Dictionary of mythology - part 5 potx

[Harpaluke] a maiden who died from unrequitedlove for Iphiclus, the twin of Heracles father of Harpalyce He trained his daughter in the art ofwarfare and she repaid him by savinghis life

Hapy hare

the Nile floods He was born when

a virgin cow was impregnated bymoonbeams or by lightning

He helped to bring Osiris back tolife, after he had been killed anddismembered by Set, by suckling himafter Isis had reassembled the parts

He was sometimes depicted as agoose with two heads and a humanbody or as a naked fat man with erectphallus and pendulous breasts, holding

a fan and tray

[Hap.Ha(a)pi]

an ape-headed or dog-headed god

one of the 4 Amentison of Horus

He was guardian of the north and ofthe lungs of the dead or, some say, thenorth and the small intestine

[Hap.Ha(a)pi]

a name for the bull-god, Apis, in some accounts

a rite involving Hapy, Isis andNephthys

A cake in three pieces symbolised thedeities and one piece (Hapy as Osiris)was hidden or lost

(see Horus of the Horizon)

Horus as the guardian of Osiris

a name of Shiva in Cambodia

(see also Harihara)

Hara 2 (see Mount Alburz)

a raven in the Cabbala

[harai]

a simple shrine; an area used forpurification ceremonies

(see also hitogata)

the Greek name for Harakhti

Harakte (see Horus of the Horizon) Harakhti (see Horus of the Horizon)

[Harald(r) Hilditonn]

a king of DenmarkOdin promised to protect the king inbattle if he would hand over those hekilled but, taking over as the driver ofthe king’s chariot, Odin stabbed and

killed him (see also Brun)

He killed Signy’s brothers and, when

he was executed for the crime by herfather, the king of Denmark, shekilled herself

[Lay of Harbard]

a story in the Elder Edda

This story tells of the meetingbetween Thor and Odin (as Harbard)when they boasted to each other abouttheir adventures

he was wounded and escorted him inbattle

She died when a huge black handappeared and strangled her

(1) In West Africa, Hare (or Rabbit)

is a trickster-god and is regarded asthe precursor of Brer Rabbit, taken

(5) In Hindu lore, Shasha, a hare, issaid to live on the moon

(6) In Japan also, Usagi, Hare in theMoon, is said to live on the moonwhere it spends its time poundingrice which it makes into cakes

(7) In Roman myths the hare is the

animal of Mercury and Venus

(see also Great Hare)

a name for Vishnu as Vamana

in Cambodia (see also Harihara)

the young Krishna as the stealer

of hearts

He is said to have made 10,000 copies

of himself so that each maiden could

appear to dance with him alone He

eventually fell in love with Radha

a minor deity

[Hari Hara]

the Cambodian deity combining

aspects of Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva

(Hara)

In statues, Vishnu (Hari) is the left

half, Shiva (Hara) the right The two

gods combined forces to defeat the

demon Guha since neither could

defeat him single-handed

(see also Kritarajasa)

ghostly tigers

a minor deity

[Deerhead.Harinaigamaisin.

Harinegamesi]

a messenger of the gods

He conveyed to Devanda the

instruction from Sakra that her son,

Mahavira, still an embryo, should be

transferred to Trishala

He has the power to grant children

to those who worship him

He had a hundred wives but nochildren so he prayed to Varuna andwas granted a son Varuna demandedthe boy as a sacrifice but Harischandrakept postponing the rite When theboy came of age, he hid in the forestand eventually persuaded a Brahmin tosacrifice his son, Sunah-sepa, in hisplace in exchange for several herds ofcattle When the boy prayed to thegods, he was saved from execution andthe dropsy from which he had longsuffered was cured

To mitigate an offence to the sageVishvamitra, Harischandra handedover all his possessions, including hiswife and son He was then sold as aslave to Chandala When his son died

of snakebite, Harischandra and hiswife proposed to die on his funeralpyre but the gods intervened

Rohitaswa was restored to life andtook the throne so that his parentscould reap the reward of their pietyand go to heaven where Indra hadprepared their own heaven for them

[Ananda:=Chinese Ho-li Ti:

=Japanese Kishi Bojin]

a child-snatching demon, goddess

of plaguesconsort of Kubera or Panchikamother of Pingala and the YakshasThis female demon ate the childrenshe stole until Buddha hid her ownson, Pingala, so persuading her tochange her ways when she becameAnanda, protectress of all children

the winged steeds of IndraThese twin sisters are sometimesregarded as the female version of theAswins In other accounts they are said

to be the same as the Rohits

a 16,000 line epic poem, a supplement

to the Mahabharata, relating the life

and deeds of Krishna

In some accounts, he is a giant, leader

of the Wild Hunt

a knight

He was on a quest when, at the king’srequest, he was taken by Balin to theking’s court Before he could greet theking, he was killed by the invisibleknight, Garlon

Harmerti (see Horus of the Two Eyes)

[Hermione]

daughter of Ares and Aphrodite or

of Zeus and Electrawife of Cadmusmother of Agave, Autonoe, Illyrius, Ino,Semele and Polydorus

She was given a magic necklace made

by Hephaestus as a wedding gift fromAphrodite and a magic robe or veil

by Athena

Both she and Cadmus were changedinto black serpents at the end of theirlives and sent to the Islands of theBlessed

Haroeris (see Harwer.Horus the Elder)

son of Rangi and Papafather of Atarapa

[Harpale]

a dog of ActaeonWhen Artemis turned Actaeon into astag when she caught him spying onher as she was bathing, his hounds,including Harpalus, tore him to pieces

[Harpaluke]

daughter of Clymenuswife of AlastorHare in the Moon

When she married Alastor and left herhome, her father seized and broughther back, wanting her himself Shekilled her younger brother (or her son by Clymenus) to serve his flesh toClymenus at a banquet and was turnedinto an owl in answer to her own

prayers (see also Epopeus2.Nyctymene)

[Harpaluke]

daughter of HarpalycusShe was brought up by her father as awarrior-maid When he died, shebecame an outlaw and was caught andkilled by shepherds

[Harpaluke]

a maiden who died from unrequitedlove for Iphiclus, the twin of Heracles

father of Harpalyce

He trained his daughter in the art ofwarfare and she repaid him by savinghis life in a battle

to decapitate the Gorgon, Medusa

sisters of Iris, some sayOriginally, there was one such being,Podarge, on whom it is said, Zeus (orZephyrus) fathered the horses ofAchilles known as Balios and Xanthos

Then Aello and Ocypete were added

Later stories had them as Aellopus,Calaeno, Ocythoe and Nicothoe Atfirst they were regarded as spirits of theair, later as foul monsters

Amongst other horrible deeds theyharried Phineus, the blind Thracianking who had offended Zeus by theaccuracy of his prophecies, befoulinghis food until they were chased off bythe two winged members of Jason’screw, Calais and Zetes Some say they

were never seen again

On another occasion they harriedAeneas and his men when they landed on the Strophades Islandswhere the Harpies lived On bothoccasions, the monsters were savedfrom destruction by the angry sailors

by the intervention of Iris

They also carried off the daughters

of Pandareus and gave them to theFuries as servants

They appear in the stories ofCharlemagne where they harriedSenapus, the blind king of Abyssinia,

by snatching away or fouling his food

so that he would have died of starvation

if Astolpho had not arrived in time todrive them off and so save his life

In mediaeval times they could bedepicted in various forms such ascentaur-like beasts with wings, ratherthan as bird-women

a horse of Oenomaus, son of Ares

[Harpokrates]

the Greek name for Harpakhrad

[Horus of the Sun]

a godson of Menthu and RattawyHarpre’s function was to protect theking

a fabulous animal

[Harpeia]

a dog of ActaeonWhen Artemis turned Actaeon into astag when she caught him spying onher as she was bathing, his hounds,including Harpyia, tore him to pieces

the English version of Cagnazzo

a Knight of the Round Table

a goddess

a sakti of Hrsikesa

[Somtus]

the Greek name for Har-Mau

a Scottish mountain

In some accounts, this was the home

of Merlin

Harthar Saga (see Hardar Saga)

a prince of Normandyson of Ludwig and Gerlindabrother of Ortrunhusband of HergartThis prince was one of the suitors forthe hand of Gudrun, daughter ofHettel and Hilde While her fatherwas helping another suitor, Herwig,against a third, Siegmund, Hartmutabducted Gudrun and took her toNormandy Herwig, Ortwin and Watled a force that killed Hartmut’sparents and only the pleas of his sister,Ortrun, saved him from death at thehand of Herwig He later marriedHerwig’s sister, Hergart

husband of Izushio tome

Harueris (see Harwer.Horus the Elder)

Harwer

a hero of the Arabian Nights

He helped a magician to find the

philosopher’s stone and later was

shipwrecked, coming ashore near a

palace The magician turned up again

and Hasan killed him, after which he

entered a forbidden room to find ten

swan-maidens He stole the feathered

robe of one of the maidens who then

became his wife but she later

recovered the robe and flew off to the

island of Wak Wak With the help of a

jinnee, he found this island and

recovered his wife

a name of Imana as ‘planner’

a goddess

She was killed by Anat

Hashi-ne-Omi

(see Nome-No-Sukune)

[Hashcheyalte]

the Talking God of the Navajo

one of the Yeibechi

This deity is regarded as the creator

and supreme deity

6 female gods of the Navaho

members of the Yeibechi

6 male gods of the Navaho

members of the Yeibechi

the Red God of the Navaho

one of the Yeibechi

a Navaho god

the Whistling God of the Navaho

one of the Yeibechi

the Shooting God of the Navaho

one of the Yeibechi

the Calling God of the Navaho

one of the Yeibechi

the Black God of the Navaho

one of the Yeibechi

He is said to have placed the stars in

the sky from a pouch worn on his beltand tipped out the fragments to formthe Milky Way

[Hatuibwari]

a supreme deity in Melanesia

He is said to have come from the sky andmade the first woman out of clay baked inthe sun and the first man from one of herribs The god himself, though male, hasbreasts and feeds all life from them

He is envisaged as a serpent withwings and a human head with foureyes and four teeth

a goddess of fortuneone of the Nakshatrasdaughter of Dakshawife of Candra

[Hast(s)(h)ehogan]

a Navaho house-god and god

of agriculturegod of yellow maize

by Eystein, the king of Sweden

[Yebaka]

a Navaho god

supreme goddess of the Navaho

[Red Lord]

the Navaho god of racing

the Navaho goddess of hunting

[Black Lord]

the fire-god of the Navaho

[Lotus Child]

sister of KeiWhen she died, her soul took over thebody of her sister, Kei, who then lived

in a state of suspended animation and,for a whole year, lived with her lover

At the end of that time, she left Kei’sbody who then revived and marriedHasu-ko’s former lover

a part of the Avesta

This part deals with both legal andspiritual matters The other two partsare the datik and the gatha

king of Vitala, part of the underworld

a healing god of the Navaho

a chieftainWhen the son of Apakura sought thehand of his daughter, Hatea-motuakilled him The young man’s motherkilled the chief in revenge

a name of Imana as ‘ruler’

[Anit.Athyr.Great Mother.Het-Hert Lady of Byblos.Lady of Dendera Lady of Faience.Lady of the West Lady of Turquoise.Qedeshet Sakhmet.Tafner.Triphis:

=Canaanite Baalat.Tanit:

=Greek Aphrodite:

=Mesopotamian Ishtar]

a mother-goddess, goddess ofchildbirth, fertility, joy, love,marriage, music, skywife of Horus the Eldermother of Horus the Younger and Ihimother of Khons by Sebek, some say

In some versions she is Ra’s daughter

by Nut, in others his wife and mother

of Ihy

She was originally a war-goddess ofthe Nubians and is sometimes identifiedwith Sakhmet or with Isis, in whichcapacity she held the ladder by whichthe good dead could ascend to heaven.Others identify her with Mehet-Weret.Hasameli

She suckled the pharaohs andgreeted the souls entering theunderworld On one occasion, in theform of Sakhmet, she was sent by Ra tokill all mankind but she got drunk onthe red-coloured beer with which Raflooded the land and forgot to carryout her mission

Her son is said to have cut off herhead replacing it with the head of acow

She was originally depicted as alioness and later as a cow, sometimeswearing a headdress of horns enclosingthe disc of the sun In some depictions,her four limbs support the universe

(see also

Athor.Mut.Nekmet-Awai.Sakhmet.Tauret)

[Eye of Ra]

the goddess of war

Hathors, Seven (see Seven Hathors)

the corporeal heart, distinguished from

Ab, the symbolic heart that is judged

at death

the strongest of the giants

He was killed by Helgi

[female=hatifa:plur=hawatif]

a type of jinnee that can be heard but not seen: a voice in the desert

The voice may sound like a maiden indistress calling for help and thetraveller who follows its sound mayfind himself lost In some cases, hemay be led to an oasis where the callerappears in human form and thetraveller, forgetting where he wasgoing, stays with her

a hero of Bengal, based on an Arabchieftain, appearing in manyadventures (see also Hatim Tay)

a king, famous for his generosity

He was said to have ruined himself byslaughtering his camels and horses tofeed guests

In one story, he went in search ofanother’s bride who had been carriedoff by a demon, found them and killedthe maiden’s captor

(see also Hatim T’ai)

Hatiphas

a demon associated with garments

daughter of Atius Tirana and Atira

a Maori boy

He was carried off by the bird-woman,Kura ngaituku, but he stole her clothesand escaped When he became a man,

he returned to Kura

a Maori wind-godson of Rua-tapu

a god of mistsson of Ua

a god of law in pre-Islamic times

[Haoumea.Haumia:=Tuamotu Faumea]the Hawaiian goddess of fertility daughter of Ranga and Papasister of Rongo, Ruamoko, Tane,Tangaroa, Tawhiri and Tumother of Pele by Kane HoalaniBeing reborn again and again she wasable to breed with her own des-cendants She could order trees toproduce fruit and could populate theseas with fish by using her magic rod Insome versions she is identified as Hina

Haumia-tikitiki (see Haumiatiketike)

He escaped but she followed him until

he used a magic spell to open a door in

a rock-face through which he escapedagain When she next tried to seizehim, she fell into a hot spring and wasscalded to death

[Ballad of the High One.High Song Sayings of Odin]

a poem in the Elder Edda recording

the code of moral laws handeddown by Odin

in some versions of the Tristram story,the name given to Hoel, father ofIsolde White Hands

Havelin

These beings are said to be very

beautiful but not always friendly Their

function is to collect the bodies of those

drowned at sea (see also Havfru)

[female=Havfrue]

a Danish merman

These beings are said to be very

handsome, wearing beards, and, unlike

the female of the species, are quite

friendly to humans

a prince of Denmark

son of Birkabegn

husband of Princess Goldborough

His father’s throne was seized by

Godard who ordered that the young

Havelock be cast adrift in a boat He

landed in Britain where he was reared

by a fisherman called Grim He later

inherited his father’s kingdom when he

was recognised as being of noble blood

by the cross on his shoulder and the

light issuing from his mouth

He was an enemy of Arawn, king of

the underworld, and could be killed

only with a single blow since he

revived if struck again When Pwyll

and Arawn reversed roles for one year,

Pwyll met Havgan in single combat

and killed him, taking over his

a sea-monster of the Inuit

wife of Adama

In the lore of the Songhai, she bore

forty children but she and her husband

hid twenty of them from god who built

a wall to keep the parents from these

children which he kept for himself

[Avaiki.Havai(ki).Haval.Land of Kane.

