The Claws of the Scorpion
Libra’s stars were first the Claws of the Scorpion. The Romans made them the Scales, the only sign of the zodiac that is not a living thing.
In the tradition
Aratus calls these stars the Claws, Chelai, part of the Scorpion. Roman writers such as Manilius made them a separate figure, the Scales, and the autumn equinox, when day and night are equal, gave the balance its sense.
Two of the stars still carry Arabic names meaning the southern claw and the northern claw.
Sources
- Aratus, Phaenomena (3rd century BCE). The Greek poem on the constellations that most later star lore follows.
- Marcus Manilius, Astronomica (early 1st century CE). The oldest surviving Latin poem on astrology, with early descriptions of the signs.
Updated October 9, 2026.
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