Aries () (Greek: Κριός
riós
Riós is a municipality in the Spanish province of Ourense, in the autonomous community of Galicia
Galicia may refer to:
Geographic regions
* Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain
** Gallaecia, a Roman provin ...
Latin for "ram") is the first
astrological sign
In Western astrology, astrological signs are the twelve 30-degree sectors that make up Earth's 360-degree orbit around the Sun. The signs enumerate from the first day of spring, known as the First Point of Aries, which is the vernal equinox. ...
in the
zodiac
The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The pat ...
, spanning the first 30 degrees of
celestial longitude
Astronomical coordinate systems are organized arrangements for specifying positions of satellites, planets, stars, galaxies, and other celestial objects relative to physical reference points available to a situated observer (e.g. the true horizon ...
(0°≤ <30°), and originates from the
Aries constellation. Under the tropical zodiac, the Sun transits this sign from approximately March 21 to April 19 each year. This time duration is exactly the first month of the
Solar Hijri calendar
The Solar calendar ( fa, گاهشماری هجری خورشیدی, Gâhšomâri-ye Xoršidi; ps, لمريز لېږدیز کلیز, lamrez legdez kalhandara; ku, ڕۆژژمێری کۆچیی ھەتاوی, Salnameya Koçberiyê) is a solar c ...
(Arabic Hamal/Persian
Farvardin
Farvardin ( fa, فروردین, ) is the Iranian Persian name for the first month of the Solar Hijri calendar, the official calendar of Iran, and corresponds with Aries on the Zodiac. Farvardin has thirty-one days. It is the first month of the ...
/Pashto
Wray).
According to the
tropical system of astrology, the
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...
enters the sign of Aries when it reaches the
March equinox
The March equinox or northward equinox is the equinox on the Earth when the subsolar point appears to leave the Southern Hemisphere and cross the celestial equator, heading northward as seen from Earth. The March equinox is known as the ve ...
, typically on March 21. Because the Earth takes approximately 365.24 days to go around the Sun, the precise time of the equinox is not the same each year, and generally will occur about six hours later from one year to the next until reset by a leap year. The leap day February 29 causes that year's March equinox to fall about eighteen hours earlier compared with the previous year.
Background
Aries is the first fire sign in the zodiac, the other
fire signs being
Leo and
Sagittarius. Individuals born while the Sun is in this sign may be called ''Ariens'' The color for Aries is
red
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
. In astrology, Aries is the cardinal sign of the fire
trigon. It is one of the six
positive signs.
The equivalent in the Hindu solar calendar is
Meṣa.
Mythology
In Greek Mythology, the symbol of the ram is based on the
Chrysomallus
In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece ( el, Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας, ''Chrysómallon déras'') is the fleece of the golden-woolled,, ''Khrusómallos''. winged ram, Chrysomallos, that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis, where P ...
, the flying ram that rescued
Phrixus
In Greek mythology Phrixus (; also spelt Phryxus; el, Φρίξος, ''Phrixos'' means "standing on end, bristling") was the son of Athamas, king of Boeotia, and Nephele (a goddess of clouds). He was the twin brother of Helle and the father of ...
and
Helle, the children of the Boeotian king
Athamas
In Greek mythology, Athamas (; grc, Ἀθάμας, Athámas) was a Boeotian king.Apollodorus1.9.1/ref>
Family
Athamas was formerly a Thessalian prince and the son of King Aeolus of Aeolia and Enarete, daughter of Deimachus. He was the bro ...
and provided the
Golden Fleece
In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece ( el, Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας, ''Chrysómallon déras'') is the fleece of the golden-woolled,, ''Khrusómallos''. winged ram, Chrysomallos, that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis, where ...
. Aries is derived from the God of War,
Ares. He is described as, "murderous, bloodthirsty, the incarnate curse of mortals; and, strangely, a coward". The Roman name for Ares was
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
, which is the ruling planet of the sign.
