Editing Orion (constellation) (section)

==History and mythology==
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.

===Ancient Near East===
[[File:Orion (constellation) Art.svg|thumb|upright=1|left|Orion (constellation) Art]]
The [[Babylonian star catalogues]] of the [[Late Bronze Age]] name Orion ''{{lang|sux-Latn|<sup>MUL</sup>SIPA.ZI.AN.NA}}'',<ref group="note">The [[determiner (cuneiform)|determiner glyph]] for "constellation" or "star" in these lists is '''MUL''' ({{Script|Xsux|𒀯}}). See [[Babylonian star catalogues]].</ref> "The Heavenly Shepherd" or "True Shepherd of Anu" – Anu being the chief god of the heavenly realms.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Rogers | first1 = John H. | year = 1998 | title = Origins of the ancient constellations: I. The Mesopotamian traditions | url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1998JBAA..108....9R| journal = Journal of the British Astronomical Association | volume = 108 | issue = | pages = 9–28 | bibcode = 1998JBAA..108....9R }}</ref> The Babylonian constellation is sacred to [[Papsukkal|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.<ref>''Babylonian Star-lore'' by Gavin White, Solaria Pubs, 2008, page 218ff & 170</ref>

In [[ancient Egypt]], the stars of Orion were regarded as a [[ancient Egyptian deities|god]], called [[Sah (god)|Sah]]. Because Orion rises before [[Sirius]], the star whose [[heliacal rising]] was the basis for the [[Solar calendar|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 [[ancient Egyptian deities#Manifestations and combinations|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.<ref>Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003). ''The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt''. Thames & Hudson. pp. 127, 211</ref>

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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Asia/Armenia/_Texts/KURARM/8*.html|title=History of Armenia |first=Vahan |last=Kurkjian |author-link=Vahan Kurkjian |publisher=Michigan|date=1968|at=8|work=uchicago.edu}}</ref>

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.: [[Book of Job|Job]] 9:9 ("He is the maker of the Bear and Orion"), Job 38:31 ("Can you loosen Orion's belt?"), and [[Book of Amos|Amos]] 5:8 ("He who made the [[Pleiades]] and Orion").

In ancient [[Aram (Biblical region)|Aram]], the constellation was known as ''N<sup>e</sup>phîlā′'', the ''[[Nephilim]]'' are said to be Orion's descendants.<ref>''[[Peake's commentary on the Bible]]'', 1962, page 260 section 221f.</ref>

===Greco-Roman antiquity===
{{Main|Orion (mythology)}}
In [[Greek mythology]], Orion was a gigantic, supernaturally strong hunter,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/orion.html|title=Star Tales – Orion|website=www.ianridpath.com}}</ref> born to [[Euryale (Gorgon)|Euryale]], a [[Gorgon]], and [[Poseidon]] ([[Neptune (mythology)|Neptune]]), god of the sea. One myth recounts [[Gaia (mythology)|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 (constellation)|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.{{sfn|Staal|1988|pp=61–62}}

The constellation is mentioned in [[Horace]]'s ''[[Ode]]s'' (Ode 3.27.18), [[Homer]]'s ''[[Odyssey]]'' (Book 5, line 283) and ''[[Iliad]]'', and [[Virgil]]'s ''[[Aeneid]]'' (Book 1, line 535).

===Middle East===
[[File:Book of the Fixed Stars Auv0333 Orion.jpg|thumb|upright=1|As depicted in the 962 A.D. Persian astronomical text [[Book of Fixed Stars]]. In this representation Orion is shown as on a globe, so it appears reversed by comparison with its appearance in the sky.]]
In medieval [[Muslim astronomy]], Orion was known as ''al-jabbar'', "the giant".<ref>{{cite book|last=Metlitzki|first=Dorothee|author-link=Dorothee Metlitzki|title=The Matter of Araby in Medieval England|date=1977|publisher=Yale University Press|location=United States|isbn=0-300-11410-9|page=79|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=61OjyWngtdsC&pg=PA79}}</ref> Orion's sixth brightest star, [[Saiph]], is named from the Arabic, ''saif al-jabbar'', meaning "sword of the giant".<ref name=kaler>{{citation | first1=James B. | last1=Kaler | work=Stars | title=SAIPH (Kappa Orionis) | publisher=University of Illinois | url=http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/saiph.html | access-date=2012-01-27 }}</ref>

