In ancient times, people, peering into the night sky, noticed that the stars on it are located not quite randomly, but in large and small groups. And then they tried to find some kind of system in it, some hidden meaning.
Mentally connecting the lines of stars in a particular group, ancient astronomers saw images of people and animals (most often associated with the heroes of famous myths and legends) on the celestial canvas, who were given names. And so the famous constellations appeared to all of us.
In total, there are 88 of them at the moment, of which about 50 got their names in honor of the characters of ancient myths before our era (and the rest were singled out and named much later - mainly in the Middle Ages and in the era of the great geographical discoveries).
Let us recall 10 constellations named after the most famous (even in our time) ancient heroes, demigods and mythical animals.
10. Ophiuchus
Ophiuchus is a god (or rather, a demigod) of healing Asclepius (or, in the Roman manner, Aesculapius) placed by heaven by Zeus.
Once upon a time, the god Apollo, who loved to spend time among people, met a beautiful girl Coronida in a mountain village.
For her sake, he even stayed on the ground for a whole year. But urgent matters called out on the road. And Apollo left Coronida and the newborn son of Asclepius, but every day he sent a raven to them to find out if everything was all right.
And once a raven for some reason deceived Apollo, saying that Coronida had betrayed him. The anger of God was terrible: he killed Coronis with an arrow, and carried his young son to the wise centaur Chiron on Mount Pelion, so that he would educate him.
Chiron transferred all his knowledge to young Asclepius, and as a result made him a great healer. Asclepius was so skilled in medicine that he brought people back to life even from his deathbed, which angered the ruler of the kingdom of the dead, Hades. He complained to Asclepius Zeus, and Zeus (whom it was very easy to piss off) killed the healer with lightning.
Well, the snake in the hands of the Ophiuchus is one of the attributes that has always been present in the images of Asclepius. Today, as we all know, the snake entwined around the bowl is a symbol of medicine.
9. The charioteer
Regarding the character who gave this constellation a name, there are several versions.
The first of them: The charioteer is the son of the god Helios Phaeton, who begged his father to allow him to ride through the sky at least once in a wonderful sun chariot. As a result, Phaeton, of course, lost control of this “vehicle” and nearly burned the whole earth, going too low to it. Therefore, the angry Zeus struck him with lightning and threw him into the Eridan River (this constellation, by the way, is not far from the Ascendant).
According to another legend, the charioteer is Erichtonius, son of Hephaestus and Gaia (and a pupil of Athena), who, in fact, invented the chariot.
The third version says that this is the son of Theseus Hippolytus, whom his stepmother Fedra slandered (he did not respond to her courtship). The young man was punished without fault: he was riding along the seashore in a chariot, when suddenly a huge bull jumped out of the waves, frightening the horses. They overturned the wagon, and Hippolytus crashed.
8. Centaurus
The centaur is (according to the main version) the very wise centaur Chiron, who, in fact, raised not only Asclepius, but also Achilles, Jason, Heracles and other Greek heroes.
Chiron was a great connoisseur of sciences and arts: according to legend, it was he who created the first celestial map (especially for the campaign of the Argonauts, so that it would be more convenient for them to "navigate the terrain").
Sometimes the Centaur is associated with the name of another centaur - Krotos (Kronth, Croton), who lived on Mount Helikon with muses, invented archery and applause in praise of skillful musicians and actors.
But more often it is believed that Krotos was not transformed into the constellation Centaurus, but into the zodiac constellation Sagittarius.
7. Bootes
Several myths are also associated with the constellation Bootes. The first of them tells how Zeus (who, as you know, was a great lover of women, including earthly ones) admired the ideal beauty of Callisto - daughter of the king of Arcadia, Lycaon. Of course, she eventually gave birth to a son, Arcade.
Arkad grew rapidly, became a shepherd (so what, what is the royal grandson?), Accurately shot from a bow and was very fond of hunting.
And then one day about this next affair of Zeus, his wife Hera found out. Burning with jealousy, she turned Callisto into a bear. Arkad, not knowing about it, almost shot his own mother, but Zeus managed to throw her into the sky (though, while stretching her tail very much).
Since then, Bootes has been flaunting in the starry sky, holding the Hounds Dogs tightly on a leash, which are torn to the Ursa Major, once called Callisto.
Well, Ursa Minor is the most faithful servant of Callisto, whom Zeus allowed to stay with her.
Another legend says that Bootes is the first farmer in Triptole, whom the fertility goddess Demeter herself taught to plow on oxen and sow wheat.
And according to the third version, this is the shepherd Ikariy, the first victim of alcohol. Dionysus taught him (so far the only one among mortals) to make wine. But after Ikari treated his friends with this drink, they, having felt its strange effect, decided that Ikari poisoned them, and killed the unfortunate Boots.
6. Gemini
The twins, according to the myth, are the brothers Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux (Polydeucus). Yes, they really were twins (that is, they were born one after another), but at the same time Castor was the son of the Spartan king Tyndareus, and Pollux - Zeus the Thunderer (their mother Leda could not resist the divine charm).
By the way, from Zeus, who was in the form of a swan, Leda also gave birth to a daughter, Elena the Beautiful, because of which the Trojan War soon broke out.
The Dioscuri brothers were always together, despite the fact that Castor was mortal, and Pollux (as a demigod) was almost invulnerable and almost eternal. Once in a stupid quarrel with cousins Idas and Linkey (about hunting prey), Pollux was wounded, and Castor died.
Not wanting to part with his beloved brother, the immortal Pollux prayed to Zeus to allow him to return Castor from the underworld of Hades, or he also allowed him to die.
