Mythology Of Taurus, Aries, And Gemini
The constellation Taurus is one of the oldest symbols. It's
been associated with a bull even as far back as Babylonian
times. In ancient Egypt, Taurus was associated with Apis, a
bull-like incarnation of the god Osiris. In the Old Testament,
Moses destroyed the Golden Calf. And in ancient Greece, Taurus
commemorated the romance of Zeus and Europa--because Zeus
transformed himself into a beautiful white bull to distract
her, and carried her off to the island of Crete. Their son,
Minos, became the king of Crete, and built a maze to hold
another bull figure--the Minotaur, who was eventually killed by
Theseus.
Aries is another constellation that has always been associated
with a single image. Babylon, Egypt, Persia, Greece, and Rome,
all of them considered Aries to be a ram. In Greece, Aries was
most associated with Jason and the Argonauts, in the story of
the quest for the Golden Fleece.
Jason was a victim of prophecy. Jason's father was killed by
his brother Pelias. Jason was spirited away to protect him, but
an oracle warned Pelias that the boy would return. Jason was
raised by the centaur Chiron (who is represented by the
constellation Sagittarius). When Jason challenged Pelias, the
pretender told Jason he would give him the throne in return for
the Golden Fleece.
Jason built a ship called the Argo, and crewed it with the
Argonauts, some of the greatest heroes of Greece. Even Hercules
sailed on the Argo. And with their help, he was finally
successful.
Two of the Argonauts were named Castor and Pollux. They were
twin sons of Zeus and Leda; one was immortal, the other was
not. They were inseparable. At one point along the quest for
the Fleece, Castor was killed, and immortal Pollux begged Zeus
to let him die as well. Instead, Zeus placed them in the stars,
side by side, never apart.
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