E
Eanes, a man supposed to have killed Patroclus, and to have fled to Peleus in Thessaly. Strabo, bk. 9.
Eānus, the name of Janus among the ancient Latins.
Eărĭnus, a beautiful boy, eunuch to Domitian. Statius, bk. 3, Sylvæ, poem 4.
Easium, a town of Achaia in Peloponnesus. Pausanias, bk. 7, ch. 6.
Ebdŏme, a festival in honour of Apollo at Athens on the seventh day of every lunar month. It was usual to sing hymns in honour of the god, and to carry about boughs of laurel.——There was also another of the same name celebrated by private families the seventh day after the birth of every child.
Ebon, a name given to Bacchus by the people of Neapolis. Macrobius, bk. 1, ch. 18.
Ebora, a town of Portugal, now Evora.
Eborăcum, York in England.
Ebūdæ, the western isles of Britain, now Hebrides.
Eburōnes, a people of Belgium, now the country of Liege. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 2, ch. 4; bk. 6, ch. 5.——The Eburovices Aulerci were the people of Evreux in Normandy. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 3, ch. 17.
Ebŭsus, one of the Baleares, 100 miles in circumference, which produces no hurtful animals. It is near the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, and now bears the name of Yvica, and is famous for pasturage and figs. Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 5.——A man engaged in the Rutulian war. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 12, li. 299.
Ecbatăna (ōrum), now Hamedan, the capital of Media, and the palace of Deioces king of Media. It was surrounded with seven walls, which rose in gradual ascent, and were painted in seven different colours. The most distant was the lowest, and the innermost, which was the most celebrated, contained the royal palace. Parmenio was put to death there by Alexander’s orders; and Hephæstion died there also, and received a most magnificent burial.—Herodotus, bk. 1, ch. 98.—Strabo, bk. 21.—Curtius, bk. 3, ch. 5; bk. 5, ch. 8; bk. 7, ch. 10.—Diodorus, bk. 17.——A town of Syria, where Cambyses gave himself a mortal wound when mounting on horseback. Herodotus, bk. 3.—Ptolemy, bk. 6, ch. 2.—Curtius, bk. 5, ch. 8.
Ecechiria, the wife of Iphitus. Pausanias, bk. 5, ch. 10.
Ecetra, a town of the Volsci. Livy, bk. 2, ch. 25; bk. 3, ch. 4.
Echecrătes, a Thessalian who offered violence to Phœbas the priestess of Apollo’s temple at Delphi. From this circumstance a decree was made by which no woman was admitted to the office of priestess before the age of 50. Diodorus, bk. 4.
Echedamia, a town of Phocis. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 3.
Echelătus, a man who led a colony to Africa. Strabo, bk. 8.
Echelta, a fortified town in Sicily.
Echĕlus, a Trojan chief killed by Patroclus.——Another, son of Agenor, killed by Achilles. Homer, Iliad, bks. 16 & 20.
Echembrŏtus, an Arcadian, who obtained the prize at the Pythian games. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 7.
Echĕmon, a son of Priam, killed by Diomedes. Homer, Iliad, bk. 5, li. 160.
Echĕmus, an Arcadian, who conquered the Dorians when they endeavoured to recover Peloponnesus under Hyllus. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 5.——A king of Arcadia, who joined Aristomenes against the Spartans.
Echenēus, a Phæacian. Homer, Odyssey, bk. 7.
Echĕphron, one of Nestor’s sons. Apollodorus, bk. 1, ch. 9.——A son of Priam. Apollodorus.——A son of Hercules. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 24.
Echepŏlis, a Trojan, son of Thasius, killed by Antilochus. Homer, Iliad, bk. 4, li. 458.
Echestrătus, a son of Agis I. king of Sparta, who succeeded his father, B.C. 1058. Herodotus, bk. 7, ch. 204.
Echevethenses, a people of Tegea in Arcadia. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 45.
Echidna, a celebrated monster sprung from the union of Chrysaor with Callirhoe the daughter of Oceanus. She is represented as a beautiful woman in the upper part of the body, but as a serpent below the waist. She was mother, by Typhon, of Orthos, Geryon, Cerberus, the Hydra, &c. According to Herodotus, Hercules had three children by her, Agathyrsus, Gelonus, and Scytha. Herodotus, bk. 3, ch. 108.—Hesiod, Theogony.—Apollodorus, bk. 2.—Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 18.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 9, li. 158.
Echidorus, a river of Thrace. Ptolemy, bk. 3.
Echīnădes, or Echinæ, five small islands near Acarnania, at the mouth of the river Achelous. They have been formed by the inundations of that river, and by the sand and mud which its waters carry down, and now bear the name of Curzolari. Pliny, bk. 2, ch. 85.—Herodotus, bk. 2, ch. 10.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 8, li. 588.—Strabo, bk. 2.
Echīnon, a city of Thrace. Mela, bk. 2, ch. 3.
