Bulfinchs Mythology | Page 8

over mortals and immortals.
"The will of Jove I own, Who mortals and immortals rules alone."
Homer, II.xii
Jupiter was son of Saturn (Kronos) [The names included in parentheses
are the Greek, the others being the Roman or Latin names] and Ops
(Rhea in Greek, sometimes confounded with the Phrygian Cybele).
Saturn and Rhea were of the race of Titans, who were the children of
Earth and Heaven, which sprang from Chaos, of which we shall give a

further account in our next chapter.
In allusion to the dethronement of Ouranos by Kronos, and of Kronos
or Saturnus by Zeus or Jupiter, Prometheus says in AEschylus's
tragedy,--
"You may deem Its towers impregnable; but have I not already seen
two monarchs hurled from them."
Thee is another cosmogony, or account of the creation, according to
which Earth, Erebus, and Love were the first of beings. Love (Eros)_
issued from the egg of Night, which floated on Chaos. By his arrows
and torch he pierced and vivified all things, producing life and joy.
Saturn and Rhea were not the only Titans. There were others, whose
names were Oceanus, Hyperion, Iapetus, and Ophion, males; and
Themis, Mnemosyne, Eurynome, females. They are spoken of as the
elder gods, whose dominion was afterwards transferred to others.
Saturn yielded to Jupiter, Oceanus to Neptune, Hyperion to Apollo.
Hyperion was the father of the Sun, Moon, and Dawn. He is therefore
the original sun-god, and is painted with the splendor and beauty which
were afterwards bestowed on Apollo.
"Hyperion's curls, the front of Jove himself." Shakespeare
Ophion and Eurynome ruled over Olympus till they were dethroned by
Saturn and Rhea. Milton alludes to them in Paradise Lost. He says the
heathen seem to have had some knowledge of the temptation and fall of
man,--
"And fabled how the serpent, whom they called Ophion, with
Eurynome (the wide- Encroaching Eve perhaps), had first the rule Of
high Olympus, thence by Saturn driven."
The representations given of Saturn are not very consistent, for on the
one hand his reign is said to have been the golden age of innocence and
purity, and on the other he is described as a monster who devoured his
own children [This inconsistency arises from considering the Saturn of

the Romans the same with the Grecian deity Chronos (Time), which, as
it brings an end to all things which have had a beginning, may be said
to devour its own offspring.] Jupiter, however, escaped this fate, and
when grown up espoused Metis (Prudence), who administered a
draught to Saturn which caused him to disgorge his children. Jupiter,
with his brothers and sisters, now rebelled against their father Saturn,
and his brothers the Titans; vanquished them, and imprisoned some of
them in Tartarus, inflicting other penalties on others. Atlas was
condemned to bear up the heavens on his shoulders.
On the dethronement of Saturn, Jupiter with his brothers Neptune
(Poseidon) and Pluto (Dis) divided his dominions. Jupiter's portion was
the heavens, Neptune's the ocean, and Pluto's the realms of the dead.
Earth and Olympus were common property. Jupiter was king of gods
and men. The thunder was his weapon, and he bore a shield called
AEgis, made for him by Vulcan. The eagle was his favorite bird, and
bore his thunderbolts.
Juno (Hera)[pronounce He-re, in two syllables] was the wife of Jupiter,
and queen of the gods. Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, was her
attendant and messenger. The peacock was her favorite bird.
Vulcan (Hephaistos), the celestial artist, was the son of Jupiter and
Juno. He was born lame, and his mother was so displeased at the sight
of him that she flung him out of heaven. Other accounts say that Jupiter
kicked him out for taking part with his mother, in a quarrel which
occurred between them. Vulcan's lameness, according to this account,
was the consequence of his fall. He was a whole day falling, and at last
alighted in the island of Lemnos, which was thenceforth sacred to him.
Milton alludes to this story in Paradise lost, Book I.
"From morn To noon he fell, from noon to dewy eve, A summer's day;
and with the setting sun Dropped from the zenith, like a falling star, On
Lemnos, the AEgean isle."
Mars (Ares), the god of war, was the son of Jupiter and Juno. Phoebus
Apollo [this is a Greek name of a Greek divinity, who seems to have
had no Roman resemblance], the god of archery, prophecy, and music,

was the son of Jupiter and Latona, and brother of Diana (Artemis). He
was god of the sun, as Diana, his sister, was the goddess of the moon.
Venus (Aphrodite), the goddess of love and beauty, was the daughter of
Jupiter and Dione. Others say that Venus sprang from the foam of the
sea.