About this star:

A yellow star on the back of the Bear, Ursa Major.

The Arabic name for Dubhe is Ad-Dubb, "The bear". Dubb, more generally Dubhe, the Bear, is the abbreviation of the Arabians' Thahr al Dubb al Akbar, the "Back of the Greater Bear".

Al Biruni said that it was the Hindu Kratu or Krathu (born from Brahma's hand), one of the seven Rishis or Sages.

Some have asserted that in Egyptian astronomy it was Ak, the "Eye"; i. e. the prominent one of the constellation, utilized in the alignment of the walls of the temple of Hathor at Denderah, and the orientation point of that structure perhaps before 5000 B.C.; at all events, before the Thigh became circumpolar, about 4000 B.C. As typifying a goddess of Egypt, it was Bast Isis and Taurt Isis.

Alpha (this star Dubhe) and beta (Merak) were the Keepers, or Pointers, at the front of the "Dipper Bowl" in Ursa Major; a line extending through these two will direct the observer to Polaris, the Pole Star.

It is one of the "The Plough", also called "the Big Dipper" stars, a bucket shaped figure or asterism in the back of the Bear, outlined by the stars; Merak (beta), Dubhe (this star alpha), Phecda (gamma) and Megrez (delta). In early Arabic astronomy these four stars constituted the coffin or bier (bier and bear come from the same root word) surrounded by mourners of Al Na'ash, who was murdered by Al Jadi, the pole-star (Polaris), and this constellation was seen as a funeral procession, attributing this title to the slow and solemn motion of the figure around the pole.

The Chinese know it as Tien Choo, Heaven's Pivot, and as Kow Ching. (Allen)

Influence of the constellation:

It is said to give a quiet, prudent, suspicious, mistrustful, self-controlled, patient nature, but an uneasy spirit and great anger when roused. By the Kabalists it is associated with the Hebrew letter Zain and the 7th Tarot Trump "The Chariot". (Robson).

General influence of the star:

Credited with the destructiveness of Mars, working itself out particularly in mundane maps, in a nasty way if conjunct Saturn. Conjunct Hitler's Saturn, Mao Tse Tung's Moon. (Ebertin).

Rising: Those born at the rising of this constellation will be tamers of wild beasts, that is men to teach bears, bulls and lions to lay aside their fierceness and share in human ways. (Manilius 1st century AD).

Setting: In danger of being killed by wild beasts. (Noonan).