Table of contents hide 1 Greek mythology of Aries, the Golden Ram 2 Fleeing from sacrifice 3 Greek mythology of Taurus, the Bull 4 Zeus and Europe 5 Greek mythology of Gemini, the twins 6 Origin of the constellation 7 Greek mythology of Cancer 8 Carcinos, the Colossus 9 Greek mythology of Leo, the Lion of Nemea 10 Facing the Monster 11 Virgo mythology 12 Greek mythology of Virgo 13 Mythology of Libra 14 Mythological legend of Scorpio 15 Artemis and the scorpion 16 Greek mythology of Sagittarius 17 Suffering from Chiron 18 Greek mythology of Capricorn 19 Acceptance of Pricus 20 Mythological legend of Aquarius 21 Aquarius, the god of rain 22 Mythological legend of Pisces 23 Myth of Ictios
To know a science it is necessary to know its history.
Auguste Comte.
We have all heard about the Signs of Zod aco (from the Greek : zodion, peque a animal image ; - ikos, relative a ) and its references to legends of Greek mythology . But do you really know the stories from which these signs and their meanings emerge?
Well, I want to start a cycle of articles in relation to the legends behind the signs that so much identify us to Western culture today.
In this first installment, we will talk about some of the myths of the first three signs of the zodiac: Aries, Taurus and Gemini . It should be remembered that there are many myths that explain these references, which I will put forth below are just some of the versions that I find most interesting.
Without further ado, let's move on to the important.
Greek mythology of Aries, the Golden Ram
The first constellation of the zodiac is Aries, the Ram .
In the Greek Mythology of Aries, it symbolizes the golden wool beast that protected the sons of Néfele and Atamante .
Atamante, the King of Coronea, had with his first wife Néfele (Cloud) two children: a boy whom Frixo called and a girl, Hele .
After separating from Néfele, he joins his second wife Ino, daughter of Cadmo king of Thebes, with whom he had two other children: Learco and Melicertes .
Ino felt an extreme envy of the first children, especially Frixo, and plans to kill them to ensure the inheritance rights of their own children.
Thus, it ruins the corn harvest and makes King Atamante, in view of this catastrophe and without suspecting Ino's plan, send messengers to the Oracle of Delphi to make peace with the gods.
The messenger, under the queen's orders, tells the king that it was the desire of the gods to sacrifice Prince Frixo in a ritual and Atamante, hurt and desperate, agrees.
According to legend, Néfele, after the king refused to save his children, decides to protect them by assigning them a guardian: a ram whose wool was gilthead gold that had been presented to her by Hermes .
Fleeing from the sacrifice
According to Greek mythology, this devout ram of Queen Néfele and her children, rides the heirs on his back and begins to travel the heavens away from the claws of Ino.
Unfortunately, flying over a blanket of water, Hele slips and falls into the water, where he dies. The place was formerly known as Hellespont in honor of it, now the Dardanelles Strait located between Europe and Asia.
Frixo, on the other hand, comes to take refuge on the coasts east of the Black Sea, and later marries Calciope, daughter of King Aetes.
The legend says that the prince, in gratitude, sacrifices the ram in honor of Zeus and presents the golden wool to the king, who places it in a sacred place jealously guarded by a horrible dragon that never sleeps (from where Jason and the Argonauts must rescue him in the legend of the Golden Fleece).
Thus, Zeus immortalizes the ram for his courage by ordering the stars in the constellation of Aries.
Both in this culture and in the Babylonian, Egyptian, Persian and Roman, Aries is symbolized with a ram.
Greek mythology of Taurus, the Bull
In ancient Greece, the mythology of Taurus reminds us of the love story between Zeus and Europe, the favorite daughter of King Agenor of Tire, Phenicia.
Zeus, aware that his appearance would frighten beautiful Europe, disguised himself as a white bull with silver hair like the moon. The princess, strolling among her father's cattle, was fascinated by this beautiful animal and approached him, who knelt before her to let her ride him.
With the princess on her back, the bull walked to the sea coast and began to swim offshore, where she could not escape. Thus, he moved to the island of Crete, where he returned to his original form.
Zeus and Europe
Seducing the maiden, the legend says that Zeus told him that all the land that stretched before his eyes now belonged to him. That great country would later be known as the great continent of Europe .
