"The Fish"
Mythology: This
constellation is not as simple as it may seem -- these are not just two
ordinary fish. In Greek Mythology, they represent Aphrodite (Goddess
of Love; Roman name is Venus) and her son Eros (Roman name is Amor or Cupid)
who represents longing and desire. [Interesting note: Eros'
father is Ares (Roman: Mars), the God of War. How interesting
that the Goddess of Love would mate with the God of War!]
The younger Gods were involved with a long war with the older Gods, the
Titans, for power of Mount Olympus. The mother of Zeus, Earth or
Mother Gaia, was so outraged by the ten year struggle for power that she
brought forth a Typhon, a monster so terrible and strong that it threatened
even the Gods. The Gods were so distracted by the fighting that they
did not see the monster approaching. Pan was the first to notice
Typhon, and suggested to the other Gods that they transform themselves
into animals to hide from Typhon (Pan is depicted by the constellation
Capricornus -- the Sea Goat -- since he changed into a fish). Upon
hearing Pan's warning, Aphrodite changed both herself and her son into
fish and hid in the Euphrates River. However, in another version
of the story, Aphrodite and Eros were just hiding from Typhon among the
reeds in the Euphrates River and two fish came and carried the two to safety.
Despite whichever depiction you entertain, it is thought that the string
between the two fish represents Aphrodite tying Eros to her so they wouldn't
get separated.
Interesting Note: It is possible that this constellation finds in
origins from other cultures. According to some sources, the Ancient
Babylonians also described two fish connected by a line in the same area
of the sky.
Other Interesting
Sights: The spiral galaxy M74 is located in
the constellation Pisces. It is exceptional because you can see the
galaxy face-on, thus showing the arms and demonstrating the structure of
a spiral galaxy.
The Spiral Galaxy M74