Part 51 (2/2)

Longfellow, _The Occultation of Orion_.

_Orion and the Blacksmith._ The reference is to the blacksmith mentioned in the preceding article, whom Orion took on his back to act as guide to the place where the rising sun might be best seen.

_Orion's Dogs_ were Arctophonus (”the bear-killer”) and Ptoophagos (”the glutton of Ptoon,” in Botia).

_Orion's Wife_, Side.

_Orion._ After Orion has set in the west, _Auriga_ (the Charioteer) and _Gem'ini_ (Castor and Pollux) are still visible. Hence Tennyson says:

... the Charioteer And starry Gemini hang like glorious crowns Over Orion's grave low down in the west.

_Maud_, III. vi. 1 (1855).

_Orion_, a seraph, the guardian angel of Simon Peter.--Klopstock, _The Messiah_, iii. (1748).

=Orith'yia= or =Orith'ya=, daughter of Erectheus, carried off by Boreas to Thrace.

Such, dalliance as alone the North wind hath with her, Orithya not enjoyed, from Thrace when he her took, And in his saily plumes the trembling virgin shook.

Drayton, _Polyolbion_, x. (1612).

Phineas Fletcher calls the word ”Orithy'a.”

None knew mild zephyr's from cold Eurus' mouth, Nor Orithya's lover's violence [_North wind_].

_Purple Island_, i. (1633).

=Orlando=, the younger son of Sir Rowland de Bois [_Bwor_]. At the death of his father, he was left under the care of his elder brother, Oliver, who was charged to treat him well; but Oliver hated him, wholly neglected his education, and even tried by many indirect means to kill him. At length, Orlando fled to the forest of Arden', where he met Rosalind and Celia in disguise. They had met before at a wrestling match, when Orlando and Rosalind fell in love with each other. The acquaintance was renewed in the forest, and ere many days had pa.s.sed the two ladies resumed their proper characters, and both were married, Rosalind to Orlando, and Celia to Oliver, the elder brother.--Shakespeare, _As You Like It_ (1598).

_Orlando_ (in French ROLAND, _q.v._), one of the paladins of Charlemagne, whose nephew he was. Orlando was confiding and loyal, of great stature, and possessed unusual strength. He accompanied his uncle into Spain, but on his return was waylaid in the valley of Roncesvalles (in the Pyrenees) by the traitor Ganelon, and perished with all his army, A.D. 778. His adventures are related in Turpin's _Chronique;_ in the _Chanson de Roland_, attributed to Theroulde. He is the hero of Bojardo's epic, _Orlando Innamorato_; and of Ariosto's continuation called _Orlando Furioso_ (”Orlando mad”). Robert Greene, in 1594, produced a drama which he called _The History of Orlando_. Rhode's farce of _Bombastes Furioso_ (1790) is a burlesque of Ariosto's _Orlando Furioso_.

_Orlando's Ivory Horn_, Olifant, once the property of Alexander the Great. Its bray could be heard for twenty miles.

_Orlando's Horse_, Brigliadoro (”golden bridal”).

_Orlando's Sword_, Durinda'na or Durandana, which once belonged to Hector, is ”preserved at Rocamadour, in France; and his spear is still shown in the cathedral of Pa'via, in Italy.”

Orlando was of middling stature, broad-shouldered, crooked-legged, brown-visaged, red-bearded, and had much hair on his body. He talked but little, and had a very surly aspect, although he was perfectly good-humored.--Cervantes, _Don Quixote_, II. i. 1 (1615).

_Orlando's Vulnerable Part._ Orlando was invulnerable except in the sole of his foot, and even there nothing could wound him but the point of a large pin; so that when Bernardo del Carpio a.s.sailed him at Roncesvalles, he took him in his arms and squeezed him to death, in imitation of Hercules, who squeezed to death the giant Antae'us (3 _syl._).--Cervantes, _Don Quixote_, II. ii. 13 (1615).

=Orlando Furioso=, a continuation of Bojardo's story, with the same hero.

Bojardo leaves Orlando in love with Angelica, whom he fetched from Cathay and brought to Paris. Here, says Ariosto, Rinaldo falls in love with her, and, to prevent mischief, the king placed the coquette under the charge of Namus; but she contrived to escape her keeper, and fled to the island of Ebuda, where Rogero found her exposed to a sea-monster, and liberated her. In the mean time, Orlando went in search of his lady, was decoyed into the enchanted castle of Atlantes, but was liberated by Angelica, who again succeeded in effecting her escape to Paris. Here she arrived just after a great battle between the Christians and pagans, and, finding Medora, a Moor, wounded, took care of him, fell in love with him, and eloped with him to Cathay. When Orlando found himself jilted, he was driven mad with jealousy and rage, or rather his wits were taken from him for three months by way of punishment, and deposited in the moon. Astolpho went to the moon in Elijah's chariot, and St. John gave him ”the lost wits” in an urn. On reaching France Astolpho bound the madman, then, holding the urn to his nose, the wits returned to their nidus, and the hero was himself again. After this, the siege was continued, and the Christians were wholly successful. (See ORLANDO INNAMORATO.)--Ariosto, _Orlando Furioso_ (1516).

? This romance in verse extends to forty-six cantos. Hoole, in his translation, has compressed the forty-six cantos into twenty-four books; but Rose has retained the original number. The adventures of Orlando, under the French form ”Roland,” are related by Turpin in his _Chronicle_, and by Theroulde in his _Chanson de Roland_.

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