Classic Myths

The following key explains the symbols which are used in the pronouncing index to indicate the pronunciation of the words. It is based upon the 1900 edition of Webster's International Dictionary:

a-   as in fate.
a-   as in pref' ace.
a-   as in add.
a-   as in air.
a-   as in far.
a-   as in grass.
a-   as in all.

e-   as in eve.
e-   as in e-vent'.
e-   as in end.
e-   as in her.

i-   as in ice.
i-   as in i-de' a.
i-   as in pin.

o-   as in row.
o-   as in o-bey'.
o-   as in not.
o-   as in lord.

u-   as in use.
u-   as in u-nite'.
u-   as in up.
u-   as in furl.
u-   as in rude.
u-   as in full.

y-   as in fly.
y-   as in pit' y.

oo-  as in moon.
oo-  as in good.
ou-  as in out.
oi-  as in oil.
n=ng as in ink.

Silent letters are italicized. Certain vowels, as a
and e, when obscured, are also italicized.

A

Adonis (a do' nis). A youth famed for his beauty
   and beloved by Venus.
Aeneas (e ne' as). A valiant Trojan warrior.
Aeolus (e' o lus). The king of the winds.
Aetna (et'na). The chief mountain in Sicily and
   highest volcano in Europe. It figures in Greek
   mythology as the burning mountain.
ambrosia (am bro' zha). The fabled food of the gods,
   which conferred immortality upon those who
   partook of it.
Ammon (am' mun). The Egyptian Jupiter, or supreme god.
ancient (an' shent).  Old; antique.
anemone (a nem' o ne) The windflower.
Antaeus (an te' us). The son of the sea and earth, or
   of Neptune and Terra.
Apollo (a pol' lo). The god of the sun.
Ares (a' rez). The Greek name for Mars.
Argo (ar' go). The ship in which Jason sailed.
Argus (ar' gus). A mythical person with a hundred
   eyes, set by Juno to watch Io.
Asgard (as' gard). The home of the Northern gods.
Athena (a the' na). The Greek name for Minerva.
Athens (ath' enz). A city in Greece.
Atlas (at' las). The giant who bears up the sky on
   his shoulders.
Aurora (a ro' ra). The goddess of the dawn.

B

Bacchus (bak' kus). The god of wine.
Baldur (bal'der). Son of Woden and brother of
   Thor. The god of summer.
Baucis (ba' sis). The wife of Philemon.
Bellerophon (bel ler' o fon). The son of Glaucus. The
   youth who slew the chimera.
Briareus (bri a' re us). A famous giant, fabled to
   have a hundred arms.
Byrgir (byr' gir). The well to which Hjuki went for water.

C

Cadmus (kad' mus). Son of a king of Phoenicia, said
   to be the inventor of letters.
caldron (kal' drun). A large metal kettle.
Castor (kas' tor). Twin brother of Pollux, noted for
his skill in managing horses.
Celeus (se' le us). A king of Eleusis, father of
   Triptolemus. He gave a kind reception to Ceres,
   who taught his son the cultivation of the earth.
Ceres (se' rez). The goddess of grains and fruits.
chamois (sham' my). A small species of antelope of
   remarkable agility.
chimera (ki me' ra). A fabulous monster in Lycia,
   which was slain by Bellerophon.
Clio (kli' o). The muse of history.
Clymene (kli me' ne). Mother of Phaeton.
Clytie (kli' ti e). The maiden who was changed into
   a sunflower.
Cupid (ku' pid). The god of love, possessing eternal
   youth, son of Mars and Venus.

D

Daedalus (ded' a lus). The builder of the Cretan labyrinth.
Daphne (daf' ne). A nymph beloved by Apollo.
Diana (di a' na). Goddess of the moon, twin sister
   of Apollo.
dolphin (dol' fin). Large sea fish.

E

Echo (ek' o). A nymph who pined away until nothing
   was left but her voice.
Epimetheus (ep' i me' the us). The Titan who made
   man and the lower animals.

F

fagots (fag' utz). Twigs.
Fensalir (fen sa ler'). The home of Frigga.
forget-me-not (for get'-me-not). A small herb bearing
   a blue flower, and considered the emblem of
   fidelity.
Frigga (frig' ga). The supreme goddess of the Northland,
   wife of Woden.

G

Gemini (jem' i ni).  A constellation containing the
   two bright stars, Castor and Pollux.
Gordius (gor' di us). A peasant who, by direction of
   an oracle, was proclaimed King of Phrygia.
Great Bear (great bear). The name often given to
   the stars forming the Big Dipper, or Charles'
   Wain.

H

Halcyone (hal si' o ne). A daughter of Aeolus, who,
   for love of her drowned husband, threw herself
   into the sea and was changed into the kingfisher.
Hela (hel' a). The ruler of the land of death.
Helicon (hel' i kon). Famous mountain of Greece.
Hercules (her' ku lez). The most famous hero of
   Greek mythology, son of Zeus or Jupiter.
Hermod (her' mod). A hero of Norse mythology,
   and a brother of Baldur.
Hjuki (ju' ki). Jack, the boy who went with Bil, or
   Jill, for water.
Hodur (ho' der). The blind god who threw the fatal
   branch of mistletoe at Baldur. The god of winter.

I

Icarus (ik' a rus). A son of Daedalus.
Iobates (i ob' a tez). The King of Lycia.
Iris (i' ris). Juno's maid, a personification of the
   rainbow.

