Orion Constellation Meaning

Orion Constellation [Stellarium]

Constellation Orion the Hunter is located below the constellations Taurus and Gemini and between Eridanus, Leups and Monoceros. It is one of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy in the 2nd century and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Orion spans 20 degrees of the zodiac in the Signs of Gemini and Cancer.

Orion Constellation Stars

2000	2050	Star	Name	Sp. Class	Mag.	Orb
11♊56	12♊38	π³ Ori	Tabit	F6	3.19	1°50′
12♊02	12♊49	π⁴ Ori	Al Taj II	B2	3.68	1°40′
12♊22	13♊05	π² Ori	Al Taj I	A1	4.35	1°10′
12♊30	13♊12	π⁵ Ori	Al Taj III	B2	3.71	1°30′
13♊30	14♊12	ο¹ Ori	Al Kumm I	M3	4.71	1°00′
13♊33	14♊15	π⁶ Ori	Al Taj V	K2	4.47	1°10′
13♊36	14♊18	π¹ Ori	Al Taj IV	A0	4.64	1°00′
13♊43	14♊25	6 Ori	Manica	A3	5.18	1°00′
14♊21	15♊03	ο² Ori	Al Kumm II	K2	4.06	1°20′
16♊20	17♊32	β Ori	Rigel	B8	0.18	2°40′
17♊51	18♊33	τ Ori	Yuh Tsing	B5	3.59	1°40′
20♊10	20♊52	η Ori	Saif al-Jabbar	B1	3.35	1°40′
20♊57	21♊40	γ Ori	Bellatrix	B2	1.64	2°20′
21♊55	22♊37	υ Ori	Thabit	B0	4.62	1°00′
22♊22	23♊04	δ Ori	Mintaka	B0	2.20	2°10′
23♊00	23♊42	M42	Ensis		4.00	1°20′
23♊00	23♊42	ι Ori	Hatysa	O9	2.75	2°00′
23♊01	23♊43	θ² Ori	Mizan Batil II	O9	4.98	1°00′
23♊03	23♊45	42 Ori	Mizan Batil I	B2	4.58	1°10′
23♊28	24♊10	ε Ori	Alnilam	B0	1.69	2°20′
23♊37	24♊19	φ¹ Ori	Heka	B0	4.39	1°10′
23♊43	24♊25	λ Ori	Meissa	O8	3.47	1°40′
23♊55	24♊38	49 Ori	Mizan Batil III	A4	4.77	1°00′
24♊06	24♊48	σ Ori		O9	3.77	1°30′
24♊08	24♊50	φ² Ori	Khad Posterior	G8	4.09	1°20′
24♊41	25♊23	ζ Ori	Alnitak	O9	1.77	2°20′
26♊24	27♊06	κ Ori	Saiph	B0	2.07	2°10′
28♊46	29♊28	α Ori	Betelgeuse	M2	0.42	2°40′
00♋37	01♋19	μ Ori		A1	4.12	1°20′
01♋51	02♋34	ν Ori		B3	4.42	1°10′
02♋56	03♋38	ξ Ori		B3	4.45	1°10′

The constellation Orion contains 10 formally named stars: Alnilam (ε Ori), Alnitak (ζ Ori), Bellatrix (γ Ori), Betelgeuse (α Ori), Hatysa (ι Ori), Meissa (λ Ori), Mintaka (δ Ori), Rigel (β Ori), Saiph (κ Ori), and Tabit (π³ Ori). ^[1]

Orion Astrology

Manilius

Near neighbor to the Twins, Orion may be seen stretching his arms over a vast expanse of sky and rising to the stars with no less huge a stride. A single light marks each of his shining shoulders, and three aslant trace the downward line of his sword: but three mark Orion’s head, which is embedded in high heaven with his countenance remote. It is Orion who leads the constellations as they speed over the full circuit of heaven.

Orion will fashion alert minds and agile bodies, souls prompt to respond to duty’s call, and hearts which press on with unflagging energy in spite of every trial. A son of Orion’s will be worth a multitude and will seem to dwell in every quarter of the city; flying from door to door with the one word of morning greeting, he will enjoy the friendship of all. ^[2]

Maternus

On the left side of Aries, Orion rises, namely in thr 10th degree of Aries. Therefore, if Orion is partilely in the ASC or in the MC, it makes men who are seen to display swift mobility of body, and those whose mind involved in various kinds of difficulties is always seething with watchful thought. They will always diversify their domiciles, they will change their houses and abodes, and they will always fly about the entrances of all with morning greetings. ^[3]

Orion Constellation [Urania’s Mirror]

Robson

Legend. The giant Orion was created out of an ox-hide by the Gods, Jupiter, Neptune and Mercury, at the request of Hyreus who had entertained them. He was blinded by Œnopion and Bacchus for his treatment of the former’s daughter, but recovered his sight by exposing his eyes to the rising sun. In consequence of his boast that he could slay any beast bred upon the earth the scorpion (SCORPIO) was brought forth and Orion died from its sting.

Influence. According to Ptolemy the bright stars with the exception of Betelgeuze and Bellatrix are like Jupiter and Saturn. It is said to give a strong and dignified nature, self-confidence, inconstancy, arrogance, violence, impiety, prosperity in trade and particularly by voyages or abroad, but danger of treachery and poison. It was thought by the Romans to be very harmful to cattle and productive of storms. By the Kabalists it is associated with the Hebrew letter Aleph and the 1st Tarot Trump “The Juggler.”

