A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

MOLTONES. MOLOSSUS. 11il11
them as aged and hideous women, and even as games. (Paus. v. 2. ~ 1.) Heraeles, on the other
lame, to indicate the slow march of fate (Catull. hand, dedicated, on account of his victory, six
64, 306; Ov. Met. xv. 781; Tzetz. ad Lye. 584); altars at Olympia, and instituted special honours
but in works of art they are represented as grave at Nemea for the 360 Cleonaeans who had assisted
maidens, with different attributes, viz., Clotho with him, but had fallen in the contest. (Schol. ad
a spindle or a roll (the book of fate); Lachesis Pind. 01. xi. 29; Aelian, V. H. iv. 5.) The
pointing with a staff to the horoscope on the globe; Moliones are also mentioned as conquerors of
and Atropos with a pair of scales, or a sun-dial, or a Nestor in the chariot race, and as having taken
cutting instrument. It is worthy of remark that part in the Calydonian hunt. (Athen. I. c.; Hom.
the Muse Urania was sometimes represented with I1. xxiii. 638, &c.; Ov. Met. viii. 308.) Cteatus
the same attributes as Lachesis, and that Aphrodite was the father of Amphimachus by Theronice; and
Urania at Athens, according to an inscription on a Eurytus, of Thalpius by. Theraphone. (Hom. II.
Hermes-pillar, was called the oldest of the Moirae. ii. 620; Paus. v. 3. ~ 4.) Their tomb was shown
(Paus. i. 19. ~ 2,; comp. Welcker, Zeitschrift fiur in later times at Cleonae. (Paus. ii. 15. ~ 1; comp.
alt. Kunst, p. 197, &c.; Bliimner, Ueber die Idee TARAXIPPUS.) [L, S.]
des Schicksals, p. 115, &c.; Hirt. Mytholog. Bil- MOLLI'CULUS, MINU'CIUS. [AUGURIderb. p. 200.) NUS, No. 9.]
Moira also occurs as'the proper name of a MOLON (M6Awv), a general of Antiochus the
daughter of Cinyras, who is more commonly called Great, who held the satrapy of Media at the accesSmyrna. (Schol. ad Theocrit. i. 109.) [L. S.] sion of that monarch (B. c. 223); in addition to
MOIRA'GETES (Mospa-yies), the guide or which, Antiochus conferred upon him and his
leader of fate, occurs as a surname of Zeus and brother Alexande'r the government of all the upper
Apollo at Delphi. (Paus. x. 24. ~ 4.) [L. S.] provinces of his empire. But their hatred to
MOLAE, Roman divinities, are called daughters Hermeias, the chief minister of Antiochus, soon
of Mars. (Gell. xiii. 22.) Hartung (Die Relig. led them both to revolt: the two generals at first
d. Ram. vol. i. p. 130) is inclined to consider their sent against them by the king were unable to
name to be identical with Mual and ModOat, and oppose their progress, and Molon found himself at
accordingly thinks that they were the same as the the head of a large army, and master of the whole
Camenae; but in another passage (vol. ii. p. 172) country to the east of the Tigris. He was, howhe admits the probability that, as their name plainly ever, foiled in his attempts to pass that river; but
indicates, they were in some way connected with Xenoetas, the general of Antiochus, who was now
the pounding or grinding of grain. [L. S.] sent against him with a large force, having venMO'LION (MoAiwv). 1. One of the sons of tured to cross it in his turn, was surprised by
Eurytus who were slain by Heracles along with Molon, and his whole army cut to pieces. The
their father. (Diod. iv. 37; comp. EURYTus.) rebel satrap now crossed the Tigris,. and made
2. A Trojan, the charioteer of Thymbraeus. himself master of the city of Seleuceia together
(Hom. 11. xi. 322.) [L. S.] with the whole of Babylonia and Mesopotamia.
MO'LIONE. [MOLIONES.] But the formidable character which the insurrecMO'LIONES or MOLIO'NIDAE (MoAioves, tion had thus assumed, at length'determined
MoALovziaL), a patronymic name by which Eurytus Antiochus to march in person against the rebels.
and Cteatus, the sons of Actor, or Poseidon, by After wintering at Nisibis, he crossed the Tigris,
Molione, are often designated. They were nephews B. C. 220, and advanced southwards against Molon,
of Augeas, king of the Epeians. As sons of Actor, who marched from Babylon to meet him. A
they are also called Actoridae, or'AIKcopiwoe. pitched battle ensued, in which the desertion of
(Hom. II. xxiii. 638; Ov. Met. viii. 308.) Ac- the left wing of the rebel army at once decided the
cording to a late tradition, they were born out of an victory in favour of the king. Molon himself put
egg (Athen. ii. p. 58); and it is further stated, that asl end to his own, life, to avoid falling into the
the two brothers were grown together, so that they hands of the enemy: but his body was crucified by
had only one body, but two heads, four arms, and order of Antiochus, or rather of his minister Herfour legs. (Athen. i.c.; Eustath. ad Hom. p. 882; meias. (Polyb. v. 40-54; Trog. Pomp. Prol.
Pherecyd. F-agm. 47, ed. Sturz; Plut. Defrat. am. xxx.) [E. H. B.]
1.) Homer mentions none of these extraordinary MOLON (Mo'xov). 1. A tragic actor of the
circumstances; and, according to him, the Mo- time of Aristophanes. (Aristoph. Ran. 55.)
liones, when yet boys, took part in an expedition According to the scholiast, Aristophanes in the
of the Epeians against Neleus and the Pylians. passage referred to is speaking ironically, for Molon
(II. xi. 709, 750.) When Heracles marched was a very large man. The scholiast also informs
against Augeas to chastise him for refusing to give us that Molon had a contemporary of the same
the reward he had promised, he entrusted the con- name, who was a notorious thief.
duct of the war to the Moliones; but Heracles, 2. A surname of Apollonius, the rhetorician of
who, in the mean time was taken ill and concluded Rhodes. [APOLLONIUS, No. 3.] [C. P. M.]
peace with Augeas, was then himself attacked and MOLORCHUS (MdAopXos), the mythical
beaten by them. In order to take vengeance, he founder of Molorchia, near Nemea, was a poor
afterwards slew them near Cleonae, on the frontiers man of Cleonae, who hospitably received Heracles
of Argolis, as they had been sent from Elis to when he went out to slay the Nemean lion.
sacrifice at the Isthmian games, on behalf of the (Stephan. Byzant. s. v. Moxopxia; Apollod. ii. 5.
town. (Apollod. ii. 7. ~ 2; Pind. Ol. xi. 33, &c., ~ 1.) [L. S.]
with the Schol.; Paus. viii. 14. ~ 6.) The Eleians MOLOSSUS (MoXoamrs), a son of Pyrrhus, or
demanded of the Argives to atone for this murder; Neoptolemus, and Andromache, from whom the
buit as the latter refused, and were not excluded country of Molossia was believed to have derived
from the Isthmian games, Molione cursed the its name.'(Paus. i. 11. ~ 1; Schol. ad Pind. Nem.
Eleians who should ever take: part again in those vii. 56; Serv. ad Aen. iii. 297.) [L. S.].
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