over the pebbles or the mighty voice of the waterfall as it dashes on its headlong course and the beings which they pictured to themselves as presiding over all these charming sights and sounds of nature corresponded in their graceful appearance with the scenes with which they were associated Oceanides the Oceanides or ocean nymphs were the daughters of Oceanus and Tethys and like most sea divinities with the gift of prophecy they are personifications of those delicate vapor like exhalations which in warm climates are emitted from the surface of the sea more especially at sunset and are impelled forwards by the evening breeze they are accordingly represented as misty shadowy beings with graceful swaying forms and robed in pale blue gauze-like fabrics the Neredes the Neredes were the daughters of Nereus and Doris and were nymphs of the Mediterranean sea they are similar in appearance to the Oceanides but their beauty is of a less shadowy order and is more like that of mortals they wear a flowing pale green robe their liquid eyes resemble in their clear depths the lucid waters of the sea they inhabit their hair floats carelessly over their shoulders and assumes the greenish tint of the water itself which far from deteriorating from their beauty greatly adds to its effect the Neredes either accompany the chariot of the mighty ruler of the sea or follow in his train they are told by the poets that the lonely mariner watches the Neredes with silent awe as they rise from their grotto palaces in the deep and dance in joyful groups over the sleeping waves some with arms entwined follow with their movements the melodies which seem to hover over the sea whilst others scatter liquid gems around these being emblematical of the phosphorescent light so frequently observed at night by the traveller in southern waters the best known of the Neredes were Thetis the wife of Pellius Amphretite the spouse of Poseidon and Galataea the beloved of Assis the Neades the Neades were the nymphs of freshwater springs lakes, brooks, rivers etc as the trees, plants and flowers owed their nourishment to their genial fostering care these divinities were regarded by the Greeks as special benefactors to mankind like all the nymphs they possessed the gift of prophecy for which reason many of the springs and fountains over which they presided were believed to inspire mortals who drank of their waters with the power of foretelling future events the Neades are intimately connected in idea with those flowers which are called after them nymphae or water lilies whose broad green leaves and yellow cups float upon the surface of the water as though proudly conscious of their own grace and beauty we often hear of the Neades forming alliances with mortals and also of their being brewed by the sylvan deities of the woods and dails dryads or tree nymphs the tree nymphs partook of the distinguishing characteristics of the particular tree to whose life they were wedded and were known collectively by the name of the dryads the hamer dryads or oak nymphs represent in their peculiar individuality the quiet self-reliant power which appears to belong essentially to the grand and lordly king of the forest the birch nymph is a melancholy maiden with floating hair resembling the branches of the pale and fragile looking tree which she inhabits the beech nymph is strong and sturdy full of life and joyousness and appears to give promise of faithful love and undisturbed repose whilst her rosy cheeks deep brown eyes and graceful form bespeak health, vigor and vitality the nymph of the linden tree is represented as a little coy maiden whose short silver grey dress reaches a little below the knee and displays to advantage her delicately formed limbs the sweet face which is partly averted reveals a pair of large blue eyes which appear to look at you with wondering surprise and shy mistrust her pale golden hair is bound by the faintest streak of rose-coloured ribbon being wedded to the life of the tree she inhabited ceased to exist when it was either felled or so injured as to wither away and die nymphs of the valleys and mountains nape and oriades the nape were the kind and gentle nymphs of the valleys and glens who appear in the train of Artemis they are represented as lovely maidens with short tunics which, reaching only to the knee do not impede their swift and graceful movements in the exercise of the chase their pale brown tresses are fastened in a knot at the back of the head whence a few stray curls escape over their shoulders the nape are shy as the fawns and quiet as frolicsome the oriades or mountain nymphs who are the principal and constant companions of Artemis or graceful maidens are tired as huntresses they are ardent followers of the chase and spare neither the gentle deer nor the timid hare nor indeed any animal they meet within their rapid course wherever their wild hunt goes the shy nape are represented as hiding behind the leaves whilst their favourites the fawns kneel tremblingly beside them looking up beseechingly for protection from the wild hunt tresses and even the bold satirs dart away at their approach and seek safety in flight there is a myth connected with one of these mountain nymphs the unfortunate echo she became an emort of a bitful youth named Narcissus son of the river god Cephasus who however failed to return her love which so grieved her that she gradually pined away in this shadow of her former self till at length nothing remained of her except her voice which henceforth gave back with unerring fidelity every sound that was uttered in the hills and dails Narcissus himself also met with an unhappy fate for Aphrodite punished him by causing him to fall in love with his own image which he beheld in a neighbouring fountain assumed with unrequited love he wasted away and was changed into a flower which bears his name the laminaeides or metonyms resemble the naeides and are usually represented dancing hand in hand in a circle the hyades who in appearance are somewhat similar to the oceanides are cloudy divinities and from the fact of their being variably accompanied by rain are represented as incessantly weeping the melliades were the nymphs who presided over fruit trees before concluding this subject attention should be drawn to the fact that in more modern times this beautiful idea of animating all nature in detail reappears under the various local traditions extant in different countries thus do the oceanides and naeides live again in the mermaids whose existence is still believed in by mariners whilst the flower and the metonyms assume the shape of those tiny elves and fairies who were formally believed to hold their midnight revels in every wood and on every common indeed even at the present day the Irish peasantry especially in the west firmly believe in the existence of the fairies or good people the winds according to the oldest accounts Eolus was a king of the Eolian islands to whom Zeus gave the command of the winds which he kept shut up in a deep cave and which he freed at his pleasure or at the command of the gods in later times the above belief underwent a change and the winds came to be regarded as distinct divinities whose aspect accorded with the respective with which they were identified they were depicted as wind youths in full vigor in the act of flying through the air the principal winds were Boreus the north wind Eurus the east wind Zephyrus the west wind and notice the south wind who were said to be the children of Eos and Astreus there are no myths of interest connected with these divinities Zephyrus was united to Chloris Flora the goddess of flowers of Boreus it is related that while flying over the river Elysis he beheld on the banks Eurythia the charming daughter of Rhaethys king of Athens whom he carried off to his native Thrace and there made her his bride Boreus and Eurythia were the parents of Zetis and Calais afterwards famous in the expedition of the Argonauts there was an altar erected at Athens in honour of Boreus in commemoration of his having destroyed the Persian fleet sent to attack the Greeks on the Acropolis at Athens there was a celebrated octagonal temple built by Pericles which was dedicated to the winds and on its sides were their various representations the ruins of this temple are still to be seen Pan Pan was the god of fertility and the special patron of shepherds and huntsmen he presided over all rural occupations was chief of the satyrs and head of all rural divinities according to the common belief he was the son of Hermes and a wood nymph and came into the world with horns sprouting from his forehead a goat's beard and a crooked nose pointed ears and the tail and feet of a goat and presented all together so repulsive an appearance that at the sight of him his mother fled in dismay Hermes however took up his curious little offspring wrapped him in a hair skin and carried him in his arms to Olympus the grotesque form and merry antics of the little stranger made him a great favourite with all the immortals especially Dionysus and they bestowed upon him the name of Pan all because he had delighted them all his favourite horns were grottoes and his delight was to wander in uncontrolled freedom over rocks and mountains following his various pursuits ever cheerful and usually very noisy he was a great lover of music singing, dancing and all pursuits which enhanced the pleasures of life and hence in spite of his repulsive appearance we see him surrounded with nymphs of the forests and dales who loved to dance around him to the cheerful music of his pipe the syrinx the myth concerning the origin of Pan's pipe is as follows Pan became an amour of a beautiful nymph called syrinx who appalled at his terrible appearance fled from the pertenacious attentions of her unwelcome suitor he pursued her to the banks of the river Laidon when seeing his near approach and feeling escape impossible she called on the gods for assistance who in answer to her prayer transformed her into a reed just as Pan was about to seize her whilst the lovesick Pan was sighing and lamenting his unfortunate fate the winds gently swayed the reeds and produced a murmuring sound as of one complaining charmed with the soothing tones he endeavoured to reproduce them himself and after cutting seven of the reeds of unequal length he joined them together and succeeded in producing the pipe which he called the syrinx in memory of his lost love Pan was regarded by shepherds as their most valiant protector who defended their flocks from the attacks of wolves the shepherds of these early times have no penfolds we're in the habit of gathering together their flocks in mountain caves to protect them against the inclement of the weather and also to secure them at night against the attacks of wild animals these caves therefore which were very numerous in the mountain districts of Arcadia, Boatia etc. were all consecrated to Pan as it is customary in all tropical climates to repose during the heat of the day Pan is represented as greatly enjoying his afternoon sleep in the cool shelter of a tree or cave and also as being highly displeased at any sound which disturbed his slumbers for which reason the shepherds were always particularly careful to keep unbroken silence during these hours whilst they themselves indulged in a quiet siesta Pan was usually loved by huntsmen being himself a great lover of the woods which afforded to his cheerful and active disposition full scope and in which he loved to range at will he was regarded as the patron of the chase and the rural sportsmen returning from an unsuccessful day's sport he was spoken of their displeasure the wooden image of Pan which always occupied a prominent place in their dwellings all sudden and unaccountable sounds which startled travellers in lonely spots were attributed to Pan who possessed a frightful and most discordant voice hence the term Panic Terror to indicate sudden fear the Athenians ascribed their victory at Marathon to the alarm which he created the Persians by his terrible voice Pan was gifted with the power of prophecy which he is said to have imparted to Apollo and he possessed a well known and very ancient oracle in Arcadia in which state he was more especially worshipped the artists of later times have somewhat toned down the original very unattractive conception of Pan as above described and merely represent him as a young man by the exposure to all weathers which a rural life involves and bearing in his hand the shepherds crook and syrinx these being his usual attributes whilst small horns project from his forehead he is either undraped or wears merely a light cloak called the Clemis the usual offerings to Pan were milk and honey in shepherds bowls cows, lambs and rams were also sacrificed to him after the introduction of Pan into the worship of Dionysus we hear of a number of little Pan's Penisci who are sometimes confounded with the satyrs Faunus the Romans had an old Italian divinity called Faunus who as the god of shepherds was identified with the Greek Pan and represented in a similar manner Faunus is frequently called Ineous or the fertilizer and Lepercus or the one who wards off wolves like Pan he possessed the gift of prophecy and was the presiding spirit of the woods and fields he also shared with his Greek prototype the faculty of alarming travellers in solitary places bad dreams and evil apparitions were attributed to Faunus and he was believed to enter houses stealthily at night for this purpose Fauna was the wife of Faunus and participated in his functions the satyrs the satyrs were a race of woodland spirits who evidently personified the free, wild and untrammeled life of the forest their appearance was both grotesque and repulsive they had flat broad noses pointed ears and little horns sprouting from their foreheads a rough shaggy skin and small goat's tails they led a life of pleasure and self-indulgence followed the chase reveled in every description of wild music and dancing were terrible wine-bibers and addicted to the deep slumbers which follow heavy potations they were no less dreaded by mortals than by the gentle woodland nymphs who always avoided their coarse, rough sports the satyrs were conspicuous figures in the train of Dionysus and as we have seen Selenus, their chief was tutored to the wine god the oldest satyrs were called Silens and are represented in antique sculpture as more nearly approaching the human form in addition to the ordinary satyrs artists delighted in depicting little satyrs, young imps frolicking about the woods in a marvellous variety of droll attitudes these little fellows greatly resemble their friends and companions the Pinesci in rural districts it was customary for the shepherds and peasants who attended the festivals of Dionysus to dress themselves in the skins of goats and other animals and under this disguise they permitted themselves all kinds of playful tricks and excesses to which circumstance by some authorities attributed in Rome the old Italian wood divinities the fawns who had goats feet and all other characteristics of the satyrs greatly exaggerated were identified with them Priapus Priapus the son of Dionysus and Aphrodite was regarded as the god of fruitfulness the protector of flocks, sheep goats, bees, the fruit of the vine and all garden produce his statues which were set up in gardens and vineyards acted not only as objects of worship but also as scarecrows the appearance of this god being especially repulsive and unsightly these statues were formed of wood or stone and from the hips downwards were merely rude columns they represent him as having a red and very ugly face he bears in his hand a pruning knife and his head is crowned with a wreath of vine and laurel he usually carries fruit in his garments or a cornucopia in his hand always however retaining his singularly revolting aspect it is said that Hera wishing to punish Aphrodite sent her this misshapen and unsightly son and that when he was born his mother was so horrified at the sight of him that she ordered him to be exposed on the mountains where he was found by some shepherds who taking pity on him saved his life this divinity was chiefly worshipped at Lamp Sacus his birthplace Assas were sacrificed to him and he received the first fruits of the fields and gardens with a libation of milk and honey the worship of Priapus was introduced into Rome Aphrodite and was identified with a native Italian divinity named Metunus Asclepius Asculapius Asclepius the son of the healing art was the son of Apollo and the nymph Cronus he was educated by the noble centaur Chiron who instructed him in all knowledge but more especially that of the properties of herbs Asclepius searched out the hidden powers of plants and discovered cures for the various diseases which afflict the human body he brought his art to such perfection that he not only succeeded in warding off death but also restored the dead to life it was popularly believed that he was materially assisted in his wonderful cures by the blood of the Medusa given to him by Palis Athene it is well to observe that the shrines of this divinity which were usually built in healthy places on hills outside the town or near wells which were believed to have healing powers offered at the same time means of cure for the sick and suffering thus combining religious with sanitary influences the custom for the sufferer to sleep in the temple when if he had been earnest in his devotions Asclepius appeared to him in a dream and revealed the means to be employed for the cure of his malady on the walls of these temples were hung tablets inscribed by the different pilgrims with the particulars of their malades the remedies practised by the gods a custom undoubtedly productive of most beneficial results groves, temples and altars were dedicated to Asclepius in many parts of Greece but Epidorus the chief seat of his worship where indeed it is said to have originated contained his principal temple which served at the same time as a hospital the statue of Asclepius in the temple at Epidorus was formed of ivory and gold and represented him as an old man with a full beard leaning on a staff round which a serpent is climbing the serpent was the distinguishing symbol of this divinity partly because these reptiles were greatly used by the ancients in the cure of diseases and partly also because all the prudence and wisdom of the serpent were deemed indispensable to the religious physician his usual attributes are a staff, a bowl a bunch of herbs a pineapple a dog and a serpent his children inherited for the most part the distinguished talents of their father two of his sons Machaeon and Prudelyris accompanied Agamemnon to the Trojan War in which expedition they became renowned not only as military heroes but also as skillful physicians their sisters Hygia, Health and Penacea or Healing had temples dedicated to them and received divine honours the function of Hygia was to maintain the health of the community which great blessing was supposed to be brought by her as a direct and beneficent gift from the gods Asculapius the worship of Asculapius was introduced into Rome from Epidaurus whence the statue of the god of healing was brought at the time of a great pestilence grateful for their deliverance from this plague the Romans erected a temple in his honour on an island near the mouth of the Tiber End of section 17 Section 18 of Myths and Legends This is a Librivox recording All Librivox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit Librivox.org Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Barons Roman Divinities Janus From the earliest ages Janus was regarded by the Romans with the utmost affection and veneration as a divinity who ranked only second to himself and through whom all prayers and petitions were transmitted to the other gods He was believed to preside over the beginnings of all things hence it was he who inaugurated the years, months and seasons and in course of time came to be considered as specially protecting the beginnings of all human enterprises The great importance which the Romans attached to an auspicious commencement as contributing to the ultimate success of an enterprise accounts for the high estimation that Janus was held as the god of beginnings This divinity would appear to have been the ancient sun god of the Italian tribes in which capacity he opens and closes the gates of heaven every morning and evening hence he was regarded as the doorkeeper of heaven and also as the presiding deity over all gates, entrances, etc on earth The fact of his being the god of city gates, which were called Jani after him, is ascribed however to the following myth After the abduction of their women by the Romans the Sabines, in revenge invaded the Roman state and were already about to enter the gates of the city when suddenly a hot sulfur spring which was believed to have been sent by Janus for their special preservation gushed forth from the earth and arrested the progress of the enemy See footnote 179 In his character as guardian of gates and doors he was also regarded as a protecting deity of the home for which reason little shrines were erected to him over the doors of houses which contained an image of the god having two faces Janus possessed no temples in the ordinary acceptation of the world but all the gates of cities were dedicated to him Close to the forum of Rome stood the so called temple of Janus which however was merely an arched passage closed by massive gates This temple was only open in time of war as it was supposed that the god had then taken his departure with the Roman army over whose welfare he personally presided It is worthy of notice as an evidence of the many wars in which the Romans were engaged that the gates of this sanctuary were only closed three times during 700 years As the god who ushers in the new year the first month was called after him and on the first of January the most important festival was celebrated on which occasion all entrances of public and private buildings were decorated with laurel branches and garlands of flowers His sacrifices consisting of cakes wine and barley were offered to him at the beginning of every month and before sacrificing to the other gods his name was always invoked and a libation poured out to him Janus is usually represented with two faces In his special function as doorkeeper of heaven he stands erect bearing a key in one hand and a rod or scepter in the other It is supposed that Janus was the most ancient king of Italy who during his life governed his subjects with such wisdom and moderation that in gratitude for the benefits conferred upon them his people deified him after death and placed him in the foremost rank among their divinities We have already seen in the history of Cronus that Saturn, who was identified as the Greek Cronus, god of time was the friend and colleague of Janus Anxious to prove his gratitude to his benefactor Cronus endowed him with the knowledge of past and future events C footnote 180 which enabled him to adopt the wisest measures for the welfare of his subjects and it is on this account that Janus is represented with two faces looking in opposite directions the one to the past the other to the future Flora was the goddess of flowers and was regarded as a beneficent power who watched over and protected the early blossoms She was held in the highest estimation by the Romans and a festival called the Flora Lea was celebrated in her honor from the 28th of April to the 1st of May This festival was a season of universal merriment in which flowers were used profusely in adorning houses, streets, etc and were worn by young girls in their hair Flora, who typified the season of spring is generally represented as a lovely maiden garlanded with flowers Robigus In opposition to Flora we find an antagonistic divinity called Robigus a worker of evil who delighted in the destruction of the tender herbs by Mildew and whose wrath could only be averted by prayers and sacrifices when he was invoked under the title of Averuncus or the Avertor The festival of Robigus the Robigalia was celebrated on the 25th of April Pomona Pomona was the goddess of orchards and fruit trees who according to Ovid cares not for woods or streams but loves her gardens and the boughs that bear the thriving fruit Pomona, who typifies autumn is represented as a lovely maiden with branches of fruit trees See footnote 181 Vertumnus Vertumnus was the god of garden and field produce He personifies the change of seasons and that process of transformation in nature by means of which the leaf buds become developed into blossoms and the blossoms into fruit The change of seasons is symbolized in a myth which represents Vertumnus as metamorphosing himself into a variety of different forms in order to gain the affection of Pomona who so loved her vocation that she abjured all thoughts of marriage He first appears to her as a plowman typifying spring then as a reaper to represent summer afterwards as a vine gatherer to educate autumn and finally as a grey-haired old woman symbolical of the snows of winter but it was not until he assumed his true form that of a beautiful youth that he succeeded in his suit Vertumnus is generally represented crowned with wheat sheaves and bearing in his hand a cornucopia Hales Hales, a very ancient Italian divinity, is represented sometimes as a male sometimes as a female power as a male divinity he is more particularly the god of shepherds and flocks as a female deity Hales presides over husbandry and the fruitfulness of herds her festivals the Pallilia were celebrated on the 21st of April the day on which the city of Rome was founded during this festival it is customary for shepherds to ignite a mass of straw through which they rushed with air flocks believing that this ordeal would purify them from sin the name Palatine which originally signified a pastoral colony is derived from this divinity her offerings were cakes and milk Seafoot note 182 Picus Picus, the son of Saturn and father of Phalmas was a woodland divinity gifted with prophetic powers an ancient myth relates that Picus was a beautiful youth united to a nymph called Canons the sorceress Circe infatuated by his beauty and his love but he rejected her advances and she in revenge changed him to a woodpecker under which form he still retained his powers of prophecy Picus is represented as a youth with a woodpecker perched upon his head which bird became henceforth regarded as possessed of the power of prophecy Picumnes and Pailunus Picumnes and Pailunus were two household divinities of the Romans who were the special presiding deities of newborn infants Sylvanus Sylvanus was a woodland divinity who like Phalmas greatly resembled the Greek pan he was the presiding deity of plantations and forests and specially protected the boundaries of fields Sylvanus is represented as a hail old man carrying a cypress tree for according to Roman mythology the transformation of the youth Cyparasus into the tree which bears his name to him his sacrifices consisted of milk, meat, wine grapes, wheat ears and pigs Terminus Terminus was the god who presided over all boundaries and landmarks he was originally represented by a simple block of stone which in later times became surmounted by a head of this divinity Seafoot note 183 Numo Pompilius the great benefactor of his people with respect for the rights of property specially enjoined the erection of these blocks of stone as a durable monument to mark the line dividing one property from another he also caused altars to be raised to Terminus and instituted his festival the Terminalia which was celebrated on the 23rd of February upon one occasion when Tarquin wished to remove the altars of several deities in order to build a new temple it is said that Terminus and Juventus alone were subjected to being displaced this obstinate refusal on their part was interpreted as a good omen signifying that the city of Rome would never lose her boundaries and would remain ever young and vigorous Consis Consis was the god of secret council the Romans believed that when an idea developed itself spontaneously within the mind of an individual it was Consis who had prompted the suggestion this applied however more particularly to plans which resulted satisfactorily an altar was erected to this Divinity on the Circus Maximus which was kept always covered except during his festival the Consiulia which was celebrated on the 18th of August Libertina Libertina was the goddess who presided over funerals this Divinity was identified with Venus possibly because the ancients considered that the power of love extended even to the realms of death her temple in Rome which was erected by Servius Tullius contained all the requisites for funerals and these could either be bought or hired there a register of all deaths which occurred in the city of Rome was kept in this temple and in order to ascertain the rate of mortality a piece of money was paid by command of Servius Tullius on the demise of each person See footnote 184 Libertina Libertina was the presiding goddess of thieves and of all artifice and fraud there was an altar erected to her near the Porta Levernalis which was called after her and she possessed a sacred grove on the Via Salavia Comus Comus was the presiding genius of banquets, festive scenes, revelry and all joyous pleasures and reckless gaity he is represented as a young man crowned with flowers his face heated and flushed with wine leaning against a post in a half sleepy and drunken attitude with a torch falling from his hand the Caymane the Caymane were prophetic nymphs held in high veneration by the ancient Italians they were foreign number the best known of whom are Carmenta and Egeria Carmenta was celebrated as being the mother of Evander who led an Arcadian colony into Italy and founded a town on the river Tiber that came afterwards incorporated with the city of Rome Evander said to have been the first who introduced Greek art and civilization into Italy and also the worship of Greek divinities a temple was erected to Carmenta on the capital line hill and a festival called the Carmentalia was celebrated in her honor on the 11th of January Egeria is said to have initiated Duma Pompilius in the forms of religious worship and worshiping his people she was regarded as the giver of life and was therefore invoked by women before the birth of their children see footnote 185 the Caymane are frequently identified by Roman writers with the muses Genii a comforting and assuring belief existed among the Romans that each individual was accompanied through life from the hour of his birth to that of his death by a protecting spirit called his genius who prompted him to good and noble deeds and acted towards him as a guardian angel comforting him in sorrow and guiding him throughout his earthly career in the course of time a second genius was believed to exist of an evil nature who as the instigator of all wrong doing was ever at war with the beneficent genius and on the issue of the conflict between these antagonistic influences depended the fate of the individual the genii were depicted as winged beings greatly resembling our modern representations of guardian angels every state, town, or city as well as every man possessed its special genius the sacrifices to the genii consisted of wine, cakes, and incense which were offered to them on birthdays the genius which guided a woman was called after the queen of heaven Juno beings called daemons were regarded as exercising similar functions to those of the Roman genii they were believed to be the spirits of the righteous race which existed in the golden age who watched over mankind carrying their prayers to the gods and the gifts of the gods to them the mains were the spirits of the departed and were of two kinds these would be lemurs and laurice see footnote 186 the lemurs were those mains who haunted their former abodes on earth as evil spirits appearing at night under awful forms and hideous shapes greatly to the alarm of their friends and relatives they were so feared that a festival called the lemuralia was celebrated in order to propitiate them it appears extremely probable that the superstitions with regard to spirits, haunted houses etc which exist even at the present day owe their origin to this very ancient pagan source the laurice familiaris were a much more pleasing conception they were the spirits of the ancestors of each family who exercised after death a protecting power over the well being and prosperity of the family to which they had in life belonged the place of honor beside the hearth was occupied by the statue of the laur of the house who was supposed to have been the founder of the family this statue was the object of profound veneration and was honored on all occasions by every member of the family a portion of each meal was laid before it and it was believed to take an active part in all family affairs and domestic events whether of a sad or joyful nature before starting on any expedition the master of the house saluted the statue of the laur and on his return a solemn thanksgiving was offered to this the presiding deity of his hearth and home in grateful acknowledgement of his protection where upon the statue was crowned with garlands of flowers these being the favorite offerings of the laurice on all occasions of a special family rejoicing the first act of a bride on entering her new abode was to do homage to the laur in the belief that he would exercise over her a protecting influence and shield her from evil in addition to those above enumerated there were also public laurice who were guardians of the state high roads, country and sea their temples were always open for any pious worshipper to enter and on their altars public sacrifices were offered for the welfare of the state or city see footnote 187 penates the penates were deities selected by each family and frequently by its individual members as a special protector various causes led to this selection if for instance a child were born on the festival of Vesta it was thought that that deity would hence forward act as its special guardian if a youth possessed great business talents he adopted Mercury as his tutelary deity should he on the other hand develop a passion for music, Apollo was selected as his patron god and so forth these became regarded as the special divinities of the household small images of them adorned the surroundings of the hearth and honors similar to those paid to the laurice were accorded to them just as there were public laurice so there were public penates which were worshiped by the Roman people under the form of two youthful warriors who in later times were regarded as identical with castor and Pollux they are generally represented on horseback with conical caps on their heads and bearing long spears in their hands the footnote 188 end of section 18 recorded by Anthony Wilson section 19 of myths and legends this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org myths and legends of ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Barons public worship of the ancient Greeks and Romans temples in very remote times the Greeks had no shrines or sanctuaries devoted to public worship but performed their devotions beneath the vast and boundless canopy of heaven in the great temple of nature itself believing that their divinities thrown above the clouds pious worshipers naturally sought the highest available points in order to place themselves in the closest communion possible with their gods hence the summits of high mountains were selected for devotional purposes and the more exalted the rank and importance of the divinity invoked the more elevated was the site selected for his or her worship but the inconvenience attending this mode of worship gradually suggested the idea of erecting edifices which would afford means of shelter from the inclemancy of the weather these structures were of the most simple form and without decoration but when with the progress of civilization the Greeks became a wealthy and powerful people see footnote 189 temples were built and adorned with the greatest splendor and magnificence talent, labor and wealth being lavished unsparingly on their erection and decoration indeed so massively were they constructed that some of them have to a certain extent withstood the ravages of time the city of Athens