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In Roman mythology, Abundantia was a minor goddess of luck, abundance and prosperity. She distributed food and money from a cornucopia. She survived into French folklore as Lady Hobunde. (Corn sheaf, Cornucopia ("horn of plenty"), Charity/children, Rudder as symbol of grain harvest which mostly came to Rome by boat)
Preparations for the descent to the Underworld. Aeneas and his men land at Cumae. While they busy themselves with fire and food, Aneas goes to the temple of Apollo and consults the prophetic Sibyl.
She tells of a bleak future in cryptic terms, but at the same time grants Aeneas' wish to descend to the Underworld and visit his dead father. Aeneas returns to the beach to find one of his followers, Misenus dead. The search for the Golden Bough, the talisman to which the Sybil; has directed Aeneas, the burial of Misenus and the sacrifice to the gods of the Underworld, all complete the ritual preparations for the descent.
In Greek Mythology Aeolus was the Keeper of the Winds and by some accounts he was married to Eos, the goddess of the dawn. Their four children were the four Winds: Zephyrus, Notus, Boreas, Eurus.
More on Aeolus 1) 2) 3)
In Greek mythology, Aethra was a daughter of King Pittheus of Troezena and, with Aegeas, or in some versions, Poseidon, mother of Theseus.
More on Aethra: 1) 2) 3)
At Issus, on the Mediterranean coast just north of Syria, Alexander
met and defeated Darius' army again. Darius fled eastward through
Mesopotamia, leaving behind his family, his harem and his treasury.
Alexander treated Darius' family and harem with tact and courtesy.
And, with this victory, Alexander now considered himself king of
Asia.
More on Alexander's generosity
1)
2)
Alligator, see Caiman.
Altar.
1)
Vestal Virgins.
(0042, 0042.2 symb)
Anchor.
1) Hope (0047 symb). The Anchor, partly hidden by her robes, is
derived from St Paul who said of hope (Heb. 6:19), ‘It is like an
anchor for our lives…it enters in through a veil.’ (Hall, 1979).
2) Clement (Pope).
3) Nicholas of Myra (Bishop).
In Greek mythology, Andromeda was the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, king and queen of Ethiopia. Cassiopeia had bragged that she was more beautiful than the Nereids (water-nymphs), and so in revenge, Poseidon sent a flood and a sea monster to plague the land. Cepheus then consulted the oracle of Ammon, and was told that he had to sacrifice his daughter to the sea monster in order for the problem to end. His people forced him to comply with the oracle, and he chained Andromeda to a rock by the sea. She was rescued by Perseus who killed the monster and then married Andromeda. One of their children, Perses, became the ancestor of the kings of Persia.
Andromeda is Greek for "ruler of men". She is represented in the northern sky by the constellation Andromeda which contains the Andromeda Galaxy.
More on Andromeda: 1) 2)
Animals.
1) Orpheus playing music for the animals. (0043 symb)
Apollo is the god of prophecy, of musical and artistic inspiration, of archers and of healing.
Lyre, Bow, Quiver, sun-god's Halo. driving a Chariot as sun-god, Crown of laurel leaves, shepherds Crook, Swan, Globe, Wolf. Python (dragon),
Apollo and the Python.
In his youth, Apollo killed the vicious dragon Python, which lived in Delphi beside the Castalian Spring because Python had attempted to rape Leto while she was pregnant with Apollo and Artemis.This was the spring which emitted vapors that caused the Oracle at Delphi to give her prophesies. Apollo killed Python but had to be punished for it, since Python was a child of Gaia.
More on Apollo 1)
1) Aphrodite/Venus. She holds only one, identified as the apple of Eris (Conflict), which bore the legend "To the most beautiful (goddess)". Paris awarded this apple to Aphrodite, rather than either of her competitors for the title, Athene and Hera, an incident which triggered the Trojan War.
But the ancient Greeks saw apples as suitable love gifts, and perhaps Aphrodite's apple originally simply referred to this, with a possible oblique reference to the shape of a woman's breasts.
