Ancient Greek Star Lore Part 2

Cancer Ian Ridpath tells us that the crab "... is a minor character in one of the labours of Heracles. While Heracles was fighting the multi-headed monster called the Hydra in the swamp near Lerna, the crab emerged from the swamp and added its own attack by biting Heracles on the foot. Heracles angrily stamped on the crab, crushing it. For this modest contribution to history, we are told that the goddess Hera, the enemy of Heracles, put the crab among the stars of the zodiac. Its name in Greek was Καρκίνος (Karkinos), or Carcinus in Latin transliteration." Ian Ridpath also tells us that Asellus Borealis (γ Cnc) and Asellus Australis (δ Cnc) have their own legend. They were known to the Greeks as Onoi (Ὄνοι), the asses; During the Gigantomachy, the battle between the Gods and the Giants that followed the overthrow of the Titans, the Gods Dionysus, Hephaestus, and some of their companions joined the battle riding on donkeys. Eratosthenes tells us, that the Giants, having never heard the braying of donkeys got deathly scared. Fearing a giant monster was unleashed upon them they fled the scene of the battle. Grateful for their service, Dionysus put the asses in the sky. Between the two stars is a cluster, described by Ptolemy as a "nebulous mass in the chest of cancer." The Greeks called the cluster Phatne (Φάτνη), the Manger, from which the asses seem to be feeding. To astronomers, the cluster became known by the Latin name Praesepe. The dual meaning of Praesepe, which can mean both "manger" and "hive" led the the popular English name Beehive Cluster. Source: Ian Ridpath

The crab attacking Heracles, Musee de Louvre, Paris Source: kalofagas.ca Gigantomachy, the battle between Gods and Giants Pergamon Altar, Berlin, Author's own picture Dionysus and Hephaestus riding donkeys Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; theoi.com

Canis Major The earliest Greek records by Homer, Hesiod and Aratus refer to Canis Major and Canis Minor as Orion's hunting dogs, pursuing Lepus the Hare or helping Orion fight Taurus the Bull. In the Iliad, Homer describes Achilles approachin Troy in these words: Sirius rises late in the dark, liquid sky On summer nights, star of stars, Orion's Dog they call it, brightest Of all, but an evil portent, bringing heat And fevers to suffering humanity.

Orion and his hunting dogs Source: Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Eratosthenes on the other hand interpreted the constellation as the legendary dog Laelaps. Ian Ridpath tells us more about this dog: Laelaps "... had a long list of owners, one of them being Procris, daughter of King Erechtheus of Athens and wife of Cephalus, but accounts differ about how she came by it. In one version the dog was given to her by Artemis, goddess of hunting; but a more likely account says that it is the dog given by Zeus to Europa, whose son Minos, King of Crete, passed it on to Procris.

The dog was presented to her along with a javelin that could never miss; this turned out to be an unlucky gift, for her husband Cephalus accidentally killed her with it while out hunting. Cephalus inherited the dog, and took it with him to Thebes (not Thebes in Egypt but a town in Boeotia, north of Athens) where a vicious fox was ravaging the countryside. [End of Ian Ridpath quote] The Teumessian Fox was a gigantic fox that was destined never to be caught. It had been sent by Dionysus to prey upon the children of Thebes as a punishment. The reason for the punishment got lost in time but it must have been severe as the people of Theben were forced to sacrifice a child every month. Creon, the then Regent of Thebes, set Amphitryon the impossible task of destroying this beast. Amphitryon handed the task to Cephalus and his legenday dog. Ian Ridpath continues: "The fox was so swift of foot that it was destined never to be caught – yet Laelaps the hound was destined to catch whatever it pursued. Off they went, almost faster than the eye could follow, the inescapable dog in pursuit of the uncatchable fox. At one moment the dog would seem to have its prey within grasp, but could only close its jaws on thin air as the fox raced ahead of it again. There could be no resolution of such a paradox, so Zeus turned them both to stone, and the dog he placed in the sky as Canis Major." According to Ian Ridpath, Laelaps was sent to the skies alone, without the fox. Other sources like greekmythology.wikia suggest that Zeus actually put both the dog and the fox into the sky. As Canis Major and Canis Minor they are destined to chase each other for eternity. Sources: Wikipedia, Ian Ridpath, greekmythology.wikia

