The Constellation
Serpens |
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Mythology and History |
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The Serpent-Holder and the Serpent. |
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This region of the sky has been the scene of a number of
nova stars, or stars that suddenly flare up into brightness for several
days or weeks and then return to their former dimness. The first
such nova was reported by the Greek astronomer Hipparchos in 134 B.C.;
the second in A.D. 123; third in the year 1230; the one called Kepler's
Star in 1604; and the fifth in 1848. |
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Ophiuchus is a word coming from two Greek words meaning "serpent,"
and "holding." |
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The name of the constellation seems to have been identified
with the god Aesculapius, expert in the arts of medicine, plants, and the
healing powers of different herbs. Aesculapius was the son of Apollo
and Coronis and was educated by the centaur Chiron (now the constellation
Sagittarius). It is said that Hippocrates, the famous Greek physician
and father of modern medicine, was his 15th grandson. |
Aesculapius, we are told, was the
first doctor of medicine, and his expertise led to his downfall in a very
strange way. His career seems to have begun when one day while visiting
a friend and saw a snake in the room and killed it. Then, to the
great surprise of both, a second snake carrying an herb in its mouth crawled
into the room. It gave the herb to the first snake, which immediately
recovered. It was this herb, which Aesculapius took from the revived
snake, that taught him the great powers certain herbs have over life and
death. He traveled far and wide over the land, always learning more
about the medicinal use of herbs, and before long his reputation as a saver
of lives had become widely known. So expert had he become that Hades,
God of the Underworld, complained to his brother Zeus that fewer and fewer
souls were being sent down to the Underworld. Hades, of course, was
worried about losing his important position.
Aesculapius once is said to have brought
Hippolytus back to life by "gluing" him back together. Hippolytus
had been dragged to death and dismembered when his horses were frightened
by a bull. Just as Aesculapius was about to bring the famous hunter,
Orion, back to life after he had been accidentally shot with an arrow by
his lover, Hades' patience ran out. He demanded that Zeus stop this
wholesale restoring of life. After all, only the gods were immortal.
If Aesculapius were permitted to increase his skill in bringing the dead
back to life, mankind, too, would have attained immortality. Thus
went Hades' argument to Zeus.
Zeus agreed with his brother and hurled
a thunderbolt at Aesculapius, killing him on the spot. But Zeus could
not help but admire the skills of Aesculapius and so raised him among the
stars as Ophiuchus, along with the serpent from which he had learned his
skills.
Aesculapius, as the God of Medicine,
is always shown with a staff with a serpent wound around it. You
have seen the symbol in hospitals and doctors' offices. Our words
hygiene (meaning "the science of health") and panacea (meaning
"a cure-all medicine") come from the names of two of Aesculapius' daughters,
Hygeia and Panacea.
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The Romans called Ophiuchus the Serpent-Charmer and the Arabs
called him the Serpent-Collector. |
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