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Zodiac sign Aquarius - Sun and Moon in the sign of Aquarius. History of the sign, description, characteristics. History and mythology of the sign Aquarius Myths about the zodiac signs Aquarius

Zodiac astrology is based on the myths of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.

Calling myths mystical fairy tales is wrong. Almost all of them are based on completely earthly events. But the presence of certain VIP characters endowed with a certain power gives these stories a touch of magic. And, of course, each of the myths contains useful information about representatives of one or another zodiac sign.

Myths of the Elements of Fire
All “fire” signs of the Zodiac are male.

Aries(Aries) - a lamb (lamb) with golden wool. The history of the Golden Fleece is connected with it.
In Ancient Greece, there lived a king who was widowed and left behind a son, Phrixus, and a daughter, Hella. The king was kind, fair, loved by his people and children. But soon he decided to marry a young woman who was an evil witch. She wanted to destroy her adopted children and decided to burn them at the stake in the forest. The children, not expecting anything bad, came with their stepmother and her accomplices to the forest. At the fire they saw Aries, whom the children liked with his golden fleece, and decided to approach him to play with the lamb. Aries, seeing the children, understood everything and decided to save them. He put his back up and the children sat astride him. Aries straightened up, put out his horns and took off over land and sea. But the girl, unable to resist, fell into the Dardanelles Strait. Later, Aries was sacrificed to Zeus.

From a modern point of view, this heroic act turned into a tragedy. But according to mythological concepts, those who were sacrificed to the gods (Zeus and the gods of Olympus) were immortalized, this was considered a good deed. This myth fully corresponds to the character of Aries - he may seem very meek in appearance, but at the decisive moment he is capable of being decisive. After the sacrifice, the golden fleece of Aries hung in the grove of Avis so that those who wished could worship the heroic animal.

a lion- a monster that attacked people in the name of preserving the peace of power. This went on for a long time, but Hercules defeated Leo. From the point of view of mythology, the Lion is a symbol of the storage of royal power, its attribute. And the influence of this zodiac sign is expressed in a sense of pride and great self-esteem.

Sagittarius is a centaur, a mythological creature. Up to the waist, this is a man, the second part of him is a horse. In astrology it is considered a double sign. The myth of Sagittarius is the myth of the centaur Chiron. He knew everything about everything, was a teacher in the Pantheon of the Gods of Ancient Greece, and, in addition to ordinary disciplines, taught the art of healing, sports and other “divine” skills.

Even in mythology, Zodiac Signs are subject to the process of evolution.

The main thing for Signs of the Element of Fire is a bright deed, actions for the benefit of someone or something.

Aries - elemental Martian fire;

Leo is a noble beast, ruled by the Sun - power, and Leo - its symbol;

Sagittarius - fire becomes the controlled element of the planet Jupiter (Centaur denotes the human element).

Myths of the Air Elements

Twins- personify the legend of brotherly love. Once upon a time there lived two brothers - Castor and Pollux. Pollux was the son of Zeus, the main deity of the Pantheon of Gods of Ancient Greece, and Castor was the son of a human king. They were ready to die for each other. In the battle, Castor was wounded and died in his brother’s arms, bleeding. Pollux was immortal, but he turned to Zeus, his father, for permission to die with his brother, motivating his desire by the fact that immortality becomes a heavy burden when alone. Seeing such devotion and dedication, Zeus ordered not to separate the brothers. He ordered the brothers to always be together, but to spend one day in the Kingdom of the Dead near Hades, the other on Olympus, visiting the gods.

Libra is associated with the goddess of justice, Themis, who had a beloved assistant daughter named Dike (the term "jurisdiction" is associated with her name). This girl walked around the world and weighed people's actions. Dike's eyes were closed, because vision deceives. But the symbol of the myth was not the girl herself, but her instrument, the symbol of justice - Libra.

Aquarius- a divine being with a very real human history. A young man named Ganymede was a cupbearer on earth, treated people at holidays, had a reputation as the most cheerful toastmaster, a good friend and a decent person. For such positive qualities, Zeus took him to Olympus and made him the cupbearer of the gods. Since then, Aquarius has been holding a jug from which water or wine pours. According to another myth, Aquarius has two jugs, one containing living water and the other containing dead water. The living water of Aquarius is the planet Uranus, the dead water is the planet Saturn.

Evolution of the Air Element signs.

The main thing for the Air Element is communication and exchange of information.

For Gemini - communication on an everyday, mundane level;

For Libra - official level communication;

For Aquarius - exchange of valuable information.

What do these six signs have in common:
- brightness and pragmatism;

Indiscipline and coldness;

Devotion to their chosen ones and the shell (conditions, behavior patterns) in which they shackled themselves.

Myths of the Earth Elements

All Zodiac Signs of this element are female.

Taurus- myth of eternal love

Flying over the city of Sidon, Zeus saw young girls in a spring meadow having fun and weaving wreaths of bright flowers. The most beautiful of all was Europe - the daughter of the local king.

Zeus descended to earth and appeared in the form of a white bull, whose fur shimmered with gold; on his forehead there was a spot in the form of a silver crescent. The girls began to stroke and treat him. But the bull chose Europe, began to lick her hands, and sat down on the grass at her feet. Touched Europe hugged his neck, kissed his forehead and sat down on his broad back. At the same moment, the bull jumped up, rushed into the sea and swam, cutting through the waves with the speed and agility of a huge fish. Europe was frightened, but when she saw that the waves parted in front of her bull, and the Nereids - the daughters of the sea god Nereus, dolphins and other infinitely beautiful sea creatures - were swimming next to them, she calmed down, trusting the will of the divine patron. Soon Crete, the native island of Zeus, appeared on the horizon. There, Europe became the wife of Zeus and bore him two sons - Minos and Rhadamanthus. Over time, she became the queen of Crete, marrying the Cretan king, and later Minos inherited the throne. And Zeus placed the image of the divine bull in the sky (the constellation Taurus is a reminder of his great love for Europe). And the name of the continent is associated with this myth.

Virgo- myth about mother's love

Persephone, in Greek mythology, the daughter of Zeus and the goddess of fertility and agriculture, Demeter. Persephone, whom her mother loved very much, enjoyed the world of beautiful flowers in the meadows of Hellas, the flight of dragonflies and butterflies, the trills of songbirds, green meadows, lush trees, rivers and lakes, on the surface of which the glare of the sun played.

The young goddess adored the bright world of Helios, the sun god, who was her mother’s brother.

But neither she, nor her mother or uncle knew that Zeus promised the god of the underworld and his brother Hades Persephone as a wife.

One day, Persephone was frolicking with her friends, reveling in the beauty of simple meadow flowers. Suddenly, in the grass, the girls found a flower of previously unknown beauty, emitting an intoxicating smell. It was Gaia, the goddess of the earth, who raised him at the request of Hades.

As soon as Persephone touched the strange flower, the earth opened up and a strange cart appeared, drawn by four black horses, ruled by Hades. He picked up the half-asleep Persephone and took her to his palace in the underworld. Heartbroken, Demeter dressed in dark clothes and went in search of her daughter. This happened at the end of August.

Dark times have come for all living things, nature has fallen into depression. Life froze. The gardens did not bear fruit, the meadows withered, the fields did not produce grain. Hunger has set in. All living things were in danger of death. The gods began to ask Zeus to tell Demeter the truth about Persephone. But having learned the truth, the goddess yearned for her daughter even more. Then Zeus sent Hermes to Hades with a request to release his wife to earth for a while so that Persephone could see her mother. Hades did not dare to disobey his older brother, Zeus. And before letting his wife go, he gave her pomegranate seeds to swallow (a symbol of the indissolubility of the marriage bond). Persephone returned to her mother for a while. Seeing her daughter, Demeter rejoiced: tears of joy sparkled in her eyes. The earth was filled with this moisture, and then the meadows were covered with tender grass, and leaves blossomed on the drooping trees. Soon the grain fields began to sprout. Nature has awakened to a new life.

This is how the annual life cycle of plant nature appeared. From then on, by order of Zeus, Persephone could spend two thirds of the year with her mother and one third with her husband. When Persephone is in the kingdom of Hades, despondency attacks Demeter, nature freezes, and winter comes on earth. But every return of the daughter to her mother in the world of the Sun-Helios fills all living things with energy, the juices of life, and brings with it spring. This is how the alternation of seasons arises.

That is why Persephone is depicted as a young beauty with an armful of flowers and ears of flowers and is considered the goddess of spring, the sister of the goddess of the kingdom of flowers and plants - Flora. The wonderful constellation of the sky is dedicated to her - Virgo. And the brightest star in the constellation Virgo is called Spica, which means “ear of corn.”

