LEO
(July 24 - August 23)
Leo by KAGAYA
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Leo, the fifth
constellation of the Greek zodiac, is associated with Hercules'
very first labor, the capture of the Nemean Lion. This ferocious
beast had terrorized the vicinity, killing humans and animals
alike, and it was assigned to Hercules to dispose of it.
Hercules at first tried firing a volley of arrows at the lion,
to no effect. The beast's impenetrable hide simply repelled the
arrows, which bounced harmlessly off its body.
Hercules backed the lion into its cave, then sealed one of its
two entrances. Entering the lair from the other side, the
powerful hero engaged the lion in hand to hand combat. Following
a terrible fight, during which Hercules lost part of his finger,
the mighty hero managed to squeeze the beast by the neck until,
in the close quarters of the cave, the lion died.
Hercules thought that the impenetrable lion pelt would make a
perfect tunic for him, as well as protect him from enemies. But
how to skin it - all his knives and spears shattered as he tried
to remove the hide.
He finally figured it out! Using the lion's own claws as a
cutting tool, Hercules was able to pierce the pelt and skin the
beast. From that time on, he was well protected, for no weapon
could penetrate his lion pelt, whether made of iron, bronze or
stone.
Following his son's mighty labor, Zeus placed the lion on the
sky to commemorate the deed, becoming the constellation of Leo. |
VIRGO
(August 24 - September 23)
Virgo by KAGAYA
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|
The constellation
of Virgo (the Virgin) is associated with the story of Demeter, Olympian
goddess of the harvest, and her daughter Persephone, the virgin
maiden kidnapped by fearsome Hades, powerful god of the Underworld.
For the ancient Greeks, the story of Demeter and Persephone
helped to explain why the seasons change.
The gods Hermes and Apollo had wooed
gorgeous Persephone; but Demeter rejected all their gifts and
hid her daughter away from the company of the Olympian deities,
hoping to keep her chaste.
It is said that Zeus permitted Hades, who was in love with the
beautiful Persephone, to carry her off, as her mother Demeter
was not likely to allow her daughter to go down to Hades. One
day, while
Persephone was gathering flowers with Artemis, Athena and the Oceanids, Hades suddenly burst through a cleft in the earth and
carried the young girl off.
Demeter searched for her daughter all over the world, forbidding
the earth to produce, and in her anguish caused nothing to grow.
The sun god Helios, who sees everything, eventually told Demeter
what had happened and the whereabouts of Persephone. The
distraught mother convinced Zeus to tell Hades he must
return her daughter, and reluctantly the king of the Olympians
did so, in view of the barren earth and the
starving people.
Hades had no choice but to agree, but first he tricked Persephone by giving
her some pomegranate seeds to eat. Having taken food while
still in the
Underworld, Persephone was obligated to spend a third of each
year there, or half of each year, as others claim.
Upon her return, the earth flourished with vegetation and color.
Her image was placed on the sky to honor her return to Demeter, and the
survival of the earth.
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