especially contains numerous remains of these buildings of antiquity on the acropolis we may still behold among other monuments of ancient art the temple of Athena Palaeus and that of Theseus the latter of which is the most entire ancient edifice in the world in the island of Delos also are to be seen the ruins of the temples of Apollo and Artemis both of which are in a wonderful state of preservation these ruins are most valuable being sufficiently complete to enable us to study by their aid the plan and character of the original structure among the Lacedemonians however we find no vestiges of these stately temples for they were especially enjoined by a law of Lysergis to serve the gods with as little outlay as possible when the great law giver was asked the reason of this injunction he replied that the Lacedemonians being a poor nation might otherwise abstain altogether from the observance of their religious duties and wisely added that magnificent edifices and costly sacrifices were not so pleasing to the gods as the true piety and unfaimed devotion of their worshippers the most ancient temples known to us served a double purpose they were not only consecrated to the service of the gods but were at the same time venerable monuments in honor of the dead thus for instance the temple of Palaeus Athenae the tower of the city of Larissa served as the sepulcher of Acricias and the acropolis at Athens received the ashes of sea crops founder of the city a temple was frequently dedicated to two or more gods and was always built after the manner considered most acceptable to the particular divinities to whom it was consecrated for just as trees, birds, and animals of every description were held to be sacred to certain deities see footnote 190 so almost every god had a form of building peculiar to himself which was deemed more acceptable to him than any other thus the Doric style of architecture was sacred to Zeus, Aris, and Heracles the Ionic to Apollo, Artemis, and Dionysus and the Corinthian to Hestia in the porch of the temple stood a vessel of stone or brass containing holy water which had been consecrated by putting into it the burning torch taken from the altar with which all those admitted to take part in the sacrifices were besprinkled in the inmost recess of the sanctuary was the most holy place into which none but the priests were suffered to enter temples in the country were usually surrounded with groves of trees the solitude of these shady retreats naturally tended to inspire the worshiper with awe and reverence added to which the delightful shade is peculiarly grateful in hot countries indeed so general did this custom of building temples and groves become that all places devoted to sacred purposes even where no trees existed were called groves that this practice must be of very remote antiquity is provided by the biblical injunction having for its object the separation of the Jews from all idolatrous practices thou shalt not plant the agrova trees near unto the altar of the Lord by God and the statues the Greeks worshipped their gods without any visible representations of them until the time of sea crops the most ancient of these representations consisted of square blocks of stone upon which the name of the deity intended to be represented was engraved the first attempts at sculpture were rude stocks with a head at one end and a shapeless trunk at the other tapering slightly down to the feet which however were not divided being in no way defined but the artists of later times devoted all their genius to the successful production of the highest ideals of their gods some of which are preserved to this day and are regarded as examples of purest art see footnote 191 on a pedestal in the center of the edifice stood the statue of the divinity to whom the temple was dedicated surrounded by images of other gods all of which were fenced off by rails altars the altar in a Greek temple which stood in the center of the building and in front of the statue of the presiding deity was generally of a circular form and constructed of stone it was customary to engrave upon it the name or distinguishing symbol of the divinity to whom it was dedicated and it was held so sacred that if any mal factor fled to it his life was saved from his pursuers and it was considered one of the greatest acts of sacrilege to force him from this asylum the most ancient altars were adorned with horns which in former times were emblems of power and dignity as wealth and consequently importance consisted among most primitive nations in flocks and herds in addition to those erected in places of public worship altars were frequently raised in groves on highways or in the marketplaces of cities the gods of the lower world had no altars whatever ditches or trenches being dug for the reception of the blood of the sacrifices offered to them priests in ancient times the priests were recognized as a special social caste and were distinguished not only by their sacerdotal vestments but also by their piety wisdom and blameless life they were the chosen mediators between gods and men and offered prayers and sacrifices in the name of the people whom they also instructed as to what vows gifts and offerings would be most acceptable to the gods see footnote 192 every deity had a different order of priests consecrated to his worship and in every place a high priest was appointed whose duty it was to superintend the rest of his order and also to carry out the more sacred rights and religious observances priests and priestesses were permitted to marry but not a second time however voluntarily adopted a life of celibacy sacrifices there is no doubt that a feeling of gratitude to the gods for their protecting care and the abundance with which they were believed to bless mankind has induced men of all nations and in all countries to feel a desire to sacrifice to their divinities some portion of the gifts so generously lavished upon them among the Greeks sacrifices were of various kinds they consisted of free will offerings propitiatory offerings etc free will offerings were grateful acknowledgments for benefits received and usually consisted of the first fruits of the field or the finest of the flocks and herds which were required to be without spot or blemish propitiatory offerings were brought with the object of appeasing the anger of the gods in addition to those above enumerated sacrifices were made either with excess in an enterprise about to be undertaken or in a fulfillment of a vow or at the command of an oracle every sacrifice was accompanied by salt and also by a libation which usually consisted of wine the cupping always filled to the brim indicating that the offering was made without stint when sacrificing to the infernal gods the cup containing the libation was filled with blood the animals offered to the Olympian communities were white whilst those to the gods of the lower world were black when a man offered a special sacrifice for himself or his family it partook of the nature of his occupation see footnote 193 thus a shepherd brought a sheep a vine grower his grapes and so forth but in the case of public sacrifices the supposed individuality of the deity was always consulted for instance to Demeter who was offered because that animal is apt to root up the seed corn to Dionysus a goat on account of its being destructed to vineyards etc the value of offerings depended greatly upon the position of the individual it being regarded as a contempt of the gods for a rich man to bring a sordid offering whilst from a poor man the smallest oblation was considered acceptable Hecateums consisted of a hundred animals and were offered by entire communities or by wealthy individuals who either deserved or had obtained some special favor from the gods when a sacrifice was to be offered a fire was kindled on the altar into which wine and frankincense were poured in order to increase the flame in very ancient times the victim was laid upon the altar and burned whole but after the time of Prometheus portions only of the shoulders thighs and trails etc were sacrificed the remainder becoming the perquisites of the priests the officiating priests wore a crown composed of leaves of the tree sacred to the deity they invoked thus when sacrificing to Apollo the crowns were of Laurel when to Heracles of Poplar this practice of wearing crowns was at a later period adopted by the general public at banquets and other festivities on occasions of special solemnity the horns of the victim were overlaid with gold and the altars decked with flowers and sacred herbs the mode of conducting the sacrifices was as follows all things being prepared a salt cake a sacrificial knife and the crowns were placed in a small basket and carried to the sanctuary by a young maiden where upon the victim was conducted into the temple frequently to the accompaniment of music if a small animal it was driven loose to the altar if a large one it was led by a long trailing rope in order to indicate that it was not an unwilling sacrifice see footnote 194 when all were assembled the priest after walking in solemn state around the altar be sprinkled it with a mixture of meal and holy water after which he also be sprinkled the assembled worshipers and exhorted them to join with him in prayer the service being ended the priest first tasted the libation and after causing the congregation to do the like poured the remainder between the horns of the victim after which frankincense was strewn upon the altar and a portion of the meal and water poured upon the animal which was then killed if by any chance the victim escaped the stroke or became in any way restless it was regarded as an evil omen if on the contrary it expired without a struggle it was considered auspicious at the sacrifices to the aerial divinity's music was added whilst dances were performed around the altar and sacred hymns sung these hymns were generally composed in honor of the gods and contained an account of their famous actions their clemency and beneficence and the gifts conferred by them on mankind in conclusion the gods were invoked for continuance of their favor and when the service was ended a feast was held oracles the desire to penetrate the dark veil of futurity and thereby to avert if possible threatened danger has animated mankind in all ages of the world prophetic knowledge was sought by the Greeks at the mouth of oracles whose predictions were interpreted to the people by priests specially appointed for the purpose the most famous of these institutions was the oracle of Apollo at Delphi which was held in general repute all over the world people flocked from far and near to consult this wonderful mouth piece of the gods one month in the year being specially set apart for the purpose see footnote 195 the priestess who delivered the oracles was called the Pythia after the serpent Python which was killed by Apollo having first bathed in the waters of the Castilian spring she was conducted into the temple by the priests and was seated on a sort of three-legged stool or table called a tripod which was placed over the mouth of a cave once issued sulfurous vapors here she gradually became affected in a remarkable manner and fell into an ecstatic condition in which she uttered wild and extraordinary phrases which were held to be the utterance of Apollo himself these the priests interpreted to the people but in most cases in so ambiguous a manner that the fulfillment of the prediction could not easily be disputed during the ceremony clouds of incense filled the temple and hid the priestess from the view of the uninitiated and at its conclusion she was reconducted in a fainting condition to her cell the following is a striking instance of the ambiguity of oracular predictions Croesus the rich king of Lydia before going to war with Cyrus king of Persia consulted an oracle as to the probable success of the expedition the reply he received was that if he crossed a certain river he would destroy a great empire interpreting the response as being favorable to his design Croesus crossed the river and encountered the Persian king by whom he was entirely defeated and his own empire being destroyed the prediction of the oracle was said to have been fulfilled soothsayers augurs in addition to the manifestation of the will of the gods by means of oracles the Greeks also believed that certain men called soothsayers were gifted with the power of foretelling future events from dreams from observing the flight of birds the entrails of sacrificed animals and even the direction of the flames and smoke from the altar etc see footnote 196 augurs the Roman soothsayers were called augurs and played an important part in the history of the Romans as no enterprise was ever undertaken without first consulting them with its ultimate success festivals festivals were instituted as seasons of rest rejoicing and thanksgiving and also as anniversaries to commemorate events of national importance the most ancient festivals were those held after the in-gathering of the harvest or vintage and were celebrated with rejoicings and merry makings which lasted many days during which time the first fruits of the fields were offered to the gods by prayers and thanksgiving the festivals held in cities in honor of special divinities or in commemoration of particular events were conducted with an elaborate ceremonial gorgeous processions games chariot races etc were conspicuous features on these occasions and dramatic performances representing particular episodes in the lives of the gods and heroes frequently took place we subjoin a few of the most interesting of the greek and roman festivals end of section 19 recording by anthony wilson section 20 of myths and legends this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Barons Greek Festivals Elysinian Mysteries One of the most ancient and important among the festivals observed by the Greeks was that of the Elysinian Mysteries which was celebrated in honor of Demeter and Persephone the name was derived from Elusis a town in Attica where the mysteries were first introduced by the goddess herself they were divided into the greater and lesser mysteries and according to the general account were held every five years the greater which were celebrated in honor of Demeter and lasted nine days were held in autumn the lesser dedicated to Persephone who at these festivals was affectionately called Cora or the Maiden were held in spring it is supposed that the secrets taught to the initiated by the priests the expounders of the mysteries were moral meanings elucidated from the myths concerning Demeter and Persephone but the most important belief inculcated was the doctrine of the immortality of the soul that the lessons taught were of the highest moral character is universally admitted the souls of those who participated in them were filled with the sweetest hopes both as to this and to the future world and it was a common saying among the Athenians in the mysteries no one is sad the initiation into these solemn rites which was originally the exclusive privilege of the Athenians was accompanied with awe-inspiring ceremonies and secrecy was so strictly enjoined that its violation was punished by death at the conclusion of the initiation great rejoicings took place chariot races wrestling matches, etc. were held and solemn sacrifices offered the initiation into the lesser mysteries served as a preparation for the greater Thesmaphoria the Thesmaphoria was another festival held in honor of Demeter in her character as presiding over marriage and social institutions resulting from the spread of agriculture this festival was celebrated exclusively by women Dionysia a joyous spring festival was held in honor of Dionysius in the month of March and lasted several days this festival which was called the Greater Dionysia was celebrated with a particular splendor at Athens when strangers flocked from all parts of the world to take part in the ceremonies the city was gaily decorated the houses were garlanded with ivy leaves crowds perambulated the streets everything wore its holiday garb and wine was freely indulged in in the processions which took place during these festivities the statue of Dionysus was carried and men and women crowned with ivy and bearing the Thersis were dressed in every description of grotesque costume and played on drums pipes, blutes, cymbals, etc. some representing Silanus rode on asses others wearing fawn skins appeared as pan or the sadders and the whole multitude sang pions in honor of the wine-god public shows, games, and sports took place and the entire city was full of revelry what lent additional interest to these festivals was the custom of introducing new comedies and tragedies to the public representations of which were given and prizes awarded to those which elicited the greatest admiration the lesser Dionysia were vintage festivals celebrated in rural districts in the month of November and were characterized by drinking, feasting and joviality of all kinds in connection with some of the festivals in honor of Dionysus were certain mystic observances into which only women, called Menides or Bacchantes, were initiated clad and fawn skins they assembled by night on the mountain sides some carrying blazing torches others Thersi and all animated with religious enthusiasm and frenzy they shouted, clapped their hands, danced wildly and worked themselves up to such a pitch of passion and fury that in their mad frenzy they tore in pieces the animal brought as a sacrifice to Dionysus under the name of Bacchanalia these mystic rites were introduced into Rome where men also were allowed to participate in them but they were attended with such frightful excesses that the state authorities at length intervened and prohibited them Panathena the Panathena was a famous festival celebrated in Athens in honor of Athenipoleus, the guardian of the state there were two festivals of this name the lesser and the greater Panathenaia the former was held annually and the latter which lasted several days was celebrated every fourth year for the greater Panathenaia a garment embroidered with the gold called the peplus was specially woven by Athenian maidens on which was represented the victory gained by Athena over the giants this garment was suspended to the mast of a ship which stood outside the city and during the festival which was characterized by a grand procession the ship with the peplus on its mast was impelled forward by means of invisible machinery and formed the most conspicuous feature of the pageant the whole population bearing olive branches in their hands took part in the procession and amidst music and rejoicings this imposing pageant wended its way to the temple of Athenipoleus where the peplus was deposited on the statue of the goddess at this festival Homer's poems were declaimed loud and poets also introduced their own works to the public musical contests foot and horse races and wrestling matches were held and dances were performed by boys in armor men who had deserved well of their country were presented at the festival with a crown of gold and the name of the person so distinguished was announced publicly by a herald the victors in the races and athletic games received as a prize a vase of oil supposed to have been extracted from the fruit of the sacred olive tree of Athena the daffnophoria the daffnophoria was celebrated at Thebes in honor of Apollo every ninth year the distinguishing feature of this festival was a procession to the temple of Apollo in which a young priest the daffnophorus of noble descent splendidly attired in wearing a crown of gold was preceded by a youth carrying an emblematic representation of the sun, moon, stars and days of the year and followed by beautiful maidens wearing laurel branches and singing hymns in honor of the gods End of Section 20 Section 21 of Myths and Legends This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Kirsten Ferrari Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Barons Section 21 Roman Festivals Saturnalia The Saturnalia a national festival held in December in honor of Saturn was celebrated after the in-gathering of the harvest and lasted several days it was a time of universal rejoicing cessation from labor and merry-making school children had holidays friends sent presents to each other the law courts were closed and no business was transacted from the surrounding country flocked to Rome for this festival attired in every variety of masquerade dress practical jokes were given and received with the utmost good humor shouts of exultation filled the air all classes abandoned themselves to enjoyment and unrestrained hilarity reigned supreme social distinctions were for a time suspended or even reversed and so heartily was the spirit of this festival entered into that masters waited upon their slaves at banquets which they provided to them the slaves being dressed upon these occasions in the garments of their masters there appears little doubt that the modern carnival is a survival of the ancient Saturnalia Cerealia this festival was celebrated in honor of Ceres it was solemnized exclusively by women who dressed in white garments wandered about with torches in their hands to represent the search of the goddess for her daughter proserpina during this festival games were celebrated as maximus to which none were admitted unless clothed in white Vestalia the Vestalia was a festival held in honor of Vesta on the 9th of June and was celebrated exclusively by women who walked barefooted in procession to the temple of the goddess the priestesses of Vesta called Vestales or Vestal Virgins played a conspicuous part in these festivals they were 6 in number and were chosen between the ages of 6 and 10 from the noblest families in Rome their term of office was 30 years during the first 10 years they were initiated in their religious duties during the second 10 they performed them and during the third they instructed novices their chief was watch and feed the ever-burning flame on the altar of Vesta the extinction of which was regarded as a national calamity of ominous import great honors and privileges were accorded to them the best seats were reserved for their use at all public festivals and even the consuls and praetors made way for them to pass if they met a criminal on his way to execution they had the power to pardon him provided it could be proved that the meeting was accidental the Vestales were vowed to Chastity a violation of which was visited by the frightful punishment of being buried alive End of section 21 Section 22 of Myths and Legends This is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Graham Redman Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Behrens Legends Cadmus The following is the legendary account of the founding of Thebes after the abduction of his daughter Europa by Zeus a gena, king of Phoenicia unable to reconcile himself to her loss dispatched his son Cadmus in search of her desiring him not to return without his sister for many years Cadmus pursued his search through various countries but without success not daring to return home without her he consulted the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi and the reply was that he must desist from his task and take upon himself a new duty i.e. that of founding a city the site of which would be indicated to him by a heifer which had never borne the yoke and which would lie down on the spot where on the city was to be built Scarcely had Cadmus left the sacred vein when he observed a heifer who bore no marks of servitude on her neck walking slowly in front of him he followed the animal for a considerable distance until at length on the site where Thebes afterwards stood she looked towards heaven and gently lowing lay down in the long grass grateful for this mark of divine favor Cadmus resolved to offer up the animal as a sacrifice and accordingly sent his followers to fetch water for the libation of the neighboring spring this spring which was sacred to Ares was situated in a wood and guarded by a fierce dragon who at the approach of the retainers of Cadmus suddenly pounced upon them and killed them after waiting some time for the return of his servants Cadmus grew impatient and hastily arming himself with his lance and spear set out to seek them on reaching the spot the mangled remains of his unfortunate followers met his view and near them he beheld the frightful monster dripping with the blood of his victims seizing a huge rock the hero hurled it with all his might upon the dragon but protected by his tough black skin and steely scales as by a coat of mail he remained unhurt Cadmus now tried his lance and with more success for it pierced the side of the beast who furious with pain sprang at his adversary when Cadmus leaping aside succeeded in fixing the point of his spear within his jaws which final stroke put an end to the encounter while Cadmus stood surveying his vanquished foe Palacitini appeared to him and commanded him to sow the teeth of the dead dragon in the ground he obeyed and out of the furrows there arose a band of armed men who at once commenced to fight with each other until all except five were killed these last surviving warriors made peace with each other and it was with their assistance that Cadmus now built the famous city of Thebes in later times the noblest Theban families proudly claimed their descent from these mighty earth-born warriors Ares was furious with rage when he discovered that Cadmus had slain his dragon and would have killed him had not Zeus interfered and induced him to mitigate his punishment to that of servitude for the term of eight years at the end of that time the god of war became reconciled to Cadmus and in token of his forgiveness bestowed upon him the hand of his daughter Harmonia in marriage their nuptials were almost as celebrated as those of Peleus and Thetis all the gods honored them with their presence and offered rich gifts and congratulations Cadmus himself presented his lovely bride with a splendid necklace fashioned by Hephaestus which however after the death of Harmonia always proved fatal to its possessor the children of Cadmus and Harmonia were one son, Polydorus and four daughters Auto-Noe, Ino, Simile and Agave for many years the founder of Thebes reigned happily but at length a conspiracy was formed against him and he was deprived of his throne by his grandson Pentheus accompanied by his faithful wife Harmonia he retired into Illyria and after death they were both changed by Zeus into serpents and transferred to Elysium Perseus Perseus, one of the most renowned of the legendary heroes of antiquity was the son of Zeus and Danii daughter of Ecrissius King of Argos an oracle having foretold to Ecrissius that a son of Danii would be the cause of his death he imprisoned her in a tower of brass in order to keep her secluded from the world Zeus however descended through the roof of the tower in the form of a shower of gold and the lovely Danii became his bride for four years Ecrissius remained in ignorance of this union but one evening as he chanced to pass by the brazen chamber he heard the cry of a young child proceeding from within which led to the discovery of his daughter's marriage with Zeus enraged at finding all his precautions unavailing Ecrissius commanded the mother and child to be placed in a chest and thrown into the sea but it was not the will of Zeus that they should perish he directed Poseidon to calm the troubled waters and cause the chest to float safely to the island of Serifus Dictus, brother of Polydectes king of the island, was fishing on the seashore when he saw the chest stranded on the beach and pitying the helpless condition of its unhappy occupants he conducted them to the palace of the king where they were treated with the greatest kindness Polydectes eventually became united to Danii and bestowed upon Poseus an education befitting a hero when he saw his stepson jump into a noble and manly youth he endeavored to instill into his mind a desire to signalise himself by the achievement of some great and heroic deed and after mature deliberation it was decided that the slaying of the Gorgon Medusa would bring him the greatest renown for the successful accomplishment of his object it was necessary for him to be provided with a pair of winged sandals a magic wallet and the helmet of Aides which rendered the wearer invisible all of which were in the keeping of the nymphs the place of whose abode was known only to the griii Poseus started on his expedition and guided by Hermes and Palacithini arrived after a long journey in the far-off region on the borders of Oceanus where dwelt the griii and Ceto he at once applied to them for the necessary information and on their refusing to grant it he deprived them of their single eye and tooth which he only restored to them when they gave him full directions with regard to his route he then proceeded to the abode of the nymphs from whom he obtained the objects indispensable for his purpose equipped with the magic helmet and armed with a sickle the gift of Hermes he attached to his feet the winged sandals and flew to the abode of the Gorgons whom he found fast asleep now as Poseus had been warned by his celestial guides that whoever looked upon these weird sisters would be transformed into stone he stood with averted face before the sleepers and caught on his bright metal shield with the image then, guided by Pallas Athene he cut off the head of the Medusa which he placed in his wallet no sooner had he done so than from the headless trunk there sprang forth the winged steed Pegasus and Chryséor the father of the winged giant Geryon he now hastened to elude the pursuit of the two surviving sisters who aroused from their slumbers eagerly rushed to avenge the death of their sister his invisible helmet and winged sandals here stood him in good stead for the former concealed him from the view of the Gorgons whilst the latter bore him swiftly over land and sea far beyond the reach of pursuit in passing over the burning plains of Libya the drops of blood from the head of the Medusa oozed through the wallet and falling on the hot sands pursues to brood of many coloured snakes which spread all over the country pursues continued his flight until he reached the kingdom of Atlas of whom he begged rest and shelter but as this king possessed a valuable orchard in which every tree bore golden fruit he was fearful lest the slayer of the Medusa might destroy the dragon which guarded it and then rob him of his treasures he therefore refused to grant the hospitality which the hero demanded whereupon pursues exasperated at the churlish repulse produced from his wallet the head of the Medusa and holding it towards the king transformed him into a stony mountain beard and hair erected themselves into forests shoulders, hands and limbs became huge rocks and the head grew up into a peak which reached into the clouds pursues then resumed his travels his winged sandals bore him over deserts and mountains until he arrived at Ethiopia the kingdom of King Sifius here he found the country inundated with disastrous floods towns and villages destroyed and everywhere signs of desolation and ruin on a projecting cliff close to the shore he beheld a lovely maiden chained to a rock this was Andromeda the king's daughter her mother Cassiopeia having boasted that her beauty surpassed that of the Nerides the angry sea nymphs appealed to Poseidon to avenge their wrongs whereupon the sea god devastated the country with a terrible inundation which brought with it a huge monster who devoured all that came in his way in their distress the unfortunate Ethiopians applied to the oracle of Jupiter Ammon in the Libyan desert and obtained the response that only by the sacrifice of the king's daughter to the monster could the country and people be saved Sifius who was tenderly attached to his child at first refused to listen to this dreadful proposal but overcome at length by the prayers and solicitations of his unhappy subjects the heartbroken father gave up his child for the welfare of his country Andromeda was accordingly chained to a rock on the seashore to serve as a prey to the monster whilst her unhappy parents bewailed her sad fate on the beach below on being informed of the meaning of this tragic scene Pursues proposed to Sifius to slay the dragon on condition that the lovely victim should become his bride overjoyed at the prospect of Andromeda's release the king gladly acceded to the stipulation and pursues hastened to the rock to breathe words of hope and comfort to the trembling maiden then assuming once more the helmet of Aedes he mounted into the air and awaited the approach of the monster presently the sea opened and the sharks head of the gigantic beast of the deep raised itself above the waves lashing his tail furiously from side to side he leapt forward to seize his victim at the gallant hero watching his opportunity suddenly darted down and producing the head of the medusa from his wallet held it before the eyes of the dragon whose hideous body became gradually transformed into a huge black rock which remained forever a silent witness of the miraculous deliverance of Andromeda pursues then led the maiden to her now happy parents who anxious to evince their gratitude to her deliverer ordered immediate preparations to be made for the nuptial feast but the young hero was not to bear away his lovely bride uncontested for in the midst of the banquet fine use the king's brother to whom Andromeda had previously been betrothed returned to claim his bride followed by a band of armed warriors he forced his way into the hall and a desperate encounter took place between the rivals which might have terminated fatally for pursues had he not suddenly bethought himself of the medusa's head calling to his friends to divert their faces he drew it from his wallet and held it before fine use and his formidable bodyguard whereupon they all stiffened into stone pursues now took leave of the Ethiopian king and accompanied by his beautiful bride returned to Seraphus where a joyful meeting took place between Danae and her son he then sent a messenger informing him that he intended returning to Argos but Ecrissius, fearing the fulfillment of the oracular prediction fled for protection to his friend Teutimus king of Larissa anxious to induce the aged monarch to return to Argos pursues followed him thither but here a strange fatality occurred whilst taking part in some funereal games that he created in honour of the king's father pursues by an unfortunate throw of the discus accidentally struck his grandfather and thereby was the innocent cause of his death after celebrating the funereal rites of Ecrissius with due solemnity pursues returned to Argos but feeling loath to occupy the throne of one whose death he had caused he exchanged kingdoms with Megapenthe's king of Tirins and in course of time founded the cities of Mycenae and Midia the head of the Medusa he presented to his divine patroness Pallas Athene who placed it in the centre of her shield many great heroes were descended from pursues and Andromeda foremost among whom was Heracles whose mother, Alcmini was their granddaughter heroic honours were paid to pursues not only throughout Argos but also at Athens and in the island of Seraphus end of section 22 recording by Graham Redman section 23 of Myths and Legends this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Sarah Williams Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Barons chapter 23 Legends Ion and Dedalus and Icarus Ion Ion was the son of Creosa the beauteous daughter of Eric Theos king of Athens and the sun god Phoebus Apollo to whom she was united without the knowledge of her father fearing the anger of Eric Theos Creosa placed her newborn babe in a little wicker basket and hanging some golden charms round his neck invoked for him the protection of the gods and concealed him in a lonely cave Apollo pitting his deserted child sent Hermes to convey him to Delphi where he deposited his charge on the steps of the temple next morning the Delphic priestess discovered the infant and was so charmed by his engaging appearance that she adopted him as her own son the young child was carefully tended and reared by his kind foster mother and was brought up in the service of the temple where he was entrusted with some of