Myths about Stars

While many civilizations developed associated myths with various combinations of stars in the sky, some also associated specific stars with their myths. The stories below provide a mix of stories about stars and star groups from various cultures around the world.
This is a Pawnee Indian shown in ceremonial dress. The Pawnee people were one of the largest and most powerful of the Native American groups. They, like many indigenous groups, had a sophisticated knowledge of astronomy. They also had many stories (myths) that connected their people to the natural world.<p><small><em> Image is now in public domain. It was originally published by Powell, J. W. <i>Twenty-Second Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology - Part 2.</i> Washington: Government Printing Office, 1904.</em></small></p>The Pleiades (Tianquiztli) are portrayed in the upper left of this image. Other symbols represent other constellations, a meteor, the sun, the moon, and eclipses. From the Primeros Memoriales, a sixteenth-century colonial manuscript compiled by Fray Bernardino de Sahagun.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of David Carrasco and Eduardo Matos Moctezuma. University Press of Colorado, 1992. </em></small></p>

Explore Myths about Stars

Greek: Hyades

For the ancient Greeks, the Hyades were daughters of Pleione and Atlas, a giant who carried ...Read more

Greek: Pleiades

In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were seven sisters. Their names were Maia, Electra, Alcyone, ...Read more

Navajo: Flintboys

The Flint Boys is the name that Navajo Indians give to the Pleiades. According to a Navajo ...Read more

Pawnee: Tirawa

According to the Pawnee Indians, the world was created by the god Tirawa who assigned to the ...Read more

Navajo: Coyote

According tho the Navajo mythology, the Milky Way was created by the misbehavior of the mischievous ...Read more

Maya: The Milky Way

Mayans seem to have thought of the Milky Way as the mystic road along which souls walk into ...Read more

Hindu: Krttika

In the Hindu mythology, it is said that the stars of the Big Dipper were the seven sages called ...Read more

Hindu: Svaha

According to Hindu mythology, Svaha represents the star Zeta Tauri, which is the tip of one ...Read more

Aztec: Tianquiztli

The Pleiades were known to the Aztecs as Tianquiztli which means the "marketplace." The Pleiades ...Read more

Historical Events

Full Earth and Space Science    History Calendar (Members only)

Teacher Opportunities

Full Teacher Events Calendar (Educator Members only)

Did you know?

Did you know that the Vernal Equinox is coming? Find out more about the seasons here.

Did you know that the magnetic field of the Sun flips its orientation every 11 years?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Sand boil
xSand boil : A sand boil is sand and water that come out onto the ground surface during an earthquake as a result of liquefaction at shallow depth.

Click on the word to find out!

Research Highlights

A Star Is Born... But How?

Created in the first three minutes after the Big Bang, hydrogen and helium gave rise to all other elements in the universe.  Stars made this possible. Through nuclear fusion, stars generated elements such...Read more


Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA