Constellations are “groups of stars”, areas into which the celestial sphere is divided for ease of orientation in the starry sky.
Our distant ancestors considered the stars to be motionless. Indeed, despite the fact that the entire picture of the starry sky continuously rotates (reflecting the rotation of the Earth), the relative position of the stars on it remains unchanged for centuries. Therefore, stars have been used since time immemorial to determine location on earth and keep time. For ease of orientation, people divided the sky into constellations - areas with easily recognizable star patterns.
We inherited from the most ancient astronomers the division of the sky into 21 northern constellations, 12 zodiacal and 15 southern, 48 in total. These 48 classical constellations received their modern names back in Hellenistic Greece and are included in the catalog of the starry sky of Claudius Ptolemy “Almagest”.
The sky was divided into 88 constellations with rectilinear boundaries. Of the 88 constellations, 32 are located in the Northern celestial hemisphere, 48 in the Southern, and 8 constellations are equatorial.
According to available information, the delimitation of the zodiacal constellations and most of the constellations of the northern celestial hemisphere occurred in Egypt around 2500 BC. e. But the Egyptian names of the constellations are unknown to us. The ancient Greeks adopted the Egyptian delimitation of the constellations, but gave them new names. Nobody can say when this happened.
After the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1922, the constellations received Latin names that became universal.
The 47 constellations were named approximately 4,500 years ago. These are Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Dragon, Bootes, Taurus, Aquarius, Capricorn, Sagittarius, Libra, Virgo, Scorpio, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Aries, Pisces, Orion, Canis Major, Hare, Hercules, Arrow, Dolphin, Eridanus, Whale, Southern Fish, Southern Crown, Canis Minor, Centaurus, Wolf, Hydra, Chalice, Raven, Coma Berenices, Southern Cross, Small Horse, Northern Crown, Ophiuchus, Charioteer, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Pegasus, Perseus, Lyra, Swan , Eagle and Triangle.
As you can see, most of the names are taken from Greek mythology. This number was also preserved by the ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus (2nd century BC) in his star catalogue. The same constellations were also described by the Alexandrian scientist Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century AD). This was the knowledge about the constellations until the beginning of the 17th century.
In 1603, the German astronomer Johann Bayer published his star atlas, in which he added 11 new ones to the ancient constellations - Peacock, Toucan, Crane, Phoenix, Flying Fish, Southern Hydra, Dorado, Chameleon, Bird of Paradise, Southern Triangle and Indian. The names of these constellations are not associated with mythology (with the exception of Phoenix). Most of them bear the names of real and fantastic animals and birds.
In 1690, the star atlas of the Polish astronomer Jan Hevelius was published, who added 11 more constellations - Giraffe, Fly, Unicorn, Dove, Canes Venatici, Chanterelle, Lizard, Sextant, Lesser Leo, Lynx and Shield.
The study of the starry sky in the southernmost part of the celestial sphere (inaccessible for observation in Europe) began much later. Only in 1752, the French astronomer Nicolas Louis Lacaille, a famous explorer of the southern starry sky, demarcated and named 14 constellations - Sculptor, Furnace, Clock, Reticle, Chisor, Painter, Altar, Compass, Pump, Octant, Compass, Telescope, Microscope and Table Mountain . As you can see, in the names of the constellations of the southern part of the starry sky, devices and instruments are immortalized most of all - the time has come for the beginning of technical progress.
The total number of constellations indicated so far is 83. Five constellations remain - Carina, Puppis, Sails, Serpens and Angle. Previously, three of them - Keel, Stern and Sails - formed one large constellation Ship, in which the ancient Greeks personified the mythical ship of the Argonauts, under the leadership of Jason, who undertook a campaign to distant Colchis for the Golden Fleece.
The constellation Serpens is the only one located in two separate areas of the sky. In essence, in this way, an interesting combination was obtained from it being divided into two parts by the constellation Ophiuchus, and, thus, an interesting combination of two constellations was obtained. In ancient star atlases, these constellations were depicted in the form of a man (Ophiuchus) holding a huge snake in his hands.
Of course, astrologers came up with the names of individual groups of stars. Usually stars are named in Latin, this is tradition. But in each country the names are translated into their own language. The imagination of ancient astrologers was limitless; with the help of their imagination, they saw the outlines of fairy-tale animals or brave heroes in the starry sky. Almost every constellation has some ancient legend or myth associated with it.
Andromeda
The constellation is visible throughout Russia all year round.
The best time to observe is in September and October.
The constellation Andromeda is located in the northern hemisphere. The constellation has been known since the Middle Ages and is included in Claudius Ptolemy’s catalog of the starry sky “Almagest”. It has a characteristic pattern called an asterism - the three brightest stars located in a line stretching from northeast to southwest.
Alamak is a triple system consisting of a yellow main star and two physically connected bluish satellite stars. The star Alferats has two other names:
Alpharet and the full Arabic name “Sirrah al-Faras”, which means “the navel of the horse”. They both refer to navigation stars, by which sailors can determine their position at sea.
According to ancient Greek myth, Andromeda was the daughter of the Ethiopian king Kepheus (Cepheus) and Queen Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia was very beautiful and did not hide it; once she even boasted of her beauty to the sea nymphs, who were not ugly at all. Therefore, they were angry with Cassiopeia for her immodesty and complained to the god of the seas, Poseidon. He decided to punish the proud queen and sent a flood to the land of Ethiopia. And along with the flood, a sea monster in the form of the Whale. This monster came out onto land with the tide and destroyed all the ships at sea, all buildings on land, devoured livestock and people.
King Kepheus turned to the priests of the god Amon (Zeus) for help.
After consulting, the priests came to a consensus: in order to get rid of the monster, it was necessary to sacrifice Andromeda, the king’s daughter, to him. Kefei did not dare to make such a sacrifice, since he and Cassiopeia loved their daughter, smart and beautiful, very much. But the exhausted people forced the king to fulfill the command of the priests, and Andromeda was chained to a rock on the seashore. Shortly before these events, Perseus, the son of Zeus and Danae, daughter of the Argive king Acrisius, defeated Medusa. He flew to an island where gorgons lived - monsters whose heads, instead of hair, were swarming with live snakes. Their gaze is so terrible that anyone who looks into their eyes freezes to stone. But courageous Perseus was fearless. After waiting for the moment when the gorgons fell asleep, he cut off the head of the most important gorgon - Medusa. Immediately, the winged horse Pegasus flew out of Medusa’s huge body. Perseus jumped on Pegasus and flew home.
