The Pleadies and Orion: Mythology, The Bible and History agree on their brilliance

Pleides: The Seven Star Cluster

The Pleiades is a 7-star cluster in the heavens and is one of the most noticeable of all the star patterns. Without magnifying equipment, this cluster looks like a tiny, misty dipper of six little stars. The Pleiades are sometimes referred to as the Seven Sisters because, in Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione.

Who remembers learning mythology in junior high, now called middle school? Atlas was the Titan who held up the sky, and Pleione protected those sailing the ocean. The seven sisters were Electra, Merope, Asterope, Maia, Celaeno, Alcyone, and Taygetus. They were sometimes said to be nymphs who were on Artemis's train.

The Seven Hyades

The Pleiades were also said to be half-sisters of the seven Hyades, which pattern another star cluster located near the Pleiades stars. Modern-day astronomy views the Pleiades quite differently. Astronomers say this cluster of several hundred stars condensed from a cloud of gas and dust around 100 million years ago.

The Pleiades are nearly 400 light-years away. This indicates that the cluster of stars must be extremely bright to see their light across such a vast span of space. Astronomers believe these stars are hundreds of times more luminous than our sun. Some people see seven or eight stars in this cluster with the unaided eye.

Orion in the night sky

Myths and legends are rich with detail. A Polynesian legend indicates that the Pleiades once were a single star, and it was the brightest in the sky. This star bragged about its beauty, drawing the ire of the Polynesian god Tane. Legend says Tane smashed the star into pieces, which is how the Pleiades star cluster was formed.

The three stars in Spain and other Latin nations are called Las tres Marias, the three Marys. The Lakota Native Americans call Orion's belt Tayamnicankhu, the spine of a bison. The huge rectangle of Orion is the bison's ribs.

Legends

The star cluster, the Pleiades, is the bison's head. Sirius in Canis Major, known as Tayamnisinte, is its tail. The Chippewa Native Americans call this constellation Kabibona'kan, the Winter Maker. This is because its presence in the night sky signals the coming of the cold weather months.

You may be familiar with the film distribution company Orion Pictures which made movies from 1979-1999 and used the constellation as its logo. The Babylonians called Orion the chief shepherd in the sky or the god Anu. In ancient Egypt, the stars of Orion were known as the god Sah. The Armenians associated the constellation with their god Hyak.

The Bible speaks

These constellations are mentioned in scripture. Job 9:9 "He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion", Job 38:31 "Can you loosen Orion's belt?", and Amos 5:8 "He who made the Pleiades and Orion".

These scriptures indicate that there is One above all created things, and He is the One who created them. The Lord made it clear to Job and Israel through the prophet Amos that He alone has the power to create and that He is above His creation.

Some believe these wonders in the night sky came from a big bang. Others say they were created by the Master's hand and did not form on their own.

.Michael W Smith sings about the Creator being above all power, above all kings, above all nations, kingdoms, thrones, and created things in his song Above All. History, Mythology, and the Bible agree on the magnificence of these constellations. However, they were formed, they are a brilliant sight.