WE GAVE BIRTH TO AN IDEA.
NOW WE HAD TO NAME IT.
Finding the right name for a product as revolutionary as the Ursa Wagon was a surprisingly difficult thing to do. We set out to find a name that captured the essence of our Wagon-its single-handed ease and versatility. And, as with any adventure, we learned a few things along the way.
First we considered names of animals, geographical formations, and mythology to name a few, but ultimately rejected these names because they were not as unique as our Wagon. Then, just when we felt there must have been something we missed along the way, the name came to us.
We were riding home in the car on a snowy night when we began talking about our Wagon and how it reminded us of the Big Dipper. We noted that the Big Dipper even dumps as it revolves around the North Star. The similarities were too uncanny to ignore. So we did a little research into the constellation and turned up an interesting fact: We were not the only ones who saw a resemblance between the Big Dipper and a wagon or wain. It appeared that, driving in the car that night, we stumbled upon that something we thought we had missed.
Our research found that in Greece, China and many countries throughout Northern Europe, our Big Dipper, known scientifically as Ursa Major (Latin for Great Bear), is also called the Great Wagon/Wain. In fact, it is referred to as such in both Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey!
“He wrought the earth, the heavens, and the sea; the moon also at her full and the untiring sun, with all the signs that glorify the face of heaven—the Pleiads, the Hyads, huge Orion, and the Bear, which men also call the Wain and which turns round ever in one place, facing.”
“He never closed his eyes, but kept them fixed on the Pleiads, on late-setting Bootes, and on the Bear—which men also call the wain, and which turns round and round where it is, facing Orion, and alone never dipping into the stream of Oceanus—for Calypso had told him to keep this to his left”
It was a sign, literally, from above. We agreed on "Ursa" instantly. And so Ursa it is. We even incorporated the Great Wagon of the sky into our logo. So now you can say that Ursa Wagons are the Great Wagon on earth. At least, that's what we like to think.
You've heard our story, now tell us yours. We'd love to hear what you think about the Ursa. It's easy, really, even if you have to use two hands.