Zeus took pity on him, and now the brothers spend one day together on earth, and another - in the kingdom of the dead.
By the way, Castor and Pollux took an active part in the campaign of the Argonauts (for which they were considered the patrons of sailors in Ancient Greece), as well as in the Calydonian hunt for the huge boar-killer.
5. Aries
There is only one (but long) myth associated with the constellation Aries.
Atamant, king of the city of Orchomen in Boeotia, had a beautiful son and daughter (Phrix and Gella) from the cloud goddess Nefela.
But one day he still married the earthly woman Ino. She gave birth to Atamanta two sons and, of course, decided that they should become the royal heirs. Therefore, Frix and Gell need to be destroyed.
And then Ino staged a famine in Orkhomen, spoiling the whole seed (by itself, so that she did not suspect herself) and declared that now, so that the hunger would not happen again, it was necessary to sacrifice Frix and Gella (supposedly, so the gods want).
But Nefela saved her children by sending them a golden ram, who transported them across the sea to Colchis. For this, the "grateful" Frix and the king of Colchis Eet sacrificed the poor lamb to the gods, and his golden fleece was hung in the sacred grove of Ares, assigned to him as a guard of the terrible dragon. Argonauts headed by Jason later went for this rune.
Consequently, the constellation Aries is directly related to the constellation Aries, as well as several other constellations, which are separate parts of the large ship of the Argonauts - Kiel, Korma, Parus and Compass.
4. Orion
Orion in all myths is one and the same person: the best hunter among mortals, and also very beautiful in appearance. So beautiful that the goddess Dawn Eos herself reciprocated him in return.
But the story of how Orion appeared in the starry sky has several options.
According to one version, he had the recklessness to brag that he was the most successful hunter not only among people, but would shut up even the gods in this matter. For this, the offended Apollo (also, by the way, an excellent hunter) asked Hera to send a huge scorpion to Orion - a beautiful bouncer died from his bite. (By the way, Orion tried to bring Asclepius back to life, which was the last straw in the patience of Zeus, who punished the healer).
According to another version, Orion, hunting in the forest, accidentally spied on the bathing goddess Artemis, for which she angrily turned him into a deer, which was driven by her own dogs. So now they shine from above all together: the hunter Orion, his two dogs (Small Dog and Big Dog), and lurking near Scorpio.
3. Andromeda
In fact, with the same myth that will be discussed now, a number of constellations are associated - in fact, Andromeda, as well as Cepheus, Cassiopeia and Whale.
Andromeda was the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia - king and queen of Ethiopia. And this rich country did not know grief, while Cassiopeia, with her boast that her daughter was more beautiful than sea nymphs (and Andromeda was indeed the most beautiful girl in this part of the world), did not cause trouble for everyone.
Offended nymphs, of course, complained to their father, the god of the sea Poseidon. And he sent a terrible monster to Ethiopia - a whale that ravaged its shores, now washing away with a huge wave, then releasing puffs of smoke and fire. (Hmm ... Fire-breathing whale! However, horror ...)
King Cepheus went to the oracle to learn from the gods how to get rid of such a scourge. And they wished that the beautiful Andromeda be sacrificed to the whale.
No matter how Cepheus and Cassiopeia wept, but the will of the gods must be carried out. And now, when the whale was already preparing to devour Andromeda chained on the shore, Perseus returned very successfully from the “task” to get the head of Medusa Gorgon, who saved the girl. As we recall, it all ended with the wedding of Perseus and Andromeda.
2. Perseus
The hero Perseus himself now also shines for us from the night sky.
According to legend, he was the son of the mortal beauty Danai and Zeus. His grandfather, king of Argos, Acrisius, the oracle predicted that he would die at the hands of his own grandson. And so Acrisius, in order to be safe, put Danai and little Perseus in a wooden box and threw him into the sea. (Yeah! So that's where the "legs grow" from the Pushkin Prince Gvidon!)
Dictis, the brother of the king of the island Serif Polydecta, caught them. Polydekt once immediately disliked Perseus (but too obsessively sympathized with his mother Danae), and as soon as the guy grew up, he decided to send him out of sight, so that he would not return. It was Polydekt who sent Perseus behind the head of the Gorgon Medusa (supposedly: "Ah, so you are the son of Zeus? And prove it!").
From the myth we know that Perseus succeeded - he not only defeated Gorgon and saved Andromeda, but also took revenge on Polydect by turning him and all his friends who feast with him into stone, showing them the “order”.
By the way, the constellation Pegasus is associated with the constellation Perseus - the winged horse flew out of the body of the defeated Medusa of the Gorgon. (But Acrisius did die at the hands of his grandson - a heavy disk launched by Perseus in a competition accidentally flew into his head).
1. Hercules
It seems that no one needs to specifically explain who Hercules is (in the Roman manner - Hercules). The son of the earthly woman Alkmena and Zeus the Thunderer became famous throughout the ancient world for his twelve exploits.
Now he is shining from heaven, surrounded by outlandish animals and monsters, whom he defeated, so to speak, “in the process”. Here is Hydra from Lake Lerna near Argolida, in which two new ones immediately grew instead of each severed head; and a Nemean lion with an impenetrable hide, which Hercules had to simply strangle in the end; and the Dragon (in this version of the interpretation of the names of the constellations, this is not the dragon Jason defeated to get the golden fleece, but the one who guarded the Hesperides apples is the 12th heroic deed of Hercules); and the Eagle, pecking the liver of Prometheus chained to the rock every day, our hero also killed the “miracle bird”.