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Pachacamac- The name of an ancient Peruvian god of earthquakes, which were regarded as his voice. The meaning of this name is "earth-generator." He was worshipped as a god of fertility also, and as a civilizer.
Pactolus- The river whose sands turned to gold when Midas by order of Bacchus washed in the waters.
Paimosaid- In certain North American Indian myths, a wandering thief who walks through cornfields about harvest time to pluck the ears of corn.
Palæmon- Son of Ino, originally called Melicertes, until he was made a sea god. The Roman god of harbors, Portunas, was identified with him.
Palamedes- A Greek hero sent by the Greek princess to induce Ulysses to join in the Trojan War, when Ulysses sought to avoid going by pretending insanity. Palamedes soon penetrated the deception, and Ulysses was obliged to join in the war.
Pales- The goddess of shepherds, presiding over cattle and pastures, whose festival, the Palilia, was celebrated on the 21st of April, the anniversary of the day on which Rome was founded. The Palatine hill at Rome was sacred to her. Later the Roman emperors built on it their residence, called the Palatium, from which comes our word palace.
Palladium- A Trojan statue of the goddess Pallas Athena, which represented her as sitting with a spear in her right hand, and in her left a spindle or distaff. It is said to have fallen from heaven near the tent of Ilus at the time when that prince was employed in building the citadel of Troy; and Apollo, by an oracle, declared that the city should never be taken as long as the Palladium was contained within its walls. Ulysses and Diomedes captured the statue for the Greeks and not long afterwards the city was taken.
Pallas- (1) One of the giants. (2) The father of Athena, according to some traditions. (3) Son of Lycaon and grandfather of Evander. (4) Son of Evander and an ally of Æneas.
Pallas Athena- See Athena.
Pan- The god of shepherds and herdsmen, of groves and fields, and of rural life generally. He was said to be the son of Mercury and Dryope. His favorite residence was in the woods and mountains of Arcadia, where he was frequently heard playing on his pipe or flute of seven reeds, called a syrinx. It was fabled that this pipe was a metamorphosis of a nymph named Syrinx, whom he had loved. His pride in this invention led him into an unlucky contest with Apollo. His festivals were introduced by Evander among the Romans, and by them called Lupercalia. Goats, honey, and milk were the usual offerings to Pan. Travelers, to whom he sometimes appeared, and whom he startled by his uncanny presence dreaded Pan, like other gods who dwelt in forests. Hence sudden fright, without any visible cause, was ascribed to Pan and was called a panic. See Mendes.
Pandora- The first woman, according to Greek mythology. Vulcan made her of clay, and all the gods made presents to her. Venus gave her beauty and the art of pleasing; the Graces gave her the power of captivating; Apollo taught her to sing; Mercury instructed her in eloquence and brought her to Epimetheus, who made her his wife, forgetting the advice of his brother, Prometheus, not to receive gifts that came from Jupiter. In her home she found a box which she was forbidden to open. Disobeying the injunction she allowed to escape from it all the evils of life except hope. According to another version, all the blessings of life escaped except hope, which remained to solace mortals.
Parcæ- See Fates.
Paris- The son of Priam, king of Troy, and of Hecuba; he was also called Alexander. The tradition is that, at the marriage of Peleus and Thetis, the goddess of discord, who had not been invited, showed her displeasure by throwing into the assembly of the gods, who were at the nuptials, a golden apple on which were the words "For the fairest." Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena claimed the apple. Zeus ordered Hermes to take the goddesses to Mount Ida, and to intrust the decision of the dispute to the Trojan shepherd Paris. The goddesses accordingly appeared before him. Hera promised him the sovereignty of Asia; Athena, renown in war; and Aphrodite, of women for his wife. Paris decided in favor of Aphrodite, and gave her the golden apple. Under her protection, Paris sailed to Greece, and was hospitably received in the palace of Menelaus at Sparta. Here he succeeded in carrying off to Troy Helen, the wife of Menelaus, who was the most beautiful woman in the world. Menelaus enlisted the support of many other Greek chieftains and proceeded to besiege Troy. Paris fought with Menelaus before the walls of Troy, and, though defeated, was carried off by Aphrodite. He slew Achilles by wounding him in his heel, where alone he was vulnerable, while Achilles was engaged in a peaceful mission in Troy.
