~From Hades to Hyperion~

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Hades- An earlier name for Pluto. Later it was applied to the lower world itself.
Hamadryad- See Dryads.
Harmonia- A daughter of Mars and Venus, and wife of Cadmus.
Haroeris- An Egyptian god, whose eyes are the sun and moon.
Harpies- ”Robbers” or “Spoilers,” described by Homer as carrying off persons who had mysteriously disappeared. Hesiod represents them as fair-locked and winged maidens; but subsequent writers describe them as disgusting monsters, birds with the heads of maidens, with long claws, and face pale from hunger, who tormented an old man, Phineus, by stealing his food as he tried to eat.
Haskah- A thunder god of the Sioux Indians, who used the winds as sticks to beat the thunder-drum.
Hebe- The goddess of youth, daughter of Zeus and Hera. She was employed by her mother to prepare her chariot and harness her peacocks, and she was cupbearer to all the gods until, on her marriage with Hercules, Ganymede took over the task.
Hecate- A goddess of magic and of the lower world. Having powers also on the earth and above it, she was identified not only with Proserpina but also with Diana and Luna. She was worshipped at night and invoked to produce enchantments.
Hector- The most prominent hero of the Trojans in their war with the Greeks, eldest son of Priam and Hecuba, and the husband of Andromache. He slew Patroclus, the friend of Achilles, and thereby roused Achilles to the fight. The other Trojans fled into the city, and Hector alone remained without the walls. But when Achilles approached, Hector’s heart failed him, and he took to flight. Thrice he ran round the city, pursued by Achilles, and fell at last, pierced by Achilles’ spear. Achilles tied Hector’s body to his chariot and thus dragged him into the camp of the Greeks. At the command of Zeus, he surrendered the body in response to the prayers of Priam, who buried it at Troy with great pomp. Hector is one of the noblest characters depicted in the Iliad.
Hecuba- The second wife of Priam, king of Troy, and the mother of Paris and Hector. After the fall of Troy, she fell into the hands of the Greeks as a slave, and, according to one account, threw herself in despair into the sea.
Heimdal or Heimdallr- In Norse mythology, a god, the son of nine giantesses. He lived in the celestial fort Himinbiorg, under the farther extremity of the bridge Bifröst, and kept the keys of Asgard. He could see even in sleep, could hear the growing of grass, and even of the wool on a lamb’s back. He was appointed to wake the gods with his trumpet at the end of the world.
Hel- The name of the world of the dead and of its goddess, in early Norse mythology. The word means “the coverer or hider.” Later myths represented Hel as the abode of all save those who had not fallen by the sword. Under the influence of Christian dogma Hel came to be associated with punishment. The goddess or demon, Hel, was a daughter of Loki.
Helen- A daughter of Jupiter and Leda, and the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. She was the most beautiful woman of her age, and chose Menelaus among many suitors. She afterward eloped with Paris, her husband’s Trojan guest, and thus brought on the war between the Greeks and Trojans. After the fall of Troy she was restored to Menelaus.
Helenus- Son of Priam and Hecuba, celebrated for his prophetic powers.
Helice- A maid beloved of Zeus, and by jealousy of Hera, changed into a she-bear.
Helicon- A mountain in Bśotia sacred to the Muses, from which place the fountain Hippocrene flowed. It is part of the Parnassus, a mountain range in Greece.
Helios- the Greek sun god, who rode to his palace in Colchis every night in a golden car furnished with wings. This god gives light to both gods and men. He sees and hears everything and discovers all that is kept secret.
Helle- Daughter of Athamas and Nephele, and sister of Phrixus. When Phrixus was the be sacrificed, Nephele rescued her two children, who rode away through the air upon the ram with the golden fleece, the gift of Hermes; but Helle fell into the sea. The episode gave the name of the Hellespont to the part of the sea where Helle was drowned. It is now called the Dardanelles.
