Part 212

=Hercules= (_her´kū-lēz_); called Heracles (_hē´ra-klēz_) by the Greeks.--The most celebrated hero of antiquity, noted especially for his Twelve Labors. He was the son of Jupiter and Alcmene. He showed his prowess at a very early age, for when the jealous Juno sent two serpents to destroy him as he lay in his cradle, the infant hero strangled them with his own hands. His first great adventure happened while he was tending the oxen of his supposititious father, Amphitryon, the husband of Alcmene. A huge lion devastated the flocks of Amphitryon and Thespius, king of Thespiæ. Hercules slew the lion, and thenceforth wore the skin as a garment, although some state that the lion’s skin of Hercules was taken from the Nemean lion which Hercules killed as one of his labors. Next he defeated and killed King Erginus, to whom the Thebans paid tribute. Creon, king of Thebes, gave him his daughter Megara in marriage, and she bore him several children. Soon afterwards Juno drove him mad, and in this state he killed his children. His grief was so great that he went into voluntary exile and was purified by Thespius. He then consulted the celebrated oracle at Delphi as to where he should settle, and was ordered to live at Tiryns and to serve Eurystheus (_ū-ris´thūs_) for twelve years, after which he should become immortal. It was at the bidding of Eurystheus that he performed the following Twelve Labors. Hercules usually carried a huge club which he had cut for himself in the neighborhood of Nemea.

(i) _The fight with the Nemean lion._ Eurystheus ordered Hercules to bring him the skin of this monster. Finding his club and arrows useless, he strangled the animal with his own hands.

(ii) _The fight against the Lernean Hydra._ This monster, which had nine heads, of which the middle one was immortal, dwelt in a swamp, and ravaged the country of Lerna, near Argos. When Hercules struck its heads with his club, for each head he struck off two more appeared. With the assistance of his servant he then burned off its heads, and buried the immortal one under a huge rock. Having done this, he poisoned his arrows with the bile of the monster, thus rendering the wounds inflicted by them incurable.

(iii) _Capture of the Arcadian stag._ This animal had golden antlers and brazen feet, and Hercules was ordered to bring it alive to Eurystheus. After pursuing it in vain for a whole year, he at length wounded it with an arrow, caught it, and bore it away on his shoulders.

(iv) _Capture of the Erymanthian boar._ Hercules chased this animal through the deep snow, and at last caught it in a net and delivered it alive to Eurystheus.

(v) _Cleansing of the stables of Augeas._ Augeas, king of Elis, had a herd of three thousand oxen, whose stalls had not been cleansed for thirty years, and Hercules was ordered to cleanse them in one day. He did it by turning the rivers Alpheus and Peneus through the stalls.

(vi) _Destruction of the Stymphalian birds._ These birds had brazen claws, wings and beaks, used their feathers as arrows, and ate human flesh. They dwelt on a lake near Stymphalus, in Arcadia. Minerva provided Hercules with a brazen rattle, by the noise of which he roused the birds and then killed them with his arrows.

(vii) _Capture of the Cretan bull._ This was a mad bull that made great havoc in the island of Crete. Hercules caught it, and brought it home on his shoulders.

(viii) _Capture of the mares of Diomedes._ These mares were fed with human flesh. Hercules, with a few friends, seized them and led them to Eurystheus.

(ix) _Seizure of the girdle of the queen of the Amazons._ The daughter of Eurystheus having expressed a desire to obtain the girdle of Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons, Hercules was sent to fetch it. After an eventful journey he at length reached the country of the Amazons, and was kindly received by Hippolyte. Juno, however, excited the Amazons against him, and in the contest that ensued Hercules killed Hippolyte and carried off her girdle.

(x) _Capture of the oxen of Geryon._ Geryon was a monster with three bodies. His cattle were guarded by a giant and a two-headed dog. On his journey he erected two pillars (Calpe and Abyla) on the two sides of the Straits of Gibraltar, which were hence called the Pillars of Hercules. He slew the giant, the dog and Geryon himself, and reached home safely with the oxen.