Parnassus- A well-wooded mountain ridge near Delphi in Greece. At its foot grew myrtle, laurel, and olive trees, and higher up, firs; its summit was covered with snow during the greater part of the year. It contained numerous caves, glens, and romantic ravines and had two summits, one of which was consecrated to Apollo and the Muses, the other to Bacchus. It was anciently called Larnassus, from larnax, "an ark," because Deucalion's ark was stranded there after the flood. After the oracle of Delphi was built at its foot it received the name of Parnassus and was celebrated as one of the chief seats of Apollo and the Muses.
Parthenope- One of the sirens, who threw herself into the sea out of love for Ulysses, and whose dead body was washed ashore on the present site of Naples. Naples itself was anciently called Parthenope, which name was changed to Neaplois, "the new city," by a colony of Cumæans.
Pasiphaë- The wife of Minos, king of Crete, and, by a bull, the mother of the Minotaur, to which human captives were given as food.
Patroclus- The gentle and amiable friend of Achilles in Homer's Iliad.
Pauguk- Name given to the great power, death, in the mythology of certain North American Indians.
Paupukkeewis- In North American Indian folklore, a mischievous magician, who, pursued by Hiawatha, went through a series of wonderful transformations in his endeavors to escape, and finally became an eagle.
Pax- The goddess of peace, worshiped in Greece under the name Irene. Pax wore a crown of laurel and held in her hand the branch of an olive tree.
Peboan- In North American Indian folklore, the personification of winter in the form of a great giant who shook the snow from his hair and turned water into stone by his breath.
Pegasus- The winged horse which sprang from the blood of Medusa when her head was struck off by Perseus.
Peleus- King of the Myrmidons at Phthia in Thessaly. Having, in conjunction with his brother Telamon, murdered his half brother Phocus, he was expelled by Æacus from Ægina, and went to Thessaly. He was purified from the murder by Eurytion, who then gave Peleus his daughter Antigone in marriage, and a third part of his kingdom.
Pelion- A high mountain in Thessaly near whose summit was the cave of the centaur Chiron. The giants, in their war with the gods, are said to have attempted to heap Pelion and Ossa on Olympus, in order to scale heaven.
Pelops- A Phrygian prince, grandson of Jupiter and son of Tantalus. Expelled from Phrygia, he came to Elis, where he married Hippodamia, daughter of Œnomaus, whom he succeeded on the throne. By means of the wealth he brought with him, his influence became so great in the peninsula that it was called after him the Peloponnese, “the island of Pelops.”
Penates- Roman gods who were supposed to preside over the welfare and prosperity of the family. The storehouse, or penus, was sacred to them.
Penelope- The faithful wife of Ulysses, who, being importuned during his long absence by numerous suitors for her hand, postponed making a decision among them until she should have finished weaving a funeral pall for her father-in-law, Laertes. Every night she secretly unraveled what she had woven by day, and thus put off the suitors until Ulysses returned.
Peri- In Persian mythology, delicate, gentle, fairylike beings, begotten by fallen spirits. They direct with a wand the pure in mind along the way to heaven. These lovely creatures, according to the Koran, are under the sovereignty of Eblis; and Mohammed was sent for their conversion, as well as for that of man.
Perse- A daughter of Oceanus, and wife of Helios (the sun), by whom she became the mother of Æetes, Circe, Pasiphaë, and Perses.
Persephone- The Greek name of Proserpina. Homer describes her as the wife of Hades, or Pluto, and the formidable and majestic queen of the shades, who, with her husband, rules over the souls of the dead.
