1000 Mythological Characters Briefly Described. Adapted to Private Schools, High Schools and Academies

“… Cupid, he that shot so trimWhen King Cophetua loved the beggar-maid.”SHAKESPEARE.

Copia (Co′pia), the goddess of plenty.

Coran (Co′ran). One of Actaeon’s hounds was so named.

Corn, see Ceres.

Coronis (Cor′onis), was a consort of Apollo and mother of Aesculapius. Another Coronis was daughter of a king of Phocis, and was changed by Athena into a crow.

Corybantes (Coryban′tes) were priests of Cybele. They obtained the name because they were in the habit of striking themselves in their dances.

Corydon (Cory′don). A silly love-sick swain mentioned by Virgil.

Corythaix (Cory′thaix). A name given to Mars, meaning Shaker of the Helmet.

Cotytto (Cotyt′to). The Athenian goddess of immodesty.

“Hail! goddess of nocturnal sport,Dark-veiled Cotytto, to whom the secret flameOf midnight torches burns; mysterious dame.”MILTON.

Counsel, see Consus.

Creditors, see Jani.

Crow, see Coronis.

Cultivated Land, see Sylvester.

Cup-bearer, see Ganymede.

Cupid (Cu′pid), the god of love, was the son of Jupiter and Venus. He is represented as a naked, winged boy, with a bow and arrows, and a torch. When he grew up to be a man he married Psyche.

“For Venus did but boast one only son,And rosy Cupid was that boasted one;He, uncontroll’d, thro’ heaven extends his sway,And gods and goddesses by turns obey.”EUSDEN, 1713.

Cuvera (Cuve′ra). The Indian god of wealth corresponding to the Greek Plutus.

Cybele (Cy′bele). The mother of the gods, and hence called Magna Mater. She was wife of Saturn. She is sometimes referred to under the names of Ceres, Rhea, Ops, and Vesta. She is represented as riding in a chariot drawn by lions. In one hand she holds a scepter, and in the other a key. On her head is a castelated crown, to denote that she was the first to protect castles and walls with towers.

“Nor Cybele with half so kind an eyeSurveyed her sons and daughters of the sky.”DRYDEN.“Might she the wise Latona be,Or the towered Cybele,Mother of a hundred gods,Juno dares not give her odds.”MILTON.

Cyclops (Cy′clops) or Cyclopes (Cy′clopes) were the gigantic, one-eyed workmen of Vulcan, who made Jove’s thunderbolts. Hesiod gives their names as Arges, Brontes, and Steropes.

“Meantime, the Cyclop raging with his wound,Spreads his wide arms, and searches round and round.”POPE.

Cygnus (Cyg′nus), the bosom friend of Phaeton. He died of grief on the death of his friend, and was turned into a swan.

Cyllaros (Cyll′aros), one of Castor’s horses. The color is mentioned as being coal-black, with white legs and tail. See Cillaros.

Cyllo (Cyl′lo). The name of one of Actaeon’s hounds, which was lame.

Cyllopotes (Cyllop′otes). A name given to one of Actaeon’s hounds which limped.

Cynosure (Cyn′osure). One of the nurses of Jupiter, turned by the god into a conspicuous constellation.

“Towers and battlements it seesBosomed high in tufted trees,Where perhaps some beauty lies,The Cynosure of neighboring eyes.”MILTON.

Cyparissus (Cyparis′sus). A boy of whom Apollo was very fond; and when he died he was changed, at Apollo’s intercession, into a cypress tree, the branches of which typify mourning.

Cypress (Cy′press), see Cyparissus.

Cypria (Cy′pria). A name of Venus, because she was worshiped in the island of Cyprus.

Cythera (Cyth′era). A name of Venus, from the island to which she was wafted in the shell.

Dactyli (Dacty′li) were priests of Cybele. They were given the name, because, like the fingers, they were ten in number.

Daedalus (Daed′alus) was a great architect and sculptor. He invented the wedge, the axe, the level, and the gimlet, and was the first to use sails. Daedalus also constructed the famous labyrinth for Minos, King of Crete. See Icarus.

“Now Daedalus, behold, by fate assigned,A task proportioned to thy mighty mind.”POPE.

Dagon (Da′gon). A god of the Philistines, half man half fish, like the mermaid. Milton describes him as “Upward man and downward fish.”

Dahak (Da′hak). The Persian devil.

Daityas (Dai′tyas). In Hindoo mythology the devils or evil gods.

