Posted in History & Literature

Zodiac: Sagittarius

Sagittarius is the Zodiac sign for those born between November 22 and December 21. The symbol for Sagittarius is centaur (half-man, half-horse) with a bow and arrow.

The model for Sagittarius is the wisest and most intelligent centaur, Chiron. Although most centaurs are known to be aggressive beasts only interested in women and alcohol, Chiron was different in that he was culture and civilised. He was interested in gathering knowledge and learning philosophy, especially medical knowledge. Chiron is also famous for being the teacher and master of many famous heroes and gods. Among his students are: the god of medicine, Asclepius; the Trojan War hero, Achilles; leader of the Argonauts, Jason; and the famous hero, Hercules. One day, Hercules ended up in a fight with some centaurs, which resulted in a bloody battle. Hercules used arrows coated with the poison of the Hydra (which he obtained during his twelve labours), swiftly killing many centaurs. Chiron saw this battle and galloped there to try and stop everyone from hurting each other. But Hercules did not see his master and accidentally shot him with a poison arrow. Although Chiron was given the gift of immortality by the gods, the Hydra’s poison still caused excruciating pain. Even though he was one of the best medical professions of his time, he could not alleviate the pain and begged Zeus to put him out of his misery. Zeus accepted this and raised him into the heavens to become a constellation as a sign of respect.

(Part of the Zodiac series: https://jineralknowledge.com/tag/zodiacs/?order=asc)