Part 215

=Perseus= (_per´sūs_).--Son of Jupiter and Danaë (_q.v._). His most heroic deed was the slaying of the Gorgon Medusa, which he accomplished in the following manner: With the aid of Mercury and Minerva he possessed himself of the winged sandals, the magic wallet, and the helmet of Pluto, which rendered the wearer invisible, and further received from Mercury a sickle, and from Minerva a mirror. Thus provided, he rose into the air and made his way to the abode of the Gorgons. He found them asleep, and cut off with the sickle the head of Medusa, looking at her terrible form in the mirror, as a single glance would have immediately changed him into stone. Perseus placed her head in the magic wallet, which he carried on his back, and escaped in safety from the pursuit of the two other Gorgons, the helmet rendering him invisible. He then proceeded to Æthiopia, where he slew the sea-monster, and saved and married the beautiful Andromeda (_q.v._). The latter having been previously promised, however, to her uncle Phineus, he and several armed companions made their appearance at the nuptials, and endeavored to carry off the bride; but Perseus brought out Medusa’s head, and they were all turned into stone. Perseus afterwards gave the head of Medusa to Minerva, who placed it in the middle of her breastplate or shield. In fulfillment of the oracle he accidentally killed his grandfather Acrisius (_q.v._) with a quoit. He is said to have founded Mycenæ.

=Phæaces= (_fē-ā´sēz_).--A fabulous people represented in the _Odyssey_ as inhabiting the island of Scheria (afterwards Corcyra; now Corfu), and famous as sailors. Alcinous (_q.v._) was their king.

=Phaethon= (_fā´e-thon_)--_lit._ “the shining” (Gr.).--Son of the sungod (Apollo) and Clymene (_klī´men-ē_). Having obtained permission from his father to drive the chariot of the sun across the heavens for one day, he drove so near the earth that he almost set it on fire, his strength being insufficient to keep the horses in the right track. Consequently Jupiter hurled him down with a thunderbolt into the river Padus (Po).

=Phaon= (_fā´ōn_).--A boatman at Mytilene, who, originally an ugly old man, was made young and handsome by Venus, whom he had carried across the sea without payment. Sappho (_q.v._) thus fell in love with him, and, on her love not being returned, threw herself into the sea.

=Philoctetes= (_fil-ok-tē´tēz_).--A very famous archer, a friend of Hercules, who gave him at his death the poisoned arrows without which Troy could not be taken. In the tenth year of the Trojan war he was specially fetched from Lemnos, where he had been detained by a wound, by Ulysses and Diomedes. On arriving at Troy, Æsculapius or his sons cured his wound. He slew Paris and other Trojans.

=Phlegethon= (_fleg´e-thon_)--_lit._ “the blazing” (Gr.).--A river in the lower world, which ran with fire instead of water.

=Phœbe= (_fē´bē_).--A feminine form of Phœbus (_lit._ “the bright one”); applied to Diana, the sister of Apollo, as the goddess of the moon.

=Phœbus= (_fē´bus_)--_lit._ “the bright one” (Gr.).--An epithet applied to Apollo as the god of the sun. See “Apollo.”

=Phœnix= (_fē´nix_).--(i) A fabulous bird described as being as large as an eagle; its head finely crested with a beautiful plumage, its neck covered with gold-colored feathers, its tail white, and its body purple or crimson. (ii) Son of Amyntor, the teacher of Achilles, and his companion during the Trojan war.

=Phorcys= (_for´sis_), or =Phorcus= (_for´kus_).--A sea-god, father of the Gorgons and of the Grææ.

=Phrixus= (_frix´us_).--Son of Athamas and Nephele. Athamas having neglected Nephele (_nef´el-ë_), and married Ino, the latter persuaded him to sacrifice Nephele’s son Phrixus to Jupiter. Nephele, however, enabled her two children, Phrixus and Helle, to escape by means of a ram with golden fleece, the gift of Mercury, which carried them through the air. Helle fell into the sea (see “Helle”), but Phrixus arrived safely in Colchis, the kingdom of Æëtes (_q.v._). Here he sacrificed the ram to Jupiter, and gave its golden fleece to Æëtes, who suspended it to an oak tree in the grove of Mars. To fetch this golden fleece the famous expedition of the Argonauts (see “Argonautæ”) was undertaken.

=Picus= (_pī´kus_).--Son of Saturn and father of Faunus. He was changed by Circe into a woodpecker, because he did not requite her love. The Romans regarded the woodpecker as a prophetic bird, sacred to Mars.

