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Schwatzet mir nicht soviel
von Nebelflecken und Sonnen,
Ist die Natur nur gross, weil sie zu zählen
euch gibt?
Euer Gegenstand ist der erhabenste freilich im
Raume,
Aber, Freunde, im Raum wohnt das Erhabene
nicht.
[Friedrich von Schiller, 1759-1805, An die
Astronomen]
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Altar (Ara). This constellation, some
say, was constructed by the
CYCLOPES, and it marked
the place where the gods made offerings before
waging war against the
TITANS. Others say,
however, that The Altar commemorates the victory
against the GIANTS, and
that it was set up by Zeus
[Hyg.Ast.2.39; Man.1.421ff.].
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Andromeda,
the Ethiopian princess daughter of Cepheus 1, was
placed as a constellation among the stars by the
favor of Athena on
account of the courage of
Perseus 1, who saved
her [Hyg.Ast.2.11; Man.1.356, 5.538ff.].
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Andromeda
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Aquarius or Water Bearer (Aquarius). This
constellation, said to be protected by
Hera, represents either
Ganymedes, who is
cupbearer in Heaven, or
Deucalion 1, who
survived the Flood during
which much water poured from the sky, or King
Cecrops 1 of Athens, who
reigned before wine was
discovered [Hyg.Ast.2.29; Man.2.433ff.].
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Aquarius
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Archer (Sagittarius). This constellation,
which is protected by
Artemis, represents
Crotus, a companion of the
MUSES that was put by
Zeus among the stars
[Hyg.Ast.2.27; Man.2.433ff.].
Arcturus (in constellation Bootes). This
particularly bright star (Alpha Bootis) is Icarius
2, the man who received from
Dionysus 2 a branch of
a vine and learned from him the process of making
wine. He was killed by some
shepherds who having drunk his
wine imagined they were
bewitched. He had a daughter Erigone 2, who hanged
herself when she discovered her father's body
[Apd.3.14.7; Hyg.Ast.2.4, 2.35; Hyg.Fab.224;
Nonn.47.116, 47.251].
Argo (Puppis). This constellation
commemorates the "Argo", vessel of the
ARGONAUTS
[Ara.Phae.348; Hyg.Ast.2.37; Man.5.36]. Puppis was
in the 1750s subdivided into four constellations:
Carina, Puppis, Pyxis and Vela (keel, poop, compass
and sails).
Arrow (Sagitta). About the Arrow it has
been said that it represents either the weapon with
wich Heracles 1 killed
the eagle that devoured the liver of
Prometheus 1, or the
arrow with which Apollo
killed the CYCLOPES,
after the death of his son
Asclepius [Apd.2.5.11;
Dio.4.15.2; Hes.The.527; Hyg.Ast.2.15; Hyg.Fab.31].
Asses (Asellus Borealis and Asellus Australis
in the constellation of Cancer). The Northern
Donkey (Delta Cancri) and the Southern Donkey
(Gamma Cancri) could be either the asses who
carried Dionysus 2 and
helped him to reach a temple, or the asses who
assisted Zeus in his war
against the GIANTS
[Hyg.Ast.2.23] [see also
Dionysus 2 and
Gigantomachy].
Balance (Libra). The constellation of
Balance was wrought by
Hephaestus, who is
its protector [Man.2.433ff.].
Bear-Watcher (Bootes). This
constellation, also called the Herdsman, is Arcas
1, whom impious Lycaon 2
served to Zeus at a banquet
as a meal. Otherwise Arcas 1, after whom
Arcadia was named, is
known for being the child of
Zeus and
Callisto, the woman who
was turned into a bear. Arcas 1 is called
Arctophylax; for he guards Arctos (the Great Bear).
It is said that when Arcas 1 was grown up and was
hunting in the woods, he saw his mother
Callisto turned into a
bear and, not recognizing her, tried to kill her.
He then chased her into the temple of
Zeus Lycaeus, where the
penalty for entering is death, according to
Arcadian law. Since both would have to die,
Zeus, they say, snatched
them up and made them immortal putting them among
the stars. This is why Arcas 1 is seen in the sky
following the Bear, that is, his mother
Callisto.
