Collatia
The home city of Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus. When Lucretia was raped, the people of Collatia marched against Rome under the leadership of Brutus, roused the city, and persuaded its inhabitants to bar the city gates against Tarquinius, who was absent laying siege to Ardea. Tarquinius and his sons, better known simply as the Tarquins, fled into exile, and Rome became a republic governed by consuls.
Collatinus, Lucius Tarquinius
Husband of Lucretia. When she was raped by Sextus, the son of Tarquinius Superbus, his people from the city Collatia marched against Rome, forced the Tarquins (Tarquinius Priscus and Tarquinius Superbus) into exile, and so made Rome a republic.
Colon~os, ~us
A hill in Athens, Attica, where Oedipus, exiled from Thebes, found refuge in a grove sacred to the Eumenides. There, while under the protection of Theseus, Oedipus died and was received by the gods. Near the garden of Academia, it was the birthplace of Sophocles and has a temple dedicated to Poseidon. See also: Oedipus
Comus
A son of Circe.
A relatively modern god of mirth.
Concord
The goddess of harmony (known as Concordia to the Romans) to whom a temple was built c. 430 B.C. at Agrigento, Sicily.
Concordia
The Roman equivalent of the Greek Concord, the goddess of concord who had a temple near the Forum.
Consentes, Di
The Di Consentes were the 12 principle Roman deities, derived via the Etruscans from the 12 ancient Greek gods of Olympus. Their statues, six male and six female, stood in the Forum.
Consus
"The Storer"; an ancient nature and agriculture deity worshipped by the early Romans. Practically nothing survives of his ancient mythology. It seems that rather than having a complex mythology, such as would have been current with the Greek deities of the same period, the early Romans were more concerned with practical ritual observances rather than with any religious speculation. Later Consus came to be identified with Poseidon.
The annual harvest festival in Rome was dedicated to Consus, and at one of these festivals, while Sabine visitors had flocked to Rome, Romulus ordered the seizure of the Sabine women in an attempt to equalize the population of Rome in which men far outnumbered women.
Cordus
Surname of Scaevola according to Dionysus of Halicarnassus. Due to a startling similarity of stories, it would appear as if Cordus is a simple derivation of Codrus, a mythical king of Athens.
Core
Also: Kore
"The Maiden"; a title sometimes applied to Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, though some say that this was Persephone’s original name. However, the Achaeans brought with them a young warrior goddess who bore the titles Core, Parthenos, and Pallas, meaning "maiden," "virgin," and "girl." About 1700 B.C. she became identified with an older pre-Hellenic "Palace Goddess" worshipped in Crete; later still she became identified with Athene. It would therefore appear as if Core, when applied to Persephone, was a preservation of this earlier, pre-Hellenic deity all but absorbed into the character of Athene.
Corineus
Greco-Romano-British A giant, the leader of a group of Trojan exiles, renowned as a soldier and giant-killer, who teamed with Brutus and his refugees, sailed to Britain, and received the land of Cornwall, naming it after himself.
Corinth(~os, ~us) Greco-Roman Greek Korinthos. A port in the northeast Peloponnesos, at the southwestern tip of the isthmus that connects the Peloponnesos to the mainland, this rocky isthmus became known as the Isthmus of Corinth. It is today dissected by the Corinth Canal, the 6.5-kilometer (4-mile) waterway that opened in 1893. The ancient city-state of Corinth lies some 7 kilometers (4.5 miles) southwest.
Already a place of commercial importance by the ninth century B.C., Corinth joined the Peloponnesian League at the end of the sixth century B.C. and took a prominent part in the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars. Traditionally a rival of Athens and an ally of Sparta, it did, however, join with Athens, Thebes, and Argos against Sparta during the Corinthian War (395-387 B.C.). In the mid-third century B.C. it was a leading member of the Achaean League. Destroyed by the Romans in 146 B.C. and rebuilt by Julius Caeser in 44 B.C., it was made the capital of the Roman province of Achaea by the Emperor Augustus. St. Paul visited Corinth in 51 A.D. and addressed two of his epistles to its churches, complaining of the licentious ways of the inhabitants. After many changes of ownership the city became a part of independent Greece in 1822.