the minor duties of the holy edifice and now to return to Creosa during a war with the Eubians in which the latter were signally defeated Zuthis, son of Aeolus greatly distinguished himself on the side of the Athenians and as a reward for his valuable services the hand of Creosa, the king's daughter was bestowed upon him in marriage their union however was not blessed with children and as this is a source of great grief to both of them they repaired to Delphi in order to consult the great oracle the response was that Zuthis should regard the first person who met him on leaving the sanctuary as his son now it happened that Aion the young guardian of the temple was the first to greet his view and when Zuthis beheld the beautiful youth welcomed him as his son declaring that the gods had sent him to be a blessing and comfort to his old age Creosa however who concluded that the youth was the offspring of a secret marriage on the part of her husband was filled with suspicion and jealousy when an old servant observing her grief begged her to be comforted assuring her that the cause of her distress should be speedily removed when upon the occasion of the public adoption of his son the old servant of Creosa contrived to mix a strong poison in the wine of the unsuspecting Aion but the youth according to the pious custom of the ancients of offering a libation to the gods before partaking of any repast poured upon the ground a portion of the wine before putting it to his lips when suddenly, as if by a miracle a dove flew into the banquet hall and sipped of the wine of the libation where upon the poor little creature began to quiver in every limb and in a few moments expired Aion's suspicions at once fell upon the obsequious servant of Creosa who with such officious attention had filled his cup he violently seized the old man and accused him of his murderous intentions unprepared for this sudden attack he admitted his guilt but pointed to the wife of Zuthis as the instigator of the crime Aion was about to avenge himself upon Creosa when, by means of the divine intervention of Apollo, his foster-mother the Delphic Priestess appeared on the scene and explained the true relationship which existed between Creosa and Aion in order to set all doubts at rest she produced the charms which he had found round the neck of the infant and also the wicker basket in which he had been conveyed to Delphi mother and son now became reconciled to each other and Creosa revealed to Aion the secret of his divine origin the Priestess of Delphi foretold that he would become the father of a great nation called after him the Aionians also that Zuthis and Creosa would have a son called Doris who would be the progenitor of the Dorian people both of which predictions were in due time verified Daedalus and Icarus Daedalus, a descendant of Eric Theus was an Athenian architect, sculptor and mechanician he was the first to introduce the art of sculpture in its higher development for before his time statues were merely rude representations having the limbs altogether undefined but great as was his genius still greater was his vanity and he could broke no rival now his nephew and pupil Talus exhibited great talent having invented both the saw and the compass and Daedalus fearing lest he might overshadow his own fame secretly killed him by throwing him down from the citadel of Palisthen the murder being discovered Daedalus was summoned before the court of the Aeropagus and condemned to death but he made his escape to the island of Crete where he was received by King Minos in a manner worthy of his great reputation Daedalus constructed for the king the world-renowned labyrinth which was an immense building full of intricate passages intersecting each other in such a manner that even Daedalus himself is said upon one occasion to have nearly lost his way in it and it was in this building the king placed the Minotaur a monster with the head and shoulders of a bull and the body of a man in the course of time the great artist became weary of his long exile more especially as the king under the guise of friendship kept him almost a prisoner he therefore resolved to make his escape and for this purpose ingeniously contrived wings for himself and his young son Icarus whom he diligently trained how to use them having awaited a favourable opportunity father and son commenced their flight and were well on their way when Icarus pleased with the novel sensation forgot altogether his father's oft-repeated injunction not to approach too near the sun the consequence was that the wax by means of which his wings were attached melted and he fell into the sea and was drowned the body of the unfortunate Icarus was washed up by the tide and was buried by the bereaved father on an island which he called after his son Icaria after this sad event Daedalus winged his flight to the island of Sicily he went with a kind welcome from King Cocalis for whom he constructed several important public works but no sooner did Minos receive the intelligence that his great architect had found an asylum with Cocalis then he sailed over to Sicily with a large army and sent messengers to the Sicilian king demanding the surrender of his guest Cocalis feigned compliance and invited Minos to his palace where he was treacherously put to death in a warm bath the body of their king was brought to a gregent by the Cretans where it was buried with great pomp and over his tomb a temple to Aphrodite was erected Daedalus passed the remainder of his life tranquilly in the island of Sicily where he occupied himself in the construction of various beautiful works of art End of Section 23 Recording by Sarah Williams Germantown, Maryland June 2008 Section 24 of Myths and Legends This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Barons The Argonauts Jason, king of Yolkis was forced to fly from his dominions which had been usurped by his younger brother Palaeus and with difficulty succeeded in saving the life of his young son Jason who was at that time only 10 years of age He entrusted him to the care of the centaur Chiron by whom he was carefully trained in company with other noble youths who, like himself afterwards, signalized themselves by their bravery and heroic exploits For 10 years Jason remained in the cave of the centaur by whom he was instructed in all useful and war-like arts But as he approached manhood he became filled with an unconquerable desire to regain his paternal inheritance He therefore took leave of his kind friend and preceptor and set out for Yolkis to demand from his uncle Palaeus the kingdom which he had so unjustly usurped In the course of his journey he came to a broad and foaming river on the banks of which he perceived who implored him to help her across At first he hesitated knowing that even alone he would find some difficulty in stemming the fierce torrent But pitting her for lorn condition he raced her in his arms and succeeded with a great effort in reaching the opposite shore But as soon as her feet had touched the earth she became transformed into a beautiful woman who, looking kindly at the bewildered youth informed him that she was the goddess Hera and that she would henceforth guide and protect him throughout his career She then disappeared and full of hope and courage at his divine manifestation Jason pursued his journey He now perceived that in crossing the river he had lost one of his sandals but as it could not be recovered he was obliged to proceed without it On his arrival at Yolkis he found his uncle in the marketplace offering up a public sacrifice to Poseidon When the king had concluded his offering his eye fell upon the distinguished stranger whose manly duty and heroic bearing had already attracted the attention of his people Observing that one foot was unshot he was reminded of an oracular prediction which foretold to him the loss of his kingdom by a man wearing only one sandal however disguised his fears and versed kindly with the youth and drew from him his name and errand then pretending to be highly pleased with his nephew Palaeus entertained him sumptuously for five days during which time all was festivity and rejoicing On the sixth Jason appeared before his uncle and with manly firmness demanded from him the throne and kingdom which were his by right Palaeus assembling his true feelings smilingly consented to grant his request provided that in return Jason would undertake an expedition for him which his advanced age prevented him from accomplishing himself He informed his nephew that the shade of phryxes had appeared to him in his dreams and entreated him to bring back from Kalkis his mortal remains and the golden fleece and added that if Jason succeeded in obtaining for him these sacred relics throne, kingdom, and scepter would be his Story of the Golden Fleece Athamas king of Doshan had married Nepheli a clouded nymph and their children were Heli and Phryxes the restless and wandering nature of Nepheli however soon wearied her husband who being immortal had little sympathy with his ethereal consort so he divorced her and married the beautiful but wicked I know sister of Semeli who hated her stepchildren and even planned their destruction but the watchful Nepheli contrived to circumvent her cruel designs and succeeded in getting the children out of the palace she then placed them both on the back of a winged Oram with a fleece of pure gold which had been given to her by Hermes on this wonderful animal brother and sister rode through the air over land and sea but on the way Heli becoming seized with giddiness fell into the sea called after her the hellish pond and was drowned Phryxes arrived safely at Colchis where he was hospitably received by King Aetis who gave him one of his daughters in marriage in gratitude to Zeus for the protection accorded him during his flight Phryxes sacrificed to him the golden ram, Wilst of Fleece he presented to Aetis who nailed it up in the grove of Ares and dedicated it to the god of war an oracle having declared that the life of Aetis depended on the safekeeping of the fleece he carefully guarded the entrance to the grove by placing before it an immense dragon which never slept building and launch of the Argo we will now return to Jason who eagerly undertook the perilous expedition proposed to him by his uncle who well aware of the dangers attending such an enterprise hoped by this means to rid himself forever of the unwelcome intruder Jason accordingly began to arrange his plans without delay and invited the young heroes whose friendship he had formed Wilst under the care of Chiron to join him in the perilous expedition none refused the invitation all feeling honored at being allowed the privilege of taking part in so noble and heroic and undertaking Jason now applied to Argos one of the cleverest ship builders of this time who under the guidance of Palas Athene built for him a splendid 50-Ord galley which was called the Argo after the builder in the upper deck of the vessel the goddess had embedded a board from the speaking oak oracle of Zeus at Odona whichever retained its powers of prophecy the exterior of the ship was ornamented with magnificent carvings and the whole vessel was so strongly built that it defied the power of the winds and waves and was nevertheless so light that the heroes when necessary were able to carry it on their shoulders when the vessel was completed the Argonauts so called after their ship were assembled and their places were distributed by a lot Jason was appointed commander-in-chief of the expedition Typhus acted as Stearman Lynsius as Pilate in the bow of the vessel sat the renowned hero Heracles in the stern Palaeus father of Achilles and Telemon the father of Ajax the Great in the inner space were Caster and Pollux Neelius the father of Nestor Amethys the husband of Alcystis Maligar the slayer of the Caledonian Boar Orpheus the renown singer Menuctius the father of Patroclus Thesius afterwards king of Athens and his friend Pyrithius the son of Ixion Hylis the adopted son of Heracles Euphemus the son of Poseidon Eulius father of Ix the bellesser Zittis and Calais the winged sons of Boreas Idemon the seer the son of Apolo Mopsis the Thessalian prophet etc. Before their departure Jason offered a solemn sacrifice to Poseidon and all the other sea deities He also invoked the protection of Zeus and the fates and then Mopsis having taken the auguris and found them auspicious and the heroes stepped on board and now a favorable breeze having sprung up they take their allotted places the anchor is weighed and the ship glides like a bird out of the harbor into the waters of the great sea Arrival at Lemnus the argo with her brave crew of 50 heroes was soon out of sight and the sea breeze only waft to the shore a faint echo of the sweet strains of Orpheus for a time all went smoothly but the vessel was soon driven by stress of weather to take refuge in a harbor in the island of Lemnus this island was inhabited by women only who the year before in a fit of mad jealousy had killed all the male population of the island with the exception of the father of the queen Hipsipili as the protection of their island themselves they were always on the lookout for danger when, therefore, they sided the argo from afar they armed themselves and rushed to the shore determined to repel any invasion off their territory on arriving in port the Argonauts astonished at beholding an armed crowd of women dispatched a herald in one of their boats bearing the staff of peace and friendship Hipsipili, the queen that food and presents should be sent to the strangers in order to prevent their landing but her old nurse who stood beside her suggested that this would be a good opportunity to provide themselves with noble husbands who would act as their defenders and thus put an end to their constant fears Hipsipili listened attentively to the advice of her nurse and after some consultation decided to invite the strangers into the city robed in his purple mantle the gift of palace Athene Jason, accompanied by some of his companions, stepped on shore where he was met by a deputation consisting of the most beautiful of the Lemnian women and as commander of the expedition was invited into the palace of the queen when he appeared before Hipsipili she was so struck with his godlike and heroic presence that she presented him with her father's scepter and invited him to seat himself on the throne beside her. Jason thereupon took up his residence in the royal castle whilst his companions scattered themselves through the town spending their time in feasting and pleasure. Heracles with a few chosen comrade also remained on board From day to day their departure was delayed and the Argonauts in their new life of dissipation had almost forgotten the object of the expedition when Heracles suddenly appeared amongst them and at last recall them to a sense of their duty giants and the lioness the Argonauts now pursued their voyage till contrary winds drove them toward the island inhabited by the the lioness whose king Scythicus received them kindness and hospitality the lioness were descendants of Poseidon who protected them against the frequent attacks of their fierce and formidable neighbors the earth born giants monsters with six arms whilst his companions were attending a banquet given by king Scythicus Heracles who as usual had remained behind to guard the ship observed that these giants were busy locking up the harbor with huge rocks he had once realized the danger and attacking them with his arrows succeeded in considerably thinning their numbers then assisted by the heroes who at length came to his aid he effectively destroyed the remainder the Argonauts now steered out of the harbor and set sail but in consequence of a severe storm which arose at night was driven back once more to the shores of the kindly the lioness unfortunately however owing to the darkness of the night the inhabitants failed to recognize their former guests and mistaking them for enemies commenced to attack them those who had so recently parted as friends were now engaged in mortal combat and in the battle which ensued Jason himself pierced to the heart his friend king Scythicus where upon the lioness being deprived of their leader fled to their city and closed the gates when mourning dawned and both sides perceived their error they were filled with the deepest sorrow and remorse and for three days the heroes remained with the lioness celebrating the funeral rights of the slain with every demonstration of mourning and solemnity Heracles left behind the Argonauts once more who set sail and after a stormy voyage arrived at Messia where they were hospitably received by the inhabitants who spread before them plentiful banquets and sumptuously regaled them while his friends were feasting Heracles who had declined to join them went into the forest to seek a fir tree which he required for an oar and was missed by his adopted son Hylas who set out to seek it when the youth arrived at a spring in the most secluded part of the forest the nymph of the fountain was so struck by his beauty that she drew him down beneath the waters and he was seen no more Polyphemus, one of the heroes who happened to be also in the forest heard his cry for help and on meeting Heracles informed him of the circumstance they at once set out in search of the missing youth no traces of whom were to be found and whilst they were engaged looking for him the Argos set sail and left them behind the ship had proceeded some distance before the absence of Heracles was observed some of the heroes were in favor of returning for him others wished to proceed on their journey when in the midst of a dispute the sea god Clocus arose from the waves and informed them that it was the will of Zeus that Heracles having another mission to perform should remain behind the Argonauts continued their voyage without their companions Heracles returned to Argos whilst Polyphemus remained with the Missians where he founded a city and became its king Contest with Amicus next morning the Argo touched at the country of the Bebri-Sians whose king Amicus was a famous pugilist and permitted no strangers to leave his shores without matching their strength with his when the heroes therefore demanded permission to land they were informed that they could only do so provided that one of their number should engage in a boxing match with the king Pollux who was the best pugilist in Greece was selected as their champion and a contest took place which after a tremendous struggle proved fatal to Amicus who had hitherto been victorious in all similar encounters Phineas and the Harpies they now proceeded towards Bithynia where Reign declined old prophet king Phineas son of Aginar Phineas had been punished by the gods with premature old age and blindness for having abused the gift of prophecy he was also permitted by the Harpies who swooped down upon his food which they either devoured or so defiled as to render it unfit to be eaten this poor old man trembling with the weakness of age and faint with hunger appeared before the Argonauts and implored their assistance against the Swedish tormentors who are upon Scythes and Calais the winged sons of Boreas recognizing in him the husband of their sister Cleopatra affectionately embraced him and promised to rescue him from his painful position the heroes prepared a banquet on the seashore to which they invited Phineas but no sooner had he taken his place then the Harpies appeared and devoured all the vions Zetus and Calais now rose up into the air drove the Harpies away and were pursuing them with drawn swords when Iris the swift-footed messenger of the gods appeared and desired them to desist from their work of vengeance promising that Phineas should be no longer molested freed at length from his tormentors the old man sat down and enjoyed a plentiful repast with his kind friends the Argonauts who now informed him of the object of their voyage in gratitude for his deliverance Phineas gave them much useful information concerning their journey and not only warned them of the many full dangers awaiting them but also instructed them how they might be overcome passage of the simple gates after a fortnight sojourn in Bithynia the Argonauts once more set sail but had not proceeded far on their course when they heard a fearful and tremendous crash this was caused by the meaning of two great rocky islands called the simple gates which floated about in the sea and constantly met and separated before leaving Bithynia the blind old seer Phineas had informed them that they would be compelled to pass between these two terrible rocks and he instructed them how to do so with safety as they now approached the scene of danger they remembered his advice and acted upon it Typhus the Steersman stood at the helm whilst Ephemis held in his hand a dove ready to bled loose for Phineas had told them that if the dove ventured to fly through they might safely follow Ephemis now dispatched the bird which passed swiftly through the islands yet not without losing some of the feathers off her tail so speedily that they reunite seizing the moment when the rocks once more separated the Argonauts worked at their oars with all their might and achieved the perilous passage in safety after the miraculous passage of the Argo the simple gates became permanently united and attached to the bottom off the sea the Stemphalides the Argo pursued her course along the southern coast of the Pontus and arrived at the islands of Aretias which was inhabited by birds who as they flew through the air discharged from their wings of feathers sharp as arrows as the ship was gliding along Olius was wounded by one of these birds whereupon the Argonauts held the council and by the advice of Ephemis an experienced hero all put on their helmets and held up their glittering shields uttering at the same time such fearful cries that the birds flew away in terror and the Argonauts were unable to land with safety on the island here they found four shipwrecked youths who proved to be the sons of Friarix and were greeted by Jason as his cousins on ascertaining the object of the expedition they volunteered to accompany the Argon and to show the heroes the way to Colchis they also informed them that the golden fleas was guarded by a fearful dragon that King Aetis was extremely cruel and as the son of Apollo was possessed of superhuman strength Arrival at Colchis Taking with them the four newcomers they journeyed on and soon came in sight of the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus when towards evening the loud flapping of wings was heard overhead it was the giant eagle of Prometheus on his way to torture the noble and long-suffering Titan whose fearful groans soon afterwards fell upon their ears. That night they reached their journey's end and anchored in the smooth waters of the river Faces on the left bank of this river they beheld Sota the capital of Colchis and on their right a wide field and the sacred grove of Ares where the golden fleas suspended from a magnificent oak tree was glittering in the sun Jason now filled a golden cup with wine and offered a libation to Mother Earth the gods of the country and the shades of those of the heroes who had died on the voyage Next morning a council was held in which it was decided that before resorting to forcible measures kind and conciliatory overtures should first be made to King Aedes in order to induce him to resign the golden fleas it was arranged that Jason with a few chosen companions should proceed to the royal castle leaving their remainder of the crew to guard the argo accompanied therefore by Telemann and Oges and the four sons of Frises he set out for the palace When they arrived inside of the castle they were struck by the vastness and massiveness of the building at the entrance to which sparkling fountains played in the midst of luxuriant park-like gardens Here the king's daughters Helciope and Medea who were walking in the grants of the palace met them The former, to her great joy recognized in the youths who accompanied the hero her own long lost sons whom she had mourned as dead whilst the young and lovely Medea was struck with the noble and manly form of Jason The news of the return of the sons of Frises soon spread through the palace and brought Aetys himself to the scene whereupon the strangers were presented to him and were invited to a banquet which the king ordered to be prepared in their honor All the most beautiful ladies of the court were present at this entertainment but in the eyes of Jason none could compare with the king's daughter the young and lovely Medea When the banquet was ended Jason related to the king his various adventures and also the object of his expedition with the circumstances which had led to his undertaking Aetys listened in silent indignation to this recital and then burst out into a torrent of inventives against the Argonauts and his grandchildren declaring that the fleece would be Aetys and that on no consideration would he consent to relinquish it Jason however with mild and persuasive words contrived so far to conciliate him that he was induced to promise that if the heroes could succeed in demonstrating their divine origin by the performance of some task requiring superhuman power the fleece should be theirs The task proposed by Aetys to Jason was that he should yoke the two brazen footed fire-breathing oxen off the king which had been made for him by Hephaestus to his ponderous iron plow Having done this he must still with them the stony fields of Ares and then so in the furrows the poisonous teeth of a dragon from which armed men would rise and these he must destroy to a man or he himself would perish at their hands When Jason heard what was expected of him his heart for a moment sank within him but he determined nevertheless not to flint from his task but to trust to the assistance of the gods and to his own courage and energy Jason plows the field of Ares with his two friends Talamon and Oges and also by Argus the son of Calciope Jason returned to the vessel for the purpose of holding a consultation as to the best means of accomplishing these perilous feats Argus explained to Jason all the difficulties of the superhuman task which lay before him and pronounced it as his opinion that the only means was to enlist the assistance of the Princess Medea who was a priestess of Hecate and a great enchantress His suggestion meeting with approval he returned to the palace and by the aid of his mother an interview was arranged between Jason and Medea which took place at an early hour next morning in the temple of Hecate a mutual attachment took place and Medea trembling for her lover's safety presented him with a magic salve which possessed the property of rendering any person anointed with it invulnerable for the space of one day against fire and steel and invincible against any adversary however powerful with this salve she instructed him to anoint his spear and shield of his great undertaking she further added that when after having plowed the field and sown the teeth armed men should arise from the pharaohs he must on no account lose heart but remember to throw among them a huge rock over the possession of which they would fight amongst themselves and their attention being thus diverted he would find it an easy task to destroy them overwhelmed with gratitude Jason thanked her in the most earnest manner for her wise counsel and timely aid at the same time he offered her his hand and promised her he would not return to Greece without taking her with him as his wife next morning, eighties in all the pomp of state surrounded by his family and the members of his court prepared to a spot whence a full view of the approaching spectacle could be obtained soon Jason appeared in the field of Ares looking as noble and majestic as the god of war himself in a distant part of the field the brazen yokes and the massive plow met his view but as yet the dread animals themselves were nowhere to be seen he was about to go in quest when they suddenly rushed out from a subterranean cave breathing flames of fire and enveloped in a thick smoke friends of Jason trembled but the undaunted hero relying on the magic powers with which he was imbued by Medea seized the oxen one after the other by the horns and forced them to the yoke near the plow was a helmet full of dragons teeth which he sewed as he plowed the field whist with sharp cricks from his lands he compelled the monstrous creatures to draw the plow over the stony ground which was thus speedily tilt while Jason was engaged sewing the dragons teeth in the deep furrows of the field he kept a cautious lookout lest the germinating giant brood might grow too quickly for him and as soon as the four acres of land had been filled he unyoked the oxen and succeeded in frightening them so effectually with his weapons that they rushed back in terror to their subterranean stables meanwhile armed men had sprung up out of the furrows and the whole field now bristled with lances but Jason remembering the instructions of Medea seized an immense rock and hurled it into the midst of these birth-born warriors who immediately began to attack each other Jason then rushed furiously upon them and after a terrible struggle not one of the giants remained alive furious at seeing his murderous scheme thus defeated 80s not only perfidiously refused to give Jason the fleece which he had so bravely earned but in his anger determined to destroy all the Argonauts and to burn their vessel Jason secures the golden fleece becoming aware of the treacherous designs of her father Medea at once took measures to baffle them in the darkness of night she went on board the argo and warned the heroes of their approaching danger she then advised Jason to accompany her without loss of time in order to possess himself of the long coveted treasure they set out together and Medea followed by Jason led the way and advanced boldly into the grove the tall oak tree was soon discovered from the topmost boughs of which hung the beautiful golden fleece at the foot of this tree keeping his ever-wakeful watch lay the dreadful, sleepless dragon who at sight of them bounded forward opening his huge jaws Medea now called into play her magic powers and quietly approaching the monster threw over him a few drops of a potion which soon took effect and sent him into a deep sleep whereupon Jason seizing the opportunity climbed the tree and secured the fleece their perilous task being now accomplished Jason and Medea quitted the grove and hastened on board the Argo which immediately put to sea murder of Absurtus meanwhile Aetis having discovered the loss of his daughter and the golden fleece dispatched a large fleet under the command of his son Absurtus in pursuit of the fugitives after some days' sail they arrived at an island at the mouth of the river Eister where they found the Argo at anchor and surrounded her with her numerous ships they then dispatched a herald on board of her demanding the surrender of Medea and the fleece Medea now consulted Jason and with his consent carried out the following stratagem she sent a message to her brother Absurtus to the effect that she had been carried off against her will and promised that if he would meet her in the darkness of night of Artemis she would assist him in regaining possession of the golden fleece relying on the good faith of his sister Absurtus fell into the snare and duly appeared at the appointed twisting place and wills Medea kept her brother engaged in conversation Jason rushed forward and slew him then according to a preconcerted signal he held aloft a littered torch whereupon the Argonauts attacked the Colchians put them to flight and entirely defeated them the Argonauts now returned to their ship when the prophetic board from the Dodean Oak thus addressed them the cruel murder of Absurtus was witnessed by the Arrines and you will not escape the wrath of Zeus until the goddess Cersei has purified you from your crime let Caster and Pollux pray to the gods that you may be enabled to find the abode of the Sorceress in obedience to the boys the twin brothers invoke divine assistance and the heroes set out in search of the Isle of Cersei they arrive at the island of Cersei the good ship Argo sped on her way and after passing safely through the foaming waters of the river Erydenus at length arrived in the harbor of the island of Cersei where she cast anchor commanding his companions to remain on board Jason landed with Medea and conducted her to the palace of the Sorceress the goddess of charms and magic arts received them kindly and invited them to be seated but instead of doing so they assumed a supplicating attitude and humbly besought her protection they then informed her of the crime which they had committed and implored her to purify them from it this Cersei promised to do she forthwith commanded her attendant Nades to kindle the fire on the altar and to prepare everything necessary for the performance of the mystic rites after which a dog was sacrificed and the sacred cakes were burned having thus newly purified the criminals she severely reprimanded them for the horrible murder of which they had been guilty whereupon Medea with veiled head and weeping bitterly was reconducted by Jason to the Argo further adventures of the Argonauts having left the island of Cersei they were waved by gentle zephyrs towards the abode of the sirens whose enticing strains soon fell upon their ears the Argonauts powerfully affected by the melody were making ready to land when Orpheus perceived danger and to the accompaniment of his magic lyre commenced one of his enchanting songs which so completely absorbed his listeners that they passed the island in safety but not before Buttes one of their number lured by the seductive music of the sirens had sprung from the vessel into the waves below Aphrodite however in pity for his youth landed him gently on the island of Libibyn before the sirens could reach him and there he remained for many years and now the Argonauts approached new dangers for on one side of them seathed and foamed the whirlpool of Charbdis whist on the other tower the mighty rock whence the monster Scylla swooped down upon unfortunate mariners but here the goddess Hera came to their assistance and sent to them the sea nymph Thethys who guided them safely through these dangerous straits the Argonauts next arrived at the island of Phasis where they were hospitably entertained by King Alsinus and his queen Ariti but the banquet prepared for them by their kind host was unexpectedly interrupted by the appearance of a large army of colkins sent by Aetis to demand the restoration of his daughter Medea threw herself at the feet of the queen and implored her to save her from the anger of her father and Ariti in her kindness of heart promised her her protection next morning in an assembly of the people at which the colkins were invited to be present the latter were informed that as Medea was the lawful wife of Jason they could not consent to deliver her up whereupon the colkins seen that the resolution of the king was not to be shaken and fearing to face the anger of Aetis should they return to Colkis without her sought permission of Alsinus to settle in his kingdom which request was accorded them after these events the Argonauts once more and steered for Yalkes but in the course of a terrible and fearful night a mighty storm arose and in the morning they found themselves stranded on the treacherous quicksands of Cirkeys on the shores of Libya here all was a waste and barren desert untenanted by any living creature save the venomous snakes which has sprung from the blood of the Medusa when born these arid plains they had already passed several days in this abode of desolation beneath the rays of the scorching sun and had abandoned themselves to the deepest despair when the Libyan queen who was a prophetess of divine origin appeared to Jason and informed him that a sea horse would descend by the gods to act as his guide scarcely had she departed when a gigantic hippocamp was seen in the distance making its way towards the Argo Jason now related to his companions the particulars of his interview with the Libyan prophetess and after some deliberation it was decided to carry the Argo on their shoulders and to follow wherever the sea horse should lead them