Flying over Ethiopia, I saw the beautiful Andromeda chained to a rock. He was shocked by the beauty of the girl. And her bitter fate shocked him. And Perseus decided to help the girl out. When Keith emerged from the abyss and headed towards the shore to eat Andromeda, Perseus, rising on winged sandals, struck the monster with a sword. But Keith dodged and rushed to attack. Perseus was not taken aback and directed the numb gaze of Medusa, whose head was attached to his shield, at Keith. The whale looked into her eyes, froze, turned to stone and turned into an island.
Perseus freed Andromeda and took her to the palace of King Kepheus. The grateful father offered Perseus his daughter as a wife.
Captivated by Andromeda's beauty, Perseus agreed to marry her. As a token of gratitude, Kepheus and Cassiopeia arranged a magnificent wedding: Andromeda became the wife of Perseus. She lived happily with him for many years, giving birth to Gorgophon, Persian, Alcaeus, Electryon, Sthenelus, Mestor and Hylaeus. After death, the gods turned Andromeda into a constellation. King Kepheus (Cepheus), his wife Cassiopeia and even the evil Keith turned into constellations.
Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, as one of the most prominent constellations in the northern sky, have many different names in the legends of different peoples. The Big Dipper is often called the chariot, the cart, or simply the seven bulls. The constellation Ursa Major with its brightest star named Dubhe (Arabic Thar Dubb al Akbar - “back of the Great Bear”) is associated with the following legend. The beautiful Callisto, daughter of King Lycaon, was in the retinue of the hunter goddess Artemis. Under the guise of this goddess, Zeus approached the maiden, and she became the mother of Arcas; jealous Hera immediately turned Callisto into a bear. One day Arkas, who had become a beautiful young man, while hunting in the forests, fell on the trail of a bear. He had already pulled his bow to hit his prey with a deadly arrow, but Zeus did not allow the crime: having turned his son into a bear, he carried both of them to heaven. They began to circle around the pole in a rhythmic dance, but Hera, becoming enraged, begged her brother Poseidon not to let the hated couple into her kingdom; therefore, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are non-setting constellations in the middle and northern latitudes of our hemisphere. Francesco Petrarch described the Big Dipper in his 33rd sonnet as follows:
The east was already reddened by dawn.
And the light of the star that displeased Juno,
Still shining on the pale horizon
Above the pole, beautiful and distant.
In ancient times, people thought that the sky was a giant hollow dome rising above the flat Earth, like an upside-down cup on a saucer. Later, this idea of the Earth and sky was replaced by another: the globe found itself in the center of a huge sphere, like a soap bubble. The sun moved across the surface of the bubble sky, making a full circle in a year.
The apparent path of the Sun around the Earth is called the ecliptic. The sun moves within a narrow band - the zodiac. It encircles the Earth and is 16 degrees wide (extending 8 degrees above the ecliptic and the same number of degrees below it). Within this belt are the orbits of all the planets of our solar system, except for Pluto, which moves within an exceptionally wide band. Also in the zodiac there are stars that form groups, called constellations in ancient times. To the first explorers of the sky, these constellations seemed similar to the outlines of animals, so the belt of constellations is known as the zodiac - from the Greek word "zodiakos", meaning "circle of animals".
The zodiac consists of twelve constellations, each of them has its own name and resembles an animal or human figure in shape. Ancient astrologers began to use these names to refer to the twelve astrological signs.
The zodiac belt is a conventional concept (it is generated by the consciousness of the person who highlighted it in the sky), but the stars located inside it are quite real. If you could simultaneously be at different points on the surface of the globe, you would see all twelve constellations at once. They were known long before Ptolemy described them in his writings. Each constellation has its own history, which has come down to us in the form of ancient myths. This folklore has become an integral part of our knowledge of astrological signs.
ARIES
Aries, or Ram, is the first sign of the Zodiac. In myths, the Ram always appears as a courageous, enterprising, agile, energetic animal, capable of overcoming obstacles and mountain steeps.
The story of the Ram begins in Ancient Greece, where King Athamas ruled Boeotia19. He married a woman named Nephele, and she bore him two beautiful children - a son, Phrixus, and a daughter, Gella.
After some time, Nephele got tired of Athamas. He left her and married Ino, who gave him two sons. Ino was a jealous schemer who hated her adopted children Phrixus and Gella. She planned to destroy them.
First of all, Ino persuaded the women of her country to dry the seeds prepared for sowing. That year nothing sprouted in the usually fertile fields. The Greeks were facing famine. The king sent an embassy to sacred Delphi to ask the oracle about the reason for the barrenness of the earth. It did not occur to him to ask the opinion of the women who sowed the seeds, but modern political leaders sometimes make a similar mistake.
Ino managed to bribe the king's envoys, and they, returning from Delphi, brought a false answer. They told Athamas that the gods would restore fertility to the soil if he sacrificed his children Phrixus and Gella to the god Jupiter. The gullible king decided to kill his son and daughter to save his people.
Frixus and Hella, meanwhile, were tending sheep. In the herd was the Golden-fleeced Aries, a gift from the god Mercury to their mother Nephele. Having heard about the impending crime, Nephele asked Aries to save her children. Aries, in a human voice, warned Frixus and Gella about the danger that threatened them, ordered them to climb onto his back and flew with them over the sea. Over the Dardanelles Strait, which separates Europe from Asia, Gella became dizzy, lost consciousness and slipped off Aries’s back. Hella fell into the sea and drowned. Since then, the sea where Gella died began to be called the Hellespont - the sea of Gella.
Her brother Phrixus reached Colchis safely20. The vile Ino's plan failed, but this did not save the Greeks from hunger and did not bring Athamas to reason.
The ungrateful Phrixus sacrificed the Golden-fleeced Aries to Jupiter, who sent Aries to the stars for his brave deed.
CALF
The second sign of the Zodiac is Taurus, or the Bull, an animal that is both fierce and kind, always symbolizing strength and sexuality.
