"The Dragon"
Mythology:
Like so many constellations, there are several stories that make reference
to Draco the Dragon. Since many people are interested in this constellation,
I have numbered them below for convenience.
1) In Greek mythology, Draco was one of the monsters fighting with
the old Titans, led by Cronus (Roman: Saturn), for control of Mount
Olympus. Draco had the misfortune of battling Athena. She grabbed
the Dragon by the tail and flung the monster into the night sky.
Draco eventually struck the celestial sphere, where he got stuck.
Because he was flung to the sky and because he stuck near the North Celestial
Pole (where the stars are circumpolar; that is -- go around in circles
around Polaris), he was tangled and froze permanently in place before he
could recover, straighten himself out, and get off the Celestial Sphere.
2) It is also possible that Draco is actually the Dragon Ladon, who
guarded Hera's tree that bore golden apples. When Hera received the
tree as a wedding present, she had it planted on Mount Atlas. She
assigned the task of guarding the tree to the three daughters of Atlas,
known as the Hesperides. However, instead of guarding the tree, they
stole from it, so Hera sent Ladon to guard the tree. Unfortunately
for the Dragon, the eleventh labor of Hercules' was to obtain apples from
Hera's tree. Hercules killed Ladon with his arrows poisoned with
the blood of Hydra, and was successful in his labor. Either as punishment
or recognition of his efforts, Hera placed the Dragon in the sky.
3) A more obscure story claims that Draco was slain by the Greek
hero Cadmus, who was the founder of the Thebes. Athena had appeared
to Cadmus, and told him to plant the dragon's teeth. When he did,
a powerful army rose out of the ground to fight for Cadmus.
4) Interestingly, Draco is evident is other cultures as well.
For example, the ancient Babylonians thought this constellation was the
Dragon Tiamet, who conquered their Sun God.
Other Interesting Sights: Although Polaris is currently the "North Star," it will not always be. Because of the Earth's precession, Earth's rotation axis carves out a large circle in the sky (much like a wobbling top). So, different stars are the "North Star" depending upon where Earth's rotation axis is pointing at that particular time. Around 4,800 years ago, the star Thuban in Draco was the "North Star." Some have theorized that is was Thuban that the ancient Egyptians used in aligning the pyramids. Since Earth's precession takes about 25,000 years, Thuban will again be the "North Star" in roughly 20,000 more years.