===China===
In [[China]], Orion was one of the [[Twenty-eight mansions|28 lunar mansions]] ''Sieu (Xiù)'' (宿). It is known as [[Three Stars (Chinese constellation)|''Shen'' (參)]], literally meaning "three", for the stars of Orion's Belt. (See [[Chinese constellations]])

The [[Chinese character]] 參 ([[pinyin]] shēn) originally meant the constellation Orion ({{zh|c=參宿|p=shēnxiù}}); 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).<ref>漢語大字典 Hànyǔ Dàzìdiǎn (in Chinese), 1992 (p.163). 湖北辭書出版社和四川辭書出版社 Húbĕi Cishu Chūbǎnshè and Sìchuān Cishu Chūbǎnshè, re-published in traditional character form by 建宏出版社 Jiànhóng Publ. in Taipei, Taiwan; {{ISBN|957-813-478-9}}</ref>

===India===
The ''[[Rigveda]]'' refers to the Orion Constellation as '''Mriga''' (The [[Deer]]).<ref>{{cite journal|last=Holay |first=P. V.|title=Vedic astronomers|journal=Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India|year=1998|volume=26|pages=91–106|bibcode=1998BASI...26...91H|doi=10.1080/1468936042000282726821|s2cid=26503807 }}</ref> 

[[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]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Srinivasan |first=Sharada|title=Vedic astronomers|journal=World Archaeology|year=1998|volume=36|pages=432–50|doi=10.1080/1468936042000282726821|bibcode=1998BASI...26...91H|s2cid=26503807}}</ref>

The [[Jain symbols|Jain Symbol]] carved in [[:File:Udaygiri & Khandagiri Caves, Bhubaneswar (26) - Oct 2010.jpg|Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves]], India in 1st century BCE<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://asimustsee.nic.in/udayagiri.php|title="Must See" Indian Heritage|website=asimustsee.nic.in|access-date=2020-04-17}}</ref> has striking resemblance with Orion.

[[Bugis]] sailors identified the three stars in Orion's Belt as ''tanra tellué'', meaning "sign of three".<ref name="kelley11">{{cite book|author1=Kelley, David H. |author2=Milone, Eugene F. |author3=Aveni, A.F. |title=Exploring Ancient Skies: A Survey of Ancient and Cultural Astronomy|publisher=Springer|location=New York, New York|year=2011|page=344|isbn=978-1-4419-7623-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ILBuYcGASxcC&pg=PA307}}</ref>

===European folklore===
In old [[Hungarian people|Hungarian]] tradition, Orion is known as "Archer" (''Íjász''), or "Reaper" (''Kaszás''). In recently rediscovered myths, he is called [[Nimrod]] ([[Hungarian language|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'').<ref>Toroczkai-Wigand Ede : Öreg csillagok ("Old stars"), Hungary (1915) reedited with Műszaki Könyvkiadó METRUM (1988).</ref>

In [[Scandinavia]]n tradition, Orion's belt was known as "[[Frigg]]'s [[Distaff]]" (''friggerock'') or "[[Freyja]]'s distaff".<ref>Schön, Ebbe. (2004). ''Asa-Tors hammare, Gudar och jättar i tro och tradition''. Fält & Hässler, Värnamo. p. 228.</ref>

The [[Finns]] call Orion's belt and the stars below it "[[Väinämöinen]]'s [[scythe]]" (''Väinämöisen viikate'').<ref>{{cite web|first=Ismo |last=Elo |url=http://www.ursa.fi/yhd/uranus/luennot%202004/perusteet/tahdet.htm |title=Tähdet ja tähdistöt |publisher=Ursa.fi |access-date=October 16, 2013}}</ref> Another name for the [[Asterism (astronomy)|asterism]] of Alnilam, Alnitak and Mintaka is "Väinämöinen's Belt" (''Väinämöisen vyö'') and the stars "hanging" from the belt as "[[Kalevi (mythology)|Kaleva]]'s [[sword]]" (''Kalevanmiekka'').

