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diff --git a/old/50569-0.txt b/old/50569-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 95828d3..0000000 --- a/old/50569-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4191 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Herakles, the Hero of Thebes, and Other -Heroes of the Myth, by Mary E. Burt and Zenaïde A. Ragozin - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Herakles, the Hero of Thebes, and Other Heroes of the Myth - Adapted from the Second Book of the Primary Schools of Athens, Greece - -Author: Mary E. Burt - Zenaïde A. Ragozin - -Release Date: November 28, 2015 [EBook #50569] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HERAKLES, HERO OF THEBES *** - - - - -Produced by Shaun Pinder, Sam W. and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - -Transcriber's Note - -The pronunciation guide at the end of the book includes some -characters with macrons above (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū) and some with breves -above (ă, ĕ). If these do not display correctly, you may wish to -change your font or file encoding settings. - - - - - HERAKLES - - THE HERO OF THEBES - - AND OTHER HEROES OF THE MYTH - - - Adapted from the Second Book of the - Primary Schools of Athens, Greece - - - BY - - MARY E. BURT - - _Author of "Literary Landmarks," "Stories - from Plato," "Story of the German Iliad," - "The Child-Life Reading Study"; Editor of - "The Cable Story Book," "The Eugene Field - Book"; Teacher in the John A. Browning - School, New York City_ - - AND - - ZENAÏDE A. RAGOZIN - - _Author of "The Story of Chaldea," "The - Story of Assyria," Etc.; Member of the - Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain - and Ireland, of the American Oriental - Society, of the Société Ethnologique of - Paris, etc._ - - - NEW YORK - CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS - 1900 - - - - - Copyright, 1900, by - CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS - - - TROW DIRECTORY - PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY - NEW YORK - - - - -SCRIBNER'S SERIES OF SCHOOL READING. - - -In Uniform Binding; each 12mo, _net_, 60 Cents. - - Lobo, Rag and Vixen. From "Wild Animals I Have Known." By Ernest - Seton-Thompson. Illustrated. - - The Howells Story Book. Edited by Mary E. Burt and Mildred - Howells. Illustrated. - - The Cable Story Book. Selections for School Reading, with the - Story of the Author's Life. Edited by Mary E. Burt and Lucy - Leffingwell Cable. Illustrated. - - The Eugene Field Book. Verses, Stories, and Letters for School - Reading. Edited by Mary E. Burt and Mary B. Cable. Introduction - by George W. Cable. Illustrated. - - Fanciful Tales. By Frank R. Stockton. Edited by Julia E. - Langworthy. Introduction by Mary E. Burt. - - The Hoosier School-Boy. By Edward Eggleston. Illustrated. - - Children's Stories in American Literature, 1660-1860. By - Henrietta C. Wright. - - Children's Stories in American Literature, 1860-1896. By - Henrietta C. Wright. - - Odysseus, the Hero of Ithaca. By Mary E. Burt. A Translation of - the Story of Odysseus as used in the Schools of Athens and - Berlin. Fully Illustrated. - - Poems of American Patriotism. Chosen by Brander Matthews. 285 - pages. - - Twelve Naval Captains. By Molly Elliot Seawell. 233 pages. - Illustrated. - - Herakles, the Hero of Thebes. By Mary E. Burt. A Translation of - the Story of Herakles and other Greek Heroes, as used in the - Schools of Athens. Illustrated. - - - - - [Illustration: HERAKLES SLAYING A CENTAUR. - (Giovanni Bologna.)] - - - - - To - - SEVEN - - LITTLE GENTLEMEN - - WILLIE MACY - - REGGIE CHARLES - - LOUIS OLIVER - - GRISWOLD - - - - -PREFACE - - -The child's heart goes out to the man of action, the man who makes -short work of things and gets directly at a result. He responds to -life, to energy, quick wit, the blow that hits the nail on the head at -the first stroke. - -The rapidity of action in the stories of Herakles, Jason, and other -Heroes of the Myth, the prowess and courage and untiring endurance of -the men, render the characters worthy subjects of thought to young -minds, and have secured the stories a permanent place in educational -literature. It is not elegant literature alone that boys need, but -inspiring ideals which will impel them to stand fearlessly to their -guns, to do the hard thing with untiring perseverance, to reach the -result with unerring insight. - -It is exactly this unbending courage in Herakles and his comrade -heroes, that has made them the backbone of literature for ages, -holding their own in spite of the sapless literary fungus crowding our -book-shelves. - -While travelling in Greece I found the children of the primary schools -reading these stories in the lower grades, the book being the one used -next above the primer. The interest was enthusiastic, and I brought -home a copy of the book, which, with Madame Ragozin's collaboration, I -have arranged as a first or second book of reading for our own -schools. - - Mary E. Burt. - -The John A. Browning School, New York, March 15, 1900. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - Introduction xi - - CHAPTER - I. The Babe Herakles 1 - - II. Herakles is Doomed to Serve Eurystheus 4 - - III. The First Labor--The Nemean Lion 6 - - IV. The Second Labor--Herakles Kills the Water-Snake of - Lake Lerna 9 - - V. The Third Labor--The Golden-Horned Hind 12 - - VI. The Fourth Labor--The Erymanthian Boar 15 - - VII. The Fifth Labor--Herakles Cleans the Augeian Stables 19 - - VIII. The Sixth Labor--The Birds of Stymphalos 22 - - IX. The Seventh Labor--Herakles Catches the Mad Bull - of Crete 24 - - X. The Eighth Labor--The Horses of Diomedes 25 - - XI. The Ninth Labor--The Girdle of Hippolyte 27 - - XII. The Tenth Labor--The Cattle of Geryon 30 - - XIII. The Eleventh Labor--The Golden Apples of Hesperides 35 - - XIV. The Twelfth Labor--Herakles Fetches Cerberus Out - of Hades 40 - - XV. Theseus, the Hero of Athens 43 - - XVI. The First Exploits of Theseus. He Finds His Father 47 - - XVII. The Adventures of Theseus 51 - - XVIII. The Adventures of Theseus 56 - - XIX. Jason, the Hero of Thessaly 60 - - XX. Jason Claims His Throne 63 - - XXI. The Expedition 69 - - XXII. Jason Finds the Golden Fleece 74 - - XXIII. Orpheus, the Hero of the Lyre 78 - - XXIV. Pelops, the Hero of the Peloponnesos 83 - - XXV. Perseus, the Hero of Argos 87 - - XXVI. Perseus Finds the Gorgons 92 - - XXVII. Perseus Rescues Andromeda 95 - - XXVIII. Perseus Becomes King of Tiryns 100 - - XXIX. Triptolemos, the Hero of Eleusis, and Demeter, - the Earth-Mother 103 - - XXX. Demeter's Grief 106 - - XXXI. Demeter's Joy 111 - - XXXII. Triptolemos Becomes a Hero. Demeter's Gift 116 - - XXXIII. Prometheus, the Champion of Mankind 118 - - XXXIV. Prometheus Unbound 122 - - XXXV. Deukalion, the Champion of a New Race 126 - - XXXVI. Dædalos, a Hero of Invention 132 - - XXXVII. Phaethon, a Hero of Bad Fortune 136 - - XXXVIII. The Death of Phaethon 141 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - Herakles Slaying a Centaur _Frontispiece_ - - FACING PAGE - The Priestess of Apollo at Delphi 6 - - The Temple to Theseus at the Foot of the Acropolis - in Athens 60 - - Orpheus Leading Eurydike Out of Hades 80 - - The Return of Persephone 114 - - Dædalos and Ikaros 134 - - - - -INTRODUCTION - -THE LAND OF THE HEROES - - -One look at the map of Greece will show us that it is the smallest of -European countries. For many hundreds of years it was inhabited by the -handsomest, bravest, and most intelligent people in the world. But -these people, the Greeks, or Hellenes, as they called themselves, had -not always lived in the country. - -Thousands of years before the Hellenes came to Greece it was a perfect -wilderness of mountains, narrow valleys, torrents, and tangled -forests. It was a land of wild beasts, and they were so numerous and -fierce that there was almost no room for men. - -Yet men did live there, but we know nothing about them or what they -were like, except that they hid in caves and had hardly got beyond the -art of making fire, trapping and killing the less dangerous animals -with sticks or little arrows pointed with stones, and using their meat -for food and hides for clothing. - -Then the new people, the Greeks, began to come into the country. They -came in boats from across the sea and on foot from the north, through -numberless mountain-passes. They did not come all at once, but in -small detachments, in single tribes, so that it took them many years -to spread over the country. - -The new race was nobler than the old, more advanced in knowledge and -in the arts of civilized life. It was not a race to be content with -caves and forest-dens, but each tribe, after it had chosen a district -and taken possession of it, selected some high hill, built rude -dwellings upon it and temples to its patron gods, a public -treasure-house also, and enclosed the hill with strong walls. It had -become a fortress, and was called Acropolis, in their language. - -Each tribe, of course, had its leaders, usually belonging to some -family which had earned the gratitude and loyalty of the people by -brave and affectionate service, and the leadership descended from -father to son. These were the kings and they resided within the -Acropolis. - -Around it and under the protection of its walls the people built their -own huts and began to clear the land. They sowed various crops, -planted the vine and the olive, and raised herds of sheep and goats. -There was room enough within the walls for all the families, with -their herds, to find shelter in the Acropolis in times of danger, from -the attacks of the wild natives or of the still wilder beasts of the -forests and fields. - -Now these latter were by far the most dangerous enemies of the new -settlers, who soon found that they could venture but a few miles from -their small home-farms without encountering huge and ferocious animals -which the increased herds attracted and which their miserable weapons -were utterly insufficient to slay or even put to flight. - -Each small district had its particular terror, just as many districts -of India now have a man-eating tiger, which makes miles and miles of -country around unsafe for man or beast. - -It became a question which of the two, the men or the wild animals, -would remain in possession. Then young and courageous men, sons of the -ruling families, athletes in strength, practised in the arts of war, -commanding through their greater wealth the use of better weapons, -felt it their duty to their people to do for them what the poor -herdsmen and laborers had neither the strength nor the skill to do for -themselves. - -From all the central royal cities they started singly or in small -troops, a bevy of young heroes, as eager for the delights of adventure -as for the public good. Year after year they wandered across country -seeking the most impassable wildernesses, directed by the stories they -heard on their way to the dens of the cruel monsters, which they -usually overcame by force or cunning. - -Then they would return to their homes triumphant, bearing the proof of -their incredible prowess, the hides, or horns, or heads of the -monsters they had slain. Thus they put new heart into their people. -Their trophies seemed to say: "You see these creatures were not so -terrible as they might have been; what we have done others can do." So -they did a double good--one immediate by the destruction of the -dreaded foes and by the opening of the land to the planters and the -tillers; the other even more far-reaching and more beneficent in its -results by raising men's spirits, inspiring them with confidence and -with the ambition to show that they were not mere helpless boors, -cowed and dependent on their betters. - -The Greek nation in years to come proved itself a nation of heroes and -was so called by fame. But who can tell how much these heroes were -indebted for this honorable distinction which has remained by them to -this day, to the early vigorous education which those doughty -champions of old imparted to them, not by preaching or advice, but by -their own dauntless example. - -Can we wonder if their people's passionate gratitude and unselfish -admiration survived those glorious men through ages? Can we wonder if -after centuries had come and gone the memory of their deeds and -persons appeared to later generations through a halo of wonder and -awe? - -Deeds of a remote past always assume gigantic proportions. "Surely," -men would say, "surely, those heroes were more than ordinary mortals! -They had more than human strength, endurance, wisdom. Neither iron -fang nor claw of steel could harm them. They died, indeed, but of -their nature they must have been half divine; their mothers were -human, but surely the gods themselves were their fathers." - -And thus it was settled, and for many, many hundreds of years the -Greeks continued to honor their ancient heroes as half-divine men, or -demi-gods, and to erect altars to them and come to them with prayers -and offerings. The Greek had to grow in mind and soul high enough to -grasp the truth that there can be only one God, and that no man, high -as he may tower above his kind, can be more than human. - -But it was a beautiful and ennobling belief, and at first sight it -seems a pity that it was ever lost, yet in reality it was a great -gain, for men may think they have an excuse for not putting forth -their bravest efforts if they believe that the gods only can achieve -deeds of courage. There is no reason why men may not aspire to any -height of bravery which has been gained by other men. - -The undying energy embodied in the characters of these old heroes is -the inheritance of every child. The children of America are not born -the sons of ruling houses. But they are destined to be the guardians -and rulers of their native land. And if the children take into their -future lives the heroism they first realize in ancient story, they -will find themselves, when the time comes, armed with the same -courage, endurance, and love of human beings which have made the -heroes of all lands and ages. - - - - -HERAKLES - -AND OTHER HEROES OF THE MYTH - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE BABE HERAKLES - - -Far away in the land of Argos there once lived a beautiful maiden, the -daughter of a brave king. She was tall and fair and her name was -Alkmene. Her father was rich in the possession of many oxen. - -Her husband also owned great herds of oxen. He had so many that he -could not tell them from those of the king. So he quarrelled with the -king and slew him. Then he took Alkmene and fled from his native land. -They came to Thebes and made it their home. - -Here Herakles was born, the babe who was stronger than the strongest -of men. The goddess, Hera, hated Herakles. She was the wife of Zeus, -the Lord of Thunder and King of Heaven. Hera was angry because Zeus -loved him, and she was jealous because Zeus had foretold that -Herakles would become the greatest of men. More than that Zeus had -deceived Hera and sent the infant Herakles to her to be nursed that he -might be made strong and god-like by tasting divine milk. - -So Hera sent two large snakes to devour the babe when she found out -what child it was that she had fed. Herakles lay asleep in the great -brazen shield which his father carried in battle, for he had no other -cradle. The fearful serpents crept up with open mouths into the shield -with the sleeping babe. - -As soon as Alkmene saw them she was terribly frightened and called in -a loud voice for help. His father, hearing the outcry of Alkmene, ran -into the house with his sword drawn and a great many warriors came -with weapons in their hands. - -Herakles was only eight months old, but before his father could reach -him he sat up in his bed and seized the serpents by their necks with -his little hands. He squeezed and choked them with such force that -they died. - -When Alkmene saw that the two snakes were dead and that Herakles was -safe, she rejoiced greatly. But Hera's heart was filled with wrath and -she began to plan more mischief against the child. - -Herakles had his free will as long as he was a boy. His teachers were -celebrated heroes who taught him boxing, wrestling, riding, and all -kinds of games. He learned to read and write and to hurl the spear and -shoot with bows and arrows. Linos taught him music. - -Herakles had a violent temper, and one day as Linos was teaching him -to play the lute, the good teacher had reason to punish him. Herakles -flew into a rage at this and struck Linos and killed him. Then his -father sent him to the hills and left him to the care of herdsmen. - -The boy grew to be very large and strong. While he was yet a youth he -slew a lion of great size that had killed many of his father's cattle. -He went home wearing the lion's skin as a sign of his victory. - -Because he was so brave the King of Thebes gave his daughter to him in -marriage and he lived happily with her for many years. But a sudden -insanity came upon him during which he mistook his wife and children -for wild beasts and shot them down with his bow and arrows. When -Herakles recovered from his insanity and saw what he had done his -grief was boundless. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -HERAKLES IS DOOMED TO SERVE EURYSTHEUS - - -The wrath of Hera followed Herakles. When Zeus saw that Hera's heart -was filled with anger toward Herakles, he mused within his own mind -how he might best appease her resentment and protect the young man. - -So he called the gods together in council and they advised that -Herakles be placed in bondage to his uncle Eurystheus, to serve him as -a slave, and they ordained that he should perform twelve hard tasks, -after which he would be numbered among the gods. - -Eurystheus was a mean fellow, stupid and cowardly. He was glad enough -to have a chance to bully a man wiser and stronger than himself. He -was born in Tiryns, a great fortress with many castles, built upon a -large rock, but he had been made King of Argos and lived in the -capital, Mykenæ, and he resolved to keep Herakles as far away from the -kingdom as possible, for in his heart he was afraid of him. - -Herakles was grieved at being compelled to serve a man so much below -him in strength and character, so he consulted the oracle at Delphi -to see if there was any escape, but he did not murmur, for he was -willing to obey the law of the gods. - -The oracle of Delphi was a mysterious influence, a divine spirit which -expressed itself through a priestess living in a sacred temple. It was -supposed to be the voice of the god Apollo using this human agency for -making known his will to men. The priestess became inspired to utter -Apollo's holy laws by sitting on a golden tripod (or stool with three -legs) over a chasm in the rock, from whence arose a sacred, sulphurous -vapor which she breathed in as the breath of the god, and which caused -her to breathe out his commands in wonderful sayings. - -The chasm from which the vapor issued was called The Chasm of the -Oracle, and was in a large apartment or room in the temple. This -celebrated temple had many columns of marble and splendid rooms made -beautiful with thousands of marble statues. It stood on the side of -Mount Parnassos, whose snow-covered head reaches into the clouds and -looks down into the blue Gulf of Corinth below it to the south. - -It was here that Apollo killed the great dragon, Pytho, which had been -the scourge of the land for many years, and the grateful people built -the temple in his honor. The oracle bade Herakles go forth to be the -slave of Eurystheus and so atone for all his sins, but it gave him as -a compensation a dear friend, Iolaos, who was also his young nephew. -Wherever Herakles went Iolaos went with him and helped him. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE FIRST LABOR--THE NEMEAN LION - - -It happened that a fearful lion lived in Nemea, a wild district in -upper Argolis, and it devastated all the land and was the terror of -the inhabitants. Eurystheus ordered Herakles to bring him the skin of -this lion. So Herakles took his bow, his quiver, and heavy club and -started out in search of the beast. - -When he had reached a little town which is in the neighborhood of -Nemea he was kindly received by a good countryman, who promised to put -him on the track of the lion if he would sacrifice the animal to Zeus. - - [Illustration: THE PRIESTESS OF APOLLO AT DELPHI. - (Michael Angelo.)] - -Herakles promised, and the countryman went with him to show him the -way. When they reached the place where traces of the lion were -seen, Herakles said to his guide: "Remain here thirty days. If I -return safely from the lion-hunt you must sacrifice a sheep to Zeus, -for he is the god who will have saved me. But if I am slain by the -lion you must sacrifice the sheep to me, for after my death I shall be -honored as a hero." Having said this, Herakles went his way. - -He reached the wilderness of Nemea, where he spent several days in -looking for the lion, but without success. Not a trace of him could be -found, nor did he fall in with any human being, for there was no one -bold enough to wander around in that wilderness. Finally he spied the -lion as he was about to crawl into his den. - -The lion was indeed worthy of his terrible fame. His size was -prodigious, his eyes shot forth flames of fire, and his tongue licked -his bloody chops. When he roared, the whole desert resounded. - -But Herakles stood fearlessly near a grove from whence he might -approach the lion, and suddenly shot at him with his bow and arrow, -hitting him squarely in the breast. The arrow glanced aside, and -slipping around the lion's neck, fell on a rock behind him. When -Herakles saw this he knew that the lion was proof against arrows and -must be killed in some other way, and seizing his club, he gave chase -to him. - -The lion made for a cave which had two mouths. Herakles closed up one -of the entrances with heavy rocks and entered the other. He seized the -lion by the throat and then came a terrible struggle, but Herakles -squeezed him in his mighty arms until he gasped for breath, and at -last lay dead. - -Then Herakles took up the huge body and, throwing it easily over his -shoulder, returned to the place where he had left the countryman. It -was on the last of the thirty appointed days, and the rustic, -supposing that Herakles had come to his death through the lion, was -about to offer up a sheep as a sacrifice in his honor. - -He rejoiced greatly when he saw Herakles alive and victorious, and the -sheep was offered up to Zeus. Herakles left the little town and went -to Mykenæ to the house of his uncle and showed him the dead body of -the terrible lion. Eurystheus was so greatly frightened at the sight -that he hid himself within a tower whose walls were built of solid -brass. - -And he ordered Herakles not to enter the city again, but to stay -outside of its gates until he had performed the other labors. - -Herakles stripped the skin from the lion with his fingers, although -it was so tough, and knowing it to be arrow-proof, took it for a cloak -and wore it as long as he lived. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE SECOND LABOR--HERAKLES KILLS THE WATER-SNAKE OF LAKE LERNA - - -Not far from Mykenæ is a small lake called Lerna. It is formed from a -large spring at the foot of a hill. In this lake there lived a -water-snake called the Hydra. It was a snake of uncommon size, with -nine heads. Eight of the heads were mortal, but the one in the middle -was immortal. - -The Hydra frequently came out of the water and swallowed up herds of -cattle, laying waste the surrounding country. Eurystheus ordered -Herakles to kill the snake, so he put on his lion's skin, and taking -his club, started out. He mounted his chariot and took his faithful -friend Iolaos, who acted as charioteer. - -Every warrior had to have a charioteer to drive the horses, leaving -him free to use both of his hands. But driving was by no means the -charioteer's only duty; he had also to look out for danger and -protect the warrior with his shield as well as to supply him with -arrows from the quiver suspended at the side of every chariot, and -with reserve spears when his own was broken in the fray. - -It is clear, therefore, that the warrior's life was entirely in the -hands of his charioteer, so it is no wonder that only the hero's -dearest and most trusted friends were allowed to serve him in this -way. - -After driving along for a while through groves of olive-trees and past -pleasant vineyards, they came to wild places and saw Lake Lerna -gleaming through the trees. Having reached the lake, Herakles -descended from the chariot, left the horses in care of Iolaos, and -went to hunt for the snake. - -He found it in a swampy place where it was hiding. Herakles shot some -burning arrows at the Hydra and forced it to come out. It darted -furiously at him, but he met it fearlessly, put his foot upon its -tail, and with his club began to strike off its heads. He could not -accomplish anything in this way, for as fast as he knocked off one -head two others grew in its place. - -The snake coiled itself so firmly around one of Herakles' legs that he -was no longer able to stir from the place. Added to all this there -came a huge crab to the assistance of the snake. It crept up to -Herakles' foot, and seizing it with its sharp claws, inflicted painful -wounds. Herakles killed the crab with his club and called Iolaos to -help him. - -Under Herakles' directions Iolaos produced a fire-brand which he -applied to the neck as fast as Herakles cut off one of the snake's -heads, in this way preventing them from growing again. Finally it came -the turn of the head which could not die. Cutting it off Herakles -buried it in the ground, placing a heavy stone over it. - -Then he dipped some arrows into the Hydra's blood, which was -poisonous, so that whoever was wounded by one of them could not be -healed. The least scratch inflicted by such an arrow was incurable. - -Eurystheus, of course, had no word of praise for his great bondsman, -but the people, knowing that the place was now safe, flocked to the -land in great numbers and drained the lake, which was really not much -more than a big marshy pond, and in their new homes they blessed the -hero's name forever. That was the prize for which Herakles cared the -most. - -If you should go to-day to that old battle-field of Herakles you -would still find the spring flowing from the rocks, but Lake Lerna -exists only in story. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE THIRD LABOR--THE GOLDEN-HORNED HIND - - -The lower part of Greece is a most peculiar-looking bit of country. -You would think it had been torn off from the bulk of the land but -kept hanging on to it by a small narrow strip. Then, too, its shape is -so queer that it has been compared to all sorts of things; sometimes -to a mulberry leaf, sometimes to an open hand. - -If we keep to the latter comparison, we will find that the part which -answers to the palm of the hand is a large and intricate knot of high -wooded mountains which shoot out spurs in all directions. These spurs -with the land attached to them stretch out into the sea as so many -small peninsulas and not badly represent the fingers of the hand. The -central knot of mountains is even now different from the country all -around. - -The people there are wilder, very much given to robbery and violence -and very slow to accept new ways of life or improvements of any kind. -In the old heroic times of several thousand years ago that country was -simply an impassable wilderness. - -It was overcrowded with wild beasts, among which the bear must have -been the most plentiful since the land was named after him, -Arcadia--the land of Bears. Wolves were known also to abound. - -The men who had their villages in the narrow valleys by the -mountain-streams were fierce and lawless. There was nothing for them -to do but to keep goats and hunt all day long. Arcadia was truly the -paradise of hunters and therefore held as specially sacred to the -beautiful huntress, the goddess, Artemis--the Lady of the Chase. She -roamed over hills and valleys and through woods and groves by -moonlight to protect the herds and flocks, this beautiful daughter of -Zeus. - -In these same mountains of Arcadia there roamed a lovely Hind sacred -to Queen Artemis, who gave her golden horns so that she might be known -from other deer by the huntsmen. Thus they might be saved from the -crime of slaying what was sacred to the gods. Eurystheus ordered -Herakles to bring him the Hind alive, for he did not dare to have her -killed. - -Herakles spent a whole year seeking her from the mountain-tops down -to the valleys, through tangles of brush, over streams and in forests, -but he was not able to catch her. After a long chase he forced her at -last to take refuge on the side of a mountain and from that place to -go down to a river to drink. - -In order that he might prevent the deer from crossing the water, -Herakles was obliged slightly to wound one of her legs. Not till then -was he able to secure his game and carry it to Eurystheus. - -On his way to Mykenæ Herakles was met by Artemis, who upbraided him -for having captured the Hind belonging to her. Herakles made answer: -"Great Goddess, if I have chased and caught thy deer, I did it out of -necessity, not impiety; for thou well knowest that the gods ordered me -to be a servant to Eurystheus and he commanded me to catch the Hind." - -With these words he soothed the anger of the goddess and brought the -golden-horned Hind to Mykenæ. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE FOURTH LABOR--THE ERYMANTHIAN BOAR - - -Elis is a beautiful plain lying to the north and west of Arcadia. Here -once in five years there was a great festival in honor of Zeus, when -all the men and boys ran races, wrestled, boxed and played all sorts -of games. Between Arcadia and Elis there is a high mountain-range, -called Erymanthos. There a terrible Boar had its lair. - -The Boar frequently left its den and came down into the plains and -killed cattle, destroyed fields of grain and attacked people. -Eurystheus, having heard of this Boar, made up his mind that he wanted -the beast alive, and so ordered Herakles to bring it to him. - -The hero put on his lion skin once more and started for the mountain. -On his way he stopped at a little town where the Centaurs had their -home. These strange people were half man and half horse. We have heard -that they were really men, but such good riders that they seemed to be -one with their mountain ponies. - -Their home was just on the edge of a high plain, covered with -oak-trees and looking down across a wild valley, through which flowed -the Erymanthos River. There were many forests and little streams and -dreadful gorges in the valley, where these horsemen used to hunt and -fish. - -The Centaur Chief, Pholos, received Herakles as a guest and gave him -cooked meat to eat, while he ate it raw himself, after the Centaurs' -custom. - -When Herakles had eaten his fill, he said to Pholos: "Thy food is -indeed good and tasteful. But I should enjoy it still more if I could -have a sip of wine, for I am very thirsty." To which Pholos replied: -"My dear guest, we have very fine and fragrant wine in this mountain, -and I should like nothing better than to give thee some of it. But I -am afraid to do so, because it has a strong aroma, and the other -Centaurs, if they smelt it, might come to my cave and want some. They -are very fierce and lawless, and might do thee great harm." - -"Let not that trouble thee," said Herakles. "I am not afraid of the -Centaurs." So the wine was placed before him and he drank of it. In a -little while a great noise was heard outside of the cave, a shouting -of many wild voices and a stamping of many horses' feet. What Pholos -feared had come to pass. - -The Centaurs had smelt the fragrance of the wine and in full armor -had made for the cave of Pholos. Then began a terrible fight. The -Centaurs fell upon Herakles with pine-branches, rocks, axes, and -fire-brands, and the clouds, their mothers, poured a flood of water on -him. But Herakles was too clever for them. He put two to flight, -prevented others from entering the cave, and shot the rest down with -his arrows. - -Pholos was a kind-hearted chief, and hearing one of the Centaurs -crying for help outside of his cave, went out to him and tried to pull -the arrow from his wound, wondering at the same time that so slight a -weapon could cause his death. But the arrow slipped out of his hand -and struck his own foot. It made only a scratch, but it could not be -healed, for the arrow was one of those which Herakles had dipped in -the blood of the Hydra, and poor Pholos breathed his last. - -The death of his kind host was a great sorrow to Herakles, for in -those times, when there was so little safety in travelling, the bond -of kindness and gratitude between host and guest was one of the -closest and most sacred, often more so than that between members of -the same family. In all their later lives, host and guest could never -meet as enemies, and if the chances of war brought them face to face -as foes, they were not expected to fight. They exchanged greetings and -gifts and drove off in different directions. - -Herakles therefore sincerely mourned his friend, performed over him -the proper funeral rites, and buried him with all due honors in the -side of the mountain. There he left him, sore at heart, but comforted -by knowing that he had done all he could do to reconcile the shade of -Pholos, and that his soul would bear him no grudge in Spirit Land. - -Then Herakles went on his way in search of the Boar. He soon spied him -in a dense thicket and chased him to the very top of the mountain. The -mountain-top was covered with deep snow, which prevented the Boar from -running fast enough to escape. So Herakles ran up to him, caught him -in a net, threw him over his shoulder and carried him off alive to -Mykenæ. - -It is said that Eurystheus hid himself in a large brazen bowl when he -heard Herakles approaching the city, and that Herakles threw the Boar -into the same brazen bowl as the safest place in which to keep him. -How astonished Eurystheus must have been to find himself in such -terrible company! And we can fancy that he scrambled out with all -possible haste. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE FIFTH LABOR--HERAKLES CLEANS THE AUGEIAN STABLES - - -We have already read about Elis, a plain in the southwestern part of -Greece, where all the people used to worship Zeus and where they built -a wonderful temple in his honor. They built a temple to Hera, his -wife, also, and many other temples which were filled with statues. -What a fine time you would have if you could only go and see this -beautiful land. Perhaps you will some time. - -The temples are in ruins now, and they cover enough ground for a small -town. The huge blocks of marble lie on the ground just as they fell, -and there are the marble floors as people used to see them two -thousand years ago. There is a high hill close to the ruins. It is -called the mountain of Kronos, "Old Father Time." Kronos is said to -have been one of the early kings of Elis and he was the father of -Zeus. He swallowed up his children when they were babes, if we care -to believe what is said of him, and the story could easily be true, -for Time swallows everything if he is only long enough about it. - -The strong men and the boys used to come to Elis to have athletic -games in honor of Zeus. They ran races, they boxed, they shot arrows -and did all sorts of things to show how strong they were. There are -two rivers at the foot of Mount Kronos, and beyond the rivers are many -low hills where people used to sit and watch the games. - -There was at one time a king of Elis, Augeias, who was so rich in -cattle that he hardly knew what to do with them and consequently he -built a stable miles long and drove his cows into it. He did this year -after year and the herds kept growing larger. He could not get men -enough to take care of his stables and the cows could hardly get into -them on account of the filth; or if they did get in they were never -sure of getting out again because the dirt was piled so high. - -Eurystheus thought he had found a disagreeable and impossible task for -Herakles, and so he ordered him to clean out the stables in one day. -Herakles told Augeias that he must clean the barns and promised to do -it in one day if he would give him one-tenth of all his cows. The -king thought Herakles would never be able to do it in one day and -readily promised him in the presence of his son one-tenth of the cows. - -The king's stables were close to the two rivers, near Mount Kronos. -Herakles cut channels and sent the rivers running into the stables. -They rushed along and carried the dirt out so quickly that the king -was astonished. He did not intend to pay the promised reward and -pretended that he never made any such promise. - -And he said he would have the matter come before a court and the -judges should decide it. Then Herakles called the little prince as a -witness before the judges, and the boy told the truth about it, which -caused the king to fall into such a rage that he sent both his son and -Herakles out of the country. Herakles left the land of Elis and went -back to Mykenæ. But his heart was filled with contempt for the -faithless king. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE SIXTH LABOR--THE BIRDS OF STYMPHALOS - - -On the northern limit of Arcadia is a huge cliff, over which pours a -black ribbon of water. At the bottom of the cliff it is lost among -piles of rocks. The water itself is not black, but it appears so -because the rock is covered with black moss, and so the stream is -called the Styx or Black Water. - -The Styx is icy cold and it runs along under the ground so that it -seems to belong to the dead, and is called the River of Death. When -the gods used to make a promise which they did not dare to break they -said, "I promise by the Styx." This promise was called "the Great Oath -of the Gods." - -Farther on in the land of Arcadia there is a vale called Stymphalos. -It lies among the mountains and is open to the storms of winter and -the floods of spring. And there are a lake and a city both called -Stymphalos. The people of Athens hope to carry the water of this lake -to Athens by means of an underground channel. All about the lake are -hills covered with firs and plane-trees. - -Lake Stymphalos was the home of a countless number of birds which held -noisy meetings in the woods. They had iron claws and their feathers -were sharper than arrows. They were so strong and fierce that they -dared attack men, and would tear them to pieces that they might feast -upon human flesh. They bore a striking resemblance to the Harpies, and -were the terror of all the people who lived near Stymphalos. - -Eurystheus ordered Herakles to drive the birds away. So Herakles took -his bow and quiver and went to the lake. But the forests were so dense -that he could not see the birds, and he sat down to think of the best -way to drive them out. Suddenly the goddess of wisdom came to him to -help him. - -The goddess gave him a huge rattle and told him how to use it. -Herakles went up on to the highest mountain that lies near the lake -and shook the rattle with a will. The birds were so frightened by the -noise that they came out of the thick wood where their nests were and -flew high up into the air. - -Their heavy feathers fell like flakes in a driving snow-storm. -Herakles shot at the birds with his arrows. He killed a great many of -them and the rest were so scared that they flew away and were never -seen again at Stymphalos. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE SEVENTH LABOR--HERAKLES CATCHES THE MAD BULL OF CRETE - - -There is an island south of Greece which is so large that it would -take you from early morning until late at night to sail past it. There -are high mountains all along the shore and they look as if they were -covered with snow. There is a cave in one of the mountains where Zeus -was hidden when he was a babe so that his father, Kronos, should not -swallow him. The nymphs fed him on honey and a famous goat gave him -milk. - -The name of this island was Crete, and Minos ruled there as king. It -was his duty to sacrifice to Poseidon, the God of the Sea, whatever -came up out of the water. - -Minos was rich and greedy. He loved his cattle better than the will of -the gods. It came to pass that a wonderful Bull rose from the sea -while Minos was king. When Minos saw him he admired the beauty of the -animal so much that he resolved to keep him. He drove the Bull into -his barn and sacrificed another to the God of the Sea. - -Poseidon grew angry with him and caused the Bull to become mad so that -no one dared to approach him. Eurystheus ordered Herakles to catch him -and bring him to Mykenæ. - -So Herakles went to Crete and begged Minos to give him the Bull. The -king told him that he was entirely welcome to the Bull if he could -catch him. Herakles seized him by the horns and bound his feet -together and carried him off to Mykenæ. - -There he showed the mad animal to Eurystheus and then set him free. -The Bull wandered off to Sparta and over the hills of Arcadia and -crossing the Isthmus, he reached Marathon, where he left the land and -swam off into the sea. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE EIGHTH LABOR--THE HORSES OF DIOMEDES - - -Greece was bounded on the north by a wild and mountainous land, called -Thrace. The natives were not of Greek stock and remained fierce, -lawless, and cruel for a long time after Greece had become the most -civilized of countries. They were so quarrelsome and such desperate -fighters that their country was supposed to be the favorite residence -of the war god, Ares. - -The king who reigned in Thrace at the time of Herakles was so much -worse than the rest of the people that he was said to be Ares' own -son, and he was called the storm king. He was very fond of horses and -kept a breed of them after his own heart. They were man-eating horses, -which he fed on the flesh of any strangers who came to that country or -that were wrecked on the shore, thus breaking the most sacred laws and -making himself hated by men and gods. The horses were blood-thirsty -and so furious that they had to be chained to their stalls. - -Eurystheus commanded Herakles to bring these horses to his stables in -Mykenæ. This time Herakles took several friends with him, who helped -him catch the horses and lead them to the shore. Diomedes, having -heard of the robbery, started in pursuit with many armed men. - -Herakles and his friends went by sea. They attacked the guards and led -the horses down to the ship. A terrible battle followed, in which the -wicked king was slain by Herakles, who threw him as food to the -horses. The warriors who helped Diomedes were put to flight and some -of Herakles' best men were also killed. With the rest he drove the -horses into his ship and brought them safely to Mykenæ. - -Eurystheus, of course, had no intention of keeping them in his stables -and had them set loose. They ran off into the forests of Arcadia and -were never seen again. It was thought that they were devoured by the -mountain wolves. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE NINTH LABOR--THE GIRDLE OF HIPPOLYTE - - -Eurystheus, as we have seen, sent Herakles a little farther every time -in hopes of never seeing him again. It would take you a whole day -going on the best steamer to get to Crete from Athens, and in those -days, when steamers had not been thought of, the sailing must have -been slow indeed. Eurystheus now sent the hero yet farther off to the -Black Sea, on the southern shore of which there lived the Amazons, a -nation of warlike women. - -The Amazons were brought up like men. Their main occupation was war, -and they were excellent horsewomen. They were sharpshooters with the -bow and arrow. Hippolyte, the queen of the Amazons, was a brave and -handsome woman. She wore a celebrated girdle, the gift of Ares, as a -sign of her queenly rank. - -Eurystheus had a daughter who had heard of the beauty of the famous -girdle which was worn by the Amazon queen. She begged her father to -send Herakles to bring it to her. Then Eurystheus ordered Herakles to -fetch the girdle, and he manned a ship and sailed away, taking several -companions with him. - -After many wanderings they reached the Black Sea and sailed to the -Amazon country. Queen Hippolyte was at once informed that some -strangers had arrived from a far-off land, and she came down to the -shore to learn why they had come. Herakles told her that a princess -had sent him to get the girdle given her by Ares. Hippolyte admired -the bold hero for his frankness and promised that she would give it to -him. - -But Hera changed herself into an Amazon and rushing into the midst of -an army of them cried out, "The strangers are carrying off our queen!" -Then all the Amazons snatched up their arms and rushed on horseback -to the ship. When Herakles saw them coming armed to attack his men, he -thought Hippolyte had betrayed him and he slew her and took her -girdle. - -Then he attacked the rest of the Amazons and put them to flight. When -the battle was over, Herakles and his companions went on board the -ship and sailed for home. - -Soon after they had started on their way to Mykenæ they found Hesione, -the daughter of Laömedon, on the shore chained to a rock. Laömedon was -at that time king of Troy, and Herakles and his companions stopped to -find out why the daughter of a great king had to suffer such a -terrible punishment. She told Herakles that Apollo, the sun god, and -Poseidon, the god of the sea, once took on the form of man and began -to build walls around the city of Troy. Her father promised to aid -them but neglected to keep his promise. This conduct made the gods -indignant and Apollo sent a pestilence to rage in the city while -Poseidon sent a sea-monster which came up out of the ocean and -devoured the people. - -Laömedon asked the priest of Apollo how he might appease the wrath of -the gods. The priest answered that the city would be freed from the -double plague if Laömedon would chain his daughter to the rock on the -shore where the monster might devour her. - -Laömedon obeyed the oracle and had her chained to the cliff near the -sea. Just then Herakles arrived and stopped near the shore, when -Laömedon with hot tears entreated him to save his daughter. Herakles -promised to do it under the condition that Laömedon should give him as -a reward a famous horse in his possession. - -Herakles killed the sea-monster, but Laömedon again did not keep his -promise and Herakles left Troy, his heart filled with scorn for the -faithless king. On his return to Mykenæ he gave the girdle of the -Amazon queen to his cousin, the daughter of Eurystheus. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE TENTH LABOR--THE CATTLE OF GERYON - - -Iberia, now called Spain, lies at the farthest end of Europe, and -beyond it, in the Atlantic, is an island which was once the home of -Geryon, a famous giant. His body was as large around as three other -men's bodies put together. He had three heads and three pairs of legs -and six arms. He had huge wings also and carried dangerous weapons. - -Geryon was the lord of many herds of cattle. He had one herd of red -oxen, as red as the sky at the setting of the sun, and they were -guarded by a trusty herdsman and a fierce two-headed dog. Eurystheus -ordered Herakles to bring the cattle to Mykenæ. - -Herakles having overcome numberless difficulties, wandering through -wild deserts and unknown lands, finally reached the open ocean, the -end of all. There he erected as a monument two pillars opposite each -other, one on the African shore, and one in Europe. These were called -the Pillars of Herakles in those days, but now they are known as the -Rocks of Ceuta and Gibraltar. - -Helios, the Sun, admiring the bravery of Herakles, lent him his golden -skiff, shaped like a cup. Helios always sailed round the world every -night from west to east in this cup, and Herakles, although he feared -a storm, took his place in the strange boat and started for the island -where Geryon tended his red cattle. The world, as the Greeks saw it, -was in the form of a great plate, and the ocean was a river -surrounding it as the rim surrounds the plate. - -When the two-headed dog saw Herakles he rushed at him with fury, and -the herdsman also attacked him at the same time. Herakles slew them -both with his club, took the cattle and fled toward the boat. Then -Geryon sprang upon him and forced him to fight for his life. They had -a dreadful battle, in which Herakles drew his bow and shot at the -giant with one of his deadly arrows and Geryon died. - -Herakles at once drove the oxen down to the boat, and after a safe -voyage landed them in Iberia. Then he started for home on foot, -driving his cattle northward over the Pyrenees into Gaul or France. -Here he was attacked by hundreds of people who wanted to rob him of -his cattle. - -Herakles shot at them with his arrows and killed great numbers, and -they stoned him in return with large stones. Herakles would have lost -the battle but Zeus sent down a shower of rocks of vast size, and -Herakles hurled them at his foes, driving them away like frightened -sheep. These enormous rocks are still to be seen in the south of -France. - -After this adventure Herakles drove his cattle over the Alps and down -into Italy across the Tiber, and they came to the Seven Hills of Rome. -In one of these hills there was a cave, the home of a lawless giant -named Cacus. He was a creature of iron strength, and was hideously -ugly. He breathed out fire and smoke, often killing people in this -way, and everybody in all the country about feared him. Cacus saw -Herakles coming with his cattle over the river and among the hills, -and he determined to steal the cattle and hide them in his den. - -So when Herakles was asleep and the cattle were grazing quietly, Cacus -slipped out of his cave and, seizing great numbers of them by the -tails, dragged them backward into the cavern that their tracks might -point away from the cave and not toward it. When Herakles awoke he -missed his cattle and began to look for them. He found their tracks -and went in the direction they seemed to point out, getting farther -and farther from their place of hiding. The oxen bellowed, and their -noises were muffled by the rocks of the cavern, but Herakles heard -them and returned to the Seven Hills. Listening intently he traced -them to the right hill, but Cacus had braced a stone slab against the -opening and it could not be moved from the outside. - -Herakles went around to the other side of the hill and, tearing the -stones away, forced a new entrance. He sprang into the cave and -seized the terrible monster by the throat. Cacus blew flames into the -hero's face and tried to burn him to death, but Herakles held on and -strangled the giant to death. A volume of black smoke came from his -mouth and a stream of melted lead as he fell back dead. Herakles tore -the slab from the door of the cave and threw the body of Cacus out on -the hill, and all the people came to see it and rejoice that their foe -was slain. And they built an altar to Herakles and instituted games to -be held every year in his honor. - -Herakles left the Seven Hills and drove his cattle southward. Being -tired, he lay down to rest on a mountain near Locri, and the -grasshoppers came around him singing in such shrill tones that he -could not sleep. He prayed to the gods to drive them away, and the -gods swept them out of that region so that they never came back. - -One of the wild oxen ran away to the southwest and escaped to an -island. Herakles followed, driving the whole herd over to the island. -The cattle swam across, and Herakles, sitting on the back of one of -the oxen and holding on by its horns, was safely taken over. He -captured the runaway and wandered for a long time through the island, -enjoying the fresh water of the springs and the kindness of the -people. Then he drove his cattle back to Italy and passed up the -shores of the Ionian Sea. - -But Hera sent gadflies to make the cattle wilder than they were -before, and they scattered over the mountain-heights as clouds are -scattered by a hot wind. They fled far to the east, until they came to -Thrace. There Herakles gathered together as many as he could and -brought them to Mykenæ, where Eurystheus sacrificed them to Hera. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE ELEVENTH LABOR--THE GOLDEN APPLES OF HESPERIDES - - -When the wedding between Zeus and Hera was celebrated all the gods -brought presents. Mother Earth brought some apple-trees as her gift. -These trees bore precious golden apples, and Zeus and Hera were so -pleased with their wonderful wedding-present that they appointed four -maidens, called the Daughters of the West, to guard the apples, and -also they placed a dragon there with a hundred heads, who never slept. - -The fruit was so inviting that even the maidens would have been -tempted to eat it if the terrible dragon had not kept close to the -tree. A roar like thunder came out of each of his hundred mouths and -frightened everything away that dared approach the trees, and -lightning darted from his eyes to strike down intruders. - -The trees grew more and more beautiful from year to year, and the -apples were so heavy that the boughs bent beneath the golden load. -They grew in the Garden of the Hesperides, in islands way off to the -west, and were watered by springs of nectar which had their rise near -the throne of Zeus. - -Eurystheus had heard of the apples and he ordered Herakles to bring -them to him. For a long time Herakles wandered about in various lands -until he came to the river Rhone, where the water-goddesses or nymphs -advised him to ask counsel from the ancient lord of the deep sea, who -knew all the secrets of the ocean depths and whose wisdom was beyond -that of the gods. He is called by many names, but his gentlest name is -Nereus, and he does not like to be questioned unless he can take any -shape he pleases. - -He usually escapes intruders, but to those who are not afraid and who -manage to grasp and to hold him, he freely opens the store of his -wisdom. This was what Herakles did. Nereus took on the form of a lion, -a serpent, a fish, a stream of water, and at last, of an old man, but -Herakles held him close and learned from him the road to the Garden of -the Hesperides. - -Leaving Nereus, Herakles travelled south into Africa, where he met -Antæos, a huge giant who lived in the desert. Antæos was a son of -Earth and Ocean, and he was as strong as the terrible sand-storms. He -was cruel to all travellers who crossed his domains and slew them, but -he loved and protected the tiny Pygmies that lived all around him. No -one had ever been able to vanquish him in battle, for Mother Earth -gave him new strength and vigor every time he lay down or touched the -ground. - -Herakles wrestled with him and threw him down many times, but Antæos -sprang up stronger than ever. At last Herakles caught him up with one -hand, and holding him high in the air where he could not receive help -from Mother Earth, squeezed him to death. - -Herakles was tired out with this tremendous exertion and lay down in -the desert to rest. But he did not sleep long, for a whole army of -the little people, seeing their beloved giant lying dead, came with -their weapons to attack Herakles. He found himself covered with them -from head to foot. He sprang up, and quickly gathering up his lion's -skin, crushed a multitude of the Pygmies and killed them. - -Then he hurried away toward the east, going through many countries -until he came to India, and finding himself travelling in the wrong -direction, turned to the north and west and came to the Caucasus -Mountains. Here he found Prometheus chained to the rocks of a high -mountain-peak. Prometheus had taught mankind the use of fire and how -to build houses and had otherwise interfered with the work of the -gods, thereby bringing this punishment upon himself. Herakles took -pity on him and set him free. In return for this kindly act Prometheus -told him the most direct way to the Garden of the Hesperides, which -was through Scythia and the region of the Hyperboreans at the back of -the North Wind. - -On his way Herakles stopped to visit Atlas, who as a punishment for -once having rebelled against the gods was obliged to carry the heavens -on his shoulders. "Let me relieve thee for awhile, friend Atlas," said -Herakles, after greeting him in a most cordial manner. "Let me take -the heavens on my shoulders and I will let thee do me a great service -in return. I must have the Golden Apples that grow in the Garden of -the Hesperides to take to Eurystheus, and thou canst bring them to -me." - -Atlas gladly placed the heavy firmament on Herakles' shoulders and -took his way to the Garden. There he contrived to put the many-headed -dragon to sleep and then slay him. Taking possession of the Golden -Apples, he returned with them to Herakles. - -"I thank thee very much, friend Atlas," said Herakles. "Take thy place -again and give me the apples." - -"Nay, I have borne the weight of the heavens for a long time," -answered Atlas. "Thou hadst better keep my place and I will carry the -Golden Apples to Eurystheus." - -Herakles was taken aback at this reply and began to consider how he -might escape from this unexpected dilemma. At last he spoke. "Very -well, I will willingly remain in thy place, friend Atlas," he said. -"One thing only I must first ask of thee. Take the heavens back just -for a moment while I get a pad to put on my head so that the weight -may not hurt it. Otherwise the heavens will fall and crush us both." - -Poor, simple old Atlas agreed to this, and putting the Golden Apples -on the ground he again took the firmament on his shoulders. Herakles -picked up the apples and went off saying, "We must not bear malice -toward each other, friend Atlas. Good-by." - -With this he departed and hastened back to Mykenæ. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE TWELFTH LABOR--HERAKLES FETCHES CERBERUS OUT OF HADES - - -According to the terms of the doom that was laid upon Herakles, the -performance of the last task was to free him from Eurystheus. Eleven -were now fulfilled and the tyrant's heart failed him when he thought -of what he might expect at the hands of the hero he had used so ill -when once he was free from his power. - -Cowards always fear those whom they have ill-treated, so he determined -to send Herakles on an errand from which he thought he could not -possibly return. He had come back unharmed from every known and -unknown country on the face of the earth, but who was ever known to -return alive from the land of the dead? So Eurystheus as a last task -ordered him to go down to Hades and bring out alive Cerberus, the -three-headed dog that guards the entrance to the lower world, feeling -sure that Herakles would remain forever in Hades. - -Cerberus was a terrible monster. Besides having three heads, he had a -tail which ended in a serpent's head, and all along his spine he had -serpents' heads instead of hair. His duty was to see that no dead -should escape from Hades after once entering its gates. - -There was a long dark cave leading down to Hades and the river Styx -flowed across it. A white-haired old ferryman, Charon by name, waited -with his boat on the shore to carry the spirits of all who died. There -they were met by Minos, the great judge, who told them whether they -could go into the fields of the Blessed or whether they were doomed to -the region of the Unhappy. Charon's boat was but a delicate skiff and -adapted only to carrying souls without bodies, so Herakles was not a -welcome passenger. - -Herakles found his way into Hades in spite of all the difficulties, -and presenting himself to Pluto, the King of the Dead, begged him to -give him the Dog. - -Pluto replied: "Take him and lead him out into the world and thou -shalt have him. But thou must not use any weapon." Herakles answered, -"I will use no weapon but my hands, and with them alone I will conquer -him." Wearing his breastplate and clad in the lion's skin he -approached Cerberus, who stood on guard at the gates. He threw his -arms around the Dog's three heads and pressed them with all his might. -The Dog fought with great fury, and bit him with the snake's mouth -which he had at the end of his tail. Herakles threw his lion's skin -over the head of the Dog and dragged him out by another gate into the -daylight. Cerberus had never seen the light of the sun and was -frightened beyond measure. He foamed at the mouth, and wherever the -foam fell upon the ground it caused a poisonous plant to grow. - -Herakles took Cerberus to Eurystheus, who was not pleased to see the -Dog or the Hero. Then he carried him back to Hades and restored him to -Pluto, and so were the twelve great labors ended. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THESEUS, THE HERO OF ATHENS - - -The land of Attica is very different from Arcadia. It was cleared at a -much earlier time than the southern part of Greece, which could be -done the more easily as the soil being naturally rather barren was not -covered with the thick, bristling forests which there sheltered so -many dangerous animals, and made it such hard work for the peasants to -clear the smallest patch of farm. - -Then, although the land offers but scanty pasture for cattle and bears -but few kinds of trees and crops, it happens that those which it does -bear are the very ones that were the greatest favorites with Greek -farmers--the olive and the vine. Besides which, being a peninsula, and -therefore almost entirely surrounded by the sea, fish and other -sea-food was very plentiful, and trade with more or less distant -neighbors very easy. - -Attica has no very high mountains, but those that there are supply the -country with beautiful marbles, both white and colored. The people, -having such lovely material within reach, became from the earliest -times the most skilful of builders. Their Acropolis, for which nature -itself supplied them with a beautiful, tall rock, of bright-colored -stone, soon became their greatest pride. It was the envy of their -neighbors, because of the splendid marble palaces and temples which -they could raise there at so little cost. - -The city which grew up at the foot of the Acropolis was named Athens, -after the goddess of wisdom and cunning craft, Athena, the favorite -daughter of Zeus. It is clear from this that the Athenians considered -themselves more civilized and in every way superior to the other -Greeks. Indeed, they were all that, and even as far back as the heroic -times their city began to be famous above others. - -In this favored land of Attica, at the same time that Herakles -astonished the world with his miraculous deeds, there reigned a king, -Ægeus, who, having no child to succeed him on the throne, was grieved -at heart. So Ægeus went to Delphi to consult the Oracle, and the -priestess told him that he should go to Trœzene, where he would find a -beautiful and gentle wife, the Princess Æthra, daughter of Pittheus, -the King of Trœzene. And the Oracle promised that his wife should bear -him a son whose name would become famous over all the world. - -So Ægeus took his way to Trœzene, where he found Pittheus, the wise -old king, who received him hospitably and gave him his daughter, -Æthra, in marriage. Ægeus grew very fond of his wife, but after awhile -he had to think of returning to his own kingdom, which he could not -leave to itself forever. Æthra's father was old and feeble, and she -did not like to leave him to the care of slaves; so Ægeus agreed to -let her stay with him. - -But before Ægeus departed he took Æthra to an out-of-the-way place and -dug a pit in which he hid his sword and sandals. Then he rolled a -large stone over the pit and said to his wife: "Listen, Æthra; take -good care of the son which the gods are about to send us, but do not -tell him who his father is. When he has grown to be a youth, bring him -to this spot, and if he is able to lift the stone, let him take the -sword and the sandals and come to me with them." After saying these -words, Ægeus kissed his wife, and bidding her an affectionate -farewell, returned to Athens. - -When Theseus was born, Æthra rejoiced greatly, and brought him up with -great care, as she had promised Ægeus she would do. He was the pride -of his grandfather's court, and the good old king had him trained in -all kinds of games and athletic exercises and in the use of the lyre. -When he had grown up, Æthra led him to the rock, and after having told -him the name of his father, she said to him: "My son, lift up this -heavy stone. You will find under it what your father left for you. -Take his gift and go to Athens with it." - -Theseus, without any difficulty, raised the stone with his strong -arms, and Æthra hung his father's sword over his shoulder and tied the -sandals to his feet. Then Theseus was ready to set out for Athens. -Æthra advised him to go by sea. It was the quickest and safest way. -The woods by land were everywhere full of dangers from wild beasts and -wicked men. - -But Theseus, having heard of the great deeds of Herakles and envying -the fame of the hero, said: "Herakles was set the task to destroy the -wicked and to cleanse the land and sea from evil-doers; and so I will -not shirk tasks which lie under my very feet and I will not shame my -father, fleeing ingloriously over the sea, where I can perform no -noble deeds by which I might prove myself a worthy son to him, and do -honor to my mother's wisdom in bringing me up in the way she has -done." - -Theseus kissed his mother and grandfather and started on his journey -by land. The worst part of his road lay across the Isthmus of Corinth, -which was so narrow that it gave little chance for escape. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -THE FIRST EXPLOITS OF THESEUS. HE FINDS HIS FATHER - - -To the northwest of Trœzene is a tongue of land projecting into the -Ægean Sea. In ancient times the town of Epidauros was situated upon -it, and the temple, where Asklepios, the God of Healing, was -worshipped, stood near by. It was a wild country whose hills were -covered with trees and shrubs--the hiding-place of lawless robbers, -the boldest of whom was named Periphetes. He was also called -Korynetes, and he used an iron crown for a weapon, and with it he -smashed the heads of travellers. - -Periphetes put himself in Theseus' way and would not let him go on. -But the youth grappled with him, and taking his iron crown from him, -crushed him to death with it. Theseus carried the crown as his own -particular weapon, just as Herakles wore the skin of the Nemean lion. - -The most cruel of all the robbers lived a few miles farther to the -north, on the Isthmus of Corinth, and his name was Sinis. He was -called the Tree-bender, because he used to bend together two young -pines. Then he would tie a man by a leg and arm to each tree and let -the trees spring back, tearing the poor wretch to pieces. Theseus -punished this malefactor by giving him the same treatment that he gave -to others, and the people of the Isthmus were so grateful that they -started a festival, called the Isthmian Games, to be held in honor of -the hero every year. - -On to the north went Theseus. He slew a man-eating boar at Krommyon, -which had long terrified the people of that district. Coming among the -wild cliffs near the sea in Megaris, he heard of the cruel giant -Skiron, who used to lie in wait for travellers. This evil-doer -compelled those who fell into his power to wash his feet. This task -performed, he flung the unlucky traveller into the sea. - -When Theseus passed his den Skiron ordered him to wash his feet, and -Theseus answered: "To tell the truth, friend Skiron, thy demand is too -small. I would willingly do more for thee. Not only are thy feet in -need of a bath but so is thy whole body. The sea is near and I will -give thee a thorough washing." And he seized Skiron around the body -and flung him over the rocks into the breakers. From that time until -to-day the rocks are called the Skironian Cliffs. - -A little farther on Theseus came upon another famous robber known far -and near as the Stretcher, Korydallon, or Prokrustes. This robber used -to force the wayfarer to lie down on a bed which was always too long -or too short for him. If the traveller proved too tall for the bed, -Prokrustes would cut off his feet and legs to make him short enough to -fit it. But if the traveller were too short for the bed, he would have -him stretched until his feet touched the foot-board. Prokrustes -invited Theseus to try the bed, but Theseus answered him: "Thou shalt -try it first, friend Prokrustes, and I will try it after thee." Then -Prokrustes was compelled to lie down in the bed, which was much too -short for him, and Theseus cut off his head and his feet to make him -fit the bed, as the cruel Stretcher had done to so many hapless -strangers. Theseus exterminated a great many more cruel robbers who -had made the roads to Athens unsafe, and the glory of his deeds went -on before him. - -Theseus, having performed these brave deeds, reached Athens; but the -rougher class, seeing a stranger who wore a garb of a different -fashion from their own, scoffed at him, as is the custom of vulgar -people. His hair was long and his form slender, so they called him a -girl and told him that he ought to take his nurse with him to protect -him. As he walked along among these coarse people he came to a wagon -heavily laden. He took up the wagon with its load and tossed it high -in the air as easily as he would toss a ball, much to the astonishment -of his tormentors. - -Theseus having come to the king's palace in Athens, at once presented -himself before Ægeus. But he did not immediately make himself known as -his son. When he was called to the table as a guest he drew his sword -as if he wanted to eat the meat with it, and Ægeus recognized him as -his son and received him with joy and affection. Calling together the -citizens he proclaimed Theseus his son and successor. - -The citizens had heard of his heroic exploits, and acknowledged him -heir to the throne amid general rejoicings. Only the nephews of Ægeus -were sorry that Theseus had appeared in their midst. They had hoped to -inherit the kingdom after their uncle's death, believing that he had -no children. But now that Theseus came among them as a successor to -the throne, they rebelled. - -Theseus was brave and strong enough to defend his father and himself. -He fought the rebels one after another and killed them. These -victories increased his glory greatly and won him the hearts of the -people of Athens. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -THE ADVENTURES OF THESEUS - - -_I. The Marathonian Bull_ - -Theseus was too active to love an idle life and began to look around -him to find ways of helping his father's people. He wanted to be -worthy of the throne. "It is not enough," he said, "that I am of royal -descent. I should also have a royal heart and be of real service to -mankind. I must be a leader in deeds as well as in words." He soon -found an opportunity to show his prowess. - -To the northeast of Athens is a beautiful mountain-ridge with a white -marble band across it. This is the famous Pentelikon, and the purple -mountain of Hymettos is separated from it by a narrow pass. Beyond -these mountains is the plain of Marathon sloping down to the blue sea. -In the plain of Marathon the terrible Bull which Herakles had brought -from Crete to Eurystheus still roamed, but the tyrant had turned it -loose. This Bull did great havoc among the inhabitants of the -surrounding country. - -Theseus heard of their distress and promised to free them from the -fearful beast. He armed himself with a tough shield and a long spear -and went to Marathon. When he found out the Bull's hiding-place he -chased and overtook him. He grappled him by the horns with his -powerful hands and dragged him back to Athens. The people of Athens -and all the country about came to meet Theseus. They rejoiced because -he had rid them of such a pest and they admired his strength, but they -did not dare to help him, and stood ready to run for their lives in -case the Bull should slip away from him. Theseus went through the -midst of the city holding on to the Bull, which he took to the temple -of Apollo and offered up as a sacrifice to that god. Old Ægeus shed -tears of joy when he saw how the gods honored him in the possession of -such a son. - - -_II. Theseus Sails to Crete_ - -But there was a greater adventure with greater glory awaiting Theseus, -for Athens had a more terrible enemy than the mad Bull of Marathon. It -had happened years before that a son of Minos, the wise and powerful -King of Crete, had come to Athens to take part in the yearly festival -held in honor of the goddess Athena. He took part in all their public -games and came off victor every time. The athletes of Athens were very -angry that a man from another country should show more skill and carry -off all the prizes, so with Ægeus' consent they killed him. - -Then Minos made war on the Athenians and killed a great number of -them, and the gods also punished them for this treacherous murder by -letting the land bear no crops and by sending on them a deadly fever. - -The Athenians were compelled to surrender to Minos, and they had to -agree to the most humiliating terms. They promised to send seven -youths and seven maidens every year to Crete. - -Now Minos had a park laid out by the most cunning man of his times. -There were walks and paths so many and so winding that no one who got -into it could get out again, but had to wander on and on, getting more -and more confused. This park was called the Labyrinth, and in the -centre of it was a cave in which just at that time King Minos kept a -dangerous monster which had the body and limbs of a man but the head -of a bull. - -The creature was called the Minotaur and it was fierce and cruel. -There was only one way to prevent him from roaming the fields and -endangering the lives of the people. He had to be kept in a good -humor, and this could be done only by feeding him now and then on -human flesh. So Minos bethought him of using the Athenian captives for -that purpose. - -When the time of the third tribute arrived, the citizens of Athens -began to urge Ægeus to do something to prevent the dreadful sacrifice. -They accused him of being the sole cause of the trouble. They told him -that it was shameful that he had no share in the punishment. These -complaints wounded the ambitious Theseus to the quick. - -His sense of justice told him that it would be only right for him to -share the troubles of the citizens, and therefore he insisted on going -to Crete with the seven youths and the seven maidens. - -The citizens felt sorry for Theseus, and Ægeus prayed his son to -remain at home with him, but Theseus answered: "My dear father, how -can I be happy when the whole nation suffers? How can I abide in -safety when our subjects are sacrificed? Do not try to dissuade me, -for honor calls." - -The vessel which was to take them to Crete was ready to start. It -carried a black sail, a sign of its direful errand. Theseus tried to -console his father by telling him that he was going to kill the -Minotaur. Ægeus was quick to believe in the valor of his son and gave -another sail, a white one, to the pilot, telling him to hoist it if -they returned happily, but to leave the black one up if Theseus failed -to win the victory. The ship sailed away and the parents and relatives -of the youths and maidens wept bitter tears, but all the citizens -called aloud to the gods to give Theseus success in his generous -undertaking. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -THE ADVENTURES OF THESEUS - - -_III. Theseus Kills the Minotaur_ - -The ship reached Crete and Minos ordered the weeping youths and -maidens to be thrown into the den of the Minotaur and Theseus with -them. By a lucky chance Ariadne, the daughter of the king, saw Theseus -and was moved with pity and a wish to save him. She slyly gave him a -ball of yarn and told him to fasten one end of it to the inside -entrance to the Labyrinth and then wind it off as he walked along that -he might find his way back again. - -Theseus took the ball and went with his companions into the Labyrinth. -He fastened one end of the thread firmly to the inside of the -entrance, and as he walked along the thread caught and held on to the -bushes. They could hear the bellowing of the Minotaur as they -approached the cave, and the companions of Theseus hid themselves in -the bushes, trembling with fright. But Theseus approached fearlessly, -and rushing upon the Minotaur, thrust his sword through him and the -monster fell dead. - -The youths and maidens came out from their hiding-places, and -surrounding Theseus, kissed his hands and called him their preserver. -Theseus, guided by the thread which Ariadne had given him, led his -companions safely to the entrance of the Labyrinth. And when they were -free from its entanglements, Theseus gratefully raised up his hands to -heaven and offered a prayer of thanks to the gods for their escape. - -Theseus and the companions whom he had saved reached the sea-shore -unhindered, hurried their vessel into the water, unfurled the sail, -and rowed with all their might in order to escape as quickly as -possible from Crete and return to their own beloved country. The wind -was favorable and the vessel cut through the sea like a swan. They -passed through the midst of the islands of the sea and first landed at -Delos, the home of the god, Apollo. This beautiful land was like a -floating star and was said to be surrounded by a wall of pure gold. - -Theseus offered a sacrifice to Apollo and danced with the youths and -maidens a dance in which they represented the winding passages of the -Labyrinth. But in their great joy neither he nor the pilot thought of -unfurling the white sail. Old Ægeus came every day to the sea-shore to -watch for the return of the ship. There he sat on a high cliff and -gazed over the wide waters; he hoped to see the boat coming with the -white sail hoisted, and was in great agony of mind for fear he should -see it coming with the black sail up. - -At last he espied, one day, a ship coming from afar. The nearer it -came the greater grew the old king's anxiety. Soon he recognized the -boat. It was the one which had borne away his beloved Theseus. But -alas! the ship still carried the black sail, the sign of sorrow. - -"My son is dead!" exclaimed the unhappy king. "My only son is dead! My -beloved Theseus!" - -The grief of Ægeus was beyond bounds and his reason left him. In -despair he threw himself from the cliff into the sea and was drowned, -and from that time all that water has been called the Ægean Sea. - -The ship entered the port near Athens and Theseus brought the -thanksgiving offerings which he had promised the gods when he left the -port, and he sent a herald into the city to announce their safe -return. - -The Athenians, as soon as they learned that Theseus and the seven -youths and seven maidens had returned safely, hastened to the palace, -men, women, and children, and received him with joy and honors. But -Theseus' pleasure changed to grief when he learned that his father had -died on account of his great love for his son. - -The Athenians led him forth, however, amidst the greatest -demonstrations of enthusiasm and proclaimed him their king. Thus -Theseus became King of Athens not only because he was of royal descent -but because he was manly and loved his country better than himself. -The court of Theseus became celebrated for its splendor and he ruled -with prudence. The villages of the plain of Attica had formerly been -at war with each other. Now they united under one government, with -Athens as the chief city. Theseus founded festivals and encouraged -education, and was in every way a good and wise leader. - -Long after his death there was a beautiful temple erected in his -honor, and it stands in Athens to this day. The stories of his great -deeds are carved in its stones, which are much worn by time. There you -can see the hero slaying Prokrustes, Skiron, the Minotaur, and -Periphetes. And you can see the capture of the wild Bull of Marathon. -There, too, are the stories of Herakles, in stone, as he slew the lion -and hydra and performed other valiant deeds. - -We speak of these heroes as if they had once lived in the flesh and -died like mortals, but no one can tell whether or not they are purely -Heroes of the Myth. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -JASON, THE HERO OF THESSALY - - -_Phrixos and Helle_ - -Bœotia is a district northwest of Athens and quite different from the -Attic plain. The name means The Land of Cattle, because it abounds in -fat pasture-lands, is moist and fertile, and its beautiful green -meadows slope up to the wooded mountains and lead down to well-watered -valleys. Bœotia was always the paradise of farmers, who from the -conditions of their life became famous for their stupidity. - - [Illustration: THE TEMPLE TO THESEUS AT THE FOOT OF THE ACROPOLIS - IN ATHENS.] - -Thebes was the capital of Bœotia, but each district had its own -smaller city and its own ruling family, whose sons called themselves -kings. One of these petty kings, Athamas, had a son and daughter -named Phrixos and Helle, and when their mother died he took another -wife, the fair Ino, but she was not as good as she was fair, for she -was jealous of her step-children. So she contrived a plot for getting -rid of them which was well carried out. Ino persuaded all the women of -the country to use the seed grain or hide it so that none of it could -be used for the next year's crop. - -The women followed the queen's advice and the next year there was a -great famine in the land. The women did not dare to tell their secret, -although their families were beginning to starve. Then Athamas sent to -the Oracle at Delphi in order to find out the cause of the trouble, -and how he might deliver the country from the distress. - -But Ino secretly persuaded the messenger to say that the Oracle had -given the following answer: "The famine will cease when Athamas has -sacrificed Phrixos to Zeus." - -The king was almost stunned with grief when he received this message. -How was it possible for him to sacrifice his own beloved son? But the -wicked Ino published the false Oracle among the starving people, who, -driven by hunger, clamored loudly for the death of Phrixos. The king -being compelled by his people, allowed Phrixos to be led to the altar -to be sacrificed. - -But the spirit of the child's own mother came down in the form of a -cloud to save him. She brought a large ram whose fleece was of shining -gold, and said to the two children: "My dear unfortunate little ones, -come and sit on this golden sheep and he will fly away with you and -carry you safely into a far country, where the wicked Ino will no -longer have the power of injuring you." Then she helped Phrixos to -mount to the back of the ram and she placed his little sister Helle -behind him with both her arms around him, and disappeared. - -The ram flew up into the air like a bird and soared away over -mountains and valleys and rivers and plains. Away, away they went -through the blue sky until they reached the straits which separate -Europe from Asia. There Helle lost her balance and fell into the sea. -In vain did Phrixos try to save his sister, who cried and stretched -out her arms to him. The poor child was swallowed by the waves and -devoured by sea-monsters. From that time the sea in that place has -been called the Hellespont. - -Phrixos sailed on alone, on the back of the ram, which took him to -the farthest shore of the Black Sea and landed him at Kolchis. There -the king received Phrixos kindly. Phrixos sacrificed the ram to Zeus -and hung up the golden fleece in a grove which was sacred to Ares, the -God of War. The golden fleece was priceless in value and was guarded -by a terrible sleepless dragon. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -JASON CLAIMS HIS THRONE - - -More than a hundred miles northwest of Athens is Thessaly, the most -northern country of Greece. The greater part of it consists of -mountains, the highest and steepest of all Greece. Among these the -loftiest is Mount Olympos, whose summit, with its three snowy peaks -standing out like glittering marble against the blue sky, rises high -above the surrounding ridges. So glorious and so pure and so high did -it appear to the ancient Greeks, that they imagined it to be the -dwelling-place of the gods. It seemed the very end of the world as it -rose up and shut off this horizon; and they believed the throne of -Zeus, himself, to be on its summit. - -When the shining crest was obscured by clouds, pious people from many -countries around turned to it in awe and said that the Lord of Heaven -had hid his face, and waited for him to hurl his lightnings and speak -in thunder. And the people of Thessaly loved to walk in the Vale of -Tempe, where the wild fig-tree and wild grape, the willow, and ivy -clung with tough roots to the rugged rocks at the foot of the -mountain. - -The most mountainous portion of Thessaly was, of course, wild and -inhospitable. The Centaurs were said to dwell in its gorges and caves, -and it was claimed that they were wiser and gentler than the Centaurs -of Arcadia. They were said to have gathered much lore of herbs and -forest things, and to have been excellent surgeons. The same was told -by fame of the Thessalian mountain-women, who, while as rugged and -fierce as the men, were said to be extremely handsome and great -mistresses in the art of making ointments and magic waters and juices -for the casting of spells; in short, they were famous all over Greece -as the most knowing and dangerous witches. - -The land changed wonderfully where it sloped down to the sea. The -narrow valleys spread out into broad plains. The moisture, gathered -and treasured by the forests and protected by their shade, filtered -through the soil, keeping the grass green for the large herds which at -that time were the greatest wealth, both of farmer and king; while the -thousand rivulets and streamlets that hurried down the mountain-side -in brooks and torrents ran together and formed handsome rivers which -scarcely ever became dry or even shallow, as did the small and stony -streams of Attica. Many of the rivers of Attica are so small that they -never reach the sea at all, but run into the sand and waste -themselves, while the Thessalian rivers all carry their waters to the -sea. - -The largest of them, that which flows through the richest and most -fertile country, is the Peneus, famed in song and story. In this -beautiful land of Thessaly lived a king, Pelias. He really had no -right to the throne, for he had an older brother. But that brother, -being of a peaceful nature, allowed Pelias to take the crown from him, -while he himself retired to some land he had in the mountains. His -son, Jason, a handsome youth of great promise, he sent for his -education to the wise Centaur, Chiron, who made his home in the -deepest mountain-caves. - -When Jason was twenty years old and his education in manly sports and -in the art of war, in song and in music, was such as to do honor to -his master, Chiron, he was directed by an Oracle to go straight to his -uncle Pelias and boldly claim his father's kingdom. This was an -undertaking after his own heart. Shortly after this Pelias celebrated -the yearly festival of Poseidon, the God of the Sea, by solemn -sacrifices offered on the shore. This was a grand national occasion, -so he invited everyone around and did not dare to leave Jason out. - -Jason accepted the invitation. He donned the skin of a panther which -he had killed himself, and taking two long spears, started on his way. -Now Pelias had learned from an Oracle that he should lose his kingdom, -and he was always in fear. The Oracle had said that a descendant of -Œolus would take his crown and throne from him, and that this person -would come to him with only one sandal on. Pelias, therefore, was -always on the lookout for the man with one sandal. - -As Jason came along he saw an old woman sitting on the bank of a river -which he had to cross. She begged him to take her over. The young -Greeks were taught that their first duty was to be helpful and -respectful to old people. Jason willingly took the old woman in his -arms and carried her over as if she had been a child. She thanked him -and wished him good luck. - -The current of the river was strong and rapid and it swept away one of -Jason's sandals. He set the old woman down on the shore after crossing -and then stood in doubt as to whether he had better go back to look -for his sandal. The old woman, however, advised him to proceed on his -way. Then she disappeared. This meeting turned out to be of much -greater importance to the young man than he could have imagined, for -it was the goddess Hera, the Queen of Heaven, herself, who had taken -the shape of an old woman to test his kindness and good-breeding. -Being pleased with both, she remained his friend and protector. - -The public square was full of people when Jason arrived. His face was -comely, his figure heroic, and his long hair hung down to the -panther's skin on his shoulders. He carried two long spears and walked -like a king. Everybody turned in wonder to gaze at him, and some of -them said to one another, "This stranger is no mortal man--he must be -Apollo in disguise." Others said, "No, it is the God of War. Look at -his powerful, athletic frame." - -Just at this moment Pelias came driving by on his chariot drawn by -two fleet-footed mules. His eyes were also attracted by the beauty of -the youthful stranger, but when he noticed that he wore only one -sandal he trembled with fear. Pelias, being old and crafty, concealed -his anxiety and received his young kinsman with cordial friendliness -seemingly. Jason at once announced his right to the king's throne, and -Pelias admitted his claim. - -But Pelias told him that he was too young to take such a responsible -place, and suggested that so stalwart a youth ought to do some valiant -deed to win the respect and admiration of his people before coming -into power. "The people would not care for thee," he