Virgo (constellation)

Originally posted to Shrubbery, 26 oct 2003

If I'm sticking with the whole Greek theme here, the sixth zodiacal constellation represents Persephone, goddess of the Underworld.

Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, goddess of fruitfulness and the harvest. Demeter absolutely doted on her beautiful daughter.

One day, when Persephone and the Ocean nymphs (the Oceanids) were out collecting flowers, Persephone's beauty caught the eye of Hades, god of the Underworld. He had been wishing for a wife, so he caused a great hole to open up in the earth's crust, drove his chariot up through it, snatched the girl, and closed up the hole before anyone realised what had happened. All the nymphs knew was that their companion had vanished.

When Demeter heard that her daughter was missing, she started wandering the earth looking for her. She refused to have anything to do with her usual province of the fields until her daughter was back in her arms.

Soon all of the crops were withering and the people on earth were likely to starve. Zeus sent the messenger god Hermes to the Underworld to demand Persephone's return, and Hades agreed under one condition. They would have to prove that Persephone hadn't had anything to eat or drink during her stay in his kingdom, because anything which passed her lips would connect her to Hades forever.

Now, Persephone had been so full of grief at her abduction that she had been unable to eat a thing, but when the news of her pending release reached her she was so relieved that she began to feel hungry. Picking up a lowly pomegranate, she unfortunately had swallowed six (or some say, three) seeds before her attendants could stop her.

Because of this, Persephone can only return to her mother for half (or three quarters) of the year and must spend the other half (or a quarter, in warmer climates) as Queen of the Underworld. While she is gone, her mother Demeter mourns her loss and refuses to allow the plants to grow, thus causing winter.

Virgo is often represented as holding a stalk of wheat (the star Spica) in her hand, symbolising her connection with her mother's crops.