Astrology has been around since ancient times. The belief that the stars affect the way we live has been believed across many different cultures, not just western society. But where does it all originate?
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Are Zodiac Signs related to Greek Mythology?
Zodiac signs are very much related to Greek mythology. Greek mythology offers a background story to each and every one of the zodiac signs.
In this article, we will explore the beginnings of astrology, the Greek mythology behind the zodiac signs, and which mythological story is represented by which sign. Read on to find out more about the cross-over between your zodiac sign and Greek mythology.
How is astrology related to Greek mythology?
Although the astrological horoscope is predominantly used in western culture, its roots come from several different cultures, a mixture of Egyptian mathematics, Babylonian astrology, and Greek mythology. The word Zodiac actually means ‘circle of the animals.’ The animals mentioned are represented as constellations in the sky. The origin of the creatures representing the constellations mostly comes from Greek mythology.
The ancient Grecians were very interested in celestial bodies in the sky, and astrology requires knowledge of the planets and stars and how they align, even though it is primarily about finding out a person’s future and personality. Ancient Greek philosophers gave us a large amount of knowledge on the shape of the earth, the moon, where the planets are around us, and much more. They determined the orbital paths that astrology uses now to make better predictions.
In ancient Greece, horoscopes were seen as a luxury, and only the wealthy such as kings and queens could afford to have astrologers give them their horoscopes. The horoscopes then were similar to the ones we have now.
They would be given a prediction for their day, month, or year based on their zodiac constellation the day they were born. Horoscopes were much more accurate than they are to be found now. Now they are often fake horoscopes for quick money, whereas back then, astrologers would study for years to perfect the horoscope.
Astrology and Greek mythology are very much connected. Mythology offers a back story to each of the zodiac signs. There are technically 13 signs. However, one of the signs, Ophiuchus, is not used as the sun doesn’t often pass through the sign while it passes through the other zodiac signs. The 12 other signs that are used in astrology are
- Aries
- Taurus
- Gemini
- Cancer
- Leo
- Virgo
- Libra
- Scorpio
- Sagittarius
- Capricorn
- Aquarius
- Pieces
What Mythology Are The Zodiac Signs?
There is a story behind each and every one of the zodiac signs: love stories, tragedies, and stories of heroes. There is a story to be told with each of the signs. Often the story goes that one of the gods, usually the god Zeus, places the creature in the sky amongst the stars to honor and commemorate a specific story or hero.
Aries – The Golden Ram
The Aries sign comes from the story of Phrixus and Helle, the twin sons of Athamas, the King of Boeotia and Nephele, Goddess of the clouds, who were saved by the golden ram when their stepmother Ino tried to have them killed. Hercules sent the golden ram to save the twins. While the ram was escaping with Phrixus and Helle on its back, Ino tried to grab hold of the wing of the ram but fell to her death. The ram was sacrificed by Phrixus for Zeus, who had the ram placed in the stars to honor it.
Taurus – The Love Story
The Taurus constellation commemorates the story of when Zeus changed himself into a beautiful white bull to win over the affections of Europa. Europa was amazed at the beauty of the bull. She petted the bull and jumped onto its back. The bull took Europa on his back across the Mediterranean sea to Crete.
Gemini – The Inseparable Twins
Gemini represents the myth of Castor and Pollux. Castor and Pollux were twins, Castor was the mortal son of King Tyndareus, but Pollux was the immortal son of Zeus. The twins were known collectively as Dioscuri.
There are two stories about Dioscuri. One is that Zeus immortalized the twins on the agreement that they would spend half their time on earth and half their time amongst the stars. Another is that Castor was killed in battle, Pollux was inconsolable and died to be with his brother.
Zeus is said to have placed the twins in the sky to honor them.
Cancer – The Slaying of The Crab
Cancer represents the giant crab that was sent to kill Hercules by the jealous goddess Hera. The giant crab was sent whilst Hercules was sent the second of his labors, the water serpent Hydra. This was in penance for killing his family. The crab held on to Hercules’s foot as he fought the giant serpent. After he cut off one of Hydra’s heads, he turned and crushed the crab.
Hera placed the crab in the sky for its obedience and sacrifice.
Leo – The Nemean Lion
The Leo constellation comes from the first of Hercules’s 12 labors. Hercules was sent to kill the Nemean Lion for his first job. This lion was fearless and couldn’t be harmed by weapons. Hercules first tried to kill the lion with arrows and other weapons but failed. He ended up fighting the beast with his bare hands and strangling the lion to death. He skinned the lion and wore its skin as armor.
