Yu.E. Berezkin, E.N. Duvakin

Thematic classification and distribution of folklore and mythological motifs by area

Analytical catalogue

Introduction
Bibliography
Ethnicities and habitats

I103. Dog star.

.12.14.-.17.21.23.26.-.32.40.46.47.50.

Sirius is associated with a dog or wolf.

Bambara, Tuaregs, Latins, Catalans, Germans, French, Babylonia, Vedas, Ancient China, Tibetans, Ancient Greece, Macedonians [wolf], Slovenes, Kashubians [wolf], Poles, Nogais, Armenians, Persians, Finns, Swedes, Scandinavians, Lithuanians, Komi, Central Yupik, Skidi Pawnee [wolf], Chiroks, Seri.

West Africa. Bambara (southern Mali) [Sirius is a dog, Orion is a hunter, the Pleiades and Hyades are Bintu and komo antelopes]: Pâques 1964:166

North Africa. Tuaregs: Basset 1910 (Ahaggar and Tadjebest en Amanar) [Orion is a gazelle hunter (Hare constellation), Sirius is his dog; (apparently from Duveyrier 1864:424, where the same)]: 16; Bernus, ag- Sidiyene 1989 [Sirius - "dog"]: 146

Southern Europe. Latins [Sirius - canicula ("dog")]: Matičetov 1972:60; Catalans: Amades 1930:123 [Can, "Dog" - Sirius], 125 (Balearics) [Cau, "Dog" - Sirius].

Western Europe. Germans [Sirius - Big Dog, Procyon - Little Dog (Early 18th Century Dictionary)]: Avilin 2015:96; French [Song Star (Early 18th Century Dictionary)]: Avilin 2015:96.

Western Asia. Babylonia: Allen 1899 [Sirius - Dog Star, Dog of the Sun]: 123; Hummel 1961 [the Big Dog constellation, along with part of Argo, appeared to be a bow and arrow headed by Sirius; later (in antiquity?) Sirius became a Dog Star]: 359; Rosenfeld 1962 [in Biruni's catalogue: "Giant's Dog" (i.e. Orion); Little Dog - "Previous Dog" (dates back before Sirius)]: 184-185, 190.

Tibet is the Northeast of India. Tibetans [the evil black sky dog is particularly threatened by boys, is on the Milky Way; apparently associated with Sirius or the Big Dog constellation in general]: Hummel 196:356-358, 361.

South Asia. Vedas [Sirius is the hunter (Lubdhaka) who fired an arrow (Orion Belt) at the Praja-pāti deer; also Saramā is one of two watchdogs on the Milky Way]: Allen 1899:119.

China - Korea. Ancient China: Sima Qian 2004 [Lan (Wolf) or Tien Lan (Sky Wolf) - Sirius)]: 120, 271 (comm.); Hummel 1961 [Sirius - T'ien-Land, the evil "heavenly dog"; when he gets up with by the sun, dogs are sacrificed to him]: 357.

The Balkans. Ancient Greece: Allen 1899 [Sirius is the dog 1) Orion, 2) Actaeon, 3) Artemis's companion, the nymph Prokrida, 4) presented to Kefalu by Eos and placed in heaven by Zeus as a reward for his speed]: 117; Hummel 1961 [Sirius, the Dog Star, causes disease (data from the first half of the 1st millennium BC; Sirius is also an ominous star in Rome)]: 359; Krappe 1930 [(Hyg., Fab., 130); taught by Dionysus to grow grapes, the Athenian Icarius gave his wine to the shepherds; when drunk, they thought that I. poisoned them and killed him; his dog showed him to his daughter Erigone where his grave was; E. hanged herself, the dog died at the grave owner; the gods placed them in the sky; E. - the constellation of Virgo, the dog - Sirius, I. - Boopas, the wagon on which he brought wine - Ursa Major]: 264-265; Hom. Il. XXII. 25-31 ["Elder Priam was the first to see Achilles with his eyes. /He rushed across the field like a star, sparkling with his equipment - /Like a star that rises in autumn with a bright glow /In the darkness of the night countless stars stand out in the sky./"The Dog of Orion" is the name of this star. /It glitters brighter all, but it can be a formidable sign/And it brings heavy fevers to mortals" (trans. V.V. Veresayev)]; [elegies by Theognids Megarsky (6th century BC): "People are meaningless and stupid who do not drink wine/do not drink wine when the star comes the Dog" (trans. A.K. Gavrilova); in the original - "protro kana"]: Theogn. I. 1039-1040 (original and linguistic commentary in van Groningen 1966:387); ["Apparitions" by Arat Soliysky (c. 315 - ca. 240 BC): "And under Orion's back when he rises above the sea./The Guard is the Dog, on the front paws have become, -/Variegated from the stars, but not even at all endowed with radiance/Black on the belly; but marked with an unprecedented luminous/The tip of his beard is so piercing heat/This burning star that people gave her the nickname/"Sirius". At a time when he rises together with the Sun, /Trees will not be able to deceive him with stunted foliage: /They will be easily sorted out in rows with an unmistakable eye, /Giving strength to some, drying out any juice from others./ We also know his visits. And other stars/Only the outlines of the Dog are barely distinguishable. /At orion legs, fleeing from the chase, /The hare every day. Sirius rushes relentlessly on the trail: he is not one step behind the Hare at sunrise, /He remains waiting for him even after entering. /Next to the tail of the great Dog, Argo makes his way aft forward" (trans. A.A. Rossius)]: Arat. Phaen. 326-343; [epigram by Julius Caesar Germanicus (15 BC - 19 AD), written in Greek and included in the Palatine Anthology: "Dogs, both, attempted on me, are no wonder:/ Dogs on earth and in water are equally ferocious towards me./Hares, the sky alone is free for you, but I'm afraid: /Sky, and you're carrying the Star Dog on you" (trans. YU. Schultz)]: Anth. Gr. IX. 18; [Myths attributed to Guy Julius Gigin, who lived at the turn of the eras, but most likely date back to the 1st and 2nd centuries: Sirius is Myra's dog, owned by Ikarius, who was killed by the Athenians and became Arcturus]: Hyg. Fab. 130; [The Catasterisms by Pseudo-Eratosthenes (1st to 2nd centuries): The dog "was given custody of Europe along with the Dragon, and they were both given to Minos, who later gave them to Procrida, who healed him of his illness. After a while, both were taken over by Prokrida's husband Kefal. He wanted fame and wanted to let this dog go on a fox that was prophecy that no one would be able to kill it. And Zeus, not knowing what to do, turned the fox into stone, and the Dog, considering it worthy, raised it to the constellations. Others believe that he was Orion's dog and accompanied him on the hunt - because this animal protects all hunters from animals - and he was placed among the constellations at the same time as Orion. This story seems quite plausible, as it does not miss anything that happened to Orion. The dog contains stars: there is one on its head or tongue, called Sirius - it is big and bright (stargazers like these are called Sirius because of the scorching heat), one on both shoulders is dim, on the chest two, three on the front leg; two on the abdomen; one on the left thigh; one on the edge of the foot; one on the right leg; one on the tail. Only thirteen" (trans. A.A. Rossius)]: Ps. -Erat. Cataster. XXXIII; [cf. Procyon: "is in front of the great Dog, hence its name. This dog is attributed to Orion because it is believed that he was a dog hunter. In addition, you can see the Hare and other animals near it" (trans. A.A. Rossius)]: Ps. -Erat. Cataster. XLII; Macedonians [Sirius and Procyon are two wolves; the plowman (Betelgeuse) returned behind his forgotten belt and was a little further from the oxen with the plow (the main part of Orion); so the wolves were going to attack oxen]: Cenev 2014:180-181; Slovenes: Avilin 2015 [Song star (early 19th century dictionary)]: 96; Matičetov 1972 [Sirius - Kuzlàk ("dog")]: 60.

