Ursa Minor train, of light" (i.e. λύκος "wolf" vs. λύκ- "light"). Allen points to the Old Irish name of the constellation, "drag-blod" "fire trail", for comparison. Brown (1899) suggested a non-Greek origin of the name (a loan from an Assyrian "An‑nas-sur‑ra" "high-rising"). An alternative myth tells of two bears that saved Zeus from his murderous father Cronus by hiding him on Mount Ida. Later Zeus set them in the sky, but their tails grew long from being swung up into the sky by the god. Because Ursa Minor consists of seven stars, the Latin word for "north" ("i.e.", where Polaris points) is
Ursa Major and together they are called the Ursa Major Moving Group. The stars Merak (β Ursae Majoris) and Dubhe (α Ursae Majoris) are known as the "pointer stars" because they are helpful for finding Polaris, also known as the North Star or Pole Star. By visually tracing a line from Merak through Dubhe (1 unit) and continuing for 5 units, one's eye will land on Polaris, accurately indicating true north. Another asterism known as the "Three Leaps of the Gazelle" is recognized in Arab culture, a series of three pairs of stars found along the southern border of the constellation; From