Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome 6

Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome 6

The eager youth joyfully took his place and grasped the coveted reins, but

no sooner did the fiery coursers of the sun feel the inexperienced hand

which attempted to guide them, than they became restive and unmanageable.

Wildly they rushed out of their accustomed track, now soaring so high as to

threaten the heavens with destruction, now descending so low as nearly to

set the earth on fire. At last the unfortunate charioteer, blinded with the

glare, and terrified at the awful devastation he had caused, dropped the

reins from his trembling hands. Mountains and forests were in flames,

rivers and streams were dried up, and a general conflagration was imminent.

The scorched earth now called on Zeus for help, who hurled his thunderbolt

at Phaethon, and with a flash of lightning brought the fiery steeds to a

standstill. The lifeless body of the youth fell headlong into the river

Eridanus,[27] where it was received and buried by the {66} nymphs of the

stream. His sisters mourned so long for him that they were transformed by

Zeus into poplars, and the tears they shed, falling into the waters, became

drops of clear, transparent amber. Cycnus, the faithful friend of the

unhappy Phaethon, felt such overwhelming grief at his terrible fate, that

he pined and wasted away. The gods, moved with compassion, transformed him

into a swan, which for ever brooded over the fatal spot where the waters

had closed over the head of his unfortunate friend.

 

[Illustration]

 

The chief seat of the worship of Helios was the island of Rhodes, which

according to the following myth was his especial territory. At the time of

the Titanomachia, when the gods were dividing the world by lot, Helios

happened to be absent, and consequently received no share. He, therefore,

complained to Zeus, who proposed to have a new allotment, but this Helios

would not allow, saying, that as he pursued his daily journey, his

penetrating eye had beheld a lovely, fertile island lying beneath the waves

of the ocean, and that if the immortals would swear to give him the

undisturbed possession of this spot, he would be content to accept it as

his share of the universe. The gods took the oath, whereupon the island of

Rhodes immediately raised itself above the surface of the waters.

 

The famous Colossus of Rhodes, which was one of the seven wonders of the

world, was erected in honour of Helios. This wonderful statue was 105 feet

high, and was formed entirely of brass; it formed the entrance to the

harbour at Rhodes, and the largest vessel could easily sail between the

legs, which stood on moles, each side of the harbour. Though so gigantic,

it was perfectly proportioned in every part. Some idea of {67} its size may

be gained from the fact that very few people were able to span the thumb of

this statue with their arms. In the interior of the Colossus was a winding

staircase leading to the top, from the summit of which, by means of a

telescope, the coast of Syria, and also the shores of Egypt, are said to

have been visible.[28]

 

EOS (AURORA).

 

Eos, the Dawn, like her brother Helios, whose advent she always announced,

was also deified by the early Greeks. She too had her own chariot, which

she drove across the vast horizon both morning and night, before and after

the sun-god. Hence she is not merely the personification of the rosy morn,

but also of twilight, for which reason her palace is placed in the west, on

the island Ææa. The abode of Eos is a magnificent structure, surrounded by

flowery meads and velvety lawns, where nymphs and other immortal beings,

wind in and out in the mazy figures of the dance, whilst the music of a

sweetly-tuned melody accompanies their graceful, gliding movements.

 

Eos is described by the poets as a beautiful maiden with rosy arms and

fingers, and large wings, whose plumage is of an ever-changing hue; she

bears a star on her forehead, and a torch in her hand. Wrapping round her

the rich folds of her violet-tinged mantle, she leaves her couch before the

break of day, and herself yokes her two horses, Lampetus and Phaethon, to

her glorious chariot. She then hastens with active cheerfulness to open the

gates of heaven, in order to herald the approach of her brother, the god of

day, whilst the tender plants and flowers, revived by the morning dew, lift

their heads to welcome her as she passes.

 

{68}

 

Eos first married the Titan Astræus,[29] and their children were Heosphorus

(Hesperus), the evening star, and the winds. She afterwards became united

to Tithonus, son of Laomedon, king of Troy, who had won her affection by

his unrivalled beauty; and Eos, unhappy at the thought of their being ever

separated by death, obtained for him from Zeus the gift of immortality,

forgetting, however, to add to it that of eternal youth. The consequence

was that when, in the course of time, Tithonus grew old and decrepid, and

lost all the beauty which had won her admiration, Eos became disgusted with

his infirmities, and at last shut him up in a chamber, where soon little

else was left of him but his voice, which had now sunk into a weak, feeble

quaver. According to some of the later poets, he became so weary of his

cheerless and miserable existence, that he entreated to be allowed to die.

