Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome 9

Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome 9

The Cyclops, who have been already alluded to in the history of Cronus,

were the sons of Poseidon and Amphitrite. They were a wild race of gigantic

growth, similar in their nature to the earth-born Giants, and had only one

eye each in the middle of their foreheads. They led a lawless life,

possessing neither social manners nor fear of the gods, and were the

workmen of Hephæstus, whose workshop was supposed to be in the heart of the

volcanic mountain Ætna.

 

Here we have another striking instance of the manner in which the Greeks

personified the powers of nature, which they saw in active operation around

them. They beheld with awe, mingled with astonishment, the fire, stones,

and ashes which poured forth from the summit of this and other volcanic

mountains, and, with their vivacity of imagination, found a solution of the

mystery in the supposition, that the god of Fire must be busy at work with

his men in the depths of the earth, and that the mighty flames which they

beheld, issued in this manner from his subterranean forge.

 

The chief representative of the Cyclops was the man-eating monster

Polyphemus, described by Homer as having been blinded and outwitted at last

by Odysseus. This monster fell in love with a beautiful nymph called

Galatea; but, as may be supposed, his addresses were not acceptable to the

fair maiden, who rejected them in favour of a youth named Acis, upon which

Polyphemus, with his usual barbarity, destroyed the life of his rival by

throwing upon him a gigantic rock. The blood of the murdered Acis, gushing

out of the rock, formed a stream which still bears his name.

 

Triton, Rhoda,[39] and Benthesicyme were also children of Poseidon and

Amphitrite.

 

The sea-god was the father of two giant sons called Otus and Ephialtes.[40]

When only nine years old they {106} were said to be twenty-seven cubits[41]

in height and nine in breadth. These youthful giants were as rebellious as

they were powerful, even presuming to threaten the gods themselves with

hostilities. During the war of the Gigantomachia, they endeavoured to scale

heaven by piling mighty mountains one upon another. Already had they

succeeded in placing Mount Ossa on Olympus and Pelion on Ossa, when this

impious project was frustrated by Apollo, who destroyed them with his

arrows. It was supposed that had not their lives been thus cut off before

reaching maturity, their sacrilegious designs would have been carried into

effect.

 

Pelias and Neleus were also sons of Poseidon. Their mother Tyro was

attached to the river-god Enipeus, whose form Poseidon assumed, and thus

won her love. Pelias became afterwards famous in the story of the

Argonauts, and Neleus was the father of Nestor, who was distinguished in

the Trojan War.

 

The Greeks believed that it was to Poseidon they were indebted for the

existence of the horse, which he is said to have produced in the following

manner: Athene and Poseidon both claiming the right to name Cecropia (the

ancient name of Athens), a violent dispute arose, which was finally settled

by an assembly of the Olympian gods, who decided that whichever of the

contending parties presented mankind with the most useful gift, should

obtain the privilege of naming the city. Upon this Poseidon struck the

ground with his trident, and the horse sprang forth in all his untamed

strength and graceful beauty. From the spot which Athene touched with her

wand, issued the olive-tree, whereupon the gods unanimously awarded to her

the victory, declaring her gift to be the emblem of peace and plenty,

whilst that of Poseidon was thought to be the symbol of war and {107}

bloodshed. Athene accordingly called the city Athens, after herself, and it

has ever since retained this name.

 

Poseidon tamed the horse for the use of mankind, and was believed to have

taught men the art of managing horses by the bridle. The Isthmian games (so

named because they were held on the Isthmus of Corinth), in which horse and

chariot races were a distinguishing feature, were instituted in honour of

Poseidon.

 

He was more especially worshipped in the Peloponnesus, though universally

revered throughout Greece and in the south of Italy. His sacrifices were

generally black and white bulls, also wild boars and rams. His usual

attributes are the trident, horse, and dolphin.

 

In some parts of Greece this divinity was identified with the sea-god

Nereus, for which reason the Nereides, or daughters of Nereus, are

represented as accompanying him.

