Ursa Major Ursa Major Ursa Major (; also known as the Great Bear) is a constellation in the northern sky, whose associated mythology likely dates back into prehistory. Its Latin name means "greater (or larger) she-bear", standing as a reference to and in direct contrast with nearby Ursa Minor, the lesser bear. In antiquity, it was one of the original 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy (2nd century AD), and is now the third largest constellation of the 88 modern constellations. Ursa Major is primarily known from the asterism of its main seven relatively bright stars comprising the "Big Dipper", "the Wagon", "Charles's
Why the Bear Is Stumpy-Tailed Why the Bear Is Stumpy-Tailed Why the Bear Is Stumpy-Tailed (Norwegian: "Hvorfor bjørnen er stubbrumpet") is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in "Norske Folkeeventyr". It is Aarne–Thompson type 2, The Tail-Fisher. A bear sees a fox with some fish which he has stolen and asks the fox how he got them. The fox tells him that he used his tail to catch the fish and tells him that he cut a hole through the ice put his tail into the water and waited. The fox also tells the bear not to worry if