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Bulfinch's Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch |
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Glossary P PACTOLUS, river whose sands were changed to gold by Midas PAEON, a name for both Apollo and Aesculapius, gods of medicine, PAGANS, heathen PALADINS or peers, knights errant PALAEMON, son of Athamas and Ino PALAMEDES, messenger sent to call Ulysses to the Trojan War PALAMEDES, Saracen prince at Arthur's court PALATINE, one of Rome's Seven Hills PALES, goddess presiding over cattle and pastures PALINURUS, faithful steersman of Aeeas PALLADIUM, properly any image of Pallas Athene, but specially applied to an image at Troy, which was stolen by Ulysses and Diomedes PALLAS, son of Evander PALLAS A THE'NE (Minerva) PAMPHA GUS, a dog of Diana PAN, god of nature and the universe PANATHENAEA, festival in honor of Pallas Athene (Minerva) PANDEAN PIPES, musical instrument of reeds, made by Pan in memory of Syrinx PANDORA (all gifted), first woman, dowered with gifts by every god, yet entrusted with a box she was cautioned not to open, but, curious, she opened it, and out flew all the ills of humanity, leaving behind only Hope, which remained PANDRASUS, a king in Greece, who persecuted Trojan exiles under Brutus, great grandson of Aeneas, until they fought, captured him, and, with his daughter Imogen as Brutus' wife, emigrated to Albion (later called Britain) PANOPE, plain of PANTHUS, alleged earlier incarnation of Pythagoras PAPHLAGNIA, ancient country in Asia Minor, south of Black Sea PAPHOS, daughter of Pygmalion and Galatea (both of which, See) PARCAE See FATES PARIAHS, lowest caste of Hindus PARIS, son of Priam and Hecuba, who eloped with Helen (which. See) PARNASSIAN LAUREl, wreath from Parnassus, crown awarded to successful poets PARNASSUS, mountain near Delphi, sacred to Apollo and the Muses PARSEES, Persian fire worshippers (Zoroastrians), of whom there are still thousands in Persia and India PARTHENON, the temple of Athene Parthenos ("the Virgin") on the Acropolis of Athens PASSEBREUL, Tristram's horse PATROCLUS, friend of Achilles, killed by Hector PECHEUR, King, uncle of Perceval PEERS, the PEG A SUS, winged horse, born from the sea foam and the blood of Medusa PELEUS, king of the Myrmidons, father of Achilles by Thetis PELIAS, usurping uncle of Jason PELION, mountain PELLEAS, knight of Arthur PENATES, protective household deities of the Romans PENDRAGON, King of Britain, elder brother of Uther Pendragon, who succeeded him PENELOPE, wife of Ulysses, who, waiting twenty years for his return from the Trojan War, put off the suitors for her hand by promising to choose one when her weaving was done, but unravelled at night what she had woven by day PENEUS, river god, river PENTHESILEA, queen of Amazons PENTHEUS, king of Thebes, having resisted the introduction of the worship of Bacchus into his kingdom, was driven mad by the god PENUS, Roman house pantry, giving name to the Penates PEPIN, father of Charlemagne PEPLUS, sacred robe of Minerva PERCEVAL, a great knight of Arthur PERDIX, inventor of saw and compasses PERIANDER, King of Corinuh, friend of Arion PERIPHETES, son of Vulcan, killed by Theseus PERSEPHONE, goddess of vegetation, 8 See Pioserpine PERSEUS, son of Jupiter and Danae, slayer of the Gorgon Medusa, deliverer of Andromeda from a sea monster, 116 122, 124, 202 PHAEACIANS, people who entertained Ulysses PHAEDRA, faithless and cruel wife of Theseus PHAETHUSA, sister of Phaeton, 244 PHAETON, son of Phoebus, who dared attempt to drive his father's sun chariot PHANTASOS, a son of Somnus, bringing strange images to sleeping men PHAON, beloved by Sappho PHELOT, knight of Wales PHEREDIN, friend of Tristram, unhappy lover of Isoude PHIDIAS, famous Greek sculptor PHILEMON, husband of Baucis