Myths and legends of the night skies how did the great bear get its name. Greek mythology and the constellation andromeda the constellation andromeda is named for the aethiopian princess of the same name. Constellations are groups of stars that form a pattern in the sky. The mythology is not far from being saved by being turned into christians when baptized in water. Aries is generally considered to be the representation of crius chrysomallus, the golden ram that rescued phrixos and helle from harm at the hands of ino, and started to fly them to colchis.
The mythology of the night sky strikes a balance between backyard astronomy and ancient mythology. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. The worldrenowned classic that has enthralled and delighted millions of readers with its timeless tales of gods and heroes. A book of animal constellations by jacqueline mitton 35 times stargazers by gail gibbons 34 times. Matthew chapter 2 the birth of jesus other essays on solarastral mythology. Leo is the nemean lion that heracles defeated in his first labour. Virgo and libra are connected in a way no two other constellations are. This volume aims to bring to life for the modern reader, the greek, roman and norse myths that are the keystone of western culture the stories of gods and heroes that have inspired human creativity from antiquity to the present. This book isnt meant to be read straight through, nor is it meant to be a technical manual. Aug 30, 2019 the kids chose 4 constellations well, 3 constellations and the big dipper which we researched and then wrote our own very simplified version of constellation myths for kids. Madeline thought it would be cool to make constellation cards to accompany the myths. Aries, the ram, is one of the most famous constellations from antiquity, being as it is, also a sign of the zodiac. Others think that both constellations, together with several other. Take an illuminating ride through the starry night sky, and learn how the heavens pay tribute to the gods of greek and roman mythology.
Katasterismoi, placings among the stars is an alexandrian prose retelling of the mythic origins of stars and constellations, as they were interpreted in hellenistic culture. End page maps of the northern and southern skies point out the stars arrangements. Download and print out your free constellation cards, containing all of the constellations mentioned above. The book of astronomy was developed with 3rd graders in mind, but it can be used with older students just as well. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations today. The first of the known viking age constellations is the great wagon or wain, the constellation better known today as the great bear or ursa majoris. What is a good book on the myths and legends behind the. Constellations are groups of stars forming a recognizable pattern that are traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure. By all means add this book to your astronomy library even if you own other books about the constellations. It is also referred to in greek and roman mythology as the gateway of the gods through which the souls of men released at death would pass to the life hereafter.
The stories below provide an overview of myths associated with the constellations identified by early civilizations around the world. The book does not cover the mythology, which is already featured in many other books, but it is excellent as an observing guide. Along with the named constellations, this title also incorporates the lore behind the christening of the planets and their satellites. But other civilizations created their own patterns in the sky based on stories and. The myths and legends of the constellations are a good way to introduce newcomers to the sky.
Andromeda was a daughter of cepheus and cassiopeia, who was chained to a rock as a sacrifice to the monster cetus, before being rescued by perseus, before andromeda became the wife of the greek hero. In 1922, the international astronomical union iau recognized 88 modern constellations. Constellations are groups of stars forming a recognizable pattern that are traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure in 1922, the international astronomical union iau recognized 88 modern constellations constellation names that come from greek mythology and figures from greek and roman myths are the best known. Kids will be so busy playing, that they forget how much they are learning. Jan 01, 2011 the mythology of the night sky is intended primarily for amateur astronomers who would like to know the mythology behind the names of constellations and planets. As mentioned above, the fish is a symbol of the christian church. There were other eagles in greek mythology though, for an eagle would pluck out the liver of prometheus as part of his daily torture.