Others have said that Bootes represents Icarius
2 [see also Arcturus above], who was called Bootes
because he put his full wineskins on a wagon (the
Bear looking as a wagon), after receiving the
wine, the vine and the
grape from Dionysus 2,
so that he could teach men how to plant and how to
use what was produced.When Icarius 2, they say, had
planted the vine and had made it flourish, a goat
broke into the vineyard nibbling the tenderest
leaves. So Icarius 2 killed the goat, made a sack
from the skin and, blowing it up, cast it among his
friends, instructing them to dance around it.
Others have said that when Icarius 2 showed his
wagon full of wine to some
shepherds, they, having drunk the
wine in large quantities,
were intoxicated. Other shepherds then, witnessing
the unseemly behaviour that the excess of
wine caused in their
comrades, thought that Icarius 2 had given them
poison. Because of this suspicion they killed him
and threw his body into a well, although some say
that they buried near a certain tree. However when
the drunken party woke up, they said that they
never had rested better and asked for Icarius 2,
wishing to offer him a reward; but the murderers,
having understood their mistake, at once took to
flight. Later, when Icarius 2's daughter Erigone 2
was longing for her father, the dog of Icarius 2,
called Maera 2, having come to her with howls and
lamentations, took hold of her dress with its teeth
and led her to her father's body. Having thus
discovered what had happened to her father, Erigone
2, overcome with loneliness and poverty, hanged
herself from the tree beneath which her father was
buried. And after her even the dog left this life,
casting itself into a well. They say that
Zeus or
Dionysus 2, moved by
their fates, put them all among the stars: Icarius
2 in Bootes, Erigone 2 in the Virgin, and the dog
in Procyon [Hyg.Ast.2.4].
Bowl (Crater). This constellation, also
called The Cup, shows, some say, the Bowl in which
Mastusius mixed with wine
the blood of the daughters of Demophon 3. The
latter, who was King of Elaeusa near
Troy, had to sacrifice one
girl every year because of a plague which had
fallen over the country. That was the remedy
recommended by an oracle. However he would always
pass over his own daughters, choosing by lot, on
every occasion, one of the daughters of the nobles.
This unfair scheme offended Mastusius, a man of the
highest rank, who said that he would not allow his
daughter to participate in the drawing unless the
king's daughters were included. Some rulers,
however, deeply disliking to be called unjust, find
such occasions adequate to give lessons and
warnings to others on the subject of authority.
This is why he decided to kill Mastusius' daughter
without drawing lots at all. At first Mastusius
pretended not to resent the outrage, seeming to
believe that his daughter might have perished
anyway if the lots had been taken. And as it is
easy to induce him, who has committed a evil deed,
to forget it, the king, seeing that Mastusius was
in friendly terms with him, left the whole story
behind. One day Mastusius invited Demophon 3 and
his daughters for a celebration at his house, and
as the king was busy with a state affair, he sent
his daughters ahead, saying that he would come
later. When the king's daughters arrived Mastusius
killed them and, mixing their blood with
wine in a bowl, bade it be
given as a drink to the king on his arrival. When
Demophon 3 learned what had happened, he ordered
Mastusius and the bowl to be thrown into the sea,
but ancient Astronomers pictured it in stars, so
that men might bear in mind that no one can profit
from an evil deed with impunity, nor can
hostilities be easy forgotten.
Others say that this is the Bowl that a certain
crow had to fill with water at
Apollo's request and,
instead of performing his task, he stayed away
eating figs. It is told that when
Apollo was preparing a
celebration, he sent a crow with a bowl in his
hooked claws to fetch water from running springs.
The crow, however, found first a fig-tree loaded
with fruit, but as the figs were still unripe he
perched under the tree, waiting for them to
sweeten. When at last the crow had eaten his fill,
he snatched a water-snake and, returning to his
master, he told him that the creeping beast, having
kept the spring from flowing, was the cause of his
delay. This is how the crow attempted to cheat the
god of prophecy, and this is the reason why, some
say, the three constellations (the Crow, the
Serpent and the Bowl) are seen together
[Hyg.Ast.2.40; Ov.Fast.2.243ff.].
