ULYSSES, in heroic history, one of the most renowned of the Greek heroes. Ulysses was the King of Ithaca, one of the small Ionian isles, the husband of the exemplary Penelope, and father of Tele machus. Ulysses was not only a prudent warrior, but a sage counsellor, and was as much honored in the general confer ence as he was valued in the field for his military skill, ready expedients, and undaunted courage. When the Greeks undertook the Trojan War, Ulysses, after long declining to join the alliance, at last consented, and, embarking his small but picked band, set sail for the Phrygian shores. During the war he acted a promi nent part; he induced Achilles to return to the camp, slaughtered the sleeping Thracians in their tents, entered Troy in disguise, and carried off the palladium of the Trojans. After the fall of the city he embarked on board his fleet, with his followers, to return to his wife and king dom; but the gods, enraged at his carry ing off the palladium, defeated all his efforts to regain his native country, and for 20 years, by adverse winds and fear ful storms, made him the sport of winds and waves. At length, after an absence of 30 years, he regained his island home and found his faithful and still beautiful Penelope surrounded by a host of im portunate suitors. Having by stratagem obtained an entrance into his palace, and put to the sword the riotous suitors, Ulys ses was restored to his throne, to the arms of his wife, and to his son, whom he had left a child. After a reign of 16 years, a natural son of Ulysses, not knowing Ithaca was part of his father's kingdom, landed in the island at the head of a lawless band, and, beginnning to plunder the inhabitants, Ulysses hastened to meet the invader ; when, in the contest that ensued, he fell by the sword of his son. It is the adventures encountered by Ulysses on his return voyage that form the subject of Homer's poem of the "Odyssey." UMA, in Hindu mythology, one of the principal names of the consort of the god Siva. She is also usually designated
under the name of Kali, Durga, Devi, Parvati, Bhavani, etc. The myths relat ing to this goddess, who is worshiped in various parts of India—particularly, however, in Bengal—are met with in the great epic poems and Puranas, in poetical works, such as the "Kumarasambhava," and in modern popular compositions; but the text-book of her worshipers is the "Devimahatniya," or "the majesty of Devi"—a celebrated portion of the "Markandeya Purana," considered to be of special holiness by the worshipers of this goddess, and in which are narrated the martial feats of the goddess. The latter consisted chiefly in the destruction by her of two demons, Madhu and Kai tabha, who had endangered the existence of the god Brahman; the demon Mahisha, or Mahishasura, who having conquered all the gods, had expelled them from heaven; moreover, in her defeating the army of Chadna and Munda, two demon servants of Sumbha and Nisumbha. She is often represented holding the severed head of Chanda in her hand, with the heads of his soldiers formed into a gar land suspended from her neck, and their hands wreathed into a covering round her loins—the only covering she has in the image constructed for the pilja. The worship of Kali (the Black), to which the narrative (of her victory over Chanda and Munda) has given rise, is considered by the Hindus themselves as embodying the principle of "tamas," or darkness. She is represented as delight ing in the slaughter of her foes, though capable of kindlier feeling to her friends. She is, however, styled the Black Goddess of Terror, frequenting cemeteries, and presiding over terrible sprites, fond of bloody sacrifices; and her worship taking place in the darkest night of the month.