Taurus Constellation Meaning

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Taurus Constellation [Stellarium]

Constellation Taurus the Bull is one of the 12 ecliptic constellations and lies between Aries and Gemini and borders Auriga, Perseus, Cetus, Eridanus, Orion and the obsolete constellation Psalterium Georgii.

Taurus is one of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy in the 2nd century and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It spans 30 degrees of the zodiac in the Signs of Taurus and Gemini.

Abbreviation: Tau
Genitive: Tauri

Taurus Constellation Stars

2000	2050	Star	Name	Spec.	Mag.	Orb
21♉10	21♉52	ο Tau	Atirsagne	G6	3.61	1°40′
21♉55	22♉37	ξ Tau	Ushakaron	B9	3.73	1°30′
21♉57	22♉39	10 Tau		F9	4.29	1°20′
23♉36	24♉18	f Tau	Berhan Esat	K0	4.14	1°20′
29♉25	00♊07	17 Tau	Electra	B6	3.72	1°30′
29♉26	00♊09	16 Tau	Celaeno	B7	5.45	1°00′
29♉34	00♊16	19 Tau	Taygeta	B6	4.30	1°10′
29♉41	00♊23	20 Tau	Maia	B8	3.87	1°30′
29♉42	00♊24	23 Tau	Merope	B6	4.14	1°20′
29♉45	00♊27	21 Tau	Asterope	B8	5.76	1°00′
29♉55	00♊38	ν Tau	Furibundus	A1	3.91	1°30′
00♊00	00♊42	η Tau	Alcyone	B7	2.85	2°00′
00♊22	01♊04	27 Tau	Atlas	B8	3.62	1°40′
00♊23	01♊05	28 Tau	Pleione	B8	5.05	1°00′
00♊38	01♊21	λ Tau	Althaur	B4	3.41	1°40′
03♊28	04♊10	37 Tau	Yuè (月)	K0	4.36	1°10′
03♊35	04♊17	μ Tau	Kattupothu	B3	4.27	1°20′
05♊49	06♊31	γ Tau	Hyadum I	G8	3.65	1°40′
06♊53	07♊35	δ¹ Tau	Hyadum II	G8	3.77	1°30′
07♊22	08♊05	71 Tau	Polyxo	F0	4.48	1°10′
07♊32	08♊15	δ³ Tau	Cleeia	A2	4.30	1°10′
07♊55	09♊37	φ Tau	Alkalbain I	K1	4.97	1°00′
07♊58	08♊40	θ¹ Tau	Hyadum III	G9	3.84	1°30′
07♊58	08♊40	θ² Tau	Hyadum IV	A7	3.40	1°40′
08♊07	08♊49	ε Tau	Ain	K0	3.53	1°40′
08♊12	08♊55	κ² Tau	Alkalbain IV	A7	5.27	1°00′
08♊13	08♊55	κ¹ Tau	Alkalbain III	A7	4.21	1°20′
08♊28	09♊10	χ Tau	Alkalbain II	B9	5.38	1°00′
08♊30	09♊13	υ Tau	Alkalbain V	A8	4.28	1°20′
09♊48	10♊30	α Tau	Aldebaran	K5	0.87	2°40′
10♊31	11♊13	σ² Tau	Fuer	A5	4.67	1°00′
12♊09	12♊52	τ Tau	Huágàizhōngyāngdàxīn	B3	4.27	1°20′
22♊35	23♊17	β Tau	El Nath	B7	1.65	2°20′
23♊24	24♊06	119 Tau	Ruby Star	M2	4.32	1°10′
24♊47	25♊30	ζ Tau	Al Hecka	B1	2.97	1°50′
29♊33	00♋15	139 Tau	Sīguàiyī	B1	4.81	1°00′

10 Tauri belonged to the obsolete constellation Psalterium Georgii.

α Tau is officially and traditionally named Aldebaran. Applied in medieval times from its indigenous Arabic name al-dabarān, possibly meaning “the Follower,” alternatively used as the lunar mansion name for all the Hyades (or again for α Tau alone). The name is thought to refer to the star’s following the Pleiades across the sky, or to the Hyades (or α Tau) coming after the Pleiades as a lunar mansion. “Aldebaran” is one of the oldest Arabic star names applied in the West, from the end of the 10th century A.D. ^[1]

β Tau is officially and traditionally named Elnath. From the indigenous Arabic name al-naţħ, “the Butting (with the horns),” an alternative name for the 1st lunar mansion al-sharaţān consisting of β and γ Ari (see β Ari). Some late Arabic authors also applied al-naţħ as a star name to α Ari. In recent times the name, as “Nath,” was wrongly transferred to β Tau, and subsequently it was completed to “Elnath” (adding the Arabic definite article). ^[1]
β Tau has the traditional Chinese name Wǔdìchēwǔ (五帝车五), “Fifth king chariot.” ^[2]

