temple. It signifies clear-sighted.
=Theotīmus=, a wrestler of Elis, in the age of Alexander. _Pausanias_,
bk. 6, ch. 17.――――A Greek who wrote a history of Italy.
=Theoxĕna=, a noble lady of Thessaly, who threw herself into the sea,
when unable to escape from the soldiers of king Philip, who pursued
her. _Livy_, bk. 40, ch. 4.
=Theoxenia=, a festival celebrated in honour of all the gods in every
city of Greece, but especially at Athens. Games were then observed,
and the conqueror who obtained the prize received a large sum of
money, or, according to others, a vest beautifully ornamented. The
Dioscuri established a festival of the same name, in honour of the
gods who had visited them at one of their entertainments.
=Theoxenius=, a surname of Apollo.
=Thera=, a daughter of Amphion and Niobe. _Hyginus_, fable 69.――――One
of the Sporades in the Ægean sea, anciently called _Callista_,
now _Santorin_. It was first inhabited by the Phœnicians, who were
left there under Membliares by Cadmus, when he went in quest of his
sister Europa. It was called Thera by Theras the son of Autesion, who
settled there with a colony from Lacedæmon. _Pausanias_, bk. 3, ch. 1.
――_Herodotus_, bk. 4.――_Strabo_, bk. 8.――――A town of Caria.
=Therambus=, a town near Pallene. _Herodotus_, bk. 7, ch. 123.
=Theramĕnes=, an Athenian philosopher and general in the age of
Alcibiades. His father’s name was Agnon. He was one of the 30 tyrants
of Athens, but he had no share in the cruelties and oppression which
disgraced their administration. He was accused by Critias, one of
his colleagues, because he opposed their views, and he was condemned
to drink hemlock, though defended by his own innocence, and the
friendly intercession of the philosopher Socrates. He drank the
poison with great composure, and poured some of it on the ground,
with the sarcastical exclamation of, “This is to the health of
Critias.” This happened about 404 years before the christian era.
Theramenes, on account of the fickleness of his disposition, has been
called _Cothurnus_, a part of the dress used both by men and women.
_Cicero_, _On Oratory_, bk. 3, ch. 16.――_Plutarch_, _Alcibiades_, &c.
――_Cornelius Nepos._
=Therapne=, or =Terapne=, a town of Laconia, at the west of the Eurotas,
where Apollo had a temple called Phœbeum. It was but a very short
distance from Lacedæmon, and, indeed, some authors have confounded
it with the capital of Laconia. It received its name from Therapne,
a daughter of Lelex. Castor and Pollux were born there, and on that
account they were sometimes called _Therapnæi fratres_. _Pausanias_,
bk. 3, ch. 14.――_Ovid_, _Fasti_, bk. 5, li. 223.――_Silius Italicus_,
bk. 6, li. 303; bk. 8, li. 414; bk. 13, li. 43.――_Livy_, bk. 2, ch.
16.――_Dionysius of Halicarnassus_, bk. 2, ch. 49.――_Statius_, bk. 7,
_Thebaid_, li. 793.
=Theras=, a son of Autesion of Lacedæmon, who conducted a colony to
Callista, to which he gave the name of _Thera_. He received divine
honours after death. _Pausanias_, bk. 3, chs. 1 & 15.
=Therimăchus=, a son of Hercules by Megara. _Apollodorus_, bk. 2,
chs. 4 & 7.
=Therippidas=, a Lacedæmonian, &c. _Diodorus_, bk. 15.
=Theritas=, a surname of Mars in Laconia.
=Therma=, a town of Africa. _Strabo._――――A town of Macedonia,
afterwards called _Thessalonica_, in honour of the wife of Cassander,
and now _Salonichi_. The bay in the neighbourhood of Therma is called
_Thermæus_, or _Thermaicus sinus_, and advances far into the country,
so much, that Pliny has named it _Macedonicus sinus_, by way of
eminence, to intimate its extent. _Strabo._――_Tacitus_, _Annals_,
bk. 5, ch. 10.――_Herodotus._
=Thermæ= (baths), a town of Sicily, where were the baths of Selinus,
now _Sciacca_.――――Another, near Panormus, now _Thermini_. _Silius
Italicus_, bk. 14, li. 23.――_Cicero_, _Against Verres_, bk. 2, ch. 35.
