At last little Jupiter was born—and Ops determined to save him. Accordingly she gave Saturn a stone, and told him it was the boy. Saturn devoured it—and did not discover the cheat. This is a hard story, but the Greeks believed it, and we must not laugh at them, for we see things quite as foolish in our day. The Mormons, who live in Illinois, believe that one Joe Smith, a vile and wicked man, found certain brass plates, written over with a revelation from God, which he alone could translate; and they think this translation, which they call the Book of Mormon, is as true as the Bible. There are certain deluded people, even among us, misled by one Miller, who imagines that the world is to be speedily destroyed. These things teach us how easy it is to be deceived in religious matters, and how careful we should be not to adopt new and singular notions upon this important subject.
Jupiter, having escaped his father’s jaws, was nursed by a goat. When he was a year old, he was a prodigious fellow. By this time the Titans had imprisoned his father, Saturn. So Jupiter made war upon them; he released his father, and conquered heaven, earth and hell. The heaven and earth he reserved to himself; the sea he gave to Neptune, and the lower regions to Pluto.
Jupiter was supposed to be immortal, and of boundless power; but he yet had the passions of a man. Many of his actions, as detailed by the Grecian poets, would be regarded by us as very base, selfish and wicked, and worthy of being punished by confinement in the penitentiary. Such is the character of the chief god, in a system of man’s invention. Does not this show us that the religion of the Bible, which reveals to us a God pure, holy, just and good, is of divine origin? Does it not also show us the danger of taking anything for religion, such as Mormonism and Millerism, and all other mythologies which come from man?
Apollo was the name of several gods, and this has led to some confusion. The great Apollo was the son of Jupiter and Latona. Jupiter’s regular wife was Juno, a fierce, proud goddess, who hated Latona, and sent a prodigious serpent, called Python, to torment her. In order to protect her, Jupiter raised up a beautiful island, called Delos, in the sea, to which Latona retired. Here Apollo was born, and when he grew up he became the god of the fine arts, music, poetry, painting, &c. His adventures, as detailed by the ancient Greek poets, are quite interesting.
Vulcan was the god of blacksmiths and all who wrought by fire in iron. He was the son of Jupiter and Juno, and appears to have been so hideous that his mother was ashamed of him. However, he seems to have loved his mother—for on one occasion, she having behaved ill, Jupiter tied her up. Vulcan, however, let her loose; for this he paid dearly, for his father, being greatly incensed, gave him a tremendous kick, which sent him out of heaven. He was no less than nine days and nights in tumbling down to earth; it is no wonder, then, that he broke his leg in falling upon the island of Lemnos, where he alighted. He was lame ever after.
Pluto was the king of hell, or the regions which lay beneath the earth. Here he reigned over his dark, dismal, and gloomy regions, peopled by the souls of departed men. Such was his savage character, and the horrid gloom of his dominions, that nobody would marry him. Still, as he wanted a wife, he determined to have one by hook or by crook. So one day, as he was driving along in his chariot, in the island of Sicily, he saw a beautiful goddess, named Proserpine, surrounded by her nymphs. Pluto drove up, seized the lovely deity, and carried her off. With his trident he opened a passage in the earth, down which he drove headlong, and having arrived at home, Proserpine became queen of hell.
Mercury was the messenger of the gods, especially of Jupiter. He was also the patron of travellers and shepherds, and had a kindness, I am sorry to say it, for thieves, pickpockets, and rogues of all kinds. It would seem that such a god could hardly be respectable; yet I believe that he was rather a favorite with the Greeks.
Mars was the god of war—a fierce and terrible god, indeed. Yet, strange to say, Venus, a handsome goddess, and wife of the old limping blacksmith, Vulcan, liked his company very well. Vulcan made a net of iron links, in which he caught Mars and Venus, and then called in all the gods to look at them! This seems to have made a great deal of fun.