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What’s the meaning behind this fire sign’s symbol?
By Chinyere Ibeh — Written on Oct 08, 2020
The Sagittarius symbol is the archer, a centaur who is half man and half horse.
This fire sign is often represented in a couple of different ways. The simplest Sagittarius glyph is an arrow. It could also be represented by a centaur holding a bow and archer. Both are clear nods to the sign’s roots in Greek mythology.
Why is the Sagittarius symbol an archer?
Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, a planet that is typically depicted by a crescent over a cross. Jupiter raises one's awareness outside of the physical world, which can relate to the arrow representing Sagittarius. The arrow symbol is always pointing in an upwards direction. A Sagittarius always aims for a higher spiritual ideal and philosophy in life.
The upwards positioning of the arrow means something, too.
As I just mentioned, the arrow points upward as a Sagittarius looks for a higher spiritual meaning. Another meaning for this positioning points to a Sagittarius' confidence. It can also signify a Sagittarius' uplifting personality.
The archer's arrow signifies how truthful the sign can be.
Sagittarius tends to have an interesting perspective and it tends to be spot on; it's almost like they hit the bullseye with an arrow.
Sagittarius can be quite curious and energetic, and they’re considered to be the biggest travelers amongst the signs. Their open-mindedness and philosophical views motivate them to travel the world in search of the meaning of life.
The fire sign wants to experience the world as much as possible. Their freedom allows them to soak in new cultures and philosophies. Sagittarius can translate their thoughts into action and they can be quite willing to do anything to get where they need to be.
The Greek Mythology of Sagittarius
Sagittarius is another name for the centaur named Chiron. Unlike other centaurs, he wasn’t brutal as he was kind and taught medicine, hunting, music, and prophecy. He was a teacher to many great heroes, such as Jason and Achilles, and a friend to Hercules.
Hercules happened to be the one to kill the kind centaur. While hunting a boar, Hercules accidentally shot Chiron with a poisoned arrow. Chiron couldn’t die as he was immortal, but Hercules promised to help the kind centaur.
Hercules stumbled upon Prometheus, whose liver was being picked away by an eagle. Prometheus couldn’t be freed unless someone took his place. Chiron agreed to switch places and Prometheus was set free. Chiron was allowed to die and Zeus put his image amongst the stars.
Sagittarius Constellation
Sagittarius’ constellation is visible in the southern sky and it represents archery, what Chiron taught to his noble disciples. The constellation is depicted as a centaur holding a bow and arrow.
It’s one of the largest southern constellations. Its brightest stars form a cluster known as the Teapot. This cluster consists of eight bright stars: Kaus Astralis, Kaus Media, Kaus Borealis, Alnasl, Ascella, Nanto, Nunki, and Hecatebolus. Alnasl gets its name from the Arabic word for “arrowhead.” The stars Kaus Media, Kaus Borealis, and Kaus Australis represent other parts of the bow.
The star cluster lies next to a dense area of the Milky Way and it’s used to find other famous deep-sky objects. In extremely perfect conditions, the Milky Way can look like it’s streaming out of the Teapot. As for the entire constellation, Sagittarius can be difficult to make out.
The constellation also includes the Arches Cluster, the Quintuplet Cluster that contains the Pistol Star, the Galactic center, and the radio source Sagittarius A.
The Arches Cluster was discovered in 1995 and it’s the densest cluster of its kind known in the Milky Way. It’s heavily overshadowed by dust and it cannot be seen with the naked eye. This cluster contains 135 large and extremely hot stars and it’s estimated to be about 2.5 million years old.
Another dense open star cluster, the Quintuplet Cluster, is 26 thousand light-years away from Earth. It also cannot be seen by the naked eye due to dust clouds. Its name comes from the five prominent infrared sources that it contains.
Also known as V4647 Sagittarii, the Pistol Star is a blue hypergiant star located 25 thousand years from Earth. The star is one of the brightest stars known in the Milky Way. Its age is largely unknown, but it’s estimated that it’s about four to 10 million years old.
Chinyere (pronounced sha-near-ruh) is a writer who covers entertainment and pop culture news, along with the zodiac news.