The myth of the Bull is associated with Jupiter, the supreme god of ancient Greece, the ruler of the heavens, other gods and people. Loving Jupiter had many affairs, wives and mistresses. One of his lovers was the beautiful Europa, daughter of the king of Phenicia.
Europa lived as a recluse in her father's palace and knew nothing of the outside world. One day she had a prophetic dream - an unknown woman stretched out her hands to Europe and said: “I will take you to Jupiter, since fate wants to make him your lover.”
And indeed, when that day Europa and her friends went to the meadow by the sea to pick roses and hyacinths, Jupiter saw the beauty and was struck by lightning. He decided to take over Europe.
Jupiter understood that the inexperienced young girl would run away from him in fear if he appeared to her in the guise of a thunderer, so he turned into a bull. He became not an ordinary bull, but a magnificent white animal with horns sparkling like diamonds and a silver moon on his forehead.
Europe succumbed to the charms of the beautiful, kind Bull and began to caress him. Finally she climbed onto his back. Jupiter was just waiting for this moment. He took off into the air and carried Europa to the island of Crete. There he resumed his former appearance and confessed his love to the girl. Under the shade of a huge tree they became lovers.
Soon the goddess of love Venus, appearing to Europe, explained to her that she was the woman from the dream. From now on, Venus said, the continent to which Jupiter delivered his chosen one will be called Europe.
This story of adultery (Jupiter was married to the goddess Juno) has a happy ending. Europa bore Jupiter three children, and he himself remained in heaven in the guise of a Bull.
TWINS
Gemini is the third sign of the zodiac and the first whose symbol is people, not animals.
The myth of Gemini, like the previous one, is associated with Jupiter and the weakness that he had for pretty women. In this story, the object of his passion is the beautiful Leda, the wife of King Tyndareus of Sparta. Lustful Jupiter, apparently not wanting to repeat the trick with the bull, this time turned into a magnificent swan. The details of their meeting have been preserved only approximately, but it is known that Jupiter, in the guise of a swan, managed to seduce Leda.
In this amazing union, Leda gave birth to two eggs. According to the myth, one of the eggs contained the offspring of Jupiter, and the other - the offspring of Leda's mortal husband. From a pair of eggs four children were born: two brothers, Castor and Pollux, and two sisters, Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra. It remains unclear whose father Jupiter was. According to one version, Castor and Pollux were the immortal descendants of God. According to another, the children of Jupiter were Castor and Helen.
In any case, the twins Castor and Pollux grew up strong, agile and inseparable. Castor became famous for his ability to tame wild horses, Pollux won universal recognition as an invincible fist fighter. In their youth, the brothers went with Jason and his Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece. When a storm broke out in the sea, two stars sparkled above the heads of the twins, and the elements magically calmed down. Because of this incident, Castor and Pollux are considered the patrons of all those sailing the seas. (During a storm, these lights still flicker near the tips of masts and high spiers. They are generated by atmospheric electricity. According to legend, the appearance of two lights heralds the end of the storm. If only one light glows, the storm will intensify.)
Geminis were considered courageous young men. Unfortunately, Castor died in battle. Nothing could console Pollux. Finally he went to his father Jupiter and asked him to bring Castor back to life. In return, Pollux agreed to sacrifice himself.
Jupiter rewarded the brothers for their love and affection by sending them both to heaven as stars. Since then, they have been shining forever in the constellation Gemini next to each other.
CANCER
The fourth sign of the zodiac is depicted as Cancer, an inhabitant of water bodies, also capable of moving on land. It is known that Cancer as a symbol appeared in the zodiac about five hundred years before the beginning of our era. The Chaldeans gave one of the constellations this name because Cancer moves backward or moves in a zigzag, and the Sun, having reached the region of this sign around June 21, seems to freeze for several days in one position. After the Sun enters the constellation Cancer, the summer solstice begins.
The Egyptians called this constellation "Water Stars" and symbolized it with a pair of turtles. (This may be due to the fact that the constellation was observed at dawn, when the water level in the Nile reaches its minimum; at this time of year the Nile is teeming with turtles.) According to many astrologers, Cancer is a cross between the Egyptian river turtle and the Babylonian waterfowl Allula, apparently closely related to the turtle. There are important similarities between these three species - the turtle, the allulus and the crayfish. They are similar in structure, have a hard shell and move slowly (like the Sun in the sign of Cancer).
According to ancient Greek myth, a giant crayfish dug its claws into the leg of Hercules when he fought the nine-headed monster Hydra. Hercules, the son of Jupiter and a woman named Alcmene, was tasked with performing twelve heroic deeds known as the Labors of Hercules. One of these feats was to be the destruction of the formidable snake Hydra. At the time of the cancer's attack, Hercules knocked down the Hydra's heads with a club, but in the place of each knocked-down head, two new ones grew.
The cancer attack was inspired by Juno, the jealous wife of Jupiter, who wanted the death of Hercules. However, cancer doomed itself to death. Having crushed him, Hercules continued the fight with Hydra.
Nevertheless, Juno was grateful to the cancer for trying to carry out her orders. As a reward for obedience and sacrifice, she placed an image of a cancer in the sky next to the symbols of other heroes.
A LION
The fifth sign of the zodiac is represented by Leo, the king of beasts. The mythology of Leo is traditionally based on the story of the battle of Hercules with the Nemean lion.
Hercules was the son of the great god Jupiter and an ordinary woman Alcmene. Jupiter's wife Juno, who was not without reason jealous of her husband for his many lovers, began to pursue Hercules from the first day of his life. Young Hercules was forced to perform twelve dangerous heroic deeds, which went down in history as the Labors of Hercules.
The first labor of Hercules was to destroy the fierce and fearless lion that lived in the Nemean Valley. No human weapon could pierce his skin. Stone, iron and bronze bounced off her. Hercules tried to kill the lion with arrows, but they flew off the sides of the beast. The hero decided to defeat the lion with his bare hands. Possessing incredible strength, he managed to squeeze his neck with his fingers and strangle him. During the fight, the lion bit off Hercules' finger - undoubtedly, we can assume that the hero got off lightly.
Having killed the beast, Hercules tore off its magical skin. He made breastplates from it, and a protective helmet from the jaw of a lion. This new armor proved to be very valuable in the following feats.