This was, however, impossible; but Eos, pitying his unhappy condition,

exerted her divine power, and changed him into a grasshopper, which is, as

it were, all voice, and whose monotonous, ceaseless chirpings may not

inaptly be compared to the meaningless babble of extreme old age.

 

PHOEBUS-APOLLO.

 

Phoebus-Apollo, the god of Light, Prophecy, Music, Poetry, and the Arts and

Sciences, is by far the noblest conception within the whole range of Greek

mythology, and his worship, which not only extended to all the states of

Greece, but also to Asia Minor and to every Greek colony throughout the

world, stands out among the most ancient and strongly-marked features of

Grecian history, and exerted a more decided influence over the Greek

nation, than that of any other deity, not excepting Zeus himself.

 

Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto, and was born beneath the shade of a

palm tree which grew at the foot {69} of Mount Cynthus, on the barren and

rocky island of Delos. The poets tell us that the earth smiled when the

young god first beheld the light of day, and that Delos became so proud and

exultant at the honour thus conferred upon her, that she covered herself

with golden flowers; swans surrounded the island, and the Delian nymphs

celebrated his birth with songs of joy.

 

[Illustration]

 

The unhappy Leto, driven to Delos by the relentless persecutions of Hera,

was not long permitted to enjoy her haven of refuge. Being still tormented

by her enemy, the young mother was once more obliged to fly; she therefore

resigned the charge of her new-born babe to the goddess Themis, who

carefully wrapped the helpless infant in swaddling-clothes, and fed him

with nectar and ambrosia; but he had no sooner partaken of the heavenly

food than, to the amazement of the goddess, he burst asunder the bands

which confined his infant limbs, and springing to his feet, appeared before

her as a full-grown youth of divine strength and beauty. He now demanded a

lyre and a bow, declaring that henceforth he would announce to mankind the

will of his father Zeus. "The golden lyre," said he, "shall be my friend,

the bent bow my delight, and in oracles will I foretell the dark future."

With these words he ascended to Olympus, where he was received with joyful

acclamations into the assembly of the celestial gods, who acknowledged him

as the most beautiful and glorious of all the sons of Zeus.

 

Phoebus-Apollo was the god of light in a twofold {70} signification: first,

as representing the great orb of day which illumines the world; and

secondly, as the heavenly light which animates the soul of man. He

inherited his function as sun-god from Helios, with whom, in later times,

he was so completely identified, that the personality of the one became

gradually merged in that of the other. We, accordingly, find Helios

frequently confounded with Apollo, myths belonging to the former attributed

to the latter; and with some tribes--the Ionic, for instance--so complete

is this identification, that Apollo is called by them Helios-Apollo.

 

As the divinity whose power is developed in the broad light of day, he

brings joy and delight to nature, and health and prosperity to man. By the

influence of his warm and gentle rays he disperses the noxious vapours of

the night, assists the grain to ripen and the flowers to bloom.

 

But although, as god of the sun, he is a life-giving and life-preserving

power, who, by his genial influence, dispels the cold of winter, he is, at

the same time, the god who, by means of his fiercely darting rays, could

spread disease and send sudden death to men and animals; and it is to this

phase of his character that we must look for the explanation of his being

considered, in conjunction with his twin-sister, Artemis (as moon-goddess),

a divinity of death. The brother and sister share this function between

them, he taking man and she woman as her aim, and those especially who died

in the bloom of youth, or at an advanced age, were believed to have been

killed by their gentle arrows. But Apollo did not always send an easy

death. We see in the _Iliad_ how, when angry with the Greeks, the "god of

the silver bow" strode down from Olympus, with his quiver full of

death-bringing darts, and sent a raging pestilence into their camp. For

nine days he let fly his fatal arrows, first on animals and then on men,

till the air became darkened with the smoke from the funeral pyres.

 

In his character as god of light, Phoebus-Apollo is the protecting deity of

shepherds, because it is he who warms {71} the fields and meadows, and

gives rich pastures to the flocks, thereby gladdening the heart of the

herdsman.

