TAURUS THE BULL
I
mark, stern Taurus, through the twilight grey, The glinting of thy
horn, And sullen front, uprising large and dim, Bent to the starry
Hunter's sword at bay.
Taylor.
There is every reason to suppose
that the constellation Taurus was one of the first to be invented. In
ancient Akkadia it was known as "the Bull of Light/' and before the time
of Abraham, or over four thousand years ago, the Bull marked the vernal
equinox. For the space of two thousand years therefore, Taurus was the
prince and leader of the celestial hosts. The sun in Taurus was deified
under the symbol of a bull and worshipped in that form, and evidence of
this idolatry is seen in the sacred figures found among the ruins of
Egypt and Assyria, in the form of a bull with a human face, or a human
shape with the face and horns of a bull. On the walls of a sepulcher
excavated at Thebes, Taurus is shown as the first of the zodiacal signs,
and the representations of the Mithraic Bull on gems of four or five
centuries before Christ prove that Taurus was at that time still
prominent in the astronomy and religion of Persia and Babylon. The
Egyptians regarded Taurus as the emblem of a perpetual return to life.
They identified it with Osiris, the Bull-god, the god of the Nile, and
worshipped it under this figure by the name "Apis." Plunket considers
that the Apis Bull of Egypt was looked upon as a living representation
of the zodiacal Bull, and that this figure may have been known before
the building of the Great Pyramid. The Persians also were worshippers of
the Bull. They designated the successive signs of the zodiac by the
letters of the alphabet, and with them A stands for Taurus, B for the
Twins, etc., clearly indicating that they considered the Bull the first
sign of the zodiac. Reference to the astrological books of the Jews
shows that they, too, considered Taurus the leader of the zodiacal
signs. In fact in all the ancient zodiacs that have come down to us
Taurus apparently began the year, and it seems to have been regarded as a
Bull in all of the ancient Mediterranean countries, and also in
countries far distant from Europe, and from the scenes of Hellenic
mythology. The constellation is exceedingly rich in myth and legend.
According to Grecian mythology, this is the Bull that carried Europa
over the seas to that country which derived from her its name. She was
the daughter of Agenor, and, it is said, so beautiful that Jupiter fell
in love with her. He assumed the form of a snow-white Bull and mingled
with the herds of Agenor. Europa, charmed with the sight of the
beautiful creature, had the temerity to sit upon his back. The god took
advantage of the situation and carried Europa across the seas to Crete.
In Moschus, translated by Andrew Lang, we read of Jupiter's achievement
and of his journeying with Europa: Swiftly he sped to the deep . . .
The
strand he gained and forward he sped like a dolphin, faring with
unwetted hooves over the wide waves, and the sea as he came grew smooth,
and the sea monsters gambolled around before the feet of Jupiter, and
the dolphin rejoiced and rising from the deeps he trembled on the swell
of the sea. The Nereids arose out of the salt waters and all of them
came on in orderly array, riding on the backs of sea beasts. Tennyson in
his "Palace of Art" thus alludes to Europa:
Or
sweet Europa's mantle blew unclasp'd, From off her shoulder backward
borne; From one hand droop'd a crocus; one hand grasp'd The mild Bull's
golden horn.
The kidnapping of
Europa has been a source of inspiration to a host of poets and artists
in all ages. On the ceiling of the Ducal Palace in Venice there is a
celebrated painting by Paul Veronese depicting the Rape of Europa. The
following sonnet by Wm. W. Story is descriptive of this picture:
Zephyr is wandering here with gentle sound
The first fresh fragrance of the Spring to seek;
The milk-white steer, whose budding horns are crowned
With flowery garlands, kneeling on the ground
Receives his burden fair, and turns his sleek
Mild head around, her sandalled foot to lick;
Luxuriant, joyous, fresh, with roses bound
About her sunny head, and on her cheek
The glow of morn, Europa mounts the steer.
One handmaid clasps her girdle, and one calls
The hovering Loves to bring their garlands near.
From her full breast the loosened drapery falls,
As borne by Love o'er slope and lea she goes,
Glad with exuberant life fresh as a new-blown rose.
Again we read:
Now lows a milk-white bull on Asia's strand,
And crops with dancing head the daisied land,
With rosy wreaths Europa's hand adorns
His fringed forehead and his pearly horns.
Light on his back the sportive damsel bounds,
And, pleased, he moves along the flowery ground.
