XXII. Περσέως
Περὶ τούτου ἱστορεῖται ὅτι ἐν τοῖς ἄστροις ἐτέθη διὰ τὴν δόξαν· τῇ γὰρ Δανάῃ ὡς χρυσὸς μιγεὶς ὁ Ζεὺς ἐγέννησεν αὐτόν· ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ Πολυδέκτου πεμφθεὶς ἐπὶ τὰς Γοργόνας τήν τε κυνῆν ἔλαβε παρ’ Ἑρμοῦ καὶ τὰ πέδιλα, ἐν οἷς διὰ τοῦ ἀέρος ἐποιεῖτο τὴν πορείαν· δοκεῖ δὲ καὶ ἅρπην παρ’ Ἡφαίστου λαβεῖν ἐξ ἀδάμαντος· ὡς δὲ Αἰσχύλος φησὶν ὁ τῶν τραγῳδιῶν ποιητὴς ἐν Φορκίσιν, Γραίας εἶχον προφύλακας αἱ Γοργόνες· αὗται δὲ ἕνα εἶχον ὀφθαλμὸν καὶ τοῦτον ἀλλήλαις παρεδίδοσαν κατὰ φυλακήν· τηρήσας δ’ ὁ Περσεὺς ἐν τῇ παραδόσει, λαβὼν ἔρριψεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν Τριτωνίδα λίμνην, καὶ οὕτως ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τὰς Γοργόνας ὑπνωκυίας ἀφείλετο τῆς Μεδούσης τὴν κεφαλήν, ἣν ἡ Ἀθηνᾶ περὶ τὰ στήθη ἔθηκεν αὐτῆς, τῷ δὲ Περσεῖ τὴν εἰς τὰ ἄστρα θέσιν ἐποίησεν, ὅθεν ἔχων θεωρεῖται καὶ τὴν Γοργόνος κεφαλήν.
Ἔχει δὲ ἀστέρας [ἐπὶ μὲν τῆς κεφαλῆς αʹ], ἐφ’ ἑκατέρῳ ὤμῳ λαμπρὸν αʹ, ἐπ’ ἄκρας τῆς δεξιᾶς χειρὸς λαμπρὸν αʹ, ⟨ἐπ’⟩ ἀγκῶνος αʹ, ⟨ἐπ’⟩ ἄκρας χειρὸς ἀριστερᾶς αʹ, ἐν ᾗ τὴν κεφαλὴν δοκεῖ τῆς Γοργόνος ἔχειν· ⟨ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς τῆς Γοργόνος αʹ, ἐπὶ τῆς κοιλίας αʹ, ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ ἰσχίου λαμπρὸν αʹ, ἐπὶ⟩ δεξιοῦ μηροῦ λαμπρὸν αʹ, ⟨ἐπὶ⟩ γόνατος αʹ, ⟨ἐπ’⟩ ἀντικνημίου αʹ, ⟨ἐπὶ ποδὸς ἀμαυρόν, ἐπ’ ἀριστεροῦ μηροῦ ἀμαυρόν, ἐπὶ γόνατος αʹ, ἐπ’ ἀντικνημίου βʹ⟩, περὶ τοὺς Γοργόνος πλοκάμους γʹ· ⟨τοὺς πάντας ιθʹ⟩· ἡ δὲ κεφαλὴ [ηʹ], ἡ δ’ ἅρπη, [ἔχουσα εʹ], ἄναστρος ὁρᾶται, διὰ δὲ νεφελώδους συστροφῆς δοκεῖ τισιν ὁρᾶσθαι.
22. Of Perseus
It is told of this one that he was placed among the stars on account of his fame: for Zeus, having come to Danae as gold, begot him; sent by Polydectes against the Gorgons, he received from Hermes the cap and the sandals, with which he made his journey through the air; he is thought also to have received a sickle from Hephaestus, made of adamant. As Aeschylus the tragic poet says in the Phorcides, the Graiai were the sentinels of the Gorgons; they had one eye between them, and passed it to one another in turn as they kept watch; Perseus, waiting for the moment of the exchange, took it and threw it into Lake Tritonis, and so, coming upon the Gorgons asleep, he cut off the head of Medusa, which Athena placed on her own breast, and for Perseus she made a place among the stars; hence he is seen holding the head of the Gorgon as well.
It has stars: [on the head 1], on each shoulder 1 bright one, on the tip of the right hand 1 bright one, ⟨on⟩ the elbow 1, ⟨on⟩ the tip of the left hand 1, in which he is thought to hold the head of the Gorgon; ⟨on the head of the Gorgon 1, on the belly 1, on the right hip 1 bright one, on⟩ the right thigh 1 bright one, ⟨on⟩ the knee 1, ⟨on⟩ the shin 1, ⟨on the foot 1 faint one, on the left thigh 1 faint one, on the knee 1, on the shin 2⟩, around the locks of the Gorgon 3; ⟨19 in all⟩; the head [8], and the sickle, [which has 5], are seen without stars, but by a cloudy mass are thought by some to be seen.