The constellation Leo immortalizes the courage of Hercules, shown during single combat with the mighty Nemean lion.
VIRGO
Virgo is the sixth sign of the zodiac and the second whose symbol is a person, not an animal. Virgo is often depicted as a young woman holding a sheaf of wheat in her hand, as this constellation is always associated with the harvest. In Babylon it was called Furrow and was represented as the goddess of wheat. The main star in Virgo is Spica, which means “ear of wheat.”
The legend of the Virgin is found in the ancient Greek creation myth. According to it, before people and animals, there lived titans on earth - giants who ruled the world. Two titan brothers, Prometheus and Epimetheus, were given the task of creating people and animals. When this was done, Epimetheus began to give various gifts to the animals - wings to some, claws to others. He showed such generosity that when it came to the human race, he had nothing left in reserve, so he turned to Prometheus for help. Prometheus went to heaven and returned from there with fire. This gift elevated humans above all other species because fire allowed humans to keep warm, make tools, and eventually engage in trade and science.
Jupiter, the ruler of the gods, was furious when he learned that man had received the secret of the gods - fire. He ordered Prometheus to be chained to a rock, where the eagle constantly tore the titan's liver with its beak, never devouring it entirely. Jupiter also sent a curse to the earth, delivered by the first woman. Her name was Pandora, which means “endowed with all gifts.”
Pandora brought a box to earth that she was forbidden to open. One day, succumbing to curiosity, she lifted the lid. From the box scattered all those misfortunes that haunt humanity to this day: physical illness and death, as well as mental vices - anger, envy and the thirst for revenge. At the bottom of the box there was only one hope left.
After this incident, terrible times came, and one by one the gods left the Earth to live in heaven. The last to fly away was Astraea, the goddess of innocence and purity. She found refuge among the stars in the form of the constellation Virgo. Legend claims that one day the Golden Age will begin again and Astraea (Virgo) will return to earth.
SCALES
Libra is the seventh astrological sign and the only one whose symbol is not a person or animal. Libra represents balance, justice and harmony.
Like the previous sign, Libra is associated with the harvest, since in ancient times grain was weighed on scales after the harvest. They also contain deeper symbolism. In the underworld, the deeds of the dead are weighed against them.
In the religion of the Egyptians, the scales of justice were solely owned by the god Anubis, the guide of souls. Anubis, who had the head of a jackal, led the dead through the underworld and made sure that they received what they deserved. He was the keeper of the scales. There is a painting called the Ani papyrus, painted one and a half thousand years before the birth of Christ. It depicts a court scene. Anubis stands at the large scales used to weigh the heart of the deceased. On one bowl rests the heart, on the other sits Truth, symbolized by a feather. In this painting the bowls balance each other. According to Egyptian beliefs, a dead heart (or soul) must be in balance with the Truth in order to gain a second life.
Libra has also long been associated with justice and legality. We have all seen statues that symbolize justice. This is a blindfolded woman holding scales in her hands, a symbol of impartiality, that everyone will be rewarded according to their deserts.
In Greek mythology, the goddess of justice was Themis, mother of Astraea. Themis and her daughter Astraea are represented by the constellations Libra and Virgo, twinkling in the sky next to each other. According to legend, when the human race finally enters the Golden Age, Themis, symbolizing justice, and her daughter (symbolizing innocence), will return to earth.
SCORPION
The eighth sign of the zodiac is represented by Scorpio, who paralyzes his victim with poison, which he throws out through a sting located behind him.
This sign suffers from an association with Scorpio, a hated and dangerous insect. However, the scorpion was not always disgusting. In ancient Egypt, he was deified in the form of the goddess Selket. She was considered the patroness of the dead; she can often be seen with outstretched protective wings on the walls of crypts.
The classic Scorpio myth begins with the death of Orion, a handsome young giant and skilled hunter, son of the god of the seas Poseidon (Neptune). Orion's agility, strength and courage are glorified in legends. The story of his death is told in several versions. According to one of them, the goddess of the dawn Eos fell in love with Orion and took him with her. The Moon Goddess Diana (Artemis among the Greeks) out of jealousy ordered the scorpion to kill her mortal lover Eos.
According to another version, Orion tried to rape Diana, and she pulled out a giant scorpion from the ground, which killed Orion with its poison.
After the death of Orion, Jupiter placed him and Scorpio among the stars. Each of them became a constellation. Orion, with his golden armor and sword in hand, is one of the brightest and most spectacular constellations in the winter sky. But in the summer, when Scorpio appears in the sky, the shine of Orion fades.
SAGITTARIUS
Sagittarius, the ninth sign of the zodiac, is not an ordinary person stretching the bowstring. Sagittarius is a centaur, a mythological creature that is half man and half horse. Sagittarius is the only astrological sign depicted as both a human and an animal.
However, the constellation Sagittarius is not a simple centaur. This is the great and wise Chiron, the son of the Titan god Saturn. Chiron was a friend and confidant of both gods and men. The gods taught Chiron to heal, hunt, play musical instruments and predict the future. Over time, Chiron himself became a recognized teacher. Among his famous students were Achilles, Jason, Castor, Pollux and Hercules.
One day, when the great Hercules was hunting a formidable boar, he accidentally wounded Chiron in the knee with a poisoned arrow. A terrible agony gripped Chiron, but the immortal centaur could not die. Hercules promised to find Death, who could alleviate the fate of Chiron. During his wanderings, Hercules discovered the unfortunate Prometheus, forever chained to a rock, where an eagle was devouring his liver. The supreme god Jupiter cursed Prometheus: the hero’s torment was to continue until someone agreed to voluntarily take his place. The dying Chiron replaced Prometheus. Thus the curse ended. Chiron was allowed to die, and Hercules freed Prometheus.
After Chiron's death, Jupiter rewarded his nobility by placing the courageous centaur among the stars, and he became the constellation Sagittarius.
CAPRICORN
The tenth sign of the zodiac is Capricorn, an animal with strong hooves that climbs up mountain slopes, clinging to every ledge.
In ancient times, Capricorn was depicted as a half-goat, half-fish, or rather, a goat with a fish tail. In many paintings and engravings you can see Capricorn with a fish tail, and in some astrological books Capricorn is called the Sea Goat.
In the religion of ancient Babylon, the Sea Goat is the great and revered god Ea, who brought knowledge and culture to the peoples of Mesopotamia. In the Mesopotamian Valley, irrigation of lands and crops began with the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Because of this, people believed in the existence of an underground ocean. God Ea lived in this ocean. He came out of the underground reservoir every day to bring his wisdom to people, and returned back at night.
During the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans, Capricorn became associated with the god Pan, a cheerful and lustful creature, ruler of forests and fields, herds and shepherds. Above the waist, Pan was a man, and below - a goat. He had goat ears and horns.
Pan loved music and became famous for his playing of the pipe. His shepherd's pipe was actually a nymph who rejected his sexual advances. Pan turned her into a musical instrument, declaring that if he could not possess her in her original form, she would still belong to him in a new form.
Pan gained fame as the god of nature. Some of Pan's traits - sexuality, shamelessness, love of nature - were preserved in the character of Capricorn.
AQUARIUS
The symbol of the eleventh sign of the zodiac is Aquarius, a man with a jug from which water is pouring.
The image of Aquarius first appeared in the religions of Egypt and Babylon. In Egypt, Aquarius was the god Hap, who personified the Nile River. Hap carried a pair of water vessels, symbolizing the Southern and Northern Nile. This god was considered the guardian of life. All living things would die without Hap's water.
In ancient Greek literature, Aquarius was sometimes associated with Jupiter, by whose will water flowed from heaven to earth. This sign also perpetuates the memory of Deucalion, the only person who was not harmed during the great flood.
At the beginning of the creation of the world, gods and people lived in harmony. This era is called the Golden Age. The earth itself gave man rich fruits, and he did not have to cultivate fields and gardens; The river beds were filled with wine and honey. Then Pandora opened the box of disasters, and disease and other misfortunes befell humanity.
Great Jupiter looked down and decided to rid the world of people, to create a new race, more worthy of life. With the help of his brother Poseidon, Jupiter flooded the earth with water. Only two people survived, Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha - righteous people who zealously worshiped the gods. They found refuge on Mount Parnassus, and when Jupiter saw them, he remembered the exemplary behavior of the spouses. Jupiter caused the waters to recede and the earth to dry up. He ordered Deucalion and Pyrrha to collect stones and throw them, without turning around, over their heads. Deucalion fulfilled the command of the mighty thunderer, and the stones that he threw turned into men, and the stones thrown by his wife Pyrrha turned into women. So the Earth received a new population after the flood. Deucalion became the father of these people.
FISH
The twelfth and last sign of the zodiac is depicted as two fish, tied to one another, but swimming in opposite directions. Two fish in the water symbolize opposing emotions and secret depths.
The constellation Pisces was known by this name two thousand years BC. In Babylon it bore the name Kun, which translated means Tails (of fish). Kun is also interpreted as a ribbon or leash (with which two fish are connected). Two fish-goddesses on a leash, Anunitum and Symmachus, symbolized the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
In Greek mythology, Pisces is associated with the myth of Aphrodite and Eros. The terrible monster Typhon with a hundred dragon heads, spewing fire from his eyes, shook the air with a menacing howl, in which the hissing of snakes, the roar of a bull and the roar of a lion could be heard.
One day Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, was walking along the banks of the Euphrates with her son Eros. Suddenly Typhon appeared in front of them. Ominous tongues flickered in his mouth, his eyes blazed with fire. The monster set out to destroy the goddess and her son. Frightened Aphrodite, unable to escape, called on her father Jupiter for help. The great god immediately turned Aphrodite and Eros into two fish. They jumped into the water and disappeared. According to another version, two brave fish jumped out of the river and carried Aphrodite and Eros on their backs to safety. Pallas Athena (the virgin goddess) took these fish to the sky as a sign of gratitude, where they became a constellation.
- Look! A star has fallen! * * *The sky above us is like an ancient book, preserving the wisdom of centuries. Every night, as soon as the sun goes down below the horizon, this Heavenly Book opens, and its luminous star writings can tell a lot about the times when people performed feats, legends were made about heroes, and gods walked the earth... Many legends are recorded in the great Book of the Starry Sky, and the brightest of them are associated with the most ancient constellations. Ursa Major is one of these constellations. This is no coincidence. To this day, the seven stars of Ursa lead the “hit parade” of the most popular constellations in the sky. Everyone knows them. Meeting our gaze with these seven stars, we feel that the greatness, purity, tranquility and mysterious power of beauty of the starry sky awakens in our soul. Let's open the veil of Urania, and the Star Book will tell us the ancient Greek legend about how the beautiful Callisto ascended to the sky, turning into the constellation Ursa Major. |
The picturesque wooded mountains in the center of the Peloponnesian Peninsula were the favorite place of the hunter goddess Artemis. The goddess and her nymph companions strictly monitored the prosperity of life in Arcadia, protecting young plants and animal cubs in the forests, protecting the purity, beauty and youth of Nature. Nymphs took a vow of purity and chastity. In their ritual dances, they sometimes wore bear skins, for which they were nicknamed bears, and Artemis - the Bear Goddess.
The daughter of King Lycaon, who ruled Arcadia, was one of the most beautiful nymphs in the retinue of the huntress goddess. Her name was Callisto, which in Greek means “most beautiful.”
Zeus himself fell in love with her and appeared to her in the guise of Apollo. From this meeting, Callisto had a son, Arkad (option: Arkas, which means “bear”). Artemis, having learned that her nymph had broken her oath, turned her into a Bear (according to another version of the myth, Zeus turned Callisto into a bear to save her from Hera’s revenge).
One day, Arkas, returning from a hunt, saw a bear and a dog barking at her near his house. Intending to kill the big beast, he raised his spear and almost committed a terrible crime. But then Zeus intervened. Wanting to save his beloved, he grabbed the bear by the tail and threw it into the sky. Since the animal was heavy, the tail stretched out and became significantly longer than the tail of an ordinary bear. Zeus did not separate the beloved dog of the nymph-hunter from his mistress and also threw him into the sky, giving her the appearance of a bear, but smaller. This is how the beautiful Callisto ended up with her favorite among the stars, where to this day she attracts the eyes of people with her beauty.
