murdered by his shepherds in a drunken rage, Erigone hung herself out of grief, and her dog Maera committed suicide.. Zeus or Dionysus pitied the family and placed them in the sky as constellations: Erigone became Virgo, Icarius became Bootes, and Maera became Canis Minor. In Egyptian mythology, the time when the Sun was in the constellation Virgo marked the beginning of the wheat harvest, thus connecting Virgo to the wheat grain. In Christianity, Jesus was born to a virgin in the town of Bethlehem ("bread"); the ancient Zodiac ended in the constellation Leo and began with Virgo. A comparable sign to Virgo in Indian astrology is Kanya (meaning "maiden"), and she has even been connected with the Virgin Mary. See also Astronomical symbols Chinese zodiac Circle of stars Cusp (astrology) Elements of the zodiac References Works cited Longitude of Sun, apparent geocentric ecliptic of date, interpolated to find time of crossing 0°, 30°.... External links Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (over 400 medieval and early modern images of Virgo) Western astrological signs