den of that shape. The Micmac Indians noticed these similarities between the position of these stars and the habits of the bear, and they were the source of many of the Indian legends.
According to a Basque legend, a farmer had two of his oxen stolen by two thieves. He sent his servant in pursuit of them, and as he did not return he despatched his housekeeper and dog, and finally as no one returned he went after the thieves himself. Because he lost his temper in his search for the oxen he is condemned to continue it for ever, and thus we find them all represented in the seven stars of the Dipper. The first two stars (the Pointers) represent the two oxen, then follow the two thieves, the servant, the housekeeper with the little dog (the star Alcor), and lastly the farmer himself.
The Basques are also said to believe that when the Bear is above the Pole the season is hot and dry, when below it the season is wet.
Another legend respecting these famous stars relates that they represent a peasant's waggon. The peasant, so the story runs, met our Saviour near the shores of Galilee, and gave him a ride in his waggon. He was rewarded for his kindness by a place in the heavens, whither he and his conveyance were transported.
To the Eskimos, Ursa Major represented four men carrying a sick or dead man. The idea of a bier associated with the constellation in the east seems to be embodied in this notion of the Eskimos. The Eskimos also recognised the Great Dipper as a herd of reindeer.
Ursa Major was used long before the invention of the mariner's compass to guide the paths of ships at night, as Manilius informs us:
And teach the Grecian sailors how to steer.
These stars were equally valuable as guides to those who travelled long distances through unknown lands.
