Andromeda DavisDo you know the myths and legends about your Zodiac sign? While most of the tales come from Greek mythology, some of the constellations have even more ancient roots. Read on to discover the myth associated with your Zodiac sign!
Aries (March 21-April 20)
Aries the Ram is linked to one of the greatest heroes in Greek mythology. Jason and the Argonauts set out to find a ram with golden fleece. In one myth, the ram was a gift from the gods to rescue two children who were about to be sacrificed by their evil stepmother.
Other cultures–including the Egyptians and Babylonians–also saw this constellation as a ram. It’s amazing how universal many of these symbols are!
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Taurus the Bull hails from a well-known Greek myth about the king of the gods. Zeus disguised himself as a bull to kidnap Europa, a beautiful queen, who later gave birth to King Minos of Crete. However, the ancient Babylonians have another epic tale of the Heavily Bull, who was sent by Ishtar to kill the hero Gilgamesh.
Gemini (May 21-June 21)
The Twins of the Zodiac are Castor and Pollux, the children of Leda… and two different fathers. One of them was Leda’s husband, the king of Sparta. The other was Zeus. Man, he got around! Castor and Pollux sailed with Jason aboard the Argo and also fought in the Trojan War.
Unfortunately, Castor was mortal and Pollux was a demigod. When Castor eventually died, Pollux offered to take his place. Zeus gave them both immortal life in the stars instead.
Cancer (June 22-July 22)
This story also begins with Zeus running around on his wife, Hera. When Hercules–the son of Zeus and a mortal woman–was off being a hero, Hera tried to distract him by sending a mighty crab.
Instead of losing his battle with the Hydra, Hercules crushed the poor crab underfoot. It wasn’t really the best plan, but Hera took pity on the crab and gave it a spot in the night sky.
Leo (June 22-July 22)
Leo finds its roots in another one of the Labors of Hercules. The Nemean Lion had a magic hide that made it pretty much impossible to kill. Hercules managed to strangle the lion, then wore its fur as an Ancient Greek bullet-proof vest.
Virgo (June 22-July 22)
Virgo is related to several different goddesses of fertility and nature. The most prominent one is Persephone, the goddess of springtime who married Hades. However, the goddess that best fits the bill is Astraea. A goddess associated with justice, she once lived on Earth but fled to the stars when mankind became to much to deal with.
Libra (September 22-October 23)
The constellation Libra takes the shape of the Scales of Justice. These belonged to the Greek goddess Themis, who later became the model for the “Lady Justice” statues you find in courthouses. In Roman mythology, those scales belonged to Astraea, the goddess of justice represented by Virgo.
Scorpio (October 23-November 21)
Obviously, Scorpio is a scorpion. But the specific scorpion is from the myth of Orion the Hunter. He boasted that he’d killed every animal on Earth, but Artemis wasn’t down with that. She sent Scorpius the giant scorpion to kill him. The scorpion succeeded, and its reward was eternal life in the stars.
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
Sagittarius is the archer is based on the centaur Chiron, who trained the heroes Jason and Achilles. The constellation was also associated with other figures from myth and legend. The Sumerians, for example, linked the constellation with the war god Nergal.
Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
How did the Ancient Greeks come up with a sea goat? Capricorn is often linked to tales about Pan, but we like the story of Amalthea better. She was a goat-nymph who cared for baby Zeus until he was strong enough to challenge his father, Cronos.
Before the Greeks, the Babylonians had legends about the protector god Ea, who was half goat, half fish.
Aquarius (January 20-February 18)
Aquarius is linked to Ganymede, a beautiful youth who became a kind of waiter to the gods. Zeus had fallen in love with the young prince–the gods did not discriminate–and brought him to Olympus. Eventually, Ganymede persuaded Zeus to help drought-stricken lands by making it rain–literally.
Pisces (February 24-March 20)
There’s something fishy about Pisces. In the Greek myth, Venus and her son, Cupid, were chilling out by a river when the monstrous Typhon attacked the gods. She and Cupid transformed into fish and tied their tails together so they wouldn’t accidentally get separated. Aww!
Shea Lee
