MYTHS

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Myths of the Constellations
Since the beginning of time man has looked up at the night sky and
wondered about the stars. These points of light were once a mystery.
Before man discovered all we know today about the stars and planets,
they used the constellations to tell a story. Constellations are like
a dot to dot puzzle. People connected the stars to form pictures of
their gods. They also created some wonderful, mythical stories to go
along with these heavenly pictures.

The myths of the constellations are tales about Gods and Monsters as
well as villains and Heroes. One may think that people don’t rely on
these stories anymore, but if they look closely, they just might find
them sneaking into everyday life. For example, the 12 zodiac signs
heard of when people talk about horoscopes have their origins in the
constellations.

As scientists and astronomers have learned more about the universe,

we look at the stars in a much different way.

Even so, the legends, gods, and myths associated with these tiny
points of light that spread across the evening sky are still quite
fascinating.

Aries
Ares, Greek God of War
When it comes to Aries, there are two distinctly different stories
associated with the name. One is the myth of Aries the Ram while the
other is the story of the Greek god named Ares. When referring to the
god, Aries is often spelled “Ares.” The zodiac sign of Aries is a
combination of the two stories.

Ares is found in Greek mythology as a god of war. He had a sister

named Athena. Athena was a Goddess of War, but she wasn’t exactly like
her brother. She was a very disciplined and strategic goddess while
her brother was destructive and chaotic. Greeks used Ares and Athena
to represent the two sides of war. One god had well thought out and
specific plans while the other was sporadic with little organized
planning. Greeks felt that one side of war was calculated and planned
while the other side could be out of control.

Ares was well known as having a lust for blood. In other words, his
thoughtless aggression and chaotic behavior often resulted in others
getting hurt or losing their lives. Some of these characteristics of
Ares, although not as intense, have become associated with people born
under the sign of Aries the Ram. These people are often thought to be
spontaneous, daring, and courageous as well as impatient.

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Aries the Ram is a constellation that can be seen from Earth. The
Greeks thought this group of stars made the shape of a ram’s head.

The mythology behind Aries comes from a story about Jason and
the Argonauts. Jason went on a quest in search of Aries the Ram’s
Golden Fleece. He needed it to prove that he was the rightful king
of Iolcus. His uncle, Pelias, had taken the throne even though it
wasn’t his to rightfully take. In order to remain the king, Pelias
kept Jason’s father imprisoned. He would have killed Jason, but
Jason’s mother pretended he was already dead. Once he came of age he
tried to reclaim the throne. He was sent on a series of quests to
prove his worthiness, and finding the Ram’s Golden Fleece was one of
the tasks included in the challenge.

Although Aries the Ram and the Greek god Ares have the same name, they
have nothing to do with each other. They both come from Greek
mythology, but Ares the god was often seen in the form of a vulture
or dog when pictured as an animal. There is one story where he turned
into a boar. He was in love with Aphrodite, but the beautiful Adonis
was also in love with her. He used the form of a boar to kill Adonis,
but he never turned into a ram. This is one of the most famous stories
of Ares.

Taurus
The myth of the constellation Taurus is a classic tale of how evil
can be turned to good. According to the myth, once upon a time there
was a bull named Cerus. Cerus was a very large and powerful bull, and
he wandered about freely. The villagers were all terrified of him.
This was because he would trample the village to bits for no apparent
reason. No one owned him, and nobody knew where he had come from. He
wasn’t immortal, but many of the farmers thought he was simply because
of how huge and strong he was. Plus, no one could seem to stop him.
So, he continued to bring destruction to the village.

Cerus allows his emotions to decide how he behaves. This makes him
one out of control bull. One spring day he was stomping through a
field of freshly bloomed flowers. This is where Persephone, the spring
goddess, found him. Even though a bull cannot speak, Cerus appears to
be able to understand her. She has a calming effect on the bull. The
two form a bond, and Cerus learns how to behave himself. The spring
goddess teaches him how to wisely use his strength and to be patient.

The myth tells of how every spring after that, Persephone returns to
the village where Cerus joins her. She rides on his back as he runs
across the land, and she brings all of the plants to bloom as they
pass by. Persephone returns to Hades each fall, and Cerus the bull
returns to the sky where he becomes the constellation Taurus.

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The myth of Taurus can also be interpreted as the story of Zeus and
the Phoenician princess Europa. In this tale, Zeus disguises himself
as a snow white bull with mother-of-pearl tusks to win the heart of
Europa. Although he loved her, Zeus knew that his godly appearance
would frighten the princess. This is why he decides to go to her in
disguise.

Europa spots the regal bull one day as she is by the water’s edge. He
stands out among the other bulls in her father’s herd. As she
approached the creature, it kneeled before her. The bull allowed the
princess to climb on to his back. Once she did this, it jumped to its
feet and began to walk towards the sea. As soon as the bull reached
the beach, it ran into the water. It was too late for the princess to
climb down. Zeus carried her to the isle of Crete where he turned back
into his original form.

The Greek god seduced Europa, and he made the princess his mistress.
He told her that all of the land was hers now, for as far as she could
see. This land became known as Europe. Europa and Zeus had three sons.
These sons were Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Sarpendon.

Gemini
Many constellations have more than one story associated with them.
People debate over which myth influenced each one, but Gemini is
different. There is only one myth associated with this
constellation. Castor And Pollux from Greek mythology are the twins
represented by Gemini. These two have the same mother. She is Leda,
but they each have a different father. Tyndarus is Castor’s father.
He is the King of Spartan, and he is married to Leda. The Greek god
Zeus is Pollux’s father. This is why the one brother is immortal while
the other is not. As a mortal, Castor will eventually die. Pollux is
immortal. This means he will live eternally. The two boys were born
from eggs after Zeus had visited Leda disguised as a swan.

The two brothers were twins even though they had different fathers.
When they were young, they were handsome as well as adventurous. They
enjoyed many adventures together, and they were known for their
curiosity and lively ways. Pollux had great strength. Castor was an
excellent horseman. He competed in and won many Olympic Games. Other
athletes worshipped him as a god. They had a beautiful sister. She
was Helen Of Troy, the same one that the great Trojan War was fought
over. The boys fought in this war, and they were Argonauts who joined
in the quest for the Golden Fleece. It was after the quest when they
found themselves involved in a fight between to other young men. It
led to a horrible battle where Castor was killed.

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Castor dies because he is a mere mortal. Pollux is extremely upset
about this. They had spent their entire lives together, and now he
was left alone. He did not want to go on without Castor, but because
he was immortal, there was nothing he could do about it. He goes to
his father, Zeus, and begs for help. Zeus had a decision to make. He
decided that he did not want to kill Pollux so he could be with his
brother. Instead, he makes Castor immortal. The two brothers were then
able to stay together forever as Gemini, the constellation.

Cancer
Cancer is most commonly remembered for a simple myth. In this version,
Cancer was a giant crab that was stepped on by Hercules while fighting
the Hydra. Cancer was killed. It is so simple of a story that one may
pity poor Cancer. According to the story, he pinched Hercules toe.
Hercules crushes him in response, and that’s the end of Cancer. This
telling of the myth explains the constellation by saying that Hera the
Greek goddess feels bad so she puts him in the sky. This is a pretty
dull myth. It lacks the adventure found in others. Fortunately, there
is a livelier version of the myth of Cancer.

The other version of this myth tells of a giant crab called Crios. He
was a guard of the sea nymphs in Poseidon’s kingdom. Crios was quite
large and strong, and Poseidon blessed him with the wonderful gift of
immortality. Poseidon, as well as many of the other Greek gods, went
into hiding when Typhon, the god of monsters, terrorized Olympus’s
gods. Crios was left in charge of protecting Poseidon’s daughters that
were the sea nymphs.

Crios took his job as their protector very seriously. He would not
let the sea nymphs out of his reach. It wasn’t long before the sea
nymphs became restless. They were sure that the danger of Typhon was
over. They made an escape into the open sea. Crios still had to keep
the other sea nymphs protected. This meant he couldn’t go after
Poseidon’s daughters. He asked a giant squid named Vamari to help. He
was not aware that this squids name translates into “Vampire Squid”
or that Vamari had ill intentions. Vamari did catch the escaped sea
nymphs, but he also devoured them.

Vamari returned to Crios, and he told him that although he tried his
best, he did not find the missing nymphs. Crios immediately knew this
was a lie, and he attacked Vamari. The battle lasted for hours, but
Crios eventually won. It was a victory for him, but he paid a price.
He was severely crippled. As an immortal, he was forced to suffer in
pain without ever dying. When he returned home, Poseidon realized how
brave Crios had been. Poseidon relieved him of his pain while
maintaining his immortality by placing him in the sky.

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Leo
The myth of the constellation Leo tells a complicated story. It is
also known as the myth of Leo the Lion. The story is usually credited
with being a part of the ancient tale of Hercules and his 12 trials.
It was Hercules first trial where he was given the task of finding
and then killing the Nemean Lion. This lion was enormous as well as
powerful, and his hide could not be penetrated. Hercules does not
realize the lion’s hide is so tough. He tries to kill it by shooting
arrows at it. This does nothing more than to make the lion very angry.

Hercules tries something else. Instead of running away, he charges at

the Nemean Lion. The lion quickly dashes inside of his cave. This cave
has two entrances. Hercules manages to block the entrance, run inside,
and use a club to hit it over the head. The lion is stunned, and
Hercules takes advantage of the situation by choking it to death with
his bare hands.

Hercules trial isn’t over yet. He still has to bring the Nemean Lion’s
pelt to King Eurystheus to prove his victory. He attempts to cut the
pelt off of the lion’s body before he realizes it is impenetrable. He
tries several methods. Hercules eventually comes to the conclusion
that the only thing that will cut the pelt is the lion’s very own
claws. Hercules uses the claws of the lion to skin it. He returns to
Eurytheus with the pelt, but keeps it for himself to make armor out
of it.

It is often mentioned in several of the versions of this myth that at

this point the connection to Leo is made. Either Hera or Zeus decided
to create the constellation. The explanation as to why they do this
is unclear. Some legends simply assume the constellation is in honor
of Hercules, but this doesn’t make much sense. Ascending to the stars
is an honor that the Nemean Lion would not deserve. The following
story seems to be the best explanation.

Hera has shown up throughout Greek mythology as a godmother of sorts

of many of the great monsters. This includes the Nemean Lion. Hera
was the one that begged Tartarus and GAIA to create Typhon.

Typhon is the lion’s father. Some versions of the legend tell of Hera,
along with the moon goddess Selene, nursing the Nemean Lion. This
shows that the lion had a stronger connection to Hera than Zeus. In
fact, the lion got its name after Hera sent it to Nemea to live. She
did this because she was angry with Zeus. Nemea was where the shrine
to Zeus was located. With the indestructible lion there, it was almost
impossible for anyone to go and worship Zeus.

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This description helps explain the constellation Leo. Hera felt guilty
that the lion was hunted down and killed. She may even have taken pity
on it. She decided to allow the Nemean Lion to live among the stars
next to Selene who had always adored him.

Virgo
The myth of the constellation Virgo is one of the hardest to
understand. This is because Virgo does not represent one single story
or even one single mythology. Virgo’s tale spans Greek mythology as
well as Babylonian and Roman Mythology. Along with being a combination
of several different takes on her claim to fame, many people
misunderstand her name. Most assume she is a fertility goddess due to
the name Virgo being similar to the word “virgin.” She is considered
a fertility goddess in the sense of making crops fruitful, but she
has very little to do with the growth of mankind.

Although many people do assume that Virgo refers to the word “virgin,
the Latin definition of the word “virgo” means self-contained or self-
sufficient. According to astrology, those who are born under the sign
of Virgo are individualistic and self-sufficient. Their ability to
nurture comes from the idea of not needing others for fulfillment.
They find it easy to fulfill others because they have already created
fulfillment for themselves. Virgo should refer to a nurturing type of
person.

By taking a look back across the history of the Virgo myth according
to several cultures, one can see how differently a great goddess can
be viewed. Several of the goddesses referred to as Virgo were looked
upon as fertility goddesses. They were goddesses of the harvest. This
shows Virgo as a caretaker for mankind through her gift of fertility.
The constellation of Virgo is seen as a woman that is holding a piece
of corn. This reinforces the idea of her being a harvest mother in
mythology.

In the most popular Greek myth involving Virgo the seasons are
explained. Persephone, the goddess of spring, is kidnapped by Hades.
He is the god of the underworld. Once her mother, the goddess of the
harvest, finds she is missing, she ruins the harvest out of despair.
In the end, Persephone is allowed to return to the world for six
months out of each year. During this time she is to aid her mother
with the harvest. This tale coincides with Virgo the constellation
being visible from March until August.

The Babylonian mythology story of Ishtar is quite similar. The

exception is that Ishtar’s husband, Tammuz the god of harvest, is
taken to the underworld. She follows him only to find herself trapped
as well. Other female figures of mythology that represented Virgo

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include Astraea and Dike from Greek mythology and Erigone from Roman
mythology. These females represented justice rather than being
associated with the harvest season. This makes some sense when you
realize that Libra with her scales of justice follows Virgo in the
zodiac.
The first incarnation of Virgo comes from Babylonian mythology. This
would be Nidoba the grain goddess. This version is consistent with
the idea of Virgo being a life giving care taker as well as a self-
sustaining figure. Over time Babylonian people turned their worship
towards Nabu. Nabu was a god of justice and wisdom, once again tying
together the idea of harvest and justice as a symbol of Virgo.

Libra
One cannot discuss the myth of the constellation Libra without
referring to the myth of Virgo. Virgo and Libra are connected in a
way no two other constellations are. Much of this has to do with the
debate over exactly what Virgo represents, but to completely
understand Libra, one needs to know that Astraea the Star Goddess is
the figure in the Virgo constellation. The constellation of Libra is
a set of scales. These scales belong to Astraea.

This causes much debate over both constellations. If the scales used
to represent Libra are Virgo’s, Virgo has to be associated with
justice. The problem is that many people think of Virgo as a virgin,
and this has nothing to do with justice. To keep things from getting
to confusing, one needs to learn more about the Libra mythology.

