The Weird Reason Why Beetlejuice Is Called That

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. These three words are enough to introduce one of the most symbolic characters Tim Burton. So symbolic that 36 years later to star in a new film. Its name differs greatly among English and Spanish speakers. What for them is Beetlejuice, for the Spanish it is something like Bitelhus. But the most curious thing is that neither of these two is his real name. The character was originally called Betelgeuse in honor of one of the brightest stars in the sky.

The original writers of Beetlejuice say Tim Burton decided to change the title when he realized that, as originally written, it was hard to pronounce for English speakers. But just because the name was removed from the film’s title doesn’t mean it disappeared from the film entirely. In fact, it can be seen spelled Betelgeuse several times. For example, in a character’s grave.

What makes some writers name such a sinister character as Beetlejuice after a star? Or was it really a coincidence? There are two versions of the answer to these questions. Let everyone stick with what interests them most.

Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse

The Arabs, the great pioneers of science and astronomy, were the first to name the star Betelgeuse. They called it so yad al-jawzawhich means “Hand of Yauza”. It was a mythological character of their culture, which would later be associated with Orion, the famous hunter of Greek culture.

In the Middle Ages, after the Arabs gave the star a name, its name became a kind of broken telephone. In Latin transcription, the symbol already was mistranslated as ba. That’s why they now called him Bad al-Jauza or, with a full translation, Bedalges.

During the Renaissance, an attempt was made to translate it to find out the Arabic term that gave rise to Bedalges. They did not know that there was a bad translation in the first place, so they decided that it came from Bayt al-Jawzawhich means “Yauza’s shoulder”. From his hand he was transferred to his shoulder and finally named Betelgeuse.

Because of its location in Orion constellation could correspond to the hand or shoulder of a hunter, it was considered a good name. Yauza could be the equivalent of Orion. So what does all this have to do with Beetlejuice?

Beetlejuice star

Orion is said to have been a fierce hunter who wanted put an end to the life of all animals.

For this reason we might think that it has some connection with death. Moreover, although in Roman times it was described as yellow startoday he shines brightly reddish tintIt is true that it has dimmed a bit in recent years, leading astronomers to believe that it is about to go supernova. But it is still very bright.

This red color gives it an infernal appearance, which, together with its connection with Orion, further strengthens its connection with death.

Many moviegoers have assumed that it was this relationship that prompted Tim Burton and his screenwriters to name Beetlejuice Betelgeuse. However, that would be odd, because this is not a real horror story. More like black humor that feeds only on the weirdest of the macabre. Maybe the writers just loved astronomy, and Betelgeuse seemed like a fitting title for their film? Cute bioexorcist? It’s possible.

In any case, now that a study has been published indicating that Betelgeuse may not be going supernova, but rather has a companion star shining alongside it, it’s a perfect time to talk about this bizarre association. It should be noted that the study still needs to be reviewed, and that the supernova hypothesis hasn’t been ruled out entirely. Maybe it will explode if we repeat its name three times?