HISTORY ONLINE

In Greek mythology, Scorpio was responsible for killing Orion. The two constellations were then placed almost 180° from each other to avoid further trouble. Scorpio is a true winter constellation for its southern hemisphere observers and contains some of the most spectacular deep sky objects like star clusters and nebulae, many of them easily visible through binoculars. At the heart of the Scorpion lies the star Antares – meaning “anti-Mars”, so called because you can easily confuse this reddish star with the planet Mars which is currently situated just beneath the constellation, fortunately shining much brighter than Antares. Antares, a red supergiant, is 520 light-years away from us and is 9 000 times more luminous than our Sun! It is not very dense however and has a mass of only 10 to 15 times that of the Sun.

A case does perhaps exist for saying that the constellation of Scorpio has a tail that resembles a Scorpion's. The obscure link between its Zodiac symbol and the pattern in the stars that constitutes the Scorpio constellation is quite hard to explain. Evidence suggests that the Scorpio symbol initially had no link with a constellation. A scorpion like man appears as a fully developed image on many Babylonian boundary stones. On the majority of these boundary stones, he is depicted with a scorpion's tail and drawing a bow, as though he were a combination of the figures for Scorpio and Sagittarius, the archer.

This scorpion figure appeared in Babylon at least 1,000 years before he finally took his place in the Egyptian Zodiacs, which were created in the ancient cities of Denderah and Esna, as the image we know today. In the first century BC, several astrological myths suggested that the original scorpion be connected with Orion. A Greek giant, hunter and the handsomest man alive, he was by no means impervious to female charms. It was said that his stature was so enormous that he could walk on the bottom of the sea without getting his head wet.

Eos, the goddess of dawn, an inveterate collector of handsome young men, invited him to bed; he happily accepted the invitation. But Orion bragged of the conquest and also boasted that he was so great a hunter that he would exterminate all of the wild beasts. The God Apollo, responsible for guarding herds, therefore persuaded Gaiaa, the Earth goddess, to send a giant scorpion with impenetrable armor to sting him to death.

Some variations of this myth say that is succeeded, others say that Orion tried to escape by swimming out to sea only to be accidentally shot by Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and Apollo's sister. Artemis, who unsurprisingly, was very attracted to Orion, had fired her arrow in an attempt to kill the scorpion that was attacking Orion. Being a magnificent shot, she struck the black head that she saw bobbing in the water with her first arrow. Tragically however, her target turned out to be Orion's head rather than the scorpion and the hunter died instantly.

According to this later version of the story, the grief stricken Artemis then placed Orion as a constellation among the stars where he is eternally pursued by the giant scorpion. The constellation of Orion incidentally, sets in the sky just as the constellation of Scorpio rises. Scorpio is a zodiac constellation playing important role in european and chinese astrologies.

Your Scorpio embodies the characteristics of the Ruler of the Underworld... Hades, Pluto - any name you call him by, he's one you don't want to mess with! This is one small, passionate arachnid who packs a whallop.
Now, I know Scorpio gets a bad rap. That's because people need to look beyond the stinger and get to the meat. And the meat is tasty. First of all, without resorting to actually devouring your Scorpio (although she'd love it), take into consideration these enticing Scorpionic traits: Your Scorpio is deeply intuitive, sensual, mysterious, sexy, prosperity conscious, able to make dramatic life changes, a powerful ally, and - yes - deeply spiritual. The key word here is deep....deep as the ocean herself.

So why wouldn't you want to mess with someone who sounds so alluring? Why should you think twice about badmouthing or - dare I say - leaving such a one? Because everything runs deep with Scorpio. All the good, and all the bad. Feelings are strong, and last forever! When you are aligned with his wishes, you are his champion, his partner, his war-buddy. When you cross the line, you might as well hide out for a year until her venom wears off. Just think of your Scorpio as the Godfather (as in the movie.) You get the picture.... you know what happens to traitors... Don't go there!
So, now that you know that you must be nice, what is it that your Scorpio needs from you? First of all, let her know she is sexy, desirable, alluring and powerful. Tell him that the world is putty in his hands and that he is the ultimate sex-god. Venture into the unknown with your Scorpio. Discover dark hidden realms and uncover secrets.... be a spy with her. Or better yet, hide out so he can have the pleasure of finding you. Be available to satisfy your Scorpio's sudden urges, and believe in her neverending quest for self-discovery and the ultimate in spiritual fulfillment. Easy enough?
Don't forget to dance and have fun with your Scorpio... they do know how to have a good time... But always, always approach with caution. You will be rewarded with plenty of powerful and moving experiences, devotion, true friendship and a loyal friend - for life.