Κηρύκειον
Kērukeion

Greek noun

Last edited: 2025-02-26
Primary meaning Caduceus
Literal translation Caduceus
Variants
Κηρύκειον Kērukeion
Κηρίκειον Kērikeion
Edited by

Caduceus constellation

corresponding approximately to a part of the modern constellation Orion

Νότια δέ ἐστιν, ὅσα τοῦ τῶν ζῳδίων κύκλου πρὸς μεσημβρίαν κεῖται. Ἔστι δὲ τάδε· Ὠρίων καὶ Προκύων, Κύων, Λαγωός, Ἀργώ, Ὕδρος, Κρατήρ, Κόραξ, Κένταυρος, Θηρίον, ὃ κρατεῖ ὁ Κένταυρος, καὶ Θυρσόλογχος, ὃν κρατεῖ ὁ Κένταυρος καθ’ Ἵππαρχον, Θυμιαθήριον, Νότιος Ἰχθύς, Κῆτος, Ὕδωρ τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ὑδροχόου, Ποταμὸς ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ὠρίωνος, Νότιος Στέφανος, ὑπὸ δέ τινων Οὐρανίσκος προσαγορευόμενος, Κηρύκειον καθ’ Ἵππαρχον.

‘Southern (constellations) there are as many as lie to the south of the zodiac. These are the following: Orion and Procyon, Dog, Hare, Argo, Hydra, Crater, Raven, Centaurus, Wild Animal, that Centaurus is holding, and Thyrsus-Lance, that Centaurus is holding according to Hipparchus, Censer, Southern Fish, Sea Monster, Water from Aquarius, River from Orion, Southern Crown, but according to some called Canopy, (and) Caduceus according to Hipparchus.’

— Geminus 13.3

Genre: astronomy
Date: 1st century BCE

Geminus. 1975. Géminos, Introduction aux Phénomènes, ed. G. Aujac. Paris: Les Belles Lettres. 20

Aujac omits this constellation.

(...), νοτόθεν δὲ <συνανατέλλει> ὁ Ὠρίων ξίφος ἔχων ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ χειρὶ ἀνατετακώς, τῇ εὐωνύμῳ κατέχει τὸ λεγόμενον Κηρίκειον, ἐζωσμένος κατὰ μέσον τοῦ σώματος.

‘(...), in the south Orion <rises with it (i.e., Taurus)>, having a sword stretched out in his right hand - in his left one he holds the so-called Caduceus -, girdled around the middle of his body.’

— Vettius Valens 1.2.13

Genre: astrological treatise
Date: 2nd century CE

Vettius Valens. 1986. Vettii Valentis Antiocheni Anthologarium Libri Novem, ed. D. Pingree. Leipzig: B.G. Teubner. 6-7


Cite this entry
APA (7th)
Peeters, T. (2025). Κηρύκειον (Lemma #2822). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/2822/

Chicago (Author-Date)
Peeters, T. (2025). Κηρύκειον (Lemma #2822). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/2822/

MLA (9th)
Peeters, T. (2025). Κηρύκειον (Lemma #2822). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/2822/

Harvard
Peeters, T. (2025) Κηρύκειον (Lemma #2822), The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. Available at: https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/2822/ (Accessed: December 1, 2025).

BibTeX
@misc{zodiac2822,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2025-12-01]},
	author = {Peeters, Thomas},
	year = {2025},
	title = {Κηρύκειον ({Lemma} #2822)},
	url = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/2822/},
	howpublished = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/2822/},
}