Virgo is a
constellation. The name also means the
Virgin.
Mythology and Legends
Virgo is an ancient constellation pattern. According to one legend, Virgo represents Astraea, daughter of Jupiter and Themis (Goddess of Justice). Astreaea ruled mankind when the Gods walked the earth. When the wickedness of mankind offended the goddess in the later ages, she abandoned mankind and joined her fellows in the stars, along with her scales of justice (the constellation Libra).
In Egyptian mythology, Virgo represented Isis.
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\ Syrma _* Parrima
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Spica
Note: The area surrounding Virgo was dubbed
the Field of the Nebulae due to the
large volume of nebulae discovered
(Herschel discovered 323). Also of
interest, the Celestial Equator, the
Celestial Ecliptic and the Equinoctial
Colure intersect in this constellation.
This point is called the Autumnal Equinox.
The star Spica represented prosperity. The Egyptians built temples in its honor. Spica means Ear of Wheat, and the Egyptian legends state that when Isis was chased by Typhon, the wheat she carried scattered and became the stars of the Milky Way.