Bulfinch’s Mythology Thomas Bulfinch (intellectual books to read TXT) 📖

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(Mulˈci-ber), Latin name of Vulcan.

Mull

(Mull), Island of.

Munin

(Muˈnin), one of Odin’s two ravens.

Musaeus

(Mu-saeˈus), sacred poet, son of Orpheus.

Muses

(Muˈses), The, nine goddesses presiding over poetry, etc.⁠—Calliope, epic poetry; Clio, history; Erato, love poetry; Euterpe, lyric poetry; Melpomene, tragedy; Polyhymnia, oratory and sacred song; Terpsichore, choral song and dance; Thalia, comedy and idyls; Urania, astronomy.

Muspelheim

(Musˈpel-heim), the fire-world of the Norsemen.

Mycenae

(My-ceˈnae), ancient Grecian city, of which Agamemnon was king.

Myrddin

(Myrdˈdin), Merlin.

Myrmidons

(Myrˈmi-dons), bold soldiers of Achilles.

Mysia

(Mysˈi-a), Greek district on northwest coast of Asia Minor.

Mythology

(Mythology), origin of, collected myths, describing gods of early peoples.

N Naiads

(Naˈiads), water-nymphs.

Namo

(Naˈmo), Duke of Bavaria, one of Charlemagne’s knights, ff.

Nanna

(Nanˈna), wife of Baldur.

Nanters

(Nanˈters), British king.

Nantes

(Nantes), site of Caradoc’s castle.

Nape

(Naˈpe), a dog of Diana.

Narcissus

(Nar-cisˈsus), who died of unsatisfied love for his own image in the water.

Nausicaa

(Nau-sicˈa-a), daughter of King Alcinoüs, who befriended Ulysses.

Nausithoüs

(Nau-sithˈo-us), king of Phaeacians.

Naxos

(Naxˈos), Island of.

Negus

(Neˈgus), King of Abyssinia.

Nemea

(Ne-meˈa), forest devastated by a lion killed by Hercules.

Nemean Games

(Ne-meˈan Games), held in honor of Jupiter and Hercules.

Nemean Lion

(Ne-meˈan Lion), killed by Hercules.

Nemesis

(Nemˈe-sis), goddess of vengeance.

Nennius

(Nenˈni-us), British combatant of Caesar.

Neoptolemus

(Ne-op-tolˈe-mus), son of Achilles.

Nepenthe

(Ne-penˈthe), ancient drug to cause forgetfulness of pain or distress.

Nephele

(Nephˈe-le), mother of Phryxus and Helle.

Nephthys

(Nephˈthys), Egyptian goddess.

Neptune

(Nepˈtune), identical with Poseidon, god of the sea.

Nereids

(Neˈre-ids), sea-nymphs, daughters of Nereus and Doris.

Nereus

(Neˈre-us), a sea-god.

Nessus

(Nesˈsus), a centaur killed by Hercules, whose jealous wife sent him a robe or shirt steeped in the blood of Nessus, which poisoned him.

Nestor

(Nesˈtor), king of Pylos, renowned for his wisdom, justice, and knowledge of war.

Nibelungen Hoard

(Niˈbe-lunˈgen Hoard), treasure seized by Siegfried from the Nibelungs, buried in the Rhine by Hagan after killing Siegfried, and lost when Hagan was killed by Kriemhild; theme of Wagner’s four music-dramas, The Ring of the Nibelungen.

Nibelungen Lied

(Niˈbe-lunˈgen Lied), German epic, giving the same nature-myth as the Norse Volsunga Saga, concerning the Hoard.

Nibelungen Ring

(Niˈbe-lunˈgen Ring), Wagner’s music-dramas.

Nibelungs

(Niˈbe-lungs), the, a race of Northern dwarfs.

Nidhogge

(Nidˈhogge), a serpent in the lower world that lives on the dead.

Niffleheim

(Niffleˈheim), mist world of the Norsemen; the Hades of absent spirits.

Nile

(Nile), Egyptian river.

Nimrod

(Nimˈrod), tower of.

Ninus

(Niˈnus), Tomb of.

