The Pleiades



The Pleiades, as well as the Hyades, are part of the constellation Taurus the Bull.
Click on image for full size (66K JPEG)
(c) 1995 Visual Language. All rights reserved.
According to the ancient Greeks, the Pleiades were seven sisters. In Greek, the word "pleiades" means "doves." Their parents were Pleione and Atlas. One day, the Pleiades were traveling with their mother and met the hunter Orion.

Orion fell in love with Pleione and her charming daughters. He spent a great deal of time chasing after them. Years later, Zeus changed the women into doves to help them escape the attention of Orion. They flew into the sky to become the cluster of stars that has their name.

The Pleiades



The Pleiades, as well as the Hyades, are part of the constellation Taurus the Bull.
Click on image for full size (66K JPEG)
(c) 1995 Visual Language. All rights reserved.
According to the ancient Greeks, the Pleiades were seven sisters. In Greek, the word "pleiades" means "doves." Their parents were Pleione and Atlas who was condemned by Zeus to support the Heavens on his shoulders. One day, the Pleiades were traveling with their mother and met the hunter Orion.

Orion fell in love with Pleione and her charming daughters. He spent a great deal of time chasing after them, trying to win their affection. After several years, Zeus intervened and transformed the women into doves to help them escape. They flew into the sky to become the cluster of stars that today has their name.

However, only six stars are visible in the sky without a telescope. The ancient Greeks explained the absence of a seventh star with several different stories. According to one story, one of the Pleiades, Merope deserted her sisters because she was ashamed of having a mortal husband, who also happened to be a criminal.

The Pleiades



The Pleiades, as well as the Hyades, are part of the constellation Taurus the Bull.
Click on image for full size (66K JPEG)
(c) 1995 Visual Language. All rights reserved.
In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were seven sisters. Their names were Maia, Electra, Alcyone, Taygete, Asterope, Celaeno, and Merope. Their parents were the Titan Atlas and the Oceanid, Pleione. One day while traveling, the Pleiades and their mother met the giant hunter Orion.

He fell in love with the young women and started to pursue them. After being chased for years, Zeus changed them into doves to help them escape. They flew into the sky to become the cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus the Bull.

However, only six stars are visible in the sky without a telescope. The ancient Greeks explained the absence of a seventh star with several different stories. According to one story, all the Pleiades consorted with gods except Merope. Merope deserted her sisters because she was ashamed of having a mortal husband, Sisyphus.

Another explanation is related to the myth of the Pleiad Electra who is considered the ancestress of the royal house of Troy. The Greeks believed that Electra abandoned her sisters in despair and transformed herself into a comet when the city of Troy was destroyed. These legends seem to be confirmed by a scientific finding according to which a seventh star in the group of the Pleiades became extinct toward the end of the second millennium BC.


Last modified prior to September, 2000 by the Windows Team

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