Polutu:=Japanese Awagi:=Tahitian Kahiki]

home of the Hawaiian spirits in the sky

or under the earth: home of the

ancestors of the Polynesians: home

of Miru

a warrior at Etzel’s court

He was one of those who, bribed byKrimhild, tried to kill Hagen but failedand was slain by Hagen

a supreme god of the Iroquois

a supernatural being in the lore of theChemehuevi tribe of California

It was she who caused the primordialwaters to subside

hawk

a bird of prey found in many parts

of the world and featured in some myths

(1) In Central America the hawk,Tlotli, was regarded as themessenger of the Aztec gods

(2) In the East Indies the hawk is arevered bird, guardian of workers

in the rice-fields

(3) In Egypt the hawk is a sacredbird and the god Horus isfrequently depicted with the head

of a hawk (or falcon)

(4) In Greek myths the hawk is themessenger of Apollo or Hera

(5) The Pacific Islanders regard thehawk as an incarnation of Maui

(6) In Siberia they say the hawkstole fire and gave the secret to thegods who passed it on to mankind

(see also Great Hawk)

one of the 10 brothers who becamethe Supernatural People

He was so-called because, havingpassed through the fire, he was found

to have a blue hole in his heart

Hawk of Summer (see Gwalchaved)

a sea-goddessdaughter of Izanagi and Izanamisister and wife of Haya-Akihiko

[Haya-tsu-muji]

a Shinto wind-godWhen Waka-Hiko was killed forneglecting his divine mission, Haya-Jicarried his body back to heaven

He stole the scriptures from Brahmaand was killed by Vishnu in hisincarnation at Matsya

Another version says that Hayagrivawas an incarnation of Vishnu who, atthe request of Brahma, recovered theVedas from the ocean-bottom wherethey had been taken by the twodemons who had stolen them

In some accounts he appears asKhasarpana or as Lokanatha, assistants

to Avalokiteshvara

Some say that he will be carnated as Kalki, the tenth avatar ofVishnu

[Hyddwn.Hydwyn]

son of Gwydion and Galfaethwy as

a deerFor the rape of Goewen, Mathcondemned the brothers Gwydion andGilfaethwy to spend a year as deer.Their offspring was turned into a boy

by Math and named Haydn

(see also Bleiddwn.Hwychdwn)

Inca deities acting as messengers for Viracocha

[Hayicanke]

in the lore of the Tlingit of Alaska, the old woman who supports the earth

In some accounts, the world issupported on the leg of a beaver whichthe old woman looks after

[Hayik]

a giant who led his people fromoppression in Babylonfather of ArmenakHavfru

He later led his people against theforces of Bel and overcame them inbattle

He was later revered as a god ofvegetation and wine

a Turkish princesswife of StephanWhen the Turks captured Belgrade,Stephan was taken prisoner by thevizier who tried to make him embracethe Turkish faith He even used hisdaughter, Haykoona, to try to persuadehis prisoner but she fell in love withStephan They escaped together, sheconverted to Christianity and theymarried

the primordial matter from which allelse is made

[Stone Men:=Zuni Ahayuta achi:

=Tewa Towaesendo]

The name given to the twin war-gods

of the Tewa at Taos

a mountain, home of the gods

ancestral spirits of the Barasana people

a baboon-god

an aspect of Thoth

a prophet or seer

a sun-spirit of the Cheyenne

[Pai Yang:=Arab Al Kabah al-Alif]

an early name for the constellationAries as ‘the dog’

Hurakan)

Horus as an aspect of Ptah

heaven

[Celestial City.paradise]

the home of the blessed: place of gods: paradiseMost cultures envisage some form

(1) Kaba Noro, the home of Faro(2) Kaba dye, the home of the souls

of the dead(3) Kaba fii, the home of spirits(4) Faro’s accounting room(5) Red Heaven, the hall

of judgement(6) Sleep Heaven, the store for secrets

(7) Faro’s store for rain

–Australian

The paradise of the Aborigines iscalled wathi-wathi The road thatleads there forks: the road to theright is clean and inviting but is thehome of evil spirits whereas theroad to the left, though dirty, is therealm of the good spirits

–Buddhist

The place where Buddhas andbodhisattvas wait is known as theTushita heaven (Maya) and hasthirteen layers, the highest of which

is known as Paranirmita-Vasavarten

In Mahayana Buddhism, aparadise for those en route toenlightenment is known as thePure Land (Jodo) and is equatedwith the Nirvana of HinayanaBuddhism

The heaven reserved for pastBuddhas is known as Kshetra,Amitabha’s heaven is known asSukhavati and a future heaven iscalled Grdhakuta

In Cambodia, there are said to

be twenty-six paradises, the highest

of which is known as Nirpean

(see also Sukhavati)

–Egyptian

The paradise of Osiris, Aalu, lay far

to the west and could be reachedonly by travelling in Ra’s bark afterbeing judged by Osiris in theunderworld

–Hindu

Each god has his own heaven andBrahma lives in the highest heaven,Brahmaloka, said to be 84,000leagues above the earth

The heaven ruled by Vishnu iscalled Vaikuntha; that of Indra isSvarga; that of Krishna is Go-loka;that of Shiva is Kailasa; that of the goddess Shanti is called Shanti-Niketa and paradise for theuncremated dead is known as theLand of the Pitris

–Irish

The Irish envisage an earthlyparadise in the form of the island,called Emain Ablach, the WesternParadise

The native Indian tribes believe in

a Happy Hunting-ground wheregame is plentiful

–Pacific Islands

Burotu, paradise, is envisaged as aland of perpetual joy where thegood can rest

The Hawaiian paradise is calledPaliuli

The Polynesian heaven is layered, the highest realms beingPutahi-nui-o-Rahua The tenthheaven is Rangi-Tuarea

multi-heaven

Heaven is the Eternal Land,

Taka-no-Hara, home of the gods, to

which the mikado is allowed to

ascend on his death and the

paradisal land of the spirits is

Tokoyo-no-kuni

–Slav

The paradise of the western Slavs is

known as Rai, that of the eastern

Slavs as Svarog

–Taoist

The island paradise where all the

inhabitants are immortal is called

Ying-chou There are said to be

108 realms of paradise, one of

which, called P’eng-lai, is the home

of the Eight Immortals

There are said to be thirty-six

heavens of which the highest is Ta-lo

The imperial heaven is known

as Huang-t’ien

–West Indian

The Caribs of the Antilles call their

heaven Hueyuku

[Child-stealing Devil]

the spirit of a girl who died at an

early age

This child will kill any child so that its

spirit can replace her own so that she

can be reincarnated

(see also Heavenly Dog Star)

[Celestial Dog.Demon of the Eclipse.

T’ien Kou.T’ou-sheng Kuei]

a star said to cause an eclipse by

devouring the moon

It is said that this star represents the

spirit of a girl who tries to steal babies

to make up for the child she never had

It is envisaged as a shooting star or as a

fearsome dog and was shot down by

the archer, I

(see also Heavenly Dog)

a route to heaven

When two children, who were in

danger of being eaten by a tiger prayed

for help, god dropped the Heavenly

Iron Chain down to them and they

climbed up it, later becoming the sun

and the moon

When the tiger prayed, god dropped

the Rotten Straw Rope which broke

when the tiger tried to climb it and theanimal fell to earth and was killed

Heavenly Kings

(see Four Diamond Kings)

Heavenly Weaving Girl

(see Chih Nü.Tanabata)

Heaven’s Forthright Female

(see Uzume)

a jubilee festivalThis ceremony was said to renew theenergy of an ageing pharaoh by magic

[Hepatu.Hepit.Queen of Heaven:

=Hittite Arrina]

a Hurrian mother-goddess and sun-goddessconsort of Teshubmother of SharrumasShe is sometimes depicted with a lion

(see also Hepit)

[Ganymeda.‘youth’:=Roman Juventas]

goddess of youthcup-bearer to the godsdaughter of Zeus and Herawife of Heracles

She had to resign her post when shefell over and spilt wine at an importantfeast She was superseded in the post

by Ganymede

After Heracles was deified, Hebemarried him and they had twochildren, Alexiares and Anicetus

She is said to have rejuvenated Iolaus

in his old age so that he could fightEurystheus to protect the children ofHeracles

a knight attendant on Tristram

He saved Tristram when the wife ofKing Anguish tried to kill him while

he was in the bath

[Bron(s).Rich Fisher]

husband of Enygeusfather of Alan and 11 other children

He was given the Holy Grail by Joseph

of Arimathea who was his wife’s brother

Some say he was Percival’s father and became the Rich Fisherwho was cured of his wounds andcarried to heaven by angels

a Titanessdaughter of Perses or Zeus

by Asteriadaughter of Coeus and Phoebe, some say

daughter of Demeter, some saymother of Circe

mother of Medea by Aetes, some saymother of Scylla by Phorcos, some say

In some accounts she is Artemis onearth, Persephone carrying a torch inthe underworld Others say that shehelped Demeter in her search for Core(Persephone) in the underworld The triple aspect of her nature isrepresented by Artemis, Hecate andSalene but she is otherwise identifiedwith Brimo, Cybele, Demeter and Rhea.She is depicted as having six arms,three or four bodies and the heads of adog, a horse and a lion

(see also Queen of Elphame)

a poor woman who made Theseuswelcome when he was hunting the Marathonian Bull

a name for Diana as goddess of deathand the underworld

Hecate the Younger (see Iphigenia)

an ancestor of the Curetes

He was said to be the father of fivedaughters who became the mothers ofthe Curetes, satyrs and the Oreads

husband of Andromachefather of Astyanax

He led the Trojans in their defence ofthe city against the attacking Greekswho had been angered by thetreachery of Paris who carried offHelen, the wife of Menelaus when aguest in their house He killedPatroclus, bosom friend of Achilles,who, wearing the armour of Achilles,had rallied the Greeks for a furtherattack The death of his friend broughtAchilles back into action – he had beensulking in his tent, refusing to fight,after falling out with Agamemnon over

a girl captive Now, in new armourmade by Hephaestus, he led the Greeks

in a fresh onslaught and killed Hector

He tied Hector’s body to his chariotand drove round the walls of the city

Priam pleaded for his son’s body andwas allowed to take it for burial

In some French accounts, Morgan

le Fay fell in love with him but turned against him when he spurnedher advances

In Charlemagne stories, his armourand sword, Durindana, are fought over

by several of the paladins

[Hecabe.Hekabe]

daughter of Cisseus, Dymas

or Sangariussister of Theanosecond wife of Priam, king of Troymother of Antiphus, Cassandra, Creusa,Deiphobus, Hector, Helenus, Iliona,Laodice, Paris, Polydorus, Polites,Polyxena, Pontes

She is said to have had nineteenchildren by Priam

She sent Polydorus to Polymestor,king of Thrace, for safety when theGreeks attacked Troy but the kingkilled her son for the treasure hecarried She was taken captive by theGreeks at the fall of Troy and given toOdysseus When she learned from himwhat had happened to her son, shetore out Polymestor’s eyes and killedhis two sons To escape the wrath ofthe king’s subjects, she changed herself

into a bitch, Maera, and jumped intothe sea

a play by EuripidesThis work relates the story of hervengeance on Polymestor and thedeath of her daughter Polyxena

a Hurrian sea-monsterson of KumarbiThis monster was born of Kumarbi’sunion with the daughter of a sea-godand emerged from the sea to devouranimals and humans It was eventuallysubdued by Ishtar who caused the sea-water to act as a sleeping draught

He abducted Hilde and was attacked

by Hogni who attempted to rescueher They fought an everlasting battle

in which the slain were revivified everynight by Hilde or a sorceress

a baboon-god

a mischievous spiritThese spirits are said to appear as animmoveable bale of hay or a horsewhich cannot be restrained by harness

a sky-god of New GuineaThis god existed at a time when thesky was very close to the earth, towhich it was connected by a ropeladder Heduru often descended toearth to look after the children ofthose out at work but he started tosteal children and take them back tothe sky with him so the angry peoplecut the ladder, with the result that theheavens retreated to their presentposition

[Hefaidd.Hefeyyd the Old.Hefyd(d).

Heveidd.Hev(e)ydd]

father of Rhiannon

in some accounts, one of the Graces

[Mr Black]

a minor deity

He, together with Po Lao-yeh, is anassistant to Ch’eng-huang, the god ofWalls and Moats, reporting on eventsoccurring during the night

a Maori amuletThis charm represents a human foetusand is said to ward off attacks by thespirits of the still-born, envious ofthose who survived at birth

a temple built of lava in Hawaii

[Heidh.Heidr]

a witchsister of HamWith her sister Ham, she was used byHelgé to cause a storm that nearlywrecked Frithiof’s ship en route to theOrkneys They were both killed whenthe ship ran down the whale on whichthey were riding

In other accounts, the two witcheswere called Thorgrim and Thorod

(see also Haid)

part of a shrine used by theofficiating priest

[Heidrum]

the goat of OdinThis goat supplied the mead of thegods, grazing on the leaves on Laerad,the highest branch of Yggdrasil

a warrior in Bran’s army

son of Gwyn Hen

He was one of only seven to return

from Bran’s expedition to Ireland to

rescue his sister, Branwen, from

Matholwch

son of Cadwgawn

He owned the cottage where Rhonabwy

slept and had his famous dream

White God:=Saxon Saxsnot]

a giant demi-god, god of the dawn

guardian of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge

son of Odin by 9 wave-maidens

His mothers, giantesses all, are listed

as Atla, Augeia, Aurgiafa, Egia, Gialp,

Greip, Iarnsaxa, Sindur and Ulfrun

and they simultaneously gave birth to a

baby, fathered by Odin, which they

reared on warmth from the sun,

moisture from the sea and strength

from the earth Another account gives

his mother as Angey

He was said to have very keen

eyesight, able to see 100 miles by

night, hearing that could detect the

grass growing and, armed with a

bright sword Hofud and his trumpet

Giallarhorn, he lived in a palace

known as Himinbiorg built on top of

the bridge, from where he had a good

view His job was to keep the Frost

Giants from entering Asgard

On one occasion he saw Loki, in the

form of a flea (or fly), steal the

marvellous necklace, Brisingamen,

from the sleeping Freya and, after a

struggle in which they both changed

forms several times, Heimdall finally

retrieved the necklace and restored it

to Freya

In the guise of Riger, he visited

earth and became the progenitor of

the human race, spending three days

each with three couples, the

impoverished Ai and Edda, the

well-off Afi and Anima and the very wealthy

Fadir and Modir A son (Thrall, Karl

and Jarl respectively) was born to

each couple and these became theforerunners of humanity

He blew his horn to warn the gods

of the impending battle of Ragnarokbut, by then, it was too late In thefighting, he killed Loki but washimself killed with the other gods

He had a horse called Gulltop and isdepicted in shining white armour

(see also Cheru.Rati2.Lyfir.Riger)

In the Germanic stories, Studas gavehis son the marvellous sword,Blutgang, with which he challengedDietrich von Bern He was defeatedand became a devoted follower ofDietrich to whom he gave the horse,Falke, which never grew tired When

he saw Wittich fall in battle, he tookhis famous sword, Miming, thinkingthe owner was dead When he laterdiscovered that Wittich had survived,

he returned the sword

He later fell out with Dietrich and became the leader of a band

the chief bard at King Arthur’s court

or, in the story of Elphin, at thecourt of the king, Maelgwn

one of the kobolds

friendly dwarfs who work by night

to help people (see also kobold)

Heinrich von dem Turtin

(see Turtin)

an itinerant Bushman hero

He was half-man, half-god and knewall the wild animals He married an

antelope and they had two human, half-antelope offspring When

half-he snapped off thalf-he branch of a tree, thalf-hemaiden trapped inside the tree wasreleased and became his wife

a farmerhusband of Higofather of Chiyodo

He became so fond of a large willowtree that grew near his house thateventually the spirit of the treeappeared to him in the form of amaiden called Higo He married herand they had a child, Chiyodo Whenthe emperor had the willow felled toprovide timber for a new temple, Higocried out in pain as the axes fell andthen disappeared forever

go free if they could pose a riddle which

he could not answer None did – untilGestumblindi This proud landownerasked many questions, all of which theking answered with ease, but finallyasked ‘What did Odin whisper toBalder as he lay on his funeral pyre?’ Itwas only then that the king realised that

he was dealing with Odin who hadtaken on the likeness of Gestumblindi

As he struck at the god with his sword,Odin changed into a falcon and flewaway, losing only a few tail feathers.Angry at this insult, Odin ensured thatHeithrek died that same night

He killed the monster Ga-Gorib bypushing him into the pit he had used

to trap travellers In some accounts themonster was Gama and Heitsi-eibibkilled him by striking him behind theear with a stone

Heil

In some accounts he is equated with Shu.

