Update about blogCa

Monday, February 4, 2013

Seven Sisters meaning

I've always wished I'd studied Greek Mythology.

On my other blog tomorrow, I'm showing a picture of one of our local mountains, known as the Seven Sisters (the whole chain, not just one).

Who were they?

Well, I keep hearing how they are stars (The Pleiades) being chased by Orion.  And at least I know what they look like now, though apparently only 6 are visible with the naked eye.

There's also a store here in town of gorgeous art including my favorite potters, known as the Seven Sisters.

But I did a search and found some minimal information (yes on the internet).


The Pleiad(e)s were the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione, and half-sisters of the Hyades...
The indivial names are:
Alcyone or Halcyone - `queen who wards off evil [storms]
Asterope or Sterope - `lightning', `twinkling', `sun-face', `stubborn-face' (Indo-European ster-, `star', `stellar', `asterisk', etc.) 
Celæno - `swarthy' - Had sons Lycus (``wolf'') and Chimærus (``he-goat'') by Prometheus.


Electra or Eleckra - `amber', `shining', `bright' (Indo-European wleik-, `to flow, run', as a liquid); electrum is an alloy of silver and gold, and means amber in Latin, as does the Greek elektron; Thales of Miletus noted in 600 BC that a rubbed piece of amber will attract bits of straw, a manifestation of the effects of static electricity (outer charge stripping via friction), and perhaps the origin of the modern term
Maia - `grandmother', `mother', `nurse'; `the great one' (Latin) - Eldest and most beautiful of the sisters; a mountain nymph in Arcadia. Seduced by Zeus and gave birth to Hermes. 
Merope - `eloquent', `bee-eater', `mortal' - Married Sisyphus (se-sophos, `very wise')
Taygete or Taygeta - ? tanygennetos, `long-necked' - Seduced by Zeus and gave birth to Lacedæmon, founder of Sparta

Astromorphosis

One day the great hunter Orion saw the Pleiads (perhaps with their mother, or perhaps just one of them as they walked through the Boeotian countryside, and fancied them. He pursued them for seven years, until Zeus answered their prayers for delivery and transformed them into birds (doves or pidgeons), placing them among the stars. Later on, when Orion was killed (many conflicting stories as to how), he was placed in the heavens behind the Pleiades, immortalizing the chase. 

I bet you didn't know what astromorphosis was before this, did you?

I do like that each goddess/woman had a "meaning" or attributes to go with her name.

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