Pleiades in folklore and literature

The high visibility of the star cluster Pleiades in the night sky has guaranteed it a special place in many cultures, both ancient and modern. The heliacal rising of Pleiades often marks important calendar points for ancient peoples.

The Tuareg Berbers living in the desert of North Africa call the Pleiades Cat iheḍ (pronounced: shat ihedd), or Cat ahăḍ (pronounced: shat ahadd). The name means in Berber: "daughters of the night". Other Berbers call this star cluster: Amanar (meaning: "the guide") or Tagemmunt (meaning: "the group").

A Tuareg Berber proverb says:

Cat ahăḍ as uḍănăt, ttukayeɣ ttegmyeɣ, anwar daɣ ttsasseɣ. As d-gmaḍent, ttukayeɣ ttegmyeɣ tabruq ttelseɣ.

Translation: When the Pleiades fall, I wake up looking for my goatskin bag to drink. When (the Pleiades) rise, I wake up looking for a cloth to wear.

Meaning: When the Pleiades "fall" with the sun on the west, it means the hot season is coming, which implies the heat and the thirst of the summer. When the Pleiades rise from the east with the sun, it means the cold and rainy season is coming, and thus one does well to prepare for the cold.

In the Bible, the Pleiades are mentioned as כימה ("Khima") three times, always in conjunction with Orion—Amos 5:8; Job 9:9; and Job 38:31. The first two verses are references about their creation, but the third (taken in the context of the following verses) may be more about their ongoing appearance in the night sky. In Job 38:31, the Lord is speaking directly to Job and challenges him, asking if he can bind the chains of the Pleiades—the implication being that Job cannot, but the Lord can. Talmud (Bavli, Berakhot, 58b) says that it has about 100 stars, understanding the word כימה as כמאה ke' me-ah, "about one hundred" in Hebrew.

They are known as kimah in Jewish culture.

In Arabic the Pleiades are known as al-Thurayya الثريا, and mentioned in Islamic literature. Muhammad is noted to have counted twelve stars in the constellation as reported in Ibn Ishaq (this was in the time before telescopes when most could only see six). The name was borrowed into Persian and Turkish as a female given name, and is in use throughout the Middle East (for example Princess Soraya of Iran and Thoraya Obaid). It is also the name of the Thuraya satellite phone system based in the United Arab Emirates.

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