Perhaps the most famous meaning of the word “Aurora” is the name of the legendary cruiser, which fired the first salvo to mark the beginning of the socialist revolution in Russia in November 1917. In general, this name is very common. It is also worn by other ships, as well as aircraft, communication systems, weapons, a film camera, the look of a butterfly and musical works. But all of them were given the name by the same mythical character. What is the lexical meaning of the word "Aurora"?
Goddess of the morning dawn
According to the explanatory dictionaries, the meaning of the word "Aurora" is interpreted as follows:
- In the mythology of ancient Rome, this is the goddess of the morning dawn, which corresponds to the goddess of ancient Greece, Eos.
- In poetry is a metaphor for the morning dawn.
We will talk more about them below.
The basis of this Latin word is “aura”, which comes from the ancient Greek and means “blow, blow, breeze”. It should be noted that even before Aurora, the ancient Greeks had a female deity under the name Aura, which personified the air, a light wind.
She was the daughter of Ether, a god who symbolized the upper level of heaven where the gods inhabited and Hemera, the goddess of daylight. The aura was portrayed as a beautiful girl riding a white swan and wearing a fluttering dress.
Another meaning of the word "aura"
To clarify the meaning of the word "Aurora", let us consider a few more interpretations.
- Aura is called the radiance, which, according to religious beliefs, comes from divine beings and saints. He is depicted in the form of a halo or rays.
- According to parapsychologists, this is a special kind of field that is created by the body of people and other biological organisms.
- The third meaning is a physical term that characterizes the subject's emission of waves of electrical nature, which are invisible but create a halo.
- The word "aura" is also used in a figurative sense. In this case, it refers to the surrounding psychological situation. For example, "an aura of true fun and goodwill spread in the festive hall."
Thus, the word "Aurora" is closely related to the concept of rays, radiance, dawn, morning dawn.
Roman goddess Aurora
Studying the meaning of the word "Aurora", let's talk about the Roman bearer of this name. Her father was Hyperion - a titan who was called the "shining god", "walking through the sky." He was also the father of Helios (Sun) and the Moon (Selena). Her mother - Theia (Thea, Feia) - a titanide, who was the first moon goddess. The husband of Aurora was the titan Astraeus.
From their marriage were born all the stars glowing in the night sky, as well as the winds:
- Borea - northern, stormy and severe.
- Evre - eastern, sultry and dry.
- The notes are southern, warm and humid.
- Marshmallows - western, affectionate, bearing rains.
Aurora herself is the goddess of sunrise, the morning dawn, bringing sunlight to both people and gods. She was portrayed as a winged chariot, which was harnessed by winged horses (sometimes they were without wings). The robe of the goddess was red-yellow, an image of a sun disk shone above her head. In some cases, there could be a halo, a crown with rays, a torch instead. Even in the hands of Aurora could hold a vessel with dew. An asteroid discovered in 1867 was named in honor of this goddess (No. 94).
Greek Version - Eos
Speaking about the meaning of the word "Aurora", it is advisable to tell about the prototype of the Roman goddess. As you know, Roman deities are in many cases analogues of the Greek. As mentioned above, in ancient Greek mythology, Aurora corresponds to Eos. The same Hyperion and Theia are called as her parents. But there is another option, according to which Eos was the daughter of Helios and Nyukta (Nights). Astray is also called her husband, and winds and stars are called her children. However, there are stories that distinguish Eos from Aurora.
According to myths, Eos was known as an ardent nature and was prone to hobbies by handsome young men who were mortal. Such a passion inspired her Aphrodite, who, along with Eos, was the mistress of the god of war Ares. Out of a sense of jealousy and revenge, she made her rival become illegible in love.
At the same time, after a passionate night with the young man, Eos felt a sense of shame, which explained the crimson light of the morning sky. If the young man did not want to surrender voluntarily, the goddess abducted him. An asteroid (No. 221), which was discovered in 1882, is also named after Eos.
Nightingale - songbird
In the fable of I. A. Krylov, "Donkey and Nightingale," the latter is called "Aurora's favorite and singer." What is the meaning of the word “Aurora” in Krylov’s fable? To understand this, let's talk a little about this wonderful bird. The fact is that, being a small, nondescript, with brown plumage and a reddish tail, the common (or eastern) nightingale is one of the most famous among songbirds. His singing is very sonorous, having a large number of knees.
"Performers" are only males who so "mark" their territory and lure the female. Although the nightingale can sing both day and evening, it is most active in this regard in the early hours - from dawn to seven to eight in the morning. This is where the connection of the Krylov nightingale with Aurora, that is, with the dawn, the morning dawn.
In addition, this songbird has long been at different times a symbol of the poet's personality because of her creative and masterful singing. And also the image of the nightingale was interpreted as the inspirer of creative natures, sometimes it even acquired the features of a peculiar muse.