ORI'ON (Constellation). We have already noted the appearance which the Greek astro-mythological system has of being an application of existing fables to a subdivision of the stars derived from the East, mixed perhaps with the Oriental allegories, imperfectly understood. The trivial character of the myths by which the Great Bear and Orion, perhaps the two most remarkable constellations in the heavens, are accompanied, is enough of itself to upset any claim to high antiquity for the system above noted. We owe this brilliant cluster, according to Hyginus (of whose two or three very slight stories this is the most striking), to the fraternal solicitude of Apollo that his sister Diana should remain unmarried, or at least that she should not marry one Orion, a son of Neptune according to some, or of a rather curious parentage according to others. The deity above mentioned, when persuasion had failed, hit upon a method of preventing his sister's match, as follows. He asserted that she could not hit a black object
which appeared in the sea at a distance ; and she, being a good marks woman, showed him immediately that she could. This black object, however, was the head of her lover, who was swimming at the time, and the end of it was, that, aeccording to custom, ho was immediately gazette] as a constellation, with his chub and lion's skin.
Orion is surrounded by Eridanus, Canis Major, Gemini, Auriga, and Taurus. The position of his belt, with respect to Aldebaran, and Sirius, and the proximity of Procyon, Castor and Pollux, the Pleiades, &c, render it difficult to forget and unnecessary to describe this part of the heavens. The list of stars is as follows : a and /3, of the first magnitude, were frequently called Betalguees or Betelgeux, and Rigel, corruptions from Arabia names; y was called Bellatrix.