2) Atlas. This giant helped Heracles fetch the apples of the Hesperides (see below).
3) Heracles/Hercules. Sometimes he holds a few apples, identified with those of the Hesperides. Fetching these fruits from an island in the far west was one of the heroic feats he had to perform.
4) Three Graces.
5) Paris.
6) Vigilance.
This often represents that of the Hesperides. Cf. apple(s). Therefore the following people tend to be near:
1) Atlas.
2) Heracles/Hercules.
3) The Hesperides, or one or two of these.
Arion was a legendary poet in ancient Greece (originally of Lesbos) who lived in the court of Periander, tyrant of Corinth, Greece.
Dolphin, Lye, Lira di Braccio a Viol type insrtument, Laurel wreath, Boat in background.
More on Arion 1) 2) 3)
Artemis devoted herself to the chase. She also
discovered how to effect the healing of young children, and the foods
which are suitable to the nature of babes. Goddess of the hunters, and
watcher over streets and harbours. She became identified with
Luna/Selene.
(bow, quiver, spear, deer, stag, dog, chariot drawn by stags horses or
nymhps, crescent moon, as Chasity she carries a shield to protect her
against Love's arrows,)
Wife of Mausolus, the satrap of Caria in Asia Minor. She succeeded her husband on his death in 353 B.C., and erected a great monument to his memory at Halicarnassus - hence 'mausoleum'. It was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was said that she mixed the ashes of Mausolus in liquid which she then drank, thereby, observes Valerius Maximus, making of herself a living, breathing tomb (4:6). Artemisia symbolizes a widow's devotion to her husband's memory. In Renaissance painting she is depicted holding a cup or a goblet, or perhaps with an urn inscribed 'Mausolus'. (0018 symb)
Asclepius is the god of healing. (The main attribute of Asclepius is a physician's staff with an Asclepian snake wrapped around it. Not to be confused with a Caduceus which is the attribute of Hermes/Mercury)
Tale by Francois Rene Vicomte de Chateaubriand 'Atala or the love of two savages in the dessert', 1801. Love story of Chactas, a young Natchez Indian, and Atala, the daughter of a Spaniard and a Christian Indian woman. Chactas is taken prisoner during a tribal dispute and is chosen to be sacrified. Atala who is the adoptive daughter of the tribal chief, has secretly met him and fallen in love with him. In order to protect his life she sets him free.
After the rescue they live in a small Christian village for which a hermit is the priest.
Atala, who had given her mother the promise to remain a virgin, is torn by her new feelings and commits suicide. The inconsolable Chactis and the hermit, start a heart breaking song and bury the beautiful virgin at sunset (Nh p.144-145).
A feather crown is symbolizing Atala's status as 'daughter' of the tribal chief. Chactas' dark skin is his exotic trademark, as is the palm tree.
1) Some
say that the Titan Atlas worked out the science of astrology and
discovered the spherical nature of the stars. But he is best known
for bearing on his shoulders the pillars which keep earth and heaven
apart. This burden, a heavy one and difficult to grasp, is the
punishment Zeus imposed on him for having been the leader of the
TITANS during their war against the OLYMPIANS [see Titanomachy]. And
Atlas, they say, though pre-eminent in strength, moans as he holds
the vault of the sky on his back.
2) Atlas is a scion
of the Titans, the Greek race of giants, and the son of Iapetus and
the nymph Clymene. He is the father of the Hesperides, the Hyades
and the Pleiades. He was also thought to be the king of legendary
Atlantis ("Land of Atlas").
In the revolt of the Titans against
the gods of the Olympic, Atlas stormed the heavens and Zeus punished
him for this deed by condemning him to forever bear the heavens upon
his shoulders. Hence his name, which means "bearer" or "endurer".
