Читать книгу 1000 Mythological Characters Briefly Described. Adapted to Private Schools, High Schools and Academies - Ellis Edward Sylvester - Страница 2

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Abas (A′bas), a son of Meganira, was turned into a newt, or water-lizard, for deriding the ceremonies of the Sacrifice.

Absyrtus (Absy′rtus). After Jason had slain the dragon which guarded the golden fleece, he fled with Medea, the beautiful young sorceress, and daughter of Aeetes, who pursued with great energy, for Medea had taken with her the most precious treasure of the king, his only son and heir, Absyrtus. To delay the pursuit, Medea slew her little brother, cut the body in pieces, and dropped them over the side of the vessel. Thus the cruel daughter effected her escape.

Achelous (Achelo′us) was a river god, and the rival of Hercules in his love for Deianira. To decide who should have the bride, Hercules and Achelous had recourse to a wrestling bout, the fame of which extends through all the intervening centuries. In this fierce struggle, Achelous changed himself into the form of a bull and rushed upon his antagonist with lowered horns, intending to hurl him aside. Hercules eluded the onset, and seizing one of the huge horns, held it so firmly that it was broken off by the furious efforts of Achelous to free himself. He was defeated, and finally turned himself into a river, which has since been known by his name.

Acheron (Ach′eron) (see “The Youth’s Classical Dictionary”). The current of the river Acheron, across which all souls had to pass to hear their decree from Pluto, was so swift that the boldest swimmer dare not attempt to breast it; and, since there was no bridge, the spirits were obliged to rely upon the aid of Charon, an aged boatman, who plied the only boat that was available. He would allow no soul to enter this leaky craft until he had received the obolus, or fare, which the ancients carefully placed under the tongue of the dead, that they might not be delayed in their passage to Pluto. Those who had not their fare were forced to wait one hundred years, when Charon reluctantly ferried them over without charge.

Achilles (Achil′les) was the most valiant of the Greek heroes in the Trojan War. He was the son of Peleus, King of Thessaly. His mother, Thetis, plunged him, when an infant, into the Stygian pool, which made him invulnerable wherever the waters had washed him; but the heel by which he was held was not wetted, and that part remained vulnerable. He was shot with an arrow in the heel by Paris, at the siege of Troy, and died of his wound.

Acidalia (Acida′lia), a name given to Venus, from a fountain in Boeotia.

Acis (A′cis). A Sicilian shepherd, loved by the nymph Galatea. One of the Cyclops who was jealous of him crushed him by hurling a rock on him. Galatea turned his blood into a river – the Acis at the foot of Mount Etna.

Actaeon (Actae′on) was the son of Aristaeus, a famous huntsman. He intruded himself on Diana while she was bathing, and was changed by her into a deer, in which form he was hunted by his own dogs and torn in pieces.

Ades (A′des), see Hades.

Adonis (Ado′nis), the beautiful attendant of Venus, who held her train. He was killed by a boar, and turned by Venus into an anemone.

Adrastaea (Adrastae′a), another name of Nemesis, one of the goddesses of justice.

Adscriptitii Dii (Adscripti′tii Dii) were the gods of the second grade.

Adversity, see Echidna.

Aeacus (Ae′acus), one of the judges of hell, with Minos and Rhadamanthus. See Eacus.

Aecastor (Aecas′tor), an oath used only by women, referring to the Temple of Castor.

Aedepol (Aed′epol), an oath used by both men and women, referring to the Temple of Pollux.

Aeetes (Aee′tes), a king of Colchis, and father of Medea.

Aegeon (Aege′on), a giant with fifty heads and one hundred hands, who was imprisoned by Jupiter under Mount Etna. See Briareus.

Aegis (Ae′gis), the shield of Jupiter, so called because it was made of goat-skin.

Aegle (Ae′gle). The fairest of the Naiads.

Aello (Ael′lo), the name of one of the Harpies.

