Orion.
Orion · Greek hunter-hero
The giant hunter of Boeotia — chased into the stars by the goddess he could not stop pursuing.
Son of Poseidon (in some accounts of the earth itself), gigantic hunter and companion of Artemis. Killed by a scorpion sent by Apollo or Gaia; placed among the stars opposite Scorpius.
Orion · Orion · Greek hunter-hero
Son of Poseidon (in some accounts of the earth itself), gigantic hunter and companion of Artemis. Killed by a scorpion sent by Apollo or Gaia; placed among the stars opposite Scorpius.
Orion was a giant hunter of unmatched skill, born of Poseidon (or, in older traditions, sprung from the earth itself). He could walk on the surface of the sea and his hunts left whole forests empty.
His relationship with the goddess Artemis is the heart of the story. Some accounts make them companions on the chase; others, that Orion attempted to violate her or her companions and so brought down divine anger. Apollo, suspicious of his sister's friendship, tricked her into shooting Orion with her bow at a great distance, mistaking his head for a target out at sea. In another version, Gaia herself sent a giant scorpion to kill him.
"Apollo, jealous of his sister's friendship, tricked Artemis into shooting Orion with her own bow."
Whichever account is true, Orion died and was placed among the stars by Zeus or Artemis. The scorpion was placed opposite him, so that as one rises the other sets — and the hunter never again has to face the creature that killed him. He is one of the brightest constellations in the winter sky, recognisable by the three bright stars of his belt and the red supergiant Betelgeuse on his shoulder.
Where this comes from.
Mythology
- Hesiod Catalogue of Women fr. 4
- Apollodorus Bibliotheca 1.4.3–1.4.5
- Hyginus Astronomica 2.34, Fabulae 195
Paintings & illustrations
- Diana beside the Corpse of Orion — Daniel Seiter (c. 1685) · Wikimedia · PD
- Blind Orion Searching for the Rising Sun — Nicolas Poussin (1658) · Wikimedia · PD
- Orion's neighbours — Canis Major and Lepus (Urania's Mirror) — Sidney Hall (engraver), Jehoshaphat Aspin (text) (1825) · Wikimedia · PD
For fun · sources cited. We don’t publish horoscopes, personality readings, or compatibility takes — just astronomy + classical mythology, with public-domain art where available. See all 88 constellations.