To complete the eleventh of his twelve labors, Heracles had to
obtain the golden apples of the Hesperides, and he asked Atlas for
help. Heracles offered to bear Atlas's burden in his absence, when
he went to retrieve the apples. Atlas agreed to perform the task
readily enough, since he did not plan on ever bearing that burden
again. When Atlas returned with the apples, Heracles requested him
to assume the load for a moment, saying he needed to adjust the pad
to ease the pressure on his shoulders. After Atlas bore the heavens
again, Heracles walked off with the golden apples.
When Atlas
refused to give shelter to Perseus, the latter changed Atlas into
stone, using Medusa's head. On the place where Atlas stood, now lie
Mount Atlas (north-western Africa). In art, Atlas is usually
depicted as a man bearing a globe.
More on Atlas
One of the major deities of ancient Greece and Rome, and, like Apollo, a benevolent and civilizing influence. In Greek mythology she was the daughter of Jupiter (Zeus), and sprang fully armed from his head. The familiar figure with spear, shield and helmet (symb. 0011), the patroness of institutions of learning and the arts, seen in civic heraldry, sculpture and painting, is only one of her many aspects. In an early form she was a war goddess, hence her weapons. The serpent-haired head of Medusa was given to her by Perseus after she had helped him to slay his monsters. In antique art the head appears on her 'aegis', or goatskin cloak, which is also fringed with serpents. Later, it decorates her shield. As a war goddess Minerva fights for the defence of just causes, not, like Mars, for the sake of destruction.
Minerva was was the guardian of other heroes besides Perseus. She was the patroness of Athens, and the Parthenon was her temple. Like Diana she was a virgin goddess, though she was not without suitors, among them the smith-god Vulcan (Hephaestus). She was the patroness of many household crafts, especially spinning and weaving, and invented the flute. But above all, the Greeks and Romans, the Renaissance and later, she was the goddess of wisdom. In this role, her owl, sacred to her in antiquity, is perched near her, often on a pile of books, symbols of learning. The snake was associated with the Greek Athena at the beginning of her cult. Its association with wisdom, or prudence, comes from Matt. 10:16, 'Be ye therefore wise as serpents'. Its first use in connection with Minerva, in this specific sense, seems to be in Renaissance allegory, where the goddess personifies wisdom. She may have an olive branch, also sometimes a symbol of wisdom.
1) Prometheus. And when the time
came for the birth to take place,
Prometheus (or else
Hephaestus) smote the head of
Zeus with
an axe, and Athena, fully armed, came out of the top of his head at
the river Triton in Libya. This is how Athena was born, but the
Libyans say otherwise.
2) Athena.
1) Chronos (0062 symb).
Ball.
1) Alexander the Great. The god like conquerer is shown as a young
student. According to tradition Alexander used to hold a ball in his
hand an when it slipped into a metal basin because his hand tired, the
noise would wake him. (0027 symb).
1) Ceres (0008 symb).
Basin, metal.
1) Alexander the Great. The god like conquerer is shown as a young
student. According to tradition Alexander used to hold a ball in his
hand an when it slipped into a metal basin because his hand tired, the
noise would wake him (0027 symb).
The Roman goddess of war, popular among the Roman soldiers. She accompanied Mars in battle, and was variously given as his wife, sister or daughter. Bellona's attribute is a sword and she is depicted wearing a helmet and armed with a spear and a torch. She could be of Etruscan origin, and is identified with the Greek Enyo.
1) Symbol of the soul in Ancient Egypt. In pagan antiquity it signified the soul of man that flew away at his death, a meaning that is retained in the Christian symbol. It is generally seen in the hand of the infant Christ, and is most commonly a goldfinch.
2) Juno. Symbol of air, one of the Four Elements; attribute of Juno when personifying Air.
3) Attribute of Touch, one of the Five Senses.
4) Allegorie of Spring, one of the Four Seasons. Birds are caged, snared, tamed on a string.
5) Herculus shooting down the monstrous Stymphalian birds.
6) Symbol of innocence (0001 symb).
