Behenian fixed star

The Behenian fixed stars are a selection of fifteen stars considered especially useful for magical applications in the medieval astrology of Europe and the Arab world. Their name derives from Arabic bahman, "root," as each was considered a source of astrological power for one or more planets. Each is also connected with a gemstone and plant that would be used in rituals meant to draw the star's influence (e.g., into a talisman). When a planet was within six degrees of an associated star, this influence was thought to be particularly strong.

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa discussed them in his Three Books of Occult Philosophy (Book II, chapters 47 & 52) as the Behenii (singular Behenius), describing their magical workings and kabbalistic symbols. He attributed these to Hermes Trismegistus, as was common with occult traditions in the Middle Ages. Their true origin remains unknown, though Sir Wallis Budge suspects a possible Sumerian source.

The following table uses symbols from a 1531 quarto edition of Agrippa, but other forms exist. Where the name used in old texts differs from the one in use today, the modern form is given first.

Table of Behenian Stars

Name		Astronomical Designation	Location¹	Planet	Gemstone	Plant
Algol	Caput Larvæ	Beta Persei	26 Taurus 10	Saturn & Jupiter	diamond	black hellebore
Pleiades		M45 (Taurus)	29 Taurus 58	Moon & Mars	rock crystal	fennel
Aldebaran	Aldaboram	Alpha Tauri	9 Gemini 47	Mars & Venus	ruby / garnet	milk thistle
Capella	Alhayhoch, Hircus	Alpha Aurigæ	21 Gemini 51	Jupiter & Saturn	sapphire	thyme
Sirius	Canis major	Alpha Canis Majoris	14 Cancer 05	Venus	beryl	juniper
Procyon	Canis minor	Alpha Canis Minoris	25 Cancer 47	Mercury & Mars	agate	water buttercup
Regulus ²	Cor leonis	Alpha Leonis	29 Leo 50	Jupiter & Mars	granite	mugwort
Alkaid	Tail of the Great Bear	Eta Ursae Majoris	27 Virgo 10	Venus & Moon	magnet	succory
Algorab	Corvi	Delta Corvi	13 Libra 27	Saturn & Mars	onyx	burdock
Spica		Alpha Virginis	23 Libra 50	Venus & Mercury	emerald	sage
Arcturus	Alchameth	Alpha Boötis	24 Libra 14	Mars & Jupiter	jasper	plantain
Alphecca	Elpheia	Alpha Coronæ Borealis	12 Scorpio 18	Venus & Mars	topaz	rosemary
Antares	Cor scorpii	Alpha Scorpii	9 Sagittarius 46	Venus & Jupiter	sardonyx	birthwort
Vega	Vultur cadens	Alpha Lyræ	15 Capricorn 19	Mercury & Venus	chrysolite	winter savory
Deneb Algedi	Cauda capricorni	Delta Capricorni	23 Aquarius 30	Saturn & Mercury	chalcedony	marjoram

¹ These locations are given in celestial longitude, the relatively fixed reference frame of tropical signs used in astrology and are derived from the measurements listed at Constellations of Words. Due to Precession of the Equinoxes the Fixed Stars appear to drift or move through space at the rate of 1 degree of Arc per 72 years. In order to fix the measurement to a specific date and degree of arc the values published through that scholarly work are utilized for the year 2000. All celestial bodies, including stars and constellations, are measured according to various fixed frameworks, in this instance a geocentric tropical zodiac. Cf. Heliocentric model as a fixed framework and sidereal and tropical astrology to identify the measuring system used here. For example, 26 Taurus 10 means 26 degrees 10 minutes of the tropical sign Taurus. See Ecliptic coordinate system for further information.

² For the purposes of Behenian Fixed Stars the Star known as Alpha Leo or Cor Leonis, also known as Regulus, should be considered under the auspices of the differences noted in zodiacs as listed above, sidereal versus tropical. In November 2011, through the process of precession, Regulus or the "Heart of the Lion" found itself aligned with 0 Degrees Virgo according to the Tropical Zodiac, which uses the Vernal Equinox as a fiduciary point of reference. In the Sidereal System Regulus is still considered very much within the Sign and the Constellation Leo, but in the Tropical System, relatively recently, the Star is no longer in the Sign of Leo but instead is measured as being in the Sign of Virgo.

References

Budge, E. A. Wallis (1930). Amulets and Superstitions. London, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0486235734, 978-0486235738
Robson, Vivian E. (1979). The Fixed Stars & Constellations in Astrology. Samuel Weiser. ISBN 0877284636, 978-0877284635

External links

Hermes Trismegistus on the Fifteen Fixed Stars features alternate symbols.
Magical scripts (Nu Isis Working Group, Leeds) has the symbols in a freeware True Type font.
Constellations of Words has star lore from a variety of scholarly sources.

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