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.{{sfn|Staal|1988|p=63}}

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.<ref>''The Oxford Handbook of Prehistoric Figurines'', ed. Timothy Insoll, 2017, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|0199675619}}, 9780199675616, [https://books.google.com/books?id=TdKdDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA853 google books]</ref><ref>{{cite conference |last1=Rappenglück |first1=Michael |date=2001 |title=The Anthropoid in the Sky: Does a 32,000 Years Old Ivory Plate Show the Constellation Orion Combined with a Pregnancy Calendar |conference=IXth Annual meeting of the European Society for Astronomy in Culture (SEAC) |publisher=Uppsala Astronomical Observatory |pages=51–55 |book-title=Symbols, Calendars and Orientations: Legacies of Astronomy in Culture}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Decorated Plate of the Geißenklösterle, Germany |url=http://www2.astronomicalheritage.net/index.php/show-entity?identity=3&idsubentity=1 |access-date=26 February 2014 |website=UNESCO: Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Whitehouse |first=David |date=January 21, 2003 |title='Oldest star chart' found |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2679675.stm |access-date=26 February 2014}}</ref>

===Americas===
The [[Seri people]] of northwestern Mexico call the three stars in the belt of Orion ''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]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Moser |first1=Mary B. |first2=Stephen A. |last2=Marlett |title=Comcáac quih yaza quih hant ihíip hac: Diccionario seri-español-inglés |url=http://lengamer.org/admin/language_folders/seri/user_uploaded_files/links/File/DiccionarioSeri2005.pdf |date=2005 |publisher=Universidad de Sonora and Plaza y Valdés Editores |location=Hermosillo, Sonora and Mexico City|language=es, en}}</ref>

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 [[Biblical Magi|The three Wise Men]]).<ref name="elnuevodia.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.elnuevodia.com/tresreyesmagosenelcieloestanoche-1421862.html |title=Home – El Nuevo Día |publisher=Elnuevodia.com |access-date=October 16, 2013 |archive-date=October 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024111539/http://www.elnuevodia.com/tresreyesmagosenelcieloestanoche-1421862.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[Ojibwa| Ojibwa/Chippewa]] Native Americans call this constellation Mesabi for Big Man.<ref>Discover the Range, Explore Minnesota, 2025 [https://www.exploreminnesota.com/profile/discover-range/2052]</ref>

To the [[Lakota people|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.<ref name="www.windows2universe.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.windows2universe.org/mythology/hand_orion.html |title=Windows to the Universe |publisher=Windows2universe.org|access-date=January 13, 2017}}</ref>

===Austronesian===
{{main|Heiheionakeiki}}
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]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/ike/hookele/hawaiian_star_lines.html#ke_ka_o_makalii | title=Hawaiian Star Lines }}</ref> Several [[Prehistory of the Philippines|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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=William Henry |title=Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society |date=1994 |publisher=Ateneo de Manila University Press |location=Quezon City, Manila, Philippines |isbn=9789715501354 |page=124}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Encarnación |first1=Juan Félix |url=http://bdh.bne.es/bnesearch/detalle/bdh0000054797 |title=Diccionario bisaya español [Texto impreso] |date=1885 |page=30 |language=es, ceb}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/pssr/article/view/1287/1833#page=5 | title=BALATIK: Katutubong Bituin ng mga Pilipino &#124; Philippine Social Sciences Review }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.flipscience.ph/space/pinoy-ethnoastronomy/ | title=Pinoy ethnoastronomy: How the stars guided our ancestors - FlipScience | date=18 December 2020 }}</ref> Spanish colonization later led to some ethnic groups referring to Orion's belt as "Tres Marias" or "Tatlong Maria."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://philippineculturaleducation.com.ph/balatik/ | title=Balátik }}</ref>

