Algorab is a notorious dark star in the constellation Crow Corvus. Algorab has a reputation for being evil, but is that reputation justified? In this article, I look at the mythology behind what other astrologers have said about this star and show some examples of its energy in those born under its influence.
The myth goes that the sun god Apollo sent the raven with a cup (constellation krater) to fetch some water for his feast. On his way, this raven was distracted by some beautiful figs on a tree and lost track of time as he devoured them. When the crow suddenly remembered his mission, he picked up a passing serpent (Hydra constellation) and used it as an excuse for not filling the cup as requested.
Another myth says “The raven was commissioned by Apollo to keep a watchful eye on Apollo’s pregnant lover Coronis. The raven reported to Apollo the unwelcome news that she was having an affair with someone else. In anger, Apollo cursed the raven and its color changed from its previous shade of silver to today’s black.” ~ A crow
More about the constellation; “Corvus is like Mars and Saturn. It is said to bestow cunning, greed, resourcefulness, patience, vindictiveness, passion, selfishness, lying, aggressiveness and material instincts and sometimes causes its natives to become agitators.”[1.] I would like to add that they are great gossip speakers, journalists and paparazzi. Sometimes they take advantage of other people’s misfortunes.
The stars of Corvus
Scale 10º 44′ ~ Giena in the left wing of Corvus the Raven. 2.8*
Scale 11º 40′ ~ Decreases in the neck of Corvus the Raven. 3.2
Scale 12º 15′ ~ Alchitain the beak of Corvus the Raven. 4.2
Libra 13º 27′ ~ Algorab in the right wing of Corvus the Raven. 3.1
Libra 17º 22′ ~ crash in the right claw of Corvus the Raven. 2.8
*Star positions for the year 2000.
**The information is approximate as precession changes position the older you are.
The Hasta lunar house contains all of Corvus’ stars. Hasta means hand and also laughter. The crow’s cry seems to resemble the cackling of an evil woman. The moon here either creates mad geniuses or brings out the lowest vibration in the crow. The moon on Algorab according to Robson: “Native will be active, resourceful, shameless, merciless and a thief and drunkard.” [2.] However, I’m sure this position can also be used in a more advanced way, perhaps as an exorcist.
Agrippa over Corvus;
“makes a person choleric, bold, courageous, full of thoughts, a slanderer and causes bad dreams; (?!) there is also the power to drive away evil spirits and gather them; it is useful against the wickedness of men, devils and winds.” [5]
In magic, Corvus is used to drive away evil spirits. The wings have a dual function. One is the shadow of the other, the problem is that you can never say what is “good” and what is “bad”. Fight fire with fire, I would say. It takes a good crow to defeat an evil crow.
Algorab The Behenian Star?
Algorab is the most notorious star of Corvus, although it is not the brightest. There is also some mystery and confusion between the two main stars of Corvus, Gienah (left wing, Gamma Corvus) and Algorab (right wing, Delta Corvus).
In 15th century star maps, Gienah is marked as right, not left. This is important because only one of these stars is classified as a star Behenian starwhich has magical properties and is used in medieval magic.
Wiki lists the name Giena at 13º Libra 23′ from Agrippa’s 1531 edition, which is actually Algorab’s current position. However, Christopher Warnock lists the position for Gienah as 10º 44′ for his ‘“Wings of Corvus Rising” Talisman.
Medieval magic
The star Algorab has a terrible reputation, but is Algorab actually Algorab? At some point their names were changed. Algorab according to Robson “bestows destruction, malevolence, wickedness, vileness and falsehood and is associated with plunder.”
More interpretations of Algorab: “A Mars-Saturn star that can show the more problematic side of Libra, a variation on the truth when an excuse seems safer.”[3] and finally from the Ebertins “Delays and reluctance can arise from fiascos, losses, mishandling of things and hostility in general. Accidents or injuries are difficult to avoid.” [4]
In medieval magic, Algorab is used with “burdock seeds, leaves and roots, placed with a frog’s tongue, etc.” Makes men angry, hateful, daring and evil-speaking, causes bad dreams, drives away demons and protects men against demons and evil winds.”
Is Algorab magical or evil?
Is one star evil and the other magical? The confusion only adds to the crow’s dubious reputation as a whole. The fact that “devilishness” is associated with magic reflects the ancient fear of prophetic abilities. However, we should not simply dismiss this as uptight Christians’ exaggerated fear of witchcraft.
AlgorabSummary
Looking at the evidence, there doesn’t seem to be any significant difference between Gienah and Algorab ‘Malice’. Both Annie Besant and Helena Blavatsky had their moons on Gienah. This gives the star more credibility than that Behenian magical star, since both ladies were leading figures in the theosophical society.
I imagine that in their time (late 19th century) these women were branded as “witches” by mainstream Christian society. In her Gienah interpretations, Rosenberg speaks of “witch hunts” and also of religious zealots. In general, I feel like all the stars of Corvus have a witchy aura, especially when aligned with the moon.