Iowa Great Lakes Astronomical Society

The Nymph & Her Cub

A Retelling of the story of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor

by Adam Dietrick

It was a hot and humid day and Callisto's long blonde hair dripped with sweat from the hunt. Kneeling before the stream, the nymph felt it's coolness as she tickled the surface of the water. She turned to call to the goddess Artemis, of whom she was a friend and a favourite hunting partner but Artemis had already gone, chasing after yet another beast. Callisto tugged at the white ribbon in her hair until it finally gave, letting her hair shine in the sun. She continued to disrobe and waded into the water. Instantly she felt cooler and soon she began splashing and playing, such as nymph's like herself are known to do. When finally she emerged, she was getting sleepy and the sun felt so good that she curled up on the shore without dressing and quickly fell asleep.

When Zeus happened upon the her, naked and sleeping he felt that he, being the king of the gods, was entitled to the nymph's body. After some thought, Zeus transformed his appearance to that of Artemis and laid down with Callisto, who he startled awake when his hand fell upon her side. It was only after looking back to see the face of her friend Artemis that Callisto drifted back to sleep. When she finally awoke again she felt a strange feeling that she had never before known. She looked around for her friend but there was no trace of Artemis and, after dressing, Callisto hastened for home where Artemis would surely be waiting.

The Bears

Strange dreams haunted her for several nights and she began to find herself feeling ill upon waking. Some months later she began to notice that her body was changing, but Callisto still was unsure of what was happening. Another month passed and Artemis and Callisto were again hunting on another hot day. This time it was Artemis who decided to bathe in the cool stream. From the water she called for Callisto to join her, but Callisto was embarrassed by her changing body.

When Callisto finally relented to her friend's pleas to join her and began to undress, Artemis became filled with rage. All of the nymph's had sworn a vow of celibacy to their goddess Artemis, but Callisto was clearly pregnant! Artemis immediately banned Callisto from her home and left her to birth her son alone in the wild. In short order, Zeus's lust had shattered Callisto's world.

It was while she was foraging for berries to feed her baby boy, whom she had decided to name Arcas, that Zeus and his wife Hera came upon her. Hera, seeing first Callisto and her baby and then the amorous look on Zeus's face flew into a violent rage, pulling Callisto to the ground by her hair. Zeus, thinking quickly, transformed his lover Callisto in a large brown bear. The bear, with a mighty roar, wrestled free from Hera's grasp and darted off into the wilderness.

It was then that Artemis saw the bear bounding through the foliage and let her arrow go into the bear's heart. Overcome with grief, Zeus placed the bear in the sky with Arcas beside her, as her cub. With Zeus's actions, Hera became even more enraged. Her husband had both betrayed her and immortalized his lover and illegitimate son in the stars. It was in this rage that Hera moved the bears to the northern most portion of the celestial sphere, where even today they remain, marching forever forward, never sleeping, never resting.

Upcoming Events

Thursday, April 22, 10:00 PM: Spring Viewing - Public Welcome @ Anderson Prarie (Northwest of Estherville).

Check the events calendar to see else we have planned. For more information e-mail (adamdietrick@live.com).