In Greek mythology, Andromeda was the daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia. Her mother offended Poseidon, the god of the sea, by boasting that she and Andromeda were far more beautiful than any sea nymph. Cepheus, anxious to placate Poseidon, chained the unfortunate Andromeda to a rock by the seashore, to await her death at the hands of a sea monster, Cetus. However, the hero Perseus (on his way home after slaying the gorgon Medusa) rescued Andromeda in the nick of time, and later married her. The pattern of stars that make up the constellation was recognized by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD.
Cepheus, the King, was Cassiopeia's husband and Andromeda's father in ancient mythology. He was King of Joppa (today in Israel), and was one of the Argonauts, who journeyed withja son in search of the Golden Reece. Upon his death, the King was placed into the heavens in close proximity to his family, an association which dates back to at least the 5th century BC.
The constellation of Cassiopeia is one of the most distinctive, and is one of the many ancient groupings to which a legend is attached. Cassiopeia was married to King Cepheus; their daughter was Andromeda. Cassiopeia boasting about her own and her daughter's beauty so enraged Poseidon that he sent a sea monster to kill Andromeda, but she was saved by the hero Perseus, whom she later married, Appropriately enough, husband, wife, daughter and son-in-law are all located in roughly the same part of the sky. The Queen is usually represented in a throne or chair shaped by the six most prominent stars of the group.
Ursa Major, the Great Bear, has had myths associated with it since the very earliest civilizations. It was identified with a bear in such disparate cultures as the native American Indians of the Northeastern United States and the ancient Greeks. The name common in Britain, the Plough,seems to have a medieval origin, Another common name among northern European cultures is the Wain, a shortened form of wagon ' " The group was known as "Charle Wain", probably originally in honor of Charlemagne (Carolus I'lagnus), the first Holy Roman Emperor (reikned 800-8 / 4 AD).
Draco, the Dragon, has been associated with a dragon in most western mythologies, and sometimes identifled as the beast that guarded the golden apples of the garden of the Hesperides,and was killed by Hercules when he came to fetch the apples as his eleventh labor, In ancient Egyptian mythology, it was portrayed as either a hippopotamus or a crocodile.
Ursa Minor, the Little Bear, has existed for centuries, and it seems to have been formed by the Greek philosopher Thales in the 6th century BC to help mariners with their navigation. Perseus is one of the more enduring of the ancient legendary heroes, whose most famous deed was to kill Medusa, a Gorgon whose appearance was enough to turn anyone unfortunate enough to look at her into stone. Perseus was able to kill her by using a shiny shield to aim his sickle at her. She was decapitated in one blow, and the more ornate constellation drawlngs depict Perseus holding Medusa's head As he returned, Perseus rescued the hapless Andromeda from the clutches of the sea monster Cetus, After marrying Andromeda, Perseus presented the Gorgon's head to Athene.
Aquarius, the Water Bearer, is the 12th sign in the modem zodiac (the "first point of Aries " now being in Pisces) and the whole area in ancient times was associated with water or rain. The Babylonians called the area the Sea, and populated it with ocean creatures like Cetus, Pisces, Capricomus and Delphinus, all under the control ofaquarius. The Egyptian hieroglyph for water is the same as that used for Aquarius. In Roman times, the trefoil grouping and a line of stars going south into the mouths of Piscis Austrinus was a separate group, the trefoil denoting an um or amphora.
Aries, the Ram, has been associated with a Ram for at least 2,000years, It was also given the title "prince of constellations" or "leader of the constellations" when it began to be the location of the vernal equinox about 1000 BC The Greeks associated Aries with the story of the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece. The Chinese called it the Dog, which formed part ofa larger figure Including Taurus and Gemini.
In westem mythologies, the prominent shape of Aquila, the Eagle, has been identified with a bird for at least 3,500 years. An eagle, raven, vulture, hawk or falcon was variously assigned to the pattern by the Babylonians, Arabs,Persians and Hebrews. Curiously, an ancient Chinese text from 500 BC identifies the pattern as a draught ox. In Roman mythology, Aquila represents the eagle sent byjupiter to collect Ganymede, a shepherd boy, who would become cup-bearer of the gods.
Lyra, the Lyre, as befits its prominence, is a very oldgrouping, named long before the ancient Greeks, who knew it we//. It appears originally to have been shown as a bird of prey of some kind, sometimes diving on its hapless victim. Later, with the invention of musical instruments, the appellation of the Lyre or Harp came along. The creation of the harp is credited to the inventiveness of one of the Argonauts, who used a tortoise shell to fashion a lyre. It was subsequently transferred to the heavens as Apollo was particularly pleased by its music, Orpheus mastered it and used it to charm the keepers of the underworld.
