Our Solar System Planets named after Gods Do

Our Solar System

Planets named after Gods

Do our planets have personalities?

Gustav Holst – The Planets

Jupiter – The Bringer of Jollity • Why would the solar system’s largest planet make us jolly? The planet Jupiter was named after the king of the Roman gods, who was also the god of sky and thunder. Another name for Jupiter was Jove, and astrologers believed that people born under the sign of Jupiter/Jove were jolly and optimistic –“jovial”, for short. The music in Jupiter is fast and happy. The slower theme at the end of the movement became quite popular. So popular that Holst put the words of a patriotic poem to it, and in 1921 it was published as “I Vow to Thee, My Country”. It continues to this day to be an important patriotic song for citizens of the United Kingdom.

Saturn – The Bringer of Old Age • For astrologers, Saturn is the opposite of Jupiter. Older people sometimes look back wistfully at their youth, when they had few responsibilities and duties, and more time to play. Saturn is said to bring limits, boundaries, and restrictions to life, and therefore the burdens of age. As people age, they slow down. Very old people move very slowly, and so does Saturn. The movement opens very softly, then becomes a sad sounding funeral march, and ends with the strings playing a pretty and soft melody.

Mercury – The Winged Messenger • In Roman mythology, the god Mercury is portrayed wearing a winged hat and winged shoes, both of which assisted him in flying swiftly from place to place delivering messages. He was also the god of playing tricks! Mercury is also the name of the chemical element known as quicksilver. It is a bright, silvery metal that is liquid at room temperature. If you spill some, it scatters everywhere. In your imagination, combine the image of Mercury, the god of messages and trickery, zipping around on winged shoes, together with shiny, elusive quicksilver. • Flighty and fast, the lively Mercury is quick and powerful in equal measure. The high-pitched harp, flute, and glockenspiel tunes hop, skip, and jump throughout the suite’s short duration – usually just over four minutes.

Mars – The Bringer of War • Angry and ominous, Holst’s first movement represents the Roman god of war, Mars. The craggy rhythms and pulsing drum beats give the music a military feel. • Mars is not simply the God of War, but brings war to the world. In this movement, you can hear Mars approach with his unwanted gift. What do you hear in this movement that makes you think of war? Do you hear the repetitive rhythm at the beginning? A repeated rhythmic or melodic pattern like this is called an ostinato.