Myths, Symbols and Legends of Solar System Bodies

246 Pages·2015·7.34 MB·English

by  Rachel Alexander (auth.)

Rachel Alexander
Myths,
Symbols and
Legends of
Solar System
Bodies
The Patrick Moore
The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series
More information about this series at h ttp://www.springer.com/series/3192

Myths,
Symbols
and Legends
of Solar
System Bodies
Rachel Alexander
Rachel Alexander
Exeter , UK
ISSN 1431-9756 ISSN 2197-6562 (electronic)
ISBN 978-1-4614-7066-3 ISBN 978-1-4614-7067-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-7067-0
Springer New York Heidelberg Dordrecht London
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014950407
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Dedication
This book is dedicated to Asra Jilani,
my best friend, and Milo Powell,
Alejandro and Luca Iglesias-Whittaker,
and Heather Morgan, astronomers
and artists of the future whose enthusiasm
is contagious.
v

Pref ace
Astromythology is the mythology, associated language and symbolism of the main
bodies of our Solar System. The term is derived from the Greek word a stron, mean-
ing “star.” This is not to be confused with cosmology, which is the science or theory
of the birth and evolution of the universe.
T he term ‘mythology’ can mean different things to different people at different
times. Many hark back to a time when celestial bodies themselves were revered, per-
haps with deities then being associated with them, by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians.
A mythology is kept alive by language and memories, as myths are often stories
whose original authors remain unknown, and these stories were usually relayed in
the oral tradition. The myths were obviously changed, often by their many different
storytellers, and were often based on even earlier mythologies. The Romans
absorbed ancient Greek myth, and it is from them that we owe our planetary names
as well as many of the names of their satellites. A mythology can encompass
folklore, fables, stories, allegory and philosophy and can be changed to suit
religious and political ideas. Language itself is an ever-changing animal that must
impact on the relaying of the myths themselves.
T he science in this book is intended to contextualize and co-exist with the
mythology. The perceived logic of science and the perceived illogical nature of
mythology, with its associated symbolism and superstition, are not natural
bedfellows, but they are closer than might be expected. The planet Vulcan, for
example, was imagined by scientists to try and explain the inexplicable. Science
itself is constantly changing and evolving. The tracking of minute particles,
neutrinos traveling faster than the speed of light, in October 2011 by scientists at
CERN, potentially challenges our existing knowledge of science. (CERN in Europe
is at the cutting edge of research in the field of particle physics.) In the end, what
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viii Preface
they saw turned out to be an error in measurement, but it does show that science is
also ever-changing. Another example is the German-born physicist Albert Einstein
(1879–1955), who at first rejected the idea that the behavior of electrons could be
explained in probabilities. Science and stories can co-exist, be mutually beneficial
and even enhance each other, as illustrated by names in the U.S. space program,
such as Apollo after the ancient Greco-Roman god of light and the Sun.
Astromythology can be seen as an attempt or attempts to provide a narrative to
the spiritual and awesome experience of looking up at a clear, night sky.
Astromythology and its associated language and symbolism really is everywhere,
if you begin to look for it. It is such an integral part of the human psyche that we
do not even stop to think about it. Astromythology symbolism features on flags—
symbols of entire nations—is in the periodic table, is part of language, is integral
in literature, including religious texts, and is found in the names of food, festivals,
flora and fauna. Even modern cultural references such as the Disney cartoon
character Pluto and popular Western chocolate bars are named after astronomical
and astromythical terms—M ilky Way, Mars and G alaxy—i n addition to popular
tabloid newspapers such as T he Sun and the D aily Star .
The word p lanet originates from the Greek and means “wandering heavenly
bodies.” Planets are differentiated from fixed stars, as they appear to have a route
of their own. Planets do not produce any light of their own; they merely reflect the
light of their nearest star. The classical planets (Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and
Saturn) were known to the ancients. From as early as the sixteenth century b.c. ,
court astronomers were appointed in ancient China to watch and follow the activi-
ties of the heavenly bodies. The ancient Chinese allocated to each planet an ele-
ment. Mercury was given water; Venus, metal; Mars, fire; Jupiter, wood; and
Saturn, earth. By 800 b.c. the astronomers of Babylon and China had some early
knowledge of the movements of the planets. The ancient Greeks and Romans
believed that the planets themselves were living deities, revealed in the names cho-
sen to represent them. The astronomer Johannes Kepler believed that planets had
souls and explained their orbital movements by conjecturing that they were being
pushed around by angels (Fig. 1). Onions were cultivated by ancient Egyptians.

Fig. 1 Angels pushing around the planets
Preface ix
They worshipped them on altars, as it was their belief that they looked like planets,
and they swore oaths by onions.
The ancient Greeks believed that the Sun and Moon were also planets. They held
the belief that Eurynome, goddess of everything, had assigned the planets, with a
Titan and Titaness deity, to rule over them. The order went as follows: the Sun was
ruled over by Theia and Hyperion; the Moon by Atlas and Phoebe; Mars by Dione
and Crius; Mercury by Metis and Coeus; Jupiter by Themis and Eurymedon; and
finally Saturn by Rhea and Cronus .
Astromythology shows its relevance to everyone in the names of the days of the
week, with Monday being the Moon’s day. Tuesday is associated with Mars, more
obvious in the French language, where Tuesday is known as M ardi. Wednesday,
Mercredi in French, is associated with Mercury, and Thursday, J eudi in French, is
associated with Jupiter. Friday, V endredi in French, is associated with Venus, while
Saturday and Sunday are obviously the days of Saturn and the Sun.
This book sets out to incorporate mythology and symbology concerning the
main players in our Solar System, our Sun, the planets and their moons, and to
begin to explore the etymological, political, and philosophical connections with
astromythology.
Exeter, UK Rachel Alexander