Both Delphinus, the Dolphin, and Equuleus, the Foal are ancient constellations and were duly recorded by Ptolemy in the Almagest. Poseidon, god of the sea, placed the image of a dolphin in the sky in gratitude for the dolphin's help in wooing his wife, the mermaid Amphitrite. Alpha (a) Delphini is named Sualocin, while Beta (,6) is called Rotanev - perhaps it comes as no surprise to learn they were originated by Nicolaus Venator, the assistant to the Italian astronomer Guiseppe Piazzi ! Equuleus is associated with the legend of Mercury giving Castor as a gift.
Cygnus, the Swan is an ancient constellation which appeared in Ptolemy's Almagest in the 2nd century AD. it had been known for centuries before as a bird, and often called a hen in some ancient mythologies. One of the more enduring legends suggest5 that it was the image of the bird into which Zeus transformed himself while visiting the King of Sparta's wife, Leda. Leda duly laid an egg, from which hatched not only the twins, Castor and Pollux (only Pollux was Zeus' son, Castor being the son of the King), but also Helen of Troy.
Capricornus, the Sea Goat, is one of the less brilliant constellations of the zodiac. The goat has been identified with Pan, who is sometimes seen as a goat in Roman mythology and was a symbol of fertility. This connection is very tenuous, but other civilizations associated the region with water, The ancient Chinese, Babylonians and Egyptians all connected the constellation with the rainy season, while the Aztecs portrayed it as a homed whale or narwhal. Certainly, Capricomus is in the ocean-orientated part of the autumnal sky, along with Aquarius, Pisces, Cetus and Piscis Austrinus.
Sagittarius, the Archer,is one of the more prominent constellations. Probably it originated in ancient Babylon or Assyria, and was well known by the time of the Greeks, The figure appears with a lion's head on the Zodiac of Dendera, an Egyptian depiction of the sky. The centaur was a favorite creature of the Assyrians, seen as warlike and uncivilized, unlike his cousin to the west (Centaurus). He is depicted as holding a bow and arrow which is pointedatantares, the heart of the Scorpion, Today, stargazers often describe a ladle or teapot.
Pegasus, the Flying Horse, is apparently a very Old group, since the winged horse was a favorite motif of Assyrian art. This civilization was roughly contemporary with the New Kingdom of Egypt, and the winged horse adorns coins of the time, about 500 BC. The winged horse was also a favorite in Greece, with many classical-period coins depicting it Greek myth has Pegasus born of the slain I'ledusa as Perseus sped off with the head The hero Bellerophon tamed and rode him to slay the monster Chimaera, Later, Pegasus entered heaven and became Zeus' packhorse, carrying lightning to where it was needed.
Triangulum, the Triangle, is a very old group named originally named Deltotron by the Greeks after the Greek letter Delta, which its shape resembles. It was later associated with several forms of triangle. The Romans saw it as the island Sicily in the sky. There are several stars just south of today's Triangle which were formally called Triangulum Minor (6,1 0, and 12/13 Trianguli). This smallgroup has been discarded by modem astronomers.
Auriga, the Charioteer, has been known thus since ancient times, and was originally portrayed complete with chariot The brilliant star Capella represents the Charioteer's left shoulder, and was thought by the ancient Greeks to represent Amalthea, the she-goat that suckled the infant Zeus. The three small stars above Capella are known as the kids.
Orion, the Hunter, was named by the Greeks, but this obvious figure was variously known as a god, hero, warrior, and hunter by almost every culture that cared about naming stellargroupings It was already known as Orion by 425 BC, and there are connections in ancient legend with Ares, god of war. In the classical myth, Orion was the son of Poseidon and a mortal mother, and was the most handsome man who ever lived. Blinded by the jealous father of his intended bride, he eventually regained his sight by looking at the sunrise. Aurora, goddess of dawn and Apollo's sister, became his lover.
Taurus, the second sign of the old zodiac, is very ancient.The bull was worshipped in several Mlediterranean civilizations, and is associated with many stories involving the gods, The bull is seen simply threatening Orion, who holds up his shield to ward it off In Greek mythology, Taurus was the snow-white bull which carried Europa off only to be revealed as Zeus in disguise. The Pleiades have their own myths, the seven sisters being associated with spring and agriculture due to their heliacal rising just before dawn at the beginning of the planting season. They were apparently worshipped by many ancient peoples.
The origins of the kneeling Hercules, the Hero, are lost in time. The Kneeler is an early appellation, and he is shown on Assyrian texts of 3000 BC with a foot on the head of the dragon, Draco. At that time he was known as lzhdubar and connected with Sun worship. There have been many names associated with the Hero in many cultures. Hercules, or Heracles, the strongest man who ever lived, was known from early Greek times, when he was celebrated for having accomplished twelve seemingly impossible tasks, or labors. The son of zeus by a mortal mother, Hercules then became a full god.