Aries

Aries is one of the constellations of the zodiac, the ram. It lies between Pisces to the west and Taurus to the east. In Greek mythology, this is believed to represent the ram who carried Athamas’s son Phrixus and daughter Helle to Colchis to escape their stepmother Ino. Helle fell off into the sea which later became the Hellespont. On reaching safety, Phrixis (rather ungratefully) sacrificed the ram and hung its fleece in the Grove of Ares, where it turned to gold and later became the quest of Jason and the Argonauts.

The astrological sign Aries (March 21 – April 19) is associated with the constellation. In some cosmologies, Aries is associated with the classical element Fire, and thus called a fire sign (with Sagittarius and Leo). Its polar opposite is Libra. Aries represents the first stage in the evolutionary process of the zodiac: birth.