Aquarius

-By Hannah

In Greek mythology the constellation Aquarius was Ganymede, "Cup-Bearer to the gods." Ganymedes story is told in "Aquila."

His part was to pour wine for all of the different gods on Olympus, a function far removed from the initial importance of the Water Bearer, as it first rose in Babylonia.

This constellation represented water in a number of ancient cultures. In Egypt the constellation was thought to cause the Nile to give forth its annual floods.

Far to the south, the waters of the Nile would start to rise in June as the rains from the Ethiopian highlands began to run off into the Blue Nile.

In June, the night sky would show Aquarius at its zenith: the bringer of water.