 

As the temperate heat of the sun exercises so invigorating an effect on man

and animals, and promotes the growth of those medicinal herbs and vegetable

productions necessary for the cure of diseases, Phoebus-Apollo was supposed

to possess the power of restoring life and health; hence he was regarded as

the god of healing; but this feature in his character we shall find more

particularly developed in his son Asclepius (Æsculapius), the veritable god

of the healing art.

 

Pursuing our analysis of the various phases in the character of

Phoebus-Apollo, we find that with the first beams of his genial light, all

nature awakens to renewed life, and the woods re-echo with the jubilant

sound of the untaught lays, warbled by thousands of feathered choristers.

Hence, by a natural inference, he is the god of music, and as, according to

the belief of the ancients, the inspirations of genius were inseparably

connected with the glorious light of heaven, he is also the god of poetry,

and acts as the special patron of the arts and sciences. Apollo is himself

the heavenly musician among the Olympic gods, whose banquets are gladdened

by the wondrous strains which he produces from his favourite instrument,

the seven-stringed lyre. In the cultus of Apollo, music formed a

distinguishing feature. All sacred dances, and even the sacrifices in his

honour, were performed to the sound of musical instruments; and it is, in a

great measure, owing to the influence which the music in his worship

exercised on the Greek nation, that Apollo came to be regarded as the

leader of the nine Muses, the legitimate divinities of poetry and song. In

this character he is called Musagetes, and is always represented robed in a

long flowing garment; his lyre, to the tones of which he appears to be

singing, is suspended by a band across the chest; his head is encircled by

a wreath of laurel, and his long hair, streaming down over his shoulders,

gives him a somewhat effeminate appearance.

 

And now we must view the glorious god of light under {72} another, and (as

far as regards his influence over the Greek nation) a much more important

aspect; for, in historical times, all the other functions and attributes of

Apollo sink into comparative insignificance before the great power which he

exercised as god of prophecy. It is true that all Greek gods were endowed,

to a certain extent, with the faculty of foretelling future events; but

Apollo, as sun-god, was the concentration of all prophetic power, as it was

supposed that nothing escaped his all-seeing eye, which penetrated the most

hidden recesses, and laid bare the secrets which lay concealed behind the

dark veil of the future.

 

We have seen that when Apollo assumed his god-like form, he took his place

among the immortals; but he had not long enjoyed the rapturous delights of

Olympus, before he felt within him an ardent desire to fulfil his great

mission of interpreting to mankind the will of his mighty father. He

accordingly descended to earth, and travelled through many countries,

seeking a fitting site upon which to establish an oracle. At length he

reached the southern side of the rocky heights of Parnassus, beneath which

lay the harbour of Crissa. Here, under the overhanging cliff, he found a

secluded spot, where, from the most ancient times, there had existed an

oracle, in which Gæa herself had revealed the future to man, and which, in

Deucalion's time, she had resigned to Themis. It was guarded by the huge

serpent Python, the scourge of the surrounding neighbourhood, and the

terror alike of men and cattle. The young god, full of confidence in his

unerring aim, attacked and slew the monster with his arrows, thus freeing

land and people from their mighty enemy.

 

The grateful inhabitants, anxious to do honour to their deliverer, flocked

round Apollo, who proceeded to mark out a plan for a temple, and, with the

assistance of numbers of eager volunteers, a suitable edifice was soon

erected. It now became necessary to choose ministers, who would offer up

sacrifices, interpret his prophecies to the people, and take charge of the

temple. Looking round, he saw in the far distance a vessel bound from Crete

to the {73} Peloponnesus, and determined to avail himself of her crew for

his service. Assuming the shape of an enormous dolphin, he agitated the

waters to such a degree, that the ship was tossed violently to and fro, to

the great alarm of the mariners; at the same time he raised a mighty wind,

which drove the ship into the harbour of Crissa, where she ran aground. The

terrified sailors dared not set foot on shore; but Apollo, under the form

of a vigorous youth, stepped down to the vessel, revealed himself in his

true character, and informed them that it was he who had driven them to

Crissa, in order that they might become his priests, and serve him in his

temple. Arrived at the sacred fane, he instructed them how to perform the

services in his honour, and desired them to worship him under the name of

Apollo-Delphinios, because he had first appeared to them under the form of

a dolphin. Thus was established the far-famed oracle of Delphi, the only

institution of the kind which was not exclusively national, for it was

consulted by Lydians, Phrygians, Etruscans, Romans, &c., and, in fact, was

held in the highest repute all over the world. In obedience to its decrees,

the laws of Lycurgus were introduced, and the earliest Greek colonies

founded. No cities were built without first consulting the Delphic oracle,

for it was believed that Apollo took special delight in the founding of

cities, the first stone of which he laid in person; nor was any enterprise

ever undertaken, without inquiring at this sacred fane as to its probable

success.