=Thermōdon=, now _Termeh_, a famous river of Cappadocia, in the ancient
country of the Amazons, falling into the Euxine sea near Themiscyra.
There was also a small river of the same name in Bœotia, near Tanagra,
which was afterwards called _Hæmon_. _Strabo_, bk. 11.――_Herodotus_,
bk. 9, ch. 27.――_Mela_, bk. 1, ch. 19.――_Pausanias_, bk. 1, ch. 1;
bk. 9, ch. 19.――_Plutarch_, _Demosthenes_.――_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 11,
li. 659.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 2, li. 249, &c.
=Thermopy̆læ=, a small pass leading from Thessaly into Locris and Phocis.
It has a large ridge of mountains on the west, and the sea on the
east, with deep and dangerous marshes, being in the narrowest part
only 25 feet in breadth. Thermopylæ receives its name from the _hot
baths_ which are in the neighbourhood. It is celebrated for a battle
which was fought there B.C. 480, on the 7th of August, between Xerxes
and the Greeks, in which 300 Spartans resisted for three successive
days repeatedly the attacks of the most brave and courageous of
the Persian army, which, according to some historians, amounted to
5,000,000. There was also another battle fought there between the
Romans and Antiochus king of Syria. _Herodotus_, bk. 7, ch. 176,
&c.――_Strabo_, bk. 9.――_Livy_, bk. 36, ch. 15.――_Mela_, bk. 2,
ch. 3.――_Plutarch_, _Marcus Cato_, &c.――_Pausanias_, bk. 7, ch. 15.
=Thermum=, a town of Ætolia on the Evenus. _Polybius_, bk. 5.
=Thermus=, a man accused in the reign of Tiberius, &c.――――A man put to
death by Nero.――――A town of Ætolia, the capital of the country.
=Therodămas=, a king of Scythia, who, as some report, fed lions with
human blood, that they might be more cruel. _Ovid_, _Ibis_, li. 383.
=Theron=, a tyrant of Agrigentum, who died 472 B.C. He was a native of
Bœotia, and son of Ænesidamus, and he married Damarete the daughter
of Gelon of Sicily. _Herodotus_, bk. 7.――_Pindar_, _Olympian_, ch. 2.
――――One of Actæon’s dogs. _Ovid._――――A Rutulian who attempted to
kill Æneas. He perished in the attempt. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 10,
li. 312.――――A priest in the temple of Hercules at Saguntum, &c.
_Silius Italicus_, bk. 2, li. 149.――――A Theban descended from the
Spartæ. _Statius_, _Thebaid_, bk. 2, li. 572.――――A daughter of Phylas,
beloved by Apollo. _Pausanias_, bk. 9, ch. 40.
=Therpander=, a celebrated poet and musician of Lesbos. _See:_
Terpander.
=Thersander=, a son of Polynices and Argia. He accompanied the Greeks
to the Trojan war, but he was killed in Mysia by Telephus, before
the confederate army reached the enemy’s country. _Virgil_, _Æneid_,
bk. 2, li. 261.――_Apollodorus_, bk. 3, ch. 7.――――A son of Sisyphus
king of Corinth.――――A musician of Ionia.
=Thersĭlŏchus=, a leader of the Pæonians in the Trojan war, killed by
Achilles. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 6, li. 483.――――A friend of Æneas,
killed by Turnus. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 12, li. 363.――――An athlete
at Corcyra, crowned at the Olympic games. _Pausanias_, bk. 6, ch. 13.
=Thersippus=, a son of Agrius, who drove Œneus from the throne of
Calydon.――――A man who carried a letter from Alexander to Darius.
_Curtius._――――An Athenian author, who died 954 B.C.