Capricorn- mythological creature: half goat, half fish

The god of winemaking and holidays, Dionysus, conquered everyone with his fun and breadth of character, love of life and charm. He taught people to grow grapes and make from them a drink that warms the soul and heart - sparkling wine. To the sounds of flutes and pipes of a cheerful retinue, he traveled through the forests, meadows, fields and mountains of Hellas. He was surrounded by beautiful girls decorated with wreaths - maenads who knew how to amuse Dionysus with dancing, charites - nymphs of female charms and femininity, Euphrosyne - the goddess of joy, as well as goat-footed satyrs competing in funny practical jokes and well-aimed rhymes, and the god Pan who led them.

One day, Pan woke up a monster - a dragon named Python - by cheerfully playing the pipe. Out of fear, Pan rushed into a deep stream. And Dionysus, in order to hide him from Python, turned Pan into a goat with a large fish tail instead of legs. But tragic circumstances regenerate personality. And cowardice was reborn into courage. The goat began to take part in the battles of the gods. He appeared on the battlefield in the form of a half-goat, half-fish creature, which terrified those around him. This is how Capricorn appeared, which the gods later placed in the sky as a constellation with the same name. The development of abilities and rebirth is what Capricorn symbolizes. His planet - Saturn - is very gloomy and colors many things black. But from a chemistry point of view, coal and diamond are one and the same, and Capricorn can make coal sparkle and sparkle in the sun like a diamond.

Evolution of Earth Element signs

Taurus is a neat pedant and esthete, a lover of everyday comfort, striving for harmony in everything that surrounds him.

Virgo is a neat person and a pedant on a “spiritual” level, more concerned about the harmony of the inner world than about solving everyday problems. The desire for mental balance shapes his way of thinking and sometimes gives rise to some oddities in his habits; for many representatives of the sign it even turns into a religion.

Capricorn is a realist who knows what he wants and how to achieve it. He is distinguished by determination and hard work. Capricorns do not expect gifts from fate and make efforts to get what they want.

What unites representatives of the Earth signs:

- attempts to hide your weakness under isolation, rigidity, aggressiveness;
- a combination of strength and openness.

Virtues of people of the Earth element:

- reliability, practicality,
- ability to manage money wisely,
- fairness, consistency.

Flaws:

- boring disposition, pessimistic view of reality,
- stinginess, callousness, harshness towards oneself and others.

Myths about the gods can give us a lot to understand those primary qualities that formed the images of the planets and signs of the Zodiac. And for those who are interested in ancient science, and even more so for those who want to master astrology at a good professional level, they will help expand and correct everyday ideas about planets and signs.

Myths of the element of Water

Our ancestors believed that all life had its source in water.

Water symbolizes:

The basis of all things;
- fullness of opportunity, abundance and fertility;
- fertilizing ability of the male principle;
- mixing of elements and primordial chaos;
- ability to transform (steam, hail, snow, ice).

In various divination systems, people often resorted to the interpretation of images appearing in water. This ancient tradition became the rationale for the use of crystal balls and “magic crystals” in esotericism.

Cancer. The Myth of the Monster Conqueror

After the first feat, King Eurystheus of Mycenae begged Hercules to kill the Lernaean Hydra. This monster with the body of a snake and nine heads of a dragon, generated by Typhon and Echidna, lived in a swamp near the city of Lerna and, crawling out of its lair, devastated the surrounding area. The fight with the nine-headed hydra was dangerous because one of its heads was immortal. Hercules set off on the journey together with Iolaus, the son of one of the local rulers. Arriving at the swamp, Hercules left Iolaus with his chariot nearby, in the grove, and he himself went to look for the hydra.

Hercules found the monster in a cave. Having heated his arrows red-hot, Hercules began to shoot them one after another at the hydra. The attack infuriated her. The hydra crawled out of the darkness, rose menacingly on a huge tail and wanted to rush at the hero, but Hercules stepped on its body, pressed it to the ground and began to knock off its heads - one after another. The hydra wrapped its tail around Hercules' legs and tried to knock him down. Cancer, the disgusting monster Kraken, crawled out of the swamp and painfully dug its claws into Hercules’ leg. And in place of each knocked-down head, the hydra grew two new ones. Hercules called Iolaus for help. Iolaus helped Hercules kill a huge crayfish, then set fire to part of a nearby grove and, with burning tree trunks, began to burn the hydra’s necks, from which Hercules knocked off the heads. New heads stopped growing - and the hydra resisted less. Finally, her immortal head flew off. The Lernaean Hydra was defeated. Hercules buried the monster's immortal head deeply and placed a huge rock on top. Then he cut the hydra’s body and plunged his arrows into the monster’s poisonous bile. Since then, the wounds from Hercules' arrows have become incurable.

In memory of this feat of Hercules, Zeus placed the Cancer Kraken in the starry firmament, and one of the zodiac constellations is now called Cancer.

Scorpion. The myth of victory and betrayal

The most beautiful southern constellation, which can be seen in our latitudes in winter, is the constellation Orion. This was the name of the son of the god of the seas, Poseidon. Once, on behalf of the gods, Orion cleared the island of Chios from wild animals. Grateful residents staged a magnificent celebration of the hero, during which he was crowned with a laurel wreath and presented with expensive gifts. The holiday was accompanied by the singing of hymns and dancing of girls. Among the dancers, Orion saw the beautiful Merope, the daughter of the local king. The young people liked each other, and Orion began to ask the king for his daughter’s hand in marriage. However, the beauty's father had completely different plans, and he refused the hero. Then Orion kidnapped his beloved.

The king resorted to a trick: having caught up with the fugitives, he pretended to agree to the marriage and returned the couple of lovers to the palace. And at night, having drunk Orion, the king blinded him. Poseidon, having learned about the betrayal, became angry and asked Helios to restore his son’s sight. It seemed that the question of the wedding had been resolved, and after all the misadventures happiness would come, but the goddess Hera intervened in the matter.
Once upon a time, Orion accidentally killed the goddess’s favorite bull. Knowing that Orion is a dexterous hunter who has no equal, she unleashed Scorpio on him, whose bite was fatal.

Orion died during a hunt, but at the request of the inconsolable Poseidon, Zeus placed his son in heaven and even made sure that Orion could not meet the terrible Scorpio. Indeed, the constellations Orion and Scorpio are never visible in the sky at the same time. The brightest star in the constellation Scorpio is called Antares. This is a red giant, which is 15 times larger than the Sun and thousands of times brighter than our star.

The Antares star is one of the brightest stars in the night sky; in Russia it is best observed in the southern regions.

The manifestation of the star Antares in any horoscope promises great success (on a global scale), but it also speaks of the danger of self-destruction. With this star, people can go to extremes, achieve everything they could only dream of, and then lose everything at once. According to astrologers, this star rewards its bearers with glory, enormous strength, fearlessness, success in battle, the ability to lead, brings male sexuality, promises numerous offspring, rewards with hypnotic abilities and wealth gained in military campaigns. Antares promotes expansion (like fire, it captures space), but can punish with destruction, fires, disasters and violence. Antares is associated with the element of Fire and enormous energy. Therefore, Scorpio partly bears the qualities of the Signs of the Element of Fire. By the way, Antares plays a leading role in the horoscope of Osama bin Laden.

Fish. The myth of all-conquering love

The first beauty of Olympus was rightfully considered the goddess of beauty and female attractiveness, Aphrodite, a golden-haired and cheerful beauty.

The most beautiful legend of Cyprus tells about her birth in one of the bays of the island from a pearl shell washed ashore. When it hit the shore, the shell opened, and a girl of divine beauty emerged from it. The gods took her to Olympus and gave her the name Aphrodite, and the island began to be considered her homeland. Aphrodite often went to her native places. And her love was given to the son of the king of Cyprus named Adonis. In beauty and intelligence, the groom was not inferior to the legendary heroes and young gods. Aphrodite was conquered and begged the gods to be favorable to him. She, everyone's favorite, was forgiven for her misalliance. But Artemis warned that Cypriots should not hunt boar and boar - her sacred animals.

