Capricorn (zodiac sign)
The zodiac sign Capricorn ( Greek αἰγοκερεύς Aigokereus , Latin Capricornus ) corresponds to the tenth section of the zodiac from 270 ° to 300 ° ecliptical longitude from the spring equinox .
The sun is located in this sign on average between December 22nd and January 20th . Due to the migration of the spring equinox , the zodiac sign Capricorn no longer corresponds to the constellation Capricorn . The sun in the constellation Capricorn is roughly between January 20th and February 16th.
After the Tetrabiblos by Claudius Ptolemy
- the Capricorn is female (I.12) and
- the Saturn is rulers of the character (I.17),
- and Mars is exalted in Capricorn (I.19).
As a Melothesian equivalent, the ibex was assigned the knees in ancient and medieval iatroastrology (such as Arnald von Villanova ). The assigned deity was Vesta .
With Taurus and Virgo , Capricorn forms the trine of the earth element , and with Aries , Cancer and Libra the square of the four tropical or cardinal signs .
The sign was already part of the Babylonian zodiac. It appears on the MUL.APIN boards as “goat fish” (SUḪUR.MAŠ).
Since ancient times, the symbol has mostly been represented as a hybrid of goat and fish. The front part is that of a goat, the rear part is a fish tail. Only in more modern representations does the sign appear as a Capricorn. The astrological symbol shows a graphic combination of the horns of the goat (or the ibex) and a curling fish tail.
The Unicode character for the symbol is U + 2651 (♑).
literature
- Wolfgang Huebner: Zodiac. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 12, Metzler, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-476-01470-3 , Sp. 553-563.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Karl Sudhoff : Contributions to surgery in the Middle Ages. Graphic and textual examinations in medieval manuscripts. 2 volumes, Leipzig 1914 and 1918 (= studies on the history of medicine , 10 and 11/12), volume 1, 1914, p. 210 ( Capricornus - genua ).