PHILOCTETES, warrior who lighted the fatal pyre of Hercules PHILOE, burial place of Osiris PHINEUS, betrothed to Andromeda PHLEGETHON, fiery river of Hades PHOEBE, one of the sisters of Phaeton PHOEBUS (Apollo), god of music, prophecy, and archery, the sun god PHOENIX, a messenger to Achilles, also, a miraculous bird dying in fire by its own act and springing up alive from its own ashes PHORBAS, a companion of Aeneas, whose form was assumed by Neptune in luring Palinuras the helmsman from his roost PHRYXUS, brother of Helle PINABEL, knight PILLARS OF HERCULES, two mountains--Calpe, now the Rock of Gibraltar, southwest corner of Spain in Europe, and Abyla, facing it in Africa across the strait PINDAR, famous Greek poet PINDUS, Grecian mountain PIRENE, celebrated fountain at Corinth PIRITHOUS, king of the Lapithae in Thessaly, and friend of Theseus, husband of Hippodamia PLEASURE, daughter of Cupid and Psyche PLEIADES, seven of Diana's nymphs, changed into stars, one being lost PLENTY, the Horn of PLEXIPPUS, brother of Althea PLINY, Roman naturalist PLUTO, the same as Hades, Dis, etc. god of the Infernal Regions PLUTUS, god of wealth PO, Italian river POLE STAR POLITES, youngest son of Priam of Troy POLLUX, Castor and (Dioscuri, the Twins) (See Castor) POLYDECTES, king of Seriphus POLYDORE, slain kinsman of Aeneas, whose blood nourished a bush that bled when broken POLYHYMNIA, Muse of oratory and sacred song POLYIDUS, soothsayer POLYNICES, King of Thebes POLYPHEMUS, giant son of Neptune POLYXENA, daughter of King Priam of Troy POMONA, goddess of fruit trees (See VERTUMNUS) PORREX and FER'REX, sons of Leir, King of Britain PORTUNUS, Roman name for Palaemon POSEIDON (Neptune), ruler of the ocean PRECIPICE, threshold of Helas hall PRESTER JOHN, a rumored priest or presbyter, a Christian pontiff in Upper Asia, believed in but never found PRIAM, king of Troy PRIWEN, Arthur's shield PROCRIS, beloved but jealous wife of Cephalus PROCRUSTES, who seized travellers and bound them on his iron bed, stretching the short ones and cutting short the tall, thus also himself served by Theseus PROETUS, jealous of Bellerophon PROMETHEUS, creator of man, who stole fire from heaven for man's use PROSERPINE, the same as Persephone, goddess of all growing things, daughter of Ceres, carried off by Pluto PROTESILAUS, slain by Hector the Trojan, allowed by the gods to return for three hours' talk with his widow Laodomia PROTEUS, the old man of the sea PRUDENCE (Metis), spouse of Jupiter PRYDERI, son of Pwyll PSYCHE, a beautiful maiden, personification of the human soul, sought by Cupid (Love), to whom she responded, lost him by curiosity to see him (as he came to her only by night), but finally through his prayers was made immortal and restored to him, a symbol of immortality PURANAS, Hindu Scriptures PWYLL, Prince of Dyved PYGMALION, sculptor in love with a statue he had made, brought to life by Venus, brother of Queen Dido PYGMIES, nation of dwarfs, at war with the Cranes PYLADES, son of Straphius, friend of Orestes PYRAMUS, who loved Thisbe, next door neighbor, and, their parents opposing, they talked through cracks in the house wall, agreeing to meet in the near by woods, where Pyramus, finding a bloody veil and thinking Thisbe slain, killed himself, and she, seeing his body, killed herself (Burlesqued in Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream") PYRRHA, wife of Deucalion PYRRHUS (Neoptolemus), son of Achilles PYTHAGORAS, Greek philosopher (540 BC), who thought numbers to be the essence and principle of all things, and taught transmigration of souls of the dead into new life as human or animal beings PYTHIA, priestess of Apollo at Delphi PYTHIAN GAMES PYTHIAN ORACLE PYTHON, serpent springing from Deluge slum, destroyed by Apollo |
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