they then commenced a long and weary journey through the desert and at last after 12 days of severe toil and terrible suffering the welcome sight of the sea greeted their view in gratitude for having been saved from their many full dangers they offered up sacrifices to the gods and launched their ship once more into the deep waters of the ocean Arrival at Crete with heartfelt joy and gladness they proceeded on their homeward voyage and after some days arrived on the island of Crete where they purposed to furnish themselves with fresh provisions and water their landing however was opposed by a terrible giant who guarded the island against all intruders this giant whose name was Talis was the last of the brazen race and being formed of brass was invulnerable except in his right ankle where there was a sinew of flesh as he saw the Argo nearing the coast he hurled huge rocks at her which would inevitably have sunk the vessel had not the crew beat a hasty retreat although sadly in want of food and water the Argonauts had decided to proceed on their journey rather than face so powerful an opponent when Medea came forward and assured them that if they would trust to her the giant enveloped in the folds of a rich purple mantle she stepped on deck and after invoking the aid of the Fates uttered a magic incantation which had the effect of throwing Talis into a deep sleep he stretched himself at full length upon the ground and in doing so grazed his vulnerable ankle against the point of a sharp rock where upon a mighty stream of blood gushed forth from the wound awakened by the pain he tried to rise but in vain and with a mighty groan of anguish the giant fell dead and his enormous body rolled heavily over into the deep the heroes being now able to land provisioned their vessel after which they resumed their homeward voyage Arrival at Yolkis after a terrible night of storm and darkness they passed the island of Ejena and at length reached in safety the port of Yolkis where the recital of their numerous adventures and hare breath escapes was listened to with wandering admiration by their fellow countrymen the Argo was consecrated to Poseidon and was carefully preserved for many generations till no vestige of it remained when it was placed in the heavens as a brilliant constellation on his arrival at Yolkis Jason conducted his beautiful bride to the palace of his uncle Pilius taking with him the golden fleece for the sake of which this perilous expedition had been undertaken but the old king who had never expected that Jason would return alive basically refused to fulfill his part of the compact and the client to abdicate the throne indignant at the wrongs of her husband Medea avenged them in a most shocking manner she made friends with the daughters of the king and feigned great interest in all their concerns having gained their confidence she informed them that among her numerous magic arts she possessed the power of restoring to the aged all the vigor and strength of youth and in order to give them the convincing proof of the truth of her assertion she cut up an old ram which she boiled in a cauldron whereupon after uttering various mystic incantations there came forth from the vessel a beautiful young land she then assured them that in a similar manner they could restore to their old father his former youthful frame and vigor the fond and credulous daughters of Pilius lent an all too willing ear to the wicked sorceress and thus the old king perished at the hands of his innocent children death of Jason Medea and Jason now fled to Corinth where at length they found for a time peace and tranquility their happiness being completed by the birth of three children as time passed on however and Medea began to lose the beauty which had won the love of her husband he grew weary of her and became attracted by the youthful charms of Gloss the beautiful daughter of Creeon King of Corinth Jason had obtained her father's consent to their union and the wedding day was already fixed before he disclosed to Medea the treachery which he mediated against her he used all his persuasive powers in order to induce her to consent to his union with Gloss ensuring her that his affection had in no way diminished but that for the sake of the advantages which would thereby accrue to their children he had decided on forming this alliance with the royal house though justly enraged at his deceitful conduct Medea dissembled her wrath and feigning to be satisfied with this explanation sent as a wedding gift to her rival a magnificent robe of cloth of gold this robe was imbued with a deadly poison which penetrated to the flesh and bone of the wearer and burned them as though with a consuming fire pleased with the beauty and costliness of the garment the unsuspecting Gloss lost no time in donning it but no sooner had she done so than the fell poison began to take effect in vain she tried to tear the robe away it defied all efforts to be removed and after horrible and protracted sufferings she expired maddened at the loss of her husband's love Medea next put to death her three sons and when Jason, thirsting for revenge left the chamber of his dead bride and flew to his own house in search of Medea the ghastly spectacle of his murdered children met his view he rushed frantically to seek but nowhere could she be found at length hearing a sound above his head he looked up and beheld Medea gliding through the air in a golden chariot drawn by dragons in a fit of despair Jason threw himself on his own sword and perished on the threshold of his desolate and deserted home End of section 24 section 25 part 1 of myths and legends this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Graham Redman myths and legends of ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Berens section 25 part 1 legends Pellops Pellops the son of the cruel Tantalus was a pious and virtuous prince after his father was banished into Tartarus a war ensued between Pellops and the king of Troy in which the former was vanquished and forced to fly from his dominions in Phrygia he emigrated into Greece where at the court of Inemaeus he beheld Hippodemia the king's daughter whose beauty won his heart but an oracle having foretold to Inemaeus that he would die on the day of his daughter's marriage he threw every obstacle in the way of her suitors and declared that he would only give her to him who succeeded in vanquishing him in a chariot race but that all unsuccessful competitors should suffer death at his hands the conditions of the contest were as follows the race was to be run from a given point at Pisa to the altar of Poseidon at Corinth the suitor was allowed to start on his course whilst Inemaeus performed his sacrifice to Zeus and only on its completion did the king mount his chariot guided by the skillful Myrtulus and drawn by his two famous horses Phylla and Harpinna who surpassed in swiftness the winds themselves in this manner many a gallant young prince had perished for although a considerable start was given to all competitors still Inemaeus with his swift team always overtook them before they reached the goal and killed them with his spear but the love of Pelops for Hippodemia overcame all fears and undeterred by the terrible fate of his predecessors he announced himself to Inemaeus as a suitor for the hand of his daughter on the eve of the race Pelops repaired to the seashore and earnestly implored Poseidon to assist him in his perilous undertaking the seaguard heard his prayer and sent him out of the deep a chariot drawn by two winged horses when Pelops appeared on the course the king at once recognized the horses of Poseidon but nothing daunted he relied on his own supernatural team and the contest was allowed to proceed whilst the king was offering his sacrifice to Zeus Pelops set out on the race and had nearly reached the goal when turning round he beheld Inemaeus spear in hand who with his magic steeds had nearly overtaken him but in this emergency Poseidon came to the aid of the son of Tantalus he caused the wheels of the royal chariot to fly off whereupon the king was thrown out violently and killed on the spot just as Pelops arrived at the altar of Poseidon as the hero was about to return to Pisa to claim his bride he beheld in the distance the names issuing from the royal castle which at that instant had been struck by lightning with his winged horses he flew to rescue his lovely bride and succeeded in extricating her uninjured from the burning building they soon afterwards became united and Pelops reigned in Pisa for many years in great splendor Heracles or Hercules Heracles the most renowned hero of antiquity was the son of Zeus and Alcmini and the great grandson of Perseus at the time of his birth Alcmini was living at Thebes with her husband Amphitrion and thus the infant Heracles was born in the palace of his stepfather aware of the animosity with which Hera persecuted all those who rivaled her in the affections of Zeus fearful lest this hatred should be visited on her innocent child entrusted him soon after his birth to the care of a faithful servant with instructions to expose him in a certain field and there leave him feeling assured that the divine offspring of Zeus would not long remain without the protection of the gods soon after the child had been thus abandoned Hera and Pallas Athene happened to pass by the field and were attracted by its cries Athene pityingly took up the infant in her arms and prevailed upon the queen of heaven to put it to her breast but no sooner had she done so than the child causing her pain she angrily threw him to the ground and left the spot Athene moved with compassion carried him to Alcmini and entreated her kind offices on behalf of the poor little foundling Alcmini at once recognized her child and joyfully accepted the charge soon afterwards Hera to her extreme annoyance discovered whom she had nursed and became filled with jealous rage she now sent two venomous snakes into the chamber of Alcmini which crept unperceived by the nurses to the cradle of the sleeping child he awoke with a cry and grasping a snake in each hand strangled them both Alcmini and her attendants whom the cry of the child had awakened rushed to the cradle where to their astonishment and terror they beheld the two reptiles dead in the hands of the infant Heracles Amphitrean was also attracted to the chamber by the commotion and when he beheld this astounding proof of supernatural strength he declared that the child must have been sent to him as a special gift from Zeus he accordingly consulted the famous seer Tiresias who now informed him of the divine origin of his stepson and prognosticated for him a great and distinguished future when Amphitrean heard the noble destiny which awaited the child entrusted to his care he resolved to educate him in a manner worthy of his future career at a suitable age he himself taught him how to guide a chariot Eurytus how to handle the bow Autolicus Dexterity and wrestling and boxing and Caster the art of armed warfare whilst Linus the son of Apollo instructed him in music and letters Heracles was an apt pupil but undue harshness was intolerable to his high spirit and old Linus who was not the gentlest of teachers one day corrected him with blows whereupon the boy angrily took up his lyre and with one stroke of his powerful arm killed his tutor on the spot apprehensive lest the ungovernable temper of the youth might again involve him in similar acts of violence Amphitrean sent him into the country where he placed him under the charge of one of his most trusted herdsmen here as he grew up to manhood his extraordinary stature and strength became the wonder and admiration of all beholders his aim, whether with spear, lance or bow was unerring and at the age of 18 he was considered to be the strongest as well as the most beautiful youth in all Greece the choice of Heracles Heracles felt that the time had now arrived when it became necessary to decide for himself how to make use of the extraordinary powers with which he had been endowed by the gods and in order to meditate in solitude on this all important subject he repaired to a lonely secluded spot in the heart of the forest here two females of great beauty appeared to him one was vice the other virtue the former was full of artificial wiles and fascinating arts her face painted and her dress gaudy and attractive whilst the latter was of noble bearing and modest mean her robes of spotless purity vice stepped forward and thus addressed him if you will walk in my paths and make me your friend your life shall be one round of pleasure and enjoyment you shall taste of every delight which can be procured on earth the choices vines the most delicious wines the most luxuriant of couches shall be ever at your disposal and all this without any exertion on your part either physical or mental virtue now spoke in her turn if you will follow me and be my friend I promise you the reward of a good conscience and the love and respect of your fellow men I cannot undertake to smooth your path with roses or to give you a life of idleness and pleasure for you must know that the gods grant no good and desirable thing that is not earned by labour and as you so so must you reap Heracles listened patiently and attentively to both speakers and then after mature deliberation decided to follow in the paths of virtue and henceforth to honour the gods and to devote his life to the service of his country full of these noble results he sought once more his rural home where he was informed that on Mount Scythyrn at the foot of which the herds of Amphitrion were grazing a ferocious lion had fixed his lair and was committing such frightful ravages among the flocks and herds that he had become the scourge and terror of the whole neighbourhood Heracles at once armed himself and ascended the mountain where he soon caught sight of the lion and rushing at him with his sword succeeded in killing him the hide of the animal he wore ever afterwards over his shoulders and the head served him as a helmet as he was returning from this his first exploit he met the heralds of a ginus king of the Minions who were proceeding to Thebes to demand their annual tribute of a hundred oxen indignant at this humiliation of his native city Heracles mutilated the heralds and sent them back with ropes round their necks to their royal master a ginus was so incensed at the ill treatment of his messengers that he collected an army and appeared before the gates of Thebes demanding the surrender of Heracles Creon who was at this time king of Thebes fearing the consequences of a refusal was about to yield when the hero with the assistance of Amphitrion and a band of brave youths advanced against the Minions Heracles took possession of a narrow defile through which the enemy were compelled to pass and as they entered the pass the Thebans fell upon them killed their king a ginus and completely routed them in this engagement Amphitrion the kind friend and foster father of Heracles lost his life the hero now advanced upon or commoness the capital of the Minions where he burned the royal castle and sacked the town after this signal victory all Greece rang with the fame of the young hero and Creon in gratitude for his great services bestowed upon him his daughter Megara in marriage the Olympian gods testified their appreciation of his valor by sending him presents Hermes gave him a sword Phoebus Apollo a bundle of arrows Hephaestus a golden quiver and Athenae a coat of leather Heracles and Eurystheus and now it will be necessary to retrace our steps just before the birth of Heracles Zeus in an assembly of the gods exultingly declared that the child who should be born on that day to the house of Perseus should rule over all his race when Hera heard her lord's boastful announcement she knew well that it was for the child of the hated Alcmini that this brilliant destiny was designed and in order to rob the son of Heracles' rights she called to her aid the goddess Ilythia who retarded the birth of Heracles and caused his cousin Eurystheus another grandson of Perseus to precede him into the world and thus as the word of the mighty Zeus was irrevocable Heracles became the subject and servant of his cousin Eurystheus when after his splendid victory over Aginus the fame of Heracles spread throughout Greece Eurystheus who had become king of Mycenae jealous of the reputation of the young hero asserted his rights and commanded him to undertake for him various difficult tasks but the proud spirit of the hero rebelled against this humiliation and he was about to refuse compliance when Zeus appeared to him not to rebel against the fates Heracles now repaired to Delphi in order to consult the oracle and received the answer that after performing ten tasks for his cousin Eurystheus his servitude would be at an end soon afterwards Heracles fell into a state of the deepest melancholy and through the influence of his inveterate enemy the goddess Eurystheus the hero this despondency developed into raving madness in which condition he killed his own children when he at length regained his reason he was so horrified and grieved at what he had done that he shut himself up in his chamber and avoided all intercourse with men but in his loneliness and seclusion the conviction that work and the opinion of the past decided him to enter without delay upon the tasks appointed him by Eurystheus 1. The Nemean Lion his first task was to bring to Eurystheus the skin of the much dreaded Nemean lion which ravaged the territory between Cleone and Nemea and whose height was invulnerable against any mortal weapon Heracles proceeded to the forest of Nemea where having discovered the lion's lair he attempted to pierce him with his arrows but finding these of no avail he felt him to the ground with his club and before the animal had time to recover from the terrible blow Heracles seized him by the neck and with a mighty effort succeeded in strangling him he then made himself a coat of mail of the skin and a new helmet of the head of the animal thus attired he so alarmed Eurystheus by appearing suddenly before him that the king concealed himself in his palace and henceforth forbade Heracles to enter his presence but commanded him to receive his behests for the future through his messenger Copreus 2. The Hydra his second task was to convey the Hydra a monster serpent the offspring of Typhon and Echidna bristling with nine heads one of which was immortal this monster infested the neighborhood of Lerner where she committed great depredations among the herds Heracles accompanied by his nephew Iolaus set out in the chariot for the marsh of Lerner in the slimy waters of which he found her he commenced the attack by assailing her with his fierce arrows in order to force her to leave her lair from which she at length emerged and sought refuge in a wood on a neighboring hill Heracles now rushed forward and endeavored to crush her heads by means of well directed blows from his tremendous club but no sooner was one head destroyed than it was immediately replaced by two others he next seized the monster in his powerful grasp but at this juncture a giant crab came to the assistance of the Hydra and commenced biting the feet of her assailant Heracles destroyed this new adversary with his club and now called upon his nephew to come to his aid at his command Iolaus set fire to the neighboring trees and with a burning branch seared the necks of the monster as Heracles cut them off thus effectively preventing the growth of more Heracles next struck off the immortal head which he buried by the roadside and placed over it a heavy stone into the poisonous blood of the monster he then dipped his arrows which ever afterwards rendered wounds inflicted by them incurable 3. The Horned Hind The third labor of Heracles was to bring the horned hind Sir Unitis alive to Mycenae this animal which was sacred to Artemis had golden antlers and hoofs of brass not wishing to wound the hind Heracles patiently pursued her through many countries for a whole year and overtook her at last on the banks of the river Leydon there he was compelled in order to secure her to wound her with one of his arrows after which he lifted her on his shoulders and carried her through Arcadia on his way he met Artemis with her brother Phoebus Apollo when the goddess angrily reproved him for wounding her favorite hind but Heracles succeeded in appeasing her displeasure whereupon she permitted him to go to Mycenae 4. The Eremantian Boar The fourth task imposed upon Heracles by Euristius was to bring alive to Mycenae the Eremantian Boar which had laid waste to the region of Eremantia and was the scourge of the surrounding neighborhood on his way thither he craved food and shelter of a centaur named Pholus who received his generous hospitality setting before him a good and plentiful repast when Heracles expressed his surprise that at such a well furnished board wine should be wanting his host explained that the wine cellar was the common property of all the centaurs and that it was against the rules for a casque to be broached except all were present to partake of it. I didn't have persuasion however Heracles failed on his kind host to make an exception in his favor but the powerful luscious odor of the good old wine soon spread over the mountains and brought large numbers of centaurs to the spot all armed with huge rocks and fir trees. Heracles drove them back with firebrands and then following up his victory pursued them with his arrows as far as Malia where they took refuge in the cave of the kind old centaur Chiron. Unfortunately however as Heracles were shooting at them with his poisoned darts one of these pierced the knee of Chiron when Heracles discovered that it was the friend of his early days that he had wounded he was overcome with sorrow and regret he at once extracted the arrow and anointed the wound with a salve the virtue of which had been taught him by Chiron himself but all his efforts were unavailing the wound imbued with the deadly poison of the Hydra was incurable and so great was the agony of Chiron that at the intercession of Heracles death was sent him by the gods for otherwise being immortal he would have been doomed to endless suffering Folus who had so kindly entertained Heracles also perished by means of one of these arrows which he had extracted from the body of a dead centaur while he was quietly examining it astonished that so small and insignificant an object should be productive of such serious results the arrow fell upon his foot and fatally wounded him full of grief at this underwarrd event Heracles wounded him with due honors and then set out to chase the boar with loud shouts and terrible cries he first drove him out of the thickets into the deep snow drifts which covered the summit of the mountain and then having at length wearied him with his incessant pursuit he captured the exhausted animal bound him with a rope and brought him alive to Mycenae five cleansing the stables of Orgias after slaying the Arrimancian boar Eurystheus commanded Heracles to cleanse in one day the stables of Orgias Orgias was a king of Elis who was very rich in herds three thousand of his cattle he kept near the royal palace in an enclosure where the refuse had accumulated for many years when Heracles presented himself before the king and offered to cleanse his stables in one day provided he should receive in return a tenth part of the herds Orgias, thinking the feat impossible, accepted his offer in the presence of his son Phileus near the palace were the two rivers Penius and Alphius the streams of which Heracles conducted into the stables by means of a trench which he dug for this purpose and as the waters rushed through the shed they swept away with them the whole mass of accumulated filth but when Orgias heard that this was one of the labours imposed by Eurystheus he refused the promised garden Heracles brought the matter before a court and called Phileus as a witness to the justice of his claim Orgias without waiting for the delivery of the verdict angrily banished Heracles and his son from his dominions 6. The Stemphalides The sixth task was to chase away the Stemphalides which were immense birds of prey who as we have seen in the legend of the Argonauts shot from their wings feathers sharp as arrows the home of these birds was on the shore of the lake Stemphalides in Arcadia after which they were called where they caused great destruction among men and cattle on approaching the lake Heracles observed great numbers of them and while hesitating how to commence the attack he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder looking round he beheld the majestic form of Palacitini and held in her hand a gigantic pair of brazen clappers made by Hephaestus with which she presented him where upon he ascended to the summit of a neighbouring hill and commenced to rattle them violently the shrill noise of these instruments was so intolerable to the birds that they rose into the air in terror upon which he aimed at them with his arrows destroying them in great numbers while such as escaped his darts flew away never to return 7. The Cretan Bull The seventh labour of Heracles was to capture the Cretan Bull Minos, king of Crete having vowed to sacrifice to Poseidon any animal which should first appear out of the sea the god caused a magnificent bull to emerge from the waves in order to test the sincerity of the Cretan King who, in making this vow had alleged that he possessed no animal among his own herds worthy the acceptance of the mighty sea-god charmed with the splendid animal sent by Poseidon and eager to possess it Minos placed it among his herds and substituted as a sacrifice one of his own bulls here upon Poseidon in order to punish the cupidity of Minos caused the animal to become mad amid such great havoc in the island as to endanger the safety of the inhabitants when Heracles, therefore, arrived in Crete for the purpose of capturing the bull Minos, far from opposing his design gladly gave him permission to do so the hero not only succeeded in securing the animal but tamed him so effectively that he rode on his back right across the sea as far as the Peloponnesus he now delivered him up to the Eurystheus who at once set him at liberty after which he became as ferocious and wild as before roamed all over Greece into Arcadia and was eventually killed by Thesius on the plains of Marathon 8. The Mares of Diomedes The eighth labour of Heracles was to bring to Eurystheus the Mares of Diomedes a son of Aerys and king of the Bistonians a war-like Thracian tribe this king possessed a breed of wild horses of tremendous size and strength whose food consisted of human flesh and all strangers who had the misfortune to enter the country were made prisoners and flung before the horses who devoured them When Heracles arrived he first captured the cruel Diomedes himself and then threw him before his own mares who after devouring their master became perfectly tame and tractable They were then led by Heracles to the seashore when the Bistonians enraged at the loss of their king rushed after the hero and attacked him He now gave the animals in charge of his friend Abdirus and made such a furious onslaught on his assailants that they turned and fled But on his return from this encounter he found to his great grief that the mares had torn his friend in pieces and devoured him After celebrating due funerial rights to the unfortunate Abdirus Heracles built a city in his honour which he named after him He then returned to Tirins where he delivered up the mares to Eurystheus who set them loose on Mount Olympus where they became the prey of wild beasts It was after the performance of this task that Heracles joined the Argonauts in their expedition to gain possession of the Golden Fleece and was left behind at Chios as already narrated During his wanderings he undertook his ninth labour which was to bring to Eurystheus the girdle of Hippolyte, Queen of the Amazons End of Section 25 Part 1 Recording by Graham Redman Section 25 Part 2 of Myths and Legends This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Graham Redman Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Behrens Section 25 Part 2 The labours of Heracles continued 9. The girdle of Hippolyte The Amazons who dwelt on the shores of the black sea near the river Thermoden were a nation of warlike women renowned for their strength, courage and great skill in horsemanship Their queen Hippolyte had received from her father Ares a beautiful girdle which she always wore as a sign of her royal power and authority and it was this girdle which Heracles was required to place in the hands of Eurystheus who designed it as a gift for his daughter Admiti For seeing that this would be a task of no ordinary difficulty the hero called to his aid a select band of brave companions with whom he embarked for the Amazonian town Themosyra Here they were met by Queen Hippolyte who was so impressed by the extraordinary stature and noble bearing of Heracles that on learning his errand she at once consented to present him with the coveted girdle But here her, his implacable enemy assuming the form of an Amazon spread the report in the town that a stranger was about to carry off their queen The Amazons at once flew to arms and mounted their horses Whereupon a battle ensued in which many of their bravest warriors were killed or wounded Among the latter was their most skillful leader Melanipi whom Heracles afterwards restored to Hippolyte receiving the girdle in exchange On his voyage home the hero stopped at Troy where a new adventure awaited him During the time that Apollo and Poseidon were condemned by Zeus to a temporary servitude on earth they built for King Leomedon the famous walls of Troy afterwards so renowned in history But when their work was completed the king treacherously refused to give them the reward due to them The incensed deities now combined to punish the offender Apollo sent a pestilence which decimated the people of Poseidon a flood which bore with it a marine monster who swallowed in his huge jaws all that came within his reach In his distress Leomedon consulted an oracle and was informed that only by the sacrifice of his own daughter Hesione could the anger of the gods be appeased Yielding at length to the urgent appeals of his people he consented to make the sacrifice And on the arrival of Heracles the maiden was already chained to a rock in readiness to be devoured by the monster When Leomedon beheld the renowned hero whose marvellous feats of strength and courage had become the wonder and admiration of all mankind he earnestly implored him to save his daughter from her impending fate and to rid the country of the monster holding out to him as a reward the horses which Zeus had presented to his grandfather Trost in compensation for robbing him of his son Ganymede Heracles unhesitatingly accepted the offer and when the monster appeared opening his terrible jaws to receive his prey the hero soared in hand, attacked and slew him But the perfidious monarch once more broke faith and Heracles' vowing future vengeance departed for Mycenae where he presented the girdle to Eurystheus 10. The Oxen of Gerionys The tenth labour of Heracles was the capture of the magnificent oxen belonging to the giant Gerion or Gerionys who dwelt on the island of Erythia in the bay of Gadria, Cadiz This giant, who was the son of Chryséo, had three bodies with three heads six hands and six feet He possessed a herd of splendid cattle which were famous for their size, beauty and rich red colour They were guarded by another giant named Eurytion and a two-headed dog called Orthrus the offspring of Typhon and Echidna In choosing for him a task so replete with danger Eurystheus was in hopes that he might rid himself forever of his hated cousin But the indomitable courage of the hero rose with the prospect of this difficult and dangerous undertaking After a long and wearisome journey he at last arrived at the western coast of Africa where, as a monument of his perilous expedition he erected the famous Pillars of Hercules one of which he placed on each side of the Straits of Gibraltar Here he found the intense heat so insufferable that he angrily raised his bow towards heaven and threatened to shoot the sun god But Helios, far from being incensed at his audacity was so struck with admiration at his daring that he lent to him the golden boat with which he accomplished his nocturnal transit from west to east and thus Heracles crossed over safely to the island of Erythia No sooner had he landed than Eurytion accompanied by his savage dog Orthrus fiercely attacked him But Heracles with a superhuman effort slew the dog and then his master Here upon he collected the herd and was proceeding to the seashore when Gereonis himself met him and a desperate encounter took place in which the giant perished Heracles then drove the cattle into the sea and seizing one of the oxen by the horns swam with them over to the opposite coast of Iberia, Spain Then, driving his magnificent prize before him through Gaul, Italy, Illyria and Thrace he at length arrived after many perilous adventures and hair-breadth escapes at Mycenae where he delivered them up to Eurystheus who sacrificed them to Hera Heracles had now executed his ten tasks which had been accomplished in the space of eight years but Eurystheus refused to include the slaying of the Hydra and the cleansing of the stables of Orgias among the number alleging as a reason that the one had been performed by the assistance of Iolaus and that the other had been executed for hire He therefore insisted on Heracles substituting two more labours in their place 11. The Apples of the Hesperides The eleventh task imposed by Eurystheus was to bring him the golden apples of the Hesperides which grew on a tree presented by Gere to Hera on the occasion of her marriage with Zeus This sacred tree was guarded by four maidens and daughters of Knight called the Hesperides who were assisted in their task by a terrible hundred-headed dragon This dragon never slept and out of its hundred throats came a constant hissing sound which effectively warmed off all intruders But what rendered the undertaking still more difficult was the complete ignorance of the hero as to the locality of the garden and he was forced in consequence to make many fruitless journeys and to undergo many trials before he could find it He first travelled through Thessaly and arrived at the river Echidorus where he met the giant psychness, the son of Ares and Pyrene who challenged him to single combat In this encounter Heracles completely vanquished his opponent who was killed in the contest But now a mightier adversary appeared on the scene for the war god himself came to avenge his son A terrible struggle ensued which had lasted some time when Zeus interfered between the brothers and put an end to the strife by hurling a thunderbolt between them Heracles proceeded on his journey and reached the banks of the river Erydenus who had dwelt the nymphs, daughters of Zeus and Themis On seeking advice from them as to his root they directed him to the old sea god Nereus who alone knew the way to the garden of the Hesperides Heracles found him asleep and seizing the opportunity held him so firmly in his powerful grasp that he could not possibly escape so that notwithstanding his various metamorphoses he was at last compelled to give the information required The hero then crossed over to Libya where he engaged in a wrestling match with King Anteus son of Poseidon and Gia which terminated fatally for his antagonist From thence he proceeded to Egypt where reigned Buzyrus, another son of Poseidon who, acting on the advice given by an oracle during a time of great scarcity sacrificed all strangers to Zeus When Heracles arrived he was seized and dragged to the altar but the powerful Demigod burst asunder his bonds and then slew Buzyrus and his son Resuming his journey he now wandered on through Arabia until he arrived at Mount Caucasus where Prometheus groaned in unceasing agony It was at this time that Heracles, as already related shot the eagle which had so long tortured the noble and devoted friend of mankind Full of gratitude for his deliverance Prometheus instructed him how to find his way to that remote region in the far west where Atlas supported the heavens on