Thus a plausible explanation is found for but half of the bull being shown among the stars—he is carrying Europa across the waves—then we look on his starry mane and find—not sweet little Europa clinging there, but seven lithesome maidens! These are represented by a lovely group of stars called the Pleiades. How does this happen? Well, that is another story.
One day, while hunting, Orion came suddenly upon seven graceful sisters dancing on the mossy turf in the woodland. He watched entranced until the happy creatures noticed him, and filled with terror at his gigantic stature, turned and fled.
For five long years they ran, with Orion close behind, until weary and distressed they begged the gods for aid.
Then Orion saw the maidens vanish as seven fluttering doves which flew far up into the sunlit sky. That evening Diana saw them, and telling them to keep up heart, drove her moon-chariot past Olympus where she directed Jupiter's attention to the unfortunate plight of the maidens. Jupiter then changed the doves to stars and placed them on the back of Taurus, the Bull. Here they rest protected by a pair of golden horns, secure but still pale, for every winter's evening just as surely as they rise above the horizon, up comes Orion just a little way behind and pursues the Bull across the heavens with his dogs and club.
Æschylus, however, claims that the Pleiades were named after the daughters of Atlas because of their touching sorrow when their father was laden with the weight of the sky. Thus many of the stories of Orion's adventures seem to conflict with other fables. Since the stars of the Pleiades bear the individual names of seven of Atlas's daughters, Æschylus was probably right. The stars outlining the face of Taurus were named after the half-sisters of the Pleiades and are called the Hyades.
THE HYADES
