Nessus

Symbol:

Astronomy

Nessus is one of the centaurs among the minor planets. The centaurs occupy a position somewhere between comets and asteroids. Nessus orbits the Sun between Saturn and Pluto. It was discovered on 26th April 1993 in Kut Peak, Tucson Arizona by David L. Rabinowitz. It has an estimated diameter of 58 km and an average distance to the Sun of 3663.7 million km. Its orbit is strongly elliptical and eccentric, and it takes 121 years to make one sidereal revolution of the Sun. In April 1997 the International Union of Astronomers named it after one of the centaurs from Greek mythology after this had been suggested by astrologers, something which had never happened before. There is less known about Nessus than about the two earlier discovered centaurs Chiron and Pholus.

Mythology

Nessos (Greek spelling) is one of the centaurs - creatures that were half man and half horse - but is less tempered than Chiron and Pholus.

Nessos came across Heracles and his second wife Deianeira after they were forced to leave the kingdom of King Oineus, the father of Deianeira. Heracles had inadvertently killed the King's cupbearer. The river Euenos was flooded and blocked the fleeing couple's path. Nessos offered to help Deianeira reach the other bank in safety but tried to rape her while crossing the river. Upon seeing this Heracles took a poisoned arrow and shot at Nessos. The dying centaur pretended to show remorse for his actions and promised Deianeira that the blood from his wound would help her to secure Heracles' love upon which she collected and kept some of his blood. Many years later Deianeira, fearing that she would lose Heracles to Iole, dipped his garments in the blood she had saved. Hercules' garments were poisoned with Nessos' blood which ate away at his flesh causing him acute agony. To end his suffering he threw himself into a fire and burned to death. When his wife realised what she had done she also killed herself. Although Nessos' revenge seemed to be complete this was not the end of the story. Death by flames purified Hercules from all earthly misconduct. The gods of Olympus adopted him and gave him immortality.

Interpretation

There have been very few investigations into the astrological significance of Nessus. Owing to the fact that its own orbit connects those of Saturn and Pluto it is by analogy the centaur most closely connected with Plutonian themes such as power, guilt, revenge, repentance and redemption. No figure in the myth remains innocent: Not Heracles, who was fleeing because he had killed, not Nessos, because he tried to rape Heracles' wife, and not Deianeira whose jealousy led to the unintentional death of her husband. In this sense the message of the myth is to distance oneself from accusations of guilt. Unethical behaviour is not limited to others. No-one can absolve themselves completely. Whoever takes it upon themselves to judge ends up harming themselves. In order to be absolved of any guilt one must accept it and do penitence. Only then comes redemption.