Nadan Narhūn

Authors: Lyu Haocheng

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Nadan Narhūn (Manchu: ᠨᠠᡩᠠᠨ ᠨᠠᡵᡥᡡᠨ) is the most important constellation in Manchu sky culture, corresponding to the Pleiades of Taurus. Nadan Narhūn is usually interpreted as the "Seven Meidens" and is regarded as the incarnation of the goddess Elden Hehe in Manchu mythology.

Concordance, Etymology, History

Etymology

In Manchu, "nadan" refers to "seven", obviously referring to the seven bright stars of the Pleiades. In Manchu, the word "narhūn" means "thin, dense", which may refer to the dense arrangement of stars in the Pleiades. In Qing Dynasty literature, Nadan Narhūn has various spellings:

• Nadan Narhūn
• Nadan Naihūn
• Nadan Daihūn

Considering the similarity in pronunciation of these words, they are all names for the Pleiades.

Among the godesses in Manchu mythology, Elden Hehe, the goddess of stars, ranks third:

1. Abka Hehe: Goddess of the Sky
2. Banaji Eme: Goddess of the Earth
3. Elden Hehe: Goddess of Stars
4. Dergi Omo Mama: Goddess of the East Sea (referring to the Sea of Japan)

IAU Working Group on Star Names

In 202x, the name of the historical constellation "xxx" was suggested to be used for one of the stars in this constellation. ...

Decision: ...

References

References (Chinese)