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

2,893

American Myths

Chapter 7

Northwestern Mexico

The Seri people refer to Orion as Hapj (meaning hunter). In the belt are three animals: the Hap (a mule deer), the Haamoja (a pronghorn), and the Mojet (a bighorn sheep). In the center is Hap, who has been shot by the hunter and is bleeding onto the Tiburón Island.


Spain/Latin America

Spain is most assuredly in Europe, but given that most of Latin America follows that same beliefs as Spain (since Spain did conquer most of Latin America), I figured that it fit better here.

In Spain and Latin America, the belt of Orion is called "Las tres Marías," which translates to The Three Marys. The Three Marys are mentioned in the Muggle religious text of the Bible as women close to the "messiah," named Jesus Christ.

There are five women considered to be the Three Marys (confusing, I know, but at times, some are thought to be the same person). They are: the Virgin Mary (the messiah's mother, who supposedly birthed him while remaining a virgin), Mary Magdalene (one of the messiah's followers, often considered to be the second-most important figure in the religion), Mary of Bethany (sister of someone named Lazarus that the messiah supposedly raised from the dead- something we all know to be wrong, given that no magic can bring the dead back to life!), Mary, mother of James and Joseph (the mother of two of the messiah's followers), and Mary, mother of John Mark of Jerusalem (mother of another follower of the messiah). In their faith, Mary is quite a common name, hence so many women named Mary.


Puerto Rico
The stars in Orion's belt are known as "Los Tres Reyes Magos" in Puerto Rico, which translates to "The Three Wise Men." 

When the Christian messiah was born, three men journeyed to visit him in a town called Bethlehem, because apparently, he was born in a barn of sorts. These men were wise men for a king named Herod, and they went to visit the supposed new-born king, and brought him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

While the names of the Three Wise Men, also known as the Three Kings or the Magi, have been lost to the ages, the three names generally given to them are Melchior or Melichior (who was a Persian scholar), Caspar- or Gaspar, Jaspar, Jaspas, Gathaspa, or many other variations (who was an Indian scholar), and Balthazar- or Balthasar, Balthassar, or Bithisareas (who was an Arabian scholar). 


North America
The Ojibwa Native Americans (also called the Chippewa) call the Orion Kabibona'kan, or the Winter Maker. They called it this because Orion is easiest to see in the winter.

The Lakota Native Americans see a bison. The belt, Tayamnicankhu, is the spine of the bison, the rectangle is seen as the ribs, the head is in the Taurus constellation nearby, and Sirius, known as Tayamnisinte, is the tail

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