One day, holding hands tightly, Aphrodite and Adonis walked along the shore. Suddenly, the ugly face of a sea monster - the fire-breathing Typhon - appeared from the water: he was once again encroaching on the beautiful Aphrodite. Aphrodite squeezed Adonis' hand. They rushed along the shore in fear, and out of helplessness threw themselves into the sea waves. And at that very moment the couple turned into nimble fish by the will of Poseidon, and their clasped hands became knotted with ribbons. And since then, Aphrodite almost never left Adonis, and reminded Adonis of the prohibitions of Artemis when he went hunting. But one day, Adonis’s dogs, sensing the beast, rushed into the bushes and drove a huge boar out of there straight towards the young man. The enraged beast rushed to attack. Adonis grabbed a spear to pierce the animal, but, remembering the prohibitions, hesitated. At the same moment, the animal tore the young man’s chest with its sharp fangs. Having learned about the tragedy, Aphrodite rushed to the aid of Adonis, not noticing that sharp stones injured her bare feet. But everywhere where drops of blood fell, rose bushes grew - the flowers of Aphrodite's love. When she found Adonis, he lay dying and asked Zeus to give him the kiss of his beloved at the last moment. Aphrodite begged the gods to send death to her too, so as not to be separated from her beloved. And then Zeus commanded the god of the underworld, the Kingdom of Shadows, Hades, to release Adonis to earth every year and made him the god of the resurrecting spring nature.

And so it happened: Adonis spends winter and late autumn in the Kingdom of Shadows, and the remaining months with his beloved in the kingdom of light of Helios. In anticipation of the meeting, Aphrodite every year awakens to life the delicate flower of mutual love, anemone (otherwise known as adonis). And in the sky the gods established a symbol of all-conquering love - the constellation Pisces.

Pisces are seekers of the unknown, not of this world. Pisces are mysterious, but quite adaptive in everyday situations. They flow with the flow towards other signs, but they are vulnerable and vulnerable. In the alchemical works of ancient astrologers, the sign of two connected fish is considered as a symbol of the unity of Spirit and Soul.

Water is associated with the mother's womb, correlated with the feminine principle; It is believed that a person should become like water and a well. At the same time, the strength and stability of water acts as an image that embodies both the beginning and the end of the world. “There is nothing more pliable than water, but the hard cannot defeat it,” says the Tao Te Ching.

Water in general is seen as both life-sustaining and hostile. The connection between water and death is reflected in Scandinavian mythology, and in other legends water appears as the highest value, while at the same time something meaningless is called water. In the Christian tradition, water is the main thing in the rite of baptism. It symbolizes purification and sanctification, and the washing of the deceased means a return to the original state, implying death, but also rebirth and strengthening of life force in the new world. In many traditions, water was considered a conductor of the will of the gods, a mediator in communication with heaven, and a herald of fate.

What unites representatives of the Water signs?

All of them

Subject to emotions, have a fairly strong receptivity, inner instinct, changeable mood;
not lacking in compassion;
- react sharply to criticism, have a hard time withstanding the insult caused;
- have good adaptability and the ability to find a way out of a hopeless situation on an instinctive level;
- have a remarkable understanding of people, which is why others attribute otherworldly abilities to them.

Disadvantages of people of the element of Water:

-unrestrained, dramatic nature;
- inconstancy and variability of state of mind;
- tendency to idleness, lack of will;
- inability to understand everyday affairs, a tendency to see only the bad in everything;
-susceptibility to nervous excitement.

Advantages of people of the element of Water:

- communication skills, friendliness;
- balance, patience;
- commitment to high moral ideals;
- a tendency to create;
- the ability to understand the intentions of others;
- responsiveness, attractiveness, charm.

Evolution of Water signs:

Cancer - water vapor (enveloping and actively penetrating);
Scorpio - frozen water, pieces of ice (the ability to hide intentions and pacify passions);
Pisces - interground water, source, stream (they try to go around obstacles without entering into confrontation, they have the ability to seep into any spheres).

Suitable partners for watermarks are representatives of the same element, as well as “earthlings” - Taurus, Capricorn, Virgo. Relationships with representatives of the fire element are bad; relative harmony is possible only for people born in the last ten days of Pisces. Representatives of water signs will be able to get along with Air people, but here a lot depends on the individual horoscope.

Spiritual and esoteric concepts that our ancestors left us about the Element of Water:

The guardian of life, circulating throughout nature in the form of rain, plant sap, milk, blood, etc.;
- heavenly waters, helping to support life, irrigate the earth;
- ritual ablution of clergy and rulers;
- the flood destroys the wicked and spares the righteous;
- redemption by water, after which a new world is created.

In ancient times, people thought that the sky was a giant hollow dome rising above the flat earth, like an upside-down cup on a saucer. Later, this idea of ​​earth and sky was replaced by another: the globe found itself in the center of a huge sphere like a soap bubble. The sun moved across the surface of the bubble sky, making a full circle in a year.

The apparent path of the sun around the earth is called the ecliptic. The sun moves within a narrow band - the Zodiac. It encircles the earth and is 16 degrees wide (extending 8 degrees above the ecliptic and the same number of degrees below it). Within this belt are the orbits of all the planets of our solar system, except for Pluto, which moves within an exceptionally wide band. Also in the Zodiac there are stars that form groups, called constellations in ancient times. To the first explorers of the sky, these constellations seemed similar to the outlines of animals, so the belt of constellations is known as the Zodiac - from the Greek word "Zodiacos", meaning "circle of animals".

The zodiac consists of twelve constellations, each of them has its own name and resembles an animal or human figure in shape. Ancient astrologers began to use these names to refer to the twelve astrological signs.

The zodiac belt is a conventional concept (it is generated by the consciousness of the person who highlighted it in the sky), but the stars located inside it are quite real. If you could simultaneously be at different points on the surface of the globe, you would see all twelve constellations at once. They were known long before Ptolemy described them in his writings. Each constellation has its own history, which has come down to us in the form of ancient myths. This folklore has become an integral part of our knowledge of astrological signs.

Aries

Aries, or the Ram, is the first sign of the Zodiac. In myths, the ram always appears as a courageous, enterprising, agile, energetic animal, capable of overcoming obstacles and mountain steeps.

The story of the ram begins in Ancient Greece, where King Athamas ruled Boeotia. He married a woman named Nephele, and she bore him two beautiful children - a son, Phrixus, and a daughter, Gella.

After some time, Nephele got tired of Athamas. He left her and married Ino, who gave him two sons. Ino was a jealous schemer who hated her adopted children Phrixus and Gella. She planned to destroy them.

First of all, Ino persuaded the women of her country to dry the seeds prepared for sowing. That year nothing sprouted in the usually fertile fields. The Greeks were facing famine. The king sent an embassy to sacred Delphi to ask the oracle about the reason for the barrenness of the earth. It did not occur to him to ask the opinion of the women who sowed the seeds, but modern political leaders sometimes make a similar mistake.

Ino managed to bribe the king's envoys, and they, returning from Delphi, brought a false answer. They told Athamas that the gods would restore fertility to the soil if he sacrificed his children Phrixus and Gella to the god Jupiter. The gullible king decided to kill his son and daughter to save his people.

Frixus and Hella were meanwhile tending sheep. In the herd was the golden-fleeced Aries, a gift from the god Mercury to their mother Nephele. Having heard about the impending crime, Nephele asked Aries to save her children. Aries, in a human voice, warned Frixus and Gella about the danger that threatened them, ordered them to climb onto his back and flew with them over the sea. Over the Dardanelles Strait, which separates Europe from Asia, Gella became dizzy, lost consciousness and slipped off Aries’s back. Hella fell into the sea and drowned. Since then, the sea where Gella died began to be called the Hellespont - the sea of ​​Gella.

Her brother Phrixus reached Colchis safely. Ino's vile plan failed, but this did not save the Greeks from hunger and did not bring Athamas to his senses.

The ungrateful Phrixus sacrificed the golden-fleeted Aries to Jupiter, who sent Aries to the stars for his brave deed.

Taurus

The second sign of the Zodiac is Taurus, or the bull, an animal that is both fierce and kind, always symbolizing strength and sexuality.

The myth of the bull is associated with Jupiter, the supreme god of ancient Greece, the ruler of the heavens, other gods and people. Loving Jupiter had many affairs, wives and mistresses. One of his lovers was the beautiful Europa, daughter of the king of Phenicia.

Europa lived as a recluse in her father's palace and knew nothing of the outside world. One day she had a prophetic dream - an unknown woman stretched out her hands to Europe and said: “I will take you to Jupiter, since fate wants to make him your lover.”

And indeed, when that day Europa and her friends went to the meadow by the sea to pick roses and hyacinths, Jupiter saw the beauty and was struck by lightning. He decided to take over Europe.

Jupiter understood that the inexperienced young girl would run away from him in fear if he appeared to her in the guise of a thunderer, so he turned into a bull. He became not an ordinary bull, but a magnificent white animal with horns sparkling like diamonds and a silver moon on his forehead.

