Aquarius – the Ancient Greek Myth behind the Zodiac Sign

Aquarius zodiac sign Art Board Print by KeraBrownArt

January 21 – February 19

Aquarius; an air sign, the eleventh sign of the Zodiac, is associated with various Greek myths, the two main myths are, firstly, that of Deucalion, the son of Prometheus who, with his wife, Pyrrha, built a boat, survived a devastating flood, washed up on the shores of MountParnassus and repopulated the world.

Secondly, we have the myth of Zeus and Ganymede, a beautiful Greek youth, abducted by King of the Greek gods; Zeus (Jupiter) and whisked away to Mount Olympus (I’ll tell you these stories further down the post).

Ancient Greece and the twelve signs of the zodiac

12 symbols of the 12 zodiac signs

The mysterious night sky thrilled the ancient Greek astrologers who played a huge role in what we now know today about the shape and size of the Earth, the moon, the position of constellations and how they move, the orbital paths of planets and their correlation with the stars around them.

The ancient Greeks were able to use this information to make detailed predictions, what we know of today as horoscopes.

In ancient Greece, each one of the twelve signs of the zodiac (the word zodiac comes from a Greek word meaning, “The circle of animals” meaning all living creatures), related to one of the four elements: earth, air, fire and water and identified with twelve constellations, seen in the night sky at different times of the year.

With the exception of Libra, each zodiac sign relates to a Greek myth concerning animals or humans, telling how each group of stars arrived in the heavens.

The twelve zodiac signs and their symbols

Symbols of the 12 signs of the zodiac

Aries – Ram. March 21 – April 19

Taurus – Bull. April 20 – May 20

Gemini -The twins. May 21 – June 20

Cancer – Crab. June 21 – July 22

Leo – Lion. July 23 – August 22

Virgo – Virgin. August 23 – September 22

Libra – The scales. September 23 – October 22

Scorpio – Scorpion. October 23 – November 21

Sagittarius – Centaur. November 22 – December 21

Capricorn – Goat. December 22 – January 19

Aquarius – Water bearer. January 20 – February 18

Pisces – Fish. February 19 – March 20

The Zodiac Sign of Aquarius

Sidney Hall – Urania’s Mirror – Aquarius

11th sign of the zodiac

January 22 to January 19

Symbol: Water Carrier

Element: Air

Ruling Panets Saturn and Uranus

Aquarius Hevelius, Firmamentum, 1690.

The Zodiac sign of Aquarius is one of the oldest of the recognized constellations along the zodiac (the Sun’s pathway across the sky) and falls between Capricorn and Pisces.

The symbol for the zodiac sign of Aquarius comes from the Latin meaning of the word Aquarius, which is ‘water- carrier’, or ‘cup carrier’ and from the ancient Greek myth of Ganymede, the cupbearer of the gods, who bestows water, or life, upon Earth.

The symbol for the zodiac sign of Aquarius comes from the Latin meaning of the word Aquarius, which is ‘water- carrier’, or ‘cup carrier’

Aquarius is found in an area often called the Sea, owing to its abundance of constellations with watery connections such as Cetus, the whale, Pisces, the fish and Eridanus, the river.

Aquarius is ruled by Uranus, the planet which controls innovation, technology, and unexpected happenings.

Even though Aquarius is called ‘The Water Bearer’, it’s actually an air sign characterized by cleverness, knowledge and originality.

The constellation of Aquarius

The ancient Greek myths behind the zodiac sign of Aquarius:

The ‘Deucalion Deluge’

Ganymede and the Eagle in a 3rd-century Roman mosaic, Nea Paphos, Cyprus.

How Zeus (Jupiter) came to be known as the ‘Water-Bearer’

The “Deucalion Deluge”, a terrible flood in Greek mythology, is said to have been caused by Zeus, king of the Greek gods, who, disgusted with the carryings on of mankind, poured all the waters from the heavens out onto the Earth to wash away and destroy the wicked and evil men and at the same time, wiped out the whole of the Greek civilization leaving only two survivors.

The two who made it were Deucalion, son of Prometheus, creator of mankind, who later gave them fire, and Pyrrha, daughter of Pandora; the first woman to be created by the gods.

“The Flood” – Deucalion and Pyrrha, the only survivors of the Greek Deucalion deluge.

As the heavens opened and the wrath of Zeus poured out, Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha took refuge in a boat and proceeded to be thrown around in turbulent seas for the following nine days and nights.

They finally ran aground on the highest peak of Mount Parnassus which overlooks Delphi in central Greece.

So relieved to be back on terra firma, Deucalion and Pyrrha, would agree to anything asked of them, and so complied when ordered by Zeus to throw stones over their shoulders, which instantly became people; the stones thrown by Deucalion became men and the ones thrown by Pyrrha; women.

Deucalion and Pyrrha repopulate the World by throwing stones behind them. Peter Paul Rubens – 1636.

From this story Zeus earned the name of ‘water – bearer’, (the symbol of the Zodiac sign of Aquarius), who, by pouring out all the waters of heaven, rid the Earth forever of wickedness and evil.

The myth of Zeus and Ganymede

Ganymede and Zeus as an eagle by John Woodrow Kellwey. The Greek myth behind the Zoziac sign of Aquarius

In Greek mythology Ganymede, a divine hero of Troy, was thought to be the most exquisite mortal youth you could ever wish to lay eyes on.

Zeus, king of the Greek gods, upon spotting young Ganymede, who was around fifteen years old at the time, tending to his sheep on Mount Ida (Crete), thought exactly the same.