 

But that which brought Apollo more closely home to the hearts of the

people, and raised the whole moral tone of the Greek nation, was the

belief, gradually developed with the intelligence of the people, that he

was the god who accepted repentance as an atonement for sin, who pardoned

the contrite sinner, and who acted as the special protector of those, who,

like Orestes, had committed a crime, which required long years of

expiation.

 

Apollo is represented by the poets as being eternally young; his

countenance, glowing with joyous life, is the embodiment of immortal

beauty; his eyes are of a deep {74} blue; his forehead low, but broad and

intellectual; his hair, which falls over his shoulders in long waving

locks, is of a golden, or warm chestnut hue. He is crowned with laurel, and

wears a purple robe; in his hand he bears his silver bow, which is unbent

when he smiles, but ready for use when he menaces evil-doers.

 

But Apollo, the eternally beautiful youth, the perfection of all that is

graceful and refined, rarely seems to have been happy in his love; either

his advances met with a repulse, or his union with the object of his

affection was attended with fatal consequences.

 

His first love was Daphne (daughter of Peneus, the river-god), who was so

averse to marriage that she entreated her father to allow her to lead a

life of celibacy, and devote herself to the chase, which she loved to the

exclusion of all other pursuits. But one day, soon after his victory over

the Python, Apollo happened to see Eros bending his bow, and proud of his

own superior strength and skill, he laughed at the efforts of the little

archer, saying that such a weapon was more suited to the one who had just

killed the terrible serpent. Eros angrily replied that his arrow should

pierce the heart of the mocker himself, and flying off to the summit of

Mount Parnassus, he drew from his quiver two darts of different

workmanship--one of gold, which had the effect of inspiring love; the other

of lead, which created aversion. Taking aim at Apollo, he pierced his

breast with the golden shaft, whilst the leaden one he discharged into the

bosom of the beautiful Daphne. The son of Leto instantly felt the most

ardent affection for the nymph, who, on her part, evinced the greatest

dislike towards her divine lover, and, at his approach, fled from him like

a hunted deer. He called upon her in the most endearing accents to stay,

but she still sped on, until at length, becoming faint with fatigue, and

fearing that she was about to succumb, she called upon the gods to come to

her aid. Hardly had she uttered her prayer before a heavy torpor seized her

limbs, and just as Apollo threw out his arms to embrace her, she became

transformed {75} into a laurel-bush. He sorrowfully crowned his head with

its leaves, and declared, that in memory of his love, it should henceforth

remain evergreen, and be held sacred to him.

 

He next sought the love of Marpessa, the daughter of Evenus; but though her

father approved his suit, the maiden preferred a youth named Idas, who

contrived to carry her off in a winged chariot which he had procured from

Poseidon. Apollo pursued the fugitives, whom he quickly overtook, and

forcibly seizing the bride, refused to resign her. Zeus then interfered,

and declared that Marpessa herself must decide which of her lovers should

claim her as his wife. After due reflection she accepted Idas as her

husband, judiciously concluding that although the attractions of the divine

Apollo were superior to those of her lover, it would be wiser to unite

herself to a mortal, who, growing old with herself, would be less likely to

forsake her, when advancing years should rob her of her charms.

 

Cassandra, daughter of Priam, king of Troy, was another object of the love

of Apollo. She feigned to return his affection, and promised to marry him,

provided he would confer upon her the gift of prophecy; but having received

the boon she desired, the treacherous maiden refused to comply with the

conditions upon which it had been granted. Incensed at her breach of faith,

Apollo, unable to recall the gift he had bestowed, rendered it useless by

causing her predictions to fail in obtaining credence. Cassandra became

famous in history for her prophetic powers, but her prophecies were never

believed. For instance, she warned her brother Paris that if he brought

back a wife from Greece he would cause the destruction of his father's

house and kingdom; she also warned the Trojans not to admit the wooden

horse within the walls of the city, and foretold to Agamemnon all the

disasters which afterwards befell him.

