Love, Triumph, Immortality: The Mythic and Pictorial Tradition of the Corona Borealis’

Abstract

The Corona Borealis or Northern Crown is a bright constellation that shines conspicuously in the early summer sky. Among the oldest recognized constellations visible in the northern hemisphere, its distinctive configuration is easily discernible. Once a group of nine stars, it was the only stellar ring visible to early Greek astronomers who named it Στεϕανοσ, the Wreath. It was later distinguished as πρωτοσ and Βορεοσ (first and northern) and ascribed a positive astrological influence. The constellation was associated with the myth of Bacchus and Ariadne as early as the third Century BCE. In this myth, the Crown was most often identified as Ariadne's wedding crown which Bacchus hurled into the sky at her death as a memorial of his undying love for her. Although there are variations in the telling of the myth in ancient texts, the constellation was firmly identified with the triumph of Ariadne, and her transformation into a goddess. The pictorial tradition was adapted in images of the Virgin Mary with a starry crown, as well as those representing her Coronation by Christ.