Saga: The summer stars

Two of the brightest stars in the summer sky are Vega and Altair.

These stars are also figures in the famous Chinese story, The Altair and the weaver girl. The weaver girl is the star Vega and she is a fairy princess and a daughter of the sky goddess the weaver.

The weaver fell in love with the celestial cowherd, the star Altair.

Their love was forbidden but they refused to leave each other and so the Altair was exiled from the sky, lost his memory and became mortal.

The story of them is neither happy nor sad, It's legendary.

As a human, Altair parents died quite early. His brother decided soon to split up the property.

As the youngest son in the house, Altair inherited nothing but an old ox and a cart. 

Unbeknownst to them, the ox was another former star who would have been cast to the earth when he tried to defend the Altair. The Altair and the ox survived together and became close friends.

One day when the Vega was visiting the earth, the ox told the Altair where to find her. He said

"By dusk, there will be a number of seven daughters coming down from heaven, they will leave their feather scarfs behind while staying on the earth and if you are able to grab one scarf from one of those girls, she won't be able to fly back to heaven, and then if you propose her she would become your wife."

But when the Altair approached the Vega, she immediately recognized him as her lost love. The two were married and for a time they were very happy together living a humble and peaceful life making a living tending their livestock and weaving.

Eventually, their dear friend the ox died of old age but before he did the ox told the Altair to save his skin for they could use it to fly into the sky.

Eventually, the goddess learned that the Vega and the Altair were together. Furiously, she sent soldiers to retrieve the Vega.

The soldiers grabbed the Vega and took her back into the sky.

 

The Altair refused to let her go, 

He took the hide of the ox and used it to follow his wife into the sky following her footsteps.

Just when the family was about to reunite, The sky goddess took out a hairpin and used it to carve an immense, impassable river in the sky. 

We see this river as the milky way.

 

They were separated.

They would still be looking at each other and would still be sharing their feelings.

Vega's father, the Emperor of the sky, saw all this.

He was touched by their sincerity. 

He promised a grant and gave them the approval to meet one night year and joy of magpies should be your bridge across the river.

The day was seventh of the seventh lunar month.

Thousands of magpies form a bridge across the milky way and for just one day the lovers family can be whole.

-Ankur Duhan