his shoulders near which lay the Garden of the Hesperides He also warned Heracles not to attempt to secure the precious fruit himself but to assume for a time the duties of Atlas and to dispatch him for the apples On arriving at his destination Heracles followed the advice of Prometheus Atlas, who willingly entered into the arrangement contrived to put the dragon to sleep and then having cunningly outwitted the Hesperides carried off three of the golden apples which he now brought to Heracles But when the latter was prepared to relinquish his burden Atlas, having once tasted the delights of freedom declined to resume his post and announced his intention of being himself the bearer of the apples to Eurystheus leaving Heracles to fill his place To this proposal the hero feigned ascent merely begging that Atlas would be kind enough to support the heavens for a few moments whilst he contrived a pad for his head Atlas could naturally threw down the apples and once more resumed his load upon which Heracles bared him a dew and departed When Heracles conveyed the golden apples to Eurystheus the latter presented them to the hero where upon Heracles placed the sacred fruit on the altar of Palas Athene who restored them to the garden of the Hesperides 12. Cerberus The twelfth and last labour which Eurystheus imposed on Heracles was to bring up Cerberus from the lower world believing that all his heroic powers would be unavailing in the realm of shades and that in this his last and most perilous undertaking the hero must at length succumb and perish Cerberus was a monster dog with three heads out of whose awful jaws dripped poison the hair of his head and back was formed of venomous snakes and his body terminated in the tale of a dragon After being initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries and obtaining from the priests certain information necessary for the accomplishment of his task Heracles set out for Tenerum in Lecolia where there was an opening which led to the underworld Conducted by Hermes he commenced his descent into the awful gulf where myriads of shades soon began to appear all of whom fled in terror at his approach Meliagar and Medusa alone accepted About to strike the latter with his sword Hermes interfered and stayed his hand reminding him that she was but a shadow and that consequently no weapon could avail against her Arrived before the gates of Hades he found Theseus and Pyrethoas who had been fixed to an enchanted rock by Hades for their presumption in endeavoring to carry off Persephone When they saw Heracles they implored him to set them free The hero succeeded in delivering Theseus but when he endeavored to liberate Pyrethoas the earth shook so violently beneath him that he was compelled to relinquish his task Proceeding further Heracles recognized Ascalophus who as we have seen in the history of Demeter had revealed the fact that Persephone had swallowed the seeds of a pomegranate offered to her by her husband which bound her to Aedes forever Ascalophus was groaning beneath a huge rock which Demeter in her anger had hurled upon him and which Heracles now removed releasing the sufferer Before the gates of his palace stood Aedes the mighty ruler of the lower world and barred his entrance but Heracles aiming at him with one of his unerring darts shot him in the shoulder so that for the first time the god experienced the agony of mortal suffering Heracles then demanded of him permission to take Cerberus to the upper world and to this Aedes consented on condition that he should secure him unarmed Protected by his breastplate and lion's skin Heracles went in search of the monster whom he found at the mouth of the river Acheron Undismayed by the hideous barking which proceeded from his three heads he seized the throat with one hand and the legs with the other and although the dragon which served him as a tail bit him severely he did not relinquish his grasp In this manner he conducted him to the upper world through an opening near Tresen in Argolia When Eurystheus beheld Cerberus he stood aghast and despairing of ever getting rid of his hated rival he returned the hellhound to the hero who restored him to Aedes and with this last task the subjection of Heracles to Eurystheus terminated Murder of Iphetus Free at last Heracles now returned to Thebes and it being impossible for him to live happily with Megara in consequence of his having murdered her children he with her own consent gave her in marriage to his nephew Iolaus Heracles himself sought the hand of Ioli daughter of Eurystheus, king of Ecalia who had instructed him when a boy in the use of the bow hearing that this king had promised to give his daughter to him who could surpass himself and his three sons in shooting with the bow Heracles lost no time in presenting himself as a competitor he soon proved that he was no unworthy pupil of Eurystheus for he signally defeated all his opponents but although the king treated him with marked respect and honour he refused nevertheless to give him the hand of his daughter fearing for her a similar fate to that which had befallen Megara Iphetus, the eldest son of Eurystheus, alone espoused the cause of Heracles and essayed to induce his father to give his consent to the marriage but all to no purpose and at length stung to the quick at his rejection the hero angrily took his departure soon afterwards the oxen of the king was stolen by the notorious thief Altolicus and Heracles was suspected by Eurystheus of having committed the theft but Iphetus loyally defended his absent friend and proposed to seek out Heracles and with his assistance to go in search of the missing cattle the hero warmly welcomed his staunch young friend and entered cordially into his plan they at once set out on their expedition but their search proved altogether unsuccessful when they approached the city of Tirins they mounted a tower in hopes of discovering the missing herd in the surrounding country but as they stood on the topmost summit of the building Heracles became suddenly seized with one of his former attacks of madness and mistaking his friend Iphetus for an enemy hurled him down into the plain below and he was killed on the spot Heracles now set forth on a weary pilgrimage begging in vain that someone would purify him from the murder of Iphetus it was during these wanderings that he arrived at the palace of his friend Admitus whose beautiful and heroic wife Alcestes he restored to her husband after a terrible struggle with death as already related soon after this event Heracles was struck with a fearful disease and betook himself to the temple of Delphi hoping to obtain from the oracle the means of relief the priestess however refused him a response on the ground of his having murdered Iphetus whereupon the angry hero seized upon the tripod which he carried off declaring that he would construct an oracle for himself Apollo who witnessed the sacrilege came down to defend his sanctuary and a violent struggle ensued Zeus once more interfered and flashing his lightnings between his two favourite sons ended the combat the pithier now vouchsafed an answer to the prayer of the hero and commanded him in expiation of his crime to allow himself to be sold by Hermes for three years as a slave the purchase money to be given to Eurytus in compensation for the loss of his son Heracles becomes the slave of Omphale Heracles bowed in submission to the divine will and was conducted by Hermes to Omphale, Queen of Lydia the three talents which he paid for him were given to Eurytus who however declined to accept the money which was handed over to the children of Iphetus Heracles now regained his former vigor he rid the territory of Omphale of the robbers which infested it and performed for her various other services requiring strength and courage it was about this time that he took part in the Caledonian boar hunt details of which have already been given when Omphale learned that her slave was none other than the renowned Heracles himself she at once gave him his liberty and offered him her hand and kingdom in her palace Heracles abandoned himself to all the innovating luxuries of an oriental life and so completely was the great hero enthralled by the fascination which his mistress exercised over him that whilst she playfully donned his lion's skin and helmet he, attired in female garments, sat at her feet spinning wool and beguiling the time by the relation of his past adventures but when at length his term of bondage having expired he became master of his own actions the manly and energetic spirit of the hero reasserted itself and tearing himself away from the palace of the meonian queen he determined to carry out the revenge he had so long meditated against the treacherous Leomedon and the faithless Orgias Heracles executes vengeance on Leomedon and Orgias gathering round him some of his old brave companions in arms Heracles collected a fleet of vessels and set sail for Troy where he landed, took the city by storm and killed Leomedon who thus met at length the retribution he had so richly deserved to Telemond one of his bravest followers he gave Hesayani the daughter of the king in marriage when Heracles gave her permission to release one of the prisoners of war she chose her own brother Podarsis whereupon she was informed that as he was already a prisoner of war she would be compelled to ransom him on hearing this Hesayani took off her golden diadem which she joyfully handed to the hero owing to this circumstance Podarsis henceforth bore the name of Primus or Priam which signifies the ransomed one Heracles now marched against Orgias to execute his vengeance on him also for his perfidious conduct he stormed the city of Elis and put to death Orgias and his sons sparing only his brave advocate and staunch defender Phileus on whom he bestowed the vacant throne of his father Heracles and Dianyra Heracles now proceeded to Caledon where he wooed the beautiful Dianyra daughter of Enius king of Etolia but he encountered a formidable rival in Akeluis the river god and it was agreed that their claims should be decided by single combat trusting to his power of assuming various forms at will Akeluis felt confident of success but this availed him nothing for having at last transformed himself into a bull his mighty adversary broke off one of his horns and compelled him to acknowledge himself defeated after passing three happy years with Dianyra an unfortunate accident occurred which for a time marred their felicity Heracles was one day present at a banquet given by Enius when by a sudden swing of his hand he had the misfortune to strike on the head a youth of noble birth who according to the custom of the ancients was serving the guests at table and so violent was the blow that it caused his death the father of the unfortunate youth who had witnessed the occurrence saw that it was the result of accident and therefore absolved the hero from blame but Heracles resolved to act according to the law of the land banished himself from the country and bidding farewell to his father-in-law set out for Trakin to visit his friend King Seix taking with him his wife Dianyra and his young son Hylas in the course of that journey they arrived at the river Ivenus over which the centaur Nessus was in the habit of carrying travellers for hire Heracles with his little son in his arms forwarded the stream unaided entrusting his wife to the care of the centaur who charmed with the beauty of his fair burden attempted to carry her off but her cries were heard by her husband who without hesitation shot Nessus through the heart with one of his poisoned arrows now the dying centaur was thirsting for revenge he called Dianyra to his side and directed her to secure some of the blood which flowed from his wound assuring her that if when in danger of losing her husband's affection she used it in the manner indicated by him it would act as a charm and prevent her from being supplanted by a rival Heracles and Dianyra now pursued their journey and after several adventures at length arrived at their destination Death of Heracles the last expedition undertaken by the great hero was against Euritus, King of Icalia to revenge himself upon this king and his sons for having refused to bestow upon him the hand of Ioli after having fairly won the maiden having collected a large army Heracles set out for Yubea in order to besiege Icalia its capital success crowned his arms he stormed the citadel, slew the king and his three sons reduced the town to ashes and carried away captive the young and beautiful Ioli returning from his victorious expedition Heracles halted at Cineus in order to offer a sacrifice to Zeus and sent to Dianyra to trach in for a sacrificial robe Dianyra having been informed that the fair Ioli was in the train of Heracles was fearful lest her youthful charms might supplant her in the affection of her husband and calling to mind the advice of the dying centaur she determined to test the efficacy of the love charm which he had given to her taking out the files which she had carefully preserved she imbued the robe with a portion of the liquid which it contained and then sent it to Heracles the victorious hero clothed himself with the garment and was about to perform the sacrifice when the hot flames rising from the altar heated the poison with which it was imbued and soon every fibre of his body was penetrated by the deadly venom the unfortunate hero suffering the most fearful tortures endeavoured to tear off the robe but it adhered so closely to the skin that all his efforts to remove it only increased his agonies in this pitiable condition he was conveyed to trach in the Dionyra on beholding the terrible suffering of which she was the innocent cause was overcome with grief and remorse and hanged herself in despair the dying hero called his son Hylas to his side and desired him to make Ioli his wife and then ordering his followers to erect a funeral pyre he mounted it and implored the bystanders to set fire to it and thus in mercy to terminate his insufferable torments but no one had the courage to obey him until at last his friend and companion Philoctetes yielding to his piteous appeal lighted the pyre and received in return the bow and arrows of the hero soon flames on flames ascended and amidst vivid flashes of lightning accompanied by awful peals of thunder Pelle Sathini descended in a crowd and bore her favourite hero in a chariot to Olympus Heracles became admitted among the immortals and Hera in token of her reconciliation bestowed upon him the hand of her beautiful daughter Hebe the goddess of eternal youth End of section 25 part 2 Recording by Graham Redmond Section 26 of Myths and Legends This is a LibriVox recording or LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by David Nicolle Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Behrens Belerophon Belerophon or Belerophontes was the son of Glaucus, king of Corinth and grandson of Sisyphus In consequence of an unpremeditated murder Belerophon fled to Tyrants where he was kindly received by King Preetis who purified him from his crime and Thea, the wife of Preetis was so charmed with a comely youth that she fell in love with him but Belerophon did not return her affection and she, in revenge, slandered him to the king by a gross misrepresentation of the fact The first impulse of Preetis when informed of the conduct of Belerophon was to kill him but the youth with his gentle and winning manners had so endeared himself to his host that he felt it impossible to take his life with his own hands He therefore sent him to his father-in-law Yobarty's king of Lycia with a kind of letter or tablet which contained mysterious signs indicating his desire that the bearer of the missive should be put to death but the gods watched over the true and loyal youth that inclined the heart of Yobartys as a reliable prince towards his guest Judging by his appearance that he was of noble birth he entertained him according to the hospitable custom of the Greeks in the most princely manner for nine days and not until the morning of the 10th did he inquire his name and errand Belerophon now presented to him the letter entrusted to him by Preetis Yobarty's, who had become greatly attached to the youth was horror-struck at its contents Nevertheless, he concluded that Preetis must have good reasons for his conduct and that probably Belerophon had committed a crime which deserved death but as he could not make up his mind to murder the guest he had grown to esteem he decided to dispatch him upon dangerous enterprises in which he would in all probability lose his life He first sent him to kill the Chimera a monster which was at this time devastating the country The forepart of its body was that of a lion the centre of a goat and the hind part of a dragon whilst out of its jaws issued flames of fire Before starting on this difficult task Belerophon invoked the protection of the gods and in answer to his prayer they dispatched to his aid the immortal winged horse Pegasus the offspring of Poseidon and Medusa But the divine animal would not suffer himself to be caught and at last, worn out with his fruitless exertions Belerophon fell into a deep sleep beside the sacred spring Pyrene Here, Pallas Athena appeared to him in a dream and presented him with a magic bridle for the purpose of capturing the divine steed On awaking, Belerophon instinctively put out his hand to grasp it when, to his amazement there lay beside him the bridle of his dream whilst Pegasus was quietly drinking at the fountain close by Seizing him by the mane Belerophon threw the bridle over his head and succeeded in mounting him without further difficulty Then, rising with him into the air he slew the Chimera with his arrows Ybarthes next sent him on an expedition against the Solimons a fierce neighbouring tribe with whom he was an enmity Belerophon succeeded in vanquishing them and was then dispatched against the much dreaded Amazons but greatly to the astonishment of Ybarthes the hero again returned victorious Finally, Ybarthes placed a number of the bravest Lysians in ambush for the purpose of destroying him But not one returned alive for Belerophon bravely defended himself and slew them all Convinced at length that Belerophon, far from deserving death was the special favourite of the gods who had evidently protected him throughout his perilous exploits the king now ceased his persecutions Ybarthes admitted him to a share in the government and gave him his daughter in marriage But Belerophon, having attained the summit of earthly prosperity became intoxicated with pride and vanity and incurred the displeasure of the gods by endeavouring to mount to heaven on his winged horse for the purpose of gratifying his idle curiosity Zeus punished him for his impiety by sending a gadfly to sting the horse who became so rested that he threw his rider who was precipitated to the earth Filled with remorse at having offended the gods Belerophon fell prey to the deepest melancholy and wandered about for the remainder of his life in the loneliest and most desolate places After death he was honoured in Corinth as a hero and an altar was erected to him in the grove of Poseidon Thesias Aegeus, king of Athens being twice married and having no children was so desirous of an heir to his throne that he made a pilgrimage to Delphi in order to consult the oracle But the response being ambiguous he repaired to Tresin to consult his wise friend Piteus who reigned over that city by whose advice he contracted a secret marriage with his friend's daughter, Ethra After passing some time with his bride Aegeus prepared to take his departure for his own dominions But before doing so he led Ethra to the seashore where after depositing his sword and sandals under a huge rock he thus addressed her Should the gods bless our union with a son do not reveal to him the name and rank of his father until he is old enough to possess the strength requisite for moving this stone Then send him to my palace at Athens bearing these tokens of his identity A son was born to Ethra whom she called Thesias and who was carefully trained and educated by his grandfather Piteus When he had developed to a strong and manly youth his mother conducted him to the spot where the rock had been placed by Aegeus and at her command he rolled away the stone and took possession of the sword and sandals which had lain there for sixteen years and which she now desired him to convey to his father Aegeus, king of Athens His mother and grandfather were anxious that the youth should travel by the safe sea route the road between Tresene and Athens being at this time infested with robbers of a great ferocity and enormous strength But feeling within himself the spirit of a hero Thesias resolved to emulate the deeds of Heracles with whose fame all Greece resounded and therefore chose the more dangerous journey by land as calculated to afford him an opportunity of distinguishing himself by feats of valor His first adventure occurred at Epidaurus where he met Periphetes, a son of Hephaestus who was armed with an iron club with which he killed all travellers Having received from his grandfather a full description of this savage Thesias had once recognised him and rushing upon him with his sword to counter in killing him He appropriated the club as a trophy of his victory and proceeded on his journey without hindrance until he arrived at the Isthmus of Corinth Here the people warned him to beware of Sinus the robber who forced all travellers to bend with him one of the branches of a tall pine tree Having dragged it to the ground the cruel Sinus suddenly released his hold whereupon the bow, rebounding high up into the air the unfortunate victim was dashed to the ground and killed When Thesias beheld Sinus advancing towards him he steadily awaited his approach then, seizing his powerful club he killed the inhuman wretch with one blow Passing through the woody district of Cromayon Thesias next slew a wild and dangerous sow which had long ravaged the country He then continued his journey and approached the borders of Megara a narrow path overhanging the sea dwelt the wicked Siron, another terror to travellers It was his custom to compel all strangers who passed his abode to wash his feet during which operation he kicked them over the rock into the sea Thesias boldly attacked the giant, overcame him and then flung his body over the cliff where so many of his victims had perished Thesias now journeyed on to Eleusis where he found another adversary who was the person of King Cercyon who forced all comers to wrestle with him and kill those whom he vanquished but Thesias overcame the mighty wrestler and slew him Near Eleusis, on the banks of the river Cephisus Thesias met with a new adventure Here lived the giant Domastes called Procrustes or the Stretcher who had two iron beds, one being long and the other short into which he forced all strangers In the short one he placed the tall men whose limbs he cut to the size of the bed Whilst the short ones he assigned the large bed stretching them out to fit it and thus he left his victims to expire in the most cruel tall men's Thesias freed the country from this inhuman monster by serving him as he had done his unfortunate victims The hero now continued his journey and at length reached Athens without meeting with any further adventures When he had arrived at his destination he found his father a helpless tool in the hands of the sorceress Medea whom he had married after her departure from Corinth Knowing by means of her supernatural powers that Thesias was the king's son and fearing that her influence might be weakened by his presence she poisoned the mind of the old king against the stranger whom she represented as being a spy It was according to their range that Thesias should be invited to a banquet with a strong poison mixed with his wine Now Thesias had resolved to reveal himself at this feast to the father whom he yearned to embrace Before tasting the wine he put his plan into execution and drew out his sword so that the eyes of the king might rest upon it When Agias beheld once more the well-known weapon which he had so often wielded he knew that it was his son who stood before him He warmly embraced him presented him as his heir to his courtiers and subjects and then, no longer able to endure the sight of Medea he banished her forever from his dominions When Thesias was acknowledged as the rightful heir to the throne he was opposed by the 50 sons of Pallas the king's brother who had confidently expected that on the demise of the old king the government of the country would devolve upon them They therefore resolved to put Thesias to death but their plans becoming known to him he surprised them as they lay in ambush and destroyed them all Fearing, however, lest the Athenians might entertain a prejudice against him on account of his extermination of their fellow citizens the Palantids Thesias resolved to perform some signal service for the state which should gain for him the hearts of the people He accordingly decided to rid the country of the famous Bull of Marathon which would become a terror to the cultivators of the land He captured the animal and brought him in chains to Athens where, after publicly exhibiting him to the astonished multitude he solemnly sacrificed him to Apollo the next enterprise undertaken by Thesias far surpassed all his other feats of heroic daring and secured to him the universal admiration and gratitude of his fellow citizens This was the slaying of the Minotaur which put an end forever to the shameful tribute of seven youths and seven maidens which was exacted from the Athenians every nine years The origin of this barbarous tribute was as follows Androgios the youthful son of Minos, king of Crete having been treacherously murdered by the Athenians His father, anxious to avenge the death of his son declared war against their king Agius and conquered Athens and the villages in its vicinity The conqueror henceforth compelled the Athenians to send to him every nine years a tribute of seven youths and seven maidens of the noblest families in the land who became prey of the Minotaur a monster, half man, half bull whose lair was in the wonderful labyrinth constructed by Daedalus for the Cretan king When Thesias informed his father of his heroic determination he was overwhelmed with grief and endeavoured by every means in his power to shake his son's resolution but confident of success, Thesias assured his father that he would slay the Minotaur and return home victorious It was customary for the vessel bearing its unhappy freight of human victims to use on this voyage Black sails only but Thesias promised his father that should he return in safety he would hoist white ones in their place Before leading Athens, Thesias, by the advice of an oracle chose Aphrodite as his guardian and protractress and accordingly offered up a sacrifice to her When he arrived in the presence of King Minos the goddess of love inspired Ariadne, the beautiful daughter of the king with an ardent attachment for the noble young hero During a secret interview in which a mutual confession of affection took place, Ariadne furnished him with a sharp sword and a clear of thread, the end of which she desired him to fasten at the entrance to the labyrinth and to continue to unwind it till he reached the lair of the Minotaur Full of hope as to the successful issue of his undertaking Thesias took leave of the kind maiden after expressing his gratitude for her timely aid At the head of his companions he was now conducted by Minos to the entrance of the labyrinth Strictly adhering to the injunctions of the fair Ariadne he succeeded in finding the Minotaur whom after a fierce and violent struggle he defeated and killed Then carefully feeling his way by means of the clue of thread he led his companions safely out of the labyrinth They then fled to their ship taking with them the lovely maiden to whose affection for their deliverer they owed their safety Arrived at the island of Naxos Thesias had a dream in which Dionysus, the wine god appeared to him and informed him that the fates had decreed that Ariadne should be his bride at the same time menacing the hero with all kinds of misfortunes should he refuse to resign her Now Thesias, having been taught from his youth to reverence the gods feared to disobey the wishes of Dionysus He accordingly took a sad farewell of the beautiful maiden who so tenderly loved him and left her on the lonely island where she was found and wooed by the wine god Thesias and his companions felt keenly the loss of their benefactress and in their grief at parting with her forgot that the ship still bore the black sails with which she had left the Attic coast As she neared the port of Athens Agius, who was anxiously awaiting the return of his son on the beach caught sight of the vessel with its black sails and concluding that his gallant son had perished threw himself in despair into the sea With the unanimous approval of the Athenians Thesias now ascended the vacant throne and soon proved himself to be not only a valiant hero but also a wise prince and prudent legislator Athens was at this time but a small city surrounded by a number of villages each of which possessed its own separate form of government but by means of kind and conciliatory measures Thesias induced the heads of these different communities to resign their sovereignty and to entrust the administration of public affairs to a court which should sit constantly at Athens and exercise jurisdiction over all the inhabitants of Attica The result of these judicious measures was that the Athenians became a united and powerful people and that numbers of strangers and foreigners flocked to Athens which became a flourishing maritime port and a commercial centre of great importance Thesias renewed the Isthmian games and also instituted numerous festivals the principle of which was the Panathena held in honour of Athena Polyas It is related that Thesias, upon one occasion arrived during a voyage at the Amazonian coast Anxious to ascertain the object of his visit the Amazons sent Hippolyta, one of their number with presence to the stranger but no sooner did the fair Herald set foot on board his vessel then Thesias set sail and carried her off to Athens where he made her his queen Enranged at this indignity the Amazons determined to be revenge Some time afterwards when the whole affair would appear to have been forgotten they seized the opportunity when the city of Athens was in a defenceless condition and landed an army in Attica So sudden was their attack that they had penetrated into the very heart of the city before the Athenians could organise their forces Thesias expeditiously collected his troops and commenced such a furious onslaught upon the invaders that after a desperate encounter they were driven from the city Peace was then concluded whereupon the Amazons vacated the country During this engagement Hippolyta, forgetful of her origin fought valiantly by the side of her husband against her own kinsfolk and perished on the field of battle It was soon after this sad event that Thesias joined the world-renowned Caledonian boar hunt in which he took a leading part He also formed one of the brave band who shared in the perils of the Argonautic expedition The remarkable friendship which existed between Thesias and Perithuis originated under such peculiar circumstances that it is worthy of mention Hearing upon one occasion that his herds pasturing in the plains of Marathon had been carried off by Perithuis Thesias collected together an armed force and sallied forth to punish the plunder But when the two heroes met face to face both were seized with an impulse of sympathetic admiration for each other Perithuis, holding out his hand in a token of peace, exclaimed What satisfaction shall I render thee, Thesias? Be thou thyself the judge Thesias seized the prophet hand and replied, I ask not to save thy friendship whereupon the heroes embrace each other and swore eternal fidelity When, soon afterwards, Perithuis became united to Hippodarmia at the Salian princess he invited Thesias to the wedding feast which was also attended among other guests by a large number of centaurs who were friends of Perithuis Towards the end of the banquet Eurytion, a young centaur heated and flushed with wine seized the lovely bride and sought by force to carry her off The other centaurs, following his example each endeavored to capture a maiden Perithuis and his followers aided by Thesias who rendered most valuable assistance attacked the centaurs and after a violent hand-to-hand struggle forced them to relinquish their prey After the death of Hippodarmia Thesias sought the hand of Phaedra the sister of his former bride Ariadne to whom he became united For some years they lived happily together and their union was blessed by the birth of two sons During this time Hippodarmia the son of the Amazonian queen had been absent from home having been placed under the care of the king's uncles in order to be educated When, having grown to manhood he now returned to his father's palace fell violently in love with him but Hippodarmia failed to return her affection and treated her with contempt and indifference Filled with rage and despair at his coldness Phaedra put an end to her existence When she was discovered by her husband she held in her hand a letter accusing Hippodarmia of being the cause of her death and of having conspired against the honour of the king Now Poseidon had upon one occasion asked to grant Theseus whatever request he should demand He therefore called upon the sea-god to destroy Hippolytus whom he cursed in the most solemn manner The father's awful malediction fell but too soon upon his innocent son for as the latter was driving his chariot along the seashore between Trazine and Athens a monster sent by Poseidon rose out of the deep and so frightened the horses that they became altogether unmanageable As they rushed on in their mad career the chariot was dashed to pieces and the unfortunate youth whose feet had become entangled in the rains was dragged along until life was nearly extinct In this condition he was found by the unhappy Theseus who having ascertained the true fact of the case from an old servant of Phaedra had hastened to prevent the catastrophe but he arrived too late and was only able to soothe the last moments of his dying son by acknowledging the sad mistake which he had committed declaring his firm belief in his honour and innocence After these events Theseus was persuaded by his friend Peridus who had also about this time lost his young wife Hippodarmia to join him in a journey through Greece with the object of carrying off by force the most beautiful maidens whom they should chance to meet Arrived at Sparta they beheld in the temple of Artemis Helen, the daughter of Zeus and Leda who was engaged in performing sacred dances in honour of the goddess Although the maiden was only nine years old the fame of her beauty which was destined to play so important a part in the history of Greece had already spread far and wide Theseus and Peridus forcibly abducted her and then having cast lots for her she fell to Theseus who placed her under the charge of his mother, Aethra Peridus now requested Theseus to assist him in his ambitious scheme of descending to the lower world and carrying off Persephone the queen of Hades Though fully alive after the perils of the undertaking Theseus would not forsake his friend and together they sought the gloomy realm of shades But Aedes had been forewarned of their approach and scarcely have the two friends set foot within his dominions when, by his orders they were seized, bound with chains and secured to an enchanted rock at the entrance of Hades Here the two friends languished for many years until Heracles passed by in his search for Cerberus when he released Theseus but in obedience to an injunction of the gods left Peridus to endure forever the punishment of his too daring ambition While Theseus was imprisoned in the underworld Castor and Pollots, the brothers of Helen invaded Athens and demanded the restoration of their young sister Seeing his country threatened with the horrors of warfare an Athenian citizen named Akademus who knew of Helen's place in the concealment repaired to the camp of the dear Skourai and