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Meaning & History
From Greek Ὑάδες (Hyades) which is probably derived from ὗς (hys) meaning "swine", though folk etymology connects it to ὕειν (hyein) "to rain". This is the name of a V-shaped cluster of seven stars in the head of the constellation Taurus, held by the ancients to indicate rainy weather when they rose with the sun. In Greek mythology the Hyades were also a sisterhood of nymphs known to bring rain. They were the daughters of Atlas, either by Pleione or Aethra, one of the Oceanids. The Hyades are sisters to the Pleiades and the Hesperides.