Editing Arcas (section)

== Mythology ==
Callisto was a nymph in the [[retinue]] of the goddess [[Artemis]], or in some sources the daughter of King [[Lycaon (king of Arcadia)|Lycaon]]. As she would not be with anyone but Artemis, Zeus cunningly disguised himself as Artemis and raped Callisto. The child resulting from their union was called Arcas.<ref>[[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]], 3.8.2</ref><ref>Pausanias, [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.perseus-eng1:8.3.6 8.3.6]</ref><ref>Hyginus, ''Fabulae'' 176</ref>

[[Hera]] became jealous, and in anger, she transformed Callisto into a [[bear]]. She would have done the same or worse to her son, but Zeus hid Arcas in an area of [[Ancient Greece|Greece]], which would come to be called [[Arcadia (ancient region)|Arcadia]], in his honor. Arcas was given into a care of one of the [[Pleiades_(Greek_mythology)|Pleiades]], Maia. There, Arcas safely lived until one day, during one of the court feasts held by king [[Lycaon (king of Arcadia)|Lycaon]] (Arcas' maternal grandfather), Arcas was placed upon the burning altar as a sacrifice to the gods. He then said to Zeus, "If you think that you are so clever, make your son whole and un-harmed". Zeus became enraged and made Arcas whole and directed his anger toward Lycaon, turning him into the first [[werewolf]].<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' 2.401 ff.</ref><ref>Ovid, ''[[Fasti (Ovid)|Fasti]]'' 2.155 ff.</ref>

Then, Arcas became the new king of Arcadia and the country's greatest [[hunter]]. One day, when Arcas went hunting in the woods, he came across his mother. Seeing her son after so long, she went forth to embrace him. Not knowing that the bear was his mother, he went to kill her with an [[arrow]]. In one version of the story, Arcas hunted Callisto because she had entered the forbidden sanctuary of Zeus on Mt. Lykaion.<ref>Pseudo-Eratosthenes, ''Catast.'' fr. 1</ref>  Zeus however, watching over them, stopped Arcas from shooting Callisto and raised them into the heavens as constellations ([[Boötes]]<ref>Ridpath 1988, p. 35</ref> and [[Ursa Major]]). When Hera heard of that, she became so angry that she asked [[Tethys (mythology)|Tethys]] to keep them in a certain place so that the constellations would never sink below the horizon and receive water.<ref>Ovid, ''Metamorphoses'' 2.496 ff.</ref> Arcas’ bones were brought from Mount Maenalos to an altar of Hera in [[Mantineia|Mantinea]] according to the instructions of the Delphic Oracle.<ref name=":0">Pausanias 8.9.3 </ref>