In the most popular version of his story, Orion is brought down by a little thing the Greeks liked to call hubris (a.k.a. pride). When the big guy brags that he's going to hunt down and slaughter every wild animal on earth, Gaia gets ticked off and sends a huge scorpion to kill him. (What a way to go.) The theme of pride (and its destructiveness) is super popular throughout Greek literature. Seriously, it pops up in a ton of stories. We wonder why it was such a big deal to them. What do you think?

1. What does Orion have to be so proud about?
2. When is pride a good thing? Explain your answer.
3. When is pride destructive? Explain. For real. Do it.
4. Click here to find out how the theme of pride rears its ugly head in Homer's Odyssey. How does Odysseus' case of hubris compare with Orion's?
5. Check out this definition of hubris. Do you think it means the same thing as "pride" or are there subtle differences? Why do you think so?