There is no doubt that the symbol used to represent Libra in the

constellation is a set of scales. Everyone also agrees that the scales
are a sign of justice. These scales can even represent temperance and
balance along with the dark side of the astrology related to Libra.
The dark side is the opposite of temperance and balance. Those born
under the sign of Libra need to keep balance and not give in to the
chaos surrounding them.

All of this information helps to tie the constellation of Libra in

with Virgo. Astraea was known as a virgin goddess of justice that
served as a caretaker of humanity. The caretaker label refers to the
true meaning of “Virgo.” Virgo’s figure that is holding the corn is
Astraea. The scales of justice found in Libra are hers, and they glide
along by her side. This keeps the two constellations and their stories
connected.

Astraea was an important goddess in Greek Mythology. She is referred

to as the Star Goddess or Star Maiden, but she is most recognized as
having been the last immortal to have lived on Earth among the humans.

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She eventually left due to the disgust of humanity’s wickedness and
brutality.

No one knows for sure who her parents are. They were either Eos and
Astraeus or Zeus and Themis. She is usually shown as having wings and
carrying a torch along with the scales of justice. She helped Zeus in
battle, and she is sometimes seen carrying his lightning bolts. Many
people believe it is Astraea’s likeness that is found on the justice
tarot card. On the card’s artwork she is shown standing next to Zeus’s
throne while holding his thunderbolts and a torch. The name “Astrape”
appears above her image.

Astraea is most commonly thought of as the goddess of justice, but

she can also be referred to as the virgin goddess. It is thought that
she took the Golden Age of Man with her when she left for the heavens
in disgust. Once mankind realized what they had done wrong, they
wished for her return to Earth. They were hoping she would bring back
the Golden Age. Astraea may not be one of the more well-known gods
or Goddesses, but she appears in many Greek epics.

Scorpio
The myth of the constellation Scorpio comes from the story of Scorpio
versus Orion. Orion was the son of Poseidon, the Greek God of the Sea.
He was a great hunter, and he knew it. His boastful ways often
irritated the other gods. This eventually became his downfall as well
as the reason for the Scorpio constellation.

Orion was Eos’s lover. She was the goddess of dawn. Orion liked to
boast about his conquest of Eos which made her very angry. Orion
continued to brag about what a great hunter he was as well. He claimed
that he was going to kill all of the creatures on Earth. Normally,
Artemis, the Greek hunting goddess, would have been offended by this
claim of superior hunting skills. She would have put anyone else in
their place quickly, but she had a huge crush on Orion. She thought
he was charming.

Apollo, the sun god and god of the animal herds, was Artemis’s brother,
and he did not appreciate Orion’s claim. Gaia, the great Earth goddess,
didn’t like Orion’s boasting either. Apollo and Gaia discussed the
situation, and they decided Orion had to go. To accomplish this, Gaia
made a giant scorpion called Scorpio that would hunt its hunter. Once
Orion caught wind of this, he knew he would lose. He decided to run,
but Scorpio chased after him.

There are two different endings to this myth. One states that Scorpio
killed Orion. The other says that Artemis thought she was shooting at
Scorpio in order to save Orion, but she actually shot Orion by

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accident. Orion dies in both versions. Zeus had watched all of this
play out. He is the god that placed Scorpio and Orion in the sky as
constellations. He made sure they were 180° apart to ensure that they
could not continue to fight.

Sagittarius
Sagittarius is often misinterpreted just like Virgo is. Most stories
come to the conclusion that the myth of the constellation Sagittarius
is the tale of the centaur Chiron. Centaurs are considered beasts in
mythology due to the fact that they are half horse. Ancient Greeks on
the other hand had tremendous respect for horses. They were hesitant
to make centaurs completely bad. This led to Chiron becoming a well-
known centaur for his gentle ways. He was an accomplished archer,
physician, musician, and he tutored Jason, Achilles and Hercules.

Hercules accidentally shot Chiron and wounded him. The arrow had been
dipped in a poison that inflicted suffering on the centaur. Even
Chiron, a great physician, could not find a cure for his own great
suffering. As an immortal, Chiron would not be able to escape the pain
with death. Instead, he decided to offer himself as Prometheus’s
substitute. Prometheus was being punished for giving man fire. He was
chained to a rock where an eagle came each day and devoured his liver.
Every night the liver grew back. Jupiter had agreed to Hercules’
request that if a substitute for Prometheus was found, he could be
released. Chiron took Prometheus’s place, and he gave up his
immortality. Jupiter placed him among the stars as a reward for his
goodness.

This story is the myth behind a constellation, but it is not

Sagittarius. Contrary to what many believe, it is actually the tale
of the constellation Centaurus. Sagittarius actually refers to Crotus.
Crotus was a satyr that lived with The Muses on Mount Helicon. He had
the legs and the horns of a goat with the torso and head of a human.
Much like Chiron, Crotus was a highly skilled hunter and musician. He
is credited with inventing the bow in Greek mythology.

Crotus was the son of Eupheme and Pan. His mother had nursed the muses
that he lived with. Along with being the first to hunt with a bow and
arrow, he introduced applause. Crotus was devoted to the muses’ arts.
He would slap his hands together when they sang. This became a sign
of acclaim that was preferred over verbal praise. The muses
commemorated Crotus’s diligence by asking Zeus to find him a place
among the stars. This becomes the constellation Sagittarius.

One can easily see how Sagittarius and Centaurus can often be confused.
They have a lot in common. Both satyrs and centaurs are known to be
rowdy, wild, and lustful creatures with little respect for proper

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manners or authority. Chiron and Crotus are both exceptions to their
breeds. They are gifted when it comes to the sciences and arts, and
both were polite and knowledgeable to humans. They look similar, and
they both hunt with a bow and arrow. Each one has the torso and head
of a human with the lower half of a beast. Centaurs had four legs
while Satyr’s had two legs.

Capricorn
The zodiac sign of Capricorn is commonly seen as either a sea-goat or
regular goat. A sea-goat has the front half of a goat with the tail
of a fish. Both creatures are appropriate when finding a symbol for
Capricorn. The story of Capricorn involves both.

The myth begins with Pricus. He is a sea-goat and the father of the
entire race of these creatures. Sea-goats are known for their
intelligence and honor. They live in the waters of the sea close to
the shore. They think and speak, and the gods favor them. Pricus is
connected to Chronos, the god of time. Chronos created Pricus, and
they both have the ability to change time.

The myth of the constellation Capricorn starts with Pricus’s children.

These young sea-goats figure out how to get up on the shore. They are
naturally drawn to the land. His children use their front legs that
resemble a goat’s to drag their body onto the sandy shore where they
can enjoy the sunshine. The more time they spend on shore, the more
they resemble a regular goat. As they evolve, they lose their fish
tails. The tails become rear legs, and they can no longer speak or
think. They have pretty much turned into the goats we have today.

This is very upsetting to Pricus. He becomes determined to keep his

children from going on to the shore. He is afraid that if they continue
to do this, the young sea-goats will never return to the water. They
will become mindless land animals. After the loss of several children
to land, Pricus uses his ability to turn back time. This forces his
young sea-goats to come back to the sea. Everything except Pricus goes
back to where it was before. Pricus is the only one unaffected.

