Shen: Orion’s Belt in China

Three Stars and Turtle Beak - Chart based on Sea and Sky

When we look at Orion’s bright stars, we may see it as a belt if you’re Greek, a string of pearls if you’re Arab, or something else altogether if you’re Chinese. These bright stars carry different stories for different cultures. The story of the hunter Orion who was defeated by Scorpius and thereby placed on opposite sides of the sky shares a striking similarity to a Chinese legend of an emperor and his sons. 

Emperor Gaoxinshi, according to the legend, is known to have ruled China from about 2436 BC to 2366 BC. He had two sons named Shichen and Ebo who were always feuding. So the emperor placed his sons in the sky with Shichen ruling the lunar mansion of Shen in present-day Orion and Ebo ruling the lunar mansion Xin in present-day Scorpius. And like the Orion and Scorpius constellations that will never meet, the two fighting brothers will never be feuding again. 

These stories that tie cultures and constellations together tell us about the things that inspired them, things that they feared, and the values they held. We can learn more about each other through the stories we tell, especially stories that have been told and re-told for hundreds and thousands of years.