Its brightest star is Capella, which is associated with the mythological she-goat Amalthea.
According to one Greek myth, Hera had a child who was born lame. Disgusted, she threw him out of Heaven to Earth, where he became the famous lame smith, Hephaestus, who fashioned beautiful ornaments and armor for the gods. He is also the smith who came to Orion's rescue after Orion had been blinded. It is said that because he was lame he invented the chariot so as to easily travel wherever he wanted to go without difficulty. He also built a chariot for Helios.
In another greek myth, Auriga is said to represent Myrtilus, the charioteer of King Oenomaus. The king was jealous of anyone who came to seek his daughter's hand in marriage. Being noted for his love of horses, the king announced that all suitors would have to take part in a chariot race against him and, should they lose, pay with their lives. Pelops, the lover of Oenomaus' daughter, bribed Myrtilus to sabotage the king's chariot to guarantee his marriage with Hippodameia. Upon the day of the race, the king was killed in the ensuing accident. Shortly thereafter, Myrtilus tried to seduce Hippodameia as he was secretly in love with her. She ran crying to Pelops who then cursed Myrtilus by casting him into the sea. As Myrtilus drown, he in turn cursed Pelops, which was the source of the curse that forever haunted the future generation of Pelops' children.
