Mythos of Jupiter

This past September of 2022, the planet Jupiter was both in opposition (opposite the sun relative to earth) and at its closest position to earth (known as perigee), and the planet is still very bright in our evening skies. Medieval people had a great deal of lore surrounding each of the planets, and Jupiter’s was linked to Ancient Greek and Roman mythology, astrology, and alchemy.

These topics might seem to contradict each other, but they in fact overlapped. Like all of the planets, Jupiter’s sky-,journey, and how it moved in line with other planets and constellations, was thought to have great portent for what went on down below on earth (which was thought to be the center of the cosmos). In the first image, you see the 16th century “Book of Felicity” made in Istanbul illustrating the position of Jupiter in apogee and perigee with regards to Libra (see the scales) and Ares (check out the upside down Jupiter on the ram).

Personifying the planets was commonplace — the Medieval imagination often matched up things symbolically — so one planet might stand for a Roman deity, a metal in alchemy, or a concoction of humors (four substances thought to be in all life). Jupiter was equated with the sky father-god Zeus, which Medieval Christians and Muslims were not supposed to believe in, yet continued to employ in representation. You can see the 16th century ink drawing of Jupiter holding lightning bolts in the last image. In the third image from the 11th century, Jupiter is a man holding an eagle (which meant divine justice in the Roman world) and a serpent (representing the struggle for justice).

The second photo is a ninth-century illustration of Jupiter, shown as a robed man wielding an axe and chasing Saturn who is an old man with a (very poorly drawn) scythe — myths told of Jupiter/Zeus overthrowing Saturn/Cronos, which Medieval people saw paralleled in the sky when Jupiter seemed to overtake Saturn’s progression in the nighttime skies.