Zeus commemorated this by putting the lion in the sky.
Virgo – Astraeas Mark
Virgo is the sign of the goddess Astraea, goddess of innocence and purity. Astraea was the last goddess to leave earth after Zeus sent Pandora down to punish man. Pandora opened the box the gods told her not to and unleashed envy, sickness, and hate. Earth was unbearable. One by one, the gods left, and Astraea was the last.
Libra – The Scales of Justice
Libra relates to Themis, the Greek goddess of justice whose daughter Astraea went to heaven and became the constellation of Virgo and, like her mother, carried the scales of justice. The scales of justice became Libra.
The constellations of Virgo and Libra represent mother and daughter as they are side by side. Themis promised to return with her daughter when the Golden Age came.
Scorpio – The Giant Scorpion
In Greek mythology, Scorpio comes from the story of Orion. Orion was said to be a giant man who was the most handsome man alive. He was the son of Poseidon and Euryale. Apollo was jealous of Orion and went to Mother Earth and asked her to create a giant scorpion to kill Orion. The scorpion succeeded and killed Orion and his hunting partner Artemis.
Zeus placed them both in the stars as Scorpio, the bright star, Artemis, is the scorpion’s heart.
Sagittarius – The Centaur
Sagittarius is the sign of the centaur Chiron, the son of Philyra and Cronus. Chiron was said to have turned himself into a centaur to escape his jealous wife, Rhea. Chiron became the trainer to other gods and heroes such as Jason, Achilles, and his friend Hercules. Chiron wasn’t like the other centaurs, who were often brutal and savage. Chiron was kind and taught hunting, medicine, and music.
Chiron was accidentally killed by his friend Hercules when he shot him with a poison arrow after he gave up his immortality in favor of Prometheus in an arrangement with Zeus.
Capricorn – The Sea-Goat
This constellation was to honor the demi-god, Pan. Pan was the ruler of woodland, forests, flocks, and shepherds. Pan was half man, half goat but turned his goat legs into a fishtail to save himself from the monster Typhon. He escaped by diving into a river.
There is also another story that relates to Capricorn, and that would be that Zeus placed the constellation to show gratitude to the goat nymph, Amalthea, who suckled Zeus as an infant.
Aquarius – The Cupbearer
Aquarius is related to the story of the Deucalion flood. Zeus cleansed the earth by pouring water from the heavens to the earth to wash away all evil men. Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha then had a fresh start and threw stones over their shoulders, creating a new human race.
This sign is also related to Ganymede, the cupbearer of Olympus.
Pieces – The Fish
Pieces are said to be from when Athena placed the two fish amongst the stars to remember the story of Aphrodite and companion Eros who were walking by the Euphrates River when the monster Typhon appeared. Zeus saved them by turning them into fish so that they could swim away into the river.
Are Zodiac Signs Roman Or Greek?
The zodiac signs have been heavily influenced by the ancient Greeks and adapted by the Romans. However, astrology doesn’t come from just one place. Astrology is an amalgamation of influences from many ancient cultures. However, the concept of astrology actually originated from the ancient Babylonian civilization.
Ancient Babylonian astrology started with stargazing. Babylonians started to notice how the movement of stars and planets affected life on earth. They noticed the shapes and patterns of the stars that we know today as constellations. They saw planets as their different gods. They saw the night sky as a way to live their life. By watching the sky, they would know when to plant crops, when floods may come, and more.
The creatures used to represent the zodiac signs that we know today come from the ancient Greeks and their mythology behind them which were later adopted by the Romans.
The Greco-Roman era adapted all aspects of astrology to create Hellenistic astrology. This was astrology that collected Babylonian astrology, Egyptian mathematics, and the 12 houses, and the Zodiac along with Greek mythology. Hellenistic astrology was later adapted into the astrology we use today.
Astrology has been used in many different religions, time periods, and cultures, such as
- Babylonian civilization
- Hebrew bible
- Roman era
- Hinduism
- Middle ages
- Medieval Islamic era
- Ancient Greece
- Early modern era
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is fair to say that the zodiac signs are very much related to Greek mythology. It’s very interesting to see the stories behind the signs and why each creature represents each sign. Greek mythology made the zodiac signs and astrology what it is today. Although astrology has been around since ancient times, it has weaved through different cultures and religions, picking up more and more information and techniques. The ancient Greeks definitely left their mark on the zodiac signs.
Check out this article to learn which zodiac sign is closest to god.