Danae (Dan′ae) was a daughter of Acrisius and Eurydice. She had a son by Jupiter, who was drifted out to sea in a boat, but was saved by Polydectes and educated.

Danaides (Dana′ides), see Danaus.

Danaus (Dana′us), King of Argos, was the father of fifty daughters, who, all but one, at the command of their father, slew their husbands directly after marriage. For this crime they were condemned to the task of forever trying to draw water with vessels without any bottoms. See Hypermnestra.

Dancing, see Terpsichore.

Dangers, see Charybdis, also Scylla.

Daphne (Daph′ne). The goddess of the earth. Apollo courted her, but she fled from him, and was, at her own request, turned into a laurel tree.

“… As Daphne wasRoot-bound, that fled Apollo.”MILTON.

Dardanus (Dar′danus), a son of Jupiter, who built the city of Dardania, and by some writers was accounted the founder of Troy.

Dead-toll, see Charon.

Death, see Nox.

Deceiver, The, see Apaturia.

Deianira (Deiani′ra), daughter of Oeneus, was wife of Hercules. See Hercules.

Delius (De′lius), a name of Apollo, from the island in which he was born.

Delphi (Del′phi). A town on Mount Parnassus, famous for its oracle, and for a temple of Apollo. See Delphos.

Delphicus (Del′phicus). A name of Apollo, from Delphi.

Delphos (Del′phos), the place where the temple was built, from which the oracle of Apollo was given.

Demarus (De′marus). The Phoenician name of Jupiter.

Demogorgon (De′mogor′gon) was the tyrant genius of the soil or earth, the life and support of plants. He was depicted as an old man covered with moss, and was said to live underground. He is sometimes called the king of the elves and fays.

“Which wast begot in Demogorgon’s hallAnd saw’st the secrets of the world unmade.”SPENSER.

Deucalion (Deuca′lion), one of the demi-gods, son of Prometheus and Pyrra. He and his wife, by making a ship, survived the deluge which Jupiter sent on the earth, circa 1503 B.C.

Devil, see Dahak, Daityas, and Obambou.

Diana (Di′ana), goddess of hunting and of chastity. She was the sister of Apollo, and daughter of Jupiter and Latona. She was known among the Greeks as Diana or Phoebe, and was honored as a triform goddess. As a celestial divinity she was called Luna; as a terrestrial Diana or Dictynna; and in the infernal regions Hecate.

Dictynna (Dictyn′na), a Greek name of Diana as a terrestrial goddess.

Dido (Di′do). A daughter of Belus, King of Tyre. It was this princess who bought a piece of land in Africa as large as could be encompassed by a bullock’s hide, and when the purchase was completed, cut the hide into strips, and so secured a large tract of land. Here she built Carthage; and Virgil tells that when Aeneas was shipwrecked on the neighboring coast she received him with every kindness, and at last fell in love with him. But Aeneas did not reciprocate her affections, and this so grieved her that she stabbed herself. A tale is told in Facetiae Cantabrigienses of Professor Porson, who being one of a set party, the conversation turned on the subject of punning, when Porson observing that he could pun on any subject, a person present defied him to do so on the Latin gerunds, di, do, dum, which, however, he immediately did in the following admirable couplet:

“When Dido found Aeneas would not come,She mourned in silence, and was Dido dumb.”

Dies Pater (Di′es Pa′ter), or Father of the Day, a name of Jupiter.

Dii Selecti (Dii Selec′ti) composed the second class of gods. They were Coelus, Saturn, Genius, Oreus, Sol, Bacchus, Terra, and Luna.

Dindymene (Din′dyme′ne). A name of Cybele, from a mountain where she was worshiped.

“Nor Dindymene, nor her priest possest,Can with their sounding cymbals shake the breastLike furious anger.”FRANCIS.

Diomedes (Diome′des), the cruel tyrant of Thrace, who fed his mares on the flesh of his guests. He was overcome by Hercules, and himself given to the same horses as food.

Dione (Dio′ne). A poetic name of Venus.

Dionysia (Diony′sia) were festivals in honor of Bacchus.

Dionysius (Diony′sius). A name of Bacchus, either from his father Jupiter (Dios), or from his nurses, the nymphs called Nysae.

Dioscuri (Dios′curi). Castor and Pollux, the sons of Jupiter.

Dirae (Di′rae). A name of the Furies.

Dis. A name of Pluto, god of hell, signifying riches.

“… That fair fieldOf Enna, where Proserpine gathering flowers,Herself a fairer flower, by gloomy DisWas gathered.”MILTON.

