Fresco
of Sappho from Pompeii, c. 50 CE
Greek poet Sappho left cosmological clues in her
famous Midnight Poem. Now 2,500 years after her death, modern software is
deciphering them. Belinda Smith reports. Modern software recreated the night
sky more than 2,500 years ago to confirm the timing of a famous Greek poem. A
trio of astronomers, led by the University of Texas at Arlington’s Manfred
Cuntz, took a section from Greek lyric poet Sappho’s Midnight Poem and
recreated constellations of the time. Based on the rise of a star cluster, the
Pleiades, they calculated the poem was set 2,586 years ago between 25 January
and 31 March 570 BCE. May 16, 2016 https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/rise-pleiades-dates-ancient-greek-poem
In antiquity,
Sappho was commonly regarded as one of the greatest lyric poets. Sappho's
poetry centers on passion and love for various people and both sexes. The word
lesbian derives from the name of the island of her birth, Lesbos, while her
name is also the origin of the word sapphic; neither word was applied to female
homosexuality until the 19th century. The narrators of many of her poems speak
of infatuations and love (sometimes requited, sometimes not) for various women,
but descriptions of physical acts between women are few and subject to debate
[1].
The Gibbous
Moon occurs on May 17 in sidereal Virgo conjoining Vindemiatrix, Porrima and
Auva of Virgo . According to Manilius,
the Virgin confers a commanding skill with words. Also Vindemiatrix has been
called “The Star of Widowhood” but more generally it refers to a separation or
alienation from the opposite sex due to fate, choice or circumstances. In the
case of Sappho this may have been a choice. It is well in this regard, to
recall that the role of a virgin (i.e. unwed woman) was in ancient times a rare
gift of freedom to function and develop independently, free of the burdens and responsibilities
of marriage. This may be one of the reasons for Virgo’s link to female bonding.
Finally, we
notice that on the MC of the chart drawn
for Arlington is the Pleaides cluster in hard aspect to the Virgo Moon! Eta (η)
Taurus, Alcyone, "The Central One", is the central or main star and
also the largest star of the Pleiades. Here it is conjunct the TNP Admetus on
the MC. Historically this star has been
linked to same sex attractions! [2]
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