Λέων
Leōn

Greek noun

Last edited: 2024-10-21
Primary meaning Leo
Literal translation lion
Variants
Λέων Leōn
Edited by

Leo constellation

ἔστι δὲ ἐν τούτῳ τὰ μέσα τοῦ Καρκίνου καὶ τὰ διὰ τοῦ σώματος κατὰ μῆκος τοῦ Λέοντος

‘In it (sc. the Tropic of Cancer) are the middle of Cancer and the width-wise cross-section of the body of Leo’

— Eudoxus apud Hipparchus 1.2.18

Genre: astronomy
Date: 4th cent. BCE


Leo zodiac sign

ζωϊδίων δέ ἑ κύκλον ἐπίκλησιν καλέουσιν· τῷ ἔνι Καρκίνος ἐστί, Λέων ἐπὶ τῷ (...) 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 (...) 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.’

— Aratus, Phainomena 543–552

Genre: astronomy
Date: mid 3rd cent. BCE

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.’

— Geminus 1.2

Genre: astronomy
Date: 1st century BCE

Geminus. 1975. Géminos, Introduction aux Phénomènes, ed. G. Aujac. Paris: Les Belles Lettres. 1

Λέων ἐστὶν ἀρρενικόν, οἶκος Ἡλίου, ἐλεύθερον, πυρῶδες, εὔκρατον, νοερόν, βασιλικόν, ἑδραῖον, ἀγαθόν, ἀνωφερές, εὐμετάβολον, στερεόν, ἡγεμονικόν, πολιτικόν, ἀρκτικόν, ὀργίλον

‘Leo is a masculine (sign), a house of the Sun, of free men, of fire, temperate, intellectual, royal, firm-seated, good, ascending, variable, firm, hegemonic, political, imperious, irascible’

— Vettius Valens 1.2.40

Genre: astrological treatise
Date: 2nd century CE


lion animal

Cite this entry
APA (7th)
Peeters, T., & Zellmann-Rohrer, M. (2024). Λέων (Lemma #94). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/94/

Chicago (Author-Date)
Peeters, T., & Zellmann-Rohrer, M. (2024). Λέων (Lemma #94). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/94/

MLA (9th)
Peeters, T., & Zellmann-Rohrer, M. (2024). Λέων (Lemma #94). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/94/

Harvard
Peeters, T. and Zellmann-Rohrer, M. (2024) Λέων (Lemma #94), The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. Available at: https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/94/ (Accessed: December 1, 2025).

BibTeX
@misc{zodiac94,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2025-12-01]},
	author = {Peeters, Thomas and Zellmann-Rohrer, Michael},
	year = {2024},
	title = {Λέων ({Lemma} #94)},
	url = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/94/},
	howpublished = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/94/},
}