PANTHE′ON. The temple of all the gods, built by Agrippa at Rome, in the
reign of Augustus. It was 144 feet in diameter, and 144 feet high; and
was built in the Corinthian style of architecture, mostly of marble;
while its walls were covered with engraved brass and silver. Its
magnificence induced Pliny to give it rank amongst the wonders of the
world.
PA′PHIA, a name of Venus.
PAP′REMIS. The Egyptian Mars.
PAR′CÆ, THE, were goddesses who presided over the destiny of human
beings. They were also called the Fates, and were three in number,
Atropos, Clotho, and Lachesis. See Fates.
PAR′IS was son of Priam, king of Troy, and his mother was Hecuba. It
had been predicted that he would be the cause of the destruction of
Troy, and his father therefore ordered him to be strangled as soon as
he was born; but the slave who had been entrusted with this mission
took the child to Mount Ida, and left it there. Some shepherds,
however, found the infant and took care of him. He lived amongst
them till he had grown to man’s estate, and he then married Œnone,
a nymph of Ida. At the famous nuptial feast of Peleus and Thetis,
Discordia, who had not been invited, attended secretly; and when
all were assembled, she threw amongst the goddesses a golden apple,
on which was inscribed “Let the fairest take it.” This occasioned a
great contention, for each thought herself the fairest. Ultimately,
the contestants were reduced to three, Juno, Pallas (Minerva), and
Venus; but Jove himself could not make these three agree, and it was
decided that Paris should be the umpire. He was sent for, and each
of the goddesses courted his favour by offering all sorts of bribes.
Juno offered him power, Pallas wisdom, and Venus promised him the most
beautiful woman in the world. Paris gave the golden apple to Venus.
Soon after this episode Priam owned Paris as his son, and sent him to
Greece to fetch Helen, who was renowned as being the most beautiful
woman in the world. She was the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta; but
during his absence Paris carried Helen away to Troy, and this gave rise
to the celebrated war between the Greeks and the Trojans, which ended
in the destruction of Troy. Paris was amongst the 676,000 Trojans who
fell during or after the siege.
PARNAS′SIDES, a name common to the Muses, from Mount Parnassus.
PARNAS′SUS. The mountain of the Muses in Phocis, and sacred to Apollo
and Bacchus. Any one who slept on this mountain became a poet. It was
named after one of the sons of Bacchus.
PAR′THENON. The temple of Minerva (or Pallas), at Athens. It was
destroyed by the Persians, and rebuilt by Pericles.
PAR′THENOS was a name of Juno, and also of Minerva. See Pallas.
PASIPH′AE was the reputed mother of the Minotaur killed by Theseus. She
was said to be the daughter of Sol and Perseis, and her husband was
Minos, king of Crete.
PASITH′EA. Sometimes there are _four_ Graces spoken of; when this is
so, the name of the fourth is Pasithea.
PA′VAN, the Hindoo god of the winds.
PEACE, see Concordia.
PEACOCK, see Argus.
PEG′ASUS. The famous winged horse which was said to have sprung from
the blood of Medusa when her head was cut off by Perseus. His abode
was on Mount Helicon, where, by striking the ground with his hoof, he
caused water to spring forth, which formed the fountain afterwards
called Hippocrene.
“Thy stumbling founder’d jade can trot as high
As any other Pegasus can fly.”