[A][ B][ C][ D][ E][ F][ G][ H][ I][ J][ K][ L][ M]
[ N][ O][ P][ Q][ R][ S][ T][ U][ V][ W][ X][ Y][ Z]

Mænalus- A mountain in Arcadia, extending from Megalopolis to Tegea, celebrated as the favorite haunt of the god Pan.
Mæra- The dog of Icarius. Icarius, having made wine, gave it to some shepherds, who, thinking themselves poisoned, killed him; recovering themselves, they buried him. His daughter, Erigone, being shown the spot by his faithful dog, Mæra, hanged herself through grief.
Maenads- Nymphs that lived in the valley; also friends of Dionysus.
Maia- A Titan’s daughter, mother of Hermes. She lived in a cave on Mount Cyllene so towering and deep that Hera didn’t even know that Zeus had been courting her.
Mammon- In demonology, a spirit placed at the head of nine ranks of demons. Also a Syriac word used in the scriptures to signify either riches or the god of riches. Milton made Mammon one of the fallen angels.
Manes- In Roman mythology, spirits of the dead, which were often supposed to hover about their former abodes and needed to be pacified by ceremonies.
Mani- Name given in ancient Norse mythology to a personification of the moon. He was later known as the son of Mundilfori, and was taken to heaven by the gods to drive the moon-car. He was followed by a wolf, which, when time should be no more, would devour both Mani and Mani’s sister Sol.
Manitou- The Great Spirit of certain North American Indians.
Mars- A Roman god, originally of husbandry and later god of war, in which character he was identified with the Greek Ares. The Romans regarded his as the father of Romulus, and the founder and protector of their nation.
Marsyas- The Phrygian flute player who challenged Apollo to a contest of skill and, being beaten by the god, was condemned alive for his presumption. From his blood arose the river Marsyas. The flute on which Marsyas played was one Athena had thrown away, and, being filled with the breath of the goddess, gave forth such music as enabled him at least to compete with Apollo.
Medea- A daughter of Æetes, skilled in charms and witchcraft. She had scarcely beheld Jason, when, through the influence and disposal of the gods, a tender affection for the hero was raised, and soon kindled to a flame of the most violent passion. Jason went to the temple of Hecate to supplicate the mighty goddess, where Medea met him. She disclosed her love to him, at the same time promising him, and offering her help in accomplishing his glorious undertaking, provided he would swear fidelity to her. Jason complied, and Medea, reciprocating the oath, rendered the hero invincible by means of her magical incantations. She was later deserted by him and in revenge slew his children, his intended bride, and his father.
Medusa- One of the three Gorgons whose hair was entwined with hissing serpents, and whose bodies were covered with impenetrable scales. They had wings, brazen claws, and enormous teeth, and whoever looked upon them was turned to stone. Medusa, who alone of the sisters was mortal, was, according to some legends, at first a beautiful maiden, but her hair was changed into serpents by Athena, or Minerva, in consequence of her having become by Poseidon, or Neptune, the mother of Chrysaor on one of Athena’s temples. Perseus killed her, and her head was fixed on the shield of Minerva. From her blood sprang the winged horse, Pegasus.
Megæra- One of the Furies, the author of insanity and murders. The others were: Tisiphone, whose particular work was to originate fatal epidemics and contagion; Alecto, to whom were ascribed the devastation and cruelties of war.
Megingiard- A magic belt worn by the god Thor, which, as it was tightened, rendered its wearer more powerful. The god was accustomed to show his strength by lifting great weights, but on one occasion the belt failed him, when he was challenged to pick up from the ground a cat belonging to a certain giant. He tugged and strained, only to succeed in raising one paw from the floor.
Melampus- A cousin of Bellerophon, he was known as a healer and he was so kind to animals that he won one third of a kingdom from the king of Tiryns.
Melanion- “Winner” of Atalanta’s love. See Atalanta.
Meleager- Son of the Calydonian king Œneus. He took a prominent part in the Argonautic expedition and distinguished himself among his companions, especially by reason of his skill in throwing the javelin.
Melia- One of the daughters of Oceanus and the mother of Phoroneus, a fabulous king of Argos.
Melicertes- A son of the Theban king Athamas by Ino. He was metamorphosed into a sea god.
Melic Nymphs- Maidens of the ashen spear, sprung from the blood of Uranus. Two of them, Adrastea and Ida, cared for the infant Jupiter in a cave on Mount Ida.
