Arctos

Arctos, ī, Akk. gew. on, Nom. Plur. nur oe, f. (ἄρκτος), I) der Bär, die Bärin, zwei Sternbilder an der nördl. Hemisphäre (dah. geminae; vgl. Thiel Verg. Aen. 3, 516), der od. die große u. kleine B., rein lat. Ursae, Plaustra, Currus, Septemtriones, Cic. de nat. deor. 2, 105 u. Arat. 441. Vitr. 9, 4 (6), 5. Suet. fr. 142. p. 219, 9 R. (minor Arctos) u. oft bei Dichtern: wegen ihres nördl. Standes gelidae Arctoe, Verg. Aen. 6, 16. Ov. met. 4, 625: weil sie in unserer Hemisphäre nicht untergehen, immunis od. expers aequoris, Ov. met. 13, 293 u. 727, u. metuens aequore tingi, Verg. georg. 1, 246. – iuncta aquilonibus Arctos, poet. = Nordpol, Ov. met. 2, 132: opacam excipere Arcton, poet. = nach Norden liegen, Hor. carm. 2, 15, 16. – II) übtr.: a) = das Land u. die Völker unter dem Nordpol, der Norden, Lucan. 3, 74. Claud. VI. cons. Hon. 336 u. de laud. Stil. 1, 246. – b) = die Nacht, Prop. 2, 22, 25. Claud. in Olybr. et Prob. cons. 22. – Nbf. Arctus, Ven. Fort. 9, 1, 55: Akk. Arctum, Cic. de nat. deor. 2, 109: Akk. Plur. Arctos (arctos), Ov. met. 3, 45 u. 4, 625. Lucan. 5, 155. Sil. 3, 192.

Arctŏs (12) et Arctus, ī, f. (ἄρκτος), lʼOurse [la grande ou la petite] : Ov. M. 3, 45 ; pl. Arcti Virg. En. 6, 16, les deux Ourses || le pôle nord : Ov. M. 2, 132 || la nuit : Prop. 3, 15, 25 || le pays et les peuples du Nord : Luc. 3, 74 || le Nord : Hor. O. 2, 15, 16.

Arctos ī (acc.Arcton, V., O.), f

• the Great Bear (Ursa Major): geminae, the two Bears, O.: gelidae, V.: Arcton excipere, to be exposed to, look towards, the north, H.

Arctos

(ἄρκτος). “The Bear.” The name of two constellations near the North Pole. (1) The Great Bear (Ursa Major), also called the Wagon (plaustrum). The ancient Italian name of this constellation was Septem Triones, that is, the Seven Ploughing Oxen, also Septentrio, and with the epithet Maior to distinguish it from the Septentrio Minor, or Lesser Bear.

(2) The Lesser or Little Bear (Ursa Minor), likewise called the Wagon and Cynosura (dog's tail) from the resemblance of the constellation to the upturned curl of a dog's tail. The constellation before the Great Bear was called Boötes, Arctophylax, or Arcturus. At a later time Arctophylax became the general name of the constellation, and the word Arcturus was confined to the chief star in it. All these constellations are connected in mythology with the Arcadian nymph Callisto, the daughter of Lycaon. Metamorphosed by Zeus upon the earth into a she-bear, Callisto was pursued by her son Arcas in the chase, and when he was on the point of killing her, Zeus placed them both among the stars—Callisto becoming the Great Bear, and Arcas the Little Bear or Boötes. In the poets the epithets of these stars have constant reference to the family and country of Callisto: thus we find them called Lycaonis Arctos; Maenalia Arctos and Maenalis Ursa (from Mt. Maenalus in Arcadia); Erymanthis Ursa (from Mt. Erymanthus in Arcadia); Parrhasides Stellae (from the Arcadian town Parrhasia). (See Callisto.) Though most traditions identified Boötes with Arcas, others pronounced him to be Icarus or his daughter Erigoné. Hence the Septentriones are called Boves Icarii.