(xi) _Bringing the golden apples of the Hesperides_ (_Hes-per´id-ēz_). These apples, which were given by Ge (the earth) to Juno at her wedding, were kept by the Hesperides and a dragon on Mount Atlas. Hercules obtained the apples, and afterwards dedicated them to Minerva, who restored them to their former place.

(xii) _Bringing Cerberus from the lower world._ This was not only the last, but the most difficult of the Twelve Labors of Hercules. Pluto, the god of the lower world, having given Hercules permission to carry off Cerberus provided he did not use force of arms, he succeeded in seizing the monster and carrying it to the upper world, taking it back again after having shown it to Eurystheus.

Having concluded his Twelve Labors, Hercules was released from the servitude of Eurystheus and returned to Thebes. Later, he became a servant to Omphale (_om´fal-ē_), queen of Lydia and widow of Tmolus, and lived with her in an effeminate manner, he wearing woman’s attire, while Omphale put on his lion’s skin. He afterwards married Deianira (_q.v._), who accompanied him into exile after he had accidentally killed the boy Eunomus. Having to cross a river, Hercules went on first, leaving his wife to be carried over by the centaur Nessus. The latter attempted to do violence to her, but her screams were heard by Hercules, who shot an arrow into the heart of Nessus. Deianira preserved some of the blood of the centaur, as he told her it would enable her to keep the love of her husband. Unfortunately, however, the blood was poisoned with the arrow with which Hercules had shot Nessus, so that when Hercules put on a garment which had been steeped in the blood he speedily suffered most terrible torture, and in endeavoring to wrench the garment off, tore whole pieces of flesh from his body. Deianira, on seeing what she had unwittingly done, hanged herself. Hercules was carried off by the gods to Olympus and married Hebe.

=Hermes= (_her´mēz_).--See “Mercury.”

=Hermione= (_her´mi-o-nē_).--The beautiful daughter of Menelaus and Helen. She was married, first to Neoptolemus and secondly to Orestes.

=Hero= (_he´rō_).--A priestess of Venus in Sestos, beloved by Leander (_q.v._).

=Hesione= (_hē´si-o-nē_).--Daughter of Laomedon, king of Troy, who was exposed by her father to the fury of a sea-monster in order to appease the anger of Apollo and Neptune. Hercules rescued her and gave her to Telamon, to whom she bore Teucer.

=Hesperides= (_hes-per´id-ēz_).--The guardians of the golden apples given by Ge (the Earth) to Juno at her marriage with Jupiter. They were three in number, and were the daughters of Atlas and Hesperis. See “Hercules.”

=Hestia.=--See “Vesta.”

=Hippocrene= (_hip-po-krē´nē_)--_i. e._ the Fountain of the Horse. A fountain near Mount Helicon, sacred to the Muses, and which is fabled to have been produced by a stroke of the hoof of the winged horse Pegasus.

=Hippodamia= (_hip-po-da-mī´a_).--Wife of Pirithous, at whose nuptials took place the celebrated fight between the Centaurs and Lapithæ.

=Hippolyte= (_hip-pol´it-ē_).--Daughter of Mars and queen of the Amazons. She was slain by Hercules (_q.v._).

=Hippolytus= (_hip-pol´it-us_).--Son of Theseus and Hippolyte. In consequence of a false accusation brought against him by his stepmother Phædra, he was thrown out of his chariot and dragged along the ground till he was dead. He was restored to life by Æsculapius.

=Hippomenes= (_hip-pō´men-ēz_).--Son of Megarus, who conquered Atalanta (_q.v._) in a race.

=Hobomoko.=--An evil spirit known among American Indians.

=Hōdeken.=--A famous German kobold, or domestic fairy servant; so called from wearing a little felt hat pulled down over his face.

