BULFINCH'S MYTHOLOGY: THE AGE OF FABLE

 

	Bulfinch, Thomas, 1796-1867
	Born: Newton, Massachusetts 1796
	Occupation Banker, writer
	Died: May 27, 1867 (aged 70)
	Revised by Rev.E. E. Hale
	Bulfinch's Mythology writings are public domain.

CONTENTS

Chapter I
Origin of Greeks and Romans. The Aryan Family. The Divinities
of these Nations. Character of the Romans. Greek notion of
the World. Dawn, Sun, and Moon. Jupiter and the gods of
Olympus. Foreign gods. Latin Names.-- Saturn or Kronos.
Titans. Juno, Vulcan, Mars, Phoebus-Apollo, Venus, Cupid,
Minerva, Mercury, Ceres, Bacchus. The Muses. The Graces.
The Fates. The Furies. Pan. The Satyrs. Momus. Plutus.
Roman gods.

Chapter II
Roman Idea of Creation. Golden Age. Milky Way. Parnassus.
The Deluge. Deucalion and Pyrrha. Pandora. Prometheus.
Apollo and Daphne. Pyramus and Thisbe. Davy's Safety Lamp.
Cephalus and Procris

Chapter III
Juno. Syrinx, or Pandean Pipes. Argus's Eyes. Io.
Callisto Constellations of Great and Little Bear. Pole-star.
Diana. Actaeon. Latona. Rustics turned to Frogs. Isle
of Delos. Phaeton. Palace of the Sun. Phoebus. Day.
Month. Year. Hours. Seasons. Chariot of the sun. People
of Aethiopia. Libyan Desert. The Wells Dry. The Sea
Shrinks. Phaeton's Tomb. The Heliades

Chapter IV
Silenus. Midas. Bacchus's Reward to Midas. River Pactolus.
Pan Challenges Apollo. Midas's Ears. Gordian Knot. Baucis
and Philemon. Aetna. Perpetual Spring. Pluto carries off
Prosperine. Cere's Search. Prosperine's Release. Eleusinian
Mysteries. Glaucis changed to a Fish. Scylla

Chapter V
Pygmalion's Statue. Dryope and Iole. Lotus Tree. Venus and
Adonis. Anemone or Wind Flower. Apollo and Hyacinthus. Game
of Quoits. Flower Hyacinthus. Ceyx and Halcyone. Palace of
the King of Sleep. Morpheus. Halcyon Birds.

Chapter VI
Hamadryads. Pomona. Vertumnus. Iphis. Cupid and Psyche.
Zephyr. Temple of Ceres. Temple of Venus. The Ant. Golden
Fleece. Pluto. Cerberus. Charon. The Treasure. Stygian
Sleep. Cup of Ambrosia. Birth of Pleasure. Greek name of
Psyche.

Chapter VII
Cadmus. Origin of City of Thebes. Tyrians. Serpent.
Dragon's Teeth. Harmonia. Serpent Sacred to Mars. Myrmidons.
Cephalus. Aeacus. Pestilence Sent by June. Origin of
Myrmidons.

Chapter VIII
Minos, King of Crete. Nisus, his purple hair. Scylla's
Betrayal. Her Punishment. Echo. Juno's Sentence.
Narcissus. Love for his own image. Clytie. Hopeless Love
for Apollo. Becomes a Flower. Hero and Leander. Hellespont

Chapter IX
Goddess of Wisdom. Arachne. Her Challenge with Minerva.
Minerva's Web. Arachne's Web. Transformation. Niobe Queen
of Thebes. Mount Cynthus. Death of Niobe's Children. Changed
to stone. The Gray-haired Sisters. The Gorgon Medusa. Tower
of brass. Danae. Perseus. Net of Dicte. Minerva. King
Atlas. Andromeda. Sea Monster. Wedding Feast. Enemies
Turned to Stone.

