This planet is the largest in our Solar system. It is well-known for having an awful lot of moons. It is named after the Roman king of the gods and ruler of the skies, the wife of whom is Juno. Hindu astronomers called this planet Brihaspati after the teacher of the gods, east Asian astronomers call it the "wood star," German astronomers called it Thor, and Greek astronomers called it Phaethon.
The symbol of this minor planet does not have a well-defined meaning. As best as I can figure, is supposed to be either a very stylized lightning bolt or a Greek capital letter Zeta for Zeus, or some kind of eagle glyph. It is represented in Unicode as U+2643, by the symbol ♃.
It has definitely undergone some mutation in terms of the proportion of its graphical elements over time. I effectively break this symbol down into two atomic elements, or symbemes: the curve on the left, which I use to symbolize lightning, and the cross on the right, which is used to evoke a connection to Jupiter.
As of July 23, 2018, there are 79 known moons of Jupiter (not counting the very many small bodies that constitute its rings), 51 of which are named. The IAU mandates that all of the moons of Jupiter be named after the lovers or loved ones of Jupiter/Zeus, or their descendants. The 51 named moons are presented here in increasing order of orbital radius:
Name |
Description of referent |
Description of symbol |
Symbol |
Metis |
As 9 Metis, titaness of deep thought, the first wife of Zeus, until he ate her. |
Eye with iris and pupil, Jovian cross to the right. |
|
Adrastea |
As 239 Adrastea, the nymph who nurtured Zeus and hid him from Cronus. |
Adrastea symbol, with Jupiter extended to meet mountain's Jovian cross |
|
Amalthea |
As 113 Amalthea, the goat who nurtured Zeus as a baby. |
As Aries, with Jovian cross |
|
Thebe |
Likely the daughter of Asopus and Metope, sister of Antiope, namesake of Thebes. |
Antiope's twins, with water wave below (representing her river deity parentage, and possible tryst with Neptune) with Jovian cross. |
|
Io |
As 85 Io, a priestess of Hera who was turned into a white cow for a while. |
A Greek capital letter Iota with crescent moon horns, Jovian cross to right. |
|
Europa |
As 52 Europa, mother of King Minos, seduced by Zeus as a white bull - different from the Cretan bull that fathered the Minotaur. |
As Taurus, with Jovian cross |
|
Ganymede |
As 1036 Ganymed, cupbearer of the gods. |
A cup, with Jovian cross. |
|
Callisto |
As 204 Kallisto, a follower of Artemis, victim of Zeus, was turned into a bear by Hera afterwards. |
Ursa Major with a Jovian cross. |
|
Themisto |
Daughter of the river god Inachus, mother of Arcas by Zeus. |
Greek Capital letter Theta with a river wave for the horizontal line, Jovian cross to lower right. |
|
Leda |
As 38 Leda, mother of Helen, Pollux, and Castor by Zeus. |
A swan as Cygnus with Jovian cross |
|
Ersa |
Daughter of Zeus and Selene, represents dew. Named after Herse. |
Down-facing crescent like a rotated letter E, teardrop coming down from it, Jovian cross to right. |
|
Pandia |
"All brightness", goddess of the full moon, daughter of Zeus and Selene. Named by Lanivet School astronomy club, whose school mascot is a panda. |
A crescent moon in front of a starburst representing brightness, with a Jovian cross. |
|
Himalia |
A wheat-themed nymph from Rhodes, mother of Spartaios, Kronios, and Kytos by Zeus. |
A bushel of wheat, represented by a vertical line with three diagonal slashes, with a Jovian cross. |
|
Lysithea |
No strong consensus. Daughter of Oceanus, perhaps, in which case a myth said that her tears created crystals from rocks. |
A circle, representing a stone, with a small square inside, a crystle. Jovian cross below. |
|
Elara |
Princess, daughter of King Orchomenus, mother of the giant Tityos by Zeus while she was sequestered in the earth. |
Earth with Jovian cross to lower right. |
|
Dia |
Wife of Ixion, had Pirithous with Zeus the sex horse. |
Horse symbol with Jovian cross as rear leg. |
|
Carpo |
One of the Horae, daughter of Zeus, representing autumn and abundance. |
Cornucopia with Jovian cross. |
|
Valetudo |
