Orion

Orion was a giant hunter in Greek mythology. Some stories say he was the son of Zeus*, Poseidon*, or Hermes*. Others claim that he was born from a bull's hide that was buried after the king of Boeotia urinated on it.

Orion went to the island of Chios, where King Oenopion asked him to drive all the wild beasts from the land. In return, Oenopion promised Orion his daughter Merope in marriage. However, the king later refused to honor the agreement. Orion got drunk and raped Merope, and Oenopion blinded him. After recovering his vision, Orion went to Crete to live and hunt with the goddess Artemis*.

There are several accounts of his death. One story says that Eos, the goddess of the dawn, fell in love with Orion and that Artemis killed him out of jealousy. According to another version, Orion and Artemis were considering marriage, but she was tricked into killing him by her brother Apollo*. In still another myth, Orion pursued seven sisters known as the Pleiades. To save them from Orion's attentions, Zeus turned them into stars. Orion, too, became a constellation, which appears to chase the Pleiades through the heavens.