The constellation of Ursa Major has been seen as a
bear, usually female, by multiple connected civilizations. This may stem from a common
oral tradition of
Cosmic Hunt myths stretching back more than 13,000 years. Using statistical and phylogenetic tools, Julien d'Huy reconstructs the following Palaeolithic state of the story: "There is an animal that is a horned herbivore, especially an elk. One human pursues this ungulate. The hunt locates or get to the sky. The animal is alive when it is transformed into a constellation. It forms the Big Dipper."
Arabian folklore Whilst the
Pre-Islamic Arabs recognised the larger constellation of Ursa Major as being a bear, perhaps due to Greek influence, they had traditionally always recognised the Big Dipper and Ursa Minor as being counterparts. Both were imagined as funeral processions with the ladle of either seen as a funerary
bier and its handle as a train of mourners. The Big Dipper is known as ''banāt an-na'sh al-kubrā
meaning literally "the greater daughters of the bier". However daughters here means those pertaining to it
, i.e. the mourners
and thus is better translated as "the greater funeral procession", whilst Ursa Minor is known as "the lesser funeral procession". There is also a legend that the body on the bier is the father of those following behind it, a man called Na'ash
who was murdered by Al-judayy'' (the Arabic name for
the North Star) and whom the funeral procession is in pursuit of.
Greco-Roman tradition In
Greek mythology,
Zeus (the king of the gods, known as
Jupiter in
Roman mythology) lusts after a young woman named
Callisto, a
nymph of
Artemis (known to the Romans as
Diana). Zeus's jealous wife
Hera (
Juno to the Romans) discovers that Callisto has a son named Arcas as the result of her rape by Zeus and transforms Callisto into a bear as a punishment. Callisto, while in bear form, later encounters her son
Arcas. Arcas almost spears the bear, but to avert the tragedy Zeus whisks them both into the sky, Callisto as Ursa Major and Arcas as the constellation
Boötes.
Ovid called Ursa Major the Parrhasian Bear, since Callisto came from
Parrhasia in
Arcadia, where the story is set. The Greek poet
Aratus called the constellation Helike, ("turning" or "twisting"), because it turns around the celestial pole. The
Odyssey notes that it is the sole constellation that never sinks below the horizon and "bathes in the Ocean's waves", so it is used as a celestial reference point for
navigation. It has also been called the "Wain" or "Plaustrum", a Latin word referring to a horse-drawn cart.
Hindu tradition In
Hinduism, The earliest mention of Ursa Major/Big dipper/ Great Bear is known as
Saptarshi, each of the stars representing one of the Saptarishis or Seven Sages (Rishis) viz.
Bhrigu,
Atri,
Angiras,
Vasishtha,
Pulastya,
Pulaha, and
Kratu. is found in the Rigveda (c. 1500–1200 BCE), one of the oldest known texts in human history. References in Ancient Indian Texts: • Rigveda (Mandala 1, Hymn 24.10). Mentions the Saptarishi in connection with celestial order and cosmic significance. • Mahabharata (c. 400 BCE – 400 CE). Discusses Saptarishi Mandal as a guiding star for navigation. • Puranas (Vishnu Purana, Brahmanda Purana, and others). Describe the Saptarishis as divine sages who hold cosmic wisdom. For Ursa Minor, it was not explicitly mentioned in early Vedic texts but was recognized in later astronomical texts such as: • Vedanga Jyotisha (c. 1400–1200 BCE) • Surya Siddhanta (c. 4th century CE) The fact that the two front stars of the constellations point to the pole star is explained as the boon given to the boy sage
Dhruva by Lord
Vishnu. Thus, the Rigveda holds the earliest recorded mention of Ursa Major, while Ursa Minor gained prominence in later astronomical traditions.
In Judaism and Christianity Ursa Major may be mentioned in the biblical
book of Job (
Job 9:9), dated between the 7th and 4th centuries BC, although this is often disputed.