 

Apollo afterwards married Coronis, a nymph of Larissa, and thought himself

happy in the possession of her faithful love; but once more he was doomed

to {76} disappointment, for one day his favourite bird, the crow, flew to

him with the intelligence that his wife had transferred her affections to a

youth of Haemonia. Apollo, burning with rage, instantly destroyed her with

one of his death-bringing darts. Too late he repented of his rashness, for

she had been tenderly beloved by him, and he would fain have recalled her

to life; but, although he exerted all his healing powers, his efforts were

in vain. He punished the crow for its garrulity by changing the colour of

its plumage from pure white to intense black, and forbade it to fly any

longer among the other birds.

 

Coronis left an infant son named Asclepius, who afterwards became god of

medicine. His powers were so extraordinary that he could not only cure the

sick, but could even restore the dead to life. At last Aïdes complained to

Zeus that the number of shades conducted to his dominions was daily

decreasing, and the great ruler of Olympus, fearing that mankind, thus

protected against sickness and death, would be able to defy the gods

themselves, killed Asclepius with one of his thunderbolts. The loss of his

highly gifted son so exasperated Apollo that, being unable to vent his

anger on Zeus, he destroyed the Cyclops, who had forged the fatal

thunderbolts. For this offence, Apollo would have been banished by Zeus to

Tartarus, but at the earnest intercession of Leto he partially relented,

and contented himself with depriving him of all power and dignity, and

imposing on him a temporary servitude in the house of Admetus, king of

Thessaly. Apollo faithfully served his royal master for nine years in the

humble capacity of a shepherd, and was treated by him with every kindness

and consideration. During the period of his service the king sought the

hand of Alcestis, the beautiful daughter of Pelias, son of Poseidon; but

her father declared that he would only resign her to the suitor who should

succeed in yoking a lion and a wild boar to his chariot. By the aid of his

divine herdsman, Admetus accomplished this difficult task, and gained his

bride. Nor was this the only favour which the king received from the exiled

god, for Apollo obtained from {77} the Fates the gift of immortality for

his benefactor, on condition that when his last hour approached, some

member of his own family should be willing to die in his stead. When the

fatal hour arrived, and Admetus felt that he was at the point of death, he

implored his aged parents to yield to him their few remaining days. But

"life is sweet" even to old age, and they both refused to make the

sacrifice demanded of them. Alcestis, however, who had secretly devoted

herself to death for her husband, was seized with a mortal sickness, which

kept pace with his rapid recovery. The devoted wife breathed her last in

the arms of Admetus, and he had just consigned her to the tomb, when

Heracles chanced to come to the palace. Admetus held the rites of

hospitality so sacred, that he at first kept silence with regard to his

great bereavement; but as soon as his friend heard what had occurred, he

bravely descended into the tomb, and when death came to claim his prey, he

exerted his marvellous strength, and held him in his arms, until he

promised to restore the beautiful and heroic queen to the bosom of her

family.

 

Whilst pursuing the peaceful life of a shepherd, Apollo formed a strong

friendship with two youths named Hyacinthus and Cyparissus, but the great

favour shown to them by the god did not suffice to shield them from

misfortune. The former was one day throwing the discus with Apollo, when,

running too eagerly to take up the one thrown by the god, he was struck on

the head with it and killed on the spot. Apollo was overcome with grief at

the sad end of his young favourite, but being unable to restore him to

life, he changed him into the flower called after him the Hyacinth.

Cyparissus had the misfortune to kill by accident one of Apollo's favourite

stags, which so preyed on his mind that he gradually pined away, and died

of a broken heart. He was transformed by the god into a cypress-tree, which

owes its name to this story.

 

After these sad occurrences Apollo quitted Thessaly and repaired to

Phrygia, in Asia Minor, where he met Poseidon, who, like himself, was in

exile, and condemned {78} to a temporary servitude on earth. The two gods

now entered the service of Laomedon, king of Troy, Apollo undertaking to

tend his flocks, and Poseidon to build the walls of the city. But Apollo

also contributed his assistance in the erection of those wonderful walls,

and, by the aid of his marvellous musical powers, the labours of his

fellow-worker, Poseidon, were rendered so light and easy that his otherwise

arduous task advanced with astonishing celerity; for, as the master-hand of

the god of music grasped the chords of his lyre,[30] the huge blocks of

stone moved of their own accord, adjusting themselves with the utmost nicety into the places designed for them.