Where Olympus and the stars collide: The mythological origin of the zodiac
Not so long before astrology, as a system of charts and calculations, from which we derive these horoscopes, had taken hold in Western society, the ancient Greeks saw the cosmos through language. The constellations were not just arbitrary shapes, but visual memories of heroic deeds, divine retribution, and the natural order of things. This close relationship of myth and astronomy would produce what we now know as Greek mythology zodiac signs , where each sign’s history correlates with a piece of a story. Several zodiac characters are connected to mythic stories. Aries is the ram, related to the golden-fleeced beast who saved Phrixus and then became the target of Jason’s mythic quest. Taurus represents Zeus in the form of a bull with Europa on its back. These stories were more than just entertaining; they described why certain constellations had power, and why their seasonal appearances had significance to agriculture and ritual life. The effects of Greek mythology zodiac signs aren...