For information about the Apple Computer icon, see dogcow. Clarus (Greek Klaros) in the territory of Colophon in the Ionian coast of Asia Minor was a much-revered, much-famed cult center described by Pausanias (vii. 3, 1). Clarus was known throughout the Mediterranean for its oracle, who delivered her prophesies in a dark crypt-like adyton under the Temple of Apollo, honored here as Apollo Clarius ("The Apollo of Clarus"). Its narrow dark vaulted labyrinthine ...

Including:

• Clarus - External link

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In Greek mythology, Amymone (the "blameless" one) was a daughter of Danaus. As the "blameless" Danaid, her name identifies her, perhaps, as identical to Hypermnestra ("great wooing" or "high marriage"), also the one Danaid who did not assassinate her Egyptian husband on their wedding night, as her 49 sisters did. (See the myth at the entry for Danaus.) Apollodorus, in his list of names for the Danaids, does mention both Hypermnes ...

Including:

• Amymone - External link

Read more here: » Amymone: Encyclopedia - Amymone

Wight is an obsolete word for a human or other intelligent being (cognate to modern German "Wicht", meaning "small person, dwarf", and also "unpleasant person"). It is used only comparatively recently to give an impression of archaism and mystery, for example in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. Probably inspired by Scandinavian folklore (see below), Tolkien also used the word to denote human-like creatures, such as elves or ghosts ("wraiths") - most notably the undead Barrow-Wights. It is akin to other words of Old English origin such a ...

Including:

• Wight - Wights in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore

Read more here: » Wight: Encyclopedia - Wight

A Sphinx is an iconic image of a recumbent lion with a human head, invented by the Egyptians of the Old Kingdom, but a cultural import in archaic Greek mythology, where it received its name (Greek Σφινξ, "strangler"). The best known is the Great Sphinx of Giza. Sphinx - Egyptian sphinx. The Egyptian sphinx is an ancient iconic mythical creature usually comprised of a recumbent lion – an animal with sacred solar associations – with a human head, usually that of a pharaoh. Main ...

Including:

• Sphinx - Egyptian sphinx
• Sphinx - Greek Sphinx
• Sphinx - Similar creatures
• Sphinx - Mannerist Sphinx
• Sphinx - 19th century and symbolism

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Hephaestus (World Book «hih FEHS tuhs») (Greek: Ἡφαιστος Hêphaistos) is the Greek god whose approximate Roman equivalent is Vulcan; he is the god of blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals and metallurgy, and fire. He was worshipped in all the manufacturing and industrial centers of Greece, especially Athens. Though his forge lay in the volcanic heart of Lemnos, Hephaestus became associa ...

Including:

• Hephaestus - Hephaestus and Aphrodite

Read more here: » Hephaestus: Encyclopedia - Hephaestus

In Greek mythology, Achelous (Greek: Αχελώος), was the patron deity of the river by the same name, which is the largest river of Greece, and thus the chief of all river deities, every river having its own river spirit. His name translates as "he who washes away care". Some legends say that Achelous was the son of Poseidon, others say that he was the son of Earth and Helios. However, ancient Greeks generally believed that Tethys and Oceanus were the parents of all river gods. Achelous was a suitor for Deianeira, daughter of Oene ...

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Herakles tried to steal the cattle, and killed first Orthrus, then Eurythion. When Geryon arrived, in some versions having been alerted by Menoetius, Hades' shepherd, Herakles slew him, tearing his body into its three pieces. Heracles then had to herd the cattle back to Eurystheus. In Roman versions of the narrative, on the Aventine hill in Italy, Cacus stole some of the cattle stolen from Geryon as Heracles slept, making the cattle walk backwards so that they left no trail, a repetition of the trick of the young Hermes. According to ...

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Geryon, Geryon - Herakles' Journey to Erytheia location of the Cattle of Geryon, Geryon - Theft of the Cattle of Geryon, Geryon - Origin, Geryon - Chthonic associations, Geryon - Further reading

Read more here: » Geryon: Encyclopedia II - Geryon - Theft of the Cattle of Geryon

When the sun reaches the constellation of Gemini, it meets the constellation of Auriga. Many ancient beliefs associated the daily path of the sun across the sky with the sun god using a fiery chariot, and so, here, the sun's yearly path (its transit) obtains the fiery chariot (Auriga) of the sun's daily path. Later Greek mythology considered the sun to use a cup to traverse the sky. Also in this region of the sky is a vast space without easily visible stars (now occupied by the modern constellations of Lynx, and by Camelopardalis), wh ...

