Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome 7

Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome 7

But though Apollo was so renowned in the art of music, there were two

individuals who had the effrontery to consider themselves equal to him in

this respect, and, accordingly, each challenged him to compete with them in

a musical contest. These were Marsyas and Pan. Marsyas was a satyr, who,

having picked up the flute which Athene had thrown away in disgust,

discovered, to his great delight and astonishment, that, in consequence of

its having touched the lips of a goddess, it played of itself in the most

charming manner. Marsyas, who was a great lover of music, and much beloved

on this account by all the elf-like denizens of the woods and glens, was so

intoxicated with joy at this discovery, that he foolishly challenged Apollo

to compete with him in a musical contest. The challenge being accepted, the

Muses were chosen umpires, and it was decided that the unsuccessful

candidate should suffer the punishment of being flayed alive. For a long

time the merits of both claimants remained so equally balanced, that it was

impossible to award the palm of victory to either, seeing which, Apollo,

resolved to conquer, added the sweet tones of his melodious voice to the

strains of his lyre, {79} and this at once turned the scale in his favour.

The unhappy Marsyas being defeated, had to undergo the terrible penalty,

and his untimely fate was universally lamented; indeed the Satyrs and

Dryads, his companions, wept so incessantly at his fate, that their tears,

uniting together, formed a river in Phrygia which is still known by the

name of Marsyas.

 

The result of the contest with Pan was by no means of so serious a

character. The god of shepherds having affirmed that he could play more

skilfully on his flute of seven reeds (the syrinx or Pan's pipe), than

Apollo on his world-renowned lyre, a contest ensued, in which Apollo was

pronounced the victor by all the judges appointed to decide between the

rival candidates. Midas, king of Phrygia, alone demurred at this decision,

having the bad taste to prefer the uncouth tones of the Pan's pipe to the

refined melodies of Apollo's lyre. Incensed at the obstinacy and stupidity

of the Phrygian king, Apollo punished him by giving him the ears of an ass.

Midas, horrified at being thus disfigured, determined to hide his disgrace

from his subjects by means of a cap; his barber, however, could not be kept

in ignorance of the fact, and was therefore bribed with rich gifts never to

reveal it. Finding, however, that he could not keep the secret any longer,

he dug a hole in the ground into which he whispered it; then closing up the

aperture he returned home, feeling greatly relieved at having thus eased

his mind of its burden. But after all, this very humiliating secret was

revealed to the world, for some reeds which sprung up from the spot

murmured incessantly, as they waved to and fro in the wind: "King Midas has

the ears of an ass."

 

In the sad and beautiful story of Niobe, daughter of Tantalus, and wife of

Amphion, king of Thebes, we have another instance of the severe punishments

meted out by Apollo to those who in any way incurred his displeasure. Niobe

was the proud mother of seven sons and seven daughters, and exulting in the

number of her children, she, upon one occasion, ridiculed the worship of

Leto, {80} because she had but one son and daughter, and desired the

Thebans, for the future, to give to her the honours and sacrifices which

they had hitherto offered to the mother of Apollo and Artemis. The

sacrilegious words had scarcely passed her lips before Apollo called upon

his sister Artemis to assist him in avenging the insult offered to their

mother, and soon their invisible arrows sped through the air. Apollo slew

all the sons, and Artemis had already slain all the daughters save one, the

youngest and best beloved, whom Niobe clasped in her arms, when the

agonized mother implored the enraged deities to leave her, at least, one

out of all her beautiful children; but, even as she prayed, the deadly

arrow reached the heart of this child also. Meanwhile the unhappy father,

unable to bear the loss of his children, had destroyed himself, and his

dead body lay beside the lifeless corpse of his favourite son. Widowed and

childless, the heart-broken mother sat among her dead, and the gods, in

pity for her unutterable woe, turned her into a stone, which they

transferred to Siphylus, her native Phrygian mountain, where it still

continues to shed tears.

 

[Illustration]

 

The punishment of Niobe forms the subject of a magnificent marble group,

which was found at Rome in the year 1553, and is now in the gallery of

Uffizi, at Florence.

 

The renowned singer Orpheus was the son of Apollo and Calliope, the muse of

epic poetry, and, as might be expected with parents so highly gifted, was

endowed with most distinguished intellectual qualifications. He was a poet,

a teacher of the religious doctrines known as the Orphic mysteries, and a

great musician, having inherited from his father an extraordinary genius

for music. {81} When he sang to the sweet tones of his lyre, he charmed all

nature, and summoned round him the wild beasts of the forests, who, under

the influence of his music, became tame and gentle as lambs. The madly

rushing torrents stopped their rapid course, and the very mountains and

trees moved from their places at the sound of his entrancing melodies.

