Sagittarius

Sagittarius, the Archer, is the ninth sign of the Zodiac, conventionally given to those born between about Nov. 22 and Dec. 21. In Greek mythology the constellation is a creature with the body of a horse and the torso of a man who draws a bow. The ancient sources do not agree on who he is: many called him a centaur, but the Roman writer Hyginus says that others identified him with Crotus, a son of the Muses’ nurse Eupheme, and the centaur Chiron has a constellation of his own (Hyginus, Astronomica 2.27, 2.38).

Sagittarius in Mythology

Hyginus, who collects the star-myths in his Astronomica, reports that many people called the Archer a centaur, but that others denied it because no centaur ever used arrows. Hyginus asks why he has the legs of a horse and a tail like a satyr, and reports the explanation that he is Crotus, the son of Eupheme, nurse of the Muses (Hyginus, Astronomica 2.27).

Crotus, the Archer of Helicon

According to Hyginus, who cites the tragic poet Sositheus, Crotus lived on Mount Helicon, loved the company of the Muses and sometimes hunted. He was the swiftest in the woods and the keenest among the Muses, and for this reason the Muses asked Zeus to give him a place among the stars. Zeus gave him the horse’s legs because he had made great use of horses, added arrows to show his keenness and speed, and set a satyr’s tail on him because the Muses delighted in Crotus as Dionysus delighted in the satyrs. The few round stars before his feet are called by some his crown, thrown aside as if he were playing (Hyginus, Astronomica 2.27).

Sagittarius and Chiron

The centaur most often connected with the stars in ancient sources is Chiron, but Hyginus gives him a different constellation, Centaurus, which he describes as holding a victim above an altar (Astronomica 2.38, 3.37). Chiron, son of Cronus and Philyra, was a centaur of double form (Apollodorus, Library 1.2.4), and the teacher of Achilles (Homer, Iliad 11.831–832) and of Asclepius, who learned healing from him (Iliad 4.217–219; Apollodorus, Library 3.10.3), and, in Pindar, of Jason (Pythian 4.102–103). Hyginus says he was set among the stars for his justice and piety (Astronomica 2.38).

His death is told in Apollodorus. When Heracles was pursuing the centaurs, he shot an arrow that passed through the arm of Elatus and stuck in the knee of Chiron. Heracles pulled out the shaft and applied a medicine Chiron gave him, but the wound was incurable; Chiron retired to his cave and wished to die, but could not, being immortal. Prometheus then offered himself to Zeus as immortal in his stead, and so Chiron died (Library 2.5.4; 2.5.11). Heracles had dipped his arrows in the gall of the Hydra (Library 2.5.2). Hyginus gives two versions of the arrow: that it fell on his foot while Heracles examined the arrows, or that Chiron himself tried to draw the bow and the arrow slipped. Zeus pitied him and placed him among the stars (Astronomica 2.38). Some later writers have mixed Chiron with Sagittarius; in the ancient texts they are separate constellations.

Apollo and Sagittarius

None of the ancient texts shows Apollo as a centaur, or turning himself into Sagittarius to escape Artemis (Diana). Apollo is a god of archery in Greek myth, but nothing links him to the constellation of the Archer.

The constellation of Sagittarius

Sagittarius is one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac. Hyginus notes which stars rise together with it: the Centaur (Chiron’s constellation) rises with Scorpius and Sagittarius, and the Dolphin rises with the hind part of the Archer (Astronomica 3.37, 3.16). In his description of the sky the Archer faces west with the body of a centaur, as if about to shoot, his bow cut in half by the Milky Way, a small crown of stars before his feet and fifteen stars in all (Astronomica 3.26; 2.27).

Sagittarius in Astrology

Sagittarius Ruling Planet and Sign

In astrology, Sagittarius is the ninth sign counted from Aries, and its traditional ruler is Jupiter, the planet of Zeus (the Roman Jupiter). Astrology has its own sources, which are separate from the myth told above; the ancient mythographers say nothing about signs, planets or birth dates.

Sagittarius Personality and Character traits

The character traits ascribed to people born under Sagittarius belong to astrological tradition, and none of them is attested in the myths. The one description of character that does come from the ancient story is Hyginus’ account of Crotus: swift in the woods, keen in the company of the Muses, and fond of hunting (Astronomica 2.27).

Sagittarius Sources

The star-myth of Sagittarius is told in Hyginus’ Astronomica (2.27 and 3.26 for the Archer and Crotus, 2.38 and 3.37 for Chiron’s constellation Centaurus, 3.16 for the Dolphin that rises with the Archer). Chiron’s parentage, pupils and death are in Apollodorus’ Library (1.2.4, 2.5.2, 2.5.4, 2.5.11, 3.10.3), Homer’s Iliad (4.217–219, 11.831–832) and Pindar’s fourth Pythian ode (102–103).

See Also: Chiron, Heracles, Capricorn, Scorpio, Zeus, Apollo, Jason, Asclepius