Cassiopeia (Queen)
heroCassiopeia was the queen who boasted her beauty exceeded the sea nymphs — provoking Poseidon to demand her daughter Andromeda as sacrifice.
The Myth
Cassiopeia's vanity was the catalyst for the entire Perseus-Andromeda story. After Andromeda's rescue, Cassiopeia was placed among the stars — but as punishment, she was set in a position that causes her to hang upside-down for half the year, a humiliation for a vain queen. The W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia is one of the most easily recognised in the northern sky.
Parents
Unknown
Children
Symbols
Fun Fact
The constellation Cassiopeia rotates around the pole — spending half the year "upside-down" as eternal punishment for her vanity.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
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