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
Sirius to have traditional astronomical knowledge about Sirius that would normally be considered impossible without the use of telescopes. In 1938 Marcel Griaule produced his dissertation and received his doctorate degree from the École pratique des hautes études (EPHE) based on his research work with the Dogon. According to Griaule's books "Conversations with Ogotemmêli" 1965 and "The Pale Fox" 1972 they knew about the fifty-year orbital period of Sirius and its companion prior to western astronomers. They also refer to a third star accompanying Sirius A and B. Robert Temple's 1976 book "The Sirius Mystery", credits them with knowledge of the