Perseus- One of the most distinguished of the early heroes. He was the son of Jupiter and Danaë, and was educated by Polydectes on the island of Seriphus. His chief exploit was the destruction of the Gorgon Medusa, whose head he struck off with a sword given to him by Vulcan. From the blood that fell, sprang
Phædra- Daughter of Minos, and wife of Theseus, who, finding her love rejected by her stepson Hippolytus, falsely accused him of making improper advances toward her, and so induced her husband to bring about his own son’s death.
Phaëthon- A son of Phœbus and Clymene. Anxious to display his skill in horsemanship, he was so presumptuous as to request his father to allow him to drive the chariot of the sun across the heavens for one day. Helios was induced by the entreaties of his son and of Clymene to yield, but the youth, being too weak to check to horses, permitting it. To save mankind Zeus killed Phaëthon with a thunderbolt, and hurled him down into the river Eridanus. His sisters wept for him until they were metamorphosed into poplars, and their tears became amber.
Phaon- A boatman of Mytilene, ugly in appearance, who once carried Aphrodite across the sea without accepting payment. In return the goddess gave him a box of ointment with which, when he anointed himself, he grew so beautiful that Sappho became enamored of him; but when the ointment had all been used Phaon returned to his former condition, and Sappho, in despair, drowned herself.
Philemon and Baucis- An aged couple, who alone in Phrygia honored two travelers with hospitality. The travelers proved to be Jupiter and Mercury in disguise and in acknowledgment of the kindness they had received, they changed into a temple the house of Philemon and Baucis. The two old people were granted the privilege of caring for the temple and of leaving life together. One day, as they stood before the door, they were suddenly transformed into trees, an oak and a linden, which stood side by side.
Philoctetes- The most celebrated archer in the Trojan War. He was the friend and armor-bearer of Hercules, who bequeathed to him his bow and his poisoned arrows in return for setting fire to the pile on Mount Œta on which Hercules perished.
Philomela- A daughter of Pandion, king of Athens. Her sister Procne had married Tereus, king of Thrace. Becoming tired of her after she had given birth to a son, Itylus, he cut out her tongue and told everyone that she had died. Philomela became his next wife, and, learning the truth from her sister, served up, with her sister’s help, the cooked flesh of Itylus for Tereus to eat. The gods in anger turned Philomela into a nightingale, Procne into a swallow, and Tereus into a hawk.
Phœbe- The goddess of the moon, and sister of Phœbus; a name of Diana.
Phœbus- See Apollo.
Phœnix- (1) A fabulous bird described as being as large as an eagle. Its head was finely created with a beautiful plumage, its neck covered with gold-colored feathers, its tail white, and its body purple or crimson. It was said to appear once every 500 years, each bird rising from the ashes of its sire, who voluntarily cremated himself. (2) Father of Europa and reputed ancestor of the Phœnicians.
Phyllis- A daughter of King Sithon of Thrace. She hanged herself, thinking that she was desired by her lover, Demophon, who had failed to appear on the day appointed for their marriage. She was changed by the gods into an almond tree.
Pirene- A celebrated fountain of Corinth, at which Bellerophon is said to have caught the horse Pegasus. It gushed forth from the rock in the Acrocorinthus, was conveyed down the hill by subterraneous conduits, and fell into a marble basin, from which the greater part of the town was supplied with water.
Pleiades- The seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione, named Electra, Alcyone, Celæno, Maia, Sterope, Taygeta, and Merope. They were transformed into stars, one of which, Merope, is invisible out of shame, because she alone married a human being. Some call the invisible star “Electra,” and say she hides herself from grief for the destruction of the city and royal race of Troy. The name means “sailing stars,” because navigation was considered safe after the appearance.
