Constellation Myths Part1: The Adult Version

How to use the Big Dipper to find the Little Dipper
and the North Star.  I made this using Photoshop.

From what I can tell, the Big and Little Dippers seem to be the most widely known and recognized constellations.  When I ask audiences at the planetarium what constellations they think they could point out at night, these two seem to be just about the only ones.  The reason for this is probably three fold.  The Big Dipper is really bright and easy to find, the Dippers (if you live far enough north) are visible all year round, and the star at the tip of the Little Dipper is currently our Earth's North Star.  When teaching people how to read the sky for constellations the Big Dipper is a great help.  I use it as a starting point, and as a guide to find other constellations.  In fact, you can easily use the Big Dipper to find Draco, Ursa Minor, Bootes, and Leo.

Ursa Major, the Big Bear

Strange as it might seem, the Big Dipper is not actually a constellation.  If you are using the proper terminology, the Big Dipper is an asterism, which is kind of like an unofficial constellation.  Asterisms can be made from stars from several constellations or from a few stars within a larger constellation.  In this way, the Big Dipper is part of the constellation Ursa Major, better known as the Big Bear.

Hollywood's "Clash of the Titans"
took many liberties in retelling
the ancient tale of Perseus.

I've been telling Greco-Roman myths relating to the Big and Little Dippers for a few years.  I have looked at many sources for these stories, and often been frustrated by the lack of consistency between them.  In fact, this is a problem when looking up all the constellation myths.  I've done my best to find versions that seemed most authentic, but part of the problem with the inconsistencies is from the original source material.  The ancient Greeks and Romans didn't put one comprehensive mythology book together for us to use. There are a number of ancient texts, often which contradict each other.  In fact, some of the same ancient poems even contradict themselves.  This wasn't a problem for the ancient poets, but it certainly bothers me.  The other reason for the different versions I was finding is because a lot of the current books and websites out there aren't trying to stay true to the ancient texts, as confusing as they are.  Just as movie adaptations of classical myths differ wildly from the ancient stories, so do modern books and websites.

I have determined that from now on I want the real thing.  So, to that end I've begun reading the ancient accounts.  I am starting with Ovid's Metamorphoses.  This was written around the beginning of the first century, during the time of Augustus Caesar, and is a great source of Greco-Roman mythology.  This poem is written in Latin and has been translated into English many times and in many different ways.  In order for me to better understand the source (since I don't read Latin), I'm reading three versions.  David Raeburn’s 2004 verse translations, A. E. Watts 1954 prose translation, and J.J. Howard’s 1807 verse translation.

Ursa Major, the Big Bear
Source: www.stellarium.org

Before you read my version of Ovid's Big Dipper myth, I want to remind you that this is Part I of this article.  Much of what is in this story is offensive to the modern reader and inappropriate to planetarium audiences.  After reading Ovid's tale, you may wonder why we even continue telling stories like this?  In part II of this article I will try to address these concerns.  In Part III I will give ideas about how to retell ancient Greco-Roman myth in a way that is appropriate for our culture and our audiences.

The Tale of Callisto from Ovid’s Metamorphoses as told in Book 2:

After the near destruction of heaven and Earth caused by Phaethon’s attempt to drive the sun chariot, Jove (Zeus) travels the world and heals the land.  He pays special attention to Arcadia, restoring fountains and springs, giving trees back their leaves, and sowing seeds among the plains.  While traveling through this land he catches sight of a beautiful nymph maiden.  Her name is Callisto, and she is the Goddess Diana’s (Artemis’s) most highly respected hunter.  Callisto doesn’t spend her time on womanly activities like fussing with her hair or dressing in fancy clothes.  Instead she dresses practically for her life as a hunter, and spends her time in the wild.  Her appearance is very attractive to Jove.

