?p460?
Virgin august! come in thy regal state
With soft majestic grace and brow serene;
Though the fierce Lion's reign is overpast
The summer's heat is all thine own as yet,
And all untouched thy robe of living green
By the rude fingers of the northern blast.
R.?J.?Philbrick's
Virgo
.
|
Virgo,
the
Anglo-Saxon
Mæden
, the
Anglo-Norman
Pulcele
, the French
Vierge
, the Italian
Virgine
,
Bayer's
Junckfraw
, and the present German
Jungfrau
, ? in fact a universal title, ? generally has been figured with the palm branch in her right hand and the
spica
, or ear of wheat, in her left. Thus she was known in the Attic dialect as
Κ?ρη
, the Maiden, representing
Persephone
, the Roman
Proserpina
, daughter of Demeter, the Roman Ceres; while in the Ionic dialect Nonnus, of our 5th?century, called her
σταχυ?δη?
?p461?
Κο?ρη
,
a
the
Wheat-bearing
Maiden,
spicifera Virgo Cereris
, the
Virgo spicea munera gestans
of Manilius.
b
When regarded as Proserpina, she was being abducted by Pluto in his Chariot, the stars of adjacent Libra; and the constellation also was
Demeter
herself, the?
Ceres splendifera dea
, changed by the astrologers to
Arista
, Harvest, of which Ceres was goddess. Caesius had it
Arista Puellae
, that would seem more correct as
Aristae Puella
, the Maiden of the Harvest.
Those who claim very high antiquity for the zodiacal signs assert that the idea of these titles originated when the sun was in Virgo at the spring equinox, the time of the Egyptian harvest. This, however, carries them back nearly 15,000?years, while Aratos said
[
Phaen.
?147]
that Leo first marked the harvest month; so that another signification has been given to the word
σταχυ?δη?
. We read, too, that
In Ogygian ages and among the Orientals, she was represented as a sun-burnt damsel, with an ear of corn
in her hand, like a gleaner in the fields;
and, like most of that class, with a very different character from that assigned to her by the classic authors. Is it not this ancient story of the
Maiden of the Wheat-field
that is still seen in the North English and South Scottish custom of the
Kern-baby
, or Kernababy, ? the Corn, or Kernel, Baby, ? thus described by Language in his
Custom and Myth
?
The last gleanings of the last field are bound up in a rude imitation of the human shape, and dressed in some rag-tags of finery. The usage has fallen into the conservative hands of children, but of old "the Maiden" was a regular image of the
harvest-goddess
, which, with a
sickle
and sheaves in her arms, attended by a crowd of reapers, and accompanied with music, followed the last carts home to the farm.
It is odd enough that the "Maiden" should exactly translate the old Sicilian name of the daughter of Demeter. "The Maiden" has dwindled, then, among us to the rudimentary Kernababy; but ancient Peru had her own Maiden, her Harvest Goddess.
And in Vendee the farmer's wife, as the
corn-mother
, is tossed in a blanket with the last sheaf to bring good luck in the subsequent threshing. Perhaps Caesius had some of this in view when he associated our sky figure with
Ruth
, the Moabitess, gleaning in the fields of Boaz.
Virgo also was
Erigone
, ? perhaps from the Homeric
?ριγ?νεια
, the Early Born, for the constellation is very old, ? a?stellar title appearing in Vergil's apotheosis of his patron Augustus
[
Georg.
I
.33]
. This was the maiden who hung herself in grief at the death of her father Icarius,
and was transported to the skies with Icarius as Bootes, and their faithful hound Maira as Procyon, or Sirius; all of which is attested by Hyginus
[
Fab.
?130]
and Ovid
[Amor.?
II
.16.4]
.
c
It may have been this Icarian story that induced Keats'
Lines on the Mermaid Tavern
:
?p462?
Sipping beverage divine,
And pledging with contented smack
The Mermaid in the Zodiac
.
|
Sometimes she was figured with the Scales in her hands,??
Astraea's scales have weighed her minutes out,
Poised on the zodiac,??
|
whence she has been considered
Δ?κη
, the divinity of Justice, the Roman
Justa
or
Justitia
; and
Astraea
, the starry daughter of Themis, the last of the celestials to leave the earth, with her modest sister Pudicitia
[Juv.
Sat.
VI
.9?ff.]
, when the Brazen Age began. Ovid wrote of this
[
Met.
I
.149?f.]
