Αἰγόκερως
Aigokerōs

ἔστι δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ τὰ μέσα τοῦ Αἰγόκερω καὶ οἱ πόδες τοῦ Ὑδροχόου (...) τοῦ Σκορπίου τὸ κέντρον· εἶτα διὰ τοῦ Τοξότου πρὸς τὰ μέσα τοῦ Αἰγόκερω συνάπτει.

‘In it (sc. the Tropic of Capricorn) are the middle of Capricorn (the goat-horned one) and the feet of Aquarius (...) the stinger of Scorpio, and then it joins to the middle of Capricorn via Sagittarius.’

Νειόθι δ’ Αἰγοκερῆος, ὑπὸ πνοιῇσι νότοιο, Ἰχθῦς ἐς Κῆτος τετραμμένος αἰωρεῖται.

‘Beneath the goat-horned one (Capricorn), by the gusts of the south-wind, the (southern) Fish, turned towards the Sea-Monster (Cetus), is suspended.’

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 Τοξευτής τε καὶ Αἰγόκερως (...) 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 and Scorpio itself, Sagittarius and Capricorn (the goat-horned one) (...). 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.’

Ἔστι δὲ καὶ τὰ ιβʹ ζῴδια τάδε· Κριός, Ταῦρος, Δίδυμοι, Καρκίνος, Λέων, Παρθένος, Ζυγός, Σκορπίος, Τοξότης, Αἰγόκερως, Ὑδροχόος, Ἰχθύες.

‘And the 12 zodiac signs are these: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces.’

Αἰγόκερως οἶκος Κρόνου, θηλυκόν, τροπικόν, γεῶδες, φθοροποιόν, ἄγονον, κατωφερές, κατεψυγμένον, ἄφωνον, δουλικόν, κακῶν αἴτιον, ἀσελγές, λατρευτικόν, αἰνιγματῶδες, διφυές, κάθυγρον, ἡμιτελές, κυρτοειδές, χωλόν, δύσις κόσμου, μόχθων καὶ πόνων δηλωτικόν, λαοξοϊκόν, γεωργικόν.

‘Capricorn (the goat-horned one) is a house of Saturn, a feminine (sign), tropic, of earth, destructive, infertile, descending, chilled (or, parched), unvoiced, of slaves, a source of evils, wanton, servile, enigmatic, two-natured, moist, half-complete, hunchbacked, lame, the descent of the cosmos, indicative of trouble and pain, of stonemasons, of farmers.’

οὐ γὰρ πάντες Αἰγύπτιοι ἐκ τῶν δυώδεκα μοιρέων πασέων ἐμαντεύοντο, ἄλλοι δὲ ἀλλοίῃσι μοίρῃσιν ἐχρέοντο, καὶ κριὸν μὲν σέβουσιν ὁκόσοι ἐς κριὸν ἀπέβλεπον, ἰχθύας δὲ οὐ σιτέονται ὁκόσοι ἰχθύας ἐπεσημήναντο, οὐδὲ τράγον κτείνουσιν ὅσοι αἰγόκερων ᾔδεσαν, καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι τὰ ἄλλα ὡς ἕκαστοι ἱλάσκονται. ναὶ μὴν καὶ ταῦρον ἐς τιμὴν τοῦ ἠερίου ταύρου σεβίζονται, καὶ ὁ Ἆπις αὐτοῖς χρῆμα ἱερώτατον τὴν χώρην ἐπινέμεται καί οἱ ἐκεῖ μαντήιόν γε ἀνατιθέασιν σημήιον τῆς ἐκείνου τοῦ ταύρου μαντικῆς.

‘For not all Egyptians made predictions from all twelve parts (sc. of the zodiac), but different ones used different parts: those who(se birth) looked upon Aries venerate the ram, and those who have taken the sign of Pisces eat no fish, nor do those who knew Capricorn (the goat-horned one) (sc. at birth) kill the male goat, and the others otherwise as each of them seek to appease. Indeed they also worship the bull in honor of the bull (i.e. Taurus) up in the air, and Apis is the holiest thing to graze their country, and they dedicate an oracle to him there, a sign of the oracular skill of that bull.’

οἱ δὲ μαθηματικοὶ τοὺς ὀκτὼ μῆνας ἀσυνδέτους φασὶν εἶναι πάσης γενέσεως, τοὺς δ’ ἑπτὰ συνδετικούς· τὰ δ’ ἀσύνδετα ζῴδια <...> ἐστιν, ἐὰν τῶν οἰκοδεσποτούντων ἀστέρων τυγχάνῃ· ἐὰν γάρ τις τούτων τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὸν βίον κληρώσηται, δυστυχεῖς καὶ ἀχρόνους σημαίνει· ἀσύνδετα δ’ ἐστὶ ζῴδια ὀκτὼ ἀριθμούμενα, οἷον κριὸς πρὸς σκορπίον ἀσύνδετος, ταῦρος πρὸς τοξότην ἀσύνδετος, δίδυμοι πρὸς αἰγόκερων, καρκίνος πρὸς ὑδροχόον, λέων πρὸς ἰχθύας, παρθένος πρὸς κριόν, <ζυγὸς πρὸς ταῦρον>· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὰ ἑπτάμηνα ὄντα καὶ δεκάμηνα γόνιμα εἶναι· τὰ δ’ ὀκτάμηνα διὰ τὸ ἀσύνδετον τοῦ κόσμου φθείρεσθαι.

‘The astrologers say that the eight months of every nativity are non-conjunctive, but the seven are conjunctive. The non-conjunctive zodiac signs <...> are, if they attain one of the house-ruling planets (lit. stars): for if one of these has been allotted life and livelihood, it indicates unfortunate and short-lived (natives). The non-conjunctive zodiac signs are eight in number, as Aries is non-conjunctive to Scorpio, Taurus to Sagittarius, Gemini to Capricorn, Cancer to Aquarius, Leo to Pisces, Virgo to Aries, Libra to Taurus. Therefore, they say, both the seventh-month and ten-month (fetuses) are viable, but the eight-month ones perish because of the cosmic disconnection.’