AQUARIUS
(January 21 - February 19)
Aquarius by KAGAYA
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The constellation
of Aquarius shows a person pouring water out of a jug. The story
behind this group of stars is that of handsome Ganymede, cup
bearer to Zeus.
Ganymede was the son of king Tros, after whom Troy was named.
The young prince was the most exquisite and handsome youth that
ever lived, and was adored and admired by both gods and mortals.
Zeus, who was especially fond of beautiful people, was totally
infatuated with Ganymedes's external appearance. Thinking it
would be a shame for so handsome a mortal as Ganymede not to
live with the gods, the mighty god disguised himself as an
enormous eagle.
Zeus then flew down to Earth, swept up the handsome youth as he
was tending his sheep on the mountain, and brought him up to
Mount Olympus.
Up high on the heavenly palace, Zeus had to find a justification
for his young protégée to be there. So, he decided that Ganymede
should be given the special honor of being his personal
cupbearer.
The position was considered to be highly distinguished, since
the person who was assigned the duty of the cupbearer, was
responsible for pouring into the glasses of the Olympians the
divine drink called nectar. This was the special drink that
bestowed on the gods their eternal youth and vigor.
Zeus was particularly fond of his cupbearer, so he honored him
by giving him a prominent position on the Greek zodiac, as the
constellation of Aquarius. |
PISCES - The Fish
(February 20 - March 20)
Pisces by KAGAYA
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The image of the two
fish swimming in different directions make the constellation of
Pisces. Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, was thought
to be the source of inspiration for this particular
constellation being set in the stars.
After Zeus had fought his father, Titan Cronus, he defeated the
race of the Giants, who were the children of Gaia ( Mother
Earth). In revenge for the destruction of her children, Gaia gave
birth to a horrible monster, called Typhon.
He was the largest and most frightful creature ever born to that
point. From the thighs down he was a mass of coiled snakes,
while his arms were so long that when he spread them out he
reached a hundred leagues each way.
Let loose by his mother Gaia, Typhon thundered towards the
Olympian home of the gods, declaring war on all of them,
wreaking havoc in his path. The gods hurried to disguise
themselves, in the hope that the horrible creature would not
find them.
Zeus took the image of a ram; his wife Hera became a white cow;
goddess of the hunt Artemis became a cat; the messenger god
Hermes turned into an ibis, while god of war Ares became a wild
boar.
Lastly, the goddess Aphrodite and her son Eros, dove deep into
the ocean and took the shape of twin fish.
It took brave Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, to shame and
goad Zeus into recovering his nerve. A terrible battle ensued,
and Zeus furiously hurled mountain after mountain at Typhon,
finally burying the monster under what is today known as Mount
Aetna.
When the fierce monster was finally imprisoned by Zeus and all
of the Olympians were transformed back to their original form,
Aphrodite, being grateful to the fish that had loaned their form
to her and her son when they were in distress, put up their
images on the night sky.
Thus, Pisces became the last constellation of the Greek zodiac. |
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