:
Virgo caede madentes,
Ultima coelestum, terras Astraea reliquit
;
|
when, according to Aratos,
d
she
Soared up to heaven, selecting this abode,
Whence yet at night she shows herself to men.
|
Thus she is the oldest purely allegorical representation of innocence and virtue. This legend seems to be first found with Hesiod, and was given in full by Aratos, his longest constellational history in the
Phainomena
. Other authors mentioned her as
Ε?ρ?νη
,
Irene
, the sister of Astraea, and the
Pax
of the Romans, with olive branch; as
Concordia
; as
Παρθ?νο? Δ?ο?
, the Virgin Goddess; as
Σ?βυλλα
, the Singing Sibyl, carrying a branch into Hades; and as
Τ?χη
, the Roman
Fortuna
, because she is a headless constellation, the stars marking the head being very faint.
Classical Latin writers occasionally called her
Ano
,
Atargatis
, and
Derceto
, the
Syrorum Dea
transferred here from Pisces;
Cybele
drawn by lions, for our Leo immediately precedes her;
Diana
;
Minerva
;
Panda
and
Pantica
; and even
Medusa
. Posidippus, 289?
B.C.
, gave
Thesbia
or
Thespia
, daughter of Thespius, or of the Theban Asopus; and some said that one of the Muses, even
Urania
herself, was placed here in the sky by Apollo.
?σπολια
is from Kircher, who in turn took it from the Coptic Egyptians, the
Statio amoris, quem in incremento Nili dii ostendebant
. This, however, is singularly like
??Πολι??
, designating Minerva as guardian of citadels and the State, already seen as a title for this constellation; and there was a Coptic Asphulia in Leo as a moon station.
In Egypt Virgo was drawn on the zodiacs of Denderah and Thebes, much disproportioned and without wings, holding an object said to be a distaff marked by the stars of Coma Berenices; while Eratosthenes and Avienus identified her with
Isis
, the
thousand-named
goddess, with the
?p463?
wheat ears in her hand that she afterwards dropped to form the Milky Way, or clasping in her arms the young Horus, the infant Southern sun-god, the last of the divine kings. This very ancient figuring reappeared in the Middle Ages as the
Virgin Mary
with the child Jesus, Shakespeare alluding to it in
Titus Andronicus
as the
and Albertus Magnus, of our 13th?century, asserted that the Saviour's horoscope lay there. It has been said that her initials,
MV
, are the symbol for the sign,?
?
; although the
International Dictionary
considers this a monogram of
Παρ
, the first syllable of
Παρθ?νο?
, one of Virgo's Greek titles; and others, a rude picturing of the wing of
Istar
, the divinity that the Semites assigned to its stars, and prominent in the
Epic of Creation
.
This
Istar
, or
Ishtar
, the Queen of the Stars, was the Ashtoreth of the
1st Book of the
Kings
, xi.5,?33, the original of the Aphrodite of Greece and the Venus of Rome; perhaps equivalent to Athyr, Athor, or Hathor of the Nile, and the Astarte of Syria, the last philologically akin to our Esther and Star, the Greek
?στ?ρ
. Astarte, too, was identified by the Venerable Bede with the Saxon goddess of spring, Eostre, at whose festival, our Easter, the stars of Virgo shine so brightly in the eastern evening sky; and the Sumerians of southern Babylonia assigned this constellation to their sixth month as the Errand, or Message, of Istar.
In Assyria Virgo represented
Baaltis
,
Belat
,
Belit
, and
Beltis
, B?l's wife; while some thought her the Mylitta of Herodotus
[
I
.131
,
I
.199
]
. But this was a very different divinity, the Babylonian Molatta, the Moon, the Mother, or Queen, of Heaven, against whose worship the Jews were warned in the
Book of the Prophet Jeremiah
, xliv.17,?19, and should not be confounded with Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians,
that our figure symbolized.
In India Virgo was
Kanya
, the Tamil
Kauni
, or Maiden, ? in Hyde's transcription,
Kannae
, ? mother of the great Krishna, figured as
Goddess
sitting before a fire, or as a
G?l
; and in the Cingalese zodiac as a
Woman in a Ship
, with a stalk of wheat in her hand. Al?B?r?n? thought this ship marked by the line of stars
β
,
η
,
γ
,
δ
, and?
ε
, like a ship's keel. Var?ha Mihira borrowed the Greek name, turning it into
Parthena
,
Partina
, or
Pathona
.
In Persia it was
Khosha
, or
Khus?k
, the Ear of Wheat, and
Secdeidos de?Darzama
, this last often translated the "Virgin in Maiden Neatness"; but Ideler, doubting this, cited Beigel's conjecture that it was a Persian rendering of
Stachys
, one of the Greek titles of Virgo's star Spica. Bayer had it
Seclenidos de?Darzama
.
The early Arabs made from some members of the constellation the
?p464?
enormous
Lion
of their sky; and of others the
Kennel Corner
, with dogs barking at the Lion. Their later astronomers, however, adopted the Greek figure, and called it
Al??Adhr?? al?Na?h?fah
, the Innocent Maiden, remains of which are found in the mediaeval titles
Eladari
,
Eleadari
,
Adrendesa
, and in the
Adrenedesa
of Albumasar. But as they would not draw the human form, they showed the stars as a sheaf of wheat,
Al?Sunbulah
, or as some stalks with the ripened ears of the same, from the Roman Spica, its brightest star. Kazwini gave both of these Arabian names, the last degenerating into
Sunbala
, found in Bayer, and
Sumbela
, still occasionally seen. The
Almagest
of?1515 says
Virgo est Spica
.
The Turcomans knew the constellation as
Dufhiza Pakhiza
, the Pure Virgin; and the Chinese, as
She Sang Neu
, the Frigid Maiden; but before their Jesuit days it was
Shun Wei
, which Miss Clerke translates the
Serpent
, but Williams, the
Quail's Tail
, a part of the early stellar figure otherwise known as the
Red Bird
,
Pheasant
, or
Phoenix
.
It appears as
Ki
, the 20th in the Euphratean cycle of ecliptic constellations, and considered equivalent to Asru, a?Place,
i.e.
?the moon station that Spica marked; but Jensen thinks that the original should be
Siru
, or
Shiru
, perhaps meaning the "Ear of Corn"; much of this also is individually applied to Spica.
In the land of Judaea Virgo was
Beth?lah
, and, being always associated with the idea of abundance in harvest, was assigned by the Rabbis to the tribe of Asher, of any Jacob had declared "his bread shall be fat." In Syria it was
Bethulta
.
Thus, like Isis, one of her many
proto
types, Virgo always has been a much named and symbolized heavenly figure; Landseer saying of it, "so disguised, so modernized and be-Greek'd.?.?. that we literally don't know her when we see her."
In astrology this constellation and Gemini were the
House of Mercury
, Macrobius saying
that the planet was created here; the association being plainly shown by the caduceus of that god, the herald's trumpet entwined with serpents, instead of the palm branch, often represented in her left hand. But usually, and far more appropriately, Virgo's stars have been given over to the care of Ceres, her namesake, the long-time goddess of the harvest. For her astrological colors Virgo assumed black
speckled
with blue; and was thought of as governing the abdomen in the human body, and as bearing rule over Crete, Greece, Mesopotamia, Turkey, Jerusalem, Lyons, and Paris, but always as an unfortunate, sterile sign. Manilius asserted that in his day it ruled the fate of Arcadia, Caria, Ionia, Rhodes, and the Doric plains. Ampelius
[
Lib. Mem.
?4]
assigned to it the charge of the wind Argestes, that blew
?p465?
to the Romans from the
west-southwest
according to Vitruvius
[
I
.6.10]
, or from the
west-northwest
according to Pliny
[
XVIII
.338]
.
The latter said
that the appearance of a comet within its borders implied many grievous ills to the female portion of the population.
Virgo was associated with Leo and with the star Sirius in the ancient opinion that, when with the sun, they were a source of heat; Ovid alluding to this in his
Ars Amatoria
[
III
.388]
:
Virginis aetheriis cum caput ardet equis.
|
And John Skelton, the royal orator of King Henry?VII, wrote:
In autumn when the sun in
Virgine
By radiant heat enripened hath our corne.
|
A?coin of Sardis, the capital of the kingdom of Lydia, bears her figure with the wheat ear in her left hand and a staff in her right; and the
stateres
of Macedonia have much the same. The
Alfonsine Tables
showed her as a very young girl with wings; the
Leyden Manuscript
and the
Hyginus
of?1488, as a young woman with branch and caduceus; and the
Albumasar
of?1489, as a woman with a fillet of wheat ears. The old German illustration also gave her wings, but dressed her in a high-necked, trailing gown; and Durer drew her as a lovely winged angel.
Julius Schiller used her stars to represent
Saint James the Less
, and Weigel, as the
Seven Portuguese Towers
.