Roman goddess of health and hygiene, great-granddaughter of Jupiter. Greek counterpart is Hygeia. (Zeus -> Apollo -> Asclepius -> Hygeia) |
Rod with snake entwined around it, Jovian cross to lower right. |
|
Euporie |
One of the Horae, daughter of Zeus, representing abundance. |
A large Cerean sickle, with Jovian cross behind it, and tiny starburst in the center. |
|
Eupheme |
|
|
|
Thelxinoe |
"Mind charming," one of the original Boetian muses, along with Aoede, Melete, Arche, and Mneme. |
Clockwise spiral with two and a half turns, Jovian cross to the right. |
|
Euanthe |
As 79 Eurynome, mother of the three graces (Euphrosyne, Thalia, Aglaja ) by Zeus. |
|
|
Helike |
A willow nymph that nurtured Zeus in infancy. |
Tree symbol with Jovian cross. |
|
Orthosie |
One of the Horae, daughter of Zeus, representing prosperity. |
A large Cerean sickle, with Jovian cross behind it, and tiny circle in the center (as Pluto, a god of wealth.) |
|
Iocaste |
As 899 Jokaste, Jocasta, mother of Oedipus. Really had nothing to do with Zeus… |
Greek capital letter Iota, line above representing Jocasta's hanging, Jovian cross to lower right. |
|
Praxidike |
Greek goddess of punishment and vengeance - possibly an aspect of Persephone, daughter of Zeus. |
A pomegranate with a wide "X" in it, with Jovian cross. |
|
Harpalyke |
Daugher and victim of Clymenus, served her incest-born son to him as a meal, got turned into an owl. |
Stylized owl, Jovian cross to lower right. |
|
Mneme |
One of the original Boetian muses, along with Aoede, Melete, Arche, and Thelxinoe. The muse of memory. |
A scroll, as Klio, with a Jovian cross. |
|
Hermippe |
Daughter of Boeotus, wife or mother of Orchomenos, son of Zeus. Nothing very interesting or deep here. |
Greek letter Epsilon with Jovian cross. |
|
Thyone |
The divine name of the resurrected Semele, mother of Dionysus by Zeus. |
Bunch of grapes with Jovian cross to upper right. |
|
Ananke |
Primordial goddess of necessity, brother of Chronos, with whom he is serpent-entwined in a tangle that spans the universe. Mother of the Moirai or Fates by Zeus. |
A spindle, as Klotho, but with thread and base replaced by Jovian cross. |
|
Herse |
Daughter of Zeus and Selene, represents dew. |
Up-facing crescent, teardrop coming down from it, Jovian cross to right. |
|
Aitne |
Divine personification of Mount Etna, perhaps mothered the twin geyser gods Palici by Zeus. |
Simple mountain with Jovian cross to lower right? |
|
Kale |
Also named Charis and Aglaea, one of the Graces, daughter of Zeus and sometimes wife of Hephaestus. |
Grace symbol, small hammer above, Jovian cross on right leg. |
|
Taygete |
One of the Pleiades, mother of Lacadaemon by Zeus. |
A Greek capital letter Tau, between two circular hemispheres representing the sisters hanging between heaven and earth, Jovian cross to right |
|
Chaldene |
Mother of Solymus, hero of the Solymi tribe, by Zeus. |
Greek letter Chi with Jovian cross. |
|
Erinome |
Perhaps as 79 Eurynome, another name for the mother of the three Graces by Zeus. Daughter of Celes. |
|
|
Aoede |
One of the original Boetian muses, along with Mneme, Melete, Arche, and Thelxinoe. Muse of voice and song. |
An aulos, as Euterpe, with Jovian cross. |
|
Kallichore |
Poorly documented. Either a muse of some unknown domain, or one of the nymphs who nurtured a young Dionysus. |
A bunch of nine Dionysian grapes, in a shape resembling Mnemosyne, with a Jovian cross. |
|
Kalyke |
Daughter of Aeolus and Enarete, mother of Endymion (lover of Selene) by Zeus. |
As Endymion, with Jovian cross. |
|
Carme |
An ancient grain goddess, mother of the huntress Britomartis by Zeus. |
C-shaped sickle, Jovian cross to right. |
|
Callirrhoe |
A naiad, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. |
Up-facing fish, Jovian cross to lower right. |
|
Eurydome |
Perhaps as 79 Eurynome, yet another name for the mother of the three Graces by Zeus. |
|
|
Pasithee |
Yet another name for Charis/Cale/Aglaea, one of the three Graces. Supposedly the spouse of Hypnos, and the grace of relaxation, hallucinations, and sleep. |
A half-lidded eye with iris, Jovian cross to right. |
|
Kore |
"Daughter," another name for Persephone, daughter of Demeter and Zeus. |
A composition of the symbols for Jupiter and Ceres: as Jupiter, but with the lightning curve replaced with the upper part of Ceres. |
|
Cyllene |
Supposedly a naiad or oread associated with Mount Kylinni; daughter of Zeus. |
Simple mountain with river wave crossing it below, Jovian cross to right. |
|
Eukelade |
Supposedly a rarely-invoked muse. Not a daughter of Mnemosyne, I'd expect. Her name means "well-sounding." |
A lyre, as Erato, with a Jovian cross. |
|
Pasiphae |
Queen of Crete, wife of King Minos, gave birth to the minotaur after an unfortunate incident involving one of Poseidon's white bulls. |
Taurus with a vertical horn, resembling Poseidon's trident, with a Jovian cross. |
|
Hegemone |
Supposedly one of the Graces; a goddess of fruit, flowering, and autumn; counterpart to Auxo of the spring. |
Simple fruit symbol with Jovian cross. |
|
Arche |
One of the original Boetian muses, along with Aoede, Melete, Aoede, and Thelxinoe. Her name means "first" or "beginning;" what this means I can only speculate. Perhaps she is the muse of starting new projects. |
A Greek lowercase letter alpha, representing both her name and the first number in the Greek numeral system, with Jovian cross. |
|
Isonoe |
One of the Danaiades, the fifty daughters of Danaus. Mother of Orchomenus by Zeus, who turned her into a spring. |
Spring with Jovian cross to the lower right. |
|
Sinope |
Daughter of the river god Asopus, mythic namesake of the city of Sinop, Turkey. In some stories, she was abducted by Zeus, who swore to fulfill her deepest wish if she would be with him. Her deepest wish, incidentally, was to remain a virgin. |
A Dianian moon, as in the virgin goddess, with a river crossing it and a Jovian cross below. |
|
Sponde |
One of the Horae, daughter of Zeus, representing after-lunch libations. |
A circle, representing a phiale, with a drop coming down from it, with a Jovian cross. |
|
Autonoe |
In some accounts, ANOTHER name for the mother of the Graces. In others, a sister of Semele who helped raise Dionysus and was one of his followers. Also mother of Actaeon, who was turned into a stag by Artemis. |
Bunch of grapes, with Taurus horns and Jovian cross. |
|
Philophrosyne |
|
|
|
Megaclite |
Mother of Thebe and Locrus by Zeus. |
Greek capital letter Mu, with Jovian cross |
|
Here are some more names for Jovian planets that I propose. Certainly they are needed, as there are many unnamed moons of Jupiter and there are predicted to be many more yet unobserved. Fortunately, Zeus/Jupiter has some connection to virtually every female in Greek/Roman myth, so there is no shortage of names.
Proposed name |
Description of referent |
Description of symbol |
Symbol |
Thallo |
Greek Hora of spring and blooms, counterpart of the Roman goddess Flora. |
As 8 Flora, but reversed, and with Jovian cross instead of female cross. |
|
Pherusa |
Greek Hora of substance and patron of farm estates. |
A large Cerean sickle, with Jovian cross behind it, and tiny square in the center (as a tract of land, or a deed to a farm.) |
|
Auxo or Auxesia |
Greek Hora of summer and growth; alternately represented spring alongside Hegemone, autumn. |
Large circle with eight small semicircles surrounding it like petals on a flower, Jovian cross. |
|
Auge |
Greek Hora of first light. |
Sun with horizontal line one-fourth down, Jovian cross on the end of it. |
|
Anatole or Anatolia |
Greek Hora of sunrise. |
Sun with horizontal line three-fourths down, Jovian cross on the end of it. |
|
Nymphe or Nympha |
Greek Hora of ablutions. |
Large jug with water wave in it, Jovian cross. |
|
Mesembria |
Greek Hora of noon. |
Clock, as Horologium at 12 o'clock, with Jovian cross. |
|
Enope |
Greek muse, very uncommon, whose name perhaps means "well-voiced." |
Small circle, Echo lines above, Jovian cross. |
|
Pandemos |
Aspect or epithet of the Greek goddess Aphrodite which represented physical, mortal love. According to Plato, this is the version of the goddess that was explicitly the daughter of Jupiter and Dione. |
Venus, but rotated counter-clockwise 90 degrees. |
|
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