The Death of Procris, Laelaps on her right Source: Wikipedia The Teumessian fox and Laelaps, the dog Source: greekmythology.wikia Canis Major and Lepus in "Urania's Mirror, 1824 Source: Wikipedia

Canis Minor The earliest Greek records by Homer, Hesiod and Aratus refer to Canis Major and Canis Minor as Orion's hunting dogs, pursuing Lepus the Hare or helping Orion fight Taurus the Bull. Ian Ridpath tells us more about this "lesser" dog: "Representing the smaller of the two dogs of Orion, Canis Minor originally consisted of just the bright star Procyon, known in Greek as Προκύων (Prokyon), meaning "before the dog" or "foredog". This name, used by the Greeks for both the star and the constellation, comes from the fact that it rises earlier than its more prominent kennel-mate Canis Major which Ptolemy called simply Κύων (Kyon), the Dog. ...

Orion and his hunting dogs Source: Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

...In a famous legend from Attica ..., recounted by the mythographer Hyginus, the constellation represents Maera, dog of Icarius, the man whom the god Dionysus first taught to make wine. When Icarius gave his wine to some shepherds for tasting, they rapidly became drunk. Suspecting that Icarius had poisoned them, they killed him. Maera the dog ran howling to Icarius’s daughter Erigone, caught hold of her dress with his teeth and led her to her father’s body. Both Erigone and the dog took their own lives where Icarius lay. Zeus placed their images among the stars as a reminder of the unfortunate affair. [End of Ian Ridpath quote]

Canis Minor in "Urania's Mirror", 1824 Source: Wikipedia

Some sources likegreekmythology.wikia connect Canis Minor with the Teumessian Fox, a beast turned into stone with its hunter, Laelaps, by Zeus, who placed them in heaven as Canis Major (Laelaps) and Canis Minor (Teumessian Fox), where they are destined to chase each other for eternity. For the full story on the Teumessian Fox, see Canis Major. Sources: Ian Ridpath, Wikipedia

The Teumessian fox and Laelaps, the dog from greekmythology.wikia

Capricornus Wikipedia tells us the story of the Capricornus, sea goat: The sea-goat Pricus was the father of the race of sea-goats (half goats half fish), who were intelligent and honorable creatures. They lived in the sea near the shore and could speak and think. They were favored by the gods. Immortal Pricus was created by Chronos, the god of time and shares Chronos' ability to manipulate time. When Pricus' children found themselves on the dry land they turned into normal goats, losing their special ability to think and speak. Pricus tried to prevent this by turning back time, again and again but eventually accepted that his little Sea Goats preferred to live on dry land. Not wanting to be the only Sea Goat, he asked Chronos to let him die. Because of his immortality, he had to live on forever on some way, so Chronos put him in the sky as Capricorn. Source:Wikipedia Ian Ridpath adds to the story, telling us that the Greeks called the constellation Αἰγόκερως (Aigokeros), meaning goat-horned and identified it with Pan, god of the countryside, who had the horns and legs of a goat. In one story, Pan aided Zeus fighting the sea monster Typhon. In this battle, Pan gave himself a fish's tail and dove into a river. In gratitude, Zeus placed the image of Pan in the sky as the constellation Capricornus. Sources:Wikipedia, Ian Ridpath

Capricornus in "Leiden Arathea, 816 Source: Wikimedia Reproduction of Capricornus in Firmamentum Sobiescianum by Johannes Hevelius, circa. 1687 Source: amazon.com

Sometimes, the Greeks also identified the constellation as Amalthea, the goat that suckled the infant Zeus after his mother, Rhea saved him from being devoured by his father, Cronos. Source:Wikipedia

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