Arctos
（
ἄρκτος). “The Bear.” The name of two
constellations near the North Pole.
1.
The Great Bear (
Ursa Major), also called the Wagon (
plaustrum). The ancient Italian name of
this constellation was
Septem Triones, that is, the Seven Ploughing Oxen, also
Septentrio, and with the epithet
Maior to distinguish it from
the
Septentrio Minor, or
Lesser Bear.
2.
The Lesser or Little Bear (
Ursa
Minor), likewise called the Wagon and
Cynosura (dog's tail) from the resemblance of the
constellation to the upturned curl of a dog's tail. The constellation before the Great Bear
was called
Boötes, Arctophylax, or
Arcturus. At a
later time
Arctophylax became the general name of the constellation, and the
word
Arcturus was confined to the chief star in it. All these constellations
are connected in mythology with the Arcadian nymph Callisto, the daughter of Lycaon.
Metamorphosed by Zeus upon the earth into a she-bear, Callisto was pursued by her son Arcas
in the chase, and when he was on the point of killing her, Zeus placed them both among the
stars—Callisto becoming the Great Bear, and Arcas the Little Bear or
Boötes. In the poets the epithets of these stars have constant reference to the
family and country of Callisto: thus we find them called
Lycaonis Arctos; Maenalia
Arctos and
Maenalis Ursa (from Mt. Maenalus in Arcadia);
Erymanthis Ursa (from Mt. Erymanthus in Arcadia);
Parrhasides
Stellae (from the Arcadian town Parrhasia). (See
Callisto.) Though most traditions identified Boötes with Arcas, others
pronounced him to be Icarus or his daughter Erigoné. Hence the Septentriones are
called
Boves Icarii.
