A Legend Re-Enacted In Real Life (Sort Of)

견우 직녀 (GyeonU, JikNyeo/The Cowherd and the Weaver Maid)

I was just strolling around one afternoon, taking random shots around the neighborhood, when I spotted yet another instance of spontaneous visual order -- a condensation trail seemingly picking up where a cable ended -- and took several shots. But when I downloaded the photos I found one among them that was strangely reminiscent of an old legend.

On the night of the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, two stars, Altair and Vega, in the constellations Aquila (The Eagle) and Lyra (The Harp) respectively, receive special attention.

As the story goes, Altair was a Cowherd and Vega was a Weaver. He was a mortal and she was a celestial fairy, but they fell in love and lived as husband and wife on earth.

This was against the rules, however.  Eventually they were found out, and the Empress of Heaven made sure to keep them apart by placing them in the sky as stars on opposite sides of the Milky Way.

Even so, their devotion to each other eventually moved her stern heart, and the Empress relented, allowing the lovers to meet one day out of the year. On that day, all the magpies of the world fly up to the sky and form a bridge over the Milky Way with their bodies, so the lovers can walk across.

And this is why magpies have such smooth, shiny pates, they say -- from being stepped on by the eager lovers. This legend is probably Chinese in origin, but it is well-known throughout East Asia.

Check out the bridge of magpies in the illustration I found on the internet (I wish I could give credit, but I have no idea who painted it). And look at the photo (expand the image) -- those birds sure do look like they're trying to form a bridge between the cable and the contrail...  As above, so below?