Hekatonkheires

(see Hundred-handed)

the third wife of Rangi

[Hak.Heka.Hekt.Hequat.Heq(u)et]

a water-goddess, goddess of childbirthconsort of Haroeris or Khnum

In some accounts, she is the daughter

of Ra and the twin sister of Shu As thewife of Khnum, she gave life to thebodies he made from clay

Originally, she was one of the frogswhich lived in the primaeval swampand is depicted as a frog or as a frog-headed human In some accounts she

is regarded as the mother of Haroerisand wife of Khnum

[Hela.Hell]

a parti-coloured underworld goddess daughter of Loki and AngerbodeShe was thrown into Niflheim by Odin

to rule the nine worlds of the dead

She occasionally roamed the earth on athree-legged horse, bringing famineand disease, and is envisaged as halfblack, half white

In some accounts, she is the leader

of the Wild Hunt, in others she is Urd

food used to pacify the dog Garm

the entrance to Niflheim

a mantle producing invisibility

(see also Tarnkappe)

[Hel-sko.Helsko.Todtenschuh]

stout shoes fitted to the dead for theirjourney over the rough road, Helveg,leading to Niflheim

a point on the Devon moors whereKing Arthur is said to have foughtand defeated the Devil

[Dendritis.Helen of Troy.Helena Helene.Kunopis]

daughter of Zeus by Leda or Nemesiswife of Menelaus

sister of Castor, Clytemnestra and Polydeuces

mother of Hermione and XuthusShe was born from the coupling ofZeus, in the form of a swan, with Leda,

or with Nemesis who took the form of

a goose, to produce an egg from whichHelen was hatched

As a young girl, she was carriedaway by Peirithous and Theseus whodrew lots for her Theseus won andsent her to Aphidnus who cared for heruntil she was of marriageable age Shewas rescued by Castor and Polydeuceswhen they invaded Attica whileTheseus was imprisoned in Tartarus.She later married Menelaus but wasabducted by Paris, precipitating theTrojan War After the death of Paris,whom she had married, in the fighting

at Troy, she married his brotherDeiphobus but when the city fell tothe Greeks she was reunited withMenelaus and returned with him toGreece Menelaus was one of thosewho condemned Orestes to death forkilling Aegisthus and Clytemnestra toavenge their murder of his fatherAgamemnon and Orestes would havekilled Helen to punish her husbandhad not Zeus intervened and carriedHelen off to Olympus as one of theimmortals where she became, likeCastor and Pollux, guardian of sailors,appearing as St Elmo’s fire

Another version says that, whenMenelaus died, Helen went to Rhodeswhere she was hanged by Polyxo

An alternative story says that, whenParis’ ship was driven ashore in Egypt,Proteus took Helen to the safety of acave and put a spirit facsimile in herplace to be abducted by Paris

In some accounts she is said to have married Achilles in Hades andbore a son, Euphorion, though Goethesays that Euphorion was her son byFaust

daughter of Aegisthus andClytemnestra

Helen

She was one of those killed by

Orestes when he killed her parents

to avenge the murder of his father,

Agamemnon

a play by Euripides in which he alleges

that only a phantom Helen was

taken to Troy

the real name of Yevrossima

daughter of Coel

Her father overthrew the king,

Asclepiodotus, and took the throne

He died a month later and Helena

married the Roman, Constantine, who

became king of Britain

In some accounts, she is the same

as Elen

brother of Deiphobus, Hector and Paris

Some stories say that both he and

Cassandra acquired prophetic powers

when they were licked on the

ears by serpents when they were

young children

When Paris was killed during the

siege of Troy, Helenus and his brother

Deiphobus fought for possession of

Helen Helenus lost the encounter and

fled from the city He was either trapped

by Odysseus or voluntarily joined the

Greek forces and predicted that they

would take the city only if Philoctetes

and Pyrrhus joined the battle, the

shoulder bone of Pelops were brought

from Greece and the Palladium were

seized from within the city When the

city fell to the Greeks, he led a band of

survivors to settle in Greece itself

Andromache, the widow of Hector, was

given as a prize to Pyrrhus but he soon

abandoned her Helenus later married

her and they had a son, Cestrinus

daughter of Njal and Bergthora

sister of Grim, Helgi, Skarp-Hedin

and Thorgeid

She was trapped when Flosi’s mensurrounded the house but, with theother women and children, was givensafe passage before the house wasburnt to the ground

of Sogn At their coronation, Frithiofoffered his loyalty and asked for thehand of their sister, Ingeborg Helgirejected his suit because Frithiof was amere commoner and insulted him byoffering him work in the palace

When the aged king, Sigurd Ring,sued for the hand of Ingeborg,Halfdan upset the king by a jokingremark about his age, whereupon theking sent an invading army Thebrothers sent Hilding to ask Frithiof tofight for them and when he refusedthey made peace with Sigmund Ring,paying him an annual tribute andgiving him Ingeborg in marriage

Frithiof offered to free them fromtheir obligations to Sigmund Ring ifthey would allow him to marryIngeborg but, because Frithiof andIngeborg had broken the sacred laws

by speaking in Hoder’s temple, Helgiagain rejected his suit and imposed asentence which he fully expectedwould result in Frithiof’s death

Angantyr, king of the Orkneys, hadceased paying an annual tribute to Beléwhen he died Helgi sent Frithiof toOrkney to demand that the king shouldhand over the tribute Helgi then usedtwo witches, Ham and Heid, to brew

up a storm that almost wreckedFrithiof’s ship but they survived byrunning down the whale on which thewitches were riding and killing them

Frithiof returned safely with a bag ofcoins given to him by Angantyr which

he flung in Helgi’s face

When hunting in the mountains, hecame upon a deserted shrine and when

he tugged at the lock the god’s statuefell from over the gate and killed him

Other accounts say that he waskilled by Frithiof

[Helgé]

son of Sigmund and Borghildbrother of HamondTutored by Hagal, Helgi became afearless warrior and killed the giantHati He saw nine Valkyries riding inthe sky and one of them, Svava, toldhim where to find a magic sword

In another story, Sigrun (Svavareborn) saved him from a storm at seaand, in yet another, Kara (Sigrunreborn) protected him in the form of aswan but was killed when he swung hissword too high in the air

Some say that Sigrun had beenpromised in marriage to Hadbrod andthat he fought Helgi for her hand andwas killed

Helgi escaped capture by theHundings, traditional enemies of theVolsungs, by disguising himself asHagal’s man-servant and then, withSinfiotli, led an army against theHundings which killed all except Dag who promised to end the feud Instead, he used Odin’s spear,Gungnir, to kill Helgi

One of the Valkyries, Gudrun, hadfallen in love with Helgi and they werereunited in Valhalla after his death Insome versions, Gudrun is Svava

[Helgé]

son of Njal and Bergthorabrother of Grim, Helga, Skarp-Hedinand Throgerd

He died, with the rest of the Njalssonclan when they were trapped in theirhouse, Bergthorsknoll, which wasburnt to the ground by Flosi and hismen He tried to escape dressed as awoman but was spotted and killed

Helen

[Helgrindr.Nagrind.Valgrind:=Finnish Tuonen-portti]

the gate at the entrance to Hel’skingdom of the dead

the name for Hildegunde in the Polishversion of the story of Walther and Hildegunde

In this version, her husband was Walczerz

a king of Scotland

He was an ally of Mordred when heusurped the throne of Britain and wasrewarded with the throne of Scotland

the daughters of Helius and Clymenesisters of PhaetonTheir names were Aegle (or Phoebe),Lampetia and Phaetusa

Grieving at the death of theirbrother Phaeton, they were turned intopoplar trees on the banks of the riverEridanus, the river into which he fellwhen struck by the thunderbolt ofZeus

The term is also used for thechildren of Helios, of whom therewere many, by various consorts

son of Antenorhusband of Laodice

a nymphwife of Oenopionmother of Merope

daughter of Selinuswife of Ion

a ruler of Lafau Sands

As a result of his wickedness, his realmwas inundated by the sea He escapedwith his family and thereafter lived apious life

[Heil.Helis]

a sun-godSome say that he is represented by thefigure known as the Cerne Abbas Giant

[Apollo.Helios.Phoebus.Titan:

=Egyptian Ra:=Roman Sol]

a sun-god and god of beauty son of Hyperion and Thea

or Euryphaessabrother of Eos and Seleneconsort of Persefather of Aegle, Lampetia, Phaetusa and Phaeton by Clymene

father of Pasiphae by Cretefather of Aetes and Crete by Perse, some say

father of Prote by Rhode, some say

He was said to have fathered sevensons and one daughter on the nymphRhode In some accounts, Phaeton isone of those sons, in others he is theson of Helius by Clymene Otheraccounts say that he was the father ofSilene by Euryphaessa while others saythere were three sons (or grandsons),Camirus, Ialysus and Lindus

He drove his sun-chariot across thesky from east to west every day,returning to his eastern palace eachnight in a golden ferry-boat operating

in Ocean Foolishly he allowed his sonPhaeton to drive his sun-chariot withdisastrous results

During the war between the Giantsand the gods, he was absent from the sky to prevent the growth of a herb that would have made the Giants immortal

It was Helius who gave Heracles thegolden bowl in which he crossed fromAfrica to Erythea en route to seizeGeryon’s cattle

Helius owned seven herds of cattleand seven flocks of sheep, pastured

on islands in the Mediterranean andtended by his daughters These herdsnever grew larger or smaller until theywere attacked by the crew of Odysseus’ship

the realm of Dellinger

–Central American

The Mayan hell consisted of ninesteps which required the soul to cross a river guarded by a yellow dog, pass between two mountainpeaks, suffer the onslaught of bitterlycold winds, banners and arrows, andescape from a wild animal beforereaching a land of peace

–Chinese

This home of departed souls,known as Ti Yü, Earth Prism, issaid to be somewhere in Szechuanprovince and has ten departments,known as Shih T’ien-wen-yang,each of which is ruled by one of theTen Yama Kings

Souls reaching this region areasked for money at the entranceand beaten if they fail to pay Afterbeing weighed to ascertain whetherthey are weighed down by evil,they are segregated into good andevil in Bad Dog Village They areallowed a glimpse of their future in

a mirror and a nostalgic look attheir past before crossing a bridgewhich, for sinners, is only about aninch wide On the far side, theyreceive a drink which destroys allrecollection of an earlier life andpass through the Wheel of the Law

to emerge into a new incarnation

–European

In his Divine Comedy, Dante divides

hell into nine cirles, some of whichare sub-divided

After entering at the gates andpassing through the vestibulereserved for the futile, one crossesthe Acheron to reach the first circle,Limbo, reserved for the unbaptised

hell

The next three circles are reserved

for the lustful, the gluttonous and

the hoarders (or spendthrifts)

Crossing the Styx, one reaches the

fifth circle, reserved for the angry,

and then the city of Dis Passing

from the upper hell to the lower

hell, one comes to the sixth circle,

reserved for heretics The seventh

circle, for the violent, is

sub-divided into three rings (for those

who attacked relatives; suicides;

and blasphemers) and the eighth

circle has ten trenches reserved for

panderers, flatterers, simoniacs,

sorcerers, barrators, hypocrites,

thieves, fraudsters, agitators and

falsifiers

The final circle has four zones

that are known as Caina (for

those who betrayed their families),

Antenora (for those who betrayed

their country), Ptolomaea (for

betrayers of hospitality) and Judecca

(for those who betrayed their

superiors)

–Hebrew

She’ol, sometimes referred to as

Belial, is a dark realm under the

earth, largely a place for the dead

awaiting the last day, rather than a

place of punishment

(see also Gehenna)

–Hindu

Hell has twenty-eight realms Of

these, Asipatravana is for heretics,

Avichimat is for liars, Kalasutra is

for killers of Brahmins, Krimibhoja

is for the selfish, Raurava is for

sadists, Suchimukha is for misers,

Sukramukha is for tyrants, Tamusra

is for adulterers and thieves,

Vaitarani for pillagers and those

who have destroyed beehives, and

Vajrakantaka is for those who

married into another caste Those

people who have caused religious

controversy are thrown into the

filthy river, also called Vaitarani

–Jain

Hell has a number of layers of

which the lowest is known as

Mahahima In one realm, Valuka,

the torture involves burial in hot

sand

–Japanese

Yomitsu-kuni or Jigoku lies under

the earth and comprises eight hells,

each of which is divided into

sixteen parts In addition to these

major hells there are others, eachdivided into four parts, known asKimpen-jigoku and others, theKoduko-jigoku, which appearrandomly Souls are judged byEmma-O and sent to one or morehells or, if deserving, reborn

(see also underworld)

by Chrysallom, a flying ram with agolden fleece, but she got giddy, fellinto the sea and was drowned in whatbecame known as the Hellespont

Some stories allege that she wassaved from drowning by Poseidon andbore his son, Paeon or Edonus

son of Deucalion and Pyrrhabrother of Amphictryon, Idomeneusand Molus

husband of Orseisfather of Aeolus, Dorus and Xuthus

He is regarded as the father of all Greeks

a Patagonian creator-godson of the sun

the English version of Malebranche

Helmet of Dread

(see Helmet of Invisibility2)

[Cap of Hades]

a helmet owned by HadesThis helmet was worn by Perseuswhen he killed the gorgon, Medusa

In some versions, this headgear was

a cap made of dogskin which Perseusgot from the Graiae

[Aegis.Helmet of Dread.Oegishialm Tarnhelm]

a magic helmet made by the dwarf, Mime

This was part of the treasuresurrendered under duress by Andvari

to Loki to ransom himself, Odin andHoenir who were held captive byHreidmar for the killing of his sonOtter by Loki It was seized by Fafnirwho used it to turn himself into adragon

a shield-bearer to AlboinWhen Alboin was murdered byPerideus at the behest of Alboin’s wife,Rosamund, she became ruler of theLombards and proposed to marryHelmigis Her subjects would notaccept such a man as king and they fled together She grew tired of himand gave him a poisoned drink Heforced her to drink half of it and theydied together

a female Thunderbird, in the lore ofthe Choctaws

daughter of the lord of NesvekHer father agreed that she couldmarry Esbern if he would build achurch Esbern agreed to give hiseyes, heart and soul to the dwarf whoHell-money

undertook the work, unless he coulddiscover the dwarf’s name before thechurch was completed Helva’s prayers

to the gods enabled her to discoverthat the dwarf’s name was Father Fine

in time to save her lover

[Helvegr.Helvig]

the rough road leading to Niflheim

son of Kai Tangata and Whaitirihusband of Urutongafather of Tawhaki

He was killed by demons but his deathwas avenged by Tawhaki

(see also Hema2)

Hema 2 Pacific Islands

in Hawaii, Hema was the son of AiKanaka and Mahina and the brother

an aspect of Eos as ‘morning’

daughter of Erebus and Nyxmother of Aphrodite, some say

one of a race of dog-headed humans,said to bark like dogs, living near theBlack Sea (see also cyanocephali)

a knightlover of Morgan le Fay

He was said to be the father of PulzellaGaia by Morgan and was killed byTristram

daughter of Cycnus and ProcleiaHer father’s second wife, Phylonome,accused Hemithea’s brother, Teles, ofimproper advances and Cycnus castboth Teles and Hemithea adrift in achest They were rescued by Poseidonand landed on Tenedos where Teleswas made king

father of Chumong

He pretended to be the son of a godand raped the maiden Yuhwa whoproduced an egg from which Chumongwas born

[Hemusut]

a goddess of fate

[Henwen.Old White One]

a magical white sowShe distributed gifts of corn, bees, etc.,and was said to be the mother of themonstrous animal, Cath Palug, andother troublesome offspring KingArthur chased her until she jumpedinto the sea

In some accounts she is identified

a Sumerian god of law

a god of the vine

[De Hi No]

a thunder-god of the HuronsHeng, one of seven brothers, was sovigorous and so clumsy that hisbrothers abandoned him on a smallisland in a lake in the mountains where

he still lives

[Chang Hsi.Ever Breath]

one of the wives of Ti ChünShe had ten (or, some say, twelve)sons by Ti Chün and took them, oneeach day as the moon, across the sky

conferred immortality Heng-O stole

it and fled to the moon, becoming athree-legged celestial toad She wasreunited with I when he became a sun-god

(see also Heng Hsi)

one of the Five Holy Mountains, known

as Wu Yüeh, in Hunan province

one of the Five Holy Mountains,known as Wu Yüeh, in Shansi(Shanxi) province

an eagle-spirit in the lore of the Osage tribe

When Hnaef was killed in the battlewith Finn who had married Hnaef’ssister, Hildeburh, Hengist took over asleader of the clan He pretended tomake peace with Finn but treacherouslykilled him and took Hildeburh back toher own people

He led the Saxon invasion of Britainwith his brother Horsa and becameking of Kent He was killed in battle

leader of an army sent by King Arthur

to relieve Jerusalem from the threat

Henten Karube

She helped her brother avenge her

father’s death at the hands of the tyrant

king, Garakhe

son of Erim

He was known as Henwas the Winged

because he could run faster than

any animal (see also Henbeddestyr)

a duke of Cornwall

husband of Regan

He and his wife, together with Goneril

and her husband, deposed the aging

King Lear Lear went to his other

daughter, Cordelia, in Gaul and they

returned with an army that restored

the king to his throne

a Breton sun-god

the palace of Hrodgar

hepatoscopy

divination by inspection of animals’

livers or entrails

god of fire, a smith-god

one of the Olympians

son of Zeus and Hera or of Hera alone

brother of Hebe and Ares

husband of Aglaia, Aphrodite or Charis

father of Olenus and Palaemon

father by Etna of the twins, Palici, in

some accounts

father by Gaia of Erichthonius

father by Medusa of Ardalus, Cacus,

Cercyon and Periphetes

He was a puny and ugly infant and may

have been born lame, prompting his

mother Hera to throw him off Mount

Olympus In another account, he was

thrown down by Zeus when he had the

audacity to criticise Zeus for his

treatment of Hera who had been hung

up by her wrists Whether he was lame

before or not, he was certainly lame

thereafter as a result of breaking his

legs in the fall In the first version he

fell into the sea and was rescued by

Thetis and Euryneme, in the second

he fell on Lemnos He walked ongolden leg supports which, some say,were in the form of hand-maidens whosupported him He made a goldenthrone which trapped anyone who sat

in it and sent it to Hera After Hermeshad failed, Dionysus persuadedHephaestus to return to Olympus andrelease her, whereupon he wasrestored to his parents’ favour Somesay that he released Hera only when hewas promised Aphrodite as his wife

