To effect this, it was necessary to set all his eyes to sleep. Jupiter commanded Mercury to slay Argus and deliver Io. Escape seemed hopeless, as Argus had a hundred eyes, of which he closed only two in sleep, while the others watched. Jupiter was afraid to refuse, and Juno consigned the unhappy Io to the guardianship of Argus. The goddess suspected the deceit, and begged the beautiful heifer as a gift. He strove to hide her from the anger of Juno by transforming her into a cow. Io, the daughter of In´achus, was beloved by Jupiter. Mercury was, therefore, the patron of thieves. He intended also to steal Jove’s thunderbolts, but was fearful they would burn him. While yet an infant, he stole the tools of Vulcan, the girdle of Venus, and the sceptre of Jupiter. On the very day of his birth, he stole some cattle from King Admetus, although Apollo was keeping them and while that god was bending his bow against him, he contrived to steal his quiver. No he was most skillful in the art of thieving. Were all his talents equally honorable?Īns. Mercury was also the inventor of weights and measures, and the patron of commerce. The Greeks worshipped him as the patron of orators, under the name of Hermes. He was the inventor of letters, and excelled in eloquence. He also swept the room where the gods supped, and made their beds.Īns. Mercury is commonly called the messenger of the gods. They were various his most important function was to carry the commands of Jupiter. His helmet was called Pet´asus, and his winged sandals Talaria.Īns. The rod was called Cadu´ceus, and possessed a wonderful faculty for quieting all disputes. How are these different equipments named?Īns. As a young man of cheerful countenance, having wings fixed to his helmet and his sandals, and carrying a rod in his hand, which is also winged, and entwined with serpents. On his mother’s account, sacrifices were generally offered to him during the month of May.Īns. He was the son of Jupiter and Ma´ia, the daughter of Atlas. The priests of Bellona, when officiating, held naked swords, with which they gashed their arms and shoulders, making libations of their own blood, to the terrible goddess. A pillar stood before the temple, over which the herald cast a spear when he proclaimed war. Here the Senate gave audience to such ambassadors as they were not willing to admit within the walls. The temple of Bellona at Rome, was without the city, near the Carmental gate. She is generally represented as above, but some poets have described her as rushing through the ranks of war, waving a flaming torch, and exciting the combatants by her cries. Except the story of his attachment to Venus, the poets relate but little of Mars.īellona, the goddess of war, was, according to some, the sister of Mars. Their name comes from the Latin word “to dance,” and was considered appropriate, because Mars is inconstant in his temper, and inclines now to this side, now to that, in time of war. Among the Romans, priests called Salii attended to the sacrifices of Mars, and on festival days went about the city dancing with their shields. He was called Quiri´nus when he was quiet, Gradi´vus when he was raging therefore the Romans built him two temples, one to Mars Quiri´nus within the walls, that he might keep the city in peace and one without, to Mars Gradi´vus, that he might defend them against their enemies. The dog, on account of its sagacity in the pursuit of prey the horse, for its uses in war the wolf, for its rapacity and cruelty the raven, because it follows armies, watching for the carcasses of the slain and the cock, as an emblem of the vigilance which guards against surprise.Īns. Fear and Terror are the horses which draw the chariot.Īns. Sometimes Discord is represented going before him in tattered garments, while Anger and Clamor follow in his train. Mars is fierce in aspect and brandishes a spear. As a warrior in splendid armor, standing in a chariot driven by Bello´na, a distracted woman, who holds a torch in her hand. He was the son of Jupiter and Juno, and was worshipped as the god of war.Īns.
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