=Thersītes=, an officer, the most deformed and illiberal of the Greeks
during the Trojan war. He was fond of ridiculing his fellow-soldiers,
particularly Agamemnon, Achilles, and Ulysses. Achilles killed him
with one blow of his fist, because he laughed at his mourning the
death of Penthesilea. _Ovid_, _ex Ponto_, bk. 4, poem 17, li. 15.
――_Apollodorus_, bk. 1, ch. 8.――_Homer_, _Iliad_, bk. 2, li. 212, &c.
=Theseidæ=, a patronymic given to the Athenians from Theseus, one of
their kings. _Virgil_, _Georgics_, bk. 2, li. 383.
=Theseis=, a poem written by Codrus, containing an account of the life
and actions of Theseus, and now lost. _Juvenal_, satire 1, li. 2.
=Theseus=, a king of Athens, and son of Ægeus by Æthra the daughter of
Pittheus, was one of the most celebrated of the heroes of antiquity.
He was educated at Trœzene in the house of Pittheus, and as he was
not publicly acknowledged to be the son of the king of Athens, he
passed for the son of Neptune. When he came to years of maturity,
he was sent by his mother to his father, and a sword was given him,
by which he might make himself known to Ægeus in a private manner.
_See:_ Ægeus. His journey to Athens was not across the sea, as it was
usual with travellers, but Theseus determined to signalize himself
in going by land, and encountering difficulties. The road which led
from Trœzene to Athens was infested with robbers and wild beasts,
and almost impassable; but these obstacles were easily removed by
the courageous son of Ægeus. He destroyed Corynetes, Synnis, Sciron,
Cercyon, Procrustes, and the celebrated Phæa. At Athens, however,
his reception was not cordial; Medea lived there with Ægeus, and as
she knew that her influence would fall to the ground, if Theseus was
received in his father’s house, she attempted to destroy him before
his arrival was made public. Ægeus was himself to give the cup of
poison to this unknown stranger at a feast, but the sight of his
sword on the side of Theseus reminded him of his amours with Æthra.
He knew him to be his son, and the people of Athens were glad to find
that this illustrious stranger, who had cleared Attica from robbers
and pirates, was the son of their monarch. The Pallantides, who
expected to succeed their uncle Ægeus on the throne, as he apparently
had no children, attempted to assassinate Theseus; but they fell a
prey to their own barbarity, and were all put to death by the young
prince. The bull of Marathon next engaged the attention of Theseus.
The labour seemed arduous, but he caught the animal alive, and after
he had led it through the streets of Athens, he sacrificed it to
Minerva, or the god of Delphi. After this Theseus went to Crete among
the seven chosen youths whom the Athenians yearly sent to be devoured
by the Minotaur. The wish to deliver his country from so dreadful a
tribute, engaged him to undertake this expedition. He was successful
by means of Ariadne the daughter of Minos, who was enamoured of him,
and after he had escaped from the labyrinth with a clue of thread,
and killed the Minotaur [_See:_ Minotaurus], he sailed from Crete
with the six boys and seven maidens, whom his victory had equally
redeemed from death. In the island of Naxos, where he was driven by
the winds, he had the meanness to abandon Ariadne, to whom he was
indebted for his safety. The rejoicings which his return might have
occasioned at Athens were interrupted by the death of Ægeus, who
threw himself into the sea when he saw his son’s ship return with
black sails, which was the signal of ill success. _See:_ Ægeus. His
ascension on his father’s throne was universally applauded, B.C.
