Animals and stars
Since the earliest civilisations, people have filled the sky with animals. The Babylonians recognised there the bull, the scorpion and the goat-fish; the Greeks placed there the creatures of their myths, turned into stars as a reward or a punishment; the Chinese divided the celestial vault among four great guardian animals and marked the years with twelve animals in a race. This section of the Symbolic Bestiary tells of the animals of the Western zodiac, from the Ram of the Golden Fleece to the Fishes of Aphrodite, the legend of the Chinese zodiac and the animal constellations with their myths: Callisto's Great Bear, the Swan of Zeus, Pegasus, the Dragon of the Hesperides, Canis Major with Sirius and many more. Alongside the tales there is room for the ancient sources, from Hesiod to Aratus, from Ovid to Ptolemy, and for the observations that linked these figures to calendars, navigation and the work of the fields.
Aries: the Golden Fleece and the point where the zodiac begins
Phrixus, Helle and the ram with the golden fleece: the Greek myth behind the first zodiac sign, its Babylonian roots and the First Point of Aries.
AST · N. 002Taurus, Europa and the Pleiades: the ancients' spring sky
Zeus as a bull abducts Europa, the Pleiades flee Orion, the Hyades weep for their brother: myths and farming calendars of the constellation Taurus.
AST · N. 003Cancer: Hera's crab and the donkeys' manger
The crab Hera sent against Heracles in the marsh of Lerna, the Beehive cluster and the Donkeys of Dionysus: history and symbols of Cancer.
AST · N. 004The Nemean Lion: from Heracles' first labour to the star Regulus
The invulnerable beast Heracles defeated bare-handed, the star Regulus and the Coma Berenices: myths and history of the zodiac constellation Leo.
AST · N. 005Scorpius and Orion: the hunter and his eternal celestial foe
Why Orion sets as Scorpius rises: the myth of the giant hunter, the red star Antares and the claws that became Libra in the ancient sky.
AST · N. 006Capricorn, the fish-tailed goat: from Ea to Pan and Augustus
The Babylonian goat-fish, Pan diving into the Nile to escape Typhon, the coin of Augustus: the origins and symbols of the sign of Capricorn.
AST · N. 007Pisces: Aphrodite, Eros and the knot binding two escapes
Two fish joined by a cord: the myth of Aphrodite and Eros fleeing Typhon, the Syrian goddess Derceto and the Age of Pisces in zodiac history.
AST · N. 008The Chinese zodiac and the legend of the great animal race
The rat riding the ox, the tricked cat, the late dragon: the legend of the great race and the true calendar origins of the twelve Chinese animals.
AST · N. 009Ursa Major and Callisto: the nymph who never sets
Callisto turned into a bear, her son Arcas and Hera's revenge: the Greek myth of Ursa Major, the Plough or Big Dipper and the seven oxen of the north.
AST · N. 010Ursa Minor, the Phoenicians' Cynosure and the Pole Star
The little bear that guided Phoenician sailors, the nymph Cynosura who nursed Zeus, and Thales: the history and myths of Ursa Minor and the Pole Star.
AST · N. 011Cygnus: Zeus, Leda and the great cross of the Milky Way
Zeus turned into a swan to seduce Leda, Cycnus mourning Phaethon, the star Deneb and the Northern Cross: myths of the constellation of Cygnus the Swan.
AST · N. 012Pegasus, the winged horse born from Medusa's blood
From Medusa's severed head to the Hippocrene spring, from Bellerophon to the Chimera: the myth of Pegasus and the Great Square of the autumn sky.
AST · N. 013The Eagle of Zeus: Ganymede, Altair and the cowherd legend
The eagle that bears Zeus's thunderbolts and abducts Ganymede, Antinous and the star Altair, which in China is the cowherd in love with the weaver.
AST · N. 014The Dolphin among the stars: Amphitrite, Arion and a Sicilian riddle
The dolphin that won Amphitrite for Poseidon, the singer Arion saved from the sea, and the stars Sualocin and Rotanev, born in Palermo in 1814.
AST · N. 015Corvus and Crater: the punishment of Apollo's bird
The crow that lingered by a fig tree and lied to Apollo, the cup denied and the Hydra set on guard: the myth behind three constellations of spring.
AST · N. 016The Hare at Orion's feet and the hares that live on the Moon
The small constellation Lepus chased by Orion's dog, the legend of the island of Leros and the lunar hare of India, China and ancient Mexico.
AST · N. 017Draco and Ladon, the serpent of the Hesperides' golden apples
The serpent that guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides, the labour of Heracles and Thuban, the star of Draco that was the pole star in pyramid times.
AST · N. 018The celestial Wolf: the Centaur's beast and the wolves that chase the Sun
The constellation the Greeks simply called “the beast”, the supernova of 1006 and the Norse wolves Sköll and Hati who chase the Sun and the Moon.
AST · N. 019Canis Major and Sirius: the star of the dog days and the Nile
Sirius, brightest star of the night sky: the Greek dog days, the Nile flood heralded by Sothis and Laelaps, the hound that never failed to catch its prey.
AST · N. 020The Vermilion Bird and the four celestial creatures of China
Zhuque, the Vermilion Bird of the south, with the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger and the Black Warrior: the four creatures dividing the Chinese sky.