The Glyph and Myth of Capricorn

Each and every zodiac sign has been associated a constellation, a ruling planet, and an element. All three of those corresponding objects can illuminate the misinterpreted temperaments and characters of the twelve zodiac signs – Capricorn is no exception. The Goat (or more accurately, the sea goat), Saturn and tales from the Greek tombs, in addition to one of Ancient Greece’s most famed rulers, bring to light a lot of unfamiliar and little known truths about astrology’s most ambitious cardinal earth sign.

In Greek mythology, Cronus (Roman name Saturn), was the divine descendant of the sky (Uranus) and the earth (Gaia). Though positive stories about this fellow are few and far between, one standout story involving the father of the gods is the one where he eats his children. Colossal Cronus came to power through the act of castrating his father, then marrying and mating with his sister Rhea, who bore him Olympian offspring. For fear of suffering the same fate as his father, whom he castrated and overthrew, Cronus swallowed every one of his progeny accept Zeus, who eventually led a revolt which sent the Titans to Tartarus. According to the myth, Cronus escaped the clash and fled to Italy, where he ruled under the name Saturn, and brought forth the golden age of earth.

Goats of both sexes are destined to follow this archetype in some way, because it ultimately leads to their personal development and calling. They are often ruthlessly ambitious in their early years, desperate to succeed and willing to ingest or crush anyone or anything that threatens to dethrone them from their envisioned mountain on high. Now, this ruthlessness isn’t always flashy, forthright, or hostile, even quiet Capricorns have a desired cathedra or goal that they believe they must attain, but there is a profound, embedded fear of failure in Capricorn that gives them the resolve to conquer a crag of their own, because they feel they must contribute to society

The  glyph represents the scythe and sickle of Saturn, corresponding to the alchemical symbol for lead. Lead is the heaviest non-radioactive element used in building construction, bullets, weights, radiation shields, and many other places and things where restraint, strength, and stability are needed. In alchemy this base metal represented degeneration and decay – Two things many Goats, either due to their life or the life of a loved one, know quite well. Like lead, Capricorn is resistant to corrosion – no matter how many hardships they are exposed to, they will never break or wear away completely.

For more on the myths behind the zodiac’s only cardinal earth sign, including how Capricorn parallels the stories of Oedipus and Alexander the Great, then get your copy of my book, Capricorn: The Climb, here.