The Exploratorium: heroes of mythology haunt our maps for eternity

If the maps are used to locate places, we often forget that they are also formidable archives of the beliefs of our ancestors, because the names of many cities, but especially the toponymy of most rivers, islands, continents or seas are the legacy of the tales of ancient mythology. When we read the names of Europe, Asia and Libya for example, without knowing it, we are referring to ancient greek and roman gods or heroes. Each part of the world is thus inhabited by these legends, constructed by the various peoples of Antiquity and now engraved forever on our world maps.

Gods on Earth and in Heaven

But why this need to name certain places by the name of a hero or a god? We must not forget that, for our ancestors of antiquity, nature was populated by strange and inexplicable phenomena. No wonder in this case to attribute the names of supermen to particular regions, and in the first place, to the celestial vault!

Because the sky is certainly the first place where we find many mythology characters Greek or Roman. The very name of the Earth is taken from it. Terra is thus a Roman goddess. Its union with Uranus, the god of the sky, gives birth to various fantastic beings, including Saturn, god of corn and fertility. All the planets of Solar system thus refer to a deity. many constellations also were named in connection with a mythological element, the pattern of stars reminding our ancestors of certain legendary beings. For example, the constellation of the Eagle thus refers to thebird of Zeus, that of Capricorn to the goat who gave him his milk when he was a baby.

Honor the heroes and ensure the protection of the gods

But back to Earth. It is clear that some places were named to directly honor a deity or a hero, as is the case of the Aegean Sea which was named after the famous king of Athens who threw himself into this sea thinking that his son Theseus had been killed by the Minotaur. The city of Rome, for its part, refers to its founding hero: Romulus. Attachment to a heroic figure of certain places or cities only increased its importance and prestige.

The great natural sites, some of which are terrifying, such as the mighty rivers or the volcanoes, have of course inherited names taken from mythology. This is particularly the case of Etnahome of the nymph Aetnos.

For other places, however, the mythological origin seems less certain and it would seem that the legends which inhabit certain toponyms arrived in a secondary way, either to explain a name with strange sonorities, or to place this place under the protection of a divinity. This is the case of Delphi, which means Dolphin. The city, whose name has nothing divine, is placed under the control of Apollo, in reference to the animal whose form he took in front of Cretan sailors.

A tradition still alive

Giving mythological names to certain particular places is a tradition which, however, did not stop in antiquity. Even today, the names of Greek or Roman heroes and deities continue to be attributed. The Artemis space program is a good example. New chapter in the exploration of Moon by human beings, this NASA program door the name of the daughter of Zeus and twin sister of Apollo. Goddess of the wilderness, she is also associated with the Moon. Here again, this reference to a mythological deity conveys numerous ideas and values. The choice of a female character is also not trivial since the Artemis program plans to send a woman to the Moon for the first time.