 

Orpheus became united to a lovely nymph named Eurydice, the daughter of the

sea-god Nereus, whom he fondly loved. She was no less attached to him, and

their married life was full of joy and happiness. But it was only

short-lived; for Aristæus,[31] the half-brother of Orpheus, having fallen

in love with the beautiful Eurydice, forcibly endeavoured to take her from

her husband, and as she fled across some fields to elude his pursuit, she

was bitten in the foot by a venomous snake, which lay concealed in the long

grass. Eurydice died of the wound, and her sorrowing husband filled the

groves and valleys with his piteous and unceasing lamentations.

 

His longing to behold her once more became at last so unconquerable, that

he determined to brave the horrors of the lower world, in order to entreat

Aïdes to restore to him his beloved wife. Armed only with his golden lyre,

the gift of Apollo, he descended into the gloomy depths of Hades, where his

heavenly music arrested for a while the torments of the unhappy sufferers.

The stone of Sisyphus remained motionless; Tantalus forgot his perpetual

thirst; the wheel of Ixion ceased to revolve; and even the Furies shed

tears, and withheld for a time their persecutions. Undismayed at the scenes

of horror and suffering which met his view on every side, he pursued his

way until he arrived at the palace of Aïdes. Presenting himself before the

throne on which sat the stony-hearted king and his consort Persephone,

Orpheus recounted his woes to the sound of his lyre. Moved to pity by his

sweet strains, they listened to his {82} melancholy story, and consented to

release Eurydice on condition that he should not look upon her until they

reached the upper world. Orpheus gladly promised to comply with this

injunction, and, followed by Eurydice, ascended the steep and gloomy path

which led to the realms of life and light. All went well until he was just

about to pass the extreme limits of Hades, when, forgetting for the moment

the hard condition, he turned to convince himself that his beloved wife was

really behind him. The glance was fatal, and destroyed all his hopes of

happiness; for, as he yearningly stretched out his arms to embrace her, she

was caught back, and vanished from his sight for ever. The grief of Orpheus

at this second loss was even more intense than before, and he now avoided

all human society. In vain did the nymphs, his once chosen companions,

endeavour to win him back to his accustomed haunts; their power to charm

was gone, and music was now his sole consolation. He wandered forth alone,

choosing the wildest and most secluded paths, and the hills and vales

resounded with his pathetic melodies. At last he happened to cross the path

of some Thracian women, who were performing the wild rites of Dionysus

(Bacchus), and in their mad fury at his refusing to join them, they

furiously attacked him, and tore him in pieces. In pity for his unhappy

fate, the Muses collected his remains, which they buried at the foot of

Mount Olympus, and the nightingale warbled a funeral dirge over his grave.

His head was thrown into the river Hebrus, and as it floated down the

stream, the lips still continued to murmur the beloved name of Eurydice.

 

The chief seat of the worship of Apollo was at Delphi, and here was the

most magnificent of all his temples, the foundation of which reaches far

beyond all historical knowledge, and which contained immense riches, the

offerings of kings and private persons, who had received favourable replies

from the oracle. The Greeks believed Delphi to be the central point of the

earth, because two eagles sent forth by Zeus, one from the east, the other

{83} from the west, were said to have arrived there at the same moment.

 

The Pythian games, celebrated in honour of the victory of Apollo over the

Python, took place at Delphi every four years. At the first celebration of

these games, gods, goddesses, and heroes contended for the prizes, which

were at first of gold or silver, but consisted, in later times, of simple

laurel wreaths.

 

On account of its being the place of his birth, the whole island of Delos

was consecrated to Apollo, where he was worshipped with great solemnity;

the greatest care was taken to preserve the sanctity of the spot, for which

reason no one was suffered to be buried there. At the foot of Mount Cynthus

was a splendid temple of Apollo which possessed an oracle, and was enriched

with magnificent offerings from all parts of Greece. Even foreign nations

held this island sacred, for when the Persians passed it on their way to

attack Greece, they not only sailed by, leaving it uninjured, but sent rich

presents to the temple. Games, called Delia, instituted by Theseus, were

celebrated at Delos every four years.

