Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 1: A Revised American Edition of the Reader's HandbookBrewer, Ebenezer Cobham
General
Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 1: A Revised American Edition of the Reader's Handbook
Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham
Allusions; Fiction -- Dictionaries; Literature -- Dictionaries
A'RIEL, in _The Tempest_, an airy spirit, able to assume any shape,
or even to become invisible. He was enslaved to the witch Syc'orax,
mother of Caliban, who overtasked the little thing, and in punishment
for not doing what was beyond his strength, imprisoned him for twelve
years in the rift of a pine tree, where Caliban delighted to torture
him with impish cruelty. Prospero, duke of Milan and father of
Miranda, liberated Ariel from the pine-rift, and the grateful spirit
served the duke for sixteen years, when he was set free.
And like Ariel in the cloven pine tree,
For its freedom groans and sighs.
Longfellow, _The Golden Milestone_.
_A'riel_, the sylph in Pope's _Rape of the Lock_. The impersonation
of "fine life" in the abstract, the nice adjuster of hearts and
necklaces. When disobedient he is punished by being kept hovering over
the fumes of the chocolate, or is transfixed with pins, clogged with
pomatums, or wedged in the eyes of bodkins.
_A'riel_, one of the rebel angels. The word means "the Lion of God."
Abdiel encountered him, and overthrew him.--Milton, _Paradise Lost_,
vi. 371 (1665).
ARIELLA, an invalid girl, the daughter of Malachi and Hagar his wife,
in _Come Forth_, by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps and Herbert D. Ward. Her
name signifies STRENGTH OF GOD. She has lain a helpless cripple for
nine years, when she is healed by a word from The Christ (1891).
ARIMAN'ES (4 _syl_.), the prince of the powers of evil, introduced by
Byron in his drama called _Manfred_. The Persians recognized a power
of good and a power of evil: the former Yezad, and the latter Ahriman
(in Greek, Oroma'zes and Ariman'nis). These two spirits are ever at
war with each other. Oromazes created twenty-four good spirits, and
enclosed them in an egg to be out of the power of Arimanês; but
Arimanês pierced the shell, and thus mixed evil with every good.
However, a time will come when Arimanês shall be subjected, and the
earth will become a perfect paradise.
ARIMAS'PIANS, a one-eyed people of Scythia, who adorned their hair
with gold. As gold mines were guarded by Gryphons, there were
perpetual contentions between the Arimaspians and the Gryphons. (See
GRYPHON.)
Arimaspi, quos diximus uno oculo in fronte
media in signes; quibus assidue bellum esse
circa metella cum gryphis, ferarum volucri genere,
quale vulgo traditur, eruente ex cuniculis
aurum, mire cupiditate et feris custodientibus,
et Arimaspis rapientibus, multi, sed maxime
illustres Herodotus et Aristeas Proconnesius scribunt.--Pliny,
_Nat. Hist._ vii. 2.
AR'IOCH ("_a fierce lion_"), one of the fallen angels overthrown by
Abdiel.--Milton, _Paradise Lost_, vi. 371 (1665).
ARIODAN'TES (5 _syl_.), the beloved of Geneu'ra, a Scotch princess.
Geneura being accused of incontinence, Ariodantês stood forth her
champion, vindicated her innocence, and married her.--Ariosto,
_Orlando Furioso_ (1516).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account