• Navajo: Ursa Major
• Lakota: Constellation of the Hand
• Hindu: Rishis
• Greek: Scorpius
• Greek: Draco
• Greek: Heracles
• The Nemean Lion
• The Lernaean Hydra
• Greek: Cancer
• Greek: Orion
• Greek: Taurus
• Greek: Aquila
• Greek: Andromeda
• Greek: Cassiopeia
• Greek: Cepheus
• Greek: Pegasus
• Greek: Perseus
• The Big Dipper and Bootes
• Greek: Cygnus

Cassiopeia and her husband Cepheus
Click on image for full size
(c) 1995 Visual Language. All rights reserved.

Cassiopeia

She was so proud of her beauty that once she declared that she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than the sea nymphs, the Nereids. Offended, the nymphs complained to the sea god Poseidon, who avenged Cassiopeia's offense by sending a sea monster and a flood to destroy Cassiopeia's land. In despair, the king consulted the oracle of Ammon about how to prevent the destruction of his kingdom.

The oracle predicted that only the sacrifice of the king's daughter to the monster could appease Poseidon's wrath. Andromeda was chained naked to a sea cliff. Fortunately, at this same moment, Perseus , the nephew of the king of Argos, was traveling along the coast. Perseus noticed the beautiful Andromeda chained to a cliff and immediately fell in love with her.

Nearby, Andromeda's parents waited, resigned to their daughter's fate. Perseus approached them and learned of the impending peril. He promised to save Andromeda and marry her. Perseus'courage prevailed against the monster, and the marriage could finally be celebrated. It is said that the sea god Poseidon placed the figure of Cassiopeia among the stars to remind people of her vanity.

You might also be interested in:

Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

Cepheus

In the Northern Hemisphere sky is the constellation Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, and that of his wife Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia claimed that she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than the sea nymphs,...more

Ahsonnutli

Ahsonnutli was the sky father and chief deity of the Navajo Indians. He created heaven, Earth, and the sky. Each of the four cardinal directions was supported by a giant. Each direction was also associated...more

Amphitrite

Amphitrite was one of the fifty Nereids, the attendants of the sea-god Poseidon. Poseidon (Neptune) had fallen in love with Amphitrite after seeing her dancing on the island of Naxos. Amphitrite rejected...more

Aphrodite

Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty. She was known to the Romans as Venus. There were actually two different Aphrodites, one was the daughter of Uranus, the other the daughter of Zeus and...more

Apollo

In Greek mythology, Apollo was the son of Jupiter(in Greek Zeus) and Leto (Letona). He was the god of the Sun, logic, and reason, and was also a fine musician and healer. Leto travelled all over Greece...more

Cancer

According to an ancient Greek legend, the figure of a gigantic crab was placed in the nighttime sky by the goddess Hera to form the constellation Cancer. Hera was the jealous wife of the sky god, Zeus....more

Coyote

According tho the Navajo mythology, the Milky Way was created by the misbehavior of the mischievous deity, Coyote. When the world was created, the Holy People gathered around Black God to place the stars...more