The 13th Sign

[WolfofWords]

I have fallen down a bit of rabbit hole in astrology and I want to explore more but I am trying to carefully choose my sources. I want an objective yet comprehensive discussion of the subject. Everything I read assumes that I already know a lot about Astrology. I don't. I know the bare minimum. I know I am a fishgoat. I know that I am a dog. That's it.

What I stumbled upon that I want to know a bit more about is the thirteenth sign of the zodiac. I always heard that there were only twelve. Twelve is an even number and easily divides the days of the year more or less. Or so I thought. There are two candidates for the missing thirteenth sign.

Ophiuchus

Often is depicted as a serpent bearer. There are many different myths attributed to this constellation. The first is the God Apollo who wrestled a huge snake that guarded the Oracle of Delphi. The second is, a Trojan priest Laocoön who tried to warn his people about the Trojan Horse and was killed by sea snakes by Poseidon as punishment. This kind of fits with a lot of the tragic stories of the constellations. The final story is that of Asclepius, the healer who was punished by Zeus for keeping death at bay by discovering healing herbs. His symbol is still commonly used in hospital logos and by the medical profession at large. The figure is said to be trampling Scorpius while holding the snake. Tough spot to be in for eternity.

Arachne

Arachne was a fine weaver who became so good that she dared to challenge Athena (the goddess of craftwork among other things) in a weaving contest. Athena wove a tapestry depicting the majesty of the Gods. Arachne wove a tapestry depicting the amorous escapades of the Gods. Furious that she had been bested by a mortal (and probably by the impropriety of seeing her family's sexual escapades), Athena tore up Arachne's work. Arachne tried to commit suicide by hanging in her despair. Athena took pity on Arachne and loosened the rope and Arachne was changed into a spider. Arachne was free to weave all day long.

[scooter]

From teh Wiki:

The ecliptic intersects with 13 constellations of Ptolemy's Almagest, as well as of the more precisely delineated IAU designated constellations. In addition to the twelve constellations after which the twelve zodiac signs are named, the ecliptic intersects Ophiuchus, the bottom part of which interjects between Scorpio and Sagittarius. Occasionally this difference between the astronomical constellations and the astrological signs is mistakenly reported in the popular press as a "change" to the list of traditional signs by some astronomical body like the IAU, NASA, or the Royal Astronomical Society. This happened in a 1995 report of the BBC Nine O'Clock News and various reports in 2011 and 2016.

Some "parazodiacal" constellations are touched by the paths of the planets, leading to counts of up to 25 "constellations of the zodiac". The ancient Babylonian MUL.APIN catalog lists Orion, Perseus, Auriga, and Andromeda. Modern astronomers have noted that planets pass through Crater, Sextans, Cetus, Pegasus, Corvus, Hydra, and Scutum, with Venus very rarely passing through Aquila, Canis Minor, Auriga, and Serpens.

[WolfofWords]

From teh Wiki:

The ecliptic intersects with 13 constellations of Ptolemy's Almagest, as well as of the more precisely delineated IAU designated constellations. In addition to the twelve constellations after which the twelve zodiac signs are named, the ecliptic intersects Ophiuchus, the bottom part of which interjects between Scorpio and Sagittarius. Occasionally this difference between the astronomical constellations and the astrological signs is mistakenly reported in the popular press as a "change" to the list of traditional signs by some astronomical body like the IAU, NASA, or the Royal Astronomical Society. This happened in a 1995 report of the BBC Nine O'Clock News and various reports in 2011 and 2016.

Some "parazodiacal" constellations are touched by the paths of the planets, leading to counts of up to 25 "constellations of the zodiac". The ancient Babylonian MUL.APIN catalog lists Orion, Perseus, Auriga, and Andromeda. Modern astronomers have noted that planets pass through Crater, Sextans, Cetus, Pegasus, Corvus, Hydra, and Scutum, with Venus very rarely passing through Aquila, Canis Minor, Auriga, and Serpens.