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Winkelried, Arnold von

(Encyclopedia)Winkelried, Arnold von ärˈnôlt fən vĭngˈkəlrēt [key], d. 1386, Swiss hero. His action at the battle of Sempach (July 9, 1386) is credited in legend with the Swiss defeat of the Austrians under...

Gabriel

(Encyclopedia)Gabriel gāˈbrēəl [key], archangel, the divine herald. In the Bible he appears to Daniel (twice), to Zacharias, and to the Virgin Mary in the Annunciation (Dan. 8.16; 9.21; Luke 1.19,26,27). Christ...

Olson, Charles

(Encyclopedia)Olson, Charles, 1910–70, American critic and poet, b. Worcester, Mass., grad. Harvard (B.A., 1932; M.A., 1933). His literary reputation was established with Call Me Ishmael (1947), a study of the in...

Volscians

(Encyclopedia)Volscians vŏlˈsī [key], people of ancient Italy. They occupied the country SE of the Alban Hills. They were early opponents of the Romans and Latins. The story of Coriolanus, a Roman who led the Vo...

Bazard, Saint-Amand

(Encyclopedia)Bazard, Saint-Amand săNtämäNˈ bäzärˈ [key], 1791–1832, French socialist. He founded (1818) a republican society, Les Amis de la vérité [Friends of Truth], and was a member of the Carbonari....

Hallaj, Hussein ibn Mansur al-

(Encyclopedia)Hallaj, Hussein ibn Mansur al- ho͞osānˈ ĭbn mänso͝orˈ [key], 857–922, Arabic-speaking Persian Muslim mystic and poet popularly known among Muslims as “the martyr of mystical love.” Born a...

Hägerstrom, Axel

(Encyclopedia)Hägerstrom, Axel äkˈsəl hägˈərstrôm [key], 1868–1939, Swedish philosopher. He was a student (1886–93) at Uppsala Univ. and taught there from 1893 until his retirement in 1933. The son of a...

Gorgias

(Encyclopedia)Gorgias gôrˈjēəs [key], c.485–c.380 b.c., Greek Sophist. From his native city, Leontini, Sicily, he was sent as an ambassador to Athens, where he settled to teach and practice rhetoric. Gorgias ...

Grant, Cary

(Encyclopedia)Grant, Cary, 1904–86, British movie actor, b. Bristol as Archibald Alexander Leach. He began on stage in 1923 and made his first film in 1932. An almost immediate hit, Grant was a leading star until...

Alarcón, Juan Ruiz de

(Encyclopedia)Alarcón, Juan Ruiz de dā älärkōnˈ [key], 1581?–1639, Spanish dramatic poet, one of the great literary figures of the Spanish Golden Age, b. Mexico. After practicing law in Spain (1600–1608)...