Damiano Mazza – The Rape of Ganymede (1575).

It was love at first sight for Zeus; he had to have Ganymede at all costs. (In ancient Greece it was the norm for an older man to take a ‘young boy’ as a lover) and so, without further ado, Zeus transformed himself into an enormous eagle, swooped down on the unsuspecting Ganymede, hooked him up with his talons and flew back to Mount Olympus with him.

Once they arrived on Mount Olympus, Zeus made Ganymede his lover and a cupbearer for the gods, basically meaning, their slave, responsible for keeping the cups of the Olympians, filled to the brim their special drink, known as nectar or ambrosia, the wine of the gods, which gave them stamina and kept them forever young.

Statue of Zeus and Ganymede depicting Zeus carrying the boy Ganymede off to Mount Olympus. Fifth century BC. Now displayed ,near where it was originally found, in the Archaeological Museum of Olympia.

Ganymede put up with a lot until, finally, one day, he could take no more and in a fit of temper, empties out all the nectar from the jugs, which falls to earth, as torrential rain which floods the whole world.

On seeing what had happened, Zeus raged and roared at Ganymede but deep down, in his heart, he was a fair and kind man and on reflection, realized he had been rather hard on Ganymede.

In return for his unfair treatment of the boy, Zeus immortalized Ganymede as the Aquarius constellation, which depicts a boy with a jug.

Symbol of Aquarius – Boy with a jug

You can see how the finale of the myth of Zeus and Ganymede ties in with the myth of the ‘The Deucalion Deluge’, where Zeus, rather than Ganymede, became the ‘water – carrier’, or ‘cupbearer’, which today is the symbol of the zodiac sign of Aquarius.

Personality traits of Aquarius

Aquarius Traits

Positive Aquarius Traits

(Source for Aquarius traits:PrepScholar)

Aquarius Positive Traits

Visionary

Perhaps the most prominent Aquarius trait is their ambitious vision, both for their future and the future of society. Aquarians are extremely progressive and seek to enact positive change in the world, often through generous humanitarian efforts, such as helping with the fight against climate change or figuring out ways to solve the world hunger crisis.

Though they can be a bit dogmatic in their beliefs sometimes, they really will do whatever it takes to see that the world becomes a better place.

Their compassion and strong sense of justice is what guides their actions and views. They also cherish freedom and aim to extend it to everyone.

If you’ve ever wondered who’s going to change the world, my best guess would be an Aquarius!

Intelligent

Aquarius is a highly intelligent, cerebral sign that has a tendency to get lost in thought while analyzing something or trying to identify potential solutions to problems. They see possibility in everything and love to dissect it for as long as they can; this, in turn, makes them especially tolerant of other viewpoints.

Indeed, Aquarians are by and large big-picture thinkers and some of the best problem solvers. Sometimes they can get a bit distracted by their own thoughts, but overall they’re great people to turn to if you want an unbiased, well-researched answer to an issue or question.

Original

Those born under the Aquarius sign are typically some of the most unique and original people you’ll ever meet—and they’re proud to be, too!

Aquarians are famously innovative and aren’t afraid to think outside the box when it comes to creative projects, business solutions, and so on. In fact, they pride themselves on being able to identify revolutionary ideas and approaches for making things—including society—better.

This originality extends to Aquarians’ creative minds as well: many are devoutly artistic and love expressing themselves through pursuits such as painting and writing.

In their personal lives, Aquarians are often described as a little (or very) eccentric, but it’s a label many, if not most, are willing to embrace. After all, ordinary is boring!

Negative Aquarius Traits

Aquarius Negative Traits

Cold

Aquarians can come across as cold and insensitive due to their more pragmatic and less emotional way of looking at things. Their tendency to overanalyze detaches them from the world and those around them, causing others to feel uncomfortable with the Aquarian’s rigid thought process.

For Aquarius, appearing impersonal or aloof can pose a large problem if the situation is serious or heavily emotions-bound. You don’t want to accidentally distance important people from you!

Condescending

Aquarius might be one of the more intelligent signs, but this proclivity for deep thinking can lead to condescension in some cases. Aquarians are often convinced that what they think must be right and that therefore everyone else is wrong.

Usually, an Aquarius is completely unaware that they’re talking down to someone because they truly believe their opinion is “fact.” And once they’ve made up their mind, it can be difficult to change it.

Naturally, this trait can be a big source of frustration for people who are trying to propose solutions or exchange ideas with an Aquarius, as it makes them feel intellectually inferior and like less of an equal.

Overly Idealistic

Though being a visionary is one of the best Aquarius characteristics, it’s also one of their downfalls. Why? When Aquarians become too idealistic, they often find themselves believing that nothing less than perfect will do—and this can lead to dissatisfaction, frustration, and even depression when they fail to reach this lofty, at times impossible standard.

In many cases, this idealism causes Aquarians to be self-righteous and even a little delusional when it comes to what they can practically do.

Unpredictable

The Aquarius sign is all about change, usually change for the better—but occasionally this quality can manifest as unpredictability. Aquarians might generally come across emotionless, but this is because they tend to release their emotions (read: anger) in quick, sudden bursts that seemingly come out of nowhere.

This bad temper is a problem for many Aquarians, especially those who face a lot of pressure in their lives, including from themselves. Aquarius doesn’t like to be emotionally vulnerable, so when something really riles them up, it’s typically a result of several different things compiled over time.