Leo () (
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
: , ''Leōn''), Latin for
Lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
, is the fifth
sign of 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 p ...
. It corresponds to the
constellation Leo and comes after
Cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...
and before
Virgo. The traditional
Western zodiac
Western astrology is the system of astrology most popular in Western countries. Western astrology is historically based on Ptolemy's '' Tetrabiblos'' (2nd century CE), which in turn was a continuation of Hellenistic and ultimately Babylonian tr ...
associates Leo with the period between about July 23 and August 22, and the sign spans the 120th to 150th degree of
celestial longitude.
Leo is associated with
fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...
, accompanied by Aries and Sagittarius, and its modality is
fixed. The constellation Leo is associated with the mythological
Nemean lion. The lion is a very important and prominent symbol in Greek mythology.
History
Egyptians worshipped the constellation, which they referred to as "Knem", because it was present during the flooding of the Nile River. This event signified plentiful harvests for the upcoming year, and the people interpreted it as a gift from the earth. Ruler of Egypt,
Tutankhamun's gold throne features lion heads where the seat and front legs meet, as well as clawed feet at the end of each leg, symbolizing power and royalty.
See also
*
Astronomical symbols
*
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 remai ...
*
Circle of stars
*
Cusp (astrology)
*
Elements of the zodiac
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 Leo)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leo (Astrology)
Western astrological signs
Mythological lions