The music of the spheres : $b A nature lover's astronomy — John Shaqi
The music of the spheres : $b A nature lover's astronomyGrondal, Florence Armstrong
Science
The music of the spheres : $b A nature lover's astronomy
Grondal, Florence Armstrong
Astronomy
translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses--landmarks were set up "limiting to
each his right," and not satisfied with the blessings of earth men
greedily rummaged beneath the soil for the precious ore the gods had
wisely hidden next to Tartarus. This ungrateful race was then destroyed
by Jupiter, who sank their country and formed a new people to take
their place. In the meantime, all the gods and goddesses had left the
earth, Astræa, Goddess of Justice and Purity, remaining to the last.
When man finally became so inferior that he engaged in strife and
discord, this goddess hid her face in sorrow and flew upward to the sky
where she took her place among the stars of the constellation of the
Virgin.
Ovid describes the Milky Way as being the great road which led to the
palaces of the gods which were clustered about the lofty, cloud-hidden
summit of Mount Olympus. In these golden homes with their ivory halls
and furniture which possessed self-motion, dwelt Jupiter, Supreme Ruler
of Heaven and Earth; Juno, his wife; Mars, the God of War; Venus,
Minerva, Mercury and all the other gods and goddesses and many lesser
deities. They drank nectar, poured by Hebe or Ganymede, and ate
ambrosia, which gave immortal life. Their statures were immense, for
when Jupiter shook the locks of his hair the stars trembled, but they
often disguised themselves as earthly beings and mingled with mankind.
At times they issued commands through the voice of an oracle, or
displayed anger through some exhibition of nature, such as when Jupiter
threw his thunderbolts.
Although Apollo, Neptune and Pluto sometimes met in council at Olympus,
these three gods had their principal palaces in quite a different part
of the earth, Apollo's being beyond the "Land of the Sunrise," Neptune's
under the sea and Pluto's under the ground.
Around Neptune's palace waved his lawns of seaweed and his trees of
coral while the currents were the breezes which fanned and cooled his
brow. His scepter was a trident with which he raised and stilled storms
while his chariot was a shell drawn by brazen-hoofed sea-horses.
Dolphins, tritons and sea-monsters made sportive homage about his watery
path and sea-nymphs played among his rocks and grottoes or sat on the
shore in the moonlight drying their long, bright hair. Neptune married
one of these, a lovely dark-eyed nymph named Amphitrite and made
her Goddess of the Sea. The dolphin which carried him during his
courtship was rewarded by being placed on a diamond-shaped group of
stars which have ever since been called "Delphinus, the Dolphin."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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