In Egyptian mythology, Sopu (also rendered Septu or Sopedu) was originally the scorching heat of the summer sun. Sopdu's name, meaning with Sopd, derives from this heat arriving shortly after the star Sirius has its heliacal rising, and thus being seen as coming with Sopdet, Sopdet being the deification of Sirius (Sopd is the masculine form of Sopdet). Indeed, it was said that Sopdet gave birth to this heat, and so Sopdu was seen as her child. The Greeks made a similar conclusion; the Greek name Sirius essentially means scorcher.