1235. The Athenians were governed with mildness, and Theseus made
new regulations, and enacted new laws. The number of the inhabitants
of Athens was increased by the liberality of the monarch, religious
worship was attended with more than usual solemnity, a court was
instituted which had the care of all civil affairs, and Theseus made
the government democratical, while he reserved for himself only the
command of the armies. The fame which he had gained by his victories
and policy, made his alliance courted; but Pirithous king of the
Lapithæ, alone wished to gain his friendship, by meeting him in
the field of battle. He invaded the territories of Attica, and when
Theseus had marched out to meet him, the two enemies, struck at the
sight of each other, rushed between their two armies, to embrace one
another in the most cordial and affectionate manner, and from that
time began the most sincere and admired friendship, which has become
proverbial. Theseus was present at the nuptials of his friend, and
was the most eager and courageous of the Lapithæ, in the defence of
Hippodamia and her female attendants, against the brutal attempts
of the Centaurs. When Pirithous had lost Hippodamia, he agreed with
Theseus, whose wife Phædra was also dead, to carry away some of
the daughters of the gods. Their first attempt was upon Helen the
daughter of Leda, and after they had obtained this beautiful prize,
they cast lots, and she became the property of Theseus. The Athenian
monarch entrusted her to the care of his mother Æthra, at Aphidnæ,
till she was of nubile years, but the resentment of Castor and Pollux
soon obliged him to restore her safe into their hands. Helen, before
she reached Sparta, became mother of a daughter by Theseus, but this
tradition, confirmed by some ancient mythologists, is confuted by
others, who affirm that she was but nine years old when carried
away by the two royal friends, and Ovid introduces her in one of
his epistles, saying, _Excepto redii passa timore nihil_. Some time
after Theseus assisted his friend in procuring a wife, and they both
descended into the infernal regions to carry away Proserpine. Pluto,
apprised of their intentions, stopped them. Pirithous was placed on
his father’s wheel, and Theseus was tied to a huge stone on which
he had sat to rest himself. Virgil represents him in this eternal
state of punishment repeating to the shades in Tartarus the words
of _Discite justitiam moniti, et non temnere divos_. Apollodorus,
however, and others declare that he was not long detained in hell;
when Hercules came to steal the dog Cerberus, he tore him away from
the stone, but with such violence, that his skin was left behind.
The same assistance was given to Pirithous, and the two friends
returned upon the earth by the favour of Hercules and the consent
of the infernal deities, not, however, without suffering the most
excruciating torments. During the captivity of Theseus in the
kingdom of Pluto, Mnestheus, one of the descendants of Erechtheus,
ingratiated himself into the favours of the people of Athens, and
obtained the crown in preference to the children of the absent
monarch. At his return Theseus attempted to eject the usurper, but
to no purpose. The Athenians had forgotten his many services, and
he retired with great mortification to the court of Lycomedes king
of the island of Scyros. After paying him much attention, Lycomedes,
either jealous of his fame, or bribed by the presence of Mnestheus,
carried him to a high rock, on pretence of showing him the extent
of his dominions, and threw him down a deep precipice. Some suppose
that Theseus inadvertently fell down this precipice, and that he
was crushed to death without receiving any violence from Lycomedes.
The children of Theseus, after the death of Mnestheus, recovered
the Athenian throne, and that the memory of their father might
not be without the honours due to a hero, they brought his remains
from Scyros, and gave them a magnificent burial. They also raised
him statues and a temple, and festivals and games were publicly
instituted to commemorate the actions of a hero who had rendered
such services to the people of Athens. These festivals were still
celebrated with original solemnity in the age of Pausanias and
Plutarch, about 1200 years after the death of Theseus. The historians
disagree from the poets in their accounts about this hero, and
they all suppose that, instead of attempting to carry away the wife
of Pluto, the two friends wished to seduce a daughter of Aidoneus
king of the Molossi. This daughter, as they say, bore the name
of Proserpine, and the dog which kept the gates of the palace was
called Cerberus, and hence, perhaps, arises the fiction of the poets.
Pirithous was torn to pieces by the dog, but Theseus was confined
in prison, from whence he made his escape some time after by the
assistance of Hercules. Some authors place Theseus and his friend in
the number of the Argonauts, but they were both detained, either in
the infernal regions, or in the country of the Molossi, in the time
of Jason’s expedition to Colchis. _Plutarch_, _Lives_.――_Apollodorus_,
bk. 3.――_Hyginus_, fables 14 & 79.――_Pausanias_, bk. 1, ch. 2, &c.
――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 7, li. 433; _Ibis_, li. 412; _Fasti_,
bk. 3, lis. 473 & 491; _Heroides._――_Diodorus_, bks. 1 & 4.――_Lucan_,
bk. 2, li. 612.――_Homer_, _Odyssey_, bk. 21, li. 293.――_Hesiod_,
_Shield of Heracles_.――_Ælian_, _Varia Historia_, bk. 4, ch. 5.
