The New International Encyclopædia/Orion

ORI'ON (Lat., from Gk. ). In Greek legend, a giant hunter; also the name of a constellation. In the Homeric poems Orion appears as the name of a constellation, conceived as a hunter who is watched by the bear, and of a handsome hero, beloved by Eos and slain by Artemis, but there is no hint of a connection between the two stories. Later writers preserve a multitude of local legends about Orion, which cannot be united into a consistent narrative. In Bœotia he enjoyed special fame, as a hunter of mighty strength, who, while reputed son of King Hyrieus, was borne from the earth by the intervention of three gods. A Cretan version made him the son of Euryale, daughter of Minos, and Poseidon, who gave him the power of traversing the sea. Here also he appears as a hunter and the chosen companion of Artemis and Leto. The Chians connected him with their local hero Œnopion, for whose daughter Merope he became a suitor. Here too he, with the aid of Artemis, cleared the land of wild beasts, but Œnopion still refused to give him his daughter, and finally by strategy blinded him; according to one version, because Orion in drunkenness had offered violence to Merope. Orion forced a boy to guide him to the rising sun, whose rays, falling full upon his eyes, restored their sight, or was helped to this cure by Hephæstus, and returned to take vengeance on Œnopion, who was saved by Poseidon. From the Homeric story of his death was developed a series of stories of his love for Artemis, who slew him when his passion became too violent, or she loved him and only killed him by accident, for Apollo, in his anger at her love, challenged her to hit a black spot on the sea: she shot her arrow and found only too late that it was the head of her lover, who was swimming. In general these myths seem to have no connection with the constellation, but in the following it is difficult not to see astronomical origin. Orion in Bœotia met Pleione and her daughters, and pursued them for five years till they were caught up into the sky as the Pleiades, who still seemed to flee before the giant. In Crete Orion boasted that he would kill all beasts upon the earth, whereupon Gæa sent a scorpion, who killed the hunter by stinging his heel. Artemis set both in the sky, and Orion still hastens to set as he sees the scorpion appear above the horizon.