Dog Names Meaning Star

When it comes to dogs in the night sky, it’s hard to ignore Sirius, the Dog Star because it is, after all, THE dog star. But many seem to overlook that it is not the only dog-related star or constellation. In fact, for civilizations that developed in the northern hemisphere, Sirius’ relative, Procyon, was actually more important in gauging the impending rise of the Nile. Procyon’s name itself means “before the dog”, meaning that Procyon’s helical rising preceded Sirius at dawn, thus providing an even greater warning of the coming flood. 

Sirius and Procyon are members of Canis Major and Canis Minor respectively and they are best known for their relation to Orion, a prominent hunter in Greek mythology, but the prior often gets more credit and recognition as it is the brightest star in the night sky. However, Procyon also has massive cultural significance as well and even enjoys a second story beyond just being one of the dogs that Orion uses to chase down Lepus, the legendary hare. 

In the story, Procyon is actually named Maera and was the hound of Erigone, daughter of Icarius. Icarius was a follower of the wine god Dionysus and because of it, was taught by the latter how to make wine himself. As the story goes, Icarius happened upon shepherds during his travels and being a kind soul, offered to share his wine. Never having it before, the men became intoxicated and assumed Icarius had tried to poison them and in turn, decided to kill him. As a faithful dog to both Erigone and her father, Maera leads Erigone to her father’s body. They both become so distraught they take their own lives and are eventually honored by being placed in the night sky by Dionysus himself. 

But the Greeks weren’t the only ones to revere Procyon. Despite the separation of their development, many other cultures also had stories to surround it, some of which were even dog-related as well. In Macedonian folklore, both Sirius and Procyon were considered wolves that hungrily surrounded Orion, who in their version, was the watcher of the village oxen. To the Babylonians and Egyptians, Procyon also held great importance and was known as Nangar (the carpenter) who is credited with constructing and organizing the celestial bodies. The Hawaiians considered the star the canoe bailer who also helped them navigate while the Tahitians considered it one of the main pillars needed to prop up the sky itself.