 

NEPTUNE.

 

The Romans worshipped Poseidon under the name of Neptune, and invested him

with all the attributes which belong to the Greek divinity.

 

The Roman commanders never undertook any naval expedition without

propitiating Neptune by a sacrifice.

 

His temple at Rome was in the Campus Martius, and the festivals

commemorated in his honour were called Neptunalia.

 

* * * * *

 

SEA DIVINITIES.

 

OCEANUS.

 

Oceanus was the son of Uranus and Gæa. He was the personification of the

ever-flowing stream, which, according to the primitive notions of the early

Greeks, encircled the world, and from which sprang all the rivers and

streams that watered the earth. He was married to Tethys, one of the

Titans, and was the father of a {108} numerous progeny called the

Oceanides, who are said to have been three thousand in number. He alone, of

all the Titans, refrained from taking part against Zeus in the

Titanomachia, and was, on that account, the only one of the primeval

divinities permitted to retain his dominion under the new dynasty.

 

NEREUS.

 

Nereus appears to have been the personification of the sea in its calm and

placid moods, and was, after Poseidon, the most important of the

sea-deities. He is represented as a kind and benevolent old man, possessing

the gift of prophecy, and presiding more particularly over the Ægean Sea,

of which he was considered to be the protecting spirit. There he dwelt with

his wife Doris and their fifty blooming daughters, the Nereides, beneath

the waves in a beautiful grotto-palace, and was ever ready to assist

distressed mariners in the hour of danger.

 

PROTEUS.

 

Proteus, more familiarly known as "The Old Man of the Sea," was a son of

Poseidon, and gifted with prophetic power. But he had an invincible

objection to being consulted in his capacity as seer, and those who wished

him to foretell events, watched for the hour of noon, when he was in the

habit of coming up to the island of Pharos,[42] with Poseidon's flock of

seals, which he tended at the bottom of the sea. Surrounded by these

creatures of the deep, he used to slumber beneath the grateful shade of the

rocks. This was the favourable moment to seize the prophet, who, in order

to avoid importunities, would change himself into an infinite variety of

forms. But patience gained the day; for if he were only held long enough,

he became wearied at last, and, resuming his true form, gave the

information desired, after which he dived down again to the bottom of the

sea, accompanied by the animals he tended.

 

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[Illustration]

 

TRITON and the TRITONS.

 

Triton was the only son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, but he possessed little

influence, being altogether a minor divinity. He is usually represented as

preceding his father and acting as his trumpeter, using a conch-shell for

this purpose. He lived with his parents in their beautiful golden palace

beneath the sea at Ægea, and his favourite pastime was to ride over the

billows on horses or sea-monsters. Triton is always represented as half

man, half fish, the body below the waist terminating in the tail of a

dolphin. We frequently find mention of Tritons who are either the offspring

or kindred of Triton.

 

GLAUCUS.

 

Glaucus is said to have become a sea-divinity in the following manner.

While angling one day, he observed that the fish he caught and threw on the

bank, at once nibbled at the grass and then leaped back into the water. His

curiosity was naturally excited, and he proceeded to gratify it by taking

up a few blades and tasting them. No sooner was this done than, obeying an

irresistible impulse, he precipitated himself into the deep, and became a

sea-god.

 

Like most sea-divinities he was gifted with prophetic power, and each year

visited all the islands and coasts with a train of marine monsters,

foretelling all kinds of evil. Hence fishermen dreaded his approach, and

endeavoured, by prayer and fasting, to avert the misfortunes which he

prophesied. He is often represented floating on the billows, his body

covered with mussels, sea-weed, and shells, wearing a full beard and long

flowing hair, and bitterly bewailing his immortality.

 

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THETIS.

