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Capricorn

Capricorn is the tenth sign of the tropical zodiac, spanning December 22 to January 19, beginning at the December solstice. It is an Earth sign, Cardinal in modality, traditionally ruled by the planet Saturn.

Last reviewed: 2026-07-21

Historical fact

In Babylonian astronomy, the sky sector now known as Capricorn was called SUHUR.MASH.HA, the Goat-Fish — a hybrid creature with a goat's forequarters and a fish's tail. This is a genuinely ancient Mesopotamian image, associated with the god Enki (also called Ea), deity of wisdom and fresh water, and predates any Greek involvement. The Greeks reattributed the figure to Pan (or Aegipan), who, fleeing the monster Typhon, is said to have dove into a river and transformed his lower half into a fish tail while his upper half remained a goat. Ptolemy systematized Capricorn as the tenth sign in the sequence in the Tetrabiblos, around 150 CE.

Interpretation — Western Astrology (Tropical)

In modern Western astrology, Capricorn is read as the sign of discipline and long-term building: Cardinal energy (which kicks off a new cycle, here that of Northern Hemisphere winter) combined with the element Earth (practicality, materiality) under the rulership of Saturn, the planet associated with structure, limits and responsibility. Commonly associated traits: ambition, long-term planning, a strong sense of duty, and perseverance in the face of obstacles. The shadow side commonly includes rigidity, a tendency toward pessimism, and difficulty relaxing or opening up emotionally.

Interpretation — Vedic Astrology (Sidereal)

In the Vedic system (Jyotish), the corresponding sign is Makara, also ruled by Saturn (Shani) and likewise the tenth of the twelve rashis. Because it uses the sidereal zodiac, which accounts for the precession of the equinoxes, Makara's date window is currently shifted relative to tropical Capricorn — today falling roughly from mid-January to mid-February, varying by the ayanamsa (calculation method) used. Classical texts such as the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra describe Makara natives as hardworking, disciplined and persistent, with a strong sense of duty and the patience to pursue long-term goals — a characterization broadly convergent with the Western reading, despite the two systems developing independently. Makara is also associated with the tenth Bhava (house) of the natural horoscope, tied to career, social status and authority.

Curiosities

  • In Ptolemy's classical dignity system, Capricorn is Mars's sign of exaltation — traditionally considered one of the strongest positions for that planet.
  • The constellation Capricornus is one of the smallest and most understated in the zodiac, with no star brighter than third magnitude.
  • The goat-fish image appears on some of the oldest known Mesopotamian boundary stones (kudurru), predating the systematization of the twelve-sign zodiac by centuries.
  • The Tropic of Capricorn, the line of latitude at roughly 23.4°S, was named because about 2,000 years ago the December solstice Sun sat within the constellation Capricorn; due to the precession of the equinoxes, that solstice Sun now sits in Sagittarius, but the geographic line kept its old name.

For researchers

Specialists in Mesopotamian religion and astrology, such as Ulla Koch-Westenholz in her studies of Babylonian divination, note that the goat-fish image circulated for centuries on seals and boundary stones before its explicit incorporation into the twelve-sign ecliptic scheme in the first millennium BCE — a reminder that a symbol's ancient existence doesn't automatically mean it already functioned as a 'zodiac sign' in the modern technical sense, a distinction historians of astronomy consider important to avoid retroactively projecting later categories onto earlier material.

This section presents one tradition's interpretation, not a verifiable fact.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Capricorn depicted as a goat with a fish tail?
The sea-goat image already existed in Babylonian astronomy, under the name SUHUR.MASH.HA, linked to the god Enki. The Greeks later reinterpreted the figure as Pan, who was said to have partly transformed into a fish while fleeing the monster Typhon by diving into a river.
When does Capricorn season begin?
Capricorn begins on December 22, coinciding with the December solstice (the astronomical start of Northern Hemisphere winter), and runs through January 19.
Are Capricorn and Makara (Vedic) the same sign?
They correspond to the same position in the sequence (tenth sign, ruled by Saturn), but occupy different date windows, because the Vedic zodiac is sidereal (aligned to the constellations) while the Western zodiac is tropical (aligned to the seasons) — the gap today is roughly 24 degrees.
What is Capricorn's element and modality?
Capricorn is an Earth sign (an element associated with practicality and materiality) of Cardinal modality (a modality associated with initiating cycles), traditionally ruled by Saturn.
Why is the Tropic of Capricorn called that?
Because about 2,000 years ago, when the line was named, the December solstice Sun sat within the constellation Capricorn. The precession of the equinoxes has since shifted that position, but the geographic latitude line kept its original name.

Sources

  1. Nicholas Campion. A History of Western Astrology (2009).
  2. Claudius Ptolemy. Tetrabiblos (c. 150).
  3. Maharishi Parashara (trans. R. Santhanam). Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (1984).
  4. David Pingree. From Astral Omens to Astrology: From Babylon to Bīkāner (1997).

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