informed them where they would find him Ezra at once resigned her charge whereupon the brothers took leave of Athens and accompanied by Helen returned to their native country But the prolonged absence of Theseus gave rise to other troubles of a more serious character Thinking the opportunity favourable for a revolt a faction headed by Menestius a descendant of Eregthius aggregated to themselves supreme power and seized the reins of government Returned to Athens Theseus at once took active measures to quell the insubordination which existed on all sides He expelled Menestius from office rigorously punished the ringleaders of the revolt and placed himself once more upon the throne But his hold upon the people was gone His former services were all forgotten and finding at length that dissensions and revolts were rife he voluntarily abdicated the throne and retired to his estates in the island of Cyros Here, like comedies king of the island feigned to receive him with the utmost friendship by being, as it is supposed in league with Menestius he led the old king to the summit of a high rock under pretence of showing him his estates and treacherously killed him by pushing him over the cliff Many centuries after his death by the command of the oracle of Delphi Simon, the father of Militiades at the conclusion of the Persian war brought the remains of Theseus the great benefactor of Athens to that city and in his honor a temple was erected which exists to the present day and serves as a museum of art End of Section 26 Section 27 of Myths and Legends This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Baron Oedipus Leus, king of Thebes the son of Lapticus and a direct descendant of Cadmus was married to Jocast the daughter of a noble Theban an oracle having foretold that he would perish by the hand of his own son he determined to destroy the infant whom Jocast had just given birth with the consent of his wife whose affection for her husband overcame her love for her child he decided to marry her but instead of obeying this cruel command the servant entrusted him to a shepherd who was tending the flocks of Polybus king of Corinth and then returned to Leus and Jocast and informed them that their orders had been obeyed the parents were satisfied with the intelligence and quieted their conscience by the reflection that they had thus prepared for the death of the infant and the servants were satisfied with the intelligence the servants were satisfied with the intelligence by the reflection that they had thus prevented their son from committing the crime of Parasite meanwhile the shepherd of King Polybus had unbound the feet of the infant and in consequence of their being much swollen he called him Oedipus or swollen foot he then carried him to the king his master who pitting the poor little waif enlisted for him the kind offices of his wife Merope Oedipus was adopted by the king and queen believed that they were his parents, until one day a Corinthian noble taunted him at a banquet with not being the son of the king. Stung at the reproach, the youth appealed to Mirope, but, receiving an equivocal, though kindly, answer, he repaired to Delphi to consult the oracle. The pithya, vouchsafed, no reply to his inquiry, but informed him to his horror that he was fated to kill his father and to marry his own mother. Struck with dismay, for he was tenderly attached to polybos and Mirope, Oedipus determined not to return to Corinth, and took instead the road leading to Biosha. On his way a chariot passed him, in which sat an old man with two servants, who rudely pushed the pedestrian out of the path. In the scuffle which ensued, Oedipus struck the old man with his heavy stick, and he fell back dead on the seat of the chariot. Struck with dismay at the unpre-magitated murder which he had committed, the youth fled, and left the spot without learning that the old man whom he had killed was his father, Leus, king of Thebes. Not long after this occurrence, the sphinx, full details of whom have already been given, was sent by the goddess Hera as a punishment to the Thebans. Stationed on a rocky height just outside the city, she propounded to the passers-by riddles which she had been taught by the Muses, and whoever failed to solve them was torn in pieces and devoured by the monster, and in this manner great numbers of the inhabitants of Thebes had perished. Now on the death of the old king Leus, Creon, the brother of the widowed queen, had seized the reins of government and mounted the vacant throne, and when at length his own son fell a victim to the sphinx, he resolved at all costs to rid the country of this fearful scourge. He accordingly issued a proclamation that the kingdom and the hand of the sister Jocast should be awarded to him who should succeed in solving one of the riddles of the sphinx, it having been foretold by an oracle that only then would the country be freed from the monster. Just as this proclamation was being made in the streets of Thebes, Oedipus, with his pilgrim's staff and his hand, entered the city. Tempted by the prospect of so magnificent a reward, he repaired to the rock and boldly requested the sphinx to propound to him one of her riddles. She proposed to him one which she deemed impossible of solution, but Oedipus at once solved it, whereupon the sphinx, full of rage and despair, precipitated herself into the Abyss and perished. Oedipus received the promised reward. He became king of thieves and the husband of Jocast, the widow of his father, King Leus. For many years, Oedipus enjoyed the greatest happiness and tranquility. Four children were born to him, two sons, Itiocles and Polyneses, and two daughters, Antigone and Izmin. But at last the gods afflicted the country with aggrievous pestilence which made terrible havoc among the people. In their distress they entreated the help of the king who was regarded by his subjects as a special favorite of the gods. Oedipus consulted an oracle and the response was that the pestilence would continue to rage until the land was purified of the blood of King Leus whose murderer was living unpunished at Thebes. The king now invoked the most solemn implications on the head of the murderer and offered a reward for any information concerning him. He then sent for the blind old Seer, Tirsius, and implored him by means of his prophetic powers to reveal to him the author of the crime. Tirsius had first hesitated but yielding to the earnest solicitations of the king, the old prophet thus addressed him. Thou thyself art the murderer of the old King Leus who was thy father and thou art wedded to his widow, thine own mother. In order to convince Oedipus of the truth of his words he brought forward the old servant who had exposed him as a babe on Mount Scytheron and the shepherd who had conveyed him to King Polybos. Horrified at this awful revelation, Oedipus, in a fit of despair, deprived himself of sight and the unfortunate joucast unable to survive her disgrace, hanged herself. Accompanied by his faithful and devoted daughter, Antigon, Oedipus quitted thieves and became a miserable and homeless outcast begging his bread from place to place. At length, after long and painful pilgrimage, he found a place of refuge in the grove of the amenities at Colonus near Athens where his last moments were soothed and tended by the care and devotion of the faithful Antigon. The Seven Against Thieves After the voluntary abdication of Oedipus, his two sons, Etyocles and Polyneses, took possession of the crown and reigned over the city of Thebes. But Etyocles, being an ambitious prince, soon seized the reins of government himself and expelled his brother from the throne. Polyneses now repaired to Argus where he arrived in the dead of night. Outside the gates of the royal palace he encountered Tidius, the son of Enus, king of Caledon. Having accidentally killed the relative in the chase, Tidius was also a fugitive. But being mistaken by Polyneses and the darkness for an enemy, a quarrel ensued which might have ended fatally had not king Adrastus, aroused by the clamor, appeared on the scene and parted the combatants. By the light of the torches born by his attendants, Adrastus observed to his surprise that on the shield of Polyneses a lion was depicted and on that of Tidius a boar. The former bore this insignia in honor of the renowned hero Heracles, the latter in memory of the famous Caledonian boar hunt. This circumstance reminded the king of an extraordinary oracular prediction concerning his two beautiful daughters, Argia and Depeil, which was to the effect that he would give them in marriage to a lion and a boar. Hailing with delight what he regarded as an auspicious solution of the mysterious prophecy, he invited the strangers into his palace and when he heard their history and had convinced himself that they were of noble birth, he bestowed upon Polyneses his beautiful daughter, Argia, and upon Tidius the fair Depeil, promising at the same time that he would assist both his sons in law to regain their rightful patrimony. The first care of Adrastus was to aid Polyneses in regaining possession of his lawful share in the government of Thebes. He accordingly invited the most powerful chiefs in his kingdom to join in the expedition, all of whom readily obeyed the call with the exception of the king's brother-in-law, Amphiarus the Seer. As he foresaw a disastrous termination to the enterprise and knew that not one of the heroes save Adrastus himself would return alive, he earnestly dissuaded the king from carrying out his project and declined to take any part in the undertaking. But Adrastus, seconded by Polyneses and Tidius, was obstinately bent on the achievement of his purpose, and Amphiarus, in order to escape from their importunities, concealed himself in a hiding place known only to his wife Eryphile. Now on the occasion of the marriage of Amphiarus, it had been agreed that if he ever differed in opinion with the king, his wife should decide the question. As the presence of Amphiarus was indispensable to the success of the undertaking, and moreover, as Adrastus would not enter upon it without the eye of the army, as he called his brother-in-law, Polyneses, bent on securing his services, determined to bribe Eryphile to use her influence with her husband, and to decide the question in accordance with his wishes. He bethought himself of the beautiful necklace of Harmonia, wife of Cadmus, which he had brought with him in his flight from Thieves. Without loss of time he presented himself before the wife of Amphiarus, and held up to her admiring gaze the glittering bobble, promising that if she revealed the hiding place of her husband, and induced him to join the expedition, the necklace would be hers. Eryphile, unable to withstand the tempting bait, accepted the bribe, and thus Amphiarus was compelled to join the army. But before leaving his home, he extorted a solemn promise from his son Alchmion that, should he perish on the field of battle, he would avenge his death on his mother, the perfidious Eryphile. Seven leaders were now chosen, each at the head of a separate detachment of troops. These were Adrastus the King, his two brothers Hippomiran and Parthenopias, Capannus his nephew, Polyneses and Tidius, and Amphiarus. When the army was collected they set out for Nemia, which was at this time governed by King Lysergus. Here the Argives, being short of water, halted on the outskirts of a forest in order to search for a spring, when they saw a majestic and beautiful woman seated on the trunk of a tree nursing an infant. They concluded from her noble and queenly appearance that she must be a goddess, but were informed by her that she was Hippcivili, queen of the Lemnians who had been carried away captive by pirates and sold as a slave to King Lysergus, and that she was now acting as nurse to his infant son. When the warriors told her that they were in search of water, she laid the child down in the grass and led them to a secret spring in the forest with which she alone was acquainted. But on their return they found to their grief that the unfortunate babe had been killed during their absent by a serpent. They slew the reptile and then collecting the remains of the infant, they buried them with funeral honors and proceeded on their way. The warlike hosts now appeared before the walls of Thebes, and each leader placed himself before one of the seven gates of the city in readiness for the attack. Etynocles, in conjunction with Creon, had made due preparations to repel the invaders and had stationed troops under the command of trusty leaders to guard each of the gates. Then, according to the practice of the ancients of consulting soothsayers before entering upon any undertaking, the blind old seer Tirsius was sent for, who, after carefully taking the auguries from the flight of birds, declared that all efforts to defend the city would prove unavailing unless the youngest descendant of the house of Cadmus would offer himself as a voluntary sacrifice for the good of the state. When Creon heard the words of the seer, his first thought was of his favorite son, Menocius, the youngest scion of the royal house who was present at the interview. He therefore earnestly implored him to leave the city and to repair for safety to Delphi, but the gallant youth heroically resolved to sacrifice his life for the benefit of his country, and after taking leave of his old father, mounted the city walls and plunging a dagger into his heart perished in the sight of the contending hosts. A drastis now gave his troops the word of command to storm the city, and they rushed forward to the attack with great valor. The battle raged long and furiously, and after heavy losses on both sides, the argives were routed and put to flight. After the lapse of some days they reorganized their forces, and again appeared before the gates of Thebes, when Atiocles, grieved to think that there should be such a terrible loss of life on his account, sent a herald into the opposite camp with a proposition that the fate of the campaign should be decided by single combat between himself and his brother, Polyneses. The challenge was readily accepted, and in the duel which took place outside the city walls, in the sight of the rival forces, Atiocles and Polyneses were both fatally wounded and expired on the field of battle. Both sides now claimed the day, and the result was that hostilities recommenced and soon the battle raged with greater fury than ever. But victory at last declared itself for the Thebans. In their flight the argives lost all their leaders, a drastus accepted, who owed his safety to the fleetness of his horse Arianne. By the death of the brothers, Creon became once more king of Thebes, and in order to show his abhorrence of the conduct of Polyneses in fighting against his country, he strictly forbade anyone to bury either his remains or those of his allies. But the faithful Antigon, who had returned to Thebes on the death of her father, could not endure that the body of her brother should remain unburied. She therefore bravely disregarded the orders of the king, and endeavored to give sepulchre to the remains of Polyneses. When Creon discovered that his commands had been set at defiance, he unhumanly condemned the devoted maiden to be entombed alive in a subterranean vault. But retribution was at hand. His son Heman, who was betrothed to Antigon, having contrived to an effect an entrance into the vault, was horrified to find that Antigon had hanged herself by her veil. Ealing that life without her would be intolerable, he threw himself in despair on his own sword, and after solemnly invoking the malediction of the gods on the head of his father, expired beside the dead body of his betrothed. Hardly had the news of the tragic fate of his son reached the king before another messenger appeared, bearing the tidings that his wife, Eurydice, on hearing of the death of Heman, had put an end to her existence, and thus the king found himself in his old age both widowed and childless. Nor did he succeed in the execution of his vindictive designs, for Drasthus, who after his flight from Thebes had taken refuge at Athens, induced Thesias to lead an army against the Thebans to compel them to restore the dead bodies of the Argyv warriors to their friends in order that they might perform due funeral rites in honor of the slain. This undertaking was successfully accomplished, and the remains of the fallen heroes were interred with due honors. End of Section 27. Recording by Anthony Wilson. Section 28 of Myths and Legends. This is a Libervox recording. All Libervox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libervox.org. Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Barons. The Epigoni. Ten years after these events, the sons of the slain heroes who were called Epigoni, or Descendants, resolved to avenge the death of their fathers, and with this object entered upon a new expedition against the city of Thebes. By the advice of the Delphic Oracle, the command was entrusted to Alchmion, the son of Amphiarus, but remembering the injunction of his father, he hesitated to accept this post before executing vengeance on his mother Eryphyle. Thirsander, however, the son of Polyneses, adopting similar tactics to those of his father, bribed Eryphyle with the beautiful veil of Harmonia, bequeathed to him by Polyneses to induce her son Alchmion and his brother, Amphilochus, to join in the Second War against Thebes. Now the mother of Alchmion was gifted with that rare fascination, which renders its possessor irresistible to all whom he chanced to come within its influence, nor was her own son able to withstand her blandishments. Yielding, therefore, to her wily representations, he accepted the command of the troops, and at the head of a large and powerful army advanced upon Thebes. Before the gates of the city, Alchmion encountered the Thebans under the command of Laodomus, the son of Aetiochles, a fierce battle ensued in which the Theban leader, after performing prodigies of valor, perished by the hand of Alchmion. After losing their chief and the flower of their army, the Thebans retreated behind the city walls, and the enemy now pressed them hard on every side. In their distress, they appealed to the blind old seer, Tiresias, who was over 100 years old. With trembling lips and in broken accents, he informed them that they could only save their lives by abandoning their native city with their wives and families. Upon this, they dispatched ambassadors into the enemy's camp, and whilst these were protracting negotiations during the night, the Thebans, with their wives and children, evacuated the city. Next morning, the Argyves entered Thebes and plundered it, placing Thirsander, the son of Polyneses, who was a descendant of Cadmus, on the throne which his father had so vainly contested. Alchmion and the Necklace When Alchmion returned from his expedition against the Thebans, he determined to fulfill the last injunction of his father Ampiarus, who had desired him to be revenged on his mother Eryphyle for her perfidy in accepting a bride to betray him. This resolution was further strengthened by the discovery that his unprincipled mother had urged him also to join the expedition in return for the much coveted veil of Harmonia. He therefore put her to death, and taking with him the ill-fated necklace and veil abandoned forever the home of his fathers. But the gods, who could not suffer so unnatural a crime to go unpunished, afflicted him with madness, and sent one of the Furies to pursue him unceasingly. In this unhappy condition he wandered about from place to place, until at last having reached Sophus in Arcadia, Vigus, king of the country, not only purified him of his crime, but also bestowed upon him the hand of his daughter, Arsino, to whom Alchmion presented the necklace and veil, which had already been the cause of so much unhappiness. Though now released from his mental affliction, the curse which hung over him was not entirely removed, and on his account the country of his adoption was visited with a severe drought. On consulting the Oracle of Delphi he was informed that any land which offered him shelter would be cursed by the gods, and that the malediction would continue to follow him till he came to a country which was not in existence at the time he had murdered his mother. Perrupt of hope and resolved no longer to cast the shadow of his dark fate over those he loved, Alchmion took a tender leave of his wife and little son, and became once more an outcast and wanderer. Arrived after a long and painful pilgrimage at the river Acolyse, he discovered to his unspeakable joy a beautiful and fertile island which had but lately emerged from beneath the water. Here he took up his abode, and in this haven of rest he was at length freed from his sufferings, and finally purified of his crime by the river-god Acolyse. But in his newfound home where prosperity smiled upon him, Alchmion soon forgot the loving wife and child he had left behind, and wooed Calero, the beautiful daughter of the river-god, who became united to him in marriage. For many years Alchmion and Calero lived happily together, and two sons were born to them. But unfortunately for the peace of her husband, the daughter of Acolyse had heard of the celebrated necklace and veil of harmonia, and became seized with a violent desire to become the possessor of these precious treasures. Now the necklace and veil were in the safekeeping of Arsino, but as Alchmion had carefully concealed the fact of his former marriage from his young wife, he informed her when no longer able to combat her importunities that he had concealed them in a cave in his native country, and promised to hasten thither and procure them for her. He accordingly took leave of Calero and his children, and proceeded to Sophus, where he presented himself before his deserted wife and her father, King Fegus. To them he excused his absence by the fact of his having suffered from a fresh attack of madness, and added that an oracle had foretold him that his malady would only be cured when he had deposited the necklace and veil of harmonia in the temple of Apollo at Delphi. Arsino, deceived by his awful representations, unhesitatingly restored to him his bridal gifts, whereupon Alchmion set out on his homeward journey well satisfied with the successful issue of his expedition. But the fatal necklace and veil were doomed to bring ruin and disaster to all who possessed them. During his sojourn at the court of King Fegus, one of the servants who had accompanied Alchmion, betrayed the secret of his union with the daughter of the river god, and when the king informed his sons of his treacherous conduct, they determined to avenge the wrongs of their sister Arsino. They accordingly concealed themselves at a point of the road which Alchmion was compelled to pass, and as he neared the spot they suddenly emerged from their place of ambush, fell upon him, and dispatched him. When Arsino, who still loved her faithless husband, heard of the murder, she bitterly reproached her brothers for the crime which they had perpetrated, at which they were so incensed that they placed her in a chest and conveyed her to Agapenor, son of Ancius at Tigia. Here they accused her of the murder for which they themselves were guilty, and she suffered a painful death. Calero, on learning the sad fate of Alchmion, implored Zeus that her infant sons might grow at once the manhood and avenge the death of their father. The ruler of Olympus heard the petition of the bereaved wife, and in answer to her prayer, the children of yesterday became transformed into bearded men, full of strength and courage and thirsting for revenge. Hastening to Tigia, they there encountered the sons of Figus, who were about to repair to Delphi in order to deposit the necklace and veil in the sanctuary of Apollo, and before the brothers had time to defend themselves, the stalwart sons of Calero rushed upon them and slew them. They then proceeded to Sophus, where they killed King Figus and his wife, after which they returned to their mother with the necklace and veil, which by the command of her father, Achalus, were deposited as sacred offerings in the temple of Apollo at Delphi. The Heraclidae After the apotheosis of Heracles, his children were so cruelly persecuted by Eurystheus that they fled for protection to King Sykes at Trachene, accompanied by the aged Aeolus, the nephew and lifelong friend of their father who constituted himself their guide and protector. But on Eurystheus, demanding surrender of the fugitives, the Heraclidae, knowing that the small force at the disposal of King Sykes would be altogether inadequate to protect them against the powerful King of Argos, abandoned his territory and sought refuge at Athens, where they were hospitably received by King Demofun, the son of the great hero Thesius. He warmly espoused their cause and determined to protect them at all costs against Eurystheus, who had dispatched a numerous force in pursuit of them. When the Athenians had made all necessary preparations to repel the invaders, an oracle announced that the sacrifice of a maiden of noble birth was necessary to ensure to them victory, whereupon Micaria, the beautiful daughter of Heracles and Deonira, magnanimously offered herself as a sacrifice and surrounded by the noblest matrons and maidens of Athens, voluntarily devoted herself to death. While these events were transpiring in Athens, Hylas, the eldest son of Heracles and Deonira, had advanced with a large army to the assistance of his brothers and having sent a messenger to the king announcing his arrival, Demofun, with his army joined his forces. In the thick of battle which ensued, Iolus, following a sudden impulse, borrowed the chariot of Hylas and earnestly entreated Zeus and Hed to restore to him, or this one day only, the vigor and strength of his youth. His prayer was heard. A thick cloud descended from heaven and enveloped the chariot, and when it disappeared, Iolus, in the full plentitude of manly vigor, stood revealed before the astonished gaze of the combatants. He then led on his valiant band of warriors, and soon the enemy was in headlong flight, and Eurystheus, who was taken prisoner, was put to death by the command of King Demofun. After greatly acknowledging the timely aid of the Athenians, Hylas, accompanied by the faithful Iolus and his brothers, took leave of King Demofun and proceeded to invade the Peloponnesus, which they regarded as their lawful patrimony. For, according to the will of Zeus, it should have been the rightful possession of their father the great hero Heracles, had not Hera maliciously defeated his plans by causing his cousin, Eurystheus, to proceed him into the world. For the space of twelve months the Heraclidae contrived to maintain themselves in the Peloponnesus. But at the expiration of that time a pestilence broke out, which spread over the entire peninsula and compelled the Heraclidae to evacuate the country and return to Attica, where for a time they settled. After the lapse of three years, Hylas resolved on making another effort to obtain his paternal inheritance. Before setting out on the expedition, however, he consulted the Oracle of Delphi, and the response was that he must wait for the third fruit before the Enterprise would prove successful. Interpreting this ambiguous reply to signify the third summer, Hylas controlled his impatience for three years, when having collected a powerful army, he once more entered the Peloponnesus. At the ithsness of Corinth, he was opposed by Etrus, the son of Pelops, who at the death of Eurystheus had inherited the kingdom. In order to save Bloodshed, Hylas offered to decide his claims by single combat, the conditions being that if he were victorious, he and his brothers should obtain undisputed possession of their rights. But if defeated, the Heraclidae were to desist for fifty years from attempting to press their claim. The challenge was accepted by Ecumen, king of Tigia, and Hylas lost his life in the encounter, whereupon the sons of Heracles, in virtue of their agreement, abandoned the Peloponnesus and retired to Marathon. Hylas was succeeded by his son, Cleodeus, who at the expiration of the appointed time, collected a large army and invaded the Peloponnesus. But he was not more successful than his father had been, and perished there with all his forces. Twenty years later, his son, Aristomachus, consulted an oracle which promised him victory if he went by way of the defile. The Heraclidae once more set out, but were again defeated, and Aristomachus shared the fate of his father and grandfather and fell on the field of battle. When at the expiration of thirty years, the sons of Aristomachus, Peminus, Cresfantes, and Aristodemus again consulted the oracle. The answer was still the same, but this time the following explanation accompanied the response. The third fruit signified the third generation to which they themselves belonged, and not the third fruit of the earth, and by the defile was indicated not the isthmus of Corinth, but the straits on the right of the isthmus. Peminus lost no time in collecting an army and building ships of war, but just as all was ready and the fleet about to sail, Aristodemus, the youngest of the brothers, was struck by lightning. To add to their misfortunes, Hippolytes, a descendant of Heracles who had joined in the expedition, killed the soothsayer whom he mistook for spy, and the gods in their displeasure sent violent tempests by means of which the entire fleet was destroyed whilst famine and pestilence decimated the ranks of the army. The oracle, on being again consulted, advised that Hippolytes, being the offender, should be banished from the country for ten years, and that the command of the troops should be delegated to a man having three eyes. A search was at once instituted by the Heraclidae for a man answering to this description, who was found at length in the person of Oxelus, a descendant of the Aetolan race of kings. In obedience to the command of the oracle, Hippolytes was banished, an army and fleet once more equipped, and Oxelus elected commander-in-chief. And now, success at length, crowned the efforts of the long-suffering descendants of the great hero. They obtained possession of the Peloponnesus, which was divided among them by Lot. Argos fell to Teminus, Lassidamon to Aristodemus, and Messin to Cresfantes. In gratitude for the services of their able leader, Oxelus, the kingdom of Ellus, was conferred upon him by the Heraclidae. End of Section 28. Recording by Anthony Wilson. Section 29 of Myths and Legends. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Lucy LaFaro. Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome. By E. M. Berens. Section 29, The Siege of Troy. Troy, or Ileon, was the capital of a kingdom in Asia Minor, situated near the Hellespont, and founded by Illus, son of Tross. At the time of the famous Trojan War, this city was under the government of Priam, a direct descendant of Illus. Priam was married to Hecuba, daughter of Daimus, king of Thrace, and among the most celebrated of their children were the renowned and valiant Hector, the prophetess Cassandra, and Paris, the cause of the Trojan War. Before the birth of her second son, Paris, her Cuba dreamt that she had given birth to a flaming brand, which was interpreted by Isacus, the seer, a son of Priam by a former marriage, to signify that she would bear a son who would cause the destruction of the city of Troy. Anxious to prevent the fulfilment of the prophecy, Hecuba caused her newborn babe to be exposed on Mount Ida to perish, but being found by some kind-hearted shepherds, the child was reared by them and grew up unconscious of his noble birth. As the boy approached manhood, he became remarkable, not only for his wonderful beauty of form and feature, but also for his strength and courage, which he exercised in defending the flocks from the attacks of robbers and wild beasts. Hence he was called Alexander, or Helper of Men. It was about this time that he settled the famous dispute concerning the golden apple, thrown by the goddess of discord into the assembly of the gods. As we have already seen, he gave his decision in favour of Aphrodite, thus creating for himself two implacable enemies for Hera and Athene never forgave the slight. Paris became united to a beautiful nymph named Sononi, with whom he lived happily in the seclusion and tranquility of a pastoral life. But to her deep grief, this peaceful existence was not fated to be of long duration. Hearing that some funereal games were about to be held in Troy in honour of a departed relative of the king, Paris resolved to visit the capital and take part in them himself. There he so greatly distinguished himself in a contest with his unknown brothers, Hector and Dephobas, that the proud young princes enraged that an obscure shepherd should snatch from them the prize of victory, were about to create a disturbance, when Cassandra, who had been a spectator of the proceedings, stepped forward and announced to them that the humble peasant, who had so signally defeated them, was their own brother Paris. He was then conducted to the presence of his parents, who joyfully acknowledged him as their child, and amidst the festivities and rejoicings in honour of their newfound son, the ominous prediction of the past was forgotten. As a proof of his confidence, the king now entrusted Paris with a somewhat delicate mission. As we have already seen in the legend of Heracles, that great hero conquered Troy, and after killing King Lea Meaden, carried away captive his beautiful daughter, Hesioni, whom he bestowed in marriage to his friend, Telemon. But although she became princess of Salamis and lived happily with her husband, her brother Priam never ceased to regret her loss, and the indignity which had been passed upon his house. And it was now proposed that Paris should be equipped with a numerous fleet, and proceed to Greece in order to demand the restoration of the king's sister. Before setting out on this expedition, Paris was warned by Cassandra against bringing home a wife from Greece, and she predicted that if he disregarded her injunction, he would bring inevitable ruin upon the city of Troy, and destruction to the house of Priam. Under the command of Paris, the fleet set sail, and arrived safely in Greece. Here the young Trojan prince first beheld Helen, the daughter of Zeus and Lida, and sister of the Dioscuri, who was the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta, and the loveliest woman of her time. The most renowned heroes in Greece had sought the honour of her hand, but her stepfather, Tindarius, king of Sparta, fearing that if he bestowed her in marriage on one of her numerous lovers, he would make enemies of the rest, made it a stipulation that all suitors should solemnly swear to assist and defend the successful candidate with all the means at their command, in any feud which might hereafter arise in connection with the marriage. He at length conferred the hand of Helen upon Menelaus, a warlike prince, devoted to martial exercises and the pleasure of the chase, to whom he resigned his throne and kingdom. When Paris arrived at Sparta and sought hospitality at the royal palace, he was kindly received by King Menelaus. At the banquet given in his honour, he charmed both host and hostess by his graceful manner and varied accomplishments, and especially ingratiated himself with the fair Helen, to whom he presented some rare and chaste trinkets of Asiatic manufacture. Whilst Paris was still a guest at the court of the king of Sparta, the latter received an invitation from his friend Edominius, king of Crete, to join him in a hunting expedition, and Menelaus, being of an unsuspicious and easy temperament, accepted the invitation, leaving to Helen the duty of entertaining the distinguished stranger. Captivated by her surpassing loveliness, the Trojan prince forgot every sense of honour and duty, and resolved to rob his absent host of his beautiful wife. He accordingly collected his followers and, with their assistance, stormed the royal castle, possessed himself of the rich treasures which he contained, and succeeded in carrying off its beautiful, and not altogether unwilling mistress. They at once set sail, but were driven by stress of weather to the