Part 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

=Ointment=, see Phaon.

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

=Olives=, see Aristaeus.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

=Opiate-rod=, see Caduceus.

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

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

=Oracles=, see Themis.

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

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

=Orchards=, see Feronia.

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

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

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

"His blank eyes upon the sun."

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

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

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

=Oros= (Oʹros). The Egyptian Apollo.

=Orphans=, see Orbona.

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

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

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

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

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

=Ox=, see Apis.

=Owl=, see Aesculapius and Itys.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

=Paphia= (Paʹphia), a name of Venus.

=Papremis= (Papʹremis). The Egyptian Mars.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

=Peace=, see Concordia.

=Peacock=, see Argus.

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

"Each spurs his faded Pegasus apace." Byron.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

=Perpetual Punishment=, see Sisyphus.

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

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

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

=Persuasion=, goddess of, see Pitho.

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

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

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

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

=Pheasant=, see Itys.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

=Phryxus= (Phryxʹus), see Golden Fleece.

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

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

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

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

=Pillar=, see Calpe.

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

=Pine-Tree=, see Atys.

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

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

=Plants=, see Demogorgon.

=Pleasure=, see Rembha.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

=Poet=, see Parnassus.

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

=Poisonous Herbs=, see Circe.

=Poisonous Lake=, see Avernus.

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

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

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

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

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