――_Statius_, _Thebaid_, bk. 5, li. 432――_Propertius_, bk. 3.
――_Lactantius_, on _Thebaid_ of _Statius_.――_Philostratus_,
_Imagines_, bk. 1.――_Flaccus_, bk. 2.――_Apollonius_, bk. 1.――_Virgil_,
_Æneid_, bk. 6, li. 617.――_Seneca_, _Hippolytus_.――_Statius_,
_Achilles_, bk. 1.
=Thesīdæ=, a name given to the people of Athens, because they were
governed by Theseus.
=Thesĭdes=, a patronymic applied to the children of Theseus, especially
Hippolytus. _Ovid_, _Heroides_, poem 4, li. 65.
=Thesmophŏra=, a surname of Ceres, as lawgiver, in whose honour
festivals were instituted called _Thesmophoria_. The Thesmophoria
were instituted by Triptolemus, or, according to some, by Orpheus,
or the daughters of Danaus. The greatest part of the Grecian
cities, especially Athens, observed them with great solemnity. The
worshippers were free-born women, whose husbands were obliged to
defray the expenses of the festival. They were assisted by a priest
called στεφανοφορος, because he carried a crown on his head. There
were also certain virgins who officiated, and were maintained at the
public expense. The freeborn women were dressed in white robes, to
intimate their spotless innocence; they were charged to observe the
strictest chastity during three or five days before the celebration,
and during the four days of the solemnity; and on that account it was
usual for them to strew their bed with _agnus castus_, _fleabane_,
and all such herbs as were supposed to have the power of expelling
all venereal propensities. They were also charged not to eat
pomegranates, or to wear garlands on their heads, as the whole was
to be observed with the greatest signs of seriousness and gravity,
without any display of wantonness or levity. It was, however, usual
to jest at one another, as the goddess Ceres had been made to smile
by a merry expression when she was sad and melancholy for the recent
loss of her daughter Proserpine. Three days were required for the
preparation, and upon the 11th of the month called Pyanepsion, the
women went to Eleusis, carrying books on their heads, in which the
laws which the goddess had invented were contained. On the 14th
of the same month the festival began, on the 16th day a fast was
observed, and the women sat on the ground in token of humiliation. It
was usual during the festival to offer prayers to Ceres, Proserpine,
Pluto, and Calligenia, whom some suppose to be the nurse or favourite
maid of the goddess of corn, or perhaps one of her surnames. There
were some sacrifices of a mysterious nature, and all persons whose
offence was small were released from confinement. Such as were
initiated at the festivals of Eleusis assisted at the Thesmophoria.
The place of high priest was hereditary in the family of Eumolpus.
_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 10, li. 431; _Fasti_, bk. 4, li. 619.
――_Apollodorus_, bk. 1, ch. 4.――_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 4, li. 58.
――_Sophocles_, _Œdipus at Colonus_.――_Clement of Alexandria_.
=Thesmothĕtæ=, a name given to the last six Archons among the Athenians,
because they took particular care to enforce the laws, and to see
justice impartially administered. They were at that time nine in
number.
=Thespia=, now _Neocorio_, a town of Bœotia, at the foot of mount
Helicon, which received its name from Thespia the daughter of Asopus,
or from Thespius. _Pliny_, bk. 4, ch. 7.――_Pausanias_, bk. 9, ch. 26.
――_Strabo_, bk. 9.
=Thespiădæ=, the sons of Thespiades. _See:_ Thespius.
=Thespiădes=, a name given to the 50 daughters of Thespius. _See:_
Thespius. _Diodorus_, bk. 4.――_Seneca_, _Hercules Œtaeus_, li. 369.
――――Also a surname of the nine muses, because they were held in
great veneration in Thespia. _Flaccus_, bk. 2, li. 368.――_Ovid_,
_Metamorphoses_, bk. 5, li. 310.