She had three children with Zeus. The first is Minos, who would be the future King of Crete, who would build a maze to house a different bull: The Minotaur, eventually killed by Theseus ; The second is Radamantis, one of the 3 Death Judges; the third is Sarped n, founder of Miletus in Asia Minor.
In ancient Egypt, Taurus was associated with Apis, a bull god incarnation of the god Osiris, idolized in the region of Memphis.
The funny thing is that this constellation was associated with a bull from the culture of Babylon.
Greek mythology of Gemini, the twins
In this Greek legend of Gemini, Zeus again made his own. In love with Leda, the queen of Sparta, she transforms into a swan to get closer and manages to be with her the same night as her husband, King Tindáreo .
According to mythology, influenced by the intercourse with Zeus in the form of a swan, the queen laid two eggs. Castor and Clitemnestra (future queen of Mycenae), mortal sons of the king, and the other Polideuco and Helena (who would be the cause of the Trojan War), immortal sons of Zeus are born from one of them.
Castor and Polideuco, the male twins, grew to be inseparable. Bold and adventurous, they were doctors and defenders of humanity. They were part, in turn, of the team of heroes known as the Argonauts (within which Hercules was also found) who commanded by Jason would seek the golden fleece, and according to legend, the twins would give the end of a violent and dangerous storm that prevented them from fulfilling this objective.
They were also featured in sports: Castor was a rider and Polideuco, a boxer.
Constellation origin
According to Greek mythology, the brothers fell in love with two beautiful sisters who were already engaged to their cousins Idas and Linceo, sons of Poseidon, god of the oceans. They challenge them to a fight, in which Castor receives a throw from Idas and dies.
Surpassed by grief, Polideuco knew that committing suicide was not an option because of his status as immortal. Then, he asks Zeus to let him die with his brother.
Legend has it that the god, moved by the love that Polideuco had for his brother, allowed him to live together one day in the underworld of Hades as mortals and one day in Olympus as immortals, passing from light to light. darkness for the rest of eternity (which may explain the temperamental changes of the Geminians).
Then Zeus, knowing that they had been completely gentlemanly and honest in their life on earth, positioned their divine souls together in the heavens side by side.
Symbols of the constellation of Gemini have been recognized in Greek and Roman coins, as well as in Babylonian stones.
"Myths and creeds are heroic struggles to understand the truth in the world."
- Ansel Adams
We have all heard about the Signs of the Zodiac (from the Greek ζῳδιακός: zodion, " little animal image" ; -ikos, " relative to" ) and its references to legends of Greek mythology . But do you really know the stories from which these signs and their meanings emerge?
In this second installment we will talk about the following three Signs of the Zodiac: Cancer, Leo and Virgo . Again I must clarify that there are many versions of the origins and interpretations of the different constellations. This may be evident above all in Virgo in this article. Either way, I tried to select the most recognized and complete legends for each one.
Well, without major introductions, let's go to the important .
Greek Mythology of Cancer
In Greek mythology, Cancer has a participation in the legendary 12 tasks of Hercules, and owes his life and destruction to him.
Legend has it that Hera, queen of Olympus, jealous of Hercules for being the son of Zeus and Alcmena, makes the hero in an attack of madness kill his wife, children and two of his nephews with their own hands. And deeply repentant, he isolates himself from the world and is going to live only in wild lands where he is found by his brother Ificles .
Hercules, convinced by this, decides to visit the Delphi oracle to redeem himself from this act. In penance for his actions, the sibyl handicap orders him to perform the tasks entrusted to him by Euristeo, who had usurped his place on the throne.
This is the beginning of the famous 12 tasks of H rcules .
Well, his second job was to fight and defeat a horrible nine-headed monstrous snake (the number of heads varies depending on the version) known as La Hydra de Lerna, daughter of Typhine and Echidna (a monstrous nymph), who kept one of the entrances to the underworld.
Carcinos, the Colossus
It is known that Hera, wife of Zeus, hated and wanted to see the hero dead, and the legend says that he sent Carcinos, a colossus crab to importunate Hercules while fighting with the Hydra.
While the battle was taking place, Carcinos began to sting Hercules' feet with his tweezers, distracting him, and almost caused him defeat . However, he manages to kill the crab and then take care of the Hydra with the help of his nephew Yolao .
