An interesting book called "The Orion Mystery", by Robert Bauval and Adrian Gilbert, alleges that the three Egyptian pyramids of Giza were aligned with the three stars that form the belt of the constellation Orion.
According to Egyptian religious texts, the Pharaoh, upon death, would undergo the ceremony of opening of the mouth, and then the soul would be transported to the stars. There they would be reborn in a heavenly counterpart. It is thought that the soul would undergo some sort of rebirth by traveling to the stars of their ancestors. Most people unfamiliar with ancient Egyptian history think of them as simple sun worshippers, when in fact, their religion was celestial in nature.
In the Great Pyramid, long thought of as a tomb for the Pharaoh’s, even though no bodily or funerary remains have ever been found there, the northern 'air' shaft of the so-called King's Chamber points to the polar star Alpha Draconis (or Thuban). This was the polar star during the supposed time of the Pyramids creation. (Currently the polar star is Polaris). The southern shaft of the King's chamber points towards Orion's belt. In the Queen's Chamber, the north shaft runs toward Beta Ursa Minor, and the south shaft points directly toward Sirius.
So what do we know of Orion? It is one of the most ancient constellations to be recognized by mankind. In the earliest legends, Orion was a demi-god, a great hunter, the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the seas. (The concept of a semi-divine being born of both mortal and divine blood is key to myth of the ancient primordial races of mankind). In the story, the goddess Artemis fell in love with him, and this angered her brother Apollo. While Orion was swimming in the ocean, Apollo shined the light of the sun so brightly that Orion became just a small blur amongst the waves. Apollo then challenged Artemis to hit the shape from the shore with her bow and arrow. She shot the arrow and struck the target. Orion’s body later washed ashore, and Artemis realized what she had done and was overcome with grief. Other stories relate to Orion battling a scorpion, which is the constellation that chases him through the skies.
Another strange Greek myth concerns the birth of Orion, whose earliest name was Urion. An old farmer gave sanctuary to three passing strangers, who happened to be the gods Zeus, Neptune and Hermes. When they were finished, the visitors asked their host if he had any requests. The old man said that he wished he had a son. They stood together around the hide of the ox they had just eaten, and the gods urinated on it and told the old man to bury the hide. In time, a boy was born who the old man named Urion after the mode of his conception. But it seems this is from the Greek verb "ourein" that means not only "urinating", but also "shedding sperm". There is great similarity in this story with the Eddic poem, the Lay of Rig, where Heimdall lays his seed to form the three estates of mankind.
The Sumerian/Akkadian name for Orion was URU AN-NA, meaning the light of heaven. In the Bible, the term "Nephilim" has intrigued scholars for ages. The Nephilim were "those who came down" (from heaven), and they mated with the daughters of men to create giants. The term Nephilim is related to the Aramaic word Nephilia, which happens to be another name for the constellation of Orion!
In the Scandinavian world, Orion was referred to as "Frigg's distaff". Frigg, who is Odin's wife, is also the heavenly spinner. Frigg is linked to fate as spinning is employed by the Norns to dispense destiny to mankind. Frigg has the ability to see the fate of all men, but never reveals her knowledge. She stays in her own hall, Fensalir (Hall of Misty Sea, or Marsh Hall), and keeps there her jewel-studded spinning wheel. Certainly the jeweled spinning wheel resembles the turning stars of the constellations.
The distaff is a very old tool used in spinning, and is used to keep the fibres in
order without causing them tobecome disarrayed, tangled, or felted. It is interesting to note, albeit incidental, that some forms of the distaff resemble the forked iron knife or adze that was used by the Egyptian priests during the ceremony of the opening of the mouth before sending the Pharaoh to the stars. Similarly, Frigg's distaff keeps us on course, keeping our soul intact during its journey through the stargate.
So this mysterious constellation and its belt of three stars is somehow related to the fate of the soul after death. More importantly, it also seems to be identified as the home of the gods that seeded these special souls. As always, the fates of gods and men have ever been intertwined. This stargate may be our destination, and is it the end or the beginning? Do some have different destinations than others? Are the gods in Thuban, in Sirius, or elswhere? But it seems all must pass through the gate first. Maybe the three stars of Orion's belt identify three types of beings, one of light, one of darkness, and one of their union?
Which star is fated for thee? Or throughout the course of our eternal existence do we pass through them all at one time or another?
But who ever knows their fates? Only grim men seek their doom in dreams and stars, yet Frigg will never tell.
— Daemonskald, 34th Summer
