Throughout history, people have been interested in the sky to understand the events around them and to comprehend the workings of nature. The sky has been an inspirational source for humans and has helped them establish a connection between the stars and the planet they live on. Thanks to this connection, people have succeeded in establishing powerful and great civilizations by making various calculations.
The Sirius constellation is one of the main stars on which many societies observe and calculate. For this reason, it is an important resource for many communities with a mysterious reason. People have tried to solve the mysteries of nature by valuing stars like Sirius, watching the movements in the sky and making observations.
Sirius, or Akstar, is the brightest star in the night sky, visible from the northern hemisphere in spring, in the constellation Canis Major. Located 8.6 light-years from Earth and ranked seventh in terms of proximity to the Sun, Sirius is a striking star with its white glow. For this reason, he is one of the stars among humans who are the subject of extraterrestrial stories.
Sirius is not actually a single star. It is a binary star system consisting of a brighter Sirius A and a dimmer white dwarf star called Sirius B. This binary star system orbits each other and makes one full rotation in about 50 years. Sirius A is the main component of the star system, while Sirius B is a small, dense star of the main component. This binary star system, unlike other stars in the sky, can be observed in detail with the naked eye.
Star of Sirius in Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian civilization gave great importance to the star Sirius. The Egyptians regarded Sirius as the star of the sun god Ra. For this reason, Sirius was considered one of the most important stars of the solar system. The Egyptians also thought that the star Sirius played an evolutionary role in the history and future of the world. Therefore, Sirius was a very important star for Egyptian civilization.
Egyptian priests arranged their calendar according to the star Sirius, not the sun, and named it the “star of the Goddess Isis”. When the star Sirius was at its dawn rising, it was considered the first day of the new year. When the feast of Sirius was celebrated, the Nile River overflowed, and the first wave of new water saved the dry land from thirst. For this reason, the Egyptians attributed the life of plants and the harvesting of crops three times a year to the star Sirius.
The Sirius star was not only a calendar star but also a cultural symbol for the Egyptian civilization. Sirius was for the Egyptians the representation of vital elements such as the cycle of nature and the source of water. The Egyptians also made great progress in astronomy and mathematics, while attaching special importance to the star Sirius. The regular movements of the star Sirius helped Egyptian astronomers observe and create their stellar calendar, a great benefit to Egyptian society, who used the calendar in their daily work.
The passages and inner chambers of Egyptian temples were specially made for them to see the star Sirius. At the Temple of Hathor in Denderah, the phrase, “Isis shines in all her glory on the first day of the new year, illuminates the temple, and its rays mingle with the lights of her father Ra on the horizon.” The Egyptians did not bury their dead for 70-odd days, 35 days before and 35 days after the star Sirius was invisible. During this period, they preferred not to bury the dead because they believed that the door to the other world was closed. During the 70 days when the star Sirius was not seen, it was thought that Isis and Osiris were watching our world from the other world called Duat. According to another view, when the star Sirius was not visible, the Goddess Isis was pregnant and when she began to rise, that is, when she began to shine again, her son Horus was born.
Sirius Star in the Dogons
Known as the Dogons, the tribe of 300 thousand people is known as a tribe living in the Republic of Mali, engaged in animal husbandry and hunting, and having no technological means. However, the information that emerged from the tribe as a result of the researches is quite surprising. The Dogons know the movements of the Sun, the moons of Jupiter, Saturn is a ringed planet, and the Moon has craters. When asked where they learned so much information from, their answer was “we learned it from our ancestors”. Also, the Dogons said that Sirius has a double star system, that there are other spiral galaxies besides our spiral galaxy. His descriptions of Sirius are quite interesting.
The issue that the Dogons had so much knowledge has given rise to various theories. Some researchers think that the Dogon communicated with extraterrestrials. Some researchers think that the Dogons obtained this knowledge from the Atlantis or Mu civilizations. However, these theories are also not based on conclusive evidence. The Gods of the Dogons, which they call Nommo, have an important place in their beliefs. These gods came from the star Sirius. For detailed article on Dogons CLICK HERE.
Sirius Star in Aztecs
In Aztec mythology, there is a god depicted in the form of a dog, and his name is Xolotl. Xolotl are considered twins representing Sirius-A and B. He is known as a god who carries the sun and provides its movement, shapes lightning and accompanies the souls of the dead in the other realm. It is also associated with the arrow and snake symbols.
Sirius Star in Indian Legends
In Indian legends, in the journey of four brothers to reach the gate of heaven, the last brother has a faithful dog. When siblings leave on the way, the dog remains loyal to its owner and does not abandon its owner, despite not being able to enter heaven. His dog is not taken to heaven, either, saying that his dog remained faithful to him despite the abandonment of his other siblings. On top of that, the dog appears in the sky as the constellation Canis Major, and its heart continues to beat as Sirius, the brightest star. This legend symbolizes the dog’s loyalty and faithful friendship.
Sirius Star in Chinese Texts
Sirius is considered a single star in Chinese texts and the tradition of Feng Shui, moving in conjunction with the constellation Ursa Major. There is talk of positive and negative Chi/Chakra energy originating from the Sun and Sirius. Interestingly, in 1909 astronomer Ejnar Hertzsprung announced that the star Sirius moved with the Big Dipper star cluster.
Sirius Star in Ancient Greek Mythology
In ancient Greek mythology, Sirius is described as the dog of the god Orion. Orion is the son of Poseidon and is a great hunter. Famous for his handsomeness and fondness for women, Orion is a great hunter who travels with his time dog. However, after losing his beautiful wife, Eurydice, who made even Hera jealous, he tried to seduce Merope, the daughter of a guest named Oinopion. Oinopion was very angry at this situation and blinded Orion.
Goddess Hera, who had a grudge against Orion because he had a love affair with Artemis, ordered him to create a scorpion and kill him. Scorpio killed Orion by stinging, and then both scorpion and Orion took their places as constellations in the sky. His dog Sirius, on the other hand, is among the constellations in the sky with Orion, as he faithfully joins the hunts alongside Orion.
The ancient Greeks believed that the reappearance of Sirius in the sky after his disappearance heralded the hot and dry summer, and they also worried that it had some effects on living things that withered plants, weakened men, and turned women on.
