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Baal or Bel- The chief god of the Phśnicians and Carthaginians.
Bacchus- The god of wine; he taught the cultivation of the grape and the preparation of its juice. His male followers were the satyrs and women devotees were known as bacchae or bacchantes. Greek drama developed from festivals in honor of Dionysus, the name usually given to him by the Greeks.
Balarama- In Hindu mythology, the half-brother of Krishna, who was (unlike Krishna), fair skinned.
Balder- In Norse mythology, the god of light and peace, son of Odin and Frigga. His mother asked everything in the world (animate and inanimate) to swear an oath that they would not harm her son. But the mistletoe was neglected in swearing this oath and Loki, the god of mischief and lies, was jealous of Balder. So he gave a dart of mistletoe to Hoder, the blind god of darkness, and aimed it at Balder. He died and the city of Asgard mourned. Hel, the queen of the underworld, allowed Balder to return to Asgard on the condition that every object in the world weep for him. Only Loki refused to shed a tear and the gods imprisoned him in a magic net and bound him to three stones. Balder was therefore condemned to die.
Balmung- In Norse mythology, the sword of Seigfried forged by Wieland, or Völand.
Balor of the Evil Eye- In Celtic mythology, grandfather of Lug and leader of the Formarians. His gaze alone could overpower an army of men. Believing a prophecy that he would be killed by his own grandson, he imprisoned his only daughter in a cave. Nevertheless, she gave birth to triplets which Balor attempted to drown. Lug was rescued.
Barguest- A frightful goblin among fairies. It was armed with teeth and claws and was an object of terror in the North of England.
Bastet or Bast- A goddess of ancient Egypt, represented as a lion-headed or cat-headed woman and worshipped especially at Bubastis. She was the goddess of pleasure and joy, and the symbol of sexual love. She loved music and dancing and she was the mother and divine protector of all the pharaohs. Killing a cat was punishable by death because cats were sacred to her.
Beelzebub- The name of the Moabite or Syrian deity. The name means "god of flies." It came to be applied to the chief of evil spirits.
Befana- The fairy of Italian children, who is supposed to fill their stockings with toys on the Twelfth Night if they have been good. The name is a juvenile corruption of the word Epifania, meaning Twelfth Night.
Bellerophon- A prince who tamed and rode the winged horse, Pegasus, and controlled him with a golden bridle, the gift if Athena. By aid of Pegasus, he killed the lion-headed monster, the Chimćra. But his fame went to his head after that, when he thought that he was as great as the gods themselves, even equal to Zeus. When he tried to enter Olympus, Pegasus threw him off and he wandered lame and torn as an unknown beggar until he died.
Bellona- Roman goddess of war. She prepared the chariot of her brother Mars when he was going to war and appeared in battles armed with a whip and holding a torch.
Belphegor- A god of evil, worshipped by the Moabites. He was represented as an archfiend who had been an archangel.
Berenice- The name of several famous princesses and queens. (1)The wife of Mithridates the Great. He had her killed after his defeat by Luculles, lest his enemies should capture her. (2)The wife of Ptolemy III, Euergetes. When her husband was absent in a Syrian war, she vowed her beautiful hair to the gods if he should return safe. Accordingly, her hair
was cut off and left in the temple of Venus. Soon afterward it disappeared. The astronomer, Conon of Samos, declared it had been wafted to heaven. Hence the constellation Coma Berenices, "hair of Berenice," near that of Leo.
Berg Folk- Pagan spirits doomed to live on the Scandinavian hills till the day of redemption.
Bertha- The white lady who guards good German children, but is the terror of the bad, who fear her iron nose and big feet. She corresponds to the Italian Befana. She was often identified also with Frigga or Ostara, goddess of the earth and spring.
Bes- Egypt's most popular household deity; he was a rude and comical dwarf. He was associated with all of the human pleasures. It was said that his image was in every home and that he brought wealth to married couples, encouraged lovemaking, helped in childbirth, and looked after the children. His ugliness was believed to scare off evil spirits, therefore he was always depicted with a full face.
Bhima- In Hindu mythology, son of the wind god, Vayu. He is remarkable for his great size and strength, his voracious appetite, and his fiery temper.
Bifröst- In Norse mythology, the rainbow bridge between earth and heaven, over which none but the gods could travel.
Bilskirnir- A wonderful palace built by Thor for the use of peasants after death.
Bladud- A mythical king of England, who built the city of Bath, and dedicated the medicinal springs to Minerva.
Blue Jay- In the myths of the Chinook Indians of the Columbia River country, the animal-like god plays a part similar to that of Loki in the Norse tales. He is a mischief-maker. He and his sister Ioi have many adventures among the supernatural beings.
Boreas- The north wind, represented as a son of Astrćus and Aurora.
Bragi- The Norse god of poetry and eloquence, son of Odin and Gunnlod. Odin gave him the job of welcoming warriors that had been slain in battle to the hall of the Valhalla. His wife was Idun. He is represented as an old man with a flowing white beard.
Brahma- The supreme god of the Hindus, represented with four heads and four arms, the source of the universe and of the other gods, who will again be absorbed into him. He is now associated with wisdom as the deity who holds the knowledge of the sacred scriptures of Hinduism. He forms, with Vishnu the preserver and Siva the destroyer, the divine triad.
Bran- An ancient Welsh Celtic god of the underworld. His care was poetry and music. He is later represented as "Bran the Blessed," who first brought the cross from Rome to Britain.
Bres- In Celtic mythology, a consort of Brigid. He is handsome and tyrannical and the son of the king of the Formarians.
Briareus- A giant with fifty heads and a hundred hands. He hurled a hundred rocks at Jupiter in a single throw, and Jupiter bound him under Mount Etna with a hundred chains.
Brigantia- In Celtic mythology, a goddess of victory. She was the guardian of the Brigantes, a northern British tribe that was powerful enough to resist the Roman Empire. She was the British counterpart of the Irish Brigid.
Brigid- An ancient Irish Celtic goddess of poetry and prophecy, daughter of the god Dagda the Great. She was also associated with fertility and healing and she aided women in childbirth. Her two consorts were Bres and Tuireann. She was later transformed into the female patron saint of Ireland.
Bukadawin- The God of famine among certain North American Indians.
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