About this star:

A double star, possibly binary, brilliant white and pale emerald on the Tail of the Great Bear, Ursa Major

A companion star and only 11' distant is situated Alcor, a 4th magnitude star and only people with excellent eyesight could distinguish it as a separate star. These stars used to be the 'test' or 'riddle' by which people used to test their eyesight on.

The present Arabic name for Mizar is Al-Maraqq, "The loins", or the "groin" of the Great Bear.

Mirak was an early name for this, a repetition of that for beta; but it was changed to the present Mizar, from the Arabic Mi'zar, a "Girdle" or "Waist-cloth", which, although inappropriate, has maintained its place in modern lists; Mizat and Mirza being other forms. The "hill Mizar" of the 42d Psalm sometimes is wrongly associated with this, the original Hebrew word mis'ar being better rendered in the Psalter, from Coverdale's version, as "the little hill," i.e. of Hermon, of which it was a minor peak.

In India it was Vashishtha (or Vasishta, or Vasisht), "most wealthy" (5) (born from Brahma's breathing), one of the Seven Sages. Vasishta is supposed to have been born as the result of Brahma’s will power. He was a great ascetic, and labored for the welfare of the world (3). A law-book and another on yoga are attributed to him (5). He was married to Arundhati, the companion star Alcor which was said to be the missing Pleiad of Taurus. Arundhati is famous for being virtuous and for devotion to her husband, and spent all her time in service to her husband, Vashishtha. In India even nowadays, immediately after the wedding, the bride is shown Arundhati (Alcor) and she worships the star. It is a symbolic acceptance of the ideal of virtue and devotion by the bride. Vasishta had his hermitage on the banks of the river Saraswati (3). The richest of the sages, he owned Nandini, the cow of plenty (offspring of Surabhi). As this cow was able to grant the sage all his wishes, he became the master of every vasu (desirable object) (4). The cow is said to have been produced at the churning of the ocean. Blavatsky relates it with Vach-Viraja, the daughter of Brahma. (5) [These seven sages of Ursa Major were married to the seven stars of the Pleiades of Taurus (the bull/cow)].

This star, Mizar (zeta), also was the Arabic 'Anak al Banat, the "Necks of the Maidens", referring to the "Mourners at the Bier"; or perhaps this should be rendered "the Goat of the Mourners," for in some editions of Ulug Beg's Tables it was written Al Inak, — correctly Al 'Inz.

With Alcor (80 Ursa Major) it has various combined titles. There is an Arabic story in which this star, Mizar, is the walidan of the Banat, with Alcor as her new-born infant. [In an Arabic story Alcor, was the little infant in the arms of one of the "Mourners" - this star Mizar. The constellation of the Great Bear was seen as a funeral procession, around a Bier or coffin (bear and bier come from the same root word). The bier was marked by the Plough or Big Dipper stars on the body of the Bear - Merak (beta), Dubhe (alpha), Phecda (gamma) and Megrez (delta). The coffin was followed by "Mourners"; the three big stars on the tail of the Great Bear; epsilon (Alioth), zeta (this star Mizar), and eta (Alkaid). These mourners, the children of Al Na'ash, who was murdered by Al Jadi, the pole-star (Polaris), are still nightly surrounding him in their thirst for vengeance, the walidan among the daughters — the star Mizar — holding in her arms her new-born infant, the little Alcor.]

Popularly, in England, Jack on the Middle Horse, are well known, Jack was Alcor, this star Mizar being the horse. (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).

Influence of the star:

Supposedly, Mizar portends a Mars nature. The reputation of Mizar, if it is in maximal position in a mundane map, is that of being connected with fires of a catastrophic extent and mass calamities. In personal charts Mizar is not helpful if conjunct with 'bad' planets. It is not wrong to assume that, besides these handicaps, artistic emanations can also be attributed to Mizar. (Ebertin).

Presages the death of a loved one. (Noonan).

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 Astronomica 1st century AD).