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Bull (Taurus). This constellation,
protected by
Aphrodite, represents
the Bull who carried off
Europa [Hyg.Ast.2.21;
Man.2.433ff.; Nonn.33.287, 38.394].
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The Bull
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Canopus (star Alpha Carinae). This star,
located in the constellation Carina, is said to be
Canopus, an island in the Nile. Because of this
some have said that the river Eridanus represents
the Nile [Hyg.Ast.2.32].
Goat in Charioteer (Capella in Auriga; Alpha
Aurigae). This star is the goat Amalthea, who
gave her breast to Zeus
[see Zeus] [Ara.Phae.162].
Capricorn or Sea Goat (Capricornus). This
constellation protected by
Hestia, represents either
Aegipan 1 who was nourished together with
Zeus, or
Pan, who was transformed in
Egypt during Typhon's attack. To Aegipan 1, son of
Pan and Aex, and not to
Pan, some attribute the kind
of fear that is called "panic", which he cast into
the TITANS during the
Titanomachy. They add that the lower part of his
body looks like a fish, because he also hurled
shellfish against the
TITANS, instead of
stones. Concerning Pan they
say that he, in order to escape Typhon, cast
himself into the river, making the lower part of
his body a fish, and the rest a goat, and that
Zeus, admiring his
shrewdness, put this shape among the constellations
[Hyg.Ast.2.28; Man.2.433ff.].
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Cassiopeia (Cassiopeia). This is
Cassiopea 2, who boasted that she excelled the
NEREIDS in beauty. Also
her daughter
Andromeda, and the
latter's husband Perseus
1, and Andromeda's
father Cepheus 1, are among the stars
[Hyg.Ast.2.10].
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Cassiopeia
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Centaur (Centaurus). This constellation
shows either the wise Centaur
Chiron, or the Centaur
Pholus 1. Chiron is
believed to have gained this honour because of his
conscientiousness and diligence, and Pholus 1
because he was considered to be more skilled in
prophecy than the rest of the
CENTAURS. Both of them
are seen coming to the altar with a victim for
sacrifice [Hyg.Ast.2.38; Ov.Fast.5.379].
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Cepheus (Cepheus). Cepheus 1 was placed
by the gods among the stars to commemorate the
whole family on account of the saving of
Andromeda by
Perseus 1 [see also
these and Cassiopea 2] [Hyg.Ast.2.9].
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Cepheus
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Charioteer (Auriga). Some say that this
constellation shows King Erichthonius 2 of
Athens, said to be the
first to use the four-horse chariot (quadriga).
Others say it represents Orsilochus 6, the man from
Argos who invented the four-horse chariot. Still
others say that this constellation is Myrtilus,
placed by his father
Hermes in the sky after
being murdered by Pelops
1 [see this name] [Hyg.Ast.2.13; Nonn.33.293].
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Charioteer
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Crab (Cancer). This constellation,
protected by Hermes and
put among the stars by
Hera, represents the crab
that was killed by
Heracles 1 while he
was fighting the Hydra [Hyg.Ast.2.23; Man.2.33,
2.433ff.].
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The Crab
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Crow (Corvus). This constellation shows
either Crow 1, which is the crow that reported to
Apollo about the love
between Coronis 2 and Ischys, or Crow 3, the crow
that had to fetch water and bring it to
Apollo, but returned
without it and with a lying tale about a Serpent
that had prevented his filling the Bowl with water
[see also Bowl]. Coronis 2 was killed by
Apollo, and as she was
burning he snatched his son
Asclepius from the
pyre. [Hyg.Ast.2.40. b)Ov.Fast.2.243ff.].
Crown (Corona Borealis). This
constellation of the Northern Crown, some say, is
Dionysus 2's wedding
gift to Ariadne, or
perhaps the wedding gift she received from
Aphrodite and the
HORAE, or else
Aphrodite's gift to
Dionysus 2. It has
also been said that Thetis gave this crown to
Theseus and that it had
been originally given to her as a wedding gift by
Aphrodite. Others have
said that this was Amphitrite's gift to
Theseus which he gave to
Ariadne when he married
her. Still others say that the crown that
Aphrodite gave to
Ariadne, was given to
the goddess by her husband
Hephaestus
[Ara.Phae.71; Hyg.Ast.2.5; Man.1.323., 5.21;
Nonn.1.202; Ov.Fast.3.514].