XXIII. Πλειάδος
Ἐπὶ τῆς ἀποτομῆς τοῦ Ταύρου τῆς καλουμένης ῥάχεως ⟨ἡ⟩ Πλειάς ἐστιν· συνηγμένης δ’ αὐτῆς εἰς ἀστέρας ἑπτά, λέγουσιν εἶναι τῶν Ἄτλαντος θυγατέρων, διὸ ἑπτάστερος καλεῖται· οὐχ ὁρῶνται δὲ αἱ ἑπτά, ἀλλ’ αἱ ἕξ· τὸ δὲ αἴτιον οὕτω πως λέγεται. τὰς μὲν γὰρ ⟨ἕξ⟩ φασι θεοῖς μιγῆναι, τὴν δὲ μίαν θνητῷ· τρεῖς μὲν οὖν μιγῆναι Διί, Ἠλέκτραν ἐξ ἧς Δάρδανος, Μαῖαν ἐξ ἧς Ἑρμῆς, Ταϋγέτην ἐξ ἧς Λακεδαίμων· Ποσειδῶνι δὲ δύο μιγῆναι, Ἀλκυόνην ἐξ ἧς Ὑριεύς, Κελαινὼ ἐξ ἧς Λύκος· Στερόπη δὲ λέγεται Ἄρει μιγῆναι, ἐξ ἧς Οἰνόμαος ἐγένετο· Μερόπη δὲ Σισύφῳ θνητῷ, διὸ παναφανής ἐστιν. μεγίστην δ’ ἔχουσι δόξαν ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπισημαίνουσαι καθ’ ὥραν. θέσιν δὲ ἔχουσιν εὖ μάλα κείμεναι κατὰ τὸν Ἵππαρχον τριγωνοειδοῦς σχήματος.
23. Of the Pleiad
At the cut-off part of the Bull, the so-called back, is the Pleiad; gathered into seven stars, they say they are of the daughters of Atlas, and so it is called the Seven-star; but they are not seen as seven but as six; and the reason is told somewhat as follows. They say that ⟨six⟩ of them lay with gods, and one with a mortal; three of them lay with Zeus: Electra, from whom came Dardanus, Maia, from whom Hermes, and Taygete, from whom Lacedaemon; two lay with Poseidon: Alcyone, from whom Hyrieus, and Celaeno, from whom Lycus; Sterope is said to have lain with Ares, from whom Oenomaus was born; and Merope with Sisyphus, a mortal, and for this reason she is wholly invisible [?]. They have very great reputation among people, as they give signs at their season. According to Hipparchus they have a well-placed position, with the shape of a triangle.
XXIV. Λύρας
Αὕτη ἐνάτη κεῖται ἐν τοῖς ἄστροις, ἔστι δὲ Μουσῶν· κατεσκευάσθη μὲν πρῶτον ὑπὸ Ἑρμοῦ ἐκ τῆς χελώνης καὶ τῶν Ἀπόλλωνος βοῶν, ἔσχε δὲ χορδὰς ἑπτὰ ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀτλαντίδων. μετέλαβε δὲ αὐτὴν Ἀπόλλων καὶ συναρμοσάμενος ᾠδὴν Ὀρφεῖ ἔδωκεν, ὃς Καλλιόπης υἱὸς ὤν, μιᾶς τῶν Μουσῶν, ἐποίησε τὰς χορδὰς ἐννέα ἀπὸ τοῦ τῶν Μουσῶν ἀριθμοῦ καὶ προήγαγεν ἐπὶ πλέον ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις δοξαζόμενος οὕτως ὥστε καὶ ὑπόληψιν ἔχειν περὶ αὐτοῦ τοιαύτην ὅτι ⟨τὰ δένδρα⟩ καὶ τὰς πέτρας καὶ τὰ θηρία ἐκήλει διὰ τῆς ᾠδῆς· ὃς τὸν μὲν Διόνυσον οὐκ ἐτίμα, τὸν δὲ Ἥλιον μέγιστον τῶν θεῶν ἐνόμιζεν εἶναι, ὃν καὶ Ἀπόλλωνα προσηγόρευσεν· ἐπεγειρόμενός τε τῆς νυκτὸς κατὰ τὴν ἑωθινὴν ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ καλούμενον Πάγγαιον ⟨ἀνιών⟩ προσέμενε τὰς ἀνατολάς, ἵνα ἴδῃ τὸν Ἥλιον πρῶτον· ὅθεν ὁ Διόνυσος ὀργισθεὶς αὐτῷ ἔπεμψε τὰς Βασσαρίδας, ὥς φησιν Αἰσχύλος ὁ τῶν τραγῳδιῶν ποιητής· αἵτινες αὐτὸν διέσπασαν καὶ τὰ μέλη διέρριψαν χωρὶς ἕκαστον· αἱ δὲ Μοῦσαι συναγαγοῦσαι ἔθαψαν ἐπὶ τοῖς λεγομένοις Λειβήθροις. τὴν λύραν οὐκ ἔχουσαι ὅτῳ δώσειν τὸν Δία ἠξίωσαν καταστερίσαι, ὅπως ἐκείνου τε καὶ αὐτῶν μνημόσυνον τεθῇ ἐν τοῖς ἄστροις· τοῦ δ’ ἐπινεύσαντος οὕτως ἐτέθη· ἐπισημασίαν δὲ ἔχει ἐπὶ τῷ ἐκείνου συμπτώματι δυομένη καθ’ ὥραν.