Hellen- The son of Deucalion and Pyrrha, and father of Ćolus, Dorus, and Xuthus. He was king of Phthia in Thessaly, and was succeeded by his son Ćolus. He was the mythical ancestor of all the Hellenes.
Hell Shoon- In Icelandic mythology, shoes indispensable for the journey to Valhalla, as the obolus was for crossing the Styx.
Helmet of Hades- A helmet worn by Perseus, rendering him invisible, and which, with the winged sandals and magic wallet, he took from certain nymphs who held them in possession. After he had slain Medusa he restored them again, and presented the Gorgon’s head to Minerva, who placed it in the middle of her shield.
Hera- Greek name for the wife of Zeus or Jupiter, with whom the Romans identified Juno. See Juno.
Heraclidć- Name given to the descendants of Hercules, who, together with the Dorians, conquered the Peloponnesus eighty years after the destruction of Troy. This legend represents the conquest of the Achćan population by Dorian invaders, who thereafter appeared as the ruling race in the Peloponnesus.
Herculean Knot- A snaky complication on the rod or caduceus of Mercury, adopted by the Grecian brides as the fastening of their woolen girdles. The loosing of the girdle symbolized the surrendering of their virginity.
Hercules- Son of Jupiter and Alcmene and most famous of the Greek heroes. Wonderful strength was ascribed to him even directly after his birth, when he squeezed to death two serpents sent by Juno to destroy him. Since he was the offspring of her husband’s infidelity, Juno compelled him to be subject to the commands of Eurystheus, who imposed upon him many difficult enterprises, known as the “twelve labors” of Hercules. They were as follows: to kill the Nemean lion; to destroy the Lernćan hydra; to catch alive the stag with golden horns; to catch the Erymanthean boar; to cleanse the stables of Augeas; to exterminate the birds of Lake Stymphalus; to bring alive the wild bull of Crete; to seize the man-eating horses of Diomedes; to obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons; to destroy the monster Geryon; to plunder the garden of Hesperides, which was guarded by a sleepless dragon; and to bring from the infernal world the three-headed dog, Cerberus. He accomplished them all successfully, as well as many other exploits ascribed to him, by which he gave proof of his extraordinary strength and exhibited himself as an avenger and deliverer of the oppressed. Such were: his slaying the robber, Cacus; the deliverance of Prometheus, bound to a rock; the killing of Busiris; and the rescue of Alcestis from the infernal world. His last achievement was the destruction of the centaur, Nessus. Nessus dying, gave his poisoned tunic to Deianira, telling her that his blood would preserve her husband’s love. Hercules afterwards, receiving it from her and putting it on, suffered such torment that as soon as he slew Nessus he cast himself in despair upon a funeral pile on Mount Śta.
Herla- A mythical king, the supposed leader of the Wild hunt of Scandinavian mythology. This hunt was known as the Raging Host in Germany and in England as Herlathing.
Hermes- The Greek god with whom the Romans identified Mercury. In early times he was represented, like Priapus, as a bearded, ithyphallic figure, likenesses of which were erected before private dwellings. Later, he became beardless, and of a more beautiful form. His business was to carry messages for Zeus, and his pleasure to pursue and woo nymphs.
Hermione- The beautiful daughter of Menelaus and Helen. She had been promised in marriage to Orestes before the Trojan War, but Menelaus, after his return home, married her to Neoptolemus. She later married Orestes.
Hesperides- The daughters of Hesperus or of Erebus and Nox, who were appointed along with a never-sleeping dragon to watch the golden apples in the garden of the Hesperides in an island beyond Mount Atlas.
Hesperus- A son or brother of Atlas enrolled among the deities after death, and made identical with the Evening Star.
Hestia- The Greek name for Vesta, the goddess of domestic hearth.
Hippocrene- A fountain on Mount Helicon, which sprang up where the winged horse Pegasus pawed the ground. He had been sent up by Poseidon to still the merriment of the Muses, and to accomplish this it was sufficient for him to strike the ground with his hoof. The name means “fountain of the horse.”
