Classic Myths Part 9

ECHO, THE AIR MAIDEN

_Greek_

"Grace, you should not try to have the last word. It is a bad habit to get into. Shut your lips and run into another room if you can't stop yourself by any other means."

"Why, auntie, what a funny way to cure me! But I don't see that I need any such thing. Johnny was in the wrong and he knows it."

"You see, you are having the last word now. Do you remember what you heard out by the great rocks the day of the picnic?"

"Oh, that echo! Wasn't it perfect! I said, 'come here,' and it answered, 'here,' just as plainly as one of the girls, and we talked with it ever so long."

"Can you call it answering, Grace? Think what it really did."

"Oh, I know now, but I don't like to tell, because--because it seems a little as you say I do."

"Yes, Grace, and I am going to tell you a story about the very first echo. Please try to remember it and shut your lips and run away whenever you feel like having the last word. Will you, dear?"

"I'll remember the story, anyway," said Grace, as she cuddled down on a footstool at the feet of her aunt.

"This is a sad little story," said her Aunt Kate to her, "and I'm glad it is only a story.

"The first echo was a pretty girl who had only one fault--she would talk too much. She not only talked too much and sometimes, I fear, too loud, but when others tried to say a word, she would begin again and try to outdo them. She loved to tease and to vex people. Still, she was so beautiful that no one could bear to punish her.

"One day Queen Juno came down to earth (you see, Grace, this is one of the old myths) and saucy Echo dared to torment even her. Juno had left her throne in the sky to search for someone Echo knew.

"'Where is he, Echo?' Juno asked.

"'Is he Echo? Oh, no, I am Echo. Did you want me?' the saucy girl answered.

"'How dare you do it?' Juno said.

"'Dare you do it? Oh, yes, I dare do anything. Tell me what to do.'

"'You have dared too much already, silly child, and for punishment you shall lose the use of that tongue of yours, except for the one purpose of answering back. You shall still have the last word, but never again shall you speak first.'

"Just then Iris, Juno's maid of honor, came with a s.h.i.+ning car drawn by two peac.o.c.ks, and away they both went over the rainbow bridge back to Juno's throne.

"Echo in her sorrow ran and hid herself in a cavern.

[Ill.u.s.tration: From the cover of a drinking cup. Echo is seen in the branches. Pan is sitting on the rock.]

"She wandered from cave to cave and rock to rock, always answering back when those who tried to find her called, but never able to tell where she was. She grew thinner and thinner, till at last nothing was left of her but her voice.

"That she will always keep, and try as hard as you may, you can never have the last word with Echo."

IRIS, THE RAINBOW PRINCESS

_Greek_

Queen Juno was the wife of Jupiter, the great king. She lived with her husband in one of the cloud palaces of the sky, lighted by the moon and stars at night and the sun by day.

Juno had many followers who were ready to do her bidding, but she loved best of all her beautiful maid of honor, the princess Iris. No one dared to use the rainbow but Iris, to whom it had been given by Jupiter.

Whenever Iris was in haste to obey Queen Juno's orders, down from the palace she would sail in a chariot drawn by two peac.o.c.ks, and if she wished she might ride all the way over the rainbow.

[Ill.u.s.tration: IRIS. From an ancient fresco.]

Think of the beautiful Iris, wrapped in a fleecy cloud, gliding over this wonderful path in the heavens! Wouldn't it have been a lovely sight to see?

Once Juno sent her all the way to Dreamland to bring to Halcyone, the daughter of Aeolus, a dream of her husband, who was far away on the ocean.

Iris loved to help poor mortals, and tears filled her eyes when she heard how this lonely woman longed to see the one she loved so well.

The clouds caught the tears from the eyes of Iris, and quickly made ready for her the glorious rainbow bridge, reaching from Dreamland to the wonderful Garden of the G.o.ds.

She wrapped herself in a cloud chosen from the sunset and, stepping into her chariot, gave the signal to her birds and drove swiftly down, down to the dim country of the King of Sleep.

Before she could reach the entrance to his palace, she had to drive through field after field of poppies, red as the sunset she had just left in the sky, for poppies give sleep to the people of Dreamland.

Somnus, the King of Sleep, lived in a deep, still cave, so dark that he had never seen the rainbow or the sun. There was no gate; soft black plumes and curtains served as doors. Here in the heart of Dreamland Iris saw all about her strange, beautiful dreams.

There were dreams for children of toys and candies and plays; dreams for men and women of all that they had ever wished for; dreams, dreams, everywhere. But Iris did not like darkness any better than you and I do, and she quickly gave an order for the King of Sleep to send the best dream possible to the anxious Halcyone. Then back she drove over the rainbow bridge, up, up to the bright palace in the clouds.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE HEAD OF IRIS. From a frieze on the Parthenon.]

As soon as she had left the rainbow's track it faded away, but, even before it was out of sight, a dream of her husband had come to Halcyone, and Iris was happy.

Iris loved the water best of all things on earth. She always wore a chain of raindrops for pearls, and a cloud for a robe. She had an army of soldiers by each river bank. Men called the soldiers plants, but their swords were always drawn for Iris, and their stately heads were adorned with her favorite colors.

When you see a group of plants cl.u.s.tered at the water's edge, with their sword-like leaves pointing to the sky, and their great blue flowers looking like a crown, remember that is the flower Iris loved.

THE THUNDER-G.o.d AND HIS BROTHER

_Norse_

Tiu, Ziu, or Tyr, were three names for one of Woden's sons. Tiu was the brother of Thor, and his mother, Frigga, was always proud of his courage in war and of his skill and strength in battle. The soldiers of the Northland cried to him for help as often as they did to his father, Woden.

Tiu's sign was a sword, and the brave old kings of Norway and their followers used to engrave his name upon their bright steel blades that they might please the great warrior who lived in Asgard. It was thought that if Tiu saw his name written in the strange Runic letters he would give his help to the man who honored that name and keep his good sword sharp.