(This is an archive story, refer to following byline for author's name)
By Braylee Schlegel
When thinking about Ursa Major, most people just think about the Big Dipper, but there are a lot more stories behind the constellation itself. Ursa Major is paired with its counterpart Ursa Minor, which consists of the Little Dipper. The main story behind this pair comes from Greek Mythology, and in Greek Mythology, everything has a story behind it.
Ursa Major is associated with the myth of Callisto. Callisto was a gorgeous nymph who had sworn a vow of chastity to Artemis. Zeus saw Callisto one day and fell in love, and the two proceeded to have a son by the name of Arcas. By then, Artemis has already banished Callisto for breaking her vow and for getting pregnant. But that was all Artemis did, it was Hera who got revenge on Callisto for being with her husband. In a mixture of jealous rage and anger toward Zeus, Hera turned Callisto into a bear. She lived in this form for about 15 years, walking and roaming around the forest. She spent most of her time running and hiding from the hunters in the area.
Now there are many different versions of how the duo got turned into constellations. The first story is that Callisto was out wandering, and her now-grown son Arcas was out hunting. The two crossed paths and Arcas quickly drew his spear to attack the bear, not knowing it was his mom in bear-form. Zeus had seen this altercation from Olympus and quickly send a whirlwind that carried both the mother and son into the heavens. Which turned Arcas into Ursa Minor, and Callisto into Ursa Major. This action only made Hera angrier, she persuaded her foster parents Tethys and Oceanus to never let the bear breathe in the northern waters. And according to this version of the story, that’s why Ursa Major never sets below the horizon in mid-northern latitudes.
In another version of this story, Hera doesn’t transform Callisto into a bear, it was Artemis that did it. She did this to punish Callisto for breaking the vow of chastity to the goddess. Many years later, Callisto and Arcas are captured and taken as a gift to King Lycaon. The two take cover in the temple of Zeus, which is punishable by death for trespassing. But Zeus intervened and saves them, deciding to place them both in the sky.
There is a whole other version about these two constellations that have to do with a nymph by the name of Adrasteia who took care of Zeus when he was younger. But that’s a whole other story. Although Ursa major is known for the Big Dipper, there is a larger story behind it that continues to be passed down from generation to generation. These stories are always interesting to learn about and pass on yourself.