The Leo constellation is one of the twelve zodiacal signs and has been known to people for a long time. Since that time, many peoples consider it a symbol of fire, linking it with an arid and hot period of the summer solstice. Our ancestors believed that, being between the stars of Leo, the Sun became stronger and hotter.
The Leo
constellation owes its
name to the ancient Egyptians, who noticed that at the time when it appeared in the sky, the Neil dried up, and at night hungry lions announced the surroundings of the desert with a loud growl. For this reason, it is depicted in the form of a lion, in which a stream of water flows from its mouth. However, there is another version according to which the constellation received this name. It says that during a drought, the dried up Nile was filled with locks made in the shape of a lion's head.
Another connection with the past is the classic myth, which tells how the constellation Leo arose. This legend is connected with the Nemean monster and the exploits of Hercules. She tells that on the lands of Nemea, a city in the north-east of the Peloponnese, a huge lion appeared, several times larger in size than an ordinary one, with an impenetrable skin. This beast lived in the mountains, and ate cattle and people. King Eurystheus instructed Hercules to get rid of the predator.
The hero began to prepare weapons to fight the enemy. He made a club from an
olive tree, tearing it with roots from the earth, took arrows with a bow, and went to the Nemean lands. Having found the beast, the hero began to shoot arrows at him, but they bounced off the skin of a lion, like a stone wall. Then the club went into action, but even she only teased the monster. It was invulnerable. Realizing the futility of his weapon, Hercules rushed at the predator with his bare hands, and with great effort he nevertheless dealt with it, strangling his inhumanly strong hands. Throwing his carcass over his shoulders, the winner went to the palace of King Eurystheus. The skin of prey went to the hero and served him as a reliable cloak to death. And the gods themselves took the beast to heaven and arranged in the form of bright stars. That is how, according to legend, the constellation of Leo arose, and in honor of the
deed of Hercules , the Nemean Games began to be organized. When they were held, peace was declared throughout Greece.
In the sky,
this constellation occupies the space between Virgo and Cancer and consists of 122 stars,
which can be easily seen in our country in late February and early March at midnight. The largest star in the constellation Leo is Regulus (means "king"), it has a white-blue color and luminosity, which is 165 times higher than the sun. The luminaries are slightly smaller: Denebola - it is located at the end of the lion's tail and is very close to the Earth; Algeba is located in the center of the head, golden yellow, and Wolf is a dwarf faint red star, its brightness is one hundred thousand times less than that of the Sun.
The constellation Leo is associated with wisdom, courage and strength. It belongs to the element of fire and is controlled by the sun. He is considered a royal sign, and if a person was born under him, then he will have a royal disposition, pride and nobility, as well as the ability to manage people.