But all these figurings, ancient as some of them may be, are modern when compared with the still enduring Sphinx generally claimed as prehistoric, perhaps of the time of the Hor-she-shu, long anterior to the first historical Egyptian ruler, Menes; and constructed, according to Greek tradition, with Virgo's head on Leo's body, from the fact that the sun passed through these two constellations during the inundation of the Nile. Some Egyptologists, however, would upset this astronomical connection of the Virgin, Lion, and Sphinx, Mariette claiming the head to be that of the early god Harmachis, and others as of an early king.
Ptolemy extended the constellation somewhat farther to the east than we have it, the feet being carried into the modern Libra, and the stars that Hipparchos placed in the shoulder shifted to the side, to correct, as he said, the comparative distances of the stars and members of the body. Upon our maps it is about?52° in length, terminating on the east at
λ
?and?
μ
, and so is the longest of the zodiac figures. It is bounded on the north by Leo, Coma Berenices, and Bootes; on the east by Serpens and Libra; on the
?p466?
south by Hydra, Corvus and Crater; and on the west by Leo, Crater, and Corvus.
While the
beauti
ful Spica is its most noteworthy object to the casual observer, yet the telescope shows here the densest nebular region in the heavens, in the space marked by its
β
,
η
,
γ
,
δ
, and Denebola of Leo; while other nebulae are scattered all over this region of the sky. Sir?William Herschel found here no less than?323, which later search has increased to over?500, ? very many more nebulae than
naked-eye
stars in the constellation. Argelander gives 101 of the latter, and Heis?181.
It is for these four stars in Virgo, forming with?
ε
two sides of a
right-angled
triangle open towards Denebola,
γ
?at its vertex, that Professor Young uses his mnemonic word
Begde
to recall their order. They extend along the wings through the girdle, and were the
Kennel Corner of the Barking Dogs
of the Arabs, often considered as the
Dogs
themselves.
Von?Zach, of Gotha, rediscovered here on the last day of the first year of this century the minor planet Ceres, whose position had been lost some time after its discovery by Piazzi on the previous New?Year's Day; Olbers repeating this, and independently, the next evening, the first anniversary of the original discovery. Here, too, Olbers found, on the 28th?of?March,?1802, another minor planet, Pallas, the second one discovered, and appropriately named, for the
thirty-first
of the
Orphic Hymns
described this goddess as "inhabiting the stars."
The sun passes through the constellation from the 14th of September to the 29th of October; and during this time
the Virgin trails
No more her glittering garments through the blue.
|
α
, Spectroscopic binary, 1.3, brilliant flushed white.
Spica
signifies, and marks, the Ear of Wheat shown in the Virgin's left hand ? Aratos wrote "in her hands"; Vitruvius and Hyginus, "in her right hand" ? when she was thought to be Ceres. All the Romans called it thus, Cicero saying
Spicum
, and their descendants, the modern Italians,
Spiga
;
º
the French have
l'Epi
. In Old England it was the
Virgin's Spike
, and even Flamsteed thus designated it. For at least
twenty-five
centuries, and among all civilized peoples, the Latin word, or words of similar import, has obtained; although Smyth mentioned an attempt before his day to secure for it the illustrious name of
Newton
.
Στ?χυ?
, perhaps of the same signification although another has been assigned to it, appeared with Aratos, Hipparchos, and Ptolemy, transcribed by the Latins as
Stachys
. Manetho had
Σταχυ?δη?
, which we have seen
?p467?
used for Virgo by another
Graeco-Egyptian
author, Nonnus. Bayer cited
Arista
for the star as for the constellation;
Aristae Puella
occurs in some Latin doggerel by Caesius; as the brightest of the figure it bore the latter's
Erigone
; while
Vindemitor
and
Vindemiator
, which better belong to?
ε
, have been applied to it.
e
Other titles ?
Sunbala
;
Sunbale
;
Sumbela
; Riccioli's
Sumbalet
,
Sombalet
,
Sembalet Eleandri
; and Schickard's
Sunbalon
? are from
Sunbulah
and
Al??Adhr??
, Arabic words synonymous respectively with Spica and Virgo, although Hyde derived them from
Σ?βυλλα
, the Singing Sibyl, of the constellation. Al?B?r?n? said that it was
Al??ulbah
, the Bristle, but his explanation of this only served to show the strange confusion in titles that existed in the Arab mind between Spica and Al??af?rah in the Lion's tail. And Al?B?r?n?, again, said that it was the
Calf of the Lion
, with Arcturus as the second Calf; but Kazwini designated it as
S?? al?Asad
, the Shin-Bone of the Lion, this Lion being the enormous figure already alluded to, of which a part of Virgo formed one of the legs.
A?still more widely spread native name in the Desert was
Al?Sim?k al?A?zal
, the Defenceless, or Unarmed, Sim?k,
i.e.
?unattended by any near-by star; the other Sim?k, Arcturus, being armed with a lance, or staff, represented by adjacent stars of Bootes; and its doubtless was this isolated position of Spica that induced the Coptic title
Khoritos
, Solitary. The
Alfonsine Tables
turned
Sim?k al?A?zal
into
inermis Asimec
, adding
Acimon
,
Alaraph
,
Almucedie
"of the Chaldaeans," and
Alacel
; while the 1515?
Almagest
had
Aschimech inermis
. From all these come Bayer's
Alaazel
,
Alazel
,
Azimon
,
Alzimon
"of the Nubians,"
Hazimet Alazel
, the alchemists'
Alhaiseth
, Riccioli's
Eltsamecti
and
Eltsamach
, and the
Azimech
still occasionally seen. Scaliger had
Hazimeth Alhacel
, and Schickard
Huzimethon
. Riccioli cited a "Nubian" title,
Eleazalet
, that some have said came from
Al??Azalah
, the Hip-bone, but it probably belongs among the derivatives from
A?zal
; and his
Eleadari
has been transferred to Spica from the constellation.
This star marked the 12th?
manzil
,
Al?Sim?k
, and in early astrology was, like all of Virgo, a sign of unfruitfulness and a portent of injustice to innocence; but later on, of eminence, renown, and riches.
Chrysococca called it
μικρ??
Κονταρ?το?
, the Little
Lance-bearer
, Arcturus being
Κονταρ?το?
par excellence
. And Hyde gave the Hebrew
Shibb?leth
, the Syrian
Shebbelt?
, the Persian
Ch?she
, and the Turkish
Salkim
, all signifying the "Ear of Wheat"; other names being the Persian
Cpur
, the
Cparegha
of the
Avesta
, the Sogdian
Shaghar
and Khorasmian
Akhshafarn
, all meaning a "Point" ?
i.e.
?Spica.
The Hindus knew it as
Citr?
, Bright, their 12th?
nakshatra
, figured as a
Lamp
, or as a
Pearl
, with Tvashtar, the Artificer, or Shaper, as its presiding
?p468?
divinity; and some have thought it the
Tistar Star
that generally has been identified with Sirius.
In Babylonia, and representing the whole constellation, it personified the
Wife of B?l
, and as
Sa-Sha-Shir?
, the Virgin's Girdle, marked the 20th?ecliptic asterism of that name, and the lunar asterism
Dan-nu
, the Hero of the Sky Furrow. It was also
Emuku Tin-tir-Ki
, the Might of the Abode of Life, a common title for Babylon itself.
In Chinese astronomy Spica was a great favorite as
Kio
, the Horn, or Spike, anciently
Keok
or
Guik
, the special star of springtime; and with?
ζ
formed their 12th?
sieu
under that title. Naturally it was the determinant.
It is said to have been known at one time in Egypt as the
Lute-Bearer
, and was evidently of importance, for another Egyptian name was
Rep?
, the Lord; and Lockyer thinks that the great "Mena may symbolize Spica, with which star we have seen
Min-worship
associated." According to this same author, one of the temples at Thebes, probably dedicated to this Mena, Menat, Menes, Min, or Khem, was oriented to Spica's setting about 3200?
B.C.
; and the temple of the Sun at Tell al?Amarna was also so oriented about 2000?
B.C.
, or perhaps somewhat later. A?similar character attached to it in Greece, for two temples have been found at Rhamnus, "almost touching one another, both following (and with accordant dates) the shifting places of Spica," at their erection 1092 and 747?
B.C.
; "and still another pair at Tegea." Temples of Her? were also so oriented at Olympia 1445?
B.C.
, at Argos and Girgenti; and those of Nik? Apteros at Athens, 1130?
B.C.
, and of "the Great Diana of the Ephesians," 715?
B.C.
It was to the observations of this star and of Regulus about 300?
B.C.
, recorded by the Alexandrian Timochares, that, after comparison with his own 150?years later, Hipparchos was indebted for the great discovery attributed to him of the precession of the equinoxes; although Babylonian records, and the temple orientation of Egypt and Greece, may indicate a far earlier practical knowledge of this.
