Ursa Major

The Greater Bear

Dubhe - "bear"

Merak - "loins"

Phad - "thigh"

Megrez - "insertion point" (of the bear's tail)

Alioth - "goat"

Mizar - "wrapping" (loincloth)

Alkaid - "chief of the daughters of the bier" 


According to some Native American legends, the bowl of the Big Dipper 
is a giant bear and the stars of the handle are three warriors chasing 
it. The constellation is low in the sky in autumn evening sky, so it 
was said that the hunters had injured the bear and its blood caused the 
trees to change color to red. 

Although the whole of Ursa Major is difficult to see without very dark 
skies, the Big Dipper is one of the most recognizable patterns in the 
northern sky. In other cultures it was identified as a wagon or cart, 
a plow, a bull's thigh, and (to the Chinese) the government. 

The Big Dipper was also a very important part of the Underground Railroad 
which helped slaves escape from the South before the Civil War. There were 
songs spread among the slave population which included references to the 
"Drinking Gourd." The songs said to follow it to get to a better life. This 
veiled message for the slaves to flee northward was passed along in the form 
of songs since a large fraction of the slave population was illiterate.