The distinctive pattern of Orion is recognized in numerous cultures around the world, and many myths are associated with it. Orion is used as a symbol in the modern world.
Siberia In
Siberia, the
Chukchi people see Orion as a hunter; an
arrow he has shot is represented by
Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri), with the same figure as other Western depictions.
Europe Greco-Roman antiquity In
Greek mythology, Orion was a gigantic, supernaturally strong hunter, born to
Euryale, a
Gorgon, and
Poseidon (
Neptune), god of the sea. One myth recounts
Gaia's rage at Orion, who dared to say that he would kill every animal on Earth. The angry goddess tried to dispatch Orion with a
scorpion. This is given as the reason that the constellations of
Scorpius and Orion are never in the sky at the same time. However,
Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer, revived Orion with an
antidote. This is said to be the reason that the constellation of Ophiuchus stands midway between the Scorpion and the Hunter in the sky. The constellation is mentioned in
Horace's
Odes (Ode 3.27.18),
Homer's
Odyssey (Book 5, line 283) and
Iliad, and
Virgil's
Aeneid (Book 1, line 535).
European folklore In old
Hungarian tradition, Orion is known as "Archer" (
Íjász), or "Reaper" (
Kaszás). In recently rediscovered myths, he is called
Nimrod (
Hungarian:
Nimród), the greatest hunter, father of the twins
Hunor and Magor. The π and o stars (on upper right) form together the
reflex bow or the lifted scythe. In other Hungarian traditions,
Orion's Belt is known as "Judge's stick" (
Bírópálca). In
Ireland and
Scotland, Orion was called , a figure from
Irish folklore whose name literally means "the one with a penis []" and was the husband of the
Cailleach (hag). In
Scandinavian tradition, Orion's Belt was known as "
Frigg's
Distaff" (
friggerock) or "
Freyja's distaff". The
Finns call Orion's Belt and the stars below it "
Väinämöinen's
scythe" (
Väinämöisen viikate). Another name for the
asterism of
Alnilam,
Alnitak, and
Mintaka is "Väinämöinen's Belt" (
Väinämöisen vyö) and the stars "hanging" from the Belt as "
Kaleva's
sword" (
Kalevanmiekka). There are claims in popular media that the
Adorant from the Geißenklösterle cave, an ivory carving estimated to be 35,000 to 40,000 years old, is the first known depiction of the constellation. Scholars dismiss such interpretations, saying that perceived details such as a belt and sword derive from preexisting features in the grain structure of the ivory.
Ancient Near East The
Babylonian star catalogues of the
Late Bronze Age name Orion '''', "The Heavenly Shepherd" or "True Shepherd of Anu" – Anu being the chief god of the heavenly realms. The Babylonian constellation is sacred to
Papshukal and
Ninshubur, both minor gods fulfilling the role of "messenger to the gods". Papshukal is closely associated with the figure of a walking
bird on Babylonian boundary stones, and on the star map the figure of the
Rooster is located below and behind the figure of the True Shepherd—both constellations represent the herald of the gods, in his bird and human forms respectively. In
ancient Egypt, the stars of Orion were regarded as a
god, called
Sah. Because Orion rises before
Sirius, the star whose
heliacal rising was the basis for the
Solar Egyptian calendar, Sah was closely linked with
Sopdet, the goddess who personified Sirius. The god
Sopdu is said to be the son of Sah and Sopdet. Sah is
syncretized with
Osiris, while Sopdet is syncretized with Osiris' mythological wife,
Isis. In the
Pyramid Texts, from the 24th and 23rd centuries BC, Sah is one of many gods whose form the dead
pharaoh is said to take in the afterlife. The
Armenians identified their legendary patriarch and founder
Hayk with Orion.
Hayk is also the name of the Orion constellation in the Armenian translation of the
Bible. The Bible mentions Orion three times, naming it "Kesil" (כסיל, literally – fool). Though, this name perhaps is etymologically connected with "
Kislev", the name for the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar (i.e. November–December), which, in turn, may derive from the Hebrew root K-S-L as in the words "kesel, kisla" (כֵּסֶל, כִּסְלָה, hope, positiveness), i.e. hope for winter rains.:
Job 9:9 ("He is the maker of the Bear and Orion"), Job 38:31 ("Can you loosen Orion's belt?"), and
Amos 5:8 ("He who made the
Pleiades and Orion"). In ancient
Aram, the constellation was known as
Nephîlā′, the
Nephilim are said to be Orion's descendants.
Middle East . In this representation Orion is shown as on a globe, so it appears reversed by comparison with its appearance in the sky. In
traditional Arab astronomy, Orion was seen as a female figure named
Jawza’. The modern star name
Betelgeuse is derived from the Arabic
yad al-Jawza’ "the hand of Jawza’". Orion was later also known as
al-jabbar, "the giant", from adoption of the Greek constellation.
China In
China, Orion was one of the
28 lunar mansions Sieu (Xiù) (宿). It is known as
Shen (參), literally meaning "three", for the stars of
Orion's Belt. The
Chinese character 參 (
pinyin shēn) originally meant the constellation Orion (); its
Shang dynasty version, over three millennia old, contains at the top a representation of the three stars of Orion's Belt atop a man's head (the bottom portion representing the sound of the word was added later).
India The
Rigveda refers to the constellation as
Mriga (the
Deer).
Nataraja, "the cosmic dancer", is often interpreted as the representation of Orion.