Melissa- A nymph, said to have discovered the use of honey, and from whom bees were said to have received their Greek name.
Melpomene- The Muse of the tragic drama.
Melusina- The most noted among French fairies. She was condemned to become every Saturday a serpent from the waist downward, as a punishment for having, by means of a charm, enclosed her father in a high mountain, in order to avenge an injury her mother had received from him. She married Raymond, count of Toulouse, who in violation of a promise he gave her never to visit her on Saturdays came and saw her during her loathsome transformation. For his breach of faith she left him. The story has analogies with legends of the mermaids, and of Cupid and Psyche.
Memnon- A son of Tithonus and Aurora, and king of Ethiopia. After the fall of Hector, he went to the assistance of his uncle Priam with 10,000 men, and displayed great courage in the defense of Troy, but he was at length slain by Ajax, in single combat, whereupon he was changed into a bird.
Mendes- An Egyptian god similar to Pan. He was worshipped in the form of a goat.
Menelaus- A son of Atreus, and younger brother of Agamemnon. He was king of Lacedæmon, and was married to the beautiful Helen, by whom he became the father of Hermione. When Paris seduced and took to Troy his wife Helen, he enlisted the help of Agamemnon, his brother, and many other Greek princes to win back his wife by sacking Troy. In the war Menelaus killed many Trojans, and would have slain Paris also in single combat had not the latter been carried off in a cloud by Venus.
Menœceus- (1) A Theban, grandson of Pentheus, and father of Hipponome, Jocasta, and Creon. (2) Grandson on Menœceus, and son of Creon. When the seven Argive heroes marched against Thebes, he put an end to his life because Tiresias had declared that his death would bring victory to his country.
Mentor- A friend of Ulysses in Ithaca, whose form, Minerva assumed in order to give instructions to Ulysses’ son Telemachus, whom she accompanied to Pylos and Lacedæmon.
Mephistopheles- One of the seven chief devils in the old demonology, the second of the fallen archangels, and after Satan the most powerful among the infernal legions. He figures in he old legend of Dr. Faustus as the familiar spirit of that magician. To modern readers he is chiefly known as the cold, scoffing, relentless fiend of Goethe’s Faust, and as the attendant demon in Marlowe’s Faustus. The name is said to be a corruption of a Greek word meaning “one who hates what is helpful.”
Mercury- A Roman god, identified with the Greek god Hermes. In Rome, however, he continued to carry a sacred branch as the emblem of peace instead of the caduceus. Like Hermes he was the messenger of Jupiter, the god of eloquence, of gain, and of thievery, and conducted souls to the lower world.
Mermaids- Wave maidens of medieval folklore. They were generally represented as young and beautiful women, fish-form below the waist, who used their charms to lure men to destruction in the sea. Sometimes they are said to have quit the sea, temporarily acquiring complete human form, and marrying, only to bring disaster upon their husbands and upon themselves.
Meru- In Hindu mythology, a sacred mountain, 80,000 leagues high, situated in the center of the world. It was the abode of Indra, god of the air, and abounded with every charm that can be imagined.
Metis- A Titan’s daughter, and Zeus’ first wife. She was the Greek goddess of prudence.
Midas- The king of Phrygia, who restored to Bacchus the god’s nurse and preceptor, Silenus, and received as a compensation the power of turning into gold everything he touched. But this proved to be very inconvenient, as it prevented him from eating and drinking, and he prayed that the gift might be revoked. At the command of the god, he washed in the Pactolus, the sands of which became, in consequence, mixed with gold. Another tradition is that, in a musical contest between Pan and Apollo, he gave judgement in favor of Pan; whereupon Apollo in contempt gave the king a pair of ass’s ears. Midas hid them under his Phrygian cap; but his servant, who used to cut his hair, discovered them, and was so pleased with the “joke,” which he dared not mention, that he dug a hole in the earth and relieved his mind by whispering in it, “Midas has ass’s ears.”
Midgard- In Scandinavian mythology, the name given to the earth, meaning “middle yard or enclosure.” It was formed in the middle of Ginnungagap, or “gaping abyss,” out of the eyebrows of the giant Ymir and joined to heaven by the rainbow Bifröst. The solid portion of Midgard was surrounded by the giant’s blood or sweat, which now formed the ocean, while his bones made the hills, his flat teeth became the cliffs, and his curly hair took the form of the trees and all vegetation.