Magical. Gives victory. ^[4]

Noonan

The most important constellation in the heavens outside the zodiac is Orion (Ori). Indeed, in some instances this group of stars is more significant than some of the zodiacal constellations. In judicial astrology this is the constellation of war! In genethiacal charts the indications are for arrogance, rebliion, strength, and courage. ^[5]

Allen

Orion, the Giant, Hunter, and Warrior admired in all historic ages as the most strikingly brilliant of the stellar groups, lies partly within the Milky Way, extending on both sides of the celestial equator entirely south of the ecliptic, and so is visible from every part of the globe.

With Theban Greeks of Corinna’s time, about the year 490 before our era, it was Ὠαρίων, the initial letter having taken the place of the ancient digamma, ϝ, which, pronounced somewhat like the letter W, rendered the early word akin to our Warrior.

The derivation of the word has been in doubt, but Brown refers it to the Akkadian Uru‑Anna, the Light of Heaven, originally applied to the sun, as Uru‑ki, the Light of Earth, was to the moon; so that our title may have come into Greek mythology and astronomy from the Euphrates.

The Boeotians, according to Strabo, fellow-countrymen of the earthly Orion, called his stars Κανδάων, their alternative title for Ἄρης, the god of war, well agreeing with, perhaps originating, the Greek conception of the Warrior.

Dianae Comes, and Amasius, Companion, and Lover of Diana, were other titles, the Hero, after his death from the Scorpion’s sting inflicted for his boastfulness, having been located by Jove in his present position, at the request of the goddess, that he might escape in the west when his slayer, the Scorpion, rose in the east.

Pindar, that he was of monstrous size; as did Manilius in his Magna pars maxima coeli; and nearly all authors, as well as illustrators, have thus described Orion, and as an armed warrior.

The constellation’s stormy character appeared in early Hindu, and perhaps even in earlier Euphratean days, and is seen everywhere among classical writers with allusions to its direful influence. Polybios, the Greek historian of the second century before Christ, attributed the loss of the Roman squadron in the first Punic war to its having sailed just after “the rising of Orion”.

The Syrians knew it as Gabbārā; the Arabians, as Al Jabbār, both signifying “the Giant,” Γίγας with Ptolemy, — and in Latin days occasionally Gigas.

In Egypt, as elsewhere, Orion was of course prominent, especially so in the square zodiac of Denderah, as Horus in a boat surmounted by stars, followed by Sirius, shown as a cow, also in a boat; and nearly three thousand years previously had been sculptured on the walls of the recently discovered step-temple of Saḳḳara, and in the great Ramesseum of Thebes about 3285 B.C. as Sahu.

The Giant generally has been represented with back turned toward us and face in profile, armed with club, or sword, and protected by his shield.

The head is marked by λ, φ¹, and φ², the stars α and γ pointing out the shoulders, β and κ the left foot and right knee.

Argelander has 115 stars here; Heis, 136; and Gould, 186; while the whole is as rich in wonderful telescopic objects as it is glorious to the casual observer. Flammarion calls it the California of the sky. ^[6]

Orion Constellation [Bullinger]

Bullinger

This picture is to show that the coming one is no mere animal, but a man: a mighty, triumphant, glorious prince. He is so pictured in the ancient Denderah Zodiac, where we see a man coming forth pointing to the three bright stars (Rigel, Bellatrix, and Betelgeuse) as his. His name is given as Ha-ga-t, which means this is he who triumphs. The hieroglyphic characters below read Oar. Orion was anciently spelt Oarion, from the Hebrew root, which means light. So that Orion means coming forth as light. The ancient Akkadian was Ur-ana, the light of heaven.

Orion is the most brilliant of all the constellations, and when he comes to the meridian he is accompanied by several adjacent constellations of great splendor. There is then above the horizon the most glorious view of the celestial bodies that the starry firmament affords; and this magnificent view is visible to all the habitable world, because the equinoctial line (or solstitial colure) passes nearly through the middle of Orion.

It contains 78 stars, two being of the 1st magnitude, four of the 2nd, four of the 3rd, sixteen of the 4th, etc. A little way below ι (in the sword) is a very remarkable nebulous star. A common telescope will show that it is a beautiful nebula. A powerful telescope reveals it as consisting of collections of nebulous stars, these again being surrounded by faint luminous points, which still more powerful telescopes would resolve into separate stars. Thus beautifully is set forth the brilliancy and glory of that Light which shall break forth when the moment comes for it to be said, “Arise, shine, for thy light is come.”

The brightest, α (in the right shoulder), is named Betelgeuz, which means the coming (Mal 3:2) of the branch. The next, β (in the left foot), is named Rigel, or Rigol, which means the foot that crusheth. The foot is lifted up, and placed immediately over the head of the enemy, as though in the very act of crushing it. Thus, the name of the star bespeaks the act. The next star, γ (in the left shoulder), is called Bellatrix, which means quickly coming, or swiftly destroying.

The name of the fourth star, δ (one of the three in the belt), carries us back to the old, old story, that this glorious One was once humbled; that His heel was once bruised. Its name is Al Nitak, the wounded One. * Similarly the star κ (in the right leg) is called Saiph, bruised, which is the very word used in Genesis 3:15, thus connecting Orion with the primeval prophecy. Like Ophiuchus, he has one leg bruised; while, with the other, he is crushing the enemy under foot. * The star ζ (in the belt) is called Mintaka, dividing, as a sacrifice (Lev 8:2).

This is betokened by other stars named Al Rai, who bruises, who breaks (as in Cepheus); and Thabit (Hebrew), treading on. Other (Arabic) names relate to His Person: Al Giauza, the branch; Al Gebor, the mighty; Al Mirzam, the ruler; Al Nagjed, the prince; Niphla (Chaldee), the mighty; Nux (Hebrew), the strong. Some names relate to His coming, as Betelgeuse and Bellatrix, as above; Heka (Chaldee), coming; and Meissa (Hebrew), coming forth. ^[7]