Mythical Objects

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Adamantine sickle 1. This sickle was made by Gaia and given by her to Cronos, who attacked his father Uranus, cut off his genitals and threw them into the sea behind him; and with them he also threw away the sickle at Cape Drepanum.

Adamantine sickle 2. This sickle was given to Perseus 1 by Hermes, when he went to kill Medusa 1.

Adamantine sickle 3. Zeus pelted Typhon at a distance with thunderbolts, and when they were close, the god struck him down with an adamantine sickle. However Typhon wrested the sickle from him, severed the sinews of his hands and feet, and lifting him on his shoulders carried him through the sea to Cilicia in Asia Minor and deposited him on arrival inside the Corycian cave.

Altar. The Altar was made by the CYCLOPES. On it the gods made offerings when they were about to fight against the TITANS.

Ambrosia & Nectar.

The gods neither eat bread nor drink wine, and that is why they are bloodless. Instead they drink and eat Nectar and Ambrosia, and their blood is called Ichor. So, for example Leto did not give Apollo her breast, but Themis poured nectar and ambrosia with her hands.

Even though some have considered nectar as a drink, others say that the gods eat nectar:

"I eat nectar, chewing it well, and I drink now and then ambrosia." [Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 2.39a]

Otherwise ambrosia is eaten. For when Aphrodite returned with Iris 1 to Olympus from the battlefield at Troy it is said that:

"... Iris stayed the horses and loosed them from the car, and cast before them ambrosia to eat." [Homer, Iliad 5.369]

Likewise, when Athena and Hera descended from Olympus to the Trojan battlefield,

"... Hera stopped her horses...and Simois made ambrosia spring up for them to eat." [Homer, Iliad 5.775]

And this is what was believed later on. For Damis is reported to have said to his master Apollonius:

"If banquets there be of gods, and gods take food, surely they must have attendants whose business it is that not even the parcels of ambrosia that fall to the ground should be lost." [Flavius Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana 1.19]

And nectar is drunk: when Demeter was troubled with the disappearance of Persephone, she came to the house of Astraeus 1, being there welcomed by the WINDS, who served her refreshing cups of nectar. Later Boreas 1 brought the ambrosia and set it on the table. In similar way, Ganymedes is said to draw the delicious nectar from a mixing-bowl, and carry it round at the feasts of the gods.

In any case, it is ambrosia and nectar what the gods consume, and if they were deprived of them they would become breathless, and lie down spiritless and voiceless. And when Zeus took the HECATONCHEIRES as allies against the TITANS bringing them up from the Underworld where they had been imprisoned, he provided them with nectar and ambrosia, thus reviving their spirit .

Mortals, on the other hand, are not normally allowed to taste them, and Tantalus 1, who was made immortal with nectar and ambrosia by the gods, is now being punished in the Underworld for having stolen the divine food and drink. Yet it is said that Athena mixed ambrosia, and brought it to those who were hidden in the WOODEN HORSE to appease their hunger.

Because of the properties of ambrosia, which some say it is nine times sweeter than honey, it may also be used for preservation; for Thetis shed ambrosia and nectar through the dead Patroclus 1's nostrils, so that his flesh might keep hale. She also anointed her son Achilles with ambrosia to help destroy the mortal element which the child had inherited from its father Peleus. Likewise, the fragrance of ambrosia protects effectively against disagreeable stench, as experienced by Menelaus when he plotted an ambush against Proteus 2 hiding himself under the skins of seals, whose stench was destroyed by the sweet fragrance of the ambrosia that Eidothea 1 placed beneath his nose.

Apple of Eris. Zeus invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis all the gods except Eris. Nevertheless she came, and not being admitted to the banquet, she threw an apple through the door with the inscription "For the fairest". The apple became then a prize of beauty which was contended for by Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, who were led by Hermes to Mount Ida, near Troy, in order to be judged by the shepherd Paris, who after this turned into both prince and seducer. It has been said that this apple is one of the Apples of the HESPERIDES.