The chief distinction of the ruins of Corinth is the temple of Apollo, built during the sixth century B.C., of which seven Doric columns still remain. One of the oldest in Greece, it sits high above the town towers named the Akrocorinth, the acropolis of Corinth, which was dedicated to Aphrodite and where her temple once stood, her cult possibly being established at Corinth some time during the eighth century B.C. This acropolis is also the site of Pirene, one of the fountains said to have been created by a stamp of one of Pegasus’s hooves. It was beside this fountain that Bellerophon was said to have captured Pegasus prior to killing the Chimaera.
The quadrennial Isthmian Games were held on the Corinthian isthmus in honor of Poseidon; horse and chariot races were held in his honor, for he was said to have both invented the horse and subsequently taught man how to bridle and tame horses.
Coriolanus, Cnaeus Marcius
Originally simply known as Cnaeus Marcius, he received his cognomen after capturing the town of Corioli (Monte Giove) from the Volscii in 493 B.C. Later this legendary Roman hero was charged with tyrannously opposing the plebians and refusing to give them grain, even though they were starving. Banished from Rome, he returned leading an army of Volscii against the city in 491 B.C. He spared Rome after his wife, Volumnia, and his mother, Veturia, pleaded with him, though some accounts make Volumnia his mother and name his wife as Vergilia. As a result he was killed by the Volscii. This story forms the basis of the play Coriolanus by William Shakespeare.
Cornelii
One of the powerful families that dominated the newly founded Roman republic. The others were the Aemilii, Claudii, Manlii, and Valerii. Each family attempted to increase its status by altering the myths and legends of the time to its own advantage; they left many different versions of what are essentially the same stories.
Cornucopia Greco-Roman Meaning "horn of plenty," the cornucopia is essentially a Greek icon, though the symbolo-gy of the horn that could unceasingly nourish remained in the later Roman tradition. The horn was said to have been created from one of the horns of the she-goat Amalthea that had suckled the infant Zeus in the Dictaean Cave on Crete, where his mother, Rhea, had hidden him away from Cronos, tended by the Curetes, Rhea’s priests, who clashed their weapons together to drown the cries of the baby Zeus. In recognition of the faithful service given to him in his infancy, Zeus transferred Amalthea to the heavens on her death and turned one of her horns into the Cornucopia, which had the power to refill itself with food and drink forever more.
Corona Australis
Astronomical: The "Southern Crown"; to the ancient Greeks this constellation was said to represent the laurel wreath worn by the champions of Greek games. Located in the southern celestial hemisphere, it may be found between approximate right ascensions 17h55m and 19h15m, declination from -37° to -46°.
Corona Borealis
Astronomical: The "Northern Crown"; being the crown of Ariadne, daughter of Minos, it was placed in the heavens by either Dionysos after he had found her abandoned on the island of Naxos and married her, or by sympathetic goddesses after Theseus had left her. Located in the northern celestial hemisphere, this beautiful semicircle of stars may be found between approximate right ascensions 15h15m and 16h25m, declination from +27° to +40°.
Coronis
A nymph; the daughter of Phlegyas. Loved and won by Apollo, who made her pregnant, she was unfaithful to the god and made love to the mortal Ischys. This news was brought to Apollo by a crow the god left behind to watch over her during pregnancy. Apollo already knew of Coronis’s infidelity, cursed the crow for not pecking out Ischys’s eyes, and turned it from white to black. Artemis then killed both Coronis and Ischys with her arrows in sympathy for her brother, but in remorse she rescued Coronis’s body from the funeral pyre and bade Hermes to cut the baby, who was still alive, from her womb. This baby was to become the healer god Asclepios.
An alternative story is told in Epidaurus, where it was said Coronis gave birth to her son, Asclepios, and exposed him on Mount Myrtion, where he was suckled by goats.
