Aldu
Áldu is the reindeer cow in Sami language from Northern Europe. It is a name variant of their constellation Sarvvis, the reindeer (bull) and a modern IAU-star name.
Concordance, Etymology, History
Sami uranography has the constellation of Sarvvis, the Reindeer (bull). However mythology is also ambiguous regarding whether the creature is a reindeer or an elk, and the folklore has it that the animale keeps its antlers during winter. This only applied to female reindeer, making it uncertain whether it should be a bull in the sky.
Actually, some historical drawings even depict an entire reindeer herd in the sky. So, the Sami suggest to represent a couple of a male and a female reindeer in the stars with the reindeer cow being called áldu. In Sami tradition, we see a cosmic hunting scene in the starry sky during the dark season. The Sarvvis (Bull) first appears in the sky, followed by the hunter Faavna, who sets out to hunt Sarvvis. Thus the hunt continues night after night in cosmic equilibrium without the earth coming to an end.
Mythology
see Sarvvis.
IAU Working Group on Star Names
The name was suggested to the IAU WGSN in 2025 in collaboration of WGSN-members with the Sami-sky culture expert Rolf Jonas Persson from Norway. He had suggested to name two stars with the names of the reindeer bull and the reindeer cow, and he considered stars around δ Per appropriate choices given the centrality of Perseus to the asterism. Based on the fact that 90% of the speakers are North Sámi, it would be most appropriate to use this dialect.
In December 2025, WGSN adopted Aldu, the reindeer cow, for ε Persei.
See also Sarvvis, the reindeer bull.
Weblinks
Reference
- References (general)
- References (early modern)
- Ian Ridpath's website (Star Tales )
