Hercules’ Twelve Labors Connected to the Zodiac

Picture of Amphora

 from Psyakos, 520 BC, Breskia Museum Italy 

on a Greek stamp depicting Hercules killing the Nemean Lion

 There are many references to the connection between Hercules' 12 Labors and the Zodiac. Alice A. Bailey even dedicated a whole book to this issue (The Labours of Hercules: An Astrological Interpretation, 2000). 

Here’s a digest from: http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/HeraclesLabours.html

The Lernean Hydra - Cancer

The Nemean Lion -Leo 

The Erymanthian Boar - Cancer

The Apples of the Hesperides- Scorpio

The Cerynian Hind- Libra

The Stymphalian Birds- Sagittarius

The Stable of Augeas- Capricorn

The Mares of Diomedes- Aquarius

Cerberus- Pisces

The Girdle of Hippolyte - Aries

The Cretan Bull- Taurus

The Cows of Geryon- Gemini

The Origin of the Zodiac

Donald A. Mackenzie claims in his book Myths of Babylonia And Assyria (1915, project Gutenberg, Chapter XIII- Astrology and Astronomy, Table XIII.1 that our signs are derived from ancient Babylonia:

Constellation Aries

Babylonian Equivalent: The Laborer or Messenger

Constellation Taurus

Babylonian Equivalent: A divine figure and the "bull of heaven"

Constellation Gemini

Babylonian Equivalent:

The Faithful Shepherd and Twins side by side, or head to head and feet to feet

Constellation Cancer

Babylonian Equivalent: Crab or Scorpion

Constellation Leo

Babylonian Equivalent: The big dog Lion

Constellation Virgo

Babylonian Equivalent: Ishtar, the Virgin's ear of corn

Constellation Libra

Babylonian Equivalent: The Balance

Constellation Scorpio

Babylonian Equivalent: Scorpion of darkness

Constellation Sagittarius

Babylonian Equivalent:

Man or man-horse with bow, or an arrow symbol

Constellation Capricorn

Babylonian Equivalent: Ea's goat-fish

Constellation Aquarius

Babylonian Equivalent: God with water urn

Constellation Pisces

Babylonian Equivalent: Fish tails in canal

In addition Donald A. Mackenzie wrote that according to the Babylonian Creation Legend (British Museum “The Seven Tablets Of Creation" from the Library of Ashur-bani-pal at Nineveh) Merodach fixed three stars for each month of the Zodiac… Mr. Brown, junior, calculated that the signs of the Zodiac were fixed in the year 2084 B.C.E (Primitive Constellations, 1899, vol. 2, pp. 147)

 

Scorpio Man from 12th century B.C.E

A Scorpion Man with bird feet aiming with a bow and arrow.

Found near Abu Habbah. 

Picture was copied from Myths of Babylonia And Assyria written by Donald A. Mackenzie, 1915 (project Gutenberg) Chapter XIII. Astrology and Astronomy, Figure xiii.1. 

Symbols of deities as astronomical signs: Sculptured on limestone recording privileges granted to Ritti-Marduk by Nebuchadnezzar I.  

It is kept now in the British Museum. 

King Nebuchadnezzar I lived in the 12th century B.C.E

Stones, Colors, Tribes and the Zodiac

Marc Chagall created 12 painted windows at The Synagogue of the Hadassah Medical Center in 1962. The Windows represent the 12 Tribes of Israel, arranged in FOUR groups of three, and the choice of colors was inspired by the description of the breastplate of the High Priest in Exodus 28:17-21.

Picture is courtesy of “tevnin” From Flickr

In his book  (De Vita Mosis  3, 209) Philo (20-50 C.E.) interpreted the names on the 12 stones of the high priest as the signs of the zodiac.

Josephus Flavius (37-100 C.E.) gave a similar explanation to the 12 stones in his book  (Antiquities of the Jews Vo 3 chapter 7)

The stones were placed in FOUR rows like the zodiac signs which are arranged in FOUR groups according to the four elements: earth water fire and air.

The translation of the names of the stones from Hebre

w to English has many variations. Here’s one:

Ruby- Reuven

Topaz - Shimon

Emerald - Levi

Turquoise - Yehuda

Lapis Lazuli - Yissachar

Quartz - Zevulun

Jacinth - Dan

Agate - Naphtali

Amethyst- Gad

Chrysolite -Asher

Onyx - Yosef

Jasper - Binyamin

Now, since each stone had a different color the comparison between a certain stone and a certain tribe was also a comparison between a certain color

and a certain tribe.

The colors of the 12 tribes according to Sefer HaTodaah of Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov:

Red: Reuven

Green: Shimon

White/Black/red: Levi

Blue: Yehuda

Dark Gray: Yissachar

White: Zevulun

Sapphire Dan

Light Red: Naphtali

Light Gray: Gad

Not specified: Asher

Black: Yosef

All the colors: Binyamin

Picture of The Jewish High Priest with the 12 stones is courtesy of Hayim Shtayer from Haifa, Israel and this item is part of his collection

The following stones are associated with Scorpio: ruby, topaz, rhodonite, rhodocrosite, sodalite, bloodstone, beryl, apache tear, aqua aura, azurite-malachite

Bronze Sea

The above image appears in Martin Luther’s (1483-1546) Biblia das ist, die gantze heylige Schrifft and is courtesy of Pitt’s Theological library.

It seems that almost every mention of the number twelve was connected during history to the zodiac signs (including, so it seems, Scorpio).

1 Kings 7:23 tells about the molten sea made by King Solomon and in verse 7:25 we find:

 It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.

Morris Jastrow Jr., Ira Maurice Price, Marcus Jastrow and Louis Ginzberg in their entry Brazen Sea which was published in the Jewish Encyclopedia wrote that Midrash Tadshe says that the twelve oxen on which the sea rested represented the zodiac ("mazzalot"). As you may know the zodiac is divided to four groups according to the elements: earth, water fire and air.

Solomon’s temple functioned from the 10th century B.C.E until the 6^th century B.C.E.

Labor of the Month

Correlation between months and the signs of the zodiac was a popular theme in medieval art. Here we see Scorpio appearing on a detail from 1556 Kalender of Shepherdes characterizing the months through the typical works that were made during each one of them.

Picture is copied from Wikipedia entry: Image:The Wheel of the Occupations of the Months and the Zodiac.JPG uploaded by Peacay.

See the whole Kalender of Shepherdes on Flickr

January: feasting, giving new years' gifts

February: warming by the fire, cutting wood, taking cattle to the market

March: sowing and ploughing, trimming the vines

April: celebrating spring

May: courting and hunting

June harvesting

July: harvesting

August: gathering fruits from trees

September: harvesting grapes

October: sowing, storing wine (Scorpio)

November preparing for winter

December: killing the pig

Scorpio Represents Punishment

Scorpio sign and gliph

(among the other signs and gliphs of the zodiac) 

on an Israeli stamp issued in 1961  

Picture was taken by Hayim Shtayer and the stamp belongs to his collection.

The stamp  was designed by I. Blaushild. 

According to Jewish tradition (Midrash Tanchumah, Ha'azinu chapter 1) man’s life passes through 12 stages like the sun’s passing through the 12 zodiacal signs:

Birth- Aries

Power- Taurus

Illusion: Gemini

Desire: Cancer

Desire grows: Leo

False innocence- Virgo

Judgment- Libra

Punishment: Scorpio

Repentance- Sagitarius

Purification-1: Capricorn

Purification-2: Aquarius

Completion: Pisces

Midrash Tanchumah is dated to the 6^th century C.E.