Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 1.djvu/524

Rh 606 BRIZO. placed in some relation to her : Artemis, who loved her, assumed her name and was worshipped under it, and in the end the two divinities became com- pletel}' identified, as we see from the story which makes Britomartis a daughter of Leto. (Callim, Hymn, in Dian. 189, with the Schol. ; Paus, ii. 30. § 3; Schol. ad Aristoph. Ran. 1402; Eurip. Jphig. Taur. 126; Aristoph. Ban. 1358 ; Virg. Cir. 305.) The mythus of Britomartis is given by some of the authorities just referred to. She was a daughter of Zeus and Carme, the daughter of Eubulus She vas a nymph, took great delight in wandering about hunting, and was beloved by Artemis. Minos, who likewise loved her, pursued her for nine months, but she fled from him and at last threw herself into the nets which had been set by fishermen, or leaped from mount Dictynnaeum into the sea, where she be- came entangled in the nets, but was saved by Artemis, who now made her a goddess. She was worshipped not only in Crete, but appeared to the inhabitants of Aegina, and was there called Aphaea, whereas in Crete she received the sur- name Dictymna or Dictynna (from Siktvou., a net ; comp. Diod. v. 76). According to another tradi- tion, Britomartis was fond of solitude, and had vowed to live in perpetual maidenhood. From Phoenicia (for this tradition calls her mother Carme, a daughter of Phoenix) she went to Argos, to the daughters of Erasinus, and thence to Cephallenia, where she received divine honours from the in- habitants under the name of Laphria. From Cephallenia she came to Crete, where she was pursufcd by Minos ; but she fled to the sea-coast, where fishermen concealed her under their nets, whence she derived the surname Dictynna, A sailor, Andromedes, carried her from Crete to Aegina, and when, on landing there, he made an attempt upon her chastity, she fled from his vessel into a grove, and disappeared in the sanctuary of Artemis. The AeoHnctans now built a sanctury to her, and worshipped her as a goddess. (Anton. Lib. 40.) These wanderings of Britomartis un- questionably indicate the gradual diffusion of her worship in the various maritime places of Greece mentioned in the legend. Her connexion and ultimate identification with Artemis had naturally a modifying influence upon the notions entertained of each of them. As Britomartis had to do with fishermen and sailors, and was the protectress of harbours and navigation generally, this feature was transferred to Artemis also, as we see especially in the Arcadian Artemis ; and the temples of the two diviniti&s, therefore, stood usually on the banks of rivers or on the sea-coast. As, on the other hand, Artemia was considered as the goddess of the moon, Britomartis likewise appears in this light : her disappearance in the sea, and her identification with the Aeginetan Aphaea, who was undoubtedly a goddess of the moon, seem to contain sufficient proof of this, which is confirmed by the fact, that on some coins of the Roman empire Dictynna appears with the crescent. Lastly, Britomartis was like Artemis drawn into the mystic worship of Hecate, and even identified with her. (Eurip. Hippol. 141, with the Schol. ; comp. Muller, Ae- yinet. p. 163, &c. ; Hock, Kreta, ii. p. 158, &c.; Did. of Ant. s. v. AiKrvvvia.) [L. S.] BRIZO (Bptfw), a prophetic goddess of the island of Delos, who sent dreams and revealed their meaning to man. Her name is connected BROTEAS. with Ppi^etv, to fall asleep. The women of Dfelos offered sacrifices to her in vessels of the shape of boats, and the sacrifices consisted of various things ; but fishes were never offered to her. Prayers were addressed to her that she might grant everything that was good, but especially, that she might pro- tect ships. (Athen. viii. p. 335 ; Eustath. ad Horn. p. 1720; Hesych. s. v. Bpi^o/xauTis.) [L. S.] BROCCHUS, a Roman cognomen, was origi- nally applied to a person who had teeth standing out. It was the name of a family of the Furia gens, and occurs on coins. In the one annexed, the obverse is III vm Brocchi with the head of Ceres, and the reverse L. Fvui Cn. F. with a sella curulis and fasces on each side of it. This Brocchus is not mentioned by ancient writers : he may have been a triumvir of the mint or for the purchase of corn. Pighius assigns the surname of Brocchus to several persons of the Furia gens : but the only Brocchi of this gens mentioned by ancient writers, as far as we are aware, are : 1. T. (Furius) Brocchus, the uncle of Q. Liga- rius. (Cic. pro Lig. 4.) 2. Cn. Furius Brocchus, detected in adultery, and grievously punished. (Val. Max. vi. 1. § 13.) BROCCHUS, C. ANNAEUS, or ANNEIUS, a Roman senator, who was plundered by Symma- chus, one of the Venerii, a new class of publican! instituted by Verres. (Cic. Verr. iii. 40.) BROCCHUS, ARME'NIUS, a proconsul in the time of Domitian. (Plin. Ep. x. 71.) BROGITA'RUS, a Gallo-Grecian, a son-in-law of king Deiotarus. He was an unworthy and nefarious person, who has become known only through the fact, that P. Clodius, in his tribune- ship, B. c. 58, sold to him, by a lex tribunicia, for a large sum of money, the office of high priest of the Magna Mater at Pessinus, and the title of king, (Cic, pro Sest, 26, de Ilarusp. Hesp. 13, comp. ad Q. Fratr. ii. 9.) [L. S.) BROME or BRO'MIE, one of the nymphs who brought up Dionysus on mount Nysa. (Hygin. Fab. 182 ; Serv. ad Virg. Edog. vi. 15.) [L. S.J BRO'MIUS (Bpo/itoj), a surname of Dionysus, which some explain by saying, that he was born during a storm of thunder and lightning (Diod. iv. 5 ; Dion Chrys. Or. 27) ; others derive it from the nymph Brome, or from the noise of the Bac- chantic processions, whence the verb fipo/xed^ecrdai, to rage like a Bacchant (Ov. Net. iv. 11; Orph. Lith. xviii. 77.) There is also a mythical personage of this name. (Apollod. ii. 1. § 5.) [L. S.J BRONTES. [Cyclopes. J BRONTI'NUS {Bpoin7uos), of Metapontum, a Pythagorean philosopher, to whom, as well as to Leon and Bathyllus, Alcmaeon dedicated his works. According to some accounts, Brontinus married Theano, the daughter of Pythagoras. (Diog. Laert. viii. 83 ; Suidas, s. v. Oeavw ; Iambi, nt. Fyth. § 267.) lamblichus (Villoison, Anec. Gr. voL ii. p. 198) quotes a work of Brontinus. BRO'TEAS {BporUs). 1. A son of Vulcan.