Hippolyta- Queen of the Amazons, and daughter of Mars. It was her girdle that Hercules was required by Eurystheus to obtain. He captured her and brought her to Athens, where he gave her to the ruler, Theseus, as a wife.
Hippolytus- Son of Theseus and Hippolyta; his stepmother, Phćdra, loved him but being repulsed accused him before Theseus of an attempt on her chastity. Theseus called down a curse on his head and was heeded by Poseidon, who sent up a great bull and so frightened Hippolytus’ horses, as he was driving, that he was killed in the runaway. Artemis, whom he worshipped as a goddess of chastity, later induced Ćsculapius to bring him to life and transferred him under the name of Virbius to a grove in Italy.
Hippomenes- Son of Megareus, and great-grandson of Poseidon, or Neptune, who conquered Atalanta in a foot race. He had three golden apples, which he dropped one by one, and which she stopped to pick up. By this delay she lost the race, and was bound to marry Hippomenes. See Atalanta.
Hobomoko- An evil spirit known among certain North American Indians.
Hodeken- A famous German kobold, or domestic fairy servant; so called from wearing a little felt hat pulled down over his face.
Hoder- In Norse mythology, a blind god who, at the instigation of Loki, destroyed his brother Balder. He personifies night and darkness, as Balder does light and day.
Hofvarpnir- The fleet steed of Gna, in Scandinavian legend, which traveled through fire and air and enabled this messenger of Frigga to see all that was happening on the earth.
Honir- In Norse tales, a name given to the god of mind or thought.
Horć or Hours- Daughters of Zeus and Themis, the goddesses of the order of nature and of the seasons. They guarded the doors of Olympus and promoted the fertility of the earth.
Horus- The Egyptian god of the sun, who was also worshipped in Greece and at Rome.
Hou Chi- A Chinese divinity, said to have been the founder of the royal house of Chou. He is said to have taught the arts of agriculture to the Chinese. For this service he was deified.
Hugin- One of Odin’s two ravens which carried him news from earth, and which, when not thus employed, perched upon his shoulders. The other was called Munin. They were personifications of thought or intellect.
Hugon- An evil spirit, in the folklore of France, made use of to frightened children.
Hyacinthus- A youth beloved by Apollo, and accidentally slain by him while playing at quoits. From his blood sprang the flower which bears his name.
Hyades- A group of nymphs to whom was given the care of Dionysus, the god of wine and of fertility. They were later placed among the stars. As rainstars, they symbolize nourishing rains.
Hydra- A monstrous serpent. Of especial note was the hydra in the lake Lerna, which was slain by Hercules. It had many heads and when one of these heads was cut off, two others immediately grew in its place, unless the blood of the wound was stopped by fire. Hercules accomplished its destruction by the aid of Iolaus, who applied lighted brands as each head was removed. The blood of the monster formed a poison into which Hercules dipped his arrows, in order to inflict mortal wounds on his enemies.
Hygeia- The goddess of health and a daughter of Ćsculapius, though some traditions make her the wife of the latter. In works of art she is represented in a long robe, feeding a serpent from a cup.
Hylas- A beautiful boy, beloved by Hercules. He was drawn into a spring by nymphs, who were enamored of him. The story has been treated by Bayard Taylor, and by William Morris in his “Life and Death of Jason.”
Hymen or Hymenćus- A companion of Venus who presided over marriage.
Hymir- In Scandinavian mythology, the frost giant from whom Thor took and carried off the great kettle called “Mile-deep.”
Hyperboreans- A fabulous people, supposed to live in a state of perfect happiness in a land of perpetual sunshine beyond the caverns of the north wind.
Hyperion- Son of Cślus and Terra, and, like Apollo, a model of manly beauty. Hyperion was the father of the sun, moon, and dawn, and may be regarded as the original Greek sun god.

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