ζ Tau is officially named Tianguan, from the traditional Chinese name Tiānguān (天關), “Celestial Gate.” ^[2]
ζ Tau has the Arabic name Al Hecka, “The Horn”. This is the name used by astrologers for this star. It marks the tip of the southern horn.
ζ Tau was the determinant of the 7th ecliptic constellation of Babylonia, Shurnarkabti-sha-shūtū, “the Star in the Bull towards the South,” or “the Southern Star towards the Chariot.” ^[3]

The Hyades, “rain-makers”

In Greek mythology, the Hyades were daughters of Atlas and Aethra, and hence half-sisters of the Pleiades. ^[3]

γ Tau Ambrosia, “immortality”
δ¹ Tau Eudora, “generous”
δ³ Tau Kleea, “famous”
ε Tau Koronis, “crow”
θ¹ Tau Phaeo, “dim”
θ² Tau Phaesula, “filtered light”
71 Tau Polyxo, “many”

γ Tau is officially named Prima Hyadum, traditionally Hyadum I, Latin for “First of the Hyades”.
γ Tau is also named Ambrosia, ^[4] meaning “immortality,” the ancient name of one of the seven Hyades listed by Pherecydes. ^[3]

δ¹ Tau is officially named Secunda Hyadum, traditionally Hyadum II, Latin for “Second of the Hyades”.
δ¹ Tau is also named Eudora ^[4]meaning “generous,” the name of one of the five Hyades listed by Hesiod. ^[3]

δ³ Tau is traditionally named Cleeia (Latin) or Kleea (Greek), meaning “famous,” the name of one of the five Hyades listed by Hesiod. ^[3]

ε Tau is officially and traditionally named Ain. From an abbreviation of the modern Arabic name, ʽain al-thaur “the Bull’s Eye,” for α Tau. Applied to ε Tau in recent times (Ptolemy had α Tau on the southern eye, and ε Tau on the northern eye). ^[1]
ε Tau is also named Coronis (Latin) or Koronis (Greek), meaning “crow”, the ancient name of one of the seven Hyades listed by Pherecydes. Flamsteed called it Oculus boreus, “the Northern Eye”. ^[3]

θ¹ Tau is officially named Chamukuy, after a small bird in Mayan mythology. ^[5]
θ¹ Tau is also named Phaeo, meaning “dim,” the name of one of the five Hyades listed by Hesiod. ^[3]
θ¹ Tau is astrologically named Hyadum III, Latin for “Third of the Hyades”.

θ² Tau is named Phaesula (Latin), Phaesyle or Aesyle (Greek), meaning “filtered light,” the name of one of the five Hyades listed by Hesiod. ^[3]
θ² Tau is astrologically named Hyadum IV, Latin for “Fourth of the Hyades”.

71 Tau is named Polyxo, ^[4]meaning “many”, the ancient name of one of the seven Hyades listed by Pherecydes. ^[3]

The Pleiades, “daughters of Pleione”

In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione, and hence half-sisters of the Hyades. ^[3]
These official and traditional names were individually applied in Renaissance times from a family of characters in Greek mythology: Atlas, Pleione, and their seven daughters, the Pleiades. ^[1]

η Tau Alycone, “kingfisher”
16 Tau Celaeno, “black”
17 Tau Electra, “amber, shining, bright”
19 Tau Taygeta, “long-necked”
20 Tau Maia, “mother”
21 Tau Sterope, “lightning”
23 Tau Merope, “with face turned”
27 Tau Atlas, “hard, enduring”
28 Tau Pleione, “to increase in number”

κ¹ Tau is named Alkalbain III, from the Arabic Al Kalbain, “the Two Dogs.” ^[6]

κ² Tau is named Alkalbain IV, from the Arabic Al Kalbain, “the Two Dogs.” ^[6]

λ Tau is named Althaur, ^[4]or Sadr Al Thaur, from the Arabic صدر الثور Ṣadr al-Ṯawr , “the Breast of the Bull”, ^[7] or Sadr al Tauri, which was translated into Latin as Pectus Tauri, meaning “the bull chest” ^[8]

μ Tau is named Kattupothu ^[4]KāttuPōththŭ (കാട്ടുപോത്ത്), means “Wild Bull” in Malayalam ^[9]

ν Tau is named Furibundus, meaning “furious” in Latin and coming from Taurus Furibundus, “the furious bull”. ^[10]

