"That's Krokódeilos," my dad said, pointing up at the sky. It was one of our astronomy nights where we went out into a large, clear field out in the country and stared up at the stars.
"Is that a crocodile?" I asked.
"Since when did you learn Greek?" He looked impressed, but he should've known better.
"I didn't...it just sounds like crocodile." I didn't meet his eyes, I just squinted at Krokódeilos. I couldn't see the crocodile yet.
"Fair enough, kid," said my dad, chuckling slightly and turning his gaze back upwards.
"So what's the story behind Krokódeilos?"
My dad smiled, warm and wide. Astronomy was his passion. He always said if he was more suited to academia, he would've gone into it. But he just liked the learning, not so much the rest of it.
"Well, Krokódeilos was a crocodile goddess."
"Are there crocodiles in Greece?" I asked, rubbing my hands together to get them warm in the crisp and clean night air.
"No, there aren't--at least not natively." He shrugged, turning his gaze to me, "I mean I'm sure there are some in zoos nowadays."
"So how come they have a constellation named after one?" I inquired, turning to meet his gaze.
My dad huffed in a good-natured way. "If you'll let me tell the story, I'll let you know."
"Okay, but hurry up, it's getting too cold." This happened with many of our astronomy nights. I liked the peace and learning of it all and, I had to admit, spending the time with my dad, but it really did get cold.
"Krokódeilos is likely derived from an Egyptian deity, or so the scholars say. Certainly the exposure to crocodiles came from Egypt."
"That makes sense," I replied, turning to look back up at where my dad had pointed originally, squinting to try and see the crocodile shape.
"Krokódeilos was known as a protector of women," my dad shared, looking back at the constellation.
"Now that I can get behind. Who would mess with me if a crocodile was protecting me?"
"Who indeed?"
"Okay, keep going."
"Well this likely came from oddly maternal behavior that they display."
"Oddly, how?"
"Well reptiles are not known to be maternal, but Nile crocodiles, and American alligators, are known to care for their young to a certain extent. This makes them stand out and is perhaps what made such an impression on those who observed animals."
"Huh, okay. So what else did Krokódeilos do? How'd she end up in the stars?"
My dad looked back up at the sky. "Krokódeilos was also known as a protector of water. The stories say that in order to get a better view of the world and better protect all of the water and all of the women, she swam up the milky way and took her place in the stars. Her mouth is open, see there?"
I squinted again and saw what my dad was pointing to. I nodded softly.
"Well some say that her mouth is open because she's drinking in the stars, but most say it is a symbol of protection. Either flashing the threat of a bite or to let those she protects into her mouth, offering to carry them to safety."
"That's kind of beautiful," I said, my breath making little puffs in the air. "And badass."
My dad chuckled. "Come on, kid, let's get home. Krokódeilos will be waiting for us another night."
(Prompt by Kimisha Cassidy)
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