Dejopeja

Dejopeja is asteroid #184 and of the type X (or perhaps M). Dejopeja’s orbit is characterized by a semi-major axis of 3.18 Astronomical Units, an eccentricity of 0.08, a period of revolution of 2 073 days, and an inclination of 1.1 degrees. Dejopeja was discovered by the Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa at the Austrian Naval Observatory.

Dejopeja is named after a nymph, but two candidates exist. One of them is a Nereid and a maid of Kyrḗnē (Κυρήνη), who became by the god Apóllōn (Ἀπόλλων) mother of Aristaíos (Ἀρισταῖος), after whom the asteroid Aristaeus is named. The other candidate is one of fourteen nymphs, who served the goddess Juno as maids. The god of wind, King Aíolos (Αἴολος) of Aiolia (Αἰολία), helped Juno to shipwreck refugees from Troy, so Juno rewarded King Aíolos (Αἴολος) of Aiolia (Αἰολία) by giving her maid Dejopeja as his wife to him.

The first candidate hasn’t any peculiarity for deriving a meaning from it. The second candidate served as a reward. Although a reward couldn’t in modern times given in this form, I’d still say that Dejopeja is the personification of a reward. So the asteroid Dejopeja represents rewards. Not necessarily for good, but even more likely for evil deeds.

Leave a comment