 

The silver-footed, fair-haired Thetis, who plays an important part in the

mythology of Greece, was the daughter of Nereus, or, as some assert, of

Poseidon. Her grace and beauty were so remarkable that Zeus and Poseidon

both sought an alliance with her; but, as it had been foretold that a son

of hers would gain supremacy over his father, they relinquished their

intentions, and she became the wife of Peleus, son of Æacus. Like Proteus,

Thetis possessed the power of transforming herself into a variety of

different shapes, and when wooed by Peleus she exerted this power in order

to elude him. But, knowing that persistence would eventually succeed, he

held her fast until she assumed her true form. Their nuptials were

celebrated with the utmost pomp and magnificence, and were honoured by the

presence of all the gods and goddesses, with the exception of Eris. How the

goddess of discord resented her exclusion from the marriage festivities has

already been shown.

 

Thetis ever retained great influence over the mighty lord of heaven, which,

as we shall see hereafter, she used in favour of her renowned son,

Achilles, in the Trojan War.

 

When Halcyone plunged into the sea in despair after the shipwreck and death

of her husband King Ceyx, Thetis transformed both husband and wife into the

birds called kingfishers (halcyones), which, with the tender affection

which characterized the unfortunate couple, always fly in pairs. The idea

of the ancients was that these birds brought forth their young in nests,

which float on the surface of the sea in calm weather, before and after the

shortest day, when Thetis was said to keep the waters smooth and tranquil

for their especial benefit; hence the term "halcyon-days," which signifies

a period of rest and untroubled felicity.

 

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THAUMAS, PHORCYS, and CETO.

 

The early Greeks, with their extraordinary power of personifying all and

every attribute of Nature, gave a distinct personality to those mighty

wonders of the deep, which, in all ages, have afforded matter of

speculation to educated and uneducated alike. Among these personifications

we find Thaumas, Phorcys, and their sister Ceto, who were the offspring of

Pontus.

 

Thaumas (whose name signifies Wonder) typifies that peculiar, translucent

condition of the surface of the sea when it reflects, mirror-like, various

images, and appears to hold in its transparent embrace the flaming stars

and illuminated cities, which are so frequently reflected on its glassy

bosom.

 

Thaumas married the lovely Electra (whose name signifies the sparkling

light produced by electricity), daughter of Oceanus. Her amber-coloured

hair was of such rare beauty that none of her fair-haired sisters could

compare with her, and when she wept, her tears, being too precious to be

lost, formed drops of shining amber.

 

Phorcys and Ceto personified more especially the hidden perils and terrors

of the ocean. They were the parents of the Gorgons, the Græa, and the

Dragon which guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides.

 

[Illustration]

 

LEUCOTHEA.

 

Leucothea was originally a mortal named Ino, daughter of Cadmus, king of

Thebes. She married Athamas, king of Orchomenus, who, incensed at her

unnatural conduct to her step-children,[43] pursued her and her son to the

sea-shore, when, seeing no hope of escape, she flung herself with her child

into the deep. They were kindly received by the Nereides, and became

sea-divinities under the name of Leucothea and Palæmon.

 

{112}

 

THE SIRENS.

 

The Sirens would appear to have been personifications of those numerous

rocks and unseen dangers, which abound on the S.W. coast of Italy. They

were sea-nymphs, with the upper part of the body that of a maiden and the

lower that of a sea-bird, having wings attached to their shoulders, and

were endowed with such wonderful voices, that their sweet songs are said to

have lured mariners to destruction.

 

ARES (MARS).

 

Ares, the son of Zeus and Hera, was the god of war, who gloried in strife

for its own sake; he loved the tumult and havoc of the battlefield, and

delighted in slaughter and extermination; in fact he presents no benevolent

aspect which could possibly react favourably upon human life.

 

Epic poets, in particular, represent the god of battles as a wild

ungovernable warrior, who passes through the armies like a whirlwind,

hurling to the ground the brave and cowardly alike; destroying chariots and

helmets, and triumphing over the terrible desolation which he produces.

 

In all the myths concerning Ares, his sister Athene ever appears in

opposition to him, endeavouring by every means in her power to defeat his

bloodthirsty designs. Thus she assists the divine hero Diomedes at the

siege of Troy, to overcome Ares in battle, and so well does he profit by

her timely aid, that he succeeds in wounding the sanguinary war-god, who

makes his exit from the field, roaring like ten thousand bulls.

