bodmin moor zodiac

Scorpio

Scorpio is one of the few constellations whose shape corresponds to its name. Scorpio is the scorpion which killed Orion the hunter at the command of Artemis, the goddess of hunting and the moon. The Scorpion was also thought to have stung the horses of the sun god’s chariot when Phaeton drove them, causing them to bolt and career through the heavens, drying up rivers and scorching the earth below. In around 5000 BC, this scorpion was sacred to the god of war and was a symbol of the darkness and decay of the waning year. A scorpion-man who guarded the gates of the sunrise challenged the hero Gilgamesh. For alchemists, November, the season of Scorpio was the busiest time of year. This was when spirit could be released and base metal could be transmuted into gold. The pincers of the original Scorpio reached as far as the present-day scales of Libra. The present Scorpio lies between Libra and the centaur Sagittarius.

Scorpion Sex

Scorpions subvert the mythology of penetrative sex during heterosexual copulation. Rather than the female scorpion invaginating the male’s penis, there is no direct contact between the primary sexual organs. Male and female scorpions find each other by vibration, scent and touch. During mating, the sensory pectines under the body are used to find a suitable place for the male to deposit his sperm parcel, the spermatophore. The male and female then perform a mating dance above the spermatophore, with the female being manoeuvred into position over it in order to draw it up into her genital pore. After mating, male scorpions are often devoured by the females.

Scorpions are largely solitary, nocturnal arachnids that glow a bright cyan-green under ultraviolet light. The function of this fluorescence is a mystery. Studies of four species from three families have shown that scorpion lateral and medial eyes are maximally sensitive to green light (around 500 nm) and secondarily to UV (350–400 nm). Scorpions are negatively phototactic and photosensitive elements in scorpion tails are sensitive to green light. The cuticle may function as a whole-body photon collector, transducing UV light to cyan-green before relaying this information to the central nervous system. Scorpions may use this information to detect shelter.

The Scorpion's Sting

As is the case with most poisonous animals, the ferocity of scorpions has been much exaggerated and they rarely sting unless molested or touched accidentally. Their usual response when disturbed, especially during the day, is to scurry away and seek shelter. Nevertheless, most species are highly poisonous and their sting extremely painful, and the sting of some of the larger species can prove fatal to humans. Scorpions themselves are apparently immune to their own poison.

Some people believe scorpion venom can one day be used to cure Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis. It has already been explored to help with some cases of multiple sclerosis and cancer, and to help with heart transplants.
There is a craze in India for youth to purposely get stung by scorpions. This has turned into a profitable clandestine business for dealers on the side of the road between Delhi and Bombay. Clients pay the scorpion owners money to be stung on their hands and feet. The sting is painful, but then users are taken over by a feeling of euphoria, much like a drug high.

bodmin moor zodiac index

buy the bodmin moor zodiac book

contact