Story of Pisces and Libra

Story of Pisces and Libra

"Pisces" is the Latin word for "Fishes. It is one of the earliest zodiac signs on record, with the two fish appearing as far back as c.2300 BCE on an Egyptian coffin lid.

According to one Greek myth, Pisces represents the fish, sometimes represented by koi fish, into which Aphrodite (also considered Venus) and her son Eros (also considered Cupid) transformed in order to escape the monster Typhon. Typhon, the "father of all monsters" had been sent by Gaia to attack the gods, which led Pan to warn the others before himself changing into a goat-fish and jumping into the Euphrates. A similar myth, one which the fish "Pisces" carry Aphrodite and her son out of danger, is resounded in Manilius' five volume poetic work Astronomica: "Venus ow'd her safety to their Shape." Another myth is that an egg fell into the Euphrates river. It was then rolled to the shore by fish. Doves sat on the egg until it hatched, out from which came Aphrodite. As a sign of gratitude towards the fish, Aphrodite put the fish into the night sky. Because of these myths, the Pisces constellation was also known as "Venus et Cupido," "Venus Syria cum Cupidine," "Venus cum Adone," "Dione," and "Veneris Mater," the latter being the formal Latin term for mother.

The Greek myth on the origin of the sign of Pisces has been cited by English astrologer Richard James Morrison as an example of the fables that arose from the original astrological doctrine, and that the "original intent of [it] was afterwards corrupted both by poets and priests."

In Libra Mythology, Libra is a young sign. The Libra constellation lies between Virgo to the west and Scorpius to the east. Libra is the only zodiac sign that isn't symbolized by a person or an animal.

The claws of a scorpion are what symbolized Libra in the beginning, not balance. When the ancient Babylonians formulated the zodiac there was just 11 zodiac signs. In ancient Mesopotamia, an arm and the pans without a base depicted a scale. The scale was strung up with twine fastened to the center of the limb, showing a similarity to a scorpion strung up by the tail with its arms extended.

The claws of a scorpion are what symbolized Libra in the beginning, not balance. When the ancient Babylonians formulated the zodiac there was just 11 zodiac signs. In ancient Mesopotamia, an arm and the pans without a base depicted a scale. The scale was strung up with twine fastened to the center of the limb, showing a similarity to a scorpion strung up by the tail with its arms extended. There was a confusion with the translation of the words, zubana and zibanitu (meaning- weighing scale' and 'scorpion, respectively). The two translations of the words zubana and zibanitu led to the constellation the scorpion’s claws or Chelae Scorpionis. Therefore, in Babylonian Mythology, Libra started out as the claws of the Scorpio. Later when the Greeks looked at the constellation, they thought it looked like a set of scales held by Astraea or (Star-maiden).