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
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