Stories of Old Greece and Rome — Appendices 11-20

XI

The sisters of Phaëton, the Heliades, spent their days by the Eridanus River shedding tears, wringing their white hands, and wailing over the loss of their brother, until the gods, in pity for their grief, turned them into poplar trees.

Their tears, which continued to flow, became amber as they dropped into the stream.

XII

The Diana of the Ephesians, referred to by St. Paul in Acts xix: 28, was not the chaste moon-goddess of the Greeks, though a world-renowned sanctuary was dedicated to Diana at Ephesus.

Poems:-- Praise of Artemis EDMUND GOSSE Hymn to Diana BEN JONSON Artemis in "Epic of Hades" LEWIS MORRIS Niobe WALTER S. LANDOR

The most beautiful statue of Diana is the Diana of Versailles, in the Louvre, Paris (also called the Diana of the Hind).

XIII

Before Orion was slain by an arrow from Diana's bow he loved Merope, daughter of Œnopion, king of Chios, who consented to the union on condition that the lover should win his bride by some heroic deed.

But instead of meeting this requirement, Orion attempted to elope with Merope.

The plan was frustrated, however, by the king; and the bold youth was punished by the loss of his bride and also of his eyesight.

Then Orion wandered about, blind and helpless, and finally reached the Cyclops' cave, where one of them took pity on him and led him to the sun, from whose radiance his sight was restored.

XIV

The story of Endymion is a favorite theme in poetry.

The best-known poem on this subject is the Endymion of Keats.

Other poems are by James R.

Lowell, Henry W. Longfellow, Arthur H. Clough, Elizabeth L. Landon, and Lewis Morris.

XV

In the story of Hyacinthus, as told by the poet Ovid in the "Metamorphoses" (Book 10, line 16, etc. ) the account says: "Behold the blood that had flowed on the ground and stained the herbage ceased to be blood; but a flower of hue more beautiful than the Tyrian sprang up resembling the lily, except that this is purple and that silvery white."

It is evident that the flower here described is not our modern hyacinth, but some species of iris or larkspur.

XVI

Another unfortunate ending to one of the friendships of Apollo was the death of Cyparissus, a clever young hunter, whose companionship the sun-god often sought.

Cyparissus accidentally killed Apollo's pet stag, and he grieved so sorely over this mischance that he pined away and died.

Apollo then changed his body into a Cyprus tree, which the god declared should henceforth be used to shade the graves of those who, when living, were greatly beloved.

XVII

There were many oracles of Æsculapius, but the most celebrated one was at Epidaurus.

Here the sick consulted the oracle and sought the recovery of their health by sleeping in the temple.

The treatment of the sick was probably nothing like that of modern therapeutics, but resembled what is now called animal magnetism or mesmerism.

Serpents were sacred to Æsculapius, probably because of the superstition that those animals have a faculty of renewing their youth by a change of skin.

The worship of Æsculapius was introduced into Rome in a time of great sickness, and an embassy was sent to the temple at Epidaurus to implore the help of the god.

Æsculapius was so favorably inclined to the petitioners that he accompanied the returning ship in the form of a serpent.

When they reached the river Tiber, the serpent glided from the vessel, and took possession of an island in the river.

Here a temple was later erected in honor of Æsculapius.

XVIII

According to the more ancient Greek conception, Venus was the daughter of Jupiter and Dione, goddess of moisture; but Hesiod says that she came from the foam of the sea, and was therefore called by the Greeks Aphrodite--the foam-born.

She was generally represented as a beautiful nude figure, or wearing her wonderful girdle, the Cestus--in which lay "love and desire and loving converse that steals the wits even of the wise."

The most famous statue of Venus is the one that was found on the island of Melos (Milo), and is now in the Louvre, in Paris.

It is probably the work of some sculptor of about the third century B. C.

He followed an original of the age of Praxiteles, probably in bronze, which represented the goddess, partly draped, gazing at her reflection in an uplifted shield.

A masterpiece of Praxiteles was the Venus of Cnidos, based upon which are the Venus of the Capitoline in Rome, the Venus de Medici in Florence, and the Venus of the Vatican, which is much superior to the other two.

Poems:-- Chorus to Aphrodite in "Atalanta in Calydon" ALGERNON C. SWINBURNE

Aphrodite in "Epic of Hades" LEWIS MORRIS Venus of Milo EDWARD R. SILL

Venus and Adonis WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Adonis in "Epic of Hades" LEWIS MORRIS Death of Adonis THEOCRITUS, trans.

by ANDREW LANG Laus Veneris ALGERNON C. SWINBURNE

The "Lament for Adonis" by Bion has been translated by Andrew Lang, Edwin Arnold, and Mrs. Browning.

The following stanza is from Tennyson:-- "Idalian Aphrodite beautiful, Fresh as the foam, new-bathed in Paphian wells, With rosy slender fingers backward drew From her warm brows and bosom her deep hair Ambrosial, golden round her lucid throat And shoulder; from the violets her light foot Shone rosy-white, and o'er her rounded form Between the shadows of the vine bunches Floated the glowing sunlights, as she moved."

XIX

The worship of Aphrodite was probably of Semitic origin, but was early introduced into Greece.

The Aphrodite of Homer and Hesiod displays both Oriental and Grecian characteristics.

Among the Phœnicians Venus is known as Astarte, among the Assyrians as Istar.

There were temples and groves dedicated to Venus in many places, and in some of them--Paphos for instance--gorgeous annual festivals were held.

The festival of Venus that was celebrated in Rome in April was called the Veneralia.

Sapho calls Aphrodite the "star-throned, incorruptible, wile-weaving child of Zeus."

XX

One of the many myths connected with Venus was that of Berenice who, fearing for her husband's life, prayed to the goddess to protect him as he set out to battle.

She vowed to give her beautiful hair as a sacrifice to Venus if he returned home in safety.

The prayer was granted, and Berenice's luxuriant tresses were laid on the goddess's shrine, whence they soon mysteriously disappeared.

When an astrologer was consulted in regard to the supposed theft, he pointed to a comet in the sky, and declared that the gods had placed Berenice's hair among the stars to shine forever in memory of her wifely sacrifice.