Rudra, the Rigvedic form of
Shiva, is the presiding deity of Ardra nakshatra (
Betelgeuse) of
Hindu astrology. The
Jain Symbol carved in the
Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, India in 1st century BC has a striking resemblance with Orion.
Bugis sailors identified the three stars in
Orion's Belt as
tanra tellué, meaning "sign of three".
Americas The
Seri people of northwestern
Mexico call the three stars in
Orion's Belt Hapj (a name denoting a hunter) which consists of three stars:
Hap (
mule deer),
Haamoja (
pronghorn), and
Mojet (
bighorn sheep).
Hap is in the middle and has been shot by the hunter; its blood has dripped onto
Tiburón Island. The same three stars are known in
Spain and most of
Latin America as "Las tres Marías" (Spanish for "
The Three Marys"). In
Puerto Rico, the three stars are known as the "Los Tres Reyes Magos" (Spanish for
The Three Wise Men). The
Ojibwa/Chippewa Native Americans call this constellation Mesabi for Big Man. To the
Lakota Native Americans, Tayamnicankhu (Orion's Belt) is the spine of a
bison. The great rectangle of Orion is the bison's ribs; the
Pleiades star cluster in nearby
Taurus is the bison's head; and
Sirius in
Canis Major, known as Tayamnisinte, is its tail. Another Lakota myth mentions that the bottom half of Orion, the Constellation of the Hand, represented the arm of a chief that was ripped off by the
Thunder People as a punishment from the gods for his selfishness. His daughter offered to marry the person who can retrieve his arm from the sky, so the young warrior Fallen Star (whose father was a star and whose mother was human) returned his arm and married his daughter, symbolizing harmony between the gods and humanity with the help of the younger generation. The index finger is represented by
Rigel; the
Orion Nebula is the thumb; the Belt of Orion is the wrist; and the star
Beta Eridani is the pinky finger.
Austronesian The seven primary stars of Orion make up the
Polynesian constellation Heiheionakeiki which represents a child's string figure similar to a
cat's cradle. Several
precolonial Filipinos referred to the belt region in particular as "balatik" (ballista) as it resembles a trap of the same name which fires arrows by itself and is usually used for catching
pigs from the bush.
Spanish colonization later led to some ethnic groups referring to
Orion's Belt as "Tres Marias" or "Tatlong Maria." In
Māori tradition, the star
Rigel (known as
Puanga or
Puaka) is closely connected with the celebration of
Matariki. The rising of Matariki (the
Pleiades) and Rigel before sunrise in midwinter marks the start of the Māori year. The
Malay people refer to the Orion as
Buruj Belantik (literally "The hunter constellation"). This constellation, when it is near the western horizon, is often used to indicate the direction of the
qibla, the Islamic direction of prayer for the people of the
Malay Archipelago. Like other stars, the Orion also serve as navigational guides for Malay sailors In
Javanese culture, the constellation is often called
Lintang Waluku or
Bintang Bajak, referring to the shape of a
paddy field plow.
Contemporary symbolism The imagery of the
Belt and
Sword has found its way into popular
Western culture, for example in the form of the shoulder insignia of the
27th Infantry Division of the
United States Army during both World Wars, probably owing to a pun on the name of the division's first commander, Major General
John F. ''O'Ryan''. The film distribution company
Orion Pictures used the constellation as its logo.
Depictions In artistic renderings, the surrounding constellations are sometimes related to Orion: he is depicted standing next to the
river Eridanus with his two
hunting dogs
Canis Major and
Canis Minor, fighting
Taurus. He is sometimes depicted hunting
Lepus the
hare. He sometimes is depicted to have a
lion's hide in his hand. There are alternative ways to visualise Orion. From the
Southern Hemisphere, Orion is oriented south-upward, and the
Belt and
Sword are sometimes called the
saucepan or pot in
Australia and
New Zealand. Orion's Belt is called
Drie Konings (Three Kings) or the
Drie Susters (Three Sisters) by
Afrikaans speakers in
South Africa and are referred to as
les Trois Rois (the Three Kings) in
Daudet's
Lettres de Mon Moulin (1866). The appellation
Driekoningen (the Three Kings) is also often found in 17th and 18th-century Dutch star charts and seaman's guides. The same three stars are known in
Spain,
Latin America, and the
Philippines as "Las Tres Marías" (The Three Marys), and as "Los Tres Reyes Magos" (The Three Wise Men) in
Puerto Rico. Even traditional depictions of Orion have varied greatly.
Cicero drew Orion in a similar fashion to the modern depiction. The Hunter held an unidentified animal skin aloft in his right hand; his hand was represented by
Omicron2 Orionis and the skin was represented by the five stars designated
Pi Orionis.
Saiph and
Rigel represented his left and right knees, while
Eta Orionis and
Lambda Leporis were his left and right feet, respectively. As in the modern depiction,
Mintaka,
Alnilam, and
Alnitak represented his Belt. His left shoulder was represented by
Betelgeuse, and
Mu Orionis made up his left arm.
Meissa was his head, and
Bellatrix his right shoulder. The depiction of
Hyginus was similar to that of Cicero, though the two differed in a few important areas. Cicero's animal skin became Hyginus's shield (
Omicron and
Pi Orionis), and instead of an arm marked out by
Mu Orionis, he holds a club (
Chi Orionis). His right leg is represented by
Theta Orionis and his left leg is represented by Lambda,
Mu, and
Epsilon Leporis. Further
Western European and
Arabic depictions have followed these two models. ==Future==