Aeneas (Aene′as) was the son of Anchises and Venus. He was one of the few great captains who escaped the destruction of Troy. He behaved with great valor during the siege, encountering Diomed, and even Achilles himself. When the Grecians had set the city on fire Aeneas took his aged father, Anchises, on his shoulders, while his son, Ascanius, and his wife Creusa, clung to his garments. He saved them all from the flames. After wandering about during several years, encountering numerous difficulties, he at length arrived in Italy, where he was hospitably received by Latinus, king of the Latins. After the death of Latinus Aeneas became king.

Aeolus (Aeo′lus) was the god of the winds. Jupiter was his reputed father, and his mother is said to have been a daughter of Hippotus. Aeolus is represented as having the power of holding the winds confined in a cavern, and occasionally giving them liberty to blow over the world. So much command was he supposed to have over them that when Ulysses visited him on his return from Troy he gave him, tied up in a bag, all the winds that could prevent his voyage from being prosperous. The companions of Ulysses, fancying that the bag contained treasure, cut it open just as they came in sight of Ithaca, the port they were making for, and the contrary winds rushing out drove back the ship many leagues. The residence of Aeolus was at Strongyle, now called Strombolo.

Aesculapius (Aescula′pius), the god of physic, was a son of Apollo. He was physician to the Argonauts in their famous expedition to Colchis. He became so noted for his cures that Pluto became jealous of him, and he requested Jupiter to kill him with a thunderbolt. To revenge his son’s death Apollo slew the Cyclops who had forged the thunderbolt. By his marriage with Epione he had two sons, Machaon and Podalirius, both famous physicians, and four daughters, of whom Hygeia, the goddess of health, is the most renowned. Many temples were erected in honor of Aesculapius, and votive tablets were hung therein by people who had been healed by him; but his most famous shrine was at Epidaurus, where, every five years, games were held in his honor. This god is variously represented, but the most famous statue shows him seated on a throne of gold and ivory. His head is crowned with rays, and he wears a long beard. A knotty stick is in one hand, and a staff entwined with a serpent is in the other, while a dog lies at his feet.

Aeson (Ae′son) was father of Jason, and was restored to youth by Medea.

Agamemnon (Agamem′non) was the son of Plisthenes and brother of Menelaus. He was king of the Argives. His brother’s wife was the famous Helen, daughter of Tyndarus, king of Sparta; and when she eloped with Paris, Agamemnon was appointed leader of the Greeks in their expedition against Troy.

Aganippides (Aganip′pides), a name of the Muses, derived from the fountain of Aganippe.

Agineus (Agine′us), see Apollo.

Aglaia (Agla′ia) was one of the Three Graces.

Agni (Ag′ni). The Hindoo god of lightning.

Ajax (A′jax) was one of the bravest of the Greek warriors in the Trojan War. His father was Telamon, and his mother Eriboea. Some writers say that he was killed by Ulysses; others aver that he was slain by Paris; while others again assert that he went mad after being defeated by Ulysses, and killed himself. Another Ajax, son of Oileus, also took a prominent part in the Trojan War.

Alcestis (Alces′tis), wife of Admetus, who, to save her husband’s life, died in his stead, and was restored to life by Hercules.

Alcides (Alci′des), one of the names of Hercules.

Alcmena (Alcme′na), the mother of Hercules, was daughter of Electryon, a king of Argos.

Alecto (Alec′to) was one of the Furies. She is depicted as having serpents instead of hair on her head, and was supposed to breed pestilence wherever she went.

Alectryon (Alec′tryon), a servant of Mars, who was changed by him into a cock because he did not warn his master of the rising of the sun.

Alfadur (Al′fadur), in Scandinavian Mythology the Supreme Being – Father of all.

Alma Mammosa (Al′ma Mammo′sa), a name of Ceres.

Alpheus (Alphe′us), a river god. See Arethusa.

Altar. A structure on which a sacrifice was offered. The earliest altars were merely heaps of earth or turf or rough unhewn stone; but as the mode of sacrificing became more ceremonious grander altars were built. Some were of marble and brass, ornamented with carvings and bas-reliefs, and the corners with models of the heads of animals. They varied in height from two feet to twenty, and some were built solid; others were made hollow to retain the blood of the victims. Some were provided with a kind of dish, into which frankincense was thrown to overpower the smell of burning fat. This probably was the origin of the custom of burning incense at the altar.

Amalthaea (Amal′thae′a), the goat which nourished Jupiter.

Amazons (Am′azons) were a nation of women-soldiers who lived in Scythia. Hercules totally defeated them, and gave Hippolyte, their queen, to Theseus for a wife. The race seems to have been exterminated after this battle.

Ambarvalia (Ambarva′lia) were festivals in honor of Ceres, instituted by Roman husbandmen to purge their fields. At the spring festival the head of each family led an animal, usually a pig or ram, decked with oak boughs, round his grounds, and offered milk and new wine. After harvest there was another festival, at which Ceres was presented with the first-fruits of the season. See Ceres.

Amber, see Heliades.

Ambrosia (Ambro′sia) were Bacchanalian festivals.

Amica (Ami′ca), a name of Venus.

Amphion (Amphi′on) was the son of Jupiter and Antiope. He was greatly skilled in music; and it is said that, at the sound of his lute, the stones arranged themselves so regularly as to make the walls of the city of Thebes.

Amphitrite (Amphitri′te) (or Salatia), the wife of Neptune, was a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. She was the mother of Triton, a sea god.

Amycus (Amy′cus) was king of Bebrycia. He was a son of Neptune, and was killed by Pollux.

Ancaeus (Ancae′us). A son of Neptune, who left a cup of wine to hunt a wild boar which killed him, and the wine was untasted. This was the origin of the proverb – “There’s many a slip ’twixt cup and lip.”

Ancilia (Ancil′ia), the twelve sacred shields. The first Ancile was supposed to have fallen from heaven in answer to the prayer of Numa Pompilius. It was kept with the greatest care, as it was prophesied that the fate of the Roman people would depend upon its preservation. An order of priesthood was established to take care of the Ancilia, and on 1st March each year the shields were carried in procession, and in the evening there was a great feast, called Coena Saliaris.

Andromeda (Androm′eda), the daughter of Cepheus, king of the Ethiopians, was wife of Perseus, by whom she was rescued when she was chained to a rock and was about to be devoured by a sea-monster.

Anemone (Anem′one). Venus changed Adonis into this flower.

Angeronia (Angero′nia), otherwise Volupia, was the goddess who had the power of dispelling anguish of mind.

Anna Perenna (Anna Peren′na), one of the rural divinities.

Antaeus (Antae′us), a giant who was vanquished by Hercules. Each time that Hercules threw him the giant gained fresh strength from touching the earth, so Hercules lifted him off the ground and squeezed him to death.

Anteros (An′teros), one of the two Cupids, sons of Venus.

Anticlea (Antic′lea), the mother of Ulysses.

Antiope (Anti′ope) was the wife of Lycus, King of Thebes. Jupiter, disguised as a satyr, led her astray and corrupted her.

Anubis (Anu′bis) (or Hermanubis (Herman′ubis)). “A god half a dog, a dog half a man.” Called Barker by Virgil and other poets.

Aonides (Aon′ides), a name of the Muses, from the country Aonia.

Apaturia (Apatur′ia), an Athenian festival, which received its name from a Greek word signifying deceit.

Aphrodite (Aph′rodi′te), a Greek name of Venus.

Apis, a name given to Jupiter by the inhabitants of the Lower Nile. Also the miraculous ox, worshiped in Egypt.

Apis (A′pis), King of Argivia. Afterward called Serapis, the greatest god of the Egyptians.