Europe succumbed to the charms of the beautiful, kind bull and began to caress him. Finally she climbed onto his back. Jupiter was just waiting for this moment. He took off into the air and carried Europa to the island of Crete. There he resumed his former appearance and confessed his love to the girl. Under the shade of a huge tree they became lovers.

Soon the goddess of love Venus, appearing to Europe, explained to her that she was the woman from the dream. From now on, Venus said, the continent to which Jupiter delivered his chosen one will be called Europe.

This story of adultery (Jupiter was married to the goddess Juno) has a happy ending. Europa gave birth to three children to Jupiter, and he himself remained in heaven in the guise of a bull.

Twins

Gemini is the third sign of the Zodiac and the first whose symbol is people rather than animals.

The myth of the twins, like the previous one, is associated with Jupiter and the weakness that he had for pretty women. In this story, the object of his passion is the beautiful Leda, the wife of King Tyndareus of Sparta. Lustful Jupiter, apparently not wanting to repeat the trick with the bull, this time turned into a magnificent swan. The details of their meeting have been preserved only approximately, but it is known that Jupiter, in the guise of a swan, managed to seduce Leda.

In this amazing union, Leda gave birth to two eggs. According to the myth, one of the eggs contained the offspring of Jupiter, and the other - the offspring of Leda's mortal husband. From a pair of eggs four children were born: two brothers, Castor and Pollux, and two sisters, Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra. It remains unclear whose father Jupiter was. According to one version, Castor and Pollux were the immortal descendants of God. According to another, the children of Jupiter were Castor and Helen.

In any case, the twins Castor and Pollux grew up strong, agile and inseparable. Castor became famous for his ability to tame wild horses, Pollux won universal recognition as an invincible fist fighter. In their youth, the brothers went with Jason and his Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece. When a storm broke out in the sea, two stars sparkled above the heads of the twins, and the elements magically calmed down. Because of this incident, Castor and Pollux are considered the patrons of all those sailing the seas. (During a storm, these lights still flicker near the ends of masts and high spiers. They are generated by atmospheric electricity. According to legend, the appearance of two lights heralds the end of the storm. If only one light glows, the storm will intensify.)

Geminis were considered courageous young men. Unfortunately, Castor died in battle. Nothing could console Pollux. Finally he went to his father Jupiter and asked him to bring Castor back to life. In return, Pollux agreed to sacrifice himself.

Jupiter rewarded the brothers for their love and affection by sending them both to heaven as stars. Since then, they have been shining forever in the constellation Gemini next to each other.

Cancer

The fourth sign of the Zodiac is depicted as a cancer, an inhabitant of bodies of water, also capable of moving on land. It is known that cancer as a symbol appeared in the Zodiac about five hundred years before the beginning of our era. The Chaldeans gave one of the constellations this name because cancer moves backward or moves in a zigzag, and the sun, having reached the region of this sign around June 21, seems to freeze for several days in one position. After the sun enters the constellation Cancer, the summer solstice begins.

The Egyptians called this constellation "water stars" and symbolized it with a pair of turtles. (This may be due to the fact that the constellation was observed at dawn, when the water level in the Nile reaches its minimum; at this time of year the Nile is teeming with turtles.) According to many astrologers, the cancer is a cross between the Egyptian river turtle and the Babylonian waterfowl allulus, apparently closely related to the turtle. There are important similarities between these three species—the turtle, the allulus, and the crayfish. They are similar in structure, have a hard shell and move slowly (like the sun in the sign of Cancer).

According to ancient Greek myth, a giant crayfish dug its claws into the leg of Hercules when he fought the nine-headed monster Hydra. Hercules, the son of Jupiter and a woman named Alcmene, was tasked with performing twelve heroic deeds known as the Labors of Hercules. One of these feats was to be the destruction of the formidable snake Hydra. At the time of the cancer's attack, Hercules knocked down the Hydra's heads with a club, but in the place of each knocked-down head, two new ones grew.

The cancer attack was inspired by Juno, the jealous wife of Jupiter, who wanted the death of Hercules. However, cancer doomed itself to death. Having crushed him, Hercules continued the fight with Hydra.

Nevertheless, Juno was grateful to the cancer for trying to carry out her orders. As a reward for obedience and sacrifice, she placed an image of a cancer in the sky next to the symbols of other heroes.

a lion

The fifth sign of the Zodiac is represented by Leo, the king of beasts. The mythology of the lion is traditionally based on the story of the battle of Hercules with the Nemean lion.

Hercules was the son of the great god Jupiter and an ordinary woman Alcmene. Jupiter's wife Juno, who was not without reason jealous of her husband for his many lovers, began to pursue Hercules from the first day of his life. Young Hercules was forced to perform twelve dangerous heroic deeds, which went down in history as the Labors of Hercules.

The first labor of Hercules was to destroy the fierce and fearless lion that lived in the Nemean Valley. No human weapon could pierce his skin. Stone, iron and bronze bounced off her. Hercules tried to kill the lion with arrows, but they flew off the sides of the beast. The hero decided to defeat the lion with his bare hands. Possessing incredible strength, he managed to squeeze his neck with his fingers and strangle him. During the fight, the lion bit off Hercules' finger - undoubtedly, we can assume that the hero got off lightly.

Having killed the beast, Hercules tore off its magical skin. He made breastplates from it, and a protective helmet from the jaw of a lion. This new armor proved to be very valuable in the following feats.

The constellation Leo perpetuates the courage of Hercules, shown during single combat with the mighty Nemean lion.

Virgo

Virgo is the sixth sign of the Zodiac and the second whose symbol is a person rather than an animal. Virgo is often depicted as a young woman holding a sheaf of wheat in her hand, as this constellation is always associated with the harvest. In Babylon it was called the furrow and was represented as the goddess of wheat. The main star in Virgo is Spica, which means “ear of wheat.”

The legend of the Virgin is found in the ancient Greek creation myth. According to it, before people and animals, there lived titans on earth - giants who ruled the world. Two titan brothers, Prometheus and Epimetheus, were given the task of creating people and animals. When this was done, Epimetheus began to give various gifts to the animals - wings to some, claws to others. He showed such generosity that when it came to the human race, he had nothing left in reserve, so he turned to Prometheus for help. Prometheus went to heaven and returned from there with fire. This gift elevated humans above all other species because fire allowed humans to keep warm, make tools, and eventually engage in trade and science.

Jupiter, the ruler of the gods, was furious when he learned that man had received the secret of the gods - fire. He ordered Prometheus to be chained to a rock, where the eagle constantly tore the titan's liver with its beak, never devouring it entirely. Jupiter also sent a curse to the earth, delivered by the first woman. Her name was Pandora, which means “endowed with all gifts.”

Pandora brought a box to earth that she was forbidden to open. One day, succumbing to curiosity, she lifted the lid. From the box scattered all those misfortunes that haunt humanity to this day: physical illness and death, as well as mental vices - anger, envy and the thirst for revenge. At the bottom of the box there was only one hope left.

After this incident, terrible times came and the gods, one after another, left the earth to live in heaven. The last to fly away was Astraea, the goddess of innocence and purity. She found refuge among the stars in the form of the constellation Virgo. Legend states that one day the golden age will begin again and Astraea (Virgo) will return to earth.

Scales

Libra is the seventh astrological sign and the only one whose symbol is not a person or animal. Libra represents balance, justice and harmony.

Like the previous sign, scales are associated with the harvest, since in ancient times grain was weighed on scales after the harvest. They also contain deeper symbolism. In the underworld, the deeds of the dead are weighed against them.

In the religion of the Egyptians, the scales of justice were solely owned by the god Anubis, the guide of souls. Anubis, who had the head of a jackal, led the dead through the underworld and made sure that they received what they deserved. He was the keeper of the scales. There is a painting called the Anian papyrus, painted one and a half thousand years before the birth of Christ. It depicts a court scene. Anubis stands at the large scales used to weigh the heart of the deceased. On one bowl rests the heart, on the other sits truth, symbolized by a feather. In this painting the bowls balance each other. According to Egyptian beliefs, a dead heart (or soul) must be in balance with the truth in order to gain a second life.

Libra has also long been associated with justice and legality. We have all seen statues that symbolize justice. This is a blindfolded woman holding scales in her hands, a symbol of impartiality, that everyone will be rewarded according to their deserts.

In Greek mythology, the goddess of justice was Themis, mother of Astraea. Themis and her daughter Astraea are represented by the constellations Libra and Virgo, twinkling in the sky next to each other. According to legend, when the human race finally enters the golden age, Themis, symbolizing justice, and her daughter (symbolizing innocence), will return to earth.

