Dog days Dog days The dog days or are the hot, sultry days of summer. They were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius, which Greek and Roman astrology connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck. They are now taken to be the hottest, most uncomfortable part of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The English name is a calque of the Latin "" (."the puppy days"), itself a calque of the Greek "kynádes hēmérai" (, "dog days"). The Greeks knew the star α Canis Majoris by several names, including Sirius (,
The Ancient of Days The Ancient of Days The Ancient of Days is a design by William Blake, originally published as the frontispiece to the 1794 work "Europe a Prophecy". It draws its name from one of God's titles in the Book of Daniel and shows Urizen crouching in a circular design with a cloud-like background. His outstretched hand holds a compass over the darker void below. Related imagery appears in Blake's "Newton", completed the next year. As noted in Gilchrist's "Life of William Blake", the design of "The Ancient of Days" was "a singular favourite with Blake and as one it was always