=Pieria= (_pī-er´i-a_).--A district of Macedonia, in the north of Greece; celebrated as one of the earliest seats of the worship of the Muses, who are hence called Pierides (_pī-er´id-ēz_). Hence the following lines:--

“A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.” Pope’s _Essay on Criticism_.

=Pirene= (_pī-rē´nē_).--A noted fountain at Corinth, at which Bellerophon caught Pegasus.

=Pirithous= (_pī-rith´o-us_).--Son of Ixion, whom he succeeded as king of the Lapithæ; famous for his friendship with Theseus. When Pirithous was invading Attica he was opposed by Theseus, king of Athens, for whom he soon conceived feelings of admiration, which afterwards deepened into a lasting friendship. At the marriage of Pirithous with Hippodamia (_hip-po-da-mī´a_) the bride was seized by a drunken Centaur, and thus arose the celebrated fight between the Centaurs and Lapithæ (_q.v._), in which, with the assistance of Theseus, Pirithous and the Lapithæ came off victorious. On the death of Hippodamia, Pirithous conceived the bold project of carrying off Proserpine, wife of Pluto. Accordingly the two friends descended into the lower world, but were seized by Pluto and chained to a rock, where they both remained till Hercules visited that region. Hercules then delivered Theseus, who was suffering punishment merely on account of his friendship for Pirithous; but the latter he left to his fate.

=Pleiades= (_plē´ya-dēz_).--The seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione (_plē´yo-nē_).--They were the virgin companions of Diana, and when pursued by Orion were changed into doves and placed among the stars.

=Pluto= (_plū´tō_).--The god of the nether world; originally called Hades (_hā´dēz_), the name Pluto (_lit._ “wealth”) being applied to him because corn, the _wealth_ of early times, was sent from beneath the earth as his gift. He was the son of Saturn and Rhea, brother of Jupiter and Neptune, and the husband of Proserpine. He possessed a celebrated helmet, which rendered the wearer invisible, and which Perseus (_q.v._) borrowed when he went to slay the Gorgon Medusa. Black sheep were sacrificed to him. Pluto was also called Dis (_dīs_) and Orcus (_or´-kus_).

=Plutus= (_plū´tus_).--The god of wealth; represented as blind.

=Pluvius= (_plū´vi-us_)--lit. “rain-bringing” (Lat.).--A surname of Jupiter, to whom sacrifices were offered in times of drought. See “Jupiter.”

=Pollux.=--See “Castor.”

=Polyhymnia.=--See “Musæ.”

=Polyphemus= (_pol-i-fē´mus_).--Son of Neptune; was one of the celebrated Cyclops living in Sicily. He was a huge monster, having but one eye in the center of his forehead, and ate human flesh. Being rejected by the nymph Galatea in favor of Acis, he crushed the latter under an enormous rock. Ulysses, during his wanderings on his journey homeward after the fall of Troy, was driven upon Sicily, and at once seized by Polyphemus, who shut him and his companions in the great cave in which he dwelt. In the evening he drove his flock into the cave, closed the mouth of the cave with a heavy rock, and ate two of Ulysses’ companions for his supper. The next morning he led his sheep out to pasture, closing the mouth of the cave after him. The wily Ulysses then contrived and successfully carried out the following plan of escape: When the monster returned in the evening, Ulysses offered him some wine he had brought with him, and gave him enough to make him intoxicated. Polyphemus asked Ulysses his name, and the latter gave that of Noman. The giant then fell asleep, whereupon Ulysses and his companions, having made everything ready, bored out his eye with a red-hot piece of timber. Polyphemus roared out, and the other Cyclops dwelling on the island came to the mouth of the cave and inquired what was the matter; Polyphemus replied that _no man_ had injured him, whereupon they all went away. Even now, however, Ulysses could not escape, the cave being closed by such a heavy rock, and had to wait till the following morning. Polyphemus then removed the rock, but sat by the opening and felt the back of each sheep as it passed out. Ulysses, whose name is synonymous with craft itself, had foreseen this, however, and he and his six companions safely passed out by clinging to the wool on the bellies of the sheep. They then made their way to their ships, and quickly put out from the shore. When a little way out Ulysses derided Polyphemus, whereupon the latter threw several immense rocks after him, one of which nearly struck his ship. See _Odyssey_, Book IX.

