H
Haliartus
An ancient town in Boeotia, south of the lake Copais, destroyed by Xerxes in his invasion of Greece, B. c. 480, but afterwards rebuilt…
Halicarnassus
A maritime city in Asia Minor, where a mausoleum, one of the seven wonders of the world, was erected. It is celebrated as being the…
Halirrhothius
Son of Poseidon (Neptune) and Euryte, attempted to violate Alcippe, daughter of Ares (Mars) and Agraulos, but was slain by Ares. Ares was…
Hannibal (He was engaged in Sicily)
He was engaged in Sicily during the first Punic war. He used to say of his three sons that he kept three lions to devour the Roman power.
Hannibal (Celebrated Carthaginian)
A celebrated Carthaginian general, son of Hamilcar. While a child he took a solemn oath never to be at peace with Rome. His passage of the…
Hasdrubal
A son of Hamilcar and brother of Hannibal. He crossed the Alps and entered Italy, where he was defeated by the consuls, M. Livius Salinator…
Hebe
A daughter of Jupiter and Juno. She was made cupbearer to the gods, but was dismissed from the office by Jupiter, because she fell down in…
Hebron
A city in the south of Judaea, the first capital of the kingdom of David, who reigned there seven and a half years, as king of Judah only.
Hector
Son of King Priam and Hecuba. He was the most valiant of all the Trojan chiefs who fought against the Greeks. He married Andromache, the…
Hecuba
Daughter of Dymas, a Phrygian prince, or, according to some, of Cisseus, a Thracian king, was the second wife of Priam, king of Troy. When…
Helena
One of the most beautiful women of the age in which she lived. Her beauty was so universally admired, even in her infancy, that Theseus…
Helice
Daughter of Lycaon, beloved by Zeus (Jupiter). Hera, out of jealousy, metamorphosed her into a she-bear, whereupon Zeus placed her among…
Helios
Called Sol by the Romans, the god of the sun. He was the son of Hyperion and Thea; and a brother of Selene and Eos. From his father he is…
Hyperionion
Homer describes Helios as rising in the east from Oceanus, traversing the heaven, and descending in the evening into the darkness of the…
Helle
A daughter of Athamas and Nephele. She fled from her father's house to avoid the oppression of her mother-in-law Ino. According to some…
Hellespontus
A narrow strait between Europe and Asia, which received its name from Helle, who is said to have been drowned in it. It is celebrated as…
Heraclitus
A celebrated Greek philosopher of Ephesus, who lived about 500 years before the Christian era. He received the appellation of the Obscure…
Hercules
A celebrated hero who, after death, was ranked among the gods. According to the ancients there were many persons of the same name, but the…
Herminius
A valiant Roman who defended the bridge with Cocles against the army of Porsenna. Lord Macaulay, in his noble prem Horatius, alludes to him…
Hermione
A daughter of Menelaus and Helen. She was privately promised in marriage to Orestes, the son of Agamemnon, but her father, ignorant of the…
Hermodorus
A philosopher of Ephesus who is said to have assisted, as interpreter, the Roman decemvirs in the composition of the ten tables of laws…
Hero
A beautiful girl of Sestos, greatly beloved by Leander, a youth of Abydos. The lovers were greatly attached to each other, and often in the…
Herodes
Surnamed "the Great," followed the fortunes of Brutus and Cassius, and afterward those of Antony. He was made king of Judaea by the aid of…
Herodotus
A celebrated Greek historian and the father of history. Born at Halicarnassus, в. c. 484. He ranks among historians as Homer does among the…
Hesiodus
A celebrated poet, born at Ascra in Boeotia. He lived in the age of Homer, and obtained a poetical prize in competition with him, according…
Hesione
A daughter of Laodemon, king of Troy. It was her fate to be exposed to a sea monster, to whom the Trojans presented yearly a young girl to…
Hesperides
Three Nymphs, daughters of Hesperus. Apollodorus mentions four, Aegle, Erythia, Vesta, and Arethusa. They were appointed to guard the…
Hieronymus
A Christian writer, commonly called St. Jerome. He was distinguished for his zeal against heretics. He wrote commentaries on the prophets…
Hipparchus
A son of Pisistratus, who succeeded his father as tyrant of Athens, with his brother Hippias. He patronized some of the learned men of his…
Hippocrates
A celebrated physician of Cos. He delivered Athens from a dreadful pestilence in the beginning of the Peloponnesian war, for which he was…
Hippocrene
A fountain of Boeotia, near Mount Helicon, sacred to the Muses. It rose from the ground when struck by the feet of the horse Pegasus.
Hippodamia
A daughter of Oenomaus, king of Pisa, who married Pelops, son of Tantalus. Her father would marry her only to someone who should conquer…
Hippolytus
Son of Theseus and Hippolyte. His stepmother Phaedra fell in love with him.
Hipponax
A Greek poet born at Ephesus, 540 years before the Christian era. He cultivated satirical poetry, which was marked by its beauty and vigor…
Homerus
A celebrated Greek poet, the most ancient of all the profane writers. The age in which he lived is not known, though some suppose it to be…
Honorius
An emperor of the Western Empire of Rome, who succeeded his father, Theodosius the Great. He conquered his enemies by the ability of his…
Horae
Daughters of Zeus (Jupiter) and Themis, the goddesses of the order of nature and of the seasons, who guarded the doors of Olympus, and…
Horatii
Three brave Romans, born at the same time, who fought against the three Curiatii about 667 years before Christ. At the beginning of the…
Horatius
See Cocles. Hortensius, Q. A celebrated orator who began A to distinguish himself in the Roman Forum when he was nineteen years old. Cicero…
Hamadryades – Horus
Nymphs who lived in the country and presided over trees. A famous Carthaginian, father of
Hyacinthus
A son of Amyclas and Diomede, greatly beloved by Apollo and Zephyrus. He was accidently killed by Apollo, who changed his blood into a…
Hydra
A celebrated monster which infested the neighborhood of Lake Lerna in Peloponnesus. It was one of the labors of Hercules to destroy the…
Hygeia
The goddess of health, daughter of Aesculapius. She was held in great veneration among the ancients. Hymenaeus or Hymen. The god of…
Hyperion
A son of Coelus and Terra, who married Thea. Aurora was their daughter. Keats has written a magnificent poem entitled Hyperion. Hyperion is…
Hypermnestra
One of the Danaides, who were the fifty daughters of Danaüs. She was ordered by her father to murder her husband Lynceus on the night of…
Hypsipyle
A queen of Lemnos, daughter of Thoas. During her reign, Venus, whose altars had been slighted, punished the Lemnian women by causing their…
Hostilia & Hymettus
A small town in Gallia Cisalpina, on the Po, and on the road from Mutina to Verona; the birthplace of Cornelius Nepos. ; A mountain of…