Classic Myths

by Mary Catherine Judd

The following key explains the symbols which are used in the pronouncing index to indicate the pronunciation of the words. It is based upon the 1900 edition of Webster's International Dictionary:

a- as in fate.
a- as in pref' ace.
a- as in add.
a- as in air.
a- as in far.
a- as in grass.
a- as in all.
e- as in eve.
e- as in e-vent'.
e- as in end.
e- as in her.
i- as in ice.
i- as in i-de' a.
i- as in pin.
o- as in row.
o- as in o-bey'.
o- as in not.
o- as in lord.
u- as in use.
u- as in u-nite'.
u- as in up.
u- as in furl.
u- as in rude.
u- as in full.
y- as in fly.
y- as in pit' y.
oo- as in moon.
oo- as in good.
ou- as in out.
oi- as in oil.
n=ng as in ink.
Silent letters are italicized. Certain vowels, as aand e, when obscured, are also italicized.
A
Adonis (a do' nis). A youth famed for his beauty
and beloved by Venus.
Aeneas (e ne' as). A valiant Trojan warrior.
Aeolus (e' o lus). The king of the winds.
Aetna (et'na). The chief mountain in Sicily and
highest volcano in Europe. It figures in Greek
mythology as the burning mountain.
ambrosia (am bro' zha). The fabled food of the gods,
which conferred immortality upon those who
partook of it.
Ammon (am' mun). The Egyptian Jupiter, or supreme god.
ancient (an' shent). Old; antique.
anemone (a nem' o ne) The windflower.
Antaeus (an te' us). The son of the sea and earth, or
of Neptune and Terra.
Apollo (a pol' lo). The god of the sun.
Ares (a' rez). The Greek name for Mars.
Argo (ar' go). The ship in which Jason sailed.
Argus (ar' gus). A mythical person with a hundred
eyes, set by Juno to watch Io.
Asgard (as' gard). The home of the Northern gods.
Athena (a the' na). The Greek name for Minerva.
Athens (ath' enz). A city in Greece.
Atlas (at' las). The giant who bears up the sky on
his shoulders.
Aurora (a ro' ra). The goddess of the dawn.
B
Bacchus (bak' kus). The god of wine.
Baldur (bal'der). Son of Woden and brother of
Thor. The god of summer.
Baucis (ba' sis). The wife of Philemon.
Bellerophon (bel ler' o fon). The son of Glaucus. The
youth who slew the chimera.
Briareus (bri a' re us). A famous giant, fabled to
have a hundred arms.
Byrgir (byr' gir). The well to which Hjuki went for water.
C
Cadmus (kad' mus). Son of a king of Phoenicia, said
to be the inventor of letters.
caldron (kal' drun). A large metal kettle.
Castor (kas' tor). Twin brother of Pollux, noted for
his skill in managing horses.
Celeus (se' le us). A king of Eleusis, father of
Triptolemus. He gave a kind reception to Ceres,
who taught his son the cultivation of the earth.
Ceres (se' rez). The goddess of grains and fruits.
chamois (sham' my). A small species of antelope of
remarkable agility.
chimera (ki me' ra). A fabulous monster in Lycia,
which was slain by Bellerophon.
Clio (kli' o). The muse of history.
Clymene (kli me' ne). Mother of Phaeton.
Clytie (kli' ti e). The maiden who was changed into
a sunflower.
Cupid (ku' pid). The god of love, possessing eternal
youth, son of Mars and Venus.
D
Daedalus (ded' a lus). The builder of the Cretan labyrinth.
Daphne (daf' ne). A nymph beloved by Apollo.
Diana (di a' na). Goddess of the moon, twin sister
of Apollo.
dolphin (dol' fin). Large sea fish.
E
Echo (ek' o). A nymph who pined away until nothing
was left but her voice.
Epimetheus (ep' i me' the us). The Titan who made
man and the lower animals.
F
fagots (fag' utz). Twigs.
Fensalir (fen sa ler'). The home of Frigga.
forget-me-not (for get'-me-not). A small herb bearing
a blue flower, and considered the emblem of
fidelity.
Frigga (frig' ga). The supreme goddess of the Northland,
wife of Woden.
G
Gemini (jem' i ni). A constellation containing the
two bright stars, Castor and Pollux.
Gordius (gor' di us). A peasant who, by direction of
an oracle, was proclaimed King of Phrygia.
Great Bear (great bear). The name often given to
the stars forming the Big Dipper, or Charles'
Wain.
H
Halcyone (hal si' o ne). A daughter of Aeolus, who,
for love of her drowned husband, threw herself
into the sea and was changed into the kingfisher.
Hela (hel' a). The ruler of the land of death.
Helicon (hel' i kon). Famous mountain of Greece.
Hercules (her' ku lez). The most famous hero of
Greek mythology, son of Zeus or Jupiter.
Hermod (her' mod). A hero of Norse mythology,
and a brother of Baldur.
Hjuki (ju' ki). Jack, the boy who went with Bil, or
Jill, for water.
Hodur (ho' der). The blind god who threw the fatal
branch of mistletoe at Baldur. The god of winter.
I
Icarus (ik' a rus). A son of Daedalus.
Iobates (i ob' a tez). The King of Lycia.
Iris (i' ris). Juno's maid, a personification of the
rainbow.
J
Jason (ja' sun). A prince of Thessaly, who brought
away from Colchis the golden fleece.
Juno (ju' no). The wife of Jupiter.
Jupiter (ju' pi ter). In Roman mythology, the supreme
god of heaven.
L
laboratory (lab' o ra to ry). The workroom of a chemist.
Latin (lat' in). The language of the ancient Romans.
Latona (la to' na). The wife of Jupiter and the
mother of Apollo and Diana.
Leda (le' da). The mother of Castor and Pollux, and
of Helen of Troy.
Lindu (lin' du). A maiden who had charge of the
birds, identified with the Milky Way.
Loki (lo' ki). The god who caused Hodur to throw
the fatal branch of mistletoe at Baldur. The god of fire.
M
Mani (ma' ni). The Norse god of the moon.
Mars (marz). The Roman god of war.
Mercury (mer' ku ry). The Roman god of commerce
and gain. Personification of the wind, which
fills the sails of merchant-vessels.
Midas (mi' das). Son of Gordius and King of Phrygia.
Minerva (mi ner' va). The goddess of wisdom.
Mount Olympus (o lim' pus). The home of Jupiter
and the Greek gods.
N
Narcissus (nar sis' sus). A beautiful youth, who was
changed into the flower narcissus.
nectar (nek' ter). The drink of the gods.
Neptune (nep' tune). The ruler of the sea.
Norwegian (nor we' ji an). A native of Norway.
O
Odin (o' din). The same as Woden.
Olympian (o lim' pi an). Pertaining to Olympus, the
seat of the gods.
Orion (o ri' on). A giant hunter, whose name was
given to a constellation.
Orpheus (or' fe us). A poet and musician, who with
his sweet lyre charmed the very rocks and trees
to follow him.
P
Pactolus (pak to' lus). A river of Lydia.
Pegasus (peg' a sus). A winged horse belonging to
Apollo and the Muses.
Perdix (per' diks). The nephew of Daedalus; changed
by Athena into a partridge.
Phaeton (fa' e ton). A son ot Apollo.
Phenice (fe ni' se). Phoenicia; Tyre and Sidon; a
land west of Palestine.
Philemon (fi le' mun). An aged Phrygian, the husband
of Baucis.
Phrygia (frij' i a). A country of Asia Minor.
Pirene (pi re' ne). The fountain at which Pegasus
could be found.
Pleiades (ple' ya dez). The seven daughters of Atlas.
Made by Jupiter a constellation in the sky.
Pluto (plu' to). The god of the lower world, or Hades.
Pollux (pol' luks). A famous pugilist, and twin
brother of Castor.
Poseidon (po sei' don). The Greek name of Neptune.
Prometheus (pro me' the us). The Titan who gave
fire to man.
Proserpina (pro ser' pi na). The daughter of Ceres.
python (py' thon). A mythical serpent killed near
Delphi by Apollo.
R
realm (realm). Kingdom.
reigned (rand). Ruled; governed.
Runic (ru' nik). Pertaining to the letters called
"runes," belonging to the language of the ancient
Norsemen.
S
sandal (san' dal). A kind of shoe consisting of a sole
strapped to the foot.
Saturn (sat' urn). The father of Jupiter, Neptune,
and Pluto.
Scandinavian (skan di na' vi an). Of or pertaining
to Scandinavia; that is, Sweden, Norway, and
Denmark.
Sibyl (sib' il). A woman supposed to be endowed
with a spirit of prophecy.
Sicily (sis' i ly). The largest island in the Mediterranean
Sea.
Silenus (si le' nus). The foster-father of Bacchus.
Sleipnir (slap' ner). The swift eight-legged horse of
Odin.
Sonmus (som' nus). The king of sleep.
Sparta (spar' ta). Ancient city of Greece.
T
Taara (taa' ra.). The mythical home of Vanemuine.
Terpsichore (terp sik' o re). The muse who presided
over dancing.
Terra (ter' ra). The personification of earth.
Thalia (tha li' a). The muse of joy.
Thebes (thebz). Greek city now called Thion; birth-place
of Hercules. Also name of Egyptian city.
Thor (thor). The Norse god of thunder.
Thrace (tras). A region in Southeastern Europe,
with varying boundaries. In early times it was
regarded as the entire region north of Greece.
Titans (ti' tanz). Primeval giants, children of heaven
and earth.
Tithonus (ti tho' nus). The husband of Aurora;
changed into a grasshopper.
tortoise (tor' tis). A kind of turtle.
trident (tri' dent). A spear with three prongs--the
common attribute of Neptune.
Trojan (tro' jan). Of or pertaining to ancient Troy.
U
Uko (u' ko). The father of Lindu; also spelled Ukko.
Ulysses (u lis' sez). The King of Ithaca.
Urania (u ra' ni a). The muse of astronomy.
V
Valkyrias (val kir' i as). Woden's shield-maidens
who presided over battlefields and marked those
who were to be slain.
Valhalla (val hal' la). The Norse heaven.
Vanemuine (va nem' u en). A god of Finland.
Varrak (var' rak). A Laplander.
Venus (ve' nus). A Roman goddess of love and beauty.
W
Woden (wo' den). In Norse myths the supreme god
of heaven; also spelled Odin.
Z
Zeus (zus). Greek name for Jupiter.