=Polyxena= (_pol-ix´en-a_).--Daughter of Priam and Hecuba. She was beloved by Achilles, and sacrificed at the grave of the latter by his son Pyrrhus.

=Pomona= (_pō-mō´na_).--The goddess of fruit and fruit trees. Her name is derived from Lat. pomum, fruit (of any kind).

=Ponemah.=--In American Indian mythology the name of the land of the future life, or the spirit land.

=Portunus= (_por-tū´nus_), or =Portumnus= (_por-tum´nus_).--The protecting god of harbors.

=Poseidon= (_po-sī´don_).--See “Neptune.”

=Priam= (_prī´am_).--Son of Laomedon, the famous king of Troy at the time of the Trojan war. The name Priam (Gr.) means the Chief, or Leader. He was the husband of Hecuba, and the father of Paris, Hector, Deiphobus, Cassandra, Polyxena, etc. On the capture of Troy he was slain by Pyrrhus, the son of Achilles.

=Priapus= (_pri-ā´pus_).--Son of Bacchus and Venus. The god of fruitfulness in general, and the protector of flocks of sheep and goats, of bees, of the vine, and of all garden produce.

=Procas= (_prō´kas_).--King of Alba Longa, and father of Numitor and Amulius.

=Procne= (_prok´nē_).--Sister of Philomela (_q.v._).

=Procris= (_prō´kris_).--Wife of Cephalus (_q.v._).

=Procrustes= (_prō-krus´tēz_)--_lit._ “the Stretcher” (Gr.).--The name of a famous robber of Greece, who used to make all his captives fit into his iron bed, either by cutting pieces off their legs if they were too long, or by stretching them out if they were too short. He was slain by Theseus.

=Prometheus= (_pro-mē´thūs_)--_lit._ “Forethought” (Gr.).--Son of the Titan Iapetos, brother of Epimetheus (_ep-i-mē´thūs_), or “After-thought.” The great benefactor of mankind, in spite of Jupiter. He stole fire from Olympus (heaven), and was the inventor of many arts, especially of working in metal and clay, whence he is said to have made man from clay. As a set-off against these advantages, Jupiter gave Pandora (_q.v._) to Epimetheus. He also chained Prometheus to a rock, where in the daytime an eagle consumed his liver, which grew again during each succeeding night. From this perpetual torture he was delivered by Hercules, who killed the eagle.

=Proserpina= (_pro-ser´pin-a_); usually called =Proserpine= (_pros´er-pīn_); called by the Greeks Persephone (_per-sef´on-ē_).--Daughter of Jupiter and Ceres, and queen of the lower world. Her father, unknown to her mother, promised her to Pluto, who carried her off by causing the earth to open beneath her as she was gathering flowers. In consequence of this, Ceres did not allow the earth to bring forth any fruits, and Jupiter was obliged to send Mercury into the lower world to fetch Proserpine back. Pluto allowed her to go, but first gave her a pomegranate to eat. Having thus eaten in the lower world, she was obliged to spend one-third of the year with Pluto, remaining during the other two-thirds with her mother (see “Ceres”). Pluto and Proserpine ruled over the souls of the dead in the lower world.

=Proteus= (_prō´tūs_).--A sea-god who had the power of assuming any form he pleased. He tended the flocks (seals) of Neptune, and at midday rose from the sea and slept in the shade of the rocks. At such times he was much sought after, his prophetic powers being highly valued. When seized by the person wishing to consult him, he, in order to escape, assumed several different shapes in succession; but, if firmly held, he speedily returned to his original form, and prophesied.

=Psyche= (_si´kē_)--_lit._ “the soul” (Gr.).--The following beautiful story shows in an allegorical manner how the human soul is purified by misfortunes and prepared for the enjoyment of true and lasting happiness hereafter: Psyche was the youngest and most beautiful of the three daughters of a king, and by her beauty excited the jealousy of Venus. The goddess consequently ordered Cupid to inspire her with love for some utterly unworthy object; but instead of doing this Cupid himself fell in love with her. He accordingly visited her every night, leaving her always at daybreak. Her jealous sisters, however, made her believe that her midnight lover was a monster, and accordingly she one night brought a lamp while Cupid was asleep, and was astonished to behold the lovely god. In her excitement she let fall a drop of hot oil on the shoulder of Cupid, and so awoke him. He blamed her for her mistrust, and fled. In misery Psyche now wandered from temple to temple, inquiring after her lover, and at length came to the palace of Venus. Here she was treated with great severity and compelled to perform hard and menial tasks, which would have overcome her had not Cupid secretly and invisibly sustained her. At length she overcame the jealousy of Venus, and, becoming immortal, was united to Cupid forever. In works of art Psyche is represented as a maiden with the wings of a butterfly.