He soon returned to his forge andmade golden palaces for each of thegods and the thunderbolts that Zeusused as his personal weapons Hisother works included Talos, thebronze guardian of Crete, a goldenmastiff for Rhea to guard the infantZeus, Harmonia’s beautiful necklace,the bulls of Aetes and the goldenbasket used by Core when pickingflowers Some say that he alsocreated Pandora

In some accounts he married Aglaia,one of the Graces, or Charis; otherssay he married Aphrodite In this latterstory, he caught Aphrodite in bed withAres and trapped them both in a net ofvery fine metal mesh which he hadmade, allowing all the bystanders tosee her shame It was he who splitopen the head of Zeus with his axe toallow the birth, fully dressed in armourand already armed, of the goddessAthene In an abortive attempt to rapeAthene he fertilised Gaea, giving rise

to Erichthonius

His symbol is the hammer

a Hurrian sky-goddess

In some accounts, she is identifiedwith Hebat; in others, they areseparate deities

She is depicted as standing on a lion

one of the dwarfs

a god of fishermen and river-mouths

a sky-god

Horus as ‘opener of secrets’

the planet Jupiter

Horus as the Bull: the planet Saturn

[Chera.Gamelia.Great Goddess.Here Karpophonos.Kourotrophos.‘lady’ Parthenos.Queen of Heaven.Teleia:

=Egyptian Mut:=Hindu Indrani:

She was one of the children swallowed

by Cronus who was afraid that one ofthem might usurp his throne Only Zeusescaped this fate and he later causedCronus to regurgitate the children hehad swallowed She was nursed by theSeasons and raised by Temenus.She was raped by Zeus in the form

of a cuckoo and later married him,receiving a tree that yielded goldenapples as a wedding gift from Gaea.She was so disgusted by the punyand ugly infant Hephaestus that she issaid to have dropped him from MountOlympus She had the power to grant

to others the gift of prophecy.She found the infant Heraclesabandoned by Alcmene and, notrealising that this was another son

of her errant husband Zeus, suckled

it at her breast, so making himimmortal She later did all she could toharass Heracles

She once led a revolt against theimperious Zeus and was severelypunished for her treachery She wassuspended by her wrists with heavyweights attached to her ankles Otherssay that this treatment resulted fromher persecution of Heracles

When Semele was having an affairwith Zeus, Hera came in the form ofSemele’s old nurse, Beroe, andpersuaded her mistress to demand thather lover should prove that he reallywas who he said he was When Zeuscomplied, the divine radiance killedSemele The son of this union wasDionysus and Hera ordered the Titans

to destroy him They tore him topieces and boiled him but Rheacollected all the bits, reassembled themHenwas

and restored Dionysus to life

When Paris awarded the goldenapple to Aphrodite at the wedding ofPeleus and Thetis, she and Athene, thelosing contestants, became his enemiesand supported the Greeks against theTrojans during the Trojan War

Once, when she left Zeus, he made

a wooden image, dressed it in a bridalgown and displayed it as his new wife

She then came back, knocked over the statue and was reconciled with herhusband

Some say that she produced themonster, Typhon, in jealousy whenZeus produced Athene unaided

Amongst other exploits, shechanged Callisto into a bear for having

an affair with Zeus, although otherssay that Zeus did this to deceive Hera,and transferred the eyes of Argus tothe peacock’s tail When Teiresias said that women have nine times asmuch pleasure as a man from sexualintercourse, she struck him blind

On some accounts, she is identifiedwith Ilythia

Her animal was the cow, her bird thepeacock and her symbol the cornucopia

(see also Selene)

=Canaanite Melkarth:=Celtic Ogmios:

=Etruscan Hercle:=Italian Hereklo:

=Roman Hercules.The Unconquerable]

son of Zeus by Alcmene twin of Iphicles husband of Megara and, later,

of Deianeirafather by Megara of Creontidas,Deicoon and Thersimachusfather by Deianeira of Ctesippus,Glenus, Hodites, Hyllus, Macaria and Tlepolemus

father by Procris of Antileon andHippeus, some say

When Zeus decided that there was aneed for a great champion to safeguardboth the gods and mortals, he sleptwith Alcmene during the absence ofher husband Amphitryon at the wars,

deceiving her into thinking he was herhusband and causing the motions ofthe universe to slow so that one nightlasted for three The result of thisunion was Heracles, known in his earlyyears as Alcides

Alcmene, fearing the wrath of thejealous Hera, abandoned Heracles in afield where he was found by Herawho, not knowing who the infant was,suckled him, so making him immortal

When she later discovered that theboy – originally known as Alcaeus orPalaemon – was the son of her ownhusband she became obsessed withmaking his life difficult As a start, shesent two fiery-eyed serpents to killhim but Heracles, though a mere lad

at the time, strangled them both, one

in each hand

As a youth, he killed Linus who wasteaching him to play the lyre bystriking him with the instrument in afit of anger He was acquitted at histrial, quoting the law that gave him theright of self-defence against Linus whohad been beating him He also killedthe outlaw Saurus and another calledTermerus, the latter in a head-buttingcontest just as Termerus had killedmany a traveller

At eighteen, he slept with each ofthe fifty daughters of King Thespius,producing fifty-one sons, and went on

to kill the Cithaeronian lion which hadbeen causing havoc He wore the skin

as armour with the jaws forming ahelmet Other accounts say that thiswas the skin of the Nemean Lionwhich he killed as the first of his twelveLabours and that the CithaeronianLion was killed by Alcathous

Reputedly the strongest man whoever strode the earth, he fought on theside of the gods when the Giants rebelledand killed Ephialtes, Porphyrion andtheir leader Alcyoneus

When a Theban charioteeraccidentally killed King Clymenus, hisson Erginus avenged his death byexacting a tribute of a hundred cattlefor twenty years Heracles becameinvolved when he cut the noses off themen sent to collect the cattle and,when Erginus attacked Thebes, he ledthe Theban youth and defeated theMinyan army, killing Erginus Asreward he was given Megara, theeldest daughter of King Creon, inmarriage and they had several sons –the number varies according to who is

telling the story – who became known

as the Alcaides

Hera eventually drove Heraclesmad and he tried to kill his ownnephew Iolaus Iolaus escaped butHeracles did kill six of his own sonsand two of the sons of his brotherIphicles or, in an alternative version,Megara and two or three of his ownsons He was purified by KingThespius and, when he consulted theDelphic Oracle, he was told to serveKing Eurystheus for twelve years and

do whatever the king demanded ofhim Hermes gave him a sword, Apollodonated a bow and arrows, Hephaestus

a breast-plate, Athena a robe,Poseidon a team of horses and hisfather, Zeus, gave him a shield Soequipped, Heracles set out to performthe twelve Labours, taking with himyoung Iolaus as charioteer

After his fourth Labour, he joinedthe Argonauts on their expedition torecover the Golden Fleece but was leftbehind at Mysia when he went off tolook for his armour-bearer, Hylas, whohad been carried off by water-nymphs.Giving up his fruitless search, heresumed his Labours, successfullycompleting all twelve He later killedCalais and Zetes who had advisedJason to sail on, leaving Heraclesstranded in Mysia

Afterwards, he gave his wife Megara

to Iolaus and tried for the hand of Iole

by beating her father Eurytus in anarchery contest When Eurytusreneged on his offer of Iole’s hand tothe victor and an argument aroseabout some stolen cattle, Heracleskilled Iphitus, son of Eurytus, bythrowing him from a tower Aspunishment, he was sold as a slave toOmphale, queen of Lydia, for one yearbut this proved pleasant punishmentwhen Omphale fell in love with himand bore him three children, Agelaus,Lamus and Laomedon He alsofathered Cleodaeus and Alcaeus onMalis, a servant of Omphale

To avenge himself on Augeas whohad failed to hand over the promisedreward of a tenth of all the herds whenHeracles cleansed his stables and land,Heracles attacked Elis and later killedEurytus and Cteatus, the twins whohad acted as general for Augeas andwere joined at the waist He alsosacked Pylus because the king, Neleus,had fought for Augeas, and killed his

Heracles

sons including Periclymenus who,

given the power by Poseidon of

assuming any shape he wished,

attacked Heracles in the form of an

eagle until killed with an arrow

Heracles gave the city to Nestor, son

of Neleus

Hippocoon had become king of

Sparta by deposing his brothers, the

co-kings Icarius and Tyndareus He

had also helped Neleus in his fight

with Heracles In revenge, Heracles

killed Hippocoon and his twelve

sons, restoring the former rulers to

the throne

He also fought and defeated the

many-formed river-god Achelous for

the hand of Deianeira and married

her Their children were called

Ctesippus, Glenus, Hodites, Hyllus

and Macaria

Heracles also killed Phyleus, king

of Ephyra, abducting his daughter

Astyoche on whom, according

to some accounts, he fathered

Tlepolemus Others say the mother

was Astyadameia, also abducted

He accidentally killed Eunomus

when the boy spilled some wine and

exiled himself and family to Trachis

A Centaur named Nessus offered to

carry Deianeira and the children over

the Evenus while Heracles swam

across but ran off with Deianeira and

tried to rape her Heracles shot him

from across the river At the behest

of Nessus, Deianeira collected his

spilt semen and blood and mixed it

with olive oil in a sealed jar, believing

his story that it would act as a

love-potion if she spread it on her

husband’s shirt In another version,

Nessus gave her his own robe, stained

with his poisoned blood, which had

the same effect

Challenged to a chariot-duel by

Cycnus, a son of Ares, he won the

contest, killing Cycnus and wounding

Ares who was supporting his son in

the duel

He next took further revenge on

Eurytus, who had reneged on his

promise to give his daughter Iole to

the winner of the archery contest, by

sacking Oechalia and killing Iole’s

family He captured Iole and sent her

back to Trachis while he remained to

offer sacrifices to Zeus By the hand of

the herald, Lichas, Deianeira sent, at

Heracles’ request, a new shirt for the

ceremony and she, fearing that she

would be abandoned in favour of Iole,anointed the shirt with what shebelieved to be the love-potion given toher by Nessus In fact, the mixturecontained the poison of the Hydrawhich had entered the blood-stream

of Nessus from the arrow fired byHeracles and Heracles died in agony,finally immolating himself on a pyre

on Mount Oeta Before he died hegrabbed Lichas by one foot andthrew him to his death from MountOeta The pyre was lit either byPhiloctetes, to whom Heraclesbequeathed his bow and arrows, or byhis father, Poeas Zeus conveyed the immortal part of his son toOlympus where he became one of thegods Finally reconciled with Hera,

he married her daughter Hebe andfathered two more children, Alexiaresand Anicetus

In the Roman version, whereHeracles becomes Hercules, he is said

to have married Lavinia and fatheredLatinus and Pallas

As father of Celtus by Celtina, heoriginated the Celts

(see also Labours of Hercules)

a play by Euripides

a barley-godtwin brother of Poeas

He was the ruler of twelve chieftainsbut subject to the Queen of the Woodswhom he married in an annualceremony and then died

In an alternative version, he waskilled at mid-summer each year andPoeas reigned until the New Yearwhen he in turn was killed by a new Heracles

The annual ritual required that he

be impaled on a stake, blinded,castrated, killed, flayed and cut intopieces which were then roasted Thehead was floated down the river in aboat or preserved as an oracle

an early vegetation god

He was the lover of fifty maidens, whowere priestesses of a mountain goddess

In the recurrent rite of death andrenewal, he was killed at intervals ofeight years, alternately with his twin,Iphicles In later years, a child victimwas sacrificed in his stead, prolonginghis reign

a plant said to have magic properties

to cure sickness and avert witchcraft

a nephew of Dietrich von BernHis uncle sent him to King Arthur’scourt to sue for the hand of Hilde, theking’s daughter Herbart and Hilde fell

in love and eloped

son of Berchtherfather of Hildebrand

Heracles as the god of merchants and soldiers

the Etruscan name for Heracles

the entwined snakes (originally said

to be ribbons) on Hermes’ rodThis complex knot was used bybrides for their girdles and it was saidthat it could be unfastened only bythe bridegroom

the Roman name for Heracles

Hercules secundus (see Commodus)

Herculis columnae

(see Pillars of Hercules)

[Herdesher]

Horus as the Red Horus: the planetMars

an evil spirit of the Winnebago tribe

[=Greek Heracles:=Roman Hercules]

an Italian hero

The evil that this beast spewed out wasswallowed by the goddesses guardingthe flame of Ra

[Heriricus]

a Frankish kingfather of HildegundeWhen the advancing hordes of Attilathreatened his kingdom, he surrenderedwithout a fight, paid a tribute of goldand handed over his young daughter,Hildegunde, as a hostage

a name for the Babylonian sun-god,Samas

an evil spirit of the Winnebago

In some accounts, this spirit is equatedwith Wakdjunkaga

a goddess of the underworld

an 11th Chero

He is said to have fought a giant and abear, winning a magical suit of armourfrom the former

[Her-Tyr.Herfather]

a name for Odin as ‘father of hosts’

a name for Odin

a Valkyrie

Hergart

sister of Herwigwife of Hartmut

in the Icelandic version of theTristram and Isolde story, it was hewho told King Mark of his wife’saffair with Tristram

[Herjan]

a name for Odin as ‘leader of hosts’

Herkhty (see Horus of the Horizon)

a name for Zeus as god of enclosures

[King Herla]

a mythical king of Britain

A dwarf king appeared at Herla’swedding and invited the king to visithis court Herla and some of hisretinue accepted the invitation andspent a few days in the underground

palace When they returned, theyfound that they had been away for 200years and those that dismounted fromtheir horses crumbled away to dust

The others were condemned to ride

on forever or suffer the same fate

Herla was said to be a leader of theWild Hunt, unable to dismount untilthe small dog he carries, which wasgiven to him by the dwarf king, jumpsdown

[Herlathing]

a train of phantom soldiers

on horsebackThese men, carrying many fine gifts,were said to move through thecountryside in broad daylight Theyare generally regarded as the survivors

of Herla’s visit to the kingdom of thepygmy king but others say that theyare the riders of the Wild Hunt

a festival in honour of Hermes

[Herminsul.Irmensaule.Irminsul]

a fertility-god

A pillar dedicated to this god, who was

said to support the world, wasdestroyed by Charlemagne

In some accounts, the name ismerely that of the sacred pillar

(see also Tiwaz)

[Agoneus.Arais.Arg(e)iphontes.

