Libra
the Scales of Justice
The stars of Libra had come to represent
the Golden Chariot of Pluto. The story of Pluto's abduction
of Persephone is a widely known Greek myth, perhaps because
it has such a strong astronomical association. Hades was
a brother of Zeus and of Poseidon; he was usually ignorant
of the happenings of the Upperworld, only emerging rarely
from his dark kingdom. It was considered imprudent and dangerous
to mention the names of certain gods and goddesses. Thus
the Furies, or Cronies, were called Eumenides (Kindly Ones),
and Hades was called Pluto (Rich One).
Four jet-black horses pulled his golden
chariot. While he used the chariot to periodically visit
the Upperworld, in order to seduce a beautiful nymph, he
rarely wished the relationship to last. Until he saw Persephone,
the daughter of Demeter and Zeus. When he took Persephone
back to Tartarus, the deepest part of Hades, the Upperworld
would change forever.
Deep beneath the Earth, he owned all its
mineral riches, but his favourite possession was a gift
from the Cyclopes: a helmet that rendered him invisible.
Demeter was the sister of Zeus and Hades, and one of the
most important goddesses as she was responsible for Agriculture
and all growing things.
Hades is so enamoured by the beauty of Persephone,
he wants her for his own, so takes her by force down to
his kingdom, where she becomes the Queen of the Underworld.
Demeter mourns for her lost daughter and begs the other
gods for help. Therefore, Theseus and Peiritheus descend
into Hades in search of Persephone, but are unsuccessful.
In fact, Hades holds them captive, and Heracles is sent
to rescue them. He can only manage to bring back Theseus;
Peiritheus is condemned to remain forever in Hades.
Demeter is so distraught about the loss
of her daughter she neglected her godly duties and no seeds
sprouted. A vast drought spreads throughout the Upperworld.
Zeus becomes vexed, for he is owed a certain tribute, and
if the drought continues, his tribute will not be forthcoming.
In any event, he convinces his brother Hades to give up
Persephone, so that the Upperworld can again become green
and lush.
Zeus rules that she must forever divide
her time between the Upperworld and the Underworld; four
months out of the year, she must stay with her husband,
while the rest of the year she may visit her mother, in
the Upperworld. Thus, every year the world retreats briefly
into a cold and forbidding place, until the 21st of March,
when Persephone is allowed to emerge from the Underworld
bringing Spring with her.
The Romans invented Libra and gave it importance
as a constellation of the Zodiac. Libra was "the Scales
of Justice" held by Julius Caesar. Later the scales
became associated with Virgo, the Goddess of Justice. The
Romans choose a scale because when the zodiac was still
in its infancy, some four thousand years ago, the sun passed
through this constellation at the autumnal equinox (September
21). That is, day and night were of equal length, and the
day would begin to lengthen from that day on. However, the
ancient Greeks did not recognize Libra. Instead, they saw
it as part of Scorpio. Libra made up the two claws of the
scorpion. As a symbol for equality, the constellation came
to represent Justice in several middle Eastern cultures. |