Pluto- A brother of Jupiter and Neptune. He received, as his portion in the division of empire, the infernal regions. His wife was Persephone, or, as the Romans called her, Proserpina, and the daughter of Demeter, whom he carried by force from the upper regions and made queen of the lower regions. The nymph Mintho, whom he loved, was metamorphosed by Proserpina into the plant called mint; and the nymph Leuce was metamorphosed by him after her death into a white poplar. The ensign of his power was a staff, with which, like Hermes, he drove the shades into the lower world. He possessed a helmet which rendered the wearer invisible, and which he sometimes lent to men or to other gods. The Furies were said to be his daughters. Being the king of the lower world, Pluto was regarded as giver of the blessings that come from the earth, such as the metals.
Plutus- The god of riches, and son of Iasion and Demeter. Jupiter blinded him so that he would bestow his gifts irrespective of merit.
Pluvius- A surname of Jupiter among the Romans meaning, “the sender of rain.” Sacrifices were offered to him in this capacity during long-protracted droughts.
Podalirius- The son of Æsculapius, and brother of Machaon, with whom he led the Thessalians of Tricca against Troy. He was, like his brother, skilled in the medical arts.
Polias- A cult name of Athena at Athens meaning “protectress of the city.”
Pollux- A on of Jupiter and Leda, and brother to Castor.
Polydorus- (1) King of Thebes, son of Cadmus and Harmonia, husband of Nycteus, and father of Labdacus. (2) Son of Priam and Hecuba. When Ilium was on the point of falling into the hands of the Greeks, Priam instructed Polydorus and a large sum of money to Polymnestor, king of the Thracian Chersonesus.
Polyhymnia- See Muses.
Polyphemus- A son of Neptune, and one the Cyclopes who dwelt in Sicily. He was a cruel monster of immense size and strength, and had but one eye, which was in the middle of his forehead. He dwelt in a cave near Mount Etna, and fed his flocks upon the mountain. He fell in love with the nymph Galatea, but, as she rejected him for Acis, he destroyed the latter by crushing him under a huge rock. When Ulysses landed in Sicily, he, with twelve of his companions, was caught in the cave of Polyphemus, and six of the them were eaten by the terrible cannibal. The rest were in expectation of the same fate, but their cunning leader enabled them to escape by contriving to intoxicating Polyphemus, and then destroying his single eye with a firebrand.
Polyxena- The daughter of Priam and Hecuba, beloved by Achilles. She was sacrificed by the Greeks on Achilles’ tomb.
Pomona- A nymph at Rome, who presided over gardens and fruit trees.
Ponemah- In North American Indian mythology, the name of the spirit land, to which the souls of the dead go.
Poseidon- The Greek god of the sea, identified by the Romans with Neptune. He was the brother of Jupiter and Pluto. The palace of Poseidon was in the depth of the sea near Ægæ, where he kept his brazen-hoofed and golden-maned horses. With these horses he used to ride in a chariot over the waves, which became smooth as he approached, while the monsters of the deep played around his chariot. Poseidon, in conjunction with Apollo, is said to have built the walls of Troy for Laomedon.
Priam- King of Troy when that city was sacked by the allied Greeks. His wife’s name was Hecuba; she was the mother of nineteen children, the eldest of whom was Hector. When the Greeks landed on the Trojan coast, Priam was advanced in years and took no active part in the war. Once only did he venture upon the field of battle, to conclude the agreement respecting the single combat between Paris and Menelaus. After the death of Hector, Priam when to the tent of Achilles to ransom his son’s body for burial, and obtained it. When the gates of Troy were thrown open by the Greeks concealed in the wooden horse, and the hostile army without was admitted, the aged Priam was slain by Pyrrhus, the son of Achilles.
Priapus- An Italian god of gardens. Images of him were often placed in vineyards or before houses to frighten away thieves
Procne- See Philomela.
