What do y'all think about the asteroid Hephaestus Hephaistos (2212)?

MoonlightSonata

Well-known member
I'd never heard of it until I stumbled across some info concerning it and the mythological god its named after yesterday. And for those of you who don't know, Hephaestus/Hephaistos sounds like the inspiration behind Beauty and the Beast.

Hera rejected him because he was ugly and deformed. Then Zeus, being the troll he was (IMO), forced Aphrodite to marry him, possibly as a way to constantly remind him of why his mom rejected him in the first place if he was trolling him. But he supposedly did it to prevent a war among the gods as if that made the forced marriage more palatable.

Aphrodite didn't love or respect him either. She cheated on him left and right - possibly because she resented being used as a pawn by Zeus. Or maybe she did it because she was Aphrodite and knew all the other gods wanted her.

Still, Hephaestus/Hephaistos was able to channel all that pain (e.g., horrible parents and a cruel arm-candy wife) into art and create beauty. And he was shown some kindness via other immortals. So his life didn't totally suck.

As for the astrological connotations, I would think having Hephaestus/Hephaistos on an angle or conjunct or in hard aspect to the sun (ego) or moon (emotions) could really do a number on someone's self-esteem unless one or both the benefics, favorable transits or progressions help out a lot.

Thanks in advance for chiming in!
 

ElenaJ

Well-known member
Surprisingly, when I entered it into my chart, it is exactly conjunct Uranus, my descendent ruler!
Hmmm.
Thanks for pointing me on this pathway!
 

waybread

Well-known member
I might also point out parallels between Hephaistos the smithy and the Germanic legends of a smithy variously called Wayland, Wolund, Volundr, &c. He shows up in the Norse sagas as a master blacksmith who is captured and enslaved by a cruel king, who hamstrings Volundr so that he cannot escape. Volundr outwits the king, but his story is filled with cruelty. So there is also a connection with lameness in Germanic folklore.

The Germanic legends go a lot deeper than this, as the mythological dwarves were believed to be the originators of mining and smelting; and Dvalin in the saga list (borrowed by Tolkien) was probably another name for Wayland/Volundr.

European folklore imbued even human blacksmiths with magical powers. Note the significance of magical rings and swords in medieval European lore. I suspect the whole thing goes way back to the Indo-Europeans, who invented iron-making.

I also suspect astrological Hephaistos has a much deeper, darker meaning than the cuckolded husband of Venus who was rejected by Mommy.

I think it must work a bit like astrological Chiron, whose myth involves another wounded immortal, the centaur Chiron (Keiron.) Chiron was probably the prototype centaur for Sagittarius. Where astrological Chiron can confer wisdom from those unhealed wounds, Hephaistos can confer the ability to transmute the wounds into artistry.
 
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MoonlightSonata

Well-known member
I might also point out parallels between Hephaistos the smithy and the Germanic legends of a smithy variously called Wayland, Wolund, Volundr, &c. He shows up in the Norse sagas as a master blacksmith who is captured and enslaved by a cruel king, who hamstrings Volundr so that he cannot escape. Volundr outwits the king, but his story is filled with cruelty. So there is also a connection with lameness in Germanic folklore.

The Germanic legends go a lot deeper than this, as the mythological dwarves were believed to be the originators of mining and smelting; and Dvalin in the saga list (borrowed by Tolkien) was probably another name for Wayland/Volundr.

European folklore imbued even human blacksmiths with magical powers. Note the significance of magical rings and swords in medieval European lore. I suspect the whole thing goes way back to the Indo-Europeans, who invented iron-making.

I also suspect astrological Hephaistos has a much deeper, darker meaning than the cuckolded husband of Venus who was rejected by Mommy.

I think it must work a bit like astrological Chiron, whose myth involves another wounded immortal, the centaur Chiron (Keiron.) Chiron was probably the prototype centaur for Sagittarius. Where astrological Chiron can confer wisdom from those unhealed wounds, Hephaistos can confer the ability to transmute the wounds into artistry.

