r’d by thee, the combat I require, My bosom kindles, and my soul’s on fire . Pitt’s Virgil. Chap. IV. [Vesta, Vestal Vir

] Who was Vesta? Vesta was the daughter of Saturn; the goddess of fire ; emblematical of that pure vital heat, which, bei

loyment of the vestals consisted in constantly maintaining the sacred fire , which burned in honour of Vesta. This fire was r

ly maintaining the sacred fire, which burned in honour of Vesta. This fire was renewed by the rays of the sun, yearly, durin

What degree of importance was attributed to the preservation of this fire ? It was considered as being so important, that wh

supposed to contain? It was said to contain, besides the consecrated fire , the Palladium, or sacred image of Minerva, and t

this worship of Vesta? It is certain that the worship of Vesta, or of fire , was brought by Æneas from Phrygia; but the Phryg

he Phrygians received it originally from the East. The Chaldeans held fire in great veneration, and worshiped it as an emble

he Sun as the most glorious image of the Supreme Being, and to regard fire as the most striking emblem of his beneficent inf

e as the most striking emblem of his beneficent influence. The sacred fire , drawn from sun-beams, accompanied the Persian Mo

, the God of the sea. Shem had the rest of Asia, where the worship of fire became almost general, and this occasioning confl

s at pleasure to mankind. His thunderbolt was composed of hail, rain, fire , and wind, intermixed with lightning, terror, noi

acks the gen’rous steeds retire, Dropping ambrosial foam and snorting fire , And now the fiery horses neigh’d aloud, Breathin

born. A man, named Erostratus, wishing to make his name immortal, set fire to this magnificent temple; imagining that such a

, let victim goats expire; And roast on hazel spits before the sacred fire . Come, sacred Sire, with luscious clusters crown’

smoke, his forges flaming round, While, bathed in sweat, from lire to fire he flew; And puffing loud, the roaring bellows bl

eptre grac’d, and red attire, Came halting forth the sov’reign of the fire : The monarch’s steps two female forms uphold. Tha

’s Iliad. What eminent works were ascribed to him? He was the God of fire ; the inventor and patron of the art of fabricatin

a woman of the same metal, who was likewise endowed with life by the fire which Prometheus stole from the chariot of the su

s of hail conspire, Three arm’d with wind; and three were barb’d with fire . The mass they temper’d thick with livid rays, Fe

d the heavens. Passing over the Acroceraunian mountains which emitted fire , he took from them some flaming matter, with whic

e of sulphur, olive wood, box, laurel, and rosemary. They then made a fire of straw, round which they danced; and, afterward

, the first inhabiting the earth; the second, the air; the third, the fire . Chap XXIV. [Infernal Regions.] What is th

of solid brass, round which the flaming Phlegethon rolls his waves of fire , and Cocytus extends his stagnant marsh. Here lik

ws. Pope’s Homer’s Odyssey. Phlegyas, a son of Mars, for having set fire to the temple of Apollo, at Delphi, sees, with te

eel surrounded with serpents, and perpetually turning over a river of fire . Tantalus, King of Phrygia, for having savagely m

lion, the belly of a goat, the tail of a serpent, and vomiting forth fire . This fiction was occasioned by a lambent flame o

pitchy nostrils flaky flames expire; Her gaping throat emits infernal fire . Pope’s Homer. What were the Harpies and the Go

s? The son of Iapetus, who incurred the wrath of Jupiter, by stealing fire from the chariot of the sun, to animate the figur

y feet high. It took 220 years to finish it. It was designedly set on fire on the day that Alexander the Great was born. Thi

the waters were its floor; And here, its walls were water arch’d with fire , And here, were fire with water vaulted o’er. And

loor; And here, its walls were water arch’d with fire, And here, were fire with water vaulted o’er. And spires and pinnacles

here, were fire with water vaulted o’er. And spires and pinnacles of fire Round watery cupolas aspire, And domes of rainbow

had swallowed. Varuna, the genius of the waters. Agni, the genius of fire . Agnyastra, the fabricator of the heavenly fiery

ds that luminary. They preserve, constantly burning, a kind of sacred fire , kindled by the friction of two pieces of palass

in triumph through the city, by the Christians and then thrown into a fire kindled in the amphitheatre. This image was of th

of gravitation. He was addressed as the starry-robed Sem, the king of fire , who setteth in array the universe, who revolveth

he multitude, without form of law. When a house happened to be set on fire , the chief alarm of the Egyptians arose from the

of licentiousness; but the most beautiful and beneficial of elements, fire and the solar light; and, above all, the energy o

s well as a scene of primitive blessedness and perfection. The sacred fire , which was reverenced as the emblem of the great.

served with the greatest care. The priests who had the charge of this fire ; of conducting the simple religious rites, and of

tained, with a superstitious veneration for the sun, the planets, and fire . The Persian Mythology was finally restored, in s

r Benares, that whosoever enters upon the sacerdotal office, lights a fire by rubbing together two pieces of a hard wood nam

er described Orosmades, as residing in the midst of a pure and divine fire which fills the immensity of space: and by means

, with the idea of his making them his dwelling-place. They venerated fire as his sacred emblem; the sun as his image; and t

work; filled them with human beings, and consumed them, together, by fire . Criminals were deemed the offerings most accepta

stone, at the foot of the altar, on which was burning the everlasting fire . The bodies were opened by the priests, who drew

the insatiable ambition of the Romans. Surtur, prince of the Genii of fire . He was described as inhabiting a luminous world,

m. In the midst of this confusion, the heaven will open; the Genii of fire will enter, and with Surtur at their head, will p

nd timbrels loud, Their children’s cries unheard, that passed through fire To his grim idol. Kim the Ammonite Worship’d in R

Muses presided over tragedy, and how is she represented? How was the fire on the altar of Vesta renewed, and at what time o

f the Muses 43 Aglaiǎ, one of the Graces 64 Agnī, the Hindû genius of fire 138 Agnyāstra, Hindû rocket 138 Ahrīmān, a Persia

, a name of Diana 44 Philistines’ idolatry 217 Phlĕgĕthōn, a river of fire 95 Phlegon, a horse of Sol 30 Phlĕgy̌ās, a king o

of the sun 179 Sāga, a Scandinavian goddess 203 Salamanders, genii of fire 93 Sălĭī priests of Mars 57 Sanscrit, the sacred

the Hindûs 149 Sūradevī, the goddess of wine 138 Sūrtur, a genius of fire 201 Sūrya, a name of the sun 139 Svālin, a Scandi

ers 138 Vedas, the holy books of the Hindis 130 Vesta, the goddess of fire 12 Vestal Virgins, priestesses of Vesta 12 Venus,

20 Volūspā, a sacred book of the Scandinavians 206 Vulcan, the god of fire 65 The Wonders of the World 118 Y Yāma, or

otted, flutters his attire; His watchful eyeballs glare with sanguine fire . Though old, still unimpair’d by years, he stood,

aid adoration to objects in the skies, on earth, in the water, and to fire , under different forms and names, and attributed

the boisterous winds in its bosom. Vesta the younger, the goddess of fire , was the daughter of Saturn by his wife Rhea, and

(which from her were called Vestibula,) altars, and hearths. A sacred fire kindled by the rays of the sun, was perpetually k

and was hung up in nothing but earthen vessels. The direction of this fire was entrusted to noble virgins, called Vestals, w

end, and which was brought from Troy by Æneas. If they let the sacred fire expire, through inattention, or violated their vo

t up in a subterraneous vault with a lamp and some provisions. If the fire happened to be extinguished, it was accounted a d

heir declarations were admitted for an oath. Vesta, as the goddess of fire , had no statues; but as the guardian of houses an

, Or fires.” Obs. 1. — Vesta is taken for the elements of earth and fire , which is accounted for by two different deities

which is accounted for by two different deities of that name. Vesta’s fire was refined and celestial; whereas Vulcan’s was g

ire was refined and celestial; whereas Vulcan’s was gross. One is the fire of the artificer; the other is expressive of that

proceeded from a vital spark in the heart. Obs. 2. — The worship of fire was introduced originally from the east, where th

induced them to demolish the Grecian temples and statues. The sacred fire renewed by the rays of the sun, attended the mona

something farther respecting Vesta. To whom was the direction of this fire entrusted? How was Vesta represented? Chapter

r to ravish Antiope, of Amphitryon, to impose on his wife Alcmena, of fire to win Egina’s affection, of Diana to deceive Cal

of the Oceantides. He animated a man whom he had formed of clay, with fire , which, by the assistance of Minerva, he stole fr

resumption driv’n, With sacrilegious hands Prometheus stole Celestial fire , and bore it down from heav’n: The fatal present

with the aid of the goddess of wisdom. Hence, he is painted, stealing fire from heaven, either because he first established

hia, or because he was the inventor of the steel with which we elicit fire from flints. King Jupiter having driven him from

Stata, or Statua Mater, in the Forum, that she might preserve it from fire at night. Thieves were patronized by Laverna, fro

k: the horses, running away, and setting the heavens and the earth on fire , Jupiter, with a stroke of thunder, precipitated

s let victim goats expire, And roast on hazel spits before the sacred fire . Come, sacred fire, with luscious clusters crown’

expire, And roast on hazel spits before the sacred fire. Come, sacred fire , with luscious clusters crown’d; Let all the rich

iver Selemus was also reputed to have the virtue of extinguishing the fire of love by bathing one’s self in its waters. Ques

re they represented? Chapter XXIII. Vulcan. Vulcan, the god of fire , and the patron of those who worked in the metall

l, that he fixed his residence among them, and taught them the use of fire and the art of working metals. Vulcan was married

scure in smoke, his forges flaming round; While bath’d in sweat, from fire to fire he flew, And puffing loud the roaring bel

smoke, his forges flaming round; While bath’d in sweat, from fire to fire he flew, And puffing loud the roaring bellows ble

eptre grac’d, and red attire, Came halting forth the sov’reign of the fire .” Homer. The Cyclops. All black with smoke a

s of hail conspire, Three arm’d with wind; and three were barb’d with fire . The mass they temper’d thick with livid rays, Fe

eye; to explain which, some suppose they wore a mask to keep off the fire with one hole above their eyes through which to s

Hydria. The Persians having pretended to sustain the pre-eminence of fire , their great divinity, the Egyptian priests accep

n priests accepted the challenge. The Hydria was placed on a hot coal fire , but the holes of the vessel, skilfully closed wi

grove near Mount Soracte was sacred to her. It was once said to be on fire ; but no sooner had her image been removed thence,

he first inhabited the earth; the second, the air; and the third, the fire . Some ancient philosophers advanced, that every m

x, with a horrible groaning noise; Phlegethon, swelling with waves of fire ; and Lethe, so called from the forgetfulness whic

f beard descends, uncomb’d, unclean; His eyes like hollow furnaces on fire ; A girdle foul with grease binds his obscence att

hat he should be most active; and Atropos, snatching a brand from the fire , said he should live as long as it continued unco

his life. Althaea, frantic with rage, threw the fatal stick into the fire , and Meleager died. Judges of Hell. “High on a t

he chamber leave: His mother snatch’d it with a hasty hand Out of the fire , and quench’d the flaming brand; This in an inwar

he had the folds of a serpent’s body; he vomitted flames of devouring fire through his mouth, nostrils, and eyes; and uttere

down, and put him under Mount Ætna, which sends forth great flames of fire every time he moves his sides. And as Ægeon, whe

ir lives. The bodies were laid on the same pile to be consumed by the fire ; but the flames refused to unite, and they were d

alaris, buried men alive in a brazen bull, and burnt them with a slow fire , during which torture their cries resembled the l

uneral pile on Mount Œte, ordered his bosom friend Philoctetes to put fire to it, ascended it, and closed his life in the mo

solemn day.” Virgil. “———— The Cleonian lion first he kills; With fire and sword then Lerna’s pest he quells; Of the wil

it was hung up in the grove of Mars, guarded by huge bulls, breathing fire from their nostrils, and by a vast, watchful drag

his sight the two children which she had borne him, but also enclosed fire in a little box, and sent it to Creusa. No sooner

x, and sent it to Creusa. No sooner had the box been opened, than the fire burst forth, and burnt her to death, together wit

mother, he escaped unhurt. No sooner had the Grecians set the city on fire , than Æneas took his aged father Anchises on his

ld him. It is said that his mother concealed him in the night under a fire , after she had anointed him in the day-time with

. He was at first called Pyrisous, because he escaped safely from the fire ; and afterwards, Achilles, because he had but one

to take its present form. By the motion of the air, the particles of fire rose, and gave to the sun, moon, and stars, their

and its limbs borne in triumph through the city, and then cast into a fire , kindled in the amphitheatre. Before Serapis was

d even the brute creation, and the careful preservation of the sacred fire , kindled by concentrated sunbeams. Fire was an al

rs, till the latter shall be destroyed. Oromasdes resides in the pure fire , which fills all space, and by which spirits and

orm images of him; for they deemed it impious to do so, but venerated fire as his sacred emblem and the sun as his image. Hi

wallowed. Varuna is the genius of the waters. Agni is the genius of fire . Agnastra is the forger of the celestial arrows.

nd timbrels loud, Their children’s cries unheard, that passed through fire To his grim idol. Him the Ammonite Worshipp’d in

, whose names were Light, Fire, and Flame. It was they who discovered fire by rubbing one piece of wood against another. The

was darkness. While men, existing in the dark, were standing around a fire , one person on a sudden declared that whoever sho

duce light. No sooner had two men thrown themselves headlong into the fire , than they appeared in the heavens as the sun and

ces of gold, which were refused. She then cast three of them into the fire , and persisted in asking the same price for the r

intelligences had the direction of its operations: the earth, water, fire , air, the moon, the stars, forests, rivers, mount

away into the abyss, (which was in the north,) torrents of sparkling fire , which, in falling, were congealed into the abyss

d, will open his enormous jaws which will reach from earth to heaven; fire will issue from his nostrils and eyes; he will de

in the torrents of vemon which the dragon will emit while dying. The fire will consume all, and the flame rise to heaven; b

receive the blood of victims. Firestones were commonly found, for no fire except that of their altars, was considered pure

ctim was chosen, it was conducted towards the altar, where the sacred fire was burning day and night. Among the vessels of i

Gauls: both had neither temples nor statues. The Persians adored the fire ; the Druids kept up a perpetual fire in their for

statues. The Persians adored the fire; the Druids kept up a perpetual fire in their forests. The Persians rendered to the wa

es. To this worship was joined that of rivers, creeks, fountains, and fire . In the middle of those forests, the Gauls had sp

and afterwards surrounded with combustible materials, and consumed by fire . Cesar caused those secret places to be plundered

but the profession of arms. The Druids taught that one day water and fire would destroy all things. They believed in the do

they have animated. 9. If the world perish, it will be by water or by fire . 10. On extraordinary occasions a man must be imm

they read to them poems and romances, into which was infused all the fire and ardour that heroism could produce. We have no

ta with the earth; Neptune with water, Juno with air, and Vulcan with fire . But Apollo and Diana are assumed for the sun and

e? Vesta. Vesta was the daughter of Saturn and the goddess of fire . Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, raised

loyment of the vestals consisted in constantly maintaining the sacred fire , which burned in honour of Vesta. This fire was r

ly maintaining the sacred fire, which burned in honour of Vesta. This fire was renewed by the rays of the sun yearly, during

alends of March, or latter part of February. The preservation of this fire was considered as being so important, that when i

ive. The temple of Vesta was said to contain, besides the consecrated fire , the Palladium, or sacred image of Minerva, and t

nd brought to Italy. The vestal’s vow was, never to suffer the sacred fire to become extinct, and never to associate with an

s Vesta? Who were the vestals, and what was their discipline? Was the fire of Vesta’s temple sacred? To what punishment were

y of the thunderer, surrounded by clouds and lightning. The celestial fire caused the instant death or Semele. To Leda, he a

sers, suffered them to run wild, and they would have set the world on fire , had not Jupiter struck Phaeton into the Po, wher

presented? Vulcan. See plate, page 37. Vulcan was the god of fire , of smiths, and of metals, and the armorer of the

ron we could not cultivate the earth, prepare our food by the help of fire , possess any fine cutting instruments, or carry o

bscure in smoke his flaming forges sound, While bathed in sweat, from fire to fire he flew; And puffing loud the roaring bel

n smoke his flaming forges sound, While bathed in sweat, from fire to fire he flew; And puffing loud the roaring bellows ble

d its dispersion into the atmosphere, accompanied by the evolution of fire . Before natural philosophy made this discovery, i

e fact, that when they were exposed to the most violent action of the fire with which the wrought, they were forced to shiel

s of hail conspire, Three armed with wind; and three were barbed with fire The mass they tempered thick with livid rays, Fea

e first yoked the ox, and disciplined the horse: he taught the use of fire , and the fusion of metals, and he also is said to

ht be brought forth and made serviceable. Because Prometheus employed fire more curiously and successfully than other men, h

id to have stolen it from heaven. He was accused of having taken this fire from the chariot of the sun; he probably obtained

aven. It was asserted that he formed statues, into whom he transfused fire from heaven, which gave them life. Jupiter, not h

born. A man named Erostratus, wishing to make his name immortal, set fire to this magnificent temple, imagining that such a

s let victim goats expire, And roast on hazel spits before the sacred fire . Come, sacred sire, with luscious clusters crowne

e of sulphur, olive wood, box, laurel, and rosemary. They then made a fire of straw, round which they danced; and, afterward

ders; the first inhabiting the earth; the second, the air; the third, fire . Who were the Lares and Penates? How were the La

ds in dews. Phlegyas. Phlegyas, a son of Mars, for having set fire to the temple of Apollo, at Delphi, was sentenced

eel surrounded with serpents, and perpetually turning over a river of fire . Tantalus. See plate, page 101. Tantalus,

they come near the habitations of men: seeks out their retreats: sets fire to their dens; strangles their little ones; and,

broke into his retreat, and strangled him, though the latter vomited fire and smoke. Hercules delivered Hesione, daughter o

sustained himself upon his club, and demanding of Philoctetes to set fire to the pile, he expired in the flames, and was re

cious and relenting. And like the true God, though he is a “consuming fire ,” yet “he forgiveth iniquity, transgression, and

work; filled them with human beings, and consumed them, together, by fire . Criminals were deemed the offerings most accepta

, wolves devoured, and lions roared. Some nations considered hell, a “ fire that is not quenched,” but the Druids represented

nd timbrels loud, Their children’s cries unheard; that passed through fire To his glim idol. Him the Ammonite Worshipped in

in triumph through the city by the Christians, and then thrown into a fire kindled in the amphitheatre. Harpocrates was the

fires esteemed holy, and kept in temples to be worshipped. The sacred fire was kindled by concentrated sunbeams. Priests too

er described Orosmades, as residing in the midst of a pure and divine fire which fills the immensity of space. The ancient P

, with the idea of him making them his dwelling-place. They venerated fire as his sacred emblem; the sun as his image; and t

had a fable, that all the elements which form the universe; that is, fire , earth, air, and water, once lay in a vast mass o

some of the desolate inhabitants on the earth, were standing around a fire , one person suddenly declared, that he who should

elf. Two men, upon this, immediately precipitated themselves into the fire , and afterwards appeared in the heavens as the su

which demolished the roof of the Parthenon; at the same time setting fire to a powder magazine within the Acropolis, which

erlaid with brass, and was that on which sacrifices were offered. The fire used to enkindle the fuel used in the sacrifices

ffered. The fire used to enkindle the fuel used in the sacrifices was fire from heaven. The Laver was a vessel of brass, whi

s) was a deity presiding over the public and private hearth. A sacred fire , tended by six virgin priestesses called Vestals,

of the virgins, if they let it go out, was severely punished, and the fire was rekindled from the rays of the sun. Liber is

en, and lighted his torch at the chariot of the sun, and brought down fire to man. With this gift man was more than a match

eus and his brother, to punish them for their presumption in stealing fire from heaven; and man, for accepting the gift. The

cting the danger that such a conflagration might set heaven itself on fire , he changed his plan, and resolved to drown it. T

le, deformed as it was with slime, and approached the altar, where no fire burned. There they fell prostrate on the earth, a

h her fair looks, to be avenged On him who had stole Jove’s authentic fire .” Prometheus and Epimetheus were sons of Iapetus

allusion, in his ode to Napoleon Bonaparte: — “Or, like the thief of fire from heaven,     Wilt thou withstand the shock? A

r in the bosoms of both. They conversed by signs and glances, and the fire burned more intensely for being covered up. In th

cting wire, Which Davy delicately draws     Around illicit, dangerous fire ! “The wall he sets ’twixt Flame and Air,     (Li

ll you find it easy to guide those horses, with their breasts full of fire that they breathe forth from their mouths and nos

urn the heavenly dwellings, nor too low, or you will set the earth on fire ; the middle course is safest and best. 6 And now

eneath her own. The clouds begin to smoke, and the mountain tops take fire ; the fields are parched with heat, the plants wit

d the Apennines crowned with clouds. Then Phaëton beheld the world on fire , and felt the heat intolerable. The air he breath

have deserved this treatment, and it is your will that I perish with fire , why withhold your thunderbolts? Let me at least

me moment from his seat and from existence! Phaëton, with his hair on fire , fell headlong, like a shooting star which marks

nder, rests beneath this stone. He could not rule his father’s car of fire , Yet was it much so nobly to aspire.” His sister

t down. Then she raked out the coals from the ashes, and kindled up a fire , fed it with leaves and dry bark, and with her sc

dus, and others. Some of them had a hundred arms, others breathed out fire . They were finally subdued and buried alive under

t in the field, gathering acorns and blackberries, and sticks for his fire . His little girl was driving home their two goats

was doing, sprang forward with a cry and snatched the child from the fire . Then Ceres assumed her own form, and a divine sp

o restrain them. “They rush together,” said she, “with such fury that fire flashes from the conflict. But if you must go,” s

h a crested head and scales glittering like gold. His eyes shone like fire , his body was swollen with venom, he vibrated a t

her love. And can any other woman dare more than I? I would encounter fire and sword to gain my object; but here there is no

ounter fire and sword to gain my object; but here there is no need of fire and sword. I only need my father’s purple lock. M

like Briareus, had a hundred arms; others, like Typhon, breathed out fire . At one time they put the gods to such fear that

by a kick from his hoof. The Chimæra was a fearful monster, breathing fire . The fore part of its body was a compound of the

covered the hill-sides. The brazen-footed bulls rushed in, breathing fire from their nostrils that burned up the herbage as

s a gift to the bride, and then killing her own children, and setting fire to the palace, mounted her serpent-drawn chariot

ize to lay waste the fields of Calydon. Its eyes shone with blood and fire , its bristles stood like threatening spears, its

ies had linked with Meleager’s life, she brings forth, and commands a fire to be prepared. Then four times she essays to pla

th heaven’s wine, Idæan Ganymede, And let it fill the Dædal cups like fire .” The beautiful legend of the Choice of Hercules

noise roused the anger of Pentheus as the sound of a trumpet does the fire of a war-horse. He penetrated through the wood an

the sea, which receives all the rivers, yet is never filled; or like fire , that burns all the fuel that is heaped upon it,

himself captured, immediately resorted to his arts, becoming first a fire , then a flood, then a horrible wild beast, in rap

! could not verse immortal save That breast imbued with such immortal fire ? “’Twas on a Grecian autumn’s gentle eve Childe

a grove, First saw the boy Endymion, from whose eyes She took eternal fire that never dies; How she conveyed him softly in a

forcing a passage through the Grecian rampart, and were about to set fire to the ships. Neptune, seeing the Greeks so press

refuge. First those who had got possession of the ship and set it on fire left and allowed the Grecians to retake it and ex

iends, who had returned under cover of the night. The city was set on fire ; the people, overcome with feasting and sleep, pu

und in the cave. They sharpened the end of it, and seasoned it in the fire , and hid it under the straw on the cavern floor.

ses with his four select friends thrust the end of the stake into the fire till it was all one burning coal, then poising it

iareus, with his hundred arms, Hydras hissing, and Chimæras breathing fire . Æneas shuddered at the sight, drew his sword and

y made the material of which souls are composed of the four elements, fire , air, earth, and water, all which when united too

ater, all which when united took the form of the most excellent part, fire , and became flame. This material was scattered li

f winds, or merging them in water, or burning out their impurities by fire . Some few, of whom Anchises intimates that he is

Heard on the rueful stream; fierce Phlegethon Whose waves of torrent fire inflame with rage. Far off from these a slow and

ce deserves any thing more, let them pay it to you.” Euryalus, all on fire with the love of adventure, replied, “Would you,

Man.” In the centre of the universe (he taught) there was a central fire , the principle of life. The central fire was surr

taught) there was a central fire, the principle of life. The central fire was surrounded by the earth, the moon, the sun, a

bited them, were supposed to perform a choral dance round the central fire , “not without song.” It is this doctrine which Sh

oso. 4. The Physical theory; according to which the elements of air, fire , and water were originally the objects of religio

my work, which not the ire Of Jove, nor tooth of time, nor sword, nor fire Shall bring to nought. Come when it will that day

ittle room in which they had been washing, and where there was a good fire of oak burning, looked into the flames and saw a

d, but that you may recollect that the little creature you see in the fire is a salamander; such a one as never was beheld b

wer of the salamander. According to them, the animal not only resists fire , but extinguishes it, and when he sees the flame

vanquish. That the skin of an animal which could resist the action of fire should be considered proof against that element i

uantity, and would doubtless, for a few moments, defend the body from fire . Then it is a hibernating animal, and in winter r

it forth. It may therefore sometimes be carried with the fuel to the fire , and wake up only time enough to put forth all it

d all who profess to have seen it, acknowledge that it got out of the fire as fast as its legs could carry it; indeed, too f

e contemplation of the starry heavens to a salamander unwarmed in the fire : “An undevout astronomer is mad!                

and performed their sacrifices on the tops of mountains. They adored fire , light, and the sun as emblems of Ormuzd, the sou

ners, they are favorably distinguished. They have numerous temples to fire , which they adore as the symbol of the divinity.

er chief says, — “Yes! I am of that impious race,    Those slaves of fire , that morn and even Hail their creator’s dwelling

f heaven, of thunder, lightning, storm, and rain; 2. Agni, the god of fire ; 3. Yama, the god of the infernal regions; 4. Sur

to the Vedas, is a portion of the supreme ruler, as a spark is of the fire . Vishnu. Vishnu occupies the second place i

ted back in affright and demanded why Freya’s eyeballs glistened with fire . Loki repeated the same excuse and the giant was

hreatened danger. Then Frigga, the wife of Odin, exacted an oath from fire and water, from iron and all other metals, from s

er their leader Surtur, before and behind whom are flames and burning fire . Onward they ride over Bifrost, the rainbow bridg

enemies having fallen in battle, Surtur, who has killed Freyr, darts fire and flames over the world, and the whole universe

“In that strange island, Iceland, — burst up, the geologists say, by fire from the bottom of the sea, a wild land of barren

with twisted twigs and filled with living persons. These being set on fire , those within are encompassed by the flames.” Man

former took place in the beginning of May, and was called Beltane or “ fire of God.” On this occasion a large fire was kindle

ay, and was called Beltane or “fire of God.” On this occasion a large fire was kindled on some elevated spot, in honor of th

tc. The other great festival of the Druids was called “Samh’in,” or “ fire of peace,” and was held on Hallow-eve, (first of

d certain superstitious usages, especially the kindling of the sacred fire , from which all the fires in the district, which

that guided them, they ran out of their course, the world was set on fire , and a total conflagration would have ensued, had

eneath Mount Ætna*, in Sicily*, whence at times he still breathes out fire and flames towards heaven. The Gigantes are said

arquin* on the Capitol at Rome. This, after being nearly destroyed by fire in the time of Sulla, was restored to more than i

ngs are probably nothing more than what is commonly called St. Elmo’s fire — an electric flame which is often seen playing r

rrounded by the river Phlegethon, the waves of which rolled flames of fire , and lit up, with their lurid glare, these awful

ng him with ambrosia, and then laying him at night in the glow of the fire . The imprudent curiosity of his mother, who watch

ughter of Chronos and Rhea. She was the goddess of the hearth, of the fire on it, and of the family. The name Hestia indicat

where the prytanes*, or elders, held their meetings. There the sacred fire burning on the public hearth was never allowed to

e it went out, either from neglect or by accident, it was restored by fire obtained by rubbing pieces of wood together, or b

ieces of wood together, or by kindling them with a burning glass. The fire of Hestia was a symbol of the life of the State.

on with the parent State was kept unbroken by a portion of the sacred fire being carried with the colonists, to be kept fore

; Roman, Vulcan, or Mulciber*; Egyptian, Pthah. Hephæstus, the god of fire , was a son of Zeus and Hera. According to one acc

undamental idea lies at the foundation of these legends, namely, that fire first came down from heaven in the form of lightn

t from invasion. He destroyed people by making himself red-hot in the fire , and then embracing them. Hephæstus also made the

Volcanus. They honored in him the blessings and beneficial action of fire . They also sought his protection against conflagr

events, and could assume any form at pleasure, changing himself into fire or water, plant or animal. Sometimes, when consul

tion was considered acceptable. When a sacrifice was to be offered, a fire was kindled on the altar; wine and frankincense w

deception that he avenged himself by refusing to mortals the gift of fire . Prometheus, however, resolved to brave the anger

uck off two sprung up. He then ordered his nephew, Iolaus*, to set on fire a neighboring wood, and with the firebrands he se

yre to be constructed, mounted it, and implored the bystanders to set fire to it. No one had the courage to obey him until P

n would live only until a certain brand, that was then burning on the fire , was consumed. Althea immediately snatched it fro

r Meleager had slain her brothers, she threw the fatal brand into the fire . As it burned, the vigor of Meleager wasted away,

or drove the latter back to their ships, and was about to set them on fire , when Achilles consented to allow his friend Patr

hosen Greek warriors concealed themselves. The rest of the Greeks set fire to their camp, and sailed away to Tenedos. The

enormous rock that twenty oxen could not have drawn. Having kindled a fire , he discerned the strangers and demanded who they

then stretched himself on the floor, and soon fell asleep before the fire . Odysseus drew his sword and was about to slay th

into a heavy sleep. Then Odysseus and his companions thrust into the fire the end of a stake which they had already sharpen

e cultivation of the grape-vines. Hephæstus, or Vulcan, presided over fire , and compelled it to do service for man. Aphrodit

and performed their sacrifices on the tops of mountains. They adored fire , light, and the sun, as emblems of Ormuzd, the so

supreme God, and Uranus lost his importance. Agni was a name for the fire which, when the fuel is kindled, steps forth like

(of smoke) behind him. The name Agni is found in the Latin word ignis fire . Indra was god of the clear heaven, and so of li

which the fair maiden, Brynhild, lay asleep. Sigurd rode through the fire , and at his touch she awoke. They then plighted t

” “In that strange island Iceland, — burst up, the geologists say, by fire from the bottom of the sea, a wild land of barren

with twisted twigs and filled with living persons. These being set on fire , those within are encompassed by the flames.” Th

s.” The Druids observed two festivals in each year. The Baltane, or “ fire of God,” took place in the beginning of May. On t

of God,” took place in the beginning of May. On this occasion a large fire was kindled on some elevated spot, in honor of th

. The other great festival of the Druids was called “Samhin,” or the “ fire of peace,” and was held on Hallow-eve (last of Oc

d certain superstitious usages, especially the kindling of the sacred fire , from which the fires in the district — which had

ch are fit for food, and which are of value as medicine; he gave them fire , and recommended them never to allow it to become

orth, stocked the woods with game, and taught his children the use of fire . “In the Oneida dialect of the Iroquois, Ioskeha

s thunderbolts, and the arms of the other gods. Vulcan was the god of fire , and the patron of blacksmiths and armorers. Que

Vulcania. At these they sacrificed animals by throwing them into the fire to be burned to death. The Athenians also kept fe

in shepherds found Cæculus, when an infant, lying unhurt in a glowing fire , from which circumstance he was supposed to be th

was the emblem of this goddess, and in her temple, at Rome, a sacred fire was suspended in the air, and watched by the Vest

was suspended in the air, and watched by the Vestal Virgins. If this fire chanced to be extinguished, all public and privat

The penalties for neglect of their duties were severe. If the sacred fire was extinguished through their negligence, they w

und, with a lamp, and a little bread, wine, water and oil. The sacred fire of Vesta was watched by these priestesses for nea

g the day with celestial food; but in the night, she covered him with fire . Under this extraordinary treatment, the infant,

ratus, who was anxious to make himself famous, by whatever means, set fire to this magnificent building. This event took pla

Ques. What was the Chimæra? Ans. A fabulous monster, which vomited fire . It had the head and breast of a lion, the body o

begun, unless some portion of the viands had been first cast into the fire ; in the more solemn form of marriage, the bride a

er which he ascended the pile and directed his followers to set it on fire . All refused except Philoctetes [Philocte′tes], w

Oceanides. He formed a man out of clay, and gave it life by means of fire which he stole from heaven. Ques. What pretty fa

e boldest hunters feared to attack the monster, whose eyes shone with fire , while its bristles stood erect like spears, and

urpose anointed him with ambrosia during the day, and laid him in the fire at night. The fears of Peleus interrupted this st

her in the magnificence of their gifts. The building was destroyed by fire in the year 548 B. C., but was soon rebuilt. Xerx

with building “the high places of Baalim, to burn their children with fire for a holocaust to Baalim.” This text shows the e

death, to dedicate their children to Moloch, by passing them through fire . Solomon built a temple for his worship on the Mo

nd timbrels loud, Their children’s cries unheard, that passed through fire , To his grim idol. Him the Ammonite Worshipp’d in

er times, but the early followers of Zoroaster reverenced the sun and fire as emblems of Ormuzd. Perpetual fire was kept bur

Zoroaster reverenced the sun and fire as emblems of Ormuzd. Perpetual fire was kept burning on their altars. The Parsees of

g on their altars. The Parsees of Hindostan say that they have sacred fire which has never been extinguished since the time

built their temples over subterranean fires. Ques. Is there any such fire now reverenced by them? Ans. Yes, near the town

erated by the surrounding tribes. Pilgrimages are made to this sacred fire from all parts of Asia. Ques. What is the cause

d the surrounding country abound in naphtha and petroleum. The sacred fire is simply a jet of inflammable gas escaping from

hink that every soul is a part of Brahma, as a spark is a part of the fire , and that finally all souls will be absorbed into

ect him. Frigga, the wife of Odin, exacted an oath from the elements, fire , air, water, and from everything animate and inan

rized by the use of circular temples, open at the top; the worship of fire as the emblem of the sun, and the celebration of

onsecrated to Baal and Samhain, (the moon,) and watched the perpetual fire which burned on their altars. In one of the civil

there was in the centre of each great district or canton, a perpetual fire in honor of Baal. On the feast of the god, this w

y in Ireland. There the Druids assembled around the sacred or “parent fire ,” which the Arch-druid extinguished. At this sign

parent fire,” which the Arch-druid extinguished. At this signal every fire disappeared, and, in an incredibly short space of

awe, while the Druids performed their nocturnal rites. At length the fire was rekindled; torches lighted at the sacred flam

attached to such an act, commanded his disciples to light the paschal fire at the moment when all around was plunged in dark

hose of the ancient Romans? Ans. In the mode of procuring the sacred fire , the obtaining of omens from the animals offered

egard to the Virgins of the Sun. At the festival of Raymi, the sacred fire was obtained, as under the reign of Numa, by mean

n. When the sky was overcast, which was esteemed a very bad omen, the fire was obtained by means of friction. This fire was

med a very bad omen, the fire was obtained by means of friction. This fire was watched by the Virgins of the Sun. Ques. Who

med, and even Achilles himself. When the Grecians had set the city on fire Æneas took his aged father, Anchises, on his shou

h its load; For as Æneas bore his sire Upon his shoulders through the fire , Our knight did bear no less a pack Of his own bu

nds. Cano′pus [Canopus]. The Egyptian god of water, the conqueror of fire . Cap′is [Capis] or Cap′ula [Capula]. A peculiar

lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. It used to vomit fire .                  … “ And on the craggy top Chim

pitchy nostrils flaky flames expire, Her gaping throat emits infernal fire .” Milton. Chi′ron [Chiron], the centaur who ta

ra. G Ga′briel [Gabriel], in Jewish mythology is the prince of fire and thunder, and the angel of death to the favore

ting Crete. Eighth, To capture the mares of Diomedes, which breathed fire from their nostrils, and ate human flesh. Ninth,

l, surrounded with serpents, which is forever turning over a river of fire . “The powers of vengeance, while they hear, Touc

nd timbrels loud, Their children’s cries unheard, that poured through fire To this grim idol.” Milton. Mo′mus [Momus]. Th

tell.” Sir Thomas Lyttleton. Phleg′ethon [Phlegethon]. A river of fire in the infernal regions. It was the picture of de

Infernal rivers…         … Fierce Phlegethon, Whose waves of torrent fire inflame with rage.” Milton. Phle′gon [Phlegon]

her of Deucalion. He presumed to make clay men, and animate them with fire which he had stolen from heaven. This so displeas

ctim, and a few of the saturated hairs were pulled off and put in the fire which was burning on the altar. Then, turning to

e was then divided, and the thighs, covered with fat, were put in the fire , and the rest of the animal was cut up, cooked, a

′aman′ders [Salamanders]. The genii who, according to Plato, lived in fire . “The spirits of fiery termagants in flame, Moun

daughter of Saturn and Cybele, was the goddess of the hearth and its fire . She had under her special care and protection a

on a famous statue of Minerva, before which the Vestal Virgins kept a fire or lamp constantly burning. Ves′tal Vir′gins [Ve

the priestesses of Vesta, whose chief duty was to see that the sacred fire in the temple of Vesta was not extinguished. They

ss. Volu′pia [Volupia], see Angeronia. Vul′can [Vulcan], the god of fire , was the son of Jupiter and Juno. He offended Jup

at which the victims (certain fish and animals) were thrown into the fire and burned to death. W War, see Bellona, C

outcries, imprecations, and groans; sometimes he even breathed forth fire and flames, in hopes of injuring his conqueror. B

old classic superstition Of the theft and the transmission     Of the fire of the Immortals.” Longfellow. Fire alone, in h

” Longfellow. Fire alone, in his estimation, could effect this; but fire was the special possession and prerogative of the

thief. Long he pondered the matter, and finally determined to obtain fire , or die in the attempt. One dark night, therefore

evise some means to punish mankind for the acceptance of the heavenly fire . With this purpose in view, he assembled the gods

r counsels. The first suggestion offered, was to destroy the world by fire , kindled by Jupiter’s much dreaded thunderbolts;

his arm was stayed by the objection that the rising flames might set fire to his own abode, and reduce its magnificence to

hose bright And hottest rays the eagle fills his eye With quenchless fire , and far, far up on high Screams out his joy to t

eaving my robe upon the ocean foam; My footsteps pave the clouds with fire ; the caves Are filled with my bright presence, an

tyx!’ said the angry sire, While his eyes flashed volumes of fury and fire , ‘To prove your reviler an infamous liar, I swear

Sweet! for thy love,’ he cried, ‘the sea I’d cleave, Though foam were fire , and waves with flame did heave, I fear not billo

were the haunted forest boughs,     Holy the air, the water, and the fire ; Yet even in these days so far retir’d     From h

l of Vulcan Vulcan, or Hephæstus, son of Jupiter and Juno, god of fire and the forge seldom joined the general council o

der of his realm, Pluto surrounded it with the Phlegethon, a river of fire ; while the Acheron, a black and deep stream, had

im to Tartarus, where he was bound to a constantly revolving wheel of fire . “Proud Ixion (doom’d to feel The tortures of th

sprang to her side; but the lightning which played about his head set fire to the whole palace, which was reduced to ashes.

s let victim goats expire, And roast on hazel spits before the sacred fire .” “Come, sacred sire, with luscious clusters cro

noiselessly into the apartment, and with a wild shriek rushed to the fire and snatched her child out of the flames, pressed

f Vesta Vesta, or Hestia, daughter of Cronus and Rhea, goddess of fire and of the family hearth, and guardian angel of m

Troy was supposed to be preserved, together with the goddess’s sacred fire , originally kindled by the rays of the sun. This

oddess’s sacred fire, originally kindled by the rays of the sun. This fire  — an emblem of the flame of life, which the ancie

orm during the next decade as priestesses and guardians of the sacred fire . The last ten years were spent in instructing the

chastity and fidelity to their patroness, and to maintain her sacred fire , under penalty of being buried alive in a vaulted

Numa Pompilius’s order. In turn, each of the priestesses watched the fire , renewed the fuel, and fanned the flame, nor lost

services the Vestals rendered to the State by maintaining this sacred fire , they enjoyed many privileges: among others, that

war or danger they were answerable for the preservation of the sacred fire , which they were allowed to remove to any place o

worship of Vesta, dispersed the Vestals, and extinguished the sacred fire . Vesta’s services were held with great pomp; and

e brings Dread Vesta, with her holy things, Her awful fillets and the fire Whose sacred embers ne’er expire.” Virgil ( Coni

ic processions the Vestals had the privilege of carrying their sacred fire ; while the Roman matrons, glad to swell their ran

d in Trachinia shall the funeral pyre Purge his mortalities away with fire ; And he shall mount amid the stars, and be Acknow

ules’ Madness In a fit of delirium he threw his offspring into the fire , and, we are told, slew his dearly beloved wife.

k. First he experienced a burning, stinging sensation, which ran like fire through every vein. Vainly he tried to tear off t

his colossal, pain-racked limbs, and bade his friend Philoctetes set fire to the stupendous mass. At first Philoctetes also

round thee play, And mark thy wild, enduring smile, Lit by no mortal fire the while, Formed to attract all eyes to thee, An

ef, until Althæa, with true mother’s wit, snatched the brand from the fire , plunged it into an earthen jar filled with water

arefully cherished brand from its hiding-place, and threw it upon the fire burning brightly on her hearth. When the last bit

meteors, sometimes seen at sea, which attach themselves like balls of fire to the masts of ships, —  a sure sign, according

pitchy nostrils flaky flames expire; Her gaping throat emits infernal fire .” Homer ( Pope’s tr.). His principal motive in

indifferent spectator of their flight, while the Trojans began to set fire to some of the vessels of their fleet.      “The

he leapt upon the funeral pile, And mixt herself with him and past in fire .” Tennyson. Two of Priam’s sons had already exp

e club which they found in the cave was duly pointed, hardened in the fire , and set aside for future use. When the darkness

city of Troy in the dead of night, massacred the inhabitants, and set fire to the beautiful buildings which had been the kin

n, having crowned the pile with an effigy of her false lover, she set fire to the pyre, 330 sprang into the midst of the fla

e sea. Their discontent ultimately reached such a pitch that they set fire to the vessels. When Æneas heard of this new misf

nt Iris to apprise Turnus of Æneas’ departure, and to urge him to set fire to the remainder of the fleet, —  a suggestion wh

nomena,” that is, phenomena of the sunshine, the clouds, rain, winds, fire , &c. To make their process of reasoning plain

of the sky, the sun, dawn, daylight, night, moon, earth, sea, clouds, fire , wind, and finally those of the underworld and of

k axon, the Latin axis, and the English axle.” This whirling wheel of fire is the bright orb of day, to which he was bound b

aw occasioned by the sunbeams (Apollo’s arrows). Fire Myths The fire myths also form quite a large class, and comprise

Prometheus, whose name has been traced to the Sanskrit pramantha (or “ fire drill”). Learned men have therefore proved that t

arned men have therefore proved that the “beneficent Titan, who stole fire from heaven and bestowed it upon mankind as the r

ginally nothing but the lightning ( “the celestial drill which churns fire out of the clouds”); but the Greeks had so entire

ulcan (or Hephæstus), strictly “the brightness of the flame,” another fire hero, is represented as very puny at birth, becau

t he can mould them at will; and, as “the association of the heavenly fire with the life-giving forces of nature is very com

” the Hindoo Agni was considered the patron of marriage as well as of fire ; and the Greeks, to carry out this idea, united t

well as of fire; and the Greeks, to carry out this idea, united their fire god, Hephæstus, to the goddess of marriage, Aphro

dite. The Greek Hestia (or Latin Vesta) was also a personification of fire ; and, her name having retained its primitive mean

way the cattle of the sun (the clouds), and, after fanning up a great fire in which he consumed some of the herd, glided bac

ter world, 180. 181 Ix-i′on. Criminal in Tartarus; bound to wheel of fire , 60, 145, 228; makes love to Juno, 146; significa

he Harpies, 235 Phleg′e-thon. One of the rivers of Hades; a river of fire , 138, 140, 312 Pho′bos. One of the attendants of

chards; loved by Pomona, 268, 269 Ves′ta. Same as Hestia, goddess of fire and of the family hearth, 118, 171-174; birth of,

ore comfortable, but up to this time they knew nothing of the uses of fire and they shivered sadly on cold days. Prometheus

on cold days. Prometheus was wiser than they. He had seen the eternal fire burning in the great hall of Olympus, where the g

knew how it cheers and warms those who have it. He knew also that the fire was sacred, and that Jupiter did not wish it to b

-road to the home of the gods, and slipped three burning coals of the fire into a hollow reed he had brought with him. Then

heard men singing rough chants in honor of Prometheus, who had stolen fire from heaven, he grew very stern. “Prometheus is b

tern. “Prometheus is brave, but he has done wrong to steal the sacred fire ,” said Jupiter, “and he must be punished.” Then J

at pain, and his suffering was always terrible. He saw, too, that the fire he had stolen was not entirely a blessing. Though

r. At times they burned each other’s houses and crops with the sacred fire , and they melted ores in it to make swords of ste

pier than before, for after that day when Prometheus brought down the fire , the world was never again quite at peace. All th

pened and something struck her in the face and burned like a spark of fire . Pandora started back with a cry, and in a moment

e was Hercules squeezing the serpents, whose eyes were still flashing fire . But Hercules soon put her fears to rest, for he

Hercules almost strangled him. Last of all he became a huge flame of fire , but Hercules still managed to hold him, and even

w and rain, and to the blazing heat of the sun, because he had stolen fire from heaven. Hercules boldly set Prometheus free,

lendid creatures were brought out, prancing and stamping and snorting fire . Twelve goddesses, the Hours, harnessed the eager

he said. “Hector is in the Grecian camp, and the Trojans are setting fire to our fleet.” Then, at last, Achilles yielded, b

t is sweeter than honey, but in the end it is a burning and torturing fire . I will forget it, mother, and from now on I shal

Hundreds were slain before they were fairly awake. The Greeks brought fire , and soon the whole city was a mass of flames. Go

   And what thy loved sweet-voiced call, If amid blood and wallowing fire    Dear Troy must fall?” “Then thou wilt die?” “

ived there who was rich in flocks and herds. The men kindled a little fire in the midst of the cave and sat down to await hi

had sharpened one end of it and hidden it. Now they brought it to the fire and held the sharpened point in the flames until

s tried next, but could not bend it in the least. Then Antinoüs had a fire made, and over it he melted some lard with which

e΄theus (pro-me΄thuse). A Titan, and special friend of man, 42; stole fire from heaven, 43, and was punished by Jupiter, 44,

the diversion of the chase. The sun is a god, who, riding in a car of fire , diffuses his light through the world; the stars

were driven, And grosser air sunk from ethereal Heaven. The force of fire ascended first on high, And took its dwelling in

dwelling in the vaulted sky: Then air succeeds, in lightness next to fire ; Whose atoms from unactive earth retire. Earth si

secrated an altar, where virgins, named Vestals, maintained perpetual fire . At Delphi and at Athens the priestesses were not

ge. It was the employment of the Vestals to take care that the sacred fire of Vesta was not extinguished, for if it ever hap

ceived Jupiter, he was punished by being withheld from the element of fire ; and to enrage his sovereign, he formed a being o

auty, and to complete his performance, assisted ‌by Minerva, he stole fire from the chariot of the sun, wherewith to animate

we will rend thee bone from bone, And nerve from nerve, working like fire within!     Pro. Pain is my element, as hate is t

olt, and hurled him headlong into the river Po. His body, consumed by fire , was found by the nymphs of the place, and honour

ey gathered to a God! “And if it be Prometheus stole from Heaven The fire which we endure, it was repaid By him to whom the

ew into the flames a brand which bore with it the life of Meleager; a fire immediately spread itself through the vitals of t

, the gentle vow, the gay desire, The kind deceit, the still reviving fire , Persuasive speech, and more persuasive sighs, Si

eptre graced, and red attire, Came halting forth the sovereign of the fire : The monarch’s steps two female forms uphold, Tha

scure in smoke, his forges flaming round; While bathed in sweat, from fire to fire he flew, And puffing loud, the roaring be

smoke, his forges flaming round; While bathed in sweat, from fire to fire he flew, And puffing loud, the roaring bellows bl

y were the haunted forest boughs,     Holy the air, the water and the fire .” Keats. Of this deity, poets have written unti

power, and the sharpness of his arrows. “As in the Lemnian caves of fire , The mate of her who nursed desire, Moulded the g

on eager wings succeeds desire, And both the lovers glow with mutual fire .” Ovid. Pomona had a temple at Rome, and a regu

a libation on the ocean pours; While the fat entrails crackle in the fire , And sheets of smoke in sweet perfume aspire: Til

mother of several children by Peleus, but all these she destroyed by fire in attempting to see whether they were immortal.

everity, With their grave saws, in slumber lie. We, that are of purer fire , Imitate the starry quire, Who, in their nightly

               Illumes the wintry hour. We’ll paint the well-trimmed fire , the frugal meal, Prepared with good solicitude t

did by turns invade Her tender cheeks, and secret grief betrayed; As fire , that sleeping under ashes lies, Fresh blown and

n, and induced her to put it on; it immediately set her whole body on fire , and she died in the most painful torments. This

e piles; the sleeping sire She lustrates thrice, with sulphur, water, fire . ……………………………………………………… His feeble frame resumes a

hrough his bones, and attaching itself to the flesh, eat into it like fire . “She now resolves to send the fatal vest, Dyed

ft in haste, And o’er his shoulders Lerna’s poison cast, At first the fire with frankincense he strews, And utters to the go

when, suddenly, the burning pile was surrounded with dark smoke, the fire burned like a furnace, and when it had consumed t

d, Humbly implored a hospitable rest: If bold exploits thy admiration fire , (He said), I fancy, mine thou wilt admire: Or if

eath All from her woman’s heart, in sudden song Burst like a fount of fire ,                                         ‘I go,

a hand that grasps thy hell, But should run up like flax, all blazing fire . Stand from this spot, I wish you as my friends,

ming steeds against the skies, And, laughing with loud yell at winged fire , Innoxious to his fields and palaces Affrights th

h a pale and ghastly look, her garments torn, her eyes sparkling with fire , holding a dagger concealed in her bosom. Her hea

the worlds, and the book of the law; the pencil to write it, and the fire of sacrifice. Vishnu. Insérer image anonyme

paint him menacing and terrible, his sharp teeth start from his gums; fire breathes from his lips; and human sculls form his

d like the vestals of the Greek and Roman mythology, kept a perpetual fire in the temple of their goddess. “The power of in

was chosen, they conducted him towards the altar on which the sacred fire was kept burning night and day. It was surrounded

e mother of Balder, undertook this task; and she exacted an oath from fire , from water, from all the metals, from the stones

he poetic traditions that abide in verse? Mythology, fraught with the fire of imagination, kindles the present from the past

d by the immortals with heavenly graces, and of Prometheus, who stole fire from heaven for the use of man; the myth of the e

presiding over, and governing, the different objects of nature — air, fire , water, the sun, moon, arid stars, the mountains,

ual influences, of which one illuminates, as the sun, with a constant fire , whatever in humanity is skilful and wise; and th

k of Typhon dispread themselves a hundred dragon-heads; his eyes shot fire , and from his black-tongued chaps proceeded the h

heaven, lighted his torch at the chariot of the sun, and brought down fire . With fire in his possession man would be able, w

hted his torch at the chariot of the sun, and brought down fire. With fire in his possession man would be able, when necessa

the Olympians.59 For the son of Cronus had grudged mortals the use of fire , and was, in fact, contemplating their annihilati

this insult as an excuse for punishing mankind, deprived the race of fire . But Prometheus regained the treasure, stealing i

The old classic superstition Of the theft and the transmission Of the fire of the Immortals! “First the deed of noble darin

rst the deed of noble daring, Born of heavenward aspiration, Then the fire with mortals sharing, Then the vulture, — the des

ssionate pulsations, In their words among the nations, The Promethean fire is burning. “Shall it, then, be unavailing, All

ard the gods. Fearing lest a conflagration might set Heaven itself on fire , he proceeded to drown the world. Not satisfied w

of a gray goat (the Ægis), fearful to behold, and made by the god of fire . His special messenger was the eagle. It was, how

el. § 37. Vulcan (Hephæstus), son of Jupiter and Juno, was the god of fire , especially of terrestrial fire, — volcanic erupt

n of Jupiter and Juno, was the god of fire, especially of terrestrial fire , — volcanic eruption, incendiary flame, the glow

figurative suggestion, perhaps, of the flickering, unsteady nature of fire . According to his own story,77 he was born halt;

eaving my robe upon the ocean foam; My footsteps pave the clouds with fire ; the caves Are filled with my bright presence, an

lowed coals from her ancestral hearth. In her temple at Rome a sacred fire , tended by six virgin priestesses called Vestals,

igence, by which it might go out, was severely punished. Whenever the fire did die, it was rekindled from the rays of the su

e Acheron, river of woe, — with its tributaries, Phlegethon, river of fire , and Cocytus, river of wailing. According to the

m to sit down. Then she raked out the coals from the ashes, kindled a fire , and prepared some pot-herbs and bacon for them.

ith crested head and scales glittering like gold; his eyes shone like fire ; his body was swollen with venom; he vibrated a t

t thou find it easy to guide those horses, with their breasts full of fire that they breathe forth from their mouths and nos

r, and the Apennines crowned with clouds. Phaëton beheld the world on fire , and felt the heat intolerable. Then, too, it is

ky voice prayed Jupiter if it were his will that she should perish by fire , to end her agony at once by his thunderbolts, or

me moment from his seat and from existence. Phaëton, with his hair on fire , fell headlong, like a shooting star which marks

der, rests beneath this stone. He could not rule’ his father’s car of fire , Yet was it much so nobly to aspire.” 146 § 76.

holy were the haunted forest boughs, Holy the air, the water, and the fire ; Yet even in these days so far retired From happy

enamoured. Stone-still he stood, and evermore he gaz’d, Till with the fire , that from his countenance blaz’d, Relenting Hero

r in the bosoms of both. They conversed by signs and glances, and the fire burned the more intensely that it was covered. In

into a cave at Pylos. There rubbing laurel branches together, he made fire , and sacrificed, as an example for men to follow,

was doing, sprang forward with a cry and snatched the child from the fire . Then Ceres assumed her own form, and a divine sp

ess from their loosen’d manes, And beat the twilight into flakes of fire . “Lo! ever thus thou growest beautiful In si

and rough, well, I have faggots of oak-wood, and beneath the ashes is fire unwearied, and I would endure to let thee burn my

us, finding himself captured, resorted to his craft, becoming first a fire , then a flood, then a horrible wild beast, in rap

ellerophon, the following is related: — In Lycia a monster, breathing fire , made great havoc. The fore part of its body was

ed robe as a gift to the bride, killing her own children, and setting fire to the palace, she mounted her serpent-drawn char

hat Meleager, as a tame lion chafed, Bore on them, broke them, and as fire cleaves wood, So clove and drove them, smitten in

es have linked with Meleager’s life, she brings forth. She commands a fire to be prepared. Four times she essays to place th

forcing a passage through the Grecian rampart, and were about to set fire to the ships. But Neptune, seeing the Greeks hard

refuge. First those who had got possession of the ship and set it on fire allowed the Grecians to retake it and extinguish

riends who had returned under cover of the night. The city was set on fire ; the people, overcome with feasting and sleep, we

ound in the cave. They sharpened the end of it and seasoned it in the fire , and hid it under the straw on the cavern floor.

Ulysses with his four select friends held the end of the stake in the fire till it was one burning coal, then poising it exa

et, mother of roses,377 Lingers, a light on the magic seas, The wide fire flames, as a flower uncloses, Heavy with odor, an

eep in the woods as twilight darkens, Glades are red with the scented fire ; Far in the dells the white maid hearkens Song an

iareus, with his hundred arms, Hydras hissing, and Chimæras breathing fire . Æneas shuddered at the sight, drew his sword and

made the material of which souls are composed, of the four elements, fire , air, earth, and water, all which when united too

ater, all which when united took the form of the most excellent part, fire , and became flame. This material was scattered li

f winds, or merging them in water, or burning out their impurities by fire . Some few, of whom Anchises intimates that he is

vice deserves anything more, let them pay it thee.” Euryalus, all on fire with the love of adventure, replied, “Wouldst tho

ed back in affright, and demanded why Freya’s eyeballs glistened with fire . Loki repeated the same excuse, and the giant was

hreatened danger. Then Frigga, the wife of Odin, exacted an oath from fire and water, from iron and all other metals, from s

er their leader Surter, before and behind whom are flames and burning fire . Onward they ride over Bifrost, the rainbow bridg

enemies having fallen in battle, Surter, who has killed Freyr, darts fire and flames over the world, and the universe is co

he aid of Niblung, her brother Hogni’s son, in the end slew Atli, set fire to his hall and brought ruin on the Budlung folk.

or pha, to shine, or spha, to burn. The Latin Vulcan, while a god of fire , is not represented by the Romans as possessed of

a flash of lightning, etc. It is quite natural that, in many legends, fire should play an active part in the creation of man

the first man; and that, therefore, the spirit of man was composed of fire . Vulcan is also called by the Romans Mulciber, fr

ller cites the Peruvian Inca who said that if the sun were free, like fire , he would visit new parts of the heavens. “He is,

l, “Roman Vergil , thou that singest Ilion’s lofty temples, robed in fire ,” etc. Æneas and Anchises: Chaucer, H. of F. 165;

the centre of the universe (as Pythagoras taught) there was a central fire , the principle of life. The central fire was surr

taught) there was a central fire, the principle of life. The central fire was surrounded by the earth, the moon, the sun, a

the youngest and one of the most important of the Vedic gods; lord of fire , born of two pieces of wood rubbed together; youn

ary with balls of ox-fat, which sticking to his body and there taking fire , annoyed him beyond measure. To free himself from

ed. The bottom of this place of torment was of both liquid and solid fire  ; it was over-canopied by a ‘fiery concave,’ and

ee iron, three of adamantine rock Impenetrable, impaled with circling fire Yet unconsumed. These gates were kept by Sin and

the well-known hand, they run out of the course ; the world is set on fire , and a total conflagration would have ensued, had

in which he carried off Europa, the sister of Cadmos ; and a flame of fire or the plumage of an eagle disguised the god from

rytaneion of every Grecian city stood the hearth, on which the sacred fire flamed, and where the offerings were made to Hest

cast on the altar, as also were the images, and the whole was set on fire , and a flame thus raised which was visible to a g

Liparæan isles)583, and all other places where there was subterranean fire , were regarded as the forges of Hephæstos ; and t

le stood a statue of the goddess813 ; she was also said to have given fire to the Athenians814 ; perpetual flame was maintai

lpheios in the Peloponnese. He there fed and stalled the kine, made a fire , killed, cut up, and dressed two of them, and eve

skins to dry on a rock. He burned the heads and feet, and put out the fire , effacing all signs of it, and flung his twig-san

sia, and every night she hid him ‘like a torch within the strength of fire ,’ unknown to his parents, who marvelled at his gr

infant-brother lying on the ground. They took him up, and kindling a fire prepared to wash him ; but he cried bitterly, fin

k, and then while he was sleeping profoundly, heated the stick in the fire , and aided by four of his companions bored out hi

o contend with the gods. The stature of this monster reached the sky, fire flashed from his eyes ; he hurled glowing rocks w

of the deceit, selected the bones and fat, and in revenge he withheld fire from man ; but Prometheus again deceived him, and

d fire from man ; but Prometheus again deceived him, and stealing the fire in a hollow staff1464, brought it and gave it to

was perpetual1466 and cold was unfelt, and they therefore needed not fire , which Zeus in kindness withheld from them. But t

he inquisitive, inventive genius of man (i. e. Prometheus) introduced fire , and the arts which result from it, and man hence

o1472 says that the gods formed man and the other animals of clay and fire within the earth, and then committed to Prometheu

heus was at a loss what to do ; at length as the only remedy he stole fire , and with it the artist-skill of Athena and Hephæ

s ferula to the wheel of the Sun’s chariot and thus stole some of the fire , which he then applied to the breast of his man a

t for properties and relations of animals. When Prometheus had stolen fire from heaven for the good of mankind, they were so

gs with the gods. This is intimated in the transaction respecting the fire of which Zeus is said to have deprived men, and w

peedily raised to the rank of creator of mankind, to whom he gave the fire which he had stolen from heaven. Yet even so late

overflowed the whole of its surface, till the action of subterranean fire opened a way for them. We are not by any means to

fast, though she changed herself into every variety of form, becoming fire , water, a serpent, and a lion1568. The wedding wa

mmortal. She therefore placed him unknown to Peleus each night in the fire , to purge away what he had inherited of mortal fr

ith ambrosia. But Peleus watched, and seeing the child panting in the fire cried out. Thetis thus frustrated in her design l

is treacherous son-in-law had prepared in his house a pit filled with fire , and covered over with bits of wood and dust, int

y chamber was shaken, when the Curetes had mounted the towers and set fire to the town. Then his wife besought him with tear

ng to the universal tradition of an impious people being destroyed by fire from heaven, — the well-known history of the orig

terrible, for he was the son of Zeus ; his stature was four cubits ; fire flashed from his eyes : his arrow and his dart ne

ree children by Megara, and the two of his brother Iphicles, into the fire . As a punishment for this deed he went into volun

called upon Iolaos to come to his assistance. Iolaos immediately set fire to the neighbouring wood, and with the flaming br

e power of his persevering enemy1786 ; his mortal part is consumed by fire , the purest of elements ; his shade or image (ϵἵδ

heat, the ancient people of Attica adored Hephæstos, the terrestrial fire or heat which was the origin of metallurgy ; Herm

erpent, the middle a goat (χίμαιρα), and which breathed forth flaming fire . Depending on the signs of the gods, Bellerophont

her makes him collect the rude inhabitants into society and give them fire and social institutions1891. He also decided a di

arded as the protectors of ships in tempests2020 ; and the St. Elmo's fire was ascribed to them. They were also said to be t

emies. His mode of destroying them was to make himself red-hot in the fire and then embrace them. When the Argo approached C

cycle of the Tyndarids there appeared to be a reference to light and fire , so perhaps in that of the Æacids there is one to

tue of this salve would last an entire day, and protect alike against fire and steel. She further told him, that when he had

leted the bravest warriors conceal themselves in it, and the rest set fire to their tents and sail away to Tenedos. The Troj

e was a deity presiding over the public and private hearth : a sacred fire , tended by six virgin-priestesses called Vestals,

of the virgins, if they let it go out, was severely punished, and the fire was rekindled from the rays of the sun. The templ

ν. 587. II. xx. 73 ; xxi. 330. seq. His name is also synonymous with fire , ix. 468 ; xvii. 88 ; xxiii. 33. 588. Plato, Cra

difficulty presented by the Hesiodic narrative of the stealing of the fire , and that it would seem from it that Zeus had dep

h her fair looks, to be avenged On him who had stole Jove's authentic fire . Par. Lost, iv. 712. seq. 1489. Parænesis, 113

; but the gallant youth clears himself by going through the ordeal of fire , riding in golden helm and snowy raiment between

a grove, First saw the boy Endymiôn, from whose eyes She took eternal fire that never dies ; How she conveyed him softly in

bench, with a hard back to it, called a settle, was drawn towards the fire , and the guests were invited to repose themselves

‌.5 The little room was warm, but the air abroad was chilly, and the fire half extinct. Baucis raked away the ashes, and sp

rtment, from which every beam of declining day was excluded. When the fire burned clear, Baucis set upon it a kettle which s

his bacon and cabbage, but the guests in the mean lime sat before the fire and diverted themselves by conversing with Philem

cottage, as I suppose they had not, for their room was dark till the fire blazed. Mother. Glass was known two thousand yea

his rashness, but it was too late; already the burning axles had set fire to the earth; the forests on the mountain tops fl

e wrapped his poisoned shirt about him, and, ordering a friend to set fire to the mighty pile, calmly awaited his death. The

g, leaping flames. The mortal part of him had been burned away by the fire , and from that time, so the story goes, Hercules

ghter gave Jason some magic drugs to make him proof against harm from fire or sword, and then told him just what he must do

s from their nostrils, so that the fields and the whole air seemed on fire . But Jason did not feel the heat of the flames, t

said that when the Cyclops were raging about in their mountain caves, fire shot forth from those eyes, and then they looked