Dog (Canis Major). The constellation of
the Greater Dog is, according to some, the
extraordinary dog Laelaps 2, which was given by
Zeus as a guardian for
Europa, and later
acquired by King Minos 2
of Crete, who gave it to
Procris 2 as a bribe so
that she would lie in his bed beside him. It was
fated that no beast could ever escape Laelaps 2;
however he met his end chasing the Cadmean Fox,
which was fated to outrun all dogs [see
Amphitryon].
Zeus solved this impossible
equation by turning both into stone. Others have
said that this constellation is one of
Orion's dogs, and still
others call it Maera 2, which is the dog of Icarius
2, who was murdered by shepherds [see above]
[Hyg.Ast.2.35; Ov.Fast.4.939].
Dolphin (Delphinus). This constellation
is the Dolphin which persuaded Amphitrite to marry
Poseidon, say some. For
she, they say, wishing to remain a virgin and
refusing to marry, fled to Mount Atlas. But the
Dolphin, carrying the messages of
Poseidon, found her
and, having persuaded her to marry the god, himself
took charge of the wedding. It is for this
invaluable service that
Poseidon put the
Dolphin among the constellations.
Others have said that the Tyrrhenian SAILORS or
pirates that tried to delude
Dionysus 2 were
charmed by the god and, casting themselves into the
sea, became dolphins; the god then put the image of
one of them among the stars.
Still others say that this is the Dolphin which
bore Arion 2, the
citharist, from the Sicilian Sea to Taenarum.
Arion 2 was a citharist
or lyre-player from Methymna who landed in Taenarum
during the reign of Pyranthus of
Corinth. He was betrayed
by his servants, but by singing attracted the
dolphins that saved him [this story at
Corinth] [Hyg.Ast.2.17;
Ov.Fast.2.79ff.].
Eagle (Aquila). This constellation, which
some believe to be the eagle that brings back the
thunderbolts which Zeus has
flung, represents, according to some, the Eagle who
snatched Ganymedes.
Others think that this is the eagle which
Zeus saw as an omen for
attacking the TITANS.
Still others believe that the constellation
commemorates in fact Zeus
himself who took the form of an eagle in order to
approach Aegina, mother of
Aeacus.
Yet it has also been said that this is the Eagle
which took Aphrodite's
sandal to Hermes. For
Hermes fell in love with
the goddess, and being rejected by her, was pitied
by Zeus, who, when
Aphrodite was bathing
in the river Achelous, sent an eagle to take her
sandal and give it to
Hermes. This is how
Aphrodite, seeking for
her sandal, had to come to him who loved her, and
Hermes, having thus
attained his desire, put the eagle in the sky; for
those who make happy hours possible should never be
forgotten.
Some, too, have said that the eagle could be
Merops 3, who ruled the island of Cos, called after
his daughter, and the inhabitants Meropians after
himself. His wife Ethemea, one of the
NYMPHS, was struck with
the arrows of Artemis
for having ceased worshipping her and taken alive
by Persephone to the Underworld. When Merops 3,
grieving his wife, was about to commit suicide,
Hera, pitying him, changed
him into an eagle and put him among the
constellations. She did not put him in the sky,
they say, in human form, since he then would have a
man's memory and would still be moved with longing
for his wife [Hyg.Ast.2.16; Man.5.486;
Nonn.33.297].
Eosphorus. Eosphorus has also been called
Hesperus 1 and Phosphorus and Lucifer. But in fact
this is the morning and the evening "star", which
in reality is the planet calle Venus. In any case
Eosphorus is the son of Eos
(Dawn) either by Cephalus 2 or by Astraeus 1. He
was husband of Philonis and was father by her of
Ceyx. According to Conon,
Philonis was daughter of Eosphorus (rather than her
mate) [Apd.1.7.4; Con.7; Hes.The.378ff.;
Hyg.Ast.2.42; Hyg.Fab.65, 161; Nonn.6.18;
Ov.Met.11.271, 11.295; QS.5.132].