Scorpion

The eighth sign of the Zodiac is represented by Scorpio, which paralyzes its victim with poison, which it throws out through a sting located behind it.

This sign suffers from an association with Scorpio, a hated and dangerous insect. However, the scorpion was not always disgusting. In Ancient Egypt, he was deified in the form of the goddess Selket. She was considered the patroness of the dead; she can often be seen with outstretched protective wings on the walls of crypts.

The classic Scorpio myth begins with the death of Orion, a handsome young giant and skilled hunter, son of the god of the seas Poseidon (Neptune). Orion's agility, strength and courage are glorified in legends. The story of his death is told in several versions. According to one of them, the goddess of the dawn Eos fell in love with Orion and took him with her. The Moon Goddess Diana (Artemis among the Greeks) out of jealousy ordered the scorpion to kill her mortal lover Eos.

According to another version, Orion tried to rape Diana, and she pulled out a giant scorpion from the ground, which killed Orion with its poison.

After the death of Orion, Jupiter placed him and Scorpio among the stars. Each of them became a constellation. Orion, with his golden armor and sword in hand, is one of the brightest and most spectacular constellations in the winter sky. But in the summer, when Scorpio appears in the sky, Orion's shine fades.

Sagittarius

Sagittarius, the ninth sign of the Zodiac, is not an ordinary person stretching the bowstring. Sagittarius is a centaur, a mythological creature that is half man and half horse. Sagittarius is the only astrological sign depicted as both a human and an animal. However, the constellation Sagittarius is not a simple centaur. This is the great and wise Chiron, the son of the Titan god Saturn. Chiron was a friend and confidant of both gods and men. The gods taught Chiron to heal, hunt, play musical instruments and predict the future. Over time, Chiron himself became a recognized teacher. Among his famous students were Achilles, Jason, Castor, Pollux and Hercules.

One day, when the great Hercules was hunting a formidable boar, he accidentally wounded Chiron in the knee with a poisoned arrow. A terrible agony gripped Chiron, but the immortal centaur could not die. Hercules promised to find death that could ease the fate of Chiron. During his wanderings, Hercules discovered the unfortunate Prometheus, forever chained to a rock, where an eagle was devouring his liver. The supreme god Jupiter cursed Prometheus: the hero’s torment was to continue until someone agreed to voluntarily take his place. The dying Chiron replaced Prometheus. Thus the curse ended. Chiron was allowed to die, and Hercules freed Prometheus.

After Chiron's death, Jupiter rewarded his nobility by placing the courageous centaur among the stars, and he became the constellation Sagittarius.

Capricorn

The tenth sign of the Zodiac is Capricorn, an animal with strong hooves that climbs up mountain slopes, clinging to every ledge.

In ancient times, Capricorn was depicted as a half-goat, half-fish, or rather, a goat with a fish tail. In many paintings and engravings you can see Capricorn with a fish tail, and in some astrology books Capricorn is called the sea goat.

In the religion of ancient Babylon, the sea goat is the great and revered god Ea, who brought knowledge and culture to the peoples of Mesopotamia. In the Mesopotamian Valley, irrigation of lands and crops began with the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Because of this, people believed in the existence of an underground ocean. God Ea lived in this ocean. He came out of the underground reservoir every day to bring his wisdom to people, and returned back at night.

During the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans, Capricorn became associated with the god Pan, a cheerful and lustful creature, ruler of forests and fields, herds and shepherds. Above the waist the lord was a man, and below he was a goat. He had goat ears and horns.

Pan loved music and became famous for his playing of the pipe. His shepherd's pipe was actually a nymph who rejected his sexual advances. Pan turned her into a musical instrument, declaring that if he could not possess her in her original form, she would still belong to him in a new form.

Pan gained fame as the god of nature. Some features of the pan - sexuality, shamelessness, love of nature - were preserved in the character of Capricorn.

Aquarius

The symbol of the eleventh sign of the Zodiac is Aquarius, a man with a jug from which water flows.

The image of Aquarius first appeared in the religions of Egypt and Babylon. In Egypt, Aquarius was the God Hap, who personified the Nile River. Hap carried a pair of water vessels, symbolizing the southern and northern Nile. This god was considered the guardian of life. All living things would die without Hap's water.

In ancient Greek literature, Aquarius was sometimes associated with Jupiter, by whose will water flowed from heaven to earth. This sign also perpetuates the memory of Deucalion, the only person who was not harmed during the great flood.

At the beginning of the creation of the world, gods and people lived in harmony. This era is called the golden age. The earth itself gave man rich fruits, and he did not have to cultivate fields and gardens; The river beds were filled with wine and honey. Then Pandora opened the box of disasters, and diseases and other misfortunes befell humanity. Great Jupiter looked down and decided to rid the world of people, create a new race more worthy of life. With the help of his brother Poseidon, Jupiter flooded the earth with water. Only two people survived, Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha - righteous people who zealously worshiped the gods. They found refuge on Mount Parnassus, and when Jupiter saw them, he remembered the exemplary behavior of the spouses. Jupiter caused the waters to recede and the earth to dry up. He ordered Deucalion and Pyrrha to collect stones and throw them, without turning around, over their heads. Deucalion fulfilled the command of the mighty thunderer, and the stones that he threw turned into men, and the stones thrown by his wife Pyrrha turned into women. So the earth received a new population after the flood. Deucalion became the father of these people.

Fish

The twelfth and last sign of the Zodiac is depicted as two fish, tied to one another, but swimming in opposite directions. Two fish in the water symbolize opposing emotions and secret depths.

The constellation Pisces was known by this name two thousand years BC. In Babylon it bore the name Kun, which translated means tails (of fish). Kun is also interpreted as a ribbon or leash (with which two fish are connected). Two fish-goddesses on a leash, Anunitum and Symmachus, symbolized the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

In Greek mythology, fish are associated with the myth of Aphrodite and Eros. The terrible monster Typhon with a hundred dragon heads, spewing fire from his eyes, shook the air with a menacing howl, in which the hissing of snakes, the roar of a bull and the roar of a lion could be heard.

One day Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, was walking along the banks of the Euphrates with her son Eros. Suddenly Typhon appeared in front of them. Ominous tongues flickered in his mouth, his eyes blazed with fire. The monster set out to destroy the goddess and her son. Frightened Aphrodite, unable to escape, called on her father Jupiter for help. The great god immediately turned Aphrodite and Eros into two fish. They jumped into the water and disappeared. According to another version, two brave fish jumped out of the river and carried Aphrodite and Eros on their backs to safety. Pallas Athena (the virgin goddess) took these fish to the sky as a sign of gratitude, where they became a constellation.

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Eternally and annually traveling around the zodiac circle, the Sun January 21 enters into cold and windy, strange time,, and leaves him on February 19. Aquarius is one of the twelve signs (phases) of the ancient zodiac constellations; The element of Aquarius is considered air. In general, all signs of the Zodiac are distributed between four elements (the fundamental principles of existence): fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces).

The air element suggests freedom, lightness, flight of thought, speed in action, indicates extraordinary creative abilities, a passion for invention and all kinds of novelty.

Each sign has its own patron or “master”. Aquarius is especially lucky - he has two patrons: cold, cautious and wise Saturn and its antipode – – Uranus, planet of storms and revolutions.

With such patrons you can’t count on a quiet life.

Aquarius is usually depicted as a man pouring water from a vessel. This symbol has several interpretations. The most common is the image of a patient gardener watering a withered tree in the hope that it will someday turn green, or a teacher pouring the life-giving moisture of knowledge into the empty heads of his students. However, he has two vessels in his hands - with living water and with dead water: dead water to kill the past, and living water to give new life.

On the map of the human body, Aquarius correlates with the autonomic and central nervous systems, the circulatory (especially venous) system, and controls the superconscious and intuition. There is also information about.

The main feature of Aquarius, especially those born “in the middle of the sign,” that is, in the first ten days of February, is his bright personality of an innovator, the talent of a social revolutionary thinker. The soul of Aquarius belongs to the air, space, and he engages in earthly affairs only in cases of extreme necessity. Aquarius is focused on some idealized future, imagining it as a wonderful paradise, free from the hardships of everyday life and inhabited by people without flaws. And our modest current world seems to him like a provincial stopover on the way to the blue expanse. There is, of course, a lot of utopianism in the dreams of Aquarius, but the noble idea of ​​brotherhood and universal harmony undoubtedly has an ennobling effect on the minds of his contemporaries.