=Hoder.=--In Norse mythology a blind god who destroyed his brother Baldur, at the instigation of Loki, without meaning to do so. He is the type of night and darkness, as Baldur is of light and day.

=Hofvarpnir.=--The fleet steed of Ina, in Scandinavian legend, which traveled through fire and air and enabled this messenger of the gods to see all that was happening on the earth.

=Honir.=--In Asgard tales, name given to the god of mind or thought.

=Horæ= (_ho´rē_); the Hours.--Daughters of Jupiter and Themis. They presided over the changes of the seasons, and kept watch at the gates of Olympus.

=Horn of Plenty.=--See “Amalthea.”

=Horus.=--The Egyptian god of the sun, son of Osiris and Isis, who was also worshiped in Greece and at Rome.

=Hugin.=--One of Odin’s two ravens, which carried him news from earth, and when not thus employed, perched upon his shoulders. The personification of thought or intellect.

=Hugon.=--A kind of evil spirit in the popular superstition of France--a sort of ogre made use of to frighten children.

=Hyacinthus= (_hi-a-sin´thus_).--A beautiful Spartan youth, beloved by Apollo, but accidentally killed by a blow of his quoit. From his blood sprang the flower of the same name.

=Hyades= (_hī´a-dēz_)--_i. e._ the Rainers. The name of seven nymphs forming a group in the head of Taurus. They were so called because when they rise simultaneously with the sun rainy weather is announced.

=Hygeia= (_hi-jē´i-a_).--The goddess of health, daughter of Æsculapius. She is often represented as a maiden in a long robe, and feeding a serpent from a cup.

=Hylas= (_hi´las_).--A beautiful youth who accompanied Hercules in the Argonautic expedition. On landing for water on the coast of Mysia, he was carried off by the Naiads.

=Hymen= (_hi´men_).--The god of marriage; represented as a handsome youth carrying in his hand a bridal torch.

=Hymettus= (_hi-met´tus_).--A mountain near Athens, famed for its honey and its marble.

=Hyperborei= (_hī-per-bor´e-ī_)--lit. “beyond the north wind.” A fabulous people living in the extreme north in a land of perpetual sunshine, in a state of perfect happiness.

=Hyperion= (_hī-per-ī´ōn_)--lit. “he who goes above.” (i) A name applied to the sun. (ii) A Titan, father of the sun.

=Hypsipyle= (_hip-sip´i-lē_).--Daughter of Thoas, king of Lemnos, in the time of the Argonauts.

=I=

=Iacchus= (_i-ak’us_).--A name of Bacchus.

=Iapetus= (_i-ap’et-us_), or Japetus.--One of the Titans; father of Atlas, Prometheus and Epimetheus.

=Icarus= (_ī-kar’us_).--See “Dædalus.”

=Ichthyophagi= (_ik-thi-of´a-jī_)--_i. e._ fish-eaters.--A name given by the ancients to various peoples on the coasts of Asia and Africa.

=Ida= (_ī´da_).--(i) A mountain range near Troy, celebrated as the scene of the judgment of Paris (_q.v._). From the summit of Ida the gods watched the battles in the plain of Troy. (ii) A high mountain in Crete, on which Jupiter was brought up.

=Idomeneus= (_ī-dom´en-ūs_).--King of Crete, and leader of the Cretans against Troy. He rashly vowed to Neptune that, if the god granted him a safe return, he would sacrifice to him whatever he should first meet on landing. He was met by his son, whom he accordingly sacrificed. A plague came in consequence, and the Cretans expelled Idomeneus.

=Iduna=, or =Idun=.--Daughter of the dwarf Svald, and wife of Bragi. She kept in a box the golden apples which the gods tasted as often as they wished to renew their youth. Loki on one occasion stole the box, but the gods compelled him to restore it. Iduna seems to personify that part of the year when the sun is north of the equator. Her apples indicate fruits generally. Loki carries her off to Giant-land when the sun descends below the equator, and he steals her apples. In time, Iduna makes her escape, in the form of a sparrow, when the sun again rises above the equator; and both gods and men rejoice in her return.

