The Significance of Saturn to Past Civilizations

When we think about the planets, we think of these massive extraterrestrial objects that just happen to be in our solar system, revolving around the sun just like the Earth does. These planets have an atmosphere of their own, are made up of different materials, can be ridiculously far away, and some possibly have the means to support life. But to people years and years ago, the planets meant so much more. These planets were so magnificent in their structure and so far away because they were not simple objects in the skies. The planets we commonly see in a textbook were to them the Gods that control the universe and everything in it.

Zeus in his fight with Cronus. 

In Greek mythology, Saturn is the all powerful being Cronus, who was the father of Zeus (Jupiter). Cronus was the head of the throne over all the other Gods in the universe. However, to prevent being dethroned, Cronus ate his children. Zeus ends up overpowering Cronus, puts him in chains, and banishes him completely.


In Egyptian mythology, the story plays out a little differently. Saturn was the God Osiris. Osiris is murdered and completely dismembered by his brother Seth. Osiris' wife Isis (who was Jupiter) is able to collect all of the dispersed parts, and puts them into a swathing. Osiris' body is restored and he is brought back to life, becoming the king of the Underworld. Isis conceives a baby with Osiris named Horus, who fights Seth to avenge his father's death. 

The standoff between Horus and Seth 

In both of these situations, Saturn is portrayed as an amazing God who ends up losing his power forever. Saturn is then put into the shadow of another being like Jupiter. Maybe when civilizations saw Saturn, they were captivated by its rings and named it to be the almighty God instead of other planets. Maybe when past civilizations were around, they were easily able to see Saturn, but as years went by, Jupiter became the more common sight. Regardless of the reason, the beliefs of these cultures show how amazing these objects in the sky were to them, and how prevalent they were to their daily lives.