Vidar.—The Scandinavian god of wisdom, noted for his thick shoes, and not infrequently called “The god with the thick shoes.”
Vishnu.—In Hindu mythology one of the great deities of the Hindu triad, ranking as the Preserver, after Brahma, the Creator, and before Siva, the Destroyer. It is believed that he has appeared on earth nine times, his tenth avatar, or incarnation, having yet to come.
Volumnia (vol-um´ni-a).—Wife of [Coriolanus] (q.v.).
Vulcanus (vul-kā´nus), or Vulcan; called Hephæstus (hē-fēs´tus) by the Greeks. The god of fire. He was the son of Jupiter and Juno, and was lame from his birth. Besides being the god of fire, he was master of the arts which need the aid of fire, especially of working in metal. He made all the palaces of the gods on Olympus, the armor of Achilles, the fatal necklace of Harmonia, the fire-breathing and brazen-hoofed bulls of Æëtes (see “[Argonautæ]”), etc. The Cyclops were his workmen, and his workshops were situated under Mount Ætna in Sicily. Vulcan’s wife was Venus. His favorite abode on the earth was the island of Lemnos. His great festival was celebrated on the 23rd of August.
W
White Lady.—In German folk-lore, the ancient Teutonic goddess Holda or Berchta, who was the receiver of the souls of maidens and children, and who still exists as the White Lady, not infrequently, in German legends, transforming herself, or those whom she decoys into her home, into a white mouse.
Wild Huntsman, The.—A spectral hunter in folk-lore, especially in German folk-lore; the subject of a ballad by Bürger.
Woden (wō´den), or Wotan.—The Anglo-Saxon form of the Scandinavian god Odin; Wednesday is called after him.
Y
Yama.—In the Rigveda, the name of the god who rules in heaven over the blessed—the Manes, Fathers, or Pitris—and is therefore called king.