Discord, see Ate.

Discordia (Discor′dia), sister of Nemesis, the Furies, and Death, was driven from heaven for having sown discord among the gods.

Diseases, see Pandora.

Distaff, see Pallas.

Dithyrambus. A surname of Bacchus.

Dodona (Dodo′na) was a celebrated oracle of Jupiter.

“O where, Dodona, is thine aged grove,Prophetic fount, and oracle divine?”BYRON.

Dodonaeus (Dodonae′us). A name of Jupiter, from the city of Dodona.

Dog, see Lares.

Dolabra (Dola′bra). The knife used by the priests to cut up the sacrifices.

Dolphin, see Arion.

Doorga (Door′ga). A Hindoo goddess.

Doris (Do′ris) was daughter of Oceanus, and sister of Nereus, two of the marine deities. From these two sisters sprang the several tribes of water nymphs.

Doto (Do′to). One of the Nereids or sea nymphs.

Draco (Dra′co). One of Actaeon’s hounds.

Dragon, seven-headed, see Geryon.

Dreams, see Morpheus.

Dryads (Dry′ads) were rural deities, the nymphs of the forests, to whom their votaries offered oil, milk, and honey.

“Flushed with resistless charms he fired to loveEach nymph and little Dryad of the grove.”TICKNELL.

Dumbness (Dumb′ness), see Atys.

Dweurgar (Dweur′gar). Scandinavian god of the Echo – a pigmy.

Eacus (E′acus), son of Jupiter and Egina, one of the judges of the infernal regions, who was appointed to judge the Europeans. See Aeacus.

Earth, see Antaeus.

Eblis (Eb′lis), the Mohammedan evil genius.

Echidna (Echid′na). A woman having a serpent’s tail. She was the reputed mother of Chimaera, and also of the many-headed dog Orthos, of the three-hundred-headed dragon of the Hesperides, of the Colchian dragon, of the Sphinx, of Cerberus, of Scylla, of the Gorgons, of the Lernaean Hydra, of the vulture that gnawed away the liver of Prometheus, and also of the Nemean lion; in fact, the mother of all adversity and tribulation.

Echnobas (Echno′bas), one of Actaeon’s hounds.

Echo (Ech′o) was a nymph who fell in love with Narcissus. But when he languished and died she pined away from grief and died also, preserving nothing but her voice, which repeats every sound that reaches her. Another fable makes Echo a daughter of Air and Tellus. She was partly deprived of speech by Juno, being allowed only to reply to questions.

“Sweet Echo, sweetest nymph, that liv’st unseenWithin thy airy shell.. .     .Sweet queen of parley, daughter of the sphere,So may’st thou be translated to the skies,And give resounding grace to all heaven’s harmonies.”MILTON.“Oft by Echo’s tedious tales misled.”OVID.

Egeon. A giant sea-god, who assisted the Titans against Jupiter.

Egeria (Ege′ria). A nymph who is said to have suggested to Numa all his wise laws. She became his wife, and at his death was so disconsolate, and shed so many tears, that Diana changed her into a fountain.

Egil (E′gil). The Vulcan of northern mythology.

Egipans (Egip′ans) were rural deities who inhabited the forests and mountains, the upper half of the body being like that of a man, and the lower half like a goat.

Egis (E′gis) was the shield of Minerva. It obtained its name because it was covered with the skin of the goat Amalthaea, which nourished Jupiter. See Aegis.

Eleusinian Mysteries (Eleusin′ian). Religious rites in honor of Ceres, performed at Eleusis, in Attica.

Elysium (Elys′ium), or the Elysian Fields. The temporary abode of the just in the infernal regions.

Empyrean, The (Empyre′an). The fifth heaven, the seat of the heathen deity.

Endymion (Endym′ion). A shepherd, who acquired from Jupiter the faculty of being always young. One of the lovers of Diana.

Entertainments, see Comus.

Envy, see Furies.

Enyo was the Grecian name of Bellona, the goddess of war and cruelty.

Eolus (E′olus), see Aeolus.

Eos (E′os). The Grecian name of Aurora.

Eous (E′ous). One of the four horses which drew the chariot of Sol, the sun. The word is Greek, and means red.

Ephialtes (Eph′ial′tes). A giant who lost his right eye in an encounter with Hercules, and the left eye was destroyed by Apollo.