Atlantiades.Camillus.Clithonius Cyllen(ius).Hermanubis.Hermeias Master of Animals.Master Thief Nomius Oneicopompus.Pasturer Psychogogue.Psychopomp(us).Terminus The Master.Trismegistus:

=Egyptian Anubis.Thoth:=Etruscan Turms:=Roman Mercury]

god of art, commerce, eloquence,fertility, games, herdsmen, luck,markets, roads, thieves, travellers, wisdomherald and messenger of the gods

one of the Olympiansson of Zeus by MaiaHera, as usual, was jealous of herhusband’s affair with Maia so Hermesdisguised himself as the infant Aresand deceived Hera into suckling him,after which she felt obliged to regardhim as her own son

As an infant he stole some ofApollo’s cattle and gave him the lyre,which he had invented when less thanone day old, to earn his forgiveness.The peasant Bottus had told Apollowho had taken the cattle and Hermesturned him to stone

When he was appointed officialherald to the gods, Zeus gave him hiswinged sandals, his hat and his staff.Others say that Apollo gave him thestaff when Hermes gave the god thelyre and they became friends

He was also appointed by Hades tosummon the dead and conduct theirsouls to Tartarus, as Psychopompus

He had many children, among themDaphnis, Echion and, in some stories,Pan He was also the father of:Abderus

Autolycus by ChioneCephalus and Ceryx by HerseDaphnis by a nymphEros by Aphrodite, in some accountsEvander by CarmentaHermaphroditus by AphroditeMyrtilus by Phaetusa or TheobulePan by Penelope or a nymphPriapus by Aphrodite, some say

He saved the infant Dionysus whenhis mother was killed by Zeus and

Hermes

planted him in the father’s thigh until

full term

He is credited with the invention of

fire, the lyre from the shell of a tortoise,

the shepherd’s pipe, astronomy, musical

scales, measures, etc

He brought Protesilaus back from

Hades to see his wife who, refusing to give

him up, went back to Hades with him

He killed the Giant Hippolytus

during the battle between the Giants

and the gods and restored to Zeus the

sinews cut out by the monster Typhon

He rescued Io (in the form of a cow)

from imprisonment under the eyes of

Argus, killing Argus and cutting off his

head Hera, who had ordered the

detention of Io, placed the 100 eyes of

Argus in the peacock’s tail

He gave Perseus the sickle with

which he beheaded Medusa

He is depicted as wearing the

winged hat and sandals and carrying

his staff, the caduceus, with wings and

entwined serpents (see also Charidotes)

a name for Hermes as the killer

of Argus

the god Hermes as a magician

In this role, he was second only to Hecate

hermetic powder

a powder said to be able to effect

cures at a distance

Hermetic philosophy (see alchemy)

daughter of Menelaus and Helen

wife of Orestes and Pyrrhus

mother of Tisamenus by Orestes

She married Pyrrhus after he had

abandoned Andromache, widow of

Hector, whom he had brought back

from Troy but she had earlier been

betrothed to Orestes who killed

Pyrrhus and married her

sister of King Arthur

In some accounts, she was the daughter

of Hoel and Igraine and sister ofBlasine and Bellisent

a survivor of the floodbrother of Coem and KrimenThese three brothers escaped theflood by taking refuge in caves ortrees

When Hoder inadvertently killed his twin brother Balder with amistletoe branch, Hermod rode down

to Niflheim on Sleipnir, Odin’s eight-legged horse, to plead that his brother be restored to life Helaagreed provided that the whole worldwept for Balder When just onegiantess, Thok (thought to be Loki indisguise), refused to shed a tear, Helakept her own

He brought back from NiflheimOdin’s ring, Draupnir, and Nanna’smagic ring which had been placed inBalder’s pyre

a Scottish princesswife of Meliador

a message from the king of Britainasking her to kill the bearer, sheignored the message and married him

son of Garin de Monglanebrother of Girart de Viennefather of Aymeri

He helped his brother in his warwith Charlemagne

[Hern the Hunter:=Welsh Arawn Gwyn ap Nudd]

a wind-god and god of the underworld

In some versions he is leader of theWild Hunt

He is depicted as a giant with the antlers of a stag growing from hishead Some say that he still lives inWindsor Great Park where he roamsthrough the woods, disappearing atmidnight

Hero and Leander English

a poem by Christopher Marlowe

Hero of Estonia Estonian

an epic tale of the exploits of the hero Kallivipoeg

the ghost of Polites (see Polites2)

the twin brothers Hunapu andIxbalanque

Herodiades

[Nocticula]

a demon, ruler of the night

He is said to have presided over therites of sabbat

[Meroudys]

a lady rescued from the underworld

by Orpheo

the story of Jason, Perseus and otherGreek heroes, by Charles Kingsley

[Heroines]

a book of poems, addressed to theheroines of Greek and Roman myths,written by Ovid

Hermes Argeiphontes

[Thracian Hero]

a god depicted on horseback

a sage of the Tlingit tribe

He was created by Nascakiyetl at thesame time as Raven (Yetl)

a prophetess, priestess at Delphidaughter of Zeus and LamiaShe was the oracle at Delphi at thetime when Heracles seized the tripod,the seat of the oracle

in search of the youth but was himselfcaptured and put in prison in Africa

He was later reunited with Rainburnwhen the latter led the forces of Argus

in an attack on the adjoining country

On the return journey to England, theymet a young champion who fought adraw with Rainburn and who turnedout to be Heroud’s son, Asslake, whowas searching for his father

an emperor of Rome

He became blind and was cured onlywhen, on the advice of Merlin, hekilled his advisers, the Seven Sages

the name of Herrat in Thidrekssaga

[Herrad.Herrand]

a princess of Transylvaniasecond wife of Dietrich von Bern

She and her sisters were entrustedwith the care of the infantErichthonius In one story, they were

so shocked when they saw the infantthat they threw themselves to theirdeath from the Acropolis

a she-wolfmate of Isengrim in some versions of

Reynard the Fox

In one story she chased Reynard intohis burrow but got stuck in theentrance Reynard came out throughanother hole and raped her

(see also Gieremund)

[Herishef.Herysaf.Heryshef.Terrible Face:=Greek Arsaphes.Harsaphes]

a fertility god

an aspect of Horus

He is said to have emerged from theprimordial waters and is depicted as aram or as a human with a ram’s head

His feet rested on earth but his headwas in the sky where his right eye wasthe sun and his left eye was the moon

He is sometimes depicted withfour heads

wife of RomulusShe was taken up to heaven after thedeath of her husband and became one

of the Horae

[Hertnid]

an earl of Greecebrother of Osantrixhusband of Isollde

He helped his brother in the battlewith Etzel who was helped by Dietrichand some of his warriors He capturedWittich and put him in prison, untilWildeber, dressed as a dancing bear,got access to the prisoner, killedHertnit and freed Wittich

a name for Horus

a name for Horus

a name for Horus

a name for Horus

a wrathful aspect of Aksobhya

He combines with his sakti, Nairamata,

to produce nirvana

In this aspect, he is envisaged as blue

(see also Karuna.Saptaksara)

a name for Horus

an Apache hero

He is said to have appeared amongthe Chiricahua Apache and toldthem to keep the book he gave them.When he died, the tribe followedtheir usual practice of burning all thedead man’s possessions, includingthe book, with the result that theysuffered many disasters

a Knight of the Round table

daughter of AngantyrHer father owned the magic swordTyrfing which was buried with him.She used magic to force him to riseagain and hand the sword over to her

in some stories, the swan-maiden, wife

of Volund, otherwise known as Alvit

a prince of Zealandbrother of Hergarthusband of Gudrun

He was one of the suitors for the hand

of Gudrun, daughter of Hettel andHilde, and when her father refused tosanction their marriage, he invaded hiskingdom His courage persuadedHettel to accept him as a son-in-law.While Herwig was away fightingHettel, Siegfried, another suitor forGudrun’s hand, invaded Herwig’skingdom Herwig returned to fightSiegfried and was helped this time byHettel They all joined forces to fightHartmut who had abducted Gudrun,but failed to rescue her

Herwig

Later he sailed to Normandy with

Ortwin and Wat and rescued Gudrun

and her companion, Hildburg In the

battle that ensued, Herwig killed

Ludwig and would have killed Hartmut

as well but was persuaded by Gudrun

and Ortwin to spare him When they

returned to Gudrun’s home, she and

Herwig were married

Her sister, Josiane, died giving birth

to Sigune and Herzeloyde raised the

girl alongside Schionatulander, another

orphan

In some accounts, she later married

Gahmuret and bore Percival, dying of

a broken heart when Percival left

home to seek his fortune

[Hest]

a name for Isis as a goddess of birth

She is depicted in the form of a cow

an 8th C BCwriter

He was the author of Theogony, an

attempt to classify the many deities

and heroes of the past, and Shield

of Heracles.

a contest of magic between shamans

daughter of Laomedon

wife of Telamon

mother of Teucer

sister of Podarces (Priam)

Laomedon chained his daughter to a

rock in the sea as a sacrifice to appease

a sea-monster sent by Poseidon

because Laomedon had refused to pay

Apollo and Poseidon for building the

walls of Troy Heracles found her

when he was returning from his ninth

Labour, and undertook to rescue her

in exchange for Laomedon’s horses

He was swallowed by the monster but

killed it by attacking its internal

organs Her father reneged on the

promise of the horses so Heracles

killed him and took Hesione as a

captive to Athens where she married

Telamon She ransomed her brother,

Podarces, for the price of her veil andHeracles made him king of Troy asPriam

In other stories, Telamon helpedHeracles in his later attack on Troyand, for his help, was awarded Hesione,

as a prize and fathered Teucer on her

In some stories, the wife of Naupliusand mother of his three children wasClymene

a nymph, one of the 7 Hesperides

[Hesperia]

a nymphone of the 7 Hesperides

[African Sisters.Atlantides]

nymphsdaughters of Atlas and Aethra,Hesperis or Pleione, or of Erebus andNyx, or of Phorcos and Ceto

In some accounts, there were three(Aegle, Erythia and Hespera), in others,four or seven, the other suggestednames being Arethusa, Hespereia,Hesperusa and Hestia

They, with the dragon Ladon, werethe guardians of the golden applesfrom Hera’s tree who helped Heracles

in his quest for some of these apples onhis eleventh Labour

In some versions the name is usedfor the Pleiades

[Hespere]

a nymphmother of the Hesperides by Atlas

[=Roman Vesper]

god of the west, the evening starson of Atlas or of Atraeus and Eosbrother of Phosphoros

He was said by some to be the father ofthe Hesperides

[Hesperethusa]

a nymphone of the 7 Hesperides

[‘hearth’.Histie:= Roman Vesta]goddess of the community, family, fire,hearth, house

one of the Olympiansdaughter of Cronus and Rhea

A virgin-goddess whose symbol is a torch

a nymphone of the 7 Hesperides

the palace of Shu

a goddess of the underworldShe is attended by crocodiles and herfunction is to destroy the souls of theenemies of Osiris

She is sometimes depicted as a cobra

of Hagen, with whom Hettel was inlove Hagen invaded to rescue hisdaughter and wounded Hettel in thebattle that ensued but they made peaceand Hettel married Hilde, fathering adaughter, Gudrun, and a son, Ortwin.When Hettel rejected Herwig’s suitfor the hand of Gudrun, Herwiginvaded Hettel’s kingdom and soimpressed the king with his couragethat he consented to the marriage.Gudrun was abducted by anotherunsuccessful suitor, Hartmut, soHettel joined forces with Herwig and athird suitor, Siegfried, to rescue her.They failed in this attempt eventhough Hettel killed Hartmut’s father,Ludwig, in the battle

In some versions, Hettel himselfwas killed in the battle

Gudrun was later rescued by Herwig,Ortwin and Wat

Herysaf

an aspect of Aksobhyaconsort of Vajravarahi or Nairatama

He is variously depicted with three oreight heads, three eyes, two or fourlegs and as many as sixteen arms

a feast at which the spirits of the deadare said to appear

hex

a witch or wizard: a spell: to bewitch

a god who was changed into a pine tree

In some accounts, he is equated withTammuz

[=Sioux Haokak]

spirits of the Dakotas: clowns

(see also Haokah)

a writer and dramatist, author of Life

of Merlin and Morte Arthur

a baboon-god

an aspect of Thoth

a primaeval being in the Admiralty IslandsWhen she cut her finger, she collectedthe blood in a shell Two eggs formedfrom the blood and the first man andwoman emerged from the eggs

[String Man]

a priestSome tribes believe that spiritsdescend the long creeping stems ofsome plants, such as the convolvulus,and destroy their crops A priest, called

Hi Haela, is appointed to ensure thatthis does not happen by cutting the

‘strings’ of the creeping plants

a Shinto sun-godson of Kazu-Tsuchi

He was born from the blood of Kazu-Tsuchi who was decapitated byhis father

of such a warrior, killed the scullionHialli instead and took his heart toAtli Gunnar rejected it as his brother’sheart with the result that they thenkilled Hogni and cut out his heart

of flame

a deity of Kei Islandbrother of Parpara

He and his brother descended fromthe heavens on a rope and became theancestors of the islanders

a supreme god of the Dayaks

[Hjarandi.‘whirlwind’]

a princeson of Visvaldhalf-brother of Gullbrag and Soley

To protect Gullbra from unwantedsuitors, Hiarandi locked her in afortress and killed all who cameseeking her hand, cutting off theirheads which he put on poles to deterothers

father of Guagiana

[Hai-en-Wat-ha.Haiowatha.

Hayowentha.Hy-ent-wat-ha]

a 16th Csage of the Iroquoisson of Mudjekeewis and Wenonahhusband of Minnehaha

He was reared by his maternalgrandmother, Nokomis

His wife and daughter were killed

by the magician Atotarho but the twomen later became reconciled andfounded the Confederacy of the Five Tribes

He was regarded as a culture-herowho taught the tribes the arts ofagriculture and medicine, killed thecorn-spirit Mon-da-moin to givemankind maize, overcame the greatstrugeon Mishe-Nahma and killed the evil magician Megissogwon Hewas helped by a pair of mittens whichenabled him to split rocks when hewore them and a pair of moccasins

in which he could cover a mile at eachstep

When his work was done, he sailedoff to Ponemah in the west in hismagic canoe

In another version, Tatenyawagontook pity on the suffering tribes andcame to earth as a man, Hiawatha

He led the tribes to a cave where theyrecovered their strength and then led them to their own homelands,separating them into the five tribes,the Cayuga, Mohawks, Onondaga,Oneida and Seneca, each with its ownlanguage and character When theywere attacked by wild tribes from thenorth the five appealed to Hiawathafor help He sacrificed his daughterMinnehaha to the Great Spirit and shewas taken up to heaven on the back

of a great eagle Hiawatha united thetribes into the Five Nations whorepelled the invaders and broughtpeace to the land Hiawatha himselfentered his white canoe which thenrose into the sky and disappeared

(see also Manabozho)

a guardian deityone of the 28 Nijuhachi-Bushu

[Ivernia]

an old name for Ireland

son of Laomedon and Strymo

mirror which she had dropped When

it was completed, it came to life

a cat owned by the giant, Hiisi

This cat could so frighten criminals

that they confessed their misdeeds

a water-monster in Argentinian lore

a fabulous animal

[My Lord Bag of Rice.Tawara Toda]

a warrior

He undertook to kill the huge

centi-pede that had taken all the children

and grandchildren of the Dragon King

of Lake Biwa The first two arrows he

shot when the monster next appeared

had no effect but the third, moistened

with saliva, killed the centipede As

reward, the Dragon King gave

Hidesato a never-empty bag of rice, an

endless roll of silk, a cauldron that

cooked without fire and two bells He

was thereafter known as My Lord Bag

of Rice

[Toyo Kuni.Toyokuni]

a peasant who became a civil dictator

and was deified as Toyokuni

a sphinx with the head of a hawk

and the body of a lion

hieromancy

[hieroscopy]

divination from objects used in sacrifice

chief official at the celebration

of the Eleusian mysteries

[theogamy]

marriage between gods or between

gods and humans

High One, The (see Briganta.Odin)

High Plains of Heaven

(see Takama-gahara)

[Shang Ch’ing]

the home of Tao Chun

the home of Lao-tzu

[Ha’iaka]

sister of Pele and Kaposecond wife of LohiauShe was born from an egg which Pelecarried in her armpit

Lohiau was the second husband ofher sister, Pele, who killed him and allhis attendants when they were veryslow in arriving at the new home shehad made for her husband

Another story says that Lohiau diedbefore Pele sent for him and Hiiaka wassent to collect his body She retrievedhis soul from the underworld andreunited it with his body Lohiau thenfell in love with Hiiaka but the jealousPele poured lava over him and he diedagain Hiiaka went to the underworld

to wait for his soul to arrive but hoalani had found the soul in theupper world and restored Lohiau tolife once again The god gave Lohiau amagic shell which turned into a boatthat took Lohiau to an island where hefound Hiiaka and they married

a Finnish giant

a tree-godson of Kaleva, some say

He owned an elk, the fastest creature onearth, that Lemminkainen was required

to outrun as one of the tasks required ofhim by Louhi

He also owned a fierce cat whichterrorised criminals into confessingtheir misdeeds

Some accounts equate him with theDevil or Lempo

He is envisaged as a very ugly manwith no eyelids

a book of legends and fables

Hikayat Hang Tuah Malay

the story of the life and exploits

of the hero Hang Tuah

Hikayat Pandawa Jaya Malay

the Malay version of the

Mahabharata

an ox-herder

He fell in love with Tanabata and his oxwandered free, causing great damage.Tanabata’s father caused them to beseparated by a celestial river and theycould meet only once a year when aflock of magpies formed a bridge over the river (see also Hikoboshi1)

a Hawaiian demi-godson of HinaTaking his magic arrow, Pua-ne, hecame to earth seeking adventures andstayed with a queen, Kawelu, who put aspell on him When he grew wings andflew away, she died Hiku had himselflowered on a vine into the realm ofMilu and rescued Kawelu’s soul, whichtook the form of a butterfly, catching it

in a coconut shell Back on earth, hemade a small incision in the deadqueen’s toe and, by inserting her soul

by magic, brought her back to life

a god of TongaHis home was in Putolu, land of thedead, and he was envisaged as having atail which encircled the earth He latercame to be regarded as female

a Mexican deity, peyote personifiedThis spirit is envisaged as having fourfaces, one looking in each direction

