The Meaning of Myth. Definition of Myth: The Meaning of Myth.
A Myth of Your Own -...
Transcript of A Myth of Your Own -...
A Myth of Your Own
amazing-space.stsci.edu
Description: The purpose of this activity is for you to practice your creative writing skills by investigating
traditional myths about the constellations and using them as examples to create their own myths.
This activity reinforces the concept that the constellations are products of the imaginations of
ancient civilizations. Just as these ancient people created stories about what they saw in the sky, you
can write your own myths about the constellations and how they came to be in the sky.
Materials:
x Galaxy Trading Cards - http://amazing-
space.stsci.edu/resources/print/activities/galaxytradecards.pdf
x Student Reading A: “Virgo Myths”
x Student Reading B: “Constellation Myths From Many Cultures-Orion and the Pleiades”
x Writing paper and writing utensils
What to do 1. Read Student A and Student B pages for a Myth of Your Own.
2. With your group decide what the four characteristics of a myth include.
3. Now that you understand what a constellation myth is, and you know what the four
characteristics are, you can create your own. Pick a constellation from the trading cards.
4. Write a myth about it. Be sure that your myth includes the common characteristics your
group developed at the beginning of this activity.
Solutions: the four characteristics of a myth are:
x The name of the constellation
x The history of the person or animal
x An explanation of how the hero became famous
x An explanation of why the hero is in the sky
Virgo Myths:
The Goddess of Justice
Virgo has been identified with many different goddesses.
She is often seen as Dike, the goddess of justice, known as
Justa or Justitia to the Romans. From this, the neighbor-
ing constellation of Libra is often seen as the scales of justice.
Once, when the Earth was in the mythical Golden Age, Dike
lived with humans, who led a happy existence, deprived of hate and
pain. When times changed and the Silver Age began, humans began
to quarrel, and Dike sought shelter in the mountains. When the
Bronze Age, and subsequently the Iron Age arrived, humans
succumbed to violence, injustice, and war. Disgusted, Dike abandoned
the Earth and flew to the sky.
The Goddess of Innocence and Purity
Themis, goddess of divine justice, is represented by the
constellation Libra. Her daughter Astraea, goddess of
innocence and purity, is represented by Virgo. This myth is
associated with the creation myth, when Zeus sent Pandora
down to Earth as punishment to humans. The gods on Earth
had warned Pandora not to open a special box. But she was curious and opened it.
Many harmful plagues, including Hate, Envy, and Sickness, streamed out into the
world. The Earth became unbearable but, of course, there was always Hope. One
by one, the gods returned to the heavens to live. Astraea was the last to leave. She
became the constellation Virgo. According to legend, when the Golden Age returns
again, Astraea will return to Earth.
D2
• A
Myt
h of
You
r Ow
n
continued
121
The Goddess of the Harvest
The presence of the wheat sheaf leads some to identify
Virgo with Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, known
to the Romans as Ceres. Or she may be seen as
Persephone (in Latin, Proserpina), Demeter’s daughter,
who was abducted by the God of the Underworld, Hades (Pluto
to the Romans).
The Sun passes through Virgo in mid-September, the time of
harvest. The Greeks called this constellation Demeter, the goddess of the harvest.
Demeter was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea and the sister of Zeus, King of the
Gods. She was considered one of the highest of the goddesses. The most famous
myth about Demeter explains the seasons. It tells of the time when Hades (God of
the Underworld) kidnapped Demeter’s daughter. Demeter was so upset that she let
the land lay fallow. Consequently, no crops were harvested and the people starved.
Zeus finally convinced Hades to allow Demeter’s daughter to leave. But at the last
moment, Hades played a trick on her. He forced her to remain in the underworld
for six months out of every year. During those six months, called winter, Demeter
made the land barren. In the six months Demeter’s daughter was with her, called
summer, the land was fruitful, filled with plants, flowers, and crops. Other
cultures called Demeter by different names. To the Romans, she was Ceres; to the
Sumerians, Ishtar; and to the Egyptians, Isis. But she was an important goddess
in all of these cultures.
D2
• A
Myt
h of
You
r Ow
n
122
D2
• A
Myt
h of
You
r Ow
n
The Winemaker’s Daughter
She also is identified with Erigone, the daughter of Icarius, who
became famous for receiving the secret of wine-making from the
Wine God, Dionysius. Icarius was killed by peasants who thought
they had been poisoned by his wine. Icarius’ loyal dog, Maera, ran
home howling in grief and led Icarius’s daughter back to his body. Poor Erigone
hanged herself in grief over the death of her father. The gods had mercy on Icarius
and his family and transported Icarius into the sky as the constellation Boötes.
Erigone became Virgo, and the dog Maera, the constellation Canis Minor.
