Andromeda
Paul Gustave Doré painted Andromeda exposed to the sea-monster.
Myth
In Greek mythology, Andromeda ("ruler of men") was the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, king and queen of Aethiopia.
Cassiopeia, having boasted herself equal in beauty to the Nereids, drew down the vengeance of Poseidon, who sent an inundation on the land and a sea-monster, which destroyed man and beast. The oracle of Ammon announced that no relief would be found until the king exposed his daughter Andromeda to the monster, so she was fastened to a rock on the shore.
Perseus, returning from having slain the Gorgon, found Andromeda, slew the monster, set her free, and married her in spite of Phineus, to whom she had before been promised. At the wedding a quarrel took place between the rivals, and Phineus was turned to stone by the sight of the Gorgon's head (Ovid, Metamorphoses v. 1).
Andromeda followed her husband to Tiryns in Argos, and became the ancestress of the family of the Perseidae through Perseus' and Andromeda's son, Perses. Perseus and Andromeda had six sons (Perseides): Perses, Alcaeus, Heleus, Mestor, Sthenelus, and Electryon, and one daughter, Gorgophone. Their descendants ruled Mycenae from Electryon down to Eurystheus, after whom Atreus got the kingdom, and include the great hero Heracles. According to this mythology, Perses is the ancestor of the Persians.
After her death she was placed by Athena amongst the constellations in the northern sky, near Perseus and Cassiopeia. Sophocles and Euripides (and in more modern times Corneille) made the story the subject of tragedies. The tale is represented in numerous ancient works of art.
Andromeda is represented in the northern sky by the constellation Andromeda which contains the Andromeda Galaxy.
Origin of the Myth
Four constellations are associated with the myth, and their relative positions create a scene which may be the origin of a proportion of the myth. Viewing the fainter stars, visible to the naked eye, renders the constellations as
A large man wearing a crown, upside down with respect to the ecliptic. (The constellation Cepheus)
A smaller figure, next to the man, sitting on a chair. As it is near the pole star, it can be seen the whole year, although sometimes upside down [1]. The Greeks considered that this was an undignified position (being upside down, and also the normal way up, in a chair), and must be a suitable punishment for some crime. Since the punishment was one of losing dignity, vanity is a suitable crime. (The constellation Cassiopeia)
A maiden, chained up, facing/turning away from the ecliptic [2]. (The constellation Andromeda)
A sea monster just under the ecliptic. (The constellation Cetus)
The constellation Pegasus is next to Andromeda, and may also be the origin of the part of the tale concerning Andromeda's rescue. Accessories to the story are;-
Perseus
The constellation Pegasus, who was born from Medusa's blood which fell in the sea.
The constellation Pisces, which may have been treated as two fish caught by Dictys the fisherman who was brother of Polydectes king of Seriphos where Perseus and his mother Danae were stranded.
The genealogies in the myth possibly have their origin either in history, or in propaganda asserting a historic royal claim, such as a connection to Perseus.
The Myth in Art
Sophocles and Euripides (and in more modern times Corneille) made the story the subject of tragedies, and its incidents were represented in numerous ancient works of art.
The Myth in Film
The 1981 film Clash of the Titans retells the story of Perseus, Andromeda, and Cassiopeia, but makes a few changes (notably Cassiopeia boasts that her daughter is more beautiful than Thetis as opposed to the Nereids as a group). Thetis was a Nereid, but also the future mother of Achilles. Also a subplot about Thetis' son Calibos has been added. The similarity to Caliban, a character from Shakespeare's Tempest is striking.
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Andromeda这个名字很美,广泛使用。就植物上是一种浸木属(杜鹃科)
,类似我喜欢的石南:
在天文是是一个星座(仙女座),也是一个河外星系的名。北天上一段
Ethiopia王家的传奇,很有诗意。这古Ethiopia是不是很天文呢?
这个阿姗清楚的。
- Cassiope也是一种杜鹃花科植物,锦绦花属:posted on 07/25/2006
也是一个星座(仙后座,W形,夏夜很明显)。
杜鹃科植物对应这一谱系?尚待查询。而特洛伊战争的一些神(人)
谱却没能登天,只留在菊科属名,比如Achillea(蓍),Ajania
(亚菊), Artemisia(蒿), Centaurea(矢车菊), Helenium
(堆心菊)等等。
Centaurus升天了的,半人马。 - Re: Leucothoëposted on 07/25/2006
杜鹃科还有一个Leucothoë,上回提过了:
http://www.mayacafe.com/forum/topic1.php3?tkey=1152205716
不知道与Cepheus家族有没有联系。
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