 

A festival termed the Gymnopedæa was held at Sparta in honour of Apollo, in

which boys sang the praises of the gods, and of the three hundred

Lacedæmonians who fell at the battle of Thermopylæ.

 

Wolves and hawks were sacrificed to Apollo, and the birds sacred to him

were the hawk, raven, and swan.

 

ROMAN APOLLO.

 

The worship of Apollo never occupied the all-important position in Rome

which it held in Greece, nor was it introduced till a comparatively late

period. There was no sanctuary erected to this divinity until B.C. 430,

when the Romans, in order to avert a plague, built a temple in his honour;

but we do not find the worship of Apollo becoming in any way prominent

until the time of Augustus, who, having called upon this god for aid before

the famous battle of Actium, ascribed the victory which he {84} gained, to

his influence, and accordingly erected a temple there, which he enriched

with a portion of the spoil.

 

Augustus afterwards built another temple in honour of Apollo, on the

Palatine Hill, in which at the foot of his statue, were deposited two gilt

chests, containing the Sibylline oracles. These oracles were collected to

replace the Sibylline books originally preserved in the temple of Jupiter,

which were destroyed when that edifice was burned.

 

[Illustration]

 

The Sibyls were maidens who had received the gift of prophecy, and the

privilege of living to an incredible age. One of these Sibyls (known as the

Cumæan) appeared to Tarquinius Superbus, the last king of Rome, offering

for sale nine books, which she informed him had been written by herself.

Not knowing who she was, Tarquin refused to buy them, upon which she burned

three, and returned with six, demanding the same price as before. Being

again driven away as an impostor, she again retired and burned three more,

returning with the remaining three, for which she still asked the same

price as at first. Tarquin, amazed at her inconsistency, now consulted the

Augurs, who blamed him for not having bought the nine books when they were

first offered to him, and desired him to secure the remaining three, at

whatever price they were to be had. He, accordingly, purchased the volumes,

which were found to contain predictions of great importance to the Romans.

After the disposal of the books, the Sibyl vanished, and was seen no more.

 

The most beautiful and renowned of all the statues of Apollo now in

existence, is that known as the Apollo Belvedere, which was found in 1503

among the ruins of {85} ancient Antium. It was purchased by Pope Julius

II., who removed it to the Belvedere of the Vatican, from whence it takes

its name, and where it has been, for more than three hundred years, the

admiration of the world. When Rome was taken, and plundered by the French,

this celebrated statue was transported to Paris, and placed in the museum

there, but in 1815 it was restored to its former place in the Vatican. The

attitude of the figure, which is more than seven feet high, is inimitable

in its freedom, grace, and majesty. The forehead is noble and intellectual,

and the whole countenance so exquisite in its beauty, that one pauses

spell-bound to gaze on so perfect a conception. The god has a very youthful

appearance, as is usual in all his representations, and with the exception

of a short mantle which falls from his shoulders, is unclothed. He stands

against the trunk of a tree, up which a serpent is creeping, and his left

arm is outstretched, as though about to punish.

 

HECATE.

 

Hecate would appear to have been originally a moon-goddess worshipped by

the Thracians. She became confounded, and eventually identified with Selene

and Persephone, and is one of those divinities of whom the ancients had

various conflicting accounts.

 

Hecate was the daughter of Perses and "gold-wreathed" Astræa (the starry

night[32]), and her sway extended over earth, heaven, and hell, for which

reason she is represented in works of art as a triple divinity, having

three female bodies, all young and beautiful, and united together.

 

In later times, when this divinity becomes identified with Persephone, she

is supposed to inhabit the lower world as a malignant deity, and

henceforward it is the gloomy, awe-inspiring side of her character which

alone {86} develops itself. She now presides over all practices connected

with witchcraft and enchantments, haunts sepulchres, and the point where

two roads cross, and lonely spots where murders have been committed. She

was supposed to be connected with the appearance of ghosts and spectres, to

possess unlimited influence over the powers of the lower world, and to be

able to lay to rest unearthly apparitions by her magic spells and

incantations.

 

Hecate appears as a gigantic woman, bearing a torch and a sword. Her feet

and hair are formed of snakes, and her passage is accompanied by voices of

thunder, weird shrieks and yells, and the deep baying and howling of dogs.

