Many cultures regard the cluster as having seven stars, but acknowledge only six are normally visible, and then have a story to explain why the seventh is invisible. Similar “lost Pleiad” stories are found in European, African, Asian, Indonesian, Native American and Aboriginal Australian cultures. Many Aboriginal stories say the boys, or man, in Orion are chasing the seven sisters – and one of the sisters has died, or is hiding, or is too young, or has been abducted, so again only six are visible. The writer and anthropologist Daisy Bates reported people in central Australia regarded Orion as a “hunter of women”, and specifically of the women in the Pleiades. This constellation is also often a hunter in Aboriginal cultures, or a group of lusty young men. Drawing by Ray Norris based on Yolngu oral and written accounts.Ĭlose to the Seven Sisters in the sky is the constellation of Orion, which is often called “the saucepan” in Australia. The three stars of Orion’s belt are three young men who went fishing in a canoe, and caught a forbidden king-fish, represented by the Orion Nebula. The Pleiades are also important as an element of Aboriginal calendars and astronomy, and for several groups their first rising at dawn marks the start of winter.Īn Australian Aboriginal interpretation of the constellation of Orion from the Yolngu people of Northern Australia. In many Australian Aboriginal cultures, the Pleiades are a group of young girls, and are often associated with sacred women’s ceremonies and stories. But the story says one sister fell in love with a mortal and went into hiding, which is why we only see six stars.Ī similar story is found among Aboriginal groups across Australia. To save the sisters from being raped by the hunter Orion, Zeus transformed them into stars. He was forced to hold up the sky for eternity, and was therefore unable to protect his daughters. In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of the Titan Atlas. After studying the motion of the stars very closely, we believe these stories may date back 100,000 years to a time when the constellation looked quite different.
Many cultures around the world refer to the Pleiades as “seven sisters”, and also tell quite similar stories about them. So why do we say there are seven of them? Look carefully and you will probably count six stars. In the northern sky in December is a beautiful cluster of stars known as the Pleiades, or the “seven sisters”.
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