Aries Zodiac Sign: Dates, Symbol, Myth, and Traits

The Aries zodiac sign runs from March 21 to April 19, the first sign on the wheel and the one that opens the astrological year. If your birthday lands inside that window, Aries is your Sun sign. If you are stargazing, the Aries constellation is the faint V tucked between Pisces and Taurus, marked by the moderately bright star Hamal.

Aries is the Latin word for “ram,” a nod to the hornlike V-shape the constellation’s stars trace overhead. Astrologers treat the symbol as a picture of forward motion and fresh starts. We treat the zodiac the way the Farmers’ Almanac always has: as a calendar tool with deep folklore roots, not a fortune-telling system. Here is the plain-English guide to Aries, with the myth, the constellation, and the traits readers ask about every spring.

Not sure which sign is yours? See the full zodiac dates here.

When Is Aries Season?

Aries season opens on March 21 and closes on April 19 each year. That makes Aries the first of the twelve zodiac signs, the one that picks up the calendar the moment Pisces hands it off at the spring equinox.

The opening date is not arbitrary. In the old ordering of the zodiac, Aries season begins the day the Sun crosses the celestial equator heading north, which is the spring equinox. That is why Aries has historically been called the first constellation of the zodiac. For a tidy yearly anchor, read our guide to the spring equinox and the first day of spring.

The Aries Symbol: The Ram

The astrological symbol for Aries is ♈, a simple two-curve glyph meant to picture a ram’s horns. The horns curl outward and then inward, which astrologers read as forward motion paired with the will to keep going.

The ram has been the sign’s mascot for thousands of years, and the reason is plain enough. Spring is lambing season across the temperate Northern Hemisphere, and the constellation that rose with the spring equinox in the ancient world got the obvious name. Aries is the Latin word for ram, and the V-shape of its brightest stars looks the part.

The Mythology of Aries

In Greek mythology, Aries is said to be the golden ram that rescued the twins Phrixus and Helle, son and daughter of King Athamas, from being sacrificed. The children’s stepmother, Queen Ino, hated them. In an elaborate plot to get rid of them, Ino sabotaged the kingdom’s crops and convinced the farmers that the local oracle demanded Phrixus and Helle as a sacrifice. Before they could be slain, a golden ram appeared and carried them to safety on its back, flying east across the sea.

Helle lost her grip during the flight and fell into the strait between Europe and Asia, which the ancient Greeks named the Hellespont in her memory. Phrixus held on and was carried safely to the land of Colchis. Strangely, Phrixus thanked the ram by sacrificing it to the gods, and hung its skin in a temple, where it came to be known as the Golden Fleece, an object of great power and value. The same fleece is the prize Jason and the Argonauts would later sail to retrieve.

The Greek myth is the story most often told in Western astrology, but Aries also borrows from an older layer. The Romans tied the constellation to Mars, their god of war, who would become the sign’s ruling planet. The Greek parallel is Ares, the same warlike figure under a different name. That is where the Aries reputation for boldness and confrontation comes from: a fire-and-Mars sign, named for a ram, ruled by the war god.

Aries Personality Traits in Astrology

People born during this period have Aries as their Sun sign. Proponents of astrological determinism believe that people born under the same Sun sign share certain character traits. Aries people are most often described as energetic, enthusiastic, independent, intelligent, confident, direct, dynamic, and driven.

Astrology writers commonly add a few more to that list:

• Pioneering. Aries is a cardinal sign, which tradition reads as the one that starts things.
• Bold. First-sign energy, often willing to be the first one through the door.
• Impatient. The flip side of bold. Aries is the sign most often warned about jumping ahead.
• Competitive. The Mars influence shows up as a strong drive to win, or at least to finish first.
• Loyal. Once Aries chooses a person or a project, the commitment runs hot.

One honest caveat. Sun-sign personality traits are folklore that has been polished by thousands of years of repetition, not a measured science. Plenty of Aries readers will see themselves in this list and plenty will not. Take what is useful, leave the rest.

The Aries Constellation in the Night Sky

There are 6 main stars in Aries, the brightest of which are said to represent a ram lying down with its head turned to the right. The constellation also includes four deep sky objects: the galaxies NGC 697, NGC 772, NGC 972, and NGC 1156.

Aries sits in the sky between Pisces and Taurus. Other nearby constellations include Perseus (The Slayer), Triangulum, and Cetus (The Sea Monster).

The brightest star in Aries is Hamal, an orange giant about magnitude 2.0. That is bright enough to find from a dark backyard, but not bright enough to fight a porch light. The second-brightest star, Sheratan, sits just to Hamal’s west and helps anchor the V. According to NASA and other astronomy sources, Aries is best viewed on autumn evenings in the Northern Hemisphere, when the constellation rises high above the eastern horizon a few hours after sunset.

To find it: locate the Square of Pegasus, slide your gaze east past the faint shape of Pisces, and look for a small crooked line of three brighter stars. That is the ram’s head. The rest of the body is dim enough that a clear, moonless night does most of the work for you.

Aries Compatibility

Compatibility charts are the part of astrology readers either love or laugh at. Treat the pairings below as folk tradition, not relationship advice.

• Most often paired with: Leo and Sagittarius, the other two fire signs. Tradition says shared element makes for easy energy.
• Air-sign matches: Gemini and Aquarius are said to keep an Aries thinking instead of just charging.
• Trickier matches: Cancer and Capricorn, signs that prefer caution where Aries prefers speed.

Real relationships are built on attention and effort, not on Sun signs. The folklore is fun, the work is yours.

Aries Birthstone and Birth Flower

Because Aries spans two calendar months, it carries two sets of birthstones and birth flowers.

• March (March 21 to March 31): aquamarine and bloodstone. Aquamarine for clarity and calm, bloodstone for courage and grounding. The traditional birth flowers are the daffodil and the jonquil.
• April (April 1 to April 19): diamond, the hardest natural gemstone and the long-time symbol of endurance. The traditional birth flowers are the daisy and the sweet pea.

Famous Aries

Plenty of household names fall inside the Aries window, which astrology fans like to point to as proof of the bold-and-driven pattern. The names below are widely documented Aries birthdays.

• Leonardo da Vinci (April 15)
• Thomas Jefferson (April 13)
• Vincent van Gogh (March 30)
• Maya Angelou (April 4)
• Aretha Franklin (March 25)

Of course, sharing a birthday window with a famous name does not transfer the talent. Treat the list as fun trivia, not destiny.

Astronomy vs. Astrology: The Precession Catch

Here is the honest catch that surprises a lot of Aries readers. The astrological dates and the astronomical position of the Sun no longer match. Aries was named the first zodiac sign because, two thousand years ago, the Sun was inside the constellation Aries at the spring equinox. Earth’s slow axial wobble, called precession, has shifted that crossing point backward through the zodiac at a rate of roughly one degree every seventy-two years.

The result: on March 21 today, the Sun is no longer inside the Aries constellation. It is sitting in front of the Pisces stars instead. Astronomers still call the equinox crossing point the First Point of Aries for historical reasons, but that label is a tradition, not a description. The Aries sign on the astrology wheel stays anchored to fixed calendar dates. The Aries constellation in the sky has slipped about one full sign-width to the east.

Astronomy measures. Astrology interprets. The Almanac respects both. We publish exact dates, lunar phases, and equinox times because the math is the math. We also keep folklore alive because tradition is a planning tool too, when the reader decides what to do with it. For a deeper look at the two side by side, see our companion piece on astronomy vs. astrology.

Join The Discussion

Is Aries your zodiac sign?

Do you believe in the character traits listed above?

Have you ever seen the Aries constellation in the sky?

Let us know in the comments below!

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Aries Zodiac Sign FAQ

What are the Aries zodiac sign dates?

The Aries zodiac sign covers birthdays from March 21 through April 19. The opening date is fixed to the spring equinox, when the Sun moves from Pisces into Aries on the traditional zodiac wheel.

What is the Aries symbol?

The Aries symbol is the Ram, written as the glyph ♈. The glyph pictures the curl of a ram’s horns. In the Greek myth, the ram is the golden-fleeced creature that carried Phrixus and Helle to safety from their stepmother Ino’s plot.

What element and ruling planet does Aries have?

Aries is a fire sign with a cardinal quality, meaning it opens a season. The ruling planet is Mars, the Roman god of war, whose Greek parallel is Ares. That is where the Aries reputation for boldness and forward motion comes from.

What are the Aries birthstones and birth flowers?

Aries straddles two calendar months, so it has two sets. March-born Aries share aquamarine and bloodstone, with the daffodil and jonquil as birth flowers. April-born Aries share the diamond, with the daisy and sweet pea as birth flowers.

Is the Aries constellation easy to see?

Not very. Aries has only one moderately bright star, Hamal, at about magnitude 2.0. You will need dark skies away from light pollution, and the easiest way in is to find the Square of Pegasus first, then look east past the faint Pisces stars for a small crooked line of three brighter points. That line is the ram’s head.

Why is Aries called the first sign of the zodiac?

Aries was named the first sign because, in the ancient ordering, the Sun was inside the constellation Aries on the day of the spring equinox. That made Aries the start of the astrological year and the spring start of the calendar in much of the ancient Mediterranean world.

If Aries season starts March 21, is the Sun actually in Aries?

No, and this is where astronomy and astrology part ways. Because of Earth’s slow axial wobble, called precession, the Sun’s position at the spring equinox has shifted backward over the last two thousand years. On March 21 today the Sun is in front of the Pisces constellation, not Aries. Astrologers keep the dates fixed to the calendar. Astronomers keep the constellations fixed to the sky. Both are correct on their own terms.