Today I want to tell the story of Orion. Orion is a star constellation. I can see him in the early night hours of a clear night, hanging out in the southern skies.
That's what he'd look like through a telescope.
Orion is the Hunter god in Greek mythology. Supposedly, he was a really good hunter and after a successful mission of killing some beasts on behalf of the King, he got a little carried away and boasted: "I will kill all the wild animals on the Earth!" Scary, eh?
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Thankfully Gaia, the Mother Goddess, Goddess of the Natural World, understandably thought:" This Orion Guy. He shouldn't say things like that. I hear arrogance. If he does, what he says, it would be a catastrophe. I have to act fast."
Gaia sent one of her animal friends on a mission to kill Orion: Scorpius, the Scorpion. The mission was accomplished successfully. None of Orion's weapons proved to be useful. He was stung to death by Scorpius.
Gaia's reward to Scorpius' successful mission was a placement in the stars. The other gods, who were sad about Orion's death also dedicated a star constellation to him - far away on the other side of the skies though, to prevent another conflict.
A story that is thousands of years old.
But the situation sounds familiar....
Sources:
http://www.awitness.org/column/wrath_gaia_orion.html
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/mythology/orion.html
2 Kommentare:
Thank you for the info. I'm always looking to Orion in the night. It was a good comfort for me, when I traveled many years ago, to see Orion and know that those who were still at home could see him as well.
interestingly the ancient sumerians thought of this stellar constellation as a sheep (quiet the opposite of a fierce hunter).
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