dogstar

Madonna (Shravana lagna)

Oo yess!

Yet, there is more to Orion than his prowess as a hunter— not to, however, minimize the importance of his hunterly aspects. Orion is associated with death and resurrection via his connection to Sah-Osiris. In Ancient Egyptian religion, Sah was a deity associated with a constellation that included the stars of Orion. His consort, Sopdet, known to the Greeks as Sothis, was the goddess linked to the star Sirius. Over time, Sah became identified with the more prominent god of the dead, Osiris, while Sopdet was connected to Isis, Osiris’s consort. Both Sirius and Orion were tied to the annual flooding of the Nile. Sirius’s appearance in mid-June marked the start of the river’s gradual rise, which reached its peak by August in Upper Egypt and September in the northern regions. After seventy days of invisibility, Orion’s stars reappeared in the night sky, coinciding with the river turning a reddish color due to oxide sediments from the floodwaters. This red hue was evocative of blood—perhaps symbolizing the blood of Osiris. Mythologically, Isis’s tears (Sirius) for the slain Osiris (Sah/Orion) were believed to cause the river’s swelling. The dismemberment and scattering of Osiris’s body throughout Egypt symbolized the ritual fertilization of the land. His blood metaphorically transformed into water, which nourished the earth to bring forth life. When Orion became visible again, the floodwaters began to recede, and the first mounds of land emerged from the water, giving rise to new vegetation. The saturated black soil symbolizes rebirth, as Osiris himself was resurrected, his skin depicted as green like the lush plants of the valley.