|
Callisto was a nymph who was a follower of the goddess of the hunt, Artemis. Callisto was one of Artemis' favorite followers, but when Zeus, king of the gods, began to love Callisto, things got ugly, to say the least. Zeus disguised himself as Artemis and appeared to Callisto. Once in Callisto's presence he raped her. One day, some months later, when the women were bathing, Artemis noticed Callisto was pregnant. Because all of Artemis' followers are supposed to remained virgins, Artemis banished Callisto out of her group of followers.Not long after Callisto had her child, Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus, saw the perfect opportunity to have revenge on her husband's mistress. While Callisto was alone in the forest, Hera took Callisto by her hair and threw her down to the floor. When Callisto landed, she wsa transformed into a bear. "the hunter becomes the hunted". Some time later in Callisto's life, her son, whom she had named Arcas ("bear"), encountered a bear. This bear was in fact his mother. When Callisto tried to come near her son, he shot her with his spear. Zeus saw this from Mount Olympus and felt pity for his victim. He placed Callisto in the heavens as Ursa Major ("Great Bear") and took Arcas and placed him near his mother as Ursa Minor ("Little Bear") |
|