As legends say, Zeus also placed his son Arcas in the sky - in the constellation Bootes or turned him into the star Arcturus (which translated from ancient Greek means “watchman, guardian”) so that the son would always protect his mother.
Hera, the wife of Zeus, having learned about what had happened, became furious and begged Poseidon not to let the beauty she hated into his kingdom. Since then, the Bears have been circling in a rhythmic dance around the pole, and they are never destined to swim in the Ocean.
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- Yes, Ursa Bears never hide behind the horizon. By their location you can determine what time of year it is and what time it is. In ancient times, all travelers and sailors used these polar clocks. This clock never stops. The Big Dipper solemnly walks around the celestial Pole of the World during the day, inspecting and guarding it, as if someone tied it with a starry bridle to the North Star.
- Show me the North Star!
- Find the two outermost stars of the Bucket, mentally draw a line upward from the bottom of the Bucket. Do you see a bright star? This is the North Star - the center of Time, all the constellations revolve around this Queen of the Night.
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› ››Description of the presentation by individual slides:
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Myths and legends of constellations ORLOV Yuri Nikolaevich - teacher of physics and computer science Lezhnevsky district, Novogorkinskaya secondary school
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Myths and legends in astronomy We present to you the presentation “Myths and Legends of Astronomy”. The presentation will tell the history of the names of the constellations. With the help of a star chart, you can find out the myth or legend associated with each constellation.
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History of the names of constellations Star chart Exit X Engravings from the atlas of John Hevelius
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History of the names of constellations The history of constellations is very interesting. A very long time ago, sky observers united the brightest and most noticeable groups of stars into constellations and gave them various names. These were the names of various mythical heroes or animals, characters from legends and tales - Hercules, Centaurus, Taurus, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Pegasus, etc. The names of the constellations Peacock, Toucan, Indian, Southern Cross, Bird of Paradise reflected the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries . There are a lot of constellations - 88. But not all of them are bright and noticeable. The winter sky is richest in bright stars. At first glance, the names of many constellations seem strange. Often in the arrangement of stars it is very difficult or even simply impossible to discern what the name of the constellation indicates. The Big Dipper, for example, resembles a ladle; it is very difficult to imagine a Giraffe or Lynx in the sky. But if you look at ancient star atlases, the constellations are depicted in the form of animals. X
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What did the ancient Greeks say about bears? There are many legends about Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Here is one of them. Once upon a time, King Lycaon, who ruled the country of Arcadia, had a daughter named Callisto. Her beauty was so extraordinary that she risked competing with Hera, the goddess and wife of the almighty supreme god Zeus. Jealous Hera eventually took revenge on Callisto: using her supernatural power, she turned her into an ugly bear. When Callisto's son, young Arkad, one day returning from a hunt, saw a wild beast at the door of his house, he, suspecting nothing, almost killed his mother bear. Zeus prevented this - he held Arkad's hand, and took Callisto to his sky forever, turning him into a beautiful constellation - the Big Dipper. At the same time, Callisto’s beloved dog was also transformed into Ursa Minor. Arkad did not remain on Earth either: Zeus turned him into the constellation Bootes, doomed to forever guard his mother in the heavens. The main star of this constellation is called Arcturus, which means “guardian of the bear.” Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are non-setting constellations, most visible in the northern sky. There is another legend about the circumpolar constellations. Fearing the evil god Kronos, who devoured babies, Zeus's mother Rhea hid her newborn in a cave, where he was fed, in addition to the goat Amalthea, by two bears - Melissa and Helica, who were later placed in heaven for this. Melissa is sometimes called Kinosura, which means "dog's tail." In the legends of different nations, the Big Dipper is often called a chariot, a cart, or simply seven bulls. Next to the star Mizar (from the Arabic word for “horse”) - the second, or middle, star in the handle of the Big Dipper's bucket - the star Alcor (in Arabic this means “horseman”, “rider”) is barely visible. These stars can be used to test your eyesight; every star should be visible to the naked eye. X
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The names of the starry sky reflect the myth of the hero Perseus. Once upon a time, according to the ancient Greeks, Ethiopia was ruled by a king named Cepheus and a queen named Cassiopeia. Their only daughter was the beautiful Andromeda. The queen was very proud of her daughter and one day had the imprudence to boast of her beauty and the beauty of her daughter to the mythical inhabitants of the sea - the Nereids. They were very angry, because they believed that they were the most beautiful in the world. The Nereids complained to their father, the god of the seas, Poseidon, so that he would punish Cassiopeia and Andromeda. And the powerful ruler of the seas sent a huge sea monster - Whale - to Ethiopia. Fire burst out of Keith's mouth, black smoke poured out of his ears, and his tail was covered with sharp spikes. The monster devastated and burned the country, threatening the death of the entire people. To appease Poseidon, Cepheus and Cassiopeia agreed to give their beloved daughter to be devoured by the monster. Beauty Andromeda was chained to a coastal rock and meekly awaited her fate. And at this time, on the other side of the world, one of the most famous legendary heroes - Perseus - accomplished an extraordinary feat. He entered the island where gorgons lived - monsters in the form of women who had snakes instead of hair. The gaze of the gorgons was so terrible that anyone who dared to look into their eyes was instantly petrified. But nothing could stop the fearless Perseus. Seizing the moment when the gorgons fell asleep. Perseus cut off the head of one of them - the most important, the most terrible - the gorgon Medusa. At the same moment, the winged horse Pegasus flew out of Medusa’s huge body. Perseus jumped on Pegasus and rushed to his homeland. Flying over Ethiopia, he noticed Andromeda chained to a rock, who was about to be grabbed by the terrible Whale. Brave Perseus entered into battle with the monster. This struggle continued for a long time. Perseus's magical sandals lifted him into the air, and he plunged his curved sword into Keith's back. The whale roared and rushed at Perseus. Perseus directed the deathly gaze of the severed head of Medusa, which was attached to his shield, at the monster. The monster petrified and drowned, turning into an island. And Perseus unchained Andromeda and brought her to the palace of Cepheus. The delighted king gave Andromeda as his wife to Perseus. In Ethiopia the merry feast continued for many days. And since then the constellations of Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Andromeda, and Perseus have been burning in the sky. On the star map you will find the constellation Cetus, Pegasus. This is how the ancient myths of the Earth found their reflection in the sky. How Perseus saved Andromeda X