Echīnus, an island in the Ægean.——A town of Acarnania,——of Phthiotis. Livy, bk. 32, ch. 33.
Echinussa, an island near Eubœa, called afterwards Cimolus. Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 12.
Echīon, one of those men who sprung from the dragon’s teeth sown by Cadmus. He was one of the five who survived the fate of his brothers, and assisted Cadmus in building the city of Thebes. Cadmus rewarded his services by giving him his daughter Agave in marriage. He was father of Pentheus by Agave. He succeeded his father-in-law on the throne of Thebes, as some have imagined, and from that circumstance Thebes has been called Echioniæ, and the inhabitants Echionidæ. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 3, li. 311; Tristia, bk. 5, poem 5, li. 53.——A son of Mercury and Antianira, who was the herald of the Argonauts. Flaccus, bk. 1, li. 400.——A man who often obtained a prize in running. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 8, li. 292.——A musician at Rome, in Domitian’s age. Juvenal, satire 6, li. 76.——A statuary.——A painter.
Echionides, a patronymic given to Pentheus, as ♦descended from Echion. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 3.
♦ ‘deseended’ replaced with ‘descended’
Echionius, an epithet applied to a person born in Thebes, founded with the assistance of Echion. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 12, li. 515.
Echo, a daughter of the Air and Tellus, who chiefly resided in the vicinity of the Cephisus. She was once one of Juno’s attendants, and became the confidant of Jupiter’s amours. Her loquacity, however, displeased Jupiter; and she was deprived of the power of speech by Juno, and only permitted to answer to the questions which were put to her. Pan had formerly been one of her admirers, but he never enjoyed her favours. Echo, after she had been punished by Juno, fell in love with Narcissus, and on being despised by him, she pined away, and was changed into a stone, which still retained the power of voice. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 3, li. 358.
Ecnŏmos, a mountain of Sicily, now Licata.
Edessa and Edesa, a town of Syria.
Edessæ portus, a harbour of Sicily near Pachynus. Cicero, Against Verres, bk. 5, ch. 34.
Edeta, or Leria, a town of Spain along the river Sucro. Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 3.—Livy, bk. 28, ch. 24.—Silius Italicus, bk. 3, li. 371.
Edissa and Ædessa, a town of Macedonia taken by Caranus, and called Ægæ, or Ægeas. See: Ædessa.
Edon, a mountain of Thrace, called also Edonus. From this mountain that part of Thrace is often called Edonia which lies between the Strymon and the Nessus, and the epithet is generally applied not only to Thrace but to a cold northern climate. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 12, li. 325.—Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 18.—Lucan, bk. 1, li. 674.
Edoni, or Edones, a people of Thrace, near the Strymon. Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 5.
Edonĭdes, a name given to the priestesses of Bacchus, because they celebrated the festivals of the god on mount Edon. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 11, li. 69.
Edylius, a mountain which Sylla seized to attack the people of Cheronæa. Plutarch, Sulla.
Eetion, the father of Andromache, and of seven sons, was king of Thebes in Cilicia. He was killed by Achilles. From him the word Eetioneus is applied to his relations or descendants. Homer, Iliad, bk. 12.——The commander of the Athenian fleet conquered by the Macedonians under Clytus, near the Echinades. Diodorus, bk. 18.
Egĕlĭdus, a river of Etruria. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 8, li. 610.
Egĕria, a nymph of Aricra in Italy, where Diana was particularly worshipped. Egeria was courted by Numa, and according to Ovid she became his wife. This prince frequently visited her, and that he might more successfully introduce his laws and new regulations into the state, he solemnly declared before the Roman people that they were previously sanctified and approved by the nymph Egeria. Ovid says that Egeria was so disconsolate at the death of Numa, that she melted into tears, and was changed into a fountain by Diana. She is reckoned by many as a goddess who presided over the pregnancy of women, and some maintain that she is the same as Lucina, or Diana. Livy, bk. 1, ch. 19.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 15, li. 547.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 775.—Martial, bk. 2, ltr. 6, li. 16.
Egesarētus, a Thessalian of Larissa, who favoured the interest of Pompey during the civil wars. Cæsar, bk. 3, Civil War, ch. 35.
Egesīnus, a philosopher, pupil to Evander. Cicero, Academica, bk. 4, ch. 6.
Egesta, a daughter of Hippotes the Trojan. Her father exposed her on the sea, for fear of being devoured by a marine monster which laid waste the country. She was carried safe to Sicily, where she was ravished by the river Crinisus.——A town of Sicily. See: Ægesta.
Egnātia Maximilla, a woman who accompanied her husband into banishment under Nero, &c. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 15, ch. 71.——A town. See: Gnatia.
Proculus Egnātius, a crafty and perfidious Roman in the reign of Nero, who committed the greatest crimes for the sake of money. Tacitus, Histories, bk. 4, ch. 10.
Eion, a commercial place at the mouth of the Strymon. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 8.
Eiones, a village of Peloponnesus on the sea coast.
