Royal stars

The four Royal stars or Guardians of the Sky were a group of stars mentioned only in the Bundahishn, a late mazdean text in Pahlavi language, which summarizes the Zoroastrian cosmogony and therefore plays a role similar to the book of Genesis in the Bible.^[1]

All four stars are among the brightest 25 stars, having an apparent magnitude of less than 1.5. However, this particular set of stars was chosen because they are divided on the sky by approximately 6 hours apart in right ascension.

The royal stars in astrology

The four stars with their modern and ancient Persian names were:

• Aldebaran (Tascheter) - vernal equinox (Watcher of the East)
• Regulus (Venant) - summer solstice (Watcher of the North)
• Antares (Satevis) - autumnal equinox (Watcher of the West)
• Fomalhaut (Haftorang/Hastorang) - winter solstice (Watcher of the South)

The reason why they are called "Royal" is that they appear to stand aside from the other stars in the sky. Throughout a year, each star is for several months "dominant" on the night sky and one can guess the season just by noticing which star is dominant. Royal Stars are quite rare, although in books often mentioned. The position of "Watcher" for Venant and Haftorang has caused confusion. Persian astrologists associated Venant (Regulus) with the North, and Haftorang (Fomalhaut) with the South due to their stellar positions.^[2] Some contemporary astrologists and Neopagans have flipped these positions due to their seasonal/directional associations.^[3]

Criticism

The idea there existed four royal stars of Persia has been analysed and criticized in Popular Astronomy, where it was claimed the idea was largely a relatively modern invention or a misunderstanding of the sources.^[4]

See also

• Behenian fixed stars

References

Further reading

• A translation of the Iranian or Greater Bundahišn by Anklesaria, Behramgore Tehmuras (1956) at Avesta.org
• George A. Davis, Jr., The So-Called Royal Stars of Persia, Popular Astronomy, vol. LIII, No 4, April 1945