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Orion The Hunter Meaning

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The constellation I've chosen is Orion "The Hunter", because it is one of the most well known constellations in the night sky. It is one of the few I know and can point out in the night sky, although usually I can only see the belt. Orion also has my favorite star in it; the Betelguese red giant. When I was younger, I read a lot of astronomy books, and I remember reading about red giants and how big they were. That really interested me, because it was just so mind blowing at the time how unfathomably large space is. It mentioned Betelguese, and to this day I look for it whenever I think to look at the stars. I can't find the North Star (I'm hopeless), but I can find Betelguese, and since it is part of the Orion constellation, I can always find …show more content…

The legends say the Orion got drunk and attacked a woman. Her father, angry with Orion, blinded him and banished him from the island of Chios. Orion stumbled his way to the forges of Hephaestus, who lead him up to an altar to Helios. Orion was healed by the sun god and returned to Chios to exact revenge on the woman's father, but the man had fled. Angry, he moved on to the island of Crete, and proved his hunting worth to the goddess Artemis. He earned a spot amongst her hunters (who are generally only female) and was hailed as the best hunter the world had ever seen. There are different versions of his death, but one of the first says that he bragged to Artemis about his hunting prowess, saying he could kill any creature of the Earth. The Earth heard this and sent the Scorpion (Scorpio) to kill him. Orion and the Scorpion killed each other, and Artemis preserved them both in the night …show more content…

She knew, without a doubt, that she was the best hunter, not a silly human man. Artemis knew that Orion, this hunter, would do anything to prove himself. But she also knew that Orion would reject her challenge if he knew who she really was. So Artemis was crafty. Concealing herself in a cloak of darkness, she visited Orion in a dream. She spoke to him as one of Hades's demons, and challenged Orion. If the Hunter could survive for five years in the remote forests of Crete, he would truly be the best hunter in the world.

Orion had accepted, and Artemis had watched with glee as this man had gone through hardships and strife, but eventually established a efficient system. At first, she'd been oddly respectful. Perhaps there was truth to his claim after all.

But Artemis noticed that he began killing more than he needed. He would go out, kill a small bird, and then hunt down bigger game that he did not even eat. It seemed like he was hunting purely for sport. The Hunting Goddess did not approve. She may enjoy the hunt, but she always hunted for reason. Killing needlessly was barbaric. She watched with rage in her eyes as Orion disabled his traps, knowing full well he did so because he wanted to personally kill all of his

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