In ancient times, many peoples attempted to explain some of the strangest natural phenomena and meteorological phenomena. To do so, they explained that the cause of these meteorological and natural phenomena was the actions of some mythological gods. These gods acted on the earth of humans with some intention. An Italian expert is responsible for explaining the 22° halo in Greek mythology. The Italian expert who discovered it is named Paolo Coloma and is known as Ixion.
In this article we are going to tell you all the characteristics and mythological origin of Ixion.
Who was Ixion?
Ixion was a mythical king of Thessaly who had a reputation as a bad king. He was not only a bad king, but also a bad person. He married Dias, the daughter of Eioneus, but failed to pay the promised gifts to his new father-in-law. At that time, it was customary to give gifts to in-laws at weddings. The fact that Ixion did not give gifts to his in-laws at the wedding led to a fight. The outcome of the fight ended with Ixion throwing Eioneus into a burning coal pit with wood.
Faced with such a fact, none of the Greek nobles would be willing to forgive Ixion's crime. Finally, the god Zeus himself took pity and invited him to Mount Olympus for purification. The crime was not enough for the evil that Ixion possessed. Once on Olympus, the seat of the Greek gods, he rewarded Zeus's generosity by attempting to unite with his wife Hera. Since Zeus was quite wise, he was able to guess the evil intentions and devise a plan. With his powers, he was able to transfigure a cloud called Nephele and give it a very similar resemblance to Hera.The resulting union produced Centaurus, which was the father of the Centaurus.
The punishment Zeus imposed on Ixion was terrible and eternal. He was able to uncover all of Ixion's negative intentions toward Hera. Zeus ordered Hermes to bind Ixion's hands and feet and place him on a winged, fiery wheel so he could roll for all eternity.
The myth of Ixion and the halo
As we have mentioned before, the entire origin of the myth of Ixion comes from a kind of natural phenomenon that could not be explained. Some of the appearances of natural phenomena such as the halo of 22 degrees are common in Greece. In this case, this halo occurs during the rainy season, and it's somewhat disconcerting that it has a mythological origin. In Ancient Greece, there was a myth that explained the origin of this phenomenon.
Given the story we've told about Greek mythology in which Ixion appears punished by Zeus himself, this is the origin of the 22-degree halo. Paolo Coloma, an Italian expert in Greek mythology, claims that the origin of the explanation for this phenomenon is that Ixion is spinning in the fiery wheel as punishment from Zeus. For more information on this topic, you can read about the mythology of Mount Olympus.
In order to explain with the greatest possible connection by Greek mythology, Paolo argues that the 22 degree halo follows the sun and is sometimes visible for a few hours. With the red border it could be considered as if it were a ring of fire.
Furthermore, in this mythological context, the 22-degree halo is also associated with Nephele, the cloud that was transformed. The scene of Ixion's union with Nephele took place in the heavens, given that it is the place of Zeus and Olympus. In the tradition prior to this story, it is said that the day before the punishment was also ice-bound. The fiery wheel is described as flying in the sky forever.
This whole myth is also related to rain, as the appearance of this halo is often a precursor to warm fronts that bring precipitation. This natural phenomenon can be better understood by studying different aspects of the Greek mythology and the weather.
How a solar halo is formed
Now we're going to explain how a solar halo originates scientifically, not through mythology. The phenomenon is described as a bright circle around the sun and occurs in cold places. Among them, occurs frequently in Russia, Antarctica, or northern ScandinaviaIt usually occurs when environmental conditions are suitable for its formation. Therefore, it can also occur in other locations. It is formed by ice particles suspended in the upper troposphere. When sunlight hits these ice particles, they refract the light, making the entire spectrum of colors visible.
The halo effect is similar to that of a rainbow. It can be called a circular rainbow, which is primarily characterized by its iridescence. For the halo situation to occur elsewhere on Earth, it requires locations with normally low temperatures. It must also exist a high contrast with temperatures from the surface and the temperatures of altitude. In this way, there may be enough ice crystals at altitude to refract the light for the complete halo to form. In some places where temperatures are higher, this phenomenon cannot be observed or is too short-lived.
The high temperature contrasts that exist in the morning are what generate the appearance of these halos. In the morning, the air is cooler because it has not had the heat source of the sun throughout the night. This is one of the reasons why the halo appears more frequently in the morning. Another requirement is that the type of cloud currently in the sky is cirrus clouds. These clouds are made up of small ice crystals that are what lead to the processes of reflection and refraction of light.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the solar halo and the myth of Ixion.