Apollo (Apol′lo). This famous god, some time King of Arcadia, was the son of Jupiter and Latona. He was known by several names, but principally by the following: – Sol (the sun); Cynthius, from the mountain called Cynthus in the Isle of Delos, and this same island being his native place obtained for him the name of Delius; Delphinius, from his occasionally assuming the shape of a dolphin. His name of Delphicus was derived from his connection with the splendid Temple at Delphi, where he uttered the famous oracles. Some writers record that this oracle became dumb when Jesus Christ was born. Other common names of Apollo were Didymaeus, Nomius, Paean, and Phoebus. The Greeks called him Agineus, because the streets were under his guardianship, and he was called Pythius from having killed the serpent Python. Apollo is usually represented as a handsome young man without beard, crowned with laurel, and having in one hand a bow, and in the other a lyre. The favorite residence of Apollo was on Mount Parnassus, a mountain of Phocis, in Greece, where he presided over the Muses. Apollo was the accredited father of several children, but the two most renowned were Aesculapius and Phaeton.

Apotheosis (Apothe′osis). The consecration of a god. The ceremony of deification.

Arachne (Arach′ne), a Lydian princess, who challenged Minerva to a spinning contest, but Minerva struck her on the head with a spindle, and turned her into a spider.

Arcadia (Arca′dia), a delightful country in the center of Peloponnessus, a favorite place of the gods. Apollo was reputed to have been King of Arcadia.

Arcas (Ar′cas), a son of Calisto, was turned into a he-bear; and afterward into the constellation called Ursa Minor.

Archer, see Chiron.

Areopagitae (Areop′agi′tae), the judges who sat at the Areopagus.

Areopagus (Areop′agus), the hill at Athens where Mars was tried for murder before twelve of the gods.

Ares (A′res). The same as Mars, the god of war.

Arethusa (Arethu′sa) was one of the nymphs of Diana. She fled from Alpheus, a river god, and was enabled to escape by being turned by Diana into a rivulet which ran underground. She was as virtuous as she was beautiful.

Argonauts (Ar′gonauts). This name was given to the fifty heroes who sailed to Colchis in the ship Argo, under the command of Jason, to fetch the Golden Fleece.

Argus (Ar′gus) was a god who had a hundred eyes which slept and watched by turns. He was charged by Juno to watch Io, but, being slain by Mercury, was changed by Juno into a peacock.

Ariadne (Ariad′ne), daughter of Minos, King of Crete. After enabling Theseus to get out of the Labyrinth by means of a clew of thread, she fled with him to Naxos, where he ungratefully deserted her; but Bacchus wooed her and married her, and the crown of seven stars which he gave her was turned into a constellation.

Arion (Ari′on) was a famous lyric poet of Methymna, in the Island of Lesbos, where he gained great riches by his art. There is a pretty fable which has made the name of Arion famous. Once when traveling from Lesbos his companions robbed him, and proposed to throw him into the sea. He entreated the seamen to let him play upon his harp before they threw him overboard, and he played so sweetly that the dolphins flocked round the vessel. He then threw himself into the sea, and one of the dolphins took him up and carried him to Taenarus, near Corinth. For this act the dolphin was raised to heaven as a constellation.

Aristaeus (Aristae′us), son of Apollo and Cyrene, was the god of trees; he also taught mankind the use of honey, and how to get oil from olives. He was a celebrated hunter. His most famous son was Actaeon.

Armata (Arma′ta), one of the names of Venus, given to her by Spartan women.

Artemis (Ar′temis). This was the Grecian name of Diana, and the festivals at Delphi were called Artemisia.

Arts and Sciences, see Muses.

Aruspices (Arus′pices), sacrificial priests.

Ascalaphus (Ascal′aphus) was changed into an owl, the harbinger of misfortune, by Ceres, because he informed Pluto that Proserpine had partaken of food in the infernal regions, and thus prevented her return to earth.

Ascanius (Asca′nius), the son of Aeneas and Creusa.

Ascolia (Ascol′ia), Bacchanalian feasts, from a Greek word meaning a leather bottle. The bottles were used in the games to jump on.

Asopus (Aso′pus). A son of Jupiter, who was killed by one of his father’s thunderbolts.

