Mula
Mula, The Root, is an Indian name, used by the Indian Vedic tradition. Most of these names are roughly 3000 years old. They pre-date Hinduism but were taken over by it.
Etymology and History
It brightest part of the Milky Way Galaxy, today known as "Galactic Bulge" appears visually like a tuber from which new plants are born. This might be the cause for the name of this constellation and section of the ecliptic.
The symbol of Mula is a bunch of roots tied together (reticulated roots) or an 'elephant goad'.
Origin of Constellation
The temple depiction of the nakshatra asterism shows eleven stars surrounding a longish structure that broadens towards the right end. The stars are typically identified with the group of the tail of Scorpius which has plenty of stars. The eight stars ε, μ, ζ, η, θ, ι, κ, and λ Scorpii are certainly part of it, for the additional three, it could be υ Sco, Q Sco and G Sco. Yet, in historical star catalogues, υ and λ Sco are sometimes counted as a double star, which would allow for adding the open star cluster M7 ("Ptolemy's Cluster") as a "fuzzy star": all this is uncertain; we only know that the 11 stars surrounded the area of dark clouds in the Milky Way which may suggest that "the root" itself was considered a dark constellation or consisted of such (e.g. the earth in which the root is placed).
Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation
Mythology
mnemonic tales and cultural significance
Weblinks
References
- References (general)
