Jason, with his 'Altar' and sacrifice. Hercules, the Argonaut, with his club, his dart (Sagitta), and vulture, with the Dragon, Crab (Cancer), and Lion (Leo) which he slew; and Orpheus, one of the company, with his harp (Lyra). Again we have Orion, the son of Neptune, or as some say the grandson of Minos, with his dogs (Canis Major and Minor), and the Hare (Lepus), River (Eridanus), and Scorpion. We have the story of Perseus, in the constellation of that name, as well as in Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Andromeda, and Cetus that of Callisto and her son Areas in Ursa Major; that of Icarius and his daughter Erigone in Boötes and Virgo. Ursa Minor relates to one of the nurses of Jupiter, Auriga to Erichthonius, Ophiuchus to Phorbas, Sagittarius to Crolus, the son of one of the Muses, Capricorn to Pan, and Aquarius to Ganymede. We have also Ariadne's crown (Corona Borealis), Bellerophon's horse (Pegasus), Neptune's dolphin (Delphinus), Ganymede's eagle (Aquila), Jupiter's goat with her kids, the asses of Bacchus (in Cancer), the fishes of Venus and Cupid (Pisces), with their parent the Southern Fish." These, according to Deltoton, comprise the Grecian constellations mentioned by the poet Aratos, and all relate, as Newton supposes, remotely or immediately to the Argonauts.
There is every reason to believe, however, that the constellations were invented long before the date of this famous expedition.
Allen tells us that in China, the Inner Throne of the Five Emperors was located somewhere in this constellation. One of the Chinese Emperors, it is said, ordered a group of stars in Cepheus to be called "Tsau-fu" after his favourite charioteer.
Cepheus had for the Arabs a pastoral significance. In fact in the Euphratean star list Cepheus signified "numerous flock." The stars in the vicinity of the North Pole were supposed to represent a shepherd attended by his dog, watching a herd of sheep at pasture. Goats, calves,
