39: The Goddess Who Left the World Behind: Astraea’s Story Podcast By cover art

39: The Goddess Who Left the World Behind: Astraea’s Story

39: The Goddess Who Left the World Behind: Astraea’s Story

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 This week is all about the Greek Goddess, Astraea. Astraea is a Greek goddess associated with justice, innocence, purity, and the stars. Her name means "star-maiden" or "starry night." She is often considered a daughter of Zeus and Themis, though some myths link her to Eos (dawn) and Astraeus (the dusk god), connecting her more symbolically to the celestial.

Key Aspects of Astraea:

  • Personification of Justice: Astraea represents the idea of divine justice (similar to her mother Themis or Roman equivalent Justitia). She is typically depicted holding scales, symbolizing impartial judgment.

  • Golden Age Figure: According to mythology, Astraea lived among humans during the Golden Age, a time of peace and harmony. As humanity grew more corrupt during the Iron Age, she was the last immortal to leave Earth, ascending to the sky.

  • Becomes the Constellation Virgo: After leaving Earth, Astraea was placed among the stars as the constellation Virgo. The scales she held became the nearby constellation Libra, symbolizing justice.

Symbolism:

  • Hope and Return: In later myths and Renaissance thought, Astraea came to symbolize hope for a return to a golden age of justice and virtue.

  • Popular in Literature and Art: She appears in works by Ovid, Hesiod, and later Renaissance poets like Edmund Spenser and John Milton, often as a symbol of lost virtue or ideal governance.

Citations for this episode:

  1. Theoi Project. (n.d.). Astraia: Titan goddess of justice. Theoi Greek Mythology. https://www.theoi.com/Titan/Astraia.html
  2. Greek Gods and Goddesses. (n.d.). Astraea: The goddess of justice. Greek Gods and Goddesses. https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/goddesses/astraea/
  3. Greek Mythology. (n.d.). Astraea: The goddess of justice. Greek Mythology. https://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/Minor_Gods/Astraea/astraea.html
  4. History Cooperative. (n.d.). Astraea, the goddess of justice: The last immortal on earth. History Cooperative. https://historycooperative.org/astraea-goddess/
  5. Ovid. (2004). Metamorphoses (A. D. Melville, Trans.). Oxford University Press. (Original work published ca. 8 CE)
  6. Hesiod. (2006). Works and days (D. W. Verdrecht, Trans.). Harvard University Press. (Original work published ca. 700 BCE)
  7. Pseudo-Hyginus. (1960). Astronomica (G. P. Goold, Trans.). Harvard University Press. (Original work published ca. 1st century CE)
  8. Valerius Flaccus. (2004). Argonautica (P. J. O'Neill, Trans.). Harvard University Press. (Original work published ca. 1st century CE)
  9. Astraea leaving the Earth.” n.d. Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. www.khm.at/en/object/1596/.
  10. Virgil. n.d. Eclogues IV. https://www.loebclassics.com/view/virgil-eclogues/1916/pb_LCL063.49.xml?readMode=recto.
  11. “Astraea | SuperFriends Wiki | Fandom.” n.d. SuperFriends Wiki. https://superfriends.fandom.com/wiki/Astraea#Appearances.
  12. Nonnus. (1940–1942). Dionysiaca (W. H. D. Rouse, Trans.). Harvard University Press. (Original work published ca. 5th century CE)
  13. Venari, V. (2024, May 1). Astraea: The Virgo goddess. The Water Giver. https://thewatergiver.substack.com/p/astraea-the-virgo-goddess?utm_medium=web
  14. Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). Dike | ancient Greek law. Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/dike-ancient-Greek-law
  15. Hatzitsinidou, E. (2023, August 29). Dike: The goddess of justice and moral order. Olympioi. https://olympioi.com/demigods/dike
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