Sirius signified certain emanations which caused its malignant influence. Anyone suffering its effects was said to be "star-struck" (, "astrobólētos"). It was described as "burning" or "flaming" in literature. The season following the star's reappearance came to be known as the "dog days". The inhabitants of the island of Ceos in the Aegean Sea would offer sacrifices to Sirius and Zeus to bring cooling breezes, and would await the reappearance of the star in summer. If it rose clear, it would portend good fortune; if it was misty or faint then it foretold (or emanated) pestilence. Coins retrieved from the island
MV Sirius Star ever to be hijacked. It is estimated that for the pirates to reach "Sirius Star", they must have voyaged south for three to four days. At the time of the attack, the ship was carrying a full load of of crude oil more than one-quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily oil production output, and worth at least and was bound for the United States via the Cape of Good Hope. According to officials from Puntland, the pirates anchored "Sirius Star" at the Somali port of Harardhere, contrary to early reports from the United States Navy that she was anchored near Eyl.