East Asian traditions In China and Japan, the Big Dipper is called the "North Dipper" (
Chinese: ,
Japanese: ), and in ancient times, each one of the seven stars had a specific name, often coming themselves from ancient China: • "Pivot" (C:
shū J:
sū) is for Dubhe (Alpha Ursae Majoris) • "Beautiful jade" (C:
xuán J:
sen) is for Merak (Beta Ursae Majoris) • "Pearl" (C:
jī J:
ki) is for Phecda (Gamma Ursae Majoris) • "Balance" (C:
quán J:
ken) is for Megrez (Delta Ursae Majoris) • "Measuring rod of jade" (C:
yùhéng J:
gyokkō) is for Alioth (Epsilon Ursae Majoris) • "Opening of the Yang" (C:
kāiyáng J:
kaiyō) is for Mizar (Zeta Ursae Majoris) • Alkaid (Eta Ursae Majoris) has several nicknames: "Sword" (C:
jiàn J:
ken) (short form from "End of the sword" (C:
jiàn xiān J:
ken saki)), "Flickering light" (C:
yáoguāng J:
yōkō), or again "Star of military defeat" (C:
pójūn xīng J:
hagun sei), because travel in the direction of this star was regarded as bad luck for an army. In
Shinto, the seven largest stars of Ursa Major belong to
Ame-no-Minakanushi, the oldest and most powerful of all
kami. In
South Korea, the constellation is referred to as "the seven stars of the north". In the related myth, a widow with seven sons found comfort with a widower, but to get to his house required crossing a stream. The seven sons, sympathetic to their mother, placed stepping stones in the river. Their mother, not knowing who put the stones in place, blessed them and, when they died, they became the constellation.
Native American traditions The
Iroquois interpreted Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid as three hunters pursuing the Great Bear. According to one version of their myth, the first hunter (Alioth) is carrying a bow and arrow to strike down the bear. The second hunter (Mizar) carries a large pot – the star Alcor – on his shoulder in which to cook the bear while the third hunter (Alkaid) hauls a pile of firewood to light a fire beneath the pot. The
Lakota people call the constellation '''', or "Great Bear". The
Wampanoag people (Algonquian) referred to Ursa Major as "maske", meaning "bear" according to Thomas Morton in The New England Canaan. The
Wasco-Wishram Native Americans interpreted the constellation as five wolves and two bears that were left in the sky by
Coyote.
Germanic traditions To
Norse pagans, the Big Dipper was known as
Óðins vagn, "
Woden's wagon". Likewise Woden is
poetically referred to by
Kennings such as
vagna verr 'guardian of the wagon' or
vagna rúni 'confidant of the wagon'
Uralic traditions In the
Finnish language, the asterism is sometimes called by its old Finnish name,
Otava. The meaning of the name has been almost forgotten in Modern Finnish; it means a
salmon weir. Ancient Finns believed the
bear (
Ursus arctos) was lowered to earth in a golden basket off the Ursa Major, and when a bear was killed, its head was positioned on a tree to allow the bear's spirit to return to Ursa Major. In the
Sámi languages of Northern Europe, part of the constellation (i.e. the
Big Dipper minus
Dubhe and
Merak, is identified as the
bow of the great hunter Fávdna (the star
Arcturus). In the main Sámi language,
North Sámi, it is called
Fávdnadávgi ("Fávdna's Bow") or simply
dávggát ("the Bow"). The constellation features prominently in the
Sámi anthem, which begins with the words
Guhkkin davvin dávggaid vuolde sabmá suolggai Sámieanan, which translates to "Far to the north, under the Bow, the Land of the Sámi slowly comes into view." The Bow is an important part of the Sámi traditional narrative about the night sky, in which various hunters try to chase down
Sarva, the Great Reindeer, a large constellation that takes up almost half the sky. According to the legend, Fávdna stands ready to fire his Bow every night but hesitates because he might hit
Stella Polaris, known as
Boahji ("the Rivet"), which would cause the sky to collapse and end the world.
Southeast Asian traditions In
Burmese,
Pucwan Tārā (ပုဇွန် တာရာ, ) is the name of a constellation comprising stars from the head and forelegs of Ursa Major;
pucwan (ပုဇွန်) is a general term for a
crustacean, such as
prawn,
shrimp,
crab,
lobster, etc. In
Javanese, it is known as "lintang jong", which means "the
jong constellation". Likewise, in
Malay it is called "bintang jong".
Esoteric lore In
Theosophy, it is believed that the
Seven Stars of the Pleiades focus the
spiritual energy of the
seven rays from the
Galactic Logos to the
Seven Stars of the Great Bear, then to
Sirius, then to the
Sun, then to the god of
Earth (
Sanat Kumara), and finally through the seven
Masters of the Seven Rays to the
human race. ==In culture==