Saturnine
Gloomy and slow-tempered, from Saturn (Kronos), whose distant planet was thought to cause melancholy.
The Meaning of Saturnine
Saturn was the Roman name for Kronos, the Titan who ruled during a supposed Golden Age before being overthrown by his son Jupiter. In astrology, the planet Saturn — the most distant planet visible to the naked eye, moving the slowest across the sky — was considered a malefic influence. Those born under Saturn were thought to be cold, serious, withdrawn, and prone to melancholy. The adjective "saturnine" entered English in the fifteenth century to describe people who are habitually gloomy, taciturn, and heavy-spirited. The myth reinforces this: Kronos devoured his own children out of fear and paranoia, embodying the darkest aspects of paternal authority. After his overthrow he was cast into Tartarus (or, in gentler versions, sent to rule the Isles of the Blessed). Lead, the heaviest and dullest of common metals, was alchemically associated with Saturn, adding to the word's connotation of heaviness and darkness.
Parents
Ouranos and Gaia
Symbols
Fun Fact
Lead poisoning was once called "saturnism" because alchemists associated lead with the planet Saturn — both heavy, dull, and dangerous.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Saturn
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The sixth planet from the Sun, named after Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture and time identified with the Greek Titan Kronos, father of Zeus
Jovial
💭 conceptCheerfulness, good humour, warmth
Cheerful and good-humoured, from Jove (Jupiter/Zeus), whose planet was thought to bring happiness.
Mercurial
💭 conceptChangeability, quicksilver temperament, volatility
Unpredictably changeable in mood or behaviour, from Mercury (Hermes), the swift and restless messenger god.
Stygian
💭 conceptLanguage and the underworld
An English adjective meaning extremely dark, gloomy, or hellish, derived from the River Styx, the boundary between the world of the living and the Greek underworld
Pluto
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
A dwarf planet named after Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld identified with the Greek Hades, chosen because of its extreme distance and darkness at the edge of the solar system
Mars
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The fourth planet from the Sun, named after Mars, the Roman god of war identified with the Greek Ares, because its reddish colour suggested blood and conflict
Goddess of Night
💭 conceptNight, darkness, shadows, mystery
Nyx is the primordial goddess of night, so powerful that even Zeus avoids provoking her wrath.
Aphrodite
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The planet Venus is named after the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, because it is the brightest and most beautiful object in the night sky after the Moon
Jupiter
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The largest planet in the solar system, named after Jupiter, the Roman king of the gods identified with the Greek Zeus, because of its commanding size and brightness
Venus
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The second planet from the Sun and the brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon, named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love identified with the Greek Aphrodite
Neptune
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The eighth and outermost planet of the solar system, named after Neptune, the Roman god of the sea identified with the Greek Poseidon, because of its blue colour
Uranus
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The seventh planet from the Sun, named after Ouranos, the primordial Greek god of the sky and the earliest supreme deity in the mythological genealogy