Eioneus, a Greek killed by Hector in the Trojan war. Homer, Iliad, bk. 8.——A Thracian, father to Rhesus. Iliad, bk. 10.
Elabontas, a river near Antioch. Strabo.
Elæa, a town of Æolia. Livy, bk. 36, ch. 43. Pausanias, bk. 9, ch. 5.——An island in the Propontis.
Elæus, a part of Epirus.——A surname of Jupiter.——A town of the Thracian Chersonesus. Livy, bk. 31, ch. 16; bk. 37, ch. 9.
Elagabālus, the surname of the sun at Emessa.
Elāites, a grove near Canopus in Egypt.
Elaius, a mountain of Arcadia. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 41.
Elaphiæa, a surname of Diana in Elis. Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 22.
Elăphus, a river of Arcadia. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 36.
Elaphebŏlia, a festival in honour of Diana the huntress. In the celebration a cake was made in the form of a deer, ἐλαφος, and offered to the goddess. It owed its institution to the following circumstance. When the Phocians had been severely beaten by the Thessalians, they resolved, by the persuasion of a certain Deiphantus, to raise a pile of combustible materials, and burn their wives, children, and effects, rather than submit to the enemy. This resolution was unanimously approved by the women, who decreed Deiphantus a crown for his magnanimity. When everything was prepared, before they fired the pile, they engaged their enemies, and fought with such desperate fury, that they totally routed them, and obtained a complete victory. In commemoration of this unexpected success, this festival was instituted to Diana, and observed with the greatest solemnity, so that even one of the months of the year, March, was called Elaphebolion from this circumstance.
Elaptonius, a youth who conspired against Alexander. Curtius, bk. 8, ch. 6.
Elāra, the mother of Tiphyus by Jupiter. Apollodorus, bk. 1, ch. 4.——A daughter of Orchomenus king of Arcadia. Strabo, bk. 9.
Elatēa, the largest town of Phocis, near the Cephisus. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 34.
Elatia, a town of Phocis. Livy, bk. 28, ch. 7.——Of Thessaly. Livy, bk. 42, ch. 54.
Elātus, one of the first Ephori of Sparta, B.C. 760. Plutarch, Lycurgus.——The father of Ceneus. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 12, li. 497.——A mountain of Asia,——of Zacynthus.——The father of Polyphemus the Argonaut by Hipseia. Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 9.——The son of Arcas king of Arcadia by Erato, who retired to Phocis. Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 9.—Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 4.——A king in the army of Priam, killed by Agamemnon. Homer, Iliad, bk. 6.——One of Penelope’s suitors, killed by Eumeus. Homer, Odyssey, bk. 22, li. 267.
Elaver, a river in Gaul falling into the Loire, now the Allier.
Elea, a town of Campania, whence the followers of Zeno were called the Eleatic sect. Cicero, Academica, bk. 4, ch. 42; Tusculanæ Disputationes, bk. 2, chs. 21 & 22; de Natura Deorum, bk. 3, ch. 33.——Of Æolia.
Electra, one of the Oceanides, wife of Atlas, and mother of Dardanus by Jupiter. Ovid, Fasti, bk. 4, li. 31.——A daughter of Atlas and Pleione. She was changed into a constellation, Apollodorus, bk. 3, chs. 10 & 12.——One of the Danaides. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 1.——A daughter of Agamemnon king of Argos. She first incited her brother Orestes to revenge his father’s death by assassinating his mother Clytemnestra. Orestes gave her in marriage to his friend Pylades, and she became mother of two sons, Strophius and Merdon. Her adventures and misfortunes form one of the interesting tragedies of the poet Sophocles. Hyginus, fable 122.—Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 16.—Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 4, ch. 26, &c.——A sister of Cadmus. Pausanias, bk. 9, ch. 8.——A city and river of Messenia in Peloponnesus. Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 33.——One of Helen’s female attendants. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 25.
Electræ, a gate of Thebes. Pausanias, bk. 9, ch. 8.
Electrĭdes, islands in the Adriatic sea, which received their name from the quantity of amber (electrum) which they produced. They were at the mouth of the Po, according to Apollonius of Rhodes, but some historians doubt their existence. Pliny, bk. 2, ch. 26; bk. 37, ch. 2.—Mela, bk. 2, ch. 7.
Electryon, a king of Argos, son of Perseus and Andromeda. He was brother to Alcæus, whose daughter Anaxo he married, and by her he had several sons, and one daughter, Alcmene. He sent his sons against the Teleboans, who had ravaged his country, and they were all killed except Licymnius. Upon this Electryon promised his crown and daughter in marriage to him who could undertake to punish the Teleboans for the death of his sons. Amphitryon offered himself and succeeded. Electryon inadvertently perished by the hand of his son-in-law. See: Amphitryon, Alcmena. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 4.—Pausanias.
Elēi, a people of Elis in Peloponnesus. They were formerly called Epei. In their country was the temple of Jupiter, where also were celebrated the Olympic games, of which they had the superintendence. Their horses were in great repute, hence Elei equi and Elea palma. Propertius, bk. 3, poem 9, li. 18.—Pausanias, bk. 5.—Lucan, bk. 4, li. 293.
Elēlēus, a surname of Bacchus, from the word ἐλελευ, which the Bacchanals loudly repeated during his festivals. His priestesses were in consequence called Eleleis, ides. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 4, li. 15.
Eleon, a village of Bœotia.——Another in Phocis.
Eleontum, a town of the Thracian Chersonesus.
Elephantis, a poetess who wrote lascivious verses. Martial, bk. 12, ltr. 43.——A princess by whom Danaus had two daughters. Apollodorus, bk. 2.——An island in the river Nile, in Upper Egypt, with a town of the same name, which is often called Elephantina by some authors. Strabo, bk. 17.—Herodotus, bk. 2, ch. 9, &c.
Elephantophăgi, a people of Æthiopia.
Elphēnor, son of Chalcedon, was one of Helen’s suitors. Homer, Iliad, bk. 2, li. 47.
Elepōrus, a river of Magna Græcia.
Eleuchia, a daughter of Thespius. Apollodorus.
Eleus, a city of Thrace.——A river of Media.——A king of Elis. Pausanias, bk. 5, ch. 3.
Eleusīnia, a great festival observed every fourth year by the Celeans, Phliasians, as also by the Pheneatæ, Lacedæmonians, Parrhasians, and Cretans; but more particularly by the people of Athens, every fifth year at Eleusis in Attica, where it was introduced by Eumolpus, B.C. 1356. It was the most celebrated of all the religious ceremonies of Greece, whence it is often called, by way of eminence, μυστηρια, the mysteries. It was so superstitiously observed, that if any one ever revealed it, it was supposed that he had called divine vengeance upon his head, and it was unsafe to live in the same house with him. Such a wretch was publicly put to an ignominious death. This festival was sacred to Ceres and Proserpine; everything contained a mystery, and Ceres herself was known only by the name of ἀχθεια, from the sorrow and grief (ἀχθος) which she suffered for the loss of her daughter. This mysterious secrecy was solemnly observed, and enjoined to all the votaries of the goddess; and if any one ever appeared at the celebration, either intentionally, or through ignorance, without proper introduction, he was immediately punished with death. Persons of both sexes and all ages were initiated at this solemnity, and it was looked upon as so heinous a crime to neglect this sacred part of religion, that it was one of the heaviest accusations, which contributed to the condemnation of Socrates. The initiated were under the more particular care of the deities, and therefore their life was supposed to be attended with more happiness and real security than that of other men. This benefit was not only granted during life, but it was extended beyond the grave, and they were honoured with the first places in the Elysian fields, while others were left to wallow in perpetual filth and ignominy. As the benefits of expiation were so extensive, particular care was taken in examining the character of such as were presented for initiation. Such as were guilty of murder, though against their will, and such as were convicted of witchcraft, or any heinous crime, were not admitted, and the Athenians suffered none to be initiated but such as were members of their city. This regulation, which compelled Hercules, Castor, and Pollux to become citizens of Athens, was strictly observed in the first ages of the institution, but afterwards all persons, barbarians excepted, were freely initiated. The festivals were divided into greater and less mysteries. The less were instituted from the following circumstance. Hercules passed near Eleusis while the Athenians were celebrating the mysteries, and desired to be initiated. As this could not be done because he was a stranger, and as Eumolpus was unwilling to displease him on account of his great power and the services which he had done to the Athenians, another festival was instituted without violating the laws. It was called μικρα, and Hercules was solemnly admitted to the celebration and initiated. These less mysteries were observed at Agræ, near the Ilissus. The greater were celebrated at Eleusis, from which place Ceres has been called Eleusinia. In latter times the smaller festivals were preparatory to the greater, and no person could be initiated at Eleusis without a previous purification at Agræ. This purification they performed by keeping themselves pure, chaste, and unpolluted during nine days, after which they came and offered sacrifices and prayers, wearing garlands of flowers, called ἱσμερα, or ἱμερα, and having under their feet Διος κωδιον, Jupiter’s skin, which was the skin of a victim offered to that god. The person who assisted was called ὑδρανος, from ὑδωρ, water, which was used at the purification, and they themselves were called μυϛαι, the initiated. A year after the initiation at the less mysteries they sacrificed a sow to Ceres, and were admitted in the greater, and the secrets of the festivals were solemnly revealed to them, from which they were called ἐφοροι and ἐποπται, inspectors. The institution was performed in the following manner. The candidates, crowned with myrtle, were admitted by night into a place called μυϛικος σηκος, the mystical temple, a vast and stupendous building. As they entered the temple they purified themselves by washing their hands in holy water, and received for admonition that they were to come with a mind pure and undefiled, without which the cleanness of the body would be unacceptable. After this the holy mysteries were read to them from a large book called πετρωμα, because made of two stones, πετραι, fitly cemented together. After this the priest, called Ἱεροφαντης, proposed to them certain questions to which they readily answered. After this, strange and amazing objects presented themselves to their sight; the place often seemed to quake, and to appear suddenly resplendent with fire, and immediately covered with gloomy darkness and ♦horror. Sometimes thunders were heard, or flashes of lightning appeared on every side. At other times hideous noises and howlings were heard, and the trembling spectators were alarmed by sudden and dreadful apparitions. This was called αὐτοψια, intuition. After this the initiated were dismissed with the barbarous words of κογξ, ομπαξ. The garments in which they were initiated were held sacred, and of no less efficacy to avert evils than charms and incantations. From this circumstance, therefore, they were never left off before they were totally unfit for wear, after which they were appropriated for children, or dedicated to the goddess. The chief person that attended at the initiation was called Ἱεροφαντης, the revealer of sacred things. He was a citizen of Athens, and held his office during life, though among the Celeans and Phliasians it was limited to the period of four years. He was obliged to devote himself totally to the service of the deities; his life was chaste and single, and he usually anointed his body with the juice of hemlock, which is said, by its extreme coldness, to extinguish in a great degree the natural heat. The Hierophantes had three attendants; the first was called δαδουχος, torch-bearer, and was permitted to marry; the second was called κηρυξ, a cryer; the third administered at the altar, and was called ὁ ἐπι βωμῳ. The Hierophantes is said to have been a type of the powerful creator of all things, Δαδουχος of the sun, Κηρυξ of Mercury, and ὁ ἐπι βωμῳ of the moon. There were besides these other inferior officers, who took particular care that everything was performed according to custom. The first of these, called βασιλευς, was one of the Archons; he offered prayers and sacrifices, and took care that there was no indecency or irregularity during the celebration. Besides him there were four others, called ἐπιμεληται, curators, elected by the people. One of them was chosen from the sacred family of the Eumolpidæ, the other was one of the Ceryces, and the rest were from among the citizens. There were also 10 persons who assisted at this and every other festival, called Ἱεροποιοι, because they offered sacrifices. This festival was observed in the month Boedromion or September, and continued nine days, from the 15th till the 23rd. During that time it was unlawful to arrest any man or present any petition, on pain of forfeiting 1000 drachmas, or, according to others, on pain of death. It was also unlawful for those who were initiated to sit upon the cover of a well, to eat beans, mullets, or weasels. If any woman rode to Eleusis in a chariot, she was obliged by an edict of Lycurgus to pay 6000 drachmas. The design of this law was to destroy all distinction between the richer and poorer sort of citizens. The first day of the celebration was called ἀγορμος, assembly, as it might be said that the worshippers first met together. The second day was called ἀλαδε μυσται, to the sea, you that are initiated, because they were commanded to purify themselves by bathing in the sea. On the third day sacrifices, and chiefly a mullet, were offered; as also barley from a field of Eleusis. These oblations were called Θυα, and held so sacred that the priests themselves were not, as in other sacrifices, permitted to partake of them. On the fourth day they made a solemn procession, in which the καλαθιον, holy basket of Ceres, was carried about in a consecrated cart, while on every side the people shouted χαιρε Δημητερ, Hail, Ceres! After these followed women, called κιστοφοροι, who carried baskets, in which were sesamum, carded wool, grains of salt, a serpent, pomegranates, reeds, ivy boughs, certain cakes, &c. The fifth was called ἡ των λαμπαδων ἡμερα, the torch day, because on the following night the people ran about with torches in their hands. It was usual to dedicate torches to Ceres, and contend which should offer the biggest in commemoration of the travels of the goddess, and of her lighting a torch in the flames of mount Ætna. The sixth day was called Ἰακχος, from Iacchus the son of Jupiter and Ceres, who accompanied his mother in her search of Proserpine, with a torch in his hand. From that circumstance his statue had a torch in its hand, and was carried in solemn procession from the Ceramicus to Eleusis. The statue with those that accompanied it, called Ἰακχαγωγοι, were crowned with myrtle. In the way nothing was heard but singing and the noise of brazen kettles, as the votaries danced along. The way through which they issued from the city was called Ἱερα ὁδος, the sacred way; the resting place Ἱερα συκη, from a fig tree which grew in the neighbourhood. They also stopped on a bridge over the Cephisus, where they derided those that passed by. After they had passed this bridge, they entered Eleusis by a place called μυστικη εἰσοδος, the mystical entrance. On the seventh day were sports, in which the victors were rewarded with a measure of barley, as that grain had been first sown in Eleusis. The eighth day was called Ἐπιδαυριων ἡμερα, because once Æsculapius, at his return from Epidaurus to Athens, was initiated by the repetition of the less mysteries. It became customary, therefore, to celebrate them a second time upon this, that such as had not hitherto been initiated might be lawfully admitted. The ninth and last day of the festival was called Πλημοχοαι, earthen vessels, because it was usual to fill two such vessels with wine, one of which being placed towards the east, and the other towards the west, which after the repetition of some mystical words, were both thrown down, and the wine being spilt on the ground, was offered as a libation. Such was the manner of celebrating the Eleusinian mysteries, which have been deemed the most sacred and solemn of all the festivals observed by the Greeks. Some have supposed them to be obscene and abominable, and that from thence proceeded all the mysterious secrecy. They were carried from Eleusis to Rome in the age of Adrian, where they were observed with the same ceremonies as before, though perhaps with more freedom and licentiousness. They lasted about 1800 years, and were at last abolished by Theodosius the Great. Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 12, ch. 24.—Cicero, de Legibus, bk. 2, ch. 14.—Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 31, &c.—Plutarch.
