Paulo Coelho

Inspiration for poets and painters, the Milky Way, this “celestial path” appears in practically all mythologies.

In the Indian sacred text of the Rig Veda, this is the path that the Gods take in order to come to Earth and see the sacrifices. This luminous way is also the path taken by the souls in order to reach the after-world.

The presence of milk between the night clouds comes from the Greek Myth : Heracles (Hercules) was being breastfed by the goddess Hera. Given the youth insatiable appetite, the Goddess decides – in a moment of fury – to tear her breast away. The drops of divine milk form then the stars.

In the Mayan mythology, the milky way is seen as the “great white serpent” that each day is devoured by the Eagle of the Sun. In Christianity, this immense ring of luminous matter against the backdrop of night, became the privileged image of Saint James Path, guiding pilgrims until the holy city of Compostella.

Now you take the floor : what do you associate with the Milky Way?