GIANTS, SPHINX, PEGASUS AND CHIM?RA, CENTAURS1, GRIFFIN, AND PYGMIES
Monsters, in the language of mythology3, were beings of unnatural4 proportions or parts, usually regarded with terror, as possessing immense strength and ferocity, which they employed for the injury and annoyance5 of men. Some of them were supposed to combine the members of different animals; such were the Sphinx and Chim?ra; and to these all the terrible qualities of wild beasts were attributed, together with human sagacity and faculties6. Others, as the giants, differed from men chiefly in their size; and in this particular we must recognize a wide distinction among them. The human giants, if so they may be called, such as the Cyclopes, Ant?us, Orion, and others, must be supposed not to be altogether disproportioned to human beings, for they mingled7 in love and strife8 with them. But the superhuman giants, who warred with the gods, were of vastly larger dimensions. Tityus, we are told, when stretched on the plain, covered nine acres, and Enceladus required the whole of Mount ?tna to be laid upon him to keep him down.
We have already spoken of the war which the giants waged against the gods, and of its result. While this war lasted the giants proved a formidable enemy. Some of them, like Briareus, had a hundred arms; others, like Typhon, breathed out fire. At one time they put the gods to such fear that they fled into Egypt and hid themselves under various forms. Jupiter took the form of a ram9, whence he was afterwards worshipped in Egypt as the god Ammon, with curved horns. Apollo became a crow, Bacchus a goat, Diana a cat, Juno a cow, Venus a fish, Mercury a bird. At another time the giants attempted to climb up into heaven, and for that purpose took up the mountain Ossa and piled it on Pelion.[16] They were at last subdued10 by thunderbolts, which Minerva invented, and taught Vulcan and his Cyclopes to make for Jupiter.
THE SPHINX
Laius, king of Thebes, was warned by an oracle11 that there was danger to his throne and life if his new-born son should be suffered to grow up. He therefore committed the child to the care of a herdsman with orders to destroy him; but the herdsman, moved with pity, yet not daring entirely13 to disobey, tied up the child by the feet and left him hanging to the branch of a tree. In this condition the infant was found by a peasant, who carried him to his master and mistress, by whom he was adopted and called ?dipus, or Swollen-foot.
Many years afterwards Laius being on his way to Delphi, accompanied only by one attendant, met in a narrow road a young man also driving in a chariot. On his refusal to leave the way at their command the attendant killed one of his horses, and the stranger, filled with rage, slew14 both Laius and his attendant. The young man was ?dipus, who thus unknowingly became the slayer15 of his own father.
Shortly after this event the city of Thebes was afflicted16 with a monster which infested17 the highroad. It was called the Sphinx. It had the body of a lion and the upper part of a woman. It lay crouched18 on the top of a rock, and arrested all travellers who came that way, proposing to them a riddle19, with the condition that those who could solve it should pass safe, but those who failed should be killed. Not one had yet succeeded in solving it, and all had been slain20. ?dipus was not daunted21 by these alarming accounts, but boldly advanced to the trial. The Sphinx asked him, “What animal is that which in the morning goes on four feet, at noon on two, and in the evening upon three?” ?dipus replied, “Man, who in childhood creeps on hands and knees, in manhood walks erect22, and in old age with the aid of a staff.” The Sphinx was so mortified23 at the solving of her riddle that she cast herself down from the rock and perished.
The gratitude24 of the people for their deliverance was so great that they made ?dipus their king, giving him in marriage their queen Jocasta. ?dipus, ignorant of his parentage, had already become the slayer of his father; in marrying the queen he became the husband of his mother. These horrors remained undiscovered, till at length Thebes was afflicted with famine and pestilence25, and the oracle being consulted, the double crime of ?dipus came to light. Jocasta put an end to her own life, and ?dipus, seized with madness, tore out his eyes and wandered away from Thebes, dreaded26 and abandoned by all except his daughters, who faithfully adhered to him, till after a tedious period of miserable27 wandering he found the termination of his wretched life.
PEGASUS AND THE CHIM?RA
When Perseus cut off Medusa’s head, the blood sinking into the earth produced the winged horse Pegasus. Minerva caught him and tamed him and presented him to the Muses28. The fountain Hippocrene, on the Muses’ mountain Helicon, was opened by a kick from his hoof29.
The Chim?ra was a fearful monster, breathing fire. The fore12 part of its body was a compound of the lion and the goat, and the hind30 part a dragon’s. It made great havoc31 in Lycia, so that the king, Iobates, sought for some hero to destroy it. At that time there arrived at his court a gallant32 young warrior33, whose name was Bellerophon. He brought letters from Pr?tus, the son-in-law of Iobates, recommending Bellerophon in the warmest terms as an unconquerable hero, but added at the close a request to his father-in-law to put him to death. The reason was that Pr?tus was jealous of him, suspecting that his wife Antea looked with too much admiration34 on the young warrior. From this instance of Bellerophon being unconsciously the bearer of his own death warrant, the expression “Bellerophontic letters” arose, to describe any species of communication which a person is made the bearer of, containing matter prejudicial to himself.
