AURORA--EOS.
_Ques._ Who was Aurora?
_Ans._ She was the goddess of the morning and sister of the sun and
moon. She is represented as seated in a golden chariot drawn by
milk-white horses; her countenance is brilliant, and her fingers are
red like roses.
_Ques._ What did this represent?
_Ans._ The beauty of the morning heavens.
_Ques._ Relate the story of Ceph´alus and Procris.
_Ans._ Ceph´alus, a beautiful youth, was beloved by Aurora, who
carried him with her to heaven; but he regarded the goddess with
indifference, and insisted on returning to his young wife Procris.
Aurora allowed him to depart, but prevailed on him to visit his house
in disguise, that he might judge of the constancy of his bride.
Ceph´alus found his wife lamenting his absence and refusing all
consolation, but when she discovered her husband in the supposed
stranger, she was so indignant at his suspicion that she fled from him
and joined the attendants of Diana. She was afterwards reconciled to
Ceph´alus, and gave him two presents which she had received from
Diana. These were, a dog that was always sure of its prey, and an
arrow which never missed its aim, and returned immediately to the hand
of the owner. Ceph´alus was extremely fond of hunting, and when
fatigued, he often rested in the shade and invited the presence of
"Aura," or the refreshing breeze. This word was mistaken for the name
of a nymph by some persons who carried the tale to Procris. Being
jealous in her turn, she determined to watch, and discover her rival.
When Ceph´alus returned from hunting, Procris concealed herself in the
grove; she started upon hearing the name Aura, and caused a rustling
among the leaves. Ceph´alus immediately threw his unerring dart, which
returned to his hand stained with the blood of his beloved wife. He
hastened to the spot, but it was too late, and Procris expired in his
arms, acknowledging she had fallen a victim to her own groundless
jealousy.
_Ques._ To whom was Aurora married?
_Ans._ She chose for her husband Titho´nus, the son of Laom´edon, king
of Troy. This prince was endowed with wonderful beauty; but when
Aurora begged of Jove that he might be exempted from death, she forgot
to ask at the same time for the bloom of immortal youth. When
Titho´nus became old and decrepit, Aurora still watched over him with
the tenderest care, "giving him ambrosial food and fair garments."
When Titho´nus could no longer move his aged limbs, and his feeble
voice was scarcely heard, the goddess was moved with compassion, and
changed him into a grasshopper.
_Ques._ Who was Memnon?
_Ans._ He was king of the Ethiopians, and son of Titho´nus and Aurora.
When Troy was besieged, Memnon came with an army to aid the kindred of
his father. In the first engagements he slew Antil´ochus, the son of
Nestor, and threw the whole army of the Greeks into disorder.
Achil´les, however, appeared on the field, and changed the fortune of
the day. The Trojans were routed in their turn, and Memnon fell by the
hand of the Grecian hero. Aurora watched the combat from the heavens,
and when she saw Memnon fall she directed the winds to convey his body
to the banks of the river Æse´pus in Paphlagonia. Here they raised his
tomb in a sacred grove, and his obsequies were celebrated with solemn
pomp. The sparks, as they rose from the funeral pyre, were changed
into birds, which divided into two flocks, and fought together until
they fell into the flames and were consumed. According to the poets,
Aurora was never consoled for the loss of her son; she mourns
unceasingly, and the drops which sparkle in the morning on the grass
and flowers are the tears which the goddess continues to shed during
the long hours of night. Ancient history mentions many persons of the
name of Memnon, particularly a general who distinguished himself in
Persia against Alexander the Great. The Memnon of fable was in all
probability an Egyptian, and not an Ethiopian king. His statue is
still an object of curiosity to travellers.
_Ques._ Where is this statue, and for what is it remarkable?
_Ans._ It is one of two colossal figures which are directly opposite
the great temple of Luxor. They are called by the Arabs, Shama and
Dama. The statue of Memnon is the more northerly of the two, and was
formerly celebrated for its vocal powers.
It is commonly asserted by ancient writers that when the first rays of
the rising sun fell upon this statue, it acknowledged the presence of
Aurora, and uttered a sound like the sudden breaking of a harp-string.
By some, it was compared to a blow struck on hollow brass.
_Ques._ Was there any foundation for such a belief?
_Ans._ It appeared quite certain that the sounds of which we have
spoken, were really heard from this statue at sunrise; the only
question is as to the means by which they were produced. The Colossus,
although in a sitting posture, measures fifty-two feet in height, and
the throne on which it rests is thirty feet long and eighteen broad.
These dimensions were sufficient to admit of any internal machinery
that might be required to produce the mysterious sounds. Such was the
supposition of the Persian king Cambyses, who had the statue cleft
asunder from the head to the middle of the body, but without
discovering anything. Humboldt conjectured that the sound might be
attributed to the nature of the stone, or to the action of the sun's
rays upon the air confined in the cavities of the statue. A much more
reasonable solution of the mystery has been furnished by Mr.
Wilkinson, an intelligent English traveller. He discovered in the lap
of the statue a stone, which, on being struck, emits a metallic sound.
There is a hollow space hewn in the block behind this stone,
sufficiently large to admit of a person lying within it, entirely
concealed from observation. Mr. Wilkinson tried the experiment, and
was convinced that he had discovered the secret of this famous statue.
The face of the Memnon, like that of the Sphinx, has been mutilated by
the Arabs; the positions of the figures which are yet uninjured show
that the whole must have presented a beautiful and imposing
appearance. The base of the throne is covered with ancient
inscriptions in Greek and Latin, commemorating the visits of different
illustrious persons, and testifying that they had heard the mysterious
voice of Memnon.