Myth of the Milky Way

The Milky Way for the Greeks represented milk lost by Era (June for the Romans) while breastfed Hercules, which spilled and scattered in the sky. Hercules, in fact, was the son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmenala, who, for fear of retaliation by the consort of the king of gods, abandoned him immediately after birth.

Zeus, who cared very much about the newborn, made sure with Athena's complicity that his wife herself found him in the fields. He was, intenerated, immediately breastfed him, making him immortal. While she breastfed him, a few drops of her milk ended up heavenly.

The term galaxy, which today designates every gigantic cluster of gas and stars as the Milky Way, comes from the Greek Ila, milk, and goes directly back to this myth.