Eridanus or River (Eridanus). The
constellation of Eridanus is the Nile, say some,
the Ocean, say others, the Po say still others.
Eridanus is the river in which
Phaethon 3, the son of
Helius, fell after his
attempt to drive his father's chariot [Dio.5.23.3;
Hyg.Ast.2.32].
Fish (Piscis Austrinus). The Southern
Fish, which seems to take water in his mouth from
the sign of Aquarius, is believed to have once
saved Isis when she was in labor, and as a reward
she placed it among the stars. Yet others say that
the Fish commemorates the day when
Aphrodite and her son
Eros escaped Typhon turning
into fishes [Hyg.Ast.2.41; Ov.Fast.2.458ff.].
Fishes (Pisces). This constellation,
protected by Poseidon,
commemorates Aphrodite
and her son Eros, who
escaped Typhon transforming into fishes [but see
Fish above] [Hyg.Ast.2.30; Man.2.33, 2.433ff.].
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Great Bear (Ursa Major). This is
Callisto, who was
changed into a bear by
Artemis and placed among
the stars by Zeus
[Hyg.Ast.2.1; Man.2.29].
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The Great
Bear
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Hare (Lepus). This hare is said to be
fleeing the Dog of Orion
[Ara.Phae.338; Hyg.Ast.2.33].
Horse (Pegasus). The Winged Horse is
Pegasus, whom
Bellerophon rode
when he killed Chimera. Others have said that this
horse represents Melanippe 1, who was changed into
a mare by Artemis.
Melanippe 1, daughter of the Centaur
Chiron, was brought up on
Mount Helicon as a huntress. She was loved by
Aeolus 1 and conceived a
child by him. When she was about to give birth she
fled into the forest, praying to the gods not to
let her father, who supposed her a virgin, see her
in childbirth so that her father might not see that
she had given birth to a grandchild. And so when
her father was looking for her she was changed into
a mare and placed among the stars. Others have said
that, being a prophetess, she used to reveal the
plans of the gods to men, and for that reason she
was changed into a mare. Still others said that her
transformation occurred when she ceased hunting and
worshipping Artemis, and
that it was this goddess who changed her into a
mare [Hyg.Ast.2.18; Man.5.633].
HYADES (in Taurus). These stars are
either the sisters of Hyas, whose death they
grieved so much, or the NYMPHS LAMUSIDES who took
care of Dionysus 2.
But the HYADES 1,
sisters of Hyas (or else his daughters), are also
said to have been the nurses of
Dionysus 2 being
sometimes called NYMPHS DODONIDES. When Hyas was
killed while hunting, the
HYADES 1, given over to
continual lamentation, are said to have perished,
but having turned into stars, they are immortal.
The NYMPHS LAMUSIDES (because they are daughters of
Lamus 3, son of Zeus) are
the Naiads who took care of the child
Dionysus 2; but having
been maddened by Hera would
have chopped up the baby had not
Hermes come and stolen it
[Hyg.Ast.2.21; Nonn.14.147].
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Kneeler (Hercules). The Kneeler shows
Heracles 1 trying to
kill Ladon 4, the dragon of the
HESPERIDES, or
perhaps fighting the Ligurians, an Italian people.
- Or Theseus,
lifting the stone at
Troezen (his father
Aegeus 1 had put a
sword under it, and warned
Theseus' mother not
to send him to Athens
until he could lift the stone by his own
strength).
- Or Ceteus 1, son of impious
Lycaon 2, lamenting
that Megisto was changed into a bear.
- Or Thamyris 1, blinded by the
MUSES, kneeling as a
suppliant.
- Or Orpheus,
killed by the Thracian women.
- Or Ixion with his
arms bound, because he tried to attack
Hera.
- Or Prometheus
1 bound [Hyg.Ast.2.6].
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The Kneeler
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Lesser Bear (Ursa Minor). This
constellation shows Cynosura, an Idaean nymph and
nurse of Zeus, who was
among the CURETES [see also
CORYBANTES]. She
could also be Helice 1, nurse of
Zeus and daughter of Olenus
1, son of Hephaestus
[Hyg.Ast.2.2; Man.2.30].
