Mona (mon´a).—The isle of Anglesey; sometimes supposed to be the isle of Man. It was one of the chief seats of the Druids.
Moneta (mon-ē´ta).—A Roman surname of Juno as the protectress of money.
Mopsus (mop´sus).—The name of two soothsayers, one being the prophet of the Argonauts, and the other the son of Apollo and Manto. He contended in prophecy with [Calchas] (q.v.), whose superior he proved himself to be.
Morpheus (mor´fe-us).—The son of sleep and the god of dreams. The name signifies (Gr.) the fashioner, moulder, so called from the shapes he calls up before the sleeper.
Mowis.—The bridegroom of Snow, who (according to American Indian tradition) wooed and won a beautiful bride; but when morning dawned, Mowis left the wigwam, and melted into the sunshine. The bride hunted for him night and day in the forests, but never saw him more.
Musæ (mū´zē).—The Muses, daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne, were nine in number, and presided over the different kinds of poetry, the arts and sciences. Their names and special attributes were as follows: (i) Calliope (kal-lī´o-pē), the muse of epic poetry; (ii) Clio (klī´ō), of history; (iii) Erato (er´a-tō), of erotic poetry and mimic imitation; (iv) Euterpe (ū-ter´pē), of lyric poetry; (v) Melpomene (mel-pom´en-ē), of tragedy; (vi) Polyhymnia (pol-i-him´ni-a), of the sublime hymn; (vii) Terpsichore (terp-sik´o-rē), of choral song and dancing; (viii) Thalia (tha-li´a), of comedy; and (ix) Urania (ū-rā´ni-a), of astronomy. The favorite haunt of the Muses was Mount Helicon in Bœotia, where were the sacred fountains of Aganippe and Hippocrene. Mount Parnassus was also sacred to them.
Myrmidones (mer-mid´on-ēz), or Myrmidons (mer´mid-ons).—A people of Thessaly, under the rule of Achilles, whom they accompanied to Troy.
Myrtilus (mer´til-us).—Son of Mercury, and charioteer of Œnomaus. See “[Pelops].”
Mysterious Three, The.—In Scandinavian mythology were Har “the Mighty,” the “Like-Mighty,” and the “Third Person,” who sat on three thrones above the rainbow. Then came the Æsir, of which Odin was chief, who lived in Asgard (between the rainbow and earth); next came the Vanir, or gods of the ocean, air, and clouds, of which deities Niörd was chief.
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