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Aquarius: The Greek Myth Behind Your Sign

Ganymede, the Prince of Troy, and the Greek myth behind Aquarius.

Jackie Montalvo

Mar 07, 2016

Northwestern University

258

Aquarius: The Greek Myth Behind Your Sign

January 20 to February 18

We begin our story of Aquarius with Ganymede, the extremely handsome young prince of Troy. From Mt. Olympus, Zeus (the god of the gods) spotted him and he instantly decided to make him his cupbearer to bring him all of his drinks.

From here the story diverges down two paths, one is that Zeus sends his pet eagle Aquila to swoop down to Troy and bring the boy up to Mt. Olympus. When he arrived, he became Zeus' cupbearer. Throughout the years, he would ride alongside Zeus on Aquila with Zeus' golden cup.

Once he was flying and he realized how in need the world was of water, he begged Zeus to let rain fall on the mortals of earth. Zeus was impressed by his kindness and allowed him to send rains down. In this version of the myth, he was admired and glorified as a constellation in the night sky for bringing water to the people of earth.

The other possible version is that Zeus himself, disguised as an eagle, brought Ganymede to Mt. Olympus. Back in ancient Greece, it was common for older men to take young men as "lovers," but also to be a mentor to them. However, here he was treated as a servant who only existed to carry around the cup of Zeus.

In rebellion, Ganymede poured Zeus' cup of water out in front of him. It is said that the waters fell to the earth and provided water to the people, but the water kept coming and it created huge floods that left lasting water for the mortals.

At first, Zeus wanted to punish Ganymede, but then he realized that he was right and that the people needed water, so he commemorated him by making immortal in the night sky.

Either way, Aquarius has to deal with water!

Check out the stories behind the other astrological signs:

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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Aquarius: The Greek Myth Behind Your Sign

Ganymede, the Prince of Troy, and the Greek myth behind Aquarius.

January 20 to February 18

Check out the stories behind the other astrological signs:

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The Best Lines from the Fab Four

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful and so are you

Love is old, love is new, love is all, love is you

There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be

Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend

He say, "I know you, you know me", One thing I can tell you is you got to be free

Oh please, say to me, You'll let me be your man. And please say to me, You'll let me hold your hand

It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play. They've been going in and out of style, but they're guaranteed to raise a smile

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see

Can you hear me? When it rains and shine, it's just a state of mind

Little darling, it's been long cold lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years since it' s been here. Here comes the sun, Here comes the sun, and I say it's alright

We danced through the night and we held each other tight, and before too long I fell in love with her. Now, I'll never dance with another when I saw her standing there

I love you, I love you, I love you, that's all I want to say

You say you want a revolution. Well you know, we all want to change the world

All the lonely people, where do they all come from. All the lonely people, where do they all belong

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends

Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday

And when the brokenhearted people, living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be.

And anytime you feel the pain, Hey Jude, refrain. Don't carry the world upon your shoulders

I'll give you all I got to give if you say you'll love me too. I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you. I don't care too much for money. Money can't buy me love

All you need is love, love is all you need

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before. I know I'll often stop and think about them. In my life, I love you more

Obviously the best superpower.

There have been many lessons learned.

1. The importance of traditions.

2. How to be thankful for family and friends.

3. How to give back.

4. What the word "community" really means.

5. That it isn't about the destination, but the journey.

6. The consequences of making bad choices.

7. To trust people, until you have a reason not to.

8. To be welcoming and accepting of everyone.

9. How to be my own, individual person.

10. How to work for what I want.

11. How to be great at giving directions.

12. How to be humble.

13. To be well-rounded.

14. How to be great at conflict resolution.

15. The beauty of getting outside and exploring.

16. To be prepared for anything.

17. That you don't always have to do it alone.

18. How to be creative.

19. To brush off gossip.

I have never been so thankful to know you.

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

Don't freak out

Email the professor

Attend the first class

Keep attending class

Have a backup plan

Remember that everything works out at the end

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