Currently I'm working on some artwork to illustrate the folktale that tells how the Milky Way was created. The tale dates back to more than 2,600 years ago, when a cowherd, embodying the star Altair (in the constellation Aquila) and a weaver girl, representing the star Vega (in the constellation Lyra), fell in love and then were driven apart by the creation of the Milky Way - they were the ultimate 'star crossed lovers'.
The
story of two lovers kept apart by the Milky Way is told in a number of Asian
countries. It originates in China, but there are also versions in Japan and
Vietnam.
The lovers were eventually allowed to reunite once a
year, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. On
that day every year, thousands of magpies gather there to form a
bridge across the Milky Way to let the two reunite and at this time in the nights sky the two stars are seen also to adjoin.
No comments:
Post a Comment