Chapter X
Attributes of Monsters. Laius. Oedipus. The Oracle.
Sphinx. The Riddle. Oedipus made King. Jocasta. Origin of
Pegasus. Fountain of Hippocrene. The Chimaera.
Bellerophontic Letters. The Centaurs. The Pygmies.
Description of the Griffin. The Native Country. One-Eyed
People

Chapter XI
The Ram with the Golden Fleece. The Hellespont. Jason's
Quest. Sowing the Dragon's Teeth. Jason's Father.
Incantations of Medea. Ancient Name of Greece. Great
Gatherings of the Greeks. Wild Boar. Atalanta's Race. Three
Golden Apples. Lovers' Ingratitude. Venus's Revenge.
Corybantes

Chapter XII
Labors of Hercules.-- Fight with Nemean Lion.-- Slaughter of the
Hydra. Cleaning the Augean Stables.-- Girdle of the Queen of the
Amazons.-- Oxen of Geryon.-- Golden Apples of Hesperides.--
Victory over Antaeus.-- Cacus Slain.-- Hercules, Descent into
Hades.-- He Becomes the Slave of Omphale.-- Dejanira's Charm.--
Death of Hercules.-- Hebe, Goddess of Youth

Chapter XIII
Theseus Moves the Fated Stone, and Proceeds to Athens.--
Procrustes's Bedstead.-- Tribute to Minos.-- Ariadne.-- Clew of
Thread.-- Encounter with the Minotaur.-- Theseus Becomes King of
Athens.-- Friendship of Theseus and Pirithous. The Theseum.--
Festival of Panathenaea.-- Elgin Marbles.-- National Greek
Games.-- The Labyrinth.-- Daedalus' Wings.-- Invention of the
Saw.-- Castor and Pollux.-- Argonautic Expedition.-- Orpheus's
Harp.-- Gemini

Chapter XIV
Destruction of Semele.-- Infancy of Bacchus.-- March of Bacchus.-
- One of the Bacchanals taken Prisoner.-- Pentheus.-- Worship of
Bacchus Established in Greece.-- Ariadne.-- Bacchus's Marriage.--
Ariadne's Crown

Chapter XV
Pan.-- Shepherd's Pipe.-- Panic Terror.-- Signification of the
Name Pan.-- Latin Divinities.-- Wood Nymphs.-- Water Nymphs.--
Sea Nymphs. Pleasing Traits of Old Paganism.-- Mrs. Browning's
Poem.-- Violation of Cere's Grove.-- Erisichthon's Punishment.--
Rhoecus.-- Water Deities.-- Neptune's Symbol of Power.-- Latin
Name for the Muses, and other Deities.-- Personification of the
Winds. The Harpies.-- Worship of Fortuna

Chapter XVI
Transformation of Achelous.-- Origin of the Cornucopia.-- Ancient
Meaning of fight of Achelous with Hercules.-- Aesculapius.-- The
Cyclops. Antigone.-- Expedition of the "Seven against Thebes."-
- Antigone's Sisterly Devotion.-- Antigone's Burial.-- Penelope.-
- Statue to Modesty.-- Ulysses.-- Penelope's suitors.--
Penelope's Web

Chapter XVII
Orpheus's Lyre.-- Unhappy Prognostics at Orpheus's Marriage.--
Eurydice's Death.-- Orpheus Descends to the Stygian Realm.--
Orpheus Loses Eurydice Forever.-- Thracian Maidens.-- Honey.--
Aristaeus's Loss and Complaint.-- Cyrene's Apartments.-- Proteus
Captured.-- His Directions to Orpheus.-- Swarm of Bees.--
Celebrated Mythical Poets and Musicians.-- First Mortal Endowed
with Prophetic Powers

Chapter XVIII
Adventures of Real Persons.-- Arion, Famous Musician.--
Description of Ancient Theatres.-- Murder of Ibycus.-- Chorus
Personating the Furies.-- Cranes of Ibycus.-- The Murderers
Seized.-- Simonides.-- Scopa's Jest. Simonides's Escape.--
Sappho.-- "Lover's Leap"

