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Cook, Arthur B.
Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 1): Zeus god of the bright sky — Cambridge, 1914

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https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14695#0845

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Zeus in Astronomy and Astrology 755

constellations as the work of particular Greek deities: of this number
Poseidon made one1, Apollon2 Artemis3 Dionysos4 and Hermes5
two apiece, Hera two6 and the Milky Way7, Athena four8; but no
less than seventeen are said to have been created by Zeus9, who
was further intimately connected with the myths of at least seven
others10.

If it be asked why Zeus rather than any other deity arranged
the constellations, we must again take into account oriental leading-
Babylonian astrology assigned the several planets to different
divinities thus11:

The Greeks of the fourth century followed suit and exchanged
their old descriptive names of the planets for those of various gods
corresponding more or less closely with the Babylonian series.

1 Delphin.

2 Sagitta, Hydra with its Corvus and Crater.

3 Ursa Minor (pseudo-Eratosth. catast. 2), Equos {id. ib. 18, but Hyg. poet. astr. 2.
18 refers it to Iupiter).

4 Corona, Asini. 5 Deltoton, Lepus.

6 Serpens (pseudo-Eratosth. catast. 3, but Hyg. poet. astr. 2. 3 refers it also to
Minerva), Cancer. Hyg. poet. astr. 2. 16 refers Aquila ( = the Coan king Merops) to Iuno.

7 Supra p. 624.

8 Cepheus, Andromeda, Perseus, Argo.

9 Ursa Maior, Engonasin, Ophiuchus, Scorpius, Arctophylax or Bootes, Gemini, Leo,
Heniochus or Auriga, Capra, Taurus, Lyra (pseudo-Eratosth. catast. 24, but Hyg. poet,
astr. 2. 7 says a Musis), Cygnus or Olor, Capricornus, Sagittarius, Orion (pseudo-
Eratosth. catast. 32, but Hyg. poet. astr. 2. 34 refers to Diana), Cams, Centaurus.

10 Ursa Minor (= Phoinike, a companion of Artemis loved by Zeus ; or Kynosoura, an
Idaean nymph, nurse of Zeus; or Helike, a Cretan nurse of Zeus), Virgo ( = Dike,
daughter of Zeus and Themis ; or Demeter, or Isis, or Atargatis, or Tyche), Deltoton
( = A the initial of Atos), Pliades (of whom Elektra, Maia, and Taygete were loved by
Zeus: according to Hyg. poet. astr. 2. 21, Iupiter placed them all among the stars),
Aquarius ( = Ganymedes, the cup-bearer of Zeus), Aquila (the sacred bird of Zeus:
according to Aglaosthenes Naxiaca frag. 2 {supra p. 164 n. 4), Zeus placed it among the
stars), Ara (the altar at which the gods took their oath, when Zeus attacked Kronos).

11 P. Jensen Die Kos/nologie der Babylonier Strassburg 1890 p. 134 ff., A. Bouche-
Leclercq Uasirologie grecque Paris 1899 p. 40 ff., M. Jastrow Aspects of Religious Belief
and Practice in Babylonia and Assyria New York and London 1911 p. 217 ff., id. Die
Religion Babyloniens und Assyriens Giessen 1912 ii. 1. 444 .fr. and the literature cited ib.
i. 1. 426 n. 2 f., 427 n. 1 f., especially F. X. Kugler Sternkunde und Sterndienst in Babel
i (Entwicklung der Babylonischen Planetenkunde von ihren Anfangen bis auf Christus)
Minister in Westfalen 1907.

The earlier Babylonian order is Iupiter, Venus, Saturn, Mercury, Mars : the later
{c. 400 B.C.) is Iupiter, Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Mars (Kugler op. cit. i. 13).

Planet.
Iupiter.
Venus.

Divinity.

Marduk.
I star.

Mercury.

Nabu.
Ninib.
Nergal.

Saturn.
Mars.

48—2
 
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