Hera, although not happy with the result, did not forget the servant who had sacrificed his life at his service and raised his image in heaven .
There is a theory that the origin of Cancer is much earlier than the Greeks, probably due to Mesopotamian influence. For this constellation appears under the name of Al lul, cangrejo in Sumerian.
Greek mythology of Leo, the Lion of Nemea
Leo is another sign that owes its meaning and death to the son of Zeus and Alcmena, Hercules, and the first of the 12 tasks entrusted by the King.
On this occasion, the hero is ordered to defeat and kill the giant Lion of Nemea . And to prove his victory, he had to take the skin of that invincible monster to the king .
According to Greek mythology, the Lion of Nemea was, like Hydra, a descendant of the Typhoon monster and the nymph Echidna . His claws were sharper than any mortal sword and his golden skin was an impenetrable armor. He also possessed a great force . This monster dwelt in the lands of Argolis, terrorizing anyone who dares to get too close to the hills of Nemea. Legend has it that he kidnapped defenseless women and took them to his cave, attracting knights who dared to rescue them. It is said that when they arrived at their cave, they saw an injured woman, and when they approached, she became the lion, who killed them and offered her bones to Hades.
Either way, this first task of Hercules begins in a town called Cleonas, where he is staying in the house of a poor man named Molorco .
Facing the Monster
After searching for the Lion for a while in the hills, Hercules finds him and starts trying to hurt him with his arrows. The Greek hero knew that the Lion was not only bigger, but more vehement and powerful than the other beasts. But he did not know its main advantage, and it was that there was no wood, metal or stone that could pierce his skin .
However, with his arrows he manages to scare him and guide him to his cave, where Hercules leaves his weapons and confronts him with his own hands .
After an arduous battle, he manages to take the Lion to the floor and strangle him.
Once the Lion is defeated, Hercules uses the claws of one of his legs to remove the skin, and wears it as an impenetrable layer.
It is said that this armor gave him the protection and character of a Lion, without which he could not have finished the rest of his tasks.
Zeus, admired by his son's feat, placed the image of the Lion of Nemea in the heavens under the name of Leo.
Virgo mythology
The legend of Virgo is difficult to specify, as there are many female characters throughout mythology. Virgo has been associated with almost every important goddess .
While there are too many stories that can be told here, I have only included those that are most recognized.
Virgo's image has been attributed to the myth of Isis, Ceres, Astrea, Demeter, Ishtar and even Maria (the mother of Jesus).
In Babylonian mythology, the constellation of Virgo was known as AB.SIN, " seed groove ." This represented the ear of corn of the goddess Shala.
In ancient Babylon, she was also related to Ishtar, the Goddess of Procreation, who went down to Hades to recover her husband, Tammuz the shepherd, who had been kidnapped.
For Egyptian mythology, Virgo is Isis, responsible for introducing into humanity the practice of marriage, medicine, motherhood and witchcraft .
In Roman mythology, this constellation is related to Ceres, the goddess of wheat equivalent to the Greek goddess Demeter .
Also in ancient Rome, Virgo has been linked to Prosepina, the equivalent of the Greek Personephone. This goddess was known as the Maiden Carrier of the Wheat, and was the beautiful daughter of Ceres and Jupiter.
Some people relate Virgo to the immaculate conception. Its symbol seems to be marked with the letters MV (by Maria Virgo, or Virgin Mary). That is why there are those who relate it to the Holy Mother .
If there is something that is certain, it is that this constellation is related to fertility.
Greek mythology of Virgo
The most recognized image of the constellation of Virgo is that of the goddess Astraea.
Astraea, the Maiden of the Stars, was the daughter of Zeus and Themis. She was the last of the gods to live with human beings in the years of the Alci n, which is a name that was known in peacetime. Both she and her mother were the very embodiment of justice.
She rose to the heavens to become the constellation of Virgo, and the balance of justice she held was later recognized as the neighboring constellation of Libra.
In this way we conclude this second installment with the different legends about the historical interpretations of the astrological constellations.
Greek mythology may be one of the most complex and interesting of all time. For the stories that compose it also vary, as do the interpretations of the cosmos.
We have all heard about the Signs of the Zodiac (from the Greek ζῳδιακός: zodion, "little animal image " ; -ikos, "relative to " ) and its references to legends of Greek mythology . But do you really know the stories from which these signs and their meanings emerge?
