Cosmic Hunt

This article is about a non-fiction entity related to the Astronist belief system or the Astronic tradition.
Any article relating to a fictional entity will be clearly marked as being part of the Spacefaring World.

Part of a series on Astronist mythology
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Astromyth Pre-Cometanic origin Cosmic Hunt · World mill · Starlore · Star of Bethlehem · Blue moon · Hollow moon · Lunar effect · Moon magic · Splitting of the moon · Moon made of cheese · Missing Sun motif Cometanic origin Astrantis · Astronist antemurale · Astronadon · Astral gemstones · Cosmic resurrection · Astrapotropaic Theriocosmism Space whale · Space turtle Anthropocosmism Solar deity · Lunar deity · Planetary deity · Night deity · Star deity · Cosmic deity Pareidolia Man in the Moon · Moon rabbit · Nepholia · Nebulia Anthropolia Space miracle · Spacecraft feat · Fastest takeoff · Other Earth myth Stellation Aesthestellation · Autostellation · Aviastellation · Deprostellation · Parastellation · Prostellation · Restellation · Strenstellation · Transtellation
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Related topics
Millettarian mythology · Millettarian mystology · End times in Astronism · Astronic eschatology Astronism Portal Related articles Millettarian terminology Comparative studies Cultural elements

The Cosmic Hunt is a category of prehistoric myths that have been classified as part of the Astronic tradition of mythology by the Astronist Institution and have been designated as fundamental to the origins of Astronic religions. The original version of the Cosmic Hunt is thought to have originated sometime before 15,000 BCE for it to have been distributed across the Bering land bridge into the Americas during the last Ice Age. As such, the Cosmic Hunt myth is cited as beginning sometime during the Upper Palaeolithic period of the Stone Age as part of a wider Palaeolithic astronomical religion, of which astrolatry and astromancy were also important aspects.

The framework that all cosmic hunt myths typically follow involves the transmigration of the soul of an animal (sometimes also the hunters) to the stars (transtellation) after being killed by a group of hunter-gatherers. Variations of the myth differ by which type of animal is killed, the number of hunters present, and which constellation the animal or hunters transmigrate to. Other additional details also make different myth variants unique.

The following areas are used as geographic categories featuring Cosmic Hunt variants: Africa, American Coast-Plateau/British Columbia, American Great Basin/Great Southwest, Northeastern America, Asia, Arctic, Basque, Greece, and Guiana.

Index of variants

In 2018, the magazine Scientific American, as based on the previous work of Julien d'Huy, compiled the 88 known variants of the Cosmic Hunt myth together from across Eurasia and the Americas.

By mytheme

Zoemes (the type of animal in the myth)

• The zoeme is a big mammal (100%)
• The zoeme is a herbivore (73.33%)
• The zoeme is a horned animal (73.33%)
• The zoeme is an ungulate (73.33%)
• The zoeme is an elk (40%)
• The zoeme is a carnivore (26.66%)
• The zoeme is a bear (26.66%)
• The zoeme is a cow (13.33%)
• The zoeme is a domestic animal (13.33%)
• The zoeme is a fisher mammal
• The zoeme is a reindeer
• The zoeme is a deer
• The zoeme is a moose
• The zoeme is a camel
• The zoeme is a mountain sheep
• The zoeme is an antelope
• The zoeme is a zebra
• The zoeme is a pig
• The zoeme is an ox
• The zoeme is a tapir
• Zoeme is the pursuer's mother, who has been transformed into a bear
• It is a six-legged animal
• It is a domestic animal

Details of pursuit

• There is one animal (73.33%)
• There is one pursuer (66.66%)
• There are at least three pursuers (20%)
• Pursuers are dogs (20%)
• Pursuers are members of the same family (13.33%)
• There are four animals
• There are seven animals
• There are two animals
• There are three animals
• There are two pursuers
• There are five pursuers
• There are seven pursuers
• The sword of Orion is a pursuer
• An animal pursues an animal that pursues an animal

Details of transtellation

• The animal is alive (only wounded) when it transtellates into the constellation (86.66%)
• Pursuers also transtellate to the night sky (60%)
• The animal transtellates into the Big Dipper (53.33%)
• Orion is the transtellated pursuer (26.66%)
• The pursuing dogs experience transtellation (20%)
• The animal is dead when it transtellates into the constellation (13.33%)
• Two animals turns into two stars of the Big Dipper (13.33%)
• Hunters transtellate because of a relative (13.33%)
• Hunters are the handle of the Big Dipper (13.33%)
• Hunters form five stars of the Big Dipper (13.33%)
• The star Alcor is a dog (13.33%)
• Cassiope is the animal (13.33%)
• The three stars of Orion's Belt are interpreted as three animals (6.66%)
• The three stars of Orion's Belt are interpreted as three pursuers
• Hunters form seven stars of the Big Dipper
• Hunters form five stars of the Big Dipper
• The Pleiades are an animal
• The Hyades are an animal
• Betelgeuse is an animal
• Cassiopeia is an animal
• The Pleiades are hunters
• Members of the same family turn into Ursa Major and Ursa Minor
• Four animals turn into four stars of the Big Dipper
• Seven animals form seven stars of the Big Dipper
• One of the neighbouring stars of Orion is a sword shot by the hunter to hit the animals
• A man turns his brothers into stars
• Three stars are the shadow of the animal
• The star Alcor is an object
• The star Alcor is an arrow
• The star Alcor is a knife
• The star Alcor is a cooking pot

Divine intercession

• A god transtellates the animal into a constellation (40%)
• A god transforms a nymph into a bear (26.66%)
• A divine figure stops the hunter (13.33%)
• A man is about to kill his mother but is transformed into a bear (13.33%)

Miscellaneous details

• Animals are associated to their owner (13.33%)
• A woman breaks a taboo
• The zoeme captures the Sun
• An animal is punished for its pride
• A man goes down alone from the sky to Earth and destroys the way to access to the sky
• The hunt continues until the fall
• The grease or the blood dripping from the animal's body falls on Earth and becomes something else
• The grease becomes honeydew
• The dripping blood of the animal tinges the autumn foliage
• The grease becomes snow
• Cutoff limbs are stars seen in winter
• The Big Dipper is a drawing
• The hero is the origin of warmth
• The cosmic animal is hit with a dart or arrow
• One of the main constellations of the story is the Big Dipper
• One of the main constellations of the story is Orion
• One of the main constellations of the story is the Pleiades

People groups

There are number of ancient to medieval to modern indigenous groups that still tell the Cosmic Hunt myth, see below for a list of those known.

African

• Gogo people
• Kalanga people
• Khoekhoe people
• Tswana people
• Tuareg people

Arctic

• Baffin Land people
• Copper Inuit
• Igloolik people
• Netsilik Inuit
• Polar Eskimo people

Asian

• Chukchi people (Siberian)
• Evenks people
• Khanty people (West Siberian)
• Ugrians (ancestors of the Khanty and Mansi people)

European

• Basque people
• Rutul people (Dagestan)
• Sámi people

Variants associated with Greek figures

• Hesiod
• Ovid
• Pseudo Apollodorus
• Pausanias

Native American and Central American

• Chemehuevi people
• Cherokee people
• Coeur d'Alene people
• Kiliwa people
• Lenape people
• Maricopa people
• Meskwaki people
• Mi ' kmaq people
• Mohave people
• Mohawk people
• Nlaka'pamux people
• Ojibwe people
• Seneca people
• Snohomish people
• St'at'imc people
• Tsilhqotʼin people
• Twana people
• Wasco people

South American:

• Akawaio (Guiana)
• Kalina people (Guiana)