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Astraea or Astrea (;〔(Astraea - Zeno.org (German) )〕 "star-maiden"), in ancient Greek religion, was a daughter of Astraeus and Eos. She was the virgin goddess of Innocence and purity and is always associated with the Greek goddess of justice, Dike (daughter of Zeus and Themis and the personification of just judgement). She is not to be confused with Asteria, the goddess of the stars and the daughter of Coeus and Phoebe. Astraea, the celestial virgin, was the last of the immortals to live with humans during the Golden Age, one of the old Greek religion's five deteriorating Ages of Man.〔Aratus, ''Phaenomena'' 97–128.〕 According to Ovid, Astraea abandoned the earth during the Iron Age.〔Ovid, ''Metamorphoses'' 1.149–50, trans. in 〕 Fleeing from the new wickedness of humanity, she ascended to heaven to become the constellation Virgo. The nearby constellation Libra reflected her symbolic association with Dike, who in Latin culture as Justitia is said to preside over the constellation. In the Tarot, the 8th card, Justice, with a figure of Justitia, can thus be considered related to the figure of Astraea on historical iconographic grounds. According to legend, Astraea will one day come back to Earth, bringing with her the return of the utopian Golden Age of which she was the ambassador. ==In culture and literature== Astraea's hoped-for return was referred to in a phrase from Virgil's ''Eclogue IV'': ''"Iam redit et virgo, redeunt Saturnia Regna"'' (''Astraea returns, returns old Saturn's reign'').〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=Virgo&la=la&can=virgo0&prior=et&d=Perseus:text:1999.02.0056:poem=4&i=1#lexicon )〕 During the European Renaissance, Astraea became associated with the general spirit of renewal of culture occurring at that time, particularly in England, where she became poetically identified in literature〔cf. Frances Yates, ''Astraea : The Imperial Theme in the Sixteenth Century''.〕 with the figure of Queen Elizabeth I as the virgin Queen reigning over a new Golden Age. In Spain, she was often identified with the rule of Philip IV. The French author Honore D'Urfe wrote a very popular serial novel called ''L'Astree'' (Astraea), the first and second parts being published in 1607 and 1610 and each installment very much anticipated by the aristocratic public at the time. Rousseau in his ''Confessions'' (p. 160 Penguin Classics) notes it as one of the novels read with his father and says it "was the one that recurred most frequently to my mind". A spectacle play by the Count of Villamediana and thirteen dramas by Calderon de la Barca introduce a character named Astraea to highlight the political and astrological concerns.〔cf. Frederick A. de Armas, ''The Return of Astraea: An Astral-Imperial Myth in Calderon''.〕 In Russia, Astraea was identified first with Elizabeth, then with Catherine the Great. The English epic poet Edmund Spenser further embellished this myth at the opening of Book V of ''The Faerie Queene'' (1596), where he claims that Astraea left behind "her groome | An yron man", called Talus. Shakespeare refers to Astraea in ''Titus Andronicus'', and also in ''Henry VI, Part 1''. In his most famous play, ''La vida es sueño'', Calderon de la Barca has a character named Rosaura (an anagram for "dawns") take on the name of Astraea at Court. This may be a laudatory political allusion to the dawn of a new Golden Age under Philip IV/Segismundo. John Dryden's poem Astraea Redux is titled so as to compare the return of Charles II to England at the end of Interregnum to the return of Astraea. Astraea is also referenced in John Milton's epic poem ''Paradise Lost'', in Book IV between lines 990 and 1000. When Satan is discovered in the Garden of Eden and brought before the Angel Gabriel, the two are on the verge of war. ((The Eternal) ) Hung forth in Heav'n his golden Scales, yet seen The British writer Aphra Behn used "Astrea" as one of her code-names while working as a spy for King Charles II.〔()〕 She subsequently used the name "Astrea" to identify the speaker in many of her poems, and was herself referred to as "The Incomparable Astrea".〔()〕 James Thornhill depicted Astraea in the painted Hall of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, in a mural portraying the accession of the House of Hanover as the return of the Golden Age. "Astræa" is also the title of a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson. In Book 2 of Robert Browning's ''The Ring and the Book'' there is the following reference: There’s an end to all hope of justice more. Astraea's gone indeed, let hope go too! Who is it dares impugn the natural law? Deny God’s word "the faithless wife shall die?" (Astraea ) is a 2015 post-apocalyptic sci-fi film with a gifted young female protagonist by the same name ((Astraea )); the narrative draws directly on the myth, intimating that the goddess of purity and justice has in fact returned to earth to lead humanity in civilization's renewal.〔http://astraeathemovie.com/〕〔http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4038414/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1〕 In the manga/anime series ''Sora no Otoshimono'', Astraea is the name of an angeloid. In the Japanese anime series ''Mobile Suit Gundam 00'' one of the Gundam mobile suits is called Astraea. Astraea is operated by Celestial Being, a paramilitary organisation that fights for peace and a "justice" of sorts. Another anime series, Strawberry Panic, takes place atop "Astraea Hill", which may be a representational title for purity due to the religious undertones found in the anime. Astraea is mentioned as a cursed Demon Soul in the 2009 video game ''Demon's Souls''. She is the final boss of stage 5-3, protected by Garl Vinland. She has been cursed, in her purity, of discovering that God never existed, despite her devotion. She is lamented for being the purest of all souls, and yet at the same time, the most corrupt.〔http://demonssouls.wikidot.com/walk5-3-boss〕 Astraea is one of the spaceships in the 1997 video game ''Einhander'', made by developer Square Soft. It was made for the PlayStation 1, produced by Sony. The heavy metal band The Sword has also released a song called "Astraea's Dream" in their 2010 album ''Warp Riders''. British hardcore band Rolo Tomassi's third album is titled Astraea. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Astraea (mythology)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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