♦ ‘horrror’ replaced with ‘horror’
Eleusis, or Eleusin, a town of Attica, equally distant from Megara and the Piræus, celebrated for the festivals of Ceres. See: Eleusinia. It was founded by Triptolemus. Ovid, bk. 4, Fasti, ♦li. 507.—Pausanias, bk. 9, ch. 24.
♦ extraneous reference ‘5,’ removed
Eleuther, a son of Apollo.——One of the Curetes, from whom a town of Bœotia, and another in Crete, received their name. Pausanias, bk. 9, chs. 2 & 9.
Eleuthĕræ, a village of Bœotia, between Megara and Thebes, where Mardonius was defeated with 300,000 men. Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 7; bk. 34, ch. 8.
Eleuthĕria, a festival celebrated at Platæa in honour of Jupiter Eleutherius, or the asserter of liberty, by delegates from almost all the cities of Greece. Its institution originated in this: After the victory obtained by the Grecians under Pausanias over Mardonius the Persian general, in the country of Platæa, an altar and statue were erected to Jupiter Eleutherius, who had freed the Greeks from the tyranny of the barbarians. It was further agreed upon in a general assembly, by the advice of Aristides the Athenian, that deputies should be sent every fifth year from the different cities of Greece to celebrate Eleutheria, festivals of liberty. The Platæans celebrated also an anniversary festival in memory of those who had lost their lives in that famous battle. The celebration was thus: At break of day a procession was made with a trumpeter at the head, sounding a signal for battle. After him followed chariots loaded with myrrh, garlands, and a black bull, and certain free young men, as no signs of servility were to appear during the solemnity, because they in whose honour the festival was instituted had died in the defence of their country. They carried libations of wine and milk in large-eared vessels, with jars of oil and precious ointments. Last of all appeared the chief magistrate, who, though not permitted at other times to touch iron, or wear garments of any colour but white, yet appeared clad in purple; and taking a water-pot out of the city chamber, proceeded through the middle of the town with a sword in his hand, towards the sepulchres. There he drew water from the neighbouring spring, and washed and anointed the monuments; after which he sacrificed a bull upon a pile of wood, invoking Jupiter and infernal Mercury, and inviting to the entertainment the souls of those happy heroes who had perished in the defence of their country. After this he filled a bowl with wine, saying, “I drink to those who lost their lives in the defence of the liberties of Greece.” There was also a festival of the same name observed by the Samians in honour of the god of love. Slaves also, when they obtained their liberty, kept a holiday, which they called Eleutheria.
Eleutho, a surname of Juno Lucina, from her presiding over the delivery of pregnant women. Pindar, Olympian, bk. 6.
Eleutherocilĭces, a people of Cilicia, never subject to kings. Cicero, bk. 15, Letters to his Friends, ltr. 4; bk. 5, Letters to Atticus, ltr. 20.
Eleuthĕros, a river of Syria, falling into the Mediterranean. Pliny, bk. 9, ch. 10.
Elĭcius, a surname of Jupiter, worshipped on mount Aventine. Ovid, Fasti, bk. 3, li. 328.
Eliensis and Eliăca, a sect of philosophers founded by Phædon of Elis, who was originally a slave, but restored to liberty by Alcibiades. Diogenes Laërtius.—Strabo.
Elimēa, or Elimiotis, a district of Macedonia, or of Illyricum according to others. Livy, bk. 42, ch. 53; bk. 45, ch. 30.
Elis, a country of Peloponnesus at the west of Arcadia, and north of Messenia, extending along the coast, and watered by the river Alpheus. The capital of the country called Elis, now Belvidere, became large and populous in the age of Demosthenes, though in the age of Homer it did not exist. It was originally governed by kings, and received its name from Eleus, one of its monarchs. Elis was famous for the horses it produced, whose celerity was so often known and tried at the Olympic games. Strabo, bk. 8.—Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 5.—Pausanias, bk. 5.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 5, li. 494.—Cicero, Letters to his Friends, bk. 13, ltr. 26; de Divinatione, bk. 2, ch. 12.—Livy, bk. 27, ch. 32.—Virgil, Georgics, bk. 1, li. 59; bk. 3, li. 202.
Eliphasii, a people of Peloponnesus. Polybius, bk. 11.
