I wish I really knew this off the top but....
ANDROMEDA, LADY OF FALL
by Brian Mason
One of the most prominent constellations that can be seen in
the autumn season of the Northern Hemisphere is the chained lady of
the sky, Andromeda. In Greek mythology, Andromeda was the daughter
of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, the King and Queen of Ethiopia.
Andromeda was punished due to the boasting of her mother,
Cassiopeia. In some traditions, Cassiopeia was boasting of her own
beauty, while in others she spoke of the beauty of her daughter,
Andromeda. She was compared in beauty to the Nereids, the water
nymphs, who complained to their father, Poseidon. Poseidon sent the
sea creature Cetus to destroy Ethiopia for this insult. The only
way King Cepheus could avoid this horror was to sacrifice his
daughter to Cetus. Cepheus had Andromeda chained to a rock by the
sea to await her fate. The fates had other intentions, though: The
hero Perseus came upon the scene and, after warning Andromeda to
keep her eyes tightly shut, exposed Cetus to the severed head of
Medusa. This gruesome creature's gaze, even in death, would turn
any living thing it met eyes with into stone. Cetus saw Medusa's
head and was transformed into solid rock. Perseus then freed
Andromeda from her bonds and the two were later married.
While the Greek myth is certainly ancient, the story itself
probably originated even earlier in the region of Mesopotamia (now
modern Iraq) in the Babylonian "Epic of Creation". Elements of the
Greek myth tie in with the Babylonian story of the hero Bel Marduk
and the evil dragon Tiamat.
The Western constellation of Andromeda also shares its stars
with the more complex Chinese constellations Koui-siou (the House of
the Sandal), Kiun-nan-mun (the Southern Camp Gate), and
T'ien-Ta-Tsiang- Kiun (the Great Celestial General). All of these
are part of Pe-Hou, the White Tiger of Autumn. Koui-siou steps
across the center of Andromeda, then across the galaxy Andromeda
(Messier 31, or M31), and finally the star Mirach. The appearance
of this asterism indicated both the time of the harvest and the need
to make footwear. Kiun-nan-mun is near the star Adhil at the right
foot of Andromeda. Kiun-nan-mun, along with many other asterisms of
this part of the White Tiger, is associated with the end of summer
festivals. T'ien-Ta-Tsiang-Kiun is near the star Almech at the left
foot of Andromeda. Gamma Andromeda represented the Great Celestial
General, while surrounding stars represented his officers.
---------
Phil Chambers [ptchamb@No-Spam] (S.F. Bay Area - Calif. USA)
On Fri, 25 Apr 2003, Tom Campbell wrote:
> Well, since I won the last one, I suppose it's only fitting that I post the
> next quiz. How about this?
>
> Which modern-day constellation contains a majority of the stars found in
> what the ancient Chinese called The Sandal? What was the significance of
> this constellation?
>
>
> > Anyone else care to post an astro-quiz? Gotta be tougher than mine (but
> > please, no physics).
>
> Tom Campbell
> http://www.iolaks.com/softech/astro
>
>