Characteristics
According to astrologers, the gender of Aries is masculine. The element is fire. The
modality
Modality may refer to:
Humanities
* Modality (theology), the organization and structure of the church, as distinct from sodality or parachurch organizations
* Modality (music), in music, the subject concerning certain diatonic scales
* Modaliti ...
is cardinal. The ruling planet is
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
, which also rules
Scorpio. Masculine, or positive, zodiac signs are said to take initiative in pursuing their ambitions with aggressive tendencies. Fire signs possess leadership skills and are uninhibited in their approach to life, which can manifest positively with spontaneity or negatively with impulsivity. They project a strong persona but are more sensitive than they may appear. Cardinal signs have a forceful nature and act decisively. They also prefer to do things in accordance with their own ideas and may be viewed as 'bossy'. Mars being the ruling planet makes Aries a sign that is determined to get what they want, and the planet's influence gives Aries a short temper. Aries, being the first sign of the zodiac, tend towards a child-like spirit or immaturity.
Gallery
File:Aries2.jpg
File:Mosaic in Maltezana at Analipsi, Astypalaia, 5th c AD, Aries Astm25.jpg, Mosaic in Maltezana near Analipsi, Astypalaia
Astypalaia ( Greek: Αστυπάλαια, ), is a Greek island with 1,334 residents (2011 census). It belongs to the Dodecanese, an archipelago of fifteen major islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea.
The island is long, wide at the most, ...
, 5th century CE
File:Aries zodiac sign, Jantar Mantar, Jaipur, India.jpg, Aries zodiac sign, Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known ...
, India, 18th century CE
File:Book of Wonders folio 2b.jpg, Aries, or al-ħamal, depicted in the 14th/15th century Arabic astrology text ''Book of Wonders
The ''Kitāb al-Bulhān'' (), or ''Book of Wonders'', is a 14th and 15th century mainly Turkish and some Arabic manuscript, compiled by Hassan Esfahani (Abd al-Hasan Al-Isfahani) probably bound during the reign of Jalayirid Sultan Ahmad (1382–1 ...
''
See also
*
Astronomical symbols
Astronomical symbols are abstract pictorial symbols used to represent astronomical objects, theoretical constructs and observational events in European astronomy. The earliest forms of these symbols appear in Greek papyrus texts of late antiq ...
*
Chinese zodiac
The Chinese zodiac is a traditional classification scheme based on the lunar calendar that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating twelve-year cycle. Originating from China, the zodiac and its variations remain ...
*
Circle of stars
A circle of stars often represents unity, solidarity and harmony in flags, seals and signs, and is also seen in iconographic motifs related to the Woman of the Apocalypse as well as in Baroque allegoric art that sometimes depicts the Crown o ...
*
Cusp (astrology)
In astrology, a cusp (from the Latin for spear or point) is the imaginary line that separates a pair of consecutive signs in the zodiac or houses in the horoscope.
Because the solar disc has a diameter of approximately half a degree, it is possi ...
*
Elements of the zodiac
Astrology has used the concept of classical elements from antiquity up until the present. In Western astrology and Sidereal astrology four elements are used: Fire, Earth, Air, and Water.
Western astrology
In Western tropical astrology, ther ...
*
History of astrology
Astrological beliefs in correspondences between celestial observations and terrestrial events have influenced various aspects of human history, including world-views, language and many elements of social culture.
Among West Eurasian peoples, th ...
References
Citations
Sources
*
* For time of Sun's entry or exit from a sign, calculate Longitude of Sun, apparent geocentric ecliptic of date, interpolated to find time of crossing 0°, 30°..... For list of vernal equinox dates calculate phenomena: solstices/equinoxes, choosing UT1 and years 1800 through 2050.
*
*
*
External links
Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (over 300 medieval and early modern images of Aries)
{{Portal bar, Astronomy, Stars
Fictional sheep
Western astrological signs
Mythological caprids