Origin of the name of the constellations

The zodiac is a band of sky where are the sun and the planets. In the 5th century a.C this region was divided in 12 equal parts (One for every month of the year). To which they gave the name of the most near constellation. These constellations were the following ones.

Aries: The ram with traveled Frixio and Hele, when they left their homeland to reach Cochis. It was then the Golden Fleece. 

Taurus: the are two versions 1) The Bull of Crete, a mythical beast that lived in that area. 2) The form adopted when Zeus kidnapped Europe. 

Gemini: The twins Castor and Pollux. Pollux was inmortal, not his brother Castor. When Castor died, Pollux gave his immortality to save his brother. 

Cancer: The crab that Hera sent to help the Hydra of Lerna, when it fought against Hercules. 

Leo: The Lion of Nemea, killed by Hercules, who strangled him, because his skin was impenetrable. the hero with his own claws skinned (the one that could hurt him) and stayed skin as it's symbol. 

Virgo: The myth is Astraea, daughter titánide CEO and Phoebe, still having had an affair with fellow Titan Perses, whose union was the result of Hecate (Goddess of Darkness and the Crossroad), virtuously resisted the raving of Zeus not become another carnal adventure of "thunder". Because if this island was turned into an almost deserted and abandoned, Ortigia. 


Libra: Myth says that is attributed to the goddness of Justice, as well as illustrating ancient Roman depictions of Julius Caesar carrying a balance, symbolizing his power and justice. Later the Roman ruler would be deleted and the figure would keeo the balance.


Scorpion: It was the one that the goddess Artemisa sent against the giant hunter Orión. As Orión it was a bit short of mind, he trod on it and the scorpion fixed the sting to him. Both died and Zeus put each one opposite other one, in order that they were not fighting.

Sagitario: The centaur Quirón, doctor of the doctors, tired of his condition of immortal, decided to change it into Prometeo's salvation. When the treatment was formalized, Prometeo asked him " why have you done it? Now that you are dead, for much that you get tired, you are not going to be able to change it... "


Ofiuco: God of the cane and the serpent, acquaintance in other mythologies, nowadays I seal number 13 of the zodiac, due to the precision that to merita the movement of the axis of the land.


Capricornio: Representation of the Goat Amaltea, which nursed Zeus when his mother Rea hid it from the sight of his father Cronos.


Acuario: The young person Ganímedes, the cupbearer of the gods in the Olympus. A young person of extreme beauty who obtained the love of the God Zeus.


Piscis: When the gods fled of the titan Typhoon, many people adopted animal forms. Plough and Aphrodite they did it in the shape of fish and were fished by a fisherman. Other sources say that it were the damned Cadmo and Harmony those who were fished.




By Karen S. and Francisca R.