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Possible definitions for puranas
Purana
In Hinduism, an encyclopedic collection of myth, legend, and genealogy. A Purana traditionally treats five subjects: primary creation of the universe, secondary creation after periodic annihilation, genealogy of gods and saints, grand epochs, and histories of the royal dynasties. Written in narrative couplets, the Puranas date from c.400 to c.1000. The 18 principal surviving Puranas are grouped according to whether they exalt Vishnu, Shiva, or Brahma. Most popular is the Bhagavata Purana, which treats the early life of Krishna.
Guianas
Region, N S. America. Located on the Atlantic and Caribbean coasts, it lies between the Orinoco, Negro, and Amazon rivers, and covers an area of about 181,000 sq mi (468,800 sq km). It consists of Guyana (formerly British Guiana), Suriname (formerly Dutch Guiana), and French Guiana; most of it is covered by dense forests containing valuable wood. Settlements are largely confined to the coast and river valleys. The earliest known inhabitants were the Surinam Indians. Its coast was sighted by C. Columbus in 1498, and the area was explored by the Spanish in the early 16th cent. The Dutch founded settlements c.1580, and the French and English, in the early 17th cent.
Piranesi
Italian draftsman, printmaker, architect, and art theorist. Born near Venice, he went to Rome at 20 as a draftsman for the Venetian ambassador. After settling there in 1747, he developed a highly original etching technique that produced rich textures and bold contrasts of light and shadow. His many prints of classical and postclassical Roman structures contributed to the growth of classical archaeology and the Neoclassical art movement. He is best known today for his extraordinary series of imaginary prisons (Carceri d'invenzione, 1745). His prints are among the most impressive architectural representations in Western art.
Uranus
Ancient Greek personification of heaven. When Gaea emerged from Chaos, she produced Uranus, the mountains, and the sea. Her subsequent union with Uranus produced the Titans, the Cyclopes, and the Hecatoncheires. Uranus despised his offspring and hid them in Gaea's body. In response to her appeal for vengeance, Cronus castrated Uranus. From the drops of blood that fell on Earth were born the Furies, the Giants, and the ash-tree nymphs called Meliai. His severed genitals floated on the sea, producing a white foam from which sprang Aphrodite. Uranus also consorted with Clymene, Hemera, Hestia, and Nyx.
Seventh planet from the sun. It was discovered in 1781 by W. Herschel and named for the Greek god personifying heaven. A blue-green gas giant, it has almost 15 times the mass of earth and over 50 times its volume. It is less dense than earth; the gravity at the top of its atmosphere is 11% weaker. Its equatorial diameter is 31,800 mi (51,100 km). Uranus has 10 sharply defined, narrow, dark rings, with broad dust bands between them, consisting ...
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