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Greek mythology and the Constellation Bootes
Bootes is a name normally translated as Ploughman, and is commonly considered to be Philomenus, a son of Demeter, who was the inventor of the plough.
Alternatively, Bootes might be the representation of Icarius, a man blessed by Dionysus. Icarius would thereafter make the most intoxicating of all wine. When some people partook of the wine, others believed that they had been killed, and so Icarius himself was killed, whilst his daughter, Erigone, and dog Maera, committed suicide. Dionysus would place Icarius amongst the stars, with Erigone becoming Virgo and Maera becoming Canis Major (or Minor). A third story tells of Bootes being neither a ploughman nor a winemaker, but was instead Arcas, a son of Zeus and Callisto. This is because Bootes is also known as Arctophylax, the bear watcher; for Bootes watches over Callisto in the form of Ursa Major. |
Bootes - Sidney Hall - Urania's Mirror - PD-life-100
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