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Astraea

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Virgin goddess of justice and innocence who lived among mortals during the Golden Age. She fled to the heavens during humanity's decline, becoming the constellation Virgo.

Detailed Definition
Astraea, daughter of Astraeus and Eos, lived among humans during the Golden Age but ascended to the stars as humanity grew corrupt. She embodies lost innocence and cosmic justice. Poets invoke Astraea to lament moral decline, yearn for utopian pasts, or symbolize hope for renewal, particularly in didactic and Augustan-era poetry.
Example
Example in poetry:
Astraea, virgin goddess of justice who fled Earth during the Iron Age, appears in Aratus’s Phaenomena as Virgo constellation; Poets invoke Astraea to lament lost golden ages (e.g., Virgil’s Eclogue 4); Spenser’s “Faerie Queene” uses her as emblem of divine justice; “Astraea’s return” symbolizes hope for moral renewal; Her departure marks humanity’s fall—useful in apocalyptic verse.
Additional Notes
Astraea, daughter of Astraeus and Eos, departs Earth during the Iron Age as justice fades, ascending as Virgo—often holding the scales of Libra. Hesiod’s Works and Days and Ovid’s Metamorphoses frame her departure as the end of the Golden Age. Poets invoke Astraea to lament moral decline or hope for renewal, especially in Augustan or Neoclassical works (e.g., Virgil’s Eclogue 4).
Also Known As
Astrea
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