Central Europe. Kashubians [Sirius - "animal star"]: Gulgowski 1910:25; Poles ["Star Song" - in dictionaries since the 16th century]: Avilin 2015:96

Caucasus - Asia Minor. Nogais [Big Dog - Samyr-Yulduz (Dog Star/Constellation)]: Kapayev 2012:135; Armenians [Sirius - Dog (Haika-Oriona)]: Abeghyan 2012:776-777.

Iran - Central Asia. Allen 1899 [Biruni: Al Kaib al Jabbār ("Giant's Dog"); same Persian. Kelbo Gavoro]: 119.

Baltoscandia. Finns [Koirantähti - Dog Star]: Nikonov 1973:380; Swedes [hundstierman (early 18th century dictionary)]: Avilin 2015:96; Scandinavians [Sirius - Greip, dog from the Sigurd myth] : Allen 1899:119; Lithuanians [Sirius and Procyon - "dogs"]: Vaiskunas in Avilin 2015:97.

Volga - Perm. Komi Zyrians [a star next to the month, Sirius is Iki-amp, "The Old Man's Dog"; {it's not entirely clear how significant identification with Sirius is, rather with any bright star}]: Karjalainen 1927:47 in Ulyashev 2011:57, 236.

The Arctic. Central Yupik (Unaligmiut): Nelson 1899:449 [Sirius is "Moon Dog"; when near the moon, it causes strong winds], 458 [the first person is born from a sea pea pod; The raven teaches him culture, shows the world; brings him to heaven; there is a round hole in it; there is a short fiery grass around; from which the Raven lit a fire on the ground; the hole is the Moon Dog (Sirius; see p. 449; if Sirius is near the moon, it produces a strong wind); A raven and a man jump into a hole, descend into the underwater world].

Plains. Skidi Pawnee [Wolf Star (Sirius) envied the Bright Star (Evening Venus Woman), decided that he could also put something valuable on the ground; sent Wolf after Lightning, to whom The bright Star gave a bag of stars; he took them out from time to time, they formed a village; the Wolf stole the bag, opened it, thinking that food was inside, killed him; this is how death appeared on earth; people made it skin, they brought themselves, so they skid (Pawnee's "wolf" unit); Sirius is Wolf Star; also Fooled Wolf, Stupid Wolf, Stupid Coyote, Coyote Star]: Dorsey 1904b: 17-18 (translated to Miller 1997:226).

Southeast USA. Chirokee [Sirius and Antares are two dog stars opposite each other, where the Milky Way meets the horizon; they cannot be seen at the same time; the soul crosses the stream on a thin perch, the villains fall down from it; the rest continue to go east and then west; at the entrance at the fork in the road, you must feed the dog well; moving on, the soul meets the second dog and also feeds; who has There is not enough food, it may not be able to avoid the second dog and will wander between the two forever]: Hagar 1906:362-363.

The Great Southwest. Seri [the three stars of the Orion Belt are mountain sheep; Sirius is the dog following him; Betelgeuse is an antelope]: Kroeber 1931:12.