Star Myths

Since ancient times, people have imagined the shapes of animals and people in the pattern of the stars. To appreciate star myths, take yourself to an isolated place, far from any city lights, and sit at the fire of the early hunters with nothing but the flames in front of you, the darkness at your back, and the huge dome of velvet sky above. As the fire casts long flickering shadows into the dark night and the clapping and chanting of the hunters become the heartbeat of the earth, so the magic of the stars is revealed.
 

There's a pathway of stars across the sky that sparkles like wood ash in the dark. Some people call it the Milky Way - some call it the Stars' Road. But no matter what you name it, it's the path made by a young girl many, many years ago, who threw the bright sparks of her fire high up into the sky to make a road in the darkness.

 

The two bright Pointer stars and the stars of the Southern Cross are the Giraffes. Among the Venda tribe, they are known as Thutlwa, `rising above the trees'. In October the Giraffes literally skim above the trees on the evening horizon, reminding people to finish planting.

 
The Pleiades or Seven Sisters, named Khuseti or Khunuseh by the Khoikhoi, are the Rain stars or Thorn stars. They prick the sky and bring rain. Their appearance in the sky indicates the rainy season is near and that it's the beginning of a new year.  According to one legend, the Pleiades were the daughters of the Sky God.

When their husband (Aldeberan) shot his arrow (Orion's sword) at three zebras (the three stars in Orion's belt), it fell short. He dared not return home to the women because he had killed no game, and he dared not retrieve his arrow because of the fierce lion (the star Betelgueuse) which sits watching the zebras. There the hunter remains, frozen and shivering in the cold night, thirsty and hungry but not able to return to his wives.

Star facts and extra ideas
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