Nadan Narhūn (ᠨᠠᡩᠠᠨ ᠨᠠᡵᡥᡡᠨ)

Authors: Lyu Haocheng

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Image that shows the earliest map or drawing

Image that shows the cultural object (e.g. in archaeological museum)

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. The meaning of "narhūn" is currently not very clear. Although Nadan Narhūn is commonly interpreted as "Seven Maidens", there is no clear evidence to suggest that the term "Narhūn" is related to this. Considering the high frequency of Narhūn as a Manchu prayer for worshipping the heavens, it is likely that the term specifically refers to the Pleiades and later expanded to a general term for all stars in the sky. 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)

Maps (Gallery)

historical map	modern identification	same in Stellarium
Kulou on the Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido Star Chart

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)