Iobates, on perusing35 the letters, was puzzled what to do, not willing to violate the claims of hospitality, yet wishing to oblige his son-in-law. A lucky thought occurred to him, to send Bellerophon to combat with the Chim?ra. Bellerophon accepted the proposal, but before proceeding36 to the combat consulted the soothsayer Polyidus, who advised him to procure37 if possible the horse Pegasus for the conflict. For this purpose he directed him to pass the night in the temple of Minerva. He did so, and as he slept Minerva came to him and gave him a golden bridle38. When he awoke the bridle remained in his hand. Minerva also showed him Pegasus drinking at the well of Pirene, and at sight of the bridle the winged steed came willingly and suffered himself to be taken. Bellerophon mounted him, rose with him into the air, soon found the Chim?ra, and gained an easy victory over the monster.
After the conquest of the Chim?ra Bellerophon was exposed to further trials and labors39 by his unfriendly host, but by the aid of Pegasus he triumphed in them all, till at length Iobates, seeing that the hero was a special favorite of the gods, gave him his daughter in marriage and made him his successor on the throne. At last Bellerophon by his pride and presumption40 drew upon himself the anger of the gods; it is said he even attempted to fly up into heaven on his winged steed, but Jupiter sent a gadfly which stung Pegasus and made him throw his rider, who became lame41 and blind in consequence. After this Bellerophon wandered lonely through the Aleian field, avoiding the paths of men, and died miserably42.
Milton alludes43 to Bellerophon in the beginning of the seventh book of “Paradise Lost”:
“Descend from Heaven, Urania, by that name
If rightly thou art called, whose voice divine
Following above the Olympian hill I soar,
Above the flight of Pegasean wing.
Upled by thee,
Into the Heaven of Heavens I have presumed,
An earthly guest, and drawn44 empyreal air
(Thy tempering); with like safety guided down
Return me to my native element;
Lest from this flying steed unreined (as once
Bellerophon, though from a lower sphere),
Dismounted on the Aleian field I fall,
Erroneous there to wander and forlorn.”
Young, in his “Night Thoughts,” speaking of the sceptic, says:
“He whose blind thought futurity denies,
Unconscious bears, Bellerophon, like thee
His own indictment45; he condemns46 himself.
Who reads his bosom47 reads immortal48 life,
Or nature there, imposing49 on her sons,
Has written fables50; man was made a lie.”
Vol. II., p. 12.
Pegasus, being the horse of the Muses, has always been at the service of the poets. Schiller tells a pretty story of his having been sold by a needy51 poet and put to the cart and the plough. He was not fit for such service, and his clownish master could make nothing of him. But a youth stepped forth52 and asked leave to try him. As soon as he was seated on his back the horse, which had appeared at first vicious, and afterwards spirit-broken, rose kingly, a spirit, a god, unfolded the splendor53 of his wings, and soared towards heaven. Our own poet Longfellow also records an adventure of this famous steed in his “Pegasus in Pound.”
Shakspeare alludes to Pegasus in “Henry IV.,” where Vernon describes Prince Henry:
“I saw young Harry54, with his beaver55 on,
His cuishes on his thighs56, gallantly57 armed,
Rise from the ground like feathered Mercury,
And vaulted58 with such ease into his seat,
As if an angel dropped down from the clouds,
To turn and wind a fiery59 Pegasus,
And witch the world with noble horsemanship.”
THE CENTAURS
These monsters were represented as men from the head to the loins, while the remainder of the body was that of a horse. The ancients were too fond of a horse to consider the union of his nature with man’s as forming a very degraded compound, and accordingly the Centaur2 is the only one of the fancied monsters of antiquity60 to which any good traits are assigned. The Centaurs were admitted to the companionship of man, and at the marriage of Pirithous with Hippodamia they were among the guests. At the feast Eurytion, one of the Centaurs, becoming intoxicated61 with the wine, attempted to offer violence to the bride; the other Centaurs followed his example, and a dreadful conflict arose in which several of them were slain. This is the celebrated62 battle of the Lapith? and Centaurs, a favorite subject with the sculptors63 and poets of antiquity.
But not all the Centaurs were like the rude guests of Pirithous. Chiron was instructed by Apollo and Diana, and was renowned64 for his skill in hunting, medicine, music, and the art of prophecy. The most distinguished65 heroes of Grecian story were his pupils. Among the rest the infant ?sculapius was intrusted to his charge by Apollo, his father. When the sage66 returned to his home bearing the infant, his daughter Ocyroe came forth to meet him, and at sight of the child burst forth into a prophetic strain (for she was a prophetess), foretelling67 the glory that he was to achieve. ?sculapius when grown up became a renowned physician, and even in one instance succeeded in restoring the dead to life. Pluto68 resented this, and Jupiter, at his request, struck the bold physician with lightning, and killed him, but after his death received him into the number of the gods.
Chiron was the wisest and justest of all the Centaurs, and at his death Jupiter placed him among the stars as the constellation69 Sagittarius.
