The story of the Seven Sisters refers to the mythical tales linked with the Pleiades star cluster, which appears in various folklore and mythologies globally. These tales are potentially among humanity’s oldest narratives due to two primary reasons: their widespread presence across different cultures and the antiquity of the cultures that narrate them.
One of the most well-known myths originates from Greek mythology, where the Seven Sisters are the daughters of Atlas and Pleione, pursued by Orion and later transformed into stars by Zeus. Similar myths exist in indigenous cultures worldwide. In the Aboriginal cultures of Australia, the story often involves seven women being chased by a man, reflective of the Greek narrative yet unique in its cultural context. In Native American traditions, particularly among the Lakota and other Plains tribes, these stars symbolize a group of maidens transformed into the stars by the Great Spirit to escape harm.
The Pleiades’ prominence in the night sky and its visibility from virtually every populated area on earth have made it a central theme in celestial navigation and storytelling for many ancient civilizations. Archaeological evidence suggests that these stories emerged independently across various regions, potentially dating back over 100,000 years. The uniformity of seeing the Pleiades as seven figures worldwide points to deep-rooted human fascination and commonality in storytelling.
Thus, while these stories have evolved and adapted over millennia in different cultures, their continuous and overlapping presence highlights their status as potential candidates for being among humanity’s oldest tales, linking past generations to the celestial sphere above.