AMY′CUS was king of Babrycia. He was a son of Neptune, and was killed
by Pollux.
ANCÆ′US. A son of Neptune, who left a cup of wine to hunt a wild boar
which killed him, and the wine was untasted. This was the origin of the
proverb--“There’s many a slip ’twixt cup and lip.”
ANCIL′IA, the twelve sacred shields. The first Ancile was supposed to
have fallen from heaven in answer to the prayer of Numa Pompilius. It
was kept with the greatest care, as it was prophesied that the fate
of the Roman people would depend upon its preservation. An order of
priesthood was established to take care of the Ancilia, and on 1st
March each year the shields were carried in procession, and in the
evening there was a great feast called Cœna Saliaris.
ANDROM′EDA, the daughter of Cepheus, king of the Ethiopians, was wife
of Perseus, by whom she was rescued when she was chained to a rock and
was about to be devoured by a sea-monster.
ANEM′ONE. Venus changed Adonis into this flower.
ANGERO′NIA, otherwise Volupia, was the goddess who had the power of
dispelling anguish of mind.
ANNA PEREN′NA, one of the rural divinities.
ANTÆ′US, a giant who was vanquished by Hercules. Each time that
Hercules threw him the giant gained fresh strength from touching the
earth, so Hercules lifted him off the ground and squeezed him to death.
AN′TEROS, one of the two Cupids, sons of Venus.
ANTIC′LEA, the mother of Ulysses.
ANTI′OPE was wife of Lycus, King of Thebes. Jupiter, disguised as a
satyr, led her astray and corrupted her.
ANU′BIS (or Herman′ubis). “A god half a dog, a dog half a man.” Called
_Barker_ by Virgil and other poets.
AON′IDES, a name of the Muses, from the country Aonia.
APH′RODI′TE, a Greek name of Venus.
APIS, a name given to Jupiter by the inhabitants of the Lower Nile.
Also the miraculous ox, worshipped in Egypt.
A′PIS, King of Argivia. Afterwards called Serapis, the greatest god of
the Egyptians.
APOL′LO. This famous god, sometime King of Arcadia, was the son of
Jupiter and Latona. He was known by several names, but principally
by the following:--Sol (the sun); Cynthius, from the mountain called
Cynthus in the Isle of Delos, and this same island being his native
place obtained for him the name of Delius; Delphinius, from his
occasionally assuming the shape of a dolphin. His name of Delphicus
was derived from his connection with the splendid Temple at Delphi,
where he uttered the famous oracles. Some writers record that this
oracle became dumb when Jesus Christ was born. Other common names of
Apollo were Didymæus, Nomius, Pæan, and Phœbus. The Greeks called him
Agineus because the streets were under his guardianship, and he was
called Pythius from having killed the serpent Python. Apollo is usually
represented as a handsome young man without beard, crowned with laurel,
and having in one hand a bow, and in the other a lyre. The favourite
residence of Apollo was on Mount Parnassus, a mountain of Phocis, in
Greece, where he presided over the Muses. Apollo was the accredited
father of several children, but the two most renowned were Æsculapius
and Phæton.
“Apollo there with aim so clever,
Stretches his leaden bow for ever.”