Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-04-14
THE MILKY WAY.
ITS ORIGIN As ACCOUNTED FOR
IN VARIOUS LEGENDS.

The Story a. Told In Greek FabIe-Ths
sheaf OF straw-saxon Tradition-Ths
I3ushmen's Belisf--Metseroiogica Phe-
nomsna--Forccasts.
The brilliant appearance and prominent
color Of the Milky Way have not failed TO
give rise to many curious names and 10
many legends as TO its origin.
According to the Greek fable, it was
produced by the milk OF Hera Juno.
Children born Of Jupiter's illicit amours
could only inherit divine honors II sucked
by this lawful spouse of the great Olym-
plan god. Hercules was thus introduced
to the goddess, who became SO angered
when she discovered the substitute infant
that she threw him from her breast, and
the milk few across the sky, forming the
galaxy. Ilyginus says the Latin legend
substituted Ops, spouse Of Saturn, for
Juno, and the occasion was the presenta-
tion OF stone to her for the true child.
A Sicilan legend says the milk was from
the Madonna's breast, lost while sho
searched for Jesus.
A curious class Of legends accounts for
the creation Of the bright band Of stars
across the heavens. One Of these, from
Wallachia, relates that Venus purloined q
sheaf Of straw one night from St. Peters
mills, and in her hasty flight toward her
celestial abode scattered It across the sky,
where we see 1t now on cloudless nights.
A Dalmatian tradition ascribes tho loss of
the straw to st. Peter himself, and calls
the galaxy "the Straw Of st. Peter" Ac-
cording to Crotian legend, II was caused
by man who, having stolen q sheaf OF
straw from his foster father, was hasten
fng away with his burden, when the bum
die broke and the straw scattered about.
To recall for ever the theft, God placed
the straw in the heavens, where It still
Clitters. The name given to the galaxy In
Servia and Albania Is "Godfather's
Straw" Similar traditions must have
given rise to names bestowed upon 1t in
other countries. 1t Is known as the
"Strawy" in Boznia; as the "Straw
Road" in Sandman, in Magyar, in Modern
Hebrew, Coptic and Ethiopian; as the
''Road Of the Straw" in Arab, Rabyle and
Syriac, and as the Scattering Of tho
Straw" in the Magyar dialect. An Ar
and Persian titles are "Path of the Car
riers Of the Cut Straw" and "Way Of Car
rying Chaff."
The peculiar whiteness of the Milky
Way is also evidently referred to in II its
Transylvanian name Of the 'Floury Way"
and its Westphalian titles, the "Road to
Mill' and the SANDY Path" There are
other legends to account for its appear
ance. A Saxon tradition relates that the
world took fire some ages ago and burned
until 1t was consumed. God gathered to-
gether the cinderS and united them in
furrow. They went out little by little,
leaving whitish brilliancy ,-in the midst
of which still burn some live Goals. About
the entire heavens are dispersed other
burning embers. Sometimes spark
shoots from hidden bunch of them, be-
coming a shooting star.
Bushmen say the galaxy is formed of
ashes cast there long ago by young
woman, so that her parents might he able
to find their way home. Another legend
assigns different origin to 1t. A young
woman, angry with her stingy mother be-
cause she would give her but small
quantity of certain red nut to eat, cast
quantities Of 1t from her into the sky,
where 1t became the stars and the Milky
Way.
Like the rainbow and other prominent
celestial appearances the Milky Way is
connected in popular tradition with
meteorological phenomena. In West
phalia it is called the Weather Stripe"
sWeather Street" and weather Tree"
and Is also given the name of "Wind
Tree" A Welsh name for 1t was "Road
Of the Wind" and in Picardy it is called
'Foot OF the Wind" Tahitians call the
bright band "Flying Cloud" and "Solid
Cloud" It is "Band Of the Aurora" in
Magyar lands, and the Evening Ray" In
Westphalia. In the latter country the
galaxy is said to be in the middle Of tho
world and the sun stops there regularly
at meridian. 1t is also believed to turn
with the sun, and hence first appears
from the quarter in which tho sun has
set. Similar notions of the cosmograph-
zeal Importance Of the Milky Way prob.
ably gave It its Arab name "Mother OF
Heaven" An old Arab poet alludes to
It as the "Mother of the Confused Stars VI
Appearing only by night, prognostica'
tions drawn from the luminous way arc
not so numerous as in the case Of the
rainbow Esthonians Judge by the more
OF less brilliant appearance Of the amount
of snow that will fall during the coming
winter. II by the end of September the
northern end of the galaxy Is very brill
liant, snow will not fall until Christmas Is
past; but IL the south end il more brill.
liant in appearance snow will fall long be-
| fore Christmas. II the whole band Is
very bright, snow will fall before and
after Christmas. Icelanders also prog
| nosticate the winter weather from tho ap.
pearance of the Milky Way in autumn
| In our own country, many people believe
that the edge Of the Milky Way which
is the brightest indicates the direction
from which the approaching storm will
GOMEZ S. Bassett in Globe Democrat.
/