Renaissance painting (16th century) depicting Galatea. Villa Farnesina, Rome, Italy.
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy of Photodisc, Inc. All rights reserved. Images provided by (c) 1995 Fototeca Storica Nazionale.
Many features of the Earth are named after mythological figures. An example is the story of Galatea's love for a young beautiful shepherd called
Acis. He was the son of Pan
.Galatea lived in the sea surrounding the island of Sicily where she met
several times one of the Cyclopes, the monstrous one-eyed Polyphemus.
Polyphemus was in love with Galatea and was unable to control his jealousy of Acis. Once Polyphemus caught Galatea and Acis asleep on a grassy mound. He killed the small shepherd with a huge rock. Acis' blood formed a small stream on the
Heartbroken, Galatea turned it into a stream of water that bears Acis'
name. Because Galatea was a sea-nymph and attendant of the sea-god Poseidon,
her name had been given to one of the moons of the planet Neptune.
Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!
Our online store
includes issues of NESTA's quarterly journal, The Earth Scientist
, full of classroom activities on different topics in Earth and space science, ranging from seismology
, rocks and minerals
, and Earth system science
You might also be interested in:
Ahsonnutli was the sky father and chief god for the Navajo. He created heaven, Earth, and the sky. Each of the four directions, or cardinal points, are supported by a giant. Each direction is symbolized...more
Amphitrite was one of the sea-nymphs called the Nereids. One day the sea god Poseidon saw her dancing and fell desperately in love with her. He promptly asked her to marry him but unfortunately she refused....more
Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty. She was known to the Romans as Venus. To the perfection of her figure and the purity of her features she added an innocent grace. On her sweet face she...more
In Greek mythology, Apollo was the son of Jupiter(in Greek Zeus) and Leto (Letona). He was the god of the Sun, logic, and reason, and was also a fine musician and healer. Leto travelled all over Greece...more
According to an ancient Greek legend, the figure of a gigantic crab was placed in the nighttime sky by the goddess Hera to form the constellation Cancer. Hera swore to kill Heracles, the most famous Greek...more
In the Northern Hemisphere sky is the constellation Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, and that of his wife Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia claimed that she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than the sea nymphs,...more
According to Navajo mythology, the Milky Way was created by the mischievous behavior of the god, Coyote. When the world was created, the Holy People gathered around Black God to place the stars in the...more