See also:

Geryon, Geryon - Herakles' Journey to Erytheia location of the Cattle of Geryon, Geryon - Theft of the Cattle of Geryon, Geryon - Origin, Geryon - Chthonic associations, Geryon - Further reading

Read more here: » Geryon: Encyclopedia II - Geryon - Origin

The name is etymologically derived from trepho, "to nourish". Strabo and several inscriptions refer to him as Zeus Trephonios. Several other chthonic Zeuses with similar titles are known from the Greek world, including Zeus Meilikhios ("honeyed" or "kindly" Zeus), and Zeus Chthonios ("Zeus beneath-the-earth"). Similar constructions are also found in the Roman world: for example, a shrine at Lavinium in Lazio was dedicated to Aeneas unde ...

See also:

Trophonius, Trophonius - Etymology and parallel cults, Trophonius - Trophonius in myth, Trophonius - Trophonius in cult, Trophonius - Trophonius in the classical tradition

Read more here: » Trophonius: Encyclopedia II - Trophonius - Etymology and parallel cults

There was a single Sphinx in Greek mythology, a unique demon of destruction and bad luck, according to Hesiod a daughter of the Chimaera and Orthrus, or, according to others, of Typhon and Echidna— all of these chthonic figures. She was represented in vase-painting and bas-reliefs most often seated upright rather than recumbent, as a winged lion with a woman's head; or she was a woman with the paws, claws and breasts of a lion, a serpent's tail and birdlike wings. Hera or Ares sent the Sphinx from her Ethiopian homeland (for the Gre ...

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Sphinx, Sphinx - Egyptian sphinx, Sphinx - Greek Sphinx, Sphinx - Similar creatures, Sphinx - Mannerist Sphinx, Sphinx - 19th century and symbolism

Read more here: » Sphinx: Encyclopedia II - Sphinx - Greek Sphinx

When he came ashore, Orion found that he was once again in a place called Hyrai, another bee-swarm, but in the island of Chios. The two Hyrai may have functioned as two entrances to the netherworld, which would have enabled Orion to pass between Boeotia and Chios in a chthonic journey. In later Classical times, the "tomb" of Orion that was shown to visitors in Boeotia may have been the cave-entran ...

See also:

Orion mythology, Orion mythology - Ancestry origins birth, Orion mythology - Orion and Side, Orion mythology - Primordial Orion, Orion mythology - Orion and Merope, Orion mythology - Blinded Orion, Orion mythology - Orion at Lemnos, Orion mythology - Orion and Eos

Read more here: » Orion mythology: Encyclopedia II - Orion mythology - Orion and Merope

Ganymede was kidnapped by Zeus from Mount Ida in Phrygia, the setting for more than one myth-element bearing on the early mythic history of Troy. Ganymede was there, passing the time of exile many heros undergo in their youth, by tending a flock of sheep or, alternatively, during the chthonic or rustic aspect of his education, while gathering among his friends and tutors. Zeus saw him and fell in love with him instantly, either sending an eagle or assuming his own eagle nature to tr ...

See also:

Ganymede, Ganymede - Story, Ganymede - Ganymede in ancient arts, Ganymede - Renaissance and Baroque Ganymede, Ganymede - Audio file of the myth, Ganymede - Moon, Ganymede - Ancient sources, Ganymede - Modern sources

Read more here: » Ganymede: Encyclopedia II - Ganymede - Story

Hecate is a pre-Olympian chthonic goddess. The Greek sources don't offer a story of her parentage, beyond the Theogony, or of her relations in the Greek pantheon: Sometimes Hecate is a Titaness, daughter of Perses and Asteria, and a mighty helper and protector of mankind. Her continued presence was explained by asserting that, because she was the only Titan that aided Zeus in the battle of gods and Titans, she was not banished into the underworld realms after their defeat by the Olympians. It is also told that she is the daughter of Demeter or Pheraia. Hecate, like Demeter, was a goddess of the earth ...

