The eleventh sign of the zodiac has as its symbol the Water Bearer, a human figure carrying a jar or receptacle from which water pours out in a stream.
The symbol of the Water Bearer goes back to both Egyptian and Babylonian religion. In Egypt the Water Bearer was the god Hap, the personification of the river Nile. Hap carried two vases of water, which represented both the South and North Nile, and was considered the sustainer of life. All living things would die without the waters of Hap.
In Greek literature the constellation of Aquarius was called the Water Pourer, and is sometimes thought to represent the god Jupiter, who at a command caused the waters to pour from heaven. It also commemorates Deucalion, the only man to come through the Great Flood unharmed.
At the beginning of creation, gods and humanity lived in harmony during an era called the Golden Age. The earth produced food without people having to till the soil; the waters flowed with wine and honey. Then Pandora opened her box of evils, and plagues and sickness of the mind and body were released on Earth.
The great god Jupiter looked down and decided to rid the world of people and create a new race worthier of life. With the help of his brother Neptune, Jupiter covered the earth with water. Only two people were saved, Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha, who were both just and pious and who worshipped the gods faithfully. They took refuge on Mount Parnassus, and when Jupiter saw them he remembered their exemplary lives. He caused the waters to recede and the earth to dry up. Then Deucalion and Pyrrha were commanded to cast the bones of their mother behind them. Deucalion interpreted “the bones of his mother” to mean the stones of the earth, and he and Pyrrha began to pick up stones and cast them behind themselves as they walked. These stones slowly turned into human beings; the ones Deucalion threw became men, and the stones Pyrrha threw became women. Thus, Deucalion became the father of a new race of mankind.
The symbol of the Water Bearer goes back to both Egyptian and Babylonian religion. In Egypt the Water Bearer was the god Hap, the personification of the river Nile. Hap carried two vases of water, which represented both the South and North Nile, and was considered the sustainer of life. All living things would die without the waters of Hap.
In Greek literature the constellation of Aquarius was called the Water Pourer, and is sometimes thought to represent the god Jupiter, who at a command caused the waters to pour from heaven. It also commemorates Deucalion, the only man to come through the Great Flood unharmed.
At the beginning of creation, gods and humanity lived in harmony during an era called the Golden Age. The earth produced food without people having to till the soil; the waters flowed with wine and honey. Then Pandora opened her box of evils, and plagues and sickness of the mind and body were released on Earth.
The great god Jupiter looked down and decided to rid the world of people and create a new race worthier of life. With the help of his brother Neptune, Jupiter covered the earth with water. Only two people were saved, Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha, who were both just and pious and who worshipped the gods faithfully. They took refuge on Mount Parnassus, and when Jupiter saw them he remembered their exemplary lives. He caused the waters to recede and the earth to dry up. Then Deucalion and Pyrrha were commanded to cast the bones of their mother behind them. Deucalion interpreted “the bones of his mother” to mean the stones of the earth, and he and Pyrrha began to pick up stones and cast them behind themselves as they walked. These stones slowly turned into human beings; the ones Deucalion threw became men, and the stones Pyrrha threw became women. Thus, Deucalion became the father of a new race of mankind.