Midgard Serpent- The great serpent, offspring of Loki, which grew to such a length that it surrounded the earth and bit its tail. Odin cast it into the sea.
Mimir- In Scandinavian mythology, the god of wisdom. Also god of the ocean, called “Mimir’s well,” in which wit and wisdom lay hidden, and of which he drank every morning from the Giallarhorn. Odin once drank from this fountain, and by doing so became the wisest of gods and men; but he purchased the privilege and distinction at the cost of one eye, which Mimir exacted from him.
Minerva- Under the name of Minerva among the Romans and of Athena among the Greeks was personified and deified the idea of intelligence and wisdom. Minerva was a daughter of Jupiter, sprung from his head. The Greeks ascribed to this goddess the invention of many arts and sciences, which had a great influence on their civilization. She was regarded as inventress of the flute, of embroidery and spinning, of the use of the olive, and of various instruments of war; in short, of most works indicating superior intelligence or skill. See Arachne.
Minos- A semi-mythical king and lawgiver of Crete. In order to avenge the wrong done to his son Androgeos at Athens, he made war against the Athenians, and compelled them to send to Crete every year, as a tribute, seven youths and seven maidens, to be devoured in the labyrinth by the Minotaur.
Minotaur- A celebrated monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man, kept by Minos in the famous labyrinth constructed by Dædalus. The monster devoured a tribute of young people from Athens each year until he was slain by Theseus, with the assistance of Ariadne, the daughter of Minos.
Mithra- A Persian deity whose worship spread over western Asia and through the Roman world. This cult was the most formidable rival of early Christianity. Mithra was a god of light, heat, and fertility, a giver of all good things. He was popularly represented as a sun god, and in many respects he resembled Apollo.
Mjöllnir- In Scandinavian mythology, the name of Thor’s celebrated hammer- a type of the thunderbolt- which, however far it might be cast, was never lost, as it always returned to his hand. Whenever he wished, it became so small that he could put it in his pocket.
Mnemosyne- Mother of the Muses and goddess of memory. Jupiter courted her in the guise of a shepherd.
Moakkibat- A class of angels, according to the Mohammedan mythology. Two angels of this class attend every child of Adam from the cradle to the grave. At sunset they fly up with the record of the deeds done since sunrise. Every good deed is entered ten times by the recording angel on the credit or right side of his ledger, but when an evil deed is reported then angel waits seven hours in the hope that the evildoer may repent.
Mœræ- The Greek name for the Fates.
Morpheus- The son of Sleep and the god of dreams. The name signifies the fashioner or molder, because he shapes or forms the dreams, which appear to the sleeper.
Mowis- The snow bridegroom who, according to a certain North American Indian tradition, wooed and won a beautiful bride; but, when morning dawned, Mowis left the wigwam and melted into the sunshine. The bride hunted for him night and day in the forests, but never saw him again.
Muses- Nine daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne. They were goddesses of poetry, of history, and of other arts and sciences. Calliope was the Muse of eloquence and heroic poetry, and to her the ancients gave precedence; Clio, of history; Erato, of amorous poetry; Euterpe, of music; Melpomene, of tragedy; Polyhymnia, of eloquence and of imitation; Terpsichore, of dancing; Thalia, of comic and lyric poetry; and Urania, of astronomy. Their usual abode was Mount Parnassus in Helicon.
Mycenae- City in Peloponnesus that Perseus founded.
Myrmidons- The trusty followers of Achilles. They are said to have inhabited originally the island of Ægina, and to have immigrated with Peleus into Thessaly; but modern critics, on the contrary, suppose that a colony of them emigrated from Thessaly into Ægina. The Myrmidons disappeared from history at a later period. The ancients derived their name either from a mythical ancestor, Myrmidon, son of Zeus and father of Actor and Eurymedusa, or from the ants in Ægina, which were supposed to have been metamorphosed into men in the time of Æacus.
Mysterious Three, The- In Scandinavian mythology, “Har” (the Mighty), the “Like-Mighty,” and the “Third Person,” who sat on three thrones above the rainbow. Below them ranked the “Æsir,” of which Odin was chief, who lived in Asgard between the rainbow and the earth; and below them, the “Vanir,” or gods of the ocean, air, and clouds, of which deities Niord was chief.

~HOME~