ng the mighty stranger coming, seated herself, not on the couch
where she was wont to sit looking into the face of Jason, but on the
stone throne of King Thoas, her father. And seated on that throne she
spoke to Jason and to Heracles as a queen might speak.

In the hall that night the heroes and the Lemnian maidens who were with
them were quiet. A story was told; Castor began it and Polydeuces ended
it. And the story that Helen's brothers told was:

The Golden Maid

Epimetheus the Titan had a brother who was the wisest of all
Beings--Prometheus called the Foreseer. But Epimetheus himself was
slow-witted and scatter-brained. His wise brother once sent him a
message bidding him beware of the gifts that Zeus might send him.
Epimetheus heard, but he did not heed the warning, and thereby he
brought upon the race of men troubles and cares.

Prometheus, the wise Titan, had saved men from a great trouble that
Zeus would have brought upon them. Also he had given them the gift of
fire. Zeus was the more wroth with men now because fire, stolen from
him, had been given them; he was wroth with the race of Titans, too,
and he pondered in his heart how he might injure men, and how he might
use Epimetheus, the mindless Titan, to further his plan.

While he pondered there was a hush on high Olympus, the mountain of the
gods. Then Zeus called upon the artisan of the gods, lame Hephaestus,
and he commanded him to make a being out of clay that would have the
likeness of a lovely maiden. With joy and pride Hephaestus worked at
the task that had been given him, and he fashioned a being that had the
likeness of a lovely maiden, and he brought the thing of his making
before the gods and the goddesses.

All strove to add a grace or a beauty to the work of Hephaestus. Zeus
granted that the maiden should see and feel. Athene dressed her in
garments that were as lovely as flowers. Aphrodite, the goddess of
love, put a charm on her lips and in her eyes. The Graces put necklaces
around her neck and set a golden crown upon her head. The Hours brought
her a girdle of spring flowers. Then the herald of the gods gave her
speech that was sweet and flowing. All the gods and goddesses had given
gifts to her, and for that reason the maiden of Hephaestus's making was
called Pandora, the All-endowed.

She was lovely, the gods knew; not beautiful as they themselves are,
who have a beauty that awakens reverence rather than love, but lovely,
as flowe