This and further information can be found at the following websites:
• http://einstein.stcloudstate.edu/Dome/constellns/vir.html
• http://www.soulgrowth.co.uk/Zodiac%20article/virgo.htm
123
Constellation Myths From Many Cultures:
Orion
Greek Mythology
Orion (the Hunter) appears in the winter sky, with his bow and his hunting dog,
Sirius, trailing along behind him. In ancient Greece, Orion was known as a
talented hunter. But his boast that he could rid the Earth of all the wild animals
angered the Earth goddess. She sent a scorpion to defeat Orion. Orion tried to
battle the scorpion. But he quickly realized that he could not shoot his arrow
through the creature’s armor. To avoid the scorpion, he jumped into the sea.
continued
D2
• A
Myt
h of
You
r Ow
n
1) This image shows the stars that make up the mythical figure of Orion.
2) This is a partial sky map showing the pattern of stars known as the constellation Orion. (Note that some of the fainter stars in the club are missing.)
1) 2)
125
Then Apollo decided to play a trick on Orion. He told his sister, Artemis,
that a small black object in the sea was a horrible villain, and he dared
her to shoot it with her bow and arrow. Artemis easily succeeded in
shooting it. When she swam out to retrieve her victim, however, she
discovered that the villain was Orion. Artemis begged the gods to
bring Orion back to life, but they refused. So, instead, she put Orion’s
picture in the sky so that she could always see him.
Native American Mythology
Native Americans of the Chinook tribe in the state of
Washington did not see a famous hunter when they
looked up at the sky. Instead, they saw two canoes. The
big canoe (the same stars as Orion’s belt) and the little
canoe (the stars in Orion’s dagger) are in a race to catch
salmon on the Big River (the Milky Way). There are fish jump-
ing alongside the canoes, and the little canoe is winning the race.
http://www.jpc-artworks.com/earthspirit/articles/wintercon.html
Pleiades
Greek Mythology
In Greek mythology, the Pleiades are the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione.
One day, while the girls were with their mother, Pleione, they met the great hunter
Orion. Orion immediately fell in love with them and began to chase after Pleione
and her daughters. After several years, Zeus took pity on the seven girls, who
were tired of being chased. He turned the sisters into doves, so that they could
escape into the sky. The sisters flew into the heavens and became the cluster of
D2
• A
Myt
h of
You
r Ow
n
126
stars known as the Pleiades. (In Greek, the word “Pleiades” means “doves.”) In the
night sky, however, only six of the sisters are visible or bright. According to the
Greeks, the seventh sister always hides because she is ashamed of the mortal
husband she left on Earth.
Aztec Mythology
The Pleiades had a very interesting role in Aztec society. The Aztecs called these
stars Tianquiztli, which means marketplace. The Aztec people believed that by say-
ing the right prayers and performing the right rituals, they could keep the sky in
motion and stop the demons of darkness from ruling the Earth.
The appearance of the Pleiades at the highest point in the
sky meant that their prayers had succeeded, and the
Earth would continue for another 52 years.
Navajo Mythology
The Navajo Indians called the Pleiades the Flint Boys. In Navajo
myth, after the Earth was separated from the sky, Black God had a
cluster of seven stars on his ankle. To show that he was in charge of
the sky, Black God decided to move these seven stars. When Black
God stomped his foot, the Flint Boys jumped up to his knee, then
hip, and finally his forehead. They stayed high on his forehead, so that now we see
the stars of the Pleiades high in the sky.
D2
• A
Myt
h of
You
r Ow
n
continuedcontinued
127
Hindu Mythology
According to the Hindu myths, the stars of the Pleiades were seven sisters named
Krttika. These sisters were married to the seven sages called Rishis, and they all
lived together in the sky. The God of Fire, Agni was in love with the seven sisters,
but the goddess Svaha was in love with Agni. Svaha decided to play a trick to
spread rumors that the Rishis’ wives were in love with Agni. Six of the Rishis got
mad and divorced their wives. These six sisters became the stars of the Pleiades.
But one Rishi loved his wife so much that he did not divorce her, and she stayed
with her husband as the star Alcor.
The Hair of Berenice (Coma Berenices)Egyptian Mythology
Scientist and mathematician Eratosthenes named the
constellation for Egypt’s Queen Berenice, who promised
her long, golden hair to Aphrodite in exchange for the safe
return of her husband, King Ptolemy III, from the war.
D2
• A
Myt
h of
You
r Ow
n
128
Greek Mythology:
The Greeks associated the constellation with Ariadne, the
daughter of King Minos of Crete. The king’s wife had given
birth to a hideous monster, a Minotaur–half man and half
bull– which was kept in a labyrinth. Periodically, Athenians
would be sacrificed to feed the monster. Theseus was chosen
as a sacrifice, but with the help of Ariadne, he was able to
slay the Minotaur and escape, taking Ariadne with him. He abandoned her on the
island of Dia, where Bacchus found her and set her crown as a constellation in the
sky to bring her eternal glory.
Native American (Blackfoot) Mythology
Native Americans associate the constellation with the spider god (Corona Borealis),
who sits in his web and watches over the land. Sometimes he climbs down the
summer Milky Way to visit the Earth.
D2
• A
Myt
h of
You
r Ow
n
129