![]() ![]() HELIOS & PERSEIS (Apollodorus 1.80, Cicero De Natura Deorum 3.19) Both her taurine lover and her Minotaur son-who was also named Asterios (Starry One)-were associated with the constellation Taurus. Pasiphae was an early Kretan moon-goddess similar to the classical Selene. Minos was later cured by the Athenian girl Prokris (Procris) who devised a remedy for the strange afflication. Pasiphae herself, being an immortal, was alone immune to the spell. When she learned of his indiscretions she bewitched him, causing him to ejaculate poisoned creatures and destroy his lovers. Pasiphae's husband King Minos also proved unfaithful. Hidden inside the contraption she coupled with the bull and conceived a hybrid child-the bull-headed Minotauros (Minotaur). The queen enlisted the help of the artisan Daidalos (Daedalus) who built her an animate, wooden cow wrapped in bovine-skin. As punishment for some offence against the gods-committed either by herself or her husband-she was cursed with lust for the king's finest bull. Pasiphae married King Minos of Krete (Crete) and bore him a number of sons and daughters. ![]() Like her siblings, Aeetes and Kirke (Circe), she was a skilled practitioner of witchcraft (pharmakeia). PASIPHAE was an immortal daughter of the sun-god Helios. All-Shining ( pasi, phainô) Pasiphae nursing the Minotaur, Apulian red-figure kylix C4th B.C., Bibliothèque Nationale de France Each legend is preceded by a brief description of the constellation, a star chart and, in some cases, a photo taken by the author with imaging details should the reader wish to photograph the constellations using a digital camera. “Organised by seasons, the book tackles each of Ptolemy’s 48 constellations in turn, with individual chapters dedicated to the legends of Jason and the Argonauts, Hercules, Perseus and the planets. Falkner’s book serves a useful purpose and I wish it success.” (Ian Ridpath, The Observatory, Vol. The myths and legends of the constellations are a good way to introduce newcomers to the sky. Anyone who has ever wondered about the stories behind these names will want to take a look at this book by David Falkner …. “Characters from ancient Greek mythology live on among the patterns of the constellations … and many bright stars have names that originated with the Arabs over a millennium ago. … there are also star charts, so you can find the constellations, also written instructions on how to find it, and also tables of named stars in the constellation and deep sky objects. “If you have ever wondered why exactly are there such oddly named constellations as Perseus and Cepheus or why are there several fishes and a sea-monster in the sky, then ‘The Mythology of the Night Sky’, is the book to turn to. Readers discover the importance of the ancient characters, why they were immortalized in the sky, how several constellations are all woven into the same story and how satellite names are related to their planets. Organized by seasons, this book describes Ptolemy's 48 constellations with location and description in detail, while also telling the mythological tales in full. Along with the named constellations, this title also incorporates the lore behind the christening of the planets and their satellites. ![]() The Mythology of the Night Sky strikes a balance between backyard astronomy and ancient mythology. Yet there is no constellation of Diana to be found! Every amateur astronomer can easily recognize most of the constellations, but how many of us know the story behind them? What myths did the Ancient Greeks weave around the mighty hunter Orion that places him so prominently in the sky? Did you know that this mythical being was said to have been killed by Diana, herself a hunter, while he was exhausted by his fight with Scorpius? The constellation of Scorpius, the giant scorpion, is dominated by the red supergiant Antares and hangs in the sky opposite Orion.
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