Bears with slow steps his beauteous prize aloof,
And, dips in the dancing flood his ivory hoof.
Jupiter's exploit was
commemorated on earth by the naming of a continent, and in the heavens
by the constellation Taurus. There is every reason to suppose, however,
that Taurus antedated the period of Greek interest in astronomy, and
that the constellation was invented by the Egyptians or Chaldeans. T
With the Romans, prior to the reign of Julius Caesar, the year began in
March, when Taurus is just visible in the western horizon setting after
the sun. "The white Bull opens with his golden horns the year/' is the
way Virgil expresses it. The idea of whiteness in connection with Taurus
seems to have had a very early origin. It probably arose from the Greek
legend of the mythical Bull, which is always described as snow white.
Among the ancient Chinese Taurus was known as "the White Tiger"; later
it was called "the Golden Ox." Strangely enough we find that the South
American In- dians of the Amazon country called this star group "the
Ox." Here again is further proof that at a very early date there was a
transmigration, or a means of communication unknown to us, between the
far east and the far west. Aratos refers to the Bull as "Crouching."
Manilius speaks of "the striving Bull," and according to Cicero, the
Bull's knees are "bent." The Bull is depicted as in a crouching
attitude, in accordance with the legend, that Europa might the more
easily mount upon his back. It is not clear why only half the figure is
shown, when there was sufficient space and stars were not lacking to
depict the entire figure. In the half horse, Pegasus, we have a similar
incongruity which is difficult to explain. In the case of Pegasus, as
has been explained, the horse is presumed to be flying upwards through
the clouds and there- fore but half of the creature appears. In like
manner the Bull is supposed to be swimming and half his body is
submerged. Jensen identifies Taurus with Marduk, the Spring Sun, which
was worshipped as far back as 2200 B.C. He is of the opinion that the
constellation was formed as early as 5000 B.C., even before the equinox
lay there. The Bull was an important object of worship with the Druids,
and their great Tauric festival was held when the sun entered this
constellation, a survival of which has come down to us in the festival
of May Day. It has been claimed, says Allen, that the tors of England
were the old sites of the Tauric worship of the Druids, and our hot
cross buns are the present representatives of the early bull cakes, with
the same stellar association tracing back through the ages to Egypt and
Phoenicia. According to a Scotch myth the Candlemas Bull is seen rising
in the twilight on New Year's eve. Mrs. Benjamin has written a most
interesting mono- graph on the sun in Taurus which the writer takes the
liberty of quoting from, as it reveals much that is enlightening
concerning the constellation, and the customs that have survived the
ancient worship of this time-honoured star group: 14 In all ages of the
world the nations have hailed with delight the return of spring and the
revivification of nature under the warmth and heat of the sun. This
universal festival we know as May Day and it commemorates the entrance
of the sun into the constellation Taurus at the vernal equinox 4000 B.C.
It is still. observed in all parts of Great Britain, among us, and in
India and Persia. "The old English 'Morris Dance' is a remnant of this
festival time, and Maurice says, ' I have little doubt that May Day or
at least the day on which the sun entered Taurus has been immemorially
kept as a sacred festival from the creation of the earth and man, and
was originally intended as a memorial of that auspicious period and
momentous event'." In the Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic, and Coptic the word
for bull means "coming" or "who cometh," and the lucida of the
constellation is a first magnitude star called "Aldebaran," which means
the "leader." The Masonic Tau Cross, is an expressive symbol of the
vernal equinox and of immortality. The emblem is found on many of the
ancient monuments of Egypt, and clearly its astronomical significance
can be traced to the constellation Taurus, for Brown tells us that the
word "Tau" is derived from an Egyptian or Coptic root meaning a bull or
cow. The ancient hieroglyphic sign of this constellation Taurus presents
the face and horns of a bull. The Greek letter Tau (t) and the English
(T) are derived from this symbol by the following steps:
In the Hebrew zodiac Taurus is
ascribed to Joseph, and Dr. Seiss asserts that Taurus represents the
fabled unicorn. In the so-called "Apostolic Zodiac" Taurus was said to
represent St. Andrew, or the Burnt Sacrifice. Astrologically speaking,
says Proctor, Taurus gives to its natives (those born from April 19th to
May 20th) a stout athletic frame, broad bull-like forehead, dark curly
hair, short neck, a dull apathetic temper, exceedingly cruel and
malicious if once aroused. It governs the neck and throat, and reigns
over Ireland, Poland, part of Russia, Holland, Persia, Asia Minor, the
Archipelago, Mantua, Leipsic, etc. It is a feminine sign and
unfortunate. The flower is the jonquil, and the stone, agate. It was
considered under the guardianship of Venus, and white and lemon were the
colours assigned to it
. ... go forth at night. And talk with Aldebaran where he flames In the cold forehead of the wintry sky. Mrs. Sigourney.
