Hi again! Let’s continue with the wonderful stories shall we?! Without
further ado I bring to you the rest of the Zodiacs…
Libra (September 24 - October 23)
More specifically, the scales were considered to be the symbol
of Dike, meaning Justice, who was a minor goddess of the Underworld.
The fact that the ancient Greeks gave Libra a prominent place in the sky
signifies that they considered justice, equity and balance in general, to be the
moral cornerstones of an ideal way of living.
Scorpio (October 24 - November 22)
Orion was believed to be the tallest and the most handsome man of the
then known world. He was often seen hunting in the woods and hills of ancient
Greece with his pack of dogs. His constellation shows him striding across the
heavens flourishing a gleaming sword on his bejewelled belt.
Many of the stories concerning the constellations of Orion and Scorpio
reflect the annual rising and setting of their constellations, which appear to
pursue each other across the sky.
One story tells how Gaia had sent the scorpion to sting Orion,
in order to punish him for being too boastful, claiming that he was so mighty
that he could easily rid the whole earth of all beasts and creatures.
As soon as the scorpion was released from the breast of Gaia, it
immediately stung Orion and its deadly venom sent him straight to his death. The
scorpion was set up on the sky by Gaia to mark her victory, while
goddess Artemis, who had loved Orion, placed his image on the sky as well,
forming his own constellation. Because Orion had cared so much for his hunting
dog, Artemis also put up a star for his dog: This is Sirius, the brightest
star in the heavens.
There is another story about Orion and the scorpion.
One day, when Orion was out in the woods, he caught sight of seven
beautiful sisters, the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Orion
loved them all at first sight and began to chase after them. The sisters,
however, were terrified and cried out to Zeus to save them.
According to this myth, Orion was stung by the scorpion as a punishment
for chasing the seven sisters. Zeus decided that the constellations of Orion
and the Pleiades were arranged in the heavens, so that it seemed that Orion was
in constant pursuit of the seven sisters, without ever becoming successful,
just as the Scorpio seems always to be chasing Orion, without ever touching
him.
Sagittarius (November 23 - December 21)
He is named after Cheiron, the most famous of its kind and king of
the centaurs. He was semi-divine, as he was the son of god Poseidon. He
was taught by god Apollo and goddess Artemis, and from them he
learned both wisdom and spirituality.
He dwelt in a cave high up in the rocky, snowy sides of Mount Pelion. He
was the oldest and wisest of all the centaurs and very strong. In fact, he was
so famous, that many kings had trusted their sons to teach them. Among the most
famous of his students were Heracles, and Jason, who later became the
leader of the Argonauts.
As the myth goes, Cheiron was destined to suffer a gruesome death: When
Herales was returning home to Tiryns after killing the Erymanthian Boar, he had
a violent encounter with some drunken centaurs, which he managed to drive away
near the place where Cheiron lived. By accident, however, one of the poisonous
arrows that Heracles used to defend himself from his attackers went astray and
hit his old teacher. Cheiron, being semi-divine, would not die, having to
suffer an excruciating pain, because of the poison.
He was in such an agony, that Zeus himself felt sorry for the
poor Centaur and permitted him to give up his divine status and give it
to Prometheus, the creator of the human race. So, Cheiron finally was allowed
to die, relieved from the intolerable pain that was inflicted on him from the
wound.
Capricorn (December 22 - January 20)
The story of Capricorn is associated with the birth of Zeus, the father
of all gods.
As the story goes, when Rhea gave birth to baby Zeus, she feared that her
cruel husband Cronus would devour her child, just as he did with the previous
ones that she gave birth to. So, she secretly took her child to Crete, where he
was safely kept in a cave on Mount Dicte. There, he was nursed and cared for
by Amaltheia, whose name means "tender". She was a goat nymph,
and she looked after baby Zeus with the greatest love and devotion, feeding him
on her own rich milk and sweet lavender-scented honey.
Zeus's golden cradle was hung high upon a tree so that Cronus would never
find him in Heaven or Earth, or even in the ocean.
When Zeus later became the lord of the universe, he did not forget
his goat-mother, Amaltheia, who had nursed him so lovingly. He took one of her
horns and turned it into the horn of plenty (Cornucopia), which was always
filled with whatever delicious food or drink its owner would wish for, and
would never be empty.
Finally, in recognition of all she had done for him, Zeus set her image
among the rest of stars on the Greek zodiac, as the constellation of
Capricorn.
Aquarius (January 21 - February 19)
Ganymede was the son of king Tros, after whom Troy was named. The
young prince was the most exquisite and handsome youth that ever lived, and was
adored and admired by gods and mortals alike.
Zeus, who was especially fond of beautiful people, was completely infatuated
with Ganymedes's appearance. Thinking it would be appropriate for so handsome a
mortal as Ganymede to live with the gods, the mighty god disguised himself as
an enormous eagle. He then flew down to Earth, captured the handsome youth and
brought him up to Olympus.
Up there on the heavenly palace, Zeus had to find a job for his young protégée.
So, he decided that Ganymede should be given the special honour of being his
personal cup-bearer The position was considered to be highly distinguished,
since the person who was assigned the duty of the cup-bearer was responsible
for pouring into the glasses of the Olympians the divine drink called Ambrosia.
This was the special drink that bestowed on the gods their eternal youth and vigour.
Zeus was forever fond of his cup-bearer So, he honoured him by giving him
a prominent position on the Greek zodiac, as the constellation of
Aquarius.
Pisces (February 20 - March 20)
After Zeus had fought his father, Cronus, he defeated the race of
the giants, who were the children of Gaia, the mother earth. In revenge for the
destruction of her children, Gaia gave birth to a horrible monster,
called Typhon. He was the largest and most fearsome creature ever born.
From the thighs down he was a mass of coiled snakes, while his arms were so
long that when he spread them out and could reach a hundred leagues each way.
Let loose by his mother Gaia, Typhon thundered towards the Olympian home
of the gods, declaring war on all of them. The gods hurried to disguise
themselves, in the hope that the horrible creature would not find them. Zeus took
the image of a ram; Hera became a white cow; Artemis became a cat; Hermes turned
into an ibis, while Ares became a wild boar. Lastly, the
goddess Aphrodite and her son Eros dived deep into the ocean and took
the shape of twin fish.
When the fierce monster was finally captured by Zeus and all of the Olympians
were transformed back to their original form, Aphrodite, being grateful to the
fish that had lend their form to her and her son when they were in distress,
put up their image on the night sky. Thus, Pisces became the last constellation
of the Greek zodiac.
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