There is a fairly good chance that you will have heard of at least some of the characters represented by stellar groups in the heavens. Perhaps you took interest in the heroes and heroines of Ancient Greece, or read of mythical beasts and beings, or have a sound understanding of Latin and merely recognise their names. This, then, should function as a reminder; for those legends you have not yet come across, it will merely be a starting point, for you will no doubt have minds hungry for the acquisition of wisdom.
Andromeda
The beautiful daughter of Queen Cassiopeia and King Cepheus was found chained to a rock, and would surely have been devoured by the evil sea-monster Cetus, had she not been saved just in time by that brave hero Perseus. In the sky she is surrounded by her parents (to the left of her) and Perseus (to the right of her), while Cetus approaches from behind... thankfully beyond Pisces.
Aquarius
The Water-Carrier is placed near to other Zodiac signs associated with water, such as Pisces and Capricornus, with Cetus and Eridanus nearby. He is supposedly depicted pouring water from a jar (but then, how many constellations actually look like what they should represent?)
Aquila
The eagle Aquila was believed to have been the companion of the God Jupiter, and appears to be flying down the Milky Way.
Aries
This was the ram with the Golden Fleece sought by Jason and the Argonauts. Incidentally, if you wonder why a fleece should be associated with gold, then you should consider the Romans and their predecessors, when mining gold, needing something to pan their finds through whilst not losing the important nuggets of what they wanted.
Auriga
This is the charioteer, a young man driving both his chariot and his companions Capella (a little she-goat) and her two young kids. Capella is the brightest star of the constellation, and the seventh brightest in the sky.
Bootes
The herdsman who drives The Great Bear, Ursa Major, across the sky. Bootes' dogs are represented by Canes Venatici, hiding under Ursa Major's neck.
Camelopardalis
A faint constellation between Perseus and Ursa Minor, this Giraffe was introduced by Kepler's son-in-law. (Kepler was best known for providing Astrophysicists with some cool laws.)
Cancer
This is the crab that pinched the toes of the great hero Hercules, and then got crushed underfoot. He is such a minor mythological character that he contains no very bright stars, and I feel really rather sorry for him.
Canes Venatici
The hunting dogs, Chara and Asterion, belonging to the herdsman Bootes. They are helping him herd The Great Bear around the sky.
Canis Major
Mainly seen in the Southern hemisphere, and included here as one of Orion's dogs. It contains the brightest star in the entire sky, known as Sirius (the Dog Star). The ancient Egyptians based their calendar on Sirius' motion about the sky.
Canis Minor
Orion's smaller pet dog, just north of the celestial equator.
Capricornus
Nobody had ever told me that Capricorn was a sea-goat! The beast lies in the southern hemisphere, has the body of a goat and the tail of a fish, but its origins are lost in time. Apparently, amphibious creatures were common in ancient middle-eastern legends.
Cassiopeia
The mythological Queen of Egypt, featured sitting on her throne (she has very long toes, and looks more like the letter 'w') in the far north of the sky. Next to her is her husband...
Cepheus
The mythological king of Egypt, beloved of Queen Cassiopeia and father of the beautiful Andromeda. He and his wife are conveniently situated as near as possible to the Pole Star; surely the only position in the heavens to befit such royalty!
Cetus
The sea-monster, probably a whale, that tried to eat Andromeda whilst she was helplessly chained to a rock. This baddie is the fourth largest constellation in the sky, on the banks of the river Eridanus, but contains mostly faint stars.
Coma Berenices
This represents the golden locks of hair of Queen Berenice of Egypt, cut off as an offering to the Gods in gratitude for her husband's safe return from battle.
Corona Borealis
The Northern Crown, supposedly that of Princess Ariadne of Crete. Remember the girl who helped Theseus find and kill the Minotaur by providing him with a sword and a ball of string? Remember the thanks she got, raped and abandoned on a desert island as Theseus and friends returned home in glory? Ariadne got the crown, and was claimed as Bacchus' wife; Theseus lost his father through the incompetence of his crew.
Corvus
The crow, just over into the Southern hemisphere, forms part of a bizarre legend about a greedy crow, who wasted time eating figs instead of fulfilling his errand of filling a cup with water.
Crater
This is the empty cup, adandoned by nearby Corvus.
Cygnus
The swan, flying gracefully along the Milky Way, that Zeus turned himself into to visit Queen Leda of Sparta. As a result, the twins Castor and Pollux were born. Alternatively, this could be Orpheus, turned into a bird and placed in the sky next to his lyre after looking back at Euridice whilst trying to save her from the Underworld.
Delphinus
The dolphin, friend of seamen who named and indentified him in the sky near to other water beasts, such as Capricornus and Aquarius. However, it looks more like a kite.
Draco
The long, winding body of the dragon twists around and guards the North Pole of the sky. This seems to be the dragon slain by Hercules, who has his foot on Draco's head.
