Leo

One planet and one sign are paired alone here, because every other planet but the Moon holds two signs and the Sun holds only this one. Lilly 1659 states it flatly and lists Aquarius, the sign across the circle, as the Sun's detriment, a word that simply means the position opposite a planet's own house. Ptolemy, in Ashmand's 1822 translation, assigns Leo to the Sun for its northern height and warmth.

Alan Leo 1899 places the character of this sign in the heart. He contrasts it with Aries: one spins ideals and the other quietly tries to carry them out. Adams 1928 goes further and calls the native of Leo the most complete and balanced representative of humanity.

The 1697 English Manilius has hunters and keepers of beasts, open in manner and easily angered, then easily appeased. Modern popular astrology turns the lion into a performer who wants attention, which is a long step from a hunter or a quiet doer. Three centuries of writers looked at one animal and picked three different things to notice.