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The nymphs of mount Ida, to whom Cybele had confided her son, educated him
with great care; but his cries being likely to call the attention of Saturn
and Titan, the priests invented a dance accompanied with noise, called the
Dactyl, in which they interchanged blows on steel bucklers. His nourishment
was received from a goat, who was afterwards placed among the heavenly
constellations, having given his skin to form a shield, and one of his
horns, which was presented to the nymphs, and named the Horn of Plenty. As
Jupiter emerged from infancy, we have seen he had to strive with the
Titans, who disputed with him the right to reign in Heaven.
The first of their feats was to heap mountain on mountain in order to scale
the walls of Heaven; they then threw fragments of rocks and burning trees
against "high Olympus."
"But vainly came Typhaeus on,
And vainly huge Porphyrion,
Fierce Rhoetus of the vengeful stroke,
And Minias strong as mountain oak,
With bold Encelaedas, to heaven who strove
To dart the trees, uprooted, from the grove:
For weak their might against the shield
Which Pallas' matchless arm did wield;
While quick against the giant foes
Juno, and ardent Vulcan, rose;
And to the fight the young Apollo sped,
Glittering afar with bows and arrows dread,
Who bathing in Castalian dew,
His tresses loose of golden hue,
Rejoicing in his youth is seen
Amid the Lycian valleys green,
Or in the Delian groves will sport oftwhile
Amid the flowers that deck his native isle."