en he was
born, and his mother, Juno, was so shocked that she flung him headlong
from the Mt. Olympos.

Apollo was the god of archery, prophecy and music, and is usually seen
with a harp in his hand and of beautiful figure.

Diana was the goddess of chase, and appears with a bow in her hand and
a quiver of arrows at her back, and on her side is a hound. She
devoted herself to perpetual celibacy, and her chief joy was to speed
like a Dorian maid over the hills, followed by a train of nymphs in
pursuit of the flying game.

Minerva is the goddess of wisdom and skill, and the teacher in
warfare. She has a serious and thoughtful countenance, a spear in one
hand and a shield in the other, while a helmet covers her head. She is
said to have sprung from the brains of Jupiter.

Juno, the wife of Jupiter, was haughty, jealous and inexorable; a
goddess of dignified and matronly air, often found with a peacock at
her feet.

Ceres is the goddess of grain and harvest. She is represented riding
on a chariot drawn by dragons, and distributing grain to the different
regions of the earth. She holds in one hand corn and wheat, in the
other a lighted torch, and wears on her head a garland of wheat heads.

After Pluto stole her daughter, Proserpine, she searched for her
throughout the whole world.

Vesta, the goddess of the household and domestic hearths, is
represented in a long-flowing robe, with a veil on her head, a lamp in
one hand, and a spear or javelin in the other. In her temple at Rome,
the sacred fire was guarded by six priestesses, called the Vestal
Virgins.

Among the lesser gods there were many, but the most common was
Bacchus, who was the god of lust, wine, and the patron of drunkenness
and debauchery. He is represented as an effeminate young man, with
long flowing hair. In one hand he holds a goblet, in the other a bunch
of grapes and a short dagger.

The Muses were goddesses who presided over music and poetry, and all
the liberal arts and sciences. They were nine in number.

The Graces were three in number, and personified Splendor, Joy and
Pleasure. They were three beautiful sisters, standing with their arms
entwined.

The Fates were also three goddesses, who presided over the destiny of
mortals. The first was the staff of life, the second spun the cord,
and the third cut it off.

This is a brief outline of the origin and nature of the gods and
goddesses: and the legends are numerous, and some of them are