Bulfinchs Mythology | Page 8

of the nine Muses. Mercury gave the lyre
to Apollo, and received from him in exchange the caduceus.

[Footnote: From this origin of the instrument, the word "shell" is often
used as synonymous with "lyre," and figuratively for music and poetry.
Thus Gray, in his ode on the "Progress of Poesy," says:
"O Sovereign of the willing Soul, Parent of sweet and solemn-breathing
airs, Enchanting shell! the sullen Cares And frantic Passions hear thy
soft control."]
Ceres (Demeter) was the daughter of Saturn and Rhea. She had a
daughter named Proserpine (Persephone), who became the wife of
Pluto, and queen of the realms of the dead. Ceres presided over
agriculture.
Bacchus (Dionysus), the god of wine, was the son of Jupiter and
Semele. He represents not only the intoxicating power of wine, but its
social and beneficent influences likewise, so that he is viewed as the
promoter of civilization, and a lawgiver and lover of peace.
The Muses were the daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne (Memory).
They presided over song, and prompted the memory. They were nine in
number, to each of whom was assigned the presidence over some
particular department of literature, art, or science. Calliope was the
muse of epic poetry, Clio of history, Euterpe of lyric poetry,
Melpomene of tragedy, Terpsichore of choral dance and song, Erato of
love poetry, Polyhymnia of sacred poetry, Urania of astronomy, Thalia
of comedy.
The Graces were goddesses presiding over the banquet, the dance, and
all social enjoyments and elegant arts. They were three in number.
Their names were Euphrosyne, Aglaia, and Thalia.
Spenser describes the office of the Graces thus:
"These three on men all gracious gifts bestow Which deck the body or
adorn the mind, To make them lovely or well-favored show; As comely
carriage, entertainment kind, Sweet semblance, friendly offices that
bind, And all the complements of courtesy; They teach us how to each
degree and kind We should ourselves demean, to low, to high, To

friends, to foes; which skill men call Civility."
The Fates were also three--Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. Their office
was to spin the thread of human destiny, and they were armed with
shears, with which they cut it off when they pleased. They were the
daughters of Themis (Law), who sits by Jove on his throne to give him
counsel.
The Erinnyes, or Furies, were three goddesses who punished by their
secret stings the crimes of those who escaped or defied public justice.
The heads of the Furies were wreathed with serpents, and their whole
appearance was terrific and appalling. Their names were Alecto,
Tisiphone, and Megaera. They were also called Eumenides.
Nemesis was also an avenging goddess. She represents the righteous
anger of the gods, particularly towards the proud and insolent.
Pan was the god of flocks and shepherds. His favorite residence was in
Arcadia.
The Satyrs were deities of the woods and fields. They were conceived
to be covered with bristly hair, their heads decorated with short,
sprouting horns, and their feet like goats' feet.
Momus was the god of laughter, and Plutus the god of wealth.
ROMAN DIVINITIES
The preceding are Grecian divinities, though received also by the
Romans. Those which follow are peculiar to Roman mythology:
Saturn was an ancient Italian deity. It was attempted to identify him
with the Grecian god Cronos, and fabled that after his dethronement by
Jupiter he fled to Italy, where he reigned during what was called the
Golden Age. In memory of his beneficent dominion, the feast of
Saturnalia was held every year in the winter season. Then all public
business was suspended, declarations of war and criminal executions
were postponed, friends made presents to one another and the slaves

were indulged with great liberties. A feast was given them at which
they sat at table, while their masters served them, to show the natural
equality of men, and that all things belonged equally to all, in the reign
of Saturn.
Faunus, [Footnote: There was also a goddess called Fauna, or Bona
Dea.] the grandson of Saturn, was worshipped as the god of fields and
shepherds, and also as a prophetic god. His name in the plural, Fauns,
expressed a class of gamesome deities, like the Satyrs of the Greeks.
Quirinus was a war god, said to be no other than Romulus, the founder
of Rome, exalted after his death to a place among the gods.
Bellona, a war goddess.
Terminus, the god of landmarks. His statue was a rude stone or post, set
in the ground to mark the boundaries of fields.
Pales, the goddess presiding over cattle and pastures.
Pomona presided over fruit trees.
Flora, the goddess of flowers.
Lucina, the goddess of childbirth.
Vesta (the Hestia of the Greeks) was a deity presiding over the public
and private hearth. A sacred fire, tended