Sagittarius has a muddled history. In ancient times the asterism of three bright stars in a curved line was seen as a bow to some, leading both Greek and Roman writers to confuse the constellation with Centaurus.
As stated in "Centaurus", this constellation (in part) represents Cheiron, the king of the Centaurs. Sagittarius is also half-man, half-beast, said by some to have been placed in the heavens to guide the Argonauts in their travels.
Others claim that the constellation was invented by the Sumerians, that Nergal (as the supreme god of war) is found on two cuneiform inscriptions. Yet this interpretation is open to debate, for Nergal is not necessarily linked with a bow.
In the Gilgamech epic, Nergal is one of the "seven gods" to whom one sacrificed sheep and oxen. His name, in Sumerian, means "Lord of the Great Abode", that is, of the Underworld. Yet there are few extant stories that provide much of a picture of this god. Hammurabi, the great lawgiver (18 century BC) called him "the fighter without a rival who brought him victory" over those who would resist his laws. He was also seen as the god of plagues, and of destruction.
However to consider Nergal as the prototype of The Archer seems to be stretching the evidence. For whatever reason, when the select group of twelve constellations was codified sometime in the third millennium BC, The Archer was one of them
It was the Romans who named the constellation Sagittarius ("sagitta" is Latin for `arrow'), although several stars carry Arabic names which identify just which portion of the constellation they represent:
Alpha Sagittarii is named "Rukbat": (Rukbat al Rami=Archer's knee), and beta Sgr is "Arkab" (Tendon).
As stated in "Centaurus", this constellation (in part) represents Cheiron, the king of the Centaurs. Sagittarius is also half-man, half-beast, said by some to have been placed in the heavens to guide the Argonauts in their travels.
Others claim that the constellation was invented by the Sumerians, that Nergal (as the supreme god of war) is found on two cuneiform inscriptions. Yet this interpretation is open to debate, for Nergal is not necessarily linked with a bow.
In the Gilgamech epic, Nergal is one of the "seven gods" to whom one sacrificed sheep and oxen. His name, in Sumerian, means "Lord of the Great Abode", that is, of the Underworld. Yet there are few extant stories that provide much of a picture of this god. Hammurabi, the great lawgiver (18 century BC) called him "the fighter without a rival who brought him victory" over those who would resist his laws. He was also seen as the god of plagues, and of destruction.
However to consider Nergal as the prototype of The Archer seems to be stretching the evidence. For whatever reason, when the select group of twelve constellations was codified sometime in the third millennium BC, The Archer was one of them
It was the Romans who named the constellation Sagittarius ("sagitta" is Latin for `arrow'), although several stars carry Arabic names which identify just which portion of the constellation they represent:
Alpha Sagittarii is named "Rukbat": (Rukbat al Rami=Archer's knee), and beta Sgr is "Arkab" (Tendon).
The bow is outlined by three stars:
Lambda Sgr: "Kaus Borealis" = the northern (part of the) bow
Delta Sgr: "Kaus Meridionalis" = the middle (part of the) bow
Epsilon Sgr: "Kaus Australis" = the southern (part of the) bow
The arrow tip is gamma Sgr ("Al Nasl" = the point)
While the asterism of the bow is quite apparent, it takes some imagination to see the half-man, half-beast pulling back on the string. Perhaps it helps to know that zeta Sagittarii is named "Ascella" (the armpit of the archer), while nu Sgr is "Ain al Rami": The Eye of the Archer.
The Bayer stars are generally third and fourth magnitude. The brightest star is epsilon Sgr, while alpha Sgr is nearly fourth magnitude. In fact, there are fourteen stars brighter than alpha). The constellation has a number of fine binaries, and several superb deep sky objects.
Lambda Sgr: "Kaus Borealis" = the northern (part of the) bow
Delta Sgr: "Kaus Meridionalis" = the middle (part of the) bow
Epsilon Sgr: "Kaus Australis" = the southern (part of the) bow
The arrow tip is gamma Sgr ("Al Nasl" = the point)
While the asterism of the bow is quite apparent, it takes some imagination to see the half-man, half-beast pulling back on the string. Perhaps it helps to know that zeta Sagittarii is named "Ascella" (the armpit of the archer), while nu Sgr is "Ain al Rami": The Eye of the Archer.
The Bayer stars are generally third and fourth magnitude. The brightest star is epsilon Sgr, while alpha Sgr is nearly fourth magnitude. In fact, there are fourteen stars brighter than alpha). The constellation has a number of fine binaries, and several superb deep sky objects.
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