Assabinus (Assabi′nus), the Ethiopian name of Jupiter.

Ass’s ears, see Midas.

Astarte (Astar′te), one of the Eastern names of Venus.

Asteria (Aste′ria), daughter of Caeus, was carried away by Jupiter, who assumed the shape of an eagle.

Astrea (Astre′a), mother of Nemesis, was the goddess of justice; she returned to heaven when the earth became corrupt.

Atalanta (Atalan′ta) was daughter of Caeneus. The oracle told her that marriage would be fatal to her, but, being very beautiful, she had many suitors. She was a very swift runner, and, to get rid of her admirers, she promised to marry any one of them who should outstrip her in a race, but that all who were defeated should be slain. Hippomenes, however, with the aid of Venus, was successful. That goddess gave him three golden apples, one of which he dropped whenever Atalanta caught up to him in the race. She stopped to pick them up, and he was victorious and married her. They were both afterward turned into lions by Cybele, for profaning her temple.

Ate (A′te). The goddess of revenge, also called the goddess of discord and all evil. She was banished from heaven by her father Jupiter.

Athena (Athe′na), a name obtained by Minerva as the tutelary goddess of Athens.

Atlas, was King of Mauritania, now Morocco, in Africa. He was also a great astronomer. He is depicted with the globe on his back, his name signifying great toil or labor. For his inhospitality to Perseus that king changed him into the mountain which bears his name of Atlas. A chain of mountains in Africa is called after him, and so is the Atlantic Ocean. He had seven daughters by his wife Pleione, they were called by one common name, Pleiades; and by his wife Aethra he had seven more, who were, in the same manner, called Hyades. Both the Pleiades and the Hyades are celestial constellations.

Atreus (At′reus), the type of fraternal hatred. His dislike of his brother Thyestes went to the extent of killing and roasting his nephews, and inviting their father to a feast, which Thyestes thought was a sign of reconciliation, but he was the victim of his brother’s detestable cruelty.

Atropos (At′ropos), one of the three sisters called The Fates, who held the shears ready to cut the thread of life.

Atys (A′tys), son of Croesus, was born dumb, but when in a fight he saw a soldier about to kill the king he gained speech, and cried out, “Save the king!” and the string that held his tongue was broken.

Atys (A′tys) was a youth beloved by Aurora, and was slain by her father, but, according to Ovid, was afterward turned into a pine-tree.

Augaeas (Aug′aeas), a king of Elis, the owner of the stable which Hercules cleansed after three thousand oxen had been kept in it for thirty years. It was cleansed by turning the river Alpheus through it. Augaeas promised to give Hercules a tenth part of his cattle for his trouble but, for neglecting to keep his promise, Hercules slew him.

Augury (Au′gury). This was a means adopted by the Romans of forming a judgment of futurity by the flight of birds, and the officiating priest was called an augur.

Aurora (Auro′ra), the goddess of the morning,

She was daughter of Sol, the sun, and was the mother of the stars and winds. She is represented as riding in a splendid golden chariot drawn by white horses. The goddess loved Tithonus, and begged the gods to grant him immortality, but forgot to ask at the same time that he should not get old and decrepit. See Tithonus.

Auster (Aus′ter), the south wind, a son of Jupiter.

Avernus (Aver′nus), a poisonous lake, referred to by poets as being at the entrance of the infernal regions, but it was really a lake in Campania, in Italy.

Averruncus Deus (Averrun′cus Deus), a Roman god, who could divert people from evil-doing.

Axe, see Daedalus.

Baal (Ba′al), a god of the Phoenicians.

Baal-Peor (Ba′al-Pe′or), a Moabitish god, associated with licentiousness and obscenity. The modern name is Belphegor.

Babes, see Rumia Dea.

Bacchantes (Bac′chantes). The priestesses of Bacchus.

