Anyone on Earth who can see the Sun and the Moon can also see the Pleiades star cluster—known as M45, Melotte 22, the Seven Sisters, or Matariki in Aotearoa New Zealand. These stars are located just one degree from the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the sky. To visualise this, one degree is roughly the width of your pinky finger held at arm’s length.
For Māori, the Pleiades have different names depending on the season in which they are observed. In June, when they appear in the morning sky, their heliacal rising marks the Māori New Year, and they are called Matariki.
A Spectacular Cluster with Global Significance
The Pleiades are a stunning and iconic cluster of stars, often captured in some of the most spectacular astrophotography. These young, hot, and blue stars move together through their galactic neighborhood, which includes our solar system.
Pleiades in the Night Sky
The Pleiades cluster is visible in the night sky from June until April. However, because they lie within the Zodiacal Band—a region 8 degrees on either side of the ecliptic, which contains the 12 zodiac constellations—they disappear for a couple of months each year. Within this celestial highway, the Pleiades belong to the constellation Taurus, the Bull.
Pleiades in Cultural Traditions
Many cultures have developed traditions and myths around the reappearance of the Pleiades and even their culmination (when they reach their highest point in the sky).
• In pagan European traditions, their culmination was linked to Samhain, later known as All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween) (Plotner T, The Night Sky Companion, 2009).
• Their achronical rising (when they appear at nightfall) in November was associated with mourning in ancient Europe, symbolizing the death of nature as winter approached.
• In Norse mythology, they were Freya’s hens, a theme that continues in Hungarian and Romanian folklore, where they are known as chickens and hens.
• In the Sahara, the Pleiades signal the dry season when they set with the Sun and the rainy season when they rise with it (Bernus & ag-Sidiyene, 1989, Étoiles et Constellations chez les Nomades).
• In Greek culture, the name Pleiad is associated with “plenty”, reflecting an ancient link to agriculture and abundance.
The Pleiades in Global Traditions
The Pleiades have inspired diverse cultural interpretations across the world, appearing in astronomical records, mythology, and even modern language.
• Jewish astronomers believed the cluster contained hundreds of stars, far more than the handful visible to the naked eye.
• Islamic scholars recorded as many as 12 stars, emphasizing their visibility in pre-modern astronomy.
• In modern European tradition, the term “pleiad” has come to symbolize a group of seven distinguished people or things (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).
Symbolism Across Cultures
The Pleiades have been represented as everything from women and warriors to food and animals:
• In the Middle East, they are often seen as a beautiful woman, Thurayya, a name still used today.
• In North American Indigenous traditions, they can represent many beautiful women, a group of brothers or men, or even dogs and coyotes.
• The famous Turkish chocolate brand Ülker is named after the Pleiades, where in Turkish, the word means “military ambush”—a rare example of the cluster being associated with war.
• For the Andeans and Aztecs, the Pleiades symbolized abundance, closely linked to harvesting and marketplaces(Aveni A., Skywatchers, 1980).
• In India, they were connected to fire, stubbornness, and anger, while in Indonesia, their appearance marked the beginning of the planting season (Yamani A., Footsteps of Astronomy in Indonesia, 2011).
The Seven Sisters: A Story as Old as Time
The Seven Sisters is perhaps the most famous and recognisable name for the Pleiades cluster, especially among New Zealanders and Europeans. In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione, relentlessly pursued by the hunter Orion. A remarkably similar tale exists in Indigenous Australian traditions, where the Pleiades are also seen as seven sisters being chased by a hunter.
However, despite the Seven Sisters name, most people today can only see six stars in the cluster with the unaided eye.
The Oldest Myth in Human History?
A fascinating study suggests that the story of the Pleiades could be one of the oldest surviving myths, dating back an astonishing 100,000 years. This tale, shared by both Greek and Indigenous Australian cultures, hints at a common origin—one that early humans may have carried with them as they migrated from Africa.
The study proposes that in ancient times, the star Pleione—now faint—was more distinct, possibly explaining why early observers described seven bright stars instead of six.
Ray Norris, an astrophysicist from Western Sydney University, suggests that these myths may have originated from actual celestial observations, made when the stars Pleione and Atlas were easier to distinguish. While some skepticism remains, the idea highlights the extraordinary longevity of oral traditions—stories that have evolved and traveled across continents for tens of thousands of years.