Being able to remember the young sea-goats going ashore and evolving,
Pricus tries to tell them what will happen. He forbids his children
to set foot on land, but no matter what he tries, the sea-goats
continue to find their way on shore where they become regular goats.
He makes several attempts to reverse time and change their minds, but
it doesn’t work.

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Pricus finally comes to the realization that he won’t be able to
control his children’s destiny. He knows that attempting to keep them
in the sea simply will not work, no matter how often he “starts over.”
He resigns himself to the idea of being alone, and he stops reversing
time. Instead, he allows the young sea-goats to live out their destiny.
Feeling miserable, Pricus asks Chronos to allow him to die. He cannot
imagine being the only sea-goat left behind. Chronos does not fulfill
his request, but he does grant him the ability to live immortally in
the sky. This becomes the constellation Capricorn. As Capricorn,
Pricus can watch over his children from the stars.

Aquarius
The myth of the constellation Aquarius tells the tale of Ganymede. He
was a young prince that was regarded as Troy’s most beautiful young
man. He worked as a shepherd of sorts as many young heroes of the day
did until their destiny was revealed. He tended herds for his family
on Mount Ida in a grassy area. Ganymede was looking after his father’s
sheep there one day when he was spotted by the Greek god Zeus.

One has to understand that during the time of ancient Greece, it was
a social normality for an older man to take a young man aged 12 to 19
as their lover. In Ganymede’s story, he was approximately 15 years of
age when Zeus found him. Zeus thought the boy was irresistibly
beautiful, and he decided he wanted the young man for himself.

Disguised as a giant eagle, Zeus swooped down to Mount Ida from Mount
Olympus. He used his talons to snatch up Ganymede and carry him back
to Mount Olympus. It was here that Zeus intended Ganymede to stay and
be his lover and servant. In these social situations the older man
often played the part of a mentor to the young boy, but this was the
Greek god Zeus. He gets exactly what he wants. Zeus decides to make
Ganymede his own personal cup bearer. Ganymede will bring Zeus drinks
whenever the god pleases.

Ganymede essentially becomes a slave to Zeus. Zeus needs to offer a

gift for Ganymede’s father to compensate for taking the boy away. He
decides on a herd of the finest horses available in the land. This
was more of a gesture of common courtesy, as the father probably
wouldn’t have been able to say anything against the Greek god.

Ganymede was not as pleased with this situation. He had had enough so
he decided that he would pour out all of the ambrosia, wine, and water
of the gods. He also refused to stay on as Zeus’s personal cup bearer
any longer. The myth says that all the water fell to Earth as it was
poured out. It caused many days of inundating rains, and it resulted
in massive flooding that covered the entire world.

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Zeus’s first thought was to punish Ganymede for this behavior, but
after much thought, he realized he had been rather unkind to the young
man. He decided to make Ganymede immortal in the form of the
constellation Aquarius.

Pisces
The myth of the constellation Pisces tells only one basic tale. There
is nothing to debate when it comes to the general idea of the legend,
but there are a few different endings to the story. The Greek myth
tells how the monster Typhon descended upon Mount Olympus. He
threatened all of the Greek gods and goddesses. This caused them to
run from their home. As Typhon nears, Aphrodite and her child Eros
realize they need a way to escape. Eros is depicted in Roman mythology
as Venus and Cupid.

This is the place in the story where one can decide which ending they
want. In one version of the myth Aphrodite and Eros turn into fish,
and they swim safely away. The other version still has them turning
into fish, but two other fish come and take them to a safe place.
Either version works. They are very similar, and Aphrodite and Eros
escape from Typhon safely due to the help of two fish.

The two fish were later placed in the sky as the constellation Pisces
to honor them. This makes one believe that there were two more fish
in this myth other than Aphrodite and her son because during Typhon’s
attack on Mount Olympus, many of the other Greek gods took on the form
of animals in order to escape. Jupiter became a ram, Apollo was a
crow, and Diana took the form of a cat. None of these gods were given
the honor of being a constellation.

The myth of Pisces always makes reference to two fish. Some versions
of the escape from Typhon describe the tails of these two fish having
been tied together. This was done so that they would not lose one
another. The Pisces constellation shows two fish with the tails tied
together.

Syrian mythology has a similar tale of two fish that were called the
Ikhthyes. In this story they are said to have rescued Aphrodite and
Eros. Later on, a similar myth surfaced that told of a mysterious,
large egg that appeared on the Euphrates River. It was here were two
fish named Aphros and Bythos found the egg and brought it to shore
where they could help it hatch. Aphrodite was inside of the egg as
Ashtarte, her Syrian counterpart. The two fish in this version of the
story are often depicted in classical art as men with fish tails.

All of these stories involve some type of fish saving some version of
Aphrodite from the Euphrates River. Each tale also has the helpful

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fish turned into the constellation of Pisces. This legend also
explains the Syrian tradition of not eating fish. There has been some
debate as to the relevance of the Pisces mythology in Christian beliefs
where the fish is often seen as symbolizing Jesus Christ, but in this
case, the fish is referring to the story of the “Loaves and Fishes
Miracle.”

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Uranus and Gaia

The Story of Uranus and Gaia
The ancient Greeks had several different theories with regard to the
origin of the world, but the generally accepted notion was that
before this world came into existence, there was in its place a
confused mass of shapeless elements called Chaos. These elements
becoming at length consolidated (by what means does not appear),
resolved themselves into two widely different substances, the lighter
portion of which, soaring on high, formed the sky or firmament, and
constituted itself into a vast, overarching vault, which protected
the firm and solid mass beneath.

Thus came into being the two first great primeval deities of the
Greeks, Uranus and Gaea or Gaia.

Uranus, the more refined deity, represented the light and air of
heaven, possessing the distinguishing qualities of light, heat,
purity, and omnipresence, whilst Gaia, the firm, flat, life-
sustaining earth, was worshipped as the great all-nourishing mother.
Her many titles refer to her more or less in this character, and she
appears to have been universally revered among the Greeks, there
being scarcely a city in Greece which did not contain a temple
erected in her honor; indeed Gaia was held in such veneration that
her name was always invoked whenever the gods took a solemn oath,
made an emphatic declaration, or implored assistance.

Uranus, the heaven, was believed to have united himself in marriage

with Gaia, the earth; and a moment's reflection will show what a
truly poetical, and also what a logical idea this was; for, taken in
a figurative sense, this union actually does exist. The smiles of
heaven produce the flowers of earth, whereas his long-continued
frowns exercise so depressing an influence upon his loving partner,
that she no longer decks herself in bright and festive robes, but
responds with ready sympathy to his melancholy mood.
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The first-born child of Uranus and Gaia was Oceanus, the ocean
stream, that vast expanse of ever-flowing water which encircled the
earth. Here we meet with another logical though fanciful conclusion,
which a very slight knowledge of the workings of nature proves to
have been just and true. The ocean is formed from the rains which
descend from heaven and the streams which flow from earth. By making
Oceanus therefore the offspring of Uranus and Gaia, the ancients, if
we take this notion in its literal sense, merely assert that the
ocean is produced by the combined influence of heaven and earth,
whilst at the same time their fervid and poetical imagination led
them to see in this, as in all manifestations of the powers of
nature, an actual, tangible divinity.

But Uranus, the heaven, the embodiment of light, heat, and the breath
of life, produced offspring who were of a much less material nature
than his son Oceanus. These other children of his were supposed to
occupy the intermediate space which divided him from Gaia. Nearest
to Uranus, and just beneath him, came Aether (Ether), a bright
creation representing that highly rarified atmosphere which
immortals alone could breathe. Then followed Aer (Air), which was in
close proximity to Gaia, and represented, as its name implies, the
grosser atmosphere surrounding the earth which mortals could freely
breathe, and without which they would perish. Aether and Aer were
separated from each other by divinities called Nephelae. These were
their restless and wandering sisters, who existed in the form of
clouds, ever floating between Aether and Aer. Gaia also produced the
mountains, and Pontus (the sea). She united herself with the latter,
and their offspring were the sea-deities Nereus, Thaumas, Phorcys,
Ceto and Eurybia.

Co-existent with Uranus and Gaia were two mighty powers who were
also the offspring of Chaos. These were Erebus (Darkness) and Nyx
(Night), who formed a striking contrast to the cheerful light of
heaven and the bright smiles of earth. Erebus reigned in that
mysterious world below where no ray of sunshine, no gleam of
daylight, nor vestige of health-giving terrestrial life ever
appeared. Nyx, the sister of Erebus, represented Night, and was
worshipped by the ancients with the greatest solemnity.

Uranus was also supposed to have been united to Nyx, but only in his
capacity as god of light, he being considered the source and fountain
of all light, and their children were Eos (Aurora), the Dawn, and
Hemera, the Daylight. Nyx again, on her side was also doubly united,
having been married at some indefinite period to Erebus.

In addition to those children of heaven and earth already enumerated,

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Uranus and Gaia produced two distinctly different races of beings
called Giants and Titans. The Giants personified brute strength
alone, but the Titans united to their great physical power
intellectual qualifications variously developed. There were three
Giants, Briareus, Cottus, and Gyges, who each possessed a hundred
hands and fifty heads, and were known collectively by the name of
the Hecatoncheires, which signified hundred-handed. These mighty
Giants could shake the universe and produce earthquakes. The Titans
were twelve in number; their names were: Oceanus, Ceos, Crius,
Hyperion, Iapetus, Cronus, Theia, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe,
and Tethys.

Now Uranus, the chaste light of heaven, the essence of all that is
bright and pleasing, held in abhorrence his crude, rough, and
turbulent offspring, the Giants, and moreover feared that their great
power might eventually prove hurtful to himself. He therefore hurled
them into Tartarus, that portion of the lower world which served as
the subterranean dungeon of the gods.

In order to avenge the oppression of her children, the Giants, Gaia

instigated a conspiracy on the part of the Titans against Uranus,
which was carried to a successful issue by her son Cronus. He wounded
his father, and from the blood of the wound which fell upon the earth
sprang a race of monstrous beings also called Giants. Assisted by
his brother-Titans, Cronus succeeded in dethroning his father, who,
enraged at his defeat, cursed his rebellious son, and foretold to
him a similar fate.

Cronus now became invested with supreme power, and assigned to his
brothers offices of distinction, subordinate only to himself.
Subsequently, however, when, secure of his position, he no longer
needed their assistance, he basely repaid their former services with
treachery, made war upon his brothers and faithful allies, and,
assisted by the Giants, completely defeated them, sending such as
resisted his all-conquering arm down into the lowest depths of
Tartarus.

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The Adventures of Perseus

PERSEUS is one of the most famous heroes of Greek myth. The character
is one of the many ‘local heroes’ of Greece, tied specifically to
Argos. Perseus’ character isn’t quite as violent or complex as those
you might see in other myths, but he’s interesting nonetheless.

Perseus’ myths are also full of gods, creatures, and monsters that
you might see in a number of Hollywood movies and television shows.
Even if Perseus’ myth is a little on the simple side, it has still
had a huge impact on Greek mythology.

Birth and Prophecy

Like most Greek heroes, Perseus is part divine (GOD) and part human
royalty. In this case, he is the grandson of a Greek king named
Arcisius. Acisius wondered if he would ever have any children, so he
consulted an oracle (a person who could tell the future) to find out
the answer. He was told that not only would he have a daughter, but
that his daughter would someday have a son who would wind up killing
him.

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Perhaps naturally, this scared Arcisius. He didn’t just become afraid,
though – he became dangerously paranoid. Instead of facing the
prophecy, he went a little mad once he actually had a daughter. He
had the girl, who was named Danae, locked into an underground jail
that was lined with brass walls. This jail was meant to keep out any
man who would ever find her and allow her to give birth to a son.
Unfortunately, Arcisius (like far too many Greek fathers) forgot that
he didn’t only have to worry about human men. Indeed, he should have
been worrying about a god.

ZEUS was the king of the GREEK GODS, and he was particularly
interested in beautiful (and royal) human women. Danae was a
particularly beautiful girl, and this meant that Zeus just had to have
her. Not one to let a little thing like an underground prison hold
him, Zeus transformed himself into golden rain and snuck into the cave
in which Danae lived. As such things tended to go in GREEK MYTHOLOGY,
Danae gave birth to a son a few months later. To her credit, she did
a fantastic job of keeping the boy a secret and no one actually knew
that Zeus was the father of her child.

As you might expect, though, babies aren’t easy to hide when you live
in an underground prison. Like most fathers, Arcisius didn’t really
buy the story that Zeus was the father, and he instead assumed that
Danae’s nurse had helped his daughter to meet a man and held her
responsible. He had the nurse put to death, and gave serious
consideration to killing his grandson. Fortunately, a number of
factors (including his own guilt) stopped him from directly harming
the baby. Instead, he decided to send the boy and his mother away so
that the prophecy couldn’t come true. He had a special ark built, put
his daughter and grandson inside, and then put them out to sea. It
was a solution that would keep him from having blood on his hands,
but would still keep the prophecy from coming true.

Seriphos and the Gift

As one might expect, the trip isn’t easy on either the mother or the
baby. The ark drifts for a few days, until it washes up on the Greek
island of Seriphos. On Seriphos, the ark is found by a kindly fisherman
by the name of Dictes. Dictes wasn’t just any fisherman, though – he
was the brother of the island’s ruler, Polydectes. The fisherman took
in both the mother and the baby, who would be named Perseus.

Perseus grew up to be a particularly strong and brave young man, much

like Zeus’ other famous sons. His biggest challenge ended up being
Polydectes. The island ruler fell in love with his mother, and Perseus
was quite protective of Danae. He kept her under guard at all times
to keep her away from Polydectes, but the ruler wouldn’t be denied

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forever. He wouldn’t fight Perseus, but he’d find a way to get to
Danae nonetheless.

Polydectes actually had a fairly cunning plan to get rid of Perseus

and get to Danae. He threw an elaborate dinner party, and invited many
friends. Polydectes asked a hypothetical question – what gift would
each guest bring, if they actually had to bring one? Perseus, being
young and foolish, answered that he’d bring Polydectes the head of
Medusa. Medusa was a Gorgon, a frightening monster who had the ability
to turn men to stone if they stared her directly in the eyes. Realizing
that Perseus was foolish enough to follow through with the boast,
Polydectes called him on it – and said that if Perseus didn’t bring
him the head of MEDUSA, he’d take Danae as a consolation prize. It
was a sure-fire way to get rid of the overprotective young man and to
leave Polydectes alone with his object of affection.

The Quest for Medusa

Perseus set out to get Medusa’s head, determined to keep up his end
of the bargain and to keep his mother safe. Since he was the son of
Zeus, though, he wouldn’t be alone. While Zeus had no particular
involvement in Perseus’ life, it didn’t mean that the gods weren’t
aware of the young man. The Greek gods loved to get involved with
quests, and thus they’d give Perseus a few tools that would help him
to complete his task.

Perseus was aided in his quest by two gods, ATHENA and HERMES. He was
intelligent enough on his own, but the gods decided to even the playing
field a bit with some gifts. He was given a pair of winged sandals,
which would allow him to fly. He was given the helmet of HADES, which
would render him invisible, and a shiny shield. Last, but possibly
not least, was a special bag that would allow him to hold the head of
the monster should he be successful. These gifts would give him the
edge he needed to defeat a monster who had been cursed by the gods
for her vanity.

Perseus made his way to Medusa with the gifts, putting into play a
fairly cunning plan. He would fly above Medusa, looking at her only
through the reflection in the mirrored shield given to him by Athena.
She’d never be able to track him, thanks to the invisibility bestowed
by the helmet. With those advantages, he was able to make short work
for the Medusa and place her head in the bag. Perseus fulfilled his
vow to Polydectes, defeated a MONSTER, and managed to get away without
any harm to himself.

Andromeda and the Return Home

As is incredibly common in these tales, he also managed to meet a
woman on the way home. This time, the woman’s name was Andromeda and

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she was set to be sacrificed to a sea monster. Thanks to all of his
gifts, though, he was able to defeat the monster and rescue the woman.
All would have been good, but there was another man involved. This
time, it was the uncle of Andromeda herself.

Andromeda’s uncle wanted to marry Andromeda himself, and he didn’t

much like the idea of sharing her with anyone else. Fortunately,
Perseus and Andromeda were able to hatch a plot to deal with the
possessive uncle. When Andromeda’s uncle looked at Perseus, the hero
withdrew Medusa’s head from the bag and turned the other man to home.
He repeated this trick when he returned home, saving his mother from
the unwanted attention of Polydectes by turning her suitor to stone.

The Fate of Arcisius

The only lose end left in the tale was Arcisius, who had sent his
daughter and grandson away to make sure that they wouldn’t fulfill
the oracle’s prophecy. Upon hearing about Perseus’ deeds, Arcisius
grew afraid of the man and assumed that Perseus would come to murder
him just as he had done to Andromeda’s uncle and Polydectes . He fled
far from his own kingdom, hoping to avoid both Perseus’ wrath and the
fate that had been laid out for him by the oracle.

Arcisius fled to a city named Larissa, where the good king Tentamides
had set up a series of sporting events in honor of the gods.
Unbeknownst to the king, Perseus was in attendance – but he had no
idea who Arcisius was. Arcisius felt safe enough to watch Perseus
compete in the discus event, and that ended up being the king’s
downfall. Prophecy, it seemed, could be put off but it could never
fully be outrun.
Perseus stepped up to throw his discus, but something went wrong. It
slipped out from his hand, flying towards Arcisius. The blow
immediately killed the older man, who never got to meet his grandson.
When Perseus actually found out what had happened and who Arcisius
was, he was filled with grief at what he’d done. Arcisius would be
buried with honor, a victim of his grandson just as the prophecy had
foretold.

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Adventures of Theseus
According to Greek Mythology, Theseus was the son of Aethra, yet his
father was unknown. At the time, Aethra supposedly had two suitors;
King Aegeus of Athens, and Poseidon, God of the Sea.

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King Aegeus assumed the child was his own, and in the months preceding
the birth of Theseus, he gave instructions to Aethra regarding the
baby. He buried his sword and his sandals beneath a large boulder,
and he told Aethra to ask Theseus to lift the boulder and take his
sandals and sword when he reached manhood.

Before Theseus was born, Aegues left for Athens, sentencing Theseus to
an early life without a father.

Aethra raised Theseus in a small town known as Troezen, and the boy
eventually grew into a sturdy, powerful young man. Aethra realized
she could no longer deny Theseus his proper heritage, so she led him
to the boulder concealing the belongings of Aegeus. She asked him to
lift the boulder, so he bent down and hugged the giant stone, gripping
it with his entire body.

He easily stood up and tossed the huge boulder aside as if it were a

pebble. He then collected the old sandals and sword at the request of
his mother. She told him he must go to Athens to meet Aegeus.

The Trek to Athens

Once Theseus had decided to travel to Athens, he had to choose a
route. Instead of the traditional sea-route, he chose the far more
dangerous overland route that was inhabited by bandits and thieves of
all sorts. Theseus, however, felt no fear of the brutes. He only
traveled a few miles inland before he encountered the first such
robber.

He was a tall, muscular man brandishing a club made of some sort of

shining metal. The man introduced himself as Periphetes, the Cudgel
Man. He then explained how he intended to bash Theseus over the head
with the menacing club. Before Periphetes could attack, Theseus
complimented the club with an impressed gaze.

Wanting to brag, Periphetes claimed the club was made entirely of

brass. Sensing his opportunity to outsmart the man, Theseus instantly
retorted that there was no way the club was made of pure brass. He
guessed out loud that the club must have been made from wood and was
merely wrapped in a sheet of brass on the outside. To prove that such
a scandalous accusation wasn’t true, Periphetes simply handed the club
over to Theseus to inspect himself. As soon as Theseus had the club
firmly in hand, he hit Periphetes on the head with the weapon. The
man instantly fell to the ground, and Theseus decided to keep the club
for later use.

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It wasn’t long before Theseus came across another man with bad
intentions. This time, it was a truly giant man brandishing a fierce
battle axe. He was standing along the roadside near some high cliffs,
and he claimed to have dominion over the area. His name was Sciron,
and he demanded a toll in order to pass, which was that Theseus had
to wash his feet.

His curiosity peaked, so Theseus asked the man what the consequences
were for disobeying. Sciron replied that he would use his battle axe
to cut the head from his shoulders, and he even went so far as to
insult the brass club that Theseus held as a trophy from his last
encounter. Sensing Sciron’s weakness, Theseus agreed and started
washing the man’s feet.

As he sat on the cliff’s edge and washed the feet of the man who had
only moments ago threatened to kill him, he peered over the rocky
drop-off and saw a tremendous turtle waiting in the water beneath the
cliff. Theseus realized that this particular giant was the infamous
beast who fed wayward travelers to the turtle by hurling them over
the cliff. As soon as he made the connection, he took a firm grasp on
the giant’s foot and threw him from the cliff.

Further along the trail, Theseus came across a man who had a striking
resemblance to Sciron. As soon as the man saw Theseus, he called out
to him for help with a strange task. He asked Theseus to help him bend
down a pine tree and hold it to the ground. He introduced himself as
Sinis, the Pine-Bender, and he easily bent down a full-grown pine tree
and waited for Theseus to come help him. Once Theseus had a good grip
on the tree, Sinis let go and jumped away. He obviously expected the
tree to sling Theseus away like a catapult, but he was not prepared
for the prodigious strength of the young man.

Instead of questioning Theseus’ strength, Sinis bent down to inspect

the tree from a closer viewpoint. He assumed the tree trunk had
snapped, which would explain why Theseus could hold it down on his
own. As he was bent over, Theseus released the tree, which snapped up
and knocked Sinis out cold. To finish the man, he bent down four pine
trees and tied each of Sinis’ limbs to one tree before releasing them
all at once, tearing the man in half.

By now, it was starting to get dark on the road for Theseus. Just up
ahead, Theseus saw a large, bright house in the trees. It seemed like
a decent enough place to stay the night, so he decided to see if the
occupants would be so kind. He approached the house and knocked on
the front door, and he was soon welcomed by a man who introduced
himself as Procrustes. He commented on the fatigued appearance of
Theseus and offered him a magic bed that would fit anyone despite

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being exactly six feet long. Fortunately, Theseus had heard of this
magic before, and he knew it for the trick that it was. The bed could
be made to fit anyone, but not in a way that the victim would like.

Procrustes would restrain the person to the bed, and if they were too
tall, he would chop off their legs to make them fit perfectly. If they
weren’t tall enough to fill out the bed, he would bind their arms and
legs in order to stretch the body to the proper length. Theseus allowed
Procrustes to take him to the room that held the bed, but as soon as
they entered, Theseus forced Procrustes onto the torturous bed and
sliced off his legs. He was merciful though, so to quell Procrustes’
pain, he also cut off his head.

The Son Returns

Theseus continued through the night, and by morning he had reached
Athens. He had never in his life seen such a magnificent city, and he
traveled through the streets to reach the palace of King Aegeus. At
this time, King Aegeus was married to a sorceress named Medea. She
had taken control of Aegeus, and she sensed Theseus would be a threat
before the young man even found their home.

When Theseus arrived, Medea attempted to warn Aegeus that Theseus

wasn’t who he claimed to be, and that he wanted to kill the king. She
offered to poison the wine of Theseus at that evening’s banquet, and
Aegeus agreed. He still hadn’t recognized Theseus as his son. At the
banquet, he watched as Theseus nearly drank the poisoned wine, but he
slapped the cup away from Theseus at the last moment. Aegeus had
recognized his old sword swinging from Theseus’ hip, and he realized
his son had returned. Both father and son were overjoyed at the
revelation, and the sorceress escaped on a chariot carried by winged
serpents.

The Labyrinth of Minos

Now that Theseus and his father were reunited, they were happy for
quite a long time. However, not everything can last forever, including
peace and happiness. There came a time near the spring equinox when
all of Athens was in a panic. A ship with a black sail was approaching,
and when Theseus asked Aegeus what the ship meant, he got no response
from his father.

Searching for answers, Theseus went to where the black-sailed ship

had docked at the harbor and spoke with the captain. Apparently the
king of Crete was upset because his oldest son had been accidentally
killed while in Athens. King Minos was not one to take such offense
lightly, despite the accidentally nature of the event. He suspected
foul play, so he demanded that the Athenians pay him for the atrocity
of killing his heir. In return, King Minos requested a tribute of 14

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young men and women, seven of each gender, to be given to the Minotaur
every year. Underneath the palace of King Minos was an immense
labyrinth, built by Daedalus, and the Minotaur was a beast that was
half bull and half man that lived in the maze.

Upon hearing of the Minotaur, Theseus returned to his father and

suggested that he should travel to Crete as one of the yearly victims,
which would allow him to slay the Minotaur and cease the yearly
tribute. Aegeus did not want Theseus to go because he feared the
Minotaur would kill him, but Theseus wanted to go in order to prove
that he was a true hero. Aegeus eventually agreed to allow Theseus to
travel to Crete, but one of his conditions was that Theseus should
use white sails on his return journey should he survive. This would
allow Theseus to know if he had lost his only son before the ship
actually docked. Theseus agreed and went to offer himself as one of
the seven male tributes.

When the ship made landfall in Crete, the king was waiting to welcome
the tributes. He went around and asked each of the 14 to name
themselves. When the time came for Theseus to introduce himself, he
claimed to not only be the prince of Athens, but also the son of
Poseidon. Minos recognized that Theseus was the son of Aegeus, but he
wanted to taunt the young man for claiming to be the son of a god. He
removed his ring, tossed it into the ocean, and asked Theseus to prove
his patronage by fetching it from the waves.

Theseus dove underwater and prayed to Poseidon, and he was greeted

with the sight of a nymph called Thetis. She not only gave Theseus
the ring Minos had tossed into the sea, but she also gave him an old
crown. When Theseus surfaced and returned the items to Minos, the king
merely laughed.

The tributes would not be given to the Minotaur until the following
day, and Theseus was visited by Ariadne, the daughter of the king,
during the night. She wanted to help Theseus destroy the Minotaur,
but she had a condition for her help. She wanted Theseus to take her
from Crete back to Athens where she would eventually become his queen.
When Theseus happily agreed to the request, the princess handed him a
large ball of silk thread. She told him it would help him find his
way back to the beginning of the labyrinth if he tied the end to a
rock at the entrance and released the thread steadily as he traveled.
Next morning, the tributes were placed at the entrance of the labyrinth
and forced inside. Before the tributes traveled too far from the
entrance, Theseus tied the end of the silk thread to a rock and left
it. He then led the group through the maze, and they eventually found
the center, which held the Minotaur. They had traveled through the
maze so quickly that the monster was still asleep, so Theseus jumped

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up onto the head of the beast and tore off one of the horns. The giant
monstrosity was instantly furious, but Theseus kept jabbing it with
its own horn. After he had his fun, he sprinted away from the monster,
turned back toward it, and threw the severed horn like a spear. It
pierced the neck of the great beast but didn’t instantly drop the
creature, which charged directly at Theseus. Theseus did not move a
muscle, and the Minotaur dropped dead at his feet after the horn had
done its full damage. With the creature dead before the eyes of every
tribute, they cheered and celebrated Theseus as the hero he was. He
then led them back to the entrance of the maze using the silk thread
from the princess.

In their escape, the tributes, along with princess Ariadne, returned

to the black-sailed ship. They left for Athens, but before they
returned home, Theseus had a vision of the god DIONYSUS during his
sleep. The god demanded that Theseus shouldn’t marry Ariadne, and
instead must leave her on an island before they returned to Athens.
Theseus followed the request of the god, but in his sadness over the
loss of his love, he neglected to swap the black sails for the white
sails he had promised his father. Aegeus was waiting atop a high cliff
peering out to sea, hoping to see the white sails that meant his son
was still alive. He saw the black sails instead, and he jumped to his
death from the cliff. The sea was then named after him and was known
as the Aegean Sea.

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Apollo and Daphne

In Greek Mythology, Apollo was the God of Light, and it was his job
to pull the sun across the sky in his 4-horse chariot every day. He
has also been referred to as the God of music, poetry, art, medicine,
knowledge, plague and archery.

Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto. He had a twin sister, Artemis,
who was the Goddess of Hunting.

Apollo was also famous for being an oracular god, and had two cults
in Delphi and Delos. People would come from all over the world to
learn from Apollo what their future held. It was believed that, as
the God of both medicine and plague, Apollo could heal people as well
as cause disease by shooting people with his arrows.

Daphne was a Naiad Nymph in Greek Mythology, and was the daughter of
a river god. She was famous for being incredibly beautiful and for
catching the eye of Apollo. However, Daphne was determined to remain
unmarried and untouched by a man by the rest of her life.

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Greek Mythology states that Apollo had been mocking the God of
Love, Eros (also known as Cupid). In retaliation, Eros fired two
arrows: a gold arrow that struck Apollo and made him fall in love with
Daphne, and a lead arrow that made Daphne hate Apollo. Under the spell
of the arrow, Apollo continued to follow Daphne, but she continued to
reject him. Apollo told Daphne that he would love her forever.

Daphne turned to the river god, Peneus, and pleaded for him to free
her from Apollo. In response, Peneus use metamorphosis to turn Daphne
into a laurel tree. Apollo used his powers of eternal youth and
immortality to make Daphne’s laurel leaves evergreen. It’s believed
that Daphne has to sacrifice her body and turn into a tree as this
was the only way she could avoid Apollo’s sexual advances.

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The Story of Leda & The Swan

Who Was Leda?
Leda was a princess of King Thestius, also known as the name Thestias,
until such time that she married off to Sparta’s King Tyndareus.
Although she did not accomplish much in the grand scheme beyond her
work as a mother, she was quite beautiful and her beauty is what
brings her into the world of Greek mythology.

What Greek Myths Does Leda Figure Into?

Leda only really figures into a story involving Zeus, king of the
gods. One day after Leda was married to King Tyndareus, her beauty
managed to catch the attention of Zeus from his throne atop Mount
Olympus. Seeking to sow some more of his many wild oats, Zeus descended
to the realm of the mortals in the guise of a swan that was being
chased by an eagle. Worried for the health of the poor creature, Leda
shooed away the eagle. Zeus, still in the guise of a swan, laid down
next to Leda and proceeded to give her children. Later on in the same
day as her unknowing encounter with Zeus, Leda would sleep with her
husband, the king of Sparta.

Plans Begin to Hatch

Soon after her unique encounter with the swan, Leda would lay one or
two eggs, depending on the version of the story being told. These eggs
would eventually hatch, revealing children.

Other versions of the story indicate that the eggs were the result of
relations between Zeus and Nemesis, goddess of vengeance. In these
versions, eggs are still produced but a farmer discovers them and
gives them to Queen Leda, likely because he believed her beautiful
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and femininity would leave her better suited to watching eggs than
someone who has to work long hours far a field. In these versions,
only a single egg hatches and Helen emerges. Leda takes it as a sign
from the gods that she should raise the child.

The Children of the Eggs

Regardless of the number of eggs in the tellings, one thing that is
commonly agreed upon is that not all of the children are stated to be
divine, i.e. immortal. There are also a few constants.

Pollux is always immortal in versions where only one child is divine.

Pollux is often acknowledged as a son of Zeus while Castor, his twin,
was often acknowledged as a son of Tyndareus. Helen is always
acknowledged as a daughter of Zeus. This mixing of mortality and
divinity is often regarded as a quirk of the closeness between Leda’s
time with swan-Zeus and with King Tyndareus.

Helen
While each of these four children are quite notable, Helen Of Troy is
likely the one that most people have heard of. Once she was of age,
Helen blossomed into the most beautiful female in all of mankind, a
quality that would lead to great ruin. For those unfamiliar with the
Trojan War, the inciting incident would be after Paris chose Aphrodite
as the fairest or most beautiful goddess between Aphrodite, Hera
and Athena. Where Athena promised to bestow Paris with supreme battle
tactics and Hera promised him rulership, Aphrodite promised to reward
Paris with the most beautiful woman. One wrinkle in Paris’ reward was
that that beautiful woman, Helen, was already married to Menelaus.
Thus, Helen became the impetus for Greece and Troy to war with one
another.

Something that might surprise some people is that this was not the
first time Helen’s beauty lead to bloodshed between nations. When
Helen was still a child, she had been abducted by Theseus because he
wanted to marry a Daughter Of Zeus. Infuriated with having his
daughter kidnapped, King Tyndareus waged war against Theseus’ kingdom
of Athens.

Clytemnestra
While not nearly as well known as her sister Helen, Clytemnestra also
played a major role related to the Trojan War. Clytemnestra was the
wife of Mycenae’s King Agamemnon, making her both the sister and
sister-in-law to Helen as she was often regarded as Tyndareus’
daughter instead of Zeus’.

Some versions of the Trojan War’s story frame Clytemnestra as a woman

who had been wronged yet others frame her as downright murderous.

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Prior to the war’s beginning, Agamemnon would sacrifice Iphigenia,
his daughter through Clytemnestra, as an offering to the gods, so that
his fleet could have agreeable winds from the Port of Aulis.

During the events of the Trojan War, Clytemnestra would cheat on

Agamemnon with Aegisthus and the two would slay Agamemnon after his
return from Troy. Upon learning of the murder of Agamemnon,
Clytemnestra and Aegisthus’ grown son Orestes believed himself honor-
bound to kill Clytemnestra and acted accordingly.

Castor and Pollux, the Dioscuri

Castor and Pollux were twins that are well-known heroes within Greek
mythology. They are also known as the Gemini, Castores and Tyndaridae.
These two men would lead Sparta against the Athenian forces in order
to reclaim Helen from Paris. Later on, they joined the crew of the
Argos in pursuit of the Golden Fleece. They were also among the hunters
who joined the Calydonian Boar Hunt.
Eventually, Castor’s mortality catches up with the boy during a
disastrous cattle raid against the duo’s cousins when Prince Idas
stabbed him with a spear. Desperate to keep his twin brother around,
Pollux was given the choice of either joining Zeus on Mt. Olympus or
sacrificing half of his immortality. Pollux chose the latter option
and thus, he and Castor were free to travel between Hades and Olympus.
This eventually led to them being a permanent home in the heavens,
which is how the Constellation known as Gemini came into being.

Iconography of the duo as men is consistent. Both are depicted with

spears and helmets, often astride horses. They were worshiped
throughout Greece and the city of Dioscurias was named after them;
Dioscurias is located where you would find Sukhumi along the coast of
the Black Sea. Lastly, the island of Socotra was known by the Greeks
as the “island of the Dioscuri.”

Leda’s Other Children

Leda would have three additional children after the incident with
the eggs. These three daughters were all certifiably Tyndareus’s
children.

Timandra. Timandra would eventually became the Queen of Arcadia by

being married to Phyleus, the king of Dulichium. Of these daughters
of Leda, only Timandra may have had children; some tellings of this
family’s contributions and acts indicate that Timandra and Phyleus
sire a boy named Ladocus.

Phoebe. All that is known is her name; she achieved nothing nor was
she married off to anyone important.

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Philonoe. This Spartan princess would eventually be granted
immortality by Artemis. It remains unclear why Artemis chose to bestow
Philonoe with immortality.

The Aftermath of the Tale

While barely anything is said of Leda after she has her children, it
is a unique tale in that Hera never visits her wrath upon Leda for
the coupling with Zeus. It is also odd that, unlike the case
of Heracles, not even Leda’s children are punished by Hera for being
the product of infidelity.

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