[Hilaira.Hilara]

daughter of Leucippussister of Phoebemother of Anogon by Castor

In some stories of the death of Castor,she and her sister were abducted byCastor and Polydeuces Their cousins,Idas and Lynceus, to whom they wereHidden-Kissa

betrothed, pursued them and Idaskilled Castor who was hiding in ahollow tree

a festival celebrating the reunion ofAttis and Cybele

daughter of the king of Portugal

As a child, she was carried off by agriffin and lived for many years in acave with three others who hadlikewise been abducted Two of thesethree were Hagen, son of the king

of Denmark, and Hilde, anotherprincess They were all rescued by apassing ship owned by Count Garadiewho was forced by Hagen to take them

to his father’s court where he andHilde were married

daughter of Walgundwife of Hugdietrichmother of Bogen, Waxmuth and WolfdietrichHer father kept her locked in a tower

to exclude would-be suitors butHugdietrich gained access in the guise

of an old woman, fathering a son onher She kept the birth secret but the boy was taken by wolves fromwhich he was rescued by Berchther andWalgund and given the nameWolfdietrich She later marriedHugdietrich and bore two more sons,Bogen and Waxmuth

a companion of GudrunShe was captured when her mistresswas abducted by Hartmut and taken toNormandy They were both rescued

by Herwig and Ortwin and Hildburglater married Ortwin

[Hild(a).Hildr.Hil(l)dur]

a daughter of King Arthur

In Germanic stories, Herbart came toArthur’s court to sue for the hand ofHilde on behalf of his uncle, Dietrichvon Bern, but she fell in love withHerbart and they eloped

son of Herbrandbrother of Ilsanhusband of Utefather of Hadubrand

He was foster-father to Dietrich andbecame his greatest friend They setout to kill the giant Grim who was

ravaging the countryside and forcedthe dwarf, Alberich, to lead them to thegiant Dietrich killed Grim and his wifeHilde with his magic sword, Nagelring,and he and Hildebrand shared thegiant’s treasure between themselves.Both he and Dietrich were captured

by Sigenot, brother of the slain Grim,but Hildebrand managed to kill thegiant and they escaped

He was present when Krimhildkilled the captive Hagen who refused

to reveal where in the Rhine he hadhidden the Nibelung treasure and hewas so incensed by her cruelty that hekilled her

When Emenrich attacked Dietrichwho had refused to pay tribute,Hildebrand and a party of his menwere captured To save their lives,Dietrich gave up his kingdom toErmenrich and left with many of hisfriends, going to Etzel’s court

In later years, he met his sonHadubrand in battle, although neitherrecognised the other They fought to astandstill and, finally realising therelationship, were re-united Someaccounts say that he killed his son

In the battle between the clans ofHnaef and Finn, Hnaef was killed Thenew leader, Hengest, treacherouslykilled Finn after talking peace and tookHildeburh back to her own people

in some accounts, one of the 9 wives

of CharlemagneAnother version says that she wasbetrothed to Roland who was calledaway to fight in Spain before they couldget married When she heard thatRoland had been killed at Roncesvalles,she became a nun A similar story is

told of Aude (see also Aldabella.Aude)

[Hildigrimur]

a magic helmet made by GrimDietrich took possession of this helmet,which gave the wearer increasedstrength, when he killed Grim and hiswife Hilde

[Hildegarde]

the German version of Aude

Hildegunde

wife of Walther von Wasgenstein

Her father handed her over when she

was just a child as a hostage to Attila

when he feared that his small kingdom

would be overrun by the Hun’s army

She was raised by Attila’s queen and, as

she grew older, virtually ran the

household She fell in love with

Walther, another hostage who, with

his friend and fellow-hostage Hagen,

had been trained in the arts of war by

Attila Hagen later escaped and

returned to Burgundy where he joined

Gunther who had just become king on

the death of his father

Later, she escaped with Walther,

taking with them much treasure from

the Hun’s coffers Gunther coveted

this treasure and persuaded Hagen to

join him when he set out to find and

kill the fugitives and seize the treasure

In the event, Walther killed all the

warriors sent against him by Gunther

and severely wounded both Gunther

and Hagen Walther lost his right

hand in the encounter but the three

men became reconciled and Walther

and Hildegunde continued their

journey to his home in Aquitane where

they were married

In Thidrekssaga she is called

Hildigundr, and, in a Polish version,

In some accounts, he is a boar to all

appearances but is really Ottar, a lover

of Freya, in disguise

the helmet of the Swedish king, Athils

the tutor of Frithiof and Ingeborg

When the Ringric king, Sigurd Ring,

invaded their kingdom, the kings of

Sogn asked Hilding to persuade

Frithiof, whom they had earlier

insulted and rejected as a suitor for

Ingeborg, to help them in the defence

of their land Hilding tried but to no

avail

a god of the Haida Indiansthe thunderbird

author of Cuchulainn Saga

a race of people somewhere betweenelves and humans

[Balor’s Hill.Hill of Uisneach.

(Mount) Killa(u)r(a)us]

a hill said to be the centre of IrelandThis was the site of one of Tuathal’sfour palaces and of the Giants’ Ringfrom which Merlin transported thestones to build Stonehenge

the hill which supports the heaven,home of Sebek

Hill of Uisneach

(see Hill of Aisneach)

the name of Hildegarde, daughter of

Hereric, in Thidrekssaga

a ruler of the jinn

[‘snow palace’]

the home of Kubera

a Titanessmother of Pluto, some say

a sacred mountain in Tibet

It is here that Zampu, the tree of life,grows It is also the place where the arklanded after the flood

one of the sirens

a primitive shrine in the form of anarea bounded by stakes or evergreen trees

an owlThe Sioux say that this bird guards theentrance to the Milky Way, the roadthat leads to the home of the spirits

[Great Lady of the Night.Hine-i-tau-ira Hine(-nui-te-po).Ina.Ma Hina.Mahina]the Maori goddess of deathShe was originally the sky-goddessHine Titama

When Maui tried to avoid death bycreeping through her body, shesqueezed him to death

She was envisaged as a black goddesswith green eyes

(see also Hine Titama)

Hina 2 Pacific Islands

[Hine.Ina]

a double-faced woman made fromsand by Te Tuna

mother of Tiki and the Dawn Maiden

In some stories, Hina is the mother ofMaui; in others she deserted herhusband, the eel Te Tuna, in favour ofMaui who killed Te Tuna They buriedhis head and, from it, sprang the firstcoconut tree

In some stories she is a Tongannoblewoman impregnated by an eel

(see also Tiki2)

Hina 3 Pacific Islands

[Ina:=Hawaiian Mahina:=Hervey Islands Ina:=New Zealand Marama:

=Samoa (Ma) Sina]

a moon-goddess of Tahitidaughter of Tangaroasister of RuThe Tahitians say that the darkmarkings on the moon are the shadowsHildegunde

of the branches of the original banyantree from which Hina stripped bark tomake clothes for the gods She istherefore the tutelary deity of cloth-beaters It was beating tapa that tookher to the moon in the first place

Ta’aroa got fed up of the noise andtold her to stop When she refused,Pani grabbed the mallet and struck her on the head, whereupon she flewoff to the moon

In another story, she accidentallybroke a branch from this tree and it fell

to earth, took root and so the banyanwas introduced to the islands

Hina 4 Pacific Islands

[Ina]

daughter of RonaHer mother, a cannibal, devoured Hina’slover, Monoi With the help of No’a-huruhuru, Hina killed her mother

wife of Turi-a-faumeaShe was abducted by Rogo-tumu-here,the demon octopus, but her husband andhis father, Tangaroa, fished the monster

up from the depths of the ocean, killedhim and rescued the woman

sister of Mauiwife of Ira WaruMaui used her hair to make a net inwhich he trapped the sun

In some accounts, she is the same

In some stories she appeared out ofthe sea as a beautiful maiden and made love to Tinirau, bearing a son calledTuhuruhuru Other versions say thatthis was Hina-uri

a name for Hina-keha, in the form of afish, as ‘lady of the ocean’

In some accounts, she is the same

a fairy deer

In an Italian story, this animal ledKing Arthur through a mountain toMorgan le Fay’s palace where he wasshown all the wonders of the world

[Earth-girl]

an underworld goddesswife of Tane

mother of Hine Titamamother of Tiki, some sayShe was created by Tane from sand orcarved from sandstone

In some accounts she is called i-tau-ira

Hine-(see also Hine Titama)

a fire-goddess

Hine-i-tau-ira

(see Hina1.Hine Titama)

[Lonely Gentle Woman]

daughter of Tiki and MarikorikoShe was the first child to be born onearth

a goddess of troubled sleepdaughter of Te Kore

Hine-nui-te-po

(see Hina1.Hine Titama)

wife of Tawhaki

[Dawn-girl.Dawn atua-rangi.Hine-nui-te-po.

Maiden.Hine-Tiki-kapakapa.Tikikapaka]

a sky-goddessdaughter of Tane and Hine-ahu-onemother of Hine Titamauri

She unwittingly married her ownfather and, ashamed of what hadhappened, killed herself and became a

goddess of the underworld in the form

of Hine-nui-te-po

In some accounts it was ira who killed herself in shame andbecame an underworld goddess

Hine-i-tau-(see also Hina1)

in some accounts, a wife of Tane

It was said that she produced reptilesand mountain streams

the Maori goddess of childbirthdaughter of Tane

a god of the hunt in the lore of theTungus tribes

a lake in British Columbia

It is said that the waters of this lake willreach out and draw back into thedepths of the lake anyone who dares totake water from it

an androgynous supreme deity in New Ireland

the tom-cat in Reynard the Fox

He accused Wackerlos of stealing thesausage that he had stolen from themiller’s wife and was sent to summonReynard to appear at the king’s courtafter Brown had failed in the attempt

He was tricked by Reynard intoentering a barn where he was caught in

a trap He managed to escape but lost

an eye in the process

Hintze

[Heno.Hino.Hinu.Thunderbird]

a thunder-god of the Iroquois

husband of Rainbow

When the serpent of the Great Lakes

swallowed his helper, Gunnodoyak,

Hinun killed the snake with one of his

flaming arrows shot from the sky,

restored the boy to life and took him

back to heaven

He also saved his people from the

Stone Giants of the west by shattering

them with his divine power

Each year, he sent the three

Thunderers to earth to destroy evil

He is accompanied by the eagles

Keneu and Oshadagea

When Sigmund abandoned his wife

Borghild after she had poisoned his

son, Sinfiotl, he married Hiordis,

daughter of the King of the Islands

Her unsuccessful suitor, Lygni, made

war on Sigmund who was killed in the

battle when Odin shattered his sword,

Gram, and left him defenceless

She then married Elf, King of the

Vikings, who, when Sigurd, her son by

Sigmund, was born, raised the boy as

He was torn to pieces and eaten by

his mother and her sisters, Alcippe

and Alcithoë, when Dionysus drove

them mad

son of Ceyx and Alcynone

He was killed when fighting for

Heracles at Oechalia

son of Admetus and Alcestis

brother of Eumelus and Perimele

son of Heracles by Procris

twin brother of Antileon

He was the father of twelve sons andexpelled Tyndareus and Icarius, the co-kings of Sparta, taking the throne forhimself Heracles killed him and hissons and reinstated the former kings

[Hippokrene]

a spring which appeared on MountHelicon from a hoof-print of Pegasuswhich became sacred to Apollo andthe Muses (see also Aganippe)

Pelops won her by defeating her father

in a chariot race after bribing Myrtilus,the charioteer, to sabotage the chariot

of Oenomaus

She induced her own sons to killChrysippus, an illegitimate son ofPelops, and, when her part in the crimewas discovered, she either hangedherself or fled to Midea to the protection

of her sons Atreus and Thyestes

In some accounts she is referred to

He competed with Isander for thethrone of Lycia by trying to shoot anarrow which would displace a ring fixed

to the chest of the child Sarpedon

[Hippolute.Hippolyte]

daughter of Cretheuswife of Acastusmother of Laodamia, Sterope and Sthelene

She accused Peleus of rape and thedispute ended with Peleus killingHippolyta and, some say, Acastus also

In other versions, Astydamia is thewife of Acastus

[Hippolute.Hippolyte]

a queen of the Amazonsdaughter of AresShe was given a love-girdle by Areswhich Heracles seized as his ninthLabour, killing her in the fight thatensued when her followers thoughtthat he was abducting her Others saythat she fell in love with him and gavehim the girdle while another story saysthat Heracles captured Melanippe, one

of her generals, and won the girdle asransom for her release

In some versions she was not killed

in this way but was later captured byTheseus who fathered Hippolytus onher and, some say, married her In thisversion she was killed in a battle whenthe Amazons invaded in an attempt torecapture her

Another story says that she (orAntiope) was killed when sheinterrupted the wedding of Theseusand Phaedra and yet another that shewas killed by accident by Penthesileawho is described as her sister

In some accounts, she is equatedwith Antiope; in others, she is given asAntiope’s sister This version says thatHinu

it was Antiope who was captured byTheseus and Hippolyta led theattempted rescue, dying of grief whenshe was defeated

Poseidon sent a huge bull or seal thatfrightened the horses which pulled thechariot of Hippolytus and when theybolted, Hippolytus was draggedagainst the rocks and killed In Tartarus

he was almost restored to life byAsclepius but Zeus killed the physicianbefore he could complete the task

In some versions he was restored tolife and lived as an immortal in Italywhere he was worshipped as Virbius

father of Deiphobus, some say

a play by Euripides telling the story

of Hippolytus and his step-mother,Phaedra

He was killed at Thebes by Ismarus

In some accounts he is the same

in the path of Atalanta during a race When she paused to pick them

foot-up, he won the race and, with it, her

hand in marriage Both he andAtalanta were changed into lions byZeus when they defiled the god’sprecinct or by Aphrodite for failing torender thanks for her help

That is the Boeotian version; theArcadian version names the runner

king of Llydaw

He was killed by the young boarLlwydawg during the hunt for Twrch Trwyth

a huge monster of the Shilluk

the Thai version of Hiranyaksha

[Gold Germ.Golden Nucleus.Golden

Womb.Narayana.Prajapati]

the creator-god of the Rigveda, later

identified with Brahma

In some accounts, he was a sage,originator of yoga, in others,hiranyagarbha was the golden egg,which appeared in the primordialwaters, from which Brahma or

Prajipati emerged (see also Narayana2)

[Hiranyapakasura.Hiranyakasipu]

a demon-kingthe first manifestation of Ravanatwin brother of Hiranyakshafather of Hrada and Prahlavafather of Bali, some say

He achieved great strength byausterity and took power over air,earth and sky for a million years until

he was killed by Vishnu in his fourthavatar as the man-lion Narasinha

Hiranyakasipu (see Hiranyakashipu)

[Gold Eye.Hiranya-Aksa.Hiranyaksa:

=Thai Hirantayaksa]

a gianttwin brother of Hiranyakashipu

He is said to have pulled the earth tothe bottom of the ocean and kept itthere for a thousand years until he waskilled by Vishnu in his third avatar asthe boar Varaha

Hiranyapakasura

(see Hiranyakashipu)

hircocervus

a monster, part goat, part stag

(see also tragelaph)

on Gomera, a demon opposed to thegod Orahan

a Sumerian king

He acted as intermediary when Yarihsent him to ask Baal for the hand ofNikkal

a Swahili amulet

[Hermis:=Greek Hermes Trismegistus]

an early prophet in Egyptfather of Idris

He is said to have built the firstpyramid and invented writing and waslost in the flood, only to appear again atBabel hundreds of years later to inventscience and re-invent writing On aneven later occasion, he reappeared inEgypt and wrote a famous work on thesciences

Some say that he was discovered still

Hirmis

alive, sitting in a tunnel beneath his

own statue in Hermopolis, by the

scholar Balinus

He has been identified with Thoth

[Hiro-ko.Hirugo.Hiruko.Leech Child]

a Shinto god of fortune

the deformed son of Izanagi

and Izanami

He was so ugly that his parents

abandoned him, putting him in a boat

which was then cast upon the sea

Others say that the child was born as

a jellyfish or a leech (hence the name

Leech Child) and was set adrift in a

boat The boat came ashore at Ebisu

Shore and the infant grew up bearing

the name Ebisu and became the god of

fishermen (see also Ebisu)

a demon of the planet Jupiter

son of Japhet

father of Alemmanus, Britto, Francus

and Romanus in some stories

Historia Britonum British

a book written in Latin by Nennius

This 9th C book tells of the battles

between King Arthur and his armies

and the Anglo-Saxons

Historia Meriadoci Welsh

a story of the Welsh king, written

in Latin

Historia Regnum Britanniae British

a 12-volume work written in Latin by

Geoffrey of Monmouth

This 12th C work tells the stories of

King Arthur’s exploits and of the

race of giants who were the early

inhabitants of Britain The last two

giants, Gog and Magog, were said to

have been captured by Brut, leader of

the Trojan invaders

a demon

He killed the sage Urvakhshaya and

was himself killed by his victim’s

brother, Keresaspa

a form of Kwannon who will answer

only one prayer

Hitopadesa (see Hitopadesha)

a sign (sheep) of the Zodiac

[Hittauanin]

a god of hunters: a forest spirit

a spirit of the dead appearing to the living

He and Bil were captured by themoon-god Mani when they werecarrying water and thereafter alwaysaccompanied him

In some accounts they werecarrying song-mead from the wellByrgir in the bucket Saegir

the Arapaho name for the whiteman’s god

a hill said to have an evil influence

the Papuan underworldThis realm is located under the sea andthe souls of the dead work in theunderwater gardens there This realm

is ruled by Tumudurere but in someversions, Hiyoyoa is used also as thename of the god of the underworld

Hizarbin

a sea-demon

a lake (see Hkun Hsang L’rong)

a male earth-spirithusband of Sik Sawpfather of Chanum, Ngawn-wa-Mogamand Woi-shun

sacred objects in the form of pieces of precious metals, stones, etc., inserted under the skin

Some of these objects have incantationsinscribed upon them and are said tomake the wearer invulnerable

a guardian spirit of villagesone of the nats

a creator-spirit

He created the first couple, khi and Ya-hsek-khi who were born inthe shape of tadpoles After this couplehad mated, he renamed them Ta-hsang-kahsi (Yatawn) and Ya-hsang-kahsi (Yatai)

a deity who came down to earthHaving eaten the Thalasan, he became

a debased spirit and cut open twogourds belonging to Nang-pyek-khaYek-khi The water that poured fromthe gourds formed a lake, Hkeo, whichbecame a sacred sea where the firstbeings, Ta-hsek-khi and Ya-hsek-khilived in the form of tadpoles

the Burmese name for Indra

he seemed to eat anything and thing

one of the dwarfsThis smith made a magic wand forOdin and shaped the mistletoe into themagic arrow with which Hoder,prompted by Loki, killed Balder

a name of Aegir as ‘shelterer’

Hiro-ko

one of the dwarfs

a Valkyrie

wife of Vingnirfoster-mother of Thor

To become a hmawsaya, one mustburn scrolls covered with cabbalisticsigns and drink the ashes mixed withwater and have one’s body tattooedwith magic diagrams

Mayan divinersThese people were said to have directcommunication with the gods whogave them their power to manipulatenatural forces for the benefit of thepeople

a nat who afflicts travellers with the ague or drives them mad

a malignant ghost in the form of a cat

or dog: a form of tase

a clan-chiefbrother of Hildeburh

His sister married another clan-chief,Finn, causing resentment which led towar in which Hnaef was killed

[Saw Meya.Shindwe-hla.Shwe Myet-hna.

