Big Dipper

Names and places

The constellation of Ursa Major (Latin: Greater Bear) has been seen as a bear, a plough, a wagon, or a ladle. The "bear" tradition is Indo-European (appearing in Greek, as well as in Vedic India), but apparently the name "bear" has parallels in Siberian or North American traditions.

European astronomy

The name "Bear" is Homeric, and apparently native to Greece, while the "Wain" tradition is Mesopotamian. Book XVIII of Homer's Iliad mentions it as "the Bear, which men also call the Wain". In Latin, these seven stars were known as the "Seven Oxen" (septentriones, from septem triōnēs). Classical Greek mythography identified the "Bear" as the nymph Callisto, changed into a she-bear by Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus.

In Ireland and the United Kingdom, this pattern is known as the Plough (Irish: An Camchéachta – the bent plough). The symbol of the Starry Plough has been used as a political symbol by Irish Republican and Irish left wing movements. Former names include the Great Wain (i.e., wagon), Arthur's Wain or Butcher's Cleaver. The terms Charles's Wain and Charles his Wain are derived from the still older Carlswæn. A folk etymology holds that this derived from Charlemagne, but the name is common to all the Germanic languages and the original reference was to the churls' (i.e., the men's) wagon, in contrast to the women's wagon, (the Little Dipper). An older "Odin's Wain" may have preceded these Nordic designations.

In German, it is known as the "Great Wagon" (Großer Wagen) and, less often, the "Great Bear" (Großer Bär). Likewise, in the North Germanic languages, it is known by variations of "Charles's Wagon" (Karlavagnen, Karlsvogna, or Karlsvognen) which simply means the men's wagon where the constellation The Little Bear (Ursa Minor) is the women's wagon, but also the "Great Bear" (Stora Björn), and to the Norse pagans, it was known as Óðins vagn; "Woden's wagon". In Dutch, its official name is the "Great Bear" (Grote Beer), but it is popularly known as the "Saucepan" (Steelpan). In Italian, it is called either the "Great Wagon" (Grande Carro) or "Orsa Maggiore" ("Greater Bear"). Romanian and most Slavic languages also call it the "Great Wagon". The famous double star Mizar/Alcor is also called the Horse and Rider which would make sense when the stars representing horses in a span.

In Hungarian, it is commonly known as "Göncöl's Wagon" (Göncölszekér) or, less often, "Big Göncöl" (Nagy Göncöl) after a táltos (shaman) in Hungarian mythology who carried medicine that could cure any disease. In Finnish, the figure is known as Otava with established etymology in the archaic meaning 'salmon net', although other uses of the word refer to 'bear' and 'wheel'. The bear relation is claimed to stem from the animal's resemblance to—and mythical origin from—the asterism rather than vice versa.

In Lithuanian, the stars of Ursa Major are known as Didieji Grįžulo Ratai ("The Big Back Wheels"). Other names for the constellation include Perkūno Ratai ("The Wheels of Perkūnas"), Kaušas ("The Bucket"), Vežimas ("The Carriage"), and Samtis ("The Ladle"). In Latvian, it is known as Lielie Greizie Rati ("The Great Crooked Wagon") or Lielais Kauss ("The Great Cup").

In the Sámi languages of Northern Europe, the constellation 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 dávggáid 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.

Arab astronomy

The Arabic names بَنَاتُ نَعْشٍ الكُبْرَى (Banāt Naʿsh al-Kubrā), بَنُو نَعْشٍ (Banū Naʿsh), and آلُ نَعْشٍ (Āl Naʿsh) refer to the constellation known in Western astronomy as the Big Dipper, which is part of Ursa Major. The term “Banāt Naʿsh” translates to “the daughters of the bier (funeral litter),” reflecting an ancient Arab mythological interpretation of the star pattern. In this context, the four bright stars forming the “bowl” of the Big Dipper represent a funeral bier, while the three stars forming the “handle” symbolize mourners or daughters following behind in a funeral procession. This naming convention is deeply rooted in Arabic oral traditions and ancient Bedouin star lore, where celestial objects were often associated with narratives that mirrored life, death, and human experiences. Such names highlight the rich etymological and mythological traditions of pre-Islamic and early Islamic culture, where stars were used for navigation, storytelling, and timekeeping.

Asian traditions

In Chinese astronomy and Chinese constellation records, The Big Dipper is called "Beidou" (Chinese: 北斗; pinyin: Běi Dǒu), which literally means Northern Dipper. It refers to an asterism equivalent to the Big Dipper. The Chinese name for Alpha Ursae Majoris is Beidou Yi (Chinese: 北斗一; pinyin: Běi Dǒu yī; lit. 'Beidou One') and Tianshu (Chinese: 天樞; pinyin: Tiān Shū; lit. 'Star of Celestial Pivot'). The asterism name was mentioned in Warring States period (c. 475–221 BCE) stellar records, in which the asterism is described to have seven stars in the shape of a dipper or a chariot.