said, "if thou -shouldst take the crown as a birthright and not because of thy -prowess." - -Then King Pelias proposed, as a suitable and honorable test of Jason's -qualities as hero and leader, that he should cross the Black Sea and -bring from Kolchis the golden fleece of Phrixos' ram. The wily old man -had judged Jason at a glance and knew that no words or offer of his -could appeal more powerfully to the young hero's generous instincts; -he also knew that the danger of such an undertaking would be -attractive to his youthful imagination. But he smiled wickedly under -his beard when Jason delightedly agreed to his proposal. Pelias -thought to himself, "No sane man would ever go on such an expedition, -and not the bravest man could return alive. He will never come back, -and I shall remain the King of Iolkos." - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -THE EXPEDITION - - -Jason cared little about the motives of the king in sending him after -the Golden Fleece. His courage ran high and the anticipation of seeing -other countries and doing valiant deeds filled his mind. He set about -building a large ship, the finest the world had ever seen, and to do -this he employed Argos, a famous shipbuilder. No expense or labor was -spared, and when the ship was finished it was named the Argo in honor -of the builder. It was the largest ship that had ever sailed from -Greece. - -When the ship was ready Jason assembled the noblest heroes of all -Hellas, Herakles, Kastor and Pollux, Meleagros, Peleus, Admetos, -Theseus, Orpheus and two sons of Boreas, and many others of great -renown. Jason invited them to go with him on this expedition, and -they gladly accepted the invitation. They praised the ship; it was -such a remarkable piece of work, and said that Athena must have -advised and helped Argos, for no human being could make such a good -boat. Jason was to be the captain, and all those who embarked on it -with him would receive the name Argonauts, which means those who sail -in the Argo. - -Before sailing, the heroes gathered around the altar of Zeus, and -Jason offered up a sacrifice and prayed for a sign of good luck, if -the God looked favorably on their undertaking. Zeus answered with a -peal of thunder and a flash of lightning, which pleased Jason and gave -the heroes courage. At first the voyage went so smoothly that it -seemed like a grand holiday trip. As they sailed out from the -olive-clad plains surrounding Iolkos, Orpheus with his god-like voice -and magic lyre quieted the wild waves of the sea, and inspired the men -on the Argo with love for battle. - -In this way they sailed along until they came to the island of Lemnos, -where they were received in kindly fashion and remained a long time -enjoying the new scenes and the festivals. Then they set sail again -and came to a small island where they stayed a short time. Herakles -had broken his oar and he wanted to replace it. He left the ship, -taking with him a beautiful youth, Hylas, and they went into the woods -to cut down a tree to make a new oar. - -But the wood-nymphs saw Hylas and said to each other, "We will keep -this beautiful youth to ramble with us in the forest, for he is gentle -and kind and would be an agreeable companion. He is strong and will -protect us against the rude creatures that cause us alarm." So they -carried Hylas away and hid him, and Herakles would not leave the -island without him. Then the Argo sailed on toward Kolchis, and the -heroes mourned the loss of their two comrades. - -They landed again soon on another island, where lived a king who was -known to fame as a great boxer. He was cruel to travellers. He -challenged them to boxing matches and killed them in the sport. The -Argonauts asked him to give them a supply of fresh water for their -ship, and in return he asked them to box with him. Pollux accepted the -challenge, and gave him such a beating that his bones were broken. -Then they took all the fresh water they needed and went back to the -ship. After this, Pollux, instead of the cruel and boastful king, was -known as the great boxer. - -The Argo sailed on across the Ægean Sea and through the Hellespont, -where the unfortunate Helle was drowned, and reached the straits of -the Bosporus. There were the immense Symplegades, two high cliffs that -were not solidly rooted in the ground, but clashed together under the -power of the winds, making the passage through the sea dangerous. It -seemed impossible for the Argo to pass them without being crushed. - -But they were saved from this peril by the advice of Phineus, the -blind old king of the district, who was also a soothsayer. Phineus had -long suffered a terrible penalty, which the gods had sent on him for -some unkindness, and he had been punished quite enough. Whenever he -sat down to a meal the Harpies pounced upon his food, devouring the -most of it and polluting the rest of it so that it was unspeakably -filthy. When the Argonauts asked him to direct them past the -Symplegades, he promised to do so if they would free him from the -Harpies. This the Argonauts promised to do. - -They set a table before him laden with food, and the Harpies rushed -down with great cries, perching on the table, eating greedily and -snatching the food with their brazen claws. - -Then the winged sons of Boreas, who were with Jason, rose into the -air and pursued the Harpies with swords. The feathers of the Harpies -flew like dirt in a windstorm as they rushed screaming this way and -that. They fled from that region, and so Phineus was rescued. - -Phineus showed the Argonauts how to steer their ship. He advised them -to let a pigeon fly across the Symplegades, and if the bird passed -unhurt they should quickly follow. When the Argonauts had come near -the rocks they let a pigeon loose from the prow of their ship. It flew -through between the cliffs, and the clashing together of the rocks -caught only the end of its tail. Watching for the moment when the -rocks should open and swing away from each other, the Argonauts sailed -between them, rowing with all their might. - -They called on Hera for assistance, and the goddess bade the rocks -move slowly. The cliffs did not have time to close together upon the -ship, and she got through safely, except that a small portion of the -rudder was broken off. From that time on the Symplegades became one -rock and remained firm. After this the Argonauts sailed along the -whole coast of the Black Sea toward the east, and finally reached -Kolchis. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -JASON FINDS THE GOLDEN FLEECE - - -When the Argonauts had drawn their ship up on the beach, Jason -presented himself before the king and said: "Oh, king, we have come to -ask thee for the Golden Fleece, which belongs to the Greeks at Iolkos. -The ram which it covered was given to Phrixos and he dedicated it to -Zeus; but the Fleece he hung up in the garden sacred to Ares. -Moreover, the King of Iolkos has sent me to bring it back to Hellas." - -The king answered: "Oh, stranger, thou art welcome to the Fleece. Take -it back to Hellas, I pray thee. But first thou must yoke two wild -bulls, which no one has ever yet been able to manage, to a plough, and -turn up furrows in a field and sow it with dragons' teeth. The bulls -snort fire with every breath and have brass hoofs. Beware lest they -turn upon thee and burn thee to death with the fire of their nostrils, -and trample thee into the earth." - -Jason did not know how to tame the terrible bulls, and began to -ponder. But Medea, the daughter of the king, saw Jason and pitied -him. Medea was very much of a witch and could make all sorts of charms -and mixtures of enchantment. She gave a magic ointment to Jason and -said: "Stranger, I would gladly help thee to tame the wild bulls. Take -this box of magic ointment and anoint thyself, also the end of thy -spear and thy shield. It will make thee proof against fire and steel -for one day, so that they cannot harm thee. - -"And thou shouldst know that out of the dragons' teeth which thou art -to sow, men will spring up all clad in armor. Hide thyself where these -men cannot see thee, and when they stand close together throw stones -among them." Jason took the drug and did as he was told. He anointed -himself and his spear and shield, and went in search of the fiery -bulls. - -As soon as he found them he went boldly up and hitched them to a -plough. They breathed fire at him and tried to strike him with their -brazen hoofs. But he ploughed the field, turning back furrow after -furrow. Then he went back to sow the field with dragons' teeth and hid -himself nearby. Soon armed giants arose out of the ground. Jason threw -a large stone into the midst of them, which made them think that some -one of their own company was attacking the others. They began fighting -among themselves, and became so furious with one another that they -did not see Jason approach. He took his sword and slew them all. Then -he returned to the king to receive the Golden Fleece. - -But the king was surprised, for he had no intention of keeping his -promise. He expected that Jason would be slain and never come back. -And he was contriving a plot to burn the ship Argo, and kill Jason's -companions. - -Jason had done all that the king had required of him and would not -give up the idea of taking the Fleece, and the king refused to let him -have it. Then Jason went back to Medea for advice. Her admiration for -the hero was greater than ever, since she had seen how fearlessly he -went about his tasks. - -She led him to the grove where hung the Golden Fleece, and with her -magic drugs put the watchful dragon that guarded it to sleep. Jason -snatched the Fleece and made for the ship, taking Medea, who had -promised to be his wife, with him. When the old king missed his -daughter he was very angry, and gave pursuit. But Jason and his -companions pushed the boat out into the sea, and unfurling the sails, -they swiftly took their way over the waters toward their own land. - -After many wanderings and perils, the Argonauts came to the Greek -coast, and the Argo entered again the sea of their own beloved -country. They reached Iolkos, bringing the world-famous Golden Fleece -with them, and the people received them in triumph. But Pelias still -refused to give up the throne to Jason, although he gladly took the -Golden Fleece which the young hero had brought him. So Jason slew him -and made himself King of Iolkos; and as Medea's father had once -reigned in Corinth, he added that country to his kingdom. - -Jason lived in peace ten happy years in Kolchis, and his kingdom -prospered; but a great trouble came upon his household. Medea, with -her black arts of witchery and enchantment and her evil heart, could -not always please him or hold his affections. He went to Corinth, -where he met the gentle-hearted Kreusa, and her peaceful, kindly -disposition won his heart. Now in those days a man was not despised -and looked upon as a law-breaker if he married more than one wife, for -the people had a different standard of right and wrong from that of -the present day. And Jason in an unlucky hour took Kreusa for his -wife. - -Medea was maddened with jealousy when she heard of this, and she -consulted the evil spirits of her witchcraft to find out how she could -do away with Kreusa. She took a beautiful dress and a crown, and -having sprinkled them with an enchanted juice, sent them to Kreusa. -Her rival accepted the gifts and put them on, but she could never get -them off again. They clung to her and burned into her flesh, so that -she died. Then Medea took further revenge by burning Kreusa's home; -and when she found that Jason was angry with her she slew her children -and fled from Iolkos in a fiery chariot drawn by winged serpents. Poor -Jason, beside himself with grief, went to his good ship Argo, which -was now kept as a sacred place for the worship of the gods, and there -he died. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -ORPHEUS, THE HERO OF THE LYRE - - -In the same land of Thrace in which Jason's family ruled, Orpheus, the -greatest musician of Greece, was born. It was said that his mother was -the Goddess of Song, and such was the power of his voice and his art -of playing on the lyre that he could move stones and trees. When the -wild beasts heard his music they left their dens and lay down at his -feet, the birds in the trees stopped singing, and the fishes came to -the surface of the sea to listen to him. - -Orpheus had a wife, Eurydike, celebrated for her beauty and virtue, -and he loved her very dearly. One day when Eurydike was gathering -flowers on the bank of a lake a venomous snake bit her foot and she -died. Orpheus could not be consoled. He went off into the wildest -waste that he could find and there he mourned day and night till all -nature shared in his grief. At last he made up his mind to go down -into Hades and beg her back of King Pluto, for life was worthless -without her. - -Orpheus took his lyre, and singing as he went, found his way down to -Hades through a dismal abyss. Grim Cerberus himself held his breath to -listen to the marvellous music. Not one bark did he give from any of -his three terrible heads, and when Orpheus passed him he crouched at -his feet. So Orpheus entered Hades unhindered, and standing before the -throne of Pluto and his pale queen Persephone, he said: "Oh, king and -queen, I have not come down into Hades to see the gloomy Tartaros, -nor in order to carry away the three-headed warder of your kingdom, -the dreadful Cerberus. I came down to implore you to give me back my -beloved wife, Eurydike. I cannot bear life without her. To me the -world is a desert, and life a burden. Why should she die, so young and -beautiful? Have pity on me! If I may not take her back, then I will -not again see the light of the sun, but I, too, will remain in the -gloomy Hades." - -Pluto and Persephone listened in silence to the pleadings of Orpheus. -His pathetic voice and the sweet tones of his melodious lyre held them -like a charm. The shades of the dead came flocking around him and -mourned. Tantalos forgot his thirst and listened to the singer's -complaints. Sisyphos, who was compelled to roll a stone to the top of -a mountain whence it always dashed back again to the bottom, ceased -his dreadful labor to listen, and the Furies themselves first shed -tears. - - [Illustration: ORPHEUS LEADING EURYDIKE OUT OF HADES. - (From the painting by Corot.)] - -Persephone and Pluto were pitiless gods. Their hearts were long since -hardened to the cries of the living who prayed for the restoration of -their loved ones. But they could not resist the power of the -enchanting sounds that Orpheus made. They called the spirit of the -beautiful Eurydike to them and said to the musician: "Take thy wife -Eurydike and go up again to the light of the sun. Let her gaze on the -smiling sky and see the fields of the upper world. But beware of one -thing. Let her follow thee and do not turn around to look at her -before reaching the world of the living. If thou shouldst turn and -look upon her she will return at once to her place among the dead." - -Orpheus left Hades in great haste and Eurydike followed him. In the -midst of deepest silence they ascended through dismal rocky places. -They neared their journey's end. They could almost see the green earth -when Orpheus was seized with a dreadful doubt. "I hear no sound -whatever behind me," he said to himself. "Is my beloved Eurydike -really following me?" He turned his head a little. He saw Eurydike, -who followed him like a shadow. But suddenly she began to be drawn -backward. She stretched out her arms toward Orpheus as if imploring -his help. Orpheus hurried to take her in his arms, but she vanished -from his sight and Orpheus was alone again. - -Yet he did not despair. Again he descended into Hades and reached the -river which separates this world from that of the dead, but the -boatman, Charon, refused to ferry him across. Seven days and seven -nights Orpheus remained there without drink or food, weeping and -mourning. The decree of the gods was not to be changed. When Orpheus -found that he could effect nothing he returned to the earth. He -wandered alone over the mountains and glens of Thrace, which resounded -with his plaintive songs day and night. - -One day as he sat upon a grassy spot and played his lyre a troop of -wild women who were celebrating a festival rushed upon him and tried -to make him play for them to dance. Orpheus indignantly refused, and -they grew angry and handled him so roughly that he died. Where he was -buried the nightingales sang more sweetly than elsewhere. And his -lyre, which was thrown into the sea, was caught by the waves, which -made sweet music upon it as they rose and fell. - -Orpheus was honored by the gods, and after his death they brought him -to the Abode of the Blessed, where he found his beloved Eurydike and -was reunited to her. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -PELOPS, THE HERO OF THE PELOPONNESOS - - -Some of the heroes famed in Greek song and story, and whose -descendants lived in Greece, had come from foreign countries, many of -them from Asia Minor. Greece and Asia Minor had always been closely -connected. Travellers from each were in the habit of visiting the -other country. Sometimes they traded together and sometimes made war -on each other. - -One of the most powerful kingdoms of Asia Minor was Phrygia, and it -was ruled by a king of the name of Tantalos, who had at first governed -wisely and in the fear of the gods. He was made arrogant by -prosperity, and at length grew so overbearing and cruel even to his -own son, Pelops, that the gods determined to make an example of him. -They sent him living to Tartaros, the portion of Hades reserved for -the very worst offenders, there to endure a terrible punishment -forever. - -He was placed up to his waist in the midst of running water, clear and -cool, under hanging boughs laden with lovely fruit. Yet he could not -reach the water or the fruit, and was always faint with hunger and -thirst. Whenever he bent down to get a drink of water it rapidly -rushed away from him, and if he lifted up his hand to pluck some of -the ripe fragrant fruit, a sudden gust of wind tossed the branches -high up into the air. Poor Tantalos never came nearer than this to -quenching his thirst or satisfying his hunger. - -To make his misery more unbearable, a huge block of rock was poised -above his head, so lightly that it moved with every breeze, and he was -in perpetual fear of its falling down on him. Pelops, the son whom he -had abused in childhood, became a great favorite with the gods, and -they wished to make up to him for his father's cruelty. They gave him -a shoulder of ivory to replace the shoulder of which his father had -deprived him. When he grew up the gods helped him to leave his native -land, where he had been ill-treated, and they guided him across the -Ægean Sea, and around the southern point of Greece to Elis, where -Herakles had cleaned out the stables of Augeias. The capital of Elis -was the city of Pisa, where a king ruled who had a beautiful daughter -named Hippodameia. She must have been very fond of sports and -athletics, for her name means "The Tamer of Horses." - -Hippodameia had many suitors, but her father, Œnomaos, had heard that -he would be dethroned by his daughter's husband, and so he did not -wish her to marry. He was very warlike, being a son of Ares, the God -of War, and he determined to kill all the suitors. So he proposed a -chariot race with each of the wooers, and promised that the one who -succeeded in winning the race should have his daughter in marriage; on -the other hand, if the suitor lost the race he should be put to death -by the king. - -Œnomaos was a famous charioteer, and he had steeds which were swifter -than the wind. The race-course began at Pisa, and stretched as far as -the Isthmus of Corinth to the altar of Poseidon. Œnomaos believed in -himself and in his own skill. So great was his self-reliance, and so -sure was he of the swiftness of his horses, that whenever a suitor -came along he let him go ahead with his chariot drawn by four horses, -while he himself first sacrificed a ram to Zeus, and only at the end -of the ceremony mounted his chariot, having as driver, Myrtilos, and -being armed with a strong spear. Then he would overtake the suitor and -kill him. Thus he had already killed a great many. - -Pelops, on his arrival at Pisa, saw Hippodameia, and at once had a -strong desire to make her his wife. When he saw that he could not -conquer Œnomaos by fair means he planned a trick. He secretly -approached the king's charioteer, Myrtilos, and said to him: -"Myrtilos, hear what I have to say to thee. Help me to win the race -and I will give thee half the kingdom when I become King of Pisa." - -Hippodameia, too, who greatly admired the young man, advised the -charioteer to lend them his aid. Myrtilos accepted the proposal of -Pelops. On the day of the race Œnomaos again waited to sacrifice a ram -to Zeus, leaving Pelops to drive on ahead, and only mounted his -chariot after the offering was over, being sure that he should -overtake the suitor as he had done with the others. - -But suddenly a wheel flew off from the king's chariot, and Œnomaos -fell to the ground, hurting himself badly. Myrtilos had removed the -pin which held the wheel on to the axle. Thus Pelops reached the -Isthmus before the king and won the race. - -Œnomaos died of his injuries, and Pelops married Hippodameia, and took -possession of the kingdom. Then Myrtilos demanded half the kingdom as -it had been promised him by Pelops. But Pelops carried him to the sea -and cast him into it. On account of this crime the descendants of -Pelops, the Pelopides, had to suffer many misfortunes. Crime and craft -may answer an immediate purpose, but they are followed by divine -wrath. - -Pelops instituted the famous Olympic games, which were celebrated -every fourth year, and lasted five days. And he did many other things -which were of great use to his people. In honor of Pelops, the great -peninsula, south of the Isthmus of Corinth, was called Peloponnesos, -which means Pelops' Island. The name was not quite correct at the -time, for the land was not an island but a peninsula. But after all -these thousands of years it has curiously come to pass that the old -name is a true one, for it was only a few years ago that the Isthmus -of Corinth was cut in two, and the Peloponnesos was in truth made an -island. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -PERSEUS, THE HERO OF ARGOS - - -Less than sixty miles in a straight line to the southwest of Athens -there is a barren, swampy plain. It is in the Peloponnesos and is -bounded on all sides by mountains except to the south, where it is -bounded by the sea. In this plain lies the market-town, Argos, at the -foot of a lofty hill, its acropolis, Larisa. There is a citadel on -this acropolis which looks off to a high mountain at the north near -the Isthmus of Corinth, and the white-streaked hills beyond. And -nearer to the citadel, on the north, is a higher mountain, the highest -of the Peloponnesos, where the people used to pray to Zeus and Hera -for rain. To the southeast the Larisa looks over a great prison on a -fortified mountain. - -We have said that the Peloponnesos was the shape of a man's hand. The -thumb of this hand is a peninsula pointing toward the east and south. -In more ancient times this thumb was called the peninsula of Argos. -The town, Argos, shares its name with the barren plain in which it is -situated, and in olden times it shared it with the peninsula also. The -peninsula of Argos was quite separate from a larger district, called -Argolis, until the Romans conquered Greece. But now it is one with the -entire district, and Argos the town, and Argos the plain, and Argos -the peninsula, are all in Argolis. - -Hera, wife of Zeus and goddess of the heavens, was the patron deity of -Argos. It is said that she had a contest with Poseidon to see which -should name the land, and as she brought the most valuable gift, the -honor fell to her. The river Inachos flows through Argos the plain. -The first king of Argos was a son of the river-god, Inachos, and the -ocean-nymph, Melia, was his mother. - -The earliest people of Argos must have worked hard to keep the country -rightly irrigated. They were called Danaæ, doubtless because their -work resembled that of the Danaïds, who were said to be punished in -the lower world by carrying water in pitchers to fill a broken -cistern. As fast as they poured water in the cistern it ran out -through the cracks at the bottom. So, too, the Danaæ carried water to -the sandy soil, but it ran into the earth without doing very much -good. - -The Danaæ came from Egypt and were accustomed to farming in the sand. -They knew the unsparing pains that must be taken to conquer it, and -kept at work until the land became fertile enough to repay them. But -in modern times the plain has lost its fertility because the farmers -do not take the same trouble in cultivating the soil. - -One of the earliest of the Argive kings, Danaos, sent his daughters -out to search for springs as he would have sent them to bring water -from the Nile if they had remained in Egypt. Poseidon, seeing how -fair one of them was, loved her and caused a spring to flow at Lerna, -and it is called by her own name, Amyone, to the present time. It was -this spring that created the marsh where the terrible Hydra was slain -by Herakles. - -Danaos had many descendants, one after another succeeding him as king. -The fifth successor was Akrisios and he had a daughter, Danäe. Some -oracle had told him that he would be slain by a son of Danäe if she -ever had one. This worried the king and he determined that she should -never marry. He built a high tower of brass and shut her up in it so -that no one could get to her. - -Danäe grew very lonely, shut up in the tower, and she used to watch -from the window to try to catch a glimpse of the people below. No one -looked up to notice her, but Zeus saw her from his abode in the -heavens and was struck with her beauty and loneliness. He sent a -golden shower of sunbeams to console her in her prison, and a little -babe was born to her, and she called him Perseus, the son of Light. - -Akrisios, the king, heard the child's voice and called his daughter to -a holy sanctuary and bade her tell the truth about the babe. This she -did, but the king would not believe her. He put her into a box and -the child with her and cast the box into the sea to sink or float. The -box did float and the kind waves carried it to the island of Seriphos. -A good old fisherman caught it in a net and took it to his own little -hut, and thus Danäe and her babe were saved. - -Perseus grew up to be a strong, handsome lad, and was often seen with -his beautiful mother wandering over the island. As Perseus grew older -he became his mother's protector and champion and could never do -enough for her. They continued to live at the cottage of the -fisherman, who had adopted them as members of his own family. - -The fisherman had a brother, Polydektes, who was king of the island, -and he was as proud and cruel as the fisherman was simple and kind. -Polydektes saw the beautiful Danäe and resolved to add her to his -possessions and make her subject to his whims. He feared Perseus, -however, and studied how to get him out of the way. So he called his -friends together, among them Perseus, and said that he was looking for -quaint gifts to send to the wedding of Hippodameia, the daughter of -Œnomaos. - -All the young men came to the court of the king and listened to his -request, and each one promised to go on some quest and find a present -worthy of the princess. Perseus wanted to outdo all the others, and -said he would bring the head of Medusa if the king desired it. -Polydektes took him at his word and ordered him to go for it at once. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -PERSEUS FINDS THE GORGONS - - -Medusa was the youngest of three sisters known as the Gorgons, who -lived somewhere in the far west by the ocean. She was the fairest of -the three and in her youth had been a famous beauty. But having -insulted Athena in her holy temple, that goddess punished her by -spoiling her beauty in a most ghastly way. She changed her beautiful -locks into living snakes. A great horror settled on the face of the -poor girl, and it became so terrible in its look of agony, with its -frightful frame of snakes, that no one could bear the sight. Whoever -looked at her turned to stone. - -Perseus set forth to find Medusa with the courage of a youth who has -never known defeat. The goddess, Athena, who particularly despised -the Gorgon, lent him her aid. She advised him to go to three aged -women, who lived in a dark cavern near the entrance to the infernal -regions. They were old women from their birth, gray-haired, misshapen, -and had but one eye and a single tooth for the three. These they -exchanged, each taking a turn at using the tooth and eye, while the -other two sat toothless and blind. - -Perseus approached them quietly, for they were easily alarmed and -always on the lookout for something to dread. As they were passing the -eye from one to the other, Perseus seized it, and they pleaded -piteously for him to restore it. This Perseus refused to do until they -should tell him the way to the home of the nymphs who took care of the -invisible helmet of Hades and the winged shoes of Hermes, messenger of -the gods. The three miserable old women were glad to get back their -eye and tooth, although they were loath to give Perseus the -information he wanted. But they told him the way to find the home of -the nymphs, and he went on with a happier heart. - -Perseus received the winged sandals from the nymphs and bound them to -his own feet. They gave him a mantle, too, which he threw over his -shoulders. It made him invisible, just as the darkness of night hides -everything from human eyes. They put the helmet of Hades on his head. -Whoever wore this helmet could see others, but no one could see him. -Moreover, Hermes gave him a two-edged sword and Athena gave him a -shield of brass, which was polished on the inside until it glittered -like a mirror and reflected the image of everything back of the person -using it. - -Perseus, being thus armed, went flying toward the ocean and found the -Gorgons lying on the shore. There were three of them and they were -sisters. Medusa alone was immortal. The other Gorgons, as well as -Medusa, had snakes on their heads instead of hair, and large teeth -like wild beasts, and iron hands with golden nails. Athena had taught -Perseus how to approach them without being the victim of Medusa's -deadly stare. Instead of facing her, he kept his face turned toward -his shield and looked at her image only. - -In this way, guarded by his cloak and helmet of invisibility, he came -close to Medusa, and with one blow from his two-edged sword cut off -the monster's head. As the blood flowed down over the sand, there -sprang from it a beautiful white-winged horse. Perseus had brought a -large pouch which the nymphs had given him; a magic pocket that could -be distended to almost any size. He hurried the head into the pouch -without looking at it and flew away as fast as his winged sandals -would carry him; the other Gorgons followed him in vain, for he was -invisible to them. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - -PERSEUS RESCUES ANDROMEDA - - -On his way back to the island of Seriphos, Perseus met with many -adventures. He visited Atlas, expecting the hospitality which the -Greeks consider due to all strangers. But Atlas did not receive him -with courtesy, and Perseus in return held up the Gorgon's head for -Atlas to gaze at. Atlas was turned into a rocky mountain, and there he -stands and always will stand with the firmament resting on his head. - -In his flight Perseus reached Ætheopia, where King Kepheus reigned. -There he saw an immense rock on the coast and a charming maiden was -chained to the rock. Perseus approached her in pity and said, "Tell -me, oh maiden, why thou art bound to this rock! What is thy name and -which is thy country?" "I am a princess, the daughter of King -Kepheus," answered the girl, "and my name is Andromeda. My mother -praised my beauty above that of the daughters of Nereus, displeasing -the nymphs themselves and offending the god. - -"The Nereids complained to Poseidon, and in his wrath he sent a -sea-monster on shore to destroy the people and their flocks and herds -and devastate the country. The king, my father, inquired of the Oracle -how the country might be freed from this calamity. The Oracle made -reply that the country would be delivered if the king would give up -his own daughter to be devoured by the monster. When the people of -Ætheopia heard of the answer of the Oracle they forced my father to -accede to the terms. They themselves chained me to this rock, and -every moment I expect the monster to come and tear me to pieces." - -No sooner had Andromeda finished her tale than the monster appeared in -the distance. Her father and mother saw him too and wept in despair. -Crying out to their beloved child, with extended hands they bewailed -her fate. - -"A truce to tears!" cried Perseus. "The brave man sheds no tears in -the face of danger! He wastes no words but dares! Shall Perseus, the -son of Zeus and Danäe, having slain Medusa, quail before a -sea-serpent? I will save thy daughter, but thou must give her to me to -be my wife!" - -"Thou shalt have our daughter for thy wife and our kingdom as well," -cried the king, "if thou wilt save her!" - -The waves rose higher and higher around the cliff and the sea-monster -came roaring and hissing, with open jaws showing his savage teeth, his -neck outstretched, and his head reared high above the breakers. Over -the waves rose his tremendous back covered with thick, heavy scales, -and he lashed the waters to a foam with his coiling tail. - -Then Perseus, with the aid of his winged sandals, rose up into the air -and attacked the monster from above. The beast plunged this way and -that, leaping up and striking at Perseus with his fangs, diving again -into the water and springing out, bellowing in a frightful manner. - -Time after time Perseus thrust his sword into the monster, until a -stream of black blood ran from its throat, and it grew motionless and -died. Perseus quickly flew to Andromeda and took off the chains that -bound her, and she sprang into her father's arms with a cry of joy. -The king and queen threw their arms around their beloved daughter and -covered her with kisses, and they clasped the hand of Perseus with -gratitude which they could not express. - -Then they returned to the grand castle of Kepheus, promising to -celebrate the nuptials of Perseus and Andromeda. The wedding took -place amidst great pomp and splendor, but while they were in the midst -of their festivities the din of arms and battle-cries resounded -through the hall. Phineus, the brother of the king, had come with a -crowd of warriors to steal the bride. For Andromeda, before her -misfortunes, had been promised to him in marriage, but in the hour of -danger he had left her to her fate, a prey to the sea-monster. - -Now that she was safe again and in favor, Phineus had come to claim -her. He said petulantly to Perseus, "Andromeda belongs to me. I come -to get her. Neither thy winged sandals nor thy father Zeus shall save -thee from my wrath. Thou art a robber trying to take my bride from -me." - -Then the king answered him angrily. "Phineus," he said, "thou art a -boastful coward. In no way does Perseus rob thee of Andromeda. Thou -hast lost her through thine own fault, for when she was in peril thou -didst desert her like a coward, and she would have been devoured by -the sea-monster before now if this noble youth had not saved her. My -daughter shall wed the man who has saved her from a terrible death." - -But Phineus would not yield. Wishing to kill Perseus, he shot an arrow -at him. At the same time he ordered his band of followers to rush upon -him. The arrow did not hit Perseus, who fought single-handed against -them all, but as soon as he struck down one foe a new one sprang up in -his place. Perseus saw that he could keep on fighting for all time, -and never conquer this army, which could furnish a new warrior as -often as one was slain. Having thus fought alone against great numbers -until he saw it was hopeless, Perseus took the head of Medusa out of -the pouch where he had kept it and held it up for Phineus and his -warriors to gaze upon. Instantly everyone of them was changed to -stone, and Perseus, taking his bride, returned to the island of -Seriphos. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - -PERSEUS BECOMES KING OF TIRYNS - - -When Perseus reached home he did not find the glad welcome to which he -had looked forward with all the ardor of a youth who has been for the -first time on an important errand. His mother had taken refuge in a -temple at the altar of Zeus to escape the persecutions of King -Polydektes, who had begun to ill-treat her as soon as Perseus had -departed in search of Medusa. His brother, the fisherman, had tried to -protect her and had used hot words in warning the king to desist from -his unmanly purpose. But Polydektes turned his wrath upon his brother -also, and he, too, could find no refuge save the sacred altars. - -Perseus went at once to the king and announced his arrival. The king -was uneasy, and yet he did not believe that Perseus had been able to -keep his word. He called all the nobles of his court together to -listen to what Perseus had to say. Perseus came before them, and -taking the fearful head from its covering, held it up for them to look -at. At once they became stone images, a ghastly court of petrified -men. Even the frogs and beetles and other animals in the castle and -its grounds were turned to stone. - -Then Perseus flew to his mother, who was still a beautiful woman in -spite of all her sorrows. She had long prayed for her son's return, -almost without hope, and now that he had really come her joy was -boundless. Perseus established the fisherman as king of the island in -his brother's place, and the people rejoiced that they had been freed -from the tyrant, Polydektes. - -Perseus now gave up his winged sandals to Hermes, and asked him to -carry the helmet and mantle to the nymphs, but the head of Medusa he -gave to Athena, who wore it on her shield ever after. - -Perseus could not remain idle at Seriphos. He set out for Argos to -visit his grandfather, taking his mother and Andromeda. Akrisios, -suspecting that he would come, for the words of the Oracle often came -to his mind, had gone to Thessaly. There at Larissa he had built a -home and established himself, hoping that his grandson would be -contented to remain in Argos. - -But Perseus went on until he came to Thessaly, and finding some games -going on he took part in them. He threw a discus which accidentally -struck his grandfather's foot, giving him a painful wound which could -not be cured. Thus the Oracle was fulfilled. Learning whom he had -killed and that Akrisios had died according to an old prophecy, he -mourned for him and buried him with honors outside of the city. - -Perseus then returned to Argos, where he had left his wife and mother, -and he became king of the country in the place of his grandfather, -Akrisios. But the thought of sitting on a throne whose rightful king -he had accidentally killed was distasteful to him, so he exchanged -kingdoms with Megapenthes of Tiryns. - -It is said that the Persian kings claimed to be descendants from -Perses, a son of Perseus and Andromeda. However this may be, Perseus -has certainly inspired many a poet and artist and hero to express -great actions and courage in word and deed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - -TRIPTOLEMOS, THE HERO OF ELEUSIS, AND DEMETER, THE EARTH-MOTHER - - -Twelve miles to the west of Athens is a beautiful hill which ends -abruptly close to the sea. It is the acropolis or highest point of -Eleusis and is covered with splendid blocks of marble, the ruins of -wonderful temples which stood there in ancient times. The greatest of -these temples was called The Temple of the Mysteries. Demeter, the -Earth-Mother, was worshipped there. - -The principal road leading to the acropolis of Eleusis begins at the -acropolis at Athens and is called The Sacred Way. Over this road, -thousands of years ago, went the stately processions of loose-robed -Greeks, their beautiful garments fluttering in the winds. Their heavy -chariot-wheels left deep prints in the rocks, and there they are at -the present time. There are ruins of temples to the gods along The -Sacred Way, and the little lambs and kids skip playfully about among -them. - -A narrow pass between the hills admits you into a flowery meadow. It -was here that Persephone played when a child. There are two salt -lakes in the plain in which only priests were allowed to fish in the -olden times. There, too, is a well where you stop for a cup of water -as people have done through the long ages. - -The plain of Eleusis is separated from Attica by a range of low hills -clad with fields of wheat and barley. At the foot of the acropolis is -the sickly little village of Eleusis, but the Island of Salamis rises -across the blue waters of the bay like a fairyland shining through a -delicate atmosphere of violet tint. This was the kingdom of Keleos and -his son Triptolemos, the Hero of Agriculture, and it was the scene of -the story of Demeter and Persephone, the story which brings us to the -Hero of Eleusis. - -It is said that Kronos and Rhea were the father and mother of the -greatest of the gods, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades or (Pluto) and their -sister Demeter, the mother of fertility. Though men might plough the -fields and the rain moisten the swelling seed-grains, it was Demeter -who gave the vital touch which caused the new life to spring up. - -Demeter had one beloved daughter, Persephone, on whom she bestowed all -the tenderness of her divine mother-heart. One day Persephone went out -into the blooming meadows to play with her companions. The fields -were gay with roses, violets, and lilies. The yellow crocus, the -asphodel, and the purple and pink narcissus made bank and by-path seem -like a soft carpet and filled the air with sweet fragrance. - -Persephone stooped to pluck a flower of unusual beauty, when the earth -suddenly opened and Hades appeared with a splendid chariot drawn by -fiery black horses. He seized Persephone, and placing her on his -chariot, drove away to his kingdom under the earth. Persephone uttered -piercing cries, praying to the gods and imploring men to come to her -rescue. But all in vain. Zeus looked on with approval, for he knew -that his good brother ought not to be condemned to reign alone in the -dread realms of darkness. - -Now there was a goddess of the night, a torch-bearer who lived in a -dark cave. Her name was Hekate and she knew the secrets of lonely -forests and cross-roads and the gloomy underground world. She heard -the shrieks of the maiden when Hades seized her; and Helios, too, the -sun-god who sees everything, saw him bear her away. - -The mother, Demeter, also, heard the cries of her daughter, and an -unspeakable grief took possession of her. She wandered from place to -place, taking neither food nor sleep, beseeching everyone to tell her -where she could find her child. But no one could give her any -information. She yoked her winged snakes to her car and drove with -lighted torch through every country. Wherever she went she was -received gladly by the people, for she stopped to teach them something -of agriculture and left her blessing with them when she departed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - -DEMETER'S GRIEF - - -On the tenth day of her wanderings she met Hekate, who said: "Lovable -Demeter, who hath robbed thee of thy daughter and plunged thee into -sorrow? I heard her cries when she was carried off, but I could not -see who it was that took her. There is one, however, who sees -everything, Helios, and he may tell thee where thy daughter is -concealed." - -Demeter gladly took the hint, and with Hekate she set out to find -Helios, and when they saw his horses and chariot they stationed -themselves where they could speak to him. The venerable goddess said -to him: "If ever, oh, Helios, I have pleased thee in word or deed, I -pray thee look down from the heavens and tell me truly whether it is a -god or a mortal that hath stolen my daughter." - -"Honored Queen," replied Helios, "I willingly tell thee all I know. -Hades hath taken thy daughter and led her into the gloomy kingdom -below. But Zeus is the author of this deed, for he gave his permission -to Hades to make Persephone his wife. Yet thou hast no need to grieve, -for Hades is a loving husband and hath given thy daughter an honorable -place as queen of his realm." - -When Demeter heard this her grief was unbounded and her anger -terrible. She left the abode of the gods on Mount Olympos and went -down to earth, where she assumed the form of a mortal woman. In her -travels on the earth she reached Eleusis, and sat down on a stone near -a spring, from which the people drew