Virgo Archives |

The constellation Virgo has different origins depending on which mythology is being studied. Most myths generally view Virgo as a maiden with heavy association with wheat. In Greek and Roman mythology, they relate the constellation to Demeter, mother of Persephone, or Proserpina, the Roman goddess of the harvest. Another association is with the myth of Parthenos (meaning virgin in Greek), which explains how the actual constellation Virgo came to be.

In the legend, Parthenos is the daughter of Staphylus and Chrysothemis, and sister to Rhoeo and Molpadia. Rhoeo had been impregnated by Apollo, but when her father discovered her pregnancy, he assumed it was by a random suitor and was greatly ashamed. As punishment, he locked her in a box and threw her in a river. After the terrible fate of their sister, Parthenos and Molpadia lived in fear of their father’s terrible wrath. One evening, Staphylus left his daughters in charge of a very valuable bottle of wine. When they both accidentally fell asleep, one of their swine broke the bottle. Terrified of their father, the sisters fled to a nearby cliff and threw themselves off. But because of his previous relations with Rhoeo, Apollo saved his two sisters and delivered them to the safety of nearby cities in Cherronseos. Molpadia ended up in Castabus where she changed her name to Hemithea and was worshipped as a local goddess for many years. Parthenos settled in Bubastus where she was also worshipped as a local goddess. According to another story, Parthenos was a daughter of Apollo who made the constellation to commemorate her death at a young age.

While this is only one myth of the origin of Virgo, she is seen throughout all manner of myths. In Egyptian mythology, the time when the Sun was in the constellation Virgo marked the beginning of the wheat harvest, thus connecting Virgo back to the wheat grain. In Christianity, Jesus was born to a virgin in the town of Bethlehem (“bread”); the ancient Zodiac ended in the constellation Leo and began with Virgo. Virgo has the equivalent sign in Indian astrology as the Kanya (which also means “maiden”), and has even been connected with the Virgin Mary.[8]

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