Corona Borealis is the “Northern Crown.” The ancient Greeks only know of the one crown, so it was the “Wreath” to them. It is tiara shape formed of stars. According to mythology, Corona Borealis was the crown worn by Ariadne, daughter of Minos. Those that recall mythology will remember that King Minos of Crete kept the Minotaur. Minos¢ son Androgeos had been killed in battle with the Athenians. Crete won the war, though, and Minos imposed a heavy penalty on Athens: each year, seven young men and women were to sail from Athens to Crete to be used as food for the Minotaur. The third year of this punishment, though, Theseus, son of King Aegeus, convinced his father that he could defeat the Minotaur if he were allowed to be part of the contingent sent to Crete. Aegeus, after much argument, finally agreed, with the stipulation that the ship carrying Theseus back to Athens fly a white sail instead of the traditional black one to signify that Theseus has survived the fight with the Minotaur. Well, Theseus did win the battle, killing the Minotaur. He also fell in love with Ariadne. She had helped him out by providing him with a spool of yarn that he played out behind himself as he walked through the labyrinth containing the Minotaur. This allowed him to find his way back out after dispatching the monster. Ariadne was madly in love with Theseus, and went with him on the trip back to Athens to be his wife. However, along the way, they stopped at Naxos, the island belonging to Bacchus, god of wine. Bacchus was stricken with Ariadne¢s beauty, and he ordered Theseus to sail away leaving Ariadne behind, and without even saying goodbye to her. Theseus, unwilling to risk the lives of his companions fighting with a god for Ariadne, did as he was told. But, he was still very much in love with Ariadne, and he was so despondent that he forgot to order a white sail to be hoisted upon their return. King Aegeus, seeing the black sail, thought that his son was dead. In despair, he flung himself off a cliff into the sea, killing himself. That sea is now known as the Aegean Sea. Meanwhile, Ariadne was in tears over her lover leaving her during the middle of the night. Bacchus consoled her, telling her that Theseus wasn¢t worth her time, since he had left her. Bacchus wanted Ariadne to marry him. But, Ariadne was in no mood to marry another mortal man, and she was wary of Bacchus, wanting him to prove to her that he was a god before she married him. So, he took her crown and threw it upwards into the sky to become the group of stars that is now the Northern Crown, Corona Borealis. The brightest star of Corona Borealis is Gemma, the gem star. Seeing that he was a god after all, Ariadne agreed to marry Bacchus.