In [[Māori people|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://teu.ac.nz/news/puanga-the-star-that-heralds-matariki|title=Puanga: The star that heralds Matariki  |website=Tertiary Education Union/Te Hautū Kahurangi|access-date=10 May 2022}}</ref>

In [[Javanese culture]], the constellation is often called ''Lintang Waluku'' or ''Bintang Bajak'', referring to the shape of a [[paddy field]] plow.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.detik.com/jogja/budaya/d-7337799/mengenal-lintang-waluku-rasi-bintang-fenomenal-yang-menjadi-pranata-mangsa|title= Mengenal lintang waluku, rasi bintang fenomenal yang menjadi pranata mangsa|website=DetikJogja|access-date=16 July 2024}}</ref>

===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 (United States)|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|John F. ''O'Ryan'']].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hart |first=Albert Bushnell |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-o8VAAAAYAAJ&q=%2227th+division%22+%22o%27ryan%22+%22orion%22&pg=PA358 |title=Harper's Pictorial Library of the World War, Volume 5 |date=1920 |publisher=Harper & Brothers |location=New York |page=358}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Moss |first1=James Alfred |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gRRCAQAAMAAJ&q=%2227th+division%22+%22nyd%22+division&pg=PA555 |title=America in Battle: With Guide to the American Battlefields in France and Belgium |last2=Howland |first2=Harry Samuel |date=1920 |publisher=Geo. Banta Publishing Co. |location=Menasha, Wisconsin |page=555}}</ref>

The film distribution company [[Orion Pictures]] used the constellation as its logo.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Kim |first1=Wook |title=Mountain to Moon: 10 Movie Studio Logos and the Stories Behind Them |url=https://entertainment.time.com/2012/09/24/mountain-to-moon-10-movie-studio-logos-and-the-stories-behind-them/slide/orion/ |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time.com]] |access-date=2015-09-22 |date=2012-09-21}}</ref>

===Depictions===
[[File:Aratea 58v.jpg|thumb|upright=1|left|Orion in the 9th century [[Leiden Aratea]]]]
In artistic renderings, the surrounding constellations are sometimes related to Orion: he is depicted standing next to the river [[Eridanus (constellation)|Eridanus]] with his two hunting dogs [[Canis Major]] and [[Canis Minor]], fighting [[Taurus (constellation)|Taurus]]. He is sometimes depicted hunting [[Lepus (constellation)|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 language|Afrikaans]] speakers in [[South Africa]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.psychohistorian.org/astronomy/ethnoastronomy/three_kings_cape_clouds.php|title=The Three Kings and the Cape Clouds: Two astronomical puzzles|work=psychohistorian.org|access-date=2009-06-27|archive-date=2010-01-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100129083441/http://www.psychohistorian.org/astronomy/ethnoastronomy/three_kings_cape_clouds.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> and are referred to as ''les Trois Rois<!--or Troys Roys-->'' (the Three Kings) in [[Alphonse Daudet|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.<ref name="elnuevodia.com" />

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|Omicron<sup>2</sup> Orionis]] and the skin was represented by the 5 stars designated [[Pi Orionis]]. Kappa and Beta Orionis represented his left and right knees, while Eta and Lambda Leporis were his left and right feet, respectively. As in the modern depiction, Delta, Epsilon, and Zeta represented his belt. His left shoulder was represented by Alpha Orionis, and Mu Orionis made up his left arm. Lambda Orionis was his head and Gamma, his right shoulder. The depiction of [[Gaius Julius Hyginus|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.{{sfn|Staal|1988|p=63}}