Legend or Myths of The Zodiac

by GridleyGirl in Folklore, September 20, 2009

There are many legends of the Zodiac, though many of them all add up to the same meaning.

Aries~Is the one people believe to be the first sign of the zodiac. In the myth of the golden fleece, Nephele gave Phrixus and Helle a ram witch represents the the first sign. On the back of the ram the pair fled acrossed the sea to get way from the wrath of Hera. Phrixus arrived safely in Colchis, but helle fell off the ram and drowned, giving her name to the Hellespont. Phrixus sacrificed the ram to Zeus who placed it in the constellations.

http://www.inkamera.ukgo.com/zodiac/esoz-0.htm

Image via Wikipedia

Aries~The impulse to be…the will to survive. It is the Spring Equinox…the Season of lengthening light. Eager to be born, seeds that have been below the ground since harvestime push upward. Into a world that is unpredictable and cold the sprout bursts forth into a new world. The courage and innocent prossess to take on life, death, and the fortitude to survive the winds of march.

http://www.novareinna.com/constellation/zodiac.html

“Al Hamal” the sheep known by the Arabs, but as we know it to be Aries the ram. It has also been called the Leader of the Zodiac. Te legend says that Zeuz himself changed into the ram to escape being pursued by the giants. Also, the source of the golden fleece connected with the Argonauts quest. Hermes sent this ram to rescue the prince, Phrixus. On the othe side of the Black Sea the ram carried the prince to safety. After that the ram was sacrificed and to the king the fleece was given and later recovered by the Argonauts including Hercules, Castor, Pollux and Orpheus. The Babylonians probably first added Aries when the constellation marked the position of the vernal equinox during the period between 1800 BC and AD 1. China knew these stars as both the dog and the white tiger.