The Scorpion of Orion stung and killed the great hunter after Gaia sent it to punish his boast that he would slay every wild creature. Both were placed as constellations on opposite sides of the sky, never visible together.
⚠ The Scorpion tradition (Eratosthenes, Hyginus) is an alternative to the Artemis-killing traditions in Apollodorus and Homer. Some sources have both — the Scorpion kills Orion, and Artemis requests his catasterism.
Gaia created the Scorpion of Orion to punish the hunter for his hubris in boasting he would exterminate every beast on earth. The earth goddess defended her creatures by producing a monster Orion could not defeat.
Artemis sent a monstrous scorpion to hunt down Orion, and both hunter and beast were set among the stars, the Scorpion forever pursuing Orion across the night sky.
⚠ Sources disagree on who sent the scorpion: most attribute it to Artemis or Gaia (Eratosthenes, Hyginus), while some say Apollo arranged the attack to protect his sister's chastity.
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