See also:

Hecate, Hecate - Representations, Hecate - Mythology, Hecate - Relations in the Greek Pantheon, Hecate - Other names and epithets, Hecate - Goddess of the crossroads, Hecate - Goddess of sorcery, Hecate - Emblems, Hecate - Animals, Hecate - Plants and herbs, Hecate - Places, Hecate - Festivals, Hecate - Cross-cultural parallels, Hecate - Hecate in literature, Hecate - Hecate in popular culture, Hecate - Hecate in Modern Day Magic, Hecate - Queen of ghosts, Hecate - Bibliography

Read more here: » Hecate: Encyclopedia II - Hecate - Relations in the Greek Pantheon

The most widespread public act of worship in ancient Greece was sacrifice, whether of grain or the blood sacrifice of animals. In general, the Greeks distinguished sacrifices given to the Olympian gods from those given to chthonic (from chthôn, earth) or earth-bound gods (like Hades, Hekate, and so on). Sacrifices served multiple functions: one sacrificed before important undertakings, to introduce a new-born child to the phratry or district, to introduce a young man on the verge of manhood into the society of those engaged in politics. The ...

See also:

Ancient Greek religion, Ancient Greek religion - Overview, Ancient Greek religion - Worship, Ancient Greek religion - Theology, Ancient Greek religion - Mystery religions, Ancient Greek religion - Suppression of paganism, Ancient Greek religion - Revival of paganism

Read more here: » Ancient Greek religion: Encyclopedia II - Ancient Greek religion - Worship

Numerous groups, peoples, and cultures are accused of killing and eating human beings. See Blood libel. Unsubstantiated reports of cannibalism disproportionately relate cases of cannibalism among cultures that are already otherwise despised, feared, or are little known. In antiquity, Greek reports of anthropophagy were related to distant, non-Hellenic barbarians, or else relegated in myth to the 'primitive' chthonic world that preceded the coming of the Olympian gods. In 1994, printed booklets reported that in a Yugoslavian concentration camp of Manjaca the Bosnian refugees ...

See also:

Cannibalism, Cannibalism - Non-human cannibalism, Cannibalism - Cannibalism among humans, Cannibalism - Modern cannibalism, Cannibalism - Historical cannibalism incidents, Cannibalism - Cannibalism in war, Cannibalism - 'Cannibalism' as cultural libel, Cannibalism - Sexualized cannibalism fantasies and real, Cannibalism - Cannibal themes in myth religion or arts, Cannibalism - Cannibalism as sympathetic magic, Cannibalism - Cannibalism as a funeral rite, Cannibalism - Cannibalism in popular culture, Cannibalism - Other uses of the word

Read more here: » Cannibalism: Encyclopedia II - Cannibalism - 'Cannibalism' as cultural libel

Numerous groups, peoples, and cultures are accused of killing and eating human beings. See Blood libel. Unsubstantiated reports of cannibalism disproportionately relate cases of cannibalism among cultures that are already otherwise despised, feared, or are little known. In antiquity, Greek reports of anthropophagy were related to distant, non-Hellenic barbarians, or else relegated in myth to the 'primitive' chthonic world that preceded the coming of the Olympian gods. In 1994, printed booklets reported that in a Yugoslavian concentration camp of Manjaca the Bosnian refugees ...

See also:

Cannibalism, Cannibalism - Non-human cannibalism, Cannibalism - Cannibalism among humans, Cannibalism - Medical explanations, Cannibalism - Modern cannibalism, Cannibalism - Historical cannibalism incidents, Cannibalism - Cannibalism in war, Cannibalism - 'Cannibalism' as cultural libel, Cannibalism - Sexualized cannibalism fantasies and real, Cannibalism - Cannibal themes in myth religion or arts, Cannibalism - Cannibalism as sympathetic magic, Cannibalism - Cannibalism as a funeral rite, Cannibalism - Cannibalism in popular culture, Cannibalism - Other uses of the word

Read more here: » Cannibalism: Encyclopedia II - Cannibalism - 'Cannibalism' as cultural libel

Oracle A divine saying, or the place or means by which a divine message is communicated. The soul, according to Plato, has a certain innate prophetic power. The person in whom this power is fully manifest needs no means of communication; in some it may be manifest temporarily and under certain conditions. In the Greek Heroic ages, deities spoke or appeared directly to man, as we see in Homer.

