ORICUM, Ur-al-cum, a coast city of Elyria.. ORIGENES, d,ri-ge-nes, a Greek father, Origen, celebrated for his humility, learning, and genius ; suffered martyrdom A.D. 254 He wrote commentaries, homilies, the Hex al/a (six parallel versions of the Bible), &c. ORION, .5-ri'-on, or 0-ri'-on, a famous giant and hunter, reputed son of Hyrieus, a Boeotian peasant, but really the son of Jupiter, Neptune, and Mercury, who, having been hospitably entertained, when travelling in disguise, by the widower Hyrieus, granted him a son, by ordering him to bury, full of water, the skin of the ox sacrificed to them, and in it, at the end of nine months, a boy was found, who after wards became famous as Orion (originally UrP&i). Orion demanded in marriage the daughter, Hero or Merdpe, of King CEnopion, of Chios ; the king promised her to him if lie would clear the isle of wild beasts; this Orion accomplished, but CEnopion blinded him, with Bacchus's aid. He recovered his sight by being led to gaze on the rising sun in the east, by Cedalion, a servant of Vulcan, for which god he had fabricated a subterranean palace.
Orion afterwards became an attendant of Diana, but, having been carried.off by Aurora to Ortygia (Delos), he was killed by Diana, from jealousy; or, according to others, Apollo, indignant at her love for the mortal, asked her to shoot at a mark which turned out to be the head of Orion, or the goddess killed him for offering her violence, or he was stung by a serpent, and Asculapius was killed by Jupiter's bolt for trying to restore him. Orion was placed in heaven as the constellation Orion—seven teen stars forming the figure of a giant, with a girdle, sword, lion's skin, and club,—whose rising, about 9th March, and setting, in November, were attended with heavy rains ; whence it is called avian's, imbrifer, or el le. doses. The daughters of Orion, iirelez;i5,4e and AfetiOdze, who had been reared by Diana, and received rich presents from Venus and Mi nerva, immolated themselves to save Bceotia from a pestilence, and from their ashes arose two forms, afterwards placed as stars in heaven.