Apples of the HESPERIDES. To fetch the Golden Apples of the HESPERIDES was one of the twelve LABOURS, which Eurystheus ordered Heracles 1 to perform. These apples were found among the Hyperboreans, say some, or in Libya, say others. They were presented by Gaia to Zeus after his marriage with Hera, and guarded by an immortal dragon with a hundred heads.

Argo. The Argo was the ship of the ARGONAUTS. This vessel possessed speech, because at its prow Athena fitted in a speaking timber. It might have caused the death of Jason, when a part of its wreck fell upon his head, if Medea's prophecy was ever fulfilled.

Bed of Helius. This bed, hollow and with wings, was forged of gold by Hephaestus. In it Helius is carried in sleep from the west to the east.

Belt of Aphrodite. When during the Trojan War Hera wished to delude Zeus by seducing him, she obtained for that purpose the belt of Aphrodite from this goddess. In the belt are wrought allurements such as love, desire, dalliance, and beguilement.

Belt of Hippolyte 2. To fetch the Belt of this Amazon, which was the Belt of Ares, was one of the twelve LABOURS that Eurystheus ordered Heracles 1 to perform. This labour was conceived to please Eurystheus' daughter Admete 2, who desired to get the belt.

Bone of Pelops 1. When Pelops 1 had been slain, cut up by his father, and served as a meal at a feast of the gods, Demeter, unwittingly ate his arm. However, when the gods discovered what had been on the menu, they restored Pelops 1 to life again. All his limbs were then joined together as they had been, but the shoulder was not complete, and so Demeter fitted an ivory one in its place. Much later, during the Trojan War, the Trojan seer Helenus 1 was captured by the Achaeans, and forced to tell how Troy could be taken. One condition was to bring the Bone of Pelops 1, a shoulder blade; so the Achaeans brought it from Pisa, in Elis. When the war was over and the Achaeans were returning home from Troy, the ship carrying the bone was wrecked off Euboea in a storm, but many years later, Damarmenus, a fisherman from Eretria in Euboea, drew it up. He first, marvelling at its size, kept it hidden in the sand, but later the bone was given to the Eleans, following instructions of the Oracle in Delphi.

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Bow and arrows of Heracles 1. When Heracles 1 had chopped off the immortal head of the Hydra and buried it, he slit up the body of the beast and dipped his arrows in the gall. One of this now poisoned arrows wounded the Centaur Chiron when Heracles 1, fighting with the CENTAURS, shot him by accident. Heracles 1 drew out the arrow and applied a medicine that Chiron himself prescribed, but the wound was incurable, and Chiron retired to his cave wishing to die without being able to. It was then that Prometheus 1 offered himself to Zeus to be immortal in his stead, and so Chiron died. On a later occasion, Heracles 1 shot Nessus 2 when this centaur tried to rape his wife Deianira 1. Now, before dying, Nessus 2 gave the woman an amulet containing his spilt blood, saying that it was a love charm which would help her to keep Heracles 1 with her. Deianira 1 kept the charm, and when later she learned about the love affair between her husband and Iole, she smeared a tunic with it and gave it to Heracles 1, but when he put it on, the poison of the Hydra began to corrode his skin. Heracles 1 then understood that he was going to die, and having ascended the funeral pyre, he asked each one who passed by to put fire to the pyre, but nobody had the courage to do it until Philoctetes' father Poeas, passing by to look for his flocks, set a light to it. On him Heracles 1 bestowed his bow, although some say that Philoctetes himself lighted the pyre and received, in return for his compliance, the bow and arrows of Heracles 1. Now, on his way to the Trojan War the army landed in Tenedos and there a snake bit Philoctetes, who was in the expedition. As the wound did not heal and nobody could endure the stench, the army put him ashore on the island of Lemnos along with the Bow & Arrows of Heracles 1, which were in his possession. In Lemnos, Philoctetes survived in the wilderness by shooting birds with the bow. But when the prophecy was uttered, which declared that the Achaeans could not win the war without the Bow & Arrows of Heracles 1, the army sent Odysseus and Diomedes 2 (some say Neoptolemus) to Philoctetes in Lemnos, and having by craft got possession of the bow and the arrows, they persuaded him to sail to Troy. Back in the war, Philoctetes shot Paris dead with his bow and arrows. After the sack of Troy, Philoctetes returned home to Meliboea, a city in Thessaly, only to discover that there was a sedition there. So not being able to stay at home, he emigrated to Campania in Italy, and after making war on the Lucanians, he settled in Crimissa in southern Italy, near Croton and Thurium, where he founded a sanctuary of Apollo, to whom he dedicated the bow.

