Cancer () ("crab" in Latin) is the fourth astrological sign in the zodiac, originating from the constellation of Cancer. It spans from 90° to 120° celestial longitude. Under the tropical zodiac, the Sun transits this area between approximately June 22 and July 22. In astrology, Cancer is the cardinal sign of the Water trigon, which is made up of Cancer,

Pisces Pisces may refer to: * Pisces, an obsolete (because of land vertebrates) taxonomic superclass including all fish *Pisces (astrology), an astrological sign *Pisces (constellation), a constellation **Pisces Overdensity, an overdensity of stars in t ...

, and Scorpio. It is one of the six negative signs, and its ruling planet is the Moon. Though some depictions of Cancer feature a

lobster Lobsters are a family (biology), family (Nephropidae, Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs ...

crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, mu ...

, the sign is most often represented by the

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

, based on the Karkinos. Cancer's opposite sign is Capricorn.

Background

Cancer is the fourth sign of the zodiac, which the sun enters at the

summer solstice The summer solstice, also called the estival solstice or midsummer, occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the summer ...

in the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

, on approximately June 21. Those who are born from approximately June 21 to July 22 (depending upon the year) are born under Cancer. Individuals born during these dates, depending on which system of astrology they subscribe to, may be called "Cancerians". Cancer is a northern sign, and its opposite sign is Capricorn. Cancer is a cardinal sign. Water is the element associated with Cancer, and, alongside Scorpio and

, it forms the water trigon. The water trigon is one of four elemental trigons in the zodiac, with the other three being fire, earth, and air. When a trigon is influential, it is said to affect changes on earth. Cancer is said to be the house of

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...

and the exaltation of Jupiter, both astronomical bodies over those born under Cancer. Its ruling planet is the Moon. Due to the negative associations of the word "Cancer" with the disease of the same name, some astrologers refer to persons born under this sign as "moon children". Divine associations with Cancer in

Renaissance 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, the ...

are Luna/

Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997) ...

, both goddesses that represent the Moon, Cancer's ruling planet. In Hindu astrology, the sign of Cancer is named ''Karka'' and its ruler is Moon.

Early history

"Cancer" is an ancient word of Indo-European origin, derived from a root meaning "to scratch." In ancient Egypt, the sign of Cancer was conceived as a scarab beetle, while in Mesopotamia it was represented by a turtle. In each case, the animal representative of the sign was perceived as "pushing" the sun across the heavens, initiating the

. Latin is the generic word for '

'. According to Greek myth, the symbol of Cancer—often a crab, though sometimes a

—is based on the Karkinos ( Greek: "Cancer"), a crab crushed under the foot of Heracles, and whose remains were placed in the sky by

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; grc-gre, Ἥρα, Hḗrā; grc, Ἥρη, Hḗrē, label=none in Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she ...

, forming the Cancer constellation. In Roman variations of the story, it is Juno—Hera's counterpart in Roman mythology—who places the crab in the sky. Naturalist Richard Hinckley Allen, in 1899, deemed Cancer the "most inconspicuous figure in the zodiac," adding that its mythology "apologizes for its being there by the story that when the Crab was crushed by Hercules, for pinching his toes during a contest with the

Hydra Hydra generally refers to: * Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed serpent in Greek mythology * ''Hydra'' (genus), a genus of simple freshwater animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria Hydra or The Hydra may also refer to: Astronomy * Hydra (constel ...

in the Marsh of Lerna, Juno exalted it to the sky."

In the arts

During the Middle Ages, the zodiacal symbol of Cancer was included in devotional books and incorporated into monumental sculptures. The depiction of Cancer as a crab is most prevalent in Mediterranean and Western European art. In Dante Alighieri's '' Paradiso'', he makes reference to Cancer, writing: Cancer is figured in

Giovanni Maria Falconetto Giovanni Maria Falconetto (c. 1468–1535) was an Italian architect and artist. He designed among the first high Renaissance buildings in Padua, the '' Loggia Cornaro'', a garden '' loggia'' for Alvise Cornaro built as a Roman doric arcade. Al ...

's 1517 painting, ''Cancer'', as the guardian of the city of Verona. The Cancer symbol is also depicted in Agostino di Duccio's sculpture ''View of Rimini Under the Sign of Cancer'' (1450). In Giorgio Vasari's

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

, the Chamber of Fortune, Cancer is represented in the northern compartment of the ceiling, pictured by Diana, holding the moon, along with a crab.

Gallery

References

Sources

* * Longitude of Sun, apparent geocentric ecliptic of date, interpolated to find time of crossing 0°, 30°.... * * * * * * * * *

External links

* *
Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (over 300 medieval and early modern images of Cancer)
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