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How a Goddess Became a Virgin: The Real History of Virgo
In some cultures, the Goddess Isis was a Virgo.
Are you surprised to discover that the constellation Virgo, who today is synonymous with virginity, was originally a Goddess of birth and sexuality? By mapping Virgo’s celestial identity throughout the ages this fair maiden blossoms into a complex woman with a rich history. She is so historic that we can link her lineage all the way back to ancient Sumerian culture.
Now, before we travel back across the millennia, let’s begin with who The Maiden is today. The Maiden is Virgo’s symbol and is often referred to as ‘the virgin’ in Astro-culture. Though I do not believe that this maiden was ever meant to be depicted as a chaste, and often shy, girl. Virgo’s virgin is such a commonly known misconstruction that many even interpret the Virgo glyph, or the M with the crossing semi-circle hieroglyphic, to represent the shy maiden’s legs crossing to protect her sacred flower.
From what we know about the evolution of Astrology, this maiden was reinterpreted into Virgo the virgin through centuries of Latin, Hebrew, and Arabic influence. An influence that transitioned many societies from rambunctious forms of polytheism to more reserved traditions of monotheism. Before monotheism, Hellenistic Greece held dominion after it supplanted the astronomers in ancient Mesopotamia, which was the region encompassing Babylon and Sumer where our tale begins.
When this constellation was renamed under the Latin Virgo, of which one definition is virgin, she took on quite a different connotation which I’d argue is more reflective of certain periods in history than the actual maiden herself.
Tracing Virgo Throughout The Ages
The furthest back we find Virgo is as the ancient Sumerian goddess Nisaba, the deity of writing, learning, and the harvest. She was a powerful entity whose connection to writing and learning, not to mention the harvesting of grain, associated her with some of the first historical proof of trade and business that we have in human history. Virgo, in her inception, was a businesswoman.
Scholar Joshua J. Mark describes, “Nisaba, formerly goddess of grain, became associated with writing as…