Taunggyi-shin.Thon Pan Hla]

a nat creator-deitysister of Min MagayeShe was a queen who was burned todeath by the king, her husband, withher brother

[Hnos(s).Hnossa]

daughter of Odur and Freya

In some accounts, it was this child whodreamed of Balder’s death Some saythat she was one of the Asynjur

a minor deity, assistant to Pi Kan

3 celestial brothersThey, with the three brothers Hsi,were responsible for the solstices andequinoxes (see also Hsi-ho)

a sacred river

a sacred bird, the crane

the sun in the form of a birdThis messenger of goodwill comes toearth and sits on top of the torii

in some accounts, a wealth-producingbox of Ts’ai Shen

[Damsel Ho:=Japanese Kasenko]

goddess of housewivesone of the Eight Immortals daughter of Ho T’aiShe was the daughter of a 7th Cshopkeeper and, having eaten a magicpeach, became a fairy who, living onmoonbeams and powdered mother-of-

pearl, was immortal She was bornwith just six hairs on her head and nomore ever grew

When she was attacked by a demon,

Lu Tung-pin killed the demon with hismagic sword

Her emblem is the lotus flower and

is sometimes depicted with a fly-whisk

or drinking wine

[=Buddhist Hariti:=Japanese Kishi Bojin]

a child-snatching demon

[Ping-i.Count of the River.Duke of the River]

brother of Heng-ohusband of Fu-fei

He lived on the mountain K’un Lun,source of the Yellow River, and becameimmortal by drowning himselfweighted with stones

Every year, a maiden was throwninto the river as a sacrifice to this deity

the fate of being eaten by a tiger

a Tahitian godson of Orobrother of Ai-Tupuia, Mata-Fatu-Rauand Toi-Mata

hob

a brownie: a frightful apparition

an evil spirit or devil

(see also Hobbamock)

a demon of the dance

(see also hobbidance)

a Mayan god of beekeepers

one of the 4 Bacabs

He supported the eastern corner of

the world (red) (see also Kan1)

a cannibal goblin

(see also Turpy)

the name used by Galahad of Galefort

when he became king of Wales

a spirit in the lore of the Bushmen

The Bushmen say that, originally, all

animals could speak but Hochigan

went away forever taking their power

of speech with him

[O-Sung]

the Tibetan name for Kashyapa the

manushibuddha

a water-monster of Quebec

This beast is said to have telescopic

legs and kills its victims by shooting

clay pellets from its long snout

the blind god of darkness

son of Odin and Frigga

twin brother of Balder

brother of Hermod and Thor

Frigga had extracted a promise from

all things that they would cause no

harm to Balder but she overlooked the

mistletoe The gods made a game of

throwing things at Balder and none of

them could harm him until Loki, the

troublemaker, persuaded the blind

Hoder to throw a branch of mistletoe

This branch, guided by Loki, killedBalder immediately

In another story, Hoder and Baldervied for the hand of Nanna Whenshe married Hoder, he killed Balderwith the sword, Mistillteinn, stolenfrom Mimingus

In some versions, Hoder was killed

by Vali, son of Odin and Rinda, who,having grown to manhood in one day,arrived with his bow and arrows andshot Hoder to avenge Balder, thusfulfilling a prophecy of Rothiof

Some say that he was sacrificed forkilling Balder, others that bothsurvived Ragnarok

[Hodir.Hod(u)r]

an Icelandic outlaw

son of Heracles and Deianeirabrother of Ctessipus, Glenus, Hyllusand Macaria

a deep cavernThis is the place where Lif andLifthrasir slept during Ragnarok

When they awoke, they lived on dewand repopulated the earth

In some accounts, it is described as aforest which could not be destroyed byfire and so escaped Surtur’s flamingsword at Ragnarok Others describe it

as a cavern

one of 5 Dhyanibuddhasone of 5 Dhyanibodhisattvas,

in some accounts

husband of Agrianomefather of Oileus

[Gilierchins.Havelin.Howel.Jovelin]

a king of Brittanyfather of Belinda, Helen, Isabella,Isolde, Kaherdin and Runalen

In some accounts, his parents are given

as Boudicus and Anna, in others he isthe son of Ymer by Gwyar, a sister ofKing Arthur

In some versions he is known asGilierchins, in others as Havelin

duke of Tintagel

In some accounts, the husband ofIgraine and father of Blasine, Belisentand Hermisent

of the few to survive Ragnarok.Some equate him with Ve or Vili

[Hogne:=German Hagen]

son of Giuki and Grimhildbrother of Gudrun, Gunnar and Guttorm

father of Dag and Sigrun, some say His sister Gudrun, after the murder ofher husband Sigurd by their youngerbrother Guttorm, married Atli, king ofthe Huns who, coveting the treasure ofHobbamoqui

the Niblungs, invited them to hiscourt, planning to kill them Despite awarning, his elder brother, Gunnar,accepted the invitation but took theprecaution of hiding the gold in thebed of the Rhine Atli killed all theparty except Gunnar and Hogni whom

he tortured to reveal the hiding place

of the treasure To force Gunnar tospeak, Atli had Hogni killed and cutout his heart which he displayedbefore Gunnar who, still refusing tospeak, was thrown into a snake-pit andbitten to death

In another story, his enemy, KingHedinn, abducted Hilde and theyfought an everlasting battle over her inwhich the slain were revivified everynight by Hilde or a sorceress

He owned a sword called Dainslef

(see also Hagen2)

one of the dwarfs

a crow

In Mayan lore, this was one of thebirds which brought the maize fromwhich the gods created human beings

a blind priest

He was bewitched by the ghosts of theTiara clan, all of whom, including theinfant emperor, Antoku Tenno, hadbeen killed in a great sea battle with theMinamoto clan When his fellowpriests discovered him sitting beforethe tomb of the young emperor,chanting the story of that battle, theycovered him with sacred texts to wardoff the ghosts When the ghosts nextcame for Hoichi, all they could seewere his ears which had not beencovered These they tore off and thepriest was thereafter earless

an aspect of Jizo

a Mandan eagle-spiritWhen Lone Man stole his whitebuckskin coat, Hoita collected all theanimals and enclosed them in the DogDen Lone Man made an even morepowerful medicine-drum than the one

owned by Hoita who was then forced

to release the animals

a merchant

He bought a talking parrot which heleft behind when he went on a longjourney His wife was wooed during hisabsence by a local prince but the parrotkept her entertained by telling her taleseach night until Hoja Maimoonreturned seventy days later

the name of the fox-woman laterknown as Jewel Maidenconsort of Iuwao

as this image was restored, theemperor, who had fallen ill, wasrestored to full health

a giant in Brittany

He was said to be able to swallowlarge ships

a turtle-spirit of the Dakotas

a monster in the form of a huge birdwith a long beak, in the lore of thetribes of the north-west

by removing their skins when they grewold but the bird, in return for food, gavethe message to a snake who thereafterwas able to grow by sloughing its skin

As punishment, the gods inflicted apainful disease on the bird

[Bertha.Brechta.Frau Gode.Frau Venus.Harfer.Herke.Hold(e).Holl(e).

Huda.Huld(r)a.Hulle.Nerthus Vrou-Elde:=Norse Frigga]

a goddess of children and weatherwife of Holder, some sayShe was said to have given flax to thehuman race

As Frau Holle, she was said to guardthe souls of children in lakes or wells

As Frau Venus, she was said to live

in a cave in the Horselberg andtempted mortals with the pleasures ofthe flesh Tannhauser was one of thosewho stayed with her until he becamesickened with his own sinfulness.She was the owner of the magicfountain, Quickborn

the offspring of a demon and a witchThese beings are said to be capable ofappearing in many different forms –bee, caterpillar, elf, fairy, etc

[Holler]

a name of Uller in Germany

[Holla’s Troop.Hulda’s Troop]

a version of the Wild Hunt, led

by Holda

Songhai spirits of the airThese were the children of Adama andHawa retained by god

[Hohlee.Hoolee.Hutashana.

Phag(u).Shimga]

the spring festival of fire,

in honour of Krishna’s victory over Putana, held in February/March

son of Sisyphus, some saybrother of Coronus

Hollenfurt

the flight of witches

Hollow Grey Rocks

(see Te Parai-Tea)

a friend of Thorgrimhusband of Thorbjorgfather of Ketilrid

holocaust

the sacrificial burning of victims

holy angels

a spirit of the Apache

He, with Red Boy, placed the sun and

the moon in their courses

[graal.grail.grayle.Sangraal.

Sangreal.Sangrail]

a holy vessel

This prized object was Christ’s cup or

plate which he was said to have used at

the Last Supper and in which Joseph

was said to have caught the blood of

Christ at the Crucifixion It was made

from an emerald which fell from

Lucifer’s crown when he was cast out

of heaven

It was later brought by Joseph of

Arimathea and Evelake to Britain

where it was guarded by the ‘undead’

Fisher King It was said that if the

Grail ever fell into the hands of a

sinner, the peace of the world would

come to an end and the Grail would

disappear

It appeared at the banquet at

Camelot when Galahad took his seat

as a knight of the Round Table,

inspiring the knights to set out in their

search for it, the Grail-quest Only

Galahad was deemed worthy of

finding the Grail which was taken back

to the Holy Land by Galahad, Percival

and Bors When Galahad died, the

Grail and the Holy Lance disappeared

forever

In some versions, it was Percival

who finally achieved the Grail, in

others it was Gawain

In the Wagnerian version, the Grail

was sought by Titurel and his band of

knights in another land They built a

temple on Mount Salvat and angels

brought the Grail from heaven

Titurel spent the rest of his life

guarding the Grail, day and night, and,

when he died, the duty was carried on

by his son, Amfortas

In some accounts, the Grail was a

stone on which had been engraved the

names of the knights guarding it

(see also Lapis Exillis.Parsifal)

Holy Grail, The2 English

a poem by Tennyson

Holy Jade Empress

(see Yü-huang Sheng-mu)

[Bleeding Lance.Grail Lance.Grail

Spear.Holy Spear.Lance of Longinus.

Sacred Lance.Sacred Spear]

the weapon with which the Roman

centurion Longinus pierced Christ’sside at the crucifixion

This lance or spear was brought toBritain with the Holy Grail by Joseph

of Arimathea and Evelake It was used,

in some accounts, by Balin to kill or towound Pelham In other accounts,Galahad found the lance and used it tocure Pelles, guardian of the Grail, whohad been made lame for his sins Itwas taken back to the Holy Land byGalahad, Percival and Bors at the end

of the Grail Quest and, at the death ofGalahad, the Lance and the Graildisappeared forever

In the Wagnerian version, thisweapon was kept in the Temple of theGrail and Amfortas took it with himwhen he tried to destroy the evilmagician, Klingsor Klingsor took thespear from Amfortas and struck him inthe side, thereby causing a wound thathealed only when Parsifal, at the end

of the Grail Quest, regained the spearand laid it on the wound

In some accounts, it was used

by Charlemagne in his battles with the Saracens

Holy Mother (see Pi-hsia Yüan-chun.

Queen of Heaven)

Holy Mother of Heaven

(see T’ien Shang Sheng-mu)

medicine-men of the Nacirema tribeThey believe that the mouth is theroute by which spirits enter the body

Holy One (see Sheng.

Turkey Hactcin)

Holy Thorn

(see Glastonbury Thorn)

sister of PhromHer sister found the son of Kongabandoned in the forest and gave thechild to Hom who reared him, callinghim Phan

a ceremonial sacrificial offering

He refused to allow his daughter tomarry Zariadres but she chose himanyway and they eloped together

Home of the Angel

a 9th C BCblind poet and writer

He is taken to be the author of The

Iliad, telling the story of the Trojan

War, and The Odyssey, the story of the

wanderings of Odysseus after leavingTroy

epic poems addressed to the Greekdeities

These thirty-three poems are generallyattributed to Homer but were probablycomposed by various other authors

[=Basque Basa Jaun:=Roman Concordia]

a wood-sprite or fairy

a goddess, concord personified

an Olmec deity, maize personified

He was born from an egg and reared

by an old couple who, alarmed when

he killed all those who mocked him,tried to kill him but failed

He was later taken prisoner byHurakan but survived after beinglocked in three rooms, one filled withsnakes, another with tigers and a thirdwith flying arrows Hurakan finallyrealised that Homshuk was a deity andpromised thereafter to tend him – inother words, to cultivate the maize

homunculus

a little man

In some accounts, such a beingresulted from the union of the sun andthe moon while others say that it wasthe concoction of an alchemist usingblood and sperm

He was eaten by the monster, Grendel.

a man who became a tiger

He prayed for help when his motherfell ill and a spirit advised him that amedicine made from 100 dogs wouldsave her Further prayer gave him thepower to turn himself into a tiger and

he was then easily able to catch nine dogs On the last night, his wifesaw him change into a tiger and leavethe house to catch the final dog

ninety-Foolishly, she burnt the paper in which the tiger-spell was written and Hong was unable to resume his humanform In his anger, he killed his wifewho happened to be wearing a blueskirt at the time Thereafter, the tigerkilled every woman he met who wassimilarly dressed

spirits of the Osage underworld

[honsha]

the central shrine of a particular deity

benevolent spirits in the lore of the Iroquois

He wrote extensively on historical and

mythical subjects including Scala Coeli,

a book on mythical animals in which

he described an encounter between amaiden and a unicorn

a serpent-god in Goodenough Island

He had two wives, one of whomdiscovered that he could turn into ahandsome youth in their absence Shedestroyed his abandoned skin so that

he could not revert to his snake form,making him so angry that he causeddeath and famine to appear on earth

twin brother of Honsu

He and his brother Honsu are theheroes of magical exploits in the lore ofDahomey

twin brother of Honsi

He and his brother Honsi are theheroes of magical exploits in the lore ofDahomey

a princessdaughter of Rinawife of MoikehaShe was given by her father as theprize in a sailing race Moikeha, withthe help of the wind-god, won the raceand married her

[Crown of Brahma.Crown of Treasures.