Ἔχει δὲ ἀστέρας ἐπὶ τῶν κτενῶν ἑκατέρων αʹ, ἐφ’ ἑκατέρου πήχεως ἀκρωτῆρι ὁμοίως αʹ, ἐφ’ ἑκατέρων ὤμων αʹ, ἐπὶ ζυγοῦ αʹ, ἐπὶ τοῦ πυθμένος αʹ, λευκὸν καὶ λαμπρόν· τοὺς πάντας ηʹ.
24. Of the Lyre
This one lies ninth among the stars, and is the Muses'. It was first made by Hermes from the tortoise and Apollo's cattle, and it had seven strings, from the daughters of Atlas. Apollo took it over, and, tuning it, gave a song to Orpheus; who, being the son of Calliope, one of the Muses, made the strings nine, from the number of the Muses, and carried it further, being so famous among people that there was even this belief about him, that ⟨the trees⟩ and the rocks and wild animals he charmed by his song; he did not honour Dionysus, but believed Helios to be the greatest of the gods, whom he called Apollo; and rising in the night toward dawn he used to go up on the mountain called Pangaeum ⟨to wait⟩ for the sunrise, to see the Sun first; wherefore Dionysus, angered at him, sent the Bassarids, as Aeschylus the tragic poet says; they tore him apart and scattered his limbs, each separately; and the Muses, gathering them, buried them at the so-called Leibethra. Having no one to whom they might give the lyre, they asked Zeus to set it among the stars, so that a memorial both of him and of themselves might be placed among the stars; and when he agreed it was so placed; and it has a sign of the weather, setting at its season, in memory of his misfortune.
It has stars: on each of the two crossbars 1, on the tip of each arm likewise 1, on each shoulder 1, on the yoke 1, on the base 1, white and bright; 8 in all.
XXV. Κύκνου
Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ καλούμενος μέγας, ὃν κύκνῳ εἰκάζουσιν· λέγεται δὲ τὸν Δία ὁμοιωθέντα τῷ ζῴῳ τούτῳ Νεμέσεως ἐρασθῆναι, ἐπεὶ αὐτῇ πᾶσαν ἥμειβε μορφήν, ἵνα τὴν παρθενίαν φυλάξῃ, καὶ τότε κύκνος γέγονεν· οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸν ὁμοιωθέντα τῷ ὀρνέῳ τούτῳ καταπτῆναι εἰς Ῥαμνοῦντα τῆς Ἀττικῆς, κἀκεῖ τὴν Νέμεσιν φθεῖραι· τὴν δὲ τεκεῖν ᾠόν, ἐξ οὗ ἐκκολαφθῆναι καὶ γενέσθαι τὴν Ἑλένην, ὥς φησι Κρατῖνος ὁ ποιητής. καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ μεταμορφωθῆναι αὐτόν, ἀλλ’ οὕτως ἀναπτῆναι εἰς οὐρανόν, καὶ τὸν τύπον τοῦ κύκνου ἔθηκεν ἐν τοῖς ἄστροις· ἔστι δὲ ἱπτάμενος οἷος τότε ἦν.
Ἔχει δ’ ἀστέρας ἐπὶ μὲν τῆς κεφαλῆς λαμπρὸν αʹ, ἐπὶ τοῦ τραχήλου λαμπρὸν αʹ, ἐπὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς πτέρυγος εʹ, ⟨ἐπὶ τῆς ἀριστερᾶς εʹ⟩, ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος αʹ, ἐπὶ τοῦ ὀρθοπυγίου αʹ, ὃς ἔστι μέγιστος· ⟨τοὺς πάντας ιδʹ⟩.
25. Of the Swan
This is the one called the great one, which they liken to a swan. It is said that Zeus, made like this creature, fell in love with Nemesis, since she kept changing into every shape in order to preserve her virginity, and that he then became a swan; so, made like this bird, he flew down to Rhamnus in Attica and there ruined Nemesis; she laid an egg, from which Helen was hatched and born, as Cratinus the poet says. And because he did not change back but flew up to heaven in this form, he placed the shape of the swan among the stars; and it is flying as he then was.
It has stars: on the head 1 bright one, on the neck 1 bright one, on the right wing 5, ⟨on the left 5⟩, on the body 1, on the tail 1, which is the largest; ⟨14 in all⟩.
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