Mankind has recognized the constellation of Orion for over 30,000 years, and Orion's significance transcends each culture that attributed a story to him. The vast majority of cultures see Orion as a great and venerable hunter and warrior, proficiently wielding either a shield, a bow, or a sword in his steady, powerful arm. Because Orion appears most visibly in the night sky from January to March, he is often depicted as a woodsman of the winter, a hunter by the river Eridanus, a constellation representing the Po, the longest river in Italy.

The Babylonian star catalogs call Orion "The Heavenly Shepherd" or "The True Shepherd of Anu," Anu being the king of the Sumerian pantheon and sometimes that of the Assyro-Babylonian pantheon. The constellation was considered sacred to the messenger of the gods, Papshukal, whose other associated constellation, the Rooster, is depicted on the star map below and behind Orion. The Rooster constellation represented the bird form of Papshukal, and Orion represented the human form. Making him the messenger of the gods would stretch his roles a little bit, but I don't disagree with taking the name that the Babylonians gave Orion and making Orion an enlightened hunter who perhaps in his living days received some sort of godly vision or prophecy. It would make him fit in with the larger than life stories that other constellations have at the very least.

Another interpretation was that of the Armenians, who saw the constellation as their legendary patriarch, Hayk, who refused to submit to King Bel, who had threatened to impose his tyranny upon Hayk and Hayk's people. According to the legend, in a great battle Hayk slew King Bel with an impossible long bow shot.

I'll go out on a limb and assume that most are already familiar with his story in Greek mythology, how Gaia, enraged at Orion for threatening to kill every animal, released a scorpion to attack him, how Orion loved the Goddess Dawn, how Orion hunted alongside Artemis, or how Ophiuchus in one tale revived Orion from the attack of the scorpion. These stories don't add much more to the character as is except for an explanation of his, Ophiuchus', and the Scorpion's positions in the sky.

The final source of inspiration I received was from old Hungarian tradition, in which Orion is called a magic Archer or Reaper. From this interpretation, Orion's bow could have the ability to fire arrows empowered with magic. The alternative route for his power is for Orion's bow to fire arrows with extremely heightened accuracy.

For the character, I was thinking about combining aspects of all these cultural sources into a single Orion. I'd like to make him as interesting and fun as possible without giving him too much power. At the same time, I don't want to limit his power so much that he is no more than a slightly over-glorified hunter. I'd like some direction and guidance as I develop him more into the version I'll use in the roleplay, mainly in the form of a push in the right direction. What do you like about his influences, and what do you think makes him overpowered (if he is, that is)?