Lion (Leo). This constellation, protected
by Zeus and
Rhea 1, shows the Nemean
Lion, the first Labour of
Heracles 1
[Hyg.Ast.2.24; Man.2.433ff., 5.206].
Lyre (Lyra). This constellation, put in
the sky by the MUSES,
represents the lyre made by
Hermes and given to
Orpheus by either
Hermes or
Apollo after the latter
had invented the cithara. Others say this is the
lyre of Theseus
[Ara.Phae.269; Hyg.Ast.2.6, 2.7; Man.1.325].
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Milky Way (Via Lactea). The band of stars
stretching across the sky, which build the galaxy,
was formed by the milk of
Hera, which flowed when she
realized that she had been giving milk to
Hermes (or
Heracles 1) and thrust
him away. Others have said that
Hera intended with her milk
to anoint and feed
Dionysus 2 in order to
heal his madness.
Others say that it was the milk of
Rhea 1, which flowed at
the time when she presented the stone to
Cronos.
The Milky Way, others believe, was created when
the heavens were set afire, when
Phaethon 3 drove his
father Helius' chariot.
It is also told that the Milky Way is formed by
the souls of heroes, who freed from the body dwell
in Heaven [Dio.5.23.3; Hyg.Ast.2.43; Man.1.736,
1.753, 1.758; Nonn.35.298ff.].
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Creation of the
Milky Way
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Orion (Orion).
This is the hunter, who was put among the stars by
Artemis, who mourned his
death [but see Orion]
[Hyg.Ast.2.34].
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Orion
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Perseus (Perseus). This constellation
commemorates the deliverance of
Andromeda by
Perseus 1. He was
placed among the stars because of his nobility
[Hyg.Ast.2.12; Man.2.28].
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Perseus
1 commemorated in the
sky
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PLEIADES
(Pleiades). This star cluster in the
constellation of Taurus commemorate the
PLEIADES, daughters of
Atlas and Pleione
[Hyg.Ast.2.21; Man.5.710].
Polaris (Polaris in Ursa Minor or Alpha Ursae
Minoris). This star in the constellation Ursa
Minor is Cynosura [see above] [Hyg.Ast.2.2].
Procyon (Canis Minor). The star Alpha
Canis Minoris is called Procyon because it rises
before the greater Dog. It may be one of the dogs
of the hunter Orion
[Hyg.Ast.2.4, 2.36].
Ram (Aries). This constellation,
protected by Athena, is
the Ram whose Golden Fleece had to be fetched by
the ARGONAUTS. Some
said, too, that the Ram was placed in the sky by
Dionysus 2 to
commemorate another Ram, which led
Dionysus 2's soldiers,
when he was attacking Africa, to the place where
there was an abundant supply of water
[Hyg.Ast.2.20; Man.2.433ff., 4.516; Ov.Fast.4.903].
Scorpion (Scorpius). This constellation,
protected by Ares, shows
the Scorpion who killed
Orion, having been sent
against him either by Gaia
or by Artemis
[Ara.Phae.634ff.; Hyg.Ast.2.26; Man.2.32,
2.433ff.].
Sea-Monster or Whale (Cetus). The
constellation of the Whale pictures the sea-monster
sent by Poseidon to
kill Andromeda
[Hyg.Ast.2.31; Man.1.433, 5.656].
Serpent (Serpens). This constellation
pictures Ladon 4, guardian-dragon of the golden
apples of the
HESPERIDES. Or the
Dragon thrown against
Athena by the
GIANTS, which the goddess
snatched, threw, and fixed at the pole of heaven.
Others say this is the serpent that a certain Crow
[see Crow above] brought to
Apollo, lying that it was
the cause of his delay in fetching water in a Bowl
at his master's request [see also Bowl above]
[Hyg.Ast.2.3; Ov.Fast.2.243ff.].
Serpent-Holder (Ophiuchus). The
Serpent-Holder is King Carnabon of the Getae in
Thrace, who was placed among the stars by
Demeter for having
killed one of the Dragons of
Triptolemus' chariot
whom she had sent to distribute grain. Others say
that the constellation pictures
Heracles 1, killing a
serpent in Lydia. It is also told that this is the
serpent, sent by Demeter
to plague Triopas 2, for having torn down her
temple. Still others say that Phorbas 2, the man
who killed a great number of snakes in
Rhodes, is commemorated
by this constellation. And yet others say that The
Serpent-Holder is
Asclepius, put among
the stars by Zeus for the
sake of Apollo
[Hyg.Ast.2.14].