In this third installment, we can see the difference between the legends of one of its youngest signs, such as Libra, and one of the oldest, Scorpio .
They will be able to observe the amount of versions and depth of the legends of both signs, which obviously does not imply the importance of each one .
Without more, let's go to the important.
Libra mythology
In regards to the Zodiac, Libra is one of its youngest signs . Its constellation lies between Virgo to the west and Scorpio to the east, and is the only sign that is symbolized by an inanimate object . All others are people or animals.
In the past, Scorpio's claws were what symbolized Libra, not a balance.
According to the Zodiac created by the ancient Babylonians, the signs were eleven in total .
In ancient Mesopotamia, the scale was represented by one arm and the two trays, without any base. However, it hung from a rope from the center of one limb and that image also resembled a scorpion hanging from the tail with its two clamps down.
And apparently there could have been a confusion with the translations, since the Arabic word " zubana " and the Acadian word " zibanu " respectively mean " scorpion " and " balance ."
At first the Greeks called her Chelae Scorpionis . Then, as time went by, they began to interpret that it was a balance held by Astrea (Virgo), the Maiden of the Stars. It is said that from there she weighed the works of men before presenting them to Zeus.
Mythological legend of Scorpio
The legend of Scorpio has a great variety of stories. However, the constellation of Orion appears in all of them.
Orion the hunter was a Greek hero, son of Poseidon and Euriale (daughter of Minos, king of Crete), and stood out both for its large size and for being attractive and charming to women. In many of the translations, Apollo was jealous of the hero's attraction to his sister, the goddess Artemis. Then he sends a scorpion to poison him and kill him.
In that way, Orion dies because of this animal, and Apollo, full of regret and guilt, places Orion in the heavens along with his sister's help. And then, place Scorpio as a reminder of his sin.
It is said that when Scorpio is seen at night, Orion begins to disappear across the other side of the sky, fleeing from his deadly sting.
In another legend about this sign, Artemis kills Orion by mistake .
Eos, the Greek goddess of the Aurora, liked to conquer handsome young men and take them to bed. Thus, he invites Orion, who agrees. Being both together, the hero begins to boast of being able to kill any wild creature on earth.
Apollo, who defended the animals, was convinced by Gaia, goddess of the Earth (or Hera, according to the version) to send a gigantic scorpion with a strong shell to sting and thus kill the hero.
Fleeing from the scorpion, Orion enters the ocean and Artemis, who was deeply in love with him, begins to shoot arrows at the animal that was chasing him. While both are under water, the excellent shooter discharges her bow against a bubbling black spot.
Ironically, the skin of the animal could not be penetrated by the arrows, but Ori n that in that brake is reached by one of them dies tragically.
Thus, Artemis elevates his beloved to the heavens where until today he is persecuted by the great Scorpio.
Artemis and the scorpion
Another version of the legend of this sign tells that Artemis sends Scorpio to deal with Ori n . Some say that because of envy, the hero was a better hunter than her, others because he liked to hunt animals for fun.
However, the most renowned of these legends is that Ori n had gone to Crete to hunt and spend time with Artemis and his mother Leto. While there, he begins to boast of killing all the creatures that walked and the goddesses, angry, sent him the scorpion.
According to this legend, both die, but the battle was such that even Zeus noticed it, and put both of them among the stars.
Orion, in that way, is a representation and at the same time a threat of what can happen if humans do not learn to moderate our pride instincts .
Another legend says that after a casual encounter with the Pleiades, Orion falls passionately in love with his elegance and begins to pursue them . They were the seven daughters of the Titan Atlas and the nymph Pléyone, called Maya, Electra, Alcíone, Tigeige, Estérope, Celeno and Mérope, and the hero searches for them all over the earth.
Artemis, a great friend of the sisters, sends the scorpion to defend them from the stalker, and because she felt hurt by the tireless persistence with which Orion was persecuting these women. Well, he was a hunter after all.
In another version, Orion manages to find the sisters and Artemis, desperate, begs Zeus to help her away. Thus, God turns the Pleiades into the stars we see today and takes them away from the earth.
Ironically, Artemis runs out of her friends and explodes in fury, taking it out on Orion and convincing her brother Apollo to send the scorpion.
Representing this, Zeus places Orion in the sky in an eternal pursuit with the Pleiades, and near Artemis, the goddess Luna.
