History and Mythology
In Greek mythology, Corona Borealis was sometimes considered to represent a crown that was given by Dionysus to Ariadne, the daughter of Minos of Crete. When she wore the crown to her wedding, where she married Bacchus, he placed her crown in the heavens to commemorate the wedding. In Welsh mythology, it was called Caer Arianrhod, "the Castle of the Silver Circle", and was the heavenly abode of the Lady Arianrhod (Squire, 2000:154–155). In Arabic mythology, the constellation was known as "the bowl of the poor people" from the Arabic name قصعة المساكين, since the stars form an unsymmetrical pattern with an indent in one side, similar to the bowl of the poor. The Arabs also called the constellation Alphecca (a name later given to Alpha Corona Borealis), which means separated or broken up since the stars of Corona Borealis resembles a loose string of jewels.
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Famous quotes containing the words history and/or mythology:
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