Arktouros

Arktouros is a term from ancient Greek meaning “bear-guardian” or “watcher of the bear.” It is formed from arktos, bear, and ouros, guardian or watcher. The name appears only rarely in surviving Greek sources, where it is used as a proper name or epithet rather than as a central mythological figure.

Scholarly interpretation of arktouros is uncertain due to fragmentary evidence. The most common identification is with the Great Bear, Ursa Major, or with a celestial or protective role connected to bears in the northern sky. Because the Great Bear has long served as a prominent navigational reference for travelers in northern latitudes, the notion of a “bear-guardian” aligns with common Greek poetic and astronomical associations between bears and the northern heavens.

In addition to its possible celestial sense, arktouros has occasionally been treated as a rare toponym or ethnonym in certain locales, reflecting a northern setting or a protective, guardian function attributed to bears in ritual or geographic contexts. Overall, arktouros is best understood as a rare, etymologically transparent compound that points to a northern, bear-related motif rather than a widely attested, standalone myth.

See also: Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Callisto, Greek astronomy.