A Heavenly Star
Or rather, heavenly stars, make up the Big Dipper, the most commonly recognized star formation in the heavens. The stars and the patterns they make, have been the subject of many tales and legends over the centuries, usually having to do with the fates of cultural gods. Either exiled or rewarded with a place in heaven, according to the beliefs of the observer who created the myths, heavenly constellations have been used for many things as civilization progressed, including navigational tools.
In a time when there were few tools for charting a ship's location, the North Star and the Sun, were two constants. The North Star shines above the Big Dipper, which rotates around it, once every 24 hours. But the Big Dipper is not technically a constellation. Rather, it's what astronomers refer to as an asterism, a distinct pattern. That pattern is part of the much larger constellation called Ursa Major, or the Big Bear, where it forms part of the upper rear back and tail.
The easily recognized shape of the Dipper goes by different names, in different countries. In England, it's known as the Plough, but over in France they call it the Casserole, perhaps comparing it to the form of the casserole dish. In the mid 1800s in America, slaves referred to it as the Drinking Gourd, and featured it in songs that would help point the way to North, and freedom.