According to an ancient legend, the gods made some beautiful creations. Neptune made the first bull, Jupiter the first man and Minerva, the first house. They wanted to find out whose creation was the best. They appointed Momus the judge. Now, Momus was very jealous of the gods’ creations. He found faults with all. He said to Neptune, “You should have placed the horns of the bull below his eyes, so that he might be able to see clearly where to strike.” He then said to Jupiter, “You should have placed the heart of a man outside the body. This way everybody could easily see the true feelings of evil people.” He said to Minerva, “Why didn’t you fix iron wheels in the foundation of the house? That way, the inhabitants would move their house if the neighbours were not friendly.” The gods realised that Momus was jealous of their creations. They drove Momus out of the mansion of Olympus.
The Gods and Momus
