希腊神话：ARCAS AND CALLISTO-小熊星与大熊星的由来

There was once in peaceful Arcady，in Greece a fair and gentle nymph named Callisto. The gods had given her many gracesand blessings，the greatest of which was her little son，Arcas.
Jupiter，chief of the gods，was so pleased with Callisto's goodness and charmthat he came often to visit her and watch her at play with Arcas.
These visits filled the jealous Juno，wife of Jupiter，with anger， and she planned a cruel punishment for Callisto. Wrappingherself in her long gray cloak，the goddess descended from Mount Olympus， passing through the dusky cloud gates down to the earth. She found Callisto just awakening in her forest bower . Her rosy little son， Arcas，lay asleep beside her.
Juno made herself invisible and waited until Callisto rose and came out of her retreat. Then，touching the nymph on her shoulder， Juno changed her into a great furrybear. Poor Callisto saw her slender white fingers change into long claws and her arms grow black and hairy. She fell to the earth and began to walk on all fours. Then Juno returned to Mount Olympus.
When the other nymphs came to seek Callisto，they could not find her. Only a great hairy bear stood in the entrance to the bower，trying to fondlethe little boy，Arcas，and turn him over with her paw as he lay asleep.
The nymphs drove the bear away although it looked back at them sadly as they flung sticks and stones after it.
Thinking that the bear had killed Callisto，the maidens took Arcas to a shepherd，who loved and cared for him.
Sometimes the shepherd saw a bear prowling around his hut， trying to look in at the window or the door. He drove the beast away and flung his spear at it，until at last the poor thing was afraid to come near the hut，and stayed at the edge of the woods，watching always for a sight of the little boy who lived with the shepherd.
Sometimes Arcas would stray near the forest，gathering flowers or playing with his ball. Then the bear would run to greet him，growlingsoftly and kindly，but the child always screamedand ran back.
When Arcas grew old enough，the shepherd taught him to use a spear and took him hunting.
As long as the shepherd was with Arcas，Callisto hid herself. But one day the youth came alone，holding his spear in his hand and feeling very brave and proud.
Callisto stood on her hind legs and came toward him，holding out her great paws，trying to speak and tell him that she was his mother， enchanted into this wild beast. Arcas saw her coming and raised his spear to kill the bear，but something held his arm and the spear was not thrown.
Jupiter，watching over Arcas on his first hunt，had seen beneaththe bear's fur and hairy paws，and knew that this was the nymph Callisto.
He stayed the hand of Arcas，and took away his spear. He could not undoJuno's evil work，so he changed Arcas into a young bear. At once he understood his mother and knew what she had been trying to tell him.
Callisto and Arcas would have been happy to roam the woods together，but Jupiter thought of something better for them. He took them up into the heavenly realms and gave them the sky for their playground，and you can see them there on clear nights，the Great Bear and the Little Bear.
Juno was angry when she saw the new constellationsplaced among the stars，but she could not interfere because Jupiter was the ruler of the heavens.
So she went to Neptune，the god who ruled the sea，and made him promise her that he would forbid the bears to rest beneath the ocean as the other stars do during the day.
And so the Big Bear and the Little Bear，always moving around near the Pole，stay forever in the sky，though you can see them only at night. Being near each other，they are happy and have learned to rest contentamong the clouds.