water. - -As she sat there two beautiful maidens, daughters of Keleos, the King -of Eleusis, came to the spring to fill their bronze pitchers with -water. They saw the stately woman in garments of mourning, and, -approaching her, asked with sympathy whence she came and why she sat -alone so far from the city instead of coming to the houses, where the -women would gladly show her every kindness in word and deed. - -Demeter replied: "May the Olympian gods bestow all good gifts upon -you, my daughters. Have pity on me and lead me to the house of some -chief, where I may be a servant, doing such work as an old woman can -perform. I can take care of a new-born babe, guard the house, tend the -beds, and teach serving-women housework." - -"Venerable lady," answered one of the daughters, "I thank thee for thy -good wishes, and I will tell thee the names of the foremost men of the -city. There are several chiefs of note in Eleusis, but our father is -the king and he will give thee royal welcome. Let us take thee to our -mother, Metaneira, and she will not let thee go into a strange house. -She has a little son, and if thou wilt bring him up well she will give -thee rich gifts." - -Demeter consented to go, and the girls, after filling their jugs, -hastened home, where they told the queen, their mother, what they had -seen and heard. The beautiful Metaneira sent them to call in the aged -woman, and they ran back to the spot where they had left her. They -took her by the hand and led her to their home, where they presented -her to their mother. - -Metaneira had her baby in her arms and received Demeter kindly. -"Welcome, my dear woman," she said, "thou hast come in good time. But -I cannot treat thee as a servant, for thou dost appear like a -princess. - -"The gods often visit us with misfortunes, which we must bear as best -we can. Let this home be thine and I will trust this babe of mine to -thee, that thou mayst rear him. We had no hope of his living when he -was born, but the gods had pity on me and let him live. For this -reason he is much dearer to me. Care for him most lovingly and I will -give thee a fitting reward." - -"My greeting I give to thee, too, dear lady," answered Demeter. "May -the gods give thee all thy desires. I will tend thy child with -affection as if he were my own." - -Demeter made herself at home in the large hall of Keleos and undertook -the bringing up of the boy. She gave him no other food but ambrosia, -that he might never grow feeble with old age. The child throve -wonderfully and was a joy to everybody. The father and mother were -astonished at his rapid growth and handsome face. - -But one night Metaneira wished to see how her son was getting along, -and, going into the room where Demeter was tending him, saw a strange -sight, for the supposed old woman held him over a fire like a brand. -Metaneira, terribly frightened, cried out, "Oh, my child, the stranger -is burning thee!" - -But the goddess grew angry, took the child out of the fire, and -setting it down on the ground, made reply: "Surely mortals are blind -and incapable of telling good from evil. I vow to thee by the waters -of the Styx that I have rendered thy beloved son immortal. I put him -on the fire that it should render his mortal flesh impervious to the -ills of men. For thee it is an eternal honor that I have lived in thy -house and let thee sit in my presence." - -At that instant Demeter threw off her disguise as an old woman and -appeared in all her glory as a goddess. Her face shone like the sun, -and a heavenly odor was shed from her robe, and her golden hair -glittered as it fell over her shoulders. - -"Know that I am the goddess Demeter," she said, "who am honored by -mortals and immortals. Thou shalt hasten to bid the whole populace of -Eleusis to build me a great temple above the spring on the mountain." - -Metaneira was speechless with astonishment at what she had heard and -seen. She began to tremble and did not even take heed of her child, -who sat on the floor looking at them with wonder. She went at once to -her husband and told him all that had happened. King Keleos called his -people together in a general assembly and ordered a beautiful temple -to be built on the acropolis in honor of Demeter. - -The people loved their king and believed his words, and they went to -work at once to build the temple. They set about it with such zeal -that it was finished in one day, for the goddess gave them divine -strength and directed the work. Demeter took up her abode in the -temple and remained away from the other gods, still mourning over the -loss of her daughter. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - -DEMETER'S JOY - - -Persephone did not return, and the angry goddess grew more angry. She -determined to punish the gods, even though it brought suffering to -mankind. Indeed there was no other way to punish them. So she forbade -the earth to bring forth any more fruit, and there was a great -famine. In vain did the oxen pull the plough through the field. In -vain did the farmer sow the grain. The land was covered with stubble. -No flower sprang up on the parched earth; the starving people had no -sacrifice to offer to the gods, and their altars were left without the -incense arising from sacred offerings. - -Now the gods loved the praises of men, and the incense from their -altars was most precious to them. They complained to Zeus because they -were deprived of their incense, and Zeus saw the cause of it. He sent -the rainbow-winged Iris to call Demeter back to Mount Olympos. - -The beautiful messenger flew like a sunbeam through the space between -heaven and earth, and soon reached Eleusis. She found Demeter in her -temple and said to her, "Dear Mother, I bring a message to thee from -the great god Zeus. He commands thee to return to the abode of the -immortal gods, and his command no one dares to disobey." - -But Demeter received the command with scorn, so Zeus sent all the -gods, one after another, to entreat her to return, and he sent -promises of beautiful gifts and courtly honors, but Demeter remained -unmoved. "The earth shall yield no fruits," she said, "nor will I -return to the company of the gods until I behold with mine own eyes my -beautiful daughter." - -Then Zeus sent Hermes to Hades to persuade him with sweet words to -give up his wife and send her back to her mother since Demeter's anger -could not be appeased without her. Hermes went down to the under-world -to the King of the Dead, and said to him: "Immortal Hades, father Zeus -has charged me to take thy wife from this dark realm back to the light -of day that her mother may see her, for the anger of the goddess -cannot be appeased. In her wrath she is starving men and depriving the -gods of the honors that mortals bestow on them. She hath left the home -of the gods and will not abide with them. Neither will she speak to -them, but lives alone in her temple at Eleusis." - -The grim king smiled and said to his wife, "Persephone, my queen, go -to thy blue-robed mother and appease her wrath. The winter is over and -thou must see the light of the sun. But first thou shalt eat with me -of the pomegranate, the apple of love, for thou dost love me and this -shall keep thee in remembrance of me." - -Then Persephone took from the king the pomegranate and ate it, for -the grim Hades had made her truly a queen and had done honors to her. -But she was glad to return to her mother and the blessed light of the -day. She mounted the chariot. Hermes took the reins and the whip, and -the horses flew over the stony road that led from Hades. On and on -they went until they reached the Eleusinian plains and the temple of -Demeter. - -There they emerged from the cave close to the temple, and a fig-tree -burst into budding as they came. Demeter stood with outstretched arms -at the mouth of the cave to receive her daughter. Hermes helped her -from the chariot and Persephone sprang into her mother's arms as the -flowers of May spring forth on the bosom of earth with the early -showers. - -No one can describe Demeter's joy as she beheld once more her beloved -child, and pressed her to her heart, covering her with kisses. The -whole earth smiled and burst into verdant growth. The fields were -covered with grain. The meadows bloomed with gay flowers. The birds -sang and the people rejoiced. - - [Illustration: THE RETURN OF PERSEPHONE. - (Lord Leighton.)] - -Demeter drew her daughter into the holiest sanctuary of her great -temple and they talked over all that had happened during Persephone's -long absence. She told her mother how Hades had stolen her away -from the meadows while she gathered flowers, and how he had treated -her while she stayed with him in the lower world. She had only words -of love and honor for the dread King of the Dead. - -A whole day mother and daughter passed in an affectionate embrace and -in exchanging words of love, each pitying the other on account of the -long separation. Then Zeus sent Rhea to bring Demeter and Persephone -to Mount Olympos. And he told them that Persephone might remain with -her mother until the winter months came back again. - -To this Demeter seriously objected, for she dreaded the separation and -the loneliness. But Zeus replied: "If thy daughter hath eaten of the -pomegranate she is truly wedded to Hades the King of the Dead, and -must go back to him to stay during the winter. For the pomegranate is -the apple of love, and having shared it with him, he hath part in her -affection and can claim her as his wife. But if she hath not eaten of -the fruit she shall remain with thee and go no more to the gloomy -realms below." - -Demeter was satisfied with these terms and promised that Persephone -should return to her honored husband during the winter months, for -Persephone had told her that she had eaten with him of the -pomegranate and that she loved him in spite of his gloomy -surroundings. Then Demeter forgave Zeus for his part in allowing the -abduction of Persephone, and the mother and daughter descended once -more to Eleusis to bestow blessings upon the inhabitants, and from -that time on the earth was clad in flowers and foliage as long as -Persephone stayed with her mother. But it was brown and barren when -she returned to the regions of the Dead. And the good Hades warmed the -earth from below by virtue of his divine power, helping it to produce -more abundantly the precious grains and the fragrant flowers. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII - -TRIPTOLEMOS BECOMES A HERO. DEMETER'S GIFT - - -Demeter returned to her home among the gods on Mount Olympos. But -before she went she called Triptolemos, an older son of King Keleos to -her and gave him her car which was drawn by winged dragons. There is -nothing more precious to the gods than open, benevolent hearts and -generous hospitality. The poorest and meanest man may be god-like in -generosity, sharing his goods with open hand, as sunshine is poured -out from the heavens. King Keleos had shown himself a most -royal-hearted man in his princely generosity toward the goddess when -she came in the guise of a poor old woman, and Demeter resolved to -bestow upon him and upon mankind, for his sake, a blessing -proportionate to her power and rank. - -So she gave to Triptolemos something far better than her magic car and -serpent-steeds. She taught him how to make the plough of iron. -Heretofore men had ploughed the fields with the crudest of ploughs--a -pointed stick, or an iron bar. She taught him how to turn a furrow and -put the seed into it, and cover it up so that the birds should not eat -it. - -And when summer came she showed him how to cut the grain, to bring it -in wagons to the barn where he was to thrash it, and to store it away, -keeping each kind separate. - -Triptolemos, being carried on his wagon through the air, sowed the -precious grain all over the inhabited world and turned many a barren -waste into a cultivated field. He taught the people everywhere, as -Demeter had taught him, how to cultivate the soil. Thus he became a -great benefactor to all mankind and induced a better way of living. -For when people had farms to take care of, they ceased to roam -aimlessly about the world. They built homes and learned to be -friendly, and from this sprang up the government which should protect -the home and make men happy and comfortable. - -Triptolemos received the honors of a god, and the people of Eleusis -built a temple to him close to the acropolis, where some of the stones -of the temple may still be seen. But his best monument is the -cultivated fields of barley, rye, and oats, and all the grains which -from Demeter (Ceres) we call cereals. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII - -PROMETHEUS, THE CHAMPION OF MANKIND - - -Heaven and earth were created. The sea rolled its waves against the -shore and played around the islands. The fishes sported in the waters -in lively gambols. On the land the birds flew from tree to tree -singing with sweetest voices; wild beasts were peaceable; flowers -threw out delicious odors; nature beamed with loveliness. - -But mankind could not notice the beauty of nature. Men walked as in a -dream, for they were not awakened to delicate odors or sweet sounds -or beautiful forms and colors. They were barbarous and rude; they did -not know any of the arts of civilization; they were not even able to -build homes; they lived in caves like wild beasts and fed on nuts and -fruit. - -The cultivation of the soil was unknown. Men made no difference -between the blooming spring and fruitful summer and the cold winter. -They did not know how to cut stone. Like the wild creatures they lived -in constant fear, crawling about miserably. - -Prometheus, the son of Japetos, was wise and good. He looked down from -his comfortable abode and saw with pity how man was stupefied and -enthralled by ignorance, and he wished to deliver him from his unhappy -state. At that time Zeus reigned in the heavens; he was the lord of -thunder and of fire. He stored the fire in the heavens and sent it -down to earth in the form of lightning to terrify men but not to help -them. - -Without fire upon earth man's condition was hopeless. He needed it for -making tools, if ever he learned to forge metals, for baking clay with -which to make bricks and dishes, for cooking his food, and protecting -himself from the biting frosts of winter. But Zeus does not willingly -part with his treasures, and he looked upon fire as property solely -his own. No one could get it from him by open means, and man had not -even dreamed that he needed it. - -Prometheus made it a part of his own duty to teach man the use of fire -and how to live better by knowing its secrets. So he went to Olympos, -the home of Zeus himself, and took a few sparks of the heavenly fire, -which he hid in a hollow reed so that it could not go out. He came -down to earth, bringing it to men, and they made a great blaze and -gave thanks to Prometheus from the depths of their hearts when they -saw what it would do. - -When it grew cold they sat around the big fire and warmed themselves. -They began to cook their food, they melted iron and made spears and -tools. They baked clay which they had moulded into dishes, and it led -on to their inventing all those things that are made by the use of -fire. - -When Zeus looked down from the heavens and saw the light of the flames -on the earth he at once became aware that Prometheus had stolen the -fire from him and given it to mortals. Zeus was greatly alarmed to -find his power shared by men, for the lightning had been his sceptre. -He called Hephæstos to his aid, the Blacksmith of the Gods, and his -powerful servants, Violence and Force, and bade them lead Prometheus -far away and chain him to a lofty peak in the Caucasus, a wild -mountain-range of Scythia. - -Hephæstos loved Prometheus, but he could not disobey the command of -Zeus. When they reached the Caucasus, Violence said to Hephæstos: -"See! we have reached far off Scythia, a desert where no trace of man -is ever found. Behold the Caucasus! Now is the time to perform the -task with which thy father Zeus hath charged thee. Let us chain -Prometheus to the highest rock with fetters which cannot be broken. -Thus may he learn the will of Zeus and that he is subject to his rule. -Thus, too, will he see where his love for wretched men has brought -him." - -But Hephæstos answered: "Force and Violence, do ye execute the order -of Zeus, for I have not the heart to fetter a god who is of my own -kin, to this wild mountain. It must be done, because it is the will of -Zeus, and it is a dangerous thing to disobey him." - -Then, turning to Prometheus, he said: "High-minded son of Heaven, it -is with a sorrowful heart and against my will that I let my servants -bind thee with never-breaking bonds to this rock. There thou wilt -never hear a human voice nor see a human form. Here wilt thou stay -with no power to stir, and the burning sun will scorch thee. There is -no place where thou canst rest thy weary limbs or thy sleepless head. -This is thy reward for thy love to mankind. But I would rather bear -thy punishment than be the tyrant to treat thee so unjustly." - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV - -PROMETHEUS UNBOUND - - -Prometheus was securely bound with iron fetters and fastened to the -solid rock. The servants of Hephæstos increased his tortures with -their bitter speeches. But Prometheus bore his sufferings and their -taunts with heroic indifference and courage. As long as they were near -not a sound came from his lips. Only when Hephæstos and his servants -were gone did he begin to bewail his unjust punishment. - -The winds carried the sound of his moans far off to the shore of the -sea. The sea maidens, daughters of old Ocean, heard them and were -moved to tearful pity. They hastened on the wings of the salt breeze -like a swarm of birds to comfort and cheer him. Nay, more, old Ocean -himself came from afar, and rising up from his watery abode, stationed -himself near Prometheus to speak to him. - -"I am grieved to the heart, dear Prometheus," he said, "for all that -thou hast to suffer. I am thy kin, and it breaks my heart to see thee -like this. Even apart from our kinship there is no one whom I honor as -much as thee. Tell me, is there any way in which I can help thee?" - -Prometheus, hearing what Okeanos said, made reply: "What do my eyes -behold, friend Okeanos? Hast thou come to see me in my misery? I fear -me I have only bitter words in exchange for thy kindly greeting. See -in what manner Zeus treats me, his friend, who hath assisted him to -gain possession of the throne of the world!" - -Okeanos felt the truth of his words, but thought it better to try to -persuade Prometheus to submit to Zeus, and so he answered pleadingly: -"Curb such overbearing speeches, dear Prometheus, and I will myself -try to appease the anger of Zeus." But Prometheus quickly replied: "I -have done no evil that I know of, and I will not bow to tyranny and -injustice. - -"My fault is this: I loved mankind too well to let them lie helpless -in stupidity and ignorance. I found them in a pitiable plight. They -had eyes but could not see. They had ears but could not hear. Not one -thing did they know until I taught them. I told them to observe the -rising and the setting of the sun, moon, and stars. I taught them how -to count, and write, and remember. - -"I taught them to yoke oxen to their ploughs instead of dragging them -themselves. And I showed them how to harness horses to the chariots -likewise. I helped them to make boats with oars for the rivers, and -ships winged with white sails to traverse the seas. I taught them the -healing power of plants to relieve them in their sickness. From me -they learned how to mine for silver and copper, and how to work them. -Indeed, friend Okeanos, thou mayst well say that all the arts men know -how to apply they have learned from Prometheus." - -Zeus sat uneasily on his throne, angry when he saw that the spirit of -Prometheus was unbroken. "He still defies me, but I will conquer yet," -said the Thunderer; and he sent a cruel vulture to tear and eat his -vitals every day. At night they grew again and he was healed. But each -morning the vulture came and renewed his terrible feast. - -Two thousand years the large hearted, man-loving Prometheus passed in -suffering in the Caucasus. At length Herakles came that way in his -wanderings, when he was trying to find his way to the Garden of the -Hesperides. He broke the iron bands like egg shells and set Prometheus -free. - -To tell the truth, Prometheus was too wise for Zeus to have him as an -enemy forever, for he knew one thing which Zeus did not--he knew the -future. Zeus was aware that there were many important secrets -concerning the future which he could learn from no one else. It is -supposed that Zeus may have hoped to force Prometheus to yield up his -secrets by these punishments, and that on finding out his mistake he -slyly connived at his victim's liberation because he could not afford -to be unreconciled to him any longer. - -Prometheus has been loved and honored through all the ages. On an -island belonging to Greece the people built an altar to him at the -foot of a burning mountain. Once a year they put out all their fires -and sent a ship to Delos to bring a fresh light. They used this new -flame for kindling again the fires they had extinguished. - -At Athens, Prometheus was held in sacred honor. People held -torch-light festivals in memory of him. And on frosty nights, as they -sat by the fire, they praised the great Prometheus, who could endure -long enough to conquer destiny, the hero who had brought them mental -balance, "The Gift of Equilibrium." - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV - -DEUKALION, THE CHAMPION OF A NEW RACE - - -Deukalion was the son of Prometheus, and a just and god-fearing man. -In the time of Deukalion, Zeus destroyed the human race by means of a -great flood. People had become wicked and godless; they did not fear -the gods, and the meaner classes paid no respect to the better, and -all of them loved every manner of wickedness. - -This state of affairs reached the ears of Zeus. But wishing to take -the evidence of his own eyes and see if the stories that came to him -were really true, he took the form of a mortal man and went down from -his Olympian home to the Earth. - -One evening after sunset he reached Arcadia and asked for a night's -shelter in the palace of Lykaon, the king. Lykaon was famous for his -wickedness. Some of the people seemed to see some signs that Zeus was -a god and went down on their knees to him, but Lykaon laughed at their -credulity and said: "Stay till I find