Interesting take.
 

chay

Banned
My Janus software interprets Hephaistos as HEPHAISTOS
"Problems with the limbs (usually the legs) lameness, crippling, parental abandonment (most often by the mother,) to be "an issue" of contention between the parents, tendency for an unlikely match in relationship (ie., variations on The Beauty and the Beast!,) contact with metals."

The strongest aspect I have with it is semi-square my North Node. I was left in a cult in another country by my mothers partner at 14. He had a club foot and very pronounced limp.
 
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chay

Banned
My Janus software interprets Hephaistos as HEPHAISTOS
"Problems with the limbs (usually the legs) lameness, crippling, parental abandonment (most often by the mother,) to be "an issue" of contention between the parents, tendency for an unlikely match in relationship (ie., variations on The Beauty and the Beast!,) contact with metals."

The strongest aspect I have with it is semi-square my North Node. I was left in a cult in another country by my mothers partner at 14. He had a club foot and very pronounced limp.[/QUOTE/]

Also, when we flew there, as he stepped through the metal detector it beeped. He pulled from out of his dhoti roll a small metal container of perfumed chewing tobacco which the customs officers were very interested in. As we were walking out of the airport he pulled a gold bar out of his Dhoti, he'd smuggled it through as a gift for the head Swami and distracted then with the tobacco tin. He had Gemini Ascendant, but I'd have to search for the degree, I can't remember it. I also have Hephaistos square natal Venus which was exactly conjunct his Venus.
 

waybread

Well-known member
Wow, Chay. I think you have a lot more going on in your chart than a minor aspect to Hephaistos. Have you looked at midpoints, quintiles, and septiles in your chart overall?

Generally with asteroids, I use only the conjunction to another planet; as otherwise it is too easy to fill up a chart with space junk. Which isn't to say that the mythology of an asteroid god or goddess won't have profound meaning for us, regardless.
 

MoonlightSonata

Well-known member
My Janus software interprets Hephaistos as HEPHAISTOS
"Problems with the limbs (usually the legs) lameness, crippling, parental abandonment (most often by the mother,) to be "an issue" of contention between the parents, tendency for an unlikely match in relationship (ie., variations on The Beauty and the Beast!,) contact with metals."

The strongest aspect I have with it is semi-square my North Node. I was left in a cult in another country by my mothers partner at 14. He had a club foot and very pronounced limp.

Geez. That's a lot! :surprised: I salute you for surviving something like that and being strong enough to discuss it.
 

chay

Banned
Wow, Chay. I think you have a lot more going on in your chart than a minor aspect to Hephaistos. Have you looked at midpoints, quintiles, and septiles in your chart overall?

Generally with asteroids, I use only the conjunction to another planet; as otherwise it is too easy to fill up a chart with space junk. Which isn't to say that the mythology of an asteroid god or goddess won't have profound meaning for us, regardless.

Yeah, I don't over read into it. Just looked at that particular asteroid as that is what the thread is about. Mentioned the node as it's a tight angle to it. Uranian astrology uses semi-squares and sesquiquadrates. Also the interpretation written in the Janus software certainly reminded me of that event. Quite literally being abandoned by a parent, a man with a limp, gold and a metal detector. Those little things when you look into your own asteroids are quite telling. Also have a sprained ankle this week and am limping myself. But rest assured if I hadn't been specifically looking at the asteroid I wouldn't be reading too much into it. They are very helpful if you want more detail. Yes in a chart, natal or transit or return I would only work with conjunctions. In transits they will often manifest as discussions. I start with the basics and build. I don't do astrology for a living or for others and have never used the asteroids on the odd occasions. But I will look at tight angles as well, for myself, of the hard aspects. Actually asteroids add so much detail it's mindblowing. I look and use solar arc midpoints, no haven't looked into quintiles septiles etc. Do you use them? I tend to use conjunctions, oppositions, semi-sq sesqui's, sextiles and quincunxes.
 

