OPS. Mother of the gods, a daughter of Cœlus and Terra. She was
known by the several names of Bona Dea, Rhea, Cybele, Magna Mater,
Proserpine, Tellus, and Thya; and occasionally she is spoken of as Juno
and Minerva. She personified labour, and is represented as a comely
matron, distributing gifts with her right hand, and holding in her left
hand a loaf of bread. Her festival was the 14th day of the January
calends.
ORACLES, see Themis.
ORÆ′A. Certain sacrifices offered to the goddesses of the seasons to
invoke fair weather for the ripening of the fruits of the earth.
ORBO′NA. The goddess of orphans.
ORCHARDS, see Feronia.
O′READS were mountain nymphs, attendants on Diana.
ORGIES. Drunken revels. The riotous feasts of Bacchus were so
designated.
ORI′ON. A famous handsome giant, who was blinded by Œnopion for a
grievous wrong done to Merope, and he was expelled from Chios. The
sound of the Cyclopes’ hammers led him to the abode of Vulcan, who gave
him a guide. He then consulted an oracle, and had his sight restored,
as Longfellow says, by fixing
“His blank eyes upon the sun.”
He was afterwards slain by Diana and placed amongst the stars, where
his constellation is one of the most splendid.
ORI′THY′IA. A daughter of Erechtheus, whose lover, Boreas, carried her
off while she was wandering by the river Ilissus. Her children were
Zetes and Calais, two winged warriors who accompanied the Argonauts.
OR′MUZD. In Persian mythology the creator of all things.
O′ROS. The Egyptian Apollo.
ORPHANS, see Orbona.
OR′PHEUS was son of Apollo and the Muse Calliope. He was married to
Eurydice; but she was stung by a serpent, and died. Orpheus went down
to Hades to claim her, and played so sweetly with his lute that Pluto
allowed Eurydice to return to the earth with Orpheus, but on condition
that he did not look behind him until he had reached the terrestrial
regions. Orpheus, however, in his anxiety to see if she were following
him, looked round, and Eurydice disappeared from his sight, instantly
and for ever.
“Orpheus’ lute was strung with poets’ sinews.”