 

{113}

 

Ares appears to have been an object of aversion to all the gods of Olympus,

Aphrodite alone excepted. As the son of Hera, he had inherited from his

mother the strongest feelings of independence and contradiction, and as he

took delight in upsetting that peaceful course of state-life which it was

pre-eminently the care of Zeus to establish, he was naturally disliked and

even hated by him.

 

When wounded by Diomedes, as above related, he complains to his father, but

receives no sympathy from the otherwise kindly and beneficent ruler of

Olympus, who thus angrily addresses him: "Do not trouble me with thy

complaints, thou who art of all the gods of Olympus most hateful to me, for

thou delightest in nought save war and strife. The very spirit of thy

mother lives in thee, and wert thou not my son, long ago wouldst thou have

lain deeper down in the bowels of the earth than the son of Uranus."

 

[Illustration]

 

Ares, upon one occasion, incurred the anger of Poseidon by slaying his son

Halirrhothios, who had insulted Alcippe, the daughter of the war-god. For

this deed, Poseidon summoned Ares to appear before the tribunal of the

Olympic gods, which was held upon a hill in Athens. Ares was acquitted, and

this event is supposed to have given rise to the name Areopagus (or Hill of

Ares), which afterwards became so famous as a court of justice. In the

Gigantomachia, Ares was defeated by the Aloidæ, the two giant-sons of

Poseidon, who put him in chains, and kept him in prison for thirteen

months.

 

Ares is represented as a man of youthful appearance; his tall muscular form

combines great strength with wonderful agility. In his right hand he bears

a sword or a mighty lance, while on the left arm he carries his round

shield (see next page). His demoniacal surroundings are Terror and

Fear;[44] Enyo, the goddess of the war-cry; Keidomos, the demon of the

noise of battles; and Eris (Contention), his twin-sister and companion, who

always {114} precedes his chariot when he rushes to the fight, the latter

being evidently a simile of the poets to express the fact that war follows

contention.

 

Eris is represented as a woman of florid complexion, with dishevelled hair,

and her whole appearance angry and menacing. In one hand she brandishes a

poniard and a hissing adder, whilst in the other she carries a burning

torch. Her dress is torn and disorderly, and her hair intertwined with

venomous snakes. This divinity was never invoked by mortals, except when

they desired her assistance for the accomplishment of evil purposes.

 

MARS.

 

The Roman divinity most closely resembling the Greek Ares, and identified

with him, was called Mars, Mamers, and Marspiter or Father Mars.

 

The earliest Italian tribes, who were mostly engaged in the pursuit of

husbandry, regarded this deity more especially as the god of spring, who

vanquished the powers of winter, and encouraged the peaceful arts of

agriculture. But with the Romans, who were an essentially warlike nation,

Mars gradually loses his peaceful character, and, as god of war, attains,

after Jupiter, the highest position among the Olympic gods. The Romans

looked upon him as their special protector, and declared him to have been

the father of Romulus and Remus, the founders of their city. But although

he was especially {115} worshipped in Rome as god of war, he still

continued to preside over agriculture, and was also the protecting deity

who watched over the welfare of the state.

 

As the god who strode with warlike step to the battlefield, he was called

Gradivus (from _gradus_, a step), it being popularly believed by the Romans

that he himself marched before them to battle, and acted as their invisible

protector. As the presiding deity over agriculture, he was styled Sylvanus,

whilst in his character as guardian of the state, he bore the name of

Quirinus.[45]

 

The priests of Mars were twelve in number, and were called Salii, or the

dancers, from the fact that sacred dances, in full armour, formed an

important item in their peculiar ceremonial. This religious order, the

members of which were always chosen from the noblest families in Rome, was

first instituted by Numa Pompilius, who intrusted to their special charge

the Anciliæ, or sacred shields. It is said that one morning, when Numa was

imploring the protection of Jupiter for the newly-founded city of Rome, the

god of heaven, as though in answer to his prayer, sent down an oblong

brazen shield, and, as it fell at the feet of the king, a voice was heard

announcing that on its preservation depended the future safety and

prosperity of Rome. In order, therefore, to lessen the chances of this

sacred treasure being abstracted, Numa caused eleven more to be made

exactly like it, which were then given into the care of the Salii.

 

The assistance and protection of the god of war was always solemnly invoked

before the departure of a Roman army for the field of battle, and any

reverses of fortune were invariably ascribed to his anger, which was

accordingly propitiated by means of extraordinary sin-offerings and

prayers.

 

In Rome a field, called the Campus Martius, was dedicated to Mars. It was a

large, open space, in which armies were collected and reviewed, general

assemblies of {116} the people held, and the young nobility trained to

martial exercises.

 

The most celebrated and magnificent of the numerous temples built by the

Romans in honour of this deity was the one erected by Augustus in the

Forum, to commemorate the overthrow of the murderers of Cæsar.

 

Of all existing statues of Mars the most renowned is that in the Villa

Ludovisi at Rome, in which he is represented as a powerful, muscular man in

the full vigour of youth. The attitude is that of thoughtful repose, but

the short, curly hair, dilated nostrils, and strongly marked features leave

no doubt as to the force and turbulence of his character. At his feet, the

sculptor has placed the little god of love, who looks up all undaunted at

the mighty war-god, as though mischievously conscious that this unusually

quiet mood is attributable to his influence.

 

Religious festivals in honour of Mars were generally held in the month of

March; but he had also a festival on the Ides of October, when

chariot-races took place, after which, the right-hand horse of the team

which had drawn the victorious chariot, was sacrificed to him. In ancient

times, human sacrifices, more especially prisoners of war, were offered to

him; but, at a later period, this cruel practice was discontinued.

 

The attributes of this divinity are the helmet, shield, and spear. The

animals consecrated to him were the wolf, horse, vulture, and woodpecker.

 

Intimately associated with Mars in his character as god of war, was a

goddess called BELLONA, who was evidently the female divinity of battle

with one or other of the primitive nations of Italy (most probably the

Sabines), and is usually seen accompanying Mars, whose war-chariot she

guides. Bellona appears on the battle-field, inspired with mad rage,

cruelty, and the love of extermination. She is in full armour, her hair is

dishevelled, and she bears a scourge in one hand, and a lance in the other.

 

A temple was erected to her on the Campus Martius. Before the entrance to

this edifice stood a pillar, over which a spear was thrown when war was

publicly declared. {117}

 

NIKE (VICTORIA).

 

Nike, the goddess of victory, was the daughter of the Titan Pallas, and of

Styx, the presiding nymph of the river of that name in the lower world.

 

In her statues, Nike somewhat resembles Athene, but may easily be

recognized by her large, graceful wings and flowing drapery, which is

negligently fastened on the right shoulder, and only partially conceals her

lovely form. In her left hand, she holds aloft a crown of laurel, and in

the right, a palm-branch. In ancient sculpture, Nike is usually represented

in connection with colossal statues of Zeus or Pallas-Athene, in which case

she is life-sized, and stands on a ball, held in the open palm of the deity

she accompanies. Sometimes she is represented engaged in inscribing the

victory of a conqueror on his shield, her right foot being slightly raised

and placed on a ball.

 

A celebrated temple was erected to this divinity on the Acropolis at

Athens, which is still to be seen, and is in excellent preservation.

 

VICTORIA.

 

Under the name of Victoria, Nike was highly honoured by the Romans, with

whom love of conquest was an all-absorbing characteristic. There were

several sanctuaries in Rome dedicated to her, the principal of which was on

the Capitol, where it was the custom of generals, after success had

attended their arms, to erect statues of the goddess in commemoration of

their victories. The most magnificent of these statues, was that raised by

Augustus after the battle of Actium. A festival was celebrated in honour of Nike on the 12th of April.