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Thomas Bulfinch (July 15, 1796 - May 27, 1867^[1]) was an American writer, born in Newton, Massachusetts. Bulfinch belonged to a well educated Bostonian merchant family of modest means. His father was Charles Bulfinch, the architect of the Massachusetts State House in Boston and parts of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.. Bulfinch supported himself through his position at the Merchants' Bank of Boston. is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1796 (MDCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Nickname: Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Middlesex County Settled 1630 Incorporated 1688 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor David B. Cohen (Dem) Area  - City  18. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about work. ... In English usage, nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a country. ... is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1796 (MDCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Nickname: Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Middlesex County Settled 1630 Incorporated 1688 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor David B. Cohen (Dem) Area  - City  18. ... Bostonian may refer to: a resident of Boston, Massachusetts a resident of Massachusetts a resident of the Boston area the passenger train Bostonian This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Massachusetts State House, designed by Charles Bulfinch and completed in 1798. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... United States Capitol The United States Capitol is the building which serves as home for the legislative branch of the United States government. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ...

Work

Although Thomas Bulfinch reorganized Psalms to illustrate the history of the Hebrews, he is best known as the author of Bulfinch's Mythology, an 1881 compilation of his previous works: Psalms (Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or praises) is a book of the Hebrew Bible included in the collected works known as the Writings or Ketuvim. ...

1. The Age of Fable, or Stories of Gods and Heroes (1855)
2. The Age of Chivalry, or Legends of King Arthur (1858)
3. Legends of Charlemagne, or Romance of the Middle Ages (1863)

This compilation, assembled posthumously by Edward Everett Hale, includes various stories belonging to the mythological traditions known as the Matter of Rome, the Matter of Britain and the Matter of France, respectively. For other uses, see King Arthur (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Charlemagne (disambiguation). ... According to the mediæval poet Jean Bodel, the Matter of Rome was the literary cycle made up of Greek and Roman mythology, together with episodes from the history of classical antiquity, focusing on military heroes like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. ... ‹ The template below is being considered for deletion. ... The Matter of France, also known as the Carolingian cycle is a body of legendary history that springs from the Old French medieval literature of the chansons de geste. ...

"Our work is not for the learned, nor for the theologian, nor for the philosopher, but for the reader of English literature, of either sex, who wishes to comprehend the allusions so frequently made by public speakers, lecturers, essayists, and poets, and those which occur in polite conversation."

The volume was dedicated to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and described on the title page as an "Attempt To Popularize Mythology, And Extend The Enjoyment Of Elegant Literature." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet whose works include Paul Reveres Ride, A Psalm of Life, The Song of Hiawatha and Evangeline. He also wrote the first American translation of Dante Alighieris Divine Comedy and was one of the five members...

In his preface Bulfinch outlined his purpose which was

"an attempt to solve this problem, by telling the stories of mythology in such a manner as to make them a source of amusement. We have endeavored to tell them correctly, according to the ancient authorities, so that when the reader finds them referred to he may not be at a loss to recognize the reference. Thus we hope to teach mythology not as a study, but as a relaxation from study; to give our work the charm of a story-book, yet by means of it to impart a knowledge of an important branch of education. The index at the end will adapt it to the purposes of a reference, and make it a Classical Dictionary for the parlor."

His obituary noted that the contents were "expurgated of all that would be offensive".

The versions Bulfinch gives for the classical myths are those in Ovid and Virgil. His Norse myths are abridged from Mallet's Northern Antiquities. For other uses, see Ovid (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Virgil (disambiguation). ...

The Bulfinch version of myth, published for genteel Americans just as the first studies of mythography were appearing in Germany, presents the myths in their literary versions, without unnecessary violence, sex, psychology or ethnographic information. The Bulfinch myths are an indispensable guide to the cultural values of the American 19th century, yet the Bulfinch version is still the version being taught in many American public schools. Marie Sally Cleary, The Bulfinch Solution: Teaching the Ancient Classics in American Schools (1990), sets the book in the context of "democratizing" classical culture for a wider American antebellum readership. Antebellum is a Latin word meaning before war(ante means before and bellum is war). ...