Elissa, a queen of Tyre, more commonly known by the name of Dido. See: Dido.
Elissus, a river of Elis.
Ellopia, a town of Eubœa.——An ancient name of that island.
Elōrus, a river of Sicily on the eastern coast, called after a king of the same name. Herodotus, bk. 7, ch. 145.
Elos, a city of Achaia, called after a servant-maid of Athamas of the same name.
Elotæ. See: Helotæ.
Elpēnor, one of the companions of Ulysses, changed into a hog by Circe’s potions, and afterwards restored to his former shape. He fell from the top of a house where he was sleeping, and was killed. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 14, li. 252.—Homer, Odyssey, bk. 10, li. 552; bk. 11, li. 51.
Elpinīce, a daughter of Miltiades, who married a man that promised to release from confinement her brother and husband, whom the laws of Athens had made responsible for the fine imposed on his father. Cornelius Nepos, Cimon.
Eluīna, a surname of Ceres.
Elyces, a man killed by Perseus. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 5, fable 3.
Elymāis, a country of Persia, between the Persian gulf and Media. The capital of the country was called Elymais, and was famous for a rich temple of Diana, which Antiochus Epiphanes attempted to plunder. The Elymeans assisted Antiochus the Great in his wars against the Romans. None of their kings are named in history. Strabo.
Ely̆mi, a nation descended from the Trojans, in alliance with the people of Carthage. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 8.
Elymus, a man at the court of Acestes in Sicily. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 5, li. 73.
Elyrus, a town of Crete. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 16.
Ely̆sium and Elysii Campi, a place or island in the infernal regions, where, according to the mythology of the ancients, the souls of the virtuous were placed after death. There happiness was complete, the pleasures were innocent and refined. Bowers for ever green, delightful meadows with pleasant streams, were the most striking objects. The air was wholesome, serene, and temperate; the birds continually warbled in the groves, and the inhabitants were blessed with another sun and other stars. The employments of the heroes who dwelt in these regions of bliss were various; the manes of Achilles are represented as waging war with the wild beasts, while the Trojan chiefs are innocently exercising themselves in managing horses, or in handling arms. To these innocent amusements some poets have added continual feasting and revelry, and they suppose that the Elysian fields were filled with all the incontinence and voluptuousness which could gratify the low desires of the debauchee. The Elysian fields were, according to some, in the Fortunate Islands on the coast of Africa, in the Atlantic. Others place them in the island of Leuce; and, according to the authority of Virgil, they were situate in Italy. According to Lucian, they were near the moon; or in the centre of the earth, if we believe Plutarch. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 638.—Homer, Odyssey, bk. 4.—Pindar.—Tibullus, bk. 1, poem 3, li. 57.—Lucian.—Plutarch, ♦de Consul.
♦ Unidentified, possible typo for ‘Consolatio ad Apollonium’
Emăthia, a name given anciently, and particularly by the poets, to the countries which formed the empires of Macedonia and Thessaly. Virgil, Georgics, bk. 1, li. 492; bk. 4, li. 390.—Lucan, bk. 1, li. 1; bk. 10, li. 50; bk. 6, li. 620; bk. 7, li. 427.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 5, li. 314.
Emăthion, a son of Titan and Aurora, who reigned in Macedonia. The country was called Emathia, from his name. Some suppose that he was a famous robber destroyed by Hercules. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 5, li. 313.—Justin, bk. 7, ch. 1.——A man killed at the nuptials of Perseus and Andromeda. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 5, li. 100.
Emăthion, a man killed in the wars of Turnus. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 9, li. 571.
Embătum, a place of Asia, opposite Chios.
Embolīma, a town of India. Curtius, bk. 8, ch. 12.
Emerĭta, a town of Spain, famous for dyeing wool. Pliny, bk. 9, ch. 41.
Emessa and Emissa, a town of Phœnicia.
Emoda, a mountain of India.
Empĕdŏcles, a philosopher, poet, and historian of Agrigentum in Sicily, who flourished 444 B.C. He was the disciple of Telauges the Pythagorean, and warmly adopted the doctrine of transmigration. He wrote a poem upon the opinions of Pythagoras, very much commended, in which he spoke of the various bodies which nature had given him. He was first a girl, afterwards a boy, a shrub, a bird, a fish, and lastly Empedocles. His poetry was bold and animated, and his verses were so universally esteemed, that they were publicly recited at the Olympic games with those of Homer and Hesiod. Empedocles was no less remarkable for his humanity and social virtues than for his learning. He showed himself an inveterate enemy to tyranny, and refused to become the sovereign of his country. He taught rhetoric in Sicily, and often alleviated the anxieties of his mind as well as the pains of his body with music. It is reported that his curiosity to visit the flames of the crater of Ætna proved fatal to him. Some maintain that he wished it to be believed that he was a god, and, that his death might be unknown, he threw himself into the crater and perished in the flames. His expectations, however, were frustrated, and the volcano, by throwing up one of his sandals, discovered to the world that Empedocles had perished by fire. Others report that he lived to an extreme old age, and that he was drowned in the sea. Horace, bk. 1, ltr. 12, li. 20.—Cicero, On Oratory, bk. 1, ch. 50, &c.—Diogenes Laërtius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers.
