Astraea

For other uses, see Astraea (disambiguation).
Astrea, the virgin goddess of Innocence and purity, by Salvator Rosa

In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Astraea, also spelled Astrea or Astria (Ancient Greek: Ἀστραῖα, romanized: Astraîa, lit. 'starry, star-like';[1]), is a daughter of Astraeus and Eos.[2][3] She is the virgin goddess of justice, innocence, purity and precision. She is closely associated with the Greek goddess of justice, Dike (daughter of Zeus and Themis). She is not to be confused with Asteria, the goddess of the stars and the daughter of Coeus and Phoebe. The main belt asteroid 5 Astraea is named after her, and her name was also suggested for the planet Uranus.[4][5]

  1. ^ "Astraea". Zeno.org (in German). Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Hyginus, Astronomica 2.25
  4. ^ Gallentine, Jay (November 2009). Ambassadors from Earth: Pioneering Explorations with Unmanned Spacecraft. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-2220-5.
  5. ^ Gingerich, O. (1958). "The Naming of Uranus and Neptune, Astronomical Society of the Pacific Leaflets, Vol. 8, No. 352, p.9". Leaflet of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 8 (352): 9. Bibcode:1958ASPL....8....9G. Retrieved 2023-06-01.