Cultural Significance
See also: Algol in astrology| The constellation Perseus and Algol, the Bright Star in the Gorgon's head | |
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Johannes Hevelius, Uranographia, 1690 |
In the Tetrabiblos, the 2nd century astrological text of the Alexandrian astronomer Ptolemy, Algol is referred to as "the Gorgon of Perseus" and associated with death by decapitation: a theme which mirrors the myth of the hero Perseus’ victory over the snake-headed Gorgon Medusa. Astrologically, Algol is considered one of the unluckiest stars in the sky, and was listed as one of the 15 Behenian stars. Historically, the star has received a strong association with bloody violence across a wide variety of cultures.
Read more about this topic: Algol
Famous quotes containing the words cultural and/or significance:
“They’re semiotic phantoms, bits of deep cultural imagery that have split off and taken on a life of their own, like those Jules Verne airships that those old Kansas farmers were always seeing.... Semiotic ghosts. Fragments of the Mass Dream, whirling past in the wind of my passage.”
—William Gibson (b. 1948)
“History is the interpretation of the significance that the past has for us.”
—Johan Huizinga (1872–1945)