island of Crenia, where they cast anchor, and it was not until some years had elapsed, during which time home and country were forgotten, that Paris and Helen proceeded to Troy, preparations for the war. When Menelaus heard of the violation of his hearth and home, he proceeded to Pylos, accompanied by his brother Agamemnon, in order to consult the wise old king Nestor, who was renowned for his great experience and statecraft. On hearing the facts of the case, Nestor expressed it as his opinion that only by means of the combined efforts of all the states of Greece could Menelaus hope to regain Helen in defiance of so powerful a kingdom as that of Troy. Menelaus and Agamemnon now raised the war cry, which was unanimously responded to from one end of Greece to the other. Many of those who volunteered their services were former suitors of the fair Helen, and were therefore bound by their oath to support the cause of Menelaus. Others joined from pure love of adventure, but one and all were deeply impressed with the disgrace which would attach to their country, should such a crime be suffered to go unpunished. Thus a powerful army was collected, in which few names of note were missing. Only in the case of two great heroes, Odysseus, Ulysses, and Achilles, did Menelaus experience any difficulty. Odysseus, famed for his wisdom and great astuteness, was at this time living happily in Ithaca with his fair young wife Penelope and his little son Telemachus, and was loath to leave his happy home for a perilous foreign expedition of uncertain duration. When therefore his services were solicited, he feigned madness, but the shrewd Palometus, a distinguished hero in the suit of Menelaus, detected and exposed the roost, and thus Odysseus was forced to join in the wall. But he never forgave the interference of Palometus, and, as we shall see, eventually revenged himself upon him in a most cruel manner. Achilles was the son of Pellius, and the sea goddess Thetis, who is said to have dipped her son when a babe in the river Stykes, and thereby rendered him invulnerable, except in the right hill by which she held him. When the boy was nine years old, it was foretold to Thetis that he would either enjoy a long life of inglorious ease and inactivity, or that after a brief career of victory he would die the death of a hero. Naturally desirous of prolonging the life of her son, the fond mother devoutly hoped that the former fate might be allotted to him. With this view, she conveyed him to the island of Skyros in the Aegean Sea, where, disguised as a girl, he was brought up among the daughters of Lycomedes. King of the country. Now that the presence of Achilles was required, owing to an irracula prediction that Troy could not be taken without him, Menelaus consulted Calcas the soothsayer, who revealed to him the place of his concealment. Odysseus was accordingly dispatched to Skyros, where, by means of a clever device, he soon discovered which, among the maidens, was the object of his search. Disguising himself as a merchant, Odysseus obtained an introduction to the royal palace, where he offered to the king's daughters various trinkets for sale. The girls, with one exception, all examined his wares with unfamed interest. Observing this circumstance, Odysseus shrewdly concluded that the one who held aloof must be none other than the young Achilles himself. But in order further to test the correctness of his deduction, he now exhibited a beautiful set of warlike accoutrements, whilst, at a given signal, stirring strains of martial music were heard outside, whereupon Achilles, fired with warlike ardour, seized the weapons, and thus revealed his identity. He now joined the cause of the Greeks, accompanied at the request of his father by his kinsman Patroclus, and contributed to the expedition a large force of the salient troops, or mermidans, as they were called, and also fifty ships. For ten long years, Agamemnon and the other chiefs devoted all their energy and means in preparing for the expedition against Troy. But during these warlike preparations, an attempt at a peaceful solution of the difficulty was not neglected. An embassy consisting of Menelaus, Odysseus, etc., was dispatched to King Priam, demanding the surrender of Helen. But though the embassy was received with the utmost pomp and ceremony, the demand was nevertheless rejected, upon which the ambassadors returned to Greece, and the order was given for the fleet to assemble at Aulus in Boatia. Never before in the annals of Greece had so large an army been collected, a hundred thousand warriors were assembled at Aulus, and in its bay floated over a thousand ships, ready to convey them to the Trojan coast. The command of this mighty host was entrusted to Agamemnon, King of Argos, the most powerful of all the Greek princes. Before the fleet set sail, solemn sacrifices were offered to the gods on the seashore, when suddenly a serpent was seen to ascend a plain tree, in which was a sparrow's nest containing nine young ones. The reptile first devoured the young birds, and then their mother, after which it was turned by Zeus into stone. Calcas the soothsayer, on being consulted, interpreted the miracle to signify that the war with Troy would last for nine years, and that only in the tenth would the city be taken. Departure of the Greek fleet. The fleet then set sail, but mistaking the Mesian coast for that of Troy, they landed troops and commenced to ravage the country. Telethys, king of the Mesians, who had a son of the great hero Heracles, opposed them with a large army, and succeeded in driving them back to their ships, but was himself wounded in the engagement by the spear of Achilles, who troklis, who fought valiantly by the side of his kinsmen, was also wounded in this battle. But Achilles, who was a pupil of Chiron, carefully bound up the wound, which he succeeded in healing, and from this incident dates the celebrated friendship, which ever existed between the two heroes, who even in death remained united. The Greeks now returned to Aulis. Meanwhile, the wound of Telethys, proving incurable, he consulted an oracle, and the response was that he alone who had inflicted the wound possessed the power of curing it. Telethys accordingly proceeded to the Greek camp, where he was healed by Achilles, and at the solicitation of Odysseus, consented to act as guide in the voyage to Troy. Just as the expedition was about to start for the second time, Agamemnon had the misfortune to kill a hind sacred to Artemis, who, in her anger, sent continuous calms, which prevented the fleet from setting sail. Calcas, on being consulted, announced that the sacrifice of Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon, would alone appease the incensed goddess. How Agamemnon, at length, overcame his feeling as a father, and how Iphigenia was saved by Artemis himself, has been already related in a previous chapter. A fair wind, having at length sprung up, the fleet once more set sail. They first stopped at the island of Tenedos, where the famous archer, Philoctetes, who possessed the bow and arrows of Heracles, given to him by the dying hero, was bitten in the foot by a venomous snake. So unbearable was the odor emitted by that wound, that, at the suggestion of Odysseus, Philoctetes was conveyed to the island of Lesbos, where, to his great chagrin, he was abandoned to his fate, and the fleet proceeded on their journey to Troy, commencement of hostilities. Having received early intelligence of the impending invasion of their country, the Trojans sought the assistance of their neighbouring states, who all gallantly responded to their call for help, and thus ample preparations were made to receive the enemy. King Priam, being himself to advance in years for active service, the command of the army devolved upon his eldest son, the brave and valiant Hector. At the approach of the Greek fleet, the Trojans appeared on the coast in order to prevent their landing, but great hesitation prevailed among the troops, as to who should be the first to set foot on the enemy's soil. It having been predicted that whoever did so would fall a sacrifice to the fates. Protesileus, of Phyllis, however nobly disregarding the ominous prediction, leapt on shore and fell by the hand of Hector. The Greeks then succeeded in affecting a landing, and in the engagement which ensued, the Trojans were signally defeated, and driven to seek safety behind the walls of their city. With Achilles at their head, the Greeks now made a desperate attempt to take the city by storm, but were repulsed with terrible losses. After this defeat, the invaders for seeing a long and wearisome campaign drew up their ships on land, erected tents, huts, etc., and formed an entrenched camp on the coast. Between the Greek camp and the city of Troy was a plain watered by the rivers Scamander and Samoas, and it was on this plain, afterwards so renowned in history, that the ever-memorable battles between the Greeks and Trojans were fought. The impossibility of taking the city by storm was now recognised by the leaders of the Greek forces. The Trojans on their side, being less numerous than the enemy, said not venture on a great battle in the open field. Hence the war dragged on for many weary years, without any decisive engagement taking place. It was about this time that Odysseus carried out his long meditated revenge against Palomedes. Palomedes was one of the wisest, most energetic, and most upright of all the Greek heroes, and it was in consequence of his unflagging zeal and wonderful eloquence that most of the chiefs had been induced to join the expedition. But the very qualities which endeared him to the hearts of Hittite countrymen rendered him hateful in the eyes of his implacable enemy, Odysseus, who never forgave his having detected his scheme to avoid joining the army. In order to effect the ruin of Palomedes, Odysseus concealed in his tent a vast sum of money. He next wrote a letter, purporting to be from King Priam to Palomedes, in which the former thanks to the Greek hero effusively for the valuable information received from him, referring at the same time to a large sum of money which he had sent to him as a reward. This letter, which was found upon the person of a Phrygian prisoner, was read aloud in a council of the Greek princes. Palomedes was arraigned before the chiefs of the army and accused of betraying his country to the enemy, whereupon a search was instituted and a large sum of money being found in his tent. He was pronounced guilty and sentenced to be stoned to death. They're fully aware of the base treachery practiced against him. Palomedes offered not a word in self-defence, knowing but too well that in the face of such damning evidence, the attempt to prove his innocence would be vain. Defection of Achilles. During the first year of the campaign, the Greeks ravaged the surrounding country and pillaged the neighbouring villages. Upon one of these foraging expeditions, the city of Pardassus was sacked and Agamemnon, as commander-in-chief, received as his share of the spoil the beautiful Chrysias, daughter of Chrysias, the priest of Apollo, whilst to Achilles was allotted another captive, the fair Chrysias. The following day, Chrysias, anxious to ransom his daughter, repaired to the Greek camp, but Agamemnon refused to accede to his proposal and, with rude and insulting words, drove the old man away. Full of grief at the loss of his child, Chrysias called upon Apollo for vengeance on her captor. His prayer was heard, and the gods sent a dreadful pestilence, which raged for 10 days in the camp of the Greeks. Achilles at length called together a council and inquired of Kalkas, the soothsayer, how to arrest this terrible visitation of the gods. The seer replied that Apollo, incensed at the insult offered to his priest, had sent the plague, and that only by the surrender of Chrysias could his anger be appeased. On hearing this, Agamemnon agreed to resign the maiden, but, being already embittered against Kalkas for his prediction with regard to his own daughter Ephigenia, he now heaped insults upon the soothsayer and accused him of plotting against his interests. Achilles espoused the cause of Kalkas, and a violent dispute arose in which the son of Thetis would have killed his chief, but for the timely interference of Pallas Athene, who suddenly appeared beside him, unseen by the rest, and recalled him to a sense of the duty he owed to his commander. Agamemnon revenged himself on Achilles by depriving him of his beautiful captive, the fair Brysias, who had become so attached to her kind and noble captor that she wept bitterly on being removed from his charge. Achilles, now fairly disgusted with the ungenerous conduct of his chief, withdrew himself to his tent and obstinately declined to take further part in the war. Hearts all antejected, he repaired to the seashore and there invoked the presence of his divine mother. In answer to his prayer, Thetis emerged from beneath the waves and comforted her gallant son with the assurance that she would entreat the mighty Zeus to avenge his wrongs by giving victory to the Trojans so that the Greeks might learn to realise the great loss which they had sustained by his withdrawal from the army. The Trojans being informed by one of their spies of the defection of Achilles became emboldened by the absence of this brave and intrepid leader whom they feared above all the other Greek heroes. They accordingly sallied forth and made a bold and eminently successful attack upon the Greeks who although they most bravely and obstinately defended their position were completely routed and driven back to their entrenchments. Agamemnon and most of the other Greek leaders being wounded in the engagement. Encouraged by this marked and signal success the Trojans now commence to besiege the Greeks in their own camp. At this juncture, Agamemnon seeing the danger which threatened the army sunk for the moment all personal grievances and dispatched an embassy to Achilles consisting of many noble and distinguished chiefs urgently and treating him to come to the assistance of his countrymen in this their hour of peril promising that not only should the fair Bricius be restored to him but also that the hand of his own daughter should be bestowed on him in marriage with seven towns as her dowry but the obstinate determination of the proud hero was not to be moved and though he listened courteously to the arrangements and representations of the messengers of Agamemnon his resolution to take no further part in the war remained unshaken. In one of the engagements which took place soon afterwards the Trojans under the command of Hector penetrated into the heart of the Greek camp and had already commenced to burn their ships when patroclus seeing the distress of his countrymen earnestly besought Achilles to send him to the rescue at the head of the Mermidans the better nature of the hero prevailed and he not only entrusted to his friend the command of his brave band of warriors but lent him also his own suit of armour patroclus having mounted the war chariot of the hero Achilles lifted on high a golden goblet and poured out a libation of wine to the gods accompanied by an earnest petition for victory and a safe return of his beloved comrade as a parting injunction he warned patroclus against advancing too far into the territory of the enemy and entreated him to be content with rescuing the galleys at the head of the Mermidans patroclus now made a desperate attack upon the enemy who thinking that the invincible Achilles was himself in command of his battalions became disheartened and were put to fight patroclus followed up his victory and pursued the Trojans as far as the walls of their city altogether forgetting in the excitement of the battle that injunction of his friend Achilles but his temerity cost the young hero his life for he now encountered the mighty Hector himself and fell by his hands Hector stripped the armour from his dead foe and would have dragged the body into the city had not Menelaus and Ajax the greater rushed forward and after a long and fierce struggle succeeded in rescuing it from desecration death of Hector and now came the mournful task of informing Achilles of the fate of his friend he wept bitterly over the dead body of his comrade and solemnly vowed that the funeral rites should not be solemnised in his honour until he had slain Hector with his own hands and captured 12 Trojans to be immolated on his funeral pyre or other considerations vanished before the burning desire prevent the death of his friend and Achilles now thoroughly aroused from his apathy became reconciled to Agamemnon and rejoined the greek army at the request of the goddess Thetis Hephaestus forged for him a new suit of armour which faster passed in magnificence that of all the other heroes thus gloriously arrayed he was soon seen striding along calling the greeks to arms he now led the troops against the enemy who were defeated and put to fight until near the gates of the city Achilles and Hector encountered each other but here for the first time throughout his whole career the courage of the Trojan hero deserted him at the near approach of his redoubtable antagonist he turned and fled for his life Achilles pursued him and thrice round the walls of the city was the terrible race run in sight of the old king and queen who had mounted the walls to watch the battle Hector endeavoured during each course to reach the city gates so that his comrades might open them to admit him or cover him with their missiles but his adversary seeing his design forced him into the open plain at the same time calling to his friends to hurl no spear upon his foe but to leave to him the vengeance he had so long panted for at length wearied with the hot pursuit Hector made a stand and challenged his foe to single combat a desperate encounter took place in which Hector succumbed to his powerful adversary at the skiing gate and with his last dying breath the Trojan hero foretold to his conqueror that he himself would soon perish on the same spot the infuriated victor bound the lifeless corpse of his fallen foe to his chariot and dragged it three times round the city walls and thence to the greek camp overwhelmed with horror at this terrible scene the aged parents of Hector uttered such heart-rending cries of anguish that they reached the ears of Andromache his faithful wife who rushing to the walls beheld the dead body of her husband bound to the conqueror's car Achilles now solemnised the funeral rites in honour of his friend Petroclus the dead body of the hero was born to the funeral pile by the mermidans in full panoply his dogs and horses were then slain to accompany him in case he should need them in the realm of shades after which Achilles in fulfilment of his savage vow slaughtered 12 brave Trojan captives who were laid on the funeral pile which was now lighted when all was consumed the bones of Petroclus were carefully collected and enclosed in the golden urn then followed the funereal games which consisted of chariot races fighting with the cestus a sort of boxing glove wrestling matches foot races and single combats with shield and spear in all of which the most distinguished heroes took part and contended for the prizes Penthecilia after the death of Hector their great hope and bulwark the Trojans did not venture beyond the walls of their city but soon their hopes were revived by the appearance of a powerful army of amazons under the command of their queen Penthecilia a daughter of Aries whose great ambition was to measure swords with the renowned Achilles himself and to avenge the death of the Valiant Hector hostilities now recommenced in the open plain Penthecilia led the Trojan host the Greeks on their side being under the command of Achilles and Ajax whilst the latter succeeded in putting the enemy to flight Achilles was challenged by Penthecilia to single combat with heroic courage she went forth to the fight but even the strongest men failed before the power of the great Achilles and though a daughter of Aries Penthecilia was but a woman with generous chivalry the hero endeavoured to spare the brave and beautiful maiden warrior and only when his own life was in imminent danger did he make a serious effort to vanquish his enemy when Penthecilia shared the fate of all who ventured to oppose the spear of Achilles and fell by his hand feeling herself fatally wounded she remembered the desecration of the dead body of Hector and earnestly and treated the forbearance of the hero but the petition was hardly necessary for Achilles full of compassion for his brave but unfortunate adversary lifted her gently from the ground and she expired in his arms unbeholding the dead body of their leader in the possession of Achilles the Amazons and Trojans prepared for a fresh attack in order to rest it from his hands but observing their purpose Achilles stepped forward and loudly called upon them to halt then in a few well-chosen words he praised the great Valor and intrepidity of the fallen queen and expressed his willingness to resign the body at once the chivalrous conduct of Achilles was fully appreciated by both Greeks and Trojans Thirst cities alone a base and cowardly wretch attributed unworthy motives to the gracious proceedings of the hero and not content with these insinuations he savagely pierced with his lance the dead body of the Amazonian queen whereupon Achilles with one blow of his powerful arm felled him to the ground and killed him on the spot the well-merited death of Thirst cities excited no commiseration but his kinsmen, Diomedes came forward and claimed compensation for the murder of his relative and as Agamemnon who as commander-in-chief might easily have settled the difficulty refrained from interfering the proud nature of Achilles resented the implied condemnation of his conduct and he once more abandoned the Greek army and took ship for Lev's boss Odysseus however followed him to the island and with his usual tact succeeded in inducing the hero to return to the camp death of Achilles a new ally of the Trojans now appeared on the field in the person of Memnon the Ethiopian a son of Eos and Tithonus who brought with him a powerful reinforcement of Negros Memnon was the first opponent who had yet encountered Achilles on an equal footing for like the great hero himself he was the son of a goddess and possessed also like Achilles a suit of armour made for him by Hephaestus before the heroes encountered each other in single combat the two goddesses Thetis and Eos hastened to Olympus to intercede with its mighty ruler for the life of their sons resolved even in this instance not to act in opposition to the Moire Zeus seized the golden scales in which he weighed the lot of mortals and placed it in the respective fates of the two heroes whereupon that of Memnon weighed down the balance thus pretending his death Eos abandoned Olympus in despair arrived on the battlefield she beheld the lifeless body of her son who after a long and brave defence had at length succumbed to the all-conquering arm of Achilles at her command her children the winds flew down to the plane and seizing the body of the slain hero conveyed it through the air safe from the desecration of the enemy the triumph of Achilles was not of long duration intoxicated with success he attempted at the head of the Greek army to storm the city of Troy when Paris by the aid of Phoebus Apollo aimed a well-directed dart at the hero which pierced his vulnerable heel and he fell to the ground fatally wounded before the sky and gate but though face to face with death the intrepid hero raising himself from the ground still performed prodigies of valor and not until his tottering limbs refused their office was the enemy aware that the wound was mortal by the combined efforts of Ajax and Odysseus the body of Achilles was rested from the enemy after a long and terrible fight and conveyed to the Greek camp weeping bitterly over the untimely fate of her gallant son Thetis came to embrace him for the last time and mingled her regrets and lamentations with those of the whole Greek army the funeral pyre was then lighted and the voices of the muses were heard chanting his funeral dirge when according to the custom of the ancients the body had been burned on the pyre the bones of the hero were collected enclosed in a golden urn and deposited beside the remains of his beloved friend Petroclus in the funeral games celebrated in honour of the fallen hero the property of her son was offered by Thetis as the prize of victory but it was unanimously agreed that the beautiful suit of armour made by Hephaestus should be awarded to him who had contributed the most to the rescue of the body from the hands of the enemy popular opinion unanimously decided in favour of Odysseus which verdict was confirmed by the Trojan prisoners who were present at the engagement unable to endure the slight the unfortunate Ajax lost his reason and in this condition put an end to his existence final measures thus were the Greeks deprived at one and the same time of their bravest and most powerful leader and of him also who approached the nearest to his distinction for a time operations were at a standstill until Odysseus at length contrived by means of a cleverly arranged ambush to capture Hellenus the son of Priam like his sister Cassandra Hellenus possessed the gift of prophecy and the unfortunate youth was now coerced by Odysseus into using his gift against the welfare of his native city the Greeks learned from the Trojan prince that three conditions were indispensable to the conquest of Troy in the first place the son of Achilles must fight in their ranks secondly the arrows of Heracles must be used against the enemy and thirdly they must obtain possession of the wooden image of Pallas Aetheme the famous Palladium of Troy the first condition was easily fulfilled ever ready to serve the interests of the community Odysseus repaired to the island of Skyros where he found Niptolemus the son of Achilles having succeeded in arousing the ambition of the fiery youth he generously resigned to him the magnificent armour of his father and then conveyed him to the Greek camp where he immediately distinguished himself in single combat with Euripolis the son of Telophus who had come to the aid of the Trojans to procure the poisoned arrows of Heracles was a matter of greater difficulty they were still in the possession of the much-agreived pholoptites who had remained in the island of Lemnos his wounds still unhealed suffering the most abject misery but the judicious zeal of the indefatigable and ever-active Odysseus who was accompanied in this undertaking by Diomedes at length gained the day and he induced pholoptites to accompany him to the camp where the skillful leech Makaion the son of Asclepius healed him of his wound pholoptites became reconciled to Agamemnon and in an engagement which took place soon after he mortally wounded Paris the son of Priam but though pierced by the fatal arrow of the demigod death did not immediately ensue and Paris calling to mind the prediction of an oracle that his deserted wife Sononi could alone cure him if wounded caused himself to be transported to her abode on Mount Ida where he implored her by the memory of their past love to save his life but mindful only of her wrongs Sononi crushed out of her heart every womanly feeling of pity and compassion and sternly bait him depart soon however all her former affection for her husband awoke within her with frantic haste she followed him but on her arrival in the city she found the dead body of Paris already laid on the lighted funeral pile and in her remorse and despair Sononi threw herself on the lifeless form of her husband and perished in the flames the Trojans were now shut up within their walls and closely besieged but the third and most difficult condition being still unfulfilled all efforts to take the city were unavailing in this emergency the wise and devoted Odysseus came once more to the aid of his comrades having disfigured himself with self-inflicted wounds he assumed the disguise of a wretched old mendicant and then crept stealthily into the city in order to discover where the Palladium was preserved he succeeded in his object and was recognized by no one save the fair Helen who after the death of Paris had been given in marriage to his brother Diphobus but since death had robbed her of her lover the heart of the Greek princess had turned yearningly towards her native country and her husband Menelaus and Odysseus now found in her a most unlooked for ally on his return to the camp Odysseus called to his aid the valiant Diomedes and with his assistance the perilous task of abstracting the Palladium from its sacred precincts was after some difficulty affected the conditions of conquest being now fulfilled a council was called to decide on final proceedings a Pios a Greek sculptor who had accompanied the expedition was desired to construct a colossal wooden horse large enough to contain a number of able and distinguished heroes on its completion a band of warriors concealed themselves within whereupon the Greek army broke up their camp and then set fire to it as though worried of the long and tedious 10-year siege they had abandoned the enterprise as hopeless accompanied by Agamemnon and the sage Nestor the fleet set sail for the island of Tenedos where they cast anchor anxiously awaiting the torch signal to hasten back to the Trojan coast destruction of Troy when the Trojans saw the enemy depart and the Greek camp in flames they believed themselves safe at last and streamed in great numbers out of the town in order to view the site where the Greeks had so long and camped here they found the gigantic wooden horse which they examined with wondering curiosity various opinions being expressed with regard to its utility some supposed it to be an engine of war and were in favour of destroying it others regarded it as a sacred idol and proposed that it should be brought into the city two circumstances which now occurred induced the Trojans to incline towards the latter opinion chief among those who suspected a treacherous design in this huge contrivance was Leocoon a priest of Apollo who in company with his two young sons had issued from the city with the Trojans in order to offer a sacrifice to the gods with all the eloquence at his command he urged his countrymen not to place confidence in any gift of the Greeks and even went so far as to pierce the side of the horse with a spear which he took from a warrior beside him whereupon the arms of the heroes were heard to rattle the hearts of the brave men concealed inside the horse quailed within them and they had already given themselves up for lost when palace Athene who ever watched over the cause of the Greeks now came to their aid and a miracle occurred in order to blind and deceive the devoted Trojans for the fall of Troy was decreed by the gods whilst Leocoon and his two sons stood prepared to perform the sacrifice two enormous serpents suddenly rose out of the sea and made direct for the altar they entwined themselves first around the tender limbs of the helpless youths and then encircled their father who rushed to their assistance and thus all three were destroyed in sight of the horrified multitude the Trojans naturally interpreted the fate of Leocoon and his sons to be a punishment sent by Zeus for his sacrilege against the wooden horse and were now fully convinced that it must be consecrated to the gods the crafty Odysseus had left behind his trusty friend Sinon with full instructions as to his course of action assuming the royal assigned to him he now approached King Priam with vetted hands and piteous entreaties alleging that the Greeks in obedience to the command of an oracle had attempted to emulate him as a sacrifice but that he had contrived to escape from their hands and now sought protection from the king the kind-hearted monarch believing his story released his bonds assured him of his favour and then begged him to explain the true meaning of the wooden horse Sinon willingly complied he informed the king that Palisthenes who had he there too been the hope and stay of the Greeks throughout the war was so deeply offended at the removal of her sacred image the Palladium from her temple in Troy that she had withdrawn her protection from the Greeks and refused all further aid till it was restored to its rightful place hence the Greeks had returned home in order to seek fresh instructions from an oracle but before leaving Calcas the seer had advised their building this gigantic wooden horse as a tribute to the offended goddess hoping thereby to appease her just anger he further explained that it had been constructed of such colossal proportions in order to prevent its being brought into the city so that the favour of Palisthenes might not be transferred to the Trojans hardly had the crafty Sinon cease speaking when the Trojans with one accord urged that the wooden horse should be brought into their city without delay the gates being too low to admit its entrance a breach was made in the walls and the horse was conveyed in triumph into the very heart of Troy whereupon the Trojans overjoyed at what they deemed the successful issue of the campaign abandoned themselves to feasting and rioting amidst the universal rejoicing the unhappy Cassandra for seeing the result of the admission of the wooden horse into the city was seen rushing through the streets with wild gestures and dishevelled hair warning her people against the dangers which awaited them but her eloquent words fell on deaf ears for it was ever the fate of the unfortunate prophetess that her predictions should find no credence when after the day's excitement the Trojans had retired to rest and all was hushed and silent Sinon in the dead of night released the heroes from their voluntary imprisonment the signal was then given to the Greek fleet lying off Tenedos and the whole army in unbroken silence once more landed on the Trojan coast to enter the city was now an easy matter and a fearful slaughter ensued aroused from their slumbers the Trojans under the command of their bravest leaders made a gallant defence but were easily overcome all their most valiant heroes fell in the fight and soon the whole city was wrapped in flames Priam fell by the hand of Nettolimus who killed him as he lay prostrate before the altar of Zeus praying for divine assistance in this awful hour of peril the unfortunate Andromache with her young son Asteanax had taken refuge on the summit of a tower where she was discovered by the victors who fearing less the son of Hector might one day rise against them to avenge the death of his father tore him from her arms and hurled him over the battlements Ineas alone the son of Aphrodite the beloved of gods and men escaped the universal carnage with his son and his old father Anchesis whom he carried on his shoulders out of the city he first sought refuge on Mount Ida and afterwards fled to Italy where he became the ancestral hero of the Roman people Menelaus now sought Helen in the royal palace who, being immortal, still retained all her former beauty and fascination A reconciliation took place and she accompanied her husband on his homeward voyage Andromache, the widow of the brave Hector, was given in marriage to Nettolimus Cassandra fell to the share of Agamemnon and her Cuba, the grey-haired and widowed queen was made prisoner by Odysseus The boundless treasures of the wealthy Trojan king fell into the hands of the Greek heroes who, after having levelled the city of Troy to the ground, prepared for their homeward voyage End of section 29 Section 30 of Myths and Legends This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Lucy LaFaro Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Berens Section 30 Return of the Greeks from Troy During the sucking of the city of Troy, the Greeks, in the hour of victory, committed many acts of desecration and cruelty which called down upon them the wrath of the gods for which reason their homeward journey was beset with manifold dangers and disasters and many perished before they reached their native land Nestor, Diomedes, Philoctetes and Neuptolimus were among those who arrived safely in Greece after a prosperous voyage The vessel which carried Menelaus and Helen was driven by violent tempests