ξ Tau is named Ushakaron ^[4] or Yshakaron, from the Akkadian names meaning “Exacter of Justice and Retribution” or “The Avenger” or “The Vindicator”. ^[11]

ο Tau is named Atirsagne, ^[4]an Akkadian name meaning “the green sign” or “The sign of greenness”, referring to the ancient Babylonian belief that the Sun crosses the constellation Taurus (Akkadian Alap-same “celestial bull”) in the middle of the spring, when the vegetation and flora are renewed by new foliage. ^[12]

σ² Tau is named Fuer, from the traditional Chinese name Fùěr (附耳), “Whisper.” ^[2]

τ Tau has the traditional Chinese name Huágàizhōngyāngdàxīng (華蓋中央大星), “Big star in the center of Canopy of the Emperor.” ^[2]

υ Tau is named Alkalbain V, from the Arabic Al Kalbain, “the Two Dogs.” ^[6]

φ Tau is named Alkalbain I, from the Arabic Al Kalbain, “the Two Dogs.” ^[6]

χ Tau is named Alkalbain II, from the Arabic Al Kalbain, “the Two Dogs.” ^[6]

f Tau is named Berhan Esat or Birhan Isat, meaning “Light of Fire” in Ge’ez, or simply Berhan, “Light” or Esat, “Fire”. The name is said to be a truncation from the Ge’ez phrase Birhan Isat Igziabher, “Light of Divine Fire.” ^[13]

37 Tau has the traditional Chinese name Yuè (月), meaning “Moon.” ^[2]

139 Tau has the traditional Chinese name Sīguàiyī ( 司怪一), “1st star of Deity in Charge of Monsters.” ^[2]

Taurus Astrology

In mundane astrology, the Bull presages the results of the beginnings of large political undertakings, proclamations, the start and end of wars, battles, invasions, sieges, and large constructions, statues, and monuments.

Noonan (1990)

The Constellation of the Bull
This constellation was an object of worship by primitive cultures through the ages. To the ancient Egyptians it was the bull-god Orissi…. Its stars, according to Tetraiblos are:
“like Venus along the line where the constellation is cutt off [Taurus is represented as the head and fore-part only of a charging bull. These stars are 5-Tau. 4-Tau. 3-Tau, 0-Tau, and 30-Tau.]; those in the Pleiades have the nature of the Moon and Jupiter; the one in the Hyades that is the brightest and somewhat reddish called the Troch (Aldebaran) has a ‘temperature’ like that of Mars; the others (in the hyades) like that of Saturn and moderately like that of Mercury, and those (stars) in the tips of the horns, like that of Mars.”
The Bull is now called Taurus (Tau) and traditionally presages the results of the beginnings of large political undertakings. The constellation also portends that which affects wild animals, especially those of danger to man. ^[14]

Rigor (1979)

TAURUS
Taurus is symbolized by the Bull. Taurus is derived from Egyptian or Coptic root meaning bull or cow.
MYTHOLOGY: In the 12 tribes of Israel the sign, Taurus, signifies Reuben. “Reuben, thou art my strength, the excellence of power.” (Genesis 49)
Juno one day saw that it suddenly grew dark and suspected that her husband had raised a cloud to hide some of his doings. She brushed away the cloud and saw her husband on the banks of a glassy river with a beautiful heifer standing near him. She suspected that the heifers form concealed some fair nymph, which turned out to be the case. It was Io, the daughter of the river god, Inachus, to whom Jupiter had been making love; and when she became aware of his wife spying on him, she changed herself into the form of a heifer.
Taurus, a fixed sign, denotes the soul qualities. And Io wearing the outer form of the heifer, represented the soul or the evolving Ego.
Cadmus was told to follow a lone cow, one who had left the herd. The cow symbolizes one who strives for individuality and ceases to be one of the crowd depending upon a leader for those who seek true wisdom must seek within themselves, often foregoing the many social enjoyments and pleasures of this material existence.
TAURUS endows the individual with great determination and fixity of purpose and once having decided upon a course of action, it is almost impossible for them to change their minds. On the other hand, Taureans respond very quickly to kindness or an appeal to the finer side of nature. Generally, Taureans are fond of pleasure and pursuits of these objects. Generally good earning capabilities signify the Taurean, also a love of music and of art. Gain may be derived through efforts that require more mental than physical situations. Taureans at times lack continuity and, therefore, may make changes throughout their life. Such natives have an enterprising mind and capabilities that require action. Moderation should be observed by Taureans and they should avoid being drawn into affairs which their better judgement cautions them against.
On the negative side, Taureans can be very stubborn, completely unreasonable. They can be obstinate and entirely too materialistic and possessive, be it material things or persons. They can be very untrusting and suspicious, forgiving but never forgetting a wrong, fancied or real, sometimes they can be slovenly and over-indulgent, overly conservative and anti-progressive.
Positive Keywords: Positive Keywords: Dominant, independent, ambitious, persevering, artistic appreciation, dependable, adaptable, intuitive, self reliant, patient, a tireless worker, determined, self reliant, patient.
Negative Keywords: Negative Keywords: Brutishly stubborn, possessive, overly materialistic, untrusting, overly indulgent, indifferent, domineering, jealous, obstinate, emnity.

