The constellation known as Cassiopeia in the Western world has had numerous incarnations in different cultures. Because the constellation is visible in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres (it is constantly in the sky in the northern hemisphere above 50° latitude) the bright stars have inspired the imaginations of people world wide. The following are a selection of myths from various cultures. Each myth is exactly the same constellation pattern we know as Cassiopeia today. (image gallery)
Cassiopeia: Greek/Roman
In the ancient kingdom of Ęthiopia the Queen Cassiopeia lived with her husband, Cepheus, and her daughter, Andromeda. Cassiopeia claimed to be more beautiful than the sea nymphs, which was unacceptable to both the sea nymphs and Poseidon (who was not only the god of the ocean but also the husband of one of the nymphs). Poseidon sent an ocean monster, Cetus, to ravage the coast of Ęthiopia in revenge for Cassiopeia's boastful comments. To further damn herself, Cassiopeia and her husband Cepheus chained their daughter to rocks on the coast as a sacrifice to the ocean monster and to pacify Poseidon. This plan was foiled by the renowned adventurer Perseus when he flew in on Pegasus. Since their sacrifice didn't work, Cassiopeia was punished for her comments by being set in her throne in the sky. Since she was set to circle the north star, at times in the year she would have to hang upside down.
Besides Poseidon and the sea nymphs, all the characters of this myth are located in the same region of the sky as Cassiopeia on her throne. (Ridpath, 45)
The Elkskin: Quileute Tribe
Out of a family of five brothers, the oldest four went out elk hunting one autumn. After hiking far onto the prairie they met a large man. The man convinced the brothers that he could make elk come along soon. The brothers believed the man and got ready to hunt, and before the man left he convinced the brothers to trade arrows with him. After taking the brother's good arrows and giving them poorly made arrows the man went away, turned into a huge elk, and charged back to kill all four of the brothers.
When his older brothers failed to return home, the youngest brother went out to look for them. Tracking his brothers quickly, the youngest brother met the tricky man in the same place his brothers had. The man tried to trick him with the same story but could not succeed. He left the youngest brother, and went away. The boy hid and soon the huge elk arrived. The boy shot the elk four times to avenge his dead brothers. After the boy skinned the elk he realized the skin was too big, so he threw the skin into the sky and it became the constellation. The five stars are the five holes the youngest brother used to stretch out the skin.(Monroe, 98)
The Leg: Egyptian
Though little is known about the constellation itself, The Leg is positioned in the portion of the sky under the control of Seth. Seth is the most nefarious of the Egyptian pantheon, best known for the murder of his brother Osirus. In an epic battle with the god Horus over control of Upper and Lower Egypt, both gods claimed pieces of each other. Their battle was said to have lasted eighty years, during the course of which Seth ripped one of Horus' eyes from his head. Horus managed to remove Seth's testicles and one leg (most likely what became the basis for the constellation in question). Horus was judged to have won the battle and Seth continued to rule the Underworld. (see websites below)
Revolving Female: Navajo
Black God arrived at a council of the gods with a mysterious bag. After much questioning, he demonstrated the powers of the bag by creating a small constellation (the Pleides) and placing it on his temple. When the other gods asked him to do more, he placed various stars in the sky, starting with North Fire (Polaris). Then he flanked North Fire with Revolving Male (the Big Dipper) on one side and Revolving Female (Cassiopeia) on the other. After he carefully created a few constellations, he set down his bag. Coyote sneaked up behind Black God after his diligent work and blew the star dust randomly across the sky to create the rest of the stars. (Monroe, 31)
Other names for the constellation:
Wang Liang: Chinese--Named after a famous charioteer. Delta Cas's name, Cih for "whip" in Chinese, most likely came from this.
Lys Don: Welsh--Known as the mythical home of the fairie king, Don refers to Anu, the Celtic Mother Goddess. She was the wife of the sun god Belenos and fertility goddess of the Earth. She is known as the patroness of springs and fountains. (www.britannia.com)
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