Interestingly, the stars in this constellation are all similar to our sun, and they have planets the size of jupiter and other planets 10 times the size of earth. But other civilizations created their own patterns in the sky based on stories and people that were important to them. We hear the tales of jason and the golden fleece, cupid and psyche and mighty king midas, and discover the origins of the names of the constellations. Many societies saw patterns among the stars with gods and goddesses or stories from their culture. The author recounts the legends connected with many constellations, including aquarius, aries, cancer, orion, and others. This constellation was viewed as a skypicture, with the seven stars thought of as a fourwheeled wagon, its pole being formed by the three stars that hang downwards grimm, teutonic mythology ch. Mar 20, 2020 many constellations, including ursa major and others viewable this spring, are noted in such literary heavyweights as the bible and homers the odyssey and are also prominent throughout greek and roman mythology. The star figures in the sky form a very precise map of the heavens and display many allegories which have been preserved as greek myths. By far, though, we owe the greatest debt to the mythology of the ancient greeks and romans. This beautifully illustrated book helps readers navigate their way around the night sky as they learn the significance of heavenly bodies. Astronomy books did not contain satisfactory answers.
Viking age star and constellation names viking answer lady. Included in this handbook are the only surviving works on the constellation myths that have come down to us from antiquity. The constellations and greek mythology page 2 greek legends. Organized by seasons, this book describes ptolemys 48 constellations with location and description in detail, while also telling the mythological tales in full. Most of the constellations with which we are familiar come from ancient. Stellarium is great if youre into actual stargazing, i got my start from there too and it was kinda confusing at first as the sky keeps changing i live in singapore, near th.
This book scratched my itch to learn more about the stories behind the stars and constellations as we know them today. Stories of the constellations collects 44 classic constellations from greek mythology. Constellations are formed of bright stars which appear close to each other on the sky, but are really far apart in space. It deals with the 48 constellations identified by the ancient greek astronomer ptolemy, as well as all the planets of our solar system and their moons, which are named after roman gods. Many of the constellations in use today have the names of characters from greek and roman mythology. Since the constellations are named after many characters in greek mythology, daulaires greek myths is a great resource to have on hand with this program. Edith hamiltons mythology succeeds like no other book in bringing to life for the modern reader the greek, roman and norse myths that are the keystone of western culturethe stories of gods and heroes that have inspired human creativity from antiquity to the. Constellation names that come from greek mythology and figures from greek and roman myths are. Only phrixos would make it safely to colchis, and the golden ram told the young boy to. One possibility is erichthonius of athens, a king born of the earth when athena rejected the advances of hephaestus.
Dip in to the glorious constellations for an illuminated history of the mythology of the star patterns that guide and console us on our journey through time and space. The roman astronomer ptolemy identified 48 constellations in the almagest around 150 ad. To learn about their backstory, the book of constellations by robin kerrod is a great place to. In this pack, you will receive 6 constellation cards.
The kids chose 4 constellations well, 3 constellations and the big dipper which we researched and then wrote our own very simplified version of constellation myths for kids. The constellations and greek mythology greek legends and myths. Therefore, we will focus on the greek versions of these myths. Today, there are 88 on the official list of the international astronomical union. The charts are a great companion for stargazing with binoculars and a small telescope. The history of the human identification of constellations among the stars is explored through the stories of some. This beautifully illustrated book helps readers navigate their way around the night sky as they learn the significance of heavenly bodies names. I decided to write my own book on the mythology of the constellations.
His father was zeus jupiter in roman mythology and his mother was danae. Many constellations, including ursa major and others viewable this spring, are noted in such literary heavyweights as the bible and homers the odyssey and are also prominent throughout greek and roman mythology. The mythology is that venus and cupid jumped into the river to escape a monster and were saved by being changed into fishes. Books about constellations probably wouldnt be considered montessoristyle books for toddlers and preschoolers because of the mythology. The symbol for aries is a ram, which, in mythology, is the lambs fleece sought after by jason and the argonauts. Bible, where it is referred to in the book of job, thus giving it the name jobs star. He eventually wrote a book the reason he gets all the credit called almagest. There are 88 constellations in all, and they all have myths or stories as to where they came from and why they are in the sky. Much of this has to do with the debate over exactly what virgo represents, but to completely understand libra, one needs to know that astraea the star goddess is the figure in the.
