STORY: BIG BEAR AND LITTLE BEAR, A Callisto wrapped the baby in soft moss and laid him

ROMAN MYTH on the warm floor of a dry cave. With a sad growl,
Retold by Dianne de Las Casas she left.

Diana was the goddess of the moon. She surrounded Jupiter watched from on high and though he was
herself with handmaidens - beautiful wood nymphs sorry for the trouble he caused Callisto, even he,
and water sprites that helped her. Their world was a King of the Gods, could not undo Diana’s magic.
world of sisterhood. Diana was not fond of men and But he did care for the boy. He made sure that Artus
required that her handmaidens to take an oath to be was well provided for, always clothed, fed, and
virgins. sheltered. Jupiter loved Artus but never did he tell
the boy the sad story of his mother.
Her favorite handmaiden was Callisto. Callisto was
useful, beautiful and clever. But Callisto betrayed When Artus grew up, he became a fine young man.
Diana and fell in love with Jupiter, the god of all Jupiter made him King of Arcadia. One of Artus’
gods. Callisto bore Jupiter’s child and had a baby favorite pastimes was hunting. He was a skilled
boy. When Diana found out, she was furious. Diana hunter. He could stalk rabbits through the snow
stood above Callisto, who cowered on the ground without leaving footprints. He could follow swiftly
and cradled her baby. behind a deer and hit his target with an arrow. And
he could even wrestle the strength of a bear and
Diana roared, “You have disgraced me! Not only win. He had conquered many animals in his hunts
have you lied to me, you have betrayed the but his favorite conquest was always the bear.
sisterhood of Diana!”
One day, when Artus was 16 years old, he went
Callisto wrapped her arms protectively around her hunting in the forest of Arcadia. He was chasing a
infant son and held him even closer. “Diana, even I stag into the wood when he came to a clearing.
cannot resist the charms of the King of Gods. What Sitting on the ground chewing a honeycomb was a
am I to do now?” large bear with shiny brown fur. It was Callisto.

Diana pointed to the forest and said, “Go. Go, She looked up and snarled at the intruder. When she
Callisto and never return.” saw the young man’s face, she realized it was her
own son from so many years before.
So Callisto rose and held her son close to her chest.
She ran from Diana’s fury. But Diana’s anger was “Artus!” she thought, “you have come to me!”
unforgiving. She cursed Callisto as she ran away
and Callisto found herself running on three legs, She stood up on her hind legs with her arms open,
carrying her baby in one arm. She stopped and ready to embrace her long lost son. Artus, however,
looked at herself. She was covered in dark brown did not know that the huge bear standing before him
fur and had big paws with claws. Diana had turned was his mother.
her into a bear!
He thought, “If that bear wraps its arms around me,
Callisto knew that she could not care for a human I shall die!” Quickly, he grabbed his bow and arrow
son in her animal form. So she made the painful and pointed at the bear’s heart.
decision to leave him to the care of his father.
Jupiter looked down from heaven in horror. Mother
She bent down and whispered into his ear, “I will and son were meeting for the first time and they
call you Artus, my little one. Your father is Jupiter were about to kill each other. Callisto, not knowing
the Almighty. He will care for you. I will always her own strength, could crush Artus in a motherly
love you. Maybe one day, we will meet again.” embrace. Artus, not knowing the bear was his
mother was about to pierce her through the heart
with his deadly weapon.

Quickly, Jupiter reacted. Just as Callisto was b)

wrapping her arms around Artus and just as Artus
released the deadly arrow, Jupiter pulled Callisto
into the sky.

He yelled to Artus, “She is your mother!”

Artus called to Jupiter, “My mother! My mother! I

never knew her. Please do not take her from me
again. Let me go with her.”

Jupiter’s heart melted with love and compassion for

the young man and granting Artus’ wish, he pulled

Artus into the sky. Artus was changed into the same
c)
form his mother took. He was turned into a bear.
There in the night sky, you will see how Jupiter
honored Callisto and Artus.

They are Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, Big Bear and
Little Bear. They are constellations, beautiful
clusters of stars in the sky for all of the world to
admire and a testament to the love shared between a
mother and her child.
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In the spaces provided, create a time line of the


story of “Big Bear and Little Bear, a Roman d)
Myth”

a)


e)

10 marks
 Suggested answer key
1. Callisto falls in love with Jupiter and they
have a son together.
2. Diana finds out about the incident and
was furious.
3. Diana confronts Callisto and send her
away.
4. Callisto runs away, carrying her son.


5. Diana curses Callisto and turns her into a
bear.
6. Callisto names her son Artus, covers her
son in moss, and leaves him to be taken
care by his father.
7. Jupiter takes care of Artus.
8. Artus grows up to be a fine young man
and a good hunter who loves hunting
bears.


9. When Artus is 16, he goes into the
Arcadia forest to hunt.
10. He sees a big bear that growled at him.
11. Callisto, the bear, recognizes her son,
stands up with her arms open wide,
hoping to hug her son.
12. Artus draws his arrow because he thinks
the bear is going to kill him.
13. Jupiter sees the incident from heaven and
pulled Callisto into the sky just as Artus
was about to kill her


14. Jupiter told Artus that the bear is his
mother.
15. Artus was remorseful and asked Jupiter to
reunite them.
16. Jupiter, filled with love and compassion
pulls Artus into the sky


17. Artus takes the form of his mother and
turns into a bear
18. Callisto and Artus become constellations