Astrological Importance

Astrology was of great importance in the ancient and medieval worlds, especially in "magical" thought. The mountain is exemplary of this, astrological conditions influence many aspects, from the general theme of the artwork to the inhabitants. Keep astrological themes always on your mind when you think of this place. Many of the themes of the mountain can be found in the writings of Plato, especially the Timaeus and Phaedo, they are discussed in more detail here

The Mythology of the Constellations

Most ancient cultures saw pictures in the stars of the night sky. The earliest known efforts to catalogue the stars date to cuneiform texts and artifacts dating back roughly 6000 years. These remnants, found in the valley of the Euphrates River, suggest that the ancients observing the heavens saw the lion, the bull, and the scorpion in the stars. The constellations as we know them today are undoubtedly very different from those first few--our night sky is a compendium of images from a number of different societies, both ancient and modern. By far, though, we owe the greatest debt to the mythology of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

The earliest references to the mythological significance of the Greek constellations may be found in the works of Homer, which probably date to the 7th century B.C. In the Iliad, for instance, Homer describes the creation of Achilleus's shield by the craftsman god Hephaistos:

On it he made the earth, and sky, and sea, the weariless sun and the moon waxing full,and all the constellations that crown the heavens, Pleiades and Hyades, the mighty Orion and the Bear, which men also call by the name of Wain: she wheels round in the same place and watches for Orion, and is the only one not to bathe in Ocean (Iliad XVIII 486-490).

At the time of Homer, however, most of the constellations were not associated with any particular myth, hero, or god. They were instead known simply as the objects or animals which they represented - the Lyre, for instance, or the Ram. By the 5^th century B.C., however, most of the constellations had come to be associated with myths, and the Catasterismi of Eratosthenes completed the mythologization of the stars. "At this stage, the fusion between astronomy and mythology is so complete that no further distinction is made between them"--the stars were no longer merely identified with certain gods or heroes, but actually were perceived as divine (Seznec, 37-40).

Despite the many mentions of the stars in Greek and early Roman texts, by far the most thorough star catalogue from ancient times belongs to the Roman Ptolemy of Alexandria, who grouped 1022 stars into 48 constellations during the 2nd century A.D. Although Ptolemy's Almagest does not include the constellations which may only be seen from the southern hemisphere, it forms the basis for the modern list of 88 constellations officially designated by the International Astronomical Union (Pasachoff, 134-135). The influence of both the Greek and Roman cultures may be plainly seen; the myths behind the constellations date back to ancient Greece, but we use their Latin names.

Astrological Symbolism

Astrological symbolism plays a large role in the artistic legacy of the Mountain. Signs of astrological content and symbolism are everywhere. Even more important is the links of astrology and Hermetic magic.

Some Common Symbols

	Early, generally Pre-Order	Later, generally Gauntlet of Four Quarters	General Symbols
Spring Equinox	Bull (winged or wingless), Hare, Geryon	Ram	Sphinx, Stag or Elaphe
GEMINI	Very often represented as riders or horses	Very often represented as riders or horses	Very often represented as riders or horses
Summer Solstice	Lion, Dog (Sirius), Chimaera	Cancer (the spiral), Hydra, Octopus, Serpent, Typhon, Goat	Lion
VIRGO	Succeeds Gorgon (which remains symbolized by Athena's owl)	Succeeds Gorgon (which remains symbolized by Athena's owl)	Succeeds Gorgon (which remains symbolized by Athena's owl)
Autumn Equinox	Swan, Eagle (Scorpio), Serpent	Phix or Male Sphinx, Harmonia	Female Sphinx, Doe
SAGITTARIUS	The Centaurs, and especially Chiron.	The Centaurs, and especially Chiron.	The Centaurs, and especially Chiron.
Winter Solstice	Siren, Boar Pegasus (horse), Chrysaor, Bellerophon, Lioness	Capricorn, Nereid of Capricorn	Panther
PISCES	Sign represented by Triton-Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea	Sign represented by Triton-Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea	Sign represented by Triton-Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea

Particular Symbols

Sphinx: The Sphinx was the ancient guardian of the sign of Libra. The equinoxes were first symbolized by sphinxes. More exactly, the spring equinox was a male sphinx and the autumnal equinox a female.

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Last modified: Mon Nov 30, 1998 / Jeremiah Genest