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How the winged horse Pegasus “flew” into the sky Next to Andromeda is the constellation Pegasus, which is especially clearly visible at midnight in mid-October. The three stars of this constellation and the star Alpha Andromeda form a figure that astronomers call the “Big Square”. It can be easily found in the autumn sky. The winged horse Pegasus arose from the body of the Gorgon Medusa, beheaded by Perseus, but did not inherit anything bad from her. He was the favorite of nine muses - the daughters of Zeus and the goddess of memory Mnemosyne; on the slope of Mount Helikon he knocked out the source of Hippocrene with his hoof, the water of which brought inspiration to poets. And one more legend in which Pegasus is mentioned. The grandson of King Sisifus, Bellerophon, was supposed to kill the fire-breathing monster Chimera (Chimera means “goat” in Greek). The monster had the head of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail of a dragon. Bellerophon managed to defeat the Chimera with the help of Pegasus. One day he saw a winged horse and the desire to take possession of it seized the young man. In a dream, the goddess Athena, the beloved daughter of Zeus, wise and warlike, the patroness of many heroes, appeared to him. She gave Bellerophon a wonderful horse-taming bridle. With her help, Bellerophon caught Pegasus and went to battle the Chimera. Rising high into the air, he threw arrows at the monster until it gave up the ghost. But Bellerophon was not satisfied with his luck, but wished to ascend to heaven on a winged horse, to the home of the immortals. Zeus, having learned about this, became angry, enraged Pegasus, and he threw his rider to Earth. Pegasus then ascended to Olympus, where he carried the lightning bolts of Zeus. The main attraction of the Pegasus constellation is a bright globular cluster. Through binoculars you can see a round luminous foggy spot, the edges of which sparkle like the lights of a big city visible from an airplane. It turns out that this globular cluster contains about six million suns! X
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The most beautiful constellation of the southern sky X There is no other constellation in the entire sky that would contain so many interesting and easily accessible objects for observation as Orion, located near the constellation Taurus. Orion was the son of Poseidon - the god of the seas in Greek mythology (in Roman - Neptune). He was a famous hunter, fought with a bull and boasted that there was no animal that he could not defeat, for which Hera, the powerful wife of the mighty Zeus, sent Scorpio against him. Orion cleared the island of Chios from wild animals and began to ask the king of this island for the hand of his daughter, but he refused him. Orion tried to kidnap the girl, and the king took revenge on him: after getting drunk, he blinded Orion. Helios restored Orion’s sight, but Orion still died from the bite of the Scorpio sent by the Hero. Zeus placed him in the sky in such a way that he could always escape from his pursuer, and indeed, these two constellations are never visible in the sky at the same time
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Where does Veronica's hair come from in the sky? The ancient constellation Leo had a fairly large “territory” in the sky, and Leo himself had a magnificent “tassel” on his tail. But in 243 BC. he lost it. A funny story happened, about which the legend says. The Egyptian king Ptolemy Euergetes had a beautiful wife, Queen Veronica. Her luxurious long hair was especially magnificent. When Ptolemy went to war, his saddened wife swore an oath to the gods: if they kept her beloved husband safe and sound, she would sacrifice her hair. Soon Ptolemy returned home safely, but when he saw his shorn wife, he was upset. The royal couple was somewhat reassured by the astronomer Konon. declaring that the gods carried Veronica's hair to heaven, where it was destined to decorate the spring nights. X
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Constellation Taurus X For ancient peoples, the most important constellation was Taurus, since the new year began in the spring. In the zodiac, Taurus is the most ancient constellation, since cattle breeding played a huge role in the life of ancient peoples, and the bull (Taurus) was associated with the constellation where the Sun seemed to conquer winter and herald the arrival of spring and summer. In general, many ancient peoples revered this animal and considered it sacred. In ancient Egypt there was a sacred bull, Apis, who was worshiped during his lifetime and whose mummy was ceremonially buried in a magnificent tomb. Every 25 years Apis was replaced with a new one. In Greece, the bull was also held in high esteem. In Crete the bull was called Minotaur. The heroes of Hellas Hercules, Theseus, Jason pacified the bulls. The constellation Aries was also highly revered in ancient times. The supreme god of Egypt, Amon-Ra, was depicted with a ram's head, and the road to his temple was an alley of sphinxes with ram's heads. It was believed that the constellation Aries was named after Aries with the Golden Fleece, after whom the Argonauts sailed. By the way, there are a number of constellations in the sky that reflect the Argo Ship. The alpha (brightest) star of this constellation is called Gamal (Arabic for “adult ram”). The brightest star in the constellation Taurus is called Aldebaran.
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Where are there twins in the sky? In this constellation, two bright stars are very close to each other. They received their name in honor of the Argonauts Dioscuri - Castor and Pollux - twins, sons of Zeus, the most powerful of the Olympian gods, and Leda, a frivolous earthly beauty, brothers of Helen the beautiful - the culprit of the Trojan War. Castor was famous as a skilled charioteer, and Pollux as an unsurpassed fist fighter. They took part in the Argonauts' campaign and the Calydonian hunt. But one day the Dioscuri did not share the spoils with their cousins, the giants Idas and Lynceus. In the battle with them, the brothers were severely wounded. And when Castor died, the immortal Pollux did not want to part with his brother and asked Zeus not to separate them. Since then, by the will of Zeus, the brothers spend six months in the kingdom of gloomy Hades, and six months on Olympus. There are periods when on the same day the star Castor is visible against the background of the morning dawn, and Pollux - in the evening. Perhaps it was precisely this circumstance that gave rise to the birth of the legend about brothers living either in the kingdom of the dead or in heaven. The Dioscuri brothers were considered in ancient times to be the patrons of sailors caught in a storm. And the appearance of “St. Elmo’s Fire” on the masts of ships before a thunderstorm was considered a visit to the Twins by their sister Elena. St. Elmo's lights are luminous discharges of atmospheric electricity observed on pointed objects (tops of masts, lightning rods, etc.). The Dioscuri were also revered as guardians of the state and patrons of hospitality. In ancient Rome, a silver coin “Dioscuri” with images of stars was in circulation. X
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How Cancer X appeared in the sky The constellation Cancer is one of the most inconspicuous zodiac constellations. His story is very interesting. There are several rather exotic explanations for the origin of the name of this constellation. For example, it was seriously argued that the Egyptians placed Cancer in this region of the sky as a symbol of destruction and death, because this animal feeds on carrion. Cancer moves tail first. About two thousand years ago, the summer solstice point (i.e., the longest daylight hours) was located in the constellation Cancer. The sun, having reached its maximum distance to the north at this time, began to “back away” back. The length of the day gradually decreased. According to classical ancient mythology, a huge sea Cancer attacked Hercules when he was fighting the Lernaean Hydra. The hero crushed him, but the goddess Hera, who hated Hercules, placed Cancer in heaven. The Louvre houses the famous Egyptian circle of the zodiac, in which the constellation Cancer is located above all others.