The Arabic name for a Tauri is
"Aldebaran," which means the "leader," or the attendant or follower,
i.e., of the Pleiades. It was also known to the Arabs as "the Eye of the
Bull," and "the Great Camel," "the Stallion Camel," "the Fat Camel,"
"the Female Camel," and "the Bull's Heart." The Hindus called the star
"Rohini," meaning the "Red Deer" probably because of its colour, which
is decidedly ruddy. According to Lockyer, Aldebaran rose heliacally at
the beginning of spring in Babylon 6900 years ago, and it was thought
that its rising at this time unattended by showers portended a barren
year. The Babylonians regarded Aldebaran as "the Leading Star of Stars,"
as it was the brightest star in the first of the zodiacal signs. The
Akkadians called it "the Furrow of Heaven” and "the Messenger of Light”
although Allen tells us that this latter title was applied to Hamal,
Capella, and Vega. Astrologically Aldebaran was a fortunate star,
portending riches and honor, and it was one of the four "Royal Stars" or
"Guardians of the Sky" of Persia, 5000 years ago, when it marked the
vernal equinox. Mrs. Martin sees in these four starry Guardians of the
Sky a suggestion of royalty : "As one slips away from our admiring gaze
we turn to hail the coming of the other. ' The King is dead: long live
the King. 9 " The rising of Aldebaran is thus described by Mrs. Martin:
"Along in September a very little north of east it shows its fiery face
above the horizon with such unmistakable individuality that it catches
the eye of even the least observing…It glows with a rosy light that
demands recognition and at once pronounces it one of the most important
heavenly bodies."
According to Peschitta the line in the book of Job, " Dost thou guide Ayish and her children
?" refers to Aldebaran and the Hyades. "'Ash" means "moth" and the
Hyades are V-shaped, resembling a butterfly or moth. Aldebaran lies
along the moon's track and is often occulted by our satellite. Because
of its position it is a star much used by navigators in ascertaining
their position. It is nearly a standard first magnitude star, lacking
only two tenths of a magnitude of so being. Elkins states that Aldebaran
is twenty-eight light years distant from us. This enormous distance is
perhaps better gauged when we say that if the distance from the earth to
the sun, a matter of ninety-three million miles, be considered as one
inch, Aldebaran would be twenty-seven miles away. Aldebaran is said to
be receding from us at the rate of thirty miles a second, and Prof.
Russell tells us that this gigantic sun emits 160 times as much light as
our sun. It culminates at 9 p.m., Jan. 10th. Beta Tauri, also known as
Gamma Aurigae, a second magnitude star, was called by the Arabs
"El-Nath," which means the "Butting One," a reference to its position in
the northern horn of the Bull. This star is common to the
constellations Taurus and Auriga.
Aratus thus refers to it:
Aratus thus refers to it:
The tip of the left horn and the right foot
Of the near Charioteer, one star embraces.
The
star is peculiarly white in color, and Allen tells us that "the sun
stood near this star at the commencement of spring 6000 years ago. It
has a Sirian spectrum, and is re- ceding from us at the rate of about
five miles a second. Between it and Psi Aurigae was discovered on the
24th of January, 1891, the now celebrated Nova Aurigae that has
occasioned so much interest in the astronomical world." Among the Hindus
it represented Agni, the god of fire, and among the astrologers it
portended eminence and fortune. Zeta Tauri, a 3.5 magnitude star, marks
the tip of the southern horn of the Bull. The wonderful "Crab Nebula" is
situated a little north-west of it, and can be seen in a three- inch
glass, though a powerful telescope alone reveals its curious form.
Astrologically Zeta Tauri was considered of mischievous influence.
Taurus contains the greatest number of stars of any constellation, 141
in all, exclusive of the Pleiades. The celebrated star clusters, the
Hyades and Pleiades, are contained in Taurus. As they are specially
note- worthy the writer has seen fit to devote a chapter to them.
Source:
”Star lore of all ages; a collection of myths, legends, and facts
concerning the constellations of the Northern Hemisphere”, 1911 by
Olcott, William Tyler
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