Sirius (Sirius in Canis Major). The star
Alpha Canis Majoris was, some say, put in the sky
by Isis. Some call it the Dog of
Orion; others call it
Maera 2, the dog of Icarius 2 [see above]
[Hom.Il.22.25; Hyg.Ast.2.35; Nonn.16.200;
Ov.5.723].
Swan (Cygnus).
Zeus visited
Nemesis or
Leda in the form of a swan
which he afterwards placed among the stars as a
constellation [Hyg.Ast.2.8; Man.1.337].
Triangle (Triangulum). This constellation
was placed in the sky by
Hermes, so that Aries
might be enhanced. It has been called Deltoton
after the triangular Greek letter Delta, and it has
been believed to picture Egypt, Ethiopia or Sicily
[Hyg.Ast.2.19].
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Twins (Gemini). The constellation of The
Twins, protected by
Apollo, represent the
brothers Castor 1 and Polydeuces (Pollux), called
the DIOSCURI.
Or Heracles 1 and
Apollo.
Or Triptolemus
and Iasion [see
Demeter].
[Hyg.Ast.2.22;Man.2.433ff.].
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The Twins
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Virgin (Virgo). This constellation,
protected by Demeter, is
Dike, also called Astraea,
the last of the immortals to leave earth.
Some say the constellation pictures Erigone 2,
placed among the stars for her filial affection.
Others have said Tyche,
still others Demeter,
and yet others Parthenos, whom
Apollo put among the
stars because she died young. Parthenos was
daughter of Chrysothemis 2, either by
Apollo or by Staphylus 1,
son of Ariadne
[Ara.Phae.97; Hyg.Ast.2.25; Man.2.32, 2.433ff.].
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The Virgin
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Water-Snake (Hydra). This constellation,
the largest in the sky, commemorates the Hydra of
Lerna, one of the
Labours of
Heracles 1
[Hyg.Ast.2.40] [see also
BESTIARY].
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Aegipan 1, Aeolus
1, Amalthea, Amphitrite,
Andromeda,
Aphrodite,
Apollo, Arcas 1,
ARGONAUTS' ship,
Ariadne,
Arion 2,
Asclepius, Ass, ASSES 1, ASSES
2, Astraea, Bull 2, Callisto,
Carnabon, Cassiopea 2, Castor 1, Cecrops 1, Cepheus 1,
Ceteus 1, Chiron, Crab, Crotus,
Crow 1, Crow 3, CYCLOPES,
Cynosura, Demeter,
Deucalion 1,
Dike,
Dionysus 2, Dog 1, Dolphin,
Dragon 6, Eagle 2, Eagle 3, Eagle 4, Eagle 6, Eosphorus,
Europa, Erichthonius 2, Eridanus,
Erigone 2, Eros, Eupheme 1, Fish,
Ganymedes, Hare, Helice 1,
Hera,
Heracles 1,
Hermes, Hippolytus 4,
HYADES 1, Hydra, Iasion, Icarius
2, Isis [see Io],
Ixion, Ladon 4, Laelaps 2,
Leda, Lion 2 Nemean, Maera 2,
Mastusius, Megisto, Melanippe 1, Menippe 2, Merops 3,
Metioche 2, Myrtilus, Nemesis,
Nilus, NYMPHS, NYMPHS LAMUSIDES,
Oceanus, Orion,
Orpheus, Orsilochus 6,
Pan, Parthenos, Pegasus,
Perseus 1,
Phaethon 3, Philomelus, Pholus
1, Phorbas 2, PLEIADES,
Polydeuces, Procyon, Prometheus
1, Ram 1, Ram 2, Rhea 1,
Scorpion, Sea-Monster 1, Serpent 16, Serpent 23, Thamyris 1,
Theseus, Triopas 2,
Triptolemus,
Tyche,
Zeus.
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