What is the myth of the Pleiades?
In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of the Titan Atlas. He was forced to hold up the sky for eternity, and was therefore unable to protect his daughters. To save the sisters from being raped by the hunter Orion, Zeus transformed them into stars.
What is so special about the Pleiades?
The Pleiades are an example of an open star cluster — a group of stars that were all born around the same time from a gigantic cloud of gas and dust. The brightest stars in the formation glow a hot blue and formed within the last 100 million years.
What do the Pleiades represent?
In Western astrology they represent coping with sorrow and were considered a single one of the medieval fixed stars. As such, they are associated with quartz and fennel. In esoteric astrology the seven solar systems revolve around Pleiades.
What do the seven sisters represent?
The Seven Sisters are also known as the ‘Water Girls’ or the ‘Ice Maidens’, due to their association with water, be it seas, rivers, rain, hail, snow, ice or frost. The Greek legends often refer to the sisters as ‘Oceanids’.
Why are the Pleiades called the Seven Sisters?
Yet the Pleiades is sometimes called the Seven Sisters. Why? In Greek mythology, the Pleiads were the seven daughters of Atlas, a Titan who held up the sky, and the oceanid Pleione, protectress of sailing. The sisters were Maia, Electra, Alcyone, Taygete, Asterope, Celaeno and Merope.
What is Maia the goddess of?
MAIA was the eldest of the Pleiades, the seven nymphs of the constellation Pleiades. Aiskhylos (Aeschylus) apparently idenifies Maia “the nursing mother” with Gaia “the Earth.” On several occassions he calls the earth-goddess Gaia Maia (Mother Earth) and pairs her with Hermes Khthonios (“of the Earth”).
Why are the Pleiades important?
A group of stars, the Pleiades, shone in the sky as an important time-marker. The rising, heliacal or acronychal, of these stars announced to ancient populations a special period of the year or the starting of a new season. Their relevance is testified by objects and painting since Palaeolithic times.
What does Pleiades look like?
The Pleiades star cluster – also known as the Seven Sisters or M45 – is visible from virtually every part of the globe. It’s seen from as far north as the North Pole and farther south than the southernmost tip of South America. It looks like a tiny misty dipper of stars.
Why is Pleiades important?
Why did Zeus sleep with Maia at night?
According to the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, Zeus, in the dead of night, secretly made love to Maia, who avoided the company of the gods, in a cave of Cyllene. She became pregnant with Hermes. After giving birth to the baby, Maia wrapped him in blankets and went to sleep.
What does constellation have seven sisters?
The names of these stars: these are the name of the 7 sisters who form the Pleiades Maia: She is the eldest and mother of Hermes, she is famous for her immense beauty. Alcyone: She was the most powerful of the 7 sisters and is said to look out for sailors, making the sea calm and safe for their navigation. Asterope: Due to her weak brightness, she is presented as the most fragile of the 7 sisters that make up the Pleiades.
Who are the Seven Sisters in Greek mythology?
Greek Mythology. The Pleiades were seven sisters: Maia, Alcyone, Asterope, Celaeno, Taygete, Electra, and Merope. Their parents were Atlas, a Titan commanded by the god Zeus to hold up the earth, and Pleione, the mythical protectress of sailors.
What Constellation has the Seven Sisters?
The Seven Sisters. The Pleiades (pronounced “PLEE-uh-deez”), also known as the Seven Sisters, are cluster of bright, blue stars located within the constellation Taurus.
Who are the Daughters of Atlas?
In Greek mythology, the Pleiads were the seven daughters of Atlas, a Titan who held up the sky, and the oceanid Pleione , protectress of sailing. The sisters were Maia, Electra, Alcyone, Taygete, Asterope, Celaeno and Merope. The Pleiades were sometimes said to be nymphs in the train of Artemis .