 

Her favour was propitiated by offerings and sacrifices, principally

consisting of black lambs. Her festivals were celebrated at night, by

torchlight, when these animals were offered to her, accompanied by many

peculiar ceremonies. These ceremonies were carried out with the minutest

attention to details, as it was believed that the omission of the slightest

particular would afford to her ministers, the evil spirits of the lower

world, who hovered round the worshippers, an opportunity for entering among

them, and exerting their baneful influence. At the end of every month food

was placed wherever two roads met, in readiness for her and other malignant

divinities.

 

In studying the peculiar characteristics which Hecate assumes when she

usurps the place of Persephone, the rightful mistress of the lower world,

we are reminded of the various superstitions with regard to spectres,

witchcraft, &c., which have, even down to our own times, exerted so

powerful an influence over the minds of the ignorant, and which would

appear to owe their origin to a remote pagan source.

 

SELENE (LUNA).

 

Just as Helios personified the sun, so his sister Selene represented the

moon, and was supposed to drive her {87} chariot across the sky whilst her

brother was reposing after the toils of the day.

 

When the shades of evening began to enfold the earth, the two milk-white

steeds of Selene rose out of the mysterious depths of Oceanus. Seated in a

silvery chariot, and accompanied by her daughter Herse, the goddess of the

dew, appeared the mild and gentle queen of the night, with a crescent on

her fair brow, a gauzy veil flowing behind, and a lighted torch in her

hand.

 

Selene greatly admired a beautiful young shepherd named Endymion, to whom

Zeus had accorded the privilege of eternal youth, combined with the faculty

of sleeping whenever he desired, and as long as he wished. Seeing this

lovely youth fast asleep on Mount Latmus, Selene was so struck with his

beauty, that she came down every night from heaven to watch over and

protect him.

 

ARTEMIS (DIANA).

 

Artemis was worshipped by the Greeks under various appellations, to each of

which belonged special characteristics. Thus she is known as the Arcadian,

Ephesian and Brauronian Artemis, and also as Selene-Artemis, and in order

fully to comprehend the worship of this divinity, we must consider her

under each aspect.

 

ARCADIAN ARTEMIS.

 

The Arcadian Artemis (the real Artemis of the Greeks) was the daughter of

Zeus and Leto, and twin-sister of Apollo. She was the goddess of Hunting

and Chastity, and having obtained from her father permission to lead a life

of celibacy, she ever remained a maiden-divinity. Artemis is the feminine

counterpart of her brother, the glorious god of Light, and, like him,

though she deals out destruction and sudden death to men and animals, she

is also able to alleviate suffering and cure diseases. Like Apollo also,

she is skilled in the use of the bow, but in a far more eminent degree, for

in the character of Artemis, who devoted herself to the chase with

passionate {88} ardour, this becomes an all-distinguishing feature. Armed

with her bow and quiver, and attended by her train of huntresses, who were

nymphs of the woods and springs, she roamed over the mountains in pursuit

of her favourite exercise, destroying in her course the wild animals of the

forest. When the chase was ended, Artemis and her maidens loved to assemble

in a shady grove, or on the banks of a favourite stream, where they joined

in the merry song, or graceful dance, and made the hills resound with their

joyous shouts.

 

As the type of purity and chastity, Artemis was especially venerated by

young maidens, who, before marrying, sacrificed their hair to her. She was

also the patroness of those vowed to celibacy, and punished severely any

infringement of their obligation.

 

The huntress-goddess is represented as being a head taller than her

attendant nymphs, and always appears as a youthful and slender maiden. Her

features are beautiful, but wanting in gentleness of __EXPRESSION__; her hair

is gathered negligently into a knot at the back of her well-shaped head;

and her figure, though somewhat masculine, is most graceful in its attitude

and proportions. The short robe she wears, leaves her limbs free for the

exercise of the chase, her devotion to which is indicated by the quiver

which is slung over her shoulder, and the bow which she bears in her hand.

 

There are many famous statues of this divinity; but the most celebrated is

that known as the Diana of Versailles, now in the Louvre, which forms a not

unworthy companion to the Apollo-Belvedere of the Vatican. In this statue,

the goddess appears in the act of rescuing a hunted deer from its pursuers,

on whom she is turning with angry mien. One hand is laid protectingly on

the head of the stag, whilst with the other she draws an arrow from the

quiver which hangs over her shoulder.

 

Her attributes are the bow, quiver, and spear. The animals sacred to her

are the hind, dog, bear, and wild boar.