According to Ptolemy, Timochares observed an occultation by the planet Venus of an unidentified star "on the tip of Virgo's wing," ? perhaps
ψ
?or?
q
, ? on the 12th of October, 271?
B.C.
1
?p469?
Spectroscopic observations by Vogel in?1890 show that Spica is in revolution with a speed of at least
fifty-six
miles a second in an orbit of three millions of miles' radius, around the common centre of gravity of itself and an obscure companion in a period of about four days. It is, however, never eclipsed by the latter, as is the case with the star Algol. Its spectrum is Sirian; and the system is approaching us at the rate of 9.2?miles a second. Gould thinks that it shows fluctuations in brilliancy.
It is one of the lunar stars much used in navigation, and lies but 2°?south of the ecliptic, and 10°?south of the celestial equator, coming to the meridian on the 28th of May.
With Denebola, Arcturus, and Cor Caroli it forms the
Diamond of Virgo
, 50°?in extent north and south.
β
, 3.9, pale yellow.
Zavijava
, a universal name in modern catalogues, is first found with Piazzi, but is
Zarijan
in the
Standard Dictionary
. It is from
Al?Z?wiah
, the Angle, or Corner,
i.e.
?Kennel, of the Arab Dogs, ? although
γ
?exactly marks this Corner and should bear the title.
The stars
β
,
η
,
γ
,
δ
,?
ε
, outlining this Kennel, formed the 11th?
manzil
,
Al??Aww??
, the Barker, which was considered of good omen; while Firuzabadi included it with the preceding moon station
Al??arfah
, ?
β
?Leonis, ? in the group
Al?Nahr?n
, the Two Rivers, as their rising was in the season of heavy rains. Other indigenous titles were
Al?Bard
, the Cold, which it was produce; and
Warak al?Asad
, the Lion's Haunches.
β
?marked the 18th?ecliptic constellation of Babylonia,
Sh?pu-ark?
sha?A
, the Hind Leg of the Lion, for this country also seems to have had one of these creatures here. With?
η
, it perhaps was
Ninsar
, the Lady of Heaven, probably a reference to Istar; and
Urra-gal
, the God of the Great City; and one of the seven pairs of stars famous in that astronomy. As a Euphratean lunar asterism it bore the same title
Ninsar
, but this included all the components of the Arabs' Kennel Corner.
These also were the Persian
Mashaha
, the Sogdian
Fastashat
, the Khorasmian
Afsasat
, and the Coptic
Abukia
, all of the Arabic signification.
In China it was
Yew Chi?Fa
, the Right-hand Maintainer of Law.
β
?is 13°?south of Denebola in Leo, culminating with it on the 3d?of?May.
γ
, Binary and slightly variable, 3?and?3.2, white.
The Latins called this
Porrima
, or
Antevorta
, sometimes
Postvorta
, names of two ancient goddesses of prophecy, sisters and assistants of Carmenta
?p470?
or Carmentis, worshiped and at times invoked by their women. Porrima was known as
Prorsa
and
Prosa
by Aulus Gellius of our 2d?century
[
XVI
.16]
.
γ
?was specially mentioned by Kazwini as itself being
Z?wiat al??Aww??
, the Angle, or Corner, of the Barker; and Al?Tizini, with Ulug Beg, had much the same name for it; but Al?B?r?n?, quoting from Al?Zajj?j, said that "these people are all wrong," and that
?Aww??
here meant "Turn," referring to the turn, or bend, in the line of stars. This interesting early figure is noticeable even to the casual observer,
γ
?being midway between Spica and Denebola, the sides of the Kennel stretching off to the north and west, respectively marked by
η
and?
β
,
δ
and?
ε
?.
In Babylonia it marked the 19th?ecliptic constellation,
Shur-mahr?-shir?
, the Front, or West,
Shur
?(?); while individually it was
Kakkab Dan-nu
, the Star of the Hero, and the reference point in their annals of an observation of Saturn
2
on the 1st of March, 228?
B.C.
, the first mention of this planet that we have, and recorded by Ptolemy.
The Chinese knew?
γ
as
Shang Seang
, the High Minister of State.
Astronomers consider the two stars alternately variable in light; and some call both yellow, so following the apparent rule of similar coloration in components of binaries when of equal brilliancy; those unequal being of contrasting colors. In?1836 they showed as a single star in the largest telescope then in use; but now are 6″?apart, moving in an orbit more eccentric than any other as yet well determined, with a period of revolution estimated at about 190?years. The position angle in?1890 was?330°. They are of special interest to astronomers, as well as a show object to all.
