Water is healing, dreaming, fertility, purification, cleansing. It is symbolic of death, as well as rebirth — it gives life, but can also take. Water is connected with Autumn.

Water signs are feminine, along with Earth signs.

In astrology, water rules Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. Water signs are fluid, emotional, and intuitive. But just like water, these signs can be unpredictable, moody and hypersensitive. These signs are natural healers, often seeking the deeper meaning of things. They're often right-brained thinkers.

You can read the story of Cancer below. If you're interested in the other water signs, follow their links to read their stories!

Cancer

Emotional, focused on home and family, an expert at nurturing.

Scorpio

An expert at understanding deep desires, motivations, and intimate connections.

Pisces

Understands on a spiritual, universal level, and is especially compassionate and impressionable.

Cancer as depicted in Urania's Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825. Source.

The Constellation

The constellation Cancer is located in the Northern Hemisphere. Cancer sits between the constellations Gemini and Leo. The word cancer is Latin for crab.

In Chinese astronomy, the stars of Cancer lie within the Vermilion Bird of the South.

The name "cancer" is a translation from Latin's karkinos, meaning crab.

Cancer in the night sky. Source.

The Second Labor of Heracles

Lernaean of Hercules fighting the Hydra. The crab can be seen nipping at the hero. Source.

It is known by all that Zeus is a prolific womanizer. His adoration of the fairer sex resulted in many illegitimate children, as well as the wrath of his wife, Hera. For many eons, Hera watched as Zeus sired demigod offspring. Her contempt at his unfaithfulness grew, but as the unfaithful are wont to do, he ignored the needs of his wife and carried on adulterating. In jealousy and exasperation, Hera resigned herself to taking her anger out on the bastard children of the god.

Out of the many children of Zeus, Hera harbored the most intense hatred for the hero Heracles.

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Alceme was said to be the tallest and most beautiful woman in all of Greece. Her long hair and deep, dark eyes were compared to those of Aphrodite's. Her wisdom was akin to that of the gods, and it's said that no mortal man could outwit her. As such, she was difficult to impress, and any man lucky enough win her over would be the most honored husband in all of Greece.

When Alceme was introduced to Amphitryon, she fell in love, and the couple were set to wed. However, Amphitryon was sent away for war, leaving before the wedding could take place.

Alceme sat in wait for her beloved Amphitryon. She couldn't bear the thought of any harm coming to him. For many months she pined for her love, and prayed to the gods that she could see him for just one night.

At hearing this prayer, Zeus perked up. Any chance to have such a beautiful woman excited him. He changed his form into that of Amphitryon's, and convinced Alceme that he returned for the night.

One night turned into three, and Alceme had fallen pregnant.

When the real Amphitryon finally returned, he was confused when Alceme recounted the events. The couple put two-and-two together, and realized the stranger had been Zeus.

At this point, Hera had learned of her husband's affair. In anger, Hera stalled the birth of Alceme's son so another boy would take the throne. Alceme realized what had happened during her labor, and she became afraid of Hera's wrath. She birthed a boy, and named him Heracles in honor of the goddess, Hera.

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Many years passed, and Heracles grew into a strong and well respected man. He married the daughter of the king of Thebes, Megara. Together they had three sons: Therimachus, Creontiades, and Deicoon. The family lived happily for many years, much to the chagrin of Hera.

Indeed, Hera was very bitter about their happiness. Hera began to scheme again, and cast a spell that inflicted madness upon the unsuspecting Heracles. This madness caused Heracles to lose control, and in his rage, he slayed his wife and children.

Heracules kills his family. Source.

After the spell had passed, he saw the carnage of his murdered family. His grief at the realization of what he had done was immense. He traveled to the Oracle, who was a servant of Hera. Under the guise of the goddess, the Oracle instructed Heracles to become the slave of the King Eurystheus. He must do any task assigned to him by the king.

His first task was to slay the nemean lion. An easy task for the hero. His success at his first task frightened Eurytheus, and he assigned Heracles his second task: Slay the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra.

The Hydra was created by Hera for the sole purpose of destroying Heracles. Heracles traveled with his nephew Iolaus to the swamps of Lerna. The Hydra could sense the two approaching, and made its way to the hero. He sprung upon the duo, and lashed at them with gnarling teeth.

Lernaean Hydra, Athenian red-figure krater C5th B.C., The J. Paul Getty Museum

Heracles dodged the wicked bite of the Hydra, and swung his club with such force, it removed one of its heads. The excitement of this feat was a momentary flicker, as two heads grew its place. Again and again the hero removed the heads of the Hydra, and one after the other they grew back in droves.

The two struggled with the Hydra for what seemed like eternity. Iolaus cleverly thought of a way to defeat it. If the stumps of the neck were burned closed, maybe the heads wouldn't be able to grow back. With no other ideas, Heracles figured they had nothing to lose.

Heracles swung his mighty club to remove the heads of the beast, and Iolaus ran in and cauterized the stumps.

This worked well, and the duo were able to slowly remove the remaining heads.

Her beast losing the battle, Hera became enraged at the thought of the hero's victory. She conjured up a crab, and sent the creature into the fray to distract Heracles. She thought if he looked away only for a moment, the Hydra could strike his prey and win the fight.

The crab scuttled into the fight, dodging heads as they plopped onto the ground. He found his victim, and made his way toward him. As the hero lifted his club into the air, the crab latched onto Heracles' ankle. Heracles cried out in pain, but this distraction lasted only a moment as he lifted his giant foot into the air, and smashed down onto the crab with all his might.

The crab was dead, and soon, the Hydra was as well.

To honor the Hydra she raised to slay the hero Heracles, Hera placed his body in the sky as the constellation Hydra.

She honored the crab in the same manner, and placed his body in the sky as the constellation Cancer.

Air Signs

Introduction

Author's Note: It seems that each story gets even longer than the last. I know I said that Castor and Pollux was my favorite story, but this one is NOW my favorite story in my storybook. I may be biased though, because I am a cancer. I knew about Hercules like any 90's child thanks to the Disney movie, but I didn't know the actual myth of Hercules. I think it's much better than the Disney movie. I tried so hard to keep this under 1000 words, but there was so much to it and I thought the back story of Hera's hatred really added to the story. I took a lot out about Alceme's life, but the full version is under the Cancer tab. 3/23/2021

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