=Pukwana.=--The smoke from the calumet or peace pipe among American Indians. The pipe was made from stone found near the headwaters of the Mississippi. A quarry, located near the mountains, was famous among the Indians, who had made the adjacent territory neutral ground. Here they came and provided themselves with pipes. To apply the stone to any other use than that of pipe-making would have been sacrilege in their mind. From the color, they even fancied it to have been made, at the great deluge, out of the flesh of the perishing Indian.

=Puk-Wudjies.=--The pygmies of American Indian folklore; little wild men of the woods.

=Pygmalion= (_pig-mā´li-on_).--King of Cyprus, who became enamored of an ivory statue which he had made. Venus having answered his prayer to her to breathe life into it, he married the maiden.

=Pylades= (_pi´la-dēz_).--Nephew of Agamemnon, and celebrated as the friend of Orestes (_q.v._). He married Electra, the sister of Orestes.

=Pyramus= (_pī´ra-mus_).--The lover of Thisbe (_q.v._).

=Pyrrhus= (_pir´us_).--See “Neoptolemus.”

=Python= (_pi´thon_).--The famous serpent produced from the mud left after the subsidence of the deluge of Deucalion. It was slain near Delphi by Apollo, who founded the Pythian games to commemorate the victory.

=Q=

=Quirinus= (_kwi-rī´nus_).--The name of Romulus after his deification.

=R=

=Rachaders.=--In Indian mythology the second tribe of giants or evil genii, who had frequently made the earth subject to their kings, but were ultimately punished by Siva and Vishnu.

=Radegaste.=--In Slavonic mythology a tutelary god of the Slavi. The head was that of a cow, the breast was covered with an ægis, the left hand held a spear, and a cock surmounted its helmet.

=Ragnarök= (twilight of the gods).--The day of doom, when the present world and all its inhabitants will be annihilated. Vidar and Vali will survive the conflagration, and reconstruct the universe. In Scandinavian mythology the belief is taught that after this time the earth or realm will become imperishable and happiness sure.

=Rahu.=--In Hindu mythology the demon that causes eclipses. One day Rahu stole into Valhalla to quaff some of the nectar of immortality. He was discovered by the Sun and Moon, who informed against him, and Vishnu cut off his head. As he had already taken some of the nectar into his mouth, the head was immortal; and he ever afterward hunted the Sun and Moon, which he caught occasionally, causing eclipses.

=Rakshas.=--Evil spirits in Hindu myths, who guard the treasure of Kuvera, the god of riches. They haunt cemeteries and devour human beings; assume any shape at will, and their strength increases as the day declines. Some are hideously ugly, but others, especially the female spirits, allure by their beauty.

=Ravana.=--According to Indian mythology, was fastened down between heaven and earth for ten thousand years by Siva’s leg, for attempting to move the hill of heaven to Ceylon. He is described as a demon giant with ten faces.

=Ravens.=--According to an oracle from the gods, delivered at ancient Athens, ravens prognosticate famine and death because they bear the characteristics of Saturn, the author of these calamities, and have a very early perception of the malign influence of that planet.

=Remus= (_rē´mus_).--The brother of Romulus (_q.v._).

=Rhadamanthus= (_rad-a-man´thus_).--Son of Jupiter and Europa, and brother of Minos. He was one of the three judges in the lower world, the other two being Æacus and Minos.

=Rhea= (_rē´a_).--See “Cybele.”

=Rhea Silvia= (_rē´a sil´vi-a_).--Daughter of Numitor, and mother of Romulus and Remus.

=Rhesus= (_rē´sus_).--A Thracian prince, who went to the assistance of Troy. As an oracle had declared that Troy would never be taken if the snow-white horses of Rhesus once drank of the Xanthus and fed on the grass of the Trojan plain. Diomedes and Ulysses slew Rhesus on the night of his arrival on Trojan territory, and carried off his horses.

=Rhodope= (_rod´o-pē_).--A lofty mountain range in Thrace, which, like the rest of Thrace, was sacred to Bacchus.

