What animal is Scorpio?

The Scorpion. Babylonian GIR.TAB. Greek Orion-Scorpio catasterism. See our scorpion page for the broader Egyptian Serqet, Mesopotamian Gilgamesh Tablet IX scorpion-men, and Isis-and-seven-scorpions traditions.

Scorpio · Zodiac Spirit Animal

Scorpio Spirit Animal

Scorpio the Scorpion: Babylonian GIR.TAB, the Gilgamesh Tablet IX scorpion-men, and the Orion-Scorpio catasterism.

Published 2026-04-24

Engraved illustration of the Scorpion (Scorpio) from Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary, 1908. — Scorpio the Scorpion, from Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (1908). One of the oldest zodiacal signs, the scorpion-man appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh (Tablet IX); the constellation Scorpius appears in Babylonian MUL.APIN tablets as GÍR.TAB before 1000 BCE. *Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (1908). Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.*

Scorpio is the Scorpion (October 23 – November 21, Water element). Babylonian GIR.TAB in MUL.APIN. The Greek myth pairs it with Orion: Gaia sent the scorpion to kill the boastful hunter Orion; both were catasterized into opposing constellations so that Scorpio rises as Orion sets. Hesiod Astronomia (fragmentary) and Ovid Fasti 5.539–544 preserve the narrative. See our scorpion-spirit-animal page for the fuller Egyptian Serqet, Gilgamesh scorpion-men, and Isis-and-seven-scorpions treatment.

Scorpio is the Scorpion. Babylonian GIR.TAB. Orion-Scorpio catasterism. See our scorpion page for the fuller treatment.

Frequently asked

What animal is Scorpio?: The Scorpion. Babylonian GIR.TAB. Greek Orion-Scorpio catasterism. See our scorpion page for the broader Egyptian Serqet, Mesopotamian Gilgamesh Tablet IX scorpion-men, and Isis-and-seven-scorpions traditions.

Sources

PRIMARYMUL.APIN (GIR.TAB) — Hunger & Pingree, 1989.
PRIMARYOvid, Fasti 5.539–544 — Loeb Classical Library.
PRIMARYHesiod, Astronomia (fragments) — Loeb.
PRIMARYPtolemy, Tetrabiblos — Loeb.