ORION

, a constellation of the southern hemisphere, with respect to the ecliptic, but half in the northern, and half on the southern side of the equinoctial, which runs across the middle of his body.

The stars in this constellation are, 38 in Ptolomy's catalogue, 42 in Tycho's, 62 in Hevelius's, and 78 in Flamsteed's. But some telescopes have discovered several thousands of stars in this constellation.

Of these stars, there are no less than two of the first magnitude, and four of the second, beside a great many of the third and fourth. One of those two stars of the first magnitude is upon the middle of the left foot, and is called Regel; the other is on the right shoulder, and called Betelguese; of the four of the second magnitude, one is on the left shoulder, and called Bellatrix, and the other three are in the belt, lying nearly in a right line and at equal distances from each other, forming what is popularly called the Yardwand.

This constellation is one of the 48 old asterisms, and one of the most remarkable in the heavens. It is in the figure of a man, having a sword by his side, and seems attacking the bull with a club in his right hand, his left bearing a shield.

This constellation is particularly mentioned by many of the ancient authors, and even in the Scriptures themselves. The Greeks, according to their custom, give several fabulous accounts of him. One is, that th<*>s Orion was a son of their sea-god Neptune by Euryale, the famous huntress. The son possessed the disposition of his mother, and became the greatest hunter in the world: and Neptune gave him the singular privilege, that he should walk upon the surface of the sea as well| as if it were on dry land. Another account of his origin is, that one Hyreius in Thebes, having entertained Jupiter and Mercury with great hospitality, requested of them the favour that he might have a son. The skin of the ox which he had sacrisiced to them, was buried in the ground, with certain ce<*>emonies, and the son so much desired was produced from it, a youth of promising spirit, and named Orion.

They farther tell us. that he visited Chios when grown up, and ravished Penelope the daughter of Œnopron, for which the father put out his eyes, and banished him the island: he thence went to Lemnos, where Vulcan received him, and gave him Cedalion for a companion. Afterwards, being restored to sight by the sun, he returned to Chios, and would have revenged himself on the king, but the people hid him. After this it seems he hunted with Diana, and was so exalted with his success, that he used to say he would destroy every creature on the earth: the Earth, irritated at this, produced a Scorpion, which stung him to death, and both he and the reptile were taken up to the skies, the Scorpion making one of the twelve signs of the zodiac.

Others give a different account of his destruction: they tell us that he would have ravished the goddess of chastity Diana herself, and that she killed him with her arrow. All the writers, however, are not agreed about this: they who make him the sacrifice to the vengeance of the offended goddess, say, that herself afterwards placed his figure in the skies as a memorial of the attempt, and a terror to all ages. But there are some who say she loved him so well that she had thoughts of marrying him: these add, that Apollo could not bear so dishonourable an alliance for his sister, for which reason he killed him; and that Diana, after shedding showers of tears over his corps, obtained of Jupiter a place for him in the heavens.

No constellation was so terrible to the mariners of the early periods, as this of Orion. He is mentioned in this way by all the Greek and Latin poets, and even by their hiftorians; his rising and setting being attended by storms and tempests: and as the northern constellations are made the followers of the Pleiades; so are the fouthern ones made the attendants of Orion.

The name of this constellation is also met with in Scripture several times, viz, in the books of Job, Amos, and Isaiah. In Job it is asked, “Canst thou bind the sweet influence of the Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?” And Amos says, “ Seek him that maketh the Seven Stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into morning.”

Orion's River, the same as the constellation Eridanus.