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 (,
Ancient of Days Ancient of Days Ancient of Days is a name for God in the Book of Daniel: in the original Aramaic "atik yomin" ; in the Septuagint "palaios hemeron" (); and in the Vulgate "antiquus dierum". The title "Ancient of Days" has been used as a source of inspiration in art and music, denoting the creator's aspects of eternity combined with perfection. William Blake's watercolour and relief etching entitled "The Ancient of Days" is one such example. This term appears three times in the Book of Daniel (7:9, 13, 22), and is used in the sense of God being eternal. In