Astro mythology
Mythology tells us this about the legendary hunter Orion. He was a slender, handsome and agile man. With his two dogs (Big Dog and Little Dog) he went hunting in the forests and mountains for wild animals, but his heart was kind. One day when the Big Dog chased a hare, it rushed to Orion, clutched at his feet, and Orion defended it.
Armed with a huge stick and a sharp sword Orion for some unknown reason started to chase the hare but suddenly an enraged bull jumped on him. Fearless Orion raised his right hand with a heavy club and waited until the bull attacked and then struck it on the head with his heavy weapon.
So he wandered through mountains and dense forests, hunted game, came at last to the island of Chios and there died from the sting of a scorpion. But Aesculapius (see about the constellations of a serpent and a snake), having learnt about Orion's untimely death, arrived to the island of Chios to resurrect him as he had resurrected others who had died. The lord of the underworld, Hades, became alarmed that Aesculapus was robbing him of the shadows of the dead and complained to his brother Zeus, the thunderer, and Zeus killed Aesculapus with a thunderbolt. Then Zeus, as he often did, turned Orion, Scorpius and Aesculapius into constellations and left them shining in the sky. On one side he placed Aesculapius next to Scorpius and on the opposite side Orion. So when the constellations Scorpio and Ophiuchus (Aesculapius) are visible on the horizon, the constellation Orion is below the horizon line and invisible, and when the constellation Orion is visible on the horizon, the constellations Scorpio and Ophiuchus (Aesculapius) are not seen.
Credit-
Angel BONOV
myths
and LEGENDS ABOUT THE STARS