Bulfinch was the product of Boston Latin School, Phillips Exeter Academy, and Harvard College, where he graduated in 1814. The Boston Latin School is a public exam school founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts, making it the oldest public school in the United States. ... , Phillips Exeter Academy (most commonly called Exeter, Phillips Exeter or PEA) is a co-educational independent boarding school for grades 9–12, located on 619 acres in Exeter, New Hampshire, U.S., fifty miles north of Boston [1]. In over two centuries of its existence, Phillips Exeter Academy has played... Harvard Yard Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, a private university in the United States, founded in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. ...

Though the Bulfinch retellings were largely superseded in American high schools by Edith Hamilton's works on mythology, a "sumptuously illustrated" edition was offered in the Christmas 1979 catalogue of the Metropolitan Museum of Art^[2] Edith Hamilton (August 12, 1867 - May 31, 1963) was a classicist and educator before she became a writer on mythology. ... The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an art museum located on the eastern edge of Central Park, along what is known as Museum Mile in New York City. ...

Table of contents

The Age of Fable or Beauties of Mythology

By Thomas Bulfinch
New Edition, Revised and Enlarged
Volume I: Stories of Gods and Heroes

Review of Reviews Company
New York 1914
Copyright, 1913, By Thomas Y. Crowell Company.

[Note: This edition does not have the Longfellow dedication.]

Publishers' Preface Author's Preface

Stories of Gods and Heroes

1. Introduction
2. Prometheus and Pandora
3. Apollo and Daphne—Pyramus and Thisbe—Cephalus and Procris
4. Juno and her Rivals, Io and Callisto—Diana and Actæon—Latona and the Rustics
5. Phaëton
6. Midas—Baucis and Philemon
7. Proserpina—Glaucus and Scylla
8. Pygmalion—Dryope—Venus and Adonis—Apollo and Hyacinthus
9. Ceyx and Halcyone
10. Vertumnus and Pomona—Iphis and Anaxarete
11. Cupid and Psyche
12. Cadmus—The Myrmidons
13. Nisus and Scylla—Echo and Narcissus—Clytie—Hero and Leander
14. Minerva and Arachne—Niobe
15. The Grææ and Gorgons—Perseus and Medusa—Atlas—Andromeda
16. Monsters: Giants—Sphinx—Pegasus and Chimæra—Centaurs—Griffin—Pygmies
17. The Golden Fleece—Medea
18. Meleager and Atalanta
19. Hercules—Hebe and Ganymede
20. Theseus and Dædalus—Castor and Pollux—Festivals and Games
21. Bacchus and Ariadne
22. The Rural Deities—The Dryads and Erisichthon—Rhœcus—Water Deities—Camanæ—Winds
23. Achelous and Hercules—Admetus and Alcestis—Antigone—Penelope
24. Orpheus and Eurydice—Aristæus—Amphion -Linus—Thamyris—Marsyas—Melampus—Musæus
25. Arion—Ibycus—Simonides—Sappho
26. Endymion—Orion—Aurora and Tithonus—Acis and Galatea
27. The Trojan War
28. The Fall of Troy—Return of the Greeks—Orestes and Electra
29. Adventures of Ulysses—The Lotus-eaters —The Cyclopes—Circe—Sirens—Scylla and Charybdis—Calypso
30. The Phæacians—Fate of the Suitors
31. Adventures of Æneas—The Harpies—Dido—Paliniurus
32. The Infernal Regions—The Sibyl
33. Æneas in Italy—Camilla—Evander—Nisus and Euryalus—Mezentius—Turnus
34. Pythagoras—Egyption Deities—Oracles
35. Origin of Mythology—Statues of Gods and Goddesses—Poets of Mythology
36. Monsters (modern)—The Phœnix—Basilisk—Unicorn—Salamander
37. Eastern Mythology—Zoroaster—Hindu Mythology—Castes—Buddha—The Grand Lama—Prester John
38. Northern Mythology—Valhalla—The Valkyrior
39. Thor's Visit to Jotunheim
40. The Death of Baldur—The Elves—Runic Letters—Skalds—Iceland—Teutonic Mythology—The Nibelungen Lied—Wagner's Nibelungen Ring
41. The Druids—Iona
42. Beowulf