THE PYGMIES
The Pygmies were a nation of dwarfs70, so called from a Greek word which means the cubit or measure of about thirteen inches, which was said to be the height of these people. They lived near the sources of the Nile, or according to others, in India. Homer tells us that the cranes used to migrate every winter to the Pygmies’ country, and their appearance was the signal of bloody71 warfare72 to the puny73 inhabitants, who had to take up arms to defend their cornfields against the rapacious74 strangers. The Pygmies and their enemies the Cranes form the subject of several works of art.
Later writers tell of an army of Pygmies which finding Hercules asleep made preparations to attack him, as if they were about to attack a city. But the hero, awaking, laughed at the little warriors75, wrapped some of them up in his lion’s skin, and carried them to Eurystheus.
Milton uses the Pygmies for a simile76, “Paradise Lost,” Book I.:
“. . . like that Pygm?an race
Beyond the Indian mount, or fairy elves
Whose midnight revels77 by a forest side,
Or fountain, some belated peasant sees
(Or dreams he sees), while overhead the moon
Sits arbitress, and nearer to the earth
Wheels her pale course; they on their mirth and dance
Intent, with jocund78 music charm his ear.
At once with joy and fear his heart rebounds79.”
THE GRIFFIN, OR GRYPHON
The Griffin is a monster with the body of a lion, the head and wings of an eagle, and back covered with feathers. Like birds it builds its nest, and instead of an egg lays an agate80 therein. It has long claws and talons81 of such a size that the people of that country make them into drinking-cups. India was assigned as the native country of the Griffins. They found gold in the mountains and build their nests of it, for which reason their nests were very tempting82 to the hunters, and they were forced to keep vigilant83 guard over them. Their instinct led them to know where buried treasures lay, and they did their best to keep plunderers at a distance. The Arimaspians, among whom the Griffins flourished, were a one-eyed people of Scythia.
Milton borrows a simile from the Griffins, “Paradise Lost,” Book II.:
“As when a Gryphon through the wilderness84,
With winged course, o’er hill and moory85 dale,
Pursues the Arimaspian who by stealth
Hath from his wakeful custody86 purloined87
His guarded gold,” etc.
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1
centaurs
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| n.（希腊神话中）半人半马怪物( centaur的名词复数 ) | |
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centaur
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| n.人首马身的怪物 | |
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mythology
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| n.神话，神话学，神话集 | |
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unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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ram
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| (random access memory)随机存取存储器 | |
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subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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oracle
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| n.神谕，神谕处，预言 | |
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fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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14
slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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slayer
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| n. 杀人者，凶手 | |
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afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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infested
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| adj.为患的，大批滋生的（常与with搭配）v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 )；遍布于 | |
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18
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
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slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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21
daunted
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| 使（某人）气馁，威吓( daunt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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23
mortified
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| v.使受辱( mortify的过去式和过去分词 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等） | |
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24
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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25
pestilence
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| n.瘟疫 | |
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26
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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27
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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28
muses
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的第三人称单数 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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29
hoof
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| n.(马，牛等的)蹄 | |
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30
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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32
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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33
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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34
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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35
perusing
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| v.读（某篇文字）( peruse的现在分词 )；（尤指）细阅；审阅；匆匆读或心不在焉地浏览（某篇文字） | |
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36
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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37
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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38
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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39
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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40
presumption
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| n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定 | |
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41
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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42
miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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43
alludes
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| 提及，暗指( allude的第三人称单数 ) | |
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44
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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45
indictment
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| n.起诉；诉状 | |
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46
condemns
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| v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的第三人称单数 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地 | |
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47
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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49
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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50
fables
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| n.寓言( fable的名词复数 )；神话，传说 | |
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51
needy
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| adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的 | |
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52
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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53
splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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54
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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beaver
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| n.海狸，河狸 | |
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56
thighs
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| n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿 | |
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57
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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intoxicated
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| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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sculptors
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| 雕刻家，雕塑家( sculptor的名词复数 )； [天]玉夫座 | |
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renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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67
foretelling
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的现在分词 ) | |
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Pluto
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| n.冥王星 | |
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constellation
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| n.星座n.灿烂的一群 | |
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70
dwarfs
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| n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式） | |
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71
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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puny
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| adj.微不足道的，弱小的 | |
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rapacious
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| adj.贪婪的，强夺的 | |
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75
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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simile
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| n.直喻，明喻 | |
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77
revels
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| n.作乐( revel的名词复数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉v.作乐( revel的第三人称单数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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jocund
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| adj.快乐的，高兴的 | |
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rebounds
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| 反弹球( rebound的名词复数 )； 回弹球； 抢断篮板球； 复兴 | |
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agate
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| n.玛瑙 | |
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81
talons
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| n.（尤指猛禽的）爪( talon的名词复数 )；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物；锁簧尖状突出部 | |
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tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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vigilant
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| adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的 | |
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84
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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moory
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| adj.摩尔人的，（建筑、家具等）摩尔人式的，摩尔人风格的 | |
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custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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purloined
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| v.偷窃( purloin的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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