Date
Name Otava
Gender Masculine
Usage Finnish, Finnish Mythology, Astronomy
Pronounced Pron. OH-tah-vah
Edit Status Status
Meaning & History
Means "salmon net" from an Ancient Finnish word sometimes used also to mean "bear" or "wheel". Otava (or Otavainen) is the Finnish name of the Big Dipper (the Plough), a large asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major. The name is also mentioned in the Finnish epic Kalevala and its sister collection Kanteletar.