Chapter XIX
Endymion.-- Mount Latmos. Gift of Perpetual Youth and Perpetual
Sleep.-- Orion.-- Kedalion.-- Orion's Girdle.-- The Fatal Shot
The Pleiads.-- Aurora.-- Memnon.-- statue of Memnon.-- Scylla.--
Acis and Galatea.-- River Acis

Chapter XX
Minerva's Competition.-- Paris's Decision.-- Helen.-- Paris's
Elopement.-- Ulysses's Pretence.-- The Apple of Discord.-- Priam,
King of Troy.-- Commander of Grecian Armament.-- Principal
Leaders of the Trojans.-- Agamemnon Kills the Sacred Stag.--
Iphigenia.-- The Trojan War.-- The Iliad.-- Interest of Dods and
Goddesses in the War.-- Achilles's Suit of Armor.-- Death of
Hector.-- Ransom Sent to Achilles.-- Achilles Grants Priam's
Request.-- Hector's Funeral Solemnities.

Chapter XXI
Achilles Captivated by Polyxena.-- Achilles' Claim.-- Bestowal of
Achilles' Armor.-- The Hyacinth.-- Arrows of Hercules.-- Death of
Paris.-- Celebrated Statue of Minerva.-- Wooden Horse.-- Greeks
Pretend to Abandon the Siege.-- Sea Serpents.-- Laocoon.-- Troy
subdued.-- Helen and Menelaus.-- Nepenthe.-- Agamemnon's
Misfortunes.-- Orestes.-- Electra.-- Site of the City of Troy

Chapter XXII
The Odyssey.-- The Wanderings of Ulysses.-- Country of the
Cyclops.-- The Island of Aeolus.-- The Barbarous Tribe of
Laestrygonians.-- Circe.-- The Sirens.-- Scylla and Charybdis.--
Cattle of Hyperion.-- Ulysses's Raft.-- Calypso Entertains
Ulysses.-- Telemachus and Mentor Escape from Calypso's Isle

Chapter XXIII
Ulysses Abandons the Raft.-- The Country of the Phaeacians.--
Nausicaa's Dream.-- A Game of Ball.-- Ulysses's Dilemma.--
Nausicaa's Courage.-- The Palace of Alcinous.-- Skill of the
Phaeacian Women.-- Hospitality to Ulysses.-- Demodocus, the Blind
Bard.-- Gifts to Ulysses

Chapter XXIV
Virgil's Description of the Region of the Dead.-- Descend into
Hades.-- The Black River and Ferryman.-- Cape Palinurus.-- The
Three-Headed Dog.-- Regions of Sadness.-- Shades of Grecian and
Trojan Warriors.-- Judgment Hall of Rhadamanthus.-- The Elysian
Fields.-- Aeneas Meets His Father.-- Anchises Explains the Plan
of Creation.-- Transmigration of Souls.-- Egyptian Name of
Hades.-- Location of Elysium.-- Prophetic Power of the Sibyl.--
Legend of the Nine Books

Chapter XXV
The Infernal Regions The Sibyl

Chapter XXVI
Camilla Evander Nisus and Euryalus Mezentius Turnus

Chapter XXVII
Pythagoras. Egyptian Deities. Oracles

Chapter XXVIII
Origin of Mythology Statues of Gods and Goddesses Poets of
Mythology

Chapter XXIX
Modern Monsters: The Phoenix Basilisk Unicorn Salamander

Chapter XXX
Eastern Mythology Zoroaster Hindu Mythology Castes Buddha
Grand Lama

Chapter XXXI
Northern Mythology Valhalla The Valkyrior

Chapter XXXII
Thor's Visit to Jotunheim

Chapter XXXIII
The Death of Baldur The Elves -- Runic Letters -- Scalds --
Iceland

Chapter XXXIV
The Druids Iona