Draco is circumpolar that is, never setting, and can be seen all year from northern latitudes. I know i could grab a bunch of different books to compile. Once upon a starry night explains the ten ancient figures whose legends are written large across the universe. Constellation myths by eratosthenes, 9780198716983, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. They either gave no mythology at all, or they recounted stories that, i later discovered, were not true to the greek and roman originals. Beyond the myths, the book contains a lot of info about the historical references we have, as well the differences between the various versions of each myth they tell. The shapes you see all depend on your point of view. Since the days of ancient civilizations think homer, the pyramids, etc. An amateur astronomers guide to the ancient greek and roman legends the patrick moore practical astronomy series by david e. Edith hamiltons mythology succeeds like no other book in bringing to life for the modern reader the greek, roman and norse myths that are the keystone of western culturethe stories of gods and heroes that have inspired human creativity from antiquity to the present.
The constellations as we know them today are undoubtedly very different from those first fewour night sky is a compendium of images from a number of different societies, both ancient and modern. For instance, sagittarius is a centaur whos been fatally wounded by heracles. Athena seized the writhing serpent and hurled it into the sky. The mythology of the night sky an amateur astronomers. The best star and constellation books for kids living montessori. Constellation cards and myths for kids how wee learn. His most famous feat was the killing of the gorgon medusa. The second myth associated the constellation virgo with astraea, goddess.
National geographic completes the book with embellishments of each story. One cannot discuss the myth of the constellation libra without referring to the myth of virgo. Casual stargazers are familiar with many classical figures and asterisms composed of bright stars e. Myths about constellations windows to the universe. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. He is considered to be boeotian by birth, born according to a late legend of the earth from a buried bull hide on which three gods had urinated. In ancient egypt, the altar represents a human figure with a dogs head. Allen this book has a great deal of information about the origins of the names of stars and constellations.
The constellations and greek mythology page 2 greek. Falkners book serves a useful purpose and i wish it success. We follow with a detailed walk through the book of matthew, showing how the entire story as a whole is an allegory originating from solar mythology. King erichthonius was credited with inventing the quadriga, the four horse chariot. Some believe that the eagle represents the bird zeus sent after prometheus, and the swan relates to the myth of leda and the swan, in which zeus turns into a swan to seduce a woman named leda. A riot of color, shiny foil stars, and vivid word stories introduce orion, hercules, lyra, and others. The book explores the reference points for works of art, literature and cultural inquiry. The constellations and greek mythology greek legends and. Most of the constellations with which we are familiar come from ancient greece.
Im wondering if anyone has heard of a book of collected stories and myths about the constellations. But much more than that, the book of enoch states that the angel uriel revealed them to the. All 48 constellation figures from enoch depict the gospel of jesus christ. Below ive outlined the myths behind a couple of the constellations. All twelve constellations that we call the signs of zodiac have a place in greek mythology. Timeless tales of gods and heroes by edith hamilton. This book focuses on the greek mythology characters that people throughout history have seen in the night sky. These constellation cards are a simple tool to use in many activities. The name of the constellation aquila means eagle, and it is most common to suggest that this is the representation of the eagle of zeus, the bird who abducted ganymede and also carried the weapons of the god.
A detailed description of the mythological origins of the altar, as originating in greece is entwined with the sumerian explanation for this same constellation. The mythology of the night sky is intended primarily for amateur astronomers who would like to know the mythology behind the names of constellations and planets. Guide to the constellations this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a printed book. Orion, in greek mythology, a giant and very handsome hunter who was identified as early as homer iliad, book xviii with the constellation known by his name the story of orion has many different versions. Book of astronomy set memoria press classical education. Every page shines with christina balits vibrant art, studded with shiny stars, and provides the perfect backdrop to jacqueline mittons poetic text. Auriga is the charioteer constellation, and in greek mythology various stories are told of who the charioteer is meant to represent. Google is a good place to start if you want to learn about mythology. In 1922, the international astronomical union iau recognized 88 modern constellations, 48 of which are based upon those recorded by the greek astronomer ptolemy around 150 ad in his treatise called almagest. If youre still fascinated with greek mythology books, or looking for percy jackson or circe readalikes, youll find the best of them here for adults, teens, and kids alike.