Before our age of scientific discovery, people looked at the stars with wonder, inventing all sorts of stories about their origin. Many of those stories have to do with love because what can be more romantic than gazing at the night sky? Even though many of those stories date back thousands of years to Greek and, consequently, Roman mythology, they keep captivating lovers worldwide. Below, we will tell you about the most romantic constellations, and the best part is that you can see them without any special equipment!
Andromeda: Love story with a happy ending
When someone asks, what constellation is the star-crossed lovers in? The first answer that comes to mind is Andromeda and Perseus. Andromeda was the daughter of a notoriously bad-mouthed queen, Cassiopeia. The infamous woman dared state her daughter was fairer than Poseidon’s sea nymphs, which enraged the god, and the only actionable solution priests came up with was to sacrifice the princess.
So, she was chained to the rocks to be slaughtered by a sea monster, but fortunately for her, Perseus, a romantic hero who recently slayed Medusa Gorgon, heard of her fate and rescued the princess, after which they enjoyed the perfect ever-after – that is until they died and went to the sky to form a constellation. So, what is the most romantic constellation? You can safely name Andromeda because it’s not only romantic — it’s one of the few stories with a happy ending.
Cassiopeia: When vanity gets punished
Cassiopeia is not an immediate example of romantic constellation name, but we feel it should be included here — if only for the sake of the happy lovers we described above. After her death, the not-too-smart queen was chained to an upside-down throne in the skies. This star formation, which has a distinct W-shape, symbolises the upturned throne on which the vain queen should spend eternity — pretty much like her daughter was chained to the rocks awaiting death from the sea monster.
Well, that’s not very romantic, so why is Cassiopeia the constellation of love? Here, several explanations apply — for starters, Cassiopeia’s fate is directly linked to her daughter’s — these two constellations are not far apart from the sky, just like Perseus. In this light, the Cassiopeia constellation’s love meaning is in completing the story and leaving its mark on the night sky, where all notable characters can be seen on a cloudless night.
Altair and Vega: Star-crossed lovers from orient myths
The only star-crossed lovers constellation story surviving to this date that does not come from Greek mythology is that of Altair and Vega. Technically, these two stars are located in two different constellations, Aquila and Lyra – but that makes sense considering their ‘origin’ story. Orbital Today space news website shares a Chinese version, where a celestial cowherd (starring Altair) falls in love with the weaver girl played by Vega. The love story between a celestial creature and a mortal displeases the sky ruler who separates them but makes just one tiny concession — they can meet once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh moon month.
Japanese folklore has a similar romantic story, but in this version, it’s Vega who is a heavenly princess, and Altair is a mere mortal. The ending is the same, though — the sky emperor, Vega’s father, separates the couple, allowing them to meet on that 7th day of the 7th month when another star, Deneb, becomes visible in the night sky and forms a kind of bridge for the lovers to cross.
Goddess of love constellation
If you are looking for a star pattern directly associated with the goddess of love, the Pisces constellation is the most suitable fit. But even though in Greek mythology, this constellation is the symbol of Aphrodite, the capricious love goddess, its story goes beyond pure romance. As you may recall, Pisces Zodiac shows two fish tied together. In ancient Greek folklore, the fish are Aphrodite and her son Eros literally running for their lives when a monster Typhoon attacked their heavenly abode, Olympus. Why exactly that happened is a story for another day — but let’s just say that all the Olympians transformed into animals and fled, so do not be too rash to judge Aphrodite and Eros for cowardliness and desertion.
In any case, Aphrodite transformed herself and Eros into two fish and tied themselves together with a cord so they would not be lost in the seas. Up till this day, the constellation Pisces symbolises love, not just romantic love, and eternal connection in the face of hardship.
Those are only some romantic constellation stories that have survived to our day — but possibly, there were many others across different cultures. Still, this small collection is already impressive — even though not as impressive as the view they offer. If you want to experience the stellar romance at its fullest, download a stargazing app (most basic versions for iOS and Android are free), pick a cloudless night, and enjoy the view with your partner!
Author: Emma Thorpe
