Bulfinch’s Mythology · Chapter
I explained
This chapter is a glossary of mythological and legendary figures, places, and concepts, providing brief definitions and contexts for entries from Iapetus to Ixion.
What happens
This chapter is a glossary of mythological and legendary figures, places, and concepts, providing brief definitions and contexts for entries from Iapetus to Ixion.
Characters to notice
- King Arthur
Mentioned as son of Uther and Igerne.
- Niobe
Referenced as mother of Ilioneus, one of her sons slain by Apollo.
- Ulysses
Mentioned in connection with Ismarus, his first stop returning from the Trojan War.
- Tristram
Referenced as beloved of Isoude the Fair and married to Isoude of the White Hands.
- Aeneas
Mentioned as father of Iulus.
Key passages
“Icarus (Icˈa-rus), son of Daedalus, he flew too near the sun with artificial wings, and, the wax melting, he fell into the sea.”
Icarus, Daedalus's son, soared too close to the sun on man-made wings; the wax melted, and he plunged into the sea.
Classic tale of overreaching ambition.
“Ixion (Ix-iˈon), once a sovereign of Thessaly, sentenced in Tartarus to be lashed with serpents to a wheel which a strong wind drove continually around.”
Ixion, former king of Thessaly, was condemned in Tartarus to be bound to a wheel, whipped by serpents and ceaselessly spun by a fierce wind.
Punishment for his crimes, often associated with hubris.