The Chinese astronomy records were translated to other East Asian cultures in the Sinosphere. The most prominent name is the "Northern Dipper" (北斗) and the "Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper" (Chinese and Japanese: 北斗七星; pinyin: Běidǒu Qīxīng; Cantonese Yale: Bak¹-dau² Cat¹-sing¹; rōmaji: Hokuto Shichisei; Korean: 북두칠성; romaja: Bukdu Chilseong; Vietnamese: Bắc Đẩu thất tinh). In astrology, these stars are generally considered to compose the Right Wall of the Purple Forbidden Enclosure which surrounds the Northern Celestial Pole, although numerous other groupings and names have been made over the centuries. Similarly, each star has a distinct name, which likewise has varied over time and depending upon the asterism being constructed. The personification of the Big Dipper itself is also known as "Doumu" (斗母) in Chinese folk religion and Taoism, and Marici in Buddhism.

In Vietnam, the colloquial name for the asterism is Sao Bánh lái lớn (The Big Rudder Stars), contrasted with Ursa Minor, which is known as Sao Bánh lái nhỏ (The Little Rudder Stars). Although this name has now been replaced by the Sino-Vietnamese "Bắc Đẩu" in everyday speech, many coastal communities in central and southern Vietnam still refer to the asterism as such and use it to navigate when their fishing vessels return from the sea at night.

In Korea, the constellation was believed to be gods named Chilseong (칠성) that manage longevity. Some Buddhist temples in Korea enshrine the deity in chilseonggak (칠성각) or in samseonggak with Sansin and Dokseong.

In Shinto religion, the seven largest stars of Ursa Major belong to Ame-no-Minakanushi, the oldest and most powerful of all kami.

In Malay, it is known as the "Boat Constellation" (Buruj Biduk); in Indonesian, as the "Canoe Stars" (Bintang Biduk).

In Burmese, these stars are known as Pucwan Tārā (ပုဇွန် တာရာ, pronounced "bazun taja"). Pucwan (ပုဇွန်) is a general term for a crustacean, such as prawn, shrimp, crab, lobster, etc.

In Thai, they are known as the "Crocodile Stars" (ดาวจระเข้). 47 Ursae Majoris is also named Chalawan, the mythological crocodile from Thai folklore.

While its Western name comes from the star pattern's resemblance to a kitchen ladle, in Filipino, the Big Dipper and its sister constellation the Little Dipper are more often associated with the tabo, a one-handled water pot used ubiquitously in Filipino households and bathrooms for purposes of personal hygiene.

In the earliest Indian astronomy, the Big Dipper was called "the Bear" (Ṛkṣa, ऋक्ष) in the Rigveda, but was later more commonly known by the name of Saptarishi, "Seven Sages."

In North America and Greenland

The asterism name "Big Dipper" is mostly used in the United States and Canada. However, the origin of the term is disputed. A popular myth claimed the name originated from African-American folk songs; however, a more recent source challenges the authenticity of the claim.

In an 1824 book on the history of the constellations' mythology, Jacob Green contrasted the "Dipper or Ladle" descriptors used in the United States with "Charles's Wagon or Wain" which were common in England. Descriptions of "the dipper" appear in American astronomy textbooks throughout the 19th century.

According to Chris Cannon, "the Big Dipper is viewed as a caribou from Eastern Siberia across Alaska and Northern Canada to Greenland", that is throughout the Iñupiaq-Yup’ik-Aleut language family. Thus, in Inuit astronomy, this grouping of stars is referred to as "the Caribou" (Tukturjuit). Many of the stars within the constellation "were used as hour hands on the night sky to indicate hours of the night, or as calendar stars to help determine the date in fall, winter, or spring."

The name of a constellation at least partly corresponding to the Big Dipper is attested throughout the Dene languages. In Gwich'in, for example, the name is yahdii. (This name was also borrowed into Tlingit, as yaxhté.) Although dictionaries often report yahdii and related words as simply meaning "the Big Dipper", later research showed that in at least some cultures, yahdii was actually a constellation covering much of the sky; it was understood to represent either primordial creator-figure or a dangerous being that he defeated. The stars corresponding to the Big Dipper represent only the being's tail.

In Cree-speaking (Ininewuk) cultures, a number of constellations correspond to the Big Dipper. One name is Swampy Cree Ochekatchakosuk, meaning "fisher stars" deriving from the words for the fisher, ochek, and celestial bodies, atchakosuk. Having helped save the land from perpetual winter, the fisher is rewarded by the Creator by being made into a constellation; a similar story circulates in Anishinaabe culture. Another is Mista Musta ("the big bear"). In this case, the origin-story for the constellation is that a marauding bear is chased from the land by seven birds, so swiftly that all end up in the heavens. The constellation of the birds is called Tehpakoop Pinesisuk ("the Seven Birds") and corresponds to the Classical constellation Corona Borealis.