As you read these stories the ancients made up, think about what God said about the stars. Genesis 1:14-15 And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
God made the stars for a reason. For signs, to mark the seasons, days, and years, and for light. Some believe the twelve constellations of the zodiac tell the Gospel, God’s plan of salvation through Christ. If this is true, then that is a huge shout-out to our Creator and His marvelous plan for us!
Orion the Mighty Hunter
There are a number of stories about Orion and how he ended up in the sky as a constellation. One goes like this. He was a famous hunter, followed around by his hunting dogs. He got into trouble with a king, who sent a scorpion after him. Orion fled to an island, where Artemis, the daughter of the highest Greek god, Zeus, fell in love with Orion. Artemis was tricked and accidentally killed him. Very upset, she placed him in the sky, along with his hunting dogs (Canis Major and Canis Minor, nearby constellations). You can see Orion bracing to attack Taurus the bull, who is guarding the Pleiades, the seven daughters of Atlas, the king, with whom Orion got into trouble with in the first place.
The star in the middle of Orion’s sword is fuzzy. It was eventually discovered to be a nebula, and not a star at all. A nebula is a region of space where stars have died, leaving colorful gases and leftover star material.
This is how the beautiful Orion nebula looks through a powerful telescope. To the naked eye, however, the nebula looks just like the ancient people saw it–a large, fuzzy star. Keep reading to learn about Orion’s enemy, Taurus the Bull, and the seven sisters (the Pleiades).
Taurus the Bull
This is one of the oldest recognized constellations in the sky. You can see why they might see a bull in this sky picture. The stars poke up and look like two big horns that come together at his nose! So, what about the bull’s story? In Roman mythology Taurus represented the god Jupiter (Zeus in Greek). He turned himself into a bull in order to kidnap the maiden Europa. He took her on his back to the Greek island of Crete. In yet another story (there are many versions of these myths, from many cultures) Taurus is guarding the seven sisters of Atlas. It seems Orion fell in love with one of the sisters and is now constantly trying to get to her. But Taurus successfully keeps Orion away.
The Pleiades
The Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, sit on the shoulder of Taurus the bull, who guards and protects them from Orion, the Hunter. In mythology, they were the seven daughters of Atlas, who was forced to hold up the sky for eternity. So, he couldn’t very well protect his daughters. To save the Pleiades from Orion, the highest Greek god, Zeus, turned the sisters into stars and placed them into the care of Taurus the Bull. If you try counting the Pleiades with your naked eye, you can only see six stars. The story goes that one of the sisters, Merope, fell in love with a human, married him, and went into hiding. The other sisters’ names (the stars) are: Maia, Electra, Taygete, Celaeno, Alcyone, and Sterope.
Scorpius the Scorpion
Who can’t see the curving, stinging tail of a giant scorpion creeping through the night sky? It’s Scorpius, and according to Greek mythology, he is still on the hunt for the mighty hunter, The scorpion, however, will never catch Orion. Why not? The constellation Scorpius rises in the eastern sky just as the constellation Orion is setting behind the western horizon. Never again will they meet in battle!
So, what’s the story behind this creature? In yet another myth (the ancients can’t seem to get any of these stories straight), the scorpion stung Orion, resulting in his death. Artemis put Orion in the sky to live forever, (though why anyone would later put a scorpion in the sky is a mystery to me). Apparently, Orion was too big for his britches and boasted he could kill all of the animals on earth. So, another goddess, Gaia, sent Scorpius to kill Orion. They had a great battle, and the scorpion won. Both eventually got the honor of being in the sky. Go figure.
Gemini the Twins
Who can’t see the curving, stinging tail of a giant scorpion creeping through the night sky? It’s Scorpius, and according to Greek mythology, he is still on the hunt for the mighty hunter, The scorpion, however, will never catch Orion. Why not? The constellation Scorpius rises in the eastern sky just as the constellation Orion is setting behind the western horizon. Never again will they meet in battle!
So, what’s the story behind this creature? In yet another myth (the ancients can’t seem to get any of these stories straight), the scorpion stung Orion, resulting in his death. Artemis put Orion in the sky to live forever, (though why anyone would later put a scorpion in the sky is a mystery to me). Apparently, Orion was too big for his britches and boasted he could kill all of the animals on earth. So, another goddess, Gaia, sent Scorpius to kill Orion. They had a great battle, and the scorpion won. Both eventually got the honor of being in the sky. Go figure.