It's hard to disagree with the fact that when a map of the starry sky catches our eye, and we carefully peer into the dots and lines that form the frame of the constellations, the question involuntarily arises: what is the story behind each of them? Of particular interest are the zodiac constellations. However, it should be noted that the signs of the Zodiac known to us have nothing to do with the zodiac constellations and are used only in the preparation of horoscopes and natal charts. In order to take a closer look at such zodiac constellations as Aries, Leo, Cancer and Gemini, you will need a map of the starry sky of the northern hemisphere, because they are located there. The time that the Sun stays in the constellation lags behind the one we are used to by almost a month. If the astrological year begins on March 21, then the Sun enters the constellation Aries only on April 19.
What are the zodiac constellations?
Astronomers divide the zodiac constellations into northern, equatorial and southern. The northern ones are the constellations of Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo. The constellations of Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius are called southern. at the equatorconstellations Virgo and Pisces. In order to see their location, you will need a star chart like the one you can see below.
Secrets of Aries, Taurus and Gemini
The history of many constellations is directly related to the myths of Ancient Greece. Aries, according to ancient Greek legends, was the same golden-fleeced ram, in search of whose skin Jason and the Argonauts once set off. Taurus is the embodiment of the loving thunder god Zeus, who kidnapped the daughter of the king of Phoenicia Europe and brought her to the island of Crete. Aldebaran is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus. Also, the map of the starry sky of the Northern Hemisphere shows that the zodiac constellation Gemini is also located right there. Its history is also connected with the time of Jason and the Argonauts. Myths tell us that the Dioscuri twins, Pollux and Castor, are the prototypes of this constellation.
What are Leo, Virgo and Cancer silent about?
The constellation Cancer also has an interesting story, identifying it with the same cancer that opposed Hercules when he fought the Lernean Hydra. As the legend says, while the rest of the animals were helping the hero, he jumped out of the water and bit him on the leg, but was crushed. However, the goddess Hera, who hated Hercules, appreciated the deed of cancer and turned it into a constellation. Anyone who catches their eye on a map of the starry sky will be struck by the majestic Leo located next to Cancer, which is also one of the zodiac constellations. Howsays ancient history, it also could not have done without the ancient Greek hero Hercules, who defeated the Nemean Lion, which this cluster of stars represents in the sky. No less interesting is the constellation Virgo, if only because neither historians nor the ancient Greeks themselves could decide who it should represent. Nevertheless, it is believed that the ancient Greek goddess of fertility Demeter, the mother of Persephone, the wife of Hades, the god of the underworld, appears before us in the form of the Virgin.
History of Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius
The constellation of Libra took shape as an independent formation of celestial bodies quite late, and for a long time it was called nothing more than the claws of Scorpio. Now it is considered a perpetuated attribute of Themis, the blind goddess of justice. And Scorpio, from which Libra was separated, is, according to the plot of the myth, the killer of the hunter Orion, who was sent after a quarrel to him by the goddess Artemis. That is why both of these constellations - Orion and Scorpio - are not together in the sky. When Scorpio appears, Orion disappears. The mobile map of the starry sky demonstrates this most interesting phenomenon very well. Sagittarius, the neighbor of Scorpio, is depicted as a centaur, no exact data on the origin of which is known. According to one source, his name was Krotos. Other sources say that it was Chiron, the inventor of the globe for the Argonauts to travel for the Golden Fleece.
What are Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces hiding?
The constellation of Capricorn keeps many secrets, as well as the map of the starry sky itself. In ancientat times, this creature was called the "goat fish" because of its fish tail instead of hind hooves. There is a widespread version that it is the goat Am althea who nursed Zeus. Aquarius, located next to her, got several roles at once: this is Ganymede, a young butler from Troy, Deucalion and the ancient Attian king Kekrops. The last of the constellations, Pisces, personifies the goddess of love Aphrodite and her son Eros, who turned into fish, who fled to Egypt from the monster Typhon.
Surprisingly, as you can see, each of the 12 zodiac constellations has its own history and interesting legend. And the next time you see a map of the starry sky with constellations, it will no longer be considered a collection of beautiful pictures. And all because now you know what is behind each of these star clusters.