Erato (Er′ato). One of the Muses, the patroness of light poetry; she presided over the triumphs and complaints of lovers, and is generally represented as crowned with roses and myrtle, and holding a lyre in her hand.

Erebus (Er′ebus), son of Chaos, one of the gods of Hades, sometimes alluded to as representing the infernal regions.

Ergatis (Erga′tis). A name given to Minerva. It means the work-woman, and was given to the goddess because she was credited with having invented spinning and weaving.

Erictheus (Eric′theus), fourth King of Athens, was the son of Vulcan.

Erinnys (Erin′nys). A Greek name of the Furies. It means Disturber of the Mind.

Erisichthon (Erisich′thon) was punished with perpetual hunger because he defiled the groves of Ceres, and cut down one of the sacred oaks.

Eros (Er′os). The Greek god of love.

Erostratus (Eros′tratus). The rascal who burnt the temple of Diana at Ephesus, thereby hoping to make his name immortal.

Erycina (Eryc′ina). A name of Venus, from Mount Eryx in Sicily.

Erythreos (Erythre′os). The Grecian name of one of the horses of Sol’s chariot.

Esculapius (Escula′pius), see Aesculapius.

Eta (E′ta), see Aeetes.

Ethon (E′thon), one of the horses who drew the chariot of Sol – the sun. The word is Greek, and signifies hot.

Etna (Et′na). A volcanic mountain, beneath which, according to Virgil, there is buried the giant Typhon, who breathes forth devouring flames.

Eudromos (Eu′dromos). The name of one of Actaeon’s hounds.

Eulalon (Eu′lalon), one of the names of Apollo.

Eumenides (Eume′nides), a name of the Furies, meaning mild, and referring to the time when they were approved by Minerva.

Euphrosyne (Euphro′syne), one of the three Graces, see Graces.

“Come, thou goddess fair and free,In heaven ycleped Euphrosyne.”MILTON.

Eurus (Eu′rus). The east wind. A son of Aeolus.

Euryale (Eury′ale) was one of the Gorgons, daughter of Phorcus and Ceto.

Eurydice (Euryd′ice), wife of Orpheus, who was killed by a serpent on her wedding night.

“Nor yet the golden verge of day begun.When Orpheus (her unhappy lord),Eurydice to life restored,At once beheld, and lost, and was undone.”F. LEWIS.

Eurythion (Euryth′ion). A seven-headed dragon. See Geryon.

Euterpe (Eu′terpe), one of the Muses, the patroness of instrumental music. The word means agreeable.

Euvyhe (Eu′vyhe), an expression meaning “Well done, son.” Jupiter so frequently addressed his son Bacchus by those words that the phrase at last became one of his names.

Evening Star, see Hesperus.

Evil, see Cacodaemon.

Evils, see Pandora.

Eye, of one, see Cyclops and Glaukopis.

Fame was a poetical deity, represented as having wings and blowing a trumpet. A temple was dedicated to her by the Romans.

Fate, see Nereus.

Fates, or Parcae, were the three daughters of Necessity. Their names were Clotho, who held the distaff; Lachesis, who turned the spindle; and Atropos, who cut the thread with the fatal shears.

Faun. A rural divinity, half man and half goat. They were very similar to the Satyrs. The Fauns attended the god Pan, and the Satyrs attended Bacchus.

Favonius (Favo′nius). The wind favorable to vegetation, that is, Zephyr – the west wind.

“… Time will runOn smoother, till Favonius reinspireThe frozen earth, and clothe in fresh attireThe lily and the rose, that neither sowed nor spun.”MILTON.

Fays.

“The yellow-skirted FaysFly after the night-steeds,Leaving their moon-loved maze.”MILTON.

Feasts, see Comus.

Febris (Fe′bris) (fever), one of the evil deities, was worshiped that she might not do harm.

Februus (Feb′ruus). A name of Pluto, from the part of the funeral rites which consisted of purifications.

Feronia (Fero′nia), the Roman goddess of orchards, was patroness of enfranchised slaves. Some authors think Feronia is the same as Juno.

Fertility, see Lupercus.

Festivals, see Thalia.

Fidelity, see Iolaus.

Fides (Fi′des), the goddess of faith and honesty, and a temple in the Capitol of Rome.

Fine Arts, see Minerva.

Fire, see Salamander, Vesta, and Vulcan.

Fire Insurance, see Canopus.

Fisherman, see Glaucus.

Flath-innis (Flath′-in′nis), in Celtic mythology, is Paradise.

Fleece, Golden, see Golden Fleece, Argonauts, and Jason.