Corvus
Two stories revolve around Corvus, both referring to a crow and thus possibly being different renditions of the same tale. In the first, Apollo sent a crow to fetch water for him in his cup, Crater. The crow dawdled and when questioned by Apollo lied to him. In his anger Apollo placed the crow in the sky as the constellation Corvus and next to him placed the cup as the constellation Crater, from which the crow is forever forbidden to drink. In the other story, the crow was placed in the heavens for telling tales; since that time all crows have been black rather than white.
Both stories echo a part of the story of the crow left by Apollo to guard the pregnant Coronis. The first seems to suggest that the crow was not diligent, a factor within the Coronis story, the second that the crow had its color changed from white to black, again a feature of the story of Coronis.
Astronomical: The constellation Corvus is located in the southern celestial hemisphere between approximate right ascensions 11h50m and 12h55m, declination from -12° to -25°.
Corybantes
Generic name applied to priests of Rhea in Phrygia who were noted for their rhythmical dances to drums and cymbals. They appear to have originated as the attendants of the Asiatic mother goddess Cybele, whose cult later became merged with that of Rhea.
Cos
One of the islands of the Sporades off Caria in Asia Minor. Famous in classical times as one of the main cult centers of Asclepios, the remains of the Asclepieion are there on three terraces and include temples and a medical school. Hippocrates was born there c. 460 B.C.
Cottus
One of the Hecatoncheires, the 100-handed, 50-headed, giant sons of Ge and Uranos.
Crater
The cup in which the crow Corvus was sent to fetch water for Apollo. The crow delayed and when questioned by the god lied to him. In anger Apollo placed the crow in the heavens as the constellation Corvus, placing the cup next to him as the constellation Crater, from which the crow is forever forbidden to drink. The constellation Crater has been seen as a cup or goblet in the folklore of many countries and traditions.
Astronomical: A constellation of the southern celestial hemisphere that lies next to that of Corvus, between approximate right ascensions 10h50m and 11h50m, declination from -6° to -25°.
Creon
1. King of Thebes, husband of Eurydice, father of Haemon and Menoeceus, brother of Jocasta/Epicaste, and uncle of Oedipus. After the latter had defeated the Sphinx and unwittingly married his own mother, Creon exiled him at Oedipus’s own request and acted as regent for Oedipus’s two sons, Eteocles and Polyneices, until they quarreled and Poly-neices was exiled as well. In the war of the Seven Against Thebes, Menoeceus was killed and Creon refused burial to Polyneices as a traitor. Antigone, Polyneices’ sister and lover of Haemon, buried her brother, so Creon had her buried alive in a cave, where she hanged herself. Haemon then took his own life, and Eurydice, Creon’s wife, hanged herself. Creon remained king of Thebes until Lycus invaded the city, killed him, and usurped the throne.
2. King of Corinth and father of Glauce, also called Creusa. He raised Alcmaeon’s children, Amphilochus and Tisiphone, but his wife sold Tisiphone into slavery, her unwitting purchaser being none other than her own father, Alcmaeon. He also gave shelter to Jason and Medea after they fled Iolcos. However, Jason fell in love with Glauce and deserted Medea. Medea reacted by sending the young bride a garment that burned her to death, set fire to the palace, and killed Creon as well.
Cressida
A daughter of the Trojan priest Calchas who features mainly in medieval legends of the Trojan War, which tell of her love affair with the Trojan warrior Troilus, one of the sons of the king of Troy, Priam. Her uncle, Pandarus, acted as a go-between for the lovers, but finally she deserted Troilus for the Greek soldier Diomedes.
Cretan Bull
A magnificent white bull that was given to Minos by Poseidon for sacrifice in recognition of Minos’s position as the sole ruler of Crete. Minos was so delighted by the magnificent creature that he substituted an inferior beast for the sacrifice. Later the bull ran savage and ravaged the island until it was captured single-handedly by Heracles as the seventh of his Great Labors. Heracles took it back to Eurystheus, who set it free again. It roamed through Greece to Marathon, where it was captured by Theseus, who took it to Athens to be sacrificed to Athene.
