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Leo - Myths and LegendsLEO July 23-August 22 |
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Leo - Myths and LegendsLEO July 23-August 22 |
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Leo - Symbol of the LionLEO - Myths and Legends The sun being an orb, or circle, is one of the oldest symbols known that represents life in many cultures. While the sun is not a true planet it is considered so in astrology forecasts. The sun represents your ego and your conscious will as well as your physical life energies. It is your every day consciousness (awareness) through which other levels of consciousness can interact. The position of the sun in your natal chart depicts the way you radiate energies in relation to the events in your life. Its effect is mainly paternal and that is traditionally masculine. The Sun is the heart of the horoscope and where it is found then it is there that you will want to shine.
When the major stars of the constellation Leo are joined together, they do actually resemble a crouching beast. The ancient Babylonians called the constellation Great Dog. At least 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians gave it the name that is familiar to us today as Leo the Lion. The Lion is associated with one of the 12 labors that the hero Hercules was made to perform by King Eurystheus, the ruler of Greece as an atonement for slaughtering his own wife and children. After consulting the Oracle at Delphi, Hercules learned that only by showing obedience to King Eurystheus could he ever be forgiven for his dastardly crime. Hercules's first labor involved killing and flaying an enormous lion whose pelt was so tough that it could turn aside all weapons. The lion, which lived at Nemea, in the Peloponnese, was born of Echidna the snake-woman and Typhon, a monster with a hundred eyes. The goddess Hera had sent it to wreak havoc upon the neighborhood of Nemea the plain of which was sacred to Zeus, king of the gods. Meeting the lion on the slopes of Mount Tretus, Hercules first shot at it with arrows (it merely yawned as they rebounded from its skin) then attacked it with his sword and finally struck it with his club. At this point, irritated by the blow from Hercules, it bit off one of Hercules fingers. Hercules eventually resorted to the novel idea of choking the lion to death while it was resting in its cave. On trying to skin it however, he found that its hide resisted all knives, so he eventually had to use its own claws, the only instruments sharp enough. Hercules subsequently wore the lion's impenetrable skin as armor, with the head as a helmet. Zeus set the lion itself in effigy among the stars. It is of course virtually impossible to determine how various human qualities became associated with a particular sign of the Zodiac. It can however be said that those born with the Sun in Leo are extremely likely to possess the unmistakably proud demeanor of lions and that they seem to be just as invulnerable to attack. Indeed, bravery, strong leadership and forcefulness of personality are all definite Leo characteristics. However, when Leos find themselves troubled, they will retire to some private place in order to recover from their wounds in solitude. |