Later, indirect means of communication were used, which may be classed under the general name of oracular. In some cases the intervention of a seer was employed, as in the Sibyllae of Rome and the Pythian seeress of Delphi. Sometimes the "spirits" of the dead were consulted, as in the case of Saul and the wise woman of Endor, and Aeneas and Anchises.

The earth and the chthonic deities played an important part: at Delphi, though Apollo was consulted, yet the priestess was entranced, as alleged, through the influence of vapors from the earth; sometimes descent into subterranean caves was necessary, and the inquirer might have to undergo experiences analogous to those of one who dies, as in initiation.

Again, it was often customary for the inquirer to sleep in a sacred place to obtain in a dream a revelation from the presiding deity. Or the message might be conveyed by some sign requiring the skill of a diviner for its interpretation, but this comes under the head of divination and omens. The whole purpose was to supplement the intelligence of the incarnate man by appealing to truly spiritual intelligences.

Although a species of necromancy, or consulting with the dead, was not infrequent in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, yet invariably it was strongly discountenanced and in many cases rigorously put down by the State. Even in those cases where Greek and Roman literature show important personages in mythology consulting the dead, it was understood among the educated that the astral spooks or shades thus evoked were by no means spirits of excarnate human beings; but the attempt was to gather from the astral shades automatic responses from impressions retained in the astral corpses.

The famous Greek oracles (manteia or chresteria) had a widespread repute which attests their public use, though their repute outlasted their genuineness.

(See also: Oracle, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

More "rider god" steles are at the Burdur Museum, in Turkey. Under the Roman Emperor Gordian III the god on horseback appears on coins minted at Tlos, in neighboring Lycia, and at Istrus, in the province of Lower Moesia, between Thrace and the Danube. It is generally thought that the young emperor's grandfather came from an Anatolian family, because of his unusual cognomen, Gordianus. Sabazios on c ...

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Sabazios, Sabazios - Thracian/Phrygian Sabazios, Sabazios - The god on horseback, Sabazios - Transformation to Sabazius, Sabazios - The Jewish connection

Read more here: » Sabazios: Encyclopedia II - Sabazios - The god on horseback

The naturally syncretic approach of Greek religion blurred distinctions. Later Greek writers, like Strabo, 1st century AD, linked Sabazios with Zagreos, among Phrygian ministers and attendants of the sacred rites of Rhea and Dionysos. (Strabo, 10.3.15). Strabo's Sicilian contemporary, Diodorus Siculus, conflates Sabazios with the secret 'second' Dionysus, born of Zeus and Persephone (Diodorus Siculus, 4.4.1). The Clement of Alexandria had been informed that the secret mysteries of Sabazius, as practiced among the Romans, involved a serpent, ...

See also:

Sabazios, Sabazios - Thracian/Phrygian Sabazios, Sabazios - The god on horseback, Sabazios - Transformation to Sabazius, Sabazios - The Jewish connection

Read more here: » Sabazios: Encyclopedia II - Sabazios - Transformation to Sabazius

Luigi Cherubini composed the opera Médée in 1797 and it is Cherubini's best known work, but better known by its Italian title, Medea. Darius Milhaud composed the opera Médée in 1939, text by Madeleine Milhaud (his wife and cousin). ...

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Medea, Medea - Medea in music, Medea - Medea in literature, Medea - Medea on film

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Mari is considered the supreme goddess, and her consort Sugaar the supreme god. Mari is depicted in many different forms: sometimes as various women, as different red animals, as the black he-goat, etc. Sugaar, however, appears only as a man or a serpent/dragon. Mari is said to be served by the sorginak, semi-mythical creatures impossible to differentiate from actual witches or pagan priestesses. The nucleus of witches near Zugarramurdi met at the Akelarre field and were the target of a process in Logroño that was the major ac ...

See also:

Basque mythology, Basque mythology - Mari and her court, Basque mythology - Other creatures and characters, Basque mythology - Urtzi, Basque mythology - Christianity, Basque mythology - Modern myths

Read more here: » Basque mythology: Encyclopedia II - Basque mythology - Mari and her court