Queen who boasted she was more beautiful than the Nereids, bringing Poseidon‘s monster on her kingdom. Now a W-shaped constellation.
From Ethiopia. Today: to the Greeks, the far south beyond Egypt.
Strength 2/10 · Wisdom 3/10 · Courage 5/10 · Divinity 1/10 · Fame 6/10
The story
Queen of Ethiopia and wife of Cepheus. She boasted that she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than the Nereids, the sea nymphs, which enraged Poseidon.
How it ends
Poseidon placed her among the stars, where she sits on a throne that circles the pole, spending half the night upside down as punishment.
Still with us today
The constellation Cassiopeia, shaped like a W or M, is easy to spot in northern skies all year.
Family
Appears in
Ancient sources
- Apollodorus, The Library
In the sky and in space
- ConstellationCassiopeia
The vain queen, an easy W shape near the Pole Star. As her punishment she circles the pole, spending half the night upside down.