Prœtus- Twin brother of Acrisius and son of Abas. In the dispute between the two brothers for the kingdom of Argos, Prœtus was expelled. He fled to Iobates in Lycia, and married Antea, the daughter of the latter. With the assistance of Iobates, Prœtus returned to his native land, and Acrisius gave him a share of his kingdom, surrendering to him Tiryns, Midea, and the coast of Argolis.
Prometheus- A son of Iapetus and Clymene, the brother of Epimetheus, and the father of Deucalion. He made men of clay, and animated them by means of fire which he stole from heaven; for this he was chained by Jupiter to Mount Caucasus, where an eagle, or as some say, a vulture, preyed by day upon his liver, which grew again by night. His name means forethought, and that of his brother, afterthought.
Proserpina- See Persephone.
Psyche- Psyche was the youngest of the three daughters of a king, and excited by her beauty the jealousy and envy of Venus. To avenge herself, Venus ordered Cupid to inspire Psyche with a love for the most contemptible of all men; but Cupid was so stricken by her beauty that he himself fell in love with her. He conveyed her to a charming spot, where unseen and unknown he visited her every night, and left her as soon as the day began to dawn. But her jealous sisters made her believe that in the darkness of night she was embracing some hideous monster, and, accordingly, once, while Cupid was asleep, she drew near to him with a lamp, and, to her amazement, beheld the most handsome and the most lovely of the gods. In the excitement she let fall a drop of hot oil from her lamp upon his shoulder. This awoke Cupid, who censured her for her mistrust and fled. Psyche’s happiness was now gone, and, after attempting in vain to throw herself into a river, she wandered about from temple to temple, inquiring after her lover, and at length came to the palace of Venus. There her real sufferings began, for Venus retained her, treated her as a slave, and imposed upon her the hardest and most humiliating labors. Psyche would have perished under the weight of her sufferings had not Cupid, who still loved her in secret, invisibly comforted and assisted her in her toils. With his aid she at last succeeded in overcoming the jealousy and hatred of Venus; she became immortal and was united to him forever. In works of art Psyche is represented as a maiden with the wings of a butterfly. Her name is the Greek word for soul and representations of her frequently have an allegorical meaning based on this fact.
Pukwana- The smoke from the Calumet, of peace pipe, among certain North American Indians. The pipe was made from stone found near the headquarters of the Mississippi at a spot that the Indians agreed to make neutral ground. To apply the stone to any other use than that of pipe making would have been sacrilege in their eyes. From its color, they fancied it to have been made at the great deluge out of the flesh of the perishing Indians.
Pukwudjies- The pygmies of North American Indian folklore, who haunted the woods.
Pygmalion- A grandson of Agenor. He made a beautiful statue with which he fell so deeply in love that Venus, at his earnest petition, gave it life.
Pylades- Son of Anaxibia, sister of Agamemnon. His father was king of Phocis, to whose court, after the death of Agamemnon, Orestes was secretly carried. Here Pylades contracted that friendship with Orestes, which became proverbial.
Pyramus- The lover of Thisbe, who stabbed himself on account of her supposed death. Thisbe, afterwards, finding the body of her lover under the mulberry tree where he fell, killed herself on the same spot with the same weapon; and the fruit of the mulberry has ever since been as red as blood.
Pyrrhus- A son of Achilles, remarkable for his bravery at the siege of Troy. He was known also as Neoptolemus. He was slain at Delphi, at the request of his own wife, Hermione, who later married his slayer, Orestes.
Pythia- The priestess of Apollo at Delphi. Crowned with laurels she was seated on a tripod and placed over a chasm whence arose a peculiar vapor. As she inhaled the intoxicating fumes, she was thrown into convulsive ravings, which were thought to be an evidence of divine inspiration and were interpreted by priests and conveyed as intelligible, but usually ambiguous, messages to those who came to consult the oracle.
Python-The monster serpent hatched from the mud of the deluge. He lived in the caves of Mount Parnassus, but was slain by Apollo, who founded the Pythian games in commemoration of his victory and received in consequence the surname Pythius.

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