The Mythology Behind The Capricorn Constellation Explained

People from ancient civilizations created myths to explain the patterns of stars that dotted the night sky. They saw a heroic Perseus and his bride Andromeda. Another set represented Persephone and her appearance and disappearance would signal spring or winter. There was the mythical hunter Orion, whose belt made him easy to pick out in the sky, who fought Taurus, the bull. Of course, there is the mighty Hercules, who did amazing feats that beggar the imagination. These stories , per Windows to the Universe, made the constellations easy to find and lent an element of wonder to those who lifted their eyes upward each cloudless night. 

Frequently, the people in these myths are the embodiment of courage and determination, immortalized in the night sky for a reason. Their tales will live on for many more years. Stargazers have been mesmerized looking at them and imagining their heroics. Then there is the myth of Capricornus, who went from being a god to half-goat, half-fish. A different look, for sure. 

While it might seem suspect, this transformation was not one born out of cowardice, but of survival. It started when Pan, the Greek god of nature and the wilderness, came across the monstrous Typhon, enemy of the gods, with his 100 dragon heads, says Britannica. How bad was he? It took the King of the Gods, Zeus, to defeat him. Pan, who had turned into a goat from fear (Greek gods turned into different animals), wanted no part of him, so he dove into the Nile to avoid him. But he kept half of his body in the water and half above, so it looked like he was a swimming goat. The lower part of his body resembled a fish. Apparently Zeus thought this tactic was great and had him stay like that as the newly-named Capricornus ... half-goat, half-fish, per Spartacus Brasil. 

People who are familiar with astrology also know that there is a Capricorn sign. Those who fall under this zodiac sign are said to be hard workers, pragmatic, and are almost stubbornly obsessed with finishing their goals, much like their goat part, according to Astrology.  They do remain wholly human, though, and don't turn into part-goat, part-fish. That would just be awkward.