=Ifing.=--In Scandinavian mythology the great stream between the earth and the sacred lands, whose waters never froze.

=Ilioneus= (_ī´li-o-nūs_).--The youngest son of Niobe.

=Ilium= (_ī´li-um_).--A poetical name for Troy, derived from Ilus, the son of Tros, its founder. See “Troja.”

=Indra.=--In Hindu mythology the ever-youthful god of the firmament, and the omnipotent ruler of the elements. He is a most important personage in Indian fable. In the Vedic period of the Hindu religion, he occupied a foremost rank, and, though degraded to an inferior position in the Epic, he long enjoyed a great legendary popularity. In works of art he is represented as riding on an elephant.

=Ino= (_ī´nō_).--Daughter of Cadmus and Hermione, wife of Athamas, king of Thebes.

=Io= (_ī´ō_).--Daughter of a king of Argos; beloved by Jupiter, and through fear of Juno changed into a cow (see “Argus”). Juno now tormented her with a gadfly, and drove her from land to land, swimming the Bosphorus (_i. e._ ox-ford), until she found rest at length in Egypt, where she regained her original form. She was afterwards worshiped as an Egyptian divinity under the name of Isis.

=Iolaus= (_ī-o-lā´us_).--The faithful companion and charioteer of Hercules.

=Iphigenia= (_if-i-jen-ī´a_).--Daughter of Agamemnon and Clytæmnestra, who was to have been offered up by way of expiation for an offense committed by her father against Diana in killing a hart in her sacred grove; but the goddess put a hart in her place and conveyed her to Tauris, when she became the priestess of the goddess. Here she afterwards saved her brother Orestes (_q.v._).

=Iris= (_ī´ris_).--The swift-footed messenger of the gods, the personification of the rainbow. She was the sister of the Harpies.

=Isis= (_ī´sis_).--One of the chief Egyptian goddesses. See “Io.”

=Isocrates= (_ī-sok´ra-tēz_).--A celebrated orator and teacher of rhetoric at Athens. He acquired a large fortune by his profession. He put an end to his life B. C. 338, aged ninety-eight.

=Israfil.=--Known among Arabians as the angel of music, who possessed the most melodious voice of all God’s creatures. This is the angel who is to sound the resurrection trump, and make music for the saints in paradise. Israfil, Gabriel and Michael were the three angels that warned Abraham of Sodom’s destruction.

=Ithaca= (_ith´ak-a_).--An island in the Ionian Sea, celebrated as the birthplace and the kingdom of Ulysses.

=Iulus= (_i-ūl´us_).--Son of Ascanius and grandson of Æneas.

=Ixion= (_iks-ī´on_).--King of the Lapithæ, in Thessaly, and father of Pirithous. Jupiter purified him of a treacherous murder, yet he was sufficiently ungrateful to attempt to win the love of Juno. Jupiter then hurled him into Tartarus, where he was bound fast to a perpetually revolving wheel.

=J=

=Jamshid.=--King of the genii, famous for a golden cup full of the elixir of life. This cup, hidden by the genii, was discovered while digging the foundations of Persepolis.

=Janus= (_jā´nus_).--An old Latin deity, the sun-god. He presided over the beginning of everything; he opened the year, and hence the first month of the year was called after him. He was the porter of heaven. His temple in the Forum had two doors opposite each other, which in time of war were open and in time of peace were shut. The latter happened only thrice in Roman history. He is represented with a face at the back, as well as one at the front, of his head.

=Japetus.=--See “Iapetus.”

