Page:The Music of the Spheres.djvu/46

 his thunderbolts; his brother Neptune is pictured with a trident &#9798;, the pronged fork he used when issuing commands; Mercury, son of Jupiter, is represented by his Caduceus, a miraculous staff intertwined with serpents &#9791;; Mars, God of War and also a son of Jupiter, a conventionalized arrangement of his shield and spear 	&#9794;; while Venus, Goddess of Love and born from the foam of the sea, has a sign somewhat like Mercury's &#9792;, resembling a hand mirror.

A word as to Mars, Mercury and Venus might not be amiss. Mars was worshiped as a warrior in splendid armor, his name being quite appropriate for the red tinged planet which shines as such a brilliant, fiery star. Discord was visioned as running before him in tattered garments while Anger and Clamor follow in his train. Deimos and Phobos, children of Venus and Mars, were given as names to the two satellites of his planet, although these satellites (or moons), were not discovered until modern times. (The ten satellites of Saturn were named after his brothers and sisters, while those of Jupiter, who possessed nine, were named after various favorites.)

Mercury, also a son of Jupiter, was a somewhat mischievous but charming young man with wings fixed to his helmet and sandals, and his hand held a rod which quieted all disputes. He was messenger, herald and ambassador for Jupiter, just as Iris, who flew along the rainbow in her tinted robes, was a messenger for Juno, Jupiter's wife. It was afterwards discovered by astronomers that the tiny orb which had been given the name of Mercury in honor of this god, not only resembled a drop of "quicksilver" but also possessed the "wing-shoe" characteristic of its namesake, for it speeds at the rate of more miles per second than any other planet in the solar system.

Venus, the beautiful Goddess of Love, has been the inspiration for painters, poets and sculptors in every corner of the world.