Canis Major

Read the starlore of Sirius by Richard Hinchley Allen (Star Names) here

Read quotes from the ancients on Sirius from the Theoi Project website here

The word Sirius was used interchangeably for both the constellation Canis Major, and the alpha star. Sirius is a Latinized version of Greek seirios, 'scorching', from seiraino, 'dry up, parch'. Sirius was associated with the hottest part of summer, the Dog Days, and also with causing the Nile floods because the heat causes ice and snow to melt on mountains which flows into rivers.

Allen in Star Names says the Latins adopted their Canis from the Greeks, sometimes Canicula in the diminutive with the adjectival candens, shining. Varro (p.283) referring to Sirius, says signum candens, ‘scorching sign' properly ‘white-hot'. Isidore sees a link with Latin canis, dog, and Latin candere, shining bright:

"The Dog Star (canicula Stella), which is also called Sirius, is in the center of the sky during the summer months. When the Sun ascends to it, and it is in conjunction with the Sun, the Sun's heat is doubled, and bodies are affected by the heat and weakened. Hence also the 'dog days' are named from this star, when purgings are harmful. It is called the 'Dog' (canis) Star because it afflicts the body with illness, or because of the brightness (candor) of its flame, because it is of a kind that seems to shine more brightly than the others. It is said they named Sirius so that people might recognize the constellation better” [The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville, 7th century AD, p.105.]

Candens and candor comes from the Indo-European root *kand- Also *kend-. 'To shine. Words having to do with the idea of things that are bright, glowing, and pure'. Derivatives: candelabrum, candent, candescence, candid, candida, candidate (Roman candidatus for office dressed in white), candle, candor, incandesce, (these words from candere, shining bright), encendiary, incensed, incense, frankincense, censer (a container for burning incense). [Pokorny kand- 526. Watkins] Sandalwood, ultimately from Sanskrit candana-m, 'the sandalwood tree,' probably literally 'wood for burning incense,' related to candrah 'shining, glowing,' and cognate with L. candere 'to shine, glow'. Candy an obsolete form of Candia, a former name for Crete might be related. 

Some authors say that a period of about forty days, beginning three weeks before the annual Sun-Sirius conjunction and ending three weeks after, constituted the 'dog days'. "They called the period from July 3 to August 11, ‘caniculares dies’ – ‘the Dog Days’" [1]. Allen in Star Names says Pliny said the dog days began with the helical rising of Procyon (pro-cyon meaning 'before the dog') on the 19th of July (Procyon seems to rise two or three days before Sirius [2]). Nowadays because of precession the dates would be around June 17th to July 27th. "Homer alluded to it in the Iliad as Oporinos, the Star of Autumn; but the season intended was the last days of July, all of August, and part of September — the latter part of summer" [Allen Star Names]. In Homer's time, 8th century BC, the 'dog days' would be from July to late August (I think).

Sirius was connected with Isis, or an aspect of Isis, as Allen in Star Names explains: In the earlier temple service of Denderah it was Isis Sothis, at Philae Isis Sati, or Satit, and, for a long time in Egypt's mythology, the resting-place of the soul of that goddess, and thus a favorable star. Plutarch made distinct reference to this; although it should be noted that the word Isis at times also indicated anything luminous to the eastward heralding sunrise [Allen, Star Names, Sirius]. "In the Lamentations of Isis and Nephthys, from a fourth century BC papyrus, Isis asserts that she is Sothis (Sirius), who will unswervingly follow Osiris in his manifestation as Orion in heaven" [3].

