Χηλαί
Chēlai

νειόθι δὲ σπείρης μεγάλας ἐπιμαίεο Χηλάς· ἀλλ’ αἱ μὲν φαέων ἐπιδευέες, οὐδὲν ἀγαυαί

‘At the bottom of the coil (sc. of the Crown), search for the great Claws, but they are poor in illumination, without any brilliance’

ὅταν δὲ αἱ Χηλαὶ ἀνατέλλωσι, συνανατέλλει μὲν αὐταῖς ὁ ζῳδιακὸς ἀπὸ Χηλῶν μοίρας ιϛʹ ἕως Σκορπίου μοίρας ϛʹ· μεσουρανεῖ δὲ ἀπὸ Καρκίνου ιηʹ ἕως Λέοντος ιαʹ

‘When the Claws rise, there rises with them the zodiac from 16 degrees of Libra until 6 degrees of Scorpio, and culminates (lit. is in midheaven) from 18 of Cancer until 11 of Leo’

Τῶν δὲ Χηλῶν τοῦ Σκορπίου οἱ μὲν ἐν ἄκραις αὐταῖς ὡσαύτως διατιθέασι τῷ τε τοῦ Διὸς καὶ τῷ τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ. οἱ δὲ ἐν μέσαις τῷ τε τοῦ Κρόνου καὶ ἠρέμα τῷ τοῦ Ἄρεως

‘Of the Claws of the Scorpion, the (stars) in the very tips (sc. of the claws) dispose (their effects) similarly to the (star) of Jupiter and the (star) of Mercury, and the ones in the middles, to the (star) of Saturn and the one of Mars’

ζωϊδίων δέ ἑ κύκλον ἐπίκλησιν καλέουσιν· τῷ ἔνι Καρκίνος ἐστί, Λέων ἐπὶ τῷ, μετὰ δ’ αὐτὸν Παρθένος· αἱ δ’ ἐπί οἱ Χηλαὶ καὶ Σκορπίος αὐτὸς (...) ἐν τοῖς ἠέλιος φέρεται δυοκαίδεκα πᾶσιν πάντ’ ἐνιαυτὸν ἄγων, καί οἱ περὶ τοῦτον ἰόντι κύκλον ἀέξονται πᾶσαι ἐπικάρπιοι ὧραι.

‘They call it (sc. the ecliptic) by the name ‘Circle of the figurines’: in it is Cancer, after that there is Leo, after that is Virgo, and after that, the Claws (Libra) and Scorpio itself (...) In all twelve of them the Sun moves along as it passes each year, and as it goes around this circle, all the seasons wax fruitful.’

Σκορπίου· οὗτος διὰ τὸ μέγεθος εἰς δύο δωδεκατημόρια διαιρεῖται· καὶ τὸ μὲν ἐπέχουσιν αἱ χηλαί, θάτερον δὲ τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὸ κέντρον. τοῦτον, φασίν, ἐποίησεν Ἄρτεμις ἀναδοθῆναι <ἐκ> τῆς κολώνης τῆς Χίου νήσου, καὶ τὸν Ὠρίωνα πλῆξαι, καὶ οὕτως ἀποθανεῖν, ἐπειδὴ ἐν κυνηγεσίῳ ἀκόσμως αὐτὴν ἐβιάσατο· ὃν Ζεὺς ἐν τοῖς λαμπροῖς ἔθηκε τῶν ἄστρων, ἵν’ εἰδῶσιν οἱ ἐπιγινόμενοι ἄνθρωποι τὴν ἰσχύν τε αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν.

‘On Scorpio: this one is divided into two dodekatamoria because of its size. One is occupied by the claws, and the other by the body and stinger. They say Artemis caused it to spring from the hill on the island of Chios and sting Orion, and that was how he died, since he made an unseemly assault on her while hunting—and Zeus placed him among the bright stars, so that people in the future would know his strength and power.’

ὅταν δὲ αἱ Χηλαὶ ἀνατέλλωσι, συνανατέλλει μὲν αὐταῖς ὁ ζῳδιακὸς ἀπὸ Χηλῶν μοίρας ιϛʹ ἕως Σκορπίου μοίρας ϛʹ· μεσουρανεῖ δὲ ἀπὸ Καρκίνου ιηʹ ἕως Λέοντος ιαʹ

‘When the Claws rise, there rises with them the zodiac from 16 degrees of Libra until 6 degrees of Scorpio, and culminates (lit. is in midheaven) from 18 of Cancer until 11 of Leo’

τῷ δὲ τῆς Ἀφροδίτης (...) ἐδόθη δύο ζῴδια γονιμώτατα ὄντα αἵ τε Χηλαὶ καὶ ὁ Ταῦρος

‘To the (star) of Venus (...) have been assigned (as houses) the two zodiac-signs that are the most progenitive, the Claws and Taurus’