They culminate on the 17th?of?May.
δ
, 3.6, golden yellow,
although individually unnamed in our lists, was one of the
?Aww??
.
On the Euphrates it was
Lu?Lim
, the Gazelle, Goat, or Stag, ? or perhaps King; and, with?
ε
, probably
Mas-tab-ba
, another of the seven pairs of Twin-stars of that country. The Hindus called it
?pa
, or
?pas
, the Waters; and the Chinese,
Tsze Seang
, the Second Minister of State.
Secchi alluded to?
δ
as
bellissima
, from its most
beauti
ful banded spectrum of the 3d?class of spectra, like that of
α
?Herculis.
ε
, 3.3, bright yellow,
is the
Vindemiatrix
of the
Alfonsine Tables
, whence it has descended into modern lists; but in Latin days it was
Vindemiator
with Columella, which
?p471?
is found as late as Flamsteed;
Vindemitor
, with Ovid and Pliny
[
XVIII
.309]
; and
Provindemiator
and
Provindemia major
, with Vitruvius
[
IX
.4.1]
; all signifying the "
Grape-gatherer
," from its rising in the morning just before the time of the vintage. These titles were translations of the
Προτρυγετ?ρ
,
Προτρυγετ??
,
Προτρ?γετο?
, and
Τρυγετ?ρ
, used by Ptolemy, Plutarch
, and other Greek authors, the first of these words appearing in the
Phainomena
, and rendered the "
Fruit-plucking
Herald"; but it is in a line of the poem considered doubtful; Riccioli had
Protrigetrix
. This profusion of titles from the earliest times indicates the singular interest with which this now inconspicuous star was regarded in classical astronomy. The
Century Cyclopedia
has the following note on it:
At the time when the zodiac seems to have been formed (2100?
B.C.
) this star would first be seen at Babylon before sunrise about August?20 or, since there is some evidence that it was then brighter than it is now, perhaps a?week earlier. This would seem too late for the vintage, so that perhaps this tradition is older than the zodiac.
The classical name was translated by the Arabians
Mu?dim al??it?f
; and another title was
Almuredin
, still seen for it, perhaps from
Al?Murid?n
, Those Who Sent Forth. Traces of these words are found in the
Alacast
,
Alcalst
,
Alaraph
, and
Almucedie
of Bayer's
Uranometria
.
In China it was
Tsze Tseang
, the Second General.
On the Euphrates it may have been
Kakkab
Mulu-izi
, the Star Man of Fire, possibly symbolizing the god
Laterak
, the Divine King of the Desert; although that title has been assigned to
μ
?Virginis and
δ
?Librae.
It marked the eastern boundary of the 11th?
manzil
, and in astrology was a
mischief-making
star. It culminates on the 22d?of?May.
η
, Variable between?3 and?4.
Zaniah
is from
Al?Z?wiah
, applied in German lists to this instead of to the stars
β
?and?
γ
, all of these being in the Kennel.
In China it was
Tso Chih?Fa
, the Left-hand Maintainer of Law.
It lies on the left side of the Virgin, and just to the westward is the point of the autumnal equinox which the Chinese knew as
Yih Mun
,
Twan Mun
, or
Tien?Mun
, Heaven's Gate. With?
ζ
it almost exactly marks the line of the celestial equator.
θ
, Triple, 4.4, 9, and?10, pale white, violet, and dusky,
is on the front of the garment, below the girdle; the components, 7″.1 and 65″?apart; the position angle of the first two stars being?345°.
?p472?
Moderns have no name for it, but in the
S?rya Siddh?nta
it was
Apami-Atsa
, the Child of the Waters.
With another adjacent, but now unidentified, star, it was known in China as
Ping Taou
, the Plain and Even Way.
ι
, 4.2.
Syrma
is from
Σ?ρμα
, used by Ptolemy to designate this star on the Train of the Virgin's robe.
With
κ
?and?
φ
it was mentioned in the first Arabian translation of the
Syntaxis
as being in the
?im?r
, or "skirt," of the garment; but the translator of the Latin edition of?1515, missing the point at the first letter, read the word as
?im?r
, "an ass," so that this central one of these three stars strangely appears in that work as
in?asino
. They formed the 13th?
manzil
,
Al?Ghafr
, the Covering, as Smyth explains,
Because the beauty of the earth is hidden when they rise on the 18th?Tishr?n, or 1st of November; others say on account of the shining of the stars being lessened as if covered;
but Kazwini,
because, when they rise, the earth robes herself in her splendour and finery, ? her summer robes.