The word siriasis, means sunstroke, from Greek seirian, 'hot, scorching', from Greek seirios. Klein [Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary] relates siriasis to the word seismo-, and explains; "seismo-, Greek seismo, 'earthquake', from Greek seiein, 'to shake, move to and fro', which stands for *tweisein, from Indo-European base *tweis-, 'to shake; move violently', whence also Old Indian tvesati, tvesah, 'vehement, impetuous; shining, brilliant'. Compare siriasis, Sirius, sistrum". Seismo- and sistrum, a rattle used in ancient Egypt in the worship of Isis, comes from the Indo-European root *twei- 'To agitate, shake, toss'. Extended form *tweid-; whittle (from Old English thwitan, to strike, whittle down), doit (from Middle Dutch duit, a small coin < 'piece cut or tossed off' from Germanic *thwit-). Extended form *tweis-; seism (quake, from Gk. seismos 'earthquake' from seiein 'to shake'), seismo-, sistrum. [Pokorny 2. twei- 1099 Watkins]

"The 'barcoo dog,' a sheep herding tool used in Australian bush band music, is a type of sistrum" [4]. "Plutarch says of the sistrum, that the shaking of the four bars within the circular apsis represented the agitation of the four elements within the compass of the world, by which all things are continually destroyed and reproduced" [5]. An earthquake results from the sudden release of stored energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves.

“Sistrums (sistrum, i.e. a kind of metallic rattle) are named after their inventor, for Isis, an Egyptian queen, is thought to have invented this type of instrument. Juvenal says (Satires 13.93):  'May Isis strike my eyes with her angry sistrum. Whence women play these instruments, because the inventor of this type of instrument was a woman. Whence also it is said that among the Amazons, the army of women was summoned to battle by sistrums'” [The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville, 7th century AD, p.98.]

"Homer compares Achilles to the autumnal star, whose brilliant ray shines eminent amid the depth of night, whom men the dog-star of Orion call" [Allen Star Names].

"Meanwhile, old Priam was the first to catch sight of Achilles, as he dashed across the plain, blazing like that star which comes at harvest time— its light shines out more brightly than any of the countless lights in night's dark sky. People call this star by the name Orion's Dog. It is the brightest of the stars, but an unwelcome sign, for it brings wretched mortals many fevers. The bronze on Achilles' chest glittered like that star, as he ran forward". [Homer, Iliad 22.25-31 http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/homer/iliad22.htm ]

Achilles' former name was Ligyron translated 'the whining' [6]. Achilles name comes from a pre-Greek source, various etymologies have been suggested for the name: some say from 'without a lip' (a-, 'without' + cheilos, 'lip'), because he had not applied his lips to a breast, and the name changed into Achilles by Cheiron (Centaurus) who fed him on the entrails of lions and wild boars and the marrow of bears. Another character in Greek mythology bears the name Achilles; the child of Lamia [shark] was the boy-daimon Akheilos, Latinized to Achilles (the Lipless One), who was said to have been transformed into a shark by Aphrodite [7]. [Maybe the dogfish, a small shark, the most abundant shark in the oceans.]

Another suggestion is that the name is from Gk. akhates 'agate' [8]. Achates, in Virgils Aeneid, was the armor-bearer and faithful friend of Aeneas; hence, a faithful friend, from Latin Achates, from Greek akates, 'agate' [Klein Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary].

The most common suggestion: "a combination of akhos, 'grief' and laos, 'a people, tribe, nation, etc'. In other words, Achilles is an embodiment of the grief of the people" [9]. The word ache comes from Greek achos; dogs often express a heartbroken aching whine when separated from their owners.

The bravest of the Greek heroes in the war against the Trojans, Achilles was eventually killed by a poisoned arrow that hit his heel, the only vulnerable part of his body. We get the term 'achilles heel' from his name. Dogs do not have heels but they do have achilles tendons. Dogs follow in the heels of their owners. Sirius, one of Orion's dogs, is positioned under the heel of Orion. "Isis asserts that she is Sothis (Sirius), who will unswervingly follow Osiris in his manifestation as Orion in heaven" [10]. The 'Dog Days' represents the time when the Sun joins Sirius, afterwards the Sun and Sirius part company. Achilles was without his friend Patroclus who was killed in the Trojan war (dogs are man's best friends) and Achilles sought revenge. The theme here is separation which might confirm what some believe the meaning of the Greek prefix a-, 'without', in Achilles name. The Latin suffix -chilles, Greek -khilleus, might have a number of meanings, one suggestion being Greek kheilos, lip. Helios or Elios, is the Greek word for the Sun, Latin Helius, cognate with Breton heol, Welsh haul, Old Cornish heuul. These Celtic cognates of Helios resemble the word 'heel', and resemble the latter part of the name Achilles (ac-hiles) or Akhilleus (ak-hilius)...? The Latin c (of ac-) or Greek k might be silent, making the word; 'without the Sun'? or 'without the heel'; or the ac- could be a variant of ad- (as in the prefix accede) meaning 'near to' or 'to, near, at' - 'near the Sun'.

