The Milky Way and Its Myths: Sacred Stars and Starry Nights

These myths illustrate the paramount importance of the night sky.

This infrared image taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope shows the innumerable stars that make up the spiral of the Milky Way galaxy. Public Domain

Starry nights are ever rarer sights. Light pollution prevents millions of people from seeing the night sky. But that’s a recent issue. Throughout history, humans have always enjoyed unobstructed access to the luminous cosmos. 

What did starry nights mean to ancient societies? And why does it matter that they’re increasingly absent from our lives?

A Chariot and the Milky Way 

Everyone knows the Milky Way. But not everyone may know that its name comes from ancient Greek. “Gala,” which gives us “galaxy,” means “milk.” One Greek myth describes the Milky Way as the product of divine wrath. To gain immortal wisdom, the infant and soon-to-be hero Heracles nursed from the goddess Hera, wife of the omnipotent Zeus. When Hera realized that Heracles was Zeus’s illegitimate son, she thrust the baby away and smeared milk across the heavens, giving the galaxy its name.