=Romulus= (_rom´u-lus_).--The founder and first king of Rome; twin-brother of Remus, son of Silvia by Mars. Silvia was the daughter of Numitor and a vestal virgin, hence the twins were condemned to be thrown into the Tiber. This was done; but the cradle stranded, and they were suckled by a she-wolf. They were afterwards found by Faustulus, the shepherd of king Amulius, who handed them over to the care of his wife Acca Larentia. When grown up, they decided to found a city on the Tiber; but in a dispute as to the site, Romulus killed Remus. When the city was built, it was found that women were very scarce. Romulus accordingly proclaimed that games were to be celebrated, and invited his neighbors, the Latins and Sabines, to the festival, during which the Roman youths carried off the maidens--this being generally referred to as “The Rape of the Sabine Women.” Hence arose a war between the two peoples, which was brought to a termination by the Sabine women rushing in between the armies and praying them to be reconciled. After a reign of thirty-seven years, Romulus was taken up to heaven by his father Mars in a fiery chariot. He was then worshiped by the Romans as Quirinus (_kwi-rī´nus_).

=S=

=Saga.=--Goddess of history in Scandinavian mythology.

=Salamander.=--A fabulous animal supposed by the ancients to live in and have the quality of eating fire.

=Salmoneus= (_sal-mō´nūs_).--Son of Æolus and brother of Sisyphus. He presumed to imitate the thunder and lightning of Jupiter, and was consequently hurled down to Tartarus with a thunderbolt by the father of the gods.

=Sarpedon= (_sar-pē´don_).--(i) Son of Jupiter and Europa, king of the Lycians. Jupiter granted him the privilege of living three generations. (ii) Grandson of the preceding; assisted the Trojans in the Trojan war, but was slain by Patroclus.

=Saturnus= (_sā-tur´nus_); usually called =Saturn= (_sat´urn_); called by the Greeks Cronos.--A mythical king of Italy, whose reign was the “golden age.” He was the son of Uranus (Heaven) and Gæa (Earth), the husband of Rhea, and the father of Jupiter, Juno, Pluto, Neptune, etc. He was the god of agriculture and of civilization in general. He was dethroned from the government of the world by his son Jupiter. His temple in Rome was used as the state treasury.

=Satyri= (_sat´er-ī_), or =Satyrs= (_sat´erz_).--A kind of wood-deities, resembling apes, with two goats-feet, and very lascivious. The older Satyrs were generally called Sileni (_sī-lē´nī_), and the younger ones Satyrisci. They were described as fond of wine, sleep, and music.

=Scamander= (_ska-man´der_).--A celebrated river near Troy.

=Scamandrius= (_ska-man´dri-us_), or =Scamander=.--Son of Hector and Andromache (_an-drom´a-kē_), whom the Trojans called Astyanax (_q.v._).

=Sciron= (_sĩ´ron_).--A famous robber of Attica, slain by Theseus. He compelled those he robbed to wash his feet on the Scironian rock (which was named after him), and at the completion of the process kicked them over the rock into the sea. At the base of the rock was a tortoise, which devoured them.

=Scylla= (_sill´a_), and =Charybdis= (_ka-rib´dis_).--The names of two rocks, opposite to one another, between Italy and Sicily. In the one nearest to Italy was a cave in which dwelt Scylla, who was a terrible creature (female) with six long necks and heads, each of which contained three rows of sharp teeth, twelve feet, and barking like a dog. On the opposite rock, Charybdis, dwelt a being of the same name under an immense fig tree. Thrice a day she swallowed the waters of the sea and thrice threw them up again. Between these rocks, Scylla and Charybdis, the sea was very narrow and very dangerous. Hence mariners had to exercise great vigilance lest while avoiding Scylla they did not fall on Charybdis. This last expression is often used in speaking of cases where a middle course has to be carefully steered between two threatening difficulties.

=Scyros= (_sī´ros_).--An island in the Ægean Sea, near Eubœa. Here Achilles--at the court of King Lycomedes--was concealed, dressed as a woman, by his mother Thetis, in order to prevent his going to the Trojan war.

=Sedrat.=--The lotus tree which stands on the right hand side of the invisible throne of Allah. Its branches extend wider than the distance between heaven and earth. Its leaves resemble the ears of an elephant. Each seed of its fruit incloses an houri; and two rivers issue from its roots. Numberless birds sing among its branches, and numberless angels rest beneath its shade.

=SCENES FROM THE STORY OF PSYCHE AND VENUS=