King Arthur and His Knights Prometheus Brings Fire to Mankind, by Heinrich Füger, (1817). ... For other uses, see Pandora (disambiguation) and Pandoras box (disambiguation). ... Apollo and Daphne is a story from ancient Greek mythology, retold by Hellenistic and Roman authors in the form of an amorous vignette; Thomas Bulfinch drew on those late sources in the following manner: Daphne was Apollo’s first love. ... For the river of Asia Minor, see Pyramus (river). ... Cephalus and Aurora, by Nicolas Poussin (c. ... The Death of Procris, by Piero di Cosimo (c. ... Vatican statue of Juno Sospita This article is about a figure in mythology. ... Hermes, Io (as cow) and Argus, black-figure amphora, 540–530 BC, Staatliche Antikensammlungen (Inv. ... In Jupiter and Callisto by François Boucher, Jupiter/Zeus takes the form of Diana/Artemis (Pushkin Museum, Moscow) This article is about the mythological figure. ... The Diana of Versailles In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt, in literature the equivalent of the Greek goddess Artemis, though in cult she was Italic in origin. ... Actaeon, sculpture group in the cascade at Caserta In Greek mythology, Actaeon (or Aktaion), son of Aristaeus and Autonoe in Boeotia, was a famous Theban hero, trained by the centaur Cheiron, who suffered the fatal wrath of Artemis (or her Roman counterpart Diana). ... For other uses, see Leto (disambiguation). ... The fall of Phaeton, Johann Liss, beginning of 17th century. ... For other uses, see Midas (disambiguation). ... Jupiter and Mercury in the house of Philemon and Baucis, Adam Elsheimer, c1608, Dresden. ... Rape of Proserpina, by Luca Giordano Proserpine, 1873-1877, at Tate Gallery, London. ... In Greek mythology, Glaucus (shiny, bright or bluish-green) was the name of several different figures, including one God. ... Three of Scyllas heads as portrayed in The Odyssey (1997) TV miniseries; the film depicts each head striking with snake-like speed and accuracy and devouring men whole. ... Étienne Maurice Falconet: Pygmalion et Galatée (1763) Pygmalion is a legendary figure of Cyprus. ... In Greek mythology, Dryope[1] was the daughter of Dryops (oak-man) or of Eurytus (and hence half-sister to Iole). ... The Birth of Venus, by Sandro Botticelli c. ... For other uses of the name Adonis, see Adonis (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Apollo (disambiguation). ... The name Hyacinth can refer to: the Hyacinth from Greek mythology. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ceyx and Alcyone See also Ceyx (disambiguation). ... In Roman mythology, Vertumnus (Vortumnus, Vertimnus) was the god of seasons, change and plant growth, as well as gardens and fruit trees. ... Pomona, Nicolas Fouché, c. ... Isis changing the sex of Iphis. ... In Greek mythology, Anaxarete was a Cypriot maiden who refused the advances of a shepherd named Iphis. ... Psyche was one of three sisters, princesses in a Grecian kingdom. ... Cadmus Sowing the Dragons teeth, by Maxfield Parrish, 1908 Caddmus, or Kadmos (Greek: Κάδμος), in Greek mythology, was the son of the king of Phoenicia (Modern day Lebanon) and brother of Europa. ... The Myrmidons (or Myrmidones Μυρμιδόνες) were an ancient nation of Greek mythology. ... In Greek mythology, Nisos was one of the four sons of Pandion. ... Scylla is a princess of Megara in Greek mythology. ... Echo and Narcissus, by John William Waterhouse. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Clytia, or Clytie, was a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys in Greek mythology. ... The Last Watch of Hero by Frederic Leighton, depicting Hero anxiously waiting for Leander during the storm. ... This article is about the Roman goddess. ... For other uses, see Arachne (disambiguation). ... Apollo and Artemis slaying the children of Niobe by Niobid Painter (c. ... The Graeae (old women, gray ones, or gray witches, alternatively spelled Graiai, Graiae, Graii ), were three sisters, one of several trinities of archaic goddesses in Greek mythology. ... This article is about the Greek mythological monster. ... Perseus with the head of Medusa, by Antonio Canova, completed 1801 (Vatican Museums) Perseus, Perseos, or Perseas (Greek: Περσεύς, Περσέως, Περσέας), the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty there, was the first of the mythic heroes of Greek mythology whose exploits in defeating various archaic monsters provided the founding myths... For other uses, see Medusa (disambiguation). ... Lee Lawries colossal bronze Atlas, Rockefeller Center, New York For the Transformers character see King Atlas (Transformers). ... Andromeda Chained to the Rock by the Nereids (1840) Théodore Chassériau, Louvre Andromeda was a woman from Greek mythology who was chained to a rock to be a sacrifice to a sea monster as divine punishment for her mothers bragging. ... Jack the Giant-Killer by Arthur Rackham. ... For other uses, see Sphinx (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Pegasus (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Chimera. ... This article is about the mythological creatures. ... For other uses, see Griffin (disambiguation). ... A pygmy fighting his nemeses the cranes. ... Jason returns with the golden Fleece on an Apulian red-figure calyx krater, ca. ... For other uses, see Hercules (disambiguation). ... The Rape of Ganymede, by Rubens In Greek mythology, Ganymede, or closer to the Greek Ganymede the great man that leads (in Greek — Γανυμήδης, Ganumēdēs) was a divine hero whose homeland was the Troad. ... Theseus (Greek ) was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, with whom Aethra lay in one night (By some accounts, this was presented as a rape). ... Kastor redirects here. ... This article is about the ancient deity. ... The Dryad by Evelyn De Morgan Dryads are female tree spirits in Greek mythology. ... For other uses, see Orpheus (disambiguation). ... Not to be confused with Arion. ... For other uses of Troy or Ilion, see Troy (disambiguation) and Ilion (disambiguation). ... Electra at the Tomb of Agamemnon In Greek mythology, Electra was daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. ... For other uses, see Odysseus (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Basilisk (disambiguation). ... The gentle and pensive maiden has the power to tame the unicorn, in this fresco in Palazzo Farnese, Rome, probably by Domenichino, ca 1602 For other uses, see Unicorn (disambiguation). ... Zoroaster (Greek Ζωροάστρης, Zōroastrēs) or Zarathustra (Avestan: Zaraθuštra), also referred to as Zartosht (Persian: ; Kurdish: ), was an ancient Iranian prophet and religious poet. ... A Valkyrie is waiting at the gates of Valhalla on the Tjängvide image stone from Gotland, in the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities in Stockholm. ... The Valkyries Vigil, by the Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Robert Hughes. ... For other uses, see Thor (disambiguation). ... In Norse Mythology, Baldur (also Balder, ON Baldr), the god of innocence, beauty, joy, purity, and peace, is Odins second son. ... Wagner may refer to more than one place in the United States: Wagner, South Dakota Wagner, Wisconsin Wagner may refer to more than one person: Richard Wagner, German composer Cosima Wagner, daughter of Franz Liszt and wife of Richard Wagner Heinrich Leopold Wagner, dramatist and author John Peter Honus Wagner... For other uses, see Druid (disambiguation). ... This article is about the epic poem. ...