Bow of Odysseus. The bow with which Odysseus massacred the SUITORS OF PENELOPE had been originally given to Eurytus 4 by Apollo. Eurytus 4 was a Prince of Oechalia, a city of doubtful location that could be in Euboea, Thessaly, or Messenia. He was son of the archer Melaneus 5, himself son of Apollo. When Eurytus 4 died, he left the bow to his son Iphitus 1, the man whom Heracles 1 threw from the walls of Tiryns; but before this, Iphitus 1 gave Odysseus the bow. As it is said, this bow Odysseus, when going to war, would never take with him, letting it lie in his halls at home. When the SUITORS were pestering Penelope with their demands of marriage, she delivered the bow to them, saying that she would marry him who bent it and shot the marks. When none of them could bend the bow, Odysseus, who was disguised as a beggar, took it and shot down the SUITORS.

Brazen Castanets. When Heracles 1 could not drive the Stymphalian Birds from the wood, Athena, they say, gave him brazen castanets, which she had received from Hephaestus. By clashing these on a certain mountain, he scared the birds that could not abide the sound. And when they were fluttering up in a fright, Heracles 1 shot them dead.

Brazen Shield. A helpful weapon use by Perseus 1, which he used in order to behead Medusa 1. As this monster turned into stone those who beheld them, he, in order to behead her, looked instead at her image reflected on this shield.

Bull's Hide. King Hyrieus of Thrace received Zeus, Poseidon, and Hermes as guests, and he treated them so well that they promised him whatever he should ask for. When the king asked for children, Hermes brought out the hide of the bull which Hyrieus had sacrificed to them and the gods urinated in it, burying it afterwards in the earth. From it, some say, Orion was born.

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Chair of Forgetfulness. This chair is in the Underworld. It is known that on the occasion when Pirithous and Theseus descended to the Underworld so that the former could wed Persephone, Hades bade both of them to be seated on the Chair of Forgetfulness, where they were held fast by coils of serpents. Apparently Pirithous remained bound for ever, but Heracles 1, they say, brought Theseus up, and sent him to Athens.

Dancing-floor for Ariadne. This is one of the architectonic marvels of Daedalus, which he designed for Ariadne in the town of Cnossus in Crete.

Dart-That-Flew-Straight. This is one of the bribes that Minos 2 gave Procris 2 so that she would share his bed. Others have said, however, that she received it from Artemis. In any case, after Procris 2 gave the dart to her husband Cephalus 1, she was accidentally killed by him with the same dart.

Dragon's Teeth. This dragon guarded a spring near Thebes, and destroyed most of those that came for water. But Cadmus killed it, and following Athena's advice sowed its teeth. Then there rose from the ground armed men called SPARTI. Later King Aeetes of Colchis, who had received from Athena half of the dragon's teeth, ordered Jason to yoke two wild bulls and sow them as Cadmus had done. And when Jason had sown the teeth, once again armed men rose from the ground.

Dragon-chariot of Medea. When Medea had killed her children with Jason, she left Corinth and fled to Athens on a chariot drawn by winged dragons that she had got from Helius.

Dragon-chariot of Triptolemus. Demeter gave Triptolemus wheat, and made for him a chariot of winged dragons, with which, flying through the sky, he sowed the whole inhabited earth.

Ephemeral fruits. With the help of these seldom mentioned fruits, the MOERAE beguiled Typhon, letting him taste the ephemeral fruits, and telling him that he would be strengthened thereby.

Gates of Sleep. Two gates of sleep are known through which dreams reach mortals: one of horn and one of ivory. The dreams that come through the ivory gate cheat mortals with empty promises, whereas those that pass through the gate of horn tell the dreamer the truth of what will happen.

