Pleiades
The Pleiades were seven sisters, daughters of Atlas and Pleione, who were placed among the stars as the star cluster that has guided sailors and farmers for millennia.
The Myth of Pleiades
The Pleiades, seven daughters of Atlas and the Oceanid Pleione, were pursued by Orion until Zeus placed them among the stars for protection. Maia, the eldest, bore Hermes to Zeus in an Arcadian cave. Electra bore Dardanus, ancestor of the Trojan royal house — linking the Pleiades directly to Troy, Paris, and Hector. Taygete was sacred to Artemis and gave her name to the mountains above Sparta. Merope alone married a mortal, Sisyphus, and her star shines faintest from shame. The Pleiades' rising marked planting season and their setting marked harvest — farmers from Athens to Ithaca governed their year by these seven sisters of the sky.
Parents
Atlas and Pleione
Children
Various by various gods
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Subaru car logo shows six stars — it's the Japanese name for the Pleiades, and the company's name means "the Pleiades."
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Pleione
🌿 nymphSea, sailing, flocks
Oceanid nymph and mother of the seven Pleiades star-cluster daughters
Constellation Pleiades
💭 conceptastronomy, nymph
The seven daughters of Atlas and the Oceanid Pleione, pursued by Orion and transformed into a star cluster that has guided sailors and farmers for millennia.
Merope
🌿 nymphstars, shame
The Pleiad who married a mortal and whose star shines faintest in the cluster, dimmed by shame at her choice.
Hyades
🌿 nymphRain-bringing star nymphs
The Hyades were nymphs who nursed the infant Dionysus and were placed among the stars as a cluster whose rising brought the autumn rains.
Sterope
🌿 nymphstars, lightning
A Pleiad, daughter of Atlas and Pleione, whose name means "lightning face" and who bore Oenomaus to the war god Ares.
Phaeo
🌿 nymphStars, nursing
One of the Hyades nymphs who nursed the infant Dionysus and was later placed among the stars
Callisto
🌿 nymphNymph transformed into the Great Bear
Callisto was a companion of Artemis who was seduced by Zeus and transformed into a bear — placed in the sky as Ursa Major, the Great Bear constellation.
Polyxo
🌿 nymphStars, nursing
One of the Hyades nymphs and nurse of Dionysus, transformed into a star for her devoted care of the god
Phyto
🌿 nymphStars, nature
One of the Hyades nymphs whose name means growth or planting, connected to the agricultural significance of the star cluster
Maia
🌿 nymphMother of Hermes, eldest Pleiad
Maia was the eldest and most beautiful of the seven Pleiades, a shy mountain nymph who bore Hermes to Zeus in a secret cave on Mount Cyllene.
Asterope
🏔 titanstarlight, the Pleiades
One of the seven Pleiades, whose name means "star-face" or "lightning," and whose star was among the dimmest in the cluster.
Oceanids
🌿 nymphThree thousand daughters of Oceanus
The Oceanids included Metis, Styx, Doris — nymphs of all fresh waters.