Emperāmus, a Lacedæmonian general in the second Messenian war.
Empōclus, an historian.
Empŏria Punĭca, certain places near the Syrtes.
Emporiæ, a town of Spain in Catalonia, now Ampurias. Livy, bk. 34, chs. 9 & 16; bk. 26, ch. 19.
Encĕlădus, a son of Titan and Terra, the most powerful of all the giants who conspired against Jupiter. He was struck with Jupiter’s thunders, and overwhelmed under mount Ætna. Some supposed that he is the same as Typhon. According to the poets, the flames of Ætna proceeded from the breath of Enceladus; and as often as he turned his weary side, the whole island of Sicily felt the motion, and shook from its very foundations. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 3, li. 578, &c.——A son of Ægyptus.
Enchĕleæ, a town of Illyricum, where Cadmus was changed into a serpent. Lucan, bk. 3, li. 189.—Strabo, bk. 7.
Endeis, a nymph, daughter of Chiron. She married Æacus king of Agina, by whom she had Peleus and Telamon. Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 29.—Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 12.
Endēra, a place of Æthiopia.
Endy̆mion, a shepherd, son of Æthlius and Calyce. It is said that he required of Jupiter to grant to him to be always young, and to sleep as much as he would; whence came the proverb of Endymionis somnum dormire, to express a long sleep. Diana saw him naked as he slept on mount Latmos, and was so struck with his beauty that she came down from heaven every night to enjoy his company. Endymion married Chromia daughter of Itonus, or, according to some, Hyperipne daughter of Arcas, by whom he had three sons, Pæon, Epeus, and Æolus, and a daughter called Eurydice; and so little ambitious did he show himself of sovereignty, that he made his crown the prize of the best racer among his sons, an honourable distinction which was gained by Epeus. The fable of Endymion’s amours with Diana, or the moon, arises from his knowledge of astronomy, and as he passed the night on some high mountain, to observe the heavenly bodies, it has been reported that he was courted by the moon. Some suppose that there were two of that name, the son of a king of Elis, and the shepherd or astronomer of Caria. The people of Heraclea maintained that Endymion died on mount Latmos, and the Eleans pretended to show his tomb at Olympia in Peloponnesus. Propertius, bk. 2, poem 25.—Cicero, Tusculanæ Disputationes, bk. 1.—Juvenal, satire 10.—Theocritus, poem 3.—Pausanias, bk. 5, ch. 1; bk. 6, ch. 20.
Enĕti, or Henĕti, a people near Paphlagonia.
Engȳum, now Gangi, a town of Sicily freed from tyranny by Timoleon. Cicero, Against Verres, bk. 3, ch. 43; bk. 4, ch. 44.—Silius Italicus, bk. 14, li. 250.
Enienses, a people of Greece.
Eniopeus, a charioteer of Hector, killed by Diomedes. Homer, Iliad, bk. 8, li. 120.
Enīpeus, a river of Thessaly, flowing near Pharsalia. Lucan, bk. 6, li. 373.——A river of Elis in Peloponnesus, of which Tyro the daughter of Salmoneus became enamoured. Neptune assumed the shape of the river god to enjoy the company of Tyro. Ovid, Amores, bk. 3, poem 5.—Strabo.
Enispe, a town of Arcadia. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 25.
Enna, now Castro Janni, a town in the middle of Sicily, with a beautiful plain, whence Proserpine was carried away by Pluto. Mela, bk. 2, ch. 7.—Cicero, Against Verres, bk. 3, ch. 49; bk. 4, ch. 104.—Ovid, Fasti, bk. 4, li. 522.—Livy, bk. 24, ch. 37.
Ennia, was the wife of Macro, and afterwards of the emperor Caligula. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 6, ch. 45.
Quintus Ennius, an ancient poet born at Rudii in Calabria. He obtained the name and privileges of a Roman citizen by his genius and the brilliancy of his learning. His style is rough and unpolished, but his defects, which are more particularly attributed to the age in which he lived, have been fully compensated by the energy of his expressions and the fire of his poetry. Quintilian warmly commends him, and Virgil has shown his merits by introducing many whole lines from his poetry into his own compositions, which he calls pearls gathered from the dunghill. Ennius wrote in heroic verse 18 books of the annals of the Roman republic, and displayed much knowledge of the world in some dramatical and satirical compositions. He died of the gout, contracted by frequent intoxication, about 169 years before the christian era, in the 70th year of his age. Ennius was intimate with the great men of his age; he accompanied Cato in his questorship in Sardinia, and was esteemed by him of greater value than the honours of a triumph; and Scipio, on his death-bed, ordered his body to be buried by the side of his poetical friend. This epitaph was said to be written upon him: