GEMINI
May 22 - June 21
Gemini by KAGAYA
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The constellation of
Gemini (the Twins) is the next sign of the Greek zodiac. It is
linked with the story of the twin brothers Castor and Polydeuces
(Pollux in Latin), known as the Dioscuri (meaning Sons of Zeus).
Their story starts when Zeus, king of the Olympian gods, wanted
to seduce Leda, the lovely queen of Sparta. In order to fool
her, he transformed himself into a beautiful swan. Under this
guise, Zeus got near Leda and had his way with her.
In the course of time, Leda bore two eggs: One of them contained
a baby girl named Helen, famous for being the cause of the
Trojan War, and a baby boy called Pollux. These two were the
divine children of Zeus.
The other egg opened up to reveal another girl and
boy, Clytemnestra (who later became the wife of Agamemenon, the
military leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War) and Castor.
These allegedly were the mortal children of king Tyndareus
of Sparta, the legitimate
husband of Leda.
Despite the fact that one brother was divine and the other
mortal, the twins Castor and Pollux grew to be inseparable. They
did everything together and they loved each other dearly.
Because they were so close, they were called by one name;
the Dioscuri.
As they were growing, they both loved all kinds of sport. Pollux
was particularly good at boxing, while Castor was renowned for
his skill and daring on horseback.
When Jason was recruiting the Argonauts to join him in his quest
of the Golden Fleece, the Dioscuri eagerly accepted the
invitation. During the expedition, they became very popular with
their comrades for their
ability to calm the rough seas, which once or twice had
threatened to capsize their ship Argo.
Poseidon, the god of the seas, had made the twin brothers joint
saviors of shipwrecked sailors and granted them the power to
send favorable winds whenever they wished. Even to this day, the
sight of the stars of the Dioscuri in the sky is regarded by
sailors as an omen of good luck.
Castor, the mortal of the two brothers. fell at the hands of
Idas during an epic battle versus the sons of Aphareus. Zeus
avenged Castor's death by striking Idas with a flash of
lightning.
Pollux was heartbroken and prayed to almighty Zeus to take his
life as well, for he could not bear to live without his brother.
When Zeus invited to join him and the rest of the Olympians on
Olympus, Pollux declined, saying that he would not like to live
forever, while his beloved brother was dead.
Zeus was so touched by the twin's love and affection for his
brother, that he arranged for them to be together again. They
could divide their time between the heavens and the Underworld,
spending one day high up in Olympus and the next day beneath the
earth, in the realm of Hades.
In further recognition of their brotherly love, he set their
images among the stars as the constellation of Gemini, so that
they would never be again separated. They stand out as two
equally bright stars in a constellation of weaker stars. |
CANCER
(June 22 - July 23)
Cancer by KAGAYA
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|
The constellation of the
Greek zodiac known as Cancer (Crab), is linked with the second
labor of the mighty hero Heracles (Hercules), when he was
assigned by his mean-spirited brother, king Eurystheus, to kill
the Lernaean Hydra, a horrible water snake with nine monstrous
heads. As Hercules would cut one head off the Hydra, three more
would sprout in their place.
In the midst of Hercules' struggle, Hera, who was the Olympian
queen and wife to Zeus, ordered a giant crab to go and help the
Hydra by digging its claws into Hercules' foot.
Hera had made it her life mission to make life miserable for
Hercules, even driving him insane one time. When she sensed that
Hercules was about to get the best of the Hydra, she sent the
gigantic crab to subdue the hero.
Howling with pain, fearless Hercules stamped on the crab
furiously, in no time crushing it to death. Soon thereafter he
dispatched the Hydra by burning the points where he cut her
heads off, preventing new ones from sprouting.
Hera, being grateful for its support and in recognition of its
attempt to help her, honored the crab by placing its image among
the stars, as the constellation of Cancer.
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