What animal is Sagittarius?

Sagittarius is the Archer-Centaur, part-human part-horse. Babylonian PA.BIL.SAG. Greek Chiron, the wise centaur teacher of Achilles and Asclepius. The horse is the primary animal-association (see our horse page for the broader horse tradition).

Sagittarius · Zodiac Spirit Animal

Sagittarius Spirit Animal

Sagittarius the Archer-Centaur: Babylonian PA.BIL.SAG (Nergal-related), Greek identification with Chiron the wise centaur, and the modern zodiac-animal associations.

Published 2026-04-24

Engraved illustration of the Centaur Archer (Sagittarius) from Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary, 1908. — Sagittarius the Archer, from Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (1908). The centaur-archer is identified with Crotus in Eratosthenes's Catasterismi; the Babylonian equivalent PA.BIL.SAG ('the strong man') appears in MUL.APIN tablets. *Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (1908). Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.*

Sagittarius is the Archer-Centaur (November 22 – December 21, Fire element). Babylonian PA.BIL.SAG in MUL.APIN, related to the god Nergal. The Greek identification is Chiron, the wise centaur who taught Achilles, Jason, and Asclepius. Apollodorus Library 2.5.4 narrates Chiron's catasterism. Primary animal: horse (the centaur's equine half).

Sagittarius is the Archer-Centaur. Babylonian PA.BIL.SAG. Greek Chiron. See our horse page for the equine half.

Frequently asked

What animal is Sagittarius?: Sagittarius is the Archer-Centaur, part-human part-horse. Babylonian PA.BIL.SAG. Greek Chiron, the wise centaur teacher of Achilles and Asclepius. The horse is the primary animal-association (see our horse page for the broader horse tradition).

Sources

PRIMARYMUL.APIN (PA.BIL.SAG) — Hunger & Pingree, 1989.
PRIMARYApollodorus, Library 2.5.4 (Chiron) — Loeb Classical Library.
PRIMARYHesiod, Theogony 1001–1002 — Loeb Classical Library.
PRIMARYPtolemy, Tetrabiblos — Loeb.