LP0040 The Stars of Athens

Legendary Passages #0040 - The Stars of Athens - Corona Borealis, Hercules, Lyra and Cygnus from Hyginus' Astronomica.     Last time we heard how Theseus dove into the sea and was given a golden crown. Many constellations have a mythic origins, including that very crown.     Just above and to the left of Boötes is an arc of bright stars, here called The Crown, or Corona Borealis. This is Ariadne's Crown, though just how she got it is in dispute. Perhaps Liber, also known as Dionysus, gave it to her on Naxos or Crete. One story is that Liber received it from Venus, and when he went to the underworld to rescue his mother, he left it at the entrance and used its glow to find his way back.     The most common story is that she was given that crown by Theseus. When sailing to Crete with the tribute of boys and girls, King Minos lusted after the maid Eriboea. Theseus stopped him, so Minos dared him to get a ring he tossed overboard. Jumping in, Theseus was taken by the dolphins to the Nereids. There he received the crown from Thetis, wife of Peleus; or from Amphitrite, wife of Neptune. Either way, the crown was placed in the stars by Liber.     To the left of Ursa Major, Boötes, and Corona Borealis is The Kneeler, known to us as Hercules. Or perhaps it is Theseus, lifting the boulder that hides his father's sword and sandals.     Nearby is the constellation Lyra. This is the same instrument that was played by Orpheus, the famous musician and Argonaut. His wife was bitten by a snake and died, so he went to the underworld to retrieve her- but failed. Heartbroken, he would love no other woman; so Thracian women or priestesses of Bacchus tore him to pieces.     Beside Lyra is Cygnus the Swan, the northern cross. Jupiter, in the form of a swan, fathered Helen of Troy, whom Theseus would later abduct. Here, Helen's mother is given to be Nemesis, goddess of retribution; and merely raised by Leda, daughter of Thestius and Queen of Sparta.     Next time we shall hear more of Ariadne, she who would have been Queen of Athens. The Stars of Athens a Legendary Passage from Hyginus' Astronomica translated by Mary Grant II.5 CROWN     This is thought to be Ariadne’s crown, placed by Father Liber among the constellations. For they say that when Ariadne wed Liber on the island of Dia, and all the gods gave her wedding gifts, she first received this crown as a gift from Venus and the Hours. But, as the author of the Cretica says, at the time when Liber came to Minos with the hope of lying with Ariadne, he gave her this crown as a present. Delighted with it, she did not refuse the terms. It is said, too, to have been made of gold and Indian gems, and by its aid Theseus is thought to have come from the gloom of the labyrinth to the day, for the gold and gems made a glow of light in the darkness.     But those who wrote the Argolica give the following reason. When Liber received permission from his father to bring back his mother Semele from the Lower World, and in seeking a place of descent had come to the land of the Argives, a certain Hyplipnus met him, a man worthy of that generation, who was to show the entrance to Liber in answer to his request. However, when Hypolipnus saw him, a mere boy in years, excelling all others in remarkable beauty of form, he asked from him the reward that could be given without loss. Liber, however, eager for his mother, swore that if he brought her back, he would do as he wished, on terms, though, that a god could swear to a shameless man. At this, Hypolipnus showed the entrance. So then, when Liber came to that place and was about to descend, he left the crown, which he had received as a gift from Venus, at that place which in consequence is called Stephanos, for he was unwilling to take it with him for fear the immortal gift of the gods would be contaminated by contact with the dead. W