Bacchus (Bac′chus), the god of wine, was the son of Jupiter and Semele. He is said to have married Ariadne, daughter of Minos, King of Crete, after she was deserted by Theseus. The most distinguished of his children is Hymen, the god of marriage. Bacchus is sometimes referred to under the names of Dionysius, Biformis, Brisaeus, Iacchus, Lenaeus, Lyceus, Liber, and Liber Pater, the symbol of liberty. The god of wine is usually represented as crowned with vine and ivy leaves. In his left hand is a thyrsus, a kind of javelin, having a fir cone for the head, and being encircled with ivy or vine. His chariot is drawn by lions, tigers, or panthers.

Balios (Ba′lios). A famous horse given by Neptune to Peleus as a wedding present, and was afterward given to Achilles.

Barker, see Anubis.

Bassarides (Bassar′ides). The priestesses of Bacchus were sometimes so called.

Battle, see Valhalla.

Bear, see Calisto.

Beauty, see Venus.

Bees, see Mellona.

Belisama (Belisa′ma), a goddess of the Gauls. The name means the Queen of Heaven.

Bellerophon (Beller′ophon), a hero who destroyed a monster called the Chimaera.

Bellona (Bello′na), the goddess of war, and wife of Mars. The 24th March was called Bellona’s Day, when her votaries cut themselves with knives and drank the blood of the sacrifice.

Belphegor (Belphe′gor), see Baal-Peor.

Belus (Be′lus). The Chaldean name of the sun.

Berecynthia (Berecyn′thia), a name of Cybele, from a mountain where she was worshiped.

Biformis (Bi′formis), a name of Bacchus, because he was accounted both bearded and beardless.

Birds, see Augury.

Births, see Lucina and Levana.

Blacksmith, see Brontes and Vulcan.

Blind, see Thamyris.

Blue eyes, see Glaukopis.

Bona Dea (Bo′na De′a). “The bountiful goddess,” whose festival was celebrated by the Romans with much magnificence. See Ceres.

Bonus Eventus (Bo′nus Even′tus). The god of good success, a rural divinity.

Boreas (Bo′reas), the north wind, son of Astraeus and Aurora.

Boundaries, see Terminus.

Boxing, see Pollux.

Brahma (Brah′ma). The great Indian deity, represented with four heads looking to the four quarters of the globe.

Briareus (Bri′areus), a famous giant. See Aegeon.

Brisaeus (Bris′aeus). A name of Bacchus, referring to the use of grapes and honey.

Brontes (Bront′es), one of the Cyclops. He is the personification of a blacksmith.

Bubona (Bubo′na), goddess of herdsmen, one of the rural divinities.

Buddha (Bud′dha). Primitively, a pagan deity, the Vishnu of the Hindoos.

Byblis (Byb′lis). A niece of Sol, mentioned by Ovid. She shed so many tears for unrequited love that she was turned into a fountain.

Cabiri (Cab′iri). The mysterious rites connected with the worship of these deities were so obscene that most writers refer to them as secrets which it was unlawful to reveal.

Cacodaemon (Cac′odae′mon). The Greek name of an evil spirit.

Cacus (Ca′cus), a three-headed monster and robber.

Cadmus (Cad′mus), one of the earliest of the Greek demi-gods. He was the reputed inventor of letters, and his alphabet consisted of sixteen letters. It was Cadmus who slew the Boeotian dragon, and sowed its teeth in the ground, from each of which sprang up an armed man.

Caduceus (Cadu′ceus). The rod carried by Mercury. It has two winged serpents entwined round the top end. It was supposed to possess the power of producing sleep, and Milton refers to it in Paradise Lost as the “opiate rod.”

Calisto (Calis′to), an Arcadian nymph, who was turned into a she-bear by Jupiter. In that form she was hunted by her son Arcas, who would have killed her had not Jupiter turned him into a he-bear. The nymph and her son form the constellations known as the Great Bear and Little Bear.

Calliope (Calli′ope). The Muse who presided over epic poetry and rhetoric. She is generally depicted using a stylus and wax tablets, the ancient writing materials.

