Zodiacs.info

A Reference in Three Tiers

Zodiacs.

Twelve equal divisions of the ecliptic, and everything that has been built on top of them since. Click a glyph.

ECLIPTIC 360° ÷ 12
Attested

Fixed by Babylonian astronomers into twelve equal 30° arcs by roughly the 5th century BCE, and carried into Hellenistic astronomy and astrology — documented, datable, on the record.

Living Tradition

The mythology, temperaments, rulerships, and interpretive systems astrologers have practiced and refined for two thousand years — real as practice, not as historical fact.

Modern Synthesis

What sun-sign columns, apps, and meme culture have done with the material since — the layer most people meet first, and the one furthest from the source.

Every sign below is laid out the same way, on purpose: what the historical record actually shows, what the tradition holds independent of that record, and what the present day has made of both. None of the three tiers is asked to do the other's job.

Aries

MAR 21 – APR 19 · RULER MARS · 0°–30°
FireCardinal
Attested

The first of the twelve Babylonian arcs, aligned in antiquity with the constellation later called Aries; the opening position gave it primacy in the Hellenistic ordering of the wheel.

Tradition

Named for the ram of the Golden Fleece in Greek myth; astrological tradition reads its cardinal-fire placement as initiating, direct, and quick to act.

Synthesis

Shorthand today for "main character energy" — impulsive, competitive, first in line, first to leave.

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Taurus

APR 20 – MAY 20 · RULER VENUS · 30°–60°
EarthFixed
Attested

Among the oldest constellation identifications in the sky, with bull imagery in the region predating the formal Babylonian zodiac by well over a millennium.

Tradition

Ruled by Venus and read as fixed earth — tradition assigns it steadiness, sensory pleasure, and resistance to being rushed.

Synthesis

The internet's patron sign of comfort food, skincare routines, and refusing to be told what to do.

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Gemini

MAY 21 – JUN 20 · RULER MERCURY · 60°–90°
AirMutable
Attested

Recorded in Babylonian sources as the "Great Twins," carried directly into Greek Dioscuri imagery and the Ptolemaic wheel.

Tradition

Mercury-ruled and mutable air; tradition holds it as quick-witted, communicative, and comfortable holding two ideas at once.

Synthesis

Pop culture's stand-in for "two-faced" — the twin framing flattened into a punchline about inconsistency.

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Cancer

JUN 21 – JUL 22 · RULER MOON · 90°–120°
WaterCardinal
Attested

The crab constellation is one of the faintest in the zodiac band, yet its position marking the summer solstice point in antiquity secured its place in the record.

Tradition

Moon-ruled cardinal water; tradition reads it as protective, home-oriented, and governed by emotional tides rather than logic.

Synthesis

Shorthand for the "soft, sensitive homebody" archetype in modern astrology content.

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Leo

JUL 23 – AUG 22 · RULER SUN · 120°–150°
FireFixed
Attested

Identified with a lion figure across multiple ancient Near Eastern sky traditions before its formal absorption into the Babylonian and Hellenistic zodiac.

Tradition

Sun-ruled fixed fire; tradition assigns it warmth, pride, and a need to be seen and to lead.

Synthesis

The internet's go-to for diva energy — loud, dramatic, allegedly incapable of a quiet entrance.

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Virgo

AUG 23 – SEP 22 · RULER MERCURY · 150°–180°
EarthMutable
Attested

Consistently depicted as a maiden holding grain across Babylonian and Greek sources, and linked to the autumn harvest in the agricultural calendar.

Tradition

Mercury-ruled mutable earth; tradition holds it as analytical, precise, and oriented toward useful, careful work.

Synthesis

The "type A perfectionist" of meme astrology, forever alphabetizing something.

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Libra

SEP 23 – OCT 22 · RULER VENUS · 180°–210°
AirCardinal
Attested

The only inanimate-object sign; Roman sources formalized it as the scales, split off from what earlier Babylonian tradition had treated as Scorpio's claws.

Tradition

Venus-ruled cardinal air; tradition reads it as balance-seeking, relational, and uncomfortable with open conflict.

Synthesis

Popular shorthand for chronic indecision — "can't pick a restaurant" as a personality trait.

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Scorpio

OCT 23 – NOV 21 · RULER MARS / PLUTO · 210°–240°
WaterFixed
Attested

One of the oldest constellation figures on record, with scorpion imagery tied to this region of sky in Mesopotamian sources well before the twelve-sign system was formalized.

Tradition

Traditionally Mars-ruled, with modern astrology adding Pluto as co-ruler; tradition reads it as intense, private, and drawn to what's hidden.

Synthesis

Internet astrology's designated "mysterious and a little intimidating" sign, usually said with a wink.

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Sagittarius

NOV 22 – DEC 21 · RULER JUPITER · 240°–270°
FireMutable
Attested

Depicted as an archer, often centaur-form, in Babylonian boundary-stone art centuries before its Hellenistic codification into the zodiac proper.

Tradition

Jupiter-ruled mutable fire; tradition holds it as expansive, philosophical, and restless for new ground.

Synthesis

The "already booked a one-way flight" sign in modern astrology-meme shorthand.

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Capricorn

DEC 22 – JAN 19 · RULER SATURN · 270°–300°
EarthCardinal
Attested

The composite goat-fish figure appears on Babylonian boundary stones over three thousand years old, among the most persistent images in the zodiac's visual record.

Tradition

Saturn-ruled cardinal earth; tradition assigns it discipline, long-range ambition, and comfort with structure and time.

Synthesis

The "workaholic who checks email on vacation" of modern astrology content.

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Aquarius

JAN 20 – FEB 18 · RULER SATURN / URANUS · 300°–330°
AirFixed
Attested

Water-bearer imagery appears in Babylonian sources associated with the season of rains, later absorbed into the Hellenistic wheel under the same figure.

Tradition

Traditionally Saturn-ruled, with modern astrology adding Uranus as co-ruler; tradition reads it as unconventional, idea-driven, and community-minded.

Synthesis

Shorthand today for "quirky and a little detached," despite the water-bearer having nothing to do with air.

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Pisces

FEB 19 – MAR 20 · RULER JUPITER / NEPTUNE · 330°–360°
WaterMutable
Attested

The last sign in the sequence; Hellenistic sources describe two fish tied together, a figure already present in earlier Babylonian sky tradition.

Tradition

Traditionally Jupiter-ruled, with modern astrology adding Neptune as co-ruler; tradition holds it as dreamy, empathic, and porous to others' feelings.

Synthesis

The "hopeless romantic who cries at commercials" of modern zodiac content.

Full dossier →