The Origin of the Aries Constellation

The name ‘Aries’ is Latin for ‘ram’ but is also referred to as the Greek God of War. The Aries constellation lies right in between Pisces to the West and Taurus to the East. At night in locations away from city lights, Aries can be seen by the naked eye. Not much solid information can be found about the origin of the Aries constellation. However, through mythology and a lot of modern day theories, some ideas have been proposed to how the constellation first came to be.

In the 3rd millennium BCE, also known as the Bronze Age, the ancient Babylonians named the Aries constellation “the Agrarian Worker.” In later Babylonian tradition though the name changed from the ‘Agrarian Worker’ to that of the ‘ram.’ The theory proposed behind this is that the constellation was changed to honor Dumuzi the Sheppard an ancient Babylonian figure and to mark the vernal equinox.

In Hellenic mythology there is a story that Zeus gave appearance to a ram in order to escape attacking Giants. Although a more common account suggests that Aries is associated with the ‘Golden Ram’ that rescued Phrixos and was taken to the land of Colchis. There Phrixos sacrificed the ram to the Gods and hung its skin in a temple where it became known as “The Golden Fleece.”

The Aries constellation is in rise between March 21st and April 19th and has the element of fire. People born under this sign express a personality that demands positive attention. These people tend to be very talented people being very dexterous with their hands and the center of attention of any social circle. They warm up fast to big crowds and like the ram can be stubborn at the times. However, Aries people usually learn how to use their stubbornness to achieve great goals over time. Famous Aries born people include; Al Gore, Alec Baldwin, and Heath Ledger.

Sources:

“Like Argonauts of Old You Can Find a Golden Fleece Among the Stars.” By Von Del Chamberlain


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