RHADAMANTHUS RHEA. 



857 



hi ations do not ensue unless the hand of a living 

 person conies in immediate contact with the string 

 The bipolar cylinder consists of a body having t\v 

 poles, and easily moved, as, for instance, a magnetic 

 needle, or a cylindrical bar, of two different metals 

 any light cylindrical body, such as a quill with the 

 feathers on, will serve. The diviner holds the cylin- 

 der in a perpendicular direction, between his thumb 

 iind fore-finger, while with his other hand he touches 

 some magnetic body, as, for instance, a metal. Un- 

 der these circumstances, a slow, revolving motion 

 of the cylinder takes place between the fingers, 

 which likewise, as in the case of the pendulum, some- 

 times moves in a forward and sometimes in a retro- 

 grade direction, according to circumstances. (For 

 tlie divining rod, see the article under that head.) 

 The two ends of this rod are held in the hand, so 

 that its curvature is inclined outwards. If the 

 person who holds the rod possesses the powers ol 

 rhabdomancy, and touches the metallic or any other 

 magnetic substance, or comes near them, a slow, 

 rotatory motion of the rod ensues in different direc- 

 tions, according to particular circumstances ; and, 

 as in the other cases, no motion takes place with- 

 out a direct or indirect contact with a living per- 

 son. In the south of France, and in Switzerland, 

 this art is frequently made use of under the name 

 of metalloscope (the art of feeling or discovering 

 metals), and of hydroscope (the art of feeling or 

 discovering water). In the practice of this art, 

 the direction, duration, and other circumstances, of 

 the motion of the instruments, determine the quali- 

 ty, quantity, distance and situation of the subter- 

 nmean substances, or the different sensations of dif- 

 ferent rhabdomantists, are taken into account. 



RHADAMANTHUS was the brother of Minos, 

 the first lawgiver of Crete and the Grecian world. 

 According to another tradition, Rhadamanthus him- 

 self laid the foundation of the Cretan code of laws, 

 which his brother Minos only completed. He, 

 probably, belonged to the family of Dorus (a de- 

 scendant of Deucalion), whose son Tectamus, or 

 Teutamus, went to Crete with his son Asterius 

 (who was, probably, the father of Rhadamanthus 

 and Minos), in that time of general emigration in 

 Greece. Rhadamanthus, and Minos and JSacus, 

 the progenitors of Achilles, were the three judges, 

 who administered justice to the dead at the entrance 

 of the kingdom of spirits, near the throne of Pluto, 

 continuing the occupation in which they had spent 

 their earthly existence; for it was then the common 

 opinion of the Greeks that the spirit, which arrived 

 in the dark kingdom of Tartarus, strove to continue 

 the business of life. The whole notion of Tarta- 

 IMS, however, in this view, was rather a philoso- 

 phical allegory than a true mythus. 



RH^ETIA included the two countries of Rhastia 

 Proper and Vindelicia, which were afterwards se- 

 parated under the names of Rhcetia Primaand Se- 

 cunda (First and Second Rhaetia). The former, or 

 Rhaetia Proper (Rheetia Propria), extended from 

 the Rhine to the Norican Alps, and from Italy to 

 the borders of Vindelicia. It contained the rivers 

 Rhine (Rhenus), Inn (dlnus), Adige (Athesis), and 

 many smaller ones, and included the modern Vorarl- 

 berg and Tyrol, with a part of the country of the 

 Grisons. At an earlier period, the Etrurians, under 

 their leader Rhaetus, took possession of this moun- 

 tainous region ; but, being afterwards driven out 

 by the increasing power of the Gauls, they went to 

 Italy, where they played a conspicuous part in its 

 early civilization. Justin, Pliny and Stephen the 

 Byzantine, therefore, called the Rhaetians an Etru- 

 rian race. (See Etruriu.) Among the Gauls who 

 subsequently oo:rpied this country, the Brenni are 



more distinguished by name than by importance. 

 The Romans planted colonies here as in the other 

 provinces; among which Tridentnm (Trent), Bel- 

 lunum (Belluno), Bauzanum (Bolzano), Bilitio (Bel- 

 linzona), Clavenna (Chiavenna), and Curia (Coire), 

 were the principal. Several of these cities, how- 

 ever, were only indebted to the Romans for their 

 extension and embellishment. The Rhaetians re- 

 peatedly laid waste the Roman territories, in con- 

 junction with the Gauls, and Augustus, therefore, 

 sent his step-son Drusus against them. The latter 

 defeated them (16 B. C.) near Trent; but as this 

 victory was not decisive, he undertook, with his 

 brother Tiberius, a second campaign, in which Ti- 

 berius attacked the Vindelici from lake Constance, 

 while Drusus advanced against the Rhastians by 

 land. In this expedition, the Romans were victori- 

 ous, and both countries were made Roman provin- 

 ces. Rhaetia Transdanubiana, the country on the 

 left bank of the Danube, was well known to the 

 Romans, but never conquered by them. After the 

 fall of the Roman power, the Alenmnni and Suevi 

 occupied these provinces. 



RH.ETIAN ALPS. See Alps: 

 RHAMAZAN, OR RAMADAN; the ninth 

 month in the Turkish year. As the Mohammedans 

 reckon by lunar time, it begins each year eleven 

 days later than in the preceding year, so that in 

 thirty-three years it occurs successively in all the 

 seasons. In this month the Mohammedans have 

 their great fast daily, from sunrise to sunset. This 

 fast and the Bairam (q. v.) feast, which immediate- 

 ly follows it, are the two principal Mohammedan 

 festivals. 



RHAPSODY (from the Greek) was originally a 

 series of poetical effusions, which, though separate, 

 yet had still a connexion with each other, as, for 

 example, the poems of Homer. Those wandering 

 minstrels among the ancient Greeks, who sang the 

 poems of Homer (these were also called Homerides"), 

 sr their own composition, were called rhapsodists. 

 They derived their name, according to some, from 

 the staff which they carried in their hand; accord- 

 ng to Pindar, however, they were thus named from 

 ;heir connecting together many detached pieces 

 of poetry. At present, we understand by rhap- 

 sody, a collection of poetical effusions, descriptions, 

 kc., strung together, without any necessary con- 

 nexion. 



RHEA. The older deities of the Greek mytho- 

 ogy are enveloped in such a mist, that we often 

 ind the mythuses of different ages and people com 

 jined together, as is the case with the mythologi- 

 cal accounts of Rhea and Cybele. Rhea was a 

 Titanide, and of Grecian origin, while Cybele was 

 of Phrygian derivation; they were first confounded, 

 jrobably, in Crete, on account of the similarity of 

 ,heir attributes. Still the evidences of their inde- 

 jendent origin are visible ; and, although we are 

 acquainted with the mythus of Cybele only through 

 that of Rhea, yet the latter was finally swallowed 

 up by the former. Rhea, one of the most distin- 

 uished of the Titanides (see Titan), was the sis- 

 ,er and wife of Saturn, and with him a symbol of 

 he first creation. Rhea, the Flowing (from pun to 

 low), is the symbol of the struggle between chaos 

 and order. The former is yet superior ; by the 

 side of Rhea is Saturn, jealous of the new forms, 

 and annihilating them at the moment of their crea- 

 ion the symbol of all-devouring time. But in 

 ,he end, order must prevail; the decisive moment 

 ms arrived; by the advice of Gaia, her mother, 

 Ihea gives a stone, instead of her infant, to her 

 lusband Saturn, who terrified by ancient prophecy 

 ,see Saturn), had swallowed his children at the mo- 



