Is there a new thirteenth zodiac sign, Ophiuchus, The Serpent Bearer, between the zodiac signs of Scorpio and Sagittarius? This was a trending question several years ago and it raises its head every now and then in the astrology forums. Ophiuchus, The Serpent Bearer, has been an officially recognized constellations since ancient times, just like the other 75 constellations that are not part of the zodiac. Ophiuchus was originally known as “Serpentarius the Healer” to the Greeks. It was also one of Ptolemy’s original 48 constellations and one of its meanings was “Serpent Charmer.” In his role of bringing souls back to life, it is clear mythologically why Ophiuchus is situated right near Scorpio, the sign of death, in the sky.

Ophiuchus represents Asclepius, the son of Apollo who is the Greek god of medicine. Ophiuchus is usually illustrated holding a large snake in his hands, the ends of which form the two constellations of Caput Serpens (Serpent’s Head) and Cauda Serpens (Serpent’s Tail) respectively. He is also connected with Mercury, another god of healing. In Real Astrology Applied, John Frawley states:

Mercury is also, in one of his guises, Asclepius, the god of medicine. His is the caduceus, the serpent-twined staff that is even today the symbol of medicine. Another name for Mercury in this role is Ophiuchus. It is not inappropriate that the scientists (Mercury), with their over-valuation of reason, should be so determined to drag this so-called thirteenth sign into the zodiac.

In his role as Asclepius, Ophiuchus learned the healing arts from Chiron and quickly surpassed his teacher’s skills as he could bring souls back from the brink of death. In Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars, it states:

Thus Ophiuchus is connected with all aspects of healing: medicine and drugs, ranging from alcohols produced by Benedictine monks to the knowledge of drugs and herbs in Western and Eastern medicines.

The serpent coiled around a staff is now the eponymous symbol of modern medicine although sometimes there are two serpents. Despite Ophiuchus residing within the Sun’s ecliptic—the narrow path of twelve zodiacal constellations that the Sun passes through each year—there is no compelling evidence for the establishment of Ophiuchus as a thirteenth zodiacal sign—but the history of Ophiuchus is more complex than it first appears.

Before breaking off its claws to form the latecomer constellation of Libra’s scales, Scorpio cut a much more imposing figure in the sky. It occupied 60 degrees—the space of two zodiac signs—rather than the 30 degrees that the rest of the ten zodiac signs occupied. The original zodiac had eleven signs, and Scorpio was broken into two separate constellations— Caput Serpens (Serpent’s Head) and Cauda Serpens (Serpent’s Tail).

Bernadette Brady, in her book Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars, states that “Ophiuchus cuts a larger tract across the ecliptic than the modern Scorpio.” Ophiuchus is situated near Scorpio in the sky and takes up more visible space. While the Sun appears to pass through Scorpio for around nine days every year, it appears to pass through Ophiuchus for 21 days.

It is possible that this hypothetical thirteenth sign of Ophiuchus speaks of a long-forgotten 13-sign zodiac that followed the thirteen lunar months in a year, but this is only a speculation. Most sources state that Ophiuchus is the only constellation outside of the zodiac that the Sun passes through each year. This is likely due to the uneven sizes of the zodiacal constellations and the unknown elements of our zodiacal origins.   

In the words of John Frawley in The Real Astrology:

The signs of the zodiac are, by definition, equal segments of 30 degrees each; the constellations, being merely the material form of these signs, fail to live up to the masterplan. They are a mess, though they do lie across the Sun’s path through the sky: the line of the ecliptic. Some of these constellations, like Leo, are huge, stretching far across the sky. Some, like Aries itself, are small and quite insignificant, having no really bright stars. They are not separated by strict boundaries, but overlap: most of Aquarius, for instance, lies above rather than behind Capricorn. Bits of other constellations, like the notorious ‘thirteenth sign’ of Ophiuchus, intrude into the procession.

As Frawley states, the zodiac constellations vary considerably in size and do not squarely align with the 30 degree “signs” in the sky—Virgo is the largest zodiacal constellation taking up three percent of the night sky while Capricorn is the smallest zodiacal constellation only composing one percent of the night sky. The size of the zodiacal constellations, from largest to smallest, is Virgo, Aquarius, Leo, Pisces, Sagittarius, Taurus, Libra, Gemini, Cancer, Scorpio, Aries, and Capricorn. Ophiuchus is smaller than Aquarius but similar in size to Leo.

To learn more about the zodiac signs surrounding Ophiuchus, read my article about Scorpio Correspondences and my article about Sagittarius Correspondences.

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Sources

1. Brady, Bernadette. Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars.

2. Frawley, John. The Real Astrology.

3. Frawley, John. The Real Astrology Applied.

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