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Imagination
is a living thing. Nourish it or it will die. Serpentaire-Serpentarius
will feed yours: Music, art, literature, multimedia... an ecclectic
blend of the fantastic, ethereal and surreal.
Legends,
myths and science fiction all have a place here; everything that
is best seen through the mist, beyond the horizon, or perceived
in those brief moments just before falling off to sleep.
Suggestions
and comments are welcome
E-mail bulletin@farault.com
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Were
did the name come from?
Serpentaire
is the name of a large, serpent eating African bird. In English,
he is known as the Secretary Bird.
But
there is a story that is much older. This is the history of The
Forgotten Constellation.
Most
people are familiar with the twelve constellations assigned to the
zodiac. But the sun actually travels through thirteen each year.
The forgotten constellation is Ophiuchus vel Serpentarius (Latin
for Ophiuchus the Serpent Holder), known also as Serpentaire in
French. He fills most of the large void between Antares and Vega.
Ophiuchus
holds a serpent named Serpens, divided into two parts. Its head,
shown on the map as Serpens Caput, extends to the west of Ophiuchus,
while its tail, Serpens Cauda, lies to the east.
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Ophiuchus
vel Serpentarius, the Serpent Holder, is generally identified with
an ancient Greek physician, Aesculapius. Serpents were always associated
with physicians as symbols of prudence, renovation, wisdom, and
the power of discovering healing herbs.
Aesculapius
was so skilled that he could bring the dead back to life. Pluto,
god of the underworld, was fearful that his dominion would vanish
and so convinced Zeus to strike Aesculapius with a thunderbolt and
transfer him to the stars. And that is where he is to this day.
Ophiuchus
is best seen in summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in
the Southern Hemisphere.
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