Myths of Scorpio, Leo, and
Cancer
There are various variants
of the mythology of Scorpio, but practically all of them also
include the constellation of Orion, the Hunter. In some variations,
Scorpio was an murderer sent by Artemis to kill Orion. The reasons
vary. Generally, it is out of rage at her defeat at his hands. In
one other, it's to guard the bull of Taurus, and in one other, it's
for his bragging of his expertise and glory in looking (Artemis
believed in hunting only for food). And in one more version, the
scorpion was a punishment for Orion's pursuit of the goddesses of
the Pleiades.
Regardless of the model you
like to imagine, the assassination of Orion plays out time and again
each night within the stars. Orion is opposite Scorpius in the sky,
so as the scorpion arrives on the scene, Orion "dies" by dropping
under the horizon.
Leo and Most cancers each
owe their existence--and their deaths, sadly--to the nice Olympian
hero, Hercules.
Hercules was charged with
killing the vicious and large Nemean Lion. None of his weapons could
reduce by way of the lion's pores and skin, so he was finally forced
to wrestle it to the bottom and strangle it along with his bare
hands.
Hercules saved the lion's
skin, and it came in very handy. His subsequent task was the Lernean
Hydra, a dragon with seven heads. And, as if a number of heads
weren't enough of a problem, when any head was reduce off, two extra
would grow in it's place! The Lion's skin helped shield Hercules
from the heads while he set about to find a way to kill it.
Hera, Zeus's spouse, wanted
Hercules dead. She sent a crab to distract Hercules from his
struggle with the Hydra. Unfortunately, Hercules was only distracted
long enough to crush the crab underneath his foot. Hera positioned
the crab within the sky to recollect it's sacrifice.