No matter what version of the sign you like, the life and death of Orion and the persecution with Scorpio is constantly repeated . Orion is the opposite of Scorpio in the sky, located 180 ° from each other, and the hero "dies" disappearing from view when the constellation of this sign appears among the stars.
Their stories are united forever.
Scorpio is, in fact, one of the first signs in Mesopotamian culture, as it announced the beginning of autumn .
In this way we end the third installment of this cycle. It is very interesting to see how throughout history and different cultures, the legends of each constellation acquire new colors and details. However, they all tell a story that is written in our skies.
A story of love, wars, honor and betrayals.
The history of man himself and his wandering in the world.
“The myth is the inevitable degree of transition
and essential between the unconscious and knowledge
aware."Carl Jung
We have all heard about the Signs of the Zodiac (from the Greek ζῳδιακός: zodion, "little animal image " ; -ikos, "relative to " ) and its references to legends of Greek mythology . But do you really know the stories from which these signs and their meanings emerge?
In this fourth installment, two more of the interesting legends of the signs that make up Greek mythology and astrology as we know it today. On this occasion, Sagittarius and Capricorn.
Let's move on to the interesting.
Greek Mythology of Sagittarius
In Greek mythology, Sagittarius is represented by El Centauro (half horse, half man).
These were considered as drinkers, savages, adulterers, deceitful and untrustworthy by men. However, the legend tells that one of them was distinguished from the rest by being docile, sensitive and big-hearted. His name was Chiron, son of Fílira and Cronos, and he owed his form to the fact that his father had taken the form of a horse so he could evade his wife Rea and thus be able to be with Fílira.
Chiron had been trained by Apollo and his sister Artemis, and grew up with a great development of diplomacy, adventure and courage, as well as an incredible bow management .
It is in all the legends that Chiron is recognized as the figure of the constellation of the Centaur or Sagittarius. In fact, it is said that his bow points to the heart of Scorpio, defending Orion from a new attack.
As stated in Greek mythology, Chiron the Centaura was indomitable and stormy, but very sensitive. For this he was loved by all the Greek gods.
So much is the esteem that the gods had that they sent their children to be disciples of him .
Chiron was not only an instructor, he was also a philosopher and a great doctor. Among his students were Hercules, Achilles, Jason, Castor, Polideuco and Asclepius, who learned from him their medicinal gifts.
In one of the myths of Sagittarius, Hercules, after a long trip, stops at a tavern to have a glass of wine. According to this legend, the wine that was served was first class, as it belonged to the centaurs . These, smelling the aroma of the open bottle, went into anger and galloped to meet him. Hercules, angry, begins to fight against the centaurs and after beating several, frightens poisoned arrows at others . Chiron, who had not participated in the fight, had remained at a distance watching the whole situation. However, Hercules blended into all the action and unable to distinguish his teacher from afar, wounded him with an arrow .
Quir n's suffering
While this wound was fatal, Quirón could not die because he was the son of Cronos . But that didn't stop him from the pain and agony that the poison of the Hydra of Lerna caused him.
There was no meditation or medical practice to relieve him, so Chirén used his condition to free another who also suffered .
Prometheus was a titan, son of Jeppet and Ocean Asia (or Clémene ), who had angered Zeus by stealing the fire of Olympus and delivering it to the humans who had it forbidden.
That is why Zeus sent Pandora to open the box where all the evils were to punish humanity, and Prometheus punished him by chaining him to a giant rock and sending an eagle to devour his h Once every day, being this immortal, the organ grew every night .
According to a version of the story, Chiron offers his immortality to replace Prometheus in his punishment, and in this way men could have fire and titan, their freedom.
Zeus, who had witnessed everything that happened, knew of the anguish his son Hercules felt for hurting his teacher.
Then he decides to give Quir n a place of rest in heaven as the constellation of Sagittarius, the archer, in recognition of his benevolence.
According to Babylonian Mythology, it is believed that the constellation of Sagittarius refers to Enkidu (creation of Enki ), a man of great ferocity raised by beasts. This was an intimate friend and companion of adventures of Gilgamesh of Uruk (who is believed to personify Orion) and representation of wildlife.
