The Legends of the Moons III

Attendants of the Gods

Now, I suspect if you are reading this article because of an interest in space and mythology, you have probably heard of satellites. They primarily orbit our planet, surveying all things, pinging information around at an alarming rate, enabling us to see data on our devices in real time, and exercising an increasing importance in rapidly advancing modern technology, and so also in our lives.

However, have you met this usage?

‘I’m your moon, earth’s natural satellite…’

This line comes from a charming educational song about the Moon by the YouTube channel Hopscotch. My five-year old is a big fan. (1) 

But the takeaway point here is the reference to the Moon as a satellite. The term was first applied to the moons of the planets in the 17th century, following Galileo’s discovery in 1610 of Jupiter’s moons. (2) The moons orbit their planets, just like their man-made namesakes. So, where does the term come from? You have probably already surmised that it comes from the ancient world, namely Latin. The ‘Attendant’ in the title is a perfectly good way of translating the Latin word satellites, or satelles in the singular. The charming image of our Moon, Luna, as our attendant, gliding with us around the Milky Way on our journey, and blessing us nightly with her charming silver light, is a pretty and poetic image. This is certainly the meaning that lies behind the application of the term to moons.

However, I wish to explore two rather darker meanings of the term, which, once one is aware of them, perhaps make those spinning attendants seem a little more sinister. The Latin term often referred to bodyguards of kings, of tyrannical ones when used in a derogatory sense, and also to criminal accomplices. In Livy’s tense and brilliant account of Scaevola’s failed assassination attempt on invading Etruscan king Lars Porsenna (silly chap killed the scribe by mistake), the unfortunate Mucius is apprehended by the satellites of the king. A note of menace is contained in the term, as the would-be assassin is dragged before king Porsenna. Of course, his courage awards him a ‘get out of the Etruscan camp free’ card and Mucius returns to Rome a hero (Livy, ab urbe condita, II.18.8-16). Does this not modify how we view those swirling satellites? Do we have a slight suspicion towards them? Certainly of the artificial variety. Are they really watching us? The meaning accomplice is also somewhat pertinent when we examine the moons of Saturn (to whose moons we shall come in more detail later in this series). Titan and Enceladus are names of beings who challenged the Olympian gods. The Titans and Giants fought on the side of Chronos/Saturn in Zeus/Jupiter’s takeover bid in revenge for his father’s child-eating antics. ‘Attendants’ here can only be a weak translation of ‘satellites’ in referring to the powerful supporters (and ‘accomplices’) of the pre-Olympian king of the gods. The term can also carry the negative connotation of ‘henchman’, which perfectly fits Cicero’s application of the term to alleged conspirator Catiline’s followers (In Catilinam, I.3.7)

I would also argue that ‘attendants’ is a somewhat tame translation when one considers the mythological stories behind the moons of Jupiter (up next in this series). They refer to his love affairs, mortals and immortals seduced by the king, and so entirely in his power. No established translation seems entirely appropriate here. The gravitational pull of the largest planet on its moons might rather ironically reflect the dangerous charm of its divine namesake. This casts them as ‘attendants’ with no escape or way back, for example, Ganymede. Enamoured with the beautiful Trojan prince, Zeus whisked him away to serve as his cupbearer. An attendant indeed, but not a willing one.

Jupiter and Ganymede (3)

'Attendants' is certainly not an appropriate translation for the moons of Mars when set in their mythological context. Deimos (fear felt before and during battle) and Phobos (the fear felt in defeat and flight). The planetary attendants were mythological 'henchmen.'

The language of space and space exploration takes a great deal from Latin and Greek, and I hope this exploration has illuminated the significance of the term ‘satellite’ and its rich and not always positive range of meaning.

References

(1) https://youtu.be/4srrN7uUAsU?si=qwp18YVQt3kyO2ve

(last accessed: 17/12/2025)

(2) https://www.nasa.gov/history/410-years-ago-galileo-discovers-jupiters-moons/

(last accessed: 17/12/2025)

(3) NASA, ESA and E. Karkoschka (UA), CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

(last accessed: 17/12/2025)