Astraea, whose name in ancient Greek translates to "star-maiden," is the classical mythological goddess of justice, sacred law, and innocence, usually said to be the daughter of Astraeus and Eos or of Zeus and Themis. According to ancient accounts, most famously preserved by Hesiod, Aratus, and Ovid, she lived among mortals during the Golden Age, a time marked by universal peace, natural abundance, and moral purity. As successive eras brought degeneration transitioning into the Silver, Bronze, and finally the brutal Iron Age filled with bloodshed and avarice she became the very last immortal to abandon the corrupted earth. Upon ascending to the heavens, she was transformed into the constellation Virgo, residing directly alongside the constellation Libra, which signifies her heavenly scales of justice. In Renaissance literature, Astraea symbolized the return of the Golden Age, justice, and ideal rule, inspired by Virgil's famous line: Iam redit et Virgo, redeunt Saturnia regna.