Because Sirius (the main star in Canis Major) and Procyon (the main star in Canis Minor) are seen on opposite sides of the Milky Way, there is an Arab story describing how these two companions became separated by the great Sky River. The Arabs tell of two sisters who tried to follow their brother Suhail (Canopus) across the sky. When they came to the great Sky River they plunged in to swim across. The older and stronger sister (Sirius) managed and today can be seen on the southern bank of that great river. But the younger sister was too weak and remained weeping on the northern bank, where we still see her today as Procyon, or Canis Minor. 

The astrological influences of the constellation given by Manilius:

It is Orion who leads the constellations as they speed over the full circuit of the heavens. At his heels follows the Dog outstretched in full career: no star comes on mankind more violently or causes more trouble when it departs. Now it rises shivering with cold, now it leaves a radiant world open to the heat of the Sun [translator's note: In ancient times the Dogstar's evening rising occurred in early January, its evening setting in early May (for an explanation of these terms see the Loeb Aratus, Introduction E, or Dicks 12]: thus it moves the world to either extreme and brings opposite effects. Those who from Mount Taurus' lofty peak observe it ascending when it returns at its first rising learn of the various outcomes of harvests and seasons, what state of health lies in store, and what measure of harmony. It stirs up war and restores peace, and returning in different guise affects the world with the glance it gives it and governs with its mien. Sure proof that the star has this power are its colour and the quivering of the fire that sparkles in its face. Hardly is it inferior to the Sun, save that its abode is far away and the beams it launches from its sea-blue face are cold. In splendour it surpasses all other constellations, and no brighter star is bathed in ocean or returns to heaven from the waves. [Manilius, Astronomica, 1st century AD, book 1, p.34-37]

"The brilliant constellation of the Dog: it barks forth flame, raves with its fire, and doubles the burning heat of the Sun. When it put its torch to the earth and discharges its rays, the earth foresees its conflagration and tastes its ultimate fate [translator's note: the ecpyrosis of the Stoics, who held that the Universe would ultimately be engulfed in conflagration and all things would return to the condition of primeval fire].

Neptune lies motionless in the midst of his waters and the green blood is drained from leaves and grass. All living things seek alien climes and the world looks for another world to repair to; beset by temperatures too great to bear, nature is afflicted with a sickness of its own making, alive, but on a funeral-pyre: such is the heat diffused among the constellations, and everything is brought to a halt by a single star. When the Dogstar rises over the rim of the sea, which at its birth not even the flood of Ocean can quench, it will fashion unbridled spirits and impetuous hearts; it will bestow on its sons billows of anger, and draw upon them the hatred and fear of the whole populace.

"Words run ahead of the speakers: the mind is too fast for the mouth [translator's note: the impetuosity of the speaker causes him to utter words before he has time to adapt them to grammar or logic]. Their hearts start throbbing at the slightest cause, and when speech comes their tongues rave and bark, and constant gnashing imparts the sound of teeth to their utterance. Their failings are intensified by wine, for Bacchus [meaning alcohol] gives them strength and fans their savage wrath to flame.

"No fear have they of woods or mountains, or monstrous lions, the tusks of the foaming boar, or the weapons which nature has given wild beasts; they vent their burning fury upon all legitimate prey.

"Lest you wonder at these tendencies under such a constellation, you see how even the constellation itself hunts among the stars, for in its course it seeks to catch the Hare (Lepus) in front. [Manilius, Astronomica, 1st century AD, book 5, p.316-319].

© Anne Wright 2008.