What To Know About Orion
written by AJ Cochran
Everything there is to know about the constellation Orion, from star names and positions to myths across the globe.
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
8
Reads
3,019
Chinese And Indian Myths
Chapter 5
China
In Chinese culture, there are 28 lunar mansions (comparable to the Western zodiac). Orion is one of them, known as Sieu or Xiu. The constellation is known as Shen, which literally translates to "three." It is called that for the three stars in Orion's belt. The Chinese character 參 (or shēn) originally translated to Orion.
India
In the Rig Veda, Orion is referred to as "Mriga (The Deer)." According to them, the two bright stars in the front, and the two bright stars in the back (Saiph, Rigel, Betelgeuse, and Bellatrix) are the hunting dogs. The less bright star in the middle and ahead of the two front dogs (Meissa) is the hunter. The three aligned stars in the middle (Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka) are the deer, and the three aligned, less brighter stars (NGS 1981, the Orion nebula, and Iota Orionis) are the baby deer. In some stories, Mriga translates to Harnu. In the Malay culture, Orion's belt is called Bintang Tiga Beradik, or "the Three Brother Star."
