Le catastérisme chez Homère. Le cas d'Orion

Abstract

Since the Homeric epics, Orion has been quoted altogether as a hero of ancient times and as a constellation. In Homer's epics he is the only hero who is in such a situation. The epics quote a lot of constellations, but only as such. The poet doesn't mention explicitly the transformation of the hero into constellation. However the dubble function exercized by Orion makes implicite that the poet knew it. His silence may be due to the fact that he had no opportunity to mention it, but he's reluctant to show extraordinary deeds. The knowledge and observation of the stars was especially important in the herds and cultivators's world, world which is depicted in the homeric comparisons and which is the world in which Homer himself has lived. Orion as a constellation appears especially in the comparisons. The etymology of Orion's name suggest that it was a constellation characteristic of summer. This etymology is confirmed by the fact of the heliacal rise of Orion, which is more or less at the summer's solstice, For the ancient Greeks, summer is a period which is good for harvesting and vintaging, but which is also a period of excessive heat which produces feavers and other illnessess. Orion's constellation seems to produce in the world a dubble reaction : happiness for the given benefits and anxiety for the susci- tated misfortunes. This reaction could be very ancient. The myth will see in Orion a hero as ambiguous in his action as the constellation in its effects. Either Orion, hero of the primeveal times, represents in someway a new humanity, either he is a excessive hunter who has the prétention to keep down and to destroy all the wild animals on earth, in fact everything which is characteristic of Artemis' sphere. He is falling in love with the goddess or is in conflict with her, and in any situation Orion is killed.