The Arabic word, however, is analogous to
Σ?ρμα
, and so may have been taken from Ptolemy; although Al?B?r?n? quoted from Al?Zajj?j
Al?Ghafar
, the Tuft in the Lion's Tail, which it may have marked in the figure of the ancient Asad. Another signification of the word
Ghafr
is the "Young Ibex." Al?B?r?n? also said that the Arabs considered this the most fortunate of their lunar stations, as lying between the evils of the Lion's teeth and claws on one side and the tail and venom of the Scorpion on the other, and quoted from a Rajaz poet:
The best night forever
Lies between Al?Zub?nah and Al?Asad;
|
adding that the horoscope of the Prophet lay here, and that the date of the birth of Moses coincided with it.
As a lunar station these stars were the Sogdian
Sarwa
and the Khorasmian
Shushak
, the Leader; the Persian
Hucru
, the Good Goer; and the Coptic
Khambalia
,
Crooked-clawed
,
λ
?being substituted for?
φ
; and it is said that they were the Akkadian
Lu?Lim
, the He?Goat, Gazelle, or Stag, the original perhaps also meaning "King," and employed for?
δ
.
?p473?
ι
?alone, according to Hommel, was the Death Star,
Mulu Bat
.
ι
,
κ
, and?
υ
constituted the 13th?
sieu
,
Kang
, a Man's Neck,
κ
?being the determining star; while, with the preceding station, the united group was
Sheu sing
, as Edkins writes it, the Star of Old Age; and, with others near, it may have been included in the Tien Mun
mentioned at the star?
η
.
μ
, a?3.9?magnitude, was Al?Achsasi's
Rijl al??Aww??
, the Foot of the Barker. It has been included with
δ
?Librae in the Akkadian lunar asterism
Mulu Izi
, a title also applied to?
ε
; the Sogdian
Gasarwa
, and the Khorasmian
Sara-fsariwa
, both signifying the "One next to the Leader" ?
i.e.
?next to the lunar asterism,
ι
,?
κ
,?and?
λ
.
ν
,
ξ
,
ο
, and?
π
, forming the head of Virgo, were the Chinese
Nuy Ping
, the Inner Screen;
ρ
?was
Kew Heang
, the Nine Officers of State, in which some smaller stars were included;
σ
?and?
τ
,
Tien Teen
, the Heavenly Fields; while
χ
?and?
ψ
, with others adjacent, were
Tsin Teen
; all of these stars being of 4th of the 6th?magnitudes.
The Author's Notes:
1
A?still earlier record of the planet, dating from 686?
B.C.
, is on a tablet from Chaldaea now in the British Museum; while earlier still are Homer's
?σπερο?
, the Latin
Hesperus
,??
the brightest star that shines in Heav'n;
|
and Isaiah's
.?.?.?day star, son of the morning,
that our
Authorized Version
rendered "Lucifer," the equivalent of the Greek alternative titles
?ωσφ?ρο?
and
Φωσφ?ρο?
, the Latin
Phosphorus
. The identity of this Morning Star with the Evening Star Hesperus was discovered by Pythagoras, or by Parmenides, in the 5th?century before Christ.
The planet also was known as
?φροδ?τη
, as Juno's Star, and as Isis.
★
2
Saturn was
Χρ?νο?
and
Φα?νων
, the Shiner, with the Greeks;
Al?Th??ib
, the Piercer, with the Arabs; and
Saturnus
, or
Stella Solis
, with the Latins.
Thayer's Notes:
a
Dionysiaca
,
II
.655.
★
b
For the astronomical
Virgo .?.?. spicifera
see the interesting 3c?
Romano-British
inscription, parsed, translated, and provided with commentary and a good image, in
"The Caervoran Inscription in Praise of the Syrian Goddess" (
Archaeologia Aeliana
XII
.289?292)
.
★
c
Also
Aetna
, 586?587
.
★
d
For the original text, of which this is really a paraphrase rather than a translation, see
J.?C.?Rolfe's footnote to Ammian
XXII
.10.6
.
★
e
The only trace of such a confusion I've found is in
Vitruvius,
IX
.4.1
and is almost certainly due to manuscript corruption: a?single plausible emendation removes it completely; see my note
ad?loc.