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Aries · Zodiac Spirit Animal

Aries Spirit Animal

Aries the Ram: Babylonian origins in the MUL.APIN tablets, Hellenistic astrological formalization in Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, the Greek myth of Phrixus and Helle, and the modern zodiac-animal association.

Published

Engraved illustration of the Ram (Aries) from Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary, 1908.
Aries the Ram, from Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (1908). The zodiacal ram traces to the Babylonian MUL.APIN tablets (c. 1000–686 BCE) as 'Hired Man' (LÚ.ḪUN.GÁ); the ram-identification is a Hellenistic development formalized in Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos (c. 150 CE). Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (1908). Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Aries is the Ram, the first sign of the tropical Western zodiac (March 21 – April 19, Fire element). The zodiacal ram traces to the Babylonian astronomical corpus (MUL.APIN tablets, c. 1000–686 BCE), where the sign is called 'Hired Man' (LÚ.ḪUN.GÁ), later renamed 'Ram' by the Hellenistic period. Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos (c. 150 CE) formalized the Hellenistic astrological system. The Greek mythological backstory is the golden-fleeced ram of Phrixus and Helle (Apollonius of Rhodes's Argonautica), catasterized after carrying Phrixus to Colchis.

Aries, the Ram, is the first sign of the tropical Western zodiac. The association is astronomical before it is mythological: the Babylonian MUL.APIN tablets (c. 1000–686 BCE) identify the first zodiacal sign as LÚ.ḪUN.GÁ (‘Hired Man’), and the ram-identification emerges in the Hellenistic period. Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos (c. 150 CE) is the foundational text of formalized Hellenistic astrology.

The Greek myth

The golden-fleeced ram of Phrixus and Helle: Apollonius of Rhodes’s Argonautica Book 1 provides the backstory. Phrixus and Helle, about to be sacrificed by their stepmother Ino, are rescued by a golden-fleeced flying ram sent by their mother Nephele. Helle falls off over the Hellespont (named for her); Phrixus rides to safety in Colchis, where the ram is sacrificed and its fleece becomes the Golden Fleece of Jason’s later quest. The ram is catasterized among the stars.

The animal-associations

The ram is the primary Aries animal. See our forthcoming ram-spirit-animal content for the Aries-relevant primary-source tradition. Secondary associations include the hawk and falcon for the Mars-ruled fire-element quality of the sign.

Frequently asked

What animal is Aries?
The Ram. The sign's Babylonian origin is 'Hired Man' (LÚ.ḪUN.GÁ) in the MUL.APIN tablets (c. 1000–686 BCE); the ram-identification is a Hellenistic development. The Greek myth is the golden-fleeced ram of Phrixus and Helle, catasterized after carrying Phrixus to safety in Colchis.
Where does Aries come from historically?
From the Babylonian astronomical corpus (MUL.APIN tablets, c. 1000–686 BCE), where the first zodiacal sign is LÚ.ḪUN.GÁ ('Hired Man'). The ram-identification emerged in the Hellenistic period; Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos (c. 150 CE) formalized the astrological system. The vernal equinox at the time of formalization occurred in this sign, giving it priority.

Sources

  1. PRIMARYMUL.APIN astronomical tablets (Babylonian) — Hermann Hunger and David Pingree ed., MUL.APIN: An Astronomical Compendium in Cuneiform, Archiv für Orientforschung Beiheft 24, 1989.
  2. PRIMARYPtolemy, Tetrabiblos — Robbins trans., Loeb Classical Library.
  3. PRIMARYAratus, Phaenomena — Kidd trans., Cambridge University Press, 1997.
  4. PRIMARYApollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica — Race trans., Loeb Classical Library.
  5. PRIMARYPseudo-Eratosthenes, Catasterismi — Hard trans., Oxford World's Classics, 2015.