Home › Glossary › Letter P

Pleiades

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The seven daughters of Atlas transformed into stars to escape Orion; their celestial grouping symbolizes sisterhood, fate, and cosmic order.

Detailed Definition
The Pleiades, daughters of Atlas and Pleione, were transformed into stars to escape Orion’s pursuit. Only six are easily visible, inspiring myths of loss. In poetry, they symbolize sisterhood, celestial beauty, and the eternalization of mortal sorrow.
Example
Example in poetry:
The Pleiades, seven daughters of Atlas, are transformed into stars in Hesiod’s Works and Days; In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, their flight from Orion leads to apotheosis; Virgil references the Pleiades as a celestial marker in Georgics; Homer alludes to their rising in the Iliad for seasonal cues; Renaissance astronomy poetry uses the Pleiades as navigational guides; Modern verse employs the Pleiades to explore sisterhood and loss.
Additional Notes
Pleiades, seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione, were placed among stars to escape Orion; only six are easily visible, inspiring myths of loss—Hesiod mentions them in agricultural contexts—useful in poetry about sisterhood, navigation, seasonal change, or celestial mourning.
Also Known As
Seven Sisters Starry Daughters of Atlas Atlantides
Skip to main content