Creusa (kre-ū´sa).—Daughter of Priam and Hecuba, wife of Æneas, and mother of Ascanius. She perished at the capture of Troy.
Cronos (kron´os).—The Greek divinity corresponding to the Roman [Saturnus] (q.v.).
Cumæ (kū´mē).—A very ancient town on the coast of Campania, said to have been founded B. C. 1050. It was celebrated as the residence of the earliest Sibyl. Tarquinius Superbus died here.
Cupido (kū-pī´dō), or Cupid (kū´pid); called Eros (er´ōz) by the Greeks. The god of love, son of Venus, his father being either Jupiter, Mars or Mercury. He is represented as a boy with golden wings, armed with a bow and a golden quiver full of arrows. He is so mischievous that he shoots his arrows at gods and men alike. Sometimes his eyes are covered, so that he acts blindly. He is the usual companion of his mother.
Cybele (sib´e-lē); called Rhea (rē´a) by the Greeks. A goddess, originally Phrygian, regarded as goddess of the earth. She was daughter of Uranus (ū´ran-us) and Ge (jē), and the wife of Saturn, and the mother of Jupiter, Juno, Pluto, Neptune, Ceres and Vesta. As Saturn devoured all her children, Cybele, just before the birth of Jupiter, went to Crete. When Jupiter was born, she gave Saturn a stone wrapped up like an infant, which the god, supposing it to be the child, swallowed. Cybele is usually figured seated on a throne and having a crown of towers on her head. She is frequently referred to as the “tower-crowned Cybele.” The lion was sacred to her.
Cyclopes (sī-klō´pēz), or Cyclops (sī´klops)—i. e. beings with one circular eye in the middle of their foreheads. These were a fabulous race of giants living in Sicily. They were shepherds, but devoured human beings. They were also Vulcan’s workmen, volcanoes, especially Mount Ætna in Sicily, being regarded as their workshops, in which they made the armor for gods and heroes. The chief among them was [Polyphemus] (q.v.).
Cyllene (sil-lē´nē).—The highest mountain in Peloponnesus, on which Mercury was born.
Cynthus (sin´thus).—A mountain of Delos, celebrated as the birthplace of Apollo and Diana, who are hence called, respectively, Cynthius and Cynthia (sin´thi-a).
Cyprus (sī´prus).—A large island in the Mediterranean, renowned in ancient, no less than in modern, times for its fertility. It was one of the chief seats of the worship of Venus.
Cythera (si-thē´ra).—An island in the Ægean Sea, celebrated for the worship of Venus.