My mother was a Virgo, so, of course, this was her favorite constellation story to tell us. This set of stars has many stellar objects that can be found in the cluster.
The Mythology behind the constellation
The cluster of stars known as Virgo the Maiden is an homage to Demeter, goddess of harvest and fertility. She controlled all the crops in the world and was very generous to often give the people a healthy harvest. Persephone, Demeter’s daughter, was out in a beautiful field one day gathering flowers that her mother had grown for her. Hades spotted her and a lust burned inside him so strong that he kidnapped her, fearing that he wouldn’t be able to live without her. He took her down into the underworld and planned to make her his bride. Demeter was devastated and retaliated by refusing to fertilize any crops. The land grew barren and dusty, and Zeus knew he would have to do something in order to help the farmers. He called upon the help of a goddess named Hecate, to figure out a way alleviate the situation. Hecate declared that if Persephone had not eaten anything while in the underworld that she must be returned to Demeter. Unfortunately, she had eaten pomegranate seeds while in the realm of the dead, and therefore could not be returned. Demeter persisted with her strike and begged Zeus to help her. Finally giving in to Demeter’s pleas, Zeus ordered that for three months out of the year, Persephone was to live with Hades in the underworld, and would spend the remaining nine months with her mother. Every 9 months, when Persephone leaves her home to spend her time with Hades, the world grows cold and unfruitful, a time also known as Winter, and when she returns, so does the fertile soil and the birth of new crops. Virgo the Maiden appears in the spring as is said to signify the return of Persephone to her mother.
The Facts
“Virgo” is Latin for “virgin,” however; Demeter is represented in this way as a more nurturing, mother figure. You can observe quite a few different objects in the Virgo constellation, such as the Virgo Cluster, a supermassive black hole (also known as NGC 5813), and Abell 1689 (a massive cluster of galaxies.) My favorite object in the Virgo cluster is the Sombrero galaxy, which is 28 million light years from Earth.
