1.

They point out that Sirius was associated with a plethora of ancient
mythological images and themes. In addition to being the star of Isis the
consort of Osiris, Sirius was also identified (among other things) with a
celestial bow and arrow (216). De Santillana and von Dechend show that
ancient Babylonian star descriptions identified the stars that we associate
with the lower legs and tail of the constellation Canis Major with a drawn bow
pointing to Sirius, which became the "Arrow Star."
The constellation is shown below, with the positions of the stars that form the
bow pointing to Sirius connected by bright green lines:

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That this bow pointing to Sirius was very ancient is confirmed by its depiction
in ancient Egyptian imagery, such as the Round Zodiac at Dendera (see
detail below):

The great emperors of Ancient China were also depicted pointing the bow
and arrow at a celestial dog or jackal, clearly indicative of the Dog Star Sirius,
as shown in the image below (a similar image is reproduced in Hamlet's Mill
between pages 216 and 217, as is the Dendera Zodiac shown above):

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The authors of Hamlet's Mill explain that Sirius was also associated in some
way with the depths of the sea, citing for example an ancient Babylonian New
Year's ritual addressed to the "Arrow Star, who measures the depths of the
sea" and the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, the Avesta, which names the
arrow Tishtriya and addresses it as "Tishtriya, by whom the waters count"
(358). They also cite also numerous myths in which a goddess or a maiden
who shoot an arrow from a bow into the midst of the ocean -- or to "the navel
of the ocean" -- including a myth from the Northwest Indians of British
Columbia (318).

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2.
357
Gerenti1 . . , and geir (hasta) agrees better with or than with eyra (auris), the
second interpretation may command our assent; a sight of the complete
legend would explain the reason of the name. I think Orentil's father
deserves attention too: Eigil is another old and obscure name. . . Can the
story of Orentil's wanderings possibly be so old amongst us, that in Orentil
and Eigil of Trier we are to look for that Ulysses and Laertes whom Tacitus
places on our Rhine? The names show nothing in common.
Scherer (p. 179) states shortly: "Earendel does not belong to ausos 'dawn,'
nor to OE. ar 'ear' (Ahre), but to OE. ae, ear m. 'wave, sea,' ON. aurr
'humidity" Gollancz, who is inclined to connect Earendel with Eastern
(ushas, eos, aurora, etc.), mentions more current derivations, among which
is that from aurr "moisture," and from the root signifying "to burn" in Greek,
euo, Latin uro, Ves- uvius, etc. Decisive seems to us the derivation from or
= arrow, suggested by Grimm, and by Uhland, who explained Orendel as
the one "who operates with the arrow" (in contrast to his grandfather,
Gerentil, who worked with the ger = spear), and Simrock gives the opinion
that the very gloss "Earendel Jubar" designate Earendel explicitly as "beam"
(or "ray"), "which still in MHG. and Italian means 'arrow.' " [n12 Handbuch
der Deutschen Mythologie (1869), 82, P.233.].
Simrock did more Taking into consideration that in the Heldenbuch Orendel
is spelled Erendelle, and at some other place Ernthelle, he thinks it probable
that "Ern" was dropped as epithet on ornans [n13 lbid. See also Simrock,
Die Quellen des Shakespeare (1870), pp. 129f.: Dies ward aber wohl in Tell
gekurzt, weil man die erste Silbe fur jenes vor Namen stehende 'Ehren'
ansah, as nach dem d. Worterb, III 52 aus 'Herr' erwachsen, bald fur ein
Epitheton ornans angesehen wurde."], and he concludes from there that the
story of Tell shooting the apple from the head of his son was once told of
Orendel himself. That the historical (?) Tell was not the inventor of this
famous shot, or even performed it, seems rather certain. As Grimm aptly
stated:
The legend of Tell relates no real event, yet, without fabrication or lying, as a
genuine myth it has shot up anew in the bosom of Switzerland, to embellish
a transaction that took hold of the nation's inmost being [n14 TM 3, p.
xxxiv.].

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358
Now there is no arrow to be found that could contest with Sirius in mythical
significance. We know mulKAK.SI.DI, the "Arrow-Star" from Sumer, as well
as "Tishtriya," the arrow from Ancient Iranit is shot from a bow built up by
stars of Argo and Canis Major (Sumerian: mulBAN). The very same bow is
to be found in the Chinese sphere, but there the arrow is shorter and aims at
Sirius, the celestial Jackal, whereas the same Egyptian arrow is aimed at
the star on the head of the Sothis Cow, as depicted in the so-called "Round
Zodiac" of DenderaSirius again. In India, Sirius is the archer himself
(Tishiya), and his arrow is represented by the stars of Orion's Belt. And
about all of them manifold legends are told. Thus, "Earendel, brightest of
angels thou," might well point to the brightest among the fixed stars, Sirius.
But even the derivation from the root aurr = moisture, ear = sea, would not
exclude Sirius. Quite the contrary. The Babylonian New Year's ritual says:
"Arrow Star, who measures the depth of the sea"; the Avesta states:
"Tishtriya, by whom the waters count." And as Tishtriya, "the Arrow,"
watches Lake Vurukasha (see p. 215), so Teutonic Egil is the guardian of
Hvergelmer, the whirlpool, and of Elivagar, south of which "the gods have an
'outgard,' a 'saeter' which is inhabited by valiant watcherssnotrir vikinger
they are called in Thorsdrapa, 8who are bound by oaths to serve the
gods. Their chief is Egil, the most famous archer in the mythology. As such
he is also called Orvendel (the one busy with the arrow)." [n15 V. Rydberg,
Teutonic Mythology (1907), pp. 424ff., 968ff.].
We had better stop getting diffuse concerning Sirius the Arrow and his role
as guardian and as "measurer of the depth of the sea"; the few hints that
were given here must suffice to show the level at which to look for the father
of Hamlet.
Since, however, we can never resist the temptation to quote beautiful
poems, we have still to confess our suspicion that the "Stella Maris" is Sirius
too. Enough is known about Isis/Sirius as guardian-deity of navigators, to
whom belongs the "carra navalis," and was it not "Mary or Christ" who was
addressed with "Hail, Earendel"? In the same manner, the hymn "In
Annunciatione Beatae Mariae" begins with the verses:
Ave, maris stella
Dei mater alma
atque semper virgo
felix caeli porta

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Appendix 15
As concerns the removing of the Pole star, the most drastic version is told
by the Lapps:
When Arcturus (alpha Bootis, supposed to be an archer, Ursa Major being
his bow) shoots down the North Nail with his arrow on the last day, the
heaven will fall, crushing the earth and setting fire to everything [n1 U.
Holmberg, Finno-Ugric and Siberian Mythology (1964), p. 221. See the
drawing made by J. Turi in Das Buch des Lappen Turi (1912), plate XIV:
Arcturus = Favtna, Polaris/North Nail = Boaje-naste, or Bohinavlle.].
Other legends prefer to deal with the fate of circumpolar stars, the result
being the same.
The Siberian Kirghis call the three stars of the Little Bear nearest the Pole
star, which form an arch, a "rope" to which the two larger stars of the same
constellation, the two horses, are fastened. One of the horses is white, the
other bluish-grey. The seven stars of the Great Bear they call the seven
watchmen, whose duty it is to guard the horses from the lurking wolf. When
once the wolf succeeds in killing the horses the end of the world will come.

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