Ursa Major (Kallisto) is located in the northern sky. To the naked eye, 125 stars can be seen, while those that form the shape of the Great Cart are: Alkaid, Alioth, Dubhe, Merak, Alcor, Mizar, Megrez. It is associated with the legend of the nymph Kallisto.
Kallisto was a friend of the hunting goddess Artemis, and together with her companions spent her life hunting. The nymphs took vows of chastity, but Kallisto was so beautiful that she attracted the attention of Zeus himself with her beauty. Deceitfully, in the guise of Artemis, he hugged her, resulting in the conception of a child. Artemis chased away her friend for breaking her oath. Kallisto gave birth to a son Arkas. When Hera found out that he was the son of Zeus, out of anger she turned her into a Bear. The nymph in her new form wandered alone in the forests for many years, until one day she met her son on a hunt. Arkas didn’t know it was his mother and almost shot her. Zeus turned Arkas into a small bear at the last minute and moved both of them to the sky.
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