THE GREAT BEAR ( URSA MAJOR ) is a very large constellation. The best known part of it is called the Big Dipper. The Ladle itself is like a saddle on the back of the beast, and the end of the Ladle's handle is its nose. To trace the entire constellation, find first the Ladle and then the three pairs of stars that form the Bear's paws.
The Greek word "arctos" means "bear"; hence the Arctic, i.e., bear country, is the northernmost part of the globe, where the Big Dipper occupies an even more dominant position in the night sky than in our latitudes.
Source - Wikipedia