Golden Apples of Aphrodite. Atalanta, who refused to wed, caused her wooers to race before her, and herself ran in arms; and if the wooer was caught up, he was killed on the spot, and if he was not caught up, his due was marriage. But when Melanion, or as others say Hippomenes 2, was being pursued, he threw down the golden apples that he had received from Aphrodite, and Atalanta, picking up the dropped fruit, was beaten in the race.

Golden Crown 1. Procris 2, who loved bribes, received from Pteleon a golden crown, admitting him, thanks to it, to her bed.

Golden Crown 2. Glauce 4, princess of Corinth, received a golden crown from Medea when she was about to marry the latter's husband Jason. But the crown being poisoned, it caused the death of the princess.

Golden Fleece. In order to save her children, Nephele 2, wife of Athamas 1, gave a Ram with a Golden Fleece, which he had received from Hermes, to Phrixus 1 and Helle, and these, borne through the sky, crossed land and sea. Helle slipped into the Hellespont, called after her, and was drowned; but her brother came to Colchis, sacrificed the ram, and gave the fleece to King Aeetes, who nailed it to an oak, where it was guarded by a sleepless dragon. Jason and his ARGONAUTS were later sent by King Pelias 1 to fetch it, and Jason received it from Medea, who betraying her father Aeetes, gave it to him, having lulled to sleep the dragon that guarded it. On his return to Iolcus, they say, Jason surrendered the Fleece to Pelias 1.

Golden Goblet. When Heracles 1 was performing one of his LABOURS, he erected two pillars against each other to mark the boundaries of Europe and Libya (at the place today called 'Strait of Gibraltar'), and as he offered to Helius, the god gave him a Golden Goblet in which he crossed the ocean.

Golden Maidens. When Hephaestus approached Thetis, who had come to ask him a favour, Golden Maidens came to help him, who had the appearance of real girls, could speak and use their limbs, and were endowed with intelligence and trained in handwork.

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Helmet of Hades. This is the gift that the CYCLOPES gave Hades. The helmet rends the wearer invisible. Perseus 1 wore it when he went to kill Medusa 1, and Hermes during the war against the GIANTS. Also Athena put on the helmet of Hades at Troy, so that Ares should not see her.

Horn of Amalthea. This is the Horn of Plenty. The naiad Amalthea of Cretan Mount Ida is said to have hidden Zeus in the woods. She is said to have owned a she-goat who suckled the god. But when she broke a horn on a tree, she was shorn of half her charm. So Amalthea picked it up, wrapped it in herbs, and carried it, full of fruit, to the lips of Zeus. Later when the god became the ruler of heaven, he turned both his nurse and her horn of plenty into stars. Others have simply said that Amalthea owned a bull's horn, which had the power of supplying meat or drink in abundance. Yet others say that when Heracles 1 wrestled for the hand of Deianira 1 with the river god Achelous, who assumed the likeness of a bull, he broke off one of his horns, and that Achelous recovered the horn by giving the horn of Amalthea in its stead.

Ichor. The gods are bloodless, and instead of blood they have ichor, which may flow forth just like blood, as Aphrodite experienced when wounded in battle by Diomedes 2 in the course of the Trojan War. Also the wonderful Talos 1, who although invulnerable was not a god, but instead someone made of bronze, proved to have ichor circulating inside him. For when Medea drove him mad, promising to make him immortal, she was able to draw out a bronze nail that he had at the end of a vein, causing the ichor to gush out, thus destroying him.

Labyrinth. The Labyrinth which Daedalus constructed was a chamber with winding passageways, conceived in such a manner that those unfamiliar with them could not find their way out. It was in this Labyrinth that the Minotaur was maintained, devouring the youths who were sent to it from Athens, in accordance with the peace-treaty agreed between this city and Crete.

Lyre of Orpheus. Apollo took the lyre and taught Orpheus to play it, after he himself had invented the cithara. The lyre was put by the MUSES among the stars after the death of Orpheus. Hyg.Ast.2.7, Ara.Phae.269.

Palladium. The Palladium is the wooden statue that fell from heaven and was kept at Troy; for so long as it was preserved, the city was safe.

Robe and Necklace of Harmonia 1.

Shield for Achilles.

