Pavo was named by Johann Bayer in 1603. In mythology, there was a peacock that was sacred to Zeus's wife, Hera. She had suspected that her husband had fallen in love one of her priestesses, the mortal Io, so she changed Io into a white heifer as disguise. Hera then asked Argus Panoptes, a giant with a hundred eyes, to guard the disguised heifer. When Zeus found out his lover was being guarded, he sent Hermes to kill Argus. After Hera found out of Argus's death, she distribuited his eyes all over the tail of the peacock.
