Pagan Paths
Hellenismos, otherwise known as Greek Reconstructionist Paganism, is the traditional, polytheistic religion of ancient Greece, reconstructed in and adapted to the modern world. It's a vibrant religion which can draw on a surprising amount of ancient sources. Baring the Aegis blogger Elani Temperance blogs about her experiences within this Tradition.
Constellation Canis Minor: the little dog
Canis Minor is, unsurprisingly, closely linked to the constellation Canis Major. Like Canis Major, Canis Minor may represent one of Orion's hunting dogs. The Ancient Hellens called the brightest star of the constellation 'Procyon' (προκυων), 'coming before the dog', because it rises an hour before the 'dog star', Sirius, of Canis Major. Canis Minor may thus also represent the Teumessian fox, a fox that could never be caught. With just two stars, there is a lot of leeway, after all. As I wrote in my post about Canis Major, Canis Major may represent Laelaps, a dog who would always catch his pray. The fox was a prey that could never be caught. Zeus, stunned by the display, rewarded them both and placed them in the sky.
The constellation may also be linked to the constellation Boötes, the herdsman. From that post:
Canis Minor's size is one of the reasons I'm a big fan. Throwing professionalism out the window: it's just so cute. If you want to observe it for yourself, it's visible at latitudes between +90° and −75°, and best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of March.
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