Editing Astraea (section)

=== The Golden Age ===
Astraea, the celestial virgin who presided over justice, modesty and good faith,{{sfn|Murray|Klapp|2005|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=BOFzYThPlk8C&pg=PA46 46]}} was traditionally said to be the last of the immortals to live together with humans during the [[Golden Age]], the first of the [[Religion in ancient Greece|old Greek religion]]'s five [[Ages of Man]] until the coming of the harsh Iron Age, when the world fell into disarray and people only coveted gold, while family and friends would no longer trust each other.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sung|first=HyunSook|title=아스트라이아|url=https://terms.naver.com/entry.naver?cid=58143&docId=3397943&categoryId=58143|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-20|website=terms.naver.com|language=ko|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321053658/https://terms.naver.com/entry.naver?docId=3397943&categoryId=58143&cid=58143 |archive-date=2021-03-21 }}</ref>

[[File:Astraea, Goddess of the Truth, from the Goddesses of the Greeks and Romans series (N188) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. MET DPB871028.jpg|thumb|Astraea from the ''Goddesses of the Greeks and Romans'' series (N188) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co., Metropolitan Museum of Art.]]

The myth of Astraea has been variously attributed to eighth-century BC Greek poet [[Hesiod]], who in his surviving works prophesied that since mankind had deteriorated so much in morality and virtue during his era (that is the Fifth Age, or Iron Age) the goddesses [[Nemesis]] and [[Aidos]], who embodied divine retribution and humility respectively, would finally abandon the earth once and for all and return to [[Mount Olympus]] by the end of it, forsaking men and leaving them to deal with the hardships and evils on their own.<ref>[[Hesiod]], ''[[Works and Days]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0132%3Acard%3D174 174-201]</ref>{{sfn|Kerenyi|1951|pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.7346/page/n121/mode/2up?view=theater 102-103]}}

Later authors, starting first with [[Aratus]] writing over four hundred years after Hesiod, expanded on the tale. According to the later myths, at the beginning of time Justice (Dike) or Astraea the daughter of [[Astraeus]] used to live and mingle with men and women on earth, an immortal among mortals. During this Golden Age there was no strife, war and battle or detestation between people as Justice urged them all to be kind to each other and spread feelings of virtue and honour among them.{{sfn|Grimal|1987|page=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofclas00grim/page/63/mode/2up?view=theater 64]}} In this pre-seafaring era, humans only ploughed their rich fields while Justice supplied them with all they could ever want or need.<ref>[[Aratus]], ''Phaenomena'' [https://www-loebclassics-com/view/aratus-phaenomena/1921/pb_LCL129.215.xml?result=1&rskey=UEZ6CV 96-136]</ref>

As the Golden Age ended and the Silver one arrived, the goddess found herself dissatisfied as people were less virtuous than before and started yearning for the older times. She no longed spoke with gentle words to them and took to the hills and then the mountains.<ref>[[Eratosthenes]], ''[[Catasterismi]]'' [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_HXs-AAAAcAAJ/page/n97/mode/2up?view=theater 9]</ref> She used threats and shame on them, but failed to motivate them to become better people.<ref name="rose">{{cite web | first = M. Rosemary | last = Wright | title = A Dictionary of Classical Mythology: I The Constellations of the Northern Sky | website = mythandreligion.upatras.gr | date = September 2012 | url = http://mythandreligion.upatras.gr/english/m-r-wright-a-dictionary-of-classical-mythology/ | access-date = January 3, 2023 | publisher = [[University of Patras]]}}</ref> Then the Bronze and Iron Ages rolled in which introduced war and hatred, corruption, people consuming the oxen they previously only used to plough the fields and the vanishment of honour and love.{{sfn|Bell|1991|loc=s.v [https://archive.org/details/womenofclassical00bell/page/76/mode/2up?view=theater Astraea]}}<ref>[[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]], ''[[De Astronomica]]'' [https://topostext.org/work/207#2.25.1 2.25.1]</ref> They began to sail the seas after cutting down trees to build ships,{{sfn|Bulfinch|1970|page=[https://archive.org/details/mythologyalaurel0000thom/page/24/mode/2up?view=theater 24]}} divided the free land between them and dug up the earth in search for wealth such as iron and gold.{{sfn|Ovid|2005|loc=1.149}}{{sfn|Hansen|2004|pages=[https://archive.org/details/handbookofclassi0000hans/page/236/mode/2up?view=theater 236–237]}} Finally the disillusioned Dike-Astraea decided to abandon humanity for good and take her place among the stars as the constellation [[Virgo (constellation)|Virgo]],{{sfn|March|2014|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=nZnwAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA494 494]}} also known as the Maiden, with the star [[Spica]] as the ear of corn she holds.{{sfn|Smith|1873|loc=s.v [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DA%3Aentry+group%3D50%3Aentry%3Dastraea-bio-1 Astraea]}}<ref name="rose"/>

To a smaller extend, Astraea was also envisioned as the goddess who watched over mortals and then reported their wrongdoings back to Zeus.{{sfn|Zissos|2008|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=MwxREAAAQBAJ&pg=PA403 403]}} [[Valerius Flaccus (poet)|Valerius Flaccus]] wrote that the harsh weather and storms of November were associated with Zeus' vengeance against mankind on behalf of Astraea.<ref>[[Valerius Flaccus (poet)|Valerius Flaccus]], ''Argonautica'' [https://www-loebclassics-com/view/valerius_flaccus-argonautica/1934/pb_LCL286.101.xml#note_LCL286_101_1a 2.357-366]</ref> According to [[Nonnus]], Astraea as the starry nurse of the universe once took under her care and nurished [[Beroe (Beirut nymph)|Beroe]], the daughter of [[Aphrodite]]. She nursed the infant on her breast and fashioned a necklace out of Spica for her.<ref>[[Nonnus]] [https://archive.org/details/dionysiaca03nonnuoft/page/210/mode/2up?view=theater 41.212–230]</ref>