I freely admit that I have a great love affair with the mighty constellation Orion the Hunter. Ever since I was a kid I’ve been in awe of one of the biggest and brightest constellations in the sky.
It is a treasure chest stuffed with astronomical wonders that I’ll get to in next week’s Starwatch, but this week I want to share with you at least a little bit about the rich lore of the constellation.
Finding Orion in the Everett evening sky is a cinch. Just look in the southeast sky as soon as it’s dark: You can’t miss it as it rises on its side. Orion is surrounded by so many other bright stars and constellations that it dominates our celestial dome on these winter evenings.
At first glance, Orion has always looked to me much more like a giant hourglass than a hunter. The hourglass shape outlines the well-built torso of Orion. Its brightest star, Rigel, marks the hunter’s left knee, and Betelgeuse marks the right armpit of Orion. The three bright stars lined up in a perfect row make up his belt.
Orion’s depiction as a hunter descends from Greek and Roman mythology, but the earliest lore about Orion comes from the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia before 2000 B.C.
Sumerians called the constellation Uruana, which translates to “light of heaven.” They saw it as their great hero, Gilgamesh, who was constantly at battle with what they called the Bull of Heaven. That Bull of Heaven is what we know as the constellation Taurus the Bull, which hovers above and to the right of Orion in the southeastern evening sky.
Ancient Egyptians saw Orion as Osiris, their great god of the afterlife who majestically marched across the sky each year reminding everyone below about their final destination.
Arab culture called Orion “The Central Giant.” The Chinese saw Orion as two constellations: The Emperor on his Throne and the Second Minister of State for Water Works.
American Indian tribes also have their lore for Orion. The Tewa tribe who now reside in New Mexico saw it as “The Long Sash.” a legendary hero who guided his people though hard times and who eventually led them all to heaven. The Navajo saw Orion as the “First Slim One” who was in charge of the passage of time as well as agriculture.
American poets such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Robert Frost included Orion in their works, and it’s also mentioned in the Bible three times.
There are many variations in Greek and Roman mythology since the tales have been passed down by word of mouth.
My favorite is the one about Orion being the mighty hermit hunter who had magical powers. His father was Poseidon, the god of the sea. Orion had the power to do things like walk on water, and hunting and chasing his prey by night.
Artemis, the goddess of the moon, fell in love with the nocturnal hunter and neglected her job of guiding the moon across the sky. Her father, Zeus, the king of the gods, ordered a giant scorpion to fatally sting Orion as he slept in the day.
Orion awoke and fought the scorpion but was stung and died instantly. Artemis dove down from the sky, flung the scorpion as far away as she could, and gently placed Orion high in the sky where he became the constellation we see on our clear winter nights.
Artemis also created the summer constellation Scorpius the Scorpion when she flung Orion’s assailant into the heavens. Fortunately, Orion and Scorpius are now at opposite ends of the sky and never seen at the same time.
Mike Lynch is an astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis and is author of the book, “Washington Starwatch,” available at bookstores and at his Web site www.lynchandthestars.com.
The Everett Astronomical Society welcomes new members. Go to www.everettastro.org/.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