Equuleus
Brother of Pegasus, this is the Little Horse, just north of the celestial equator; the second smallest constellation, and very faint.
Eridanus
A pointless, long, meandering join-the-dots, supposedly representing a river; therefore it has commonly been identified with both mythological and real rivers, especially the Nile and Euprates.
Gemini
The two bright stars contained in this constellation are named Castor and Pollux, the twin sons of Zeus, and crewmen with Jason and the Argonauts. Depicted holding hands, seamen identified them as good fortune.
Hercules
This Greek Hero undertook twelve labours to gain release from the service of a king. He is seen kneeling with his foot on the head of Draco, the dragon.
Hydra
The largest constellation in the sky, representing a water snake guarding the cup Crater from the crow Corvus, as punishment for Corvus' failed errand.
Lacerta
The Lizard lies, inconspicuously, on the edge of the Milky Way between Cygnus and Andromeda.
Leo
The Lion, King of Beasts, seen crouching. Some say this was the lion slain by Hercules. It seems such a shame that Hercules has killed all the animals in the sky... well, almost all!
Leo Minor
Awwww, a little lion cub, just above Leo (his father?) in the sky.
Lepus
Eastern legends associate the Hare or rabbit with the markings on the moon's face. This hare is hiding under the feet of Orion, who is hunting it. These Heroes are all so cruel!
Libra
The Scales of Justice, held in the hand of the Goddess Astraea, identified with Virgo.
Lynx
Hevelius introduced the Lynx to fill a gap, and it has no exciting myths attached to it.
Lyra
The Lyre of Orpheus, Greek mythology's favourite musician, though the constellation has also been identified as an eagle or vulture.
Monoceros
The Unicorn, a mythical, single-horned horse-like beast, found between Orion and Canis Minor.
Ophiuchus
"The Serpent-Holder" separates the constellation of Serpens into two parts. The man is associated with Aesculapius, a mythical Greek healer on board the Argo as doctor to Jason and his crew, and was said to be an ancestor of Hippocrates, the great Greek physician.
Orion
This great hunter-warrior wields a club in one hand, and raises a shield in the other as defense against the charging bull, Taurus, but is probably most famous for his glittery belt of three bright stars. You should be familiar with him: even Tolkein's Hobbits knew the constellation (as Menelvagor, Swordsman of the sky). Orion was killed by a scorpion, so it is interesting to note that Orion sets as Scorpius rises on the opposite side of the sky.
Pegasus
The winged horse was born from the gorgon Medusa's blood falling into the ocean, after she was slain by Perseus; it shares stars with the constellation of Andromeda, and is placed close to Perseus in the sky.
Perseus
Another Hero of Greek mythology; this one rescued Andromeda from being eaten alive by Cetus, and is depicted holding the head of Medusa, from whom one glance could turn a person to stone... Pegasus rises from her blood.
Pisces
Two fishes with their tails tied together by a cord, which are said to represent Venus and her son Cupid, who turned into fishes to escape the sea-monster Typhon... though it could just as well be to escape Cetus, who is next to them in the heavens.
Puppis
The stern of Jason's ship Argo, just over into the southern hemisphere.
Sagitta
An arrow, associated with Hercules, being shot between the birds Cygnus and Aquila (among the few living creatures in the sky, as Hercules seems to have already killed most of the others).
Sagittarius
The centaur, half-man, half horse; Sagittarius is a warlike beast aiming to shoot to the heart of neighbouring Scorpius. He mostly lies in the southern hemisphere, and contains the very centre of our galaxy.
Scorpius
A Scorpion with curved tail, ready to sting; he killed Orion, and Sagittarius is aiming to kill him.
Scutum
The shield was introduced as Sobieski's Shield (Scutum Sobieskii), who was the patron of the astronomer Hevelius.
Serpens
Entwined around Ophiuchus, the serpent-holder, in the equatorial region of the sky, lies the snake. Its head (Serpens Caput) forms a separate constellation to its tail (Serpens Cauda) but are regarded as one.
Taurus
The Raging Bull is snorting at Orion, and contains the star cluster known as the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters portrayed in mythology.
Triangulum
It has a distinctive shape, caused by its brightest three stars. I need not continue!
Ursa Major
The Great Bear, herded by Bootes and Canes Venatici, and yet most are more likely to recognise its main stars as 'The Plough' or 'The Big Dipper', pointing towards Polaris, the Pole Star.
Ursa Minor
The Little Bear contains the Pole Star, and has the same basic shape as the Plough (so is also known as The Little Dipper). He is said to be guarding the north pole.
Virgo
A pagan maiden holding an ear of wheat as a symbol of harvest, as the Sun 'passes through' the constellation from mid September. She is also seen as the Goddess of Justice, Astraea, holding her scales aloft, hence situated next to Libra.
Vulpecula
The Fox, elongated at the head of Cygnus, was introduced by Hevelius to show a fox chasing a goose. The goose has since been eaten.
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