Orion's constellation displays an unfolding battle between a mighty giant and an enormous scorpion. Sadly, during this battle, Orion died, and his constellation was put in the sky by the Greek gods as a remembrance of the giant. During a specific part of the year, you can see Orion and the scorpion battling in the night sky. But eventually, the light of Orion's constellation dims, resembling his death.
Vocabulary Words:
Orion – a giant created to oppose and destroy the gods Artemis and Apollo
Artemis – the maiden goddess of hunting, the bow and arrow, and the moon; a sister to Apollo
Apollo – the god of music, medicine, poetry, the bow and arrow, and the sun; a brother to Artemis
The Hunt – a group of immortal maidens who hunt with the goddess Artemis; they ignore and avoid the company of males for their lifetimes
Orion was a giant, born to the Earth and the Pit. His purpose was to annihilate the twin gods Artemis and Apollo, but he wasn't bent on destruction. Orion wanted to pursue his passions of hunting in the wild with his beloved bow and arrows. So he spent his days roaming the hills and valleys of Greece, in pursuit of wild animals.
One faithful day, when the giant was out hunting, he encountered the goddess Artemis and her group of immortal maidens, who were called "The Hunt." Normally, Artemis would reject the company of men on her hunting journeys, but she soon found Orion to be a trustworthy companion. Artemis allowed the giant to be the first male to join The Hunt. The goddess even found out that Orion was a rival of hers at the bow, and she was considered the best archer of all time, along with her twin brother Apollo! Artemis's respect rapidly grew for the giant.
Orion's respect also grew for the goddess. Artemis and Orion learned to work together properly, and eventually they acted as a family. Orion was created to destroy the goddess, but instead he befriended her!
As time passed, Orion felt a closer relationship to the goddess, and eventually fell in love with her. But Artemis was a maiden, and she rebuffed the giant when he proposed to her. In a rage, Orion went on solo hunting journeys and didn't communicate with Artemis often anymore.
Orion didn't find beauty or kindness in living objects anymore. He scored the Earth, killing and eradicating every monster or creature who stood in his path.
Apollo couldn't handle this type of massacre. He was already upset with Orion for not respecting his sister's vows of maidenhood. So the god sent a vicious, gigantic, invulnerable scorpion to destroy him.
At first, Orion fought back at the scorpion, firing arrow after arrow at the monster. But the weapons bounced harmlessly off of its impenetrable shell. Then Orion took to running, but the scorpion followed his tracks.
Meanwhile, Artemis had no knowledge about what her brother was trying to do to destroy her faithful former hunting companion. Ever since she had rebuffed him, they had gone their separate ways. But that didn't mean that she disliked him. They had just started to ignore one another.
Anyway, the scorpion had eventually caught Orion. The creature grasped the giant legs, and Orion shouted out one last plea of help. The giant was scarred, bruised, and dehydrated. He couldn't hold out any longer against the scorpion.
Artemis heard his voice, and she panicked. She immediately rushed to his aid, but was too late. The scorpion's poisonous stinger was lodged in Orion's leg, and his body was limp. With no hesitation, she slayed the monster. And in memory of her greatest friend, she placed his constellation in the sky.
Nice!
ReplyDelete