DLTK's Horoscope Activities
Pisces: The Fish
There are many explanations for the constellations. One answer for the appearance of Capricorn in the sky that differs from the one we have told here, for example, is that Dionysus, the god of harvest, was disguised as a goat grazing in the grasses near the Nile river. Suddenly, a gigantic and menacing giant named Typhoeus appeared with the goal of wiping out all gods of Mount Olympus that crossed his path.
To save himself from a bloody battle, Dionysus jumped into the river. His goat disguise got a little bit… well… mixed up, and Dionysus turned into a half-goat/ half-fish creature. (In this form, Dionysus resembled a poor drowning goat to the giant Typhoeus—when in reality, he could swim in the water with ease.)
While this is a much different story than the one with Pricus the sea-goat, his children, and his time-reversing abilities, the story of Dionysus is also helpful for showing us how we came to understand the stars in the sky, their relation to us, and our relation to one another and all things.
In the story of Dionysus and Typhoeus, Zeus loved the half-goat/ half-fish creature so much that he granted it an image made up of stars in the sky—a constellation! The story and constellation of Pisces told here, then, follows along the very same thread as that of Dionysus the god and Typhoeus the giant:
Once upon a time, in the ancient lands of Greece, long before aquariums and romantic boat rides, there lived Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, and her son Eros, the winged boy-god of love. Aphrodite was well-known for her connection with her child. The two often worked together to solve problems, and each had a unique ability to sense those around them. In other words, they understood what others were feeling. Sometimes, this got them into trouble! More often, their understanding personalities were very helpful and appreciated.
One day, Aphrodite and Eros were at home together. In a small but beautiful space, the two were moving around with ease and comfort, speaking of love, singing songs about connection and feeling, and painting in colors of bright red and purple. They were very, very leisurely on this day; neither had a task nor a chore. Eros was floating peacefully around the room, and Aphrodite was reading when suddenly they heard a loud thump:
THUMP.
Eros stopped moving, and Aphrodite looked up. They glanced at one another. Then they heard another and another, faster this time:
THUMP… THUMP…
Eros moved towards the opening of their home and peered outside as Aphrodite’s eyes widened and ears perked up.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP…
Aphrodite quickly fled with Eros. They were both terrified now. There had been rumors from The Fates about a giant, forged from the earth, who would eventually seek the destruction of Mount Olympus. Neither Aphrodite nor Eros had to second guess: they knew this was the giant named Typhoeus, and he was after them.
As they ran to the river Nile together, they saw the thrashing water and knew they would have to disguise themselves to escape. They saw a goat pass them bleating and waving its hooves in the water rather embarrassingly. The two did not want to draw any attention to their escape whatsoever and so, sought the help of the creatures around them instead.
Eros approached the river’s edge, and Aphrodite began to sing a sweet melody. They fled far enough away to buy themselves some time, but they could still hear the horrifying thumping in the distance:
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.
The smells, sounds, and sights of Aphrodite and Eros quickly attracted the attention of creatures of all sorts. Having seen the success of the embarrassing goat’s speed in the water, the goddess and boy-god turned down offers from birds, rodents, and larger land mammals. After losing some confidence, two little fish popped their heads out of the water and gestured Aphrodite to stand beside Eros at the river’s edge. The two fish looked so small and yet were withstanding the weight of the water crashing down the mountain. When Aphrodite closely, she could see that their tailfins were tied together and their movements were rhythms, all the same!
THUMP… THUMP… THUMP… THUMP…
Typhoeus was fast approaching and could smell them most readily in their human form, perfumed with flowers and sweets aplenty! In unison, Aphrodite and Eros disguised themselves to look exactly like the two little fish they saw before them.
In much the same fashion, they protected themselves and stayed connected through cooperation. Tied together, Aphrodite and Eros were able to follow the river’s current without being separated from one another!
Once the events of Typhoeus, the menacing giant, were long over, the Greek gods immortalized the two fish that had helped the Greek goddess of love and the Greek boy-god of love survive. Upon seeing Aphrodite and Eros unhook from one another before exiting the water, Zeus was mesmerized. He could suddenly sense the rhythm of his heartbeat:
Thump-bump, thump-bump, thump-bump, thump-bump.
He realized that some of the most beautiful and lasting connections take place in moments of crisis. He named this rhythmic feeling Pisces. He also called the two fish, when attached, Pisces, as well.
Pisces became immortalized by the stars in the sky. The constellation Pisces is where the two fish are now. They float peacefully in the night sky, reading the ones they care so deeply for in the lands (and waters!) below.
The End.