7) A Crow as symbol of hope, because it calls 'cras cras' i.e. 'tomorrow tomorrow' in Latin.
Bird, dead
1) Symbol of lost innocence. Depicted as a girl mourning over its lost innocence (0001 symb).
Blow-pipe.
1)
Vestal Virgins.
(0042.2 symb)
Boat.
1) Amor and Chronos (Love and Time). Chronos is sitting in a boat,
which is steered by Amor, and has his head lowered in a
contemplative manner. The composition was inspired by a popular song
by Joseph-Alexandre de Segur (1757-1805) where Amor is singing: “See
young shepards and shepardesses – how love lets tim fly”. The song
ends with the triumph of Chronos: “I sing in my own way the old
refrain of wisdome: Ah! Le temps fait passer l’Amour – time lets
love pass” (Nh p. 43) (B0004 symb).
A common attribute of the Virtues personified:
1) the Seven Liberal Arts, especially Rhetoric ('Cicero'), and Grammar whose pupils bend over their books.
2) Philosophy, with a sceptre in her other hand.
3) History, who writes in a book. (0016 symb)
4) the Muses (Urania) (0013 symb), especially Clio (history: 'Herodotus', 'Thucydides') and Calliope (epic poetry: 'Iliad', 'Oddyssey', 'Aeneid').
5) Melancholy, one of the Four Temparaments may be surrounded by books.
6) Paolo and Francesca. Lovers sharing a book.
7) Scipio. A book and a sword offered to a warrior asleep under a tree.
8) Alchemist. The Alchemist may pore over a book in his workshop.
9) Woman reading a book: “Pendulum clock a la Geoffrin”. An allegorical portrait of Madame Geoffrin, who ran an important salon and who had been painted on the pose of a student by Nattier in 1738. Diderot called the pedulum clock “Pendulum clock a la Geoffrin”. The popular mold was recast numerous times over a period of three decades, one of the earliest casts is in th Wallace collection and dates from circa 1768. (B0002 symb)
1) Apollo.
2) Artemis/Diana. (0015, 0034 symb)
3) Eros/Cupid/Amor (0019 symb). Amor carving his bow out of Hercules' club (0054 symb). Amor sharpening his love arrows (symb 0055).
4) Heracles/Hercules. Cf. club.
5) America. One of the Four Parts of the World, personified as a female figure with a naked upperbody (crown of feathers, skirt of feathers, caiman, palm tree). (0026 symb)
1) Dionysus/Bacchus. His bowl has often two ears, and is of a kind used in ceremonial contexts.
2) Maenad/Bacchante. (0037, 0039 symb).
3) Ganymede. He waited at the gods' table; his bowl, too, is a drinking vessel.
4) Hestia/Vesta. It is understood in this case that the bowl contains embers or ashes from her hearth.
5) Filled with sacrifice gifts: Vestal Virgins (0042 symb).
6) Zeus in scenes depicting his sacred marriage to Hera may hold a large bowl. It is probably implied that he and she will ritually drink from it during the ceremony.
7) Artemisia. (0018 symb).
8) Hebe, with jug and or bowl (cup) and eagle.
1) Maenad/Bacchante. The Bacchantes belong to the followers of Dionysus/Bacchus, the god of wine and intoxication. Their drunkness is made clear by their unstable stance and their breasts, bared in their wild dance. (0037, 0039 symb).
2) Cimon and Pero, Breast-feeding. See: Roman Charity. More 2)
3) Hera was deceived into breast-feeding baby Herakles, and he bit down with his powerful teeth, injuring her breast. When she threw him down, he spewed a mouthful of milk, which is still visible today as the Milky Way in the sky. More 1)
Spear, Shield with union jack, Crown, Lion. Sword, Trident
1) Europa. Zeus fell in love with her, disguising himself as a bull. Beguiled by the bull’s good nature, she garlanted its horns with flowers and climbed upon it’s back (floral garland). Europa is usually shown riding on the bull. According to Robert Graves, "Europa", which may mean "broad face", is a cow's name, and the story may originally have been about a sacred encounter between a cow goddess and a bull god. (0028 symb)
2) Mithras. The central myth where this god figures is about his killing a bull. Most Mithras representations show him sitting on top of this animal, running his sword into it.