chay

Banned
Yeah, I don't over read into it. Just looked at that particular asteroid as that is what the thread is about. Mentioned the node as it's a tight angle to it. Uranian astrology uses semi-squares and sesquiquadrates. Also the interpretation written in the Janus software certainly reminded me of that event. Quite literally being abandoned by a parent, a man with a limp, gold and a metal detector. Those little things when you look into your own asteroids are quite telling. Also have a sprained ankle this week and am limping myself. But rest assured if I hadn't been specifically looking at the asteroid I wouldn't be reading too much into it. They are very helpful if you want more detail. Yes in a chart, natal or transit or return I would only work with conjunctions. In transits they will often manifest as discussions. I start with the basics and build. I don't do astrology for a living or for others and have never used the asteroids on the odd occasions. But I will look at tight angles as well, for myself, of the hard aspects. Actually asteroids add so much detail it's mindblowing. I look and use solar arc midpoints, no haven't looked into quintiles septiles etc. Do you use them? I tend to use conjunctions, oppositions, semi-sq sesqui's, sextiles and quincunxes.

The semi-square to my node is 0.58deg
 

chay

Banned
Geez. That's a lot! :surprised: I salute you for surviving something like that and being strong enough to discuss it.

There were many others and some children went through it a lot harder there than I did. It did leave me different, I do have PTSD, I lack trust & do not have any belief in god or a higher power, I have an abnormally high tolerance to pain. There was beauty there as well.
 

waybread

Well-known member
Chay, I increasingly see quintiles (360/5) as a major aspect: talent plus the ambition to manifest it, as indicated by signs and houses. Septiles (360/7) are more other-worldly: the ability to see a deeper reality behind our underlying our daily taken-for-granted reality, plus the self-discipline to manifest it in some way. Tight orbs are necessary because otherwise aspects tend to bump into one another.

There are at least 3 horoscope points that deal with the theme of an unhealable injury and converting that pain into a higher purpose:

* Hephaistos (metal-working and art,)

* Chiron (wisdom,) and

* Sedna (environmental restoration.)

Probably more. All kinds of myths deal with the theme of loss and redemption, and this includes Ceres and the sun, to name two.

I think the transmutation of emotional pain into art is a deeper symbolic meaning behind the Hephaistos myth. In this context, his marriage to Venus/Aphrodite, the ruler of art and esthetics, makes perfect sense.
 

chay

Banned
Chay, I increasingly see quintiles (360/5) as a major aspect: talent plus the ambition to manifest it, as indicated by signs and houses. Septiles (360/7) are more other-worldly: the ability to see a deeper reality behind our underlying our daily taken-for-granted reality, plus the self-discipline to manifest it in some way. Tight orbs are necessary because otherwise aspects tend to bump into one another.

There are at least 3 horoscope points that deal with the theme of an unhealable injury and converting that pain into a higher purpose:

* Hephaistos (metal-working and art,)

* Chiron (wisdom,) and

* Sedna (environmental restoration.)

Probably more. All kinds of myths deal with the theme of loss and redemption, and this includes Ceres and the sun, to name two.

I think the transmutation of emotional pain into art is a deeper symbolic meaning behind the Hephaistos myth. In this context, his marriage to Venus/Aphrodite, the ruler of art and esthetics, makes perfect sense.

I will have a look into those aspects. Thanks for the tip. I haven't found many interpretations of Sedna, I have it at 0deg Taurus, with NN at 29deg Aries and TNP Admetos at 1deg Taurus, which of course, most people my age will have. I love the Transneptunians, although I'm surprised at myself for doing so as "hypothetical" planets are a strange idea to me. But they work like magic in Uranian Astrology. I love Witte and use his Rules for Planetary Pictures all the time. I don't feel qualified to do charts for others and perhaps due to being in the Ashram cult, when I have, I really haven't felt comfortable with the relationship to client. But I use it for myself and being pretty much an uneducated person who has always been on the fringe of society, it helps me make decisions & turn Chaos into Cosmos. Thanks again, I will have fun looking into Quintiles and Septiles.
 
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