=Jason= (_jā´son_).--The famous leader of the Argonauts; was the son of Æson, king of Thessaly, who reigned at Iolcus. The principal part of his history is given under “Argonautæ.” During his absence, while on the Argonautic expedition, his uncle Pelias had slain his father. In order to avenge this deed Medea, the wife of Jason, persuaded the daughters of Pelias to cut their father to pieces and boil him, in the belief that he would thus be restored to youth and vigor. Medea, who was well versed in magic arts, had previously changed a ram into a lamb by similar treatment. In this way, then, Pelias perished miserably, and his son Acastus expelled Jason and Medea from Iolcus. They then went to Corinth, where they lived happily for several years, until Jason deserted her in favor of Creusa, the daughter of Creon, king of Corinth. Medea took fearful vengeance. She sent Creusa a poisoned garment, which burned her to death when she put it on; the palace also took fire, and her father, Creon, perished in the flames. Medea then killed her children, and fled to Athens in a chariot drawn by winged dragons.

=Jinn.=--A sort of fairies in Arabian mythology, the offspring of fire. They are governed by a race of kings named Suleyman, one of whom “built the pyramids.” Their chief abode is the mountain Kâf, and they appear to men under the forms of serpents, dogs, cats, monsters, or even human beings, and become invisible at pleasure. The evil jinn are ugly, but the good are beautiful. According to fable, they were created from fire two thousand years before Adam was made of earth.

=Jord.=--Daughter of Night and mother of Thor. In Scandinavian mythology the name given to primitive earth.

=Juggernaut=, or =Jaggernaut=.--A Hindu god. The temple of this god is in a town of the same name in Orissa.

=Juno= (_jū´no_); called Hera (_hē´ra_) by the Greeks.--The sister and wife of Jupiter, and queen of heaven; daughter of Saturn and Rhea. She was the guardian deity of women, and presided over marriage. She specially watched over the birth of children, and was then invoked under the name of Lucina (_lū-sī´na_). Homer described her as being of a jealous, obstinate and quarrelsome disposition. In consequence of the judgment of Paris (_q.v._), she was hostile to the Trojans, and accordingly sided with the Greeks in the Trojan war. The peacock was sacred to Juno. Juno was also regarded as the guardian of the finances, and had a temple on the Capitoline hill, which contained the mint. Mars, Vulcan and Hebe were her children.

=Jupiter= (_jū´pit-er_); called Zeus (_zūs_) by the Greeks.--King of heaven, and greatest of the Olympian gods; was a son of Saturn and Rhea. He dwelt on Mount Olympus, in Thessaly. He was the father and supreme ruler of gods and men. His first wife was Metis (_q.v._). By Juno, his second wife, he had two sons, Mars and Vulcan, and one daughter, Hebe. The eagle, the oak, and doves were sacred to Jupiter. He was armed with thunderbolts, and surrounded with thick clouds, the former being provided for him by the Cyclops who worked under the direction of Vulcan. Jupiter was regarded as the special protector of Rome, and had a temple on the Capitol. He was looked upon as the guardian of law and the protector of justice and virtue. He was also the ruler of the lower air, hence rain and storms were supposed to come from him. In this connection the Romans applied the surname _Pluvius_ (_i. e._ the rain-bringer) to him, and special sacrifices were offered to him during long-protracted droughts.

=Juventas= (_jū-ven´tas_).--The Roman name for Hebe (_q.v._), the goddess of youth.

=K=

=Kama.=--The Hindu god of love. His wife is Rati (voluptuousness), and he is represented as riding on a sparrow, holding in his hand a bow of flowers and five arrows, each tipped with the bloom of a flower supposed to conquer one of the senses. His power is so much exalted that even the god Brahma is said to succumb to it.

=Kami.=--The gods of ancient Japan. The name, in modern times, designates any spiritual saint, and may also be applied to a prince.

=Kaswa.=--The camel admitted into Moslem paradise, the favorite camel of Mohammed which fell on its knees in adoration when “the prophet” delivered the last clause of the Koran to the assembled multitude at Mecca.

=Kederli.=--In Mohammedan mythology is a god corresponding to the English St. George, and is still invoked by the Turks when they go to war.

=Kelpie.=--In mythology of Scotland a spirit of the water seen in the form of a horse. Each lake has its kelpie.

