[net.astro] Mythological names

jts@cornell.UUCP (04/29/85)

From: jts (Jim Sasaki)

>> ... What *is* the distribution of male/female/animal/ thing names for
>> stars, planets, constellations, etc? -- Muffy

> ... The following is taken from the RASC's Observer's Handbook and a moldy
> copy of Hamilton's Mythology.... Can anybody fill in the blanks? -- Phil

I can fill in some of the blanks.  (Used my copy of Zimmerman's Dictionary of
Classical Mythology.)  The count is now

Males(24)     Females(44)     Places(1)     Un-named(3)     Unidentified(11)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sol (Helios)	Another name for Apollo, son of Jupiter and Latona	Male

Mercury		Messenger of the gods					Male
.No satellites  (Geographic features named for famous men and)
		(women in literature and the arts            )

Venus		Goddess of love						Female
.No satellites  (Geographic features named for famous or mytho-)
		(logical women                                 )

Terra		Mother earth						Female
.Luna (Selene)	(Geographic features on both were named from many  )    Female
		(sources over the centuries - currently, new lunar )
		(features are named for famous men and women in the)
		(sciences                                          )

Mars		God of war						Male
.Phobos		Attendant of Mars (Alarm)				Male
.Deimos		Attendant of Mars (Dread)				Male

Jupiter		King of the gods					Male
.Metis		Daughter of Oceanus					Female
.Adrastea	Nymph who attended the infant Zeus			Female
.Amalthea	She-goat who nursed the infant Zeus			Female
.Thebe		Sister of Aegina, kidnapped by Zeus			Female
.Io		Maiden loved by Jupiter and changed to a heifer		Female
.Europa		Wife of Jupiter						Female
.Ganymede	Trojan prince						Male
.Callisto	Daughter of Lycaon (Changed to the great bear)		Female
.Leda		Mother of Castor and Pollux				Female
.Himalia	
.Lysithea	
.Elara		By Zeus, mother of the giant, Tityus			Female
.Ananke		
.Carme		A nymph, an attendant of Artemis			Female
.Pasiphe	Mother of the Minotaur, wife of Minos			Female
.Sinope		

Saturn		God of agriculture					Male
.Atlas		A Titan compelled to carry the earth			Male
.1980S27								Un-named
.1980S26								Un-named
.Janus		God of portals						Male
.Epimetheus	Son of Iapetus, Father of Pyrrha			Male
.Mimas
.Enceladus	One of the Giants					Male
.Tethys		Ocean's wife						Female
.Telesto
.Calypso	One of the Nymphs					Female
.Dione		Mother of Aphrodite					Female
.1980S6									Un-named
.Rhea		One of the Titanides					Female
.Titan		A race of giant gods overthrown by the Olympians	Male
.Hyperion 	A Titan, father of the sun,moon and dawn		Male
.Iapetus	A Titan							Male
.Phoebe		One of the Titanides					Female

Uranus		God of heavens, father of the Titans,Furies,Cyclopes	Male
.Miranda	Prospero's daughter (The Tempest)			Female
.Ariel		Sylph (The Rape of the Lock)				Female
.Umbriel	Sprite (The Rape of the Lock)				Female
.Titania	Oberon's wife (A Midsummer Night's Dream)		Female
.Oberon		King of fairies (A Midsummer Night's Dream)		Male

Neptune		God of the sea						Male
.Triton		A lesser sea god					Male
.Nereid		Any of the 50 daughters of Nereus - the sea nymphs	Female

Pluto		God of the underworld					Male
.Charon		The boatman who carries the dead across Acheron		Male

ASTERIODS
.Ceres		Goddess of grains					Female
.Pallas		Son of Evander, died in Trojan war			Male
.Juno		Jupiter's wife						Female
.Vesta		Sister of Zeus						Female
.Hebe		Goddess of youth					Female
.Iris		Goddess of the rainbow					Female
.Flora		Goddess of the flowers					Female
.Metis		One of the Graces (Prudence) eaten by Zeus		Female
.Hygiea		Daughter of Aesculapius, watches over health		Female
.Parthenope	One of the Sirens					Female
.Egeria		Lesser goddess, teacher of King Numa			Female
.Irene		Godess of peace, daughter of Zeus & Themis		Female
.Eunomia	Godess of order and wise legislation, sister of Irene	Female
.Psyche		Princess loved by Cupid					Female
.Melpomene	Muse of trajedy						Female
.Massalia
.Thalia		One of the Graces (Good Cheer)				Female
.Euterpe	One of the Muses (Music)				Female
.Ampitrite	Queen of the sea, wife of Neptune			Female
.Fides		Godess of faith, order, and honesty			Female
.Laetitia
.Ausonia	A name for Italy, from Auson, a son of Odysseus		Place
.Julia
.Klotho
.Vibilia  

Does anyone know if "Klotho" is an alternative spelling for "Clotho", one of
the three fates?

    Jim Sasaki (jts@cornell, {decvax|ihnp4|uw-beaver|vax135}!cornell!jts)