Calpe (Cal′pe). One of the pillars of Hercules.

Calypso (Calyp′so) was queen of the island of Ogygia, on which Ulysses was wrecked, and where he was persuaded to remain seven years.

Cama (Ca′ma). The Indian god of love and marriage.

Camillus (Camil′lus), a name of Mercury, from his office of minister to the gods.

Canache (Can′ache). The name of one of Actaeon’s hounds.

Canopus (Cano′pus). The Egyptian god of water, the conqueror of fire.

Capis (Cap′is) or Capula (Cap′ula). A peculiar cup with ears, used in drinking the health of the deities.

Capitolinus (Capitoli′nus). A name of Jupiter, from the Capitoline hill, on the top of which a temple was built and dedicated to him.

Capripedes (Cap′ri′pedes). Pan, the Egipans, the Satyrs, and Fauns, were so called from having goat’s feet.

Caprotina (Caproti′na). A name of Juno.

Cassandra (Cassan′dra), a daughter of Priam and Hecuba, who was granted by Apollo the power of seeing into futurity, but having offended that god he prevented people from believing her predictions.

Cassiopeia (Cassiope′ia). The Ethiopian queen who set her beauty in comparison with that of the Nereides, who thereupon chained her to a rock and left her to be devoured by a sea-monster, but she was delivered by Perseus. See Andromeda.

Castalia (Casta′lia). One of the fountains in Mount Parnassus, sacred to the Muses.

Castalides (Casta′li′des), a name of the Muses, from the fountain Castalia or Castalius.

Castor (Cas′tor), son of Jupiter and Leda, twin brother of Pollux, noted for his skill in horsemanship. He went with Jason in quest of the Golden Fleece.

Cauther (Cau′ther), in Mohammedan mythology, is the lake of paradise, whose waters are as sweet as honey, as cold as snow, and as clear as crystal; and any believer who tastes thereof is said to thirst no more.

Celeno (Cel′eno) was one of the Harpies, progenitor of Zephyrus, the west wind.

Centaur (Cen′taur). A huntsman who had the forepart like a man, and the remainder of the body like a horse. The Centauri lived in Thessaly.

Cephalus (Cep′halus) was married to Procris, whom he accidentally slew by shooting her while she was secretly watching him, he thinking she was a wild beast. Cephalus was the type of constancy.

Ceraunius (Cerau′nius). A Greek name of Jupiter, meaning The Fulminator, from his thunderbolts.

Cerberus (Cer′berus). Pluto’s famous three-headed dog, which guarded the gate of the infernal regions, preventing the living from entering, and the inhabitants from going out.

Ceremonies, see Themis.

Ceres (Ce′res), daughter of Saturn, the goddess of agriculture, and of the fruits of the earth. She taught Triptolemus how to grow corn, and sent him to teach the inhabitants of the earth. She was known by the names of Magna Dea, Bona Dea, Alma Mammosa, and Thesmorphonis. Ceres was the mother of Proserpine. See Ambarvalia.

Cestus (Ces′tus), the girdle of Venus, which excited irresistible affection.

Chaos (Cha′os) allegorically represented the confused mass of matter supposed to have existed before the creation of the world, and out of which the world was formed.

Charon (Char′on) was the son of Nox and Erebus. He was the ferryman who conveyed the spirits of the dead, in a boat, over the rivers Acheron and Styx to the Elysian Fields. “Charon’s toll” was a coin put into the hands of the dead with which to pay the grim ferryman.

Charybdis (Charyb′dis). A dangerous whirlpool on the coast of Sicily. Personified, it was supposed to have been a woman who plundered travelers, but was at last killed by Hercules. Scylla and Charybdis are generally spoken of together to represent alternative dangers.

Chemos (Che′mos). The Moabitish god of war.

Children, see Nundina.

Chimaera (Chimae′ra). A wild illusion, personified in the monster slain by Bellerophon. It had the head and breast of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. It used to vomit fire.