Greek mythology of Capricorn
It is interesting that the original representation of this sign is given by an animal half goat, half fish . Although it is common to see it represented today as a goat. And there are several legends that explain this figure. However, one of the ones I found most interesting and of which I found less information in Spanish is the legend of Pricus, the immortal father of sea goats .
In fact, the Greeks in their mythology speak of these hybrid creatures. Being Pricus son of Cronos, he shared with him his ability to manipulate time . He and his children lived in the sea, were able to speak and possessed great intelligence. However, they felt a great attraction along the coast .
Legend has it that when sea goats, helped by their front legs, came out of water, they were fascinated by the sun and lay down to rest. And that way they were losing their intelligence and their fish tails, transforming into a goat like the ones we know today.
Pricus Acceptance
Pricus, desperate to be losing his children, turned back time to warn them, prevent them and even forbid them from approaching the coast. However, again and again the sea goats did not listen to him and went out to meet his destiny .
Eventually, and after trying everything, he decides to give up. Watching in anguish while losing all his offspring, he asks his father to help him. He didn't want to be the only sea goat in the world, so he asks him to let him die . Although he was immortal, that was not among the possibilities.
Cronos, pitying him, extracts him from the sea and elevates him to the starry night, where he would forever be watching his children from above as the constellation of Capricorn .
Perhaps he was out of the water so long that he eventually transformed into a goat, so his ancient representation differs from the current one.
Capricorn in ancient Sumeria was associated with the planet Saturn and the god of Mesopotamia, Enki, represented by this goat-fish figure that is known of its monuments, who reigned the metropolis of Eridu . Then this god was Ea in the Babylonian legends.
Enki was the god of creation, crafts ( gašam ), water, intellect ( gestú ) and creativity ( Nudimmud ).
In this way we close today's article, in which we have talked about two of the most interesting myths of the Signs of the Zodiac according to Greek mythology . And we continue to introduce ourselves in these legends so wonderful and full of symbology that we are so close.
“The myth tells a sacred story; recounts an event that has taken place in the primordial time, the fabulous time of the beginnings. ”
Mircea Eliade
We have all heard about the Signs of the Zodiac (from the Greek ζῳδιακός: zodion, "little animal image " ; -ikos, "relative to") and its references to legends of Greek mythology . But do you really know the stories from which these signs and their meanings emerge?
In this fifth and final installment, we will delve into the mythological legend of each of the last two Signs of the Zodiac: Aquarius and Pisces .
Let's start then.
Mythological legend of Aquarius
Aquarius is one of the oldest Zodiac Signs, the Water Bearer. In fact it is older than the Babylonian empire, who carved it on its stones.
Una de las versiones sobre la leyenda mitológica de Acuario nos habla de la historia de Ganimedes . Este era un apuesto héroe troyano, hijo del rey Tros (algunos dicen que era hijo de Dardanus ), con quien Zeus queda fascinado.
Entonces, el dios se convierte en un pájaro (simbolizado por la constelación Águila), toma a Ganimedes y lo lleva hacia el Monte Olimpo a ser el copero de los dioses . En algunas versiones, se dice que el águila enviada en realidad era la mascota de Zeus y no él en persona.
De cualquier manera, el h roe llega a Monte Olimpo tra do por el dios y se encuentra con la ira de la esposa de Zeus, Hera . Ella estaba enojada y celosa por dos cuestiones: primero, Zeus estaba pr cticamente enamorado del joven, y segundo, este recib a todos los mismos privilegios que su hija Hebe, la diosa de la juventud, ten a como copera.
De m s est decir que a Zeus le importaba muy poco lo que Hera ten a que decir al respecto. A menudo trepaba a Ganimedes al guila y se lo llevaba, siempre con su copa en la mano, a sus excursiones.
Acuario, el dios de la lluvia
Cuenta esta leyenda mitol gica que la tierra estaba pasando por una incre ble sequ a por esos tiempos. Ganimedes, observando el lugar que alguna vez hab a sido su hogar, rog a Zeus que le deje servir a la humanidad provocando una lluvia, obteniendo su permiso.
En ese momento, comenz a ser reverenciado como Acuario, el dios de la lluvia, y Zeus lo ubic en los cielos.
Pues bien, l fue de esa manera el primer mortal en alcanzar la deidad .
En otra antigua adaptaci n hel nica antigua del mito de este signo, el dios Acuario es el responsable de inundar el mundo en el Diluvio Universal .