Flies, see Muscarius.

Flocks, see Pales (goddess of pastures).

Flora (Flo′ra), goddess of flowers and gardens, was wife of Zephyrus. She enjoyed perpetual youth. Her Grecian name was Chloris.

Floralia (Flora′lia) were licentious games instituted in honor of the goddess Flora.

Flowers, see Flora, Chloris, Hortensis, and Zephyrus.

Flute, see Marsyas.

Fortuna (Fortu′na), the goddess of fortune, had a temple erected to her by Servius Tullius. She was supposed to be able to bestow riches or poverty on mankind, and was esteemed one of the most potent of the ancient goddesses. She is usually represented as standing on a wheel, with a bandage over her eyes, and holding a cornucopia.

Fraud, one of the evil deities, was represented as a goddess with a human face and a serpent’s body, and at the end of her tail was a scorpion’s sting. She lived in the river Cocytus, and nothing but her head was ever seen.

Freyr (Frey′r). The Scandinavian god of fertility and peace. The patron god of Sweden and Iceland.

Freyja (Frey′ja). The Scandinavian Venus. The goddess of love.

Friga (Fri′ga). The Saxon goddess of earthly enjoyments. The name Friday is derived from her. In Scandinavian mythology she is the goddess of marriage.

Fro. The Scandinavian god of tempests and winds.

Frogs, see Clowns of Lycia.

Fruits, see Ceres, and Pomona.

Funerals, see Libitina, and Manes.

Furies, The, were the three daughters of Acheron and Nox. They were the punishers of evil-doers. Their names were Tisiphone, Megaera, and Alecto, and were supposed to personify rage, slaughter, and envy.

Futurity, see Cassandra.

Gabriel (Ga′briel), in Jewish mythology is the prince of fire and thunder, and the angel of death to the favored people of God.

Galataea (Galatae′a). A sea nymph. Polyphemus, one of the Cyclops, loved her, but she disdained his attentions and became the lover of Acis, a Sicilian shepherd.

Gallantes (Gallan′tes), madmen, from Galli (which see).

Galli (Gal′li) were priests of Cybele who used to cut their arms with knives when they sacrificed, and acted so like madmen that demented people got the name of Gallantes.

Ganesa (Gan′esa). The Indian Mercury. The god of wisdom and prudence.

Ganga. One of the three Indian river goddesses.

Ganymede, a beautiful Phrygian youth, son of Tros, King of Troy. He succeeded Hebe in the office of cup-bearer to Jupiter. He is generally represented sitting on the back of a flying eagle.

Gardens, see Pomona (goddess of fruit-trees).

Gates, see Janus.

Gautama (Gau′tama) (Buddha). The chief deity of Burmah.

Genii were domestic divinities. Every man was supposed to have two of these genii accompanying him; one brought him happiness, the other misery.

Genitor (Gen′itor). A Lycian name of Jupiter.

Geometry, see Mercury.

Geryon (Ge′ryon) was a triple-bodied monster who lived at Gades, where his numerous flocks were guarded by Orthos, a two-headed dog, and by Eurythion, a seven-headed dragon. These guardians were destroyed by Hercules, and the cattle taken away.

Gimlet, see Daedalus.

Girdle, see Cestus (Venus’s).

Glaucus (Glau′cus) was a fisherman who became a sea-god through eating a sea-weed, which he thought invigorated the fishes and might strengthen him.

Glaukopis (Glauko′pis). A name given to Minerva, because she had blue eyes.

Gnomes (Gno′mes), a name given by Plato to the invisible deities who were supposed to inhabit the earth.

Gnossis (Gnos′sis), a name given to Ariadne, from the city of Gnossus, in Crete.

Goat, see Iphigenia, Mendes, and Venus.

Goat’s Feet, see Capripedes.

Golden Apple, see Atalanta.

Golden Fleece, The, was a ram’s hide, sometimes described as white, and at other times as purple and golden. It was given to Phryxus, who carried it to Colchis, where King Aeetes entertained Phryxus, and the hide was hung up in the grove of Mars. Jason and forty-nine companions fetched back the golden fleece. See Argonauts.

Gopya (Gopy′a). Indian mythological nymphs.

Gorgons, The (Gor′gons), were three sisters, named Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa. They petrified every one they looked at. Instead of hair their heads were covered with vipers. Perseus conquered them, and cut off the head of Medusa, which was placed on the shield of Minerva, and all who fixed their eyes thereon were turned into stone.