Orion, << aw RY uhn or oh RY uhn >>, was a handsome and energetic hunter in Greek mythology. He was a giant who could walk through the sea and on its surface.
Orion had a troubled love life. His wife was sent to Hades after she boasted that she was more beautiful than the goddess Hera (see Hades). Because Orion seduced his fiancée, Merope, her father, King Oenopion, blinded him. Helios, the sun god, restored Orion’s sight.
According to one myth, Artemis, the goddess of hunting, killed Orion because he tried to rape her. Another myth says that Artemis considered marrying Orion, but her jealous brother Apollo tricked her into hitting Orion with an arrow while he was swimming. In her sorrow at his death, Artemis placed Orion in the sky as a constellation. Another myth tells that Gaea, the earth, sent a scorpion to sting Orion to death.