Hephaestus fashioned for Achilles a shield of five layers, which he adorned all over, depicting the earth, the heavens, the sea, the sun, the moon, and all the constellations: the PLEIADES, the HYADES 1, Orion, and the Bear, which never bathes in the stream of the Ocean.

He also fashioned two large cities, and in one of them there were marriages and banquets. They were leading the brides from their homes through the city, with music and hymns, while young men danced accompanied by flutes and lyres. But there was also a dispute about the payment of compensation for a man who had been killed. Both sides were then cheered by their supporters in the crowd, and while heralds tried to silence them, the Elders sat on polished stones in a sacred circle. Two talents of gold could be seen in the centre, to be given to the Elder whose exposition of the law should prove the best.

The other city was beleaguered by two armies that had not yet decided if they were to lay waste the town or to divide in portions all property between themselves and the inhabitants, who had not yet capitulated and were preparing an ambush. Finally a battle took place, and the soldiers fought and dragged away each other's dead.

Hephaestus depicted as well a large field which was being ploughed. The workers were given wine when they reached the end of the field that, even though it was made of gold, looked black in the shield, just as a field does when it is being ploughed.

He also wrought a king's estate, where labourers were reaping, bearing sickles, while under an oak in the background the king's attendants were preparing a feast. There a vineyard, wrought in gold and silver, could also be seen, and the fruit was carried off by young men and girls, while a boy played the lyre.

The god also depicted a herd of cattle, making the cows of gold and tin, being accompanied by four golden herdsmen and nine dogs running along with them. A pair of lions had seized a bull at the head of the herd, while men and dogs ran up to the rescue; but the lions were already devouring the bull. To this Hephaestus added a grazing ground for sheep, in a valley with plenty of details, such as farm buildings and huts.

Hephaestus also depicted a dancing&endash;floor like the one that Daedalus made in Cnossus for Ariadne, and he put on it youths and maidens dancing with their hands on one another's wrists. And a crowd could be seen standing round and enjoying the dance, with a minstrel among them winging to the lyre.

And finally, round the uttermost rim of the shield, he put the stream of Oceanus.

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Staff of Tiresias. Tiresias the seer received from Athena a staff of cornel wood, which seems fit for a blind seer.

Thunderbolt. The thunderbolt was given by the CYCLOPES to Zeus, and when the god flings one it is not lost; for an Eagle fetches it back.

Trident. The trident was given by the CYCLOPES to Poseidon.

Underground house. Ariadne's son Oenopion 1 sailed from Crete and settled in Chios, which is an Aegean island off the coast of Ionia in Asia Minor. There came also Orion, wishing to marry Oenopion 1's daughter Merope 3. But Oenopion 1 made him drunk, and when Orion was asleep, he put out his eyes and cast him on the beach. However, Orion was healed by the sun's rays, and having recovered his sight, he purposed to attack the man who had blinded him. But Oenopion 1 had taken refuge in an underground house constructed by Hephaestus.

Wallet of Perseus 1. In a wallet that certain nymphs gave to Perseus 1, ended up the head of Medusa 1 which he cut off.

Winged Sandals of Perseus 1. Perseus 1 came flying through the sky, not for having mounted a certain winged horse, but because certain nymphs provided him with winged sandals.

Wings. Daedalus could fly because he had made wings. Wishing to escape from Crete, he fitted with wax the wings to himself and to his son Icarus 1, and so they could fly away. However, Icarus 1 flew too high, and when the wax was melted by the sun, he fell into the sea and perished.

Wooden Cow. Another of Daedalus' inventions. He constructed a Wooden Cow on wheels, and having hollowed it out, he sewed it up in the hide of a real cow. Then he set it in the meadow in which a certain bull for which Queen Pasiphae of Crete had conceived a passion, used to graze. When this was done, and the queen had introduced herself into it, the bull, believing it was seeing a real cow, came and coupled with it. And from this union the Minotaur was born, who had the head of a bull, and a human body.

WOODEN HORSE.

Zeus' Umbilical Cord. It has been told that when Zeus, being still a child, was being carried away by the CURETES, the umbilical cord fell from him near the river known as Triton, and after that incident this spot was made sacred and called Omphalus.