1. Introduction
2. The Mythical History of England
3. Merlin
4. Arthur
5. Arthur (Continued)
6. Sir Gawain
7. Caradoc Briefbras; or, Caradoc with the Shrunken Arm
8. Launcelot of the Lake
9. The Adventure of the Cart
10. The Lady of Shalott
11. Queen Guenever's Peril
12. Tristram and Isoude
13. Tristram and Isoude (Continued)
14. Sir Tristram's Battle with Sir Launcelot
15. The Round Table
16. Sir Palamedes
17. Sir Tristram
18. Perceval
19. The Sangreal, or Holy Graal
20. The Sangreal (Continued)
21. The Sangreal (Continued
22. Sir Agrivain's Treason
23. Morte d'Arthur

The Mabinogeon Merlin dictating his poems, as illustrated in a French book from the 13th century For other uses, see Merlin (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see King Arthur (disambiguation). ... In Arthurian legend, Sir Gawain (Gawan, Gawein) features as a knight of the Round Table. ... Palamedes, (also called Palamede, Palomides or some other variant) was a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. ... This article is about the Knight of the Round Table. ... For other uses, see Holy Grail (disambiguation). ... Le Morte dArthur (The Death of Arthur)—the title is actually spelled as Le Morte Darthur in the first printing and also in some modern editions—is Sir Thomas Malorys compilation of some French and English Arthurian romances. ... The Mabinogion is a collection of prose stories from medieval Welsh manuscripts. ...

Introductory Note

1. The Britons
2. The Lady of the Fountain
3. The Lady of the Fountain (Continued)
4. The Lady of the Fountain (Continued)
5. Geraint, the Son of Erbin
6. Geraint, the Son of Erbin (Continued)
7. Geraint, the Son of Erbin (Continued)
8. Pwyll, Prince of Dyved
9. Branwen, the Daughter of Llyr
10. Manawyddan
11. Kilwich and Olwen
12. Kilwich and Olwen (Continued)
13. Taliesin

Hero Myths of the British Race Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain is one of the Three Welsh Romances associated with the Mabinogion. ... Geraint and Enid, also known by the title Geraint, son of Erbin, is a one of the Three Welsh Romances typically associated with the Mabinogion. ... Culhwch and Olwen (Welsh: Culhwch ac Olwen) is a Welsh tale about a hero connected with Arthur and his warriors that survives in only two manuscripts: a complete version in the Red Book of Hergest, ca. ... Taliesin or Taliessin (c. ...

Beowulf
Cuchulain, Champion of Ireland
Hereward the Wake
Robin Hood For other uses, see Robin Hood (disambiguation). ...

Legends of Charlemagne For other uses, see Charlemagne (disambiguation). ...

Introduction
The Peers, or Paladins
The Tournament
The Siege of Albracca
Adventures of Rinaldo and Orlando
The Invasion of France
The Invasion of France (Continued)
Bradamante and Rogero
Astolpho and the Enchantress
The Orc
Astolpho's Adventures continued, and Isabella's begun
Medoro
Orlando Mad
Zerbino and Isabella
Astolpho in Abyssinia
The War in Africa
Rogero and Bradamante
The Battle of Roncesvalles
Rinaldo and Bayard
Death of Rinaldo
Huon of Bordeaux
Huon of Bordeaux (Continued)
Huon of Bordeaux (Continued)
Ogier, the Dane
Ogier, the Dane (Continued)
Ogier, the Dane (Continued)

Proverbial Expressions

List of Illustrative Passages Quoted from the Poets

Index and Dictionary

Notes

External links

Wikisource has original works written by or about:

Thomas Bulfinch

• The Age Of Fable. Fully illustrated
• Works by Thomas Bulfinch at Project Gutenberg
• The three works of Bulfinch's Mythology
• The Age Of Chivalry
• The Age Of Fable
• Legends Of Charlemagne