 

Artemis promptly resented any disregard or neglect of {89} her worship; a

remarkable instance of this is shown in the story of the Calydonian

boar-hunt, which is as follows:--

 

[Illustration]

 

Oeneus, king of Calydon in Ætolia, had incurred the displeasure of Artemis

by neglecting to include her in a general sacrifice to the gods which he

had offered up, out of gratitude for a bountiful harvest. The goddess,

enraged at this neglect, sent a wild boar of extraordinary size and

prodigious strength, which destroyed the sprouting grain, laid waste the

fields, and threatened the inhabitants with famine and death. At this

juncture, Meleager, the brave son of Oeneus, returned from the Argonautic

expedition, and finding his country ravaged by this dreadful scourge,

entreated the assistance of all the celebrated heroes of the age to join

him in hunting the ferocious monster. Among the most famous of those who

responded to his call were Jason, Castor and Pollux, Idas and Lynceus,

Peleus, Telamon, Admetus, Perithous, and Theseus. The brothers of Althea,

wife of Oeneus, joined the hunters, and Meleager also enlisted into his

service the fleet-footed huntress Atalanta.

 

The father of this maiden was Schoeneus, an Arcadian, who, disappointed at

the birth of a daughter when he had particularly desired a son, had exposed

her on the Parthenian Hill, where he left her to perish. Here she was

nursed by a she-bear, and at last found by some hunters, who reared her,

and gave her the name of Atalanta. As the maiden grew up, she became an

ardent {90} lover of the chase, and was alike distinguished for her beauty

and courage. Though often wooed, she led a life of strict celibacy, an

oracle having predicted that inevitable misfortune awaited her, should she

give herself in marriage to any of her numerous suitors.

 

Many of the heroes objected to hunt in company with a maiden; but Meleager,

who loved Atalanta, overcame their opposition, and the valiant band set out

on their expedition. Atalanta was the first to wound the boar with her

spear, but not before two of the heroes had met their death from his fierce

tusks. After a long and desperate encounter, Meleager succeeded in killing

the monster, and presented the head and hide to Atalanta, as trophies of

the victory. The uncles of Meleager, however, forcibly took the hide from

the maiden, claiming their right to the spoil as next of kin, if Meleager

resigned it. Artemis, whose anger was still unappeased, caused a violent

quarrel to arise between uncles and nephew, and, in the struggle which

ensued, Meleager killed his mother's brothers, and then restored the hide

to Atalanta. When Althea beheld the dead bodies of the slain heroes, her

grief and anger knew no bounds. She swore to revenge the death of her

brothers on her own son, and unfortunately for him, the instrument of

vengeance lay ready to her hand.

 

At the birth of Meleager, the Moirae, or Fates, entered the house of

Oeneus, and pointing to a piece of wood then burning on the hearth,

declared that as soon as it was consumed the babe would surely die. On

hearing this, Althea seized the brand, laid it up carefully in a chest, and

henceforth preserved it as her most precious possession. But now, love for

her son giving place to the resentment she felt against the murderer of her

brothers, she threw the fatal brand into the devouring flames. As it

consumed, the vigour of Meleager wasted away, and when it was reduced to

ashes, he expired. Repenting too late the terrible effects of her rash

deed, Althea, in remorse and despair, took away her own life.

 

The news of the courage and intrepidity displayed by {91} Atalanta in the

famous boar-hunt, being carried to the ears of her father, caused him to

acknowledge his long-lost child. Urged by him to choose one of her numerous

suitors, she consented to do so, but made it a condition that he alone, who

could outstrip her in the race, should become her husband, whilst those she

defeated should be put to death by her, with the lance which she bore in

her hand. Thus many suitors had perished, for the maiden was unequalled for

swiftness of foot, but at last a beautiful youth, named Hippomenes, who had

vainly endeavoured to win her love by his assiduous attentions in the

chase, ventured to enter the fatal lists. Knowing that only by stratagem

could he hope to be successful, he obtained, by the help of Aphrodite,

three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides, which he threw down

at intervals during his course. Atalanta, secure of victory, stooped to

pick up the tempting fruit, and, in the meantime, Hippomenes arrived at the

goal. He became the husband of the lovely Atalanta, but forgot, in his

newly found happiness, the gratitude which he owed to Aphrodite, and the

goddess withdrew her favour from the pair. Not long after, the prediction

which foretold misfortune to Atalanta, in the event of her marriage, was

verified, for she and her husband, having strayed unsanctioned into a