J

Jason (ja' sun). A prince of Thessaly, who brought
   away from Colchis the golden fleece.
Juno (ju' no). The wife of Jupiter.
Jupiter (ju' pi ter). In Roman mythology, the supreme
   god of heaven.

L

laboratory (lab' o ra to ry). The workroom of a chemist.
Latin (lat' in). The language of the ancient Romans.
Latona (la to' na). The wife of Jupiter and the
   mother of Apollo and Diana.
Leda (le' da). The mother of Castor and Pollux, and
   of Helen of Troy.
Lindu (lin' du). A maiden who had charge of the
   birds, identified with the Milky Way.
Loki (lo' ki). The god who caused Hodur to throw
the fatal branch of mistletoe at Baldur. The god of fire.

M

Mani (ma' ni). The Norse god of the moon.
Mars (marz). The Roman god of war.
Mercury (mer' ku ry). The Roman god of commerce
   and gain. Personification of the wind, which
   fills the sails of merchant-vessels.
Midas (mi' das). Son of Gordius and King of Phrygia.
Minerva (mi ner' va). The goddess of wisdom.
Mount Olympus (o lim' pus). The home of Jupiter
   and the Greek gods.

N

Narcissus (nar sis' sus). A beautiful youth, who was
   changed into the flower narcissus.
nectar (nek' ter). The drink of the gods.
Neptune (nep' tune). The ruler of the sea.
Norwegian (nor we' ji an). A native of Norway.

O

Odin (o' din). The same as Woden.
Olympian (o lim' pi an). Pertaining to Olympus, the
   seat of the gods.
Orion (o ri' on). A giant hunter, whose name was
   given to a constellation.
Orpheus (or' fe us). A poet and musician, who with
   his sweet lyre charmed the very rocks and trees
   to follow him.

P

Pactolus (pak to' lus). A river of Lydia.
Pegasus (peg' a sus). A winged horse belonging to
   Apollo and the Muses.
Perdix (per' diks). The nephew of Daedalus; changed
   by Athena into a partridge.
Phaeton (fa' e ton). A son ot Apollo.
Phenice (fe ni' se). Phoenicia; Tyre and Sidon; a
   land west of Palestine.
Philemon (fi le' mun). An aged Phrygian, the husband
   of Baucis.
Phrygia (frij' i a). A country of Asia Minor.
Pirene (pi re' ne). The fountain at which Pegasus
   could be found.
Pleiades (ple' ya dez). The seven daughters of Atlas.
   Made by Jupiter a constellation in the sky.
Pluto (plu' to). The god of the lower world, or Hades.
Pollux (pol' luks). A famous pugilist, and twin
   brother of Castor.
Poseidon (po sei' don). The Greek name of Neptune.
Prometheus (pro me' the us). The Titan who gave
   fire to man.
Proserpina (pro ser' pi na). The daughter of Ceres.
python (py' thon). A mythical serpent killed near
Delphi by Apollo.

R

realm (realm). Kingdom.
reigned (rand). Ruled; governed.
Runic (ru' nik). Pertaining to the letters called
  "runes," belonging to the language of the ancient
  Norsemen.

S

sandal (san' dal). A kind of shoe consisting of a sole
  strapped to the foot.
Saturn (sat' urn). The father of Jupiter, Neptune,
  and Pluto.
Scandinavian (skan di na' vi an). Of or pertaining
  to Scandinavia; that is, Sweden, Norway, and
  Denmark.
Sibyl (sib' il). A woman supposed to be endowed
  with a spirit of prophecy.
Sicily (sis' i ly). The largest island in the Mediterranean
  Sea.
Silenus (si le' nus). The foster-father of Bacchus.
Sleipnir (slap' ner). The swift eight-legged horse of
  Odin.
Sonmus (som' nus). The king of sleep.
Sparta (spar' ta). Ancient city of Greece.

T

Taara (taa' ra.). The mythical home of Vanemuine.
Terpsichore (terp sik' o re). The muse who presided
  over dancing.
Terra (ter' ra). The personification of earth.
Thalia (tha li' a). The muse of joy.
Thebes (thebz). Greek city now called Thion; birth-place
  of Hercules. Also name of Egyptian city.
Thor (thor). The Norse god of thunder.
Thrace (tras). A region in Southeastern Europe,
   with varying boundaries. In early times it was
   regarded as the entire region north of Greece.
Titans (ti' tanz). Primeval giants, children of heaven
   and earth.
Tithonus (ti tho' nus). The husband of Aurora;
   changed into a grasshopper.
tortoise (tor' tis). A kind of turtle.
trident (tri' dent). A spear with three prongs--the
   common attribute of Neptune.
Trojan (tro' jan). Of or pertaining to ancient Troy.

U

Uko (u' ko). The father of Lindu; also spelled Ukko.
Ulysses (u lis' sez). The King of Ithaca.
Urania (u ra' ni a). The muse of astronomy.

V

Valkyrias (val kir' i as). Woden's shield-maidens
   who presided over battlefields and marked those
   who were to be slain.
Valhalla (val hal' la). The Norse heaven.
Vanemuine (va nem' u en). A god of Finland.
Varrak (var' rak). A Laplander.
Venus (ve' nus). A Roman goddess of love and beauty.

W

Woden (wo' den). In Norse myths the supreme god
   of heaven; also spelled Odin.

Z

Zeus (zus). Greek name for Jupiter.