Hyades, in Greek Mythology, the nurses and guardians (3, 5, or 7 in number) of young Dionysus. Zeus converted them into stars and transplanted them to the heavens, where they form the head of the constellation Taurus. Their rising with the sun was held in Greece to mark the beginning of the rainy season.
Hyades
Chambers's Encyclopaedia, Volume 6: Humber to Malta, p. 21
Source scan(s): p. 0030