You may have noticed the Sagittarius, the archer constellation in the night sky. If you are born under the zodiac sign Sagittarius, you may wonder, what does Sagittarius the archer mean. Who was Sagittarius the archer in the Greek mythology, and how did he find his place into the many constellations in the sky? There is a legendary story about Sagittarius the archer, and we will uncover the mystery behind this twinkling group of stars through this article.
What does Sagittarius the Archer Mean?
The following paragraphs will uncover the legendary Greek mythology that involves a centaur. Centaurs are mythical creatures, who are half man and half horses.
Chiron, the Centaur
Legends say that Chiron was the son of Titan Kronos and the nymph Philyra. Kronos had disguised himself as a horse, for he feared his illicit affair would be discovered by his wife Rhea. This affair bore a son, who was in the form of half man half horse, that is, centaur .
Chiron, however was different from most centaurs. He was born immortal as he was the son of God. He had an exceptional good-nature as compared to the mean, fierce and unthinking centaurs. His wisdom and learning ability are legends and he was known to be the teacher for many Greek hero’s like Achilles, Jason, Aesculapius and the mighty Hercules.
The Journey from Centaur to a Constellation
It is said that one day Hercules had traveled very far and he was very thirsty. He asked his friend to open a jar of the excellent wine in his house. But the wine jointly belonged to the other centaurs and as the wine was being poured, the aroma spread to the countryside. All the centaurs furiously galloped to Hercules house and asked him how he could dare to open the wine without their permission.
Soon, the centaurs began attacking Hercules and his friend. This turned out to be a very heavy mistake for the centaurs. Hercules soon killed many of them and drove the rest to the countryside and told them never to return. Chiron was standing nearby and watching all the drama unfold. Hercules knew Chiron and deeply respected him. But he could not recognize his dear friend standing at a great distance. He accidentally and unknowingly shot one of his deadly poisoned arrows at Chiron.
The arrow hit Chiron and he was in excruciating pain. He was immortal and therefore could not be killed. Thus, he begged Zeus, the Greek God to end his suffering. Seeing the events around him, Hercules, son of Zeus was engulfed in an envelop of sadness. Zeus, therefore, gave a good resting place to the centaur among the stars as Sagittarius, the archer. This way he would live forever in the night sky as constellation Centaurus.
Another legend says, that the arrow of Sagittarius the archer always points towards Scorpio. If Scorpio was to do any harm to anyone, Sagittarius will shoot an arrow through the heart-star of Scorpio.
Zodiac Sagittarius, The Archer
Sagittarius is the night astrological sign of the zodiac. The symbol for Sagittarius, the archer is ♐. It is commonly represented as a centaur drawing a bow. Individuals born between November 22 and December 21 are known to be Sagittarius individuals. It is a fire sign that is considered to be a ‘masculine’ positive and extrovert zodiac sign. It is ruled by Jupiter and horoscope compatibility is with zodiac signs Aries, Leo and Sagittarius itself. You can read more on Sagittarius traits in the article characteristics of Sagittarius.
Constellation of Sagittarius the Archer
Sagittarius lies between Capricornous to the east and Ophiuchus to the west. The constellation of Sagittarius can be seen by the naked eye. Sagittarius, the archer constellation is known to have 16 stars with planets. Sagittarius has more planetary host stars as compared to any other constellation.
This was all about what does Sagittarius the archer mean. Chiron the legendary centaur was turned into a constellation by ruler of the Gods, Zeus according to Greek mythology. I hope this article has helped answer your questions about Sagittarius, the Archer.