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Lyra
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==History== [[File:Sidney Hall - Urania's Mirror - Lacerta, Cygnus, Lyra, Vulpecula and Anser.jpg|Lyra can be seen on the right of this c. 1825 star map from ''[[Urania's Mirror]]''.|thumb|left|300px]]In [[Greek mythology]], Lyra represents the [[lyre]] of [[Orpheus]]. Orpheus's music was said to be so great that even inanimate objects such as [[rock (geology)|rock]]s could be charmed. Joining [[Jason]] and the [[Argonauts]], his music was able to quell the voices of the dangerous [[Siren (mythology)|Siren]]s, who sang tempting songs to the Argonauts.<ref name="Ridpath"/> At one point, Orpheus married [[Eurydice]], a [[nymph]]. While fleeing from an attack by [[Aristaeus]], she stepped on a snake that bit her, killing her. To reclaim her, Orpheus entered the [[Greek underworld|Underworld]], where the music from his lyre charmed [[Hades]], the god of the Underworld. Hades relented and let Orpheus bring Eurydice back, on the condition that he never once look back until outside. Unfortunately, near the very end, Orpheus faltered and looked back, causing Eurydice to be left in the Underworld forever. Orpheus spent the rest of his life strumming his lyre while wandering aimlessly through the land, rejecting all marriage offers from women.<ref name="Ridpath"/> There are two main competing myths relating to the death of Orpheus. According to [[Eratosthenes]], Orpheus failed to make a necessary sacrifice to [[Dionysus]] due to his regard for [[Apollo]] as the supreme deity instead. Dionysus then sent his followers to rip Orpheus apart. [[Ovid]] tells a rather different story, saying that women, in retribution for Orpheus's rejection of marriage offers, ganged up and threw stones and [[spear]]s. At first, his music charmed them as well, but eventually their numbers and clamor overwhelmed his music and he was hit by the spears. Both myths then state that his lyre was placed in the sky by [[Zeus]] and Orpheus's bones were buried by the [[muse]]s.<ref name="Ridpath"/> In a third myth, he was killed by the Thracian women because he looked on the rites of [[Liber|Father Liber]] (Dionysus).<ref name=Kneeler/> The Roman book {{lang|la|[[De astronomia]]}}, attributed to [[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]], also records another myth about Lyra, which said that it belonged to [[Theseus]] "for he was skilful in all the arts and seems to have learned the lyre as well". The book reports that the neighbouring constellation now known as [[Hercules (constellation)|Hercules]] was said to depict many different mythical figures, including Theseus, Orpheus, or the musician [[Thamyris]].<ref name=Kneeler>{{cite web | first=Mary | last=Grant | title=Hyginus, Astronomica: 2.6 'The Kneeler' | website=[[Theoi Project]] | access-date=2017-12-24 | url=http://www.theoi.com/Text/HyginusAstronomica.html#6 | archive-date=2017-12-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224042241/http://www.theoi.com/Text/HyginusAstronomica.html#6 }}</ref> The proximity of these two constellations and [[Corona Borealis]] (perhaps a symbol of Theseus' royalty) could indicate that the three constellations were invented as a group.<ref>{{cite book | translator-first=Robin | translator-last=Hard | chapter=Hercules, originally known as Engonasin, the Kneeler | title=Constellation Myths | year=2015 | isbn=9780191026539 | publisher=Oxford University Press }}</ref> Vega and its surrounding stars are also treated as a constellation in other cultures. The area corresponding to Lyra was seen by the Arabs as a [[vulture]] or an [[eagle]] diving with folded wings.<ref name="Ridpath">{{cite web |last1=Ridpath |first1=Ian |title=Star Tales - Lyra |work=Star Tales |url=http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/lyra.html |publisher=self-published |access-date=3 September 2021 |archive-date=3 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903220904/http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/lyra.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In [[Wales]], Lyra is known as King Arthur's Harp (''Talyn Arthur''), and King David's harp. The Persian [[Hafiz Shirazi|Hafiz]] called it the Lyre of Zurah. It has been called the Manger of the Infant Saviour, Praesepe Salvatoris.<ref name="Allen1963">{{cite book |last=Allen |first=Richard Hinckley |title=Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning |isbn=((0-486-21079-0)) |publisher=Dover Publications, Inc |date=1963 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l8V2DY3tQMgC|orig-date=1899}}</ref> In Australian [[Aboriginal astronomy]], Lyra is known by the [[Wergaia|Boorong]] people in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] as the [[Malleefowl]] constellation.<ref>{{cite web|title=World_Archaeological_Congress.pdf |work=The Astronomy of the Boorong |url=http://bdas.fastmail.fm/astronomers/JohnMorieson/documents/World_Archaeological_Congress.pdf |access-date=2007-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326231644/http://bdas.fastmail.fm/astronomers/JohnMorieson/documents/World_Archaeological_Congress.pdf |archive-date=March 26, 2009 }}</ref> Lyra was known as [[Urcuchillay]] by the [[Inca Empire|Incas]] and was worshipped as an animal deity.<ref>{{cite book |last=Allen |first=Richard Hinckley |title=Star Names and Their Meanings |orig-date=1936 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_GUDis0bETgC&pg=PA532 |publisher=Kessenger Publishing |isbn=978-0-7661-4028-8 |date=2003 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=D'Altroy |first=Terence N. |title=The Incas |series=The Peoples of America |publisher=[[Blackwell Publishing]] |location=[[Oxford]] |isbn=978-0-631-17677-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/incasthepeopleso00tere/page/149 149] |chapter=The Inca Pantheon |date=2002 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/incasthepeopleso00tere/page/149 }}</ref>
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