The Constellation of GEMINI

If you have read the post about Aries and Taurus, then you are already introduced to the twins called Gemini. 
Aries was their helper through their life, in one legend. But there are many aspects to why constellations are more fascinating, which I have stated before. The constellations have in their concepts never changed, but peoples interpretation of them, has changed. 

One of such conceptions is our modern view of Gemini, which has changed. This is clearly evident when we look at the Arabic names for the stars in themselves, which we still use today. 

In old Arabic manuscripts the constellation of Gemini is a larger constellation than the modern view. Orion’s raised arm contains the star called ‘Betelgeuse’, which directly translate to ’Gemini’s house’ in the Arabic language. 
So here we in fact are told that two constellations looked different that they do today. If Orion’s raised arm was a part of the Gemini’s house, then suddenly Orion’s constellations changes in it self. 

On another note, this corresponds to the zodiac circle found in the Louvre museum. On this zodiac chart we find Orion having no arms raised like we see at the modern versions of Orion.


Located inside the constellation of Gemini there are two Stars called Castor and Pollux. 

The Twins names changes from myth to myth, and even the children sexes changes. 

In this next myth, they are two boys called Castor and Pollux (Kastor and Polydeuces). Their mother is Leda the daughter of Aetolian the king of Thestius. Leda is also the mother of Helen of Troy, but she seems to like her sons, followed by tragedy. 

She is mostly known sitting besides a swan, Leda and the Swan. Again it must be noted that these mythology stories tend to be different, going from author to author in the much older days. 

Leda really has many children, but their nature does not fit, what this blog is about, which is the constellations (astrology Vs. Astronomy). there is actually yet another confusion around these stories, because if I understand it clearly, then there is two legends, where only one is more famous than the other – Leda and the Swan. 

Actually these stories belong together, but it should be seen as an older generation’s history, rather than the current. Leda is actually also the goddess Antiope -and her two sons are called Amphion and Zethus. Hence the confusion!

I will begin this with the story of Antiope; she is a river goddess. She was a part of a group of goddess, which ruled over some parts of Greece and Turkey’s rivers. (This also corresponds to some new archeological findings, which I will bring up further down the text).

I will give these stories to the best of my abilities Antiope, if I am not mistaken belongs to the followers of the Amazons. In Antiope’s time period the men seems much like the Amazon women, just taking women as they pleased. 

In some stories Antiope is the sister to the queen of the Amazons, so she had lived only among women. Amphion and Zethus have probably lived out their childhood in those mountains with their mother, because as adults their talents are great. 

It is said that Hermes thought Amphion to be a great musician (the high creative side), especially playing the Lyre. Zethus was blessed with the talents of being the practical one, and he was also as strong as an ox. It was said that Amphion played so beautifully that the stones would dance to the sound.

It is through Gemini that we find strength and creativity united.
Actually the twins Amphion and Zethus are the essential founders of the ancient city of Thebes, which was located in Greece. 

They are believed to have built the outer walls around the city, which is said to be evident in the walls themselves. In one story, Antiope is abducted right after she had given birth, this time it’s said to be her brother/uncle called Lycus. 

He keeps her as a prisoner in his home, but his wife becomes jealous. Lycus wife suspected that they were having sexual relation, which made her mad. It is here where Antiope escapes to the mountain, where her two sons are living. One myth states that Antiope seeks shelter in two farmer’s hut, where she stayed. But one day a special parade came to this area of the mountain, and Lycus wife was among this crowd. 

The wife recognizes Antiope and claims her as a run away slave. But before the wife went of with the slave, antiope’s and the farmers identity was revealed. The twins took the evil wife of Lycus and tied her to the horns of a Bull, and they made it run. The wife was dragged by the bull until she was dead. Lycus is hereafter said to have given the throne of Thebes to the twins. 

In another story, Antiope is living on the island with her sister amazons. In this story the king Theseus of Athens sailed to the Amazon island, and falls in love with Antiope. Theseus takes her back to his kingdom and there they have one child named Hippolytus. 

Since Antiope is the queen Amazons sister, the Amazons gather together to retrieve their fellow sister Antiope. They raided the city of Athens, but to their despair Antiope was killed accidentally in this raid. [This again does not exclude anything, when Antiope dies. Actually this might be the mere reason for her persona hereafter.] 

In the book I have from 1888 it also has the story of ‘Amphion and Zethus’ but here again we find a different story and this one only focus on the Twins. There was a child that was to rule, so the Twins took over the government. In this book it states that Antiope is the daughter of Nycteus, whom was a high noble in his city. Amphion and Zethus build the walls around Thebes, and Zethus is said to have pulled the great rocks from fare away, and Amphion played the Lyre and the rocks would dance into place. 

Amphion was married to Niobe (daughter of Tantalus), she was a woman that flourished with superiority, because she had six daughters and six suns, together being 12 children (in more modern version there apparently have become 7 daughters and 7 sons). 

I will leave these stories about Antiope and her twin son’s one can easily see the overall picture.

Leda and the Swan
The mythology about Leda is as complex as the others, but her children are the Twins (stars) Castor and Pollux. 

In this myth we find yet another beauty that Zeus falls in love with. In this story he turns him self into a swan and attracts Leda’s attention. In some other myths, the Twins are Leda’s brothers, and they rescue her from Zeus. 

Many famous artists have painted Leda with the Swan, one such famous person was Leonardo da Vinci but this original painting is lost. Michelangelo also painted Leda and Zeus making love, but this oil painting is also lost. Ronsard wrote a poem which seems to be inspired by Michelangelo’s painting - La Défloration de Lède; A sudden blow: the great wings beating still Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill, He holds her helpless breast upon his breast. How can those terrified vague fingers push The feathered glory from her loosening thighs? And how can body, laid in that white rush, But feel the strange heart beating where it lies? A shudder in the loins engenders there The broken wall, the burning roof and tower And Agamemnon dead. Being so caught up, So mastered by the brute blood of the air, Did she put on his knowledge with his power Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?
'Head of Leda' by Leonardo 1506
New archeological findings: Earlier on in this post, I stated that Antiope was a goddess of a River stream, specific in parts of Greece and Turkey, and that this is supported by new archeological findings.

The ancient city called Belkis, is the modern city called Zeugma city: Today most of this city is located under water, but because of the great GAP project - "Zeugma Urgent Excavation and Rescue Work" in 2000, many subjects were saved and taken to the Gaziantep Museum. In the year 1987, the Gaziantep Museum excavated two tomb chambers. 

These tombs were the start of a lot of subjects, which were discovered through the time which elapsed between the excavation and the Flood of the ancient city. 

Egypt: We clearly see that the old Ptolemy’s knew about the constellation of Gemini, which makes us able to conclude that even older societies knew about this constellation. Like I stated in the earlier post’s, the Egyptians did not see it like the Greeks did, their way of thinking comes from a much older culture (still lost). The ancient Egyptians had other names for their constellations, so Gemini or the other constellations, are not to be found under those given names. They indeed had the word Twins in use, there are also two gods which come together to make a set of twins. 

First of I haven’t spoken anything about the Egyptian Dekans, this is because I am using the Greeks history to open up for the ancient Egyptians way of seeing this picture.

- Actually one of the Dekans literary means 

“The arm of Orion”

hereby linking the Dekans to the constellations themselves.