out whether he be a god or a -man!" - -Lykaon had a stranger in his palace who had been sent to him as a -messenger. Lykaon had the stranger killed and served up as food for -his guest. When the dreadful feast was placed before Zeus, he arose at -once in anger and left the table, and he shattered the house with a -thunder-bolt. Lykaon betook himself to flight with all speed. He fled -to the fields howling like a wild beast. - -Lykaon tried to speak, but his human voice had left him. His skin -turned into a wolf's pelt, his hands into paws. He rushed furiously -among the herds and began to tear and bite cattle and sheep. He had -been changed into a wolf. - -Zeus, having seen with his own eyes that things were even worse than -had been told him, returned to Olympos. He called the gods together in -council and related to them the wicked deeds he had seen. He ended by -saying: "The whole race of man must surely perish," and the other gods -consented to his judgment. - -At first Zeus thought it best to send thunder-bolts to destroy the -evil race, but he feared that the flames might reach from earth into -the heavens and burn the whole firmament. He therefore laid aside his -thunder-bolts and resolved to drown the earth's inhabitants by means -of a flood. So he ordered the God of the Winds to shut Boreas and all -the other winds in his cave, save Notos, only, the wet south wind, who -was to go free. - -Then Notos flew forth with his damp wings. A thick cloud hid his face -like a veil and darkness hung around his head. Water ran down from his -brow and his hair. Cloud-bursts broke from the sky and sent cataracts -of water over the earth, flooding it in every direction. The work of -the farmers was stopped and their hopes destroyed in an instant. - -But Zeus was not satisfied with that. He called Poseidon, Lord of the -Seas, to his assistance. Poseidon came quickly. He spoke to all the -rivers in a loud commanding voice. "Leave your beds," he cried, "and -rush wildly over your banks and flood the world!" The rivers obeyed, -and Poseidon himself struck the earth with his trident. The earth -quaked and, bursting open in many places, let forth torrents of water. - -The waters rose higher and higher. The valleys became one wide lake, -and soon the tops of the trees were no longer above the water. Man -and herds were drowned. The altars of the gods were swept away. When a -house remained standing it was soon covered with water. The highest -towers disappeared in the flood. Land and sea were no longer -separated. The world was all sea--a long, shoreless sea. - -Seals gambolled where goats had formerly grazed. Dolphins swam over -the cities that were buried beneath the waves. Wolves and sheep, lions -and tigers huddled close together and swam about as long as they could -keep afloat, when they sank below the waters. The deer could no longer -find ground for his fleet foot. The birds flew on tired, trembling -wings searching for a place on which to perch and finally fell into -the sea with worn-out wings. - -The people tried to save themselves in any possible way. Some fled to -the hills and mountains. Some took refuge in ships and sailed over the -fields where formerly the plough had moved. By and by the -mountain-tops were swept by the waves, and the ships were whirled -about by the terrible currents and wrecked. - -Deukalion and his wife, Pyrrha, were the only ones to be saved. He had -taken the advice of his father, Prometheus, to build himself a -floating-house in the form of a box and to store in it a great amount -of food; when the flood came he entered this house with his wife. The -house was carried about nine days and nine nights by the winds. Only -the two peaks of Parnassos remained above water. On this mountain the -floating-house stuck fast. - -When Zeus cast his eyes down to earth he saw that everything was -covered with water, on the surface of which floated trees and grasses -and thousands of animals and people who had perished in the flood. And -he saw Deukalion and his wife safely anchored on the heights of -Parnassos. - -Then Zeus gave commands to Boreas to chase away the black clouds. The -sun shone again and the waters retreated from the earth, which was -soon dry again. Poseidon laid aside his trident and the rivers ran in -their old channels. Woods sprang up and the fields bloomed with -flowers. - -Deukalion and Pyrrha looked around them. Everywhere was loneliness and -silence. It was like the solitude of death. Deukalion wept and said to -his beloved Pyrrha: "My dear wife, I do not see a living soul far or -near in any direction. Thou art my only companion. All the friends we -have known have perished in the flood. We are the only inhabitants of -the earth. What will life be worth to us, since we must live alone in -the world with no fellow-men. I should like better to live if we had -other people whom we might love and help and with whom we could enjoy -ourselves. But we will give thanks to Zeus for saving us." - -They walked along a little way and came to an altar of the Goddess of -Justice. There they fell on their knees and said: "Oh, divine Justice, -tell us how we may revive the human race which has perished. Oh, help -us and restore our lost ones to us." They listened for the goddess to -answer and soon they heard a soft voice reply: "Veil your faces, oh, -Deukalion and Pyrrha. Go down the mountain, and as ye go throw -backward over your shoulders the bones of your mother." - -Deukalion and his wife were puzzled at these words and at first they -could not tell what they meant. But after some meditation Deukalion -said: "My dear wife, the earth is our mother and her bones are the -rocks. As we go down the mountain we will cast behind us the stones -which we find in our pathway." - -So they started forth, the founders of a new race, throwing the stones -and rocks which they met over their shoulders and out of sight. From -the stones which they cast there sprang up living men and women; the -stones which Deukalion threw became men and those which Pyrrha cast -became women. - -Deukalion and Pyrrha had many children. One of their sons was called -Hellen. Hellen's children and grandchildren spread over Greece and -were called Hellenes, and they gave the name Hellas to Greece. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI - -DÆDALOS, A HERO OF INVENTION - - -Dædalos was a native of Athens and descended from one of the most -ancient kings of Attica. It was he who constructed the labyrinth in -which King Minos of Crete locked up the monster Minotaur. Dædalos was -the greatest artist of his time and was master of many useful crafts. -He produced wonderful pieces of work in a great many places of the -world. - -His statues were so cleverly made that they were taken for living -beings. It was thought that they could see and walk about. For while -the artists before him sculptured their statues with closed eyes, with -their hands crossed over their breasts, and their feet turned -sidewise, Dædalos made statues with open eyes, outstretched arms, and -feet pointing forward into space. - -Dædalos had Talos for a disciple, a clever and intelligent youth, who, -though but a mere boy, had invented several tools of great usefulness. -One day, finding the jaw-bone of a snake he began to cut a piece of -wood with it. It was hardly sharp enough to answer his purpose, so he -constructed a saw of iron on the same plan. - -Dædalos was so jealous of the boy that he pushed him off from the -Acropolis and the lad died of the injury. When Dædalos saw what he had -done he went to Talos, but found him dead, so he hurried to bury him. -He was surprised in the act and brought before the court which met on -the hill called Areopagus. He was condemned to death by the court, and -in order to save himself he fled to Crete. - -At that time Minos was king in Crete. He received the famous artist -very kindly and held him in great honor. There Dædalos did many fine -works for Minos besides the famous labyrinth for the Minotaur. - -After he had stayed some time in Crete he wanted to go away. But Minos -did not wish to let him go, and when Dædalos concealed himself, the -king searched for him everywhere and gave the order that no ship -should take him away from the island. - -The ingenious Dædalos then meditated a plan of flight. Suddenly he -exclaimed, "Minos may watch the sea and the land, but he cannot watch -the air. That is still free. I will make me wings and fly away." - -Dædalos constructed two large wings and fastened them to his body with -wax. Moving them with his arms and hands he was able to fly like a -bird. He made another pair of wings for his son Ikaros, fastened them -to the boy's body and taught him how to move them. Then he instructed -Ikaros to keep close to him and not to fly too high lest the wax -should be melted by the heat of the sun, nor to keep too near the -surface of the sea, as he might dip his wings into the water and -render them too heavy for flight. - -After he had given this advice, he flew up first and his son followed. -Away they went, cutting through the air like two eagles, and soon the -high mountains of Crete were left far behind them. Below them the wide -sea stretched out its great expanse. The sailors looked up from their -boats and wondered what these strange beings were. - - [Illustration: DÆDALOS AND IKAROS. - (From the painting by Van Dyck.)] - -They flew over fields where farmers were ploughing, and the farmers -gazed up with astonishment. But Dædalos and Ikaros flew on and on, -heedless of all that was going on below. The fishermen forgot to take -in their fish and the farmers forgot to urge their oxen on with the -goad, but kept gazing into the sky until the flying people were out of -sight. - -At first Ikaros kept close in the wake of his father, but when his -confidence grew stronger he rose up higher. He forgot his father's -advice and flew very high into the air. Up, up to the sun as nearly as -he could go. The wax melted. The wings parted and fell to pieces, and -Ikaros was precipitated like a stone into the sea. - -Dædalos missed the boy in a short time and turned back to look for -him. He could not see him anywhere, so he called: "Ikaros, Ikaros, my -son, where art thou?" But Ikaros made no answer. Dædalos flew about in -great agony, and at last he saw the wings of his son floating on the -surface of the sea. - -Then Dædalos knew that his beloved Ikaros was drowned. He descended to -an island and searched the cliffs, and at length he found the body of -Ikaros, which the waves had washed ashore. With tears and lamentations -Dædalos buried his only son, and thus was he punished for the death -of his disciple, Talos. And the sea in which Ikaros was drowned was -called the Icarian Sea from that time. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII - -PHAETHON, A HERO OF BAD FORTUNE - - -Helios, the god of the Day, had a famous son whose name was Phaethon. -Helios drove the chariot of the Sun through the heavens, and Phaethon -played by the sea-shore where his mother lived. She was a daughter of -Old Ocean and had many daughters of her own. Phaethon grew to be a -youth of great promise, but he had one fault, an excessive conceit. - -When he had grown to be a young man he left his mother's home and went -to his father to receive the more manly instructions which belong to -those of heavenly descent. When he reached the wonderful palace of -Helios, which was built of gold and precious stones, he sat down and -rested near the glittering columns, his self-pride growing with the -thought of being one of the heirs to such an estate. - -He rose and entered the silver gates which shone like mirrors. He -found Helios in the palace surrounded by a flood of light, sitting on -a throne shaped out of an emerald. To the right and left of Helios -stood Hemera (the Day), Men (the Month), Etos (the Year), the Æones -(the Seasons), and at equal distance from one another the Horæ -(Hours), and Ages unnumbered. There also stood Spring adorned by a -wreath of flowers, Summer with ears of grain in his hands, Autumn -laden with juicy fruits, and Winter with his white hair. - -Phaethon halted in awe. But Helios, as soon as he perceived him, -welcomed him to his palace. He took the crown of golden rays from his -own head lest its dazzling splendor should blind the eyes of Phaethon, -and then called him to come nearer. - -Phaethon approached with fear and trembling, but Helios called him his -son and reassured him with endearing words. When Phaethon's eyes had -grown somewhat accustomed to the blinding splendor, Helios said to him -with fatherly love: "What has brought my dear child into the heavenly -palace of his father? Surely this is hardly the place for anyone who -is accustomed to the cool earth." - -Phaethon answered: "Oh, my royal father, I am very unhappy. I am the -subject of much gossip and derision. People taunt me because my -father lives in the heavens and does not abide in our home on earth. -They say that I am not thy son at all, and I have come to thee to get -the proof from thee that I am really thy son." - -Now if Helios had lived upon earth everything would have been burned -up in the light of his glittering rays, but he felt sorry for his son -and said: "Thou art my dear son, indeed. I would gladly leave this -palace to come and abide in thy home by the sea. But I must drive the -chariot of the Day. Even the gods are not exempt from duty." - -Then said Phaethon: "If thou art indeed my father, thou wilt grant me -the boon which I ask of thee." "Ask what thou wilt," replied Helios, -"and I swear to thee by the waters of the Styx, that I will give it to -thee." - -Then Phaethon made answer: "Let me drive thy chariot for one day and -all these people who despise me will see that I am thy son." - -Helios was dismayed when he heard the audacious and unexpected demand -of his son. - -"What words hast thou spoken, my dear Phaethon!" he said. "Thou dost -ask for thine own destruction. Thou dost request a thing that no one -of the gods would dare to undertake, not even Zeus himself. No one -but myself is able to drive my chariot." - -But Phaethon would not be persuaded. "Thou dost not love me, my -father," he said with tears. "I see that thou dost not love me. If -thou didst thou wouldst let me have thy chariot in order that the -whole world might see that I am indeed thy son." - -"Foolish boy," responded Helios, "just because I love thee shall I let -thee destroy thyself? Ask any other boon but this." - -"Nay, I want the chariot and nothing else," replied Phaethon. - -Helios was stricken with grief, but he had bound himself by the Great -Oath of the Gods, which cannot be broken. He took Phaethon by the hand -and led him to his chariot and placed him in it. - -The chariot was a wonderful piece of workmanship done by Hephæstos. -The seat and axle were made of gold. Golden also were the tires of the -wheels and the spokes were of silver. - -While Phaethon was yet gazing with wonder at the glittering chariot of -his father, the rosy-fingered Dawn opened the dazzling gates of the -East, the stars, one after another, set--last of all the Morning Star, -and the light of the Moon died out. - -Helios ordered the Hours to harness up his immortal steeds, which -were always fed on nectar and ambrosia. The Hours brought the horses -up from the stables and yoked them to the chariot. While this was done -Helios anointed the face of his son with heavenly oil, lest he might -be scorched by the fiery rays. Then he placed his radiant crown upon -Phaethon's head, and sighing bitterly, gave his son this parting -advice: - -"My son, do not touch the horses with the whip, but hold on to the -reins with all thy might. The horses are impetuous and thou wilt find -it hard to hold them. Keep them well in hand when making the ascent as -well as in the descent. First thy course is steeply upward, and on the -other side it descends rapidly. - -"Do not go near the earth lest thou burn it, and do not rise too high -or thou wilt set fire to the heavens. The twilight is waning. Go, my -son, for mortals are looking for the light of Helios. At the last -moment I pray thee to change thy mind and hand the reins to me." - -But the son, exulting with joy, gathered up the reins, and taking -leave of his disconsolate father, boldly drove off. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII - -THE DEATH OF PHAETHON - - -The horses darted forward to their long race, and their first few -leaps brought them above the highest mountains. Before the eyes of the -youth the whole extent of land and sea lay outstretched. - -The deer already had left their shelters and gone up on the heights. -All nature seemed to awake. The quiet woods resounded with the songs -of the birds, which seemed to greet the rising sun. Glittering -dewdrops hung on the leaves and flowers and shone like diamonds with -the light of Helios. Hares and rabbits left their hiding-places and -came forth for food. Bees flew humming from flower to flower, -gathering their precious sweets. The shepherd led forth his bleating -flocks into the green pastures, the farmer plodded off into the fields -with his rural tools. Smoke began to rise from the cottage chimneys. - -Only the owls and other night-birds, unable to bear the light of the -sun, flew back to their lonely hiding-places, and a few timid flowers -closed their petals, but the sun-flowers turned their faces with joy -toward the rising sun. Phaethon was entranced by the sight of the -glorious beauty of awakening nature. - -The horses soon perceived that they were not held by the powerful -hands of Helios; they also felt that they were not drawing their -accustomed burden, and as a ship that does not carry the necessary -ballast is tossed about by the waves, so the chariot was jolted -through the air, rising and falling as if it were empty. - -The horses strayed from their path. Phaethon tried to rein them in. He -did not know the way and was not strong enough to curb the restive -steeds. They ran this way and that, to right and left, under the -uncertain guidance of their new driver. - -On they flew. They were near the middle of the sky where the road was -steepest. Phaethon looked down from the tremendous height upon the -earth. He became dizzy; his hands trembled and his knees knocked -together. He let the reins go loose; the horses darted forward like -arrows. He pulled them back, and they plunged and stood on their hind -feet. He wanted to speak to them, but he did not know their names. - -Overcome at last by fear, he threw the reins down on the backs of the -horses and clung to the chariot. Having no guidance whatever the -horses now started on a wild race. They approached the earth and -turned everything into a desert; woods and meadows, cities and -villages were burnt to ashes. The rivers were dried up and the sea was -boiling. - -Again the chariot was borne up to an immeasurable height and the earth -was relieved of the terrible heat. But now the firmament was in danger -of being destroyed by fire. Curses and prayers rose to heaven from the -suffering people on earth, and cries of fright resounded through -Olympos. - -Zeus heard the sighs and wailings and cries, and to save the world -from destruction he hurled his thunder-bolt at the unfortunate -Phaethon, who fell from the dizzy heights to earth. With tears and -lamentations his mother searched for the body of her wayward son. She -found him near the mouth of a great river which had been burned dry. - -There she buried him, and the sisters of the unfortunate youth shed -bitter tears over his grave. They could not bear to go away from the -tomb and leave him lying there alone, so they remained kneeling and -motionless until Zeus took pity on them and changed them into weeping -willows. Even then they kept on weeping, but their tears were dried -by the sun and carried away by the streams into the great sea, where -they became jewels of amber. - -Kyknos, too, a friend of Phaethon's, mourned his loss and could not be -comforted; so Zeus, in kindness, changed him into a swan. Helios, in -his fatherly grief, refused to drive the chariot of the Sun any -longer, and the earth was left in darkness for a whole day. But the -gods entreated him to take the reins again and men prayed for light, -and from that time on the Sun has kept its true course through the -heavens, under his wise guidance. - - - - -VOCABULARY - - - Ad mē' tos. - Æ gē' us. - Æ thra (ē' thra). - A kris' i os. - Alk mē' ne. - An tæ os (an tē' os). - A res (ā' rēs). - A ri ad' ne. - As klep' i os, or Æs cu la' pi us. - Ath' a mas. - Au gei as, or Au ge as (au gī' as, or au gē' as). - Bœ o' ti a. - Ca' cus, or Ka' kos. - Cer' be rus, or Ker' be ros. - Da' nä e (dă). - Da' na æ. - Da na' i des, or Da' na ids. - Da´ na os. - Dæ' da los. - De' los. - De me' ter. - Deu ka' li on. - Di o me' des. - E leu' sis. - Eu rys theus (ū rys' thuse). - Glau' ke. - Hĕ´ ka te. - Hē' li os. - He phæs tos (hĕ fēs' tos), or Vulcan. - Her' a kles or Her' cu les. - He si o ne (hĕ see' o ne). - Hip po da mei a (hip po da mī' a). - Hip pol' y te. - Hy met' tos. - Hy per bo rē' ans. - I bē' ri a. - I´ ka ros, or Ic' a rus. - I o la os (ē ō' la os). - I ol kos (ē ol' kos). - Jap e tos, or I ap e tus (yap' e tos, or ē ap' e tus). - Kē´ le os. - Ke pheus (kē' fuse). - Kre ū' sa. - Krom' my on. - La ri' sa. - Li nos (lē' nos). - Lo cri (lo' crē). - Ly ka' on. - Me de a (mĕ dē' a). - Mĕ' ga ris. - Me le a gros (mĕ le ah' gros). - Met a nei ra (met a nī ra). - My ke´ næ, or My cē' næ. - Myr' til os. - Ne me' an. - Ne reus (nē' ruse). - Œ no' ma os. - O ke' a nos. - Or pheus (or' fuse). - Pe leus (pē' luse). - Pe li as (pē' li as). - Pe lop' i des. - Pe lop on nes' os, or Pe lop on nes' us. - Per i phe' tes or Kor y ne' tes. - Per seph' o ne, or Pro serp' i ne. - Pha ë thon (fā' e thon). - Phin' e us. - Pit' theus. - Po sei don (po sī' don). - Se' ri phos (sĕ). - Stym phā´ los. - Sym ple gä' des (sym ple gah' des). - Ta' los. - The seus (the´ suse). - Trip tol e mos (trip tol' a mos). - Trœ ze ne (tre zē´ ne). - Vale of Tem pe (tem' pe). - Zeus (zuse). - - - - -Transcriber's Note - -Variant spelling is preserved as printed. - -Minor punctuation errors have been repaired. Hyphenation has been made -consistent. - -The following amendment has been made: - - Page vii--xiii amended to xi--Introduction xi - -The frontispiece illustration has been moved to follow the title page. -Other illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are -not in the middle of a paragraph. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Herakles, the Hero of Thebes, and -Other Heroes of the Myth, by Mary E. Burt and Zenaïde A. 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