August 11: Summer Months
The Perseid Meteor Shower
According to Herodotos, the most attractive people of the whole world, lived in Aithiopia. This was the land that was turned into a desert after young Phaiton crashed Helios’ sun chariot. The queen of Aithiopia, Kassiopeia, didn’t take the compliment gracefully and couldn’t resist boasting about her appearance. And that of her daughter Andromeda. But when she went so far as to compare their beauty with that of the ocean nymphs, her hubris angered the seagod Poseidon. He cursed the kingdom and demanded the sacrifice of Andromeda, who was to be chained to a rock as a prey for a seamonster. But the hero Perseus saved her and would later marry her. The ancient Greeks could read their story in the stars as an ancient comic book: Kassiopeia in a chair, looking ravishing, her husband, king Kepheus, praying the gods for mercy, Andromeda, chained to a rock, and her saviour Perseus close by. Until today, each summer, the Perseid meteor shower honours the famous Perseus lineage.
Andromeda Constellation, Urania's Mirror
Cassiopeia Constellation, Urania's Mirror
Did you know?
Andromeda would have been chained to “Andromeda’s Rock”, in front of the city of Jaffa, Israel.
About Perseus: cfr. “Oversharing”, “Victim Blaming”, “Golden Rain”.
Euripides wrote a play “Andromeda”, which is lost.
About Phaiton's/Phaeton's joyride and the scorching of Aithiopia: cfr. “Joyride”.
The ocean nymphs were called “Oceanides”. The most beautiful among them were the “Nereids”, the daughters of Nereus (cfr. “The Old Men of the Sea”).
About Poseidon/Neptunus: cfr. “Old Money”, “The Weight of the World”, “A Crowded Mountain”, “A little Snowman”, “Shiny Seawater”, “A little Lamb”, “The Kingmaker”, “The last Stand”, “High Flyer”, “Pebbles”, “Victim Blaming”, “Afloat”.
Herodotos/Herodotus (5th cent. BC) was a travel writer (cfr. “Reincarnation”, “Joyride”, “Hippos and Rhinos”, Pussycats”). His quote about the Ethiopians (Histories, book 3, v. 114): “In Southern direction, at the end of the world, lays Aithiopia. A lot of gold can be found there en there are giant elephants, all kinds of wild trees and ebony and people who are tall and beautiful en live long lives.”
In some versions, the seamonster, sent by Poseidon/Neptunus after Andromeda, would have been Keto/Ceto (cfr. “Oversharing")