Additional traditions state that, as Minos had substituted an inferior beast for the sacrifice, Poseidon punished him by making his wife, Pasiphae, fall in love with the bull. She had Daedalus construct a wooden cow in which she could lie to mate with the bull, the result of their union being the terrible Minotaur.
Cretan Labyrinth
The labyrinth built for King Minos by Daedalus to hold the Minotaur, into which a yearly tribute of Athenian youths and maidens was sent to be devoured by the beast. On one occasion Theseus, son of Aegeus, joined the tribute and, having gained help from Minos’s daughter, Ariadne, entered the labyrinth, slew the Minotaur, and then fled the island along with Ariadne.
Crete
The largest island that comes under the administrative rule of Greece in the eastern Mediterranean, lying south-southeast of the Greek mainland. Of great historical importance, the island has many connections with classical Greek mythology.
The palace at Knossos, unearthed by Sir Arthur Evans, the excavations starting in 1899, is said to be that of the tyrannical King Minos. This magnificent, unfortified, and labyrinthine palace points to an elegant and highly artistic pre-Hellenic civilization. Archaeological evidence such as this seems to indicate that a highly advanced, pre-Hellenic culture, with many affinities with that of Egypt, existed on Crete between 2500 B.C. and 1400 B.C. A maritime, commercial culture whose sea power made fortification unnecessary, it spread its influence to mainland Greece, where it became known as the Mycenaean culture. Possibly at this time Crete actually exercised some form of suzerainty over the mainland.
Early Cretans probably worshipped a mother goddess served by priestesses, and having many connections with wild beasts, particularly bulls, they worshipped huntress goddesses such as Dictynna and Britomartis. One of the Cretans’ favorite sports appears to have been bullfighting, a fact that lends special significance to many of the Greek myths associated with the island, particularly that of the Minotaur contained within its labyrinth, for these seem to have some historical foundation. It was also the island to which Poseidon sent the magnificent Cretan Bull, and that which the infant Zeus was said to have been raised in secret, suckled by the she-goat Amalthea in the
Dictaean Cave. Such an important myth illustrates the continuing influence that Crete would appear to have had during the Hellenic period.
Cretheus
Founder and king of Iolcos, husband of Tyro and father by her of Aeson. Tyro, prior to her marriage to Cretheus, bore twin boys, Pelias and Neleus, by Poseidon, but she exposed them and they were raised by a horse herd. When she married Cretheus he adopted the children. When Cretheus died, Pelias imprisoned Aeson, expelled Neleus, and usurped the throne.
Creusa
1. Daughter of Creon, the king of Corinth; also known as Glauce. When her father gave shelter to Jason and Medea, Jason fell in love with her and deserted Medea. The sorceress retaliated by giving Creusa a poisoned gown that caught fire when the young bride put it on, burned her to death, set fire to the palace, and killed Creon as well.
2. Daughter of Erechtheus and wife of Xuthus of Aeolia. Her son, Ion, was claimed as the result of a brief union with Apollo, thus enabling the Ionians, who included the Athenians, to claim divine descent. Not wishing to be outdone, Euripides also made her the mother of Dorus and thus gave the other main race of Greeks, the Dorians, a similar claim to divine descent.
3. One of the daughters of Priam, king of Troy, and wife of Aeneas.
Crocus
A youth who fell in love with another named Smilax and was turned into a saffron plant.
Croesus
A historical king of Lydia (c. 560-545 B.C.) who passed into legend. Said to be the richest of all men, he was also extremely pious; he sent many dedications to Delphi and funded the temple of Artemis at Ephesus. On one occasion he was said to have tested the Delphic Oracle by asking it to reveal what he was doing at a particular time. It answered, correctly, that he was boiling a tortoise and a hare in a cauldron. Thenceforth he placed his absolute confidence in the oracle.