Los babilonios representaban a este signo con una urna que se derramaba, y lo identificaban con la terrible lluvia que ca a el onceavo mes del a o. Relacionaban ese mes en que el sol estaba en Acuario con el per odo de la maldici n de la lluvia .
Para los egipcios, habitantes de tierra seca, Acuario era el caritativo dios que les daba la lluvia que necesitaban para sus cultivos y era el encargado de devolver el río Nilo a su cauce en la época del año en que se desbordaba.
Algunas curiosidades sobre esta constelación tienen que ver con que está rodeada de otras constelaciones de agua, como Piscis, el Río Erídano y Ceto el monstruo marino.
Además, entre las primeras menciones de este signo figura La Ilíada de Homero, lo que data de su antigüedad.
Leyenda mitológica de Piscis
Piscis es una de las cuarenta y ocho constelaciones registradas por Ptolomeo .
En la leyenda mitológica de este signo, nos conectamos con la historia de la huida de Afrodita y su hijo Eros del ataque del monstruo Tifón . Para ubicar esto hay que entender un poco el contexto.
Luego de una guerra conocida como la Titanomaquia, Zeus y los olímpicos derrocan el reinado de los titanes y los encierra en el Tártaro, una prisión para el sufrimiento ubicada debajo del inframundo. Sin embargo, una vez encerrados los titanes, la madre de estos, Gea, dio a luz a su hijo menor: Tifón (Tifeo, Tifoeo, Tifaón).
Este monstruo fue el más grande de la mitología . Se dice que de los muslos para abajo no era más que un manojo serpientes enroscadas, sus brazos abiertos se extendían millares de leguas para cada lado y su cabeza tocaba las estrellas . Además, sus alas abiertas oscurecían el día, de sus ojos escupía fuego y podía expulsar rocas inflamadas de su boca. Suena bastante intimidante, ¿no?
Pues bien, Tifón, su esposa Equidna y sus hijos, entre los que se encontraban la Hidra de Lerna, el León de Nemea, Esfinge, Cerbero y Gorgona, atacaron a los olímpicos para liberar a los titanes .
Los dioses al oír que se acercaba al monte, huyeron despavoridos.
Zeus se transformó en toro, Dionisos en una cabra, Apolo en un cuervo, Artemisa en una gata, Ares en un oso y cada uno de ellos tomó la forma de un animal para escapar.
Mito de Ictios
Afrodita, por su parte, tomó a su hijo Eros y ambos se transformaron en peces para huir de aquel espantoso escenario, uniendo sus aletas para no separarse en la travesía.
De acuerdo con una versión de esta leyenda mitológica, los Ictios, un par de peces de río de Siria, socorrieron a estos dioses en su huida, ayudándolos a atravesar las aguas turbulentas. Se dice que estos dos peces fueron también quienes asistieron a Afrodita llevándola a tierra en su nacimiento, que se dio en el mar luego de que Cronos fuera castrado y su miembro arrojado al agua.
Como recordatorio por sus servicios, la diosa forjó sus imágenes en los cielos.
Eventualmente, Zeus y Tifón se enfrentaron en una batalla cataclísmica en la que el monstruo llega a desmembrar a Zeus . Pero gracias a la ayuda de Pan y Hermes, ya sus poderosos rayos, el dios termina ganando la batalla y sepultando al monstruo bajo el Monte Etna .
De esa manera damos por finalizada esta serie de artículos referidos a las leyendas de los doce Signos del Zodíaco . Podremos encontrar en cada una referencias a las personalidades que describen, y las poderosas historias de las que son parte.
Espero que lo hayan disfrutado tanto como yo disfruté el investigarlas y escribirlas.
Y que encuentren en la historia quizá algo que nos identifique también como descendientes de esas leyendas, pues todo mito tiene su base en algo manifiesto de la realidad .
AUTOR: Lucas, redactor en la gran familia de hermandadblanca.org
FUENTES:
- http://www.serendipity-astrolovers.com/
- https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganimedes_(mitolog%C3%ADa)
- https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Er%C3%ADdano_(mitolog%C3%ADa)
- https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tif%C3%B3n_(mitolog%C3%ADa)
- http://diarioelsiciliano.com.ar/diario/?p=10772
- https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanomaquia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhon
