稱呼

• 漢語的湘語裡，北斗七星稱為「麻人七姊妹」

• 北斗七星各星之名，始見於漢代緯書《春秋運斗樞》： 「斗第一天樞，第二璇，第三機，第四權，第五衡，第六開陽，第七搖光。第一至第四為魁，第五至第七為杓（斗杓又稱為斗剛、斗罡），合而為斗，居陰布陽，故稱北斗。」，亦見於《五行大義》、《晉書天文志》、《隋書天文志》、《史記索隱》。北斗七星和中宮天極星（即北極星），合稱為「斗極」。

• 《春秋文耀鉤》以「玉衡屬杓，魁為旋璣」，將璇璣釋為北斗魁四星，玉衡釋作杓三星。（尚有其他解釋，《尚書大傳》、《說苑》釋旋璣為北極星，馬融、鄭玄、偽孔傳釋璇璣玉衡為觀測天象的儀器，如渾天儀之類。）

• 在術數之中，天樞為貪狼 ，天璇為巨門，天璣為祿存，天權為文曲 ，玉衡為廉貞，開陽為武曲，搖光為破軍，典出《五行大義》所引《黃帝斗圖》。這些稱呼後來為唐密以及道教有關北斗的宗教經典所吸收。

北斗九星

古代傳有北斗九星，以為北斗七星顯明，另有二星隱而不見。《楚辭》王逸註：「九鬿（錢大昕指九鬿為九魁之訛寫），謂北斗九星也。」《史記索隱》引徐整《長曆》曰：「北斗九星，相去九千里。其二陰星不見者，相去八千里。」陶宏景《冥通記》曰:「北斗有九星，今星七見，二隱不出。」五代徐鉉《步虛詞》詩曰：「整服乘三素，旋綱躡九星」。

北斗第八星和第九星所指為何，主要有三種說法：

• 《文選》六臣注以北斗七星、玄戈、招搖為九星。

• 洪興祖《楚辭補註》以北斗七星、輔星、招搖為九星。

• 《宋史天文志》以北斗七星、弼星（瑤光之右）、輔星（開陽之左）為九星。

張洞玄《玉髓真經》指北斗只有七星並輔星，今術家益之，曰左輔右弼，共為九星。竺可楨引《史記天官書》矛、盾為一組，認為北斗七星、玄戈、招搖為九星。辛德勇指九星北斗之說出自緯書，並認為緯學家最可能增列輔與招搖為九星，因為不會破壞北斗的基本型態，視星等和北斗七星也不會相差太多。

費正清中國研究中心、夏威夷大學馬諾阿分校教授Andersen在其道教作品《The Practice of Bugang》中認為輔星為開陽雙星中的開陽增一，又稱大熊座80：「... two "assistant" stars: Fuxing 輔星 (Alcor, 80 Ursae Majoris) and Bixing 弼星, an invisible star near the handle of the Dipper.」。但也有認為輔星和弼星都是梅西耶天體的。

道教除了以北斗七星集合為一神北斗星君外，也分稱北斗七星為「七元解厄星君」，即：天樞宮貪狼星君、天璇宮巨門星君、天璣宮祿存星君、天權宮文曲星君、玉衡宮廉貞星君、開陽宮武曲星君、瑤光宮破軍星君。傳說能看見輔星、弼星的人可以得到長壽。道教認為祈禳北斗，可以消滅解厄，還衍生出修行的的斗法。《三國演義》寫諸葛亮病重，在軍帳中設香花祭物，行法祈禳北斗。

這九星在《雲笈七籤》24卷「北斗九星職位總主」的別名分別是：第1陽明星、第2陰精星、第3真人星、第4玄冥星、第5丹元星、第6北極星、第7天關星、第8洞明星（輔星）、第9隱元星（弼星），由九位大帝各主其星，攝理二十八個星辰。

指向

通過北斗七星，我們可以找到許多知名天體。沿天璇、天樞方向，可以找到北極星，沿天權、天樞方向，可以找到五車二，沿天權、天璇方向，可以找到北河二，沿天權、天璣方向，可以找到軒轅十四，沿「勺柄」往外方向，可以找到大角星，沿天璣、天權方向，可以找到織女星。

• 在北美洲，這個星群也稱為酒葫蘆，是大熊座星座的一部分。大熊座中這兩顆非常靠近，並且可以指引出北極星。北極星是一顆拱極星，並且幾乎永遠在正確的指出北方方向。因此，北美洲有個民間傳說，所有的黑奴都喜歡尋找酒葫蘆，跟隨它就可以找到北極星，到可以獲得自由的北方。

北斗增十六星

清欽天監1752年編成《儀象考成》星表，北斗增加了16顆肉眼可見的星。

各地拍攝的北斗七星

File:The Big Dipper (Ursa Major).jpg|2018年春節午夜在坦桑尼亞莫羅戈羅省達卡瓦鎮拍攝位于房頂上的北斗七星

File:Big_Dipper_20210116.jpg|2021年1月16日凌晨在中國福建省福州市永泰縣拍攝的北斗七星

Names and places

The constellation of Ursa Major (Latin: Greater Bear) has been seen as a bear, a wagon, or a ladle. The "bear" tradition is Indo-European (appearing in Greek, as well as in Vedic India), but apparently the name "bear" has parallels in Siberian or North American traditions.

European astronomy

The name "Bear" is Homeric, and apparently native to Greece, while the "Wain" tradition is Mesopotamian.

Book XVIII of Homer's Iliad mentions it as "the Bear, which men also call the Wain". In Latin, these seven stars were known as the "Seven Oxen" (', from '). Classical Greek mythography identified the "Bear" as the nymph Callisto, changed into a she-bear by Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus.

In Ireland and the United Kingdom, this pattern is known as the Plough (Irish: An Camchéachta – the bent plough). The symbol of the Starry Plough has been used as a political symbol by Irish Republican and Irish left wing movements. Former names include the Great Wain (i.e., wagon), Arthur's Wain or Butcher's Cleaver. The terms Charles's Wain and Charles his Wain are derived from the still older Carlswæn. A folk etymology holds that this derived from Charlemagne, but the name is common to all the Germanic languages and the original reference was to the churls' (i.e., the men's) wagon, in contrast to the women's wagon, (the Little Dipper). An older "Odin's Wain" may have preceded these Nordic designations.

In German, it is known as the "Great Wagon" (') and, less often, the "Great Bear" ('). Likewise, in the North Germanic languages, it is known by variations of "Charles's Wagon" (Karlavagnen, Karlsvogna, or Karlsvognen), but also the "Great Bear" (Stora Björn), and to the Norse pagans, it was known as Óðins vagn; "Woden's wagon". In Dutch, its official name is the "Great Bear" (Grote Beer), but it is popularly known as the "Saucepan" (Steelpannetje). In Italian, it is called either the "Great Wagon" (Grande Carro) or "Orsa Maggiore" ("Greater Bear"). Romanian and most Slavic languages also call it the "Great Wagon".

In Hungarian, it is commonly known as "Göncöl's Wagon" (') or, less often, "Big Göncöl" (') after a táltos (shaman) in Hungarian mythology who carried medicine that could cure any disease. In Finnish, the figure is known as Otava with established etymology in the archaic meaning 'salmon net', although other uses of the word refer to 'bear' and 'wheel'. The bear relation is claimed to stem from the animal's resemblance to—and mythical origin from—the asterism rather than vice versa.

In Lithuanian, the stars of Ursa Major are known as Didieji Grįžulo Ratai ("The Big Back Wheels"). Other names for the constellation include Perkūno Ratai ("The Wheels of Perkūnas"), Kaušas ("The Bucket"), Vežimas ("The Carriage"), and Samtis ("The Ladle"). In Latvian, it is known as Lielie Greizie Rati ("The Great Crooked Wagon") or Lielais Kauss ("The Great Cup").

In the Sámi languages of Northern Europe, the constellation is identified as the bow of the great hunter Fávdna (the star Arcturus). In the main Sámi language, North Sámi it is called Fávdnadávgi ("Fávdna's bow") or simply dávggát ("the bow"). The constellation features prominently in the Sámi anthem, which begins with the words Guhkkin davvin dávggáid vuolde sabmá suolggai Sámieanan, which translates to "Far to the north, under the Bow, the Land of the Sámi slowly comes into view." The Bow is an important part of the Sámi traditional narrative about the night sky, in which various hunters try to chase down Sarva, the Great Reindeer, a large constellation that takes up almost half the sky. According to the legend, Fávdna stands ready to fire his Bow every night but hesitates because he might hit Stella Polaris, known as Boahji ("the Rivet"), which would cause the sky to collapse and end the world.

Arabian Astronomy

The Arabic names بَنَاتُ نَعْشٍ الكُبْرَى (Banāt Naʿsh al-Kubrā), بَنُو نَعْشٍ (Banū Naʿsh), and آلُ نَعْشٍ (Āl Naʿsh) refer to the constellation known in Western astronomy as the Big Dipper, which is part of Ursa Major. The term 「Banāt Naʿsh」 translates to 「the daughters of the bier (funeral litter),」 reflecting an ancient Arab mythological interpretation of the star pattern. In this context, the four bright stars forming the 「bowl」 of the Big Dipper represent a funeral bier, while the three stars forming the 「handle」 symbolize mourners or daughters following behind in a funeral procession. This naming convention is deeply rooted in Arabic oral traditions and ancient Bedouin star lore, where celestial objects were often associated with narratives that mirrored life, death, and human experiences. Such names highlight the rich entomological and mythological traditions of pre-Islamic and early Islamic Arab culture, where stars were used for navigation, storytelling, and timekeeping.

Asian traditions

In Chinese astronomy and Chinese constellation records, The Big Dipper is called "Beidou" (北斗 Běi Dǒu), which literally means Northern Dipper. It refers to an asterism equivalent to the Big Dipper. The Chinese name for Alpha Ursae Majoris is Beidou Yi (北斗一 Běi Dǒu yī|l=Beidou One) and Tianshu (天樞 Tiān Shū|l=Star of Celestial Pivot). The asterism name was mentioned in Warring States period (c. 475–221 BCE) stellar records, in which the asterism is described to have seven stars in the shape of a dipper or a chariot.

The Chinese astronomy records were translated to other East Asian cultures in the Sinosphere. The most prominent name is the "Northern Dipper" (北斗) and the "Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper" (北斗七星 Běidǒu Qīxīng). In astrology, these stars are generally considered to compose the Right Wall of the Purple Forbidden Enclosure which surrounds the Northern Celestial Pole, although numerous other groupings and names have been made over the centuries. Similarly, each star has a distinct name, which likewise has varied over time and depending upon the asterism being constructed. The personification of the Big Dipper itself is also known as "Doumu" (斗母) in Chinese folk religion and Taoism, and Marici in Buddhism.

In Vietnam, the colloquial name for the asterism is Sao Bánh lái lớn (The Big Rudder Stars), contrasted with Ursa Minor, which is known as Sao Bánh lái nhỏ (The Little Rudder Stars). Although this name has now been replaced by the Sino-Vietnamese "Bắc Đẩu" in everyday speech, many coastal communities in central and southern Vietnam still refer to the asterism as such and use it to navigate when their fishing vessels return from the sea at night.

In Shinto religion, the seven largest stars of Ursa Major belong to Amenominakanushi, the oldest and most powerful of all kami.

In Malay, it is known as the "Boat Constellation" (); in Indonesian, as the "Canoe Stars" (Bintang Biduk).

In Burmese, these stars are known as Pucwan Tārā (ပုဇွန် တာရာ, pronounced "bazun taja"). Pucwan (ပုဇွန်) is a general term for a crustacean, such as prawn, shrimp, crab, lobster, etc.

In Thai, they are known as the "Crocodile Stars" (). 47 Ursae Majoris is also named Chalawan, the mythological crocodile from Thai folklore.

While its Western name comes from the star pattern's resemblance to a kitchen ladle, in Filipino, the Big Dipper and its sister constellation the Little Dipper are more often associated with the tabo, a one-handled water pot used ubiquitously in Filipino households and bathrooms for purposes of personal hygiene.

In the earliest Indian astronomy, the Big Dipper was called "the Bear" (Ṛkṣa, ) in the Rigveda, but was later more commonly known by the name of Saptarishi, "Seven Sages."

Inuit traditions

In Inuit astronomy, the same grouping of stars is referred to as "the Caribou" (Tukturjuit). Many of the stars within the constellation "were used as hour hands on the night sky to indicate hours of the night, or as calendar stars to help determine the date in fall, winter, or spring."

In North America

The asterism name "Big Dipper" is mostly used in the United States and Canada. However, the origin of the term is disputed. A popular myth claimed the name originated from African-American folk songs; however, a more recent source challenges the authenticity of the claim.

In an 1824 book on the history of the constellations' mythology, contrasted the "Dipper or Ladle" descriptors used in the United States with "Charles's Wagon or Wain" which were common in England. Descriptions of "the dipper" appear in American astronomy textbooks throughout the 19th century.

Stars

Within Ursa Major the stars of the Big Dipper have Bayer designations in consecutive Greek alphabetical order from the bowl to the handle.

In the same line of sight as Mizar, but about one light-year beyond it, is the star Alcor (80 UMa). Together they are known as the "Horse and Rider". At fourth magnitude, Alcor would normally be relatively easy to see with the unaided eye, but its proximity to Mizar renders it more difficult to resolve, and it has served as a traditional test of sight. Mizar itself has four components and thus enjoys the distinction of being part of an optical binary as well as being the first-discovered telescopic binary (1617) and the first-discovered spectroscopic binary (1889).

Five of the stars of the Big Dipper are at the core of the Ursa Major Moving Group. The two at the ends, Dubhe and Alkaid, are not part of the swarm, and are moving in the opposite direction. Relative to the central five, they are moving down and to the right in the map. This will slowly change the Dipper's shape, with the bowl opening up and the handle becoming more bent. In 50,000 years the Dipper will no longer exist as we know it, but be re-formed into a new Dipper facing the opposite way. The stars Alkaid to Phecda will then constitute the bowl, while Phecda, Merak, and Dubhe will be the handle.

Guidepost

Not only are the stars in the Big Dipper easily found themselves, they may also be used as guides to other stars outside of the asterism. Thus it is often the starting point for introducing Northern Hemisphere beginners to the night sky:

• Polaris, the North Star, is found by imagining a line from Merak (β) to Dubhe (α) and then extending it for five times the distance between the two Pointers.

• Extending a line from Megrez (δ) to Phecda (γ), on the inside of the bowl, leads to Regulus (α Leonis) and Alphard (α Hydrae). A mnemonic for this is "A hole in the bowl will leak on Leo."

• Extending a line from Phecda (γ) to Megrez (δ) leads to Thuban (α Draconis), which was the pole star 4,000 years ago.

• Crossing the top of the bowl from Megrez (δ) to Dubhe (α) takes one in the direction of Capella (α Aurigae). A mnemonic for this is "Cap to Capella."

• Castor (α Geminorum) is reached by imagining a diagonal line from Megrez (δ) to Merak (β) and then extending it for approximately five times that distance.

• By following the curve of the handle from Alioth (ε) to Mizar (ζ) to Alkaid (η), one reaches Arcturus (α Boötis) and Spica (α Virginis). A mnemonic for this is "Arc to Arcturus then speed (or spike) to Spica."

• Projecting a line from Alkaid (η) through the pole star will point to Cassiopeia.

Additionally, the Dipper may be used as a guide to telescopic objects:

• The approximate ___location of the Hubble Deep Field can be found by following a line from Phecda (γ) to Megrez (δ) and continuing on for the same distance again.

• Crossing the bowl diagonally from Phecda (γ) to Dubhe (α) and proceeding onward for a similar stretch leads to the bright galaxy pair M81 and M82.

• Two spectacular spiral galaxies flank Alkaid (η), the Pinwheel (M101) to the north and the Whirlpool (M51) to the south.

Cultural associations

The "Seven Stars" referenced in the Bible's Book of Amos may refer to these stars or, more likely, to the Pleiades.

In traditional Hindu astronomy, the seven stars of the Big Dipper are identified with the names of the Saptarshi.

In addition, the asterism has also been used in corporate logos and the Alaska flag.

The seven stars on a red background of the Flag of the Community of Madrid, Spain, are the stars of the Big Dipper Asterism. The same can be said about the seven stars pictured in the bordure azure of the Coat of arms of Madrid, capital city of Spain.

The asterism's prominence on the north of the night sky produced the adjective "septentrional" (literally, pertaining to seven plow oxen) in Romance languages and English, meaning "Northern Hemisphere".

"Follow the Drinkin' Gourd" is an African American folk song first published in 1928. The "Drinkin' Gourd" is thought to refer to the Big Dipper. Folklore has it that escaped southern slaves in the United States used the Big Dipper as a point of reference to go north.

A mythological origin of the asterism was described in a children's story which circulated in the United States in various versions. A version of this story taken from the pacifist magazine Herald of Peace was translated into Russian and incorporated into Leo Tolstoy's compilation A Calendar of Wisdom.

The Constellation was also used on the flag of the Italian Regency of Carnaro within the Ouroboros.