heavenly body

[aiyu]

Dionysus grew up to spread the delicious discovery of wine around the world, and Nyssa was rewarded for her services by being transformed into a 'heavenly body.'
This is part of Greek mythology.
Does 'heavenly body' mean a Goddess?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Josemoncas]

I don't think so

heavenly body = any object existing in space, especially a planet, star, or the moon

(source: cambridge online dictionary)

Regards!

 

[cyberpedant]

While the term "heavenly body" usually refers to inanimate objects—as Josemoncas has pointed out—I believe that the Greeks and Romans thought of these bodies as some kind of deity. Mars—God of war. Venus—goddess of love. Jupiter—(Zeus Pater) King of the gods, etc.

 

[entangledbank]

In Greek mythology some people were put in heaven as individual stars (Castor and Pollux), some as whole constellations (Orion, Andromeda). I don't know the story of Nyssa, but a star would fit 'heavenly body', and is less extreme than being promoted to goddess.

 

[Josemoncas]

Well, it kind of seems mathematical to me:

heavenly body = planet
planet = god

Transitively: heavenly body = god

Then, I withdraw my first line in my first comment and the sad face

 

[arturolczykowski]

Although in this context she was transformed into a star or a planet, "heavenly body" not always means so.

In the Bible it means something totally different, a resurrected body.

Therefore, brothers, we are eagerly waiting for the redemption of our body, that is to say, we are eagerly waiting for our body to be transformed into a heavenly body, because we who belong to Christ were appointed to obtain a heavenly body; the habitation in which we now live is an earthly habitation but we earnestly desire to be clothed with out habitation which is from heaven (that is, the heavenly body which we will keep for ever and ever) and which is better than the earthly habitation.

 

[aiyu]

Thanks so much!