3) Theseus & Minotaur. In Greek mythology, the Minotaur was a monster, half man and half bull, offspring of Pasiphae, wife of King Minos of Crete, and a bull. It lived in the Labyrinth at Knossos, and its victims were seven girls and seven youths, sent in annual tribute by Athens, until Theseus killed it, with the aid of Ariadne, the daughter of Minos. More: Theseus, Minotaur, Theseus and Minotaur.
4) Theseus & Bull of Marathon.
Theseus seized the bull of Marathon, which was causing a lot of damage in Attica.
Aethra gave birth to Theseus, who came of age and set off for Athens with the sword and sandals, encountering and defeating six murderous adversaries along the way. When Theseus reached Athens, Medea, the wife of Aegeus, persuaded Aegeus to kill the as of yet unrecognized Theseus by having him attempt to capture the savage Marathonian Bull. Theseus does the unexpected and succeeds, so Medea tells Aegeus to give him poisoned wine. Aegeus recognizes Theseus' sword as he is about to drink and knocks the goblet from his lips at the last second.
Butterfly.
1) Psyche/symbol of the soul. The Greek name for a butterfly is
Psyche, and the same word means the soul.
(0025 symb).
Butterfly wings.
1) Psyche. The Greek name for a butterfly is Psyche, and the same word
means the soul. (0051 symb).
The Minotaur is equipped with one, though the rest of him is human.
1) Asclepius/Aesculapius. His staff has one snake only. The god represented healing, as did the snake—that they shed their sloughs and survive was regarded as an instance, or symbol, of rejuvenation, regeneration, and immortality. Also today, the one-snake staff is an emblem of medicine.
2) Hermes/Mercury. His staff is that of a herald, and moreover entwined with two snakes. Although that of Asclepius only has one, it is easy to suspect that these two staffs originally were the same.
Hermes, who conducted souls to the Underworld, might have been felt in need of such a regenerative object. His snakes are often so stylized that they resemble an upright figure of eight.
Caiman.
1) America. One of the Four Parts of the World, personified as a
female figure with a naked upperbody (crown of feathers, skirt of
feathers, bow and arrows, palm tree).
(0026 symb)
Sword, laurel, helmet, shield,
More on Camillus: 1) 2)
The marriage at Cana is the scene of Christ's first miracle when he turned water into wine at the marriage feast in Cana. Christ is seated at the right; next to him is his mother, Mary, who had told the servants to do Christ's bidding. Christ asked to have six stone jars filled with water which, when tasted, was found to be wine of the finest quality.
Jars, cup, bowl, glass,
Cannon.
1)
Bellona.
(0044 symb)
1) Castor and Polydeuces/Pollux.
2) Ganymede.
3) Hephaestus/Vulcan.
4) Mithras. (Sometimes this god instead wears a crown or halo with rays emanating from it.)
Medea, who rejuvenated a ram in a cauldron of boiling water. (This may be the origin, or one origin, of the traditional cauldron used by witches.)
The triomphal car which carries a mythical, allegorical or historical figure, is generally drawn by two or sometimes more creatures of an appropriate kind.
- Angels draw the Chariot of Eternity.
- An ass that of Silenius.
- Butterflies: Amor (0004.5 symb); Amor and Psyche (0004.6 symb).
- Centaurs: Bacchus.
- Cocks: Mercury.
- Dogs: Vulcan.
- Dolphins: Galatea.
- Doves: Venus; Amor (0004.7 symb).
- Dragons: Ceres.
- Eagles: Jupiter.
- Elephants: Fame (one of the Triumphs of Petrarch).
- Goats: Bacchus and Cupid.
