Orion was born of strange origins. Some say he was the son of Poseidon, lord of the sea, and so could stride upon the waters as others walk upon land. Others whisper he sprang from the earth itself, a gift of the gods to a pious king who longed for a son. However he came to be, Orion grew tall and strong, a giant among men, with a bow that struck truer than any mortal’s, and with beauty that turned many eyes.

He roamed the wilds, slaying beasts with fearless hand, his name carried across Greece as the greatest hunter to walk beneath the sun. Some tell he hunted beside the goddess Artemis, maiden of the moon and mistress of the bow, and together they roamed as comrades, bringing down lions and boars with arrows flying like silver rain.

But hubris is the shadow of greatness. Orion once boasted that no beast on earth could escape his skill, that he would slay them all. Such words offended Gaia, the Earth herself, who sent forth a monstrous scorpion to humble his pride.

"Hunter’s stride, with bow so bright,

Prideful heart that seeks the fight,

Earth will answer, earth will sting,

Fate shall strike the mightiest king."

The scorpion rose from the sand, its stinger gleaming with venom. Orion, undaunted, fought with bow and blade, but the creature was relentless, driven by Gaia’s will. Some say Apollo, jealous of Orion’s closeness with Artemis, tricked the goddess into loosing an arrow that struck Orion down as he swam in the sea. Others say it was the scorpion itself that ended him, its venom black and final.

Artemis, grieving, begged Zeus to honour Orion. And so the hunter was lifted into the heavens, his great belt and sword forever shining as stars. The scorpion, too, was set in the sky, and to this day, when Scorpio rises, Orion flees, chased eternally across the night.

"Stars are born from grief and flame,

Hunter, stung, yet won his name,

Chase forever, sky to sky,

Orion runs, but cannot die."

So the people watch the heavens, and when Orion’s belt glitters in the winter night, they remember the hunter’s strength—and the danger of words spoken too boldly against the will of gods.