Long, long time ago, Romanians were a peaceful people of shepherds and agricultors who needed the starry sky to find their way through time and space. So they created their own representation of the stars, in strong connection to their identity, life and beliefs.
The Romanian peasant didn't know the names of the constellations as we know them today, so he named them (or fragments of them) after elements from his daily routine, religious customs, myths, animals and people around. 💫 He tought the sky was inhabited, just like the Earth, so his sky map was a projection of what he knew best:
"The Man" (Hercules)
"The Emperor's daugther with a shoulder yoke" (Aquila)
"The Horse" (Leo)
"The Ox Cart" (Ursa Major)
"The Dog" (Canis Major)
"The Monastery" (Cassiopeia)
"The Large Cross" (Cygnus)
"The Hen with the Chickens" (Pleiades)
"The Reaping Hook" (part of Orion)
"The Ox Head" (Taurus)
"The Mower" (Cepheus)
"The Path to God" (The Milky Way)
Every constellation we know now was perceived as a different thing then. Some of them were even broken apart and connected differently, to create new images in the sky. Stars were always a part of a man's life, guiding him, helping him and reinforcing his idea that his soul will live up there too one day.Â
The Romanian peasant didn't know the names of the constellations as we know them today, so he named them (or fragments of them) after elements from his daily routine, religious customs, myths, animals and people around. 💫 He tought the sky was inhabited, just like the Earth, so his sky map was a projection of what he knew best:
"The Man" (Hercules)
"The Emperor's daugther with a shoulder yoke" (Aquila)
"The Horse" (Leo)
"The Ox Cart" (Ursa Major)
"The Dog" (Canis Major)
"The Monastery" (Cassiopeia)
"The Large Cross" (Cygnus)
"The Hen with the Chickens" (Pleiades)
"The Reaping Hook" (part of Orion)
"The Ox Head" (Taurus)
"The Mower" (Cepheus)
"The Path to God" (The Milky Way)
Every constellation we know now was perceived as a different thing then. Some of them were even broken apart and connected differently, to create new images in the sky. Stars were always a part of a man's life, guiding him, helping him and reinforcing his idea that his soul will live up there too one day.Â
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2022, personal work