- Horses: Four horses draw the Chariot of: a. Apollo (the quadriga) (0004 symb), b. Helios the Sun, c. Phaeton (0004.4 symb) d. Aurora, e. Cupid;
Horses draw the Chariot of: e. Diana/Luna (2), f. Night (2), g. Pluto (3), h. Armida.
- Leopards: Bacchus.
- Lions: Cybille, Cybele. Nike.
- Oxen: a. Death, b. Demeter/Ceres (0004.3 symb).
- Peacocks: Juno.
- Putti: Flora
- Stags (Deers): Diana (0004.2 symb) and Father Time (Chronos).
- Storks: Mercury.
- Swans: Venus.
- Tigers: Bacchus.
- Unicorns: Chastity.
- Wolves: Mars.
- Chariot, wrecked: Phaeton. (0004.4 symb).
The Thriuph of Flora. Atriuphal procession led by Venus in which Flora takes part. Flora rides on a chariot drawn by putti.
See also Phaeton and Helios (Apollo).
When the aged Cimon was forced to starve in prison before his execution, his devoted daughter Pero secretly visited her father to nourish him at her own breast. In his Memorable Acts and Sayings of the Ancient Romans, the ancient Roman historian Valerius Maximus, Pero's selfless devotion was presented as the highest example of honoring one's parent.
1) Athena/Minerva as warrior goddess (0033 symb).
2) Bellona (0044 symb).
Myth of a Greek God,
Saturn (Chronos)
1) The early history of Greece is just a
mass of legends wherein history and fable blend inextricably and
facts loom doubtfully. The earliest of the legends deal with the
gods, and of these gods we are told that the first of all, creator
of all things, was Uranus, or heaven, who had for wife Gaea, or
earth. To these two were born many children, chief of whom was
Saturn, or Chronos, the god of time, from whom come our words
chronology, chronometer, etc.
Chronos rebelled against his
father and deposed him; or, in other words, active, swift-flying
time took the place of immovable eternity. During the reign of
Chronos men were born and peopled the earth. Then Chronos was in his
turn dethroned by his son Zeus, or Jupiter, the thunderer, the god
who typifies the rule of intellect over mere earthly force. Thus
Chronos in his old age was exiled from heaven, the region of the
gods, and dwelt on earth among men. He made his home in Italy, where
he taught men so much that they all lived in peace and wisdom and
ever after looked back to the time of Chronos as "the golden age."
2) In the ancient Greek literature, Chronos is the
personification of time. He is usually portrayed as an wise, old man
with a long, gray beard (Father Time). Chronos is often mistaken for
the Titan Cronus.
Hall (under Scythe):
1) Saturn/Cronus. Attribute of Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture,
and of the old Greek god Cronus, with whom he became identified. Cronus castrated the aged Uranus with a sickle.
2) Cronus/Father time. It was from Cronus that Father Time
acquired his scythe which cuts life short.
Hall (under Father Time). The familiar figure
with Scythe and Hour-glass, generally winged and nude except for a
loin-cloth. He may have a Crutch and sometimes a Snake with tail in
his mouth. Father Time's origins are curious. the classical
personification of Time had none of the well-known attributes. But
it came about that the Greeks confused their word for 'time'
chronos, with their old god of agriculture Cronus, who a sickle
for attribute, and this in due course became the scythe of Father
Time. The Romans indentified Cronus with their Saturn who, as a god
of agriculture, also had a sickle. As an aged deity Saturn had a
crutch which Father Time likewise acquired.
(Niehüser, p.7 onder ill.3) The god of time represents several
elements: Chronos, the Greek term for "time", Kronos, who is the powerful father of gods and human beings in Greek mythology, and
his Roman counterpart, Saturn, the old, bearded god of agriculture
who has the scythe as attribute. As a result, Chronos, the God of
Time, has very diverse charateristics: he is the "Father of all
things" (Pindar, Olymp., II, 32) and he is the cruel Kronos, who
devoured his own children - time destroys everything initially
created (Therefor the idiom "the ravages of time"). He terminates
life with his scythe and therefor is also the god of death.
