Dietrich of Berne (Verona) bears some very slight resemblance to Theodoric, the Ostrogoth, who, between 493 and 526 A.D., ruled from Italy what had been the Western Empire. In these poems, however, his earlier illustrious career is overlooked; he is merely a refugee in the court of the Hunnish king; and, even so, is confounded with uncles of his who had been retainers of Attila: for the historic Theodoric was not born until two years after the historic Attila's death.

These historic figures were, of course, merely suggestions for, or contributions to, the great heroes of the epics, not prototypes; the same is true of any apparently confirmed historic forerunners of Brynhild, or Gudrun, or Kriemhild. The mythological connection of these epics with the Norse myths of the seasons, Sigurd being Balder of the spring, and Hogni Höder of winter and darkness, is ingenious; but, except as reminding us of the mythic material which the bards were likely to recall and utilize, it is not of material worth.

In the Norse version, the name Niblung is interchangeable with the patronymic Giuking, it is the name of the family that ruins Sigurd. But, in the German version, the name is of purely mythical import: the Nibelungs are not a human race; none but Siegfried may have intercourse with them. The land of the Nibelungs is equally vague in the German poem; it is at one time an island, again a mountain, and in one manuscript it is confounded with Norway. But mythically it is connected with Niflheim, the kingdom of Hela, the shadowy realm of death. The earth, that gathers to her bosom the dead, cherishes also in her bosom the hoard of gold. Naturally, therefore, the hoard is guarded by Alberic, the dwarf, for dwarfs have always preferred the underworld. So (according to Werner Hahn, and others) there is a deep mythical meaning in the Lay of the Nibelungs: beings that dwell far from the light of day; or that, possessing the riches of mortality, march toward the land of death.

A FEW

RULES FOR THE ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION

OF

GREEK AND LATIN PROPER NAMES.

[These rules will cover most cases, but they are not intended to exhaust the subject. The reader is referred to the Latin grammars and the English dictionaries.]

I. Quantity. The reader must first ascertain whether the second last syllable of the word is long. In general a syllable is long in quantity:

(1) If it contain a diphthong, or a long vowel: Bau-cis, Ac-tae-on, Me-tis, O-ri-on, Flō-ra.

(2) If its vowel, whether long or short, is followed by j, x, or z, or by any two consonants except a mute and a liquid: A'-jax, Meg-a-ba-zus, A-dras'-tus. Note (a). Sometimes two vowels come together without forming a diphthong. In such cases the diæresis is, in this volume, used to indicate the division; e.g. Men-e-la'üs, Pe-nē'üs.

-

Note (b). The syllable formed by a short vowel before a mute with / or r, is sometimes long and sometimes short; eg. Cle-o-pa'-tra, or Cle-op'-ă-tra; Pa-tro'-clus, or Pat'-ro-clus.

(1) The accent may be principal, or subordinate: Hel2-les-pon'-tus.

(2) The principal accent falls on the second last syllable (penult): Amphi-tri'-te; or on the third last syllable (antepenult): Am-phit'-ry-on.

(a) In words of two syllables, it falls on the penult: Cir'-ce.

(b) In words of more than two syllables, it falls on the penult when that syllable is long; otherwise, on the antepenult: Æ-ne'-as, Her'-cu-les.

(3) The subordinate accent:

(a) If only two syllables precede the principal accent, the subordinate accent falls on the first syllable of the word: Hip2-po-crē'ne.

(b) If more than two syllables precede the principal accent, the laws governing the principal accent apply to those preceding syllables: Cas2-si-o-pē'-a.

Note. - In the Index of this work, when the penult of a word is long, it is marked with the accent; when the penult is short, the antepenult is marked. The reader should, however, bear in mind that a syllable may be long even though it contain a short vowel, as by Rule I., (2), above.

III. Vowels and Consonants. — (These rules depend upon those of Syllabication):

(1) A vowel generally has its long English sound when it ends a syllable: He'-ro, l-o, Ca'-cus, I-tho'-me, E-do'-ni, My-ce'-na.

(2) A vowel generally has its short English sound in a syllable that ends in a consonant: Her'-se, Sis'-y-phus, Pol-y-phe'-mus. But e in the termination es has its long sound: Her'mes, A-tri'-des.

(3) The vowel a has an obscure sound when it ends an unaccented syllable: A-chæ'-a; so, also, the vowel i or y, not final, after an accented syllable: Hes-per-i-des; and sometimes i or y in an unaccented first syllable: Ci-lic'-i-a. (4) Consonants have their usual English sounds; but c and g are soft before e, i, y, a, and a: Ce'-to, Gel-ry-on, Gy'-ges; ch has the sound of k: Chi'-os; and c, s, and t, immediately preceded by the accent, and standing before i, followed by another vowel, commonly have the sound of sh: Sic'-y-on (but see Latin grammars and English dictionaries for exceptions.)

IV. Syllabication. —

(1) The penultimate syllable ends with a vowel; e.g. Pe-ne'-us, I-tho'-me, A'-treus, Hel' e-nus:

Except when its vowel is followed by x or by two consonants (not a mute with 7 or r), then the vowel is joined with the succeeding consonant: Nax-os, Cir-ce, Aga-mem-non.

(2) Other syllables (not ultimate or penultimate) end with a vowel; e.g. Pi-ræ-us:

Except when (a) the vowel is followed by x or any two consonants (not a mute with / or r): e.g. Ix-i'-on, Pel-o-pon-ne'-sus; and when (b) the syllable is accented and its vowel followed by one or more consonants; e.g. An2-axag'-o-ras, Am-phic'-ty-on, Œd'-i-pus.

Note (a). — But an accented a, e, or o before a single consonant (or a mute with / or r), followed by e, i, or y before another vowel, is not joined with the succeeding consonant, and consequently has the long sound: Pau-sā'-ni-as; De-me-tri-us.

Note (b). — An accented u before a single consonant (or mute with 7 or r) is not joined with the succeeding consonant, and consequently has the long sound: u'-pi-ter.

(3) All words have as many syllables as they have vowels and diphthongs.

INDEX OF MYTHOLOGICAL SUBJECTS

AND THEIR SOURCES.

[Unless otherwise stated, references are to pages of the Text. Section numbers, pre-
ceded by Com., refer to the textual, interpretative and illustrative notes of the Commen-
tary. The sections correspond with those of the Text.]

Ace'tes, 174; the vengeance of Bacchus, Adraste'a, 39.
176-178.

Achæ'ans, their origin, 49, 125, 236; Æ'acus, 81, 83, 84; king of Ægina, 100,

Acris'ius, 27, 225; the doom of, 225- Ene'as, 28, 150, 273, 287, 296, 298; Com.