Sun in Taurus Constellation
Positive: Endows its natives with self-reliance, persistence, determination, practicality, a cautions nature, persistence, one who is dignified and democratic in expression, a steadfast person, strong endurance powers, one who is courageous, discriminating, practical, accumulates and is acquisitive, has powerful instincts, can be self-willed, seeks security.
Negative: Possessiveness, self-gratification, inflexible, extravagance, greedy, stubborn, resentful, overly cautious, boring.

Moon in Taurus Constellation
Positive: Endows its natives with an agreeable disposition, determination, conservativeness, an ambitious nature, steady emotions, one who is persistent, self-reliant, appreciative of art and finer things in life. A love of traveling, a gentle disposition, one who is loyal, practical and serene. A reliable person, sociable.
Negative: The native may become very stubborn, too conservative, sensual and fun-loving. Native is overly possessive. One who is smug, conceited and has a grasping nature. A jealous person. One who is possessive.

Mercury in Taurus Constellation
Positive: Endows its natives with an appreciation of artistic matters, one who is thorough and has a persistent mentality, one with steadfast emotions, tempered with reason, a rententive and an alert memory, alert for pleasure and business. One who is a pleasing companion, has a fondness for the opposite sex, a desire and the ability to accumulate possessions, the ability to keep counsel.
Negative: An inflexible outlook, one who is obstinate, secretive and avaricious. Slow in making decisions. May become reclusive and harbor secret resentments.

Venus in Taurus Constellation
Positive: Endows its natives with a solid, lasting emotional relationship. One who remains affectionate. A person with decided opinions, a graceful and artistic nature. An attractive and acquisitive nature. One who appreciates artistic matters. A person with deep feelings, not always openly expressed. Tenacious in their opinions. A likable companion.
Negative: The native may become tenacious, fixed in their opinions. May develop greed and become of a grasping nature. The native is liable to over-extend themselves, be inconsiderate of friends, relatives, one who is inconstant in their affections. Subject to extreme emotional relationships, very possessive.

Mars in Taurus Constellation
Positive: Endows its natives with the strength of an unconquerable character, a persistent and a steadfast quality. Native acknowledges no defeat, gains their objectives through stubborn determination. One who is a steadfast worker with patient energy, who is enterprising but practical, one who is loyal, patient, but firm and has a powerful combination of firmness and energy properly directed. Native has a tendency to acquire economical independence.
Negative: Native is extremely possessive, stubborn, very clever and tricky. May be very unreasonable, of an unforgiving nature, even vindictive. Subject to unpleasant outbursts. A sensuous person. One who is destructive and disloyal. ^[15]

Taurus Constellation [Urania’s Mirror]

Robson (1923)

TAURUS. The Bull.
Legend. Jupiter, assuming the form of a bull, mingled with the herd when Europa, with whom he was infatuated, and her maidens disported themselves on the sea-shore. Encouraged by the tameness of the bull Europa mounted it, whereupon the God rushed into the sea and bore her away to Crete. According to other accounts Taurus represents Io whom Jupiter turned into a cow in order to deceive his wife Juno.
Influence. Ptolemy makes the following observations: “Those stars in Taurus which are in the abscission of the sign resemble in their temperament the influence of Venus, and in some degree that of Saturn . . . the stars in the head (except Aldebaran) resemble Saturn, and, partly, Mercury; and those at the top of the horns are like Mars.” By the Kabalists Taurus is associated with the Hebrew letter Aleph and the 1st Tarot Trump “The Juggler.” In all the ancient Zodiacs, Taurus is the beginning sign and marked the Vernal Equinox from about 4,000 to 1,700 B.C. ^[16]

Bullinger (1893)