=Thespis=, a Greek poet of Attica, supposed by some to be the inventor
of tragedy, 536 years before Christ. His representations were very
rustic and imperfect. He went from town to town upon a cart, on which
was erected a temporary stage, where two actors, whose faces were
daubed with the lees of wine, entertained the audience with choral
songs, &c. Solon was a great enemy to his dramatic representations.
_Horace_, _Art of Poetry_, li. 276.――_Diogenes Laërtius._
=Thespius=, a king of Thespia, in Bœotia, son of Erechtheus, according
to some authors. He was desirous that his 50 daughters should have
children by Hercules, and therefore when that hero was at his court
he permitted him to enjoy their company. This, which, according to
some, was effected in one night, passes for the 13th and most arduous
of the labours of Hercules, as the two following lines from the
_arcana arcanissima_ indicate:
_Tertius hinc decimus labor est durissimus, unâ
Quinquaginta simul stupravit nocte puellas._
All the daughters of Thespius brought male children into the world,
and some of them twins, particularly Procris the eldest, and the
youngest. Some suppose that one of the Thespiades refused to admit
Hercules to her arms, for which the hero condemned her to pass all
her life in continual celibacy, and to become the priestess of a
temple he had at Thespia. The children of the Thespiades, called
_Thespiadæ_, went to Sardinia, where they made a settlement with
Iolaus, the friend of their father. Thespius is often confounded by
ancient authors with Thestius, though the latter lived in a different
place, and, as king of Pleuron, sent his sons to the hunting of the
Calydonian boar. _Apollodorus_, bk. 2, ch. 4.――_Pausanias_, bk. 9,
chs. 26 & 27.――_Plutarch._
=Thesprōtia=, a country of Epirus, at the west of Ambracia, bounded on
the south by the sea. It is watered by the rivers Acheron and Cocytus,
which the poets, after Homer, have called the streams of hell. The
oracle of Dodona was in Thesprotia. _Homer_, _Odyssey_, bk. 14,
li. 315.――_Strabo_, bk. 7, &c.――_Pausanias_, bk. 1, ch. 17.――_Lucan_,
bk. 3, li. 179.
=Thesprōtus=, a son of Lycaon king of Arcadia. _Apollodorus_, bk. 3,
ch. 8.
=Thessălia=, a country of Greece, whose boundaries have been different
at different periods. Properly speaking, Thessaly was bounded on the
south by the northern parts of Greece, or Græcia propria; east, by
the Ægean; north, by Macedonia and Mygdonia; and west, by Illyricum
and Epirus. It was generally divided into four separate provinces,
Thessaliotis, Pelasgiotis, Istiæotis, and Phthiotis, to which some
add Magnesia. It has been severally called _Æmonia_, _Pelasgicum_,
_Argos_, _Hellas_, _Argeia_, _Dryopis_, _Pelasgia_, _Pyrrhæa_,
_Æmathia_, &c. The name of Thessaly is derived from Thessalus, one of
its monarchs. Thessaly is famous for a deluge which happened there in
the age of Deucalion. Its mountains and cities are also celebrated,
such as Olympus, Pelion, Ossa, Larissa, &c. The Argonauts were partly
natives of Thessaly. The inhabitants of the country passed for a
treacherous nation, so that false money was called Thessalian coin,
and a perfidious action, Thessalian deceit. Thessaly was governed by
kings, till it became subject to the Macedonian monarchs. The cavalry
was universally esteemed, and the people were superstitious, and
addicted to the study of magic and incantations. Thessaly is now
called _Janna_. _Lucan_, bk. 6, li. 438, &c.――_Dionysius Periegetes_,
li. 219.――_Curtius_, bk. 3, ch. 2.――_Ælian_, _Varia Historia_, bk. 3,
ch. 1.――_Pausanias_, bk. 4, ch. 36; bk. 10, ch. 1.――_Mela_, bk. 2,
ch. 3.――_Justin_, bk. 7, ch. 6.――_Diodorus_, bk. 4.
=Thessălion=, a servant of Mentor of Sidon, in the age of Artaxerxes
Ochus, &c. _Diodorus_, bk. 16.
=Thessaliotis=, a part of Thessaly at the south of the river Peneus.