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Newsletter - 2004, Issue 3

Answers to the Newsletter Questions are here!

Previous Issues

• Issue 1
• Issue 2

In this Issue

• The Night Sky
• Book Review: Last Seen in Massilia
• Spring Constellations
• Horoscopes

The Night Sky

By: Charles Mu rdorf

Most of know that the formations of the stars have a story behind them, but how many of us actually know the true myths. The stars are one of man’s oldest fascinations from the times of the Greeks and Romans to this very day. The biggest reason we feel drawn to the heavens is to see the stories behind the constellations.

Some of the best-known stellar formations are Ursa Major and Minor more commonly known as the Big and Little Dippers. Ursa Major is believed to be Callisto, daughter of the King of Arcadia, whom Juppiter loved. Callisto was a follower of Diana because she loved to hunt. Juppiter sought Callisto by taking the form of Diana at first. In order to keep the affair secret Juppiter turned Callisto into a bear. Juno however discovered Juppiter’s plot and saw to it that Diana killed Callisto. Juppiter, heart broken, put Callisto into the heavens. Juno, upset that Juppiter would do that, commanded her brother Poseidon, god of the sea, to make sure the stars never set in his realm. That is why Ursa Major is always visible in Europe. Ursa Minor is believed to be Arcas, the son of Juppiter and Callisto.

Another notable constellation is Cassiopeia, the seated woman. She was the wife of Cepheus; the king of Ethiopia, and the mother of Andromeda. She was inducted into the heavens solely by the deeds of Perseus. She boasted always of her and her daughter's beauty.

For this she was bound to a chair and forced forever to circle the earth with her head downwards. This was to give her a lesson in humility. Her daughter Andromeda; in further punishment for Cassiopeia's boasting of her and her daughter’s beauty was to be sacrificed to Cetus, a sea monster of Posideon’s. Cassiopeia said her and Andromeda’s beauty surpassed that of the Nereids’, beautiful Nymphs of the sea. Neptune said that if Andromeda was not sacrificed Cetus would destroy the country. She was chained to a rock until Pereseus swept down with the head of Medusa, the Gorgon, and rescued her. Ptolemy says this constellation bestows purity of thought, virtue, dignity, and honor upon all those below it.

When Medusa was slain by Pereseus a winged horse flew from her body. That horse was Pegasus. After wandering the earth Pegasus was soon found and tamed by Bellerophon. Bellerophon tried to fly Pegasus to the heavens, but being battle weary he fell off. Pegasus however continued on his course and entered the heavens.

Last Seen In Massilia

By: James Helt

This month’s review is Last Seen In Massilia. Steven Saylor writes another great novel involving the Roman detective Gordianus the Finder. The main character throughout this novel is Gordianus, other characters are introduced but they don’t stay in the book for as long as he does. In this novel Gordianus gets a message that his son, Meto, is dead. The last place Meto was seen in was Massilia (Marseilles), a Greek city being attacked by Julius Caesar and his troops. When Gordianus arrives at the Roman camp he is told that his son is a traitor. The soldiers refuse Gordianus entry into the city so he has to sneak in where even worse troubles wait for him. Gordianus discovers that his son is in fact a double agent for Caesar. Meto was discovered as an aid of Caesar and had been locked up by the Massilians. This book guarantees the action and suspense that Saylor fans love. I would have to say that the best part and worst part of the book is when Gordianus finds his son and talks to him about what happened. It takes more than just a “soldier following orders” excuse to repair the relationship of father and son. Gordianus still remains my favorite character in the series. If you haven’t read my previous review, he is just like Sherlock Holmes but in the Roman Republic. He has a unique sense of humor that requires some knowledge of Latin history to get. If you liked the Roman Blood, then you’ll like Last Seen In Massilia.

Spring Constellations

In the night sky all throughout the year there are stars. However as the seasons change so do the stars. Those of us truly drawn into mythology gaze up at the sky and wonder what story lies behind each and every star.

