Orion

-By Saharai

Orion is the master of the winter skies. He is in the sky from late fall to early spring, with his hunting dog Sirius trailing at his feet. The tales of Orion go as far back as the Hittites who lived from the second millennium BC to around 1200 BC. One story from this culture gives the account of Orion's death.

In this story he is called Aqhat. He was a famous and handsome hunter. Anat the battle goddess fell in love with Aqhat. When he refused to lend her his bow she sent a man to steal it from him. This person wound up killing Aqhat and dropping the bow into the sea. This explains the astronomical fact that Orion and the bow drops below the horizon for two months every spring.

Some stories say the Scorpion killed Orion with its sting. Orion then jumped into the sea and swam with Delos. Apollo had seen Orion struggle with the Scorpion and wouldn't let him escape so easily. He bet his sister Artemis who was an excellent shot if she could hit the small black object far away in the sea. Artemis struck the object with her first shot. She swam out to retrieve her victim's corps and discovered she had killed Orion. Artemis asked the Gods to restore his life, but Zeus objected, so she put Orion's image in the sky. In his eternal hunting Orion is very careful to keep ahead of the Scorpion. Orion has disappeared over the horizon by the time the Scorpion rises in the east.