334 



THE STANDARD DICTIONARY OF FACTS 



Jupiter and were sent to work for waces. Neptune built 

 the walls i>r Trey, while Apollo tended the king's flocks 

 on Mount Ida. \Vhn the two gods had done their work, 

 Laomedon refused the reward he had promised and ex- 

 pelled them from his dominions. Neptune sent a sea- 

 monster to ravage the country; and a maiden, chosen 

 by lot. was from time to time sacrificed to propitiate it. 



Lap itha-. A ::. ythieal people of Thessaly, noted 

 for their defeat of the Centaurs. 



I.a're-. Inferior gods at Rome, and known as do- 

 mestic Lares and public I .ares. There wus in every 

 house their proper sanctuary (lararium) and altar. 

 They seem to hav. ,-d as the spirits of the de- 



parted ancestors, the fathers anil forefathers of the fam- 

 ily, who sought the welfare of their descendants. The 

 Lares and the Penates are often confounded, but were 

 not the same. "The Penates were originally gods, the 

 powers of nature personified. The Lares were originally 

 themselves human beings, who, becoming pure spirits 

 after death, loved still to hover round the d welling they 

 once inhabited; to watch over its safety, and to guard 

 it as the faithful dog guards its master." 



l.ati nu>. A kintf of Latium, son of Faunus and 

 the nymph Marica, brother of Lavinius, husband of 

 Amata, and father of Lavinia, whom he gave in marriage 

 :u3. Italy was so called from Lavinia, daughter 

 of Lati'nus and wife of ^Eneas. JEneas built a town 

 which he called Lavin'ium, capital of La'tium. Accord- 

 ing to one account, Latinus, after his death, became 

 Jupiter I. at iaris, just as Romulus became Quirinus. 



I. at in us. A mountain in Cairia. It was the mytho- 

 logical scene of the story of Selene (Luna) and Endy- 

 mion. 



i.ato'na. Daughter of Coeus.a Titan, and Phoebe, and 

 by Jupiter, the mother of Apollo and Diana. The love 

 of the king of the gods procured for her the hatred of Juno. 



I.a\ in ia. The daughter of Latinus and Amata, be- 

 trothed to Turnus, but married to ^Eneas. ^Eneas 

 founded the town of Lavinium, called after Lavinia, the 

 daughter of Latinus. 



a. The mother of Helen. Jupiter visited her 

 in the form of a swan, and "Leda and the Swan" has 

 been a favorite subject with artists. Oorreggio and 

 Michael Angelo have both left paintings of the same 

 subject. 



Lepra'caun. The fairy shoemaker of Ireland, so 

 called because he is always seen working at a single shoe. 



l.es'trigons. A mythical race of giants who lived in 

 Sicily. Ulysses sent two of his men to request that he 

 and his crew might land, but the king ate one and the 

 other fled. The Lestrigons assembled on the coast and 

 threw stones against Ulysses and his crew. Ulysses fled 

 with much loss. 



Leth'e. The river that separates Hades from the 

 Klysian fields. The Greeks believed in a magical power 

 of the waters of this river, which the souls of all the dead 

 are obliged to taste, that they may forget everything 

 said and done in the earth. 



Li'ber. A name frequently given by the Roman 

 poets to the Greek Bacchus or Dionysus. But the god 

 Liber and the goddess Libera were ancient Italian di- 

 vinities, presiding over the cultivation of the vine and 

 the fertility of the fields. Hence they were worshiped 

 in early times in conjunction with Ceres. The vine and 

 ivy and the panther were especially sacred to him. 

 Goats were usually offered in sacrifice to him, because 

 they are particularly injurious to the vine. 



Li' be rt as. The goddess of liberty, to whom several 

 temples were erected at Rome. Libertas is represented 

 in works of art as a matron, with the pileus, the symbol 

 of liberty, or a wreath of laurel. Sometimes she appears 

 holding the Phrygian cap in her hand. 



Lib issa. Queen of fays and fairies. 



Libiti'na. An ancient goddess of Rome, who pre- 

 sided over the burial of the dead. At her temple at 

 Rome everything necessary for funerals was kept, and 

 persona might there either buy or hire such things. 

 Hence a person undertaking the burial of a person (an 

 undertaker) was called " libitinarius," and his business 

 "libitina." 



Lidskial'fa. The throne of Alfader, whence he can 

 view the whole universe. 



Lif. In Norse mythology the name given to man 

 who is to occupy the purified earth when goodness 

 resumes its sway. 



Lil'inau. In American Indian folk-lore Lilinau was 

 wooed by a phantom. She followed his green waving 

 plume through the forest, and was never seen again. 



Li'lith. In Hebrew mythology a female specter who 

 lies in wait for children in order to destroy them. The 

 older traditions tell of Lilith as a former wife of Adam 

 and the mother of demons. Amulets were worn as pro- 

 tection from her powers. 