Niobe

(Niˈo-be), daughter of Tantalus, proud Queen of Thebes, whose seven sons and seven daughters were killed by Apollo and Diana, at which Amphion, her husband, killed himself, and Niobe wept until she was turned to stone.

Nisus

(Niˈsus), King of Megara.

Noah

(Noˈah), as legendary ancestor of French, Roman, German, and British peoples.

Noman

(Noˈman), name assumed by Ulysses.

Norns

(Norns), the three Scandinavian Fates, Urdur (the past), Verdandi (the present), and Skuld (the future).

Nothung

(Noˈthung), magic sword.

Notus

(Noˈtus), southwest wind.

Nox

(Nox), daughter of Chaos and sister of Erebus; personification of night.

Numa

(Nuˈma), second king of Rome.

Nymphs

(Nymphs), beautiful maidens, lesser divinities of nature: Dryads and Hamadryads, tree-nymphs; Naiads, spring-, brook-, and river-nymphs; Nereids, sea-nymphs; Oreads, mountain- or hill-nymphs.

O Oceanus

(O-ceˈa-nus), a Titan, ruling watery elements.

Ocyroe

(O-cyrˈo-e), a prophetess, daughter of Chiron.

Odin

(Oˈdin), chief of the Norse gods.

Odyar

(Odˈyar), famous Biscayan hero.

Odyssey

(Odˈys-sey), Homer’s poem, relating the wanderings of Odysseus (Ulysses) on returning from Trojan War.

Oedipus

(Oedˈi-pus), Theban hero, who guessed the riddle of the Sphinx, becoming King of Thebes.

Oeneus

(Oeˈneus), King of Calydon.

Oenone

(Oe-noˈne), nymph, married by Paris in his youth, and abandoned for Helen.

Oenopion

(Oe-noˈpi-on), King of Chios.

Oeta

(Oeˈta), Mount, scene of Hercules’ death.

Ogier

(O-gierˈ), the Dane, one of the paladins of Charlemagne.

Oliver

(Olˈi-ver), companion of Orlando.

Olwen

(Olˈwen), wife of Kilwich.

Olympia

(O-lymˈpia), a small plain in Elis, where the Olympic games were celebrated.

Olympiads

(O-lymˈpi-ads), periods between Olympic games (four years).

Olympus

(O-lymˈpus), dwelling-place of the dynasty of gods of which Zeus was the head.

Omphale

(Omˈpha-le), queen of Lydia, daughter of Iardanus and wife of Tmolus.

Ophion

(O-phiˈon), king of the Titans, who ruled Olympus till dethroned by the gods Saturn and Rhea.

Ops

(Ops), see Rhea.

Oracles

(Orˈa-cles), answers from the gods to questions from seekers for knowledge or advice for the future, usually in equivocal form, so as to fit any event; also places where such answers were given forth, usually by a priest or priestess.

Orc

(Orc), a seamonster, foiled by Rogero when about to devour Angelica.

Oreads

(Oˈre-ads), nymphs of mountains and hills.

Orestes

(O-resˈtes), son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra; because of his crime in killing his mother, he was pursued by the Furies until purified by Minerva.

Orion

(O-riˈon), youthful giant, loved by Diana; Constellation.

Orithyia

(Or-i-thyˈi-a), a nymph, seized by Boreas.

Orlando

(Or-lanˈdo), a famous knight and nephew of Charlemagne.

Ormuzd

(Orˈmuzd (Greek), Oromasdes), son of Supreme Being, source of good as his brother Ahriman (Arimanes) was of evil, in Persian or Zoroastrian religion.

Orpheus

(Orˈpheus), musician, son of Apollo and Calliope. See Eurydice.

Osiris

(O-siˈris), the most beneficent of the Egyptian gods.

Ossa

(Osˈsa), mountain of Thessaly.

Ossian

(Osˈsian), Celtic poet of the second or third century.

Ovid

(Ovˈid), Latin poet. See Metamorphoses.

Owain

(O-wainˈ), knight at King Arthur’s court.

Ozanna

(O-zanˈna), a knight of Arthur.

P Pactolus

(Pac-toˈlus), river