Hoodoo

[‘white magic’]

a mixture of voodoo with Christianreligion

(see also voodoo)

magic charms used by the blackpopulation of the southern statesThese charms, which include suchthings as the eye or scales of a fish, asmall dried turtle, a piece of snakeskin,the foot of a rabbit, etc., are said tocause the death, or at least the illness,

of one’s enemy; to cure diseases; tobring back one’s lover; to bring thewearer good fortune

a magician or sorcerer

daughter of Wakea and PapaShe bore two children fathered by her

own father The first was born as a rootand grew into a plant, the second wasmortal

a giant

a name for Chac as ‘lighter of the heavens’

Hor (see Hor Nubuti.King Hor)

Hor-akhi

(see Horus of the Horizon)

a falcon-headed god of ointments

an aspect of Horus

[Horai.Hours.Seasons:=Hindu Rtus]daughters of Zeus by Themisdaughters of Semnai, some sayThe maidens who acted as thegatekeepers of Olympus

In some accounts, there were justtwo – Carpo and Thallo – or three withAuxo; others list Dike, Eirene andEunomia

Some say there were four maidens,the daughters of Helius by his sisterSelene, while yet others say thatMersilia, wife of Romulus, became one

of their number when she was taken

up to heaven Some accounts havetwelve

a name for Mount Fuji

caps worn by goblins which

make them invisible to humans

Horant

a warrior and musician at Hettel’s

court

He, with Frute and Wat, abducted

Hilde who married Hettel

sister of Horatius

Her three brothers fought three

brothers of the Curiatii to settle the

war between Rome and Alba Longa

Two of her brothers were killed and the

third killed Horatia when she bewailed

the loss of one of their opponents to

whom she was betrothed

3 champions of Rome

These three brothers fought three of

the Curiatii to settle the war between

the cities Two were killed and the

other killed their sister who had

become betrothed to one of the

Curiatii

[Horatius Cocles]

a hero

He, with two friends, Titus Herminius

and Lartius Spurius, held the bridge

leading to Rome against the might of

the invading Etruscans under Lars

Porsena

[Publius Horatius]

brother of Horatia

He and his two brothers fought three

of the Curiatii to settle the war

between Rome and Alba Longa His

two brothers were killed but he killed

all three of their oponents When his

sister bewailed the loss of one of the

Curiatii to whom she was betrothed,

he killed her

[Horus of Edfu]

a name of Horus as the solar disc

a palanquin bearing the model of

a phoenix (see also mikoshi)

[Horn of Amenti]

the furthest boundary of Amenti

Horn of Amenti

(see Horn of Ament)

[Corn Bran Galed]

a drinking-horn that could providewhichever drink the owner requiredWhen Merlin set out to acquire theThirteen Treasures of Britain, he had

to obtain this horn before he could getthe others

(see also Horn of Gawlgawd)

a horn sent by Morgan le Fay

to King ArthurThis vessel detected those ladies whohad been unfaithful to their husbandswhen they found that they could notdrink from it

one of the objects that Ysbadaddenrequired Culhwch to get in his questfor the hand of Olwen

(see also Horn of Bran Galed)

a man who became a birdThis bird was originally a prince whodestroyed a palace or a man whodestroyed the house of his mother-in-law and was changed into a hornbill

(see Apollo Cunomaglus)

Horned Water Serpent

North American

a spirit of the Pueblo tribes

a Cheyenne medicine-manWhen his tribe was starving as a result

of drought, Horns Standing Upcommanded the wife of the chief toaccompany him and they set off to seek

help After many days they came to themountains and entered a cave where, forfour days, Maheo and Great RoaringThunder gave them instructions in theart of the medicine dance When thecouple returned to their tribe, the menbuilt a medicine lodge and dancedround it as Horns Standing Up hadinstructed them Soon the rains cameand the buffalo returned

(1) The Arab poet-warrior Antarrode a horse called Abjar

It was said that a race of greenhorses, Farasi Bahari, lived in theIndian Ocean and horses bred fromthese stallions and normal marescould run forever because they had

no lungs and therefore were nevershort of breath

(2) The Babylonian mare, Silili,was said to be the progenitress ofall the horses in the world

(3) British lore includes theArthurian characters with theirhorses, such as:

Arthur Dun Stallion.Lamri

The mediaeval hero Guy ofWarwick had a horse called Black

Saladin and, in The Faerie Queene,

the knight Guyon rode Brigadore

In some stories, the spirit of ahorse, haunting boggy areas, iscalled a gytrash

(4) Buddhist lore says that theBuddha’s horse was called Kantaka,Horang Gamte

that of Avalokiteshvara was Balaha

(5) In Carolingian stories some ofthe characters and their steeds are:

Roland Brigliadoro.Veillantifand a fire-breathing horse ridden

by Ogier was known as Papillon

(6) In Egypt, a sea-living horse,Sabgarifiya, was the equivalent ofthe Arab Farasi Bahari

(7) Other European stories includethe Brazen Horse of Cambuscanwhich had a pin in one ear whichenabled it to accept instructionsfrom the rider as to where hewished to go, Rosinante, thebroken-down nag ridden by DonQuixote and Clavileno, a woodenhorse, controlled by a pegprotruding from its head, whichcould take the rider wherever hewished to go The goddess Epona,like her Welsh counterpartRhiannon, is said to have riddenthe White Mare

(8) German stories include thehorse of Dietrich von Bern, ananimal called Falke, and one calledLion, owned by Walter vonWasgenstein

(9) In Greek myths, one famoushorse, Pegasus, sprang from theblood of the Gorgon, Medusa, slain

by Perseus and was later used byBellerophon when he attacked andkilled the Chimaera

Some deities and mortals, withtheir horses, include:

it Perhaps the most famous of allhorses is the wooden horse made

by the Greeks and left in front ofthe city walls of Troy

(10) In Hindu lore, the horse wasthe seventh thing to emerge fromthe Churning of the Ocean Thesun-god Surya used the horseRohita to pull his chariot

(11) Irish characters with theirsteeds include:

Conall CearnachDearg DruchtachCuchulainn Black of Sainglenn

Grey of Macha

Lugh Horse of Manannan

The horse known as Aonbharr wassaid to be able to travel over water

(12) In Norse myths, Odin’s horsewas the eight-legged Sleipnir

Other more normal animals arelisted below with their owners

(13) In Malaya, the Farasul Bahri were sea-living horses, theequivalent of the Arab Farasi Bahari

(14) In Persian myths, the heroRustem rode Rakush and themythical king Kay Khrusraw had ahorse called Shibaliz

(15) Russian stories include those

of Ivan the Fool and IvanTzrnoyevitch who respectivelyrode Silver Road and Zdral

(16) In Serbian stories there areseveral horses called Bedevia,owned by such heroes as Balatchko,Marko and Milosh and anotherhero, Momtchilo, had a flyinghorse called Yaboutchilo

(17) In Thailand, the mythical kingSison had a flying horse, Tipaka,which could transport its riderinstantaneously to anywhere in theworld

(18) Horses mentioned in Welshstories, with their owners, include

Horse-faced Messenger

(see Ma Mien)

a horse owned by Lugh which couldtravel over water

[Anti.Har.Har-mau.Har-nedj-itef.Har-Heru Khent an Maa.[Anti.Har.Har-mau.Har-nedj-itef.Har-Heru Khuti Heru Murti.Heru-pakhret Heru-sam-taui.Heru Ur.Herunub Hor–hekenu.Hor Nubuti.Iahu Lord of Two Lands.

Harahkte.Re-Harahkty:=Greek Ankhoes Harendotes.Harsaphes]

Mekenti-(en-)irty.Ra-Harakta.Ra-a fMekenti-(en-)irty.Ra-Harakta.Ra-alcon-heMekenti-(en-)irty.Ra-Harakta.Ra-aded sun-godson of Osiris and Isisfather of Anset, Hapi, Qebsehsenufand Tuamutef

In some accounts he is the son ofOsiris and Isis, conceived when theywere still in Nut’s womb, in others he

is the son of Osiris and Nut

An assimiliation of both Horus theElder and the Younger as the opponent

of Set in the struggle for supremacy

He lost an eye in the fight but it wasrestored by Thoth In some versions,the eye was later given to Osiris butother accounts say that Set gouged out

Horus

both the eyes of Horus and buried

them Lotus-blossom grew from the

burial site but Horus had his sight

restored by the gods The case

between Horus and Set was arbitrated

by the gods and when the judgement

was in favour of Horus he took over

the whole of the kingdom

In another version, the fight was

over supremacy of the light and Thoth

settled the argument by awarding the

day to Horus and the night to Set

Some say that he steered Ra’s

barque Manjet through the heavens;

others equate him with Ra

It was said that all human races,

except the black race, were born from

the eyes of Horus

The pharaoh of the United Kingdom

was Horus in his lifetime

He was associated with the planets

Jupiter, Mars and Saturn

(see also Hemen)

Horus Aroeris

(see Horus of the Horizon)

Horus Behdety (see Horus of Edfu)

[Sidelock of Youth]

a long curled strand of hair left on a

shaven head, worn by young royals

the first of the 7 names given to a king

[Horbehudet.Horus Behdety]

a war-god

This was Horus as the solar disc and

leader of the forces that defeated Set

In this form, Horus was Ra, the

sun-god, as the rising and setting sun

He is depicted as the disc of the sun

set between falcon wings

(see also Behedti)

[Harmerti.Mekhenti-(en-)irty]

a form of Horus the Elder

husband of Tafner

In this form his two eyes were the moon

and the sun Set stole the sun and so

precipitated the struggle with Horus

which was settled by the intervention of

Thoth Set also took parts of the other

eye so that the moon varied in size

Horus the Child

(see Horus the Younger)

[Aro(u)eris.Haloeris.Haroeris.

Harwer:=Greek Harueris]

a sun-godson of Hathor, some sayhusband of Hathor, some say

In this form, Horus is depicted as afalcon or a falcon-headed human

(see also Harpakhrad)

[Horvendillus.Horwendil]

a king of Jutlandbrother of Fenghusband of Geruthafather of Amleth

He was killed by Feng who marriedGerutha and took the throne

In some accounts he is the same

He was regarded as the first law-giver,was credited with the introduction ofmetal-working and, with Gushak, isregarded by some as the progenitor ofthe Iranians After making a sacrifice

to the gods on top of the ironmountain known as Hara Berzaite, hewas given divine protection whichenabled him to eradicate the demons,killing most of them while the rest fledinto the outer darkness

In the Shah Name, he caused fire to

appear when he struck a dragon with astone and is said to have domesticatedasses, cattle and sheep

In the Bundahishn, he was the

grandson, rather than the son,

[Gem-birth Buddha:=Buddhist Ratnasambhava]

the Japanese equivalent of Yama

(see also Gundari)

a horse of the gods

Hostel of the Quicken Trees

(see Quicken Trees Hostel)

an Etruscan goddess

[Hotei-osho.P’u Sa.Wagon Priest:

=Chinese Mi-lo-fo]

a god of laughterone of the 7 Shinto deities offortune, the Shichi FukujinHotei is said to be based on a cheerfulBuddhist monk, Pu Tai Ho-shang

He is depicted as a fat man with anaked belly and carrying a never-empty sack of precious things orriding in a decrepit carriage pulled bychildren In this latter role, he isknown as the Wagon Priest and isequated with the Laughing Buddha,Maitreya, whom he resembles andwho also carries a sack

the sack carried by the god Hotei

the last day of the Festival of the Dead

It is on this day that the spirits whohave returned for the Festival of theDead return to their own realm.Horus Aroeris

Some define this bird as the cuckoowhich acts as a guide to the land of the dead.

[Hotar]

a goddess of sacrifices

a priest performing sacrifices

the canoe of the god Mahi

a Tahitian princesswife of RahiRahi heard a voice singing inside hisdrum and opened it to find Hotu Hivawhom he then married

[Hou-chi.Lord of the Earth.

(Millet) Prince.Prince of the Earth.She.She-chi.

She-tse.T’u]

a culture-heroson of Chiang Yüan

He was the offspring of a virgin birth,conceived when the maiden ChiangYüan trod on the toe (or toe-print) of

a god He taught the people the arts ofagriculture and was later deified as theConfucian god of agriculture

In some accounts, Hou-chi is thegod of millet and Hou-t’u is a separatedeity, god of earth or soil, who later became the goddess Hou-t’u-nai-nai

(see also Hou-t’u Shen)

a spirit master: a priest of voodoo

[Place of Sleep]

the home of Timbehes

a Maori drought-demon or cannibalogress

hound marine

a sea monster, part dog, part fish

Hounds of Gabriel

(see Hounds of Hell)

[Cwn Annwfn.Cwm Mamau.Hounds of Gabriel:=English Yeth Hounds]

a pack of white dogs with red ears These are the hounds of Arawn, thatcame from the underworld, and whichwere chasing the stag that Pwyllclaimed They are the same animalsthat are kept by Gwyn ap Nudd

(see also Wild Hunt)

[Houssain]

brother of Ahmed

He owned the magic carpet featured in

The Arabian Nights.

part of the Mayan underworld, XibalbaHunapu and Ixbalanque spent a nighthere and Hunapu’s head was cut off

by Camazotz

the home of Ra

part of the Mayan underworld, XibalbaHunapu and Ixbalanque spent a nighthere and managed to survive

House of Eternity (see Dar al-Baqa)

part of the Mayan underworld, XibalbaHunapu and Ixbalanque spent a nighthere and managed to survive

part of the Mayan underworld, XibalbaHunhunapu and Vucub Hanapu spent

a night here when they visited Xibalbaand were killed

Hunapu and Ixbalanque, who came

to avenge their deaths, also spent anight here They were given torchesand were told that they would be killed

if the torches went out They survived

by painting red flames to replace thereal ones

House of Illusion

(see Dar al-Ghurur)

part of the Mayan underworld, XibalbaHunapu and Ixbalanque spent a nighthere and were required to producefour vases of flowers if they were to beallowed to survive They did this withthe help of ants after subduing thedemons in the room

the house of Ahriman

the home of the gods of the BellaCoola people

House of Sadness (see Dar al-Huzn)

the home of the righteous dead

House of Temptation

(see Dar al-Ibtila)

House of the Sun

(see Tonatiuhican)

House of the Water (see Tzununiha) House of the West (see Sunsetland)

part of the Mayan underworld, XibalbaHunapu and Ixbalanque spent a nighthere and managed to survive bythrowing bones to the fierce animalsthat appeared

in the lore of Papua, the spirit of

a stillborn or aborted childThese spirits are envisaged as beingabout one foot tall with a long tail andare said to live in the sago swamps

gods of the family, lares and penates

howo

Hsi-fang chi-lo shih-chieh

a Mayan god

one of the Bacabs

He supported the southern corner of

the world (yellow) (see also Cauac)

a Chinaman who lived for 800 years by

drinking the dew from the flowers of

the chrysanthemum

a Navaho ritual chant relating the

a giant acting as gatekeeper

He could adopt the form of an eagle and

caused the winds by flapping his wings

Hrafna Galdur Odins Norse

[Odin’s Raven Spell.The Spell of

king of the dwarfs

father of Fafnir, Otter and Regin

[Hrimfaxe.Hrimfaxi]

the horse drawing the chariot of Nott

[Hrimgerth]

a giantessShe could change her shape and oftenappeared as a mare

[Hrim.Hrym(nir)]

a Frost Giantfather of Frigga, some say

It is said that, at the final battle,Ragnarok, he will build the boat

Naglfar, load the Frost Giants and

pilot the ship to the site of the battle

Hrimthursar (see Frost Giants.giants.

Hrimthurs)

a river of Niflheim, one of the

12 rivers known as Elivagar

one of the men with Flosi whenthey killed the Njalssons and burnttheir house

He was killed during the fight by Njal’sson, Skarp-Hedin

[Hroar.Hrothgar.Hrothulf]

king of Denmarkhusband of Wealtheowfather of Freawaru and RorikThis is the name given to Hrolf Kraki

in Beowulf.

He and his court were the subject ofharassing raids by the monster Grendeland he asked Beowulf for help

a king of Denmark

He was famous for his strength andgenerous nature He owned a magicsword, Skofnung, together with a hawkcalled Habrok and a dog, Garm

(see also Bodvar.Hrodgar)

stories of the exploits of the Danishking, Hrolf Kraki

owner of the sword Mistillteinn

In an alternative telling of the story

of the death of Balder, Bildr and Voli are magicians and both Bildr andHromund are suitors for the hand of

Svanhit Hromund, though wounded,killed Bild and Voli with the

marvellous sword (see also Hoder)

[Eagle’s Ness.Earnaness.an’s Ness Whale’s Ness]

a headlandThis is the place where Beowulf wasburied and where he guides shipsthrough the mists

a name for Odin as ‘arranger of runes’

a swordThis weapon was one of the treasuresguarded by Fafnir

an avatar of Vishnuconsort of Harsa

[Hrungner]

a giantAfter a race in the sky on his horseGullfaxi with Odin riding Sleipnir, hewas entertained by the gods inValhalla

He got drunk and boasted he wouldtake over the whole of Asgard,including Sif, the wife of Thor Thorfought a duel with Hrungnir who was assisted by a nine-mile longmonster, Mokerkialfi His own squire,Thialfi, killed the monster and Thorkilled Hrungnir

a swordThis weapon was given to Beowulf byUnferth for his fight with Grendel andGrendel’s mother It proved uselessagainst these monsters and Beowulfreturned it to Unferth after he haddealt with them (see also Nagelring)

3 celestial beingsThey, with the three brothers Ho,were charged with the responsibilityfor solstices and equinoxes

(see also Hsi-Ho)

the Chinese version of SukhavatiHozanek