Lob'aircin. In Irish mythical tales a fairy shoe- 

 maker resembling an old man, who resorts to out-of-tne- 

 way places, where he is discovered by the noise of his 

 hammer. He is rich, and while anyone keeps his eye 

 fixed upon him cannot escape, but the moment the eye 

 is withdrawn he vanishes. 



Lo'f en. The Scandinavian god who guards friendship. 



Lof'ua. The Scandinavian goddess who reconciles 

 lovers. 



Lo'ki. The great god of fire in Norse mythology. 



lx>' re-lei'. In German legend a siren who haunted a 

 rock of the same name on the right bank of the Rhine. 

 She combed her hair with a golden comb, and sang a 

 wild song which enticed fishermen and sailors to destruc- 

 tion on the rocks and rapids at the foot of the precipice. 

 In Northern mythology Lorelei is represented as im- 

 mortal, a daughter of the Rhine, and dwelling in the 

 river bed. 



Lo'tis. A nymph, who, to escape the embraces of 

 Priapus, was metamorphosed into a tree, called after 

 her Lotus. 



Luhins. A species of goblins in Normandy that take 

 the form of wolves, and frequent churchyards. They 

 are very timorous, and take flight at the slightest noise. 



Lu'cifer. As the b ringer of light, is the name of the 

 planet Venus, when seen in the morning before sunrise. 

 The same planet was called "Hesperus," when it appeared 

 in the heavens after sunset. 



Lu'na. She was the daughter of Hyperion and Theia, 

 and was distinct in name, descent, and story, from Diana, 

 who was taken as goddess of the moon. To Luna was 

 ascribed great influence in relation to the birth of men. 

 Luna seems to have been especially worshiped by the 

 Atlantides. 



Lycome'des. A king in the Island of Scyros, to 

 whose court Achilles was sent, disguised as a maiden, 

 by his mother, Thetis, who was anxious to prevent his 

 going to the Trojan War. Some traditions say that 

 Lycomedes treacherously killed Thesus by throwing 

 him from a rock. 



Maenalaus. A mountain in .Arcadia, extending 

 from Megalopolis to Tegea, celebrated as the favorite 

 haunt of the god Pan. The Roman poets frequently 

 use the adjectives "Maenalius" and "Maenalis" as 

 equivalent to Arcadian. 



Mae'ra. The dog of Icarios. Icarios having made 

 wine, gave it to some shepherds, who, thinking them- 

 selves poisoned, killed him; recovering themselves, they 

 buried him. His daughter, Erigone, being shown the 

 spot by his faithful dog Ma3ra, hung herself through 



Mam'mon. In.demonology, placed at the head of 

 nine ranks of demons. Also a Syriac word used in the 

 Scriptures to signify either riches or the god of riches. 

 By poetic license, Milton makes Mammon one of the 

 fallen angels. 



Ma'nes. In Roman mythology these are found 

 among the demons of the Genii. Although often spoken 

 of as the spirits or souls of the departed, they seem more 

 commonly to have been considered as guardians of the 

 deceased, whose office was to watch over their graves, 

 and hinder any disturbance of their tranquillity. 



Ma'ni. Name given in ancient Norse mythology to 

 the moon. Later known as the &9n of Mundilfori; 

 taken to heaven by the gods to drive the moon-car. 

 He is followed by a wolf, which, when time shall be no 

 more, will devour both Mani and his sister Sol. 



Man'itou. The great spirit of American Indians. 



Mars. The god of war and battles was a son of 

 Jupiter and Juno, and educated in Thrace. He was 

 viewed as presiding over rude and fierce war, the origin 

 of which was ascribed to him, while Minerva had the 

 credit of inventing tactics and the proper military art. 

 The Romans regarded him as the father of Romulus, 

 and the founder and protector of their nation. 



Mar'syas. The Phrygian flute-player who challenged 

 Apollo to a contest of skill, and, being beaten by the god, 

 was flayed alive for his presumption. From his blood 

 arose the river so called. The flute on which Marsyas 

 played was one Athe'na had thrown away, and, being 

 filled with the breath of the goddess, discoursed most 

 excellent music. 



Max'imus. One of the appellations of Jupiter, being 

 the greatest of the gods. 



Mccle'a. A daughter of ^Eetes, skilled in charms and 

 witchcraft. She had scarcely beheld Jason, when, through 

 the' influence and disposal of the gods, a tender affection 

 for the hero was raised in her bosom, which soon kindled 

 to a flame of the most violent passion. Jason went to 

 the temple of Hecate to supplicate the mighty goddess, 

 where he was met by Medea. She disclosed her love 

 to him, at the same time promising her assistance in 

 the dangers which threatened him, and her powerful 



