CALISTOPEE, CALYXTE. Callisto, daughter of Lycaon, was a nymph dedicated to Diana. Jupiter fell in love with her, and she bore him a son, Arcas. Diana dismissed her from her troupe, and Juno transformed her into a bear. One day, her son came upon her as he hunted in the forest; as he was about to shoot her, Jupiter changed him into a bear and placed mother and son among the stars. Callisto became Ursa Major (the Great Bear) and Arcas became Ursus Minor or Artophylax, the Little Bear (Met II.407-530; OM II.1365-1694).

The story of Diana and Callistopee is painted on the walls of Diana's oratory, KnT 2056-2061; Diana has changed her into a bear, and the loode-sterre, or polestar, appears in her constellation. The polestar, however, appears in Ursus Minor. Chaucer's lines show a possible influence of Boccaccio, De genealogia deorum gentilium (The Genealogy of the Pagan Gods), V.49: here Callisto becomes Ursa Minor and Arcas becomes Ursus Major. Calyxte appears among love's martyrs, PF 286. [Arctour: Boëtes: Ursa]

Calistopee occurs in final rhyming position, KnT 2056, expanded either to suit the meter or through confusion with Calliope. In Gower's version the name is also expanded, Calistona, Confessio Amantis V.6225-6358, influenced by Boccaccio's Calistonem, Latin accusative singular of Calisto. Calyxte, a pronunciation development of -x where it represents etymologically an -s, occurs medially, PF 286.