Ferdinand Schwab
Astrological treatise "On the influence of the stars"

The eleventh sign of the Zodiac, the Third Air sign and the fourth fixed sign, symbolized by the Man with a jug from which water is poured onto the ground. Aquarius is characterized by concentration of thought and an attempt to contain the spiritual fluctuations of Libra. The spiritual-material nature of this sign lies in the “Man” symbol itself. In movement around the circle of the Zodiac, it personifies the point of transition of the circle into a spiral, that is, the point at which a person begins to improve in spirit and achieve the stability inherent in a stable sign, stability that allows a person to overcome his animal nature and rise to a higher level of spiritual perfection. A distinctive feature of Aquarius is philanthropy and the desire for a synthesis of science and art. The symbol of this last of the stable signs are two snakes: the snake of Wisdom and the snake of Earth (Adam Kadmon) - since this symbolism hides the secrets of the destinies of humanity.

In a person born under this sign, the “I” is completely suppressed, which is a characteristic feature of all Air signs. The egoistic principle of Aquarius is manifested in the tendency of his thinking to motivate actions and actions and the desire for self-affirmation at any cost in order to again feel this “I” driven deep inside. For this purpose, Aquarius needs bizarre and strange actions, extraordinary actions, since everyday routine does not provide such an opportunity. Often, Aquarius becomes the bearer of an idea that goes against the surrounding reality and spirit of the times and destroys the traditional foundations of society. Thanks to the capacity for self-sacrifice, absent from its antagonist, Leo, Aquarius is able to show rare selflessness. At the same time, among Aquarius there are individuals prone to senseless, absurd, often criminal actions and extreme manifestations of cruelty. Aquarius is capable of monstrous deception for the sake of insignificant gain and only because the process of deception itself has much more meaning for him than the result, which makes him an incorrigible charlatan and cheater. The greatest attractive force for him is risk, the grotesque, a sudden impulse, on the verge of good and evil, of an idea being realized. Aquarius is distinguished by a tendency to waste.

Unlike its antipode, Leo, who feels himself to be the center of the whole world, Aquarius feels himself opposed to a certain center, scattered in world space. Aquarius has the inherent quality of reflecting the events of the surrounding world (the ability of all Air signs to mirror phenomena and events). By nature he is an experimenter, but at the same time he conducts experiments on the people around him and, without hesitation, cripples their souls, destroys their happiness, and deprives them of their prosperity. Those born under this sign are prone to change in the sphere of eroticism and, for the most part, are very superficial. Sometimes excesses are possible, but not due to an excess of vitality or desire for reproduction, but due to the corresponding structure of the psyche, disposed to extreme experiences. Most often, Aquarians live one day at a time, alien to calculations and plans. In the field of erotica they tend to introspect. Those born under this sign have more frivolity than genuine passion, which makes them similar to Libra. Aquarius, like other Air signs, is not in danger of falling into the mud, like the Earth signs, Taurus and Capricorn, or the Water signs, Cancer and Scorpio. Most Aquarians are sensitive aesthetes; their behavior in the sphere of eroticism maintains the high level inherent in this sign. In this case, perversions are possible, but for aesthetic reasons. Representatives of this sign often join the cohort of prostitutes, however, not due to internal depravity, but due to frivolity or a contradictory desire to challenge society and trample generally accepted moral principles. In their youth they are able to run away from home in the name of freedom of existence, not bound by any conventions.

Poorly placed and occupied by "evil" planets, Aquarius leads to degeneration. Many of those born under this sign have physical disabilities. The chemical compound corresponding to the sign of Aquarius is aluminum, a deficiency or excess of which in the body of those born under this sign can lead to diseases of a spasmodic nature, disorders of the central nervous system, flatulence, and joint diseases.

In achieving goals and fulfilling desires, Aquarius will be favored by stones associated with the Zodiac constellation dominant at the time of his birth: sapphire, obsidian. Stones of the constellation opposite Aquarius (Leo stones), being in dissonance with his nature, can destroy well-being and life: ruby, jasper, hyacinth, sardonyx, chrysolite, all yellow stones. The ancients believed that the lucky talisman for Aquarius in April, May and September would be sapphire.

Mythology and history of the zodiac sign Aquarius

Zeus decided to punish people for the fire they received as a gift from Prometheus, causing the Great Flood on earth. A hurricane began, and a terrible downpour fell on the flowering meadows and green groves. It rained for many days. The plains sank into the water, and dolphins swam where nymphs and dryads had recently frolicked. People died in the water, deprived of shelter and food. By the will of the gods, only the pious son of the titan Prometheus Deucalion and his faithful wife Pyrrha, the daughter of Pandora, survived.

On the advice of Prometheus, Deucalion, when the Flood began, put together a large box, put a small supply of food and drinking water in it, entered it himself with his wife and left everything to fate. For nine days the waves carried Deucalion’s box across the vast expanse of water, and finally it was thrown onto the rocks of Parnassus, which alone towered above the water. As soon as Deucalion and Pyrrha set foot on the ground, the rain stopped, the water began to subside, and the sun appeared in the sky. But the horror of loneliness gripped the unfortunate travelers who miraculously survived: the land was devastated, life abandoned it. Deucalion and Pyrrha fell to their knees and began to pray to Zeus.

Then the messenger of the gods, Hermes, appeared before them and said: “The ruler of gods and people, the great Zeus, knowing your piety, saved you and ordered you to fulfill one of your requests. Express your wish, and the son of Krona will fulfill it.” - “Oh great Hermes! - Deucalion answered. - I ask you one thing. Tell Zeus: let him populate the Earth with people again, for it is unthinkable to live alone.” And Zeus, through the Delphic Oracle, informed Deucalion of his consent. Then Deucalion and Pyrrha collected many stones and began to throw them behind their backs. Stones thrown by Deucalion turned into men, and Pyrrha - into women! People repopulated the Earth and began to build a new life. The noble Deucalion was awarded immortality, always showing off in the sky as the constellation Aquarius.

Canonical horoscopes of Ferdinand Schwab
Characteristics of the psychophysiological characteristics of the Zodiac signs

Legends associated with the signs of the Zodiac.

In ancient times, people thought that the sky was a giant hollow dome rising above the flat earth, like an upside-down cup on a saucer. Later, this idea of ​​earth and sky was replaced by another: the globe found itself in the center of a huge sphere like a soap bubble. The sun moved across the surface of the bubble sky, making a full circle in a year.
The apparent path of the sun around the earth is called the ecliptic. The sun moves within a narrow band - the Zodiac. It encircles the earth and is 16 degrees wide (extending 8 degrees above the ecliptic and the same number of degrees below it). Within this belt are the orbits of all the planets of our solar system, except for Pluto, which moves within an exceptionally wide band. Also in the Zodiac there are stars that form groups, called constellations in ancient times. To the first explorers of the sky, these constellations seemed similar to the outlines of animals, so the belt of constellations is known as the Zodiac - from the Greek word "Zodiacos", meaning "circle of animals".
The zodiac consists of twelve constellations, each of them has its own name and resembles an animal or human figure in shape. Ancient astrologers began to use these names to refer to the twelve astrological signs.
The zodiac belt is a conventional concept (it is generated by the consciousness of the person who highlighted it in the sky), but the stars located inside it are quite real. If you could simultaneously be at different points on the surface of the globe, you would see all twelve constellations at once. They were known long before Ptolemy described them in his writings. Each constellation has its own history, which has come down to us in the form of ancient myths. This folklore has become an integral part of our knowledge of astrological signs.

Aries

Aries, or the Ram, is the first sign of the Zodiac. In myths, the ram always appears as a courageous, enterprising, agile, energetic animal, capable of overcoming obstacles and mountain steeps.
The history of the ram begins in ancient Greece, where King Athamas ruled Boeotia19. He married a woman named Nephele, and she bore him two beautiful children - a son, Phrixus, and a daughter, Gella.
After some time, Nephele got tired of the aphamans. He left her and married a foreigner, who gave him two sons. Ino was a jealous schemer who hated her adopted children Frix and Gella. She planned to destroy them.
First of all, Ino persuaded the women of her country to dry the seeds prepared for sowing. That year nothing sprouted in the usually fertile fields. The Greeks were facing famine. The king sent an embassy to the sacred Delphi to ask the oracle about the reason for the barrenness of the earth. It did not occur to him to ask the opinion of the women who sowed the seeds, but modern political leaders sometimes make a similar mistake.
Ino managed to bribe the king's envoys, and they, returning from Delphi, brought a false answer. They told Athamas that the gods would restore fertility to the soil if he sacrificed his children Phrixus and Gella to the god Jupiter. The gullible king decided to kill his son and daughter to save his people.
Phrixus and Gella were meanwhile tending sheep. In the herd there was a golden-fleeced ram, a gift from the god Mercury to their mother Nephele. Having heard about the impending crime, Nephele asked the ram to save her children. Aries, in a human voice, warned Frix and Gella about the danger that threatened them, ordered them to climb onto his back and flew with them over the sea. Over the Dardanelles Strait, which separates Europe from Asia, Gella became dizzy, lost consciousness and slipped off the back of the ram. Hella fell into the sea and drowned. Since then, the sea where Gella died began to be called the Hellespont - the sea of ​​Gella.
Her brother the frix reached Colchis safely20. The vile foreigner’s plan failed, but this did not save the Greeks from hunger and did not bring Athamas to his senses.
The ungrateful frix sacrificed the golden-fleeced ram to Jupiter, who sent the ram to the stars for his brave deed.

