Cancer

> “Here is the 4th astrological sign, Cancer, it is an Water sign.”
>
> — Asteris presenting the cancer.

**Cancer** (***Latin**: Cancer, **Ancient Greek**: καρκίνος (karkínos); means "crab"*) is the fourth astrological sign in the zodiac, originating from the constellation of Cancer. This astrological sign is linked to people born from June 21 to July 22. In astrology, Cancer is the cardinal sign of the Water trigon, which is made up of Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio. It is one of the six negative signs, and its ruling planet is the Moon.

## History

The sign of Cancer does not coincide with the Cancer constellation. In the zodiac, it takes the fourth 30 degrees of the circle and begins with the first day of summer. Cancer is a cardinal sign, which means it marks the start of a season in the same way as Aries marks the beginning of spring. In the ancient times, the constellation of Cancer was positioned at the same place as the most northerly location of the Sun, representing the summer solstice. Its name is Latin for crab, but we can hardly recognize the looks of a constellation with a naked eye. It looks more like an upside-down letter “Y”. It is the dimmest of all zodiacal constellations, located between Gemini and Leo. It was often considered the “Dark Sign”, described as black and without eyes because of its dim appearance. Cancer (the crayfish or crab) is said to have been a place for the Mesopotamian Sun of the South and was afterwards associated with the fourth month Duzu that falls in June-July of the modern western calendar. It was also known as the Northern Gate of the Sun.

## Myth

The myth of Cancer is probably the shortest myth of all. It speaks about a family mess as a consequence of one of Zeus’ infidelities that resulted in birth of Heracles, one of the greatest Greek heroes. Hera, the wife of Zeus, hated Heracles out of jealousy and wanted him gone. While he was fighting the great Hydra, out of love for Hera, a crab sneaked in and pinched Heracles’ foot. As a result, he smashed the crab with one step, and that is mostly the end of it.

There is mention of another way to interpret Cancer, through the role of the giant crab that Poseidon, the god of the sea, put in charge to keep his nymphs safe. He was mostly successful in his endeavors, but got tricked by the “vampire squid” that he sent to save a couple of nymphs who got away. As a result of the fight with the squid, he was crippled and because of his immortality, in pain forever.

## Known Cancers

	+ *Coming soon...*
	+ Alex Sakelerk (5th July)
	+ Emily Delacours (14th July)

## Gallery

Supplément turc. 242, fol. 14v - Osman, Cancer 1582 crop.pngSupplément turc. 242, fol. 14v - Osman, Cancer ca. 1582Book of Wonders folio 7b.jpgIn the 14th c. Arabic manuscript, *Book of Wonders*De Grey Hours f.6.r Cancer.jpgIn *Llyfr Llyfr Oriau 'De Grey* (*De Grey Hours*), ca. 1390Jordaens - Cancer.jpgIn Jacob Jordaens's *Les Signes du Zodiaque*, ca. 1640Abbaye St Philibert à Tournus - Mosaïque du déambulatoire (1).jpgMosaic in the Saint-Philibert de Tournus, Saône-et-Loire, FranceSynagoga Kupa - znaki zodiaku 09.JPGMural in the Kupa Synagogue, Kraków, Poland
## See also

* Aries
* Taurus
* Gemini
* Leo
* Virgo
* Scorpio
* Sagittarius
* Capricorn
* Aquarius
* Pisces