Page:Star Lore Of All Ages, 1911.pdf/390

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Star Lore of All Ages

sky for rebellion against Jehovah, and Allen thinks that this may be the explanation of the well-known phrase "the Bands or Bonds of Orion."

The Chinese called Orion "Tsan," which signifies "Three," and corresponds to the "Three Kings," a title sometimes applied to the three prominent stars in the "Belt." The Chinese also knew Orion as "the White Tiger," a title taken from the constellation Taurus, close to Orion.

The Eskimos called Orion's Belt "Tua Tsan," a title similar to the Chinese title, which might indicate that the Eskimos originally came from China as has often been contended.

The Eskimos thought that Orion represented a party of bear-hunters, with their sledge, and the bear they were pursuing, transported to the sky.

According to Dr. Seiss, Orion stands as a prophetic representation of the great enemy and destroyer, death.

The early inhabitants of Ireland called Orion "the armed King," and the Mayas, the ancient inhabitants of Yucatan, knew the constellation as "a Warrior," a further instance of a similarity in stellar nomenclature among widely separated nations, a similarity that is so marked and so often encountered as to disprove any idea of mere coincidence.

"The rising of Orion is one of the most imposing spectacles that the heavens afford," says Serviss. "No constellation compares with it in brilliance. It is wonderfully rich in telescopic objects of interest, and Flammarion calls it 'the California of the Sky.'"

Mrs. Martin says the group exacts more immediate admiration because the bright stars are "clustered so closely and symmetrically as to form a set figure of dazzling jewels, a veritable sunburst of diamonds in the sky."

There is much of interest concerning the individual stars in this constellation, α Orionis was known to the Arabs as "Betelgeuze," an abbreviation for "the armpit of the