Legend says that he was once visited by Solon and told him that he was the happiest of men. Solon replied that no man should be called happy until he was dead. Prior to making war on Persia, Croesus consulted the Delphic Oracle, which said that if he did go to war he would destroy a great Empire. He did—his own. Defeating him, the Persians seated him on a funeral pyre to be burned alive, but Croesus prayed to Zeus, who sent a shower of rain at just the right moment to extinguish the fire, thus saving his life. He was then transported to the land of the Hyperboreans, where he lived out the rest of his days.
Herodotus and Plutarch vary these last events by saying that rather than Zeus intervening, Croesus told the Persian king of his conversation with Solon and, so impressed was the king with this wisdom, that he spared Croesus’s life.
Crommyum
Region of ancient Greece that was, at one time, ravaged by a wild sow. Like many other terrors of that time, the sow was killed by Theseus.
Cron~os, ~us
Also: Kron~os, ~us
The youngest of the Titans, the son of Uranos and Ge, husband of Rhea, and father of Demeter, Hera, Hades, Hestia, Poseidon, and Zeus, equated by the Romans with Saturn. He deposed Uranus as the ruler of the universe by castrating him using a flint sickle his own father had given him. Drops of blood from this wound fell onto Mother Earth, and she bore as a result the three Erinnyes or Eumenides, the Furies Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megaera. From drops of blood that fell into the sea, Aphrodite was born.
For a brief moment while Cronos seized power, the Cyclopes enjoyed freedom, being released by the Titans, but he soon sent them back to Tartarus, along with the giants known as the Hecatoncheires. Having married his sister, Rhea, and mindful of the curse of Uranos and Ge that he would also be deposed by one of his own children, he swallowed each in turn as they were born. Tiring of this, Rhea substituted a stone for the baby Zeus, who was, according to Minoan tradition, raised in the Dictaean Cave on Crete, suckled by the she-goat Amalthea while the Curetes clashed their weapons together to mask the sound of the baby’s cries.
When Zeus came of age he consulted Metis (some sources say they married), the daughter of Oceanos, and with Rhea’s help gave Cronos a potion that made him first disgorge the stone that had been substituted for him at his birth followed by his other children—Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. They joined forces with Zeus in a battle against their father and the other Titans, who were led by Atlas.
This war, known as the Titanomachia, waged for ten years in Thessaly until finally Ge promised Zeus victory if he would release the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires from Tartarus, which he did. In return the Cyclopes gave Zeus a thunderbolt, Hades a helmet of darkness, and Poseidon a trident. With the aid of these weapons the three brothers overcame Cronos while the Hecatoncheires stoned the other Titans. Thus defeated, they were consigned either to Tartarus or to an island in the west, where they were guarded by the Hecatoncheires. Atlas was punished for leading the Titans by being made to carry the sky on his shoulders, but the Titanesses were spared, even though they had taken part in the battle. Thus the prophecy of Uranos and Ge came to fruition, and Zeus superseded his father as the supreme ruler of the universe.
Cumae
Greco-Roman Port near Naples, Italy. The site of the earliest Greek colony in Italy, it was settled from Chalcis c. 750 B.C. It became a great colonizing power in its own right and featured in some notable legends. Having escaped from Minos, Daedalus was supposed to have landed at Cumae before having to flee again from the pursuing king. It is, however, best known as the location of the sibyl whose counsel was sought by Aeneas. She told him to arm himself with the Golden Bough from a wood near Lake Avernus, then led him down into the Underworld to consult with his father’s spirit.
Cupid
Also: Amor
God of love, the son of Venus who corresponded to the Greek Eros. Usually depicted as a beautiful, naked, winged boy carrying a bow and arrows, which he used to make gods and mortals alike either fall in love with each other or refute that advances of another. The youngest and most mischievous of the gods, he played many wanton tricks on mortals and immortals and was an attendant figure in much Roman love poetry and sculpture.
