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June 16, 2005
The zodiac story
The earliest references to the mythological significance of the Greek constellations can be found in the works of Homer, which probably date to the 7th century BC.
In his epic tale, Iliad, for instance, Homer describes the creation of Achilles’ shield by the craftsman god Hephaistos. On it, he made the earth, sky, sea, the sun and the moon and all the constellations that crown the heavens.
The popular constellations are those which depict the star signs. These are explained below:
Aquarius, the water carrier
This zodiac constellation is represented by Ganymede, a beautiful Phrygian youth. He was the son of Tros, king of Troy.Jupiter saw Ganymede while he was taking care of his father’s flocks on Mount Ida. He was quite taken in by Ganymede and whisked him away to the heavens. Since then the boy has supposedly been a cup bearer for the gods.
Aquarius is a summer constellation in the Northern Hemisphere found near Pisces. It is prominent due to the meteor showers. The largest of these showers is the Delta Aquarid which takes place in late July and early August.
Aries, the ram
Aries symbolizes the ram of the golden fleece sought by Jason and the Argonauts.The ram was actually a gift given to Nephele by Mercury when her husband took a new wife. It was for their children’s safety that Nephele sent them away on the back of the magical ram, which flew away to the east. The ram was sacrificed and its golden fleece was given to Aeetes, their king.
About 2,000 years ago, the vernal equinox was in this constellation. However, owing to a change in the earth’s axis this is no longer so. Still, Aries is regarded as the first constellation of the zodiac.
Capricorn, the sea goat
This constellation represents the sudden appearance of the earth-born giant Typhoeus.Bacchus was feasting on the banks of the Nile at the time and jumped into it. As a result, half of his body that was submerged in the water turned into a fish, while his upper body changed into a goat. While in this state, he saw that Typhoeus trying to kill Jupiter, and blew a shrill note on his pipes. This caused Typhoeus to run away and Jupiter, as a token of his gratitude, placed Bacchus in his new form in the heavens.
Capricorn is thus symbolized by a figure with the head and body of a goat and the tail of a fish. It appears between Aquarius and Sagittarius low on the southern horizon.
Gemini, the twins
The twin brothers, Castor and Pollux, had the same mother but different fathers.Pollux was immortal and renowned for his strength, while Castor was famous as he was good with horses.
Both brothers voyaged in search of the Golden Fleece and then fought in the Trojan War to bring their sister home to her husband. They are shown armed with spears and riding a pair of identical horses.
The brothers stand out among the constellations because they are depicted as proper stars. Castor is a bright white binary star, while Pollux is orange. They are found between Cancer and Taurus.
Leo, the lion
Leo represents the Nemean lion which was killed by Hercules. According to the myth, the lion had an impenetrable skin, but Hercules due to his strength strangled him and then managed to remove his skin.Leo can be found easily by following the pointer stars of the Big Dipper south. The blue-white star Regulus is located in Leo’s chest.
Libra, the scales
Libra represents the balance or scales. It was once connected with the fall equinox, the day when day and night are equal. Libra can be found right next to Virgo.Pisces, the fish
When the earth-born giant Typhoeus suddenly appeared, it startled all the gods into taking on different forms to flee the area.Venus and her son Cupid were bathing on the banks of the Euphrates river that day and took on the shapes of a fish to escape danger and their figures, too, were later placed among the stars.
The constellation Pisces represents two fish tied together with a cord and is located near Aquarius.
Sagittarius, the archer
Sagittarius represents the centaur Chiron. Most centaurs were thought to be beasts. Chiron, however, was quite gentle, but was accidentally shot and wounded by Hercules.He was in a great deal of pain so he offered himself as a substitute for Prometheus, who was being tormented everyday.
Sagittarius appears only in summer in the Northern Hemisphere and is visible low in the Southern Hemisphere.
Scorpio, the scorpion
The scorpion is generally believed to be responsible for the death of the great hunter Orion.According to some myths, a scorpion stung Orion in response to his boast that he could defeat any beast. He was placed at the opposite end of the sky from Orion to avoid conflict.
It is to the southeast of Libra, and is marked by the bright red star Antares.
Taurus, the bull
Taurus represents the bull-form taken by Jupiter when he became interested in Europa, who was impressed by the beauty and gentleness of the bull, and the two played together on the beach. Eventually, Europa climbed onto the bull’s back and he swam out to sea with her.The constellation Taurus consists of only the head and shoulders of the bull, but the representation in the stars shows a raging bull about to plunge into Orion, which is somewhat at odds with the story.
Virgo, the Virgin
According to the ancient poets, the virgin is also sometimes known as Astraea. She lived on Earth during the golden age of man. Astraea is the daimone whose province is justice. The emblem of her office was scales.Virgo is the second largest constellation and the highest in the Northern Hemisphere during May and June.
Despite the frequent mentioning of the stars in Greek and early Roman texts, by far the most thorough star catalogue from ancient times belongs to Ptolemy of Alexandria, who grouped 1022 stars into 48 constellations during the second century AD.
Although Ptolemy’s Almagest does not include the constellations, which may only be seen from the southern hemisphere, it forms the basis of the modern list of 88 constellations officially designated by the International Astronomical Union.
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