to the coasts of Egypt and only after many years of weary wanderings and vicissitudes did they succeed in reaching their home at Sparta Ajax the Lesser, having offended Palisthenes by desecrating her temple on the night of the destruction of Troy was shipwrecked off Cape Caperus He succeeded, however, in clinging to a rock and his life might have been spared but for his impious boast that he needed not the help of the gods No sooner had he uttered the sacrilegious words than Poseidon enraged at his audacity split with his strident the rock to which the hero was clinging and the unfortunate Ajax was overwhelmed by the waves Fate of Agamemnon The homeward voyage of Agamemnon was tolerably uneventful and prosperous but on his arrival at Mycenae misfortune and ruin awaited him His wife, Cleetam Nestor in revenge for the sacrifice of her beloved daughter Iphigenia had formed a secret alliance during his absence with Aegisthas, the son of Thaestes and on the return of Agamemnon they both conspired to compass his destruction Cleetam Nestor feigned the greatest joy on beholding her husband and in spite of the urgent warnings of Cassandra who was now a captive in his train he received her protestations of affection with the most trusting confidence in her well-assumed anxiety for the comfort of the weary traveller she prepared a warm bath for his refreshment and at a given signal from the treacherous queen Aegisthas who was concealed in an adjoining chamber rushed upon the defenseless hero and slew him During the massacre of the retainers of Agamemnon which followed his daughter Elektra with great presence of mind contrived to save her young brother Orestes he fled for refuge to his uncle Strophius king of Phosas who educated him with his own son Palades and an ardent friendship sprung up between the youth which from its constancy and disinterestedness has become proverbial As Orestes grew up to manhood his one great all-absorbing desire was to avenge the death of his father accompanied by his faithful friend Palades he repaired in disguise to Mycenae where Aegisthas and Cleutomnestra reigned conjointly over the kingdom of Argos In order to disarm suspicion he had taken the precaution to dispatch a messenger to Cleutomnestra purporting to be sent by King Strophius to announce to her the untimely death of her son Orestes through an accident during a chariot race at Delphi Arrived at Mycenae he found his sister Elektra so overwhelmed with grief at the news of her brother's death that to her he revealed his identity When he heard from her lips how cruelly she had been treated by her mother and how joyfully the news of his demise had been received his long pent-up passion completely overpowered him and rushing into the presence of the king and queen he first pierced Cleutomnestra to the heart and afterwards her guilty partner but the crime of murdering his own mother was not long unevented by the gods hardly was the fatal act committed when the furies appeared and unceasingly pursued the unfortunate Orestes wherever he went In this wretched plight he sought refuge in the temple of Delphi where he earnestly besought Apollo to release him from his cruel tormentors the god commanded him in expiation of his crime to repair to Torica Casonesis and convey the statue of Artemis from thence to the kingdom of Attica an expedition fraught with extreme peril we have already seen in a former chapter how Orestes escaped the fate which befell all strangers who landed on the Torian coast and how with the aid of his sister Iphigenia the priestess of the temple he succeeded in conveying the statue of the goddess to his native country but the furies did not so easily relinquish their prey and only by means of the interposition of the just and powerful goddess Palisthenes was Orestes finally liberated from their persecution his peace of mind being at length restored Orestes assumed the government of the kingdom of Argos and became united to the beautiful Hermione daughter of Helen and Menelaus on his faithful friend Pelades he bestowed the hand of his beloved sister the good and faithful Electra Homeward voyage of Odysseus with his twelve ships laden with enormous treasures captured during the sacking of Troy Odysseus set sail with a light heart for his rocky island home of Ithaca at length the happy hour had arrived which for ten long years the hero had so anxiously awaited and he little dreamt that ten more must elapse before he would be permitted by the fates to clasp to his heart his beloved wife and child during his homeward voyage his little fleet was driven by stress of weather to a land whose inhabitants subsisted entirely on a curious plant called the lotus which was sweet as honey to the taste but had the effect of causing utter oblivion of home and country and of creating an irresistible longing to remain forever in the land of the lotus eaters Odysseus and his companions were hospitably received by the inhabitants who regaled them freely with their peculiar and very delicious food after partaking of which however the comrades of the hero refused to leave the country and it was only by sheer force that he at length succeeded in bringing them back to their ships Polyphemus continuing their journey they next arrived at the country of the Cyclops a race of giants remarkable for having only one eye which was placed in the centre of their foreheads here Odysseus whose love of adventure overcame more prudent considerations left his fleet safely anchored in the bay of a neighbouring island and with twelve chosen companions set out to explore the country near the shore they found a vast cave into which they boldly entered in the interior they saw to their surprise huge piles of cheese and great pales of milk ranged round the walls after partaking freely of these provisions his companions endeavoured to persuade Odysseus to return to the ship but the hero being curious to make the acquaintance of the owner of this extraordinary abode ordered them to remain and await his pleasure towards evening a fierce giant made his appearance bearing an enormous load of wood upon his shoulders and driving before him a large flock of sheep this was Polyphemus the son of Poseidon the owner of the cave after all his sheep had entered the giant rolled before the entrance to the cave an enormous rock which the combined strength of a hundred men would have been powerless to move having kindled a fire of great logs of pine wood he was about to prepare his supper when the flames revealed to him in a corner of the cavern its new occupants who now came forward and informed him that they were shipwrecked mariners and claimed his hospitality in the name of Zeus but the fierce monster rallied at the great ruler of Olympus for the lawless Cyclops knew no fear of the gods and hardly vouchsafe to reply to the demand of the hero to the consternation of Odysseus the giant seized two of his companions and after dashing them to the ground consumed their remains washing down the ghastly mill with huge drafts of milk he then stretched his gigantic limbs on the ground and soon fell fast asleep beside the fire thinking the opportunity a favourable one to rid himself and his companions of their terrible enemy Odysseus drew his sword and creeping stealthily forward was about to slay the giant when he suddenly remembered that the aperture of the cave was effectively closed by the immense rock which rendered egress impossible he therefore wisely determined to wait until the following day and set his wits to work in the meantime to devise a scheme by which he and his companions might make their escape when early next morning the giant awoke two more unfortunate companions of the hero were seized by him and devoured after which Polyphemus leisurely drove out his flock taking care to secure the entrance of the cave as before next evening the giant devoured two more of his victims and when he had finished his revolting meal Odysseus stepped forward and presented him with a large measure of wine which he had brought with him from his ship in a goatskin delighted with the delicious beverage the giant inquired the name of the donor Odysseus replied that his name was No Man whereupon Polyphemus graciously announced that he would evince his gratitude by eating him the last the monster thoroughly overcome with the powerful old liquor soon fell into a heavy sleep and Odysseus lost no time in putting his plans into execution he had cut during the day a large piece of the giant's own olive staff which he now heated in the fire and aided by his companions thrust it into the eyeball of Polyphemus and in this manner effectually blinded him the giant made the cave resound with his howls of pain and rage his cries being heard by his brother Cyclops who lived in caves not far distant from his own they soon came trooping over the hills from all sides and assailed the door of the cave with inquiries concerning the cause of his cries and groans but as his only reply was No Man has injured me they concluded that he had been playing them a trick and therefore abandoned him to his fate the blinded giant now groped vainly round his cave in hopes of laying hands on some of his tormentors but we're at length of these fruitless exertions he rolled away the rock which closed the aperture thinking that his victims would rush out with the sheep when it would be an easy matter to capture them but in the meantime Odysseus had not been idle and the subtlety of the hero was now brought into play and proved more than a match for the giant's strength the sheep were very large and Odysseus with bands of willow taken from the bed of Polyphemus had cleverly linked them together three abreast and under each centre one had secured one of his comrades after providing for the safety of his companions Odysseus himself selected the finest ram of the flock and by clinging to the wool of the animal made his escape as the sheep passed out of the cave the giant felt carefully among them for his victims but not finding them on the backs of the animals he let them pass and thus they all escaped they now hastened on board their vessel and Odysseus thinking himself at a safe distance shouted out his real name and mockingly defied the giant whereupon Polyphemus seized a huge rock and following the direction of the voice hurled it towards the ship which narrowly escaped destruction he then called upon his father Poseidon to avenge him in treating him to curse Odysseus with a long and tedious voyage to destroy all his ships and all his companions and to make his return as late as unhappy and as desolate as possible Further Adventures After sailing about over unknown seas for some time the hero and his followers cast anchor at the island of Eulos King of the Winds who welcomed them cordially and sumptuously entertained them for a whole month when they took their leave he gave Odysseus the skin of an ox into which he had placed all the contrary winds in order to ensure to them a safe and speedy voyage and then having cautioned him on no account to open it caused the gentle zebras to blow so that he might waft them to the shores of Greece On the evening of the 10th day after their departure they arrived in sight of the watchfires of Ithaca but here unfortunately Odysseus being completely wearied out fell asleep and his comrades thinking Eulos had given him a treasure in the bag which he so seduously guarded seized this opportunity of opening it whereupon all the adverse winds rushed out and drove them back to the Aeolian island This time however Eulos did not welcome them as before but dismissed them with bitter approaches and upbradings for their disregard of his injunctions After a six days voyage they at length sighted land observing what appeared to be the smoke from a large town Odysseus dispatched a herald accompanied by two of his comrades in order to procure provisions When they arrived in the city they discovered to their consternation that they had set foot in the land of the Lestragonis a race of fierce and gigantic cannibals governed by their king Antiphthys The unfortunate herald was seized and killed by the king but his two companions who took flight succeeded in reaching their ship in safety and urgently entreated their chief to put to sea without delay But Antiphthys and his fellow giants pursued the fugitives to the seashore where they now appeared in large numbers They seized huge rocks which they hurled upon the fleet sinking eleven of the ships with all hands on board the vessel under the immediate command of Odysseus being the only one which escaped destruction In this ship with his few remaining followers Odysseus now set sail but was driven by adverse winds to an island called Eia Cersei The hero and his companions were in sore need of provisions but warned by previous disasters Odysseus resolved that only a certain number of the ship's crew should be dispatched to reconnoitre the country and are not being drawn by Odysseus and Euryllicus It fell to the share of the ladder to fill the office of conductor to the little band selected for this purpose They soon came to a magnificent marble palace which was situated in a charming and fertile valley Here dwelt a beautiful enchantress called Cersei daughter of the sun god and the sea nymph, Percy The entrance of her abode was guarded by wolves and lions who however to the great surprise of the strangers were tame and harmless as lambs These were in fact human beings who by the wicked arts of the sorceress had been thus transformed From within they heard the enchanting voice of the goddess who was singing a sweet melody as she sat at her work weaving a web such as immortals alone could produce She graciously invited them to enter and all saved the prudent and cautious Euryllicus accepted the invitation as they trod the wide and spacious halls of tessellated marble objects of wealth and beauty met their view on all sides The soft and luxuriant couches on which she bade them be seated were studded with silver and the banquet which she provided for their refreshment was served in vessels of pure gold But while her unsuspecting guests were abandoning themselves to the pleasure of the table the wicked enchantress was secretly working their ruin For the wine cup which was presented to them was drugged with a potent draught After partaking of which the sorceress touched them with her magic wand and they were immediately transformed into swine still however retaining their human senses When Odysseus heard from Euryllicus of the terrible fate which had befallen his companions he set out regardless of personal danger resolved to make an effort to rescue them On his way to the palace of the sorceress he met a fair youth bearing a wand of gold who revealed himself to him as Hermes the divine messenger of the gods He gently reproached the hero for his temerity inventuring to enter the abode of Cersei unprovided with an antidote against her spells and presented him with a peculiar herb called molly assuring him that it would inevitably counteract the baneful arts of the fel enchantress Hermes warned Odysseus that Cersei's would offer him a draught of drugged wine with the intention of transforming him as she had done his companions He bade him drink the wine the effect of which would be completely nullified by the herb which he had given him and then rushed boldly at the sorceress as though he would take her life whereupon her power over him would cease she would recognise her master and grant him whatever he might desire Cersei received the hero with all the grace and fascination at her command and presented him with a draught of wine in a golden goblet this he readily accepted trusting to the efficacy of the antidote then in obedience to the injunction of Hermes he drew his sword from its scabbard and rushed upon the sorceress as though he would slay her when Cersei found that her fel purpose was for the first time frustrated and that immortal had dared to attack her she knew that it must be the great Odysseus who stood before her whose visit to her abode had been foretold to her by Hermes at his solicitation she restored to his companions their human form promising at the same time that henceforth the hero and his comrades should be free from her enchantments but all warnings and past experience were forgotten by Odysseus when Cersei commenced to exercise upon him her fascinations and blandishments at her request his companions took up their abode in the island and he himself became the guest and slave of the enchantress for a whole year and it was only at the earnest admonition of his friends that he was at length induced to free himself from her toils Cersei had become so attracted to the gallant hero that it cost her a great effort to part with him but having vowed not to exercise her magic spells against him she was powerless to detain him further the goddess now warned him that his future would be beset with many dangers and commanded him to consult the blind old Sia to resist in the realms of Hades concerning his future destiny she then loaded his ship with provisions for the voyage and reluctantly made him farewell the realm of shades though somewhat appalled at the prospect of seeking the weird and gloomy realms inhabited by the spirits of the dead Odysseus nevertheless obeyed the command of the goddess who gave him full directions with regard to his course and also certain injunctions which it was important that he should carry out with strict attention to detail he accordingly set sail with his companions for the dark and gloomy land of the Cimmerians which lay at the further most end of the world beyond the great stream oceanus favoured by gentle breezes they soon reached their destination in the far west on arriving at the spot indicated by Cersei where the turbid waters of the rivers Acheron and Cossatus mingled at the entrance to the lower world Odysseus landed unattended by his companions having dug a trench to receive the blood of the sacrifices he now offered a black ram and you to the powers of darkness whereupon crowds of shades rose up from the yawning gulf clustering around him eager to quaff the blood of the sacrifice which would restore to them for a time their mental vigor but mindful of the injunction of Cersei Odysseus brandished his sword and suffered none to approach until Thereseus had appeared the great prophet now came slowly forward leaning on his golden staff and after drinking of the sacrifice proceeded to impart to Odysseus the hidden secrets of his future fate Thereseus also warned him of the numerous perils which would assail him not only during his homeward voyage but also on his return to Ithaca and then instructed him how to avoid them meanwhile numbers of other shades had quaffed the sense awakening draft of the sacrifice among whom Odysseus recognized to his dismay his tenderly loved mother Anticlia from her he learned that she had died of grief at her son's protracted absence and that his aged father Lyertes was wearing his life away in vain and anxious longings for his return he also conversed with the ill-fated Agamemnon patroclus and Achilles the latter bemoaned his shadowy and unreal existence and plaintively assured his former companion in arms that rather would he be the poorest day laborer on earth than reign supreme as king over the realm of shades Ajax alone who still brooded over his wrongs held aloof refusing to converse with Odysseus and suddenly retired when the hero addressed him but at last so many shades came swarming around him that the courage of Odysseus failed him and he fled in terror back to his ship having rejoined his companions they once more put to sea and proceeded on their homeward voyage the sirens after some day's sail their course led them past the island of the sirens now Cersei had warned Odysseus on no account to listen to the seductive melodies of these treacherous nips for that awe who gave ear to their enticing strains felt an unconquerable desire to leap overboard and join them when they either perished at their hands or were engulfed by the waves in order that his crew should not hear the song of the sirens Odysseus had filled their ears with melted wax but the hero himself so dearly loved adventure that he could not resist the temptation of braving this new danger by his own desire therefore he was lashed to the mast and his comrades had strict orders on no account to release him until they were out of sight of the island no matter how he might implore them to set him free as they neared the fatal shore they beheld the sirens seated side by side on the verdant slopes of their island and as their sweet and alluring strains fell upon his ear the hero became so powerfully affected by them that forgetful of all danger he entreated his comrades to release him but the sailors obedient to their orders refused to unbind him until the enchanted island has disappeared from view the danger passed the hero gratefully acknowledged the firmness of his followers which had been the means of saving his life the island of Helios they now approached the terrible dangers of Scylla and Charabdis between which Cersei had desired them to pass as Odysseus steered the vessel beneath the great rock Scylla swooped down and see six of his crew from the deck and the cries of her wretched victims long rang in his ears at length they reached the island of Trinacria, Sicily whereon the sun god pastured his flocks and herds and Odysseus calling to mind the warning of Thereseus to avoid this sacred island would feign have steered the vessel past and left the country unexplored but his crew became mutinous and insisted on landing Odysseus was therefore obliged to yield but before allowing them to set foot on shore he made them take at oath not to touch the sacred herds of Helios and to be ready to sail again on the following morning it happened unfortunately however that stress of weather compelled them to remain a whole month at Trinacria and the store of wine and food given to them by Cersei at parting being completely exhausted they were obliged to subsist on what fish and birds the island offered frequently there was not sufficient to satisfy their hunger and one evening when Odysseus worn out with anxiety and fatigue had fallen asleep Urelicus persuaded the hungry men to break their vows and kill some of the sacred oxen Dreadful was the anger of Helios who caused the hides of the slaughtered animals to creep and the joints on the spits to bellow like living cattle and threatened that unless Ulysses punished the empire's crew he would withdraw his light from the heavens and shine only in Hades Anxious to appease the enraged deity Zeus assured him that his cause should be avenged when therefore after feasting for seven days Odysseus and his companions again set sail the ruler of Olympus caused a terrible storm to overtake them during which the ship was struck with lightning and went to pieces all the crew were drowned except Odysseus who clinging to a mast floated about in the open sea for nine days when after once more escaping being sucked in by the whirlpool of Charobdis he was cast ashore on the island of Ogigia Calypso Ogigia was an island covered with dense forests where in the midst of a grove of Cyprus and Poplar stood the charming Grotto Palace of the Ninth Calypso daughter of the Titan Atlas the entrance to the Grotto was entwined with the leafy trellis work of vine branches from which depended clusters of purple and golden grapes the splashing of fountains gave a delicious sense of coolness to the air which was filled with the songs of birds and the ground was carpeted with violets and mosses Calypso cordially welcomed the forlorn and shipwrecked hero and hospitably ministered to his wants in the course of time she became so greatly attached to him that she offered him immortality and eternal youth if he would consent to remain with her forever but the heart of Odysseus turned yearningly towards his beloved wife Penelope and his young son he therefore refused the boon and earnestly entreated the gods to permit him to revisit his home but the curse of Poseidon still followed the unfortunate hero and for seven long years he was detained on the island by Calypso sorely against his will at length Pallas Athene interceded with her mighty father on his behalf and Zeus yielding to her request forthwith dispatched the fleet footed Hermes to Calypso commanding her to permit Odysseus to depart and to provide him with the means of transport the goddess though loath to part with her guest dared not disobey the commands of the mighty Zeus she therefore instructed the hero how to construct a raft for which she herself wove the sails Odysseus now bade her farewell and alone and unaided embarked on the frail little craft for his native land Norsica for 17 days Odysseus contrived to pilot the raft skillfully through all the perils of the deep directing his course according to the directions of Calypso and guided by the stars of heaven on the 18th day he joyfully hailed the distant outline of the Fetian coast and began to look forward hopefully to temporary rest and shelter but Poseidon still enraged with the hero who had blinded and insulted his son caused an awful tempest to arise during which the raft was swamped by the waves and Odysseus only saved himself by clinging for bare life to a portion of the wreck for two days and nights he floated about drifting hither and dither by the angry billows till at last after many a narrow escape of his life the sea goddess Eucothia came to his aid and he was cast ashore on the coast of Scaria the island of the luxurious Phaea seas worn out with the hardships and dangers he had passed through he crept into a thicket for security and lying down on a bed of dried leaves soon fell fast asleep it chanced that Norsica the beautiful daughter of King Alsinus and his Queen Arity had come down to the shore accompanied by her maidens to wash the linen which was destined to form part of her marriage portion when they had finished their task they bathed and sat down to a repast after which they amused themselves with singing and playing at ball their joyous shouts at last awoke Odysseus who rising from his hiding place suddenly found himself in the midst of the happy group alarmed at his wild aspect the attendance of Norsica fled in terror but the princess pitying the forlorn condition of the stranger addressed him with kind and sympathetic words after hearing from him the account of his shipwreck and the terrible hardships he had undergone Norsica called back her attendants reproach them for their want of courtesy and made them supply the wanderer with food, drink and suitable raiment Odysseus then left the maidens to resume their games whilst he bathed and clothed himself with the garments with which they had furnished him Athene now appeared to the hero and endowed him with a commanding and magnificent stature and with more than mortal beauty when he reappeared the young princess was struck with admiration and requested the hero to visit the palace of her father she then desired her attendants to yoke the mules to the wagons and prepare to return home Odysseus was cordially received by the king and queen who entertained him with magnificent hospitality and in return for their kindness the hero related to them the history of his long and eventful voyage and the many extraordinary adventures and miraculous escapes which had befallen him since his departure from the coast of Ileon when he at last took leave of his royal entertainers Alsinus loaded him with rich gifts and ordered him to be conveyed in one of his own ships to Ithaca arrival at Ithaca the voyage was a short and prosperous one by the direction of king Alsinus rich furs had been laid on deck for the comfort of his guest on which the hero leaving the guidance of the ship to the fission sailors soon fell into a deep sleep when next morning the vessel arrived in the harbour of Ithaca the sailors concluding that so unusually profound a slumber must be sent by the gods conveyed him on shore without disturbing him where they gently placed him beneath the cool shade of an olive tree when Odysseus awoke he knew not where he was for his ever-watchful protectress Pallas Athene had enveloped him in a thick cloud in order to conceal him from view she now appeared to him in the disguise of a shepherd and informed him that he was in his native land that his father, Laertes, bent with sorrow and old age had withdrawn from the court that his son Tillomachus had grown to manhood and was gone to seek for tidings of his father and that his wife was harassed by importunities of numerous suitors who had taken possession of his home and devoured his substance in order to gain time Penelope had promised to marry one of her lovers as soon as she had finished weaving a robe for the aged Laertes but by secretly undoing at night what she had done in the day she effectually retarded the completion of the work and thus deferred her final reply just as Odysseus had set foot in Ithaca the angry suitors had discovered her stratagem and had become in consequence more clamorous than ever when the hero heard that this was indeed his native land which after an absence of 20 years the gods had at length permitted him to behold once more he threw himself on the ground and kissed it in an ecstasy of joy the goddess who had meanwhile revealed her identity to Odysseus now assisted him to conceal in a neighbouring cave the valuable gifts of the fashion king then seating herself beside him she consulted with him as to the best means of ridding his palace of its shameless scoff coupons in order to prevent his being recognised she caused him to assume the form of an aged mendicant his limbs became decrepit his brown locks vanished his eyes grew dim and blared and the regal robes given to him by king Alsinus were replaced by a tattered garb of dingy hue which hung loosely round his shrunken form Athene then decided him to seek shelter in the hut of Eumaeus his own swine herd Eumaeus received the old beggar hospitably kindly ministered to his wants and even confided to him his distress at the long continued absence of his beloved old master and his regrets at being compelled by the unruly invaders of his house to slaughter for their use all the finest and fattest of the herd it chanced that the following morning Telemachus returned from his long and fruitless search for his father and going first to the hut of Eumaeus heard from him the story of the seeming beggar whom he promised to befriend Athene now urged Odysseus to make himself known to his son and at her touch his beggar's rags disappeared and he stood before Telemachus arrayed in royal robes and in the full strength and vigor of manhood so imposing was the appearance of the hero that at first the young prince thought he must be a god but when he was convinced that it was indeed his beloved father whose prolonged absence had caused him so much grief he fell upon his neck and embraced him with every expression of dutiful affection Odysseus charged Telemachus to keep his return a secret and concerted with him a plan whereby they might rid themselves of the detested suitors in order to carry it into effect Telemachus was to induce his mother to promise her hand to the one who could conquer in shooting with the famous bow of Odysseus which the hero had left behind when he went to Troy deeming it too precious a treasure to be taken with him Odysseus now resumed his beggar's dress and appearance and accompanied his son to the palace before the door of which lay his faithful dog Argo who though worn and feeble with age and neglect instantly recognised his master in his delight the poor animal made a last effort to welcome him but his strength was exhausted and he expired at his feet when Odysseus entered his ancestral halls he was mocked and reviled by the riotous suitors and Antinos the most shameless of them all ridiculed his abject appearance and instantly bade him depart but Penelope hearing of their cruel conduct was touched with compassion and desired her maidens to bring the poor mendicant into her presence she spoke kindly to him inquiring who he was and whence he came he told her that he was the brother of the king of Crete in whose palace he had seen Odysseus who was about starting for Ithaca and had declared his intention of arriving there before the year was out the queen overjoyed at the habitidings ordered her maidens to prepare a bed for the stranger and to treat him as an honoured guest she then desired the old nurse Euryclia to provide him with suitable raiment and to attend to all his wants as the old servant was bathing his feet her eyes fell upon a scar which Odysseus had received in his youth from the tusks of a wild boar and instantly recognising the beloved master whom she had nursed as a babe she would have cried aloud in her joy but the hero placing his hand upon her mouth implored her not to betray him the next day was a festival of Apollo and the suitors in honour of the occasion feasted with more than their accustomed revelry after the banquet was over Penelope taking down the great bow of Odysseus from its place entered the hall and declared that who so ever of her lovers could bend it and send an arrow through 12 rings a feat which she had often seen Odysseus performed should be chosen by her as her husband all the suitors tried their skill but in vain not one possessed the strength required to draw the bow Odysseus now stepped forward and asked permission to be allowed to try but the haughty nobles mocked at his audacity and would not have permitted it had not Tellomachus interfered the pretended beggar took up the bow and with the greatest ease sent an arrow whizzing through the rings then turning to Antinois who was just raising a goblet of wine to his lips he pierced him to the heart at this the suitors sprang to their feet and looked round for their arms but in obedience to the instructions of Odysseus Tellomachus had previously removed them he and his father now attacked the riotous revelers and after a desperate encounter not one of the whole crew remained alive the joyful intelligence of the return of Odysseus being conveyed to Penelope she descended to the hall but refused to recognize in the age beggar her gallant husband whereupon he retired to the bath from which he emerged in all the vigor and beauty with which Athena had endowed him at the court of Alsinus but Penelope still incredulous determined to put him to a short test she therefore commanded in his hearing that his own bed should be brought from his chamber now at the foot of this bed had been fashioned by Odysseus himself out of the stem of an olive tree which was still rooted in the ground and round it he had built the walls of the chamber knowing therefore that the bed could not be moved he exclaimed that the errand was useless for that no mortal could stir it from its place then Penelope knew that it must be Odysseus himself who stood before her and a most touching and affectionate meeting took place between the long separated husband and wife the following day the hero set out to seek his old father Laertes whom he found on one of his estates in the country engaged in digging up a young olive tree the poor old man who was dressed in the humble garb of a laborer bore the traces of deep grief on his furrowed countenance and so shocked was his son at the change in his appearance that for a moment he turned aside to conceal his tears when Odysseus revealed himself to his father as the son whom he had so long mourned as lost the joy of the poor old man was almost greater than he could bear with loving care Odysseus led him into the house were at length for the first time since the departure of his son Laertes once more resumed his regal robes and piously thanked the gods for this great and unlooked for happiness but not yet was the hero permitted to enjoy his well-earned repose for the friends and relatives of the suitors now rose in rebellion against him and pursued him to the abode of his father the struggle however was but a short one after a brief contest negotiations of a peaceful nature were entered into between Odysseus and his subjects recognising the justice of his cause they became reconciled to their chief who for many years continued to reign over them End of section 30 End of Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Behrens