Taurus

The second sign of the Zodiac is Taurus, or the bull, an animal that is both fierce and kind, always symbolizing strength and sexuality.
The myth of the bull is associated with Jupiter, the supreme god of ancient Greece, the ruler of the heavens, other gods and people. The loving Jupiter had many affairs, wives and mistresses. One of his lovers was the beautiful Europa, the daughter of the king of Phoenicia.
Europa lived as a recluse in her father's palace and knew nothing of the outside world. One day she had a prophetic dream - an unfamiliar woman stretched out her hands to Europe and said: “I will take you to Jupiter, since fate wants to make him your lover.”
And indeed, when that day Europe and her friends went to the meadow by the sea to pick roses and hyacinths, Jupiter saw the beauty and was struck by lightning. He decided to take over Europe.
Jupiter understood that the inexperienced young girl would run away from him in fear if he appeared to her in the guise of a thunderer, so he turned into a bull. He became not an ordinary bull, but a magnificent white animal with horns sparkling like diamonds and a silver moon on his forehead.
Europe succumbed to the charms of the beautiful, kind bull and began to caress him. Finally she climbed onto his back. Jupiter was just waiting for this moment. He took off into the air and carried Europe to the island of Crete. There he resumed his former appearance and confessed his love to the girl. Under the shade of a huge tree they became lovers.
Soon the goddess of love, Venus, appeared in Europe and explained to her that she was the woman from the dream. From now on, Venus said, the continent to which Jupiter delivered his chosen one will be called Europe.
This story of adultery (Jupiter was married to the goddess Juno) has a happy ending. Europa gave birth to three children to Jupiter, and he himself remained in heaven in the guise of a bull.

Twins

Gemini is the third sign of the Zodiac and the first whose symbol is people, not animals.
The myth of the twins, like the previous one, is associated with Jupiter and the weakness that he had for pretty women. In this story, the object of his passion is the beauty of Ice, the wife of the king of Sparta, Tyndareus. Lustful Jupiter, obviously not wanting to repeat the trick with the bull, this time turned into a magnificent swan. The details of their meeting have been preserved only approximately, but it is known that Jupiter in the guise of a swan managed to seduce Leda.
In this amazing union, Ice gave birth to two eggs. According to the myth, one of the eggs contained the offspring of Jupiter, and the other - the offspring of Leda's mortal husband. From a pair of eggs four children were born: two brothers, Castor and Pollux, and two sisters, Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra. It remains unclear whose father was Jupiter. According to one version, the immortal descendants of God were Castor and Pollux. According to another, the children of Jupiter were Castor and Helen.
In any case, the twins Castor and Pollux grew up strong, agile and inseparable. Castor became famous for his ability to tame wild horses, Pollux won universal recognition as an invincible fist fighter. In their youth, the brothers went with Jason and his Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece. When a storm broke out in the sea, two stars sparkled above the heads of the twins, and the elements magically calmed down. Because of this incident, Castor and Pollux are considered the patrons of all those sailing the seas. (During a storm, these lights still flicker near the ends of masts and high spiers. They are generated by atmospheric electricity. According to legend, the appearance of two lights heralds the end of the storm. If only one light glows, the storm will intensify.)
Geminis were considered courageous young men. Unfortunately, Castor died in the battle. Nothing could console Pollux. Finally he went to his father Jupiter and asked him to bring Castor back to life. In return, Pollux agreed to sacrifice himself.
Jupiter rewarded the brothers for their love and affection by sending them both to heaven as stars. Since then, they have been shining forever in the constellation Gemini next to each other.

Cancer

The fourth sign of the Zodiac is depicted as a cancer, an inhabitant of bodies of water, also capable of moving on land. It is known that cancer as a symbol appeared in the Zodiac about five hundred years before the beginning of our era. The Chaldeans gave one of the constellations this name because cancer moves backward or moves in a zigzag, and the sun, having reached the region of this sign around June 21, seems to freeze for several days in one position. After the sun enters the constellation Cancer, the summer solstice begins.
The Egyptians called this constellation "water stars" and symbolized it with a pair of turtles. (This may be due to the fact that the constellation was observed at dawn, when the water level in the Nile reaches its minimum; at this time of year the Nile is teeming with turtles.) According to many astrologers, the cancer is a cross between the Egyptian river turtle and the Babylonian waterfowl allulus, apparently closely related to the turtle. There are important similarities between these three species - the turtle, the allulus and the crayfish. They are similar in structure, have a hard shell and move slowly (like the sun in the sign of Cancer).
According to ancient Greek myth, a giant crayfish dug its claws into the leg of Hercules when he fought with a nine-headed monster - the hydra. Hercules, the son of Jupiter and a woman named Alkmene, was tasked with performing twelve heroic deeds known as the Labors of Hercules. One of these feats was supposed to be the destruction of the formidable snake Hydra. At the time of the cancer's attack, Hercules knocked down the hydra's heads with a club, but in the place of each knocked-down head, two new ones grew.
The attack of cancer was inspired by Juno, the jealous wife of Jupiter, who wanted the death of Hercules. However, cancer doomed itself to death. Having crushed him, Hercules continued the fight with the hydra.
Nevertheless, Juno was grateful to the cancer for trying to carry out her orders. As a reward for obedience and sacrifice, she placed an image of a cancer in the sky next to the symbols of other heroes.

a lion

The fifth sign of the Zodiac is represented by Leo, the king of beasts. The mythology of the lion is traditionally based on the story of the fight between Hercules and the Nemean lion.
Hercules was the son of the great god Jupiter and an ordinary woman Alkmene. Jupiter's wife Juno, who was not without reason jealous of her husband for his many lovers, began to pursue Hercules from the first day of his life. The young Hercules was forced to perform twelve dangerous heroic deeds, which went down in history as the Labors of Hercules.
The first feat of Heracles was to destroy the fierce and fearless lion who lived in the Nemean valley. No human weapon could pierce his skin. Stone, iron and bronze bounced off her. Hercules tried to kill the lion with arrows, but they flew off the sides of the beast. The hero decided to defeat the lion with his bare hands. Possessing incredible strength, he managed to squeeze his neck with his fingers and strangle him. During the fight, the lion bit off Hercules' finger - undoubtedly, we can assume that the hero got off lightly.
Having killed the beast, Hercules tore off its magical skin. He made breastplates from it, and a protective helmet from the jaw of a lion. This new armor proved to be very valuable in the following feats.
The constellation Leo perpetuates the courage of Hercules, shown during single combat with the mighty Nemean lion.

Virgo

Virgo is the sixth sign of the Zodiac and the second whose symbol is a person rather than an animal. Virgo is often depicted as a young woman holding a sheaf of wheat in her hand, as this constellation is always associated with the harvest. In Babylon it was called the furrow and was represented as the goddess of wheat. The main star in Virgo is spica, which means “ear of wheat.”
The legend of the maiden is found in the ancient Greek creation myth. According to it, before people and animals, there lived titans on earth - giants who ruled the world. Two titan brothers, Prometheus and Epimetheus, were given the task of creating people and animals. When this was done, Epimetheus began to give various gifts to the animals - wings to some, claws to others. He showed such generosity that when it came to the human race, he had nothing left in reserve, so he turned to Prometheus for help. Prometheus went to heaven and returned from there with fire. This gift elevated humans above all other species because fire allowed humans to keep warm, make tools, and eventually engage in trade and science.
Jupiter, the ruler of the gods, was furious when he learned that man had received the secret of the gods - fire. He ordered Prometheus to be chained to a rock, where the eagle constantly tore the titan's liver with its beak, never devouring it entirely. Jupiter also sent a curse to the earth, delivered by the first woman. Her name was Pandora, which means “endowed with all gifts.”
Pandora brought a box to earth that she was forbidden to open. One day, succumbing to curiosity, she lifted the lid. From the box scattered all those misfortunes that haunt humanity to this day: physical illness and death, as well as mental vices - anger, envy and the thirst for revenge. At the bottom of the box there was only one hope left.
After this incident, terrible times came and the gods, one after another, left the earth to live in heaven. The last to fly away was Astraea, the goddess of innocence and purity. She found refuge among the stars in the form of the constellation Virgo. Legend claims that one day the golden age will begin again and Astraea (the maiden) will return to earth.