=Kobold.=--A house-spirit in German superstition. In northern lands the name is sometimes used in place of elf or dwarf, representing an underground spirit. Probably the same as the Scotch brownie.

=Koppelberg.=--The hill which miraculously opened to receive the children who followed the Pied Piper. This belongs to mythology, as people in the middle ages considered Odin as the leader of disembodied spirits, and from this came the Pied Piper. The rats were the restless souls of the dead, which the Pied Piper released by drowning.

=Krishna.=--In Hindu mythology the eighth incarnation of Vishnu. According to some authorities, he is considered distinct from all the Avatars, as these had only a portion of the divinity, and Krishna was Vishnu himself in the form of “the Black One.”

=L=

=Ladon= (_lā´don_).--The dragon that guarded the apples of the Hesperides. It was slain by Hercules.

=Laertes= (_lā-er´tēz_).--King of the island of Ithaca and father of Ulysses. He took part in the Calydonian boar hunt, and in the Argonautic expedition. He lived to see the return of his son to Ithaca, after the fall of Troy.

=Laius= (_lā´i-us_).--King of Thebes and father of Œdipus.

=Laocoon= (_lā-ok´o-on_).--A Trojan, priest of Apollo, who strenuously opposed the admission of the wooden horse into Troy (_q.v._). As he was preparing to sacrifice a bull to Neptune, two fearful serpents swam out of the sea and strangled both him and his two sons.

=Laodamia= (_lā-od-a-mī´a_).--Daughter of Acastus and wife of Protesilaus.

_Laodice_ (_la-od´i-sē_).--(i) Daughter of Priam and Hecuba. (ii) The name given by Homer to Electra, daughter of Agamemnon and Clytæmnestra.

=Laomedon= (_lā-om´e-don_).--King of Troy, father of Priam.

=Lapithæ= (_lap´i-thē_).--A mythical people inhabiting the mountains of Thessaly. They were ruled by Pirithous, who, as Ixion’s son, was half-brother of the Centaurs. When Pirithous married Hippodamia, and invited the Centaurs to the marriage feast, the latter, fired by wine, attempted to carry off the bride and the other women. Hence arose the celebrated fight between the Centaurs and the Lapithæ, in which the former were defeated. The Lapithæ are said to have invented bits and bridles for horses.

=Lares= (_lār´ēz_).--Household divinities--the divinities presiding over the hearth, and the whole house. In great houses the images of the Lares were placed in a separate compartment. At meal times some portion was offered to the Lares, and on festive occasions they were adorned with wreaths.

=Latinus= (_la-tī´nus_).--King of Latium, who gave Æneas his daughter Lavinia in marriage.

=Latmus= (_lat´mus_).--A mountain in Caria, on which Endymion (_q.v._) lay in perpetual sleep.

=Latona= (_la-tō´na_); called Leto (_lē´tō_) by the Greeks. The mother of Apollo and Diana, by Jupiter. She was persecuted by Juno, and wandered from place to place till she came to Delos, which was then a floating island, but which Jupiter fastened by adamantine chains to the bottom of the sea. Here Apollo and Diana were born.

=Lavinia= (_la-vin´i-a_).--Daughter of Latinus and wife of Æneas.

=Leander= (_lē-an´der_).--A young man of Abydos (_a-bī´dos_), who swam across the Hellespont every night to visit Hero, the priestess of Venus, in Sestus. One night, however, during a storm, he perished; and when his corpse was washed on the coast, on the following morning, Hero threw herself into the sea.

=Leda= (_lē´da_).--Wife of Tyndarus, king of Sparta. Jupiter visited her in the form of a swan, and she became the mother of Castor and Pollux, the celebrated Helen of Troy, and Clyæmnestra.

=Lemnos= (_lem´nos_).--One of the largest islands in the Ægean Sea; the abode of Vulcan, who was said to have fallen here when he was hurled down from Olympus. It is now called Stalimene.