-bearded (winged) old man
-veil over his head
-crutch
-scythe
-sickle
-hour glass
-his chariot drawn by stags
-Ouroboros (snake biting its tail)
-devouring his own children
2) Eos/Aurora. In Greek mythology the goddess of the dawn. The clouds of night roll away and the horizon lightens (symb 40A-C).
1) Heracles/Hercules. He also sports a bow and arrows, and is sometimes depicted with all this equipment. (0009 symb)
2) Omphale/Iole. After one year as slave and lover in the service of the Lydian queen Omphale, the invincible Hercules is effeminated, that he hands her his lion skin and his weapon, the much feared club. (0009.2 symb).
3) Amor, carving his bow out of Hercules' club. Amor vincit omnia (0054 symb).
This bird, which crows at daybreak, was linked with dawn and morning (0020 symb). Paradoxically, it may have been for this very reason that it was an emblem of some Underworld deities—as a kind of insurance or defence against the nether powers? In the Christian era, the cockerel became a symbol of resurrection, and it is therefore sometimes placed on church spires.
1) Core/Persephone/Proserpina.
2) Ganymede. A man who died young and unmarried could be seen as a "Ganymede", abducted for homosexual purposes by the chthonic version of Zeus, as Ganymede in the myth was abducted by Olympic Zeus. In the former case, the "Ganymede" may hold a cockerel. Though this has been explained as a love gift, it seems more likely that the bird constituted a defiance and a promise of eventual defeat of the destructive powers.
3) Hades/Pluto. The cockerel, which he may hold in his lap, makes Hades an ambiguous character. Death implies immortality; "To conquer death, you only have to die" (Jesus Christ Superstar).
4) Aurora (symb 0020).
5) Mercury. whose chariot they draw.
6) Lust. (Luxury, Libido) personified. (he-Goat, boar, pig, hare,
mirror, ape).
The Roman goddess of concord. She was worshipped in many temples, but the oldest was on the Forum Romanum and dates back to 367 BCE and was built by Camilus. The temple also served as a meeting-place for the Roman senate. Concordia is portrayed sitting, wearing a long cloak and holding a sacrificial bowl in her left hand and a cornucopia in her right. Sometimes she can be seen standing between two members of the Royal House who clasp hands.
1) Urania, the Muse of Astronomy, and the personification of Astronomy, one of the Seven Liberal Arts (0013 symb)
2) Geometry. one of the Seven Liberal Arts, and Euclic, its historical representative.
3) Justice, with scales and sword.
4) Maturity, one of the Ages of Man.
5) Melancholy (books, skull, other geometrical instruments), one of the Four Temperaments.
6) Prudence (snake, mirror).
Dividers held by the sitter in a portrait identify him as an architect or navigator. In Renaissance and baroque themes the may denote an artist (from is command of geometry and perspective).
Abundance
1) Annona, who personified the Roman corn supply.
2) Roman lares (protective, perhaps ancestral spirits of the home, fields, crossroads, &c.).
3) Liber, who represented fertility and vegetation. (He could be identified with Bacchus.)
4) Various river gods (because rivers make the surrounding land fertile).
5) Tyche/Fortuna.
6) Pomona, Fruit, Vertumnus disguised as an old woman unmasking himself (Vertumnus and Pomona)
7) Ceres (symb 0017)
8) Europe
9) Abundance
Crocodile, see Caiman.
1) Vigilance
A crook is a staff, curved into a hook at one end, as used by shepherds and bishops or abbots.
Apollo, Pan, Argus, Polyphemus (Galathea), Christ (adoration of de shepherds).
1) Hera/Juno.
2) Zeus/Jupiter (0022, 0031 symb).
3) Europe. As Queen and one of the four parts of the World. (sceptre, horse, cornucopia)
4) Philosophy, may be with three heads.
Crown, turreted.
1) Rhea. This crown me