Gods and Heroes; or, The Kingdom of JupiterFrancillon, R. E. (Robert Edward)
General
Gods and Heroes; or, The Kingdom of Jupiter
Francillon, R. E. (Robert Edward)
Mythology, Classical -- Juvenile literature
As for Perseus, whose adventures were now at an end, he refused the
kingdom of Argos, which had come to him in such an unfortunate manner,
and, traveling further into Greece, built a city and made a kingdom
for himself, which he called Mycenæ. Here, with Andromeda and Danae,
he lived in peace and happiness, ruling so well and wisely that when
he died he was made a demi-god, and admitted into Olympus. There are
two constellations which are still called Perseus and Andromeda. The
Gorgon's head he consecrated to Minerva, who fixed it in the middle of
her shield, where it still retained its power of turning the enemies
of the goddess of Wisdom into blocks of stone.
* * * * *
I suspect that one part of this story has reminded you of how St.
George of England rescued the Princess Sabra from the dragon. Well,
there is this great likeness among all good knights, that they have
the help of heaven, because they would be equally good and brave
whether they had such help or no.
THE GOLDEN FLEECE.
When Æson, who was King of Iolcos, began to grow old, he left his
kingdom to his infant son, Jason. But the throne was usurped by his
uncle Pēlĭas, who forthwith consulted an oracle as to what he
should do to make himself secure. The answer of the oracle was
strange. It was--"Fear nobody who cometh not with and without a shoe."
"There is nothing very alarming about that," thought Pelias; so,
instead of having Jason killed, as he had first thought of doing, he
sent away the child into Thessaly, a long way off, among the people
called Centaurs, hoping that he would never hear of him again.
The Centaurs were a very singular race. They were half man and half
horse, as if a man's body down to the waist were set upon a horse's
shoulders. Thus they had a horse's four legs for running, and a man's
head and arms for thinking and fighting: they were famous archers,
very learned, and very brave. Their most famous chief was Chiron, who,
besides being their best archer, was also a great philosopher and
physician. Chiron, struck by Jason's quickness, became his teacher,
so that the young prince grew up skilled both in all manly exercises
and in every branch of human knowledge.
When he had become a man, the Centaur thought it only right that he
should know his birth and parentage, and should have a chance of
regaining his father's throne, since he was so fit to be a king. But
first he consulted the oracle, which gave to Chiron as strange an
answer as it had given to Pelias--"Who seeks a crown shall wear the
leopard's hide."
So Jason, by Chiron's counsel, went out hunting, and, having killed a
leopard, dressed himself in its skin. Then he set out, on foot and
alone, for Iolcos; and proceeded without anything happening to him,
until he reached a mountain-torrent, so deep, so broad, and so strong,
that the best of swimmers could not hope to reach the other side.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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