The Sign TAURUS (The Bull).
The picture is that of a Bull rushing forward with mighty energy and fierce wrath, his horns set so as to push his enemies, and pierce them through and destroy them. It is a prophecy of Christ, the coming Judge, and Ruler, and “Lord of all the earth.” The Egyptian Zodiac of Denderah already, 4,000 years ago, had forgotten the truth to which the prophecy had referred, and called him Isis, i.e., who saves or delivers, and Apis, i.e., the head or chief. The Bull is clearly represented, and in all the zodiacs which have come down to us is always in the act of pushing, or rushing.
The name of the sign in Chaldee is Tor. Hence, Arabic, Al Thaur; Greek, Tauros; Latin, Taurus, etc. The more common Hebrew name was Shur, which is from a root which means both coming and ruling. There are several Hebrew words for bulls and oxen, etc. But the common poetical term for all is Reem, conveying the idea of loftiness, exaltation, power, and pre-eminence. We find the root in other kindred languages (Etruscan, Sanscrit, etc.), and it can be traced in the name of Abram, which means pre-eminent or high father; Ramah, high place, etc.
The stars in Taurus present a brilliant sight. There are at least 141 stars, besides two important groups of stars, which both form integral parts of the sign. ^[17]

Taurus Constellation [Bullinger]

Allen (1889)

Taurus, the Bull,
everywhere was one of the earliest and most noted constellations, perhaps the first established, because it marked the vernal equinox from about 4000 to 1700 B.C., in the golden age of archaic astronomy; in all ancient zodiacs preserved to us it began the year…Manilius characterized Taurus as dives puellis, “rich in maidens,” referring to its seven Hyades and seven Pleiades, all daughters of Atlas, and the chief attraction in a constellation not otherwise especially noticeable.
After Egyptian worship of the bull-god Osiris had spread to other Mediterranean countries, our Taurus naturally became his sky representative, as also of his wife and sister Isis, and even assumed her name; but the starry Bull of the Nile country was not ours, at least till late in that astronomy. Still, this constellation is said to have begun the zodiacal series on the walls of a sepulchral chamber in the Ramesseum; and, whatever may have been its title, its stars certainly were made much of throughout all Egyptian history and religion, not only from its then containing the vernal equinox but from the belief that the human race was created when the sun was here. In Coptic Egypt, it, or the Pleiades, was Orias, the Good Season, Kircher’s Static Hori, although it was better known as Apis, the modern form of the ancient Hapi, whose worship as a god of the Nile may have preceded even the building of the pyramids.
With the Druids it was an important object of worship, their great religious festival, the Tauric, being held when the sun entered its boundaries; and it has, perhaps fancifully, been claimed that the tors of England were the old sites of their Taurine cult, as our cross-buns are the present representatives of the early bull cakes with the same stellar association, tracing back through the ages to Egypt and Phoenicia. And the Scotch have a story that on New Year’s eve the Candlemas Bull is seen rising in the twilight and sailing across the sky, — a matter-of-fact statement, after all. The Anglo-Saxon Manual of Astronomy four centuries ago gave it as Fearr.
Astrologers made this sign the lord of man’s neck, throat, and shoulders; Shakespeare having an amusing passage in Twelfth Night, in the dialogue between Sirs Toby Belch and Andrew Aguecheek, when both blunder as to this character of Taurus. And it was considered under the guardianship of Venus, sharing this distinction with the body of Scorpio, — some said with Libra, — whence it was known as Veneris Sidus, Domus Veneris nocturna, and Gaudium Veneris: an idea also perhaps influenced by its containing the Pleiades, the Doves, the favorite birds of that goddess. It ruled over Ireland, Greater Poland, part of Russia, Holland, Persia, Asia Minor, the Archipelago, Mantua, and Leipzig in modern astrology, as it did over Arabia, Asia, and Scythia in ancient; Ampelius assigned to it the care of the much-dreaded west-northwest wind, Pliny’s Argestes. White and lemon were the colors allotted to it. On the whole, it was an unfortunate constellation, although a manuscript almanac of 1386 had “whoso is born in yat syne schal have grace in bestis”; and thunder, when the sun was here, “brought a plentiful supply of victuals.” ^[3]

Manilius (1st century AD)

The Bull will dower the countryside with honest farmers and will come as a source of toil into their peaceful lives; it will bestow, not gifts of glory, but the fruits of the earth. It bows its neck amid the stars and of itself demands a yoke for its shoulders. When it carries the sun’s orb on its horns, it bids battle with the soil begin and rouses the fallow land to its former cultivation, itself leading the work, for it neither pauses in the furrows nor relaxes its breast in the dust. The sign of the Bull has produced a Serranus and a Curius, has carried the rods of office through the fields, and has left its plough to become a dictator [eque suo dictator venit aratro]. Its sons have the love of unsung excellence: their hearts and bodies derive strength from a massiveness that is slow to move, whilst in their faces dwells the boy-god Love. ^[18]