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Is the lion in the sky scary? X About 4.5 thousand years ago, the summer solstice point was located in this constellation, and the Sun was in this constellation during the hottest time of the year. Therefore, among many peoples, it was the Lion that became the symbol of fire. The Assyrians called this constellation “great fire,” and the Chaldeans associated the fierce lion with the equally fierce heat that occurred every summer. They believed that the Sun received additional strength and warmth by being among the stars of Leo. In Egypt, this constellation was also associated with the summer period: flocks of lions, escaping the heat, migrated from the desert to the Nile valley, which was flooding at that time. Therefore, the Egyptians placed images in the form of a lion's head with an open mouth on the gates of irrigation canals that directed water to the fields.
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X Virgo The constellation Virgo, located next to Leo, this constellation was sometimes represented by the fairy-tale sphinx - a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a woman. Often in early myths, the Virgin was identified with Rhea, the mother of the god Zeus, the wife of the god Kronos. Sometimes she was seen as Themis, the goddess of justice, who in her classical guise holds Libra (the zodiac constellation next to Virgo). There is evidence that in this constellation ancient observers saw Astraea, the daughter of Themis and the god Zeus, the last of the goddesses who left the Earth at the end of the Bronze Age. Astraea, the goddess of justice, a symbol of purity and innocence, left the Earth due to the crimes of people. This is how we see the Virgin in ancient myths. The Virgin is usually depicted with the rod of Mercury and an ear of corn. Spica (Latin for “spike”) is the name given to the brightest star in the constellation. The very name of the star and the fact that the Virgin was depicted with an ear of corn in her hands indicate the connection of this star with human agricultural activities. It is possible that her appearance in the sky coincided with the beginning of some agricultural work.
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Libra is the only “non-living” zodiac constellation X. Indeed, it seems strange that among the animals and “semi-animals” in the Zodiac there is the sign of Libra. Over two thousand years ago, the autumnal equinox was located in this constellation. The equality of day and night could be one of the reasons why the zodiac constellation received the name “Libra”. The appearance of Libra in the sky in the middle latitudes indicated that the time for sowing had come, and the ancient Egyptians, already at the end of spring, could consider this as a signal to begin harvesting the first harvest. Scales - a symbol of balance - could simply remind ancient farmers of the need to weigh the harvest. Among the ancient Greeks, Astraea, the goddess of justice, weighed the destinies of people with the help of Libra. One of the myths explains the appearance of the zodiac constellation Libra as a reminder to people of the need to strictly observe the laws. The fact is that Astraea was the daughter of the almighty Zeus and the goddess of justice Themis. On behalf of Zeus and Themis, Astraea regularly “inspected” the Earth (armed with scales and blindfolded, in order to judge everything objectively, supply Olympus with good information and mercilessly punish deceivers, liars and everyone who dared to commit all kinds of unfair acts). So Zeus decided that his daughter’s Libra should be placed in heaven.
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Not only because of its external similarity, this constellation was assigned the role of a poisonous creature. The sun entered this area of the sky in late autumn, when all nature seemed to be dying, only to be reborn again, like the god Dionysus, in the early spring of the next year. The sun was considered to have been “stinged” by some poisonous creature (by the way, in this area of the sky there is also the constellation Snake!), “as a result of which it was sick” all winter, remaining weak and pale. According to classical Greek mythology, this is the same Scorpio that stung the giant Orion and was hidden by the goddess Hera on the diametrically opposite part of the celestial sphere. It was he, the heavenly Scorpio, who most frightened the unfortunate Phaeton, the son of the god Helios, who decided to ride across the sky on his fiery chariot, without listening to his father’s warnings. Other peoples gave this constellation their names. For example, for the inhabitants of Polynesia, it was represented as a fishing hook, with which the god Maun pulled the island of New Zealand from the depths of the Pacific Ocean. The Mayan Indians associated this constellation with the name Yalagau, which means “Lord of Darkness.” According to many astronomers, the sign of Scorpio is the most sinister - a symbol of death. It seemed especially scary when the planet of disasters - Saturn - appeared in it. Scorpio is a constellation where new stars often flare up, in addition, this constellation is rich in bright star clusters. Does the constellation really look like Scorpio? X
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According to ancient Greek mythology, the wisest of the centaurs, Chiron, the son of the god Chronos and the goddess Themis, created the first model of the celestial sphere. At the same time, he reserved one place in the Zodiac for himself. But he was ahead of him by the insidious centaur Krotos, who took his place by deception and became the constellation Sagittarius. And after his death, the god Zeus turned Chiron himself into the constellation Centaur. That's how two centaurs ended up in the sky. Even Scorpio himself is afraid of the evil Sagittarius, at whom he aims with a bow. Sometimes you can find an image of Sagittarius in the form of a centaur with two faces: one facing backward, the other forward. In this way he resembles the Roman god Janus. The first month of the year, January, is associated with the name Janus. And the Sun is in Sagittarius in winter. Thus, the constellation seems to symbolize the end of the old and the beginning of the new year, with one of its faces looking into the past, and the other into the future. In the direction of the constellation Sagittarius is the center of our Galaxy. If you look at a star map, the Milky Way also passes through the constellation Sagittarius. Like Scorpio, Sagittarius is very rich in beautiful nebulae. Perhaps this constellation, more than any other, deserves the name “celestial treasury.” Many star clusters and nebulae are strikingly beautiful. X Who is the star shooter aiming at?
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