VelaraFire · Cardinal · Ruled by Mars
Aries
Aries opens the zodiac. In the tropical zodiac its first degree is fixed to the March equinox, so the sign literally starts the astrological year — and it reads like it: first to move, first to speak, first to try.
- Dates
- March 21 – April 19
- Symbol
- The Ram
- Element
- Fire
- Modality
- Cardinal
- Ruling planet
- Mars
- Exaltation
- The Sun
- Opposite sign
- Libra
- Body (classical)
- Head
Personality
The Aries nature
Aries is cardinal fire: energy that starts things. Astrologers describe it as brave, quick and refreshingly direct — a sign that would rather act and adjust than wait for perfect conditions. The flip side is impatience. Aries loses interest once the challenge is gone, and its honesty can land harder than it meant to.
Growth edge: Finishing what it starts, and letting other people catch up.
Born on the cusp?
The dates move. Your chart doesn't.
The Sun is in exactly one sign at any moment, but the switch-over shifts by up to a day from year to year. If you were born near March 21 or April 19, only your exact birth time can say which side of the line you're on.
Aries shares its element with Leo and Sagittarius. Its opposite sign is Libra.
Sun-sign traits describe a twelfth of the world. Your Moon, Rising and planets make them yours.
The Big Three
There's more to you than Aries.
Your Sun sign comes from your birthday. Your Moon and Rising signs need the full date, time and place — and they change far faster.
Sun — your core self and identity. Changes sign about once a month.
Moon — your emotions and inner needs. Changes sign about every 2.3 days.
Rising — how you meet the world. Changes about every two hours on average.
The myth
The story of the ram
In the best-known Greek version, the Ram is Chrysomallos, a flying ram with a golden fleece sent to rescue the children Phrixus and Helle. Helle fell into the sea — the Hellespont is named after her — and the ram's fleece became the Golden Fleece that Jason and the Argonauts later sailed for.
Babylonian astronomers saw a different figure here: the Hired Man, a farm worker. It became a ram later — possibly through Dumuzi the shepherd, though that link is a theory.
The ♈︎ glyph is drawn as the face and curling horns of a ram.
In the night sky
Aries among the stars
The brightest star is Hamal, an orange giant about 66 light-years away. Its name comes from the Arabic for “head of the ram.”
The “first point of Aries” — the zero point of the tropical zodiac — is no longer in the constellation Aries. Precession has carried it into Pisces.
FAQ
Aries, quickly
What are the Aries dates?
Aries season runs from about March 21 to April 19. The exact moment the Sun changes sign shifts by up to a day from year to year, so if you were born near either date, your birth chart settles it.
What element is Aries?
Aries is a cardinal fire sign. It shares its element with Leo and Sagittarius.
What planet rules Aries?
Aries is ruled by Mars.
Sources
- Theoi Project — the myth of Aries
- Constellation Guide — Aries
- Wikipedia — Aries (constellation)
- Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos I (rulerships, exaltations) — LacusCurtius
- Wikipedia — Astrological sign
- Wikipedia — Astrological symbols
- Wikipedia — Zodiac Man (classical body associations)
Dates are given in UTC unless noted; local dates can differ by a day. Last checked 4 October 2026.
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