Nov 44 min read

Greek Mythology Among Stars

Edited by: Damisi I.

Skillman, NJ

constellation, constellations, argos navis, argo, ship, stars, greek, greek mythology — Argos Navis, or the Ship Argo

At night, ancient Greece was enveloped in the blanket of its most significant mythological figures and symbols—stars that formed patterns known to them as katasterismoi. The number of Greek constellations totaled forty-eight, consisting of the twelve famous zodiac signs (in Greek, known as zodiakos), characters (both animal and human) from Greek mythology, ancient tools, and one who is no longer recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) as a constellation, Argos Navis, due to its vast size, and was split into three separate constellations: Carina represents the keel, Puppis the deck, and Vela the sails.

The origin of these constellations dates back to 150 CE, when Egpytian astronomer and mathematician Claudius Ptolemy wrote his Almagest, which remained the most influential foundational astronomical text for thousands of years. In it, Ptolemy documented the paths of stars (1,022 total) and other celestial objects, placing Earth as the center of it all. While his model has been disproven, it influenced many Arabic and European astronomers in their findings. Due to Ptolemy’s prominence within Arabic communities, many star and constellation names are Arabic translation’s of Ptolemy’s findings. The Atmagest also catalogued all of the ancient Greek constellations, most of which have been changed as contemporary constellations refer to areas in a sky, while during Ptolemy’s time, constellations were defined by patterns, or asterisms found in stars. Furthermore, because of his locations at times when performing research, his constellations would sometimes overlap and share stars—an ankle, horn, and chariot were connected by the star Elnath—while other times, his constellations would contain too few stars—Canis Minor (the Lesser Dog) only consisted of two defined ones.

As for the richly crafted backstories behind each constellation, we turn to the poems of Aratus, Hesiod, Hyginus, Pherecydes, and Pseudo-Eratosthenes, most of whom wrote and studied astronomical poetry in the Astromania style, which followed a hexameter pattern—six lines of a stressed syllable before two unstressed ones.

To locate or identify constellations, use a celestial map! Hold it so that its surface is pointing upward, and then physically rotate either the map or oneself until the stars on the map match the stars in the night sky. Since location greatly impacts star-viewing, there are many digital programs, such as Astroviewer and Google Sky, that generate star maps based on one’s exact location.

The most well-known constellation (and one of the largest) is Ursa Major, also known as the Larger Bear as opposed to its neighboring constellation, Ursa Minor.

constellations, constellation, ursa major, bear, stars, greek, greek mythology — Ursa Major, or the Larger Bear

There are many different theories behind the backstory of this asterism—as with them all—but a common version is that it represents Callisto, a nymph turned into an Eurasian brown bear—as black bears were not prominent in ancient Greece—after procreating with Zeus, the king of Greek deities. When their son was about to hunt a bear, unaware that it was his mother, Zeus transported them to the sky, with Callisto known as Ursa Major and her son as Ursa Minor. Ursa Major consists of many notable stars; in particular are Bode’s Galaxy, the Cigar Galaxy, and the Pinwheel Galaxy, some of which also form the Big Dipper, which is known for guiding slaves to freedom throughout the Underground Railroad.

Next, we have the constellation Aquarius, which is difficult to locate in the sky despite its large size—it lacks bright, well-defined stars. It is located along the equator.

constellations, constellation, aquarius, greek, stars, greek mythology — Aquarius, or Water Carrier

Aquarius is Latin for water carrier, and the constellation depicts a man (Ganymede) feeding a constellation of a fish (Pisces) water. Prince Ganymede was the son of the founder of Troy, Tros of Dardania, who moved Zeus with his beauty. Zeus brought the Trojan prince to Mount Olympus—where the gods and goddesses dwelled—so he could serve as a barkeeper, being gifted immortality as a reward. After tiring of him, Zeus sent Ganymede to live among the stars as Aquarius, and the cup he used to serve the divine wine is the constellation Crater.

Cassiopeia is notable for its “W”—or "M," depending on the location of viewing—shape to mimic the queen sitting on her throne. It consists of many rare, bright stars (hypergiants) such as the yellow Rho Cassiopeiae.

cassiopeia, constellation, constellations, greek, stars, greek mythology, chair — Cassiopeia, or Cassiopeia’s Chair

The constellation is next to the asterism of Cassiopeia’s daughter, Andromeda, who was sacrificed due to her mother’s prideful actions. In mythology, Cassiopeia and her husband, Cepheus, believed that their family was the most attractive, and their ignorance and continued underestimation of the general public led her to be turned into a constellation.

Next to Cassiopeia, we have the constellation Perseus, which contains Algol, a (variable) star whose brightness varies due to eclipses caused by neighboring stars!

perseus, constellation, constellations, greek, greek mythology, stars — Perseus Constellation

As the son of the king of Greek gods Zeus, Perseus’ task was to slay the gorgon Medusa, known for having snakes for hair and eyes that can turn humans to stone. He succeeded while she was asleep, and while he was venturing back, he encountered Cassiope’s daughter, Andromeda, while she was being threatened by a sea monster, and saved her by using Medusa’s head. Upon falling in love with her, they both became asterisms. Perseus is located below the “W” constellation of Andromeda’s mother, Cassiopeia.

Orion consists of many bright, detectable hypergiants such as Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka, together forming a line to represent Orion’s belt:

orion, hunter, constellation, constellations, stars, greek, greek mythology — Orion, or the Hunter

The constellation is one of the most noticeable, lying on the equator. Orion was both a giant and huntsman; however, due to his romance with the goddess Artemis of Hunt, he was placed among the stars by Apollo, who was jealous of this relationship. He has his hunting dogs, known as Canis Major and Canis Minor (also constellations), chase the pleiades (constellations of doves).

To the ancient Greeks, the stars presented the narratives that inspired their culture for centuries. Each constellation boasts both tragic yet meaningful tales of heroes and objects. Today, while our scientific understanding has evolved beyond Ptolemy’s original findings, these constellations still manage to retain much of their original significance, continuing to inspire our awe.