Jove watches as Callisto sets her bow and spear harmlessly to the side and lays down for a mid-day nap in an ancient forest.  As she is alone and unprotected, Jove thinks over what he want to do.  He knows his wife Juno will be angry if she finds out, but decides that laying with Callisto is worth the price. 

Jove uses his power to transform his appearance into that of Diana.  He approaches Callisto and asks her about where she has been hunting today.  When Callisto wakes up and sees Diana she immediately speaks of her love for the Goddess and attempts to answer her question about hunting.  Callisto cannot answer, though, because Jove starts kissing her in a manner that gives him away.  Soon Jove’s true form is known, and Callisto struggles with all her strength against him, but cannot keep him from raping her.

When Jove is finished he leaves.  Callisto, no longer a maiden, is ashamed, and makes her way back to Mt. Menelaus where Diana and her other nymphs live.  When she first sees Diana and is called by her, she is afraid that it again may be Jove, and doesn’t come to her.  Once she recognized the nymphs by her side, she realized that it is really Diana and joins her company.  But because of her shame, she no longer stands at her side.  Callisto’s actions and demeanor give away her loss of virginity to the other nymphs, but Diana does not realize what happened.  It isn’t until almost nine months later, when Diana finds out. 

Ruben's painting of Diana and Callisto

On a hot day, tired from hunting, Diana and her huntresses stop at a brook to bathe.  Callisto refuses to take her clothes off and bathe with the others, so they strip her clothes off.  She tries to cover her belly with her hands, but her pregnancy cannot be hidden.  “Begone” Diana cries, and banishes Callisto from her side.  Soon after, Callisto gives birth to a boy and names him Arcas.

Juno had learned some time before that her husband had slept with Callisto, and believed that it was Callisto who had seduced him.  She was waiting for the right moment to get her revenge and chooses it now.   Appearing before Callisto and the young child she accuses her, “So this was the crowning insult, adulterous whore.”  Juno grabs Callisto by the hair and throws her to the ground, continuing to yell.  “You had to make your wickedness public and testify to my Jove’s disgrace by having a baby.  I’ll make you pay, by destroying those lovely looks that allow you to fancy yourself and attract my husband, you shameless hussy!” (Raeburn translation, Metamorphoses Book 2)  As Callisto pleads and struggles, her body begins to transform.  Her arms grow hair and her beautiful mouth grows into long jowls and a snout.  She tries to cry out in anger toward Jove, whom she blames, but she can no longer speak.  Her body is fully transformed into a bear, though her mind is untouched.

Arcas is raised by his grandfather, Callisto’s father, Kind Lycaon, and never learns about what happened to his mother.  Callisto spends her days in fear of being killed by a hunter.  Sometimes, forgetting she is a bear, she hides from other bears and wolves in the wild. 

One day, when Arcas is fifteen years old, he travels into the woods hunting with his spear.  While he is in the woods, he is spotted by his mother.  She recognizes him and wants to go to him.  So, unaware of how her appearance will affect Arcas she makes her way lumbering toward him.  The young man, aware of the bear’s advance, is terrified.  He readies his spear to kill the beast.  Just before Arcas plunges the spear into his mother’s heart Jove stops him.  He sweeps the two of them into the sky with a magic wind and transforms them into the companion constellations of Ursa Major (Big Bear/Big Dipper), and Ursa Minor (Little Bear/Little Dipper).

These new constellations are recognized by Juno and she is furious.  Juno travels to visit the ancient Titanic gods of the sea, Oceanus and his wife Tethys.   She tells them of the new constellations and of her outrage.  She had transformed Callisto into a bear as punishment, and yet Jove placed her in the sky, part of Juno’s own kingdom.  How will anyone take her power seriously, if by trying to do bad to someone, good comes to them instead?  She likens it to Jove casting her from his bed and taking Callisto as his wife instead.  She pleads with Oceanus and Tethys to never let the seven bright stars (Big Dipper) of the Bear pollute the ocean by touching it. The Titans agree and as Juno departs their sea kingdom the story is finished.