The main stellar formation of spring is of course Orion, the son of Neptune. In mythology Orion was in love with Artemis, the virgin huntress, and almost wooed her completely. However Artemis’s jealous brother Apollo feared for her virginity and sent Scorpius, the scorpion, to attack him. Orion then jumped into the ocean to escape him. Orion being the son of Neptune, Lord of the Oceans, could not drown so his head was always above water. When Orion was a decent distance off Apollo challenged Artemis to an archery challenge. He bet her to see who could hit the log floating in the sea, which was actually Orion’s head. She of course being a huntress and a goddess hit the target and won the bet but also killed her lover! She then sorrowfully placed Orion in the heavens Apollo also placed Scorpius in the heavens where he still chases Orion to this day.

More notable formations are Canis Major and Canis Minor. Canis Major is believed to be one of Orion’s favorite hunting dogs. He was so favored that when Orion was made a constellaion the gods placed Canis Major beside him. It can also be seen that he is ready to pounce on Lepus, the hare, which is at Orion’s feet. Canis Minor is sometimes recognized as one of Orion’s dogs but is also thought to be one of Helen’s favorite hounds that allowed Paris to abduct her and start the Trojan War.

Taurus, the bull, not only is a constellation but an astrological sign bearing bull-headedness to those born under it. The story of this constellation once again revolves around Zeus’s escapades with women. While looking down from Olympus Zeus spied a lovely princess. This princess was Europa, Princess of Phoenicia. She was walking on the beach on a beautiful afternoon. Zeus, intrigued by her, appeared as a large white bull. He then offered to give her a ride on his back. As soon as she got on he plunged into the ocean. He then swam to Crete, the island sacred to Zeus, and made love to her.

The twins Castor and Pollux, of the constellation Gemini, are actually only half brothers. They share the same mother, but have different fathers. Castor’s father was the King of Sparta, whose name was Tyndareus. The father of Pollux was a king as well, Zeus, King of the gods. Zeus appeared to Leda (their mother) on her wedding night. He appeared as a swan and tricked her into the union. A sister would also be born by Leda, the beautiful Helen. Castor was well known in his life as a great fighter and horseman. Even Hercules studied under him. Both Castor and Pollux would later join Jason and his Argonauts on the quest for the Golden Fleece. They both spent their life as princes, chasing women and herding cattle. One-day Castor’s cousin, Idas, became so mad during a cattle raid that he killed Castor. Zeus at once threw a thunderbolt killing Idas. However the damage was done and Pollux who was immortal mourned his brother greatly and wished to follow him to Hades. Zeus, saddened by Pollux’s request, placed them both in the heavens, side by side forever.

The constellation Auriga, the charioteer, has 2 very violent stories. The constellation is believed to represent King Erichthonius of Athens. He was the son of Hephaestus, the God of the forge. Like his father the king was lame, and to compensate, Athena, who raised him, taught him how to tame horses. It was he who first harnessed horses for transportation and labor. He harnessed four horses to a chariot, in imitation of the Chariot of the Sun. For this feat he was placed into the heavens by Zeus. The next myth involves Hippolytus, son of Theseus. The story says that hippolytus’s stepmother Phaedra lusted after her step-son. When he rejected her she killed herself. Just before she died she penned a note saying Hippolytus had raped her. His father Theseus banished him, and prayed to Poseidon to strike down Hippolytus. As he left the city his horses were frightened by the vision of a sea monster and crashed, killing Hippolytus. Another story says that the charioteer is actually Myrtilus, the son of Hermes. Myrtilus was the driver for king Oenomaus of Elis. The king had a beautiful daughter Hippodamia. Unfortunately she was not allowed to marry unless the suitor beat the king in a chariot race. Anyone who lost the race would also loose their head. She had no hope of being married until Pelops son of Tantalus arrived. She fell instantly in love with him and arranged to have Myrtilus sabotage the king’s chariot. He loosened one of the wheels so the king was thrown to his death in a race with Pelops. Later Pelops had Myrtilus thrown into the sea. Hermes mourning for his son placed him in the night sky.