Orion

Each season has its own special delights. Flowers of summer celebrate the warmth of life after the cold of winter. Colorful leaves in fall herald the coming cold. Fall leaves burning or summer flowers blooming, there is something bright in all seasons. It is no less so in the heavens. Different constellations shine forth as they parade through the seasons. Because the stars rise two hours earlier each month, new constellations become visible as the seasons change. Winter owns one of the finest constellations in the sky--Orion. Christians, unlike the pagan Greeks, never made the mistake of worshiping the heavenly bodies or the spirits thought to rule them. However, we can still enjoy the mystery stories or "myths" of the pagan cultures. The following account told by the Greeks is the story of Orion.

Orion was the name of a mighty hunter. The Greeks told the story of how Orion was hunting one day on the island of Crete. There he met Artemis, the moon goddess, who also hunted on that island. Artemis was very fond of Orion because he could hunt as well as she, and yet he was very modest. Together they hunted wild goats among the crags on Crete. Now, Apollo, the sun god, became quite jealous of his sister's attentions to Orion. Orion was the only man Artemis had ever shown favor to, and she had quite forgotten her duty as the moon goddess, which was to light the earth at night.
Apollo decided he would send Orion an adversary whom no man could defeat. He sent a giant scorpion with great pincers and a stinger arched over his back, dripping poison. Try as he might with his club and sword, Orion could not prevail against this dreadful insect. In the end, the scorpion stung Orion on the heel as he turned to flee, causing his death. Artemis was extremely angry with Apollo but she forgave him after he helped her hang Orion's image among the stars. There he glitters, the huge and mighty hunter; but when Scorpio rises above the eastern horizon in the summer, Orion flees and staggers, falling below the western horizon.

As any hunter might, Orion has his dogs along with him for the hunt. These two dogs, called Canis Major and Canis Minor (Big Dog and Little Dog), follow Orion on his nightly hunt across the sky. To find this great constellation in the month of January, go out at eight o'clock and look to the east. Orion will be seen lying on his side just above the horizon. You can recognize him by his starry belt--three bright stars in a row. From this belt hangs his sword, also composed of three bright stars in a row, but a little closer together. As winter progresses, Orion will appear higher and higher in the sky at eight I o'clock, and more toward the south. Orion is visible throughout the winter months. For a song about Orion see the music section of this issue.