Scales

Libra is the seventh astrological sign and the only one whose symbol is not a person or animal. Libra represents balance, justice and harmony.
Like the previous sign, scales are associated with the harvest, since in ancient times grain was weighed on scales after the harvest. They also contain deeper symbolism. In the underworld, the deeds of the dead are weighed against them.
In the religion of the Egyptians, the scales of justice were solely owned by the god Anubis, the guide of souls. Anubis, who had the head of a jackal, led the dead through the underworld and made sure that they received what they deserved. He was the keeper of the scales. There is a painting called the Anian papyrus, painted one and a half thousand years before the birth of Christ. It depicts a court scene. Anubis stands at the large scales used to weigh the heart of the deceased. On one bowl rests the heart, on the other sits truth, symbolized by a feather. In this painting the bowls balance each other. According to Egyptian beliefs, a dead heart (or soul) must be in balance with the truth in order to gain a second life.
Libra has also long been associated with justice and legality. We have all seen statues that symbolize justice. This is a blindfolded woman holding scales in her hands, a symbol of impartiality, that everyone will be rewarded according to their deserts.
In Greek mythology, the goddess of justice was Themis, the mother of Astraea. Themis and her daughter Astraea are represented by the constellations Libra and Virgo, twinkling in the sky next to each other. According to legend, when the human race finally enters the golden age, Themis, symbolizing justice, and her daughter (symbolizing innocence), will return to earth.

Scorpion

The eighth sign of the Zodiac is represented by Scorpio, which paralyzes its victim with poison, which it throws out through a sting located at the back.
This sign suffers from an association with Scorpio, a hated and dangerous insect. However, the scorpion was not always disgusting. In ancient Egypt, he was deified in the form of the goddess Selket. She was considered the patroness of the dead; she can often be seen with outstretched protective wings on the walls of crypts.
The classic Scorpio myth begins with the death of Orion, a handsome young giant and skilled hunter, son of the god of the seas Poseidon (Neptune). Orion's agility, strength and courage are glorified in legends. The story of his death is told in several versions. According to one of them, the goddess of the dawn Eos fell in love with Orion and took him with her. The moon goddess Diana (among the Greeks - Artemis), out of jealousy, ordered the scorpion to kill her mortal lover Eos.
According to another version, Orion tried to rape Diana, and she pulled out a giant scorpion from the ground, which killed Orion with its poison.
After the death of Orion, Jupiter placed him and Scorpius among the stars. Each of them became a constellation. Orion, with his golden armor and sword in hand, is one of the brightest and most spectacular constellations in the winter sky. But in the summer, when Scorpio appears in the sky, Orion’s shine fades.

Sagittarius

Sagittarius, the ninth sign of the Zodiac, is not an ordinary person stretching the bowstring. Sagittarius is a centaur, a mythological creature that is half man and half horse. Sagittarius is the only astrological sign depicted as both a human and an animal.
However, the constellation Sagittarius is not a simple centaur. This is the great and wise Chiron, the son of the Titan god Saturn. Chiron was a friend and confidant of both gods and men. The gods taught Chiron to heal, hunt, play musical instruments and predict the future. Over time, Chiron himself became a recognized teacher. Among his famous students were Achilles, Jason, Castor, Pollux and Hercules.
One day, when the great Hercules was hunting a formidable boar, he accidentally wounded Chiron in the knee with a poisoned arrow. A terrible agony gripped Chiron, but the immortal centaur could not die. Hercules promised to find death that could alleviate the fate of Chiron. During his wanderings, Hercules discovered the unfortunate Prometheus, forever chained to a rock, where an eagle was devouring his liver. The supreme god Jupiter cursed Prometheus: the hero’s torment was to continue until someone agreed to voluntarily take his place. The dying Chiron replaced Prometheus. Thus the curse ended. Chiron was allowed to die, and Hercules freed Prometheus.
After the death of Chiron, Jupiter rewarded him for his nobility by placing the courageous centaur among the stars, and he became the constellation Sagittarius.

Capricorn

The tenth sign of the Zodiac is Capricorn, an animal with strong hooves that climbs up mountain slopes, clinging to every ledge.
In ancient times, Capricorn was depicted as a half-goat, half-fish, or rather, a goat with a fish tail. In many paintings and engravings you can see Capricorn with a fish tail, and in some astrology books Capricorn is called the sea goat.
In the religion of ancient Babylon, the sea goat is the great and revered god Ea, who brought knowledge and culture to the peoples of Mesopotamia. In the Mesopotamian valley, irrigation of lands and crops began with the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Because of this, people believed in the existence of an underground ocean. God lived in this ocean. He came out of the underground reservoir every day to bring his wisdom to people, and returned back at night.
During the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans, Capricorn became associated with the god Pan, a cheerful and lustful creature, ruler of forests and fields, herds and shepherds. Above the waist the lord was a man, and below he was a goat. He had goat ears and horns.
Pan loved music and became famous for his playing of the pipe. His shepherd's pipe was actually a nymph who rejected his sexual advances. Pan turned her into a musical instrument, declaring that if he could not possess her in her original form, she would still belong to him in a new form.
Pan gained fame as the god of nature. Some features of the pan - sexuality, shamelessness, love of nature - were preserved in the character of Capricorn.

Aquarius

The symbol of the eleventh sign of the Zodiac is Aquarius, a man with a jug from which water flows.
The image of Aquarius first appeared in the religions of Egypt and Babylon. In Egypt, Aquarius was the god Khap, who personified the Nile River. Hap carried a pair of water vessels, symbolizing the southern and northern Nile. This god was considered the guardian of life. All living things would die without hepa water.
In ancient Greek literature, Aquarius was sometimes associated with Jupiter, by whose will water flowed from heaven to earth. This sign also perpetuates the memory of Deucalion, the only person who was not harmed during the great flood.
At the beginning of the creation of the world, gods and people lived in harmony. This era is called the golden age. The earth itself gave man rich fruits, and he did not have to cultivate fields and gardens; The river beds were filled with wine and honey. Then Pandora opened the box of disasters, and disease and other misfortunes befell humanity.
Great Jupiter looked down and decided to rid the world of people, to create a new race more worthy of life. With the help of his brother Poseidon, Jupiter flooded the earth with water. Only two people survived, Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha - righteous people who zealously worshiped the gods. They found refuge on Mount Parnassus, and when Jupiter saw them, he remembered the exemplary behavior of the spouses. Jupiter caused the waters to recede and the earth to dry up. He ordered Deucalion and Pyrrha to pick up stones and throw them over their heads without turning around. Deucalion fulfilled the command of the mighty thunderer, and the stones that he threw turned into men, and the stones thrown by his wife Pyrrha turned into women. So the earth received a new population after the flood. Deucalion became the father of these people.

Fish

The twelfth and last sign of the Zodiac is depicted as two fish, tied to one another, but swimming in opposite directions. Two fish in the water symbolize opposing emotions and secret depths.
The constellation Pisces was known by this name two thousand years BC. In Babylon it bore the name kun, which translated means tails (of fish). Kun is also interpreted as a ribbon or leash (with which two fish are connected). Two fish-goddesses on a leash, Anunitum and Symmachus, symbolized the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
In Greek mythology, fish are associated with the myth of Aphrodite and Eros. The terrible monster Typhon with a hundred dragon heads, spewing fire from his eyes, shook the air with a menacing howl, in which the hissing of snakes, the roar of a bull and the roar of a lion could be heard.
One day, Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, was walking along the banks of the Euphrates with her son Eros. Suddenly a typhon appeared in front of them. Ominous tongues flickered in his mouth, his eyes blazed with fire. The monster set out to destroy the goddess and her son. Frightened, Aphrodite, unable to escape, called on her father Jupiter for help. The great god immediately turned Aphrodite and Eros into two fish. They jumped into the water and disappeared. According to another version, two brave fish jumped out of the river and carried Aphrodite and Eros on their backs to safety. Pallas Athena (the virgin goddess) took these fish to the sky as a sign of gratitude, where they became a constellation.

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History of astrology

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