Cancer (mythology)

Cancer also known as Carcinus (Ancient Greek: Καρκίνος, romanized: Karkínos, lit. 'crab') or, simply the Crab, is a giant crab in Greek mythology that inhabited the lagoon of Lerna. He is a secondary character in the myth of the twelve labors of Heracles, who attacks Heracles on Hera's orders, while Heracles is in the midst of fighting the Hydra of Lerna. Heracles kills the Crab, who is rewarded for his efforts by Hera turning him into the constellation of Cancer.

Since it is not a main element of the myth, it does not always appear in the versions that have reached the present day; nevertheless, classic mythographers, astronomers, historians or philosophers such as Plato, the Pseudo-Eratosthenes, Apollodorus and Hyginus mention the character in their texts.

One of the most common interpretations of the myth associates it with a 22nd-century